May 2002

Ornamental

Use dried grass clippings as a mulch in flower and vegetable beds. Do not use clippings from a lawn that has been treated with weed killers.

Apply new mulch around plants when soil has warmed, usually around late May.

Grow dried flowers for arrangements. Grow strawflowers, statice, globe amaranth and perennial grasses like Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern sea oats), with its showy silver green seed heads on arching stems.

Dethatch or core aerate your lawn now while the grass is growing rapidly due to the moist, cool spring weather.

Pinch off one-half inch of chrysanthemums stems when they reach 6–7 inches tall. Continue pinching back any new 6–7 inch shoots through June. This will produce a bushy plant with lots of flowers.

Fertilize peonies. For larger blossoms, pinch off the secondary flower buds as they form.

Watch for late emerging perennials. Some perennials may not emerge until June. Do not plant over them. Mark their locations.

Watch for blackspot on roses. Look on the leaves for roundish, black spots with fringed margins. Infected leaves may drop from the plant. Lower leaves are infected first. On canes look for blister-like purple blotches that turn black. Control by raking fallen leaves and removing infected canes. Avoid wetting leaves when watering. A fungicide spraying program every 7-10 days may be necessary. Cover both sides of leaves when spraying.

Try these drought tolerant annuals: Dahlberg Daisy; Rose Moss; Globe Amaranth; Dusty Miller; Gazania; Spider Flower; Melampodium; Periwinkle; Marigold; Cockscomb; Cosmos; Sunflower and Zinnia. Once established they require little watering. All perform best in full sun.

Watch for creeping Charlie or ground ivy in your lawn. It is the number one weed problem in lawns. It tolerates shade and poorly drained soils. Ground ivy has square stems, purplish blue funnel-shaped flowers and round to kidney shaped leaves. Crushed leaves have a minty odor. Control is difficult. Hand pulling is an option. Herbicides are available to reduce the population.

Watch for ants in your home. They are the number one urban pest. Indoor ants are more of a nuisance pest and cause little damage. Large carpenter ants can weaken wood in structures. Small, one tenth of an inch long, brown to dark brown ants are odorous ants. They emit an unpleasant smell when crushed. They will nest in wall voids but do not cause structural damage.

Try timed or controlled release fertilizers such as Osmocote for roses. These fertilizers release nutrients slowly over the growing season. Apply in May and use about one half cup per plant.

Edible

Plant tomato, pepper, and eggplant transplants after mid-May.

Seed snap beans after May 15. Sow every 15 days for continuous production.

Check fruit and crabapple trees for the Eastern tent caterpillar. The fuzzy worm has a white stripe down the back and blue markings on itís side. The larvae construct silky tents which cover two feet across. Control by pruning out tents in the spring or spray with Bacillus thuriengensis.

Water vegetable transplants with a starter fertilizer. This should be a water soluble, high phosphorus (N-P-K) mixed fertilizer. Phosphorus helps to promote root growth.

Looking for a great tasting tomato? Try 'Celebrity.' Fruits are red and firm. 'Celebrity'is very productive and will start producing seventy days after transplanting. It is also disease and crack resistant.

Find a U-Pick strawberry farm at www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/strawberries .