Garden Tips

Wind-whip on Roses

• The first real November wind arrived this week and it serves as a reminder to cut back your roses to about 3 feet tall. This will help preserve the old and new cane from breaking off from wind whip. Another benefit from only cutting back to 3 feet…if we get sustained cold temperatures, the cane will get some freeze burn, but you will have plenty of cane left to cut back in February. Happy Gardening!

 

 

Putting plants in their place

• Measure twice, cut once is the old carpenters rule, but its just another way to say; do it right the first time…applies to gardening too
• Doing your homework of knowing the conditions of where you are going to plant a plant. Sun…shade…low spot in the ground…dry shade…soil type…so many different types of conditions to consider…analyze and document
• Purchase plants that fit the conditions of its new home…shade loving plants in the shade, sun loving plants in the sun…etc
  Keep them well cared for the first year in the ground. Example…if you are planting on a hot day, provide makeshift shade that will help diminish shock

Xeriscaping

The art of creating a landscape with the goal to reduce water usage is called xeriscaping. Plants requiring little or no watering, or those that can survive droughts, are chosen to fill the landscape. Cultural practices such as soil preparation and mulching are also important and used extensively in xeriscaping.

Xeriscaping DOES NOT mean using no water in the landscape. It does, however, imply the managed use of water; in other words, the effort to reduce the amount of water that homeowners need to supply to plants in addition to typical rainfalls amounts. 
Many plants tolerant of drought conditions are also tolerant of flood conditions. Choosing plants that tolerate less water and look good is a wonderful combination.

First year in the ground needs to be cared for just like anything else.

Bud Worm

• Tobacco budworm feeds on the buds and petals of many commonly grown flowers, including geranium, petunia and nicotiana.
• The insect survives winter as a pupa in the soil. Where soil freezes deeply, most overwintering Insects are killed.
• Tobacco budworm is resistant to most Garden insecticides.

Spinosad is a relatively new insect killer that was discovered from soil in an abandoned rum distillery in 1982. Produced by fermentation, Spinosad can be used on outdoor ornamentals, lawns, vegetables and fruit trees, to control caterpillars, thrips, leafminers, borers, fruit flies, and more.
Classified as an organic substance by the USDA National Organic Standards Board. OMRI Listed for use in organic production. THE LABEL IS THE LAW.