Fall is less than a month away! (Gosh, I feel like summer just got here–) It’s time to begin thinking about how to get the most from your fall garden. Here are some suggestions. Plant pansies and violas: One of the most popular cool-season flowers, they’re available in a wide range of colors. They’ll bloom most … Read more
My blog last week was about Milkweeds—a host plant for Monarch butterflies. I had several questions this past week about other host plants so thought I’d repost this blog from a couple of years ago. I get so many questions about what flowers to plant for a “butterfly” garden. Well, if we don’t start planting … Read more
Did you know the Monarch butterfly population has declined 90% in the last 20 years? The destruction of native prairies and grasslands, as well as the widespread use of commercial weed killers, has decimated the population of native milkweed—the only plant Monarch butterflies will lay eggs on. You can help. By incorporating milkweed into your … Read more
Is anything more summery than watermelon? I can remember as a kid sitting on the patio surrounded by family with watermelon juice all over my shirt and face laughing while spitting seeds in the backyard. The only thing even remotely close to the sheer deliciousness was my grandma’s homemade peach ice cream. Yesterday, August 3rd, … Read more
This time of year is a perfect time to think about your fall garden. What are you going to do when the tomatoes, cucumbers and green beans give out? Do you let your garden just sit over the winter or do you get excited about a whole new garden season? If you’re going to let … Read more
This time of year, I tend to get bogged down in details: squash bugs showing up on my watermelon vines; tomato blooms that won’t set fruit because the temperature is 95 degrees; trying to keep everything watered (including me!) in unrelenting heat. I ask myself “Why the heck did I plant so much?” Last Thursday … Read more
In 2003 the United States Department of Agriculture established July as National Blueberry Month. Nice to have a whole month dedicated to one of my favorite things. So here are a few interesting tidbits about these delicious berries. Blueberries belong to the family Ericales. This makes them related to cranberries, Brazil nuts, persimmons, camellias, azaleas, … Read more
You can find lists everywhere about which plants are toxic for cats/dogs/small children but what’s harder to find is a list of plants that are safe. Here is a list of houseplants known to be non-toxic. Do understand that a child or pet could still have an allergic reaction, however. Whenever there is any question, … Read more
My neighbor gets home from work at about the same time I do. He nods his head and hollers, “Hot enough for ya?” I grin, and then roll my eyes. At least I can go to a nice cool house. Our garden plants can’t. Powdery mildew loves hot humid weather and can be a problem—particularly … Read more
June is National Pollinators Month. To honor this special month, it’s a great time to highlight some of the other insects that pollinate flowers. Honeybees and butterflies seem to get all the press, but there are other pollinators also doing important work. These include: Flies Yep, the same insects that annoy us by flying around … Read more
