I have large tomatoes, plenty of them…that is not the trouble. Hornworms. and cracking, those are the troubles. Right now, I am picking the fruits just turning red and ripening them on my window. Hornworms are officially called Manduca quinquemaculata. As caterpillars they are voracious pests, munching through incredible amounts of your tomato harvest. How To…
August
August Lilies
Lilies are one of the main joys of August, if you ask me. These are not the blooms of the Asian lilies that come earlier in the season, but those lushly fragrant Oriental lilies and the tall spires of Trumpet and Aurelian strains. These are opulent flowers, luxurious in color, form and perfume. If you…
August is time to divide and plant perennials
Butterfly within the Lilac Branches Every year, August feels too hot and dry to be digging and planting, but late August is an especially good time to give new perennials a start in the garden. The trouble with this time of year is mainly the hot sticky weather for the gardener, and it is often…
Garden update: August 2009
Last few days of the month mean a garden update is in order. In some ways the garden is an ogre again, but in a Shrek sort of way. Walking around the garden and putting in two bits worth of work this last week… here are my observations: The month has had dips and hills…
Flowering Kale
Kale For Sale It’s time to think of the autumn phase of the garden already. When we picture autumn we picture the trees ablaze with color, at least here in the Midwest, and in the Northeast of the USA. Other players on the stage, perhaps with a supporting role, but many of them bring lots…
Peonies in my Garden
I grow the herbaceous type of peony, both the types with single and double blooms. I love their fragrance and the delicate satin texture of their petals. They have good looking foliage on round bush-like plants, and for lots of people they say “Spring has truly arrived”. Their blooms are so full and opulent, alone…
Hot, Hazy, Lazy August
That is what it is like here, the heat finally made it in conjunction with the thunderstorms, and we are steaming. The grass is growing and I might make it out there early tomorrow to mow ( if it doesn’t rain again) but there is no way I am going to melt away in this…
Garden Update August 22
It seems a bit soggy here, but we don’t have the heavy rains that they have suffered in other parts of Ohio. Usually, because of the high water table, if we get lots of rain there is ponding, but we are not experiencing that. The weatherman says that because the ground was dry the rain…
Dividing Daylilies
Multiply Your Daylilies Dividing daylilies is the best way to create more plants for the garden. Daylilies are both beautiful and practical perennials. Their beauty is obvious, aided by hybridizers who have increased the characteristics of height , color, flower form, and even length of blooming season. Practical because they are so hardy, disease free,…
The Last of August Blooming
August is fading, it’s farewell lost on whispering wind while the Labor Day weekend is flashed on the screen of our minds. People are busy with their new school years and have already said their goodbyes to summer, the last of August is simply a tags end sale of afterthoughts. But there are blooms and…