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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
Natorp's Nursery Outlet Sale - Sept. 14, 15, 16, 22, 23 Open
to the Public! Over 155,000 plants to chose from. Food and
drinks as well as Graeter's Ice Cream!
Visit www.natorp.com for more info. See you there!
"Fancy a Visit to Wine Country? It's In Your Back Yard."
Internationally recognized award winning Kinkead Ridge
Estate Winery (Ripley) opens the vineyard to the public for
the last vineyard tour of the year. Sept.1 and 3
10am to 6pm.
www.kinkeadridge.com
(937) 392-6077
"Lawn Establishment, Renovation &Care"
(seeding, feeding, core aerating, irrigating, pests, and
more)
Aug. 28 9-11am
Boone Co. Extension
Free but please call to reg. 859-586-6101
Split Rock Conservation Park Fundraiser
(Petersburg, Ky)
Sat. Oct.6 4-9pm
Live music, dinner, silent auction and more!
859-689-9999
splitrockpark.com
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
What can
I say? A few spotty showers moved through here and there,
and was basically enough to clear the dust from the leaves.
Looks like hot weather is here for several more days -
please keep watering as best you can!
[Law of Probability - The probability of being watched is
directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.]
What's Bugging You
Well, I
finally have a good 'bugging me' report. Within a 24 hour
period, the hornworms have literally destroyed one entire
Caribbean Red (twice as hot as regular habanero peppers)
pepper plant. No, they didn't eat the peppers. But they
demolished the foliage. And the thing that always amazes
me, is that it took me about 3-4 minutes before I could see
them, and once you find them, you're totally blown away at
why it took you so long! I mean, they are the size of your
little finger! Oh well, easiest control is to pick them off
and smash them. You could spray, but hand picking works
just fine. And no, they won't sting you with the horn. Man
can those dudes eat! (or dudettes)
This
week, Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting calls
concerning skin bites and itching, most of which were
probably chiggers, but could also be itch mites, probably
from Straw Itch Mites, or as in Chicago right now, Oak leaf
gall mites. They actually 'rain' down on people from the
galls on the oaks. Weird, huh? BJB is also reporting an
upswing in reports of assassin bugs (predatory bugs), spider
populations exploding in the lawns and gardens, including a
couple reports of seeing Black Widow spiders, ant wars going
on, magnolia scale doing its thing, Japanese beetles still
hanging around, bacterial spot on tomatoes, powdery mildew
on lots of plants, and believe it or not, a resurgence in
slug damages!
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
www.emeraldashborer.info
[Law of the Theatre - At any event, the people whose seats
are farthest from the aisle arrive last.]
Questionmark and the Mysterians -
Your Questions Answered
"Have you ever considered putting a picture of the plant to
ponder in this newsletter? Its easier to remember the look
when I go buy rather than the crazy names! Just a
thought." -Yes, we used to do that, but this new format
makes it extremely difficult for my peabrain to add
pictures. But we are looking into that for 2008! Thanks
for the thought.
"What is
the new tall fescue blend you were talking about last week
on your show?" -TLC with Titan limited. It's a tall
fescue blend (3 types) which is exactly what you want when
seeding a tall fescue lawn. For more info -
www.tlcfescue.com
.
"You
keep talking about late August and early September for doing
all these things to our lawns. Unless we get rain, nothing
will penetrate the concrete we have in our yard. So then
what do we do?" -Good question! If we don't have
natural rainfall by that time, you have to make a decision.
Either start watering (before the process begins) and commit
to that until natural rainfall happens, or wait and see what
Mother Nature has in store. Just remember that after the
second week in September, things begin to change (soil and
air temps begin to cool - days get shorter, etc) that can
affect the germination rate and growth rate of your new
seed. So it takes more time. I'm not saying you cannot
seed late September and into October and still be successful
(because you can!), but the "optimum" window is
earlier. Many new lawns are seeded into the fall season and
do just fine. But, you do become more dependent on the
weather, and who knows what that will bring! And if worse
comes to worse, you can wait and dormant seed sometime
during the winter. By the way, if you intend on killing
everything in the lawn and starting over, you'll actually
need to water the weeds first, to make sure they're actively
growing, and then spray them with Roundup or Kleenup.
Otherwise, the sprays won't work very well!
"How do
I contact the Bird and Bug Guy at the Wild Bird Center? You
gave his website, but I didn't write it down." -His name
is Patrick McCollum, he knows more about backyard wildlife
than anyone I know, and the website is
www.wildbirdcenter.com/mas
.
[Oliver's
Law - A closed mouth gathers no feet.]
Success Tip of the Week
If
you're an Alberta Spruce owner, or planning on planting one
in your landscape, listen up. I've got a few tips to help
keep them looking this good. I'm always getting questions
about why Alberta spruce are browning in spots and loosing
needles. And it's usually one of 2 things.
1.) Lack of moisture in the ground anytime during the
season will cause them to yellow and brown, especially if
they're dry going into the winter or summer. If the soil is
dry going into the winter or summer, the needles lose
moisture, can't replace it and bingo, you have dead
needles. You'll see this browning happening on the sides
exposed to high winds, sun, or facing the foundation of the
home, where it usually stays drier.
2.) Spider mites, a sucking insect, can be a problem on
Alberta spruce, especially the cool season mites. Cool
season mites are active in the cooler seasons, namely spring
and late summer / early fall. And that is the time to check
for mites. By the time you see browning due to mites, most
of the damage has already taken place. To check for mites,
take a piece of white paper and hold it under a branch.
Shake the branch on the paper. Look on the paper for very
tiny slow moving specks. If you can't see any, try gently
wiping your hand across the paper looking for a slight
smear. Both are indicators of mites, and yes, these mites
will cause the needles to turn brown and fall off. Granted
you can spray for mites using insecticidal soaps or
horticultural oils, but here's my way of taking care of the
mite problems without the chemical sprays, and keeping good
moisture in the soil.
Beginning in mid to late March, start a regiment of hosing
out the spruce with a strong stream of water about every 2-3
weeks. And I mean really hose it out. This not only waters
your spruce regularly, but also dislodges the mites and
blows them off the plant! Do this right up until the first
of July. In July and August, hose it out maybe once per
month, but when September arrives, go back to the hosing out
every 2-3 weeks. Again, knocks off the cool season mites,
and waters the spruce. Keep this up through October, and
then water as needed to make sure it has good soil moisture
going into the winter.
This
procedure is one of the best ways to keep your Alberta
spruce looking good every year, with just a garden hose, and
a good stream of water.
[Why isn't the number 11 pronounced "onety one"?]
From the Garden to the Kitchen
"Hey
Rita what's Cooking?"
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Yardboy, Deacon Jim Hennessey and I conducted our annual
grill class at Holy Trinity Church in Batavia, where we
both attend. Jim's London Broil was so delicious that I
asked him to share for our readers. By the way, Jim
scores both sides of the flank steak, allowing
the flavor to really penetrate. My favorite is with the
soy sauce and I usually add a bit more garlic powder and
oil (I use olive oil). If you have any stray parsley,
chop that up and add to the marinade. As I've told you
before, Yardboy, parsley is like a vitamin pill in a
plant so use it as much as you can!
Deacon Jim's London Broil:
¾
cup Burgundy wine, ½ cup Worcestershire sauce, 1
teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1
pound flank steak, scored.
Mix all ingredients (except steak) thoroughly. Pour over
scored flank steak and cover. Marinate in the
refrigerator all day or over night for best results.
Remove the flank steak from the marinade and grill meat
to the desired doneness.Remaining marinade can be heated
and served warm as a sauce.
Note:
Sherry can be substituted for the Burgundy wine and soy
sauce for the Worcestershire sauce.
-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
[When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?] |
Yardboy's "Plant to Ponder"
Heuchera,
or commonly known as Coral Bells. An old perennial - a
staple in many perennial gardens for sunny to partial shade
areas - been around forever. But after this one came along,
Palace Purple, and won the honors of perennial of the year
in 1991, the choices of coral bells for the garden simply
have simply exploded!
Let
me tell you about just a few of the many, many selections of
Coral Bells available today that have outstanding foliage
colors:
Peach
Melba with its peachy apricot foliage and dusty pink
undersides.
Can
Can with outstanding purple foliage with heavy silvery
veins.
Autumn Bride with its sharply toothed pale green leaves.
Purple Petticoat - dark purple frilly foliage - a tough
grower in the garden.
Obsidian - the semi glossy leaves on this one are dark
maroon to nearly black.
Snow
Angel with its light green lobed leaves that are heavily
marbled with a light cream variegation.
Cherries Jubilee - dark burgundy foliage with this
distinctive curly leaf and purple undersides.
Chocolate Ruffles - maroon green curly leaves with a
brilliant purple underside.
These
are just a few of the many selections you may find in the
Coral bells section of the perennial area. I mean, I didn't
even mention Amber Waves, Caramel, Dolce Creme Brulee,
Licorice, Midnight Rose, Pewter Veil, Green Spice, Bridget
Bloom, Plum Pudding, Sparkling Burgundy, Silver Scrolls, and
my two favorites Key Lime and Lime Rickey, just to name a
few more! Coral bells are very hardy, will tolerate sun or
light shade depending on the selection, as a bonus to all
this great foliage, they all flower at some time during the
summer! What a deal! And, they're perfect for adding to
container plantings for added foliage colors - especially
for the fall.
[Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with
stalking.]
A Little
Bit of This, A Little Bit of That
If you
love houseplants, but your cats do too, especially digging
in the soil, here are a few tips to help keep them away:
Try
placing your plants on plant stands or hard to get to
places.
Try
sprinkling cayenne pepper on the soil surface or covering
the soil with decorative rocks.
Push
toothpicks or popsickle sticks in the soil, leaving about ½
an inch sticking out.
Squirt the cat with a squirt gun when it approaches the
plant.
And
my favorite - place citrus peels on top of the soil. Cat's
can't stand the smell of citrus. (This works in mulch beds
as well!)
[There
isn't any map to success - you have to find your own way.]
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