Dwarf Bright Gold Yew
Taxus cuspidata. This plant will turn heads with it’s bright, sunny yellow foliage. The dwarf bright gold yew grows 4-5 feet tall and wide and will lighten up any spot in the garden, including a container. It grows well in sun to partial shade in zones 4-8. Cold winters are okay! This is a low maintenance shrub and is easily shaped with pruning. The fine … Continue reading Dwarf Bright Gold Yew
Outstanding Annuals—Heliotrope
This is a plant that is hard to pass by without a short stop to inhale the sweet aroma. It’s also called the Cherry Pie Plant, but the scent of heliotrope always reminds me of vanilla. Let’s just say that something good is baking in the kitchen when this flower blooms. I like to plant it next to Chocolate Cosmos, then I have both chocolate … Continue reading Outstanding Annuals—Heliotrope
Kid Stuff—Butterfly Windsocks and Plants
This craft involves cutting, gluing and designing and can leave a big mess, but it’s lots of fun! Kids can show their creativity as they pick colors and patterns for their butterflies. We talked about why some butterflies have big spots on their wings (to fool potential predators that they have large eyes) and how butterflies grow (from caterpillar to flying insect). I used … Continue reading Kid Stuff—Butterfly Windsocks and Plants
Aphids for dinner
Tonight I released hundreds of live ladybugs on aphid-covered roses. They had been in a plastic container in a fridge for months and as soon as they began to warm up, they were active and hungry. They swarmed out onto my hand, wrist and up my arm. To have any other bug crawling all over my skin would have been more than unsettling. But … Continue reading Aphids for dinner
Baking Soda Spray for Fungal Diseases
This easy recipe is from the book Great Garden Formulas by Editors Benjamin and Martin. They say it’s proven effective, I can’t wait to try it because black spot is slowly creeping onto my roses. 1 Tbsp Baking Soda 1 Tbsp Horticultural Oil 1 Gallon Water Backpack or Pump Sprayer Mix baking soda, oil and water in the sprayer. This is a preventative, so remove … Continue reading Baking Soda Spray for Fungal Diseases
Rainyleaf 