- How do I select and plant a Lilac?
- Do Kiwi grow here?
- What are the spots on my Heuchera?
- My broad bean plants turned black with mold when they were a foot high. What caused this?
Q. How do I select and plant a Lilac?
It is important when selecting any plant to first consider the growing conditions where you want to plant it. Once you understand the placement of the plant, choosing the right plant for the conditions of that location will set you up for success.
Some things to consider are: how much light does the spot get? Many varieties of lilac prefer full sun so if you have a sunny spot that is ideal. You also want to consider the amount of room you have to grow your lilac and select a variety that will fit in that place when it is fully grown. Also consider the composition of the soil – is it well draining or does it get soggy, is it sandy, or clay? Lilacs typically prefer well draining locations but still need to be watered, especially while getting established. Finally, don’t forget to consider your preferences for color and size of flower, leaf shape, bloom time, and if you prefer one that is evergreen or loses it’s leaves in the winter.
Lilac’s can be small shrubs or large trees, can be deciduous or evergreen, and come in a wide range of flower colours and sizes. There are varieties that are more or less cold hardy or drought tolerant, and have different bloom times and needs.
Since there are many different varieties of lilac to choose from, you need to carefully research and read the labels in nurseries to ensure the plant you choose will thrive in the location you plan to plant it. Do some research ahead of time, then go to a reputable local plant nursery and talk to the staff about the site you have to plant in, and ask about what varieties they have that could thrive in those conditions. You may need to go to a few nurseries to find the right one; but make sure you feel good about the choice you are making as it (hopefully) will be in your garden for a very long time.
The Royal Horticulture Society is a good place to find information on a wide range of lilac varieties. Not every variety will be available at all nurseries but it should give you an idea of the different range of plants that could be available and it can be worth searching around for the right one. This website is a good source of information on which varieties are susceptible or resistant to pests and common plant diseases. The Greater Victoria Region is typically considered to be zone 8b-9a and powdery mildew can be a problem for some lilac varieties some years.
Lilacs are best planted in the fall or early spring to give them time to establish their roots in the cooler temperatures.
Sources
The Kwantlen Polytechnic University School of Horticulture Plant Database – Results – KPU Plant DB
The Royal Horticulture Society – Search the RHS website for gardening knowledge / RHS
Government of Canada Plant Hardiness Zones Canada’s Plant Hardiness Site | Natural Resources Canada
The Gardener’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees & Shrubs – Brian Davis, Rodale Press, 1987.
Q. Will Kiwi grow here?
Will Kiwi grow here?
The Greater Victoria region can be a good environment for growing kiwi. Kiwi plants belong to the Actinidiaceae family and there are many different varieties which each have their own preferred growing conditions.
Two varieties that are commonly grown in our region are: Actinidia arguta “hardy kiwi” – is hardy to zone 3 (-40 to -34 °C). It is a deciduous vine that prefers full sun to part shade. It likes to grow in well draining soil with medium moisture but can also tolerate clay soil. This plant is a vine that needs to be grown on a support and requires regular pruning. Hardy kiwi fruit has green smooth skin which can be eaten without being peeled.
Actinidia deliciosa “fuzzy kiwi” – is hardy to zone 7 (-18 to -12 °C) so is more at risk if we experience a very cold winter in our region. It is a deciduous vine that prefers to grow in full sun and requires a support to be grown on. It requires regular pruning and fruits in early fall. The fruit is more typical of the kiwi’s you see at the supermarket with fuzzy brown skin.
When growing kiwi, it is important to have both a male and female plant in close proximity. The female plant produces the fruit, and the male plant is needed for pollination (unless you find a cultivar that is labelled as self-fertile). It can take a couple of years for the vines to grow and produce fruit, expect fruit 2-6 years after planting.
Sources
https://plantfinder.mobot.org/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=275434
https://plantfinder.mobot.org/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=275437
https://plantdatabase.kpu.ca/Plant/acag
Rodale’s Garden Answers – Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs – edited by Fern Marshall Bradley, 1995.
Q. What are the spots on my Heuchera?
In recent years Heuchera cultivars are being diagnosed with a rust disease called Puccinia Heuchera. It is a fungus disease and is spread in damp conditions when plants are crowded or newly bought plants introduce it to your garden.
Rust can develop when temperatures are between 10 C to 20 C and humidity above 40%, a typical spring or fall day. The rust fungus quickly grows within the living tissue of the plant leaves so it is not possible to wash it off. The orange to brown pustules germinate and a new spore type turns the pustules a grayish white colour. The spores create new infections where air currents cause them to land on Heuchera leaves. The fungus overwinters on any affected leaves remaining on the plants. New leaves in spring produce rust pustules.
The small orange to brown spots create a sunken depression or raised bumps usually on the underside of the leaf surface and may coalesce as the infection builds. Rusted leaves will turn yellow, die and drop off. Old infections give a shot hole appearance. The leaf stalk, or petiole, may also be affected.
Control is the best way to counteract the disease. Sanitation is key. Use gloves for working on affected plants and don’t touch other Heuchera plants with these gloves. Buy symptom free plants and put these plants in a 3 to 4 week quarantine away from other heuchera or saxifrage in your garden. For affected plants, remove the leaves and old leaves in the fall to prevent the fungus from overwintering and dispose these without composting. Water in the morning so leaves can quickly dry. In Canada and the US, this rust has coexisted in wild and cultivated populations but not in Great Britain. Unlike some other rust diseases, no alternate host is involved in its life cycle.
Sources
nmsuplantclinic.blogspot.com
https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/heuchera-rust
Q. My broad bean plants turned black with mold when they were a foot high. What caused this?
The several reasons for broad beans turning black include fungus diseases such as chocolate spot or rust and aphid infestations on the tender growing tips.
Chocolate spot is caused by the fungus botrytis fabae and can kill the plant in a few days. It is of concern to most cool temperate broad bean growing regions around the world, including Europe, Australia and North America. The disease is dependant on environmental conditions with a dew point, temperature and relative humidity interaction. The disease develops early in the season with dark chocolate spots appearing on all parts of the plant. Spots can coalesce quickly and cause the plant to collapse. The condition is worse in cool damp conditions of early spring and in crowded plantings. It appears in late winter on fall sown crops and mid spring in spring sown broad beans.
Control for chocolate spot is to avoid planting in damp spots and provide enough spacing around plants for air flow.
Clean areas where disease occurred of all plant material and choose another place to plant broad beans as the fungus lives in the soil.
Rust on broad beans is a common fungus disease and appears as small dusty brown spots. The leaves turn brown and fall off in a severe infection. The plant tissue remains alive to feed the fungus, unlike chocolate spot. Control is the same as for chocolate spot.
Aphid infestations on the tender growing tips of broad bean plants produce a sugary honeydew which aphids excrete. The honeydew acts like a magnet for fungus spores floating in the air and causes sooty mold to grow using the honeydew as a food source. Sooty mold is a black or brown coating that layers over the sticky film. The mold can block photosynthesis and cause the plant to weaken. Control for aphids can be done by taking off the soft green tips of the bean plant when aphid infestations are noticed and before the aphids have a chance to exude honeydew. Also effective is washing off the aphids early with water and a soft cloth if done repeatedly before infestations are severe. In some publications the aphid infestation is called a black fly pest problem.
Sources
https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/heuchera-rust
https://www.gardenia.net/disease/sooty-mold
https://saskpulse.com/resources/chocolate-spot-in-faba-beans