It is late August. Do you know what that means? Apples! Yes, our apple trees are beginning to yield their bountiful fruits. A few days ago, I walked over to a friend's apple tree and pulled down on a low-hanging apple with no signs of blemishes or damage. The fruit slipped off the tree easily,...
Lady beetles are widely considered a gardener’s friend. Sure, multi-colored Asian lady beetles can be a nuisance when they make their way into our homes during the fall (not to mention displacing native lady beetles). But they are all predatory, beneficial insects that feed on various pest insects...
On a recent family vacation, I was able to revisit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As I return to places I was privileged to visit as a child, I prepare for the trip, in part, by trying to dig deep into my memory bank and recall as much as I can about the place so I can compare. I am...
It is time for another installment of What’s under my sink and can I use it in the garden? Today comes a home remedy that originates back to the 19th Century. In 1871, gardener Anne Hale recommended using spirits of ammonia for stimulating flower growth. Over 150 years later, peek under...
Mention wasps to someone, and you’ll likely get a negative reaction. Wasps are often seen as scary, angry insects that are dangerous and likely to sting. While some wasps can be aggressive at times, and some pack a powerful sting, they are good insects to have around. They are the unsung heroes of...
As the summer days pass by, garden harvest becomes a regularly performed task of our Master Gardeners. The demonstration gardens that were so thoughtfully planned, plants or seeds so carefully planted, and growing plants so lovingly tended to for the past few months are producing delicious,...
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is among the most widely planted native plants in yards and gardens. They are long-blooming plants that produce domed flowers with orangish-brown spiny centers and drooping lavender petals. Occasionally their flowers will become green and distorted,...
Nature is an incredible artist and evolution has produced an overabundance of diversity. Plants in every form from spreading to climbing, vase-shaped, columnar, leaves in various shapes, colors, and arrangements.
The two species featured in this article are about as opposite as plants get. One...
I met a good farmer today. In recollection, I don’t think I’ve ever met a bad farmer, but this encounter was different. Immediately we hit it off. The conversation turned from the windbreak I came to look at to our former dogs. We talked about marriage and kids. It seemed like I had known...