Wearing personal protective equipment is very important in all trades; gardening is no different.  Before I head out into the garden, I always where these six essentials PPEs.

I didn’t always do so, but now I don’t considered myself ready to garden unless I have on the following:

1. Sunscreen – Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB.  Even in the Winter.
2. Hat – Mostly to keep the sun out of my eyes and my hair back
3. Pants – I wear Levis, but what is key is to cover the legs. With this protection, there are less bug bites, branch scratches, and its more comfortable when needing to drop to my knees to weed or plant.
4. Sturdy shoes or boots.  If ever a shovel is needed, a sturdy shoe is prudent and necessary.
5. Socks – Keeps the dirt and mulch from getting into my shoes.
6. Gloves – Once, I reached in to pull just one little weed and it was on top of a fire ant’s nest.  I will probably make that mistake again, but not without gloves.

Happy Gardening

I managed to fill 8 more cans of Castor Beans and Cannas.  After that, I ran out of cans, but not energy.  As such, I clipped more and hauled about 8 more can equivalents to the compost pile.

Planted some great plants given to me to test by the growers.

• 3 Proven Winners  Hydrangea arbborescens Invincibelle™ Spirit.  One went into the xeric Woodland Too bed, another in the Mixed Border and the third in the Red Bed.
• 1 Novalis Plants That Work™ Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’

Hydrangea arbborescens Invincibelle™ Spirt

Also planted:

• Camellia transnokoensis form Camellia Forest in the Red Bed
• Viburnum plicatum ‘Popcorn’ in the Mixed Border
• Illicium floridanum ‘Halley’s Comet’ in the Woodland Too bed.

Camellia

Viburunum

Illicium

I’m taking a chance on the ‘Soft Caress’  It is zoned for 7b and as you know, I like to wrap a zone around my plants.  However, I had nice spot on the South side in the Secret garden.  How there is enough water there for it.

Also taking a chance on the Illicium floridanum ‘Halley’s Comet’.  That went in a xeric garden and it is a thirsty plant.  However, I do have a water storage unit there to hand dip into if need be.

• Pulled Zinnia
• Cut back Lantana
• Cut back Salvia
• Mowed
• Cut back swamp sunflowers
• Cut back sweet autumn Clematis
• Cut back Joe Pye Weed
• Pruned roses
• Pulled some Virginia Creeper from the White Pine tree
• Admired the Hellebores planed in Woodland Too bed.  They are finally filling
• Also planted a fern given to me by my friend Rita Mercer who is an expert in dry shade.  It is a fern that can go into dry shade.  Planted it in the Woodland Too bed, a xeric garden.

I’m tired.

The kids had off Friday through Tuesday so we took a long weekend to DC.

Like mother, like daughter

My dad’s grandkids. He died before any were born.

November Garden Maintenance

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

We have yet to experience a hard frost in time for this month’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. It’s late.  So, I have more blooms than I should have.  Helen’s Haven, in Raleigh, NC is holding her own, but definitely ready to be put to bed.  While most of the fall flowers are still in bloom, some are looking a little sad.

Purple Basil

Camelia sasanqua 'Sestugekka' from Camellia Forest

Rosa 'Rainbow Sorbet'

Verbena 'Homestead Purple'

Hardy Cycleman

'Hot Lips' Salvia

'Pretty Much Picasso™' trial in Helen's Haven. A true proven winner

Osmanthus

'Miss Huff' Lantana

American Beauty Berry, Aster, Salvia

Oakleaf Hydrangea so pretty in the fall.

Burgmansia detail

Brugmansia Angel Flower

Ditto

Sheffield Pink Mum from my friend kk

Purple Salvia

Edgeworthia still in leaf with flower heads forming

Big leaf Magnolia with Knock out Rose

Quince

Proven Winners Snow Princess™

Sedge

Echinacea 'Double Pink Delight'

Rain lily

Red Bed in November

Carolina Jassamine

Rosa 'Pink Peace'

Tropical Snail Vine

Verbena 'Homestead Red'

Nippon Daisy

Unknown Dalhia

Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku'

Pretty Much Picasso™ Trial garden in Helen's Haven, Raleigh, NC

I wish I were a fly on the wall when the naming of this  Proven Winners petunia occrred.  I can imagine how the  brainstorming session went:

Marketing Head: “Here she is.  Now what deserving name do we give her?”

Namer 1: “Wow, this is gonna be hard, how about green and pink?

Namer 2: “But it’s more than just green and pink; its more like a lime green and purplely pink with deep colored veins, darker throat; very abstract, actually.”

Namer 3: “Well, that doesn’t help us name it.  How would these colors combine in nature?

Namer 4: “Makes me think of the colors from a Sherwin Williams paint chip display.”

Marketer Head: “Ok, now were’re on to something.  How about, Sherwin?”

Namer 2: Naw, sounds too much like Sherman and southerners don’t take cotton to the name Sherman.”

Namer 4: “But, I like the paint thing.  Kinda looks like a Monet painting.”

Marketing Head:   “Yea, but that kinda sound like the other guy’s Weigela My Monet™ and they have the mark, so there is no chance there.”

Namer 3: “Well since the colors are somewhat abstract, how about Picasso?”

Namer 1: “Yeah, I like that, Picasso!”

Marketing Head: “Does everyone agree?”

Namer 3: “Pretty much.”

Marketing Head: Pretty much; not absolutely?

Namers 1, 2, 3, and 4 shaking their heads in agreement. “Yeah, we like it pretty much?”

Marketing Head: “Ok, we all agree, Picasso it is!”

In the meantime, the note taker was asked to send it over to the attorney to be Trademarked. The attorney asks, “that’s it, Picasso?”  Note taker, feeling a little unsure, refers to their notes and replies, pretty much; yeah, that’s it, pretty much Picasso.”

And so a name could be born.

Pretty Much Picasso™ trialed in Helen's Haven

However it was named, Proven Winners’ Pretty Much Picasso™ is a winner in my book.

The trial in my garden, Helen’s Haven, is still going on.  We have yet to experience a hard frost; Pretty Much Picasso™ continues to do well.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook  friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

This child runs free; but freedom is not free

A HEARTFELT THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED  IN OUR ARMED SERVICES

and their families

]]> http://gardensgardens.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/veterans-day-november-11-2009/feed/ 5 Gardening with Confidence IMG_2421 http://gardensgardens.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/this-month-in-the-garden-november-2/ http://gardensgardens.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/this-month-in-the-garden-november-2/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:32:51 +0000 gardening with confidence http://gardensgardens.wordpress.com/?p=6949 ]]>

GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE™

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN

Mid-Atlantic Region

November Maintenance Guide

NC State Farmers Market, Raleigh, NC

INTRO

Once the killing frost hits, it’s time to tuck your garden in bed for the winter.   Our first frost date is unpredictable in terms of regions and microclimates. Raleigh’s first frost date, as calculated at NC State University,  is November 5th.

In my mind, November is the inspiration; in case you need more:   November Inspiration at Fine Gardening

Here are some of things we are doing in our Zone 7b gardens:

BULBS

Plant your spring blooming bulbs this month.

Healthy bulbs will be firm and show no sighs of mold or decay. Bulb companies such as Brent and Becky’s Bulbs will ship your order at the ideal planting time for your area. If you can’t plant immediately, store them in a cool, dry place until ready to be planted.

Plant bulbs pointy end up. If no point is prominent, then look for the remains of a root and plant that end towards the earth.

Plant your bulbs in a sunny location – sunny when blooming, that is. This is a cool thing about bulbs,  Take advantage of a an area in the garden that is shady in the summer, but sunny in the winter such as areas shaded by deciduous trees.

Plant some bulbs in pots for forcing during the winter months.

Cut back elephant ears, gingers and cannas and other spent plants and add them to the compost pile.

Plant your warm-seasoned lawn with crocus. The Tommies, Crocus tommasinianus, are early blooming crocus that work well planted in the open lawn. The Tommies are nice because they are up in the winter landscape just when they are needed the most and down by the time  mowing starts.

Grape hyacinths are a happy bulb. Plant enmasse or in drifts. Many smart gardeners plant a single bulb along with the daffodils to aid as a reminder of where the daffodils were planted.

The tiny bulbs of snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) and snowflakes (Leucojum) planted now, will bring great joy in early winter and early spring, respectively. Any other time of the year, these tiny flowers would be lost in the garden, but in the winter, with little competition, they shine like beacons.

I like pairing daffodils with daylilies. While the foliage of the daff is dying back, the daylily starts to emerge, helping to hide the daffs untidiness until they are ready to be cut back.

HERBS

Rosemary will not care that a frost has arrived.  This wonderful Mediterranean shrub adds value to the fall and winter landscape.  When it gets too big for an area, feel free to cut back.

ANNUALS

If you didn’t plant annuals in October, there is still time to do so in November. Plant forget-me-nots, pansies, snapdragons, and violas.

Adding flowering kale, ornamental cabbage, and mustards add interest to the winter landscape and in container gardens.

Collect seed. Use for next year, give to friends, share with your garden club.

Seeds of larkspur, money plant, Iceland and California poppies can be sown directly.

PERENNIALS

This is the best time to plant perennials.  As long as the ground is not frozen, perennials can be planted now.  Great deals may be available at garden centers as they sell the remaining stock.

TREES AND SHRUB

Now is the best time to plant trees and shrubs, such as Azaleas and Camellias.

ROSES

Rose catelogues will be arriving, if not all ready.   Now is a good time to order or at least decide on my new bare root roses. I find to best to choose roses while they’re blooming. You will note when looking at a photograph of the same rose in three books or catalogues, it looks like 3 different roses. As such, I pay attention to the roses of my friend’s, my client’s, and other private and public gardens. I note what does well in our area and get an idea of their shape and color. Also, I learn about the rose’s maintenance needs. Personally, I don’t want to mess with anything fussy. I don’t spray my roses with pesticides; I don’t want anything that will put my butterflies at risk or for that matter, any beneficial insect.  But I do love roses.

After a freeze, it is OK to prune back your roses. It is not necessary to prune now; however the long canes are vulnerable to breaking in high winds or if coated with ice during an ice storm.

MULCH

Rake the lawn of leaves, especially if you re-seeded your cool season grass, such as tall fescue.  Wet leaves will mat down, smothering newly sprouted grass and reducing needed sunlight.

Or don’t rake at all! I mow my leaves with a mulching mower. The bagged, chopped leaves are usually then put on the compost pile. Or they may go directly in a bed; it just depends on what I got going on. In either case, they stay with me and don’t go to the City yard waste center.

Removed the leaves from the beds; otherwise they will just drive you crazy when the move around. Rake or blow them into the grass before mowing, then you can put them back in the garden beds.

PESTS

The cold air and soon a killing frost will help lower garden pest population.

WEEDS

Once the garden is bare, the weeds are more visible. Pulling now is the best time to get a head start on next year’s weed season.

SOIL

Now is a great time to collect a soil sample for analysis.

WATER

Keep an eye on any new plantings.  Continue to water new plantings often to keep moist.  In the absence of rain, water new perennials once a week.

Don’t let your fountain water freeze. It is best to winter-ize your fountain by shutting off the pump, disconnecting the hose from the pump and protecting the pump. Many fountains have large reservoirs which help keep the water from freezing. Also, depending of the type of material the fountain is made of, you may need to protect it further. Metal fountains are fine if left alone. Concrete fountains do best if water is not able to set and freeze. So it is advisable to put a towel in the bottom of each tier to soak up water and have the towel do the freezing instead of the concrete. Even with these precautions, I still had a concrete fountain freeze and crack. Ceramic fountains may need to be put inside a shed or garage to protect from freezing.

Of course, a fountain is a wonderful feature to decorate for the holidays. I do various designs with my fountains. Just because it’s not running, doesn’t mean it can’t still be a showstopper. Fill it with evergreens, magnolias, pomegranates, and drape with ribbon. A metal fountain is a great opportunity to make a garden and design statement. After the holidays, it becomes a giant birdbath. When the water freezes in a tier, I send one of my kids out, usually Aster, with a hammer to break open.

WILDLIFE

Don’t forget your bird friends.  They add so much to the garden and to the gardeners’ enjoyment.  My favorite part of the garden is when I am walking down a garden path and see and hear the birds take flight as I come through.  Be sure to provide a continual supply of seed, suet and water.

Leave any seed heads for the birds to feed over the winter and to add winter interest to the garden.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her Face Book friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence’s Fan page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Spent a nice weekend visiting  my brother and his family (wife Charmaine and Kids Hannah, John, Helena, Sara, James) and our dad at Arlington National Cemetery.  Thanks to all our veterans!

Not only did we have  a great visit, but were able to spend some time with the cousins touring around DC.  I saw more of DC during this visit then when I lived here for 3 year.  It was the most enjoyable time.

Here is a photo of the cousins with my dad at Arlington National Cemetry:

My sister-in-law is a wheel.  In the 1980’s, she was an intern at the White House during undergraduate school.  She worked in the East Wing.  Now she is a president of a non-profit in a corner office overlooking the very building she once worked.  Nice view of the Washington Memorial too.  Of course, I quip, “Your Ph.D didn’t take you far, just a block over and up.”

While there, I stumbled upon the US Botanic Gardens.  My friend kk told me to go, but somehow I didn’t realize it was where it was.  I was magical – right there at the foot of the Capitol.  Will post about that later.

Wrote a blog post on why I use Twitter called Cheatin’ through Tweetin’ Sipping from the Social Media Water Cooler

Posted November Maintenance Guide

Lara Rose catching a grasshopper

Continued to put Helen’s Haven to bed gathering 3 yard waste cans full of cutback .  My target this week:

• Took down beans
• Some Castors
• Some Zinnias
• Hydrangea Sinensis

Trimmed back climbing rose ‘Stairway to Heaven’ on the Children’s arbor entrance.  Most likely, I will replace this rose with a Clematis Armandii.  This rose is too high maintenance…although I love it in the spring.

Got my book concept nailed, drafted the Table of Contents.  This is going to be fun.

Still waiting for first real frost.

Copy and photos by Helen Yoest

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her Facebook page, the Gardening With Confidence fan page. Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum.

Cheatin’ through Tweetin’  Sipping from the Social Media Water Cooler

Michelle Gervais @Michelle_at_FG, @Susan L. Morrison, Teresa O'Connor @SeasonalWisdom

On Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 18:42, I opened a Twitter account.  As I get ready to celebrate – yes, celebrate – my one year Twitter anniversary, I wondered how I got here and why.

I kinda remember my friend @DebraPrinzing suggesting I start, but beyond that, I don’t recall how I connected so well with Twitter.  I didn’t go gently into that good night.  I went kicking and screaming. Never would I have guessed I would be the Twitter champion I am today.  Yet, intuitively, I knew I must tweet.  Just as I knew I  must have a Facebook account (fan me at Helen Yoest and fan my business, please, Gardening With Confidence Facebook Fan Page and a LinkIn account.

I took to social media.  I don’t otherwise consider myself very social.

If you ask my former colleagues, from when I actually worked in an office, if I was always so social, they would laugh out loud- or LOL to some and LMAO to others.  I’ll let you figure that one out, but here’s a hint, this four-letter acronym  (LMAO) has a  three-letter naughty word in.  Acceptable to some, but to others like my friend @DebraLBaldwin, she would stop following you for using a bad word.  I respect this.  I’ve read some $%&@ on Twitter and really never thought it was necessary.  I like it when folks challenge themselves to find a more respectable word to convey these sentiments.  I like to convey thoughts  in a clean, I want to write this as if my children will read it, sort of way….but I digress.

Back in the old days when I worked in an office, the local social media was held at the water cooler.  The water cooler for me was nothing more than a small sip water.  Yes, I valued it for needing to tap information in a casual way, but I could always go to their office.   If I wanted water, I would fill my water bottle from the fountain.  I had work to do. I didn’t have time to chat at the water cooler.  So why is Twitter so different, you ask?  It’s not.  Twitter is a modern day water cooler.

When I first messed around with Twitter, I just didn’t “get” it.  I hear that a lot from others. Yet, I knew I needed to figure this thing out.  I was determined to make the time to “get” Twitter and it was made easier with a few helpful tips from fellow tweeps; they had me “getting it” in no time.

Some of those folks still tweet, others don’t.   This is not uncommon; not unlike at college when the professor, on the first day of class, asked you to look left and then look right to exemplify one of you will not be there at the end of the semester.  Would you not go to college because of these odds?  Nope.  So, would you not tweet because of these odds?  Nope.

By many standards, my social media meter is still on low side of the social scale, but I at least “get it” enough to play, and have a great time doing so.  But it’s more than that, of course, in the process of trying to “get it”, I befriended some fantastic friends.  Not just great like-minded people, but the cream that rises in any setting.  I’m sipping, and going back for more.

As these social friends became real friends, as my friend Laura Schaub @InterLeafer puts it, I became to value and respect who they are and what they do.  I cannot think of any other way these meetings would have occurred.  Folks from California were not likely to be hanging around my Raleigh, NC office water cooler….now they are.  As such,  I began to tap their expertise.

I  find Twitter to be an incredible resource.  One day, alone working in my office, preparing a presentation on creating a backyard wildlife habitat, I had a great image of a spider.  I didn’t know the name of the spider, but wanted to know it in case someone in the audience asked me.  I remembered sharing many tweets with Debbie Hadley @AboutInsects. During the course of our tweet relationship, I found her to be really nice, incredibly knowledgeable and totally into her field.  So I figured I’d ask her.  Otherwise, it was pulling resource books or googling until I found what I was looking for.  A click to @AboutInsects with an accompanying photo and tweet asking if she would mind identifying a spider for me, please?  I had my answer in less than 10 minutes, common and latin names, no less.  Next up was a frog.  A tweet and an uploaded photo to Kelly Senser @klsnature resulted in an answer in less than a half hour.

It is not uncommon to see a posting and photo to the tweepsphere for help in identifying a plant.  Answers arrive is seconds!

For my presentation preparation, the generosity was unbelievable.  The delivery was professional and spot on.  I felt like I was cheatin’ through tweetin’.  It was really more than that.  I had resource at my fingertips and I like to think I have since reciprocated to others.

We are a family of friends of mutual respect, committed to our craft, no matter what it is.  Casual conversation brought us together, tweet by tweet, we built respect, while also sharing about ourselves.  If I need to know what tomatoes I should plant next year, I know I can count on Teresa O’Conner @SeasonalWisdom to suggest some to me (yep she did, and yep they are on my list for next year.)

If I need a plant identified, no doubt, Christina Salwitz @Aracdia1 will top my list.  If it’s a really weird plant, I heading over to Keith Alexander @Hyperating; he knows his stuff and is willing to help out.

I have @joegardener and @ShawnaCoronardo to give me green advice (as well as many others), there’s @SusanLMorrison @SusanCohan, and Lynn Felici-Gallant @IndigoGardens to bounce ideas off of.  I also have easy access to my editors and publishers.  @gardenpublisher also keeps us abreast on the state of the book publishing world.

On the days I want a dose of some really weird garden humor, I can count on Steve Bender @grumpy_gardener.  If I have a social media question, I’ll shoot a DM to @JeanAnnVK.  If I want to see what’s on edge in the gardening world, I head over to @GardenRant

My social standing is not 6 sigma.  But my water cooler has me sipping from nearly every state in the US and abroad.

A year later, it is very clear why I tweet.  My first tweet was something like, “Ok, I joined Twitter, now what?”  One of my first tweet replies was from my now friend Katie Elzer-Peters @GardenofWords telling me to just start writing.  So I did.

I use to talk Twitter up and found I was trying to convince folks the value of Twitter.  I no longer do that.  I’m beyond convincing anyone to tweet.  They need to figure it out on their own.   If they don’t get it, they don’t get it. But, social media is not going away – thank goodness.

My story is no different from many naysayers. My excuse for not wanting to tweet @HelenYoest, was because I didn’t have the time to tweet.  I found the time and I’m glad I did.

Not “getting it” seems to be a popular excuse not to tweet.  Some of these folks, I think,  hope  if they can say it loud enough, it will make it go away.  I don’t see it going away anytime soon.

As I end this post, I’m getting thirsty for knowledge.  I need a sip from the social media water cooler…here I come tweeps…

Post Script I was not able to mention all the tweeps I follow and admire.  For a full list, check out @HelenYoest following.  A a very personal thank you for all the tweeple who have given me tips, advise, and friendship – you know who you are!

Amsonia hubrechtii

As the first frost landed on my car window, I knew I would soon be called into action. Even though the ground temperature kept the frost from the garden, the need to put the garden to bed for the winter was on my heels. I went about my winter preparations happily, in anticipation of what I hoped would come. I was ready. Without this first frost, we can’t officially celebrate the fifth season–an Indian Summer.

As I walked into the back garden, I knew right away: Today we will have an Indian Summer. It may only last a day, maybe two. It may come again next week, or not. Indian Summers are unpredictable. Perhaps that is why it is so important to celebrate the season when it occurs: Tomorrow may be too late….

For the rest of the story, visit my monthly column at Fine Gardening November Inspiration

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her Face Book friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence’s Fan page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Daylight savings time ended at 2:00 AM today.  I loath loosing evening light.  I suppose it’s because I am such a morning person, I can get up regardless of the light level.  But I tend to want to go to sleep when the sun sets…making it very difficult to stay up late enough to get my kids to bed!

This week, I was interviewed by the news about my  garden water conservation efforts.  NBC17 Water Conversation Story

Received two varieties of pansy introductions from Goldsmith Seeds to trial:  Mammoth On Fire  and Mammoth Queen Yellow Bee

Helen's Haven trials Mammoth On Fire and Queen Yellow Bee

Friday, I was Carole Brown’s guest blogger at Ecosystems Gardens.  Thank you Carole Helen’s Haven Wildlife Habitat

Here’s another post about bees, this time about bees in general Book of Six © Six Facts About Honey Bees

I mowed, but beyond that,  I can’t think of a thing I did in the garden.

Grass, emotional goth person, IRS agent

2009 Halloween costumes:

Lily is grass, angry grass.

Lara Rose, is an emotional goth.

Aster was scariest of all, an IRS agent.

Copy and photos by Helen Yoest

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her Facebook page, the Gardening With Confidence fan page. Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum.