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What
To Plant/Transplant (Part
One) By
C. Rae Hozer, Cumberland County Master Gardener The
first step in making plant recommendations for any landscape is to clarify the
needs, likes and dislikes of the property owner and to learn about conditions at
the site. A
homeowner request for a list of plants that would survive at one of the highest
elevations in the county (about 3,000 feet above sea level) was received by our
local University of Tennessee Extension office. The message was waiting when I
came in one morning for Ask-a-Master-Gardener work. Someone had scribbled “Rae
?”
at the top. Gathering
so much information wouldn’t be easy or quick. A phone call to narrow the
search scope was a necessity. Tennessee supports a rich diversity of plant and
animal life. Listing just plants native to middle and east Tennessee could fill
a very large book. Beyond native species, many ornamentals which originated in
similar climates in other parts of the world (“exotics”) would be hardy
here, as would a lot of hybrid plants and cultivated varieties. What plant
categories should be considered—trees, shrubs, and/or herbaceous perennials?
flowering and/or foliage plants? evergreens and/or deciduous trees and shrubs?
Were there particular “must have” plants? Knowing roses or a ground cover
were desired, I could suggest plants in either category that should perform well
in our area. Then
the office telephone started ringing. That diverted my time and attention. Home
gardener phone-in questions, walk-ins and call-backs left no time to work on a
plant list. Wet, humid weather has caused yard and garden problems from flower
beds to the vegetable patch. Lawns are being overrun by weedy grasses. Poor soil
drainage is showing up in places that never had those troubles before. We’re
advising homeowners whose needle evergreens develop dead branches but show no
sign of bugs, to dig down and check for dark or slimy roots (root rot) before
spraying insecticides. One caller described creeping phlox plants that had been
growing so well they needed thinning and were transplanted to new areas every
year. This spring and summer those same plants turned gray from fungus and died.
Tomatoes are showing leaf spot disease and every kind of blight imaginable. I
also took calls from two (new) vegetable gardeners whose tomato plants were
tall, healthy-looking and a nice green color– but had no fruit. I suspected an
overdose of nitrogen fertilizer. That pushes plants to make lots of leaf and
stem growth rather than producing flowers and fruit. Too little sunlight hurts
tomato production, too. Clouds blocking the sun during June and July have
delayed fruit development on some tomato varieties. These gardeners were using
organics- one chicken manure, the other horse manure. Vegetable growers using
synthetic fertilizers may find it easier to measure the amount of nitrogen being
applied. With more experience, organic gardeners usually develop a better feel
for how much is too much.
I
telephoned. A lady (the adult daughter of the gardener who asked for the hardy
plant list) answered. I explained the need to narrow the focus to the types of
plants her father wished to grow. Her accent indicated the family might be from
the British Isles, Australia or New Zealand and not familiar with USDA Hardiness
Zones. I suggested they visit Discovery Gardens, demonstration gardens planned
and planted by Cumberland County Master Gardeners during their initial training.
These gardens are open to the public daily during daylight hours.
Plateau
Gardening
is written
by
Master Gardeners for those tending home
landscapes and gardens
in Tennessee’s
Upper Cumberland Region. Contact
UT
Extension Cumberland County, P.O. Box 483, Crossville, TN 38557, (phone
931-484-6743)
for
quick
answers
to specific
questions,
free publications, or
to learn about
becoming
a Master Gardener.
Email
comments
or yard and garden inquiries
to Master
Gardener Rae, mgardenerrae@frontiernet.net.
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