| Gardening is an ongoing, learning, living experience. There never comes a
time when you’ve learned all there is to learn. Experienced, lifelong gardeners can
testify to this, better than anyone else. Even in Commercial, large-scale growing
operations, such as is done here at Mill Creek Nursery,
the learning process is continual. Perhaps you are trying to grow a tree or introduce a
shrub that is new to the upper Midwest area, or trying to grow different forms of
perennials that have been brought to the forefront of gardeners’ attention through
many of the horticultural publications available, we continue to grow and learn too.
This section of our Website is devoted to helping many of those novice and new
gardeners’ just beginning to discover and enjoy the pleasures and enjoyment of
working with living plants, and the inner fulfillment that comes by learning how to
beautify the surroundings starting in one’s own backyard.
Periodically we will be attempting to provide answers to many of the questions that
some of these apprentice gardener’s and “young” students of horticulture do
come up against, in that learning process. The answers we will provide to these questions,
while attempting to be thorough, certainly cannot cover all the many facets of gardening
and all the individual questions that may arise. For these specific, individual details
one may need, we encourage people to seek out the myriad's of publications, books, and
other resources at their disposal at either their public libraries, bookstores, or other
local gardening organizations such as the Chicago Botanic Gardens.
We also want to encourage you to feel free to stop in at Mill
Creek Nursery and talk to our trained, knowledgeable, experienced staff.
They will be glad to assist you, to the best of their ability, to help you with proper
plant selection, answer any gardening questions you may have, and attempt to help you make
your gardening experience a successful and enjoyable one!
| Q: How should I prepare
the ground for perennial beds? |
A: Certainly there are many different perennial types, each with their own nutritional
needs. These needs are primarily met by means of the soil, or growing medium that the
plants are allowed to grow in. The information provided herein is aimed at the “average” perennial’s nutritional
needs, and soil structure type.
The first step would be to remove any existing sod or other unwanted plant materials from
the area to be planted. Generally speaking, with the high clay content of our soils here
in the upper Midwest, you should mix in a three to four inch layer of either well-rotted
cow manure, or mushroom compost, as well as incorporating an adequate amount of peat moss,
along with ten pounds of superphosphate per each hundred square feet of planting space to
be prepared. Small gardens can be worked over and prepared by hand with a shovel or spade,
or you may wish to rent a rotary tiller to ensure better distribution and incorporation of
all the soil amendments. For best results, the soil should be worked and prepared to a
depth of not less than twelve inches, you will find that plants will produce noticeably
better if the soil can be worked to this depth.
|
| Q: When can I start
planting trees & shrubs in my yard? |
A: Trees and shrubs can be planted in the spring, once the winter frost is out of the
ground. Here in Illinois that typically occurs around late March to early April. They can
continue to be planted throughout the summer and into late fall, even early winter, as
long as the ground has not frozen up again.Even if the leaves have fallen off deciduous
trees and shrubs, they may still be planted late in the fall. At that time the plants have
already begun to go into a dormant state, and planting them will have no deleterious
effects on the plant.
People often confuse “planting” a tree with
“transplanting” a tree. These are two very different processes, with
significantly different implications.
To "transplant" a tree means to remove a
growing, existing tree, cutting and severing its roots and moving it from its present
growing location to a new planting site. This process is best accomplished in the spring
or the fall when the temperatures are much cooler, thus putting a tree under less stress
and significantly improving its chances of survival.
To “plant” a tree means to take a tree
that has already undergone the process of extraction from its original growing site (it
has already undergone that initial “shock to the system”,
and then planting it at a new location. A perfect example of this occurs when someone buys
a balled-and-burlapped (B&B) tree at a Nursery or Garden Center, such as Mill Creek Nursery. The tree or shrub was dug back
in early spring when the shock to the plant was minimal, and from that point forward it is
ready for planting at any time during the spring, summer, or even late fall, as mentioned
above.
Smaller container-grown trees and shrubs have little, if any shock to their “system” when extracted from their pot and placed
directly into the ground, and they too can be planted from spring throughout late fall.
|
| Q: When do I stop
watering each year? |
A: Many homeowners wind up and store their hoses and watering equipment once the deciduous
trees and shrubs have finished dropping their fall foliage. This is not in the best
interests of your plants. Trees and shrubs, especially Evergreens, will continue to
take up water through their root network right up until the time the ground freezes. As
long as the temperature of the soil remains at 38 degrees Fahrenheit, or above, plants
will continue to grow - below ground - putting out new roots, and taking up nutrients from
the soil.
Plants that keep their foliage during the winter, such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas,
Boxwood, broad-leafed evergreens, and needle-type evergreens tend to dry out as the cold,
desiccating winter winds blow across the foliage day after day throughout winter’s
duration. It is much better for the plant’s health to “put
it to bed” for the winter with sufficient moisture around the root zone. This
will help minimize the potential of winter burn, or winter dieback that the plant may
experience.
Of particular importance are the trees and shrubs that have just been planted during
the current year. They are working quite hard to get themselves resituated in their new
surroundings. Therefore, remember to keep periodically watering all trees and shrubs,
especially the evergreen types, right up until the time the ground freezes for the winter.
For Illinois, that can happen anywhere between early December and mid January. |
|
|
