Cedar apple rust is a fungal disease that requires juniper plants to complete its complicated two-year lifecycle. Spores overwinter as a reddish-brown gall on young twigs of various juniper species. In early spring, during wet weather, these galls swell, and…
Container gardening is a super-easy way to dress up your front porch, add a splash of color to shady areas, or cope with poor soil in your yard. Many plants thrive in containers. The most important thing is good drainage.…
Gardening in not a solo activity. I garden with my dogs, so I created a term called dog gardening. Issac, the white dog, likes to dig. I watch him toss a chunk of wood, he barks, howls; he furiously claws,…
Since plants need water, what’s the issue with too much rain? It results in wilting plants in the garden. Although soil may seem rather solid, there are lots of spaces between the particles. These spaces hold air and water, and…
Someone brought in a mushroom growing in their lawn. I believe the white (sort of) round mushrooms are called puff ball mushroom. They do get very large. All pictured are fungi of course and are prevalent this year due to…
Since plants need water, what’s the issue with too much rain? Although soil may seem rather solid, there are lots of spaces between the particles. These spaces hold air and water, and the roots of plants need both. Roots absorb…
Flowers and plants add color and a cozy touch to any indoor or outdoor space—but you don’t have to stick with boring, conventional containers to house your blooms or greenery. Get creative and make use of items already in your…
A couple of evergreen questions with similar problems, even though the trees are different. Ten-year-old pines started to turn yellowish on the south side of the trees in late April. The south side does get more wind than the other…
With spring being here, we have recently been experiencing, many of us are anxious to get outdoors and start scratching away at Mother Earth, however, the beds and gardens are so muddy. Unpredictable is the single word that best describes…
If you’ve ever been out on a summer evening outdoors only to be startled by an inch-long, slow-flying beetle crashing into you, then you’ve encountered a June bug (which is actually a beetle) of which I have been receiving many…
To provide visual interest to a flower container, follow the concept of planting flower pots “Thriller Spiller Filler”. In that, you have to combine plants of different heights and sprawling habit in each pot. 1. Thriller Thrillers are tall, upright…
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis) Bloodroot, one of the earliest Spring Wildflowers Bloodroot is more of a groundcover than a bedding plant, but its small, white flowers can really brighten a shady or woodland garden. After the flowers disappear, the blue-green leaves…
Dog ticks are everyone’s nightmare especially your dogs’. Keep areas free of tall grass, weeds and garden debris – you’ll also discourage small rodents, which transport ticks. Place outdoor play and entertainment areas in sunny, airy spots, away from tick-prone…
Plants that love sun in containers: 1. Lantana: It is great for a hot spot and the Lantana colors are nice too, with yellow, confetti and some lavender and white. It does good in sun and is drought tolerant. Try a…
Dandelions are so annoying. I dig them, they grow back and just keep popping up again. It makes you wonder if there is a secret to their multiple lives. Well, the secret is out. Dandelions have long roots that go…