Show Date: 30 Jun 09

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity! ARG!

Everything grows so well, including pesky weeds. Hand picking can work with annual weeds but those perennials are tougher. Lightly cultivating these guys usually just means you’ve broken off a tap root and now will have even more weeds. You need a total vegetation killer like Round Up. But wait!

Paint the chemical on the offending weeds leaves with one of those 1-inch sponge paint brushes on a windless day. Be sure to follow all safety precautions and read the label carefully. You can also cut the top and bottom out of a gallon milk jug, place it over the weed and spray inside. You might want to wear a mask with this method.

Show Date: 29 Jun 09

I feel like a rabbit with all the lettuce I’ve eaten lately!

‘Gourmet Blend,’ from Burpee, is my favorite mix of loose leaf lettuce. I’ve been adding the tomatoes I dried last year until this years tomatoes are ripe. They offer a burst of flavor and a chewy texture. Herbs are easy to grow and are another great addition to salads. Tarragon, Parsley, ‘Spicy Globe’ Basil and chives to name a few. Oh, just not all together! Nasturtiums, pansies and daylily buds are also tasty and look great in your salad.

Burpee 'Gourmet blend'

Show Date: 26 Jun 09

Tired of terra cotta? How about a Tub o’ Tunias?

We’re talking unique containers: Old bathtubs, suitcases, sneakers and hockey skates! Anything that will hold soil and you can put drain holes in can be used as a container. Use a nail spike or a drill to create drain holes. You can recycle those ugly plastic pots you get from the nursery by scuffing them up with sand paper and spray painting them. You need to scuff them up so the paint has something to hold onto.

Garage sales offer killer places to scope out unique containers for cheap prices. Go for natural containers and use hollowed logs.

A log planter.

Show Date: 25 Jun 09

Ruby-throated hummingbird

Want to attract hummingbirds?

Mix 4 parts water to 1 part table sugar. Boil it to get the chlorine out and to kill any mold, cover it and let it cool. Don’t use honey, jello or sugar substitutes or food coloring. Change the sugar solution every 4 days when temps are above 80 degrees.

Provide a mix of plants. Here’s a list to get you started:

• lobelia
• lupines
• heucheras
• heliotrope
• hibiscus
• salvia

Show Date: 24 Jun 09

Ever bit into a “hot” radish? Then went looking for a napkin to spit it into? Me too. Hot temps or over maturity produce that hot or bitter flavor. You can have another go at planting radishes in late August as they mature in 25 to 45 days. Check the packet. This little gem, “Easter egg,” is mature in 30 days:

'Easter egg' radish.

“Fuego” is disease-resistant.

Show Date: 23 Jun 09

So weeding’s not your bag, then plant these perennials pack a weed blocking punch: “Emerald Blue” moss phlox, “Thriller” lady’s mantle, “Walker’s Low” catmint, “Herman’s Pride” false lamium and “Golden Fleece” dwarf goldenrod. All of these are spreaders (read invasive) and they have dense leaf cover.

Emerald blue moss phlox.

Show Date: 22 Jun 09

I spent much of my weekend weeding which really means I let my mind wander. Listening to the birds, the chimes my husband made and dreaming. I find it relaxing while feeling like I’ve accomplished something. I leave some weeds behind in hopes that bad bugs will munch on them and they’ll give shelter to good bugs! Oh and I scoped a couple of sales and found two newer cultivars of Ninebark called “Center Glow” developed by the University of Minnesota:

Ninebark Center glow.

Can’t wait to see what they look like next year!

Show Date: 19 Jun 09

Plant shopping is like shoe shopping to me:

Plant sale icon.

The thing is, it’s only a deal if the plant grows. So, check the leaves for yellowing or brown spots. If there are more brown/yellow spots than healthy leaves, then put it down. If you can, pull the plant GENTLY out of it’s pot and take a look at the roots. If they’re mushy or yellowed, then set it back down and walk away. The plant may have root rot.

Make your plant sale run the last stop of the day so your purchases aren’t sitting in the trunk of a car getting overheated. Plant as soon as you can or store them in a cool, shaded area. Be sure to add some organic matter to your planting hole and water them well.

Check back every day for the first week, then every few days for the next 3 weeks. For the first 3 years, you need to supplement any shrubs or trees with water unless you’re getting an inch of rain a week!

Show Date: 18 Jun 09

Kids are outta school and already they’ve spent hours sitting in front of some electronic device. Let’s get them dirty! Create a 6 foot diameter circle for a pizza garden!

Pizza garden chart.

Plant wedges of basil, oregano, parsley, onions (long-day variety for our climate), peppers and tomatoes. I would suggest a couple of types of peppers, maybe a mild chili pepper and a bell pepper. Try a grape tomato like ‘Yellow Pear’ for some other color and a cherry tomato like ‘Sweet 100.’

Little kids like the ‘Cuke in a Bottle.’ Choose an immature fruit on your cucumber plant and put a soda bottle over it. Be sure to poke holes in the bottle so you don’t fry the little cuke while it grows inside.

Show Date: 17 Jun 09

Oh, the joy of plant shopping!

But what about transportation of those trees and shrubs? Twine is good. Tarp or sheets to wrap your purchases is better. The winds from highway speeds suck the moisture out of leaves and beat the daylights out of them. Bring some old sheets or tarp and wrap them, then tie with twine. Cushion the trunks/stems where it may get smacked against your vehicle when you hit bumps. Your plants will love you for it!