BY BRENDA K JOHNSON Share your tips, give us a tour of your plant site, or send your questions related to outdoor or indoor plants to [email protected] Attn: Brenda Johnson or write to P&D, 319 Walnut St, Yankton, SD 57078, Attn: Brenda Johnson. Thanks to all the readers, garden- ers and plant professionals who have read about and shared their plant ideas this past year in Plant Exchange. “Thinking Spring” next month, Plant Exchange will appear each Saturday in February, and then return to its regular slot, the first Saturday in March. Q: How do you express yourself with your gardening? A: “I’m a fan of yoga, animals, and plants,” said Carol Ebel of Yankton. We walk in her mostly shade yard. Mosquitoes are vicious on this mid summer day in the still air before a rain. Scent of vanilla is in the air, and Carol offers her Hy-Vee bottle to deter mosquitoes. “Vanilla flavoring without corn syrup like this one, works. I try to use little chemicals; the natural way for Earth and health.” She has lived in her home, originally built in 1888, for over twenty years and has raised four children. Young children neighbors stop by today, and they chat. Her compact yard is filled with areas of detail here and there, inviting you to stop and take in her point of view. “I show color through foliage.” She uses subtle hues of green for interest. The shaded plant bed on the north side of her home is also protected by the neighbor’s house. Tall arches of fern, self-seeded columbine, and wide billows of Snow-on-the-Mountain grow here. “I don’t let the Snow-on-the- Mountain flower because the leaves look better.” She points to a bed of these plants with flowers growing in another yard. Increased volume and quality of her Snow-on-the-Mountain foliage, by removing flower buds, is dra- matic. Ebel’s clematis winds up a trellis on her house wall. She had installed the trellis using lattice that she buys by the sheet from a local lumberyard. Clematis grows up past the shaded bed and into sunlight. The stems near the ground, as well as its roots, have a canopy of shade. “Clematis needs protection for roots and the base of the plant. It has a wider range of moisture tolerance than you might think. It’s having the lower stems exposed to elements that causes this plant trouble. Just plant another plant in front of the clematis.” She picks diminutive plants that tolerate shade and protect the vulnerable clematis stems. Bleeding heart fern grows well in her shade plant bed. “I enjoy its foliage, and the seedpods that re-seed the plant.” Likewise, she positions lupine, del- phinium, and spiderwort for variation in leaf texture for an area of the plant bed with moderate sun. “When the flowers are gone, the leaves have just as much to offer.” Plants To Share And Plants For Reminders “I’d say 70% of the plants here came from other people. I have to thin plants each spring. I don’t sell plants, I trade them or give them away. This evening primrose came from a friend who moved to Rapid City. Its root system spreads and it re-seeds.” Ebel likes to trade plants with others and expand her beds. During the season she plans for expansion by growing seed for next year. “Liatrus flowers are left on the plants and pods form. In fall they re-seed when the pods are dry. After the second blooming, I leave Anemone flowers (instead of dead-head- ing) so they will form seeds.” “In the sunny flowerbeds, Tiger lilies re-seed. I pull the volunteers to thin the bed. It takes two years for the new plant to flower. With other lilies, I distribute mature seed where I want new lilies to grow. Silver dollar plants are biennials, so it takes two years to get the silvery ornamental for the flower arrangement. French hollyhocks also re-seed.” Ebel places some plants in her garden as a reminder of people in her life. “My grandmother in Grand Forks North Dakota had a beautiful garden. She grew tall hollyhocks and showed me how to make angels out of the flow- ers.” Ebel’s hollyhocks add vertical dimension in her sun garden. “Plants that I put in my gardens are in honor of my family members, deceased and living, and are very important part of my gardening choices. These plants were the beginning of what certainly sent me down this beau- tiful road.” “The yellow rose is in memory of my mother, and the trumpet vine came from my father’s home. Chrysanthemums honor my aunt from Michigan. A sister that died of cancer loved silver dollars.” Ebel grows them and the dahlias that remind her of her brother. “A friend gave me her evening primroses as she moved to Rapid City.” Plants From Bulbs, Tubers And Corms Ebel’s bed of dahlias grows in sun and part shade of a mulberry and a wal- nut tree. “When dahlias were young, I protected them from bunnies with chicken wire. I stake them because they have hollow stems and need support.” She finds plant cages that open on the side, that can be placed on mature plants at Bomgaars. “These dahlias are somewhat prone to earwigs. Since I don’t use chemicals, I’m looking for something that works to control them.” She shows elephant ear plants with several 2.5-foot leaves per plant. “I take the tubers out each fall and store them in a cardboard box on a wood pallet to keep away moisture. I fill the box with pet bedding (wood shavings) from Bomgaars, and newspaper. I do the same thing with dahlias, and amaryllis.” She says they grow well the following year. Gardening Finesse Due to the moderate-length growing season of this region, some gardeners find annual vines a challenge to grow to maturity before the season ends. Ebel starts her vines with protection out- doors. “I put a plastic glass over the new vine plant, like a little greenhouse so I can put it outdoors early.” Some gardeners have trouble getting mums to bloom for fall. “Some years mums bloom early. If this happens, around July 4th, I sheer the buds so they will bloom later in the fall. I also trim dahlias then too, so they bush out. Lupines pair well with chrysanthemums in the flowerbed, since lupines bloom early.” Ebel does not develop a landscape plan for her yard and then follow it. ”God is my plan. My plan is no plan. I learn about a plant from watching it grow and then move it to where it looks better.” “I don’t consider tending this yard work. Most of the work is in the spring and fall. Weeding is minor. We also have a plot in the Yankton Community Garden for vegetables. What a wonder- ful space! I’m not willing to give up my yard plant beds for vegetables. My sis- ter from New Jersey was amazed that the city provided this for our citizens when she visited.” One of Ebel’s many favorite plants is bee balm. “Monarda has the smell of potent herb. I’ve noticed that bees and wasps get to know you—just like birds. When birds or bees are around you and they find no reason to fear, they interact with you as part of the community.” Back on the curb, a mature mountain horse chestnut tree shades the front yard. “It was here when I moved here. It’s the first tree to leaf out in spring and is the first tree to lose its leaves, about three weeks ahead of maples. I gather nuts and put them in an open basket for the squirrels. Like apple har- vest, the amount of nuts varies each year. I get volunteer plants when squir- rels bury nuts. Winter freeze cracks them open so plants grow.” Ebel respects plants and animals in her tranquil yard. City Yard Becomes A Tranquil Garden PLANT EXCHANGE: City Yard Becomes A Tranquil Garden A Short Visit With Jan Byrkeland Of Hy-Vee Q: How will you use the sled in plant decoration? A: On a balmy late fall afternoon, Jan Byrkeland, unloaded a well-used chil- dren’s runner sled from the trunk of her car. She took the sled into the floral depart- ment of Hy-Vee where she works. “This was my sled as a child,” Byrkeland said. Her elderly mother was downsiz- ing. “I took it, but my kids don’t use runner sleds; they prefer plastic.” “I try to make this plant area in Hy-Vee into an inti- mate floral shop in a large grocery market.” At the time of the interview, she had arranged half of the floral floor space decorated as an outdoor Christmas tree lot. The other half displayed Thanksgiving flowers. She pointed to the portable fire- place ready for future use as a cozy nook surrounded by plants. That didn’t explain bring- ing the runner sled to the job. “As a hobby, I go to con- signment and thrift stores looking for pieces; the more well used, the better.” She described this pursuit, the “as is hobby.” I don’t repair broken parts or ripped screen.” The chipped paint has character for Shabby Sheik decor. “I look for things I can use to decorate my house. My friend looks for antique furni- ture and she takes me with her.” Byrkeland’s garage became the storage place for her finds.“When I’m search- ing for a new look or season at work in the floral depart- ment, I rotate some of these objects from my garage.” That explained the purpose of the picturesque runner sled now leaning against the Christmas tree lot fence, with pots of Norway pines nearby. She said she might rotate the sled back home after plant display comes down. “Sometimes odd pieces add to the décor. Framed double hung windows with most of the paint and some, glass missing, displayed greenery beneath as if in win- dow boxes. An old room divider made a portable plant backdrop. A chair with objects painted on it became a plant stand. Byrkeland used objects from her hobby to change a simple floral grouping to themed plant interest areas. Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan ■ Saturday, January 8, 2011 PAGE 6B www.yankton.net HOMEGARDEN PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSON Carol Ebel strives for tranquility in her garden. PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSON Carol Ebel shows the lush vegetative growth of Snow-on-the-Mountain as a border plant under optimal conditions of light and moisture. PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSON Spot of color from a miniature pansy and variable leaf shape and hue show Ebel’s eye for detail. PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSON (Above and below) Vibrant dahlias thrive in the sun and shade bed, in the protection of Carol Ebel’s back- yard. January Plant Tips Diane Hofer, owner of Diane’s Backyard Gardens, off Hwy 46 to 2nd St on Prairie St. in Beresford, shows you how she thinks forward about Spring. She keeps busy with plans for her sun and shade garden, water interest, greenhouse for perennials and annuals, and store for yard and home collectibles and antiques. Contact Diane at (605) 763-5161. • Plan your garden beds. Look at your garden pictures from last year and re- evaluate any changes that will need to be made. What needs to be divided or moved? • Check new 2011 catalogs for unfound treasures. Beautiful shade additions include Ligularia or Cimicifuga. I generally use Geo Seed Company or Harris seeds Co. for most of my ordering. • Use "Garden Watchdog" as a computer reference to catalog ordering, relia- bility etc. It has wonderful feedback from people using each company. • It's time to make a few plant markers to identify plants in the yard. I use commercial metal type markers from Paw Paw Everlast Label Co or copper type markers and label with a hand-held Brother PTouch machine with clear, laminated tapes. • Get ready to start your own perennial seeds inside. Some seeds will require stratification or soaking or scratching prior to planting. Always check package labels for directions and timing. • Consider adding my favorites to your plant list for the spring: Veronica ‘Sunny Border Blue,’ Threadleaf Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam,’ or any perennial grass. They all have wonderful long lasting bloom or interest for the garden from June to frost. PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSON Jan Byrkeland’s childhood sled adds to the Christmas tree lot theme at Hy-Vee Floral. EXTRA MOMENTS: Decorating With Family Treasures And Hobby Finds PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSON Byrkeland uses her “as is” hobby to find used framed win- dow to decorate for the holidays. Wedding Planner Bridal Fest & Sunday, Call 605-665-7811 by January 13 th to be a Bridal Fest Booth Vendor! January 30 th