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Paeonia rockii

Paeonia rockii is a lovely tree peony that should be grown more. It can be difficult to find in a nursery, but those specializing in peonies will have it. The ones pictured here were grown from seed obtained from the Ontario Rock Garden Society Seedex program. The flowers are mostly white or light pink with dark maroon basal flares on the petals. There is some variation in flower form and coloration. One seedling from this group has red leaves in early summer.

The common name, tree peony, describes the woody stems that are produced, but it is probably more correct to call these shrubs, not trees. They do not need staking.

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Compost Tea – Does it Work?

Compost tea is all the rage but does it really work? Research studies so far have produced mixed results. The science to support the use of aerated tea on crop plants, lawns, shrubs, or trees is very weak, at best.

There seems to be a lot of work done in this area but much of it is not published in peer reviewed journals and most of it has been done in labs and greenhouses, not in the field. Until the work is repeated in the field we can’t conclude it works in gardens.

The other problem is that controls have been poorly selected. For example, in one study (ref 3) they compared ACT compost tea to water, using lettuce that had been under-fertilized. Guess what, compost tea improved growth. This only proves that adding nutrients, when they are deficient, will improve growth. The study never compared compost tea to adding nutrients in other ways.

In this post I will review one study that compared the use of compost to compost tea, in field conditions.

Effects of compost tea on the growth of trees, by Garden Myths (data from reference 2)

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Hardy and Tropical Water Lilies for Ponds 101

Water lilies (Nymphaea species) are extremely valuable to the pond. They not only look great and flower well, but the floating leaves provide shade, eliminating the light needed by algae. They also provide a hiding place for fish and other water creatures. Water lilies should cover half of the open water space to help maintain a balanced ecosystem. They do best in quiet water, so keep them away from fountains and waterfalls.

Water lily pond at Longwood Gardens, by Robert Pavlis

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Mulch – How Does It Affect Soil?

Mulching the garden is a very common recommendation. Mulch will reduce the number of weeds and it will hold moisture in the soil but how does mulch affect the quality of soil?

There are lots of claims that mulch improves soil but have you ever seen numbers to validate them? I haven’t either. How exactly does mulch improve soil? It should add organic matter, but how much? It should increase the number of microbes, but is this really true? Unfortunately, almost nobody studies landscapes and gardens because no one will fund the work.

Luckily I was able to find one very good research paper that looked at this exact problem.

Effect of fertilizer and mulch on soil, by Garden Myths (based on reference 1)

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Lamium orvala

Mention lamium to most gardeners and they run for the hills. Some lamium spread so fast they are thugs in the garden. Others, like L. maculatum, spread but can be controlled. A few are excellent, well behaved, garden plants and this includes Lamium orvala, which forms a nice non-spreading clump. It might seed around a bit, but it is easily pulled out if you get too many.

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Sunscald on Trees – Prevention

It might surprise you to learn that trees do get sunscald or sunburn and the remedy is not an SPF 30 lotion. Sunscald on trees usually happens on the south or south-west exposed bark. The bark is damaged and in severe cases can result in the death of the tree.

Historically, sunscald has been prevented by wrapping or painting the trunk of the tree. Do these preventative methods work? Are they still recommended? Time to have a closer look at the problem.

sunscald on sugar maple tree, prevention, by Robert Pavlis — Sunscald on a sugar maple tree, by Robert Pavlis

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10 Reasons for Adding Art to the Garden

Art is a very important addition to any landscape design. In many ways, the addition of art makes the garden, but few people think about this aspect of gardening. In this post, I will give you 10 reasons for adding art to the garden. What purpose does it serve? How does it enhance your garden design? How can it be used to make your garden more interesting?

Sculptures at the Cornell Arboretum, by Robert Pavlis Adding Art to the Garden — Sculptures at the Cornell Arboretum, by Robert Pavlis

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Fall Cleanup Advice – Be Good to the Environment

Cleaning up the garden in fall is a tradition as we get ready for winter. Rake the leaves, cut back perennials, cut the grass short – there is lots to do in the fall. The reality is that most of the fall cleanup jobs are not good for the environment. People clean up their gardens in fall for aesthetic reasons, not because it is good for the plants or the garden.

It’s time to rethink the whole process of fall cleanup.

Aspen Grove Gardens, by Robert Pavlis, fall garden clean up — Aspen Grove Gardens, by Robert Pavlis

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Beneficial Pond Bacteria – A Waste of Money

I was reading some gardening Facebook posts and a lady said she buys beneficial pond bacteria for her pond and adds them weekly. WOW! That was news to me. I’ve had a man-made pond for over 8 years that works just fine without added bacteria. I must be missing something important?

Truth be told – I smelled another gardening myth. Let’s have a look.

Beneficial pond bacteria for ponds - koi — Beneficial pond bacteria for ponds – koi

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Kamal Meattle – Plants and Air Purification

In 2014 I wrote a post called A Garden Myth is Born – Plants Don’t Purify Air, which has become one of my most popular posts. A recent comment on that post about a video by Mr. Kamal Meattle has prompted me to write today about another story related to plants purifying air.

Mr. Kamal Meattle has become well known for a short TED Talk video where he talks about converting an office building in New Delhi, into the cleanest building in India. His secret is the use of air purifying plants.

Plants cleaning the air in an office, desk designed by Julio Radesca

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Arisaema franchetianum

It is late June in the shady garden and out of nowhere appears a spotted finger sticking out of the ground. It grows quickly unfolding a huge tripartite shinny leaf. Each lobe is almost as large as my hand. But the real treasure is hidden below the leaf – a striped cobra that needs to be seen to be believed.

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10 Wasp Myths That Will Surprise You

Wasps are feared and hated. Granted they do sting if you disturb them but that is no reason to fear them. In this post I will look at 10 wasp myths that will surprise you. Armed with this new knowledge I hope that you will learn to either like wasps or at least hate them less.

As a general background review of wasp facts have a look at Understanding Wasps – They Are Not Evil!

Paper wasp nest being built - 10 Wasp Myths That Will Surprise You — Paper wasp nest being built

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