first published July 19, 2007

I’m always being asked “What’s the biggest challenge that gardeners face?” Is it bugs? Weeds? Frost? Maybe, but for many gardeners, it’s summer vacations. More accurately, figuring out how to enjoy that well-deserved getaway without worrying about returning to a moonscape.

If you’re lucky enough to have a skilled, dedicated and willing friend or neighbour to water your plants, you’re set. Go ahead and relax knowing that your garden will not only survive but also thrive while you’re away. The rest of us will try to be happy for you.

So what are the options? Are plants capable of fending for themselves in your absence? Well, theoretically, they could, but you’d have to be a hard-core gambler to believe in the odds of having the perfect script: sunny, calm days, followed by just the right amount of rain at night, followed by all the planets aligning. Fortunately, there are ways of shifting the odds in your garden’s favour. The good news is none of them involve keeping your vacation short.

Loath to leave
If you are a regular summer vacationer and gardener, your best bet is to grow drought-tolerant plants. With all the spectacular new varieties of grasses and succulents hitting the market, there just no reason not to. I wouldn’t be without my succulent containers. They look great, and to date, I’ve watered them only once, which had more to do with a need for fertilizer than it did with a need for moisture. Would I feel completely comfortable leaving them to fend for themselves? Absolutely.

If drought-tolerant plants aren’t your style but water-loving annuals are, consider growing them in containers that can be easily moved to a shady spot of the yard (not deep shade). Less sun means less evapotranspiration (the loss of moisture through a plant’s foliage and from the soil’s surface). You can’t eliminate evapotranspiration, but you can certainly slow it down by doing a little planning, starting with choosing as big a pot as possible—they hold a large volume of soil and, therefore, a large volume of water. Adding saucers to those pots will also provide a little water reserve. The only catch to that is hoping you don’t get a rainy spell. If you do, the pots won’t be able to drain properly and the soil could become waterlogged.

To prepare the rest of your garden, consider applying a layer of mulch. It will reduce moisture loss through the soil surface and keep roots cool and moist. The optimum depth for mulch usually ranges between 5 and 10 cm. Just be sure to keep it away from the bases of plans to avoid problems with rot. If you’ve recently transplanted some trees, invest in “water bags.” They’re giant water-filled, doughnut-shaped bladders that allow water to trickle into the tree’s root zone. Just keep remember that water bags are an aid—not a replacement—for good watering practices.

Still sound like too much work? Then maybe automatic irrigation systems are more your speed. With a combination of timers, sprinklers and drippers, it’s possible to have every plant in your yard automatically irrigated on a regular schedule. The cost is quite reasonable, but I don’t like the idea of trusting a timer to turn on when it’s supposed to. Actually, it’s not the turning on that worries me as much as it is the turning off. Between occasional accidents and unnecessary prescheduled waterings, automatic irrigation systems can waste a lot of water. A good compromise is to give everything a good soaking before you leave and to have someone you trust turn your irrigation system on and off as needed.

Home again, Home again
So you gave it your best. You planned ahead. You put your pots in the shade. You asked your neighbour to water. You still can home to wilted plants. What then? Well, start by watering—and quickly. Immerse hanging baskets and small containers in a kiddy pool, give the larger ones a good drink from the water barrel and then focus your attention on finding the perfect spot in the house for the thank-you gift you were going to give your neighbour.

Hits & Misses: Starshine & creeping bellflower
Question of the Week: My phlox is covered in what I think is powdery mildew. What can I do?
The Business: Out of Africa

Recently, here in Edmonton, a flowerpot filled with peat moss was blamed for a costly house fire. Apparently, the peat moss spontaneously combusted, and its close proximity to the house allowed the flames to quickly spread to the siding. Now, to be honest, I am a little skeptical about the spontaneous-combustion angle on the fire story. Over the years, we’ve stored mountains of pure peat moss at the greenhouses, through all imaginable weather, and I can’t say that spontaneous combustion has ever been an issue. So, although it’s just a guess, I would think that if you took the term spontaneous combustion and replaced spontaneous with careless smoker who threw lit cigarette into flowerless flowerpot filled with peat moss, you might come up with a more accurate description of the real culprit.

Hole’s is part of a firesmart program that provides information on how to make landscapes beautiful and fire safe. One great step toward that goal is recognizing that flowerpots are great for nicotiana plants—not nicotine.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Starshine
At times, slow and steady wins the race when it comes to bedding plants. Case in point is a relatively new bedding plant called laurentia ‘Starshine.’ It seems to take forever to bloom, but once it does, it produces a mass of star-shaped, periwinkle-blue flowers set atop mounding, heavily serrated leaves. Here at the greenhouse, the laurentia started to mound heavily with foliage at the end of June, and by the beginning of July, it was covered with a mass of flowers. It’s even been easy to maintain. Give it a bit of water and an occasional shot of 20-20-20 fertilizer and you won’t hear a peep from it. A definite winner this year.

Miss: Creeping Bellflower
Speaking of masses of blue flowers, I seem to be receiving an inordinate number of questions about a blue-flowered plant that invades lawns and gardens. It is called creeping bellflower. At first glance, it’s pretty bell-shaped flowers look innocent enough, but don’t be fooled! It is highly invasive and has the dastardly habit of creeping and tangling its way through lawns. Once it gets established, it’s almost impossible to kill, so pull it out at the first sighting. If you don’t, this particular bell may make you feel like it’s tolling for thee.

Question of the Week
My phlox is covered in what I think is powdery mildew. What can I do?
Well, for this year, your only option is to cut back your phlox. It’s unfortunate, but the damage is likely done. Powdery mildew loves the heat and wastes no time attacking drought-stressed plants, which is why it’s been such a problem this year. To combat the problem next year, space your plants far enough apart to allow for good air circulation and don’t let them dry out between waterings. The healthier the plant, the harder it is for powdery mildew to invade.

The Business
Out of Africa
Our garden centre has taken on a decidedly African feel this past month. The giftware buyers have chosen some really interesting products to enhance the garden—and even the home. Many of the items are made from natural materials like grasses, clay or paper, and others have images or motifs of African designs. It’s kind of interesting to think about what makes a trend and why this theme appeals to so many people; is it a global perspective that’s driving sales, or could it be a desire to get back to what’s simple and authentic?

Trend Spotting

Purple has never been more popular in the garden. Perfect for hot and dry areas, this ‘Bon Bon’ sedum has pink flowers and interesting burgundy-chocolate foliage. To keep the foliage dark, do not over-fertilize.

Did You Know?
Rhizanthella is an Australian orchid that grows entirely underground!

“The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.”
–e.e. cummings

first published July 5, 2007

If you were to name the most hated of garden pests, it would have to be the lowly slug. After all, can you name another pest that’s inspired as many gruesome methods of execution? They’ve been melted with table salt, squashed beneath sheets of plywood, electrocuted by copper, hunted with flashlights, left to roast in the sun and even drown in beer (what a waste!—of beer, that is). So what gives? Why do we hate these guys so much?

To hazard a guess, I’d say the hatred goes well beyond disliking that slugs feast on our hostas and lettuce and has a lot to do with feeling that that any creature that’s slimy, gooey and hides in our gardens is reprehensible and deserving of our “no punishment is too good” stance. Now, having said that, I don’t really want to be the guy who defends slugs, but (and it’s a big but) I can’t deny that they’re rather fascinating in their own right.

Know your enemy
Here on the prairies, we really have only one species of slug to worry about, the grey garden slug (Deroceras reticulatum). It’s a rather nondescript, milky-grey little slug that gardeners on the West Coast laugh at when they compare it to the monstrous species they have. Still, our slugs manage to do a respectable job of eating about 40 per cent of their body weight a day. If you want that quantified a bit more accurately, slugs will chew through about 2 square centimetres (or about 60 milligrams) of plant tissue per day and will travel about 90 centimetres a day to get it done.

A complicated kindness
The most fascinating and bizarre aspect of a slug’s life is—without question—its sex life. Slugs are hermaphrodites, meaning they are equipped with both male and female reproductive organs. And although they prefer to mate with another slug, they aren’t bashful about getting the job done on their own when no other slug is around. Now, if you’re thinking about tossing around a smidge of judgement, I suggest you hold on to it for another second—you’ll want to save it for when I tell you about the sex life of the banana slug. It’s mating routine is…well…voracious and often concludes with a little something called apophallation—the chewing off of penises. Apparently, it’s Nature’s way of maintaining the species. The apophallated slug doesn’t die (although I suspect it wishes it could) but instead is forced to become female, thus increasing both egg production and the odds of reproductive success. Fascinating!—but I think I’ll pass.

Now that you know how slugs reproduce, here’s what you need to know to keep them from excelling at it in your yard. Whenever possible, choose slug-resistant plants, such as hard-leaved evergreens, bleeding hearts, ferns and foxgloves. If hostas are your thing, think blue at planting time: slugs love hostas, but they like blue ones the least. Recruiting some help is never a bad idea, either, so when you see those creepy, large, black beetles that scurry around your yard, don’t stomp them out; they love nothing more than to make a meal out of a slug. There are other more attractive predators that would be happy to eat slugs for you, but a front yard full of chickens or snakes has its own set of consequences. One last factor to consider is your soil. Avoid over-watering, and keep bare soil well cultivated—the best way to get rid of slug eggs it to destroy them before they hatch.

So there you have it: a much-too-personal glimpse into the secret lives of slugs. Hopefully knowing a little more about them will inspire in you an unlikely appreciation for what they endure to make your lives difficult. However, if you still feel a need for the visceral satisfaction of watching slugs die, there is no limit to the execution methods you can employ. Just remember, if you ever find yourself growing plants to attract slugs so that you can devise new ways to destroy these slimy pests…you might want to consider a new hobby.

Hits & Misses: Mysterious all-stars & the fuzz
Question of the Week: Why do my vegetables have twisted growing tips that resemble little fiddleheads?
Science & Technology: Frisky felines

It’s a good thing that some of my garden plants know sign language because a few of them wouldn’t have survived the recent heat wave. When I looked out my kitchen window the other day, I was greeted by the sight of my salvia and asters at half-staff. Apparently, I missed them with the watering hose the night before, and my unimpressed annuals made note of it. Cue the guilt.

Fortunately for all involved (I would not have been popular had the asters died), the plants compensated for my neglect and folded their leaves inward in an attempt to expose less of their surface to the sun. Even though I knew they’d be OK, I was amazed at how quickly the plants recovered once they were rehydrated. Flowers may be attractive, but resilience is a beautiful thing.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Mysterious All-Stars
We always like to test some of the new annuals by planting them in window boxes around our office, which faces the beating sun for most of the day. They do get watered and fertilized as required, but beyond that, we just let them grow and watch to see which ones are a hit. If I were to pick a few winners at this point, I would have to give the nod to some new varieties of vinca and lantana. Both are heat-loving plants that, not surprisingly, have enjoyed the recent weather. So which varieties are they, you ask? Well, because they’re trials, I am not at liberty to say just yet, but stay tuned—by September, the secrets will be revealed!

Miss: The Fuzz
I hate poplars! No. Let me rephrase that. I like poplars, but I hate their fuzzy seeds. Every year, it amazes me how these annoying bits of fuzz manage to find their way into the tiniest nooks and crannies in our greenhouses and manage to find enough room to grow and become weeds. It’s no wonder the northern boreal forests are so loaded with poplars.

Question of The Week
Why do my vegetables have twisted growing tips that resemble little fiddleheads?
Whenever, I hear a description like this, I immediately suspect herbicide damage. And although this particular customer hadn’t sprayed anything himself, his farmer friend, who had a little herbicide left over in his tank, thought he would do his buddy a favour and kill off the weeds. The herbicide that was used was called Grazon, which effectively kills broadleaf weeds and broadleaf vegetables with equal zeal. Unfortunately, one of the herbicides in the Grazon formulation is called picloram, which is quite persistent and can remain active in the soil for a half dozen years or more, depending on the soil conditions. The take home message here is to never treat your garden soil with any chemical unless it is registered for home use and the person applying it is trained.

Science & Technology
Frisky Felines
I was reading an interesting note in Scientific American about why catnip drives cats crazy. Apparently, catnip (Nepeta cataria) contains a compound in its stems and leaves called nepetalactone, which acts much like an artificial feline pheromone. In other words, the nepetalactone binds to certain protein receptors and creates a sexual response in felines. According to the magazine, about 70 to 80 percent of cats demonstrate this response when exposed to nepetalactone. Even lions find nepeta plants stimulating. Hmmm…I’m guessing they’re harder to scold when you find them in the garden patch.

Trend Spotting

Gazing globes have always been popular, but this latest iteration has replaced that flashy metallic look with a slightly mottled surface.

Did You Know?
Juniper berries give gin its distinct flavour.

“Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”
–Groucho Marx

Hole’s is a proud supporter of the Grand Prix of Edmonton and provided all the high-performance plants you’ll see there this weekend.

4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 medium white onions, peeled and finely chopped
6 fresh Serrano chili peppers, finely chopped
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp. oregano
juice of three limes
olive oil
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and that’s it
– the salsa is done and ready to serve.

Recipe courtesy of Lois Hole’s Tomato Favorites

first published July 5, 2007

What do you do when you fall in love with a plant because it’s a bit weird and quirky and then, one day, it decides to abandon its wanton ways in pursuit of a life of conformity? Well, that’s exactly what you have to ask yourself when dealing with a group of plants I like to think of as Nature’s aberrations—plants otherwise known as variegated.

Love losta
To explain how variegation is lost, it first helps to understand that variegation is caused by a lack of chlorophyll and other pigments in a section of plant tissue. Typically, that abnormality is expressed as a rebellious pattern on leaves or flowers. The mutation itself isn’t serious enough to be lethal but will cause many variegated plants to have a little less vigour than their non-variegated relatives, especially in the wild. Fortunately, the vast majority of gardeners are more than happy to sacrifice a bit of vigour for a whole lot of variegation.

To satisfy our weakness for variegation, plant breeders and propagators keep a close eye out for plants that display unusual patterns. But before a variegated plant can make its way to the marketplace, it must first demonstrate a high level of stability. And what that means—at the risk of sounding a bit oxymoronic (or the other kind)—is that the variegated plant must exhibit a convincing amount of stable weirdness.

Emerging threats of normalcy
Understanding all the science behind variegation is quite complicated, so here is the nutshell version. For variegation to be stable, the variegation trait must be caused by a mutated cell or a group of cells that are fit enough to grow and multiply, and those cells must originate in a region of the plant where they are involved in generating new variegated gene cells. For example, if the mutation originates in a section of a leaf or stem where normal tissue can outgrow the mutation, the variegation pattern will often be unstable and disappear. However, when there is an “island” of mutated cells within a growing point or tip, the variegation has a greater chance of being stable. A good example of a stable mutation is the ‘Ruby Red’ grapefruit. It began its life as a weird grapefruit branch and grew into an all-star fruit tree. Not bad for a mutant.

Of course, to every set of rules there are always exceptions, which is why it’s quite common for completely stable varieties of plants to lose their patterns over time. And that’s exactly what happens with some variegated euonymous shrubs when the “normal” buds produce leaves that have more chlorophyll than the variegated leaves have. Having more chlorophyll allows the normal leaves to grow faster and to out compete the variegated foliage. In this case, the solution to preserving variegation is to get out the pruners and to lop off the emerging threat of normalcy. Variegated lilacs can be treated similarly when they develop “normal” shoots: unless these shoots are removed, the lilac will revert back to its natural non-variegated state.

Lost variegation can also be the result of a plant growing in the wrong light environment. Indoor plants such as Dracaena ‘Warneckii’ will lose their characteristic white band of tissue at their leaf margins when grown in light levels that are too high. But place that same dracaena in a spot that receives less light, and the striking variegation will return.

So if you find that your favourite plant is gradually losing its flamboyant edge, you hopefully now have a few means of defense against factors that threaten to dominate your cherished mutants.

On the other hand, you could just accept the fact that variegation is merely an ephemeral phase in your plant’s life. You know, kind of like in college when you indulge a brief phase of anarchy before inevitably settling into conformity and suburbia, complete with a family and a dog. Hmmm…perhaps the compromise is insisting that the dog at least have spots.

Hits & Misses: Simplicity & humbuggery
Question of the Week: Will watering my plants on very sunny days cause the leaves to burn?
Science & Technology: Brain food

“I thought I was going to heave when I smelled it.” That was the phrase our garden centre staff used repeatedly to describe the “sample” a gardener brought to our information booth this week. Now, it’s not anything new to have people show up with troubling samples of plant problems that they’d like us to identify, but it’s rare to get one that generates as much abhorrence as this one did.

It all started when Bob Stadnyk, our perennial manager, asked me to identify the “repulsive-looking blob that was growing on the mulch in some gardener’s yard.” No sooner had the words repulsive, blob and mulch come out of his mouth that I suspected he was describing—wait for it!—dog vomit slime mould. Yes, that really is its name; and, yes, that’s exactly what it looks and smells like. To be honest, I couldn’t wait to see it. What makes slime mould a rather strange organism is that it’s both fungal-like and plant-like. Interesting?—yes, but what makes it a bona fide 10 on the Strange Meter is that slime mould can move about, engulfing and digesting bacteria, yeast and decaying plant and animal matter in its path. At times, slime mould can even be found crossing lawns, roads or even climbing trees!

It’s the first time I’ve seen a sample of it, but because I like to check out the Fungus of the Month on mycology professor Tom Volk’s University of Wisconsin’s website (one of my favourite websites!), I was quick to identify it. Hey, they don’t call me Mr. Exciting for nothing.

Dog vomit slime mould

Hits & Misses
Hit: Simplicity
One of the containers I’m really liking this year has a large ‘Red Sensation’ cordyline in the centre and is surrounded by ‘Waterfalls White Sparkle’ lobelia and ‘Silver Falls’ dichondra that trail over the sides. Simplicity at its best. At first, I was a bit worried that the lobelia might be a water hog, but it’s proven to be quite resistant to drying and seems to get better looking every day.

Miss: Humbuggery
Believe it or not, we received our first shipment of poinsettia cuttings this week. Even for us, that’s a bit early, but ‘Silver Star’ and ‘Winter Rose Early’ are two varieties that need extra time in the greenhouse to be ready for Christmas. Well…we were a day late picking up the cuttings from the airport (I know! But it’s not like we made them come down the chimney), and a day after transplanting, a few of the lower leaves started turning yellow. The yellowing was due to the traces of ethylene gas that the cuttings emitted, so we expect they will all make a complete recovery within a week. Just think of it as poinsettia jet lag.

Question of the Week
Will watering my plants on very sunny days cause the leaves to burn?
This myth simply refuses to die. Don’t believe it! Look at it this way: what would happen if water droplets really did burn leaves? A brief rainstorm followed by sunshine would burn every plant for miles around. The only good thing about this myth is that it inadvertently encourages water conservation. Watering your garden in the morning, rather than in the heat of the day, will give your soil a chance to absorb more water, less of which will be lost to evaporation.

Science & Technology
Brain Food
I was raised on lots of homegrown vegetables picked fresh from the garden—often still warm from the sun. So I find it of particular interest (and amusement) when “new” research confirms what my mom knew all along—that vegetables are good for you and that eating a variety of them increases the benefits. Take for example a spinach salad sprinkled liberally with sliced grilled tomatoes. Spinach is high in potassium and folate, and tomatoes provide vitamin C and lycopene. Eat these two veggies and you’ve helped to maintain cognitive abilities and to increase muscle and joint health. Give me a fresh vegetable over a pill supplement any day!

A medium tomato has about as much fiber as a slice of whole wheat bread.

Did You Know?
Dog vomit slime mould is purported to be the inspiration for the movie The Blob, which is about a large amorphous creature from space.

“By the time you find greener pastures, you can’t climb over the fence.”
–Author unknown

4-6 servings

1 small red pepper, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3 small zucchini, diced
1 eggplant, diced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/3 cup dry white wine

Chop all the vegetables and set aside in separate bowls. In a small bowl, mix the tomato paste, white wine, sugar and thyme; set aside. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, until tender. Add the red and green peppers; cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the eggplant and zucchini; mix all the vegetables well. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomato-paste mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir gently and cook for 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Zucchini: You never have enough

first published June 28, 2007

One of my most enjoyable walks in June is the one I take from the office to the greenhouses. Some of that enjoyment is definitely derived from the glee of escaping the writer’s block at my desk, but the majority of the pleasure is a direct result of walking by a 10-metre-long hedge of dwarf Korean lilacs that unapologetically overwhelms my senses. Yet, as fragrant and colourful as lilacs are, they have another outstanding characteristic that we tend to forget about: versatility.

Dwarf Korean Lilac

The heart grows fonder
One of the many things that make lilacs so versatile is their ability to adapt to a variety of environments. They are extremely cold hardy, perform well in full sun or light shade and withstand drought remarkably well. And if that’s not enough, there are also a large number of cultivars with a wide array of growth habits to suit the needs of the most discerning of gardeners.

If it’s a hedge you need, it’s tough to beat the dwarf Korean lilac. Its reddish-purple flowerbuds open to a wonderful pinkish purple during the first or second week of June and produce a massive display of sweetly scented blooms. The maintenance of this shrub also tends to be minimal. It can be pruned and shaped to a particular form without a lot of fuss, and it stays compact, growing to a height of 1–2 metres. Just remember not to use a mulch around your dwarf Korean lilac. Normally, this variety won’t sucker, but a heavy layer of mulch will encourage it to act otherwise.

If a hedge isn’t your style, try a Japanese tree lilac. One of my favourites is the variety ‘Ivory Silk.’ It can get up to about 10 metres wide and tall (although most of the ones I’ve seen are about half that height) and produces creamy flower clusters that are about 10–20 cm in length. One of the nicest things about this variety it that it will be in full bloom long after other lilacs are past their flowering prime. Its oval shape and reddish-brown bark also make it stand out in a crowd.

If heavy masses of pink, double flowers on 25-cm-long clusters pique your interest, you can’t go wrong with ‘Beauty of Moscow.’ Lilac experts place this variety high on the Best-Of List. This upright shrub reaches a maximum width of 2–3 metres (which is slightly narrower than other French hybrid lilacs) and grows to a height of 8–10 metres. It serves equally well as an excellent screening plant or as a feature shrub.

Care & Maintenance
There aren’t a lot of tricks to growing great looking lilacs. They will grow in some pretty lean soils, but if you want to produce the largest number of high quality blooms, give them plenty of rich soil and a sunny location. The only real downside to planting in full sun is that the blooms tend to fade quickly during hot spells. A good watering once a week won’t eliminate fading but will increase the longevity of the flowers. The most important rule to remember when dealing with lilacs is that the blooms should be pruned only after the flowers have faded and turned brown and should never be pruned too severely; otherwise you run the risk of shearing off the flowerbuds that become next year’s blooms. This doesn’t mean you can’t cut flowers for bouquets—you can; selectively removing a few bouquet’s worth of branches won’t cause any problems.

The last thing to consider in terms of maintenance is how to deal with suckering. It’s something that everyone seems to hate dealing with, but I think it gets a bit of a bad rap. Most of the lilac varieties that I’ve seen (especially newer varieties) don’t produce a lot of suckers, and those that do can be brought under control with a few snips.

So get outside and find the perfect spot to plant a lilac you can enjoy and be overwhelmed by. After all, of all the human senses, the sense of smell is purported to be the most powerful for stimulating vivid memories. Apparently, they are also not too bad for unlocking writer’s block.

Hits & Misses: King Tut & rehab petunias
Question of the Week: What are those funny-looking bugs on my roses?
The Business: Battle of the fungi

My nine-year-old daughter, who loves insects, managed to trap a cycada in a parking lot the other day. Cycadas are quite common down East, but because we don’t have a large population of them here in Alberta, Emma was quite pleased to have captured a ‘rare’ insect. Emma, needing to inspect her prize immediately, placed the cycada on her finger, whereupon the cycada, thinking my daughter’s finger was a piece of wood, tried to pierce her skin with its sharp proboscis (beak). Now, this is all old hat at our house, so I wasn’t surprised that she found the whole incident amusing. It’s the same reason she was amused when a water boatmen insect stabbed her, and was intrigued when a spider bit her, and laughed when a large longhorn beetle chewed the skin off her index finger. BUT!—tell this same girl that she needs to get a needle to be immunized against various diseases and she is on the verge of tears. Hmmm…I wonder if our doctor could conceal the hypodermic needle by disguising it as a huge tarantula.

Hits & Misses
Hit: King Tut
‘King Tut’ grass (Cyperus alternifolius) has proven to be a real hit with my wife this year. She loves that all it takes is one to create a great focal point in a container and that they’re so easy to care for. I get the impression that her new-found love for papyrus grass might mean more of an Egyptian-themed garden next year. I can’t say I’d have much of an objection to it…unless, of course, it means me having to wear eyeliner in the garden. I just don’t think I could pull it off.

‘King Tut’ loves moisture and can double as a water plant.

Miss: Rehab Petunias
For the past several weeks, a row of hanging petunia baskets somehow failed to get a regular allotment of fertilizer. As amazing as that is in itself, what’s even harder to comprehend is just how quickly symptoms of nutrient deficiency showed up in these plants. Petunias are vigorous bedding plants that will put on a stunning display of flowers and foliage but require a steady feed of fertilizer to perform their best—especially during the long days of summer. A week or so in rehab should straighten them out quite nicely.

Question of the Week
What are those funny-looking bugs on my roses?
I’ve had two samples of rose bugs that, not surprisingly, turned out to be rose aphids. Ironically, I find that the species of aphid that causes the most grief with gardeners around here is the green peach aphid—not the rose aphid. Really, neither is good to have, but if you can get past the fact that rose aphids are feeding on your plants, you might be able to concede that they’re quite a pretty species—especially if you’re into rosy-red bulbous bodies. If not, reach for the insecticidal soap and douse the little guys thoroughly and often until the problem is under control.

If you get in the habit of inspecting your roses closely and regularly, you will likely notice most pest problems before they become severe.

The Business
Battle of the fungi
We’re finding that an increasing number of greenhouse soil mixes have a variety of fungal species in them. But that isn’t a bad thing. The fungi are beneficial, and some (like various mycorrhizal species) are being added to soil mixes to increase plant growth. Research scientists from the Agricultural Research Service in Wooster, Ohio have been working with a beneficial fungi called Trichoderma hamatum that’s proving to be as effective at fighting off bad fungi as some fungicides are. Hopefully, in a few years we will be able to buy custom soil blends with beneficial fungi that will prevent the damage that some of the more common soil pathogens cause. Stay tuned!

Did You Know?
Arching plants like Solomon’s seal have a relatively inefficient leaf arrangement for capturing sunlight on flat ground but are ideal for capturing sunlight on slopes steeper than 20 degrees.

“Danger and delight grow on one stalk.”
–English proverb