Q. We have a new home, which we built three years ago on Lake Shafer, and we have lady bug problems. The first summer, they seemed to be all over the houses out, and we are always finding them inside, sometimes on one side of the house more than the other. Do you know how to get rid of them? Thanks.– Jeanne Garofalo, Chicago, Ill. A. The Asian lady beetle is considered a beneficial insect…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Although recent weather may have delayed some of your planting plans, it’s time to spring into action in the garden. Most gardeners will find there are still some chores to finish up from fall and winter. If you applied winter protective mulch to plants such as strawberries and newly planted perennials, be sure to pull that mulch back away from the plants as they emerge. But keep that mulch close by, just in case spring…Read more about Spring Forward in the Garden[Read More]
For many gardeners, pruning seems to be the most daunting chore in the home orchard. In an effort to avoid cutting off too much, many of us end up not cutting at all and end up with overgrown trees. Too little pruning can result in overcrowded, unhealthy branches that produce small fruit and/or few of them. On the other hand, severe pruning also can remove much of the crop potential. Not all fruit species grow…Read more about Pruning The Home Orchard[Read More]
Q. I live in an older home with established bushes and trees. Last year, they started getting a bit wild and unruly. I don’t want to use hedge shears to trim plants into tight shapes. I’d rather have a natural look but don’t want to trim all summer. Do you have any suggestions? — Larry Osborne, Fort Wayne, Ind. A. The dormant season is a great time to prune many shrubs. Landscape plants should be…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
The fresh crop of garden catalogs brings me hope for the coming spring gardening season. Once again, plant breeders are tempting us with new, better and unique looks to our old, familiar crops. Carrot ‘Romeo’ blends a petite ball shape with smooth skin that needs no peeling. Harvest for peak flavor when they reach about an inch or so in diameter, about 60 days from seed. (Renee’s Garden Seeds) Cucumber ‘Yellow Submarine’ bears large, 8-inch-long…Read more about New Garden Vegetables for 2004[Read More]
No matter what you call it, there’s no question that the tree known botanically as Maclura pomifera is a unique curiosity. Depending on where you’re from, this tree has such names as hedge-apple, osage orange, bodark, bowwood and bois d’arc! Originally, this plant hailed from the southwestern United States, but was so widely planted throughout the Midwest as a hedgerow, that it is now considered to be “naturalized” throughout much of the eastern United States…Read more about You Say Hedge-Apple, I Say Osage Orange![Read More]
Q. I used to have many kinds of peonies with excellent large blooms. But they no longer have many blooms, and the foliage seems to have some kind of disease. I am almost ready to kill them off. What can I do, or should I destroy them? — Diane H. Jungels, Rensselaer, Ind. A. Cladosporium leaf blotch of peony, also known as red spot or measles, is a common disease in Indiana. Look for distinct,…Read more about February 2004[Read More]
Q. We are building a new home and in the side yard are two, huge 16-year-old blue spruce. We are trying to save them so we designed a retaining wall to include these trees, but huge concrete trucks have had to go rather close to them. I’m worried they have damaged the roots. The trees have dead tips hanging from some of the branches. What can I do to help save these beautiful old trees?…Read more about January 2004[Read More]
The winter landscape may seem a bit bland at first glance. But if you look closely, you’ll find that quite a few plants have interesting bark that is actually easier to appreciate without the distraction of leaves and flowers. Bark often changes over time, so that a species that starts out with thin, smooth bark on twigs and young branches may become thick and flaky or change in color as the plant matures. Beautiful bark…Read more about In Appreciation of Bark[Read More]
A sad thought occurred to me the other day while I was doing some holiday errands. I watched in horror as shoppers steered their carts full of holiday gift plants through gusty winds and miserably cold temperatures only to put these frigid plant victims into icy-cold automobiles. I wondered how many of these plants would even make it to their intended recipients? And how long would they last if they did make it that far?…Read more about Wrap It Up[Read More]