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It's Yardarama Saturday, this Saturday, June 3, at our garden store in Mason.  Lot's of cool things for everyone, including petting zoo, the Cincinnati Zoo, classes, demonstrations, kids activities, food, and lot's more!  For more info, keep reading!

[June is Perennial Gardening Month, as well as Rose month, Graduation month, Wedding month, Father's Day month, Dairy month, National Turkey Lover's month (say what?), as well as many other monthly things, I'm sure.]

*Whether it's the weather  - Just like clockwork, the weather went from cool and damp to hot and hot!  Fortunately, it looks like we cool back down for the weekend.  Just a reminder to keep up with your watering as needed.  Not sure?  Either use the 'hands on feel the soil' method, or invest in a soil moisture meter.  Those moisture meters are an easy way to read the moisture levels in your soils, whether in the ground or in a pot.

[Hey Mr. Lee - If a pig loses its voice, does it become disgruntled?]

*What's bugging you? I know you're tired of hearing this, but the bagworms have hatched and you need to keep watching your evergreens just in case they show up in your landscape.  For those of you with 30' blue spruce that had them in the top of the spruce, now that they have hatched, this is the perfect time for you to spray and stop them.  Many sprays work, but for now, use Bt. Spray now, or you'll be hand picking later.   Amazing how slugs have made a quick appearance in the gardens.  These slime-balls will destroy your prized plants while your back is turned (or at night time when you can't see them!).  I've included our slug tip sheet in the success tip.  Aphids are really firing up now with all the new growth on plants, so watch for those.  A strong stream of water works wonders, as well as sprays of Bonide's All Seasons Oil, Insecticidal Soap, etc.  If you're having a hard time seeing aphids, a good sign they're there is a lot of ant activity or lady bug activity on the stems.  Ants graze and milk them like cows; ladybugs eat them like steaks on the grill.   This week, Buggy Joe Boggs is reporting continued bugs and disease problems carrying over from last week, as well as increased rose leaf holes due to rose slugs, apple maggots have been seen flirting with new apples, and hollyhocks are getting their usual pounding by sawflies, weevils, leafminers and hollyhock fungus.  Good thing is, they take the licking and keep on ticking!  (Light report this week as Joe is still recovering from the 3 day Memorial Weekend!)  Catch the Buggy Joe Boggs report at 7:45am this week, on 55KRC radio.

[Do you think Lipton Tea employees take a coffee break?]

*Question mark and the Mysterians - Here are a few gardening questions from this weeks emailed news bag:

"My peonies are just about finished blooming.  Now what do I do?"   -Feel free to deadhead the spent flowers by cutting back into the stem they were growing on and removing the top part.  Just like spring flowering bulbs, they, too, need to remain green for as long as possible to replenish the energy in their roots for next years flowers.  Trust me, later in the summer, they'll start to brown a bit, you'll clip that out, they'll brown some more and you'll clip that out, they'll start to yellow some more, and you'll finally get tired of it all and cut them off at the ground!  But let them grow as long as they're green.

"I have a friend in the tree trimming business and has plenty of wood chips for me to use.  Is that a good mulch?"  -Sure, after it has composted for a few months!  Freshly chipped mulch can actually pull so much nitrogen from the soil and plants (in order to decompose), it actually turns them yellow.  And, some trees can give off a toxic gas when first chipped, which can be harmful to the existing plants.  Compost the fresh chips for at least 2-3 months or longer before using them as mulch.  Even at that, I would add a little nitrogen to the soil before I used it for mulch.

"My neighbor told me that if I shear off the dead blooms on my spireas (which are blooming now) that they will bloom again.  Is that true?"  -Yes it is!  As soon as those late spring / early summer bloomers are finished, simply shear off those old blooms back into the regular foliage of the plant.  The new growth will flower again.  Sometimes, you can get 3 flushes of flowers from them!

"What's the best way to help prevent leaf spots on my tomato plants?"  First, make sure you're growing disease resistant varieties.  Then, once the plants are in and growing, mulch the soil with clean straw 2-3 inches deep, or you can even use landscape fabric.  The idea is to keep the water from splashing disease spores from the soil onto the bottom leaves.  Pick off leaves that develop those spots.  Garden fungicides may help as well. And, as always, use crop rotation each year in the garden.

"I like using clay pots, but they dry out quicker and just don't seem to last more than 3-4 years.  Is there anything I can do to the pots that would help?"   As a matter of fact, there are products available to treat your clay pots which seals the pot, so it lasts longer, doesn't dry out as quickly, and you won't see those salt buildups as much on the sides.  One product is called "Spray n Seal", and it's a silicone spray.  Spray right on new clay pots, or clean the used ones with a bleach and water solution, and then spray to seal them.  Spray both inside and outside of the clay pots.

This week's Success Tip for you garden - Controlling Slugs (and snails) in the Garden:  What are slugs and what do they do? – Slugs are simply shell-less snails.  These slimy creatures are mollusks, vary in size from ¼ inch to 5 inches plus, range from dark black-brown to orange in color, are hermaphroditic (male and female) laying up to 100 eggs or more (spring and summer), and are highly dependent on moisture in the ground and surrounding habitat.  The slime trails they leave behind (when moving) become silvery when dry, and is used to identify the presence of slugs (along with holes in the plant’s foliage!).  Slugs over winter as adults in the ground. In the summer, they hide during the day under garden debris, mulch, rocks, boards, weeds and groundcover, to stay out of the sun and wind.  A slug is 80% water, and its slime is 98% water, so cool, dark and damp living conditions are important, and the main reason they feed at night, or during cloudy days.  Slugs are especially active after rainfalls or irrigation periods.  Slugs (snails) feed on a variety of living plants as well as decaying plant matter.  They have chewing mouthparts and cause plant damage by creating large irregularly shaped holes in leaves with tattered edges.  They prefer succulent foliage or flowers, seedlings, herbaceous plants, and fruit lying on or close to the ground, etc., but eat anything from garbage to feeding on bones.  Hostas, by the way, are definitely one of their favorite plants!  How can I control Slugs in my garden? – There are several ways to help control slug populations, and in most cases, a combination of methods works best.  Cultural Controls:  Eliminate places where slugs can hide, like stones, debris, weeds, and heavy mulches, and try to use plants less susceptible to slug damages.  Open up the areas to more sunlight and airflow, which slugs do not like.  Handpicking:  Have a ‘Slugfest’ to see who can pick the most slugs.  Pick at night with a flashlight in hand.  This is effective if done on a regular basis.  Water the area before picking to entice the slugs out.  Trapping:  Inverted melon rinds or grapefruit halves make excellent traps.  Scrape off the accumulated slugs daily and destroy them.  Beer-baited traps work nicely.  Use empty tuna cans, place in the ground around plants and fill with beer (non alcoholic beer works best).  Slugs are attracted to the beer, fall in the can and drown.  Empty and refill with beer as needed.  Barriers:  Copper barriers around beds will keep slugs from entering.  Using coarse sand, crushed egg shells, or used coffee grounds around desirable plants creates a border to help keep slugs out.  Sprinkling the soil and or foliage with Diatomaceous Earth acts as a barrier; when slugs crawl across it, they are sliced and dehydrate.  Even using pine straw for mulch seems to deter slug populations.  Baits:  Slug baits are probably the most consistent method of slug control.  Deadline, Bug-Geta Plus and SlugGeta are 3 of the most common poison baits.  Please read the label for best application methods and restrictions (some not used around edibles).  Covered containers or bait traps can be used to minimize poisoning concerns. (Cut a 2 liter pop bottle in half and then invert the top part into the bottom part to create a no escape entryway into this homemade trap.  Put your baits inside the container, which now protects it from the kids and wildlife.)  Sluggo and SlugMagic are safer to use slug baits, and can be used around children, pets, wildlife, the garden, etc; a bit less toxic and much safer around the kids and pets.  Natural Enemies:  Slugs have natural enemies, including ducks, geese, chickens, snakes, toads, turtles, birds, beetles, spiders, ants, harvestmen and firefly larvae.  Invite these guys to your slugfest!  *Always read and follow the label / directions on each recommended product before use.  Actual slug control will vary due to many factors, and rarely is there ever 100% control.  We do not recommend the use of salt in or on top of the soil for slug control.

 [Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?]

*From the Garden to the Kitchen / Hey Rita, what's cooking? - Yardboy, when we were little, Mom used to have a patch of European frais des bois (sweet wild strawberries) which she let us pick and eat. The berries were a bit pointed, really small and intensely sweet. This salad is inspired by those special moments since strawberries are in season right now. And I don’t have to go to the grocery for the fresh greens. I have mizuna in my window boxes, mache in containers and two long rows of spinach and mesclun in my garden! Chopped chives make a beautiful garnish. 
                                                                       
Strawberry Romaine salad with poppy seed dressing (Add more wine vinegar if you like.)  You'll need: Enough greens for six salad plates, 1 pint strawberries, sliced, 1 sweet onion, sliced thin. Dressing: ½ cup mayonnaise, regular or light, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup sugar or equivalent Splenda, ¼ cup milk, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds.  Blend.  After you top the greens with the berries and onion, drizzle dressing over.

Sun Cooked Strawberry Preserves - “Cooking” in the sun preserves vitamins and turns the berries into a delicious jam. Try adding a few sprigs of lavender, lemon verbena or rose geranium to the berries as they “cook” for a lovely aroma to the jam.  Here's what you'll need:  1 pound strawberries, washed, hulled and cut in half or thick slices, 1 pound sugar, 1/2 cup or so of water.  Boil water and sugar for a few minutes, adding a bit more water (not too much) if necessary to make a real thick syrup.   Add berries and simmer until they start to lose color and shrink a little.  Pour onto rimmed cookie sheets.   Set in sun for several days and bring in at night or if it rains.  When berries are plump and the syrup has jelled, pack  into jars.  Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in freezer up to 6 months.  If insects are a problem while they are “cooking” in the sun, cover with cheesecloth.   

• Why these recipes are good for you:
• The benefits of strawberries:
• Excellent sources of vitamin C
• Good source of folate and potassium
• Low in calories; high in fiber
• Provide anti-cancer bioflavonoids
• Onions and chives are good for your cardiovascular system
• Poppy seeds calm your tummy

-Rita Nader Heikenfeld, CCP / Macy’s Regional Culinary Professional / Herbalist / Author / Local TV and Radio Cooking Expert / Adjunct Professor U.C. Clermont College / Community Press Papers /  [life@communitypress.com attn: Rita or www.abouteating.com]

[What ever happened to Preparations A thru G?]

*Yardboy's plant to ponder - This past week, I have received several emails wanting me to identify a few interesting plants that happened to be flowering right now.  Our first group of emailers are asking about an ornamental tree they’re seeing, mostly used as a street tree, with lilac-like foliage, and lilac-like creamy white flowers, that are showing right now.  Well guess what?  It is a lilac!  It’s a Japanese Tree Lilac!  This ornamental tree can reach 20-25 feet, has the same looking dark green leaves as a common lilac, some getting 5 inches long, and, of course, the late May early June wonderful creamy white flowers that will last for about 2 weeks.  Great specimen tree, street tree and a consistent bloomer.  Our next group of emailers are asking, “We’re seeing a shrub, 3-4 feet tall, reddish stems, with upright bell like opening to star like white flowers - very similar to Pieris, but that’s not it.  Do you know what this shrub is?”  Sure do!  This is Itea, or commonly known as Sweetspire.  Medium to dark green leaves (which turn a wonderful maroon in the fall), green to red stems, and wonderful late May early June flowers that are very lightly fragrant, and very showy.  Most common is Henry’s Garnet which can get 3-4 feet tall, but there are other varieties that stay a bit more compact.   Our last emailer group asks, “We’re seeing a shrub with purple foliage that thought it was a purple plum, but not that it’s in flower, it’s not a plum.  What is it?”  This is a plant that’s much better than the bush purple plum - it’s called Physocarpus, or commonly known as ‘Ninebark’, and the most common one is called “Diablo Ninebark”.  Now, although it can reach 6-8 feet in height, it’s a slower and more compact grower that purple plum and easily controlled at any height.  Reddish purple foliage that holds its color, tough and hardy, and of course, those late May / early June pinkish to red button like flowers.   If you have a plant that you can’t identify, just email me a picture.  In most cases, I should be able to figure it out what it is for you!

[If 4 out of 5 people "suffer" from diarrhea, does that mean one person enjoys it?]

A little bit of this and a little bit of that - Well summer is right around the corner, and it’s time to take one last look at the lawn before summer gets here!  Our basic concerns right now are light weed control and feeding the lawn, and if you have no weeds, good for you - all you need to do is feed the lawn.  But if you look through the lawn and have a few weeds here and there, then I’d suggest you simply spot treat those weeds with a water soluble broadleaf weed killer such as Bonide’s Weed Beater or Weed Beater Ultra.  No need treating the entire yard for just a few spotty weeds.   Spot treat the weeds and apply your regular lawn fertilizer.  Now, if you have more than just a few weeds here and there, then use the concentrated Bonide weed killer which is attached to the end of the hose for easier coverage over a larger area, and then apply your regular lawn fertilizer.  You can also consider using a weed and feed for this step, which combines both processes together, but do remember, when using a weed and feed, the lawn must be wet (whether it’s from the dew, overnight rain, or if you just watered it) for the granules to adhere to the weeds for maximum control.  If it’s not wet, your weed and feed will not take care of the weeds. As usual, read the labels on all of these products before you use them, as there are restrictions, and tips for you, to help make these products work better in your lawn.  One last scenario here; if your lawn is more weeds than grass at this stage, forget the weed killers and let the weeds and grass grow.  If you killed them out, and it left large bare areas in your lawn, well, it’s getting too late for reseeding, and you’d have a bare lawn all summer!   The weeds and grass will stay green all summer long, and then we can attack the weeds in late summer, just in time for fall seeding.

[If lawyers are disbarred, are tree surgeons debarked?  Are musicians denoted?  Are cowboys deranged?  Does that mean electricians could be delighted?]

Classes, Seminars, and upcoming Special Events - Mark your calendars!  Coming up Saturday, June 3, its YARDARAMA!  That's right, its 'YARDARAMA Saturday' at the Mason Garden Store (June 3)!  Enjoy demonstrations, classes, information booths, live wildlife, zoo animals, petting zoos, and a whole lot more.  Bring the family for a fun filled day at the Mason Garden Store's YARDARAMA!  Featured speakers include Tom Schmidt 'The Mole Man', Jerry Burton 'Mr. Bamboo', Jim Sparnall "Mr Water Gardens', Pat Greeson "Mr Container Gardens", and Rita Heikenfeld, CCP, Herbalist, part time witch doctor and maker of strange potions!  Everything begins at 9:00am.  For a complete listing of classes and scheduled events, visit our web site at www.natorp.com.  We'll see you at this years YARDARAMA!  (Rain or Shine / all under cover)

THURSDAY, JUNE 1ST, IS NATORP DAY AT THE CLEAR CHANNEL CONCEPT HOME!  That's right - if you would like to tour the Concept Home, come Thursday, June 1st, simply mention Natorp's at the door, and tickets are half price ($5)!  Ron Wilson will be there from 3-5pm, giving away Natorp coupons and registering folks to win a $100 Natorp Gift Certificate.  So stop in, tour the home at half price, get a free Natorp coupon (worth $5 -redeemable at the garden store), as well as registering to win the big $100 certificate.  All proceeds will benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  Visit www.wkrc.com, www.55krc.com, or www.natorp.com for more info, or click on links below.  Mention Natorp's, and get in for half price ($5)!  Concept Home: 3625 Carmelle Woods Drive, Mason, Ohio.  (I-71 north, exit Kings Mills, turn left, turn right on 741, then right into Carmelle Woods).

Home Tour:
May 25th-June 18th
Thursday - Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Sunday: Noon - 5pm
-Tickets available at the door!
-Click for Tour special elements & events
-Click for Concept Home location directions

LOCAL 12, WKRC.com and 55KRC are partnering with Sanneman Homes to build the first Clear Channel Concept Home to benefit The Susan G. Komen Foundation.The Concept Home is a joint project amongst industry leading products/services, a very reputable builder, award winning developers and architects, 55KRC, LOCAL 12, & WKRC.com. This extraordinary home will highlight state-of-the-art materials including environmentally friendly products and features. LOCAL 12, 55KRC, and WKRC.com will showcase and track the progress of the home as it is being built.

The Greater Cincinnati Daylily and Hosta Society presents their 7th annual Hosta Show at Northgate Mall on Saturday, June 3.  The cutleaf show opens to the public at 1:00pm.  There will also be a plant sale, starting at 10:00am and going until 6:00pm, offering hundreds of new and classic hostas for sale, as well as many other perennials.

June 3.  Botanizing Findlay Market at Findlay Market, 8-9:30, Instructors Michele Williams and Cynthia Brown will take participants through  historic Findlay Market to look at botany in a fresh way.  They will explore the market to identify where the food you eat and grow fits taxonomically.  Bring your curiosity – your appetite will most likely show up too! .$10/person.  Reservation required; call 513/221-0981, Ext.18.       
June 7.  Introduction to Plant Families at the Civic Garden Center, 6-8pm, Instructor Michele Williams, PhD, CGC Horticulturist will provide an introduction to Plant Families.  This will be the first in a series of classes focusing on the unifying characteristics of plant families.  We will be discussing the taxonomic techniques and reviewing taxonomically significant plant parts.  Bring a good hand lens to help with identifications.  $10/person.  Reservation required; call 513/221-0981, Ext.18.

[If it's true we're here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?]

That's it for this week.  Be sure to visit Yardarama Saturday at the Mason store.  Now, do yourself a favor.  Go out and have the best weekend of your life.  See ya.  RW, the Yardboy.

SPECIAL GUEST SATURDAY ON THE GARDENING SHOW - AMERICA'S FAVORITE TV GARDENER REBECCA KOLLS WILL JOIN US DURING THE 8:00AM HOUR!  Tune in to 55KRC The Talk Station.

[Catch Natorp’s own grown yardboy Ron Wilson every Saturday, 6-9am, ‘In the Garden’ on 55KRC Thee Talk Station (home of the Big Dog Tony Bender and Joe "without Joe this show just wouldn't go" Strecker) , every Friday morning 8:06am on ‘The Morning Show’ with Jerry Thomas and Craig Kopp (55KRC), every Thursday and Saturday morning on Local 12 –WKRC Homeworx Team, and occasional appearances on 'Homeworx' (Sundays at 11:30am Local 12).   .