Howdy,
My husband, Travis, works for the N & O, and his editors need a photo of folks watering their gardens for an upcoming story.
Please email him at: tlong(a)newsobserver.com or call 812.7564.
Thanks a bunch,
Vanessa
If it is a rose, it will come into bloom sooner or later.
~Goethe
Sent from my iPad
*Linda Blue column: Smart planting attracts butterflies*
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20110611/LIVING/306110007/Right-plants…
Who doesn't love to see colorful butterflies flitting through the garden?
I've heard a number of folks comment that they no longer see the number of
butterflies they used to. And science does back up the fact that the
populations of many species of butterflies are declining.
Butterfly enthusiasts think habitat destruction, lack of adequate host
plants and inappropriate use of pesticides have contributed to the decline.
Consider that since butterflies are native insects, their larva
(caterpillars) feed almost exclusively on native plant species. Then think
about the amount of native plant habitat that has been eliminated by
development and replaced with non-native landscape plants.
Gardeners who use insecticides on all their garden plants “just in case”
there might be some pesky insect about, often kill more butterflies and
their babies, as well as beneficial insects, than they do pests. Even
organic products will kill these innocent bystanders if not used carefully.
Simply planting certain types of flowers to attract butterflies is only part
of the picture when gardening with butterflies in mind. If you want them to
multiply, they have to hang around for a while and have the right plants for
their babies to eat.
A landscape with a variety of environments and plant types would be ideal
for attracting a large variety of butterfly species, but don't let a small
garden space deter you. Open, sunny spots usually work best, but butterflies
will visit a small wooded lot if the right plants are there to attract them.
Butterflies will be drawn to almost any brightly colored flower, but they do
have their favorites. For nectar plants, it's hard to beat butterfly bush
for attracting a wide variety of butterflies. Other shrubs include
Caryopteris (blue mist shrub) and glossy Abelia. Among the most recommended
perennials are Monarda (bee balm), Joe Pye weed, asters, sedums and
Echinacea (purple coneflower).
When selecting nectar plants, be sure to consider each plant's bloom period.
You will want to make sure you have several attractive plants blooming from
spring through fall. Annuals are particularly useful for ensuring a long
bloom season. Some reliable butterfly magnets include Tithonia (Mexican
sunflower), annual butterfly weed, zinnias and verbenas.
I'm going to rip out a bunch of lemon balm out of my garden at some point soon. It's in the mint family (it spreads), and I don't really use it, so it's taking up evermore valuable garden real estate.
If anyone wants some plants, or has a tried-and-true recipe, let me know.
--
Shawna Schnorr
Now that we are into the dog days of early June(?), I was wondering how
everyone's plants are holding up.
I harvested my first cucumber (burpless) yesterday and quickly made it an
addition to my salad.
Bush beans are ready for picking.
Tomatoes are surprisingly slow to produce but the basil is looking good.
Cantaloupe vines with flowers are reaching out of the beds and I am probably
going to have more than enough for ten families this summer. Will trade for
yellow squash when they are ready.
Sweet banana peppers are starting to show and Jalapeno are close behind.
I am only watering every other day for 3-5 minutes from the sprinklers.
Hope yours is hanging in the heat.
Thanks.
Ryan
Drew St.
Lots of information on to raise or not to raise garden beds. NICE--and thanks!
I really like the idea of transitioning from raised beds to in-ground, as the first-stage raised beds would help discourage/kill any lingering grass AND be a good source of soil amendment on down the road. My previous veggie gardens weren't in raised beds, but they were delineated by 1x6 frames. Though it's a bit more work, there are definitely several advantages to framing or walling off the beds, raised or not.
First, as already mentioned, paths are great (I always layered mine with those big coarse bark chips, but stone/gravel works great as well)! Not only do they allow easy access for carts, wheelbarrows, mowers, etc., they keep you from slogging around in the mud. And they look so pleasantly tidy :-)
Second, if you're trying NOT to walk on or compact the soil, you can prop some sturdy planks on the 'walls' like a bridge, across from side to side, and weed or feed everything from your plank perch. And, of course, those loose boards can be moved wherever you need access.
Third, of course, the hard boundaries help contain any mulch you may add. . .
I'm especially encouraged to hear the voles may not be the only ones to benefit from my vegetable plantings! I DO have a dog; unfortunately, however barky and fierce-looking he may be, he actually looks on rabbits and squirrels with a live-and-let-live attitude. I had thought a cat might be a better opponent for voles. . .but it might hurt the dog's feelings :-)
Obviously, this discussion has got me thinking a LOT about vegetable gardening. Thanks!
Judy
--- On Sun, 6/12/11, gardening-request(a)eastraleigh.org <gardening-request(a)eastraleigh.org> wrote:
From: gardening-request(a)eastraleigh.org <gardening-request(a)eastraleigh.org>
Subject: Gardening Digest, Vol 2, Issue 7
To: gardening(a)eastraleigh.org
Date: Sunday, June 12, 2011, 2:59 PM
Send Gardening mailing list submissions to
gardening(a)eastraleigh.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://www.eastraleigh.org/mailman/listinfo/gardening
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
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When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of Gardening digest..."
Today's Topics:
1. Re: Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds
(billdupre1551(a)aol.com)
2. Re: Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds (Vanessa Van Horn)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:08:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: billdupre1551(a)aol.com
Subject: Re: [Gardening] Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds
To: gardening(a)eastraleigh.org
Message-ID: <8CDF73A85565FD3-E60-3B532(a)webmail-m007.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
I put in three 4-by-8-foot raised beds last year. We have not had a problem with voles in them - and we have voles in our yard. I definitely did not dig down three feet and use hardware cloth; I just dug up the grass, placed the wood on top and filled with compost, cow poop and even some red clay.
Thanks for the note on the tomatoes. I was thinking ours were taking a long time.
Bill DuPre
1413 Morecai
-----Original Message-----
From: Judith Duke <dukejudith(a)yahoo.com>
To: gardening <gardening(a)eastraleigh.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 11, 2011 11:01 pm
Subject: [Gardening] Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds
Hello.
Most of my gardening experience has been in southern California, the majority in the Mojave desert. So my focus was largely on water conservation, native plants, and xeriscaping (with the exception of vegetables, of course).
I had some fairly large vegetable gardens back then, so here, I keep thinking I should plow up some of my boring-to-mow backyard and grow something I can eat. A few questions, though:
Can I just dig up existing 'lawn' (courtesy title), amend the soil, and go for it? Or are raised beds a must? And speaking of raised beds, does that mitigate the vole problem? I don't know about you-all, but my property seems to be Vole Mecca. I Googled "raised bed" + "vole", and the recommendations are insane: dig down 3', line the whole bed with hardware cloth, etc. Anybody have problems with the critters?
BTW, tomato blossoms generally don't set when night temps are over 50?, daytime over 90?. . .which would account for their slowness during this blazing spring. Also, I'm curious about the various reports of planting regular peppers with hot ones. I always heard they should be segregated, as otherwise they cross-pollinate, giving some unexpected bite to sweet peppers; I remember one source calling peppers "promiscuous". Is this not a problem? It would certainly make garden planning easier not having to work around that.
I've been reading this thread and saving up my comments, so here are a couple of the plant sources that've occurred to me along the way. Major focus on xeriscaping: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/ I relied on them quite a bit in the desert; I expect many of their plants would also work well for eastern gardens. For heirloom and cottage garden seeds http://www.reneesgarden.com/. I grew her Carmello tomatoes (yum!) for years. And it's worth checking the website for the free recipes if nothing else (I bought Cookbook #1 and am going back for Cookbook #2).
Pray for rain.
Judy
_______________________________________________
Gardening mailing list
Gardening(a)eastraleigh.org
http://www.eastraleigh.org/mailman/listinfo/gardening
I'm interested in more opinions on the question of raised beds or not... I
am one who just dug up the yard/weeds with a shovel, and turned it a few
times over the winter. To spruce it up a bit I added my compost and some
potting soil I purchased.
I had awesome tomatoes, cukes, squash, and hot peppers last year, and this
year everything is coming along great. It's a pretty small plot--about 8x15.
Weeds are a bit of an issue, but regular hand pulling is starting to pay off
and they are letting up. I'm getting nice veggies out of there with not much
equipment or expense...but if there is a real benefit to a raised bed, I'd
consider it for sure!
On Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 11:53 AM, <gardening-request(a)eastraleigh.org> wrote:
> Send Gardening mailing list submissions to
> gardening(a)eastraleigh.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://www.eastraleigh.org/mailman/listinfo/gardening
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> gardening-request(a)eastraleigh.org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> gardening-owner(a)eastraleigh.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Gardening digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Volunteer plants (Judith Duke)
> 2. Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds (Judith Duke)
> 3. Re: Volunteer plants (Hope Rollins)
> 4. Re: Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds (Ryan Parker)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:31:48 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Judith Duke <dukejudith(a)yahoo.com>
> Subject: [Gardening] Volunteer plants
> To: gardening(a)eastraleigh.org
> Message-ID: < <94921.76535.qm(a)web113312.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>94921.76535.
> qm(a)web113312.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hi, neighbors.
> ?
> I have some little seedlings for adoption--that or the weed pile.
> ?
> 1. Amsonia (narrow-leaf bluestar, originally from Plant Delights):?maybe
> 2'+ high at maturity, mostly about the feathery foliage (golden in
> fall/winter)?but the early blue stars/blossoms are nice with blue-ish
> irises.
> ?
> 2. Nandina (non-dwarf): lots of volunteers around the mother ship.? Nice
> lacy faux-bamboo screening plant, about 4'-5', plus the birds like the
> berries and the bees get dizzy bumbling around in the pollen.
> ?
> 3. Red maple: just one, still teensy--but so pretty (and expensive) as they
> grow larger.? The parent is?almost certainly grafted onto another
> rootstock.? I don't know if that's?a requirement?for the tree to
> survive/thrive, but I hate to just tear it out and throw it away. . .
> ?
> Email or stop by if you want any of the above.
> ?
> Judy
> Watkins & Dennis, pink house
>
Hello.
Most of my gardening experience has been in southern California, the majority in the Mojave desert. So my focus was largely on water conservation, native plants, and xeriscaping (with the exception of vegetables, of course).
I had some fairly large vegetable gardens back then, so here, I keep thinking I should plow up some of my boring-to-mow backyard and grow something I can eat. A few questions, though:
Can I just dig up existing 'lawn' (courtesy title), amend the soil, and go for it? Or are raised beds a must? And speaking of raised beds, does that mitigate the vole problem? I don't know about you-all, but my property seems to be Vole Mecca. I Googled "raised bed" + "vole", and the recommendations are insane: dig down 3', line the whole bed with hardware cloth, etc. Anybody have problems with the critters?
BTW, tomato blossoms generally don't set when night temps are over 50°, daytime over 90°. . .which would account for their slowness during this blazing spring. Also, I'm curious about the various reports of planting regular peppers with hot ones. I always heard they should be segregated, as otherwise they cross-pollinate, giving some unexpected bite to sweet peppers; I remember one source calling peppers "promiscuous". Is this not a problem? It would certainly make garden planning easier not having to work around that.
I've been reading this thread and saving up my comments, so here are a couple of the plant sources that've occurred to me along the way. Major focus on xeriscaping: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/ I relied on them quite a bit in the desert; I expect many of their plants would also work well for eastern gardens. For heirloom and cottage garden seeds http://www.reneesgarden.com/. I grew her Carmello tomatoes (yum!) for years. And it's worth checking the website for the free recipes if nothing else (I bought Cookbook #1 and am going back for Cookbook #2).
Pray for rain.
Judy
Hi, neighbors.
I have some little seedlings for adoption--that or the weed pile.
1. Amsonia (narrow-leaf bluestar, originally from Plant Delights): maybe 2'+ high at maturity, mostly about the feathery foliage (golden in fall/winter) but the early blue stars/blossoms are nice with blue-ish irises.
2. Nandina (non-dwarf): lots of volunteers around the mother ship. Nice lacy faux-bamboo screening plant, about 4'-5', plus the birds like the berries and the bees get dizzy bumbling around in the pollen.
3. Red maple: just one, still teensy--but so pretty (and expensive) as they grow larger. The parent is almost certainly grafted onto another rootstock. I don't know if that's a requirement for the tree to survive/thrive, but I hate to just tear it out and throw it away. . .
Email or stop by if you want any of the above.
Judy
Watkins & Dennis, pink house
Hey folks,
This may be a little off topic, but with the heat wave we're having I've
been watching my lawn and those of my neighbors withering in the heat. A
neighbor down the street just had zoysia put in and it's looking great
(albeit they've been watering it...).
Does anyone here have experience with zoysia? If so, how do you like it
and where'd you get it? Did you go with plugs or sod?
Thanks!
Mark
1108 Tonsler
