Black Tupelo

Black Tupelo

 The Black Tupelo is a tree that is not often found in the Landscape. And after further investigation I found out through Dirr Hardy s Book that the tree is not a easy transplant so it has been less commonly used. This one here on the Campus of Western New England University had little trouble with any type of transplant shock. We did how ever plant it at a very good time of the season and it was well watered for the first three or four years. I think if nursery men and woman can find a way to cultivate this specimen to the retail market we will see a lot more of them. You can notice the dark green leafs with a tip of red. It has brilliant fall colors as well with florescent orange, yellow and scarlet. And often times transit to maroon. A smaller leaf size makes fall clean up easier and the tree can grow from 30 to 50 feet high and as well as 20 to 30 feet wide. Often times we groundskeepers will take an easy path to shade and go with a Acer ( maple ) or a Oak. But if you can find one of these new shade trees, I would go for it, you will be impressed with it's colors. 

Cleome ( Sparkler Bush )

  Cleome is a great summer annual and sometimes re seeds it self the following year. Many call it a sparkler bush and is a great addition to the garden for the Fourth of July. It can also be called spider plant for the way it grows like a spiders legs. The more you dead head off the dyeing blooms the more blooms and thicker plant you will have in just a short period of time. I like to call this plant false pot plant. On more than one occasion I have noticed people mistaken about what the plant is and think it is pot. Can be grown in full sun.

Salvia "May Night"

 Salvia ( Nemorisa )  is a vibrant plant that has purple spikes on it blooming in May. You can prolong the blooms by pinching back faded blooms. This plant is very hardy and can with stand any New England condition we have. Parking islands and street spaces are a perfect fit. Is a great compliment to other perennials in the landscape. 

Jake and Jordon at the Memorial Number 0ne at Carol Ann Street

Jake and Jordon are trying their golf game on Pa Pa's front yard pitch and putt. Done the old fashion way it the push reel mower. Great to see Union Rags win the Belmont. The owner of I'll Have Another made the right decision and not running the 2 leg winner of the triple crown. It would have just been awful for the sport. A very sad day for Springfield with the loss of Police Officer Kevin Ambrose. He did hero's work for 36 years and died making the ultimate sacrifice, protecting the public.

P.S. Flag Day is Thursday June 14.

The Annuals Are In

A plant bed of annuals,Impatience and Marigold.

With out the chance of a frost, all of the annuals are in the grown now. I like to do a general mix of Marigold,Impatience, Begonia,New Guinea Impatience, Petunias and Dusty Millers. Also as a accent plant or in big groups together we have been using Coleus. A very attractive plant with tremendous foliage. Annual plant beds need constant attention in terms of cultivation, dead heading and weeding. In a previous post we showed how to prepare for annuals, but the constant attention will show far true in the plants and in the colors that come forth through the whole season. Many this year have been a little critical of plant selection and the general expense of planting so many annuals in different locations. Yes I might agree that we can get more for the money over a long term by planting perennials instead of annuals. But when done right you simply can not replace the constant color and variety pedals,carnations and bloom. A perfect accent to summer I say. I see many people add just a coupe of items a year to their own home and it brightens up the whole yard or deck area. I like to call most of our plant beds seasonal, and the annuals is what is required in all of them right now. In the picture here you can see the yellow marigolds in the back round. And already it needs dead heading. Removing the one dead flower here will create 3 more in it's place and make for a more healthier plant.  As for plant selection, the art of flora display is just that Art. And knowing what works where. Make sure you read the cards in your plants before purchase to make sure you are getting what will thrive in your location.

Red Thread

Red Thread has been abundant in turf locations. It primarily attacks Fine fescue but can be seen in rye grass as well as Kentucky Blue Grass. Some people call it pink patch. Often times the disease will show up disguised as drought  conditions. And before you know it sprinklers are going out and just feeding the problem. Cool wet conditions that may have existed several days earlier causing the problem to begin with. The red part of the fungus usually shows up last and by then there is no sense of treating. Changing weather will hopefully cure and dry out the conditions. Also a half a shot of Nitrogen will help the grass grow out of the disease. If trying to maintain a strong stand of turf grass, try and not treat every disease. The turf will become stronger and more tolerable over time to the condition. Good cultural practices are also crucial, thatching and aeration are key in defense of all things fungal while also helping to keep weed production down.

If I"ll Have Another is to pull off the Triple Crown feat it will be incredible. Can the horse do it? At this time I would say no. But how special would that be. To win the Triple Crown is hard for a three year old horse given the schedule it has to endure to pull it off. Which makes it seem impossible over the last 34 years. So yes I would be a little surprised if he pulls it off. And with the recent history of possible Triple Crown history being made, both were failures that made me think was it even worth it. ( See Smarty Jones and Big Brown, ) So I will be looking at three horses who I think all have a legitimate chance to win the Belmont Stakes. First I still Like El Padrinio, a big horse who I think can go this distance well. Also Dullihan has a will to win and I see this horse as a competitor that could place. And finally Union Rags. 2 year old Champion. The cream rises to the top. This could be his race. But really the only perdition I truly hope I get right. This will be a great race, may-be on of the greatest of our lifetime.

Future posts include The Black Tupelo, Man's Best Friend, Local Politics and our First Restaurant Review.

                                            Good Luck,
                                         Your Certified Grounds Manager
                                               Eddie Pags.

P.S. Italian Lemon Ice from Albanos is more refreshing then any pool I've been in.

Elegance of the Trees

Japanese Maple

 

 

 

 The Japanese Maple, ( Acer palmatum ) is a ornamental tree that gives the landscape a touch of elegance. Bloodgood or Moonfire are two popular varieties that were sold to consumers a few years back with abundance. It gives a great burgundy color or reddish purple foliage that is a terrific eye catcher amongst the other green foliage. This specimen in the picture is still a immature one only in the ground for 3 years. But the tree will grow to 20 feet high and 12 feet wide. Will do better in partial shade and you should keep a ring of mulch around it if planted in the turf area." Keep All Mowing and Weed Whacking equipment away from the main leader as well as lower limbs." I say. Many of the older species struggle to find new growth and will lose there capacity to grow vigorous colored leafs and or suffer from blight and decay. Some occasional pruning is required to remove crossing branches. Also the tree needs several years of good watering or there will be wilting and drooping of leafs during drought. 

Green Japanese Maple

 Sango Kaku is a Green Japanese maple that will do better in hotter locations. Although you do not get the reddish foliage, the fall color is better then the Bloodgood. This specimen is planted in almost full sun and still needs plenty of water to keep the plant healthy and vigorous. Adding organic material every so often also helps, as long as you do not get higher then the flare of the tree at the base you will be alright. Often times we remove old organic material and add new to help water retention and and good continued root growth. We added Healthy Start when we planted it and will take a look at tree planting and maintenance procedures in another future post.

The latest debacle over the trash fee had me thinking the other day of the issue from the start. First let me be clear, I support a trash fee and do not think it should be included in our regular property taxes. The control board instituted a $90.00 dollar a year trash fee and I thought that was reasonable.And compared to other communities I also thought it was a bargain. $90 dollars a year for some one to come to my house and pick up all my trash, yard waste and recycles, what a bargain. . Then Mayor Sarno ran for Mayor against Incumbent Charlie Ryan with the theme of dumping the trash fee. And don't you know he wins. Yet after being in office a while he reverses course and with a letter of support written by me to the editor of the paper I supported him. Then a while back they had and I mean they the politicians had a big fight and the trash fee was brought back into the fold. Well when everything was said and done the fee was lowered. Great! I thought. But now the talk of another increase over the course of a couple of years did not even get me rattled like it did the rest of the citizenry. Everybody got into another big uproar over the trash fee and I just think we do a lot better with it now that we have full size recycling containers. And I never hear anyone bring up what other communities our size are doing.  There was also talk of a smaller trash container and that the big ones were outdated. That is definitely crap and everyone knows it. So sharpen your pencil Al Chawlick. If anything, Stop coming every week,with the two containers I do not need my trash dumped every week. And that brings me back to my original idea, put a reader on my trash containers and one on the truck then charge me every time you dump it. Just like my speed pass on the toll booths. A true user fee. Then may-be more people would recycle if they knew the trash was going to cost them more then the recycling. As a matter of fact, if a property is not recycling their fee should be higher then the rest of ours. And finally, if the city needs more revenue just look at every business that is littering the landscape with banners,signs,postings, balloons and frivolous advertising and charge them a fee if we already do not. And if we do, charge them more. Next time you drive around take a look and see. you'll know what I mean when you go by C.V.S. Wal Greens, or Any corner gas station quicky Mart.

Crab grass is germinating big time. So if you did not get Step 1 down it may be to late. My sources tell me Italian lemon ice will be ready this week end at Albanos Market.

That all for now, happy summer. Ariverdarchi , Eddie Pags, C.G.M.

Large Leaf

Catawba Rhododendron

 The Rhododendrons are beginning to flower with abundance. These large leaf varieties are common in the landscape,but many people will make the mistake of planting to close to buildings and structures. This one here is fully mature at 12 or 15 feet and 8 or 9 feet wide. The time to prune these ornamentals would be right after they flower. They will have good regenerative growth, however planted to close to a house or shed and the harsher the pruning cut the worse for the plant. Planted in a proper place and pruning is minimal with routine dead wooding and removing crossing branches.  Prefers some shade rather then full sun, but it can handle it with proper irrigating and fertilization. I generally do not fertilize my home shrubs and use what ever I am using on the lawn, but every so often I do like to give certain plants a good feeding of organic material such at Nature Safe or Milorgenite. And the Rhododendron is one that will need some fert. Also check with your nursery to see what varieties they have and what will work best for your situation. I definitely recommend having one or several if you can fit them. Boule De Neige is a specimen that will stay more of a low growing and perhaps a better selection when using around buildings, but the color is white.

The vegetable garden has not yet been planted with only a couple of minutes being spent out there turning the soil. Our garden is not that big, but enough to keep you busy during the summer months. Our seedlings have started and we will also visit Meadowbrook Farm for our other plants this spring.  The column is a little short this week as is with the past ones. If you are a groundskeeper this is your busy time of year, so as I burn the mid night oil I will try and think of other interesting things to write.. I am still getting started on the trash fee issue so bare with me. Good Luck, and looking forward to the un official start to summer. Oh I almost forgot, Creative Cause in the Preakness.

                                                    Edward Pagliaro ( The original Eduardo ) C.G.M.

P.S. That was some Hot Stuff Donna Summer.

Annual Plant Bed Preperation

Exbury Hybrid 

     A great mid spring blooming Rhododendron is the Exbury. It shows us a different color in the landscape that features yellows and reds mixed in with the green fresh new leafs that will also get a tinge of red to them later in the summer. The plant is a slow grower and will reach  8 to 10 feet and will meet 12 feet wide. This Rhododendron will need to be planted in protected areas and in groupings with each other to survive harsh winters as well as the heat of the summer. It does require attention when powdery mildew arrives by cutting out the disease.  Some varieties include Ghent, Knapp Hill, Mollis and Northern Lights.


                                                                   Annual Plant Bed Prep.

Compacted Soil

The biggest part of planting annuals is plant bed preparation. Many  plant beds become hard or compacted over the course of a couple of seasons. This is mostly due to weather related conditions. Rain and wind will do havoc on soil conditions over the winter months and into spring. This year the dry spring along with very windy days harden the soil to the point of compacted layers that looked like slate. Add some pedestrian traffic and you almost have concrete. Start by turning over the soil with a shovel.

Mechanical Cultivation

The Name says it all

A mechanical cultivation is helpful in softening soil conditions to a depth of about 7 or 8 inches. Starting with soft soil and keeping is soft all year will provide good aeration for root growth, thus providing healthier plants. This procedure is the single most important thing you should do for plant bed preparation.



Adding organic material such as Bumper Crop is a great way to give the annuals a jump start towards success. Mixing in with the other soil medium helps aerates compacted soil, increase moisture retention and conditions soil, making mass plantings easier. This organic material contains worm castings, lobster crab shell deposits,  lime and composted wood chips. We had great results with it last year and it is highly recommended by the staff at 16 Acres Garden Center.

Surface Roots

If the location of your plant beds are in areas where there might be trees, surface roots can be an issue. If the cultivator does not look like this one here you are not doing enough to soften the soil and thus you will have problems all year. Try and keep plant beds well away from large trees and when possible plant larger items using 10 or 12 inch plants so the annual does not get lost to all the surface roots. Sometimes the plant will do better when planted in this environment. But weeding and cultivating are a bitch afterwards.

     With the onset of memorial day we will cover the vegetable garden along with the hot button issue of an increase of the trash fee to the Springfield residents and homeowners.  Also we will try and show a new Coleus that is darker, almost black, and according to Martha Stewart black is in this year,so we will give it a try. Good luck and remember change the gas in the lawn mower and use High test in is for best performance.

                                                                                Edward Pagliaro C.G.M.

P.S. Can't wait for my Italian Ice from Albanos Market. 

The Reel Mower & Kentuckty Derby Picks

The Great States reel mower.

I picked up this push reel mower last year on the tree belt with a sign on it that said free. So I figured I would try it out this spring. After several adjustments to the bed knife, I believe I have it cutting a lot more then ripping. It is also cutting a lot lower then a rotary mower would with out scalping. I have to mow it every day to keep up with the amount of new growth, if not the machine would be to hard to push through the thick turf. While I am not looking for a golf fairway quality cut, I sure am getting it to tighten up to the shorter setting of the reel and the wooden roller. It is also a great way to save on gas and carbon emissions if you are into saving the environment. And although I am mowing my lawn every day with it, I would guess I would save  the gas of at least three mowing s to my front lawn. Yes I also guess I am a little bit of a freak and really do not need to mow the lawn with it every day. But it looks cool and it gives the neighbors something to talk about. Plus it is a great work out.

Another year and another Kentucky Derby. Yes folks, the one thing that can be counted on in the longest tradition of sports. The first Saturday of May kicks of the chance for a triple crown, but also brings the fastest 2 minutes in sports. There are several good horses this year and any one of about 10 horses in this years race can win the run for the roses. A very difficult race to handicap this year, and hard to choose a favorite of my own. I did not get to see all the Derby preps that I usually do but still saw my fair share. And starting with the Breeders Cup last year I had a feeling that the field was going to be full of top quality thorough breads that have qualified. Hanson as been a crowd favorite I would say because of the all white color of the horses coat. A beautiful horse that has won and has the speed for this race, I just do not think it can handle the distance. Also there a lot of big horses and I have fallen in love with a long shot by the name of El Padrino. I will play this horse across the board and hope it can hang in there until the stretch. Then we will have to see, but I think this horse will have it in him if he is close.Dullahan is another horse I like, but I do not like that is is more of a turf or poly track horse. But this horse does have a great spirit and a will to win. I will also bet Take Charge Indy with Calvin Borel aboard in a tri fecta with Union Rags, ( another fan Favorite ) and maybe Bodemeister. Also Alpha and Gemologist are contenders and could receive strong support for place and show bets. But there is something about El Padrino that I like, and most times when I like a horse it is because they never seem bothered by anything and are in tune with why they are there. This horse loves to run and be in the spot light. This horse loves the human interaction and will either finish dead last because he is too busy looking at everything, or will finish right up at the top of the field because he has something to prove to his fans. The last horse I saw that I liked for these reasons was Drosselmeyer who won the Belmont. Although these two horses are physically different they seem to have that same attitude.

Next week we will discuss annual flower bed preparation and soil amendments. Good luck with the vegetable seedlings, I hope this years crop is abundant.

                                                              Edward Pagliaro C.G.M.

P.S. Don't forget to look for the man on the moon tomorrow night.

Colors of Spring In New England

A grouping of Azaleas

Phlox Carpeting 

With spring come the bright colors of the Azalea. Planted in groupings or with other plants in a pair they bring out some of the best colors of spring. I will often use Delaware Valley grown stock and I also like to buy the bigger of the plants that the nursery has to offer when selecting these fine ornamentals. They do however tend to get more damaged from the harsh New England winters and will also need standard clean up pruning to keep good air flow to prevent powdery mildew and leaf rust. Make pocket cuts right after they flower. You can even run the shears over them if you consistently make good pruning cuts to the crown.

Phlox is another spring color staple that stands out among the better colors of spring.The plants ability to grow in less then favorable conditions of roadways and rock beds alters the landscape to a carpet of color on surfaces that are really hard and hot. Phlox will also suffer from powdery mildew that can wipe out a whole mature setting. They to should be cleaned out annually, and when there is a definite sign of disease it should be cut out and removed right away.


The Mayor of Springfield Ma. is pushing forward the idea of closing the bar crowd down early and is being met with early criticism from those business owners and their representatives. Most of which would be the entertainment district establishments. But my feeling is this, how much revenue does the entertainment district bring in compared to the amount of police coverage it takes to keep the peace down there on Worthington St. at the peak times? And how many of our own citizens use or benefit from the entertainment district? My overall feeling is that the Mayor is making the right move and we are sending a message that the entertainment district is not what drives the motor for us here in Springfield. It is not what provides good jobs that have positive type of economic spin off. It only adds to a black eye the city already has and does nothing to help in promote the city for future business and economic recovery. And like my 8th grade Social Studies teacher Mr. Sherameta says, " nothing ever good happens after 12:00 a. m. in the morning." 

The cold nights is keeping weed production down in the turf, and it is also to early for the vegetable garden. The rain last week only cured the H2O problems for the time being, with all the high winds everything has dried out a lot faster and all irrigating will resume to a spring schedule. Next week  will be the first Kentucky Derby Special, with my picks for win, place and show. A lot of good horses this year, all handicapping will be very difficult this year. Not that I have been right, but I have won my fair share of races, just not the Derby in a while. So you could say I am due.

                                                                     Good Luck, Eddie Pags

P.S. Who remembers the soda fountain at Parker Drug?