The “Knock Out”, Everyone’s Rose

     There was a time when only a select few grew roses successfully. Those were the people who spent tedious hours caring for and pruning their roses. My mom grew roses and it seemed she was always doing something during the season to help them along. Everything had to be just right for them to flourish. They were absolutely gorgeous. The problem is that not everyone has the time or expertise to grow and maintain them.

     Now things have changed. The Knock Out rose has arrived to save the day. You have probably seen more and more landscapes with this variety of rose, including places you would have never planted a rose before. They are at neighborhood entrances, club houses, businesses, and mall parking lots. They have really brought a new dimension to the commercial and homeowner landscape. Just the mere fact that they are showing up in the commercial landscape as frequently as they are really tells the story of how easy they are to maintain.

     What do they need? It's simple. We prune the roses 3 times per year on average. We prune them with hedge trimmers (as opposed to the hand pruning that is required by other forms of roses). We will do a shape up going into spring. We will then do another trim in the July time frame after their first flush. This will set them up to flush again. It is also an opportunity to keep them under control where they might need to be kept low for visibility. Once we are getting toward the end of the season we will trim them one more time and shape them up usually in September.

     We do make sure to fertilize them each time we trim. That has proven to be very successful for the rose production and health of the plant. Knock Outs are hardy plants with a high resistance to pests and disease. Under the right conditions, they avoid the powdery mildew and black spot that can be so prevalent on other varieties of roses.

     Mom would be proud to see roses in my landscape. I guess being a good son I would have to tell her how easy the Knock Out rose is to grow. So there you have it in short form, everyone's rose.

Thanks,
The AA Tex Lawn Team

Enjoying Nature in the Winter – Botanical Gardens

Botanical Gardens offer a chance to reconnect with nature. Like bears, it sometimes feels that we spend the majority of winter inside hibernating. There is no reason for this. Even in winter, there is much to appreciate in a southern garden – berries, bark, structure, and even flowers. Botanical gardens allow you to enjoy the beauty of nature even in these colder months. In an effort to help us appreciate what Mother Nature provides us, I thought I'd list several of the gardens in the Charlotte region:

• The Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens on the banks of Lake Wylie is featuring its Orchid Spectacular through March 14, 2011. While the orchids are on display at the conservatory, there is also an exhibit of Jamie Kirkells paintings, Jewels on Silk through March 5th. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.dsbg.org/
  
  
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte Botanical Gardens (McMillan Greenhouse) features nature trails, a large rhododendron collection, a winter garden, and a greenhouse with an orchid collection. On February 27, 2011, they will hold a Winter Walk and Plant Sale. And it's free. For more information, see below or access their website at http://gardens.uncc.edu/.
  
  
• The Wing Haven Garden and Bird Sanctuary off Ridgewood Avenue in Charlotte was initially the private gardens of Elizabeth Lawrence and Eddie and Elizabeth Clarkson. Together they made Ridgewood Avenue one of the most famous addresses in Southern garden history. Wing Haven features three acres of formal gardens and controlled natural areas with focus on attracting birds; roses, wildflowers, herbs, ferns, and a woodland garden. For more information, see the website at http://www.winghavengardens.com/.
  
  
• The Hezekiah Alexander Homesite
  features a period 18th century-style herb and weavers gardens on the grounds of the Revolutionary War era home that is Mecklenburg County's oldest surviving structure. http://www.charlottemuseum.org/
  
  
• The Historic Mill Hill Plantain Gardens are another group of period-style gardens in Concord featuring a formal garden, a white garden, a secret garden, an Anglo-Chinese garden, and a historic plantation home. For more information, call 704-786-3990. It is located at 7117 Stirewalt Road (Hwy. 136) in Concord.
  

Even if plants are not your passion, it is still nice to take the time to decompress and relax among the tranquility (and beauty) that nature can afford us. Keep in mind that these gardens are more than just flowers. Most offer exhibits, events and workshops guaranteed to enrich the lives of budding horticulturists everywhere. So don't let winter keep you inside. Check out these gardens. You never know, maybe it will inspire us for spring! It's just around the corner!

 

Thanks,

 

The AA Tex Lawn Team

Crabgrass Makes Me Crabby

Crabgrass

  As I write this there is a forecast of light snow tonight, so it's hard to think about spring. The truth is, though, that March 20^{th (}the official start date of spring) is just around the corner. It will not be long before the fescue grass begins its optimal growing season, especially as we add fertilizer. That is just what we are looking forward to… a fresh cut green lawn. But we also need to consider what else is starting to happen in the lawn.
 Warm season weeds in the turf area are starting to germinate. In March and April we will spray the winter weeds (as well as other weeds that may be visible in the turf) and eliminate those. Now, however, we are beginning to take a pro-active step to stop the warm season weeds by applying a pre-emergent to fescue turf. Pre-emergent is exactly what the name implies, a pre-treatment to stop the weeds from emerging. How does it work? It's really quite simple. The pre-emergent product can be applied either as a spray type product or in a granular form. They both perform the same task; they create a barrier on the surface in the soil. As seeds germinate and weeds start to emerge, the small shoots of the plant absorb the product and die. Pre-emergents stop the weeds from growing so that the established grass can spread.
 This barrier under normal weather conditions can last through the month of August. This is exactly the timeframe that we want because as September approaches, we start preparing for the fall overseeding process. Since the pre-emergent barrier not only stops the bad plants, but also the good plants, if it is still around in the fall it will affect the germination of the new grass seed as we overseed. So timing is crucial. We will be putting down our pre-emergents starting in February, to make sure we get the early sprouts, but also to make sure the barrier breaks down in time.
 One thing to keep mind is that weather can affect how long the barrier lasts. Excessive amounts of rain will break the barrier down early which can cause weed issues late in the summer. They can be controlled with a post-emergent spray, but that is a subject for another blog. The last thing to mention (and maybe the most important) is that the main culprit that we are trying to eliminate in our area is crabgrass. Almost all lawns have crabgrass seeds in the ground from last summer. Each crabgrass plant drops thousands of seeds and it reproduces rapidly. One season without pre-emergent control and you could very well end up with a total crabgrass lawn. That would really make me crabby...
 Okay I know when to stop. Get the pre-emergent down, following the instructions, and control that crabgrass. Thanks,
 The AA Tex Lawn Team

Fire Ants: Where did they come from and why won’t they leave??

     If you are outside at all, you have had it happen. In a matter of seconds, out of nowhere, you come under attack. It happens fast and it's painful. Those little red ants are all over you. Some time ago I was out measuring beds and looking at plant material on a landscape. I stooped down to look at an irrigation head. I had stepped in a ant mound not realizing it. Within seconds my right leg was covered. It seems like an eternity when you are trying to get them off. For me causes discomfort and some swelling. For others it can be much worse. So what's up with fire ants?

     Did you realize they were not always here? Depending on what sources you are reading, fire ants came to the United States from South America sometime around the 1920's. There was a ship (or ships) that were carrying soil as ballast from that country that was contaminated with the ants. The ships arrived in Mobile Alabama. From that point the ants have migrated into 11 southern states, and are in 71 of the 100 counties in North Carolina. Some sources say they are as far north as Maryland. In North Carolina the 71 counties are considered under quarantine by the USDA and the NCDA&CS. That basically means that certain items, such as nursery stock, sod, used earth moving equipment, straw, etc. are under restrictions for export to other areas. There are certain regulations they have to follow to make sure human beings are not helping with the migration. Interestingly enough, it seems that South America's problem with fire ants is not as severe as ours. Even though they originated there, they have natural predators that we don't have here that keep the population under control. No wonder the ants like it here so much!

     What to do… How do we get rid of the fire ants? Truth be told, we will never completely rid ourselves of fire ants. They are here to stay. The ants are spreading into other areas aided by mild winters and their rapid reproductive rate. What we can do is protect ourselves in areas where they are a nuisance to humans, animals, and plant material. We use 2 methods to treat fire ants. One is a mound treatment with a bait type product. Local stores carry these and they are simple to use. They are a mixture of an insecticide and food that attracts the ants. If you are doing this yourself, make sure you read the directions on the bag. It tells the best time to treat and some simple rules. Baits are not to be placed on the mound, but around it. The ants forage for food so they go to the area around the mound. The second method we use is a broadcast treatment. This method is similar to putting out turf fertilizer and is applied with a spreader. Some of these products not only kill mounds, but are also a preventive. Products such as Top Choice have a life of up to one year if applied correctly and at the right time. While somewhat expensive, this is the best idea for high traffic areas, such as large yards or parks. We can help you with these 2 solutions so please don't hesitate to ask. (One note here, if the ants are heading indoors, or are close to your house, call an exterminator. They are better equipped to handle that situation.)

     So there you have it. A small story about a small but aggressive pest called the fire ant. They aren't going anywhere, but we can defend ourselves.

Thanks,
The AA Tex Lawn Team