ANTHRACNOSE This is a fungus that infects a wide variety of ornamental trees and shrubs. Commonly affected plants include Japanese maple, dogwood (both shrubs and trees), oak, oak leaf hydrangea, Boston ivy and sycamore. Symptoms are observed on flowers, leaves and stems. These may vary on their expression and intensity depending on the host species. […]
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Hardiness
When you add salt to ice it melts. Why? The melting occurs because the salt molecules sneak in between the water molecules and this increases the distance between the water molecules. By making them farther apart than it would at that temperature they now behave as a liquid. Sugar has a similar effect. Thank you […]
CELLS
Plants, like animals, have eukaryotic cells – meaning they possess a defined nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. Although they share many common features they have 2 main differences. Firstly, plant cells have a cell wall that surrounds the cell membrane, whereas animal cells do not. This allows them to form an upright structure without the need […]
PETUNIAS !!!!!!
I was looking online for petunias – the customers’ request was “something different”. OMG – I got lost in all the choices ! Xihe LV green – Etsy Tiger – Dengarden Tea light – Horticulture week Vogue – Ball seed company Apple Blossom – Etsy Orchid Mist – Swallowtail garden seeds EZ Rider – […]
Good Bugs
Someone asked which are the best bugs to have in a garden. Easy. My two favorite bugs are lady beetles (ladybugs) and praying mantis. The combo is fierce. Another great one, although most people don’t want them around – are wasps! All three are carnivorous, and will eat their way through your garden’s pests every […]
BUD WORMS – YUCK !
This is a familiar garden pest we encounter every season. Better known as the Tobacco Budworm it is a pest of many of our favorite plants. It is also an agricultural pest of both tobacco and cotton. The caterpillar of this moth feeds on the buds and petals of geranium, petunia, snapdragon and nicotiana […]
How to grow Sunflowers – by the talented team at
Tall and bright, sunflowers are one of the summer’s most popular plants. Not only are sunflowers incredibly easy to grow they are also quick to flower. Most varieties flower within 95 days of germination. As well as being quick to flower sunflowers are also heat tolerant and pest resistant. While the tallest varieties can reach over 16 […]
DETERRING MOSQUITOS WITH CATNIP
The Iowa State University Department of Entomology recently presented the results of a study on common catnip. They concluded that an essential oil in catnip is very effective at repelling mosquitoes. When placed in a garden, small doses of catnip oil were 10 times more effective than DEET. While the researchers don’t know why mosquitoes […]
LEAF CUTTER BEE
Many clients, during the summer season call to say they found these perfectly cut out holes in the plant leaves ! A mystery no more ! – these are actually made by a group of bees – the Megachilidae. Typical leaf cut outs in roses. Thank you U of Florida ! A common solitary garden […]
