Landscaping Delays

Due to a major personal/family move, Her Gardening Blog will not have any new posts until the week beginning July 6, 2008. I am sorry for any inconvenience, but I need to concentrate on completing this move from one state landscape to another, so I can fully focus on the blog. I appreciate your understanding during this time and I will have some great things in store for you when I return. It will be really fun!!

Thanks again,

Brenda Emmett, Editor

Her Gardening Blog

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Welcome to the June 25, 2008 edition of a gardening carnival.

Tiffany Washko presents Freedom Gardens - Grow Your Own Food posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Dora Renee Wilkerson presents Y-2K Hippie: 06/19/08 posted at Knitting, horses, and my family., saying, “Just posted about some of the things I made with my parents when they came to visit me. We picked wild blackberries and made a berry berry jam, made cheese, and shampoo with soapwort.”

gardening

Matthew Sauer presents Garden Update: Bio-diversity? posted at Play the Dad? Be the Dad!, saying, “It is my first year with a vegetable garden of my own , working on keeping track of what I learn as I go through the process. Growing up on the inside and the outside.”

Sam presents The Secret Lives of Bees. Honey, Health and Harvests ! Surfer Sam posted at Surfer Sam and Friends, saying, “The Secret Lives of Bees. About one-third of the human food supply depends on bee pollination. We also use honey and bee pollen as natural food products to promote wellness. Bees are beneficial for everyone. Bees, we can’t do without them.”

Tip Diva presents Top Ten Tips - Cheap Gardening posted at Tip Diva, saying, “Gardening is a fun, relaxing hobby for many, and the end result yields plenty of food, flowers and foliage. But it does not have to be expensive. Here are ways to save while gardening”

Nancy Canyon presents The Beginnings of My Community Garden posted at The Community Gardener, saying, “I have a community garden in Fairhaven and I’m writing about gardening by myself, now that I’m a single woman again. And a grandmother. The blog is humerous, and also I’ve been gardening all my life, so it’s full of info too.”

Adam Berry presents How to Extend The Life of Garden Tools posted at The Compost Heap, saying, “some tips on how to extend the lifespan of your garden tools”

Sarah presents Ridding Your Lawn of Gophers, Moles and Other Rodents | Spring Lawn Care - Lawn Care Tips posted at Lawn Care Tips, saying, “If you’ve ever turned your ankle in a gopher hole, you know that these animal pests can be hazardous as well as make your lawn look unsightly.”

Amy L. presents Creating a Butterfly Garden posted at Housekeeping Tips, saying, “A great way to bring butterflies closer to your home is with the construction of a garden that includes plants known to attract butterflies.”

James presents Gardening For A Sustainable Planet posted at Ways To Simplify.

Jeff Tincher presents Get Out And Do Some Gardening, It’s Good For The Body and Soul | West Glenmoore, PA - Beautiful. Green. Home. posted at West Glenmoore, PA - Beautiful. Green. Home., saying, “The benefits of gardening and how it works to exercise your body.”

herbs

nimuae905@yahoo.com presents Tips for Growing Herbs Indoors posted at The Herb Gardener, saying, “Keeping herbs indoors is easier if you understand the two of the most important aspects of living in a pot - light and water.”

kids gardening

Mother Hen presents Squash Eatin’ Squid posted at Mother Hen.

landscape

Elizabeth Harrin presents SmartDraw 2008: planning the garden posted at A Girl’s Guide to Managing Projects, saying, “This is a review of a piece of software that will give you the opportunity to plan out your garden before you take the plunge: great for landscapers.”

lawn care

Raimondo Solari presents Inexpensive, Eco-Friendly Green Lawn Care posted at Garden Gab, saying, “With the availability of water becoming a scarce resource and lawns being one of the top culprits of sucking up valuable water, it’s time to try and keep an “eco-friendly” lawn that will still look good and yet not thirst so much.”

organic gardening

Melanie Rimmer presents Jungle Clearance - Before and After posted at Bean-Sprouts, saying, “How to clear a large weedy area without weedkiller and without backbreaking digging.”

patio furniture

Amy L. presents Which Mattress Is Best For You? posted at Housekeeping Tips, saying, “Every year, thousands of people purchase mattresses, only to find that their new mattresses are as uncomfortable as the old ones.”

vegetables

:: Suzanne :: presents garden update posted at :: adventures in daily living ::.

Tiffany Ludwig presents Not a Crock-Pot Recipe posted at Loving the Low-Carb Lifestyle, saying, “A great recipe for lasagna using what’s in your garden.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of a gardening carnival using our carnival submission form. The next edition will be posted on July 30, 2008

This week we have been discussing some of the problems that you may find in your rose garden. There are so many different variables that are possible, that you may wonder where to begin. We have discussed common insect problems and next week we will discuss common diseases. But what if your problem is as simple as just too many weeds in your rose garden?

Today, I am providing you with a video that discusses this very thing, along with a couple of other problems in the rose garden. There is some great advice and How-To information that I hope you will find useful in your rose garden.

What are some of the other problems you are having in your rose garden? Leave me a comment and I will happy to help.

Yesterday we began discussing the many different insect problems which are common in roses. We discussed how to diagnose and treat insect problems such as aphids, thrips, leaf rollers and spider mites. Today we are going to address four more insect problems which are common in roses and how to treat those problems.

Symptom: Leaves have been eaten leaving a skeletal structure. Unopened flower buds chewed and opened flower buds damaged.

Cause: Beetles—The most notorious of these is the Japanese beetle. These beetles are a metallic brown color with a green head. The same symptoms can also be caused by caterpillars.

Treatment: An effective and practical approach is to spread plastic or a cloth on the ground and gently shake the plants to remove the beetles. If you place them away from your roses, then traps are also effective. You will want to spray your roses with an insecticide that lists beetles as a target pest. Your roses will need to be sprayed when the problem is first detected, either in the spring or the late summer. If the beetles are in the larvae stage, then Spinosad will work very well on them or on caterpillars. Remember, that Spinosad is an organic chemical that will control most of the insect problems in your roses.

Symptom: Drooping, unopened buds, accompanied by a small discolored stem slightly below the bud.

Cause: Rose Midge—this is a small fly that pupates in the ground below the rose bush. Midges fly up and lay their eggs in the soft upper stem of the rose plant. The hatched larvae then eat the stems and cause breakage.

Treatment: Spread a systemic insecticide granule on the ground to control the pests. Sprays are of a very limited value with the rose midge because of their development below the ground. Spinosad may work to kill the active insects on the plant, and I would be willing to try it.

Symptom: Holes in pruned cane ends. Circular pieces cut from leaf margins.

Cause: Leaf cutter bees—these insects use the circular leaf pieces for egg partitions inside of the burrowed rose cane.

Treatment: Control by applying white glue to the cane ends. The leaf cutter bee is a beneficial insect in the garden as it is an effective garden pollinator. I strongly recommend against eradication of this insect. Instead, I recommend using the above preventative measure to lessen any damage to your roses.

Symptom: Wilting and dying foliage at the top of the rose bush. Leaves may turn yellow and drop off the plant.

Cause: Rose cane borer—These pests are the larvae of sawflies, some wasps and bees. The rose cane borer enters the rose from the top of any pruned rose canes. These pests search for freshly pruned stems of the rose plant to lay their eggs on in the late spring or early summer. The eggs then hatch and the larvae bore their way by eating into the center of the rose plant down the length of the rose cane.

Treatment: The most effective method of treatment is to prune the rose bush below any area of damage. You may need to prune the cane a couple of times to find an area that is not damaged. Then you will want to place a little dab of white glue over the pruning cut. This will prevent the insects from successfully laying new eggs on the freshly pruned rose plant. Another idea to aid in prevention is to try some companion planting. These insects do not seem to like Allium, so planting some near your rose bushes may help to repel them.

Now that you know some of the most common insect problems with roses, which ones have you had experience with? Leave me a comment and share.

Photo provided by FreeFoto

When your roses are given the proper attention and a healthy environment, they will stay healthy and will flourish for many years. However, even under the best of conditions, your roses may on occasion suffer some form of disease or be troubled by common pests. Inadequate drainage, poor soil, insufficient water, lack of nutrition or other environmental problems may encourage pests and disease to take hold of your roses.

Roses may be affected by either environmental conditions or living pathogens. If you find that the damage to your roses is uniform, then it is usually an environmental or cultural problem that you are dealing with. However, if there is visible damage that is not uniform, then you are usually dealing with a problem with living pathogens.

Today and tomorrow I will discuss how to identify and treat the most common insect problems in your roses. Next week I will discuss how to identify and treat the most common diseases which may affect your roses.

Symptoms: Masses of small insects on the buds and leaves.

Cause: Aphids—these are green, red or black bugs which are soft and about 1/8” long. They can be found in clusters and will be found mainly on the new growth. These pests appear in the spring and can remain all summer.

Treatment: You will want to begin by simply hosing the insects off of the rose plant with water. Should you need to treat the problem further, then most of the commercial insecticidal sprays are effective. You can also use a solution of household dish soap and water. This is done by using just a few drops of dish soap in a quart spray bottle and filling it up with water. Then just spray it on your roses. There are also many aerosol insecticides labeled for plant pests that will also work. Just be sure to read the label on the product to verify which insects the product will control. Spray the product upwind and ensure that you apply a coverage that is thorough. Or if you want to just make life easy on yourself, go to your local garden center and purchase a product called Spinosad. This is an organic chemical that will control most insect problems in your roses.

Symptom: Buds are distorted and bloom tips appear discolored.

Cause: Thrips—these are light brown insects which are very slender and are about 1/8” long. These insects can appear inside petals and they move very quickly. They are spread by the wind.

Treatment: You will want to apply a systemic insecticide that lists thrips as a target. You will want to apply this when new growth of 1” or more emerges in the spring. Contact treatments can be used on a rotational basis when the rose buds are pea-sized. Or, just make life easy on your self and go and get some Spinosad from your local garden center.

Symptom: Leaves stuck together, unopened buds with holes.

Cause: Omnivorous leaf roller—this is a moth larvae that makes a cocoon type of structure with leaves.

Treatment: Remove all of the cocoon structures from your rose plant. If you need to treat your rose plant further, then apply a systemic insecticide that targets leaf rollers when new growth of 1” or more emerges in the spring. Contact treatments can also be used on a rotational basis when the buds of the roses are pea-sized. Personally, I just use the Spinosad as it is easier.

Symptom: Leaves appear fuzzy and yellow on surface; underside has small red specks, webbing or spider-like insects may be seen.

Cause: Spider mite (red spider or 2-spotted mite)—these insects are microscopic in size, but are visible to the naked eye. Spider mites thrive in hot weather.

Treatment: Apply an insecticidal soap, horticultural oils, miticides, or high pressure hose water, or my favorite product, Spinosad. All of the treatments must be applied to the underside of the leaves of the rose plant, in order to come into contact with the spider mites. Keep the roses well watered during hot weather and avoid dust on the leaves of your plants.

Tomorrow I will discuss Beetles, Rose Midge, Leaf Cutter Bees and Rose Cane Borer. Which of the above treatments do you favor for the treatment of your roses? Leave me a comment and share.

Photo provided by Major-Maróthy Szabolcs

In this week’s podcast, we are focusing on how to effectively water your lawn. We all want a lush, green lawn, but let’s face it, how do you achieve that without watering too little or watering too much? Today I will answer those questions so that you can find that balance that is right for your lawn so it will be healthy.

Using the steps that I provide you with will help to ensure that the root system of your lawn is as healthy as it can be. This will provide you with a lush, healthy lawn, all season long.

If you have a question for us here at Her Gardening Blog, please leave a comment below the podcast. We will be happy to answer your questions and build an entire weekly podcast around them. Enjoy!

how-to-effectively-water-your-lawn.mp3

I told you earlier this week that I would share some treasures that I found in my Grandmother’s cupboard. We are in the process of moving into my grandparent’s home and there is a lot of remodeling to do, both on the inside as well as the outside. It is amazing the things you find while undertaking such a project!

So, what did I find? I found some old gardening tips taped inside her old cupboards. Now, I don’t know whether to necessarily recommend these tips or not, but they are fun to read. I do know that Grandma always had beautiful plants.

Here are the tips I found:

Treatment of gladiolas in spring

Peel and soak bulbs with 2 TB Lysol to 1 Gallon Water. Soak 1 hour to overnight.

In the fall, dig and dry bulbs. Sprinkle generously with Seven Dust. Put in storage (cool). DO NOT FREEZE.

Amaryllis Bulbs

After the blooms have faded, the stalk should be cut off 2 inches above the bulb. But do not disturb the foliage. Keep the pot moist and leaves growing until the Amaryllis can be planted outside.

After all danger of frost in the spring, put the bulb—pot and all—into the ground, buried up to the top edge of the rim of the pot. Remove the dried leaves. Nutrients found in fish emulsion or bone meal are excellent when used at the manufacturer’s recommended amounts. No blooms will occur during late spring and summer, only leaves. This is the time when the flower bud is formed within the bulb.

Around September 1^st or just preceding anticipated frosts in your area, lift the pot. Scrape excess planting mix from the top of the pot, and store in a dry, cool (40˚ to 55˚ F.) place. DO NOT WATER. Approximately 6 weeks before blooms are desired, remove old leaves and move pot to growing temperatures of 65˚ to 75˚ F., and begin to water. Then keep moist at all times. After the Amaryllis blooms, repeat the cycle as before.

Christmas Tree Saver

1 Gallon water

6 TB sugar

6 Aspirin, crushed

Green food coloring

Cut ½ inch from the bottom of tree. Shave bark and cambreum off the depth of water. Keep watered at all times.

If you use any of these, let me know how they worked. I would be interested in knowing how it worked out for you. If you have any other old tried and true gardening tips, leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear about them.

One of the biggest sources of frustration for a gardener is our nemesis, the weed. Weeds seem to grow wherever they want, whenever they want. It doesn’t seem to matter if anything else will grow in that location or not. Invariably, a weed will grow and do it well.

So what are some options for getting rid of those pesky troublemakers? Of course there are many chemical solutions for weeds, but if you are looking for something a little more organic, then have I got a video for you! This week’s video is full of some really great ideas to get rid of those pesky weeds once and for all. And the video even explains why weeds grow and how we can inadvertently make things worse for ourselves. And who wants that to happen, right?

Now that you have seen the video, which techniques will you use in your garden? Do you have other solutions for getting rid of those nuisance-causing weeds? Leave me a comment and share.

When it comes to growing Terrific Tomatoes, I don’t think there can ever be enough great advice. I personally baby my tomato plants to ensure that I get the best results. I am often found fertilizing them individually with just the right fertilizer for the time of their growth. I watch over them and worry over them so that I can be assured of a great crop. In light of this, I highly recommend this great article on tomatoes by Suzanne DeJohn of the National Gardening Association.

By now you’ve planted your tomatoes in the garden. Have you thought ahead and set up some sort of training or staking system? Mulched around the bases? It’s not too late, but the sooner the better. Tomatoes are often cited as one of the easiest garden vegetables to grow. Yes, they’re easy to grow, but if you want the best and longest harvest, you’ll need to help the plants along.

Left on their own, tomato plants sprawl, making the fruits difficult to harvest. And the tomatoes rest on the soil where slugs will happily take one bite from each fruit. (I wouldn’t mind if they ate a whole tomato, but to sample them all? What are they, Goldilocks, looking for the one that’s not too hard and not too soft?)

Mulch is Key
If you do nothing else, mulch your tomato plants. Some people like red plastic mulch but I prefer a thick layer of straw. The plastic mulch supposedly increases yields, but a few tomato plants usually yield more than I can eat anyway. Straw not only keeps tomatoes off the ground, it also allows air circulation beneath them, reducing rot. It keeps soil from splashing up on the leaves, minimizing problems with soil-borne diseases. It conserves soil moisture, important for the health of the plant and for helping to prevent blossom end rot. And at season’s end you can rototill it in, adding organic matter. At around $5 per bale it’s a bargain, and my favorite mulch for the vegetable garden. ~Suzanne DeJohn

To finish reading Suzanne’s great article, I suggest you visit her here. Her article is full of some great information to help you to get the most out of your tomatoes when it is time.

As the summer progresses, we will continue to discuss what you can do to make your tomatoes be the star of the dinner table. After all, can’t you just almost taste that fresh tomato sandwich or tomato-cucumber salad? I know that my mouth is watering in anticipation.

What are some of your favorite tomato tips? Do you have any no-fail tricks up your sleeve? Please leave a comment and share!

While I was growing up, I was taught to garden by two great men: my Dad and my Grandpa. I learned to work hard and to get my hands dirty in the soil as we planted a garden and nurtured the plants so we could benefit from the bounty they provided.

One thing that my Grandpa always planted was flowers. There were always flowers to cut and make into bouquets to bring into the house and enjoy. He grew Sunflowers, Zinnias, Gladiolas, Peonies and Roses. He also grew lots of Marigolds. Of course, since I have grown up, I now know that those were for pest control in the vegetable garden more than anything. But I enjoyed them growing up and my own garden must have flowers.

This season of my life now finds me moving back home. We are moving into my Grandpa’s house and along with the memories; there is a lot of renovation going on. In fact, I was just there yesterday and since I am still recovering from my accident, I watched two great men, my Dad and my Husband, work together to tear out the old kitchen to prepare it for the new one. (There were some fun things that were found there that I will share with you later this week.)

Despite the changes, one thing has remained a constant: my Grandpa’s garden. We were standing outside the house a couple of weeks ago and were discussing that we needed to put a garden in the garden spot. Wouldn’t you know, just about that time, a man came by on a tractor with a spade and we flagged him down. He tilled the garden area for us for a phenomenal price and we were ready to plant. I love small towns!

So now I have a garden planted at my new/old home, and it has been said by more than one person that everyone will think my Grandpa is back. We planted it very similar to the same way he taught me as a youth and we have flowers planted in the same spots. I am sure that as we rejuvenate the old garden spot and the yard, that Grandpa will smile down from Heaven. I will share pictures as we make progress all along the way.

To the three men who have taught me how to garden…My Grandpa, My Dad and My Husband…Happy Father’s Day! Thank you for teaching me how to enjoy the garden and to work hard. I love you all!

What are some of your gardening memories while growing up? Leave me a comment and share!