Nepeta cataria I was recently reading a study from The Iowa State University Department of Entomology 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 […]
LEAF CUTTER BEE
The Megachilidae 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 !!! Typical leaf cut out in roses A common solitary garden bee that […]
BASIL
Origins While most of us associate basil with Italian food, it is actually native to India and Southeast Asia. The earliest known reference stretches back 5,000 years to Indian Vedic texts. It comes in many varieties; sweet basil used in Italian recipes, “holy” basil in ayurvedic medicine, small leaf, large leaf, purple, Thai, and […]
Going Banana’s
Ornamental Bananas Ornamental bananas differ from the edible kind only in that they are mainly used for decorative purposes. Although the genus of all bananas is Musa – the species or both edible and ornamental differ immensely. The subgroup Ensette is also an ornamental banana. NOTHING screams tropical summer display more than an ornamental […]
PLASMOLYSIS
Turgidity Normal cells are in a state that is called ‘turgid’. That is, they are pretty full of water and hence there is enough pressure against the cell wall for the cell membranes to keep their shape. If the plant does not receive water in time – it wilts. It’s basically a result of […]
Water
The water molecule Water is chemically known as H2O – that is, 2 atoms of Hydrogen stuck to one Oxygen. This assembly is kept together by their attraction to each other at the atomic level. Hey – maybe its the water inside us that makes us attracted to one another ! I wonder? Diagram […]
Now that’s shady !
The impossible dream If you cant keep anything alive (let alone grow) in a dark shady garden then listen up – we have a few choices for you that we have tried in our gardens for many years, and are very happy with the results. They hold up well without much effort – certainly […]
Big and Beautiful !
I am of course I am referring to – Hydrangea paniculata “limelight” Summertime These fantastic and eye catching plants do well in containers as well as in ground. They can be as wide as they are tall at about 6-8′. Super easy to care for, prune and feed – a good choice for […]
The English Cottage Garden
History The English invented the cottage garden, probably in the 1400s, to produce food for families. Every bit of space was planted with herbs, fruit trees, and flowers – all jammed together. Aside from being practical, it was charming – even to this day ! English gardener Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932) is the patron saint […]
