Master Gardener Rosanne Sherry '77 led April 2008 Chat

On Tuesday, April 15, 2008, Rosanne Sherry '77, coordinator of the popular URI Master Gardener program, joined us to answer your gardening questions.

This was Rosanne's third Web chat with us. She joined us in April 2005 and in May 2006, and each time resulted in a lively chat covering a broad range of topics--from advice on keeping the deer away to beginning a vegetable garden. Her April 2008 chat was another great one, providing us with information and resources to give our gardens a head start.

Web chats are a feature of the URI Division of University Advancement electronic communications program. Answers to other frequently asked questions can be found in our FAQs. If you have other questions about Web chats, please contact the URI Publications Office at 401-874-2075 or email: eservices@advance.uri.edu
Rosanne Sherry: Hello Gardeners! It's a beautiful spring day. Thank you for joining me for our chat.
Mary, Wakefield, RI: We need to plant some bushes/shrubs in front of our cape, which faces North. What would you suggest that would be green year round, but maybe a little different than the typical evergreen. They can't grow too high as they'd obscure the windows and shouldn't be toxic to dogs.
Rosanne Sherry: North is great for any broad leaf evergreens. Examples are boxwood, holly, and andromeda. Regarding the dogs, try invisible fence or old fashioned training.
Bill (Wakefield): Something, either deer or rabbits, are eating my lillies and tulips that are starting to come up. Any suggestions on what to do to deter them?
Rosanne Sherry: Try dried blood or other animal chaser product. If you really suspect deer, try coyote urine. It's a predator urine and will hopefully scare off the deer. The dried blood will do the same for the rabbit.
Donna-Jean Rainville: Is it okay to trim and prune flowering trees in spring?
Rosanne Sherry: You can prune lightly after bloom on any tree. You can always prune away sick, dead, or excessive growth.
Paul McBride: I have a wisteria vine about 10 years old that has never bloomed. I have cut it back each year, but still has never bloomed. Any suggestions?
Rosanne Sherry: Wisteria vines should not be pruned heavily. This is what frequently causes poor bloom. Feeding the plant a balanced fertilizer can always help. Wisteria vines like a pH of 6.5 or higher. You may want to consider a soil test to be sure of nutrient needs. Check our Web site at urimga.org. On the left-hand side of the page, click on Soil Testing.
West Greenwich: I have a five year old rose garden in a raised bed. What nutrients are best at the beginning of the growing season?
Rosanne Sherry: The pH of the soil should be 6.5 or higher and feeding should be done on a regular schedule, at least monthly using a fertilizer recommended for roses.
Eva (Providence): Hi Rosanne, I live in Providence and do not have an area available to me to start a vegetable garden. Could you help me learn how to start one with limited space. Thank you.
Rosanne Sherry: All vegetable gardens should be located in full sun. A soil test will help you prepare the soil. You may want to consider planting a few vegetables in containers: tomatoes, eggplants, and lettuce are some of the vegetables that will grow well in containers. Be sure there is good drainage in your container and use bagged container potting soil.
Princess Delphinium (Seekonk): Hi Rosie, Are you offering any in-depth gardening courses this spring? Where will they be held? :)
Rosanne Sherry: Dear Princess, why yes, we are holding gardening schools throughout the spring at Roger Williams Park Botanical Center. Check our Web site at uri.edu/cels/ceoc. Click on Roger Williams Park Botanical Center.
Debbie from Saunderstown: Do you cut back lavender and how far? How far do you cut back butterfly bushes?
Rosanne Sherry: The lavendar can be cut back now to about four to six inches from the ground. New growth will emerge from the remaining old growth. As the new growth emerges, just clean up some of the other older growth. The butterfly bush can be pruned to about three feet. You can do this now or you could have done it in late fall. The bush will bloom on new wood that grows after pruning later this summer.
Laurie (East Greenwich): What kinds of flowers would do well in window boxes that get afternoon sun?
Rosanne Sherry: Window boxes can be a challenge in the summer because of the heat and drought. Sticking with iron clad annuals can be more successful. I suggest trying geraniums, petunias, dwarf snapdragons, salvia, and zinnias to start with. Don't be afraid to experiment each year with some different plants. Be sure to feed containers using a slow release fertilizer such as Osmocote.
Barbara (Wakefield): Every year my lilies (asiatic), hibiscus, and eternity plants fall victim to a red beetle that devours the foliage (but not the flowers). One friend saw them and said they are Japanese Beetles, and another friend said they are not. Do you know what they are and what to do about them?
Rosanne Sherry: It's likely that your pest is the lily leaf beetle. It's a common problem now in Rhode Island. Early in the season, you can hand pick the beetles and then later in the season when the larvae also feed on the leaves you can try pyrethrins or Neem. Call our Hotline at 1-800-448-1011 Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Rhode Island for more details. If you are outside of Rhode Island, you can email us at gardener@etal.uri.edu.
Mike, Johnston: I am planning on adding Peas and Romaine lettuce to the garden this year for the first time. I know they are cool weather crops but am not clear on the exact planting time for this area?
Rosanne Sherry: Mid to late April is perfect timing for both crops. Lettuce seedlings can be planted out at this time. If you are direct seeding lettuce, that is fine too. Peas can be planted anytime from now into early May. They are always direct seeded into the garden.
Debbie: Hi Rosanne, I have two questions: 1). I'm installing raised vegetable gardens (using 2x6 trex decking) over where grass currently exists. Do I need to rototill and remove all of the existing grass first or is it adequate to just fill the beds with manure and loam? 2). I'm going to be having some oak trees removed so that I have adequate sun for my vegetable garden, is it o.k. to use the wood chips from the smaller branches as mulch or for a walkway between the raised beds in the veggie garden?
Rosanne Sherry: For question 1, remove the turf in the area where you plan to build. This allows better drainage and roots will be able to go deeper into the soil. Using the composite lumbers is a wonderful way to use recycled plastics. We have several beds here at the URI Botanical Center that are over ten years old. On question 2, excellent way to recyle your wood chips. I would suggest placing landscape fabric on the soil first, then apply the mulch. This will work very well in keeping the majority of weeds out.
Rosanne Sherry: Thank you for joining me today, and please contact us if you have further questions via email, by phone, or visit us on the Web.