Definitely not stars in your lawn

QUESTION: Every year, the small white flowers called star-of-Bethlehem pop up in our lawn. The flowers are cute, but they’re everywhere! It makes an ugly lawn. How can I get rid of it?

Star-of-Bethlehem: Get rid of it if you can.

This time of year, star-of-Bethlehem shoots up in lawns, on creek banks, in wild meadows. They are indeed everywhere – even in gardens, where unsuspecting gardeners may plant them because they are a pretty little wildflower. The bad news is that once they get a foothold in your lawn, they are tough to eradicate.

Star-of-Bethlehem is a cool-season perennial that grows from small bulbs. The foliage resembles wild garlic, and the small white flowers each have six petals. The bulbs multiply rapidly, and are spread easily. After it blooms, the plant dies down and remains dormant until next spring.

As you might expect, it’s considered an invasive exotic here. The plant is native to North Africa, parts of Eastern Europe and western Asia. UT’s Institute of Agriculture notes that it has become a weed problem on athletic fields and golf courses. Even more bad news: the flowers and bulbs of star-of-Bethlehem are poisonous.

You could try digging it up, but that would be a monstrous task because you need to get every little bulb. UT Extension has a list of control products (most of which are to be used only by professionals). There may be very little you can do except wait it out, and don’t spread them around. The USDA Forest Service is very clear about this: “Do not plant this species.”

EVENTS COMING UP

Big Old Tree: Tuesday April 3 is the deadline for entering this year’s Big Old Tree contest. Send in information about that big old tree in your yard, your neighbor’s yard, or anywhere in Nashville you see an awesome tree of any species. It (and you) could be awarded honors at the annual High Tree Party, which will be held April 27 – Arbor Day – at Sevier Park.

Entering is easy: Download an entry form from the Nashville Tree Foundation’s web site, or enter online. You can see past winners at the web site – a good idea to check it, to make sure the tree you enter hasn’t won in the past. There are also instructions on how to measure a big tree.

Whether you enter a tree or not, you are invited to enjoy the High Tree Party, where big tree winners will be announced, the Victor Johnson Award will be presented to the tree champion of the year, and you can enjoy tree-themed snacks.

Bloom ‘n’ Garden Expo is April 13 – 15 at the Ag Expo Center in Franklin, Tenn. Plants, gardening products from hundreds of vendors, speakers and educational workshops are on the schedule throughout the weekend. Details are at the web site.

The Perennial Plant Society’s annual sale is coming back to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds April 14, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. There will be thousands of perennials for sale for sun and shade, all from Tennessee growers, so they’re adapted to our growing conditions. Admission is free, but PPSMT notes that the Fairgrounds has a $5 parking fee. To learn more, visit PPSMT’s web site.

The Herb Society of Nashville’s annual plant sale is April 21 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. It’s 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., but get there early to browse through 15,000 herbs (including some of those hard-to-find varieties) and talk to the Answer Ladies and all the other herb fanciers who turn out for this annual event. Look for more info at the Society’s website, www.herbsocietynashville.org and Facebook page.

Cheekwood is celebrating its gardens all through April with a series of Cheekwood in Bloom events.

The 20^th annual Spring Art Hop is April 7. More than 20,000 candy-filled eggs will be hidden throughout the gardens for egg hunts every half-hour. There will also be music, arts and crafts and live entertainment.

Ka-Bloom! on April 14 includes at family art activity and scavenger hunt,10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; flower arranging demonstration at10:30 a.m.; guided tour ofhte Robertson Ellis Color Garden at 11 a.m. Howard Pink and his Musical Garden Hoses at noon; guided tour of the Carell Dogwood Garden at 1 p.m.; and container garden demonstration at 2 p.m.

The grand opening of the Howe Garden at Cheekwood (after a million-dollar renovation) will be April 21, with activities, live music, guided tours and refreshments,10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

In honor of national Arbor Day, April 28, there will be several drop-in activities and demonstrations. By the way, Cheekwood is now a certified Level IV arboretum, with more than 120 identified species of trees.

Every Sunday in April there will be guided greenhouse tours atnoon; guided museum tours at1 p.m.; and a drawing room concert series featuring Blair School of Music at2 p.m.

Complete details on Cheekwood in Bloom are at Cheekwood’s web site.

Periwinkle: Bigleaf can be a big problem

QUESTION: This vine (in the photo) is growing behind the boxwoods in front of our house. I’ve never seen it before. Is this something I should keep or get rid of?

Variegated Vinca major (bigleaf periwinkle) is a major pest plant.

Get rid of it, if you can. It looks like variegated bigleaf periwinkle (Vinca major), and left to grow on its on, will scramble and snake its way across everything in its path. This plant, considered an ornamental groundcover by some, was brought here from Europe more than three centuries ago.

It has pretty little blue or lavender pinwheel flowers in spring, but that’s not enough reason to keep it around. According to the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, the vine has crept in to open and dense canopied forest, forming mats and “extensive infestations” by vines that root at the nodes. They consider it a “significant threat” in the state, and note that it’s also considered invasive in several other southern states, and in California and the Pacific Northwest.

If your “infestation” is still fairly small, I suggest pulling it up, roots and all, if you can. You’ll probably have to pull it several times before it’s all gone. I never recommend chemical controls, but you can read what TNEPPC suggests here.

One of the nice features about the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council’s web site is that they suggest alternatives for the invasive plants you might be considering for your landscape. So, instead of periwinkle, TNEPPC recommends using these natives:

Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) and Creeping Phlox (Phlox stolonifera). Both attract bees and butterflies. Creeping phlox does best in the more acidic mountains of East Tennessee.

Several grass-like sedges make good groundcovers for shady places: Seersucker sedge (Carex plantaginea) has puckered light green leaves. Silver sedge (Carex platyphylla) has slightly puckered, light blue-green foliage. Blue wood sedge (Carex flaccosperma) has silvery blue foliage and can do well in wetter sites.

Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) is a small creeping vine with tiny, glossy, deep green leaves, pairs of white fuzzy flowers in early June, and bright red berries. It grows in shade, and needs acid soil. Birds like it.

Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea [ Senecio aureus ]) has dark, evergreen foliage that colonizes as a groundcover and yellow flowers in early spring. Attracts bees and butterflies.

Marginal Woodfern (Dryopteris marginalis) is an evergreen fern that likes shade and moist soil.

EVENTS COMING UP

This just in: The Nashville Tree Foundation has extended the deadline for entering this year’s Big Old Tree contest. You now have until April 3 to send in information about that

One of last year’s Big Old Tree winners was a Dawn redwood: 109 inches around, 80 feet tall, with a 35-foot crown spread.

big old tree in your yard, your neighbor’s yard, or anywhere in Nashville you see an awesome tree of any species. It (and you) could be awarded honors at the annual High Tree Party, which will be held April 27 – Arbor Day – at SevierPark.

Entering is easy: Download an entry form from the Nashville Tree Foundation’s web site, or enter online. You can see past winners at the web site – a good idea to check it, to make sure the tree you enter hasn’t won in the past. There are also instructions on how to measure a big tree.

Whether you enter a tree or not, you are invited to enjoy the High Tree Party, where big tree winners will be announced, the Victor Johnson Award will be presented to the tree champion of the year, and you can enjoy tree-themed snacks.

The Perennial Plant Society’s annual sale is coming back to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds April 14, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. There will be thousands of perennials for sale for sun and shade, all from Tennessee growers, so they’re adapted to our growing conditions. Admission is free, but PPSMT notes that the Fairgrounds has a $5 parking fee. To learn more, visit the PPSMT’s website www.ppsmt.org.

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The Herb Society of Nashville’s annual plant sale is April 21 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. It’s 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., but get there early to browse through 15,000 herbs (including some of those hard-to-find varieties) and talk to the Answer Ladies and all the other herb fanciers who turn out for this annual event. Look for more info at the Society’s website, www.herbsocietynashville.org and Facebook page.

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Cheekwood is celebrating its gardens all through April with a series of Cheekwood in Bloom events.

The 20^th annual Spring Art Hop is April 7. More than 20,000 candy-filled eggs will be hidden throughout the gardens for egg hunts every half-hour. There will also be music, arts and crafts and live entertainment.

Ka-Bloom! on April 14 includes at family art activity and scavenger hunt,10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; flower arranging demonstration at 10:30 a.m.; guided tour of the Robertson Ellis Color Garden at 11 a.m. Howard Pink and his Musical Garden Hoses at noon; guided tour of the Carell Dogwood Garden at 1 p.m.; and container garden demonstration at 2 p.m.

The grand opening of the Howe Garden at Cheekwood (after a million-dollar renovation) will be April 21, with activities, live music, guided tours and refreshments,10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

In honor of national Arbor Day, April 28, there will be several drop-in activities and demonstrations. By the way, Cheekwood is now a certified Level IV arboretum, with more than 120 identified species of trees.

Every Sunday in April there will be guided greenhouse tours at noon; guided museum tours at 1 p.m.; and a drawing room concert series featuring Blair School of Music at 2 p.m.

Complete details on Cheekwood in Bloom are at Cheekwood’s web site.

Keep African violets blooming

QUESTION: My African violets were blooming beautifully when I got them a few months ago, but no longer. How can I get them to bloom again?

It’s easy to love those dainty clusters of blossoms rising from rosettes of downy leaves. African violets look like they’d be fussy plants, but quite the opposite: “They’re easy to grow if you know a few secrets,” says Julie Mavity-Hudson of the Nashville African Violet Club.

One of those secrets may surprise you: African violets tend to bloom better when they’re slightly root-bound, so don’t rush to move them to larger pots. They thrive in bright, indirect light and average room temperatures, in soil that is kept slightly moist. “The thing that kills more African violets than anything is overwatering,” Mavity-Hudson says.

Failure to bloom might be because the plant is not getting enough light. In winter, when the light is low, try moving it to a south or west window where the light is brighter, but move it away from the window when the light is more intense. Direct sun will burn the leaves of African violets.

A light feeding of high-phosphorous plant food every few weeks may also help. Houseplant expert Barbara Pleasant (The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual) suggests adding a light pinch of Epsom salts to water to push balky plants into bloom.

To get together with other African violet aficionados, check out the Nashville African Violet Club, which meets the first Sunday of most months,1:45, at the Green Hill Women’s Center,10905 Lebanon RoadinMt.Juliet. The meetings are open to the public.

Events coming up

– Professional Landscape Association of Nashville, Tennessee – P.L.A.N.T. – will hold its winter seminar Thursday (Jan. 12),8 a.m. – 4 p.m., in Massey Hall atCheekwoodBotanical   Garden. The day’s topics include “Right Plant Right Spot,” by Kerry Mendez; “Pruning Techniques & Best Management Practices” by Karla Kean; Perennial Plant Collector’s Corner by Kerry Mendez; and “Longwood Gardens’ Vision for Horticultural Excellence and Beauty,” by Rodney Eason. Registration at the door is $100 for P.L.A.N.T. members, $125 for non-members (includes lunch). To learn more, visit P.L.A.N.T.’s Web site here.

–Another reminder that the Nashville Lawn & Garden Show is March 1 – 4 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. This year’s theme is Gardens Past, Present & Future, and as always the show features beautiful live gardens, 250 exhibit booths, a floral design gallery and a roster of free lectures.

Peter J. Hatch. The Thomas Jefferson Foundation Inc. at Monticello, photo by Robert Llewellyn.

Peter J. Hatch, Director of Gardens and Grounds at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, is one of this year’s speakers. Hatch is scheduled to speak on Friday, March 2 about “Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden,” which featured more than 330 varieties of vegetables. On Saturday, March 3, Hatch will discuss Jefferson’s use of native plants, the union of gardening and sociability, and his experimentation with useful plants as a means of social change in his talk, “Thomas Jefferson, Gardener.” Other popular speakers are returning: Jeff Poppen, The Barefoot Farmer from Long Hungry Creek Farm in Red   Boiling Springs,Tenn.; Rita Randolph of Randolph’s Greenhouses from Jackson, Tenn.; and Justin Stelter, historic gardener for Carnton Plantation in Franklin and The Hermitage, Home of Andrew Jackson. Information about these free lectures is at the Nashville Lawn & Garden Show Web site.

Admission will be $10 for adults ($9 if you’re 65 or older), and this year the Tennessee State Fairgrounds will charge $5 per vehicle to park during the show. The Web site promises group discount and coupon offers coming soon.

Gardenia is a high-maintenance beauty

QUESTION: I have an issue with a gardenia plant/tree that I purchased this summer. It was blooming nicely and looked to be very healthy, but when I brought it home I transplanted it out of the 3-gallon bucket to a larger pot and

Photo by Forest and Kim Starr

placed it on our porch, and it started to show a yellowing of the flowers and then stopped producing flowers. It was getting direct morning sun till about 10  a.m. and shade for the rest of the day. I moved the plant to the basement with no direct sun but plenty of light and much cooler temps. It still does not seem to be recovering. I water it every few days but careful not too water too much because the leaves turn brown if I do so. What do you suggest I do to revive this beautiful plant? – Rick

Gardenias are beautiful and their sweet fragrance is almost intoxicating, but they present a challenge
even in the best environment. I spent some time leafing through gardening books and looking around the Web for information, and it looks like you are experiencing a typical reaction to bringing a gardenia home. It sulks, and stops producing flowers.

Of course, a gardenia has a limited flowering season, typically spring into early summer, so it may be that yours was coming to the end of its flowering cycle when you brought it home. Plus, remember that gardenias grow better in the South’s lower regions, where winters don’t get as cold.

In our area, they should be treated as house plants, which means that you will have to bring it indoors or into a greenhouse and baby it through the winter or it will sulk some more. In the house, it becomes a magnet for mealybugs, mites and whiteflies.

So, if you still want to revive this temperamental beauty, here’s what it needs: acid soil, good drainage, full sun or partial shade, regular watering, high humidity, and nighttime temperatures of 50 – 55 degrees in winter and spring if you want flowers.

By the way, the most common gardenia, G. jasminoides (G. augusta), is said to be hardy to about 10 degrees, and may survive to zero degrees, but will likely die back to the roots. There are several varieties that may be hardier in colder climates: ‘Chuck Hayes,’ ‘Grif’s Select,’ and ‘Klein’s Hardy’ are
said to be slightly more tolerant of cold weather. Good luck.

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Oh, deer: In many areas, deer come out frequently to sample the goodies they see growing around the house. Check out the list of deer-resistant plants in The Garden Club column in Saturday’s  Tennessean.

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Two meetings at Cheekwood Tuesday night, Sept. 20, both open to the public:

The Perennial Plant Society will meet in Botanic Hall. Refreshments and plant swap begin at 6:30, and the meeting at 7  p.m. features guest speaker Kevin Guenter, president and owner of Design Resource and founder of The Sustainable Living Guild. He will speak on “Sustainable Patterns in the Garden.”

The Orchid Society of Middle Tennessee meets at 7 p.m. in Botanic Hall. Speaker is David Johnston of Jewell Orchids; his topic is “New Trends in Blue Cattleya.”

Get to know the natives at Cheekwood

Celandine poppies. Photo courtesy Cheekwood Botanical Garden.

Last spring my friend Nancy gave me a Celandine poppy that she rooted out from her backyard garden bed. In the right spot (light shade, moist, rich soil) it opens its bright yellow flowers in April in Middle Tennessee, and I’m embarrassed to have to let Nancy (and the general public) know that it didn’t succeed in my garden.

I’m reminded of this because of a note I got from Cheekwood, reminding me that their third annual Native Plant Sale is happening Saturday (March 26), and Celandine poppies — also called wood poppies — are among the tried-and-true spring blooming plants that will be available. There will also be Virginia bluebells, cardinal flower, wild ginger and many more natives for the flower bed, along with some small trees, shrubs and vines. “It’s an extraordinary variety of wildflower treasures perfect for local gardens,” says Sarah Lowe, assistant botanical garden and horticulture manager at Cheekwood.

The show is sponsored by the Garden Club of Nashville, and benefits the Howe Wildflower Garden at Cheekwood, a woodland flower garden that was started in the 1920s by Cora Howe, at her East Nashville home. You can find more about it at the Cheekwood Web site, www.cheekwood.org.

But back to the Celandine poppies: In her book, Gardening With the Native Plants of Tennessee, Nashville wildflower expert Margie Hunter writes, “Wood poppies form leafy clumps of stems 12 to 18 inches tall. Loose clusters of hairy buds open into bright yellow, 2-inch flowers through April and May. Fuzzy drooping seedpods develop. Leaves are grayish green and pinnately cut into several lobes.”

Along with light shade, the poppies appreciate slightly acid soil. They are easy to share, as you can divide them or sow seeds. “They readily self-sow, and if germination gets out of hand, just snip off the large seedpods before they open,” Hunter says.

The native plant sale at Cheekwood opens at 10 a.m. Saturday and closes when all the plants are sold – which could be early, because it’s a popular event. The gates open at 9:30 and Cheekwood’s regular gate fee applies. It’s worth a Saturday morning trip to Cheekwood. I haven’t been out there yet this spring, but I hear the gardens are beautiful right now!

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Celandine poppy (wood poppy) – Stylophorum diphyllum