At this past weeks Garden Open House, the most-asked question was “What is that?” They were pointing to the Star of Persia, botanically known as Allium albopilosum christophii.
The Star of Persia is like a big ball of florets radiating from a center head. This variety can be 8-10 inches across and on stems that are 18-24 inches tall. Mine were planted in the fall of 2017 and are still thriving. Deer and rabbits are not fond of them which is definitely a benefit. They are also pollinator-friendly flowers.
The bloom time for these honeys is May–June and the florets start off as a light silvery purple. Eventually over summer, the flower head will dry up and break off, blowing away like a tumbleweed. When they are dried up, it’s easy to accidentally bust them off when you are messing around with neighboring plants. When installing them, place them among other perennials in groups of 3-5 or more. As they fade off the other perennials will fill in. The time to plant Star of Persia bulbs is in the fall. Anticipating people wanting them, I will have them available this fall. Very unique!
Second most-asked question was: “Why are many of the peony buds brownish, not opening and dry, or of little substance?” Several reasons are possible: Late frost can deter flower buds from developing; hot weather, which we had; the start of botrytis, which is common in peony. Other people said their peonies have not been fertilized in 30-plus years. It’s time!
Peonies are full sun lovers, so shady conditions can also affect development. If year after year they are not blooming then I would think perhaps they are planted to deeply and should be lifted and re-set in the fall. Many of mine, are also getting too much shade – time for a serious haircut on the tree in the middle of the garden. Why did I let that wild tree grow 26 years ago?
Several people also got to see the miracle that is the shuffle hoe in action. Using the Snapshot pre-emergence herbicide helps tremendously, but there will still be some weeds popping up. I would guestimate after 3 continuous years of using Snapshot, my weeds issues are down 80 %. Every year you use it, less plants are developing and dropping seed for the next year.
First round of first garden clean-up in progress. This time of year, you can be pruning off the spent flower heads of peonies, iris stalks and any spring blooming shrubs. As the plants fill in, some hand weeding is necessary where the shuffle hoe won’t fit and to pull the tricky weeds that are growing in the crown of your plants.
Bind weed is plentiful this year and it’s so much fun to remove from your plants. Bind is the key word here, twisted tightly up the stems and stalks of your desirable plants. The stem of the bind weed is very thin which can make it tricky to find the base of it so you can pull it out from the roots. There are a few types of bind weed which is also known as wild morning glory. This may sound potentially wonderful in name, but trust me it is not!
Newer gardeners can be confused as to what they previously planted (or older gardener’s because we forgot). First question: Did you plant it? Second question: Is it everywhere? Typically, the plants you installed in your perennial beds were at least the size of a 4-inch pot. Many weeds will be popping up as single stems, much smaller than anything you would have planted. Pull it! A key indicator that you pulled up a good plant is potting soil attached to the root ball. You can often see pieces of perlite in the soil of the root ball that remain – forever.
Local deer are back, just in time to snack on Asiatic lily buds. A fawn is nestled next to the lake and momma goes between the neighbors. Perfect spot for them! Recently, the garden was sprayed with one of the smelly products like liquid fence. I do believe they work! I spray the bud clusters of the Asiatic lilies and any other plants they have been browsing like raspberry. It is advised to spray a perimeter in the turf, and I do some of that. But I know what they browse and directly spraying the plant has worked for me with no plant harm. The smell dissipates to humans in a day or so. Re-apply after heavy rains.
The outdoor Mankato Farmer’s Market is open for the season 8 a.m. — noon Saturdays and 3-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Best Buy parking lot.