Reberg: Let the flames begin
Day lilies are at their peak now with flowers that are beautiful one day, shrivelled the next.
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Day lilies are at their peak now with flowers that are beautiful one day, shrivelled the next. They will soon reach the end of this year’s flowering and I will miss them but, as one flower fades, another takes its place, and it is just about time for garden phlox to roll out its summer show.
Phlox is a Greek word that translates as “flame,” a name that is especially appropriate for those with brightly coloured flowers. Gardeners have more than 80 varieties to choose from (some sources say there are more), all descendants of phloxes native to North America that grow in alpine tundra, prairies and woodlands. Eye-catching displays begin in early spring when “creeping” phloxes produce white, blue and red floral carpets that can be welcome sources of nectar for early bees and hummingbirds. Later in the season (just about now, in fact), taller varieties come into bloom, and some will continue to bloom until late September or early October.
Phlox flowers have five petals that fuse in the centre and extend to form a deep nectar reservoir most nectar foragers cannot reach. Unless, that is, they are hummingbirds (or insects) with long bills (or proboscises) that enable them to be efficient harvesters of phlox nectar. Hummingbird hawk-moth is one dramatic example of such a species, and I marvelled when one appeared in my garden two years ago. But nature is inventive, and carpenter bees have developed another strategy of harvesting nectar by simply cutting an opening in the base of phlox flowers.
The major complaint gardeners seem to have about phloxes is their susceptibility to powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is often described as a fungus that attacks many different plants, but it is actually a family of fungi, each of which targets a particular host plant. Ornamentals such as phlox, bee balm and roses, and vegetables such as squash and cucumber host particular strains of powdery mildew, so an infection of one variety doesn’t mean other varieties will be affected. Unless, that is, a new strain of fungus arrives in the garden, which some gardeners find seems to happen far too often. Early signs of fungal infection are white spots on leaves that gradually spread to form a dusty white or grey coating over entire surfaces. Commercial fungicides are available to treat affected plants but, as a first step, you might try visiting gardenandhappy.com for suggestions about homemade potions while the website, dengarden.com, also suggests methods of treatment and prevention. According to most recent evidence, a 40-60 mixture of milk and water controls powdery mildew on pumpkins and cucumbers just as effectively as chemical fungicides. Search growveg.com for details or contact me (reberg@mac.com) for detailed information about the link.
As a note of caution, treatments seem to mainly prevent mildew from spreading elsewhere in the garden rather than “curing” an infected plant, so please don’t expect miracle cures. Readings about mildew also caution gardeners to take care disposing of infected foliage. Powdery mildew is not destroyed by compost temperatures, so adding mildew-infested material to compost may only result in infected compost. Burning is often suggested as the best way to destroy mildew-infested plants, but gardeners who do not have access to a fire pit or something similar may need to consider alternatives such as “baking” contaminated foliage in garbage bags exposed to sun. You may remember that method was suggested last month as a method of safe and effective disposal of garlic mustard. I have no supporting evidence, but it may be worth a try.
Meanwhile, it is good to know there are mildew-resistant phlox. I recently received a gift of “David,” a phlox with sterling mildew-resistant credentials. David has settled into my garden very well, and I am hoping it will flower this year, because it is described as having large masses of white flowers that sound very impressive.
Turning now to other garden news, members of Garden Stratford should watch emails for announcements of Garden Strolls in August and September, when groups of 12 will be invited to visit other members’ gardens. Are you not a Garden Stratford member? That’s not a problem. The annual fee is just $15, and there is plenty of time for you to enjoy 2022 member benefits, including special events such as garden strolls. Several Stratford-area garden businesses offer generous discounts to members, which could be very welcome if you plan to buy bulbs, perennials or anything else for fall planting. Contact me (reberg@mac.com) and I will put you in touch with the membership co-ordinator.
Theatre is certainly Stratford’s major tourist attraction, but I have met many visitors who come just to visit gardens. I usually meet them when they correspond with stratfordgardens.com for information about our public gardens, many of which are cared for by attentive members of Garden Stratford. Visit stratfordgardens.com for maps to help you find your way about, a few tips about free parking, and information about garden history. And finally: Let The Flames Begin is the title of a song by Haley Williams. The history of the word “phlox” is from Bill Casselman’s Canadian Garden Words (recommended reading!). Special thanks to Leslye Glover for the update on remedies for powdery mildew, and Karin M. Lynch for introducing me to phlox “David.”
And, when you see gardeners hard at work, please take a moment to let them know you appreciate their efforts and the results. They will appreciate it.
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