Dear Master Gardener: We have Tiger Eyes Sumac, which has beautiful fall color, but sometimes pops up in other places, even 10 feet away. I dig them up and toss them in my compost but was wondering if I can dig up some of the smaller plants and move them to the spot where I want them.
Answer: Tiger Eyes sumac was introduced from Bailey’s Nursery in 2004 and is a valuable addition to the landscape. It is a lot less aggressive than the straight staghorn sumac species (Rhus typhina), which suckers aggressively and can be found growing up to 30 feet away. Yes, you can dig up some of the Tiger Eyes sumac suckers and move them. They can be transplanted now or in early spring. Carefully dig around the sucker and get as much of the root system as possible, then move it to its new location and keep it watered well until it gets established.
Dear Master Gardener: We just bought our first house and it has lots of beautiful landscaping. I am new to gardening and excited to learn how to take care of our yard. What are the most essential tools I should buy to be ready for next year’s gardening season?
Answer: Welcome to the wonderful world of gardening! Although it does not qualify as a tool, make sure you have a good pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands. An essential heavy-duty tool is a good quality spade or shovel for heavy digging. A hand trowel and pruners are the tools I use the most. Trowels are used for planting seedlings, transplanting flowers and small plants and weeding. A good set of bypass pruners make clean, precise cuts that allow plants to heal more quickly thereby reducing the risk of disease, and allowing for better shaping and maintenance of plants. I really like my hori-hori knife, which I use for digging, planting bulbs, weeding and dividing perennials (especially hostas and daylilies).
For all new and experienced gardeners — do not forget to clean your gardening tools before putting them away for the winter. They will last longer and work better if you keep them clean and well-maintained. Ideally tools should be cleaned each time you use them, which will keep diseases from spreading in your garden. Because plant pathogens can survive on your tools, clean them with a 10% bleach solution or household disinfectant. Keep in mind that bleach can be corrosive to metal so you may want to keep a bottle of disinfectant (like Lysol or 70% alcohol hand sanitizer) with your gardening tools and sanitize (especially pruning shears) each time you use them. Shovels, rakes, trowels, and other tools can be washed with water and then dried well. Another method of cleaning shovels and pitch forks is to slide them up and down in a bucket of sand. To prevent rust or minimize it, lightly oil your tools made of steel. Before putting them away for the winter you may want to sharpen your trowels, shovels, and hoes with a hand file and your pruning shears and garden knives with a honing stone. When spring arrives, you will be glad your tools are in tip top shape!
Dear Master Gardener: What should we do now to prepare our gardens for winter?
Answer: The leaves tumbling down into our yard is nature’s way of telling us it is time to get the garden ready for winter. Here are some suggestions for winter preparation:
Pull up dying plants that have had insect or disease problems — you do not want pests or diseases wintering in your garden. Burn or bag any diseased plants — do not toss them onto your compost pile.Cut back your perennials leaving them 4-6 inches tall, but do not do this before the first killing frost. The energy in the upper plant flows to the root systems, where it is stored for the winter. Wait until the plant is dead, and then cut it back. Leave ornamental grasses, and late blooming perennials (sedum, asters, coneflowers, and black-eyed Susans) up to provide vital winter food and winter interest in the landscape. Hardy geraniums, heucheras, hellebores, dianthus, pulmonarias, tiarellas, and moss phlox should not be cut back. If needed, they can be cleaned up a little in the spring. After a frost, hostas and Solomon’s seal can get slimy. If so, remove slimy leaves because pests love slime. Try to get rid of all the weeds.Remove the fallen leaves from garden beds. Mice and voles hiding in leaves piled on top of perennials may damage the crowns of the plants. Also, allowing the leaves to pile up on and around perennials encourages perennial crowns to begin sprouting too early in the spring and then they can get damaged.Keep watering until the temperatures are consistently below 40 degrees or the ground freezes.Plant your spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, tulips, muscari, and crocuses. Remember that each bulb should be planted at a depth that is three times the height of the bulb. Spread 1-6 inches of compost or composted manure over your garden, which will enrich your soil with nutrients.
You may get your garden questions answered by calling the new Master Gardener Help Line at 218-824-1068 and leaving a message. A Master Gardener will return your call. Or, emailing me at
umnmastergardener@gmail.com
and I will answer you in the column if space allows.
University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners are trained and certified volunteers for the University of Minnesota Extension. Information given in this column is based on university research.
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