GreenMark Public Relations®, Inc.

Gazebos can be both functional and decorative, often providing a unifying role in a landscape. That’s according to Allison Beatty of the Chicago Tribune (July 17, 2009), but an undeniable observation on the eye-catching structure. Pergolas are popular home structures, which have four vertical posts for support, topped by horizontal beams overhead. Homeowners who want an outdoor dining and entertainment experience often turn to pergolas, as it serves more like an attachment to a house. Gazebos tend to be freestanding and larger, with a solid roof. Some people add electricity to gazebos, to allow for a ceiling fan, lighting or a television. It’s easy to get carried away with outdoor structures, so the best advice is to keep in mind the scale and style of your accompanying home.

Robert Milani, a landscape architect with Chalet, said, “If the house has a portico, the pergola should match so the transition from the house to the landscape is seamless and you’re not introducing a new style or material. The gazebo or pergola should also be strategically positioned so that it can be seen in its entirety from inside of the house. When deciding where to place a structure, I draw sight lines from the major areas of the home — the dining room, kitchen, living room, rear door… If you look through the window, it should be symmetrically centered on the window. If it’s off center and you’re seeing a post, that will be confusing to the eye.”

Location is important and so is cost. Pergolas range from $5,000 to $25,000 and gazebos from $10,000 to $40,000. Also, many structures require a building permit, so check with your neighborhood code requirements.

Read the Chicago Tribune article on their Web site to hear from more garden experts on outdoor structures.

Jennifer Brennan of Chalet answers some questions from gardeners on ABC 7 Morning News, June 30, 2009.

“What happened to my roses? The leaves look like tan colored pieces of paper that are ’see through’.”

The culprit: a rose slug, actually the larva of a small sawfly, which scrapes the cells off the back of the leaves. The good news is this will only happen once a year, the bad news is the eggs will drop to the ground under the rose and will happen the following year. Spray the plant with a systemic insecticide (Bayer Rose & Flower Systemic Insect Killer), so when the eggs get laid, the newly hatched larva will be killed.

“My plants were looking so happy and healthy during this cool spring, then 2-3 weeks ago the leaves started turning yellow and the plant just stopped growing. What is wrong and can they be saved?”

Spring ‘09 has been one of the wettest. When rain saturates the soil so frequently, all the air and Oxygen gets pushed out of the root zone, drowning them. Leaves need all the essential “building blocks” to grow, and the lack of oxygen means the lack of chlorophyll, which will make the leaves yellow - chlorosis. Using a root hormone (Root & Grow) with fertilizer (Espoma Soil Perfector) can help plants recover more quickly.

“My plants have a white powdery covering. What is wrong and what caused this to happen? Is there anything I can do to cure it and prevent it?”

This is a fungal leaf disease called Powdery Mildew, a fungus active when temperatures are cool or cold in standing water. The spore can germinate and inoculate the surface of the leaf. The mycelium then grows across the surface of the leaf, blocking out the sunlight. This can be cured with systemic fungicides (Concern Copper Spray or Espoma 3 in 1) that will prevent and cure the disease. Immunox will stay in the plant tissue for 14 days. Sulfur or Copper in sprays works well. Re-application after rain or watering is required.

“Many of my plants have large notches missing, what is causing it and is there a control?”

Rabbits are the worst offenders, here. Juvenile rabbits do not have the sense of taste or smell so repellents won’t work on them. Hot pepper spray, however, repels juveniles. Keep rotating the repellents to keep the rabbits confused and not trusting of your “restaurant.” Some recommended sprays are Liquid Fence, Bobbex for Rabbits and Repels-All.

The Gypsy Moth larva…

A terrible insect infesting Northern Illinois. The larva are too large to control with many insecticides, so watch out for the adults moths. Contact insecticides, like Bonide Household Insect Control with 4 month residual action can kill the adults, Golden Pest Spray Oil will saturate the egg masses and kill the eggs - currently the only product that will do so.

Root rot and major plant disease could dampen the already rainy summer garden season. 2009 claims Chicago’s 9th wettest Spring. Humid summers mean fungal disease thrives. Both container and in-ground plants are at risk for the following diseases: black spot, powdery mildew, botrytis, rust and more. Tony Fulmer of Chalet offers tips for preventing the spread of fungal disease before it’s too late.

Override the in-ground sprinkler systems. It seems so obvious, the last thing you want to do is continually apply water to already over-saturated soil. Root systems need oxygen to grow and shutting off the sprinklers can make a difference.

Pull back the mulches. Temporarily pull mulches away from root systems to maximize surface drying. This goes  especially for soft-stemmed annuals, perennials and vegetables that have foliage resting on the ground, as well as trees and shrubs in dense clay soils.

Look for unusual symptoms. Older foliage may begin yellowing or leaves may show unusual color combinations at the edges or throughout the leaves signaling nutrient deficiency.Yew will show a rusty-orange color when they’re too wet.

Determine why your plants are wilting. Plants need oxygen to transport water, but they could wilt when standing in water or when bone dry. Don’t assume you need to water a wilting plant without checking the soil moisture levels first.

Fertilize container plants. Most potting mixes are “soil-less” and contain large amounts of bark and coarse organic matter to promote drainage. These mixes have minimal innate nutrient content so be sure to use a complete fertilizer on container plants often.

Remove saucers from under containers. If you have hanging baskets or decorative containers with saucers, be sure to remove them to maximize drainage. Neglecting this could drown your plants.

Protect plants from slugs. Especially vulnerable are hostas, lettuce, spinach, cabbage and other plants. Get some new iron phosphate baits, which are organic and safe around edibles, and place them directly to the damp ground under and around the plants. Slugs will eat them, crawl away and die.

Apply fungicides to plants ahead of infection. This will only work as a preventative measure and will not magically cure any existing problems.

Check plants regularly for moisture. Think of your plants as intensive care patients and check them daily. Don’t think that just because it rained for two weeks in June means you don’t have to water them in July.

Be on the lookout for continued damage. It may take time for symptoms to show in leaves, stems or branches. In some cases, you may not notice for several weeks. Look for smaller than normal or no new growth, unusual colors in the leaves, discoloration on stems or death of entire branches. If it looks out of the ordinary, it probably is.

Learn more from the plant experts on Chalet’s Web site.

Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook (YSGN) received a $100,000 landscaping grant for a new building to be completed in August, 2009. The grant resulted from a contest held by Chalet Landscaping, Nursery and Garden Center of Wilmette and includes the development of a vegetable garden for children. YSGN leaders are discussing whether to give the kids vegetables to take home or work with the kids to in cooking meals as a group from ingredients grown in the garden. YSGN raised $6.5 million for the project and hopes additional fund-raising will allow the group to pay off loans early to start an endowment.

Bluestone patios and a pergola will highlight the garden outside of the new building. Nancy Bloom, director of Youth Services said, “It will provide beautiful areas where children can sit and talk with their counselors with some privacy, as well as open green areas where they can play.”

Eric Braun, a landscape designer at Chalet, said the “overwhelming community involvement… definitely outnumbered the rest [of the applicants]. It was obvious it was an integral part of the community.”

In the application to Chalet, Bloom wrote, “a garden sends a message that children are important. Having a beautiful and friendly area to play, work through important issues and learn will say you are special and we care about you.”

Braun designed the outdoor area, which is roughly 75 to 85 feet by 50 feet, with walkways leading to three patios of different sizes, which are encircled by low walls for sitting. Chalet will plant 10 canopy trees from different species such as river birch, tulip tree, gingko and red oak, to give the garden an arboretum look. The garden will also feature flowering shrubts, hydrangea, azaleas, witch hazel, spirea and other perennials. A berm will help separate the garden area from the nearby parking lot.

Did we mention the vegetable garden, too?

Learn more about YSGN on their Web site.

The original article can be read on Journal-Topics.com.

Another article with this information can be read on PioneerLocal.com.