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Hello,
I hope everyone is having success with their gardens this spring. We would love to see pictures of them.
Submit Pictures of Your Garden:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_photocontest.ldml
We have a great newsletter today. We have gardening photos from 4 readers, it's wonderful to have people starting to submit more photos. Keep it up. We also have two great articles by Ellen Grown: A Guide to Dividing Perennials and Some Great Tips for Container Gardening. Ellen also answers numerous requests sent in by readers.
Happy Gardening!
Susan
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Submit Photos of Your Garden:
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Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Photos:
Today's Tips and Articles:
New Requests:
Growing Guides:
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| Today's Sponsors |
Today's Photos
| Jupiter's Beard in the Path Garden
Jupiter's Beard good cut flower. It self seeds. They need little water and is surviving in poor clay soil here on the "Path Garden". It could be a weed soon. LOL
By Great Granny Vi from Moorpark,Ca. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Beautiful Hummingbird Vine
I like to let hummingbird vine grow upon my iron fence. It gives my garden a "lacey" look.
By Robbie from Martin, Tn Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Azalea and Butterfly
Morning dew and butterfly on azalea in our backyard.
By Charlene from Aiken, SC Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Support for the Garden Path
Because our yard is 2 steps down from "The Path Garden" and we had to pile dirt (sand bags) up to keep the rain from flooding the back yard. So we just built the planting area like a raised bed. I needed a support to step down to the path. Here is what we came up with. A pipe in the ground with a little cement to make it study. Then we put a clay pot down over the pipe and filled it with plants. I put an old plastic apple over the pipe for a handle. It is leaning some now because kids destroyed the first pot/flowers and tried to pull the pipe out. But I guess they weren't strong enough to get it out. Anyway hubby hammered it back in the ground. Don't laugh, It still works.
By Great Granny Vi from Moorpark,Ca. Post Feedback: Click Here |
Today's Tips and Articles
| Lilac Bush Not Blooming
Q: I have a lilac bush that has never bloomed. I have had it for 10 years, it gets green leaves and that is all. I have cut it back as I was told to do but still don't get any blooms. Please reply with anything you think may help. I am in zone 6 Thank-you,
A: JMS, You can try using the process of elimination. There are five main reasons that lilacs fail to bloom: insufficient sunlight, too much nitrogen fertilizer, improper planting (planted too deeply), improper pruning (pruning at the wrong time) or winterkill of the flower buds. If you are fertilizing your bushes (or near your bushes), stop. Lilacs set their flower buds for next year on this year's growth. If you pruned them last season in late summer-say late July or August-you may have removed the flower buds for this growing season. Also, lilacs will typically not bloom the season after a harsh pruning, so you may need to wait until next year before you see flowers. If you suspect winter damage to your flower buds, you can only hope for milder winters or plant a hardier variety. Pulling some soil back from the roots will help if you think it may be planted too deeply. Lilacs need full sun to flower. You might take a sucker from your lilac bush and try growing it in a new location. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Roundup Alternative
Q: How can I make a long-lasting vegetation killer for use on rock gardens, driveway cracks, etc.? I'm trying to get control for around 1 year per application, similar to that provided by Roundup, but hopefully at a much lower cost. Hardiness Zone: 6b Mark from Denver, Colorado A: Hi Mark, It would be tempting to go on an extended tirade about the consequences of using synthetic chemicals like Roundup on your yard and garden, but I won't. Instead, I'm going to suggest some alternatives to controlling the weeds in your driveway cracks and rock garden. I will say, however, (and this is my advice for all gardeners) that for the sake of your health (and that of your family's, your neighbor's and the environment), please consider organic alternatives to these synthetic chemicals. There is a lot of conflicting information out there regarding their safety, but scientists do know that several of the "non-active" ingredients in Roundup(ingredients other than the "active" ingredient Glyphosate) have been linked to serious health effects. These include reproductive failure, kidney failure, endocrine disruption and a decline in our global frog population (some ingredients kill the tadpoles). The EPA also lists Glyphosate (the active ingredient) as a drinking water contaminant that can cause serious long-term health effects at elevated levels. What constitutes "elevated" to each individual remains unclear. Now, on to some alternatives. The following recipe is cheap and effective. You might have to re-apply it if it rains immediately after your initial application. Apply this on a hot sunny day and you should be weed-free for a while.
Application Directions: Combine the ingredients in a bucket. Stir to blend. Pour or spot spray over weeds. This mixture is non-selective, so do not apply it to ornamental plants. The vinegar can also bleach out dark-colored asphalt or brick when with sun exposure, so apply it at night to avoid discoloration if your circumstances require it. Another treatment that works on some weeds is simply to cover them with baking soda. Do not combine this with water/rain or it will not be effective. If it's working, you should see black weeds within 24-48 hours. Other effective methods include killing weeds with boiling water or burning them with a propane torch. These methods may have to be repeated a few times throughout the season, but they are far safer and much less expensive then synthetic chemicals. Hope these ideas help! Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| A Guide to Dividing Perennials
By Ellen Brown It might seem counter-intuitive, but there are three very good reasons for chopping through the roots of your perfectly healthy perennials to divide them. First off, you'll regain control over the too-vigorous flowers that are trying to conquer every available square inch of your garden. Second, you'll rejuvenate those that seem to be slipping into a pattern of fewer, smaller flowers, and lastly (and best of all) free plants! View Full Article: Click Here |
| Brown Grass From Dogs
Q: Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can get the grass to grow back or to not be brown where my dog pees in the yard? I hate to have a nice green yard and then have spots here and there that are dead from the dog urinating there! Mandi from Erie A: Mani, As long as you have a dog running or tethered in your yard, you are probably going to have some burn spots. One thing that I would strongly advise against is giving your dog any of the commercial "additives" to change the pH of the urine. These have been known to cause serious damage to the kidneys. It's the salt in a dog's urine that causes the grass to burn (not its acidic nature), and these so-called additives can seriously affect your dog's health down the road. The best remedy for avoiding burn spots is to flush the area thoroughly with water every time your dog urinates. The water will act to dilute the salts to a safe level for grass. For repairing dead spots, remove the dead grass and loosen up the spot with a small shovel or spade. Add some compost and fresh soil and reseed the area. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Chewed Up Hostas
Q: What causes hostas to be half chewed up by mid August and how can I prevent this happening this year? Hardiness Zone: 5a Mimtess from Windsor, Ont. A: Mimtess, Slugs are the likely culprits. If not controlled, Hostas can look pretty raggedy toward the end of the summer. There are several effective organic means of control. Slugs are attracted to stale beer. If you dig a few saucers into the soil near your hostas and fill them up with beer the slugs will climb into the saucers and drown. You can also create physical barriers by placing a line of crushed eggshells, wood ash or dichotomous earth around your plants. The slugs do not like to cross sharp objects and risk injury to their skin. Slugs like to hide during the day. You can trap them by placing boards, stones or overturned pots around the garden and then checking the traps daily to remove them. Garden centers also offer copper rings or flexible copper tape to place around plants. As a slug's body comes into contact with the copper while attempting to climb the ring, a small electrical charge is created, which causes them to retreat. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Leaving the Clippings on the Lawn
This summer after you mow your lawn, don't worry about raking up the clippings. They actually add nutrients to the soil! Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Pruning Rhododendron Bushes
Q: I have 2 large rhododendron bushes in the front of the house that were planted by the previous owners. The flowers are absolutely beautiful but the bushes are growing out of control. Is is possible to prune them back without losing the blooms? Hardiness Zone: 6b Caviar from Pittsburgh, PA A: Hi Caviar, The best time to shape or prune Rhododendrons is in the spring after they finish blooming. Before doing any cutting, look to see if there are small shoots near the base of the shrub. Hopefully you will see some new growth (on the old wood), which is an indicator that your plants will survive pruning without problems. You can cut all the stems/branches back to about 12 inches. Just make sure you keep the shrubs adequately watered during the summer months. If you don't see any new growth at the base, you might be better off selecting only a few branches to cut back this spring, and wait to see if new shoots emerge during the summer. If they do, you can finish the job next spring. Rhododendrons rarely need pruning, so once you get yours under control, it's likely it will stay that way, although you may want to continue to remove any dead or diseased wood on an annual basis, as soon as the shrub is done blooming. Good luck! Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Getting Rid of Wild Strawberries
Q: Does anyone have a good way to get rid of wild strawberries? They're overrunning our yard and I can't possibly pull them all out by hand. I don't want to carpet bomb them with chemicals, but I'd like to get some grass growing instead. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Hardiness Zone: 7a Suzanne from Herndon, VA A: Suzanne, Wild strawberries are one of the more difficult perennial broad-leaf weeds to control, especially once they've taken over. This is because they reproduce from runners, which makes them difficult to remove from turf. The runners can link to plants several feet away, so when removing them by hand, care needs to be taken to insure all of the plants and plant parts have been removed. Dense grass makes it difficult for wild strawberries to grow, so your wise to try and crowd them out with good turf management practices. I'm afraid one of the best ways to control them is by hand and repeated attempts will probably be necessary. Their appearance is usually an indicator of acidic soil, so regular applications of lime may encourage the grass to grow while discouraging the strawberries. I have found that pulling them up by hand and then letting my grass grow longer (3 1/2 - 4 inches) eventually crowds them out. Perennial broad-leaf weeds are easiest to gain control over in the late summer or early fall. Good luck! Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Flower Ideas for a Child's Wagon
Q: My aunt lives in West Texas. I am wondering what flower she can plant in an old child's wagon,it is in full sun. Any suggestions? Hardiness Zone: 8a Karent from Brownwood, TX A: Karent, Your aunt can think of the wagon as a large container or a larger holder for containers depending on how she wants to look at it. If she wants to plant flowers directly into the wagon, be sure to tell her to drill drainage holes in the bottom. The advantage to filling the wagon with pots for flowers is that she can change them out according to the seasons (e.g. flower for summer, pumpkins for fall and evergreens for winter). Either way, she has pretty limitless choices. If planting multiple plants, I suggest she use Thrillers (tall or colorful, focal point plants), combined with fillers (filler plants) and Trailers (trailing plants). For sun or partial shade, here are some trio ideas:
You can also create wonderful waves of easy-to-maintain color with a solid planting of wave petunias or pansies. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Herbs That Grow Well Together
Q: What herbs can be mixed to grow together in a pot? I have a small area so I need to maximize space. Susan from Memphis, TN A: Susan, Depending on how big your container is, here are some herb combinations that will all grow well together as companions in pots: 1) Sage, rosemary, lavender, thyme and germander. 2) Cilantro, oregano, lemon balm and basils. 3) Oregano, thyme, lemon verbena, lemon balm, parsley, cilantro. 4) Thyme, mint, basil, oregano. 5) Growing basil in the same container (or plot) as tomatoes will improve their flavor. A few herbs, like dill and fennel, need quite a bit more room and grow better in beds. Most herbs, however, adapt very well to pots and containers. You might also consider scented germaniums, tricolor sages and trailing herbs like penny royal, prostrate rosemary or catmint for hanging baskets. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Comodes With Artificial Flowers
Q: Why do people put comodes with artificial flowers in the bowl in their yards? Do they really think this is attractive or does this have a meaning? Ariela from FL A: Ariela, I had to laugh when I saw your question. Next to one of the less used roads going into my city, there is a house that sports an army of 10-12 stark white toilets in the front yard. The toilets are lined up in a perfect row that runs the entire length of the front yard. Every summer the bowels and tanks are brimming over with red, white and purple-colored petunias. The first time I saw it, I admit I nearly drove off the road. Now several years later, it makes me smile every time I drive by. For me, it's come to represent the fact that I'm home and I count on it being there. The flowers are real and it's quite an attention getter. Since over the years the number of toilets has grown, either her family is in the deconstruction business, or they have morphed into some kind of eccentric commode collectors. Incidentally, 80 miles down this highway in the opposite direction, I often pass through a little town by a yard full of flower pots perched atop 7-8 old lawn mowers. I'm not sure where you live in Florida, but using commodes as containers is popular (with some) in small-town Minnesota. What is the most outrageous (bad or good) container that anyone has ever seen? Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Hydrangea Bush's Leaves Turning Brown
Q: My husband brought me a hydrangea bush, I am not sure what type, and it is curling and turning brown on the ends. We have gotten a few days of rain and I am not sure if that could effect this type of plant. Hardiness Zone: 6a shopping_addiction_woman from Nashville, IN A: Dear shopping_addiction_woman, It sounds as though your hydrangea may be suffering from a bit of transplant shock. I would just leave it alone for a bit and it should recover just fine. This isn't all that uncommon, especially with potted plants that are transplanted in the garden and suddenly receive large doses of water. Your plant probably didn't received enough moisture at some point while in the pot at the nursery. Once planted and exposed to a couple days of rain, the leaf cells probably become overwhelmed from the sudden change in moisture levels, which caused them to swell up and burst. The brown tips indicate the cells that were destroyed. In a short time the leaves should toughen up and form a sort of "seal" that will prevent this from happening in the future. You can help by keeping your hydrangea watered on a consistant basis. Ellen Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Some Great Tips for Container Gardening
By Ellen Brown I recently attended a Garden Day put on by the Master Gardeners in my area. Oh, how I love spring! I walked down aisles full of vendors selling the latest plants and gardening gear, ate lunch out of a flower pot and attended several interesting classes. Here are a few tips I picked up on container gardening. View Full Article: Click Here |
| Contest!
Submit Your Tips and Photos! Tip Contest! To enter, visit: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_contest.ldml Photo Contest! To enter, visit: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_photocontest.ldml Contests are now weekly. We'll pick 2 tip winners and 1 photo winner at the end of each week. |
New Requests
| Plant that Repels Gnats
Does anyone know of a plant that will repel biting gnats and other annoying insects? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| My Hibiscus is Struggling
I successfully took cuttings from a beautiful double yellow Hibiscus. They grew to about 18 inches and had lots of leaves then they started to lose their leaves and one died. The other is still alive and has shot up to over 2 feet in height but only has little shoots coming off the main stem and a couple of leaves right at the top. Any advice would be very welcome. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| How long does it take for a Weeping Cherry to bloom?
I am curious to know how many seasons it will take for my Weeping Cherry to begin blooming. It was purchased as a seedling 6-7 months ago and it's being grown into a bonsai. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| When does a Muskogee Crape Myrtle flower?
I just purchased and planted a Muskogee Crape Myrtle. It has no leaves on it yet. When should it start and when do the flowers start appearing? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Looking for Weed Killer that Won't Kill Grass
Killing weeds without killing grass: I need a natural homemade weed killer that will kill weeds but not the grass. All I have seen are recipes for non-selective killing. Can anyone help, this must be the best kept secret by the big boys. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Leaves Turning Yellow In My Vegetable Container Garden
My container garden was doing just fine for about 3 weeks but now the leaves are turning yellow. What is the problem and how do I fix it? My garden has tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, squash, banana peppers, etc. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Fatsia Japonica with Burn Marks on the Leaves
I've no idea what gardening zone I'm in but we have mild winters and mild summers - not much difference between the two it seems! My problem is a fatsia japonica which has developed what looks like cigarette burns on the leaves. Anyone have an idea what would cause this? No other plant is affected. Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Bugs Eating My Collards
Something has been eating my collards and leaving behind tiny holes. The entire crop will be wasted if I can't figure out how to stop this from occurring or find a cooking method that makes me comfortable that the food has been sufficiently disinfected, yet nutritional value retained. Any suggestions? Post Feedback: Click Here |
| Planting Spider Plant Babies
Just wondering if anyone knows the best way to get a new plant from my spider plant that is making babies. I've heard (or read) that you can put them in water (to make roots) or plant them in a new pot full of dirt. I have also heard that the sprouts will just grow as a plant? I would like to know the best way as I have about 15 to do something with, and no green thumb. Post Feedback: Click Here |
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| Today's Sponsors |
Growing Guides
| Growing: Helenium (Sneezeweed, Helen's Flower)
By Ellen Brown
More Growing Information: Click Here | ||||
| Growing: Hibiscus
By Ellen Brown
More Growing Information: Click Here | ||||
| Growing: Hydrangea
By Ellen Brown
More Growing Information: Click Here | ||||
| Growing: Honeysuckle
By Ellen Brown
More Growing Information: Click Here | ||||
| Growing: Ivy
By Ellen Brown
More Growing Information: Click Here | ||||
| Growing: Hosta
By Ellen Brown
More Growing Information: Click Here |
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