Archive for August, 2009
Visit Brent and Becky’s Bulbs.
August 31st, 2009
A visit to ‘The Bulb Shoppe & Gardens’ at Brent and Becky’s Bulbs is a must for every gardener! Enjoy the gardens by sitting under the gazebo in our Courtyard garden, or stroll down the pathways to view the Living Catalog Garden. This garden is a sample of everything offered in the previous seasons catalog. The gardens are always changing giving you something new to see! Currently under development is the Knot Garden which will begin growing this year! Other gardens are being planned so you do not want to miss the ever evolving gardens at Brent and Becky’s Bulbs. Brent and Becky Heath’s trial and home gardens are also available for seasonal tours. Check the website for available dates and times. The Bulb Shoppe and Gardens are open Tuesday - Saturday, mid-February - December.
Visit www.BrentandBeckysbulbs.com for upcoming events.
Visit Virginia Tourism for more statewide garden sites at www.virginia.org.
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Trash cans go solar and save $$$.
August 27th, 2009
Philadelphia officials estimate that the replacement of 700 wire trash baskets with 500 BigBelly solar-powered trash compactors will save taxpayers in the City of Brotherly Love nearly $1 million.
Funded by a $2.2 million state recycling grant, the city has installed the compactors along four downtown collection routes. The trash cans are expected to reduce collections on these routes from 17 times per week to five times per week.
NBC Philadelphia reports only eight city workers will be needed to clean out the trash from the compactors, which is down from 33 workers using the old trash cans. Each compactor holds about 200 gallons of trash compared to 55 gallons for traditional trash cans.
USA Today said the compactors have been tried in 40 states and 20 countries. Richard Kennedy, vice president of marketing at BigBelly Solar, told the paper that no other city or organization has tried as comprehensive an approach as Philadelphia.
The BigBelly compacting trash receptacle is completely self-powered using solar power for 100 percent of its energy needs, using less than 5 watt-hours per day. The company said the unit takes up as much space as the footprint of an ordinary receptacle, but its capacity is five times greater. It claims the compactors’ increased capacity reduces collection trips and can cut fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent. BigBelly reduces trash to 20 percent of its normal size, but doesn’t compact the trash into a brick and doesn’t inhibit sorting or recycling. The compactors range in price from $3,000-$4,000 and have a life expectancy of eight years.
See the trash receptacles at www.BigBellySolar.com.
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Iris plants may help clean waste water.
August 27th, 2009
Using floating vegetation to remove nutrients from fishery wastewater is being tested by Agricultural Research Service scientists, ScienceDaily reported.
The researchers’ long-term goal is to develop a system to treat the wastewater, return it to ponds for reuse, and use the nutrients to produce biomass or plant material.
Twelve different plant species … some home garden plants … are currently being tested: St. Augustine grass, Tifton 85 bermudagrass, common bermudagrass, cannas, iris, bamboo, bulrush, cattail, bordergrass, napiergrass, reeds and maidencane. Iris is the best performer so far.
Read the entire article at www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090131124137.htm
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Start your fall veggie garden.
August 26th, 2009
Even though it’s hot outdoors, August is when you start your fall vegetable garden.
Garden centers now offer everything you need to grow cabbage, broccoli, onions, lettuce, greens like collards and more.
Before putting transplants in your garden, work in some aged compost to enrich the soil and slowly feed the plants as they grow.
Most fall vegetables are green and leafy, meaning they thrive on ample nitrogen. When you put in the transplants, work a half cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer around each. When you finish, water thorougly.
Every two weeks, apply a light topdressing of 10-10-10 fertilizer along the sides of plants and water in throughly.
Remember, you only need a small space, like 10-by-10 feet to have a bountiful vegetable garden year-round.
The key is once one crop is finished, put in another crop to keep the harvests going!
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These plants like it wet.
August 24th, 2009
It’s been a rainy August and the soil is often mushy.
If you have natural wet spots in your yard, take advantage of those “microclimates” and put in perennials that like “wet feet.”
Perennials for moist sites include:
Milkweed
Butterfly weed
Astilbe (needs shade, too)
Marsh marigold
Bellflower
Tickseed, or coreopsis
Bleeding heart
Foxglove
Joe-Pye weed
Hardy sunflower
Hostas
Louisisana iris
Yellow flag iris
Cardinal flower
Virginia bluebells
Bee balm
Virginia bluebells
Solomon’s seal
Black-eyed Susan
Foam flower
Ironweed
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Need something for shady spot?
August 21st, 2009
Despite what many believe, there are numerous flowers for shady spots, especially in the ground cover category.
“Meehans Mint,” pictured here in flowering form, is one of those, according to Barry Glick of Sunshine Farm & Gardens in Renick, W.Va. Botanically speaking, Meehania cordata is a member of the Lamiaceae, or mint family.
Easy to propagage by stem cuttings and division, the mint is cold hardy to Zone 4, maybe even 3, he says. Unlike most mints, this one is not invasive or even aggressive, he assures us from his own testing.
You can buy the mint from Barry at www.sunfarm.com or call 304-497-2208.
Other shade-loving groundcovers include:*
Ajuga, also gorgeous for its spring-time purple flowers and anytime eye-catching foliage. I’ve grown this ground cover many times in many yards and adore its pleasing personality. It likes moist, but not wet, rich soil.
* Liriope, a grass-like groundcover that grows in sun or shade. It features white or purple flower spikes. Cut it down before new growth emerges in March. There are clumping and spreading varieties; opt for the clumping type for less invasiveness.
* Lily-of-the-valley for its bell-shaped clusters of delicate flowers and its upward growth habit. Over time lily-of-the-valley can become a little troublesome but give it room to spread and grow and both of you will be happy.
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Lovin’ our Bermuda lawn.
August 20th, 2009
When Ken and I decided to put in a warm-season Bermuda lawn three years ago, we worried how we would like it. We’ve always been cool-season fesuce lawn lovers but the Bermuda pleases us beyond expectations.
We sodded with Tifway Bermuda, a hybrid that looks more like a lawn turf and less like wild Bermuda. It’s drought-tolerant, and loves the heat, sun and humidity in southeastern Virginia.
So far, keeping the Bermuda out of our flower and shrub beds has been no major problem. I do a weekly weed patrol, pulling out stragglers while I walk. Ken routinely uses Black & Decker Grasshog trimmers to keep the edges crisp and neat.
And, we don’t mind the brown lawn in winter.
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Plant fall veggie garden in August
August 17th, 2009
While much of the country is just now beginning to enjoy the summer harvest, many gardeners are quickly realizing that time is running out to plant fall crops.
“August and September are ideal months for planting vegetables for fall harvest,” says George Ball, chairman of W. Atlee Burpee & Co.
“But because these months also coincide with the summer yield, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the harvest, forgetting to plant fall crops in time to reach full maturity before the threat of frost.”
“With proper planning,” Ball says, “the turn-around time for fall produce can be as early as 60 days or less.”
For those caught up in the race to the “cool season kitchen garden” finish line, Burpee offers advice for late planting using an easy to follow process Burpee calls F.A.L.L.
(F) Find Out How Much Time You Have
“Start with some basic planning and research,” says Ball. Begin by determining the anticipated frost date in your locale. From there, refer to a calendar to determine precisely how many days you have left before the first frost is expected to hit and the date you expect to have your vegetable garden planted.
(A) Add Early Maturing Varieties to Your List
Gardeners who have assessed the amount of time between the day they will plant their fall crops and the number of days until the anticipated first frost, can now begin researching and compiling a list of vegetable candidates for their fall garden.
“You’ll want to select varieties that will reach maturity before frost is expected to occur,” says Ball. Thanks to research and breeding, there are an array of quick maturing lettuces and vegetables available today. “Spinach Baby’s Leaf Hybrid, for example reach maturity for salads in just thirty days,” says Ball.
(L) Leave a Margin for Error
Because weather is unpredictable, Ball advises leaving some margin for error.
“The calendar may tell you that you have a full 65 days before the first frost is expected to hit. But because frost dates are only averages, it is best to be prepared for that worst case scenario — cold weather arriving earlier than anticipated.”
Ball says that there are a few ways gardeners can prepare for unexpected spells of cold weather.
“Give yourself a bit of leeway. If the anticipated frost date is 65 days away, try to limit the number of varieties you select to just a few that take a full 60 or 65 days to mature,” says Ball. “Opt to include mostly varieties with an expected maturity date one week prior to the anticipated frost date.”
(L) Learn for Next Season
“Gardening is very much a process of trial and error, but perfecting our skills is what keeps us gardeners interested in the hobby,” says Ball. “With that said, the final step is to take note of what you learned from this year’s garden when planning and planting next year’s plot,” he says.
“Make note of this year’s planting and harvest dates to determine if you should plant earlier or harvest later next year. Monitor your garden’s progress by watching how the plants respond to the changing way light and wind affect the garden as trees lose their leaves and as the days become shorter and the nights become colder.”
For more on Burpee, visit www.burpee.com
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USDA pushes gardens.
August 17th, 2009
The U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to put an emphasis on gardening this year. They just installed a roof-top garden on their Economic Research Service building as yet another part of the People’s Garden Initiative … http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/?navid=PEOPLES_GARDEN … where they build community gardens to set an example of environmentally friendly, sustainable landscapes, according to an industry e-newsletter.
To add to that, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack proclaimed Aug. 23-29 as National Community Gardening Week.
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Perk up tired flowers.
August 17th, 2009
Summer annuals like petunias, coleus and geraniums can look a little tired this time of year.
To lift their spirits and encourage new flowers for fall, use small hand pruners to give them a little “haircut.”
Remove the old blooms on geraniums for continued flower production.
Cut petunias back a little bit more, removing some of their foliage.
Feed lightly with Miracle-Gro or a time-release granular fertilizer made for flowers and watch the new show begin!
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