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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
Emerald Ash Borer Update for N.Ky.
July 31 - 6:30pm
859-586-6101
Meyer Aquascapes
Pondarama Pond Tour
July 28-29
Self Guided Tour
26 Landscaped Ponds
$10 Ticket
513-941-8500
aquascapes.com
Roses
They don't have to be Annuals! Aug. 7
6-8pm $10
Gardening
101 Lawn Care Aug. 14
6-7:30pm $10
Civic Garden Center
513-221-0981 ext 18
Natorp Nursery
Outlet Sale
Sept 14, 15, 16, 22,23
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
The
weather has been absolutely wonderful being that it is the
end of July, but the lack of rainfall still keeps us in the
mild drought catagory, with many in more extreme drought
levels. So rainfall is still drastically needed, which
means you need to keep watering.
[A person who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a
nice person. -Dave Barry]
What's Bugging You
I have
been very lucky so far as I really haven't had much buggin.
me in the Yardboy garden. Japanese beetles are all but
finished, mosquito bites have increased a bit, leafhoppers
hanging around more than usual, and those spider webs keep
showing up more and more. But none of these critters are
bothering Mrs. Yardboy as she enjoys her new garden swing in
the evening!
For you
nut growers chestnut weevils begin to emerge in late July to
lay their eggs in the new nuts. Spraying now and again in 3
weeks with Sevin. If you don't want tp spray, collect the
nuts as soon as the corms begin to open and blanch the nuts
in boiling water. That will kill the weevil larvae and
minimize damages. (Thanks Bug Doc for the reminder!)
This
week, Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting potato
leafhopper populations building due to the warm and drier
conditions (little apple green insects) and feeding has
increased on ornamentals like maples, birch, apple,
chestnuts, and walnuts causing leaf and branch tip
deformity, stink bugs now feeding on a wide range of plants,
ground nesting bees are buzzing big time, robber flies are
cruising the gardens snatching other insects out of the air,
Monarch butterflies becoming more prominent, Hummingbird
moths showing up in gardens, Dogbane beetles now making
their apperances in gardens (these are actually very
attractive beetles with multiple shades of green, copper,
blue and red - ouououououahahahahah), fall webworm nests now
visible, mimosa webworm visible, aphids having a great time
with new growth on plants, pachysandra melting out due to
not only scale, but canker and leaf blight, downy mildew on
cucumbers in Geauga County, leaf spot on spinach, and one
last reminder that ther recent rainfall is breaking our dry
spells, but not the drought! We are still way behind in
natural rainfall for the year.
Catch
The Buggy Joe Boggs Report Saturdays at 8:42am on 55KRC The
Talk Station.
Stay in
touch with the Emerald Ash Borer. Ashalert.osu.edu or
www.emarldashborer.info
. Help support the EAB research: (tax deductible)
The EAB Project c/o
Horticultural Research Institute
1000 Vermont Ave. Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
The YB
and BJB thank you!
[You should never confuse your career with your life.
Again, you should never confuse your career with your life.
-Dave Barry, and then the yardboy repeating it.]
Questionmark and the Mysterians -
Your Questions Answered
"My
husband listens to you on satellite radio and swears he
heard you say that vinegar will kill weeds and grasses and I
don't need to use Roundup. Is he telling me the truth?"
-Well, partially, anyway. Yes, vinegar has been officially
approved by the USDA to be used as a vegetation killer. So
you will see it now being labeled and sold as that! BUT, I
did not say you won't need Roundup (or Bonide's Kleenup)
anymore! Vinegar is a great foliar kill, but doesn't do a
really good job on the roots. So it's really good on annual
weeds and grasses, but needs reapplication on perennials.
Roundup or Kleenup is like a systemic, and moves thru the
plant and the roots, so you'll get more of a total kill.
And for woody weeds that Roundup or Kleenup will take out,
the vinegar probably won't. So, theres a place for both in
the garden. By the way, I have not done a cost efficiency
analysis using both products.
"Ron,
you're my last resort. We discovered tar spots all over the
front of our house and cars, and I actually argued with the
driveway sealing company that they had caused these. But
after painting over them on the house, new ones appeared
(with no sealers being used). We have trees there. What am
I dealing with here? Could it be from the trees? I am
attaching a picture for you to see." -You can rule out the
driveway sealers and the trees, and you can start pointing
fingers at the mulch! That's shotgun or artillery fungus
shooting their spores on anything brightly colored within
20-25 feet! And those tar spots are nearly if not
impossible to remove. (power wash, scrub, JoMax, etc.) Get
rid of the shredded hardwood mulch that's in the bed and
replace it with new mulch - probably of another type. Don't
pitch the old mulch - just put it some place where the
shooting spores won't matter (landscape beds out in the
yard). By the way, why was I your last resort? Geez!
"I
know fine hardwood mulch can get hard on top and repel
water, so I periodically stir it with my garden weasel.
Yesterday, after stirring and then watering the tree for
several minutes, I checked the soil moisture and found that
under 1 inch of the mulch, it was powder dry. What do you
recommend to solve this?" -Fluffing the mulch to
eliminate the "crusties" is the first step, amd making sure
the mulch levels are minimal would be next. Then, water for
15 minutes, stop, let it soak, then start again. That may
help to wick more water into the soil. Next would be using
a soaker hose, or leaving the hose trickle for a longer
period of time, or try using a Ross Root Feeder and inject
the water right into the soil. Or drill holes into the soil
within the mulched area to allow water to run down into the
soil.
"I heard
you talking about 2 types of tomates - determines or
something like that. Could you talk about that again?"
-Sure! There are basically two type of tomato plants -
determinate and indeterminate (Celebrity and a few others
are considered semi-determinate). Determinate tomato plants
shoot growth ends with the formation of flower clusters at
the shoot tips. So the plants are shorter, and the fruit
basically sets at one time and ripens over a shorter period
of time. So you get one major flush of tomatoes, then it's
finished. Indeterminate's flower clusters are formed along
the sides of the shoots, so they just keep on growing until
frost. These guys need staking, cages, etc. Then you add
other characteristics like fruit types based on size(grape,
cherry, beefsteak), use (paste, slicing), colors, and shape,
as well as harvest times (early, midseason, late), then
whether thet are heirlooms, or new varieites bred for
disease resistance, and choosing a tomato to grow in your
garden can get confusing. That's why we grow an
assortment! Easier that way!
"When is
the best time to divide my iris?" -Anytime from now thru
the end of August!
[Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how it remains
so popular?]
Success Tip of the Week
Composting is a practical and convenient way to handle yard
trimmings such as leaves, excess grass, chipped brush, plant
cuttings, etc. And the results of your composting efforts
will one of the best soil amendments that no money can buy!
(And it's a better option than sending this yard waste to
the landfills!) The compost equation: Carbon + Nitrogen +
Water + Air = COMPOST! By combining your yard trimmings and
other clean yard or vegetable wastes with soil or garden
fertilizer, keeping the pile properly moistened and turned,
the compost pile
begins
to heat and cook as the bacteria and fungi break down the
ingredients.
What can
I compost?
-Leaves, grass clippings, plant refuse, wood chips, sod,
livestock manure, vegetative kitchen scrapes, weeds, straw,
pine needles, dead plants, aquarium water / algae and
plants, some newspapers, wood ash, egg shells, coffee
grounds and lot's more. Stay away from meat, bones, dairy
products, cat / dog feces, cooking oils, things sprayed with
pesticides, even insect and diseased plants. NOTE:
Although grass clippings can be added to the compost pile,
they are best returned back to the turf where they belong.
Clippings returned to the turf will generate 25% of your
lawn's total fertilizer needs. So don't bag it; return
those clippings back to the turf!
Where
should my compost pile be located?
- Find an out of sight area that is well drained, away from
tree roots, not in the shade, and accessible with a garden
hose. Remove any sod underneath so the pile will be in
direct contact with the soil.
Building
the compost pile
- Composting does not require a bin, but they do help to
keep the pile neat and easier to handle. Bins need to be at
least
3x3x3' to heat properly. A 5x5x5' is a much nicer size to
work with. Ready made bins are available, or can be made
with concrete blocks, chicken wire, fencing, wooden slats,
etc. The sides must be designed to allow proper air flow to
the pile. You may even consider the compost tumblers for
ease of turning the pile.
Creating
the compost pile
- Layer the materials you'll be using in your compost pile.
6-8 inches of materials, a little fertilizer, some garden
soil, moisten, layer again, and again until reaching the
3-5' height. Now it's up to you to help monitor proper
moisture levels as the composting begins. Turning the pile
will begin about one week after the initial pile is made.
Move the inside of the pile to the outside. When your pile
is really cooking, it will heat to 140-160 degrees in the
middle! Your finished compost will be dark in color,
crumbly in nature, and have an 'earthy' smell. The pile
should be reduce to 1/3 to ½ its original size.
Composting Tips
- If the compost has a bad smell, turn it to provide more
air. If the center is dry, moisten and turn the pile. If
the compost is damp and warm only in the middle, the pile is
too small. If the pile is damp and sweet smelling but still
won't heat up, add nitrogen. And remember, yard waste will
compost quicker, when finely ground. Good luck!
For
more information, visit ohioline.osu.edu / Composting at
Home.
[Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people
appear bright until they speak.]
From the Garden to the Kitchen
"Hey
Rita what's Cooking?"
Yardboy, my lavender plants are absolutely beautiful! As
you know, I lost most of them in that early spring freeze
and had to purchase new plants from Natorp's. I especially
like the Hidcote and Grosso varieties since they seem to do
so well here in our climate. I was visiting Springbrook
Meadows lavender farm in Hillsboro recently and enjoyed
chatting with Debbie Cook, co-proprietor. She makes up
everything lavender, from crafts to foods to blends. I
purchased her lavender lemonade blend and it was delicious.
I ran out so I had to make up some of my own.
Debbie's contains lavender flowers and hibiscus (the recipe
to make the lemonade and blend is in her book "A Guide to
Lavender Cooking." She suggests one tablespoon each of dried
lavender and dried hibiscus flowers to a 6 oz can of pink
lemonade. Debbie boils a cup of water, turns off the heat
and adds the lavender and hibiscus. She allows it to steep
for 30-60 minutes. She then strains it and uses that one cup
of lavender water as one of the required cups of water to
make the lemonade.
Since my perennial red hibiscus is flowering profusely, I've
dried enough flowers to make a batch. Here's my adaptation
of Debbie's recipe. And by the way, this is a wonderful day
trip - check out Springbrook Meadows at (www.springbrook-meadowslavender.com).
Rita's Lavender/Hibiscus/Rose Petal Blend for lemonade
Mix together:
1 cup dried lavender flowers
1/4 cup dried hibiscus flowers, chopped fine
1 tablespoon dried fragrant rose petals, chopped fine
Follow Debbie's recipe above for lemonade, using 2-3
tablespoons of blend to make the infusion. I like to use 3
tablespoons.
Rita's Mint/Hibiscus Sugar Syrup
This is wonderful over fresh fruit, or as a master syrup for
drinks. The red hibiscus flowers that I use bleed into the
syrup coloring it a beautiful magenta. If you don't have
hibiscus, just use plain mint and the color will be straw
yellow.
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
Generous handful of fresh mint, leaves, stems and all
Hibiscus flowers - 1 or 2 large ones - if you can get the
red ones, they will color the syrup magenta
Bring water to a boil. Add sugar and simmer until sugar
dissolves. Again, this won't take long. Add mint and
hibiscus, crushing them with a spoon as you go. Take pan off
heat and let herbs infuse until syrup is cool. Strain and
keep in refrigerator or freezer.
-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
[Hey Rita - Can vegetarians eat animal crackers? If a
parsley farmer was sued, could they garnish his wages? And
I'm sure you have an answer for this one - what was the best
thing before sliced bread?]
Yardboy's "Plant to Ponder"
Every
night when I get home from work, I walk past a few plants
along our sidewalk that just continue to do their thing and
look so absolutely wonderful this time of the year. My
'Black Lace' Elderberry is really starting to make a show
(after I broke it off at the ground last year!) and the
newly planted Sedum 'Kamtschaticum' and 'Angelina' have more
than doubled their width in less than 2 months. But it's
the Hydrangea 'Snow Queen' by the porch that has become such
an eyecatcher! It's about 4 x 4 feet, the oak like shaped
leaves are gorgeous, and the flowers have now turned a solid
dark brown (creamy white fade to dark brown) and really make
a great show next to the deep green leaves! Add the
exfoliating bark, and this is truly one of the great choices
of an oakleaf hydrangea.
[Why do we say something is out of whack? What's a whack?]
A Little
Bit of This, A Little Bit of That
Actually
I have nothing for this week. But I will say everytime I
read the title of this section, I think of a good friend
(from years past) who I nicknamed "Little Bit". Her name is
Nancy Newton. If you know Nancy, next time you see her,
call her "Little Bit". She'll know you've been talking to
me! (and then run like crazy)
[If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we
will be a nation gone under. -Ronald Wilson Reagan]
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