Here in the UK we have experienced, or should I say, suffered the wettest summer ever, or at least in the last hundred years so I’m told, but finally there has been a change. In fact the rain held off for most of the time that the Olympics and Paralympics took place and we are [...]
Flaming June in its usual sense has been somewhat of a washout this year and the slang meaning of flaming would be more appropriate. Rain and yet more rain interspersed with heavy cloud has meant that the sun has rarely appeared. But earlier this week the skies finally cleared and we had a fine summer [...]
This titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum, is growing in the Kenneth Post Lab Greenhouses at Cornell University. The plant is only found in Sumatra and flowers very infrquently so when it does you want to grab your chance to admire it. The flower lasts for just a couple of days. Take a look at their live [...]
Tags:arum·Titan arum
“Mild Weather Tricks Plants To Thinking Spring Has Arrived” is a headline I saw recently and is certainly true for my garden. In December there were only a few frosty nights and January so far is mild and wet. The camellias have clearly decided that spring is here. The first flower appeared a few days [...]
“Aphids aren’t all bad” claims the headline, but “Gardeners know aphids as tiny, squishy pests that can suck the life right out of plants and, as if that weren’t enough, leave behind a sticky, nasty mess”. It’s common knowledge that ladybugs eat aphids and and so can be used as a non chemical form of [...]
Tags:aphids·compost·control·figs·ladybugs·non-chemical·pests·soil
It’s time to start thinking about planting bulbs to flower in the spring, but if like most of us you have squirrels in the area, you need to plan how you can protect the bulbs. I found this article by Ciscoe Morris writing in the Seattle Times in which he suggests various ways to safeguard [...]
Last year I planted a helenium in one of my herbaceous beds and this is the second year that it has bloomed profusely. The other day I noticed a Red Admiral butterfly on the plant. I was able to go back into the house to collect my camera and then return to find the butterfly [...]
For me August is the month when the garden is past its best and my thoughts turn to the autumn cleanup and plans for next year. But there are plenty of things to be done in August and I have found two articles, one covering lawns and the other irises. I have to confess that [...]
Conventional wisdom tells us that shade is the last thing that vegetables need, but Mark Hoffman from Kempton, Illinois disagrees. He will tell you from personal experience that some shade can have unexpected benefits. For instance potatoes which are grown partly in shade are more resistant to leaf hoppers. While crops grown in shade will [...]
Tags:gadgets·guerilla gardening·proactive gardening·shade·vegetables·veggies·weeds