Connecticut Garden Journal

Even though it's still too early to plant tomatoes, it's not too early to make plans for supporting those plants.

If you're growing the dwarf, patio tomatoes, then little support is needed as these plants only grow a few feet tall. But for determinate varieties, such as 'Celebrity', and indeterminate varieties, such as most heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, you'll need a hefty support structure. Large tomato plants will flop down, making the leaves more susceptible to diseases and fruits more likely to rot or be eaten by animals.

One traditional method is to stake the plants. This works fine on determinate varieties that stand less than 4 feet tall. But you'll need to remove suckers and use Velcro brand plant ties to attach the main stem to the stake to keep the plants manageable. For larger indeterminate varieties that can grow 6 feet tall and very bushy, a cage or a trellis system is best. 

Commercial tomato cages usually aren't large and strong enough to support these big varieties. It's best to make a wire cage from 6 foot tall deer fencing, use a sturdy 7 foot tall stake attached to help hold the cage upright, and stake the cage with tent stakes. This makes it less likely the cage will topple over in a storm.

You can also create a teepee system with A-frame supports on either side of the row, a horizontal pole attached across anchored to the A-frames and string hung down from the horizontal pole attached to the tomato branches keeping them vertical. You can use as many strings as you need.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blue hydrangeas can be stunning in Connecticut, especially along the shore. That's because Hydrangea macrophylla or the big leafed hydrangea that turns blue, is native to coastal Japan where it thrives even in windy, salty air. But not all gardeners are thrilled with the blue hydrangeas in their yard. The plants can flower sporadically, get big and unruly and can be confusing to prune.

But there are options beyond the traditional 'Endless Summer' lines and 'Nikko Blue' varieties. I recently went to a garden talk where I learned about some cool, new varieties.

If size is an issue with your Hydrangea macrophylla bushes try 'Wedding Gown' and 'Wee Bit Giddy'. These varieties only reach 2- to 3-feet tall and wide making them perfect for a small space garden. They also are good repeat bloomers.

Mountain hydrangeas or Hydrangea serrata are becoming more popular in cooler, hilly locations. These are native to the mountains in Korea so are tougher plants, but still can give you large, blue flowers. Most have a lacecap type flower. 'Tuff Stuff' only grows 2- to 3-feet tall and wide. To get the best flowering try a cross between the mountain hydrangea and big leaved hydrangeas. 'Let's Dance Can Do' grow 3- to 4- feet tall, is hardy to zone 4 and produces flowers all along its stem all summer.

Most big leafed hydrangeas are hardy in zones 5 to 9, grow best in part shade to full sun on well-drained fertile soil. Prune to shape and reduce height after the first flush of flowers. Add sulfur to lower the pH and get a deeper blue color.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for a perennial flower that will break your heart, try delphiniums. These beauties grow large and tall, loaded with beautiful white, pink, blue or purple flowers and are stunning in your garden. However, delphiniums can be fickle, lasting only a few years in the garden before succumbing to root disease, insects or just a tough Connecticut winter. But if you’re willing to accept that this love affair won't last forever, then delphiniums are certainly worth growing.

Look for hybrid delphiniums that feature shorter and stronger flower stalks and tougher plants. The New Millennium Mix series features bushy and vigorous plants with colorful flower stalks reaching to 3- to 4-feet tall. They tolerate diseases and hot, humid weather better than other delphiniums. 'Guardian Blue' has 4-foot-tall flower stalks with an amazing, electric blue colored, double flowers. The 'Connecticut Yankee' delphinium is a shorter, bushier heritage variety that only grows 2 plus feet tall with single, satiny colored blooms in shade of pink, blue and purple.

Plant delphiniums in a protected spot with full sun and well drained soil. Fertilize in spring with a balanced, organic product. Stake tall varieties with garden ties to support and prevent them snapping during a summer storm. To avoid powdery mildew and other diseases, grow tolerant varieties such as 'Galahad' and 'King Arthur.' After flowering remove the flower stalks and the plant may send up a second round of flowers later in summer.

Don't be disappointed if your delphiniums fail to return after 3 years or so. They're known as short-lived perennials no matter how much care you give them.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to think about mid summer vegetables when it's still cold and brown outside, but if you want to try some unusual eggplant varieties in your garden this year, now is the time to start seeds indoors.

While eggplants are considered a quintessential Italian dish in many homes (my mom used to make a mean eggplant parm), it actually hales from India and China. In that part of the world, Asian eggplants are not just dark purple, but white, green and even orange skinned. These Asian eggplants tend to have more tender skin and sweeter flavor than the European, large teardrop types.

I like 'Asian Delight' and 'Ping Tung Long' for their long, narrow, light purple colored fruits. 'Bride' has a similar shape with white skin and purple streaks. For Thai cooking, try the green skinned, golf ball shaped 'Kermit' which is great in soups or 'Korean Red' with its orange colored skin. Some hybrids, such as 'Fairy Tale', are short and narrow fitting perfectly on a grilling skewer.

Start your eggplant seeds now under lights. I plant two seeds per 2-inch pot filled with moistened germinating mix soil. I also use a heating pad under the pots to hasten germination.

Once the eggplants have true leaves remove the weaker seedling from the pot. Transplant the remaining plant once the height of the seedling is 3 times the diameter of the pot or about 6 inches tall. Keep the seedlings well watered and fertilized.

Transplant seedlings once the soil is warm, about a week or so after planting tomatoes. Protect young plants from cold snaps with a floating row cover.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

St. Patrick's Day is here. This Irish celebration often features parades, green hats and clothes and lots of green beer. Irish plants are also highlighted, beyond the green-dyed carnations. So, consider a gift of an Irish plant for a loved one.

Say St. Patrick's Day plants, and everyone thinks of the shamrock. But the symbolic shamrock is most likely a European native clover (Trifolium repens). If you can find a 4 leafed version you're a lucky person because the odds are 1 in 10,000. The shamrock you see in stores is actually a common wood sorrel or oxalis.

Bells of Ireland is another classic Irish plant but it's native to North Africa. This self sowing annual features 2- to 3-feet tall flower spikes with white, fragrant flowers and a green calyx in early summer and makes a great cut flower.

For truly native Irish plants try Irish moss and Fairy Thimbles. Irish moss loves cool, shady locations for it to spread and cover rocks and the soil between stone pathways. The vibrant green color shines this time of year but it needs very well-drained soil. Fairy Thimbles are commonly known as foxgloves. The true species (Digitalis purpurea) flowers the second year after planting with colorful flower stalks.

Finally, if you want to get a big dose of Irish flowers join me on my Garden Tour of Ireland from June 2nd to 11th 2023. We'll be visiting large botanical gardens, small private gardens and lots of wild landscapes. Check out my website for more information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The forsythia shrubs may not be blooming yet, but they're coming soon. Forsythias are one of the first flowering shrubs of spring. Their bright golden colored flowers brighten up the late winter, dreary landscape. Most gardeners know forsythia as a sprawling deciduous shrubs that can get out of control easily. When I was growing up we had a forsythia hedge of shrubs between our house and my uncle's house. Every few years years we had to severely cut it back after flowering to keep it in bounds.

But newer varieties of forsythia are shorter, with a more tame growth habit and have flower buds that are winter hardy. Look for 'Northern Sun' and 'Meadowlark' for large forsythia shrubs that have hardy flower buds. For dwarf varieties, try 'Sugar Baby' that gets 2- to 3-feet tall and 'Minigold' that grows less than 2 feet tall. There is even a white forsythia called Abeliophyllum that's native to Korea but grows 3- to 6-feet tall in zones 5 to 9. Dwarf varieties are great in the flower garden while the taller varieties are best in a shrub border or as an informal hedge.

Forsythia grows best in full sun on well-drained soils. Large forsythia varieties sucker freely and can spread easily, so plant them where they can sprawl. Prune after flowering. Shrubs can be pruned back severely and will still grow and flower next year.

For a late winter treat, prune off some branches with fat flower buds now, place them in a vase in a warm, sunny room and watch your early show of forced forsythia flowers bloom indoors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With garden season coming soon, I'm in full swing, planning mode. I'm sketching out what veggies are going where in my garden. It's certainly a good idea to rotate plant families not growing the same plants in the same location every year. But also it's good to think about companion plants. These would be plants that are mutually beneficial by sharing nutrients or warding off pests. Here's some good examples.

You can reduce the amount of fertilizer you need in your garden by growing veggies that help each other grow. Some good examples are planting peas in the middle of a raised bed on a trellis and planting lettuce on each side of the trellis. Another idea is to plant a row of kale in between two rows of bush beans. Peas and beans are legumes that fix nitrogen in the air into a form plants can use. They will share that nitrogen fertilizer with nearby plants so your kale and lettuce will benefit.

For pests, plant herbs and flowers that will confuse insects so they don't lay as many eggs on your plants. A good example is planting nasturtiums next to summer squash or zucchini. The nasturtium flowers emit a scent that confuses squash bugs and they can't find your squash plants. Make sure the nasturtiums are well established before planting the squash. Another example is planting Genovese basil plants around tomatoes. The basil emits a scent that confuses tomato hornworms and they don't lay as many eggs on your tomatoes.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're all itching to plant in the garden, but it's way too early. What we can do, however, is work on our garden design. You don't have to be a professional designer to do a simple design. Here's some tips.

On a piece of paper sketch out the structures, natural features, walkways and other permanent fixtures around the garden area. Indicate the amount of light the bed area gets. To build fertile beds, try no-dig gardening. Place layers of newspaper, or a piece of corrugated cardboard, over the area and then bring in a 6- to 8-inch thick mix of topsoil and compost to cover it.

Instead of starting your design with specific flowers, do a bubble diagram. On that piece of paper, draw bubbles where different types of garden would work such as a full sun perennial garden, a shade garden, an edible garden, pollinator garden, some shrubs.... This will help you imagine what the whole area will look like when planted.

Then choose plants that are hardy in your area, are adapted to your sun conditions and whose ultimate sizes will fit in the location and with each other. Try to select a range of plants that will flower at different times to give you summer long color. Mix in some annual plants for continuous color. Don't get too caught up with matching colors. Grow what you like. You can always move plants later.

For more garden design ideas, come to the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford February 23-26. I'll be giving a talk on No-Dig Gardening on Saturday, February 25.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is no more romantic and fragrant annual flower than the sweet pea. While this delightful, vining flower needs to grow and bloom in cool weather, ironically modern sweet pea varieties begin with a monk in Sicily, Italy in the 1600's named 'Cupani.' In fact, you can still purchase this variety to grow in your garden.

The best fragrant varieties of sweet peas have sensuous names such as ‘Old Spice Mix,’ ‘April in Paris’ and ‘Perfume Delight’. A vase of these varieties as cut flowers will perfume the whole house.

Sweet peas grow and flower best with cool temperatures so plant them in the garden after all danger of a hard freeze is past, around the same time you'd plant edible garden peas. Most varieties climb, so erect a sturdy trellis or use a garden fence to hold them up. There are some dwarf varieties as well such as 'Color Palette Cupid' and 'Electric Blue'. These are great in containers and you can plant container varieties earlier since you can protect them during cold spring weather.

When sowing sweet pea seeds, to quicken germination, nick the seed coat with a nail file and soak peas overnight before planting the next morning. You can even start seeds indoors, under lights, a month before planting to really get a jump start on the season.

Sweet peas grow quickly on well-drained, fertile soil. Enjoy the flowers in the garden or as cut blooms indoors. Cut flowers when there are at least 2 unopened blooms on a stem. They should last 4 to 5 days in a vase of warm water.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yes, it's almost time for the big February holiday, Valentine's Day. While everyone knows cut flowers and chocolates are the go-to gifts for Valentine's Day, for the gardener in your life, you might want to consider something different this year.

I fell in love with the Sweetheart Hoya a number of years ago. There are green versions that are common, but look for the variegated version that's a plant, not just a cutting. This hoya has large leaves shaped like a heart. If you just get the cutting version it will stay alive, but not really grow much. If you grow the plant version, it turns into a sun loving houseplant you'll have for years.

Although they're everywhere, I think moth orchids are a great Valentine's Day flower. First of all, if you place the plant in a bright, indirect lit room or window and literally do nothing, the bloom stalk will still last weeks and may months before fading. For the same price as some cut roses, it's worth the extra flowering time. With a little care you can turn this one time gift into an all the time houseplant that blooms every year.

If you really want to give cut flowers, consider giving calla lilies instead of roses. Calla lilies flowers are really leaf-like curved bracts so they last longer than other flowers when cut. They come in a wide range of colors and are stunning. Stand the stems in 2 inches of water to hydrate for 2 hours once home. Then recut the bottoms of the stems at an angle underwater for longer vase life.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.