THE TOP OF THE SOIL
Where Roots Like to Roam
“Topsoil” is one of the haziest terms used by gardeners — and by those who sell the stuff. After all, topsoil is nothing more than the top layer of soil.
And what’s so special about this layer of soil? Under natural conditions, topsoil is the most fertile portion of soil. In the forest each autumn, leaves fall on the surface of the ground, where they are digested by soil life to release nutrients and create soil organic matter. In meadows, including prairies, the topsoil each year is similarly enriched by the remains of old roots, leaves, and stems of flowers and grasses.
Lush meadow above ground, rich soil below ground
TRAVELING PLANTS
Yes, Plants Can Travel Successfully
People often stare at me in disbelief if I suggest buying a certain plant from a nursery 2000 or 3000 miles away. Surely no plant could survive such a journey!
Not so. This time of year, UPS trucks and airplane holds are filled with plants on the move.
I prefer to buy my plants at local nurseries. But when I want a specific plant, such as a Hudson’s Golden Gem apple tree on G.11 dwarfing rootstock, I have to turn to mail order. (In this case, it would be from www.cumminsnursery.com.)
If shipped from reputable nurseries, mail-order plants thrive as Read more
TEN ESSENTIAL PRUNING TIPS
Do It Now (or Soon, Usually)
An ideal time to prune most trees and shrubs is just as their buds are swelling, which is just about now here on my farmden. Leafless stems make it easy to see where to cut, dead stems make their presence known, and with coldest weather past chances for cold damage near cuts are minimized. Warmer spring weather also promotes rapid healing of cuts.
Whole books have been written about pruning (I even wrote one!: THE PRUNING BOOK), yet the essence of pruning can be distilled into a few general pointers. The ten listed below will not result in an expert pruning job, but offer sufficient guidance to keep you and your plants reasonably happy.
1. Don’t cut unless you have a clear reason to do so. Trees and shrubs vary in their needs for pruning, from, for example, Japanese maple and witch hazel, which need no regular pruning, to butterfly bush and lilac, which need to be pruned every year to look their best.
Japanese maple’s rarely need pruning
