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In This Issue
Weather It's The
Weather
What's Bugging
You
Questionmark and
Mysterian
Success Tip of
the Week
From the Garden
to the Kitchen
Plant to Ponder
Contact
Information
Up
Coming Events
YARDARAMA 2007
Saturday, June 2
ALL DAY EVENT
Mason Store Only
-Classes
-Demonstrations
-Petting Zoo / SPCA
-Cincinnati Zoo
-Pony Rides
-Kids Potting Bench
Visit natorp.com for details, schedule of
events and more!
The Greater Cincinnati Daylily and Hosta Society presents
their 8th annual Hosta Show Saturday, June 2, 2007
at the Northgate Mall. They will also offer a plant sale
from 10-6pm.
Greater Cincinnati Rose Association Rose Show Sat. June 2
Eastgate Mall 1-4pm
For more info 831-0052
Civic Garden Center presents "Fabulous Foliage" June 6
from noon -1:00
Learn about the best foliage plants. Free, but please
register at
221-0981 ext. 18.
An Evening with Richard Louv Tuesday June 19,
5-8:30pm. "Leave No Child Inside". For more info visit
LNCIgc.org
or call 965-4899.
College Hill Gardeners Garden Tour is June 23 from 11am to
4pm. Call 681-1326 for more info.
"Out of Africa"
Butterfly Show 2007 - Krohn Conservatory
thru June 24. Visit
www.butterflyshow.com
for more info.
Boone County Arboretum's "Arboretum Day" is June 2 from 9am
to 3:00pm at the Arboretum. For more info visit
www.bcarboretum.org.
Quick Links
$10,000 Landscape
Makeover
Newsletter
Archive
Success Tip Sheets
Landscape Design Kit
Gift Cards
Rita's Recipes
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Whether It's The Weather
Surprisingly enough, we've seen some lawns actually browning
or developing brown spots due to the lack of water!
Remember, it's one inch of rainfall every 7-10 days (or so)
for actively growing lawns, and if Mother Nature doesn't
supply it, you need to. If the lawn has browned due to lack
of water, stay off the browned areas. Traffic from foot or
machine can cause further damages to the grass crowns. (I
read today - thanks to Joe Strecker - federal climate
scientists predicting drought and extreme heat this summer -
great news, huh?)
[Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?]
What's Bugging You?
I'm
keeping an eye open for my 'specimen' bagworms to hatch
out! Could be any day now! Otherwise, I've actually seen a
few cicada larvae while digging in the soil (there's always
cicadas emerging about now), typical number of grubs in the
landscape beds, and I swear I've had more encounters with
spiders this week than ever. You don't think the word is
out in spiderland that the yardboy is a little squeamish
about spiders, do you?
This
week, Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting poison
hemlock rearing it's ugly head in the landscape and fence
rows and creek banks and roadsides and meadows. Make sure
you take a look on the internet what poison hemlock looks
like, as it is exactly that - poisonous. BJB is also
reporting continued late freeze damages showing up more and
more, scale crawlers becoming very active (time to spray for
your euonymus scale!), boxwood psyllids are at adult stage,
cottony camellia scale on holly leaves, ash galls, maple
galls, and oak galls showing up on leaves, ash anthracnose
on ash leaves, herbicide damages to lawns where folks
drenched the weeds and grass with weed killers (rather than
a quick shot), and Emerald Ash Borer adults have started to
emerge. As a matter of fact, this is EAB Awareness Week!
Become more aware of EAB by going online to
www.emeraldashborer.info,
or any of the great EAB information web sites.
NOTICE:
Joe has informed me that EAB may have been detected in
Hamilton County / Anderson Township area!
Catch the Buggy Joe Boggs report Saturdays at 8:42am on
55KRC radio.
[I Xeroxed a mirror. Now I have an extra Xerox machine.]
Questionmark and the Mysterians -
Your Questions Answered
"I
recently read that now is the time to spray for bagworms. I
didn't think that they had hatched yet? Is this
correct?" -As far as I know, in our area, bagworms have
not hatched yet. (Lexington, Ky. is reporting they have
hatched, so its close!) But if they have, I
probably wouldn't be spraying until early to mid June just
to make sure all have hatched. You can't spray as a
preventative for bagworms. You spray when you see the
whites of their eyes (or green or brown or whatever the
color is!), but not until they have hatched and begun
feeding. So even if they have hatched, do not spray for
bagworms at this time! Give them time to make sure all are
hatched, then spray.
"Last summer I had worms on my Catalpa tree. They
defoliated it in a few days. I picked them off, and they
came back later and did it again. What were they, and can I
expect them again? What can I do to get rid of them?"
-What you have is one of the best and most expensive fishing
baits you can find! They're called Catalpa worms, or
Catawba worms in the south. They feed only on Catalpa
trees, and can defoliate them a couple times in one season.
They drop from the tree when finished eating and pupate in
the soil. In spring, they hatch out as a hummingbird moth
(Catalpa sphinx moth), lay eggs in the tree, and the process
starts all over again. Prices go as much as $10 a dozen for
catalpa worms, and yes, there are even special ways to bait
your hook with these expensive fish baits. By the way,
controls would include sprays of Sevin, Eight, Bt, Orthene,
etc. if you'd rather not go fishing. But rarely are they
sprayed for. If you never sprayed, the trees always
recover. Wanna go pick Catalpa worms?
"Our
potentillas look bad from this winter. When do they flower
and can I cut them back?" -Potentilla are one group of
shrubs that actually flower off and on all summer long.
And, after 4-5 years, can start looking a little ratty. So,
you can freshen their look by cutting them back really hard
in the spring. They'll respond nicely and look like a whole
new plant!
"If
we're cleaning our deck, what do you recommend to use that's
safe for plants?" -Oxygenated bleach. I'd still hose off
the plants really well when you're finished, but it's pretty
safe to use.
"What's
the name of the flower that is a mosquito repellent? They
say it keeps the mosquitoes away, but don't know the
name."
-Well,
the most advertised plant would be Pelargonium 'Citrosa'
which is a scented geranium. You'll also see Lemon Grass
sold for this. BUT, don't be bamboozled! Yes, the scent is
not appealing to mosquitoes (who likes the smell of
citronella?), but it would take hedges of them with someone
always crushing leaves to help repel mosquitoes! Bottom
line is modify your yard so its not a breeding ground for
mosquitoes (as well as the immediate neighbor's), protect
yourself with repellents, long sleeves, etc., and then try
all the other goodies like sprays, traps, repelling plants,
etc. By the way, that scented geranium is a beautiful
plant! Get one anyway just to enjoy the plant. And if it
repels a mosquito, you're already ahead! :
"One more time. What is the "soil-less" potting mix you
keep talking about? No one knows what I'm asking for at the
garden stores!" -Maybe I should quit using that term!
Soil-less potting mix is usually a mix of sphagnum peat,
vermiculite, perlite, sometimes compost, and sometimes pine
bark fines. It's the best mix you can get for containers.
It's what the professional growers use. It's a really good
grade of potting soil. So look for potting soil, or potting
mix, or container mix that has basically those ingredients.
It's lighter and feels lighter and loamier. Schultz,
Premiere, Fertilome, Fafard, Miracle Gro / Scott's, they all
make this type of potting soil. It's a "soil-less" mix.
"Any
ideas why my Irises flowered only two blooms this spring on
a boat load of plants?" -Lot's of reasons to look at
including newly planted, lack of sun, nutrient deficiencies
(and don't use a high N fertilizer), extended periods of
drought, planted too deep, mulched too deep, weeds, diseased
or borer infested tubers, selection planted, late freezes,
and the number one reason, too crowded. Pick your choose!
[When I turned two I was really anxious, because I'd doubled
my age in a year. I thought, if this keeps up, by the time
I'm six I'll be ninety.]
Success Tip of the Week
As the spring season begins to wind down and summer
approaches, there are a couple things you need to do for the
lawn before summer hits.
1.) If
you have a few weeds here and there, spot treat them with
Bonide's Weed Beater Ultra. Don't soak them, just a quick
shot will do.
2.) If
you have a few more weeds than just spot treating, use the
concentrate and mix it in a tank sprayer or hose end sprayer
to cover a larger area. Again, only spray the weeds, and a
quick shot will do.
3.) If
you'd like to feed the lawn, and have several weeds to take
care of, you may consider using a weed and feed. Remember,
the grass needs to be wet when applying a weed and feed. (In
the morning with the dew on the grass is the perfect time.)
4.) If
you have no weeds or only a few, and would like to feed the
lawn, spot treat the weeds as needed with the RTU, and then
simply feed the lawn with a regular lawn food - Scott's or
Greenview's fertilizers will work fine.
5.) And
if you did absolutely nothing this spring to the lawn and
would like to do something before the summer, don't forget
Greenview's Fairway Formula Spring Application. Pre
emergent for weed seeds that have not germinated yet, post
emergent for weeds that are growing right now, and a slow
release fertilizer that will feed the lawn for the next
10-12 weeks. Gets you all caught up in one application!
Three
last points. As we head into the summer, remember your lawn
would like 1 inch of rainfall every 10 days or so. If
Mother Nature doesn't supply it, you need to - and do it all
at one time. Secondly, mow your grass higher rather than
shorter. 2 ½ to 3 inches or taller is what we're looking
for. And keep your lawn mower blade sharpened. See how
this grass has a yellow tint? Look closely at the blades
and you'll see why. They're torn - not cut. Dull mower
blades. Keep your blades sharpened for a clean cut!
NOTE:
If your lawn is under drought stress, do not apply
fertilizer or weed killers.
[I planted some bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't
know what to feed it.]
From the Garden to the Kitchen
"Hey
Rita what's Cooking?"
Yardboy, can you believe it's almost Memorial Day? It's the
official start of the picnic season, too, and this salad is
one of the best to tote.
This corn bread salad has a weird and long list of
ingredients, but it goes together fairly fast, almost as
fast as it disappears on the buffet table! Everyone who
eats this asks for the recipe.
Corn Bread Salad
1
pkg., 8-1/2 oz, corn bread/muffin mix
1
can, 4 oz, chopped green chilies, undrained or 1-2
jalapenos, chopped
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1
cup ea. mayonnaise and sour cream
1
envelope ranch salad dressing mix
2
cans, 15 oz ea. Great Northern beans, drained
2
cans, 15 oz ea. whole kernel corn, drained or equivalent
frozen corn, thawed
4
good sized tomatoes, chopped
1
bell pepper, chopped
1
large bunch green onions, chopped
12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3
cups shredded cheddar
Prepare corn bread according to package directions but stir
in chilies, cumin, oregano. Pour into greased 8" square
pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool.
Combine mayonnaise, sour cream and dressing mix; set aside.
Crumble half the cornbread into a 13 x 9" pan. Layer with
half of the beans, half of the mayonnaise mixture, corn,
tomatoes, green pepper, onions, bacon and cheese. Repeat
layers, ending with cheese. Cover and refrigerate for 2
hours. Serves 12-14.
Tips from Rita's garden:
Those cool-weather loving herbs like chervil and cilantro
may be bolting to flower already. Although they don't take
to pruning as well as hot-weather loving annuals like basil
and rosemary, go ahead and trim off the flowers for a longer
harvest. Use the flowers in salads, Southwestern and fish
dishes.
-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 / Part time Witchdoctor / Maker of
strange potions /
www.abouteating.com
[I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wondering.]
Yardboy's "Plant to Ponder"
If you're planting those containers, window boxes, hanging
baskets - it's always nice to have a few vines to hang down
and give your planters some vertical color and dimension,
and maybe help to soften the container itself. So here are
a few of my favorite viners!
Licorice
vine - shrubby at first, this tough durable plant will begin
to cascade with these great silvery fuzzy leaves. It's also
available in variegated form.
Plectranthus - soft slightly scalloped leaves, variegated
edges, this is a tough vine for hanging or as a ground
cover, and the pungent smell keeps the deer other critters
away from this one.
Vinca
Vine - probably one of the most common vines used in baskets
and planters, tough, again variegated and we have seen this
one come back the following season!
Ivy -
and there are multiple selections of ivies available for you
to choose.
Creeping
Jenny - one of my favorites, is actually a hardy ground
cover that can become a little invasive! But tough,
durable, and you can't beat the color and the look - sort of
like golden coins on a string.
And
don't forget one of the most popular vines out there today -
the ornamental sweet potato vines. Margarite is my
favorite, but they're now available in many different shades
of maroons, yellows, and tri colors, as well as many
different shaped leaves, these are tough, love the sun, will
tolerate a bit of shade, work great as a vine in planters or
even better as an annual ground cover. And they are quick
to grow and fill in the areas where planted.
Don't
forget, if you do plant ornamental sweet potato vines, at
the end of the year, when you pull them out, you'll find
sweet potato tubers - and yes, they are edible. Bland, but
edible. A little extra year end bonus for you!
[I'm a psychic amnesiac. I know in advance what I'll
forget.]
A Little
Bit of This, A Little Bit of That
I get
asked a lot if it's necessary to add soil amendments when
planting new plants. And to be honest, I have planted many
a tree or shrub by simply chopping up the existing soil and
using that for the back fill, with no soil amendments. And
have had good success doing it that way. But I really feel
for the over all good for the plant, especially when
planting annuals, perennials, vegetables, groundcovers,
broadleaf evergreens and such, that amending the soil is key
in their success. And although I have gotten by without it
for some trees and shrubs, I do feel its a good thing to do
and recommend it to help insure the plants success. Prep
the soil before planting / dig a million dollar hole for the
$25 plant. It will come back to you with better success in
the garden. By adding organic matter to the existing soils,
you can't help but make the soil even better. And doing
this year after year, especially in annual and vegetable
areas, the soil just continues to improve. So, yes, I do
suggest using soil amendments when you're planting.
SweetPeet, Posy Power, Pine Soil Conditioner are my 3
favorites. And be sure to not over do the ratio - I usually
go about 20-30% amendment, 70-80% original soil, all chopped
up. (Ask for a free 'Planting and Watering Guide' at either
of our garden stores.)
NOTE:
When adding soil amendments to the garden or planting beds
each year, do the heaviest amounts in the fall (gives it
several months to break down) and lighter amounts in the
spring.
[I may be
schizophrenic, but at least I have each other.]
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