Billy's Gardening Lessons

Our plant department gets together for an 'after the big season' party every year at Billy's house. Billy owns Valley View Farms with his son Andy.
One of the highlights of the party is Billy's garden tour.

Billy is serious about tomatoes. He takes a well- deserved vacation in late June, but always returns for a garden visit halfway through to check on his plants. Believe me, no one else is allowed to water, feed or otherwise take care of them. Billy shares his harvest beginning in July, bringing bucket after bucket of beautiful, ripe, Celebrity tomatoes for many of us at the store.

But I digress; let's get back to the tour. Our plant department is made up of novice and experienced gardeners. Like most people in the garden center business, we are able to share our challenges and successes with customers and each other. No one shares his expertise more than Billy. He shows us how his tomatoes need extra support because of his plants heavy fruit production.

 He shows us how the different varieties grow in the garden. This year, he planted Mortgage Lifters, Plum Crimsons and his favorite, Celebrity. Billy patiently explains how he sanitizes all of his tomato cages every year to keep his plants free from overwintering diseases.

 Best of all, he tackles question after question of the hows and whys of vegetable gardening from his staff.  It's wholesome stuff taught from the best classroom imaginable--- his vegetable garden.

Thank you, Billy, for inspiring all of us to be better gardeners.

By the way, Billy grows a pretty good crop of peppers too!

Maintaining a Pollinator-Friendly Garden

The other day, a friend's daughter asked her mom why she had the herb fennel in the garden. "You don't even like fennel; why in the world are you growing it?" My friend replied without hesitation, "Fennel is a larval host plant for butterflies". In fact, the right plants attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and many other beneficial insects to the garden. Most important for gardeners, hobby orchardists and vegetable growers, is  providing attractive conditions for pollinators.

An oasis amid U. S. government buildings

 On a visit to the National Botanical Gardens, situated in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, I was able to see a sample of a pollinator garden.

A sign in the garden provided the following tips.

• Use a wide variety of plants that bloom from early spring into late fall. Include native plants. Remember night-blooming flowers too.
• Eliminate pesticides whenever possible. Many common pesticides are dangerous for bees.

Notice the pollen on the bee's legs

• Avoid hybrid "doubled" flowers that have little pollen ot nectar.
• Include larval host plants. If you want butterflies, grow plants for their caterpillars to eat.

A Swallowtail butterfly enjoying the nectar from a lantana

• Create a damp salt lick for butterflies and bees. Create a muddy area and mix in a bit of salt or wood ashes. Sea salt has more micronutrients than table salt.
• Put out slices of overripe bananas, oranges, or other fruits for butterflies.
• Spare that limb! Leave an occasional dead limb or tree to provide essential nesting sites for native bees. Make sure thay are not a safety hazard for people.

Marian's photo of a Ruby-throated hummingbird at a feeder

Provide a hummingbird feeder. For artificial nectar, use 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Never use artificial sweeteners, honey or fruit juices. Clean the feeder with hot, soapy water at least twice a week.

For additional information on pollinators, contact The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign. Also, stop in and pick up a copy of our own handout on Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to the Garden. It is an invaluable resource listing plants for larval feeding and nectar production.

Heat-Loving Angelonias

Trial gardens featuring Angelonias

Several years ago, a few of us headed to West Chicago, Illinois to see some garden trials. Much like the weather recently suffered by Chicagoans, temperatures topped 100 degrees. I don't know who was wilting more, our group or the flowers. We walked for hours, judging plants grown side by side. There were two standouts. One, the Dragon Wing Begonia, was looking great in both sun and shade. Even in our store, they look wonderful no matter where they are planted in any type of pot. The other, Angelonia, stood tall, not showing a bit of weakness as the sun shone hot upon it.



Angelonia Archangel

Also called Summer Snapdragon, Angelonias thrive if full, hot sun, planted in borders or in pots. The whites are bright; darker colors like purple and raspberry look great all summer long. Now, it is a  favorite in the summer garden.

Magnification

Our garden shop has a new diagnostic tool. You've got to see it; you'll be so impressed by our brand new microscope. It attaches to a computer monitor, allowing the magnification of any critter, disease or problem that may be causing leaves to yellow, fall off or just look bad.

Our new microscope can get up close for diagnosing plant samples

 Every day, gardeners come in to Valley View Farms, baggies in hand, to ask us to identify the cause of their plant's problems. We can now send them to our garden shop and view the leaves under the scope.

Ryan takes a look at some leaves

 Thrips, aphids, two-spotted spider mites, scale and many other creatures show up on screen and can be readily identified by our staff. Brian, Ryan, Jack, Jimmy, Mary Beth, John, Noel, Scotty and the rest of the garden shop staff can make an accurate diagnosis and recommend the best course of action to eliminate the pest and suggest cultural techniques to bring the plant back to its former, healthy state.

"Yes, this leaf has some Two-spotted spider mites."

Plus, it's just really cool to see these tiny things up close...they look prehistoric!

Hanging Baskets

Over the years, hanging baskets have gotten a new look. Annuals are combined with ideal growing conditions in mind that are best for all of the plants in the basket.

Verbena and Million Bells

 Better soils have been formulated to keep plants from drying out while still allowing for good drainage necessary for healthy roots.

Always look for lightweight potting mixes for excellent darainage

 New pots are available, many being more decorative than those offered in the past; others are larger which is important as the hanging baskets facing hot summer temperatures tend to dry out relatively fast. Bigger pots hold more soil volume, which in turn encourages more root growth and better water holding capacity.

Bonfire begonias attract hummingbirds

Greenhouse growers like hanging baskets because the baskets don't take up valuable bench space during late winter and spring. Hanging baskets allow for two tiers of growing. The growers have gotten more creative with planting too, realizing that all hanging baskets don't end up on a hook on someone's porch. More and more of the people we talk to love the instant gratification they get when they transplant one of the hanging baskets right into one of their cast iron urns or other porch planters. Plants like Dragon Wing Begonias fill out a large planter in no time. Geraniums with calibrachoa are another favorite, as both plants have vigorous growth to fill out a planter quickly.

Calibrachoa keep on blooming!

Hanging baskets and other container combinations benefit from a weekly fertilizer regimen. Use a water soluble fertilizer like Monty's Joy Juice or Jack's Classic for feeding. Cut plants like petunias and calibrachoa back occassonally to keep them compact and blooming. Plant breeding has come a long way in recent years so that deadheading individual petunia flowers are no longer a necessity, but a little maintenance still goes a long way.
Enjoy the flowers of summer.

Congratulations, Scott!

You may have met Scott if you've shopped for trees and shrubs over the last few years here at Valley View Farms.
 Scott Carbone has been a part of our nursery department for the last three years, working with manager Alan Thomson, John Perdue, Seth Funk, and our other nursery 'regulars'.  During that time, he has attended CCBC and the University of Maryland as a full time student. He has racked up several scholarships, including one recently awarded to him from the Maryland Greenhouse Growers Association. Scott is often complimented by customers for his broad spectrum of plant knowledge and his friendly manner. His coworkers, both within the nursery and outside of his department, know that he is one of the 'go-to' guys for help and information.
Scott had the opportunity of a lifetime recently when he took a trip with his school to New Zealand. We're sure he studied hard while there, though the photos of him skydiving and kayaking make it look as though he managed to have some recreational time as well.
We congratulate Scott on all his accomplishments and look forward to working with him in years to come.

Seeds!

A few weeks ago, we mentioned that the time to get seeds is early in the season to get the best selection. Well, the time is NOW!

Donna

You can't believe the number of seeds that Donna Steele has organized and placed in our seed racks. And, not surprisingly, many gardeners have already been in to take a look at the tremendous variety offered.

Vegetable Seeds Galore 

Close to 60 sunflowers, more lettuces than one can imagine, Asian vegetables and organic and heirloom seeds fill two aisles. We love that Donna arranges them in alphabetical order by the type of seeds. That way, all of the tomato seeds are in one area and we can compare the offerings from Ferry Morse, Burpee, Renee's Garden, Botanical Interests, Livingston, Lake Valley, Baker Creek and Meyer seed companies.

A Small Section of our Seed Aisles

Brian, our garden shop manager and buyer, has brought in excellent seed starting potting mixes, heating mats, starting trays, mini greenhouses, grow lights and peat pots in many sizes. We even spied some live moss and mushroom kits.

Everything for Starting Seeds

We have seed starting seminars scheduled during the winter months; check our website for a list of events. So, it's ready, set GROW! See you in the seed aisles.