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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
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Mason
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for more info.
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
Cooler
temperatures, but still no good rainfall. And that's the
whole story in a nutshell!
What's Bugging You
Pretty
bug free in the yardboy garden, besides the spiders and the
walking stick I found Tuesday morning! Now that is one
goofy looking creature.
This week
Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting horsehair worms
in watering tanks and pools of water, fall webworms continue
their fall dance, yellow jackets making their fall presence
known, spiders still webbing around, adult iris borers are
beginning to emerge, mimosa webworms on locust, mosquito
flare ups in areas that have received large amounts of
rainfall recently (not here!), COOL SEASON SPRUCE MITES
beginning to appear (spray those Alberta spruce with
water!), and the ever popular wooly bear caterpillars have
begun to "cross the roads".
Catch the
Buggy Joe Boggs Report every Saturday at 8:42am on 55KRC the
talk station.
ashalert.osu.edu
www.emeraldashborer.info
[What we see depends on what we look for.]
Questionmark and the Mysterians -
Your Questions Answered
"We're new homeowners, and have noticed our plants and lawn
are covered with spider webs. What spray do you recommend
to get rid of them?" -None! I know it's hard to accept,
but the spiders in the garden are our friends. They're the
good guys. They're predators, and right now, they're doing
a fine job reducing the bug populations in our yards. So we
do not recommend spraying for spiders in the garden. If the
webs bother you, feel free to eliminate them with a broom or
strong stream of water, but please don't spray to kill
them. Leave the outdoor spiders alone.
"This
year, my junipers have developed berries. I have kids and
pets and was wondering if those berries were poisonous?"
-Well, let's just say it's probably best if the kids and
pets don't eat them. They are bitter and not very
palatable, but never the less, shouldn't be eaten. Now,
juniper berries are actually used for many things, and have
been for centuries, including aromatherapy, soaps, food
flavoring, and of course, the flavoring for Gin. But it's
also used as a diuretic, and eating the berries will cause
severe increases in urinating, diarrhea, and intestinal
pain. So, show the kids what they are, and tell them to
look but don't eat.
On
that same token, some Taxus (Japanese yews) will also
produce berries that are a bright red and very fleshy. Do
not eat these berries. The fleshy fruit on the outside
actually is edible, but the seed on the inside is highly
poisonous. Birds can eat them and be okay, as they do not
crush the seed and it passes through them. But, it's not
the same story for others. Do not eat the berries from
Japanese yews!
"I
want to plant some groundcover, but was told by another
landscaper that it's too late. Is that true?" -Not at
all! Now, "flats" of groundcover should be installed this
month or through very early October to allow it time to
begin rooting before winter. But if we're planting
groundcover grown in large pots (deeply rooted), we'll keep
right on planting well into the fall season.
Success Tip of the Week
FALL IS
FOR PLANTING! You've seen it on banners. You've read about
it in magazines and advertisements. But is it true? Is
'Fall' really for planting? YES IT IS! Just when folks are
ready to "throw in the trowel" for the season, we're tooting
the horns saying it's time to get the trowel out and get
planting!
The
initial question about fall planting comes from the fact
that plants are loosing leaves, they've stopped growing, and
are shutting down for the winter. And that's true. But
what's interesting is that while the tops are shutting down,
the bottoms, or root systems, or firing up! More roots are
developed on plants during the fall season than any other
time the rest of the year. So, by planting in the fall,
you're giving those newly planted trees and shrubs a head
start on next year. When spring rolls around, and those
plants are thinking "flowers and leaves", they will have
already started developing a root system last fall, that
will help to support their spring growth. (In addition to
root development, planting in the 'Fall' is less stressful
on the plants and us with the cooler temperatures, and under
normal situations, Autumn's natural rainfall helps with
watering.)
Fall
is the best time for planting most trees, shrubs,
evergreens, lawns, perennials, spring flowering bulbs, as
well as planting all those great plants that provide us with
great colors late into the season like mums, asters, cabbage
and kale, Montauk daisies, pansies and violas, ornamental
peppers, fall flowering perennials, perennial herbs,
colorful hardy vines, and a wonderful selection of cold
hardy annuals. (Fall is also one of the best times for
transplanting most trees, shrubs, evergreens, perennials,
etc, for all the same reasons that its such a good time for
planting.)
A
healthy, well planned landscape can add as much as 15-20% to
the value of your home, return as much as 200% on the
original landscape investment, and as realtors will tell
you, increases the resale value as well as improving the
curb appeal when trying to sell your home. It also provides
personal pleasure and enjoyment, as well as helping the
environment both aesthetically and functionally. And now
that you know 'Fall' is the best time to plant, what are you
waiting for? Get out and get planting today!
From the Garden to the Kitchen
"Hey
Rita what's Cooking?"
Yardboy,
I just finished picking a peck of tomatoes, lots of
peppers, and bunches and bunches of basil and oregano. Today
I'm sharing recipes for preserving some of that wonderful
garden produce and herbs.
Freezing Tomatoes:
It's all the rage right now, freezing tomatoes without
peeling or coring or blanching. I've frozen the cherry
tomatoes for years this way - they usually have more sugar
and less water than the larger ones , so they take to
freezing well. Blanching tomatoes does two things: it
loosens the skin and also kills any enzymes that allow the
tomato to continue to ripen in the freezer. But since frozen
tomatoes are used in cooked dishes anyway, if you don't have
time to blanch, go ahead and freeze them whole on cookie
sheets. When they're frozen, transfer to suitable
containers. To thaw any frozen tomato, place in a colander
and run a bit of warm water over it. The skin will peel
right off. I like to chop my tomatoes up while they're still
a bit frozen for easier handling.
Freezing Roasted Peppers:
After
peeling the roasted peppers and cutting the peppers in
strips, layer with olive oil in a suitable container. Go
ahead and add some garlic cloves and herbs if you want.
Freeze. To use, thaw (the olive oil may not freeze hard)
and put into soups, stews, pizzas, sandwiches, etc.
Preserving Basil and Oregano in Cheese:
Yes,
it's an old fashioned way and yes, it's back. Take equal
amounts of basil or oregano and Parmesan or Romano cheese.
The cheese should be shredded and the basil or oregano
either julienned or chopped coarsely. Make layers in freezer
proof containers starting with the cheese first and adding a
layer of cheese last, as well. The cheese and basil flavor
each other and are great in soups, stews, pizza, breads,
pastas, etc. Don't thaw before using.
Preserving Dill in Salt:
Another
heirloom method: in a suitable freezer container, pour in a
thin layer of salt - I like to use sea salt. Then take a
long sprig of dill with leaves attached and wind it around
the base of the jar on top of the salt. Continue layering
with salt and dill, ending with salt. This will keep 6
months in the frig. The salt and dill flavor each other. The
dill will get limp and turn a darker green. Use in salads,
potatoes, soups, breads, whatever.
-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
[If you don't say it, they can't repeat it.]
Yardboy's "Plant to Ponder"
If
you're like most folks, when someone mentions "willow", you
think about those majestic weeping willows hanging over the
banks of a pond or stream. But how about 'shrub' willows?
Let me show you 3 that you may just want to incorporate into
your landscape.
-Salix 'Arctic Blue' is a Basket willow, grows in a shrub
form, and is known for its somewhat purple stems, and
linear, fine textured blue green leaves with silvery blue
undersides, which is gorgeous when the wind blows. Thick
branched, Arctic Blue is a great specimen or mass planter,
and although listed in many catalogs as growing to 4 - 5
feet, if left un-pruned can easily reach 8 feet plus.
Easily pruned and maintained at a smaller size.
-One
of my favorites, Salix 'Hakuro Nishiki', is a Dappled
willow. This naturally rounded shrubby plant is a fast
grower, full of thin, gracefully spreading branches, and
although is listed in most catalogs as growing 8 feet by 8
feet, left un-pruned it can get much larger - even into a
small ornamental tree. From a distance, Niskiki's new
foliage makes it look as though it's in flower, when
actually, it's the wonderful pink and creamy white new
leaves at the ends of the branches. As an added bonus,
you'll get yellow fall colors, and the stems actually turn a
shade of red for the winter. Again easily pruned and
maintained at a smaller size.
-And
here is Salix 'Flamingo', which is actually a sport
(improved selection) of Hakuro Nishiki! Again, it may be
listed as growing to 6 - 8 feet, but if left un-pruned can
easily reach sizes above10 feet plus. Now, what's so unique
about Flamingo is the new growth - it's an even stronger
pink than Nishiki, followed by showy white and green mottled
leaves. And yes, you'll still get those yellow fall colors
and reddish winter stems. Like the others, prune Flamingo
back to maintain a smaller size.
Like
most willows, all of these will tolerate wet soils, but will
also grow in drier conditions. And as I mentioned, all
respond quite nicely to heavy pruning, not only to keep them
at a smaller size, but to also encourage new growth, which
results in more of those wonderful foliage and stem colors.
A Little
Bit of This, A Little Bit of That
Coaxing
Poinsettias into Holiday Colors - If you by chance grew
last year's Holiday Poinsettia outdoors over the summer, it
probably grew like crazy! And now that fall is here, and
you've brought it back inside, you're probably wondering
what to do with it now, to get it back to the holiday
colors! Here is what you can do:
1.)
Find a place in the house where your poinsettia will receive
good bright light during the day, and have cooler
temperatures -right around 68-70 degrees. Keep it away from
hot or cold drafts, water as needed (don't let them totally
dry out), and give them a light feeding on a monthly basis.
Our goal, obviously, is to keep it as healthy as we can,
growing as a houseplant.
2.)
Now comes the question, "How do I get it to turn the holiday
colors"? Well, the secret is this - poinsettias are a light
sensitive plant, and as the days get shorter, and nights get
longer, their leaves begin to react by turning colors. So,
your goal is to give your poinsettia 10 hours of bright
light each day, and 14 hours of total darkness each night.
That's total darkness, which means no light whatsoever,
including lamps, overhead lights, outdoor night-lights,
etc.
3.)
You can achieve this by moving the plant each night into a
closet, or placing a cardboard box over the plant. For
larger poinsettias, extra large black plastic garbage bags
work well. Simply cover the plant each night with the black
plastic bag. Or your best bet is placing it in a spare
bedroom that has a really bright window for sunlight during
the day, but doesn't get used at night. That way the plant
stays cooler, has the sun it needs to grow and remain
healthy, but yet receives no light for the 14-hour period.
(And there are no hassles on your part!)
5.)
You'll need to keep this procedure going for about 8-10
weeks, or until the leaves begin to turn their holiday
colors. Once they do, you can the procedure, and move them
to where they can be enjoyed for the holiday season.
Now,
all through this process, you still need to keep your
poinsettia as healthy as possible, so keep up with the usual
care. And after the holiday is over, well, you can start
the entire process all over again for next year!
[There is no time like the pleasant.]
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