And much more!
It's your link to all the postings from fall, 2013 and late
fall, 2013:
In the Main Features department:
Stop
blaming grubs: This is an eye opener for every lawn tender.
Please use this grub coverage to convince one other person to stop
using grub killer. No one should use the stuff unless there at
least 8 grubs per square foot under the lawn.
Plus nitty gritty for as deep as you care to dig:
How to help your lawn... the better
answer rather than aiming to hurt grubs.
Determining if it's really grub
trouble.
Controlling grubs. Many methods,
not only that bag of granules!
Grub life cycles: Know 'em to beat
'em!
Good guy grubs: Yes you heard a-right,
there are good grubs, too.
Grubs never lose: There's no beating
them forever.
Grub war collateral damage:
Kill a grub, ripple out through the environment.
In This week in our gardens, two articles:
Oak galls
rain down. What were those odd little balls and bumps on the
oak leaves this year? Why you should disagree if a tree care
company tells you to address the galls with pesticide.
Late
planting of bulbs. December already? January? Go ahead and
plant those fall bulbs if the ground's not frozen. The main thing
is whether the bulbs are still firm!
River birch Christmas
branch: We celebrate the holidays with a pagan flare, turn our
living room into a forest, and create a prayer for hope and
prosperity for all our kith and kin.
In our Green Thumbs Up department: Fall is fun, not
cold! Pat yourself on the back and count your blessings if you
brave the cold fall mornings to get out there in fall.
In Tip cuttings:
Pick
organic produce: Plus the ugly question, and the reasons
why.
Saving
Harry Lauder: When this twisty shrub begins to wane, what's
going on and how it might be saved from disease, or from lace
bug.
The latest
daisy: If you have not grown Montauk daisy you may have missed
the fall showboat.
In the Mentors magic department:
Grow
a fig tree in zone 5: Maybe friends tell you you're goofy for
the special things you do to protect plants over winter. After you
take a look at this and you'll know you aren't whacky at all.
Includes a zone 9 frozen fig and a fig growth
log.
Indian
summer: It comes every year -- but not until after Veterans'
Day. Nice weather earlier than November 11 is just normal fall
fare. This year Indian summer came on a rainy weekend, darn it!
In the 45mph garden: Odd fruit rates a doubletake.
Shaggy redbuds and mutant magnolias seemed to abound this year, but
it was all just fruity circumstance. It was also a license for us
to collect and report on a whole batch of odd fruit situations in
one article.
In Aiming for answers, hit or miss:
The A-B-C's of holiday decor take you
through three simple steps to turn your garden cuttings into world
class decorations.
No-Splay
arbs dropped into this department, too. Given the amount of
snow there's been in the region this winter, if you have an
arborvitae hedge you will probably need this advice by early
spring!
In Scrabbling in the garden: Oak leaves hang
on to rate a 10 on the cool word scale. Includes additional
chapters to help you recognize tree trouble right
now, in time to decide whether the tree really needs your help,
if
insects are the issue and whether you can solve problems
sch as scale before spring.
In Expert afield: Read about Best fall
bloom. This is a bloomin' spectacular, a barrow full of plant
recommendations, colorful combinations and beautiful images to keep
a garden blooming long into fall. If you missed reading it in fall,
no worries -- it's important information to have in hand before you
go shopping in spring.
In the Kid's Views department: Scuffling
and learning. If you ever walk outdoors with a young one, check
this out.
In About Us: The Real Deal, we posted holiday greetings with a 2013
wrap-up. It's for our friends who like to keep up with out
personal doings and our family.