Garden Chat Blog

On occasion we e-mail a short newsletter to subscribers. Much of what is contained in the e-mail is posted below as a blog. It's a great way to keep up with what's going on at Fritz Creek Gardens, alerts to sales specials, gardening tips, plant profiles, and much more.

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May 24th, 2011
Today is mail order day. We will try to get out as many orders as we can by 1:30 (our drop dead time for the post office) today. Since we are closed to the public, we should be able to get quite a few done. We will notify you by e-mail if we put yours in the mail. In Alaska, the postage rates are quite good so this is an option for the folk who can’t make it to the greenhouse.

For mail orders, we water the plants the day before to make sure they drink up as much as possible for their journey. Then the next day we take off a good bit of the dirt and protect them by rolling them in newspapers and then nestling them in boxes surrounded by peanuts. We’ve had excellent luck in Alaska. Outside Alaska it is not such a sure thing thus why we quit mail ordering outside Alaska except to a few repeat ‘special’ customers. You know who you are!!

But the reason for this quick note is about trees and the related rabbit catastrophe we are all experiencing. I’ve done considerable research and consulted arborists about our situation. The main thing I wanted to share today is DO NOT PRUNE YOUR TREES. I know many of you are doing that. According to the experts, and it makes sense, when you prune it encourages the tree to push out more new growth which will further weaken the tree. When you think about it, we knew that. We prune annuals and perennials to encourage bushiness. Same theory I presume.

If, and that is a big if with all the damage rabbits have done, if your tree survives, it may take 2 or 3 years for it to get any real new growth started. Baby those trees with water only. Then in a few years if the tree has survived you can consider some strategic pruning for shape.

Do not paint or seal any wounds. It doesn’t do any good and it can seal in moisture that will cause the wound to further rot.

When is the right time to prune? In Alaska especially, it really doesn’t matter. When you have time is the best solution. However, just like perennials, if it blooms in the spring, transplant or prune in the fall. If it blooms in the fall, transplant or prune in the spring. The reason for this is to hopefully have blooms for the season. So, if you prune in the spring and your specimen normally blooms in the spring, you’ll lose that bloom that year. I try to wait and prune or transplant anything until after it has bloomed for that season.

Folks who grow a lot more roses than we do here at FCG, say to prune back your roses just before the last of the snow melts. Also, evergreens such as Fat Albert’s should be pruned at that same time.

The other theory I have for transplanting is as soon as the plant looks real healthy after a long winter I try to make the move. Then it will have the most amount of time to get re-established before winter comes again. Remember, many of the rules we read about do not necessarily work here in Alaska.

General rules for pruning any shrub (or tree) is never trim more than 1/3 in one year. That is too much of a shock. And of course we prune for the 3 D’s. Diseased, Dead, and Diagonal. The diagonal thing has to do with shape. If a branch comes out of the base and cuts across to the other side awkwardly, cut it at the base of the shrub.

Off to do the mail orders and perhaps I should pay a few bills. I do like my electricity.

Rita Jo

May 19th 2011
The trees, shrubs, roses and vines did arrive on time and we have them all sorted, inventoried, priced and ready for you to make your choices. We are open 10AM to 6PM Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Remember we are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The regular radio ad will start on the 22nd so you will have a couple of days before the general public gets the news. The trees are phenomenal. We have some large evergreens we have not had in the past and several 15 gallon deciduous ornamental trees. That’s a big tree!! ( photo)

I ordered two more cases of the Planskyd for rabbit deterrent. We are continuing to hear good news about this product. It is in a granule form you shake like a salt shaker. The canister covers 600 S.F. and we are selling it for $11.

The ceramic pots did arrive. They are quite different than what we have had in the past. The glazes are much nicer. Unfortunately the freight was as you can expect, more than norm. So we had to adjust the prices but I still think they are a great thing to add a little pizzazz to your gardens.

Just a quick reminder, as I’ve mentioned every year, don’t forget to scrape off the top inch or so and the bottom inch of dirt from the pot on any plant you purchase. This is where diseases, pests and other ‘bad’ stuff will be living most likely. It’s not an insult to me or any nursery to do this. You don’t want to introduce anything bad into your garden that you don’t already have. Slug eggs that have wintered over love to hide in the drainage holes of pots or under last year’s dead foliage on top of the soil. Also weed seeds that may have blown in from where ever the plant lived for any extended time are just waiting for their opportunity to infest your beautiful weed free gardens. I’ve heard there are weed free gardens somewhere. (That’s a joke in case you didn’t get it)

Also another return reminder, we recycle here at FCG. If you have empty pots you don’t need, don’t put them in the landfill to last for centuries. We will re-use them (after a good scrub) or we put them in a pile for others to take home for Garden Club plants or whatever.

I’m exhausted. I’ve lifted a lot of trees these past two days. I’ve enjoyed some pretty great fragrances in passing too. Hope you have an opportunity to come out and stroll through the tree lot.

Rita Jo

May 15 2011
Last week I wrote among other things, about rabbits. I received detailed responses from and suggestions from many of my e-mail customers. The same solution with experienced facts was presented by many. They are using Plantskyd granules. Today, we received 2 cases of Plantskyd to offer to our customers.

This product is advertised to protect against rabbits, voles, hares, squirrels, moose and other animals we do not have here in Alaska. It is non-toxic and 100% organic and biodegradable. It is safe to use to protect fruit and vegetables from browse damage. However, do not apply directly on the fruit and be sure to wash your fruit before eating. As I understand it, Plantskyd is a deterrent, not a poison. It is made from bovine and or porcine dried blood. It will not kill the rabbits but ‘send them elsewhere’. Sorry neighbors.

This is the same product we have recommended in the past in liquid form for protection against moose during the winter. I’m pleased to see granules as the liquid spray is pretty unpleasant. These granules are quite easy to apply.

No one reported any problems with their dogs or cats using this product. I’m going to keep a close eye on Fritzie, our brindle doxie when I experiment with this product. Two things come to mind. One is if it will encourage her to dig in the gardens and if she eats it if it will make her ill. I’ve been assured I need not worry about either issue. I’m going to do some testing myself however. I have used the liquid with no ill effects so I have confidence that it will be fine but Fritzie is pretty important to our family.

We have 1 pound containers with shaker tops (like a salt shaker) that suggests coverage of 600 SF and are offering it for sale at $11.

Carlile has confirmed we have ceramic pots on the barge! We’ve been assured by the supplier that we would have them several times before however, I know for sure they are on their way. What we may be getting is another story. We order and then we wait to see what we really get. No matter, we are quite excited as we haven’t sold ceramics since the ‘Fred Meyer is coming to town’ issue several years ago. We figured they would supply the community. That didn’t happen and we had to search again for a supplier. These pots come from Vietnam, China and Malaysia. They should be here for your choices Thursday May 19th. We are sort of testing the market so only receiving one pallet. If you need some inexpensive ceramics, here’s your chance.

Remember however that even though these pots say freeze resistant, be careful. If you can store them in a totally dry area, upside down and empty, they will retain their glaze. However, any moisture and they have a tendency to chip off. We’ve stored ours successfully for about 3 years now with good results. You cannot leave plants in them for the winter. First of all, most perennials will not survive in a pot, no insulation except maybe the 2 or 3 inches between their roots and the outside of a pot. And secondly, the pot will expand and break.

If you have a place to bring in your pots with your plants, and keep them just above freezing you will probably have good success; maybe in your crawl space under your house. Be careful about leaving them in your greenhouses as it makes a great place for overwintering bugs/pests. We tried over wintering a special lily that isn’t hardy and every year for 3 years they overwintered aphids. Finally we removed the dirt and stored the lilies in bulb form.

Our first shipment of trees, shrubs, roses and vines left Canada Thursday. They are coming by barge. When shipping live product, you must have permits and go through customs. The company we buy from hires inspectors to check the entire product they are sending and certify their health. Usually this Certificate provides a safe entrance to the United States. We expect this shipment to arrive around Wednesday or Thursday of next week (May 18th or 19th). This is the biggest shipment we have ever received. We have one 53’ refrigerated container plus a portion of another container.

We have orders from many of you for trees and shrubs in this shipment. We plan to e-mail you as soon as they arrive and we have them unloaded and inventoried. However, if you have something on order and don’t hear from us, please give us a call. We appreciate you coming by sooner rather than later as we know we are going to be ‘hanging from the ceiling’ with this huge shipment.

After you have inspected your new tree, we will wrap it for you in remae cloth for your journey home. You can reuse this cloth for years to come in hardening off your perennials or covering your vegetables to protect against pests and bugs that lay eggs in your veggies.

We will gladly give you instructions about planting and have talked with two local companies about their services to help with the planting if you need that information. We have compost and Fishy Peat and Composted Steer manure to amend your soils if necessary to give your trees and shrubs a good start. And we have Plantskyd granules to sprinkle around to keep those rabbits at bay.

As is our usual order of business, the minute the trees, shrubs and roses are ready for sale, we will alert our e-mail customers. The radio ad informing the public is scheduled to begin on May 22nd. You should have a few days head start to pick out the absolute best selections.

Things are heating up here at Fritz Creek Gardens. Hope to see you in the near future.

Rita Jo

May 9th 2011
Thanks for a terrific weekend. It was great seeing all the Anchorage and other out-of-towners visiting for the weekend to see all the beautiful shorebirds in route. Don’t forget if you didn’t have room for those plants you wanted to badly, the Stageline comes to Anchorage, stopping along the way, 3 days a week now and everyday shortly.

For the rest of May, we are offering an ‘Early Bird Special’. If you shop early, between 10AM and 11AM on Saturdays, we’ll reward you with a $10 coupon. You can use this coupon on any purchase over $25.So it works like this. You arrive early, pick up a coupon, shop around for a few plants, and approach the cash register with your $10 coupon for instant credit!! Pretty neat eh?

Did you know we do offer a modified ‘design’ service? I can’t leave the greenhouse these days but I can help you lay out your garden in a quick simple manner. If you take some photos, make a few scratch notes such as sun or shade, wet or dry, tall or short to keep view open/camouflaged etc. and print out your pictures. Please don’t bring them in your digital camera or phone. The sun and my old(er) eyes won’t let me see them clearly. I can then lay out some ideas/plants for you on the ground. You can take notes, take your own layout pictures and off you go. Of course, in the height of a day with folks lined up at the cash register, I can’t do that. But early in the mornings is a great time to catch me with some time to play with your ideas. There is no charge for this service.

Top asked questions this week-what about the rabbits? Yes, what about those rabbits? I think we were all caught unawares of what was happening out in our gardens this winter. I know I didn’t have a clue until I walked (actually slipped and slid) out to see how much snow was on my paeonia fields and thought my Fat Alberts looked a bit weird. When I got closer I saw that the snow was completely covered with-you guessed it. Rabbit fertilizer!! It was a little late at that time. I won’t go into all the weeping, yelling and frustration. You already know about that first hand.

So now that the damage is done, what can we do? Baby everything that is still alive. Trim your shrubs and trees back a bit to take some of the pressure of new growth off them. Make sure you keep them watered this summer. There are mixed opinions about fertilizing (besides what the rabbits left). Some say don’t because that will stimulate new growth and you want them to slide through the season (or limp) without much new growth and others say a good dose of compost is in order. I’m going to play it by ear checking on them frequently and see what they have to say to me. We are on a first name basis so I hope they will speak up with what they need.

 I think I mentioned in my last newsletter, the Himalayan Blue Poppies are here. They are going home fast to folks who already have them coming up beautifully in their gardens. Everyone wants just a few more. This week’s radio ad will announce to the public they are here. So if you need a couple more, don’t wait too long. These guys mystify me. Most gardeners come in telling me they have huge clumps coming up and I ask the usual questions. Then someone comes in and says they just can’t seem to grow them. I ask the usual questions. Both instances, I get the same answer. How can that be? I know for sure they have to have excellent, really great drainage. If they have wet feet in the winter they rot. So excellent drainage and apply a good dose of compost or Fishy Peat or organic fertilizer in the spring. Our Blue Poppies were born and raised in 100% Fishy Peat.

Our shipment of ornamental trees, shrubs, roses, vines and all the fruit trees and shrubs are expected to arrive around the 29th of May The radio ads start on the 22nd. You get first chance as usual. We have more preorders this year than ever. You can check out the list (one liner) on our web site www.alaskahardy.com for most everything. We did order more fruit products from Minnesota and Oregon. We’ve had so many requests, especially with the over 100 new high tunnels folks setting up to grow their own fruit. So everything isn’t on the list. I’m working on that. We have better signage for our trees and shrubs this year with pictures and growing habits etc. We hope to have some handouts this year too.

Hope your gardens are starting to pop up but mostly, hope you have time to enjoy this time of year.

Rita Jo

May 3, 2011 Home again, home again, giggedy gig. And I’m certainly thankful to be home again. I missed my mountains and I missed my gardens, and I missed my gardeners! The trip was a success and thanks to all of you who shared your experiences with elderly parents/grandparents. Ask me about the 90/10 rule. Worked like a charm with my Mom. Just in time too for the crocus popping up and just in time to start cleaning out my gardens and just in time to finish getting everything ready for the big tree, shrub, vines and rose shipment from Canada. They should be here (that’s a 53’ refrigerated container) around the 15th Of May.  Also coming is another shipment of mostly fruit producing trees and shrubs from another source. We have a ton of pre-orders thanks to you guys. Some folks are going to be disappointed but it’s the early bird-right!!   Our local black current grower is delivering his first order this Friday. They are 3 year old plants in 2 gallon pots for $18.50. Of course ‘locally grown’ is the key word here. I’m told they are absolutely delicious in pies, jelly and in your morning cereal.   We’re always looking for locally grown product. If you have ‘extras’ in your gardens, consider sharing. We can outright purchase them from you, or they make great trading material.   Last night Leroy returned home and brought with him 300 Himalayan blue poppies. We have two varieties this year, Betonicifolia and Lingholm. Despite gas costs etc, we are not raising our prices on these beautiful, ‘Sorry Dorothy, don’t grow in Kansas’, poppies. They are still $12.00. I learned the past couple of years that 5% of the blues will turn out white. Hmmm. I don’t have a clue. But if you get a white one and had your heart set on blue, please bring it back. I want a white one! We are continuing to bring plants out of their winter/outside storage areas. We have primula (4 varieties), aconitum (monks hoods that animals don’t eat) those lovely 3” potentilla ground covers, a few delphiniums (most of those are already snatched up), draba just starting to bloom and the 4 or 5 varieties of trollius are just starting to show some life. Of course these are the most prized perennials we carry as they have already survived at least one winter in Homer. And, again of course, you don’t have to worry about keeping them in the house or greenhouse and go through the process of hardening them off. They are about as hardened as they come. This week we are concentrating on pre-orders for roses. Please take a look at our web site www.alaskahardy.com  (hardy roses) and review all the wonderful varieties we will have to offer this season. These roses are all extremely hardy, some down to -50F. And even if some ‘rascally rabbit’ chews on them a bit (they really don’t like them) it won’t hurt these roses. They are really Alaska tough. If I can remember how to attach a photo, I’ll attach Felix Leclerc. Isn’t it a beauty? Our wonderful metal artist Tarri Thurman delivered a new design of sand hill cranes this week. They are adorable. A couple have already left the premises but we still have 4 or 5 left. Great Mom’s day gifts. Who says you can’t buy your own Mom’s day gift??  I swooned when I got home and walked into my greenhouses. The fragrances are so mixed and wonderful. I hope you have time this week to come out for a visit. As soon as I have definite dates on the trees, shrubs and roses, you will be the first to know.

2010 Newsletters