Monday, December 6, 2021
A Very Prickly Christmas
Tuesday, July 6, 2021
The Secret Superpower of Geraniums
The tiresome Japanese beetle has been busy doing its thing again, tormenting gardeners. The first time I encountered them in my garden I tried to look upon the Boston ivy as a greenish lace curtain draped over the fence. It didn’t work. There was no avoiding the realization that the leaves had been shredded by Japanese beetles.
Last year it was the hazel and by the time I noticed it was
too late and the poor tree suffered the same treatment. There were just too
many to deal with, and besides, they were out of reach. Other times these shiny
brown and green beetles with locust-like appetites have appeared on my roses
where at least they’re easy to spot and it’s easy to shake them off into a pail
of soapy water. That’s about the most effective way to dispatch them. Sadly,
for some gardeners, so many show up to feast they’d need to set up a dishwasher
in the back yard and herd them in. So far this year I’ve only seen two and used
the quick and simple squishing technique — ugh.
It’s at the grub stage in lawns where some control can be
achieved by an application of nematodes, but to be effective, correct time of
application, weather, and specific soil temperature must all coincide. Even
then, it’s of little help if yours is the only lawn in the area to be treated.
You might be wondering why these voracious pests haven’t defoliated their homeland by now. In Japan they’re seen only as a minor pest, simply because of a difference in gardening culture. The country isn’t blanketed with lawns the way North America is, and that means far fewer places accommodate the lifecycle of the grubs.
There are traps available to limit damage, and they work extremely well, or sort of. They attract the beetles with two types of baits or pheromones, a sex one to attract the males and a flowery one to tempt both male and female. The drawback is they can attract thousands of beetles and as they pass over your garden on their incoming flight path, enough of them will stop off for a quick feed and anything else they might have in mind. No harm in trying with traps. Better still, convince all your neighbours to install a few.
The most effective solution, though not the easiest, is to gradually replace any plants and trees that the beetles are attracted to, and there are over 300 species. There are even more that they’ll never bother, and if that’s the route you choose to take, a quick search online will provide lists of both.
One
more possible way to limit the damage the beetles do, is
to plant geraniums, lots of them. Research by a couple of scientists confirmed
anecdotal reports that geraniums (pelargoniums) are toxic to these pests. After
feeding on the flowers, the study showed the beetles became paralysed for up to
16 hours, however, it didn’t finish them off. When they recovered, they went
back for more. Made them easier to pick off, I suppose, but it might take a
lawn full of geraniums to provide any relief. Other anecdotal reports suggested
the same effect occurred when beetles fed on flowers of bottlebrush buckeye
(Aesculus parviflora), but when tested, no adverse effects were observed.
Nature does have a way of challenging us, so for now it looks like I’ll continue picking and squishing, at least until balance is restored.
Saturday, March 13, 2021
Gardens and Gardeners are Thawing Out
Robins are making an reluctant appearance and squirrels are active, so it must be Spring. But it’s a slow process in the garden. Spring doesn’t so much begin with warm sunny days; it begins in the dark, deep in the soil as the ground thaws
Sunshine may warm the top few inches of soil, enough for snow drops and crocuses, but the frost recedes more as the residual heat from the earth pushes upwards. Not until the soil reaches an optimal temperature do the roots wake up and begin feeding sap upwards. When the air is warm enough, it continues to flow, buds swell, leaves sprout and spring really arrives. And that will be another week or so.Gardeners however, have been thawed out for some time and can’t wait to act on their plans and dreams. For many, it will be their first venture into the world of gardening, whether it’s a few containers on a deck, a flower bed, or a raised bed for vegetables.
That concept has taken off, especially among young people eager to grow fresh veggies in the backyard. Depending on soil conditions gardeners have always raised their beds above surrounding soil levels. It’s done to ensure good drainage, or simply because there isn’t sufficient existing soil in the typical backyard. Often there’s only a few inches provided to sustain grass, and not without copious amounts of water and annual fertilizing.
By raising and enclosing the bed it becomes in effect a large planter, suitable for a small backyard where space is at a premium. These are usually built with lumber, although other materials can be used. Cedar, redwood or cypress are good, though pricey choices — it’s a long payback term for a few tomatoes and carrots. Low grade lumber won’t last long before deteriorating but it can be okay if it’s only going to be in use for a limited time.Pressure treated lumber is no longer treated with arsenic as
it used to be, and from what I’ve been able to determine there are no issues
with the copper compounds that are currently used,
however, I’d still be
inclined to line the wood with polyethylene film. Cement blocks or old logs,
though not as tidy, will also do the trick.
The bed can be any length, but a metre and a half wide (four
feet) allows for easy access without having to step in. This avoids compacting
the soil as everything is within easy reach for planting, weeding, or
harvesting. As for depth, a minimum of 20 centimeters (eight inches) is fine,
although the bed can be built much higher if the old back is getting creaky.
A popular alternative is triple mix. There isn’t a standard composition, but it’s typically a friable blend of regular soil, peat moss, and other organic matter. As the organic matter breaks down, the soil will settle and eventually need topping up.
Contained raised beds do tend to dry out faster than a
regular bed, so watch for that. Adding mulch will save on water and reduce the
need for weeding. One big advantage often touted is that the soil warms up
faster in spring, allowing for an earlier start, however, keep in mind that it
will cool off just as fast in fall.
Meanwhile gardeners, stay cool, real Spring will soon arrive.
Monday, September 9, 2019
Don't Quit Yet.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Genuine examples of passionate (mad) gardeners:
All my trees have people names, so friends think I always have friends to talk to when I say "Yesterday, I was speaking to Paul about the dry weather" (Paul is a 70-year-old twisted hazelnut tree!).
Balancing on one crutch, digging holes to plant tomatoes in June.
I will go out to the garden in the morning in my PJs to see how everything is. I stop to pick a weed (or so I think), and I'm still there in my PJs at two in the afternoon, still in my PJs.
I bought four coleus plants eight months ago. I couldn't even spell propagation, and now I have 400 of the little devils!
I don't usually keep secrets from my husband, but I never show him my receipt when returning from the gardening center.
I think moving 300 or so plants from one house to another counts!
The dirt under my nails is layered in strata. My favorite cologne is eau de earth. I garden by flashlight.
I never met a plant I didn't want.
I talk to my plants and play classical music for them.
My husband is crying "No more flowers, no more flowery dishes, no more of flowery wallpaper, " but I can't hear because I’m in the winter garden preparing for more flowers!
I pull more weeds in other people's gardens than I do in my own.
I think moving 300 or so plants from one house to another makes me a mad gardener!
Growing . . . growing old, excited, cuttings, seeds, happy, fatter, dirtier, smarter. Gardening madness helps me to grow all these and many more!
Let's just say, my husband often brings out a shop light so that I can continue to see what I'm doing.
Obsessed! That’s what my family says I am. I am determined to eradicate every blade of grass from our Florida lawn and replace it with plants for birds and butterflies.
I have childhood memories of being in the car with Mom on the way to nurseries, her knuckles whiter on the steering wheel, speedometer clicking ever higher, breath coming faster . . . I don’t really think of myself as mad, just that I'm a bit like my mother.
Getting up at 3 am to widen a border so the family didn't catch me removing yet more lawn. I'm banned from doing that.
There isn’t a bare spot in my house. I have plants on every surface — tables, chairs, floors, windowsills, husband’s bar, everywhere. There’s no lawn left. I’ve even moved onto my neighbor’s property.
I am obsessed . . . can't think about anything much other than my garden. Hard to pass the garden centres without stopping in to see if a plant says "take me home."
I spend more time thinking of and planning where I can use or obtain more plants than I spend on what to have for dinner.
Monday, December 24, 2018
Holly Days are Here
Friday, December 14, 2018
Zap Those Plant Pests
There seems to be no end to the pests Olaf has to put up with. His latest problem is fungus gnats -- those things that look like fruit flies -- speaking of which -- I’ve never seen one in a grocery store. Racks and racks of fruit displays screaming eat me, eat me, and not a fruit fly in sight. This worries me. I leave one grape on the kitchen counter and the fruit flies are rolling it out the door!
Anyway, back to Olaf. The Fungus Gnats were driving him nuts. He’d tried everything to get rid of them, but they kept returning. I told him, "You have to destroy the source. They're laying their eggs in the soil, you know. The eggs hatch into tiny larvae and then turn into the gnats that are bugging you”
"Oh, really," he said.
Next day, Olaf went down to the local petro-chemical by-product outlet and purchased a variety of toxic waste to drench the plants and soil with -- so much that I'm surprised he didn't get a visit from a U.N. weapons inspection team. Even so, the stuff had little effect. The gnats vanished all right, but a week later they returned -- bigger and meaner. Olaf was wild.
Since then he’s tried everything: soaking his plants in the shower, wrapping them in plastic, and even heating them in the microwave (moderately successful as far as wiping out the gnat larvae, but it made the leaves a bit crisp). Things got really serious when he put all his plants in the garage and ran the car to try to asphyxiate them. It might have been successful, but he had to call off the experiment when the Peace Lily passed out.
Olaf asked me over for a beer the other weekend -- told me that at last he had a sure-fire way to zap the critters in the soil. "Follow me," he said, and led me into the garage. The car was in there, and so were all his houseplants -- lined up like they were on death row.
The hood was up on the car and he had a pair of cables attached to the battery. The other ends of the cables were hooked to two large meat probes.
"These are my bug-zapping light sabres," he said. “Watch this.” He then yelled, "Clear," just like on E.R. -- or St. Elswhere if you're still watching re-runs -- and plunged the two meat probes into a pot containing a huge schefflera.
Sure-fire was right. Blue sparks flashed and the battery began to smoke as steam rose from the soil. Both Olaf and the schefflera shuddered. "There," he groaned, "that should fry em." I wasn't convinced; I've seen too many Frankenstein movies. I got out of the garage fast with visions of a crazy professor and mutant larvae flashing to mind.
It's been a month now and Olaf still hasn't solved his fungus gnat problem. Last time I talked with him he was thinking of taking them down to the grocery store and standing them beside the fruit racks for a day or two. Meanwhile, I've stopped watching late movies and, just as a precaution, I got the screen on the window fixed.
WARNING! This is fiction. Do not attempt this at home, or anywhere else for that matter -- you may wind up on Grey's Anatomy. But if you see Olaf's sure-fire bug killer on a late- night infomercial, remember, you saw it here first.
TIP: The above might work, but the best is yellow sticky strips and a layer of grit or perlite on the surface of the soil.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Rockway Gardens, Kitchener, Ontario.
In 1928, a strip of wasteland alongside the eastern approach to the city of
Friday, April 7, 2017
No Spring in Your step?
I've been finding that as each year goes by it's getting harder to stay in shape, so I came up with a great idea. This winter I cleaned up the garage and turned it into my very own garden gym. It was easy. I tied a couple of bricks to a shovel, and I hooked up a rake to the wall with a bungee cord. Now I can stand there for hours pretending I'm digging the veggie garden over or cleaning up the lawn.
That's not all. I developed a whole range of exercises to simulate yard work. One of the harder jobs in the yard is pushing a wheelbarrow. I wanted to bring Wally (my faithful wheelbarrow) in to wheel around the garage but there isn't enough room. I solved that by substituting a couple of pails for Wally and I carry them back and forth instead. When I get the hang of it I'll put something in the pails instead of pretending Wally's empty.
I discovered another exercise quite by chance. I was in the gym doing some bungee raking and hadn't quite got the hang of it. I had the rake pulled to the limit when it slipped out of my hand and boinged around the garage. Dangerous? I'll say. It slapped me in the head a couple of times before raking everything off the shelf where I store all my odds and ends. Two hours of simulated weeding as I cleaned them up was easily as effective, and exciting, as the real thing.
Yes, the garden gym works great; however, being cooped up in the garage without the distractions of nature I've discovered a whole new perspective on what I'm actually doing to myself out there in the yard every spring. After a few weeks of working out I've come to realize how much stress I actually put my poor body through. No wonder it's always grumbling.
I now believe that gardening is just as grueling as any sport. Why, maybe gardening should be in the Olympics. That would be so thrilling. Can you imagine the spine-tingling tension of a topiary competition, or the excitement of competitive weeding? And let's not forget the sheer titillation of questionable garden clothing. But then I suppose there'd be the usual scandal over the use of illegal growth hormones (that will be a biggie, I'm sure), and we'd have to watch those hokey interviews with the medalists: "I owe it all to my pony, Jenny, for providing me with what it takes to grow healthy plants." Meanwhile the medalists will all be standing there holding shovels and wearing shrink-wrapped spandex with the logos of huge fertilizer companies plastered over them.
Maybe not. Maybe I'll skip today's workout and give the compost heap a poke instead -- ooh,ooh.