Early blight. Late blight. Vertcillium wilt. Fusarium wilt. Blossom end rot. Septoria leaf spot. Anthracnose. Tobacco mosaic virus. Root knot nematodes. The list of tomato diseases is long and the symptoms of each overlap making it difficult to determine which particular disease has hit your tomatoes. No matter the disease, the end result is [Continue]
Perennials are the mainstays of our gardens but many of them bloom for only a week or two and then their show is over for the year. Coreopsis, pronounced core-ee-OP-sis, is a perennial whose bloom lasts for two or three months. Coreopsis is also known as tickseed. There are two cultivars whose flowers [Continue]
Every year about this time, when the garden is planted, the flowerpots are blooming merrily and I’m caught up with weeding, I get the urge to “do something with bricks.” The itch intensifies when the Sunday Menards ad proclaims a sale on bricks at 4/$1. There are many places in a typical yard [Continue]
The recent rains have been like a mega-dose of multi-vitamins for flower and vegetable gardens. Unfortunately, the weeds have taken the vitamins also and are proliferating. The good news is that weeds pull easily from rain-soaked soil. Spend the time in June to keep ahead of the weeds and you can relax in July and [Continue]
Every year the Herb Society of America selects an herb of the year. Possible choices are evaluated based on being outstanding in at least two of three major categories: medicinal, culinary or decorative. The 2007 Herb of the Year selection is lemon balm, Melissa officinalis. Past selections have included oregano, echinacea, garlic, sage, [Continue]
I was doing research on the Perennial Plant Association’s 2007 Perennial Plant of the Year, which is Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low,’ commonly called catmint. I started thinking of the many garden plants named after cats and dogs. First, some information on ‘Walker’s Low.’ Introduced in Europe in 1988, ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint has become increasingly [Continue]
Just because you don’t have a vegetable garden doesn’t mean there is nothing to eat growing in your yard or flower garden. Most herbs have flowers that are edible, as do many pretty annuals and perennials. Fancy restaurants use colorful blossoms as garnishes and as flavoring ingredients in many dishes and you can [Continue]
My neighbor erected three ugly plastic storage buildings along our shared lot line, just in my line of vision from the lawn chair on my deck. Even though the buildings aren’t straight off the deck, my eye was constantly drawn to the eyesores. What to do? Discarding the illegal and impractical alternatives, I [Continue]
Every year brings new and exciting plants for gardeners and this year is no exception. Here are some of the latest offerings for 2007. One of the flashiest new flowering shrubs is ‘Pinky Winky’ hydrangea. Despite its rather silly name, it is a gorgeous plant with large two-toned light to dark pink flowerheads. [Continue]
March gardening reminders: If you haven’t already done so, it is time to prune apple and pear trees, grape vines, deciduous trees except for maples, evergreens and woody shrubs except for early bloomers like forsythias and lilacs. If you plan to start flower or vegetable seeds indoors for outdoor planting in May, check [Continue]