Good morning. Happy Father’s Day to all you daddies, grandpas and other significant males in our children’s lives. You are very important to the munchkins around you. and we salute you for all you do on a daily basis. I couldn’t coach a sports team of any kind, and my husband says I don’t cut straight lines with the lawn mower. And, he is king of the grill. I hope you all enjoy your day.

Well, it looks as though we survived the torrential rains although a lot of roads are worse for the wear. I don’t think we need to worry about the woodlands in drought anymore and our gardens got more than enough moisture for quite some time. The annuals in containers took quite a beating, even if you saved them from drowning. When that much water goes through them that quickly, it washes out nutrients from the soil. Feed them liberally at half strength, twice as often as usual for about two or three weeks and that should help their recovery.

I have been getting a fair number of questions about shrubs this spring and so I thought we might talk about that. People want to know what to plant, where and how much work is required. Everyone has favorites and I am no different, but I will give you my best recommendations and/or those of gardening friends whose judgment I trust.

But remember one really important piece of advice — moving a shrub three years after you plant it is not like moving a hosta. It is much more difficult and usually not as successful; so plan before you plant.

A little note here as well, shrubs cost a lot more than hostas, so again … plan ahead. Also, go to a good local nursery where the folks know what they are talking about, ask them questions and buy from them. Almost all the local nurseries know Maine weather, what grows well, what you have to protect and what you won’t have to worry about.

First, you have to know where you want to plant a shrub to know what shrub to get. Some require full sun, others need protection from north and east winds in the winter and still others crave lots of air circulation. You don’t want to put a rose next to a building because it won’t get enough air circulation, but you can plant a cotoneaster or euonymus there and it will be quite happy.

You usually don’t put a hydrangea in part shade unless it is an oakleaf hydrangea; and did you know that highbush blueberries are really pretty landscaping plants and, bonus, you get fruit?

So, there are many considerations; but here is a list of some favorites, with a brief description:

Cotoneaster: These are wonderful shrubs with many possibilities. They come in several forms: low-growing ground cover, an arching variety or as shrubs that reach 10 feet. They winter extremely well and the prostrate variety will cover large areas if left alone. They have very small green leaves and grow white flowers all over  in the spring, followed by red berries, which the chipmunks and birds fight over at my house. I have two that I planted 25 years ago and they are growing strong. The berries also provide a good source of food for the birds in winter. I have these under a low window as a foundation planting and they have grown and spread around the corner onto the patio. They need about 4 to 6 hours of sun and fairly decent soil, but not totally amended.

Hydrangeas: These are way up on my list; and with the variety of new cultivars,  you can get them in many heights. They lose their leaves in winter and may be a bit slow to recover in spring; but when they do, they bless you with beautiful flowers. The newer varieties like Endless Summer and Bella Anna start producing flowers far sooner than old-fashioned hydrangeas and keep producing until frost. Check out the varieties online or at your local nursery before deciding which one. They like sun, air circulation and good soil. One application of slow-release rose food in the spring and they are all set. You can get some that have been grown into trees, which look lovely with annuals underneath.

Highbush blueberries: These are terrific plants and get between 4 and 12 feet tall when mature, depending on the variety. They have beautiful leaves and lovely spring flowers; the bees love them; and they give you fruit. I was told that I needed two if I wanted fruit. So I planted two. I went for tried-and-true Maine hardy varieties and have been well rewarded. I can’t tell you how many pints they might make because they never get to the house — grandchildren eat them straight from the bush as soon as they ripen. The plants have a rounded growing habit and like sun and soil that is rich, as in lots of compost. They prefer acid soil. I have friends who mulch them with pine needles in winter for the acidity. I just feed them Miracid, if I remember. We get enough acid rain in Maine that they do quite well whether I remember or not.

Ninebark (“Summer Wine”): Ninebark is tougher than nails and can take anything Maine dishes out. It is a Zone 3 plant, which means it grows in places way north of us. There are many ninebarks and all are dependable. I had a “Diablo,” which we removed this spring because I was tired of pruning it six or seven times a summer. It was too tall for where I planted it. My mistake, not the ninebark’s. “Summer Wine” is much better behaved for landscaping, but still tough. It has burgundy leaves and lovely pink flowers in the spring. It grows about 6 feet tall and almost that wide, and will fill the space between two windows quite nicely. It wants full sun and well-drained, good soil.

Euonymus: This is one of my favorite shrubs. I find it to be tough as nails. It is a wonderful alternative to evergreen foundation plantings that require constant shaping, pruning and winter kill in parts, so you have to decide to let it recover and look awful or pull it out. These are a type of evergreen with a leaf rather than needles or whatever. Some are Zone 3, but most sold in this area are Zone 4 or 5. I have several varieties planted together and the leaf variations are lovely. They can be pruned and tend to be a short arching groundcover plant that will climb if given the opportunity, but varieties also come in upright varieties that grow to about 4 feet. In spring, even after a very hard winter, I  trim off some dead branch ends, but not many. I also prune mine once each spring. They are growing in unamended natural soil and have not been fed in 15 years.

Mountain Laurel: This is a Zone 4 plant and different varieties range from 2 to 12 feet tall. It has beautiful, deep pink buds that open to pink flowers, and it likes cool, moist soil. It requires part shade which should be in the afternoon and acid soil (see highbush blueberries). I have two of these sitting and waiting to be planted. I will let you know.

You also might check out weigela, a spring flowering shrub with types ranging from 3 to 10 feet; flowering almond as a beautiful and airy small tree; flowering dogwood; and mock orange, with its wonderful fragrance.

If you want to take a walk on the wild side, try Harry Lauder’s “Walking Stick,” which at my house is known as the “Fairy Tree.” It has twisted and interesting upright branches, huge green leathery leaves in the summer and likes full sun and some protection from wind. It is about 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide and is a wonderful prop for telling small children big stories. Both my grandchildren call him Harry. I also have a “Toyo-Nishiki Quince” tree, which produces the most beautiful and colorful blooms. It is about 6 feet tall, grows in partial shade and has a lovely shape with no help from me.

As a last piece of advice for today, people always want to know the best time to plant a shrub. This is obviously early spring; but remember this — any plant is better off and happier if it is not in a pot, even if you plant in July. If you are dedicated to watering it religiously for a minimum of four weeks while it establishes roots, it will do fine. Buying shrubs, or any plant, on sale at the end of the season is NOT a bargain if that plant is so root-bound that you can’t even tease them apart; and you don’t see much dirt. Saving money is one thing, but throwing it away is something else entirely. When you plant shrubs, always add compost to the soil — always. The compost will be all it needs for the first season and hold off fertilizing until the following spring; and then use something like 10-10-10, not bloom buster fertilizer. If you plant a shrub in the fall, mulch it well for the first winter.

Until next time, be really nice to Dad today, try to keep up with the weeds that all the lovely rain bestowed on us, enjoy the sunshine and flowers, and watch for the baby critters that are everywhere.

Happy gardening.

Jody Goodwin has been gardening for more than 25 years. She lives in Turner with her husband, Ike, and two cats. She may be reached by writing to her in care of the Sun Journal, 104 Park St., Lewiston, Maine, 04243-4400 or by e-mail at jodyike@megalink.net.

Shielding plants from slugs, snails

I have info to share with you about a new organic slug deterrent. Slug Shield is a “green” product that uses specially woven copper to protect plants from slugs and snails. It is suitable for organic gardening and, according to its manufacturer, achieves outstanding results. You simply wrap the woven metal band around the base of the plant or tree you wish to protect. It is designed to expand as the plant grows and lasts all season.

Slugs and snails don’t like the nontoxic product because they are repelled by an electrochemical reaction with the metal. They receive something similar to a small electric shock when they come in contact with the woven wire. 

I have some Slug Shield headed for Turner and plan on using it on my dahlias which, unfortunately, the slugs love. I will let you know the outcome.

You can get more info on this new item by going to slugshield.com. Please let me know your results if you give it a try. 

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