Countryside Corner
Neighborly Garden News
Issue 83
March 2019
All-America Selections (AAS) Winners for 2019!
All American Selections are flower and vegetable plants that have been trialed in gardens across North America to determine the best performing varieties. Plants that grow exceptionally well across North America become National winners; those that grow best in certain areas are deemed Regional winners. Independent judges look for such improvements as: disease and pest resistance, earlier and improved blooming, improved taste, novel colors and flower forms, to name but a few qualities considered. All AAS winners are bred and produced without using GMO’s. Each entry must have shown at least two significantly improved qualities, over a ten year period, in order to be considered.
Zinnia Holi Scarlet
This stunning Winner is named after the famous Holi Festival of Colors because of its vibrant color! AAS Judges deemed this an “excellent flower” because of the bright solid color, size, and the number of blooms as well as the disease resistance, which was superior to the comparisons. Holi Scarlet will keep producing fresh; colorful blooms all season long, even through heat, humidity, and drought. Uniform and compact mounding plants will make a stunning mass planting of vibrantly colored deep red flowers drawing in both people and pollinators.
Zinnia Holi Scarlet
Tomato Fire Fly F1
This adorable tomato is not as small as a currant tomato and not as large as a cherry tomato, but is a “just right” in-between size. The fruits produced are super sweet pale white to pale yellow round fruits less than 1 inch in size and weigh about 1/2 oz. Delicate, translucent skins offer a mild acid flavor that enhances the sweet taste. They’re small juicy fruits exploding with flavor, perfect for snacking and in salads. Indeterminate plants must be staked or caged as they grow upward to 5-6 feet and have good disease resistance.
Tomato Fire Fly F1
Petunia Wave Carmine Velour F1
This newest color of the popular Wave petunias had the AAS judges coming up with an array of ways to describe the unique carmine rose color: “Fabulous,” “Stunning,” “Intense,” “Vibrant,” “Lively,” “Great color,” “Bright,” “Non-fading,” “Outstanding,” “My favorite!”. Large 2-2.5 inch flowers literally cover the easy-care spreading plants that rarely need deadheading because new blooms continuously pop-up and cover the spent blooms. Wave petunias are an excellent landscape performer, and do equally well in containers or hanging baskets as it does in flower beds.
Petunia Wave Carmine Velour F1
Nasturtium Baby Rose
The last nasturtium AAS Winner was back in the early days, in the 1930’s. Baby Rose is a petite-flowered, mounding variety with healthy, dark foliage ideal for containers and small space gardens. AAS’ expert judges praised the uniformly compact plants that sported flowers with consistent coloration. Their compact habit means less “flower flopping” with their blooms remaining upright throughout the season. The rose color is uncommon in nasturtiums and contrasts beautifully with the dark-green foliage. Bonus: both the leaves and flowers are edible!
Nasturtium Baby Rose
Pepper Just Sweet F1
A unique snacking pepper with four lobes like a larger bell pepper, only smaller. Not only are the 3 inch fruits deliciously sweet with nice thick walls but the plants are vigorous growers (up to 36 inches tall and 15 inches wide) that don’t need to be staked because they’ve been bred to have a strong bushy habit. Many judges conduct consumer taste tests and reported back that this pepper won those tests, hands down. The Just Sweet peppers are exceptionally bright, shiny and a vivid yellow color with a flavor described as sweet with aromatic accents.
Pepper Just Sweet F1
Tomato Chef’s Choice Black F1
Chef’s Choice Black is a beefsteak type tomato with a dark green/brown/black hue. AAS Judges reported vigorous, healthy plants with clean and uniform fruits that were early to set and had a meaty interior with great flavor. This hybrid boasts a prolific yield of 8-ounce fruits grown on strong, 5-foot indeterminate vines. You’ll harvest 30 or more blemish-free fruits throughout the season from this disease-resistant plant with dark green leaves and well-behaved form.
Tomato Chef’s Choice Black F1
Begonia Viking XL Red on Chocolate F1
A brand new begonia with large, uniquely colored dark leaves. Judges were impressed with how the deep bronze/brown color remained sharp and intense throughout the season, no matter where they were located; north, south, east or west. The color tones shine through to give a stunning garden appearance. Covered with vibrant red flowers, the compact plant retains its shape well and does not become rangy. “This year’s weather seemed unusually conducive to disease on large-leaf begonias but none of these plants were affected” stated one judge. These extra-large (XL) mounded plants are perfect in both landscapes and containers.
Begonia Viking XL Red on Chocolate F1
After being trialed in over 35 locations throughout North America, AAS winners become available as seeds and plants at garden centers, mail order, and internet sources. This link will bring you to some of the retailers that offer AAS winners for sale: https://all-americaselections.org/buy-winners/
March’s ‘to-do’ list:
The vernal or spring equinox arrives on March 20th. On this day the sun will rise exactly in the east and set exactly in the west; the length of night and day are approximately equal. Let’s hope for a mild and sunny spring!
Prepare for the start of another tick season. Ticks that cause Lyme disease will become active when temperatures are above freezing, and the ground has thawed. Unfortunately, ticks don’t die with the onset of cold weather, they just go into dormancy. I’ve heard of numerous reports of ticks on hikers, and their dogs, just recently. Our tick specialist, Herb Severs, can advise you on the various methods we have at our disposal for managing this dangerous pest.
If your garden beds are dried out enough to walk on them, you may begin spring clean-up. Wet soil is very susceptible to compaction, so be prepared to wait until the soils have drained sufficiently to walk on.
Begin cutting down spent ornamental grasses now, before they begin sprouting.
As spring bulbs begin to emerge scratch in some organic bulb fertilizer around them, to give them a nutritional boost. ‘Bulb Booster’ fertilizer typically has a 9-9-6 ratio of elements. Using bone meal is discouraged, because it can attract wildlife. Spring bulbs are usually very cold hardy; an occasional spring snow won’t negatively affect their growth.
If you have stored any bulbs from last summer, such as: Dahlias, tuberous Begonias, Cannas, or Calla lilies, pot them up now, and set in the light.
Early March is the time to start seeds of long season vegetables, like peppers, tomatoes & eggplants. Tomatoes germinate quickly, followed by peppers. Eggplants can take up to 14 days or more to germinate. These vegetables are in the Solanaceae family, which thrive with warmth. Growing them with supplemental bottom heat can help promote germination.
Spraying ornamental and fruiting plants with horticultural oil while they are dormant, is an ecological and effective way to control insect pests. Horticultural oil is ultra-fine grade, so it is considered non-toxic to humans and pets. Horticultural oil kills overwintering pests and their eggs by smothering them.
Prune out and remove any Raspberry canes that bore fruit last year. Remove any canes that are thinner than a pencil in diameter. Cut the remaining canes back by at least 12” and make repairs to their trellis or fence as needed. Wait to apply fertilizer, until you see some new green shoots, and the ground has warmed up.
If you keep bird nesting boxes, now is a good time to clean and disinfect them, before a new tenant starts making a nest. Wear gloves and a dust mask to protect you from any pests that may be living in the old nesting material.
Have you heard about Medlars?
Mespilus germanica, common name Medlar, produces very distinctive, unusually shaped fruit. Their flavor when fully ripe is said to taste just like cinnamon applesauce. The Medlar has been written about and included in great works of literature by Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Cervantes. The most famous reference to Medlars appears in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, when Mercutio laughs at Romeo’s unrequited love for his mistress Rosaline (II, 1, 34–38):
Now will he sit under a Medlar tree,
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call Medlars, when they laugh alone.
O Romeo, that she were, O that she were
An open-arse and thou a pop’rin pear!
Old English refers to Medlars as Open-Arse fruit, because of their unique shape when ripe. A little crude, but what a conversation starter!
Ripening Medlar fruit
‘Royal’ Medlar
The Medlar’s fruit must undergo a ripening process called bletting; after being exposed to frost, the fruit becomes very soft and brown in color, looking almost rotten. Looks are deceiving, and they may look strange, but taste very sweet. Bletted Medlars may be eaten raw, in desserts, or made into jelly. Historically the advantage of the Medlar was that they provided fruit during the winter, when little fresh fruit was available. Bletting can also be done indoors in a cool, light, room.
Ripe and unripe Medlar fruit
Ripe Medlar
The Medlar is a ‘pome-type’ fruit. It is related to the Quince, and is often grafted onto Pear, or Quince rootstock. Medlars grow into a shrubby small tree, 15-25 feet tall. It doesn’t require much pruning to shape the tree, other than removing any dead branches that may occur. The attractive grey bark forms deep vertical lines that develop into rectangular plates. The 3-5” long, elliptical shaped leaves develop good red fall color. The fragrant 2.5” wide white flowers resemble large apple-blossom flowers. Medlars are considered self-fertile, and don’t require a pollinator.
Medlar flowers
The cultivar ‘Royal’ hails from England, by way of Russia, and is considered cold hardy to zones 5-9. Medlar trees can begin to bear fruit in 2-4 years time. Surprisingly, a new species of Mespilus was discovered in North America (Arkansas). It was named Mespilus canescens, Stern’s Medlar, in 1990, and is thought to be a hybrid between M. germanica, and one of our native Hawthorn (Crataegus) species. With only 25 individual trees identified, Stern’s Medlar is a critically endangered, endemic species.
Thinking ahead…
Raspberries are one of those fruit that just begs to be eaten fresh. Grocery store raspberries can’t compare to ones you’ve just picked! Raspberries are very easy to grow; they are divided roughly into two categories: Summer Bearing and Everbearing (Fall Bearing). Summer Bearing: one crop of berries is produced on the overwintering canes during the summer months. Everbearing (Fall Bearing): plants produce two crops; a first harvest in the early summer, the second crop is borne in the late summer/early fall on the tips of canes that grew throughout the summer.
All Raspberries prefer a ‘sweet soil’ with Ph in the 6.5-6.8 range. They prefer full sun, and good air circulation, but will tolerate light shade. Raspberries are not just red; but also black, purple and yellow. Absolutely nothing beats homemade raspberry jam on hot scones. Some of the best tasting berries are:
Prelude red Raspberry is a prolific early Summer Bearing variety. This raspberry plant produces great flavored berries and has vigorous growth. It is rated ‘excellent’ for both flavor and winter hardiness.
Prelude Raspberry
Bristol black Raspberry is a Summer Bearing variety that produces berries mid-season. The intense black raspberry flavor is rated ‘excellent’, and is a good cold hardy variety.
Bristol Raspberry
Royalty purple Raspberry is a Summer Bearing type that produces juicy purple berries late season. The firm fruit is rated good for freezing, taste and hardiness.
Royalty Raspberry
Anne golden raspberry is an Everbearing variety, producing large, very sweet, pale yellow fruit. It is rated ‘excellent’ for flavor and cold hardiness.
Anne Raspberry
Caroline red Raspberry is an Everbearing variety that produces a large berry, with a ‘very full, intense flavor’ rated excellent for both taste and cold hardiness.
Caroline Raspberry