Monthly Archives: June 2010

Dreaming of Tomatoes–Part I

Posted on June 29, 2010 by

As the yellow tomato blossoms and the smallest round, green fruits begin to appear on tomato plants at this time of year, it’s difficult not to think ahead to plans for the first fully ripe tomato waiting to be harvested. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Gourmet Gardening | Tagged , , ,

How Much Water for the Garden?

Posted on June 28, 2010 by

Water is essential for plants to absorb nutrients from the soil. The weekly water requirements of plants varies by temperature and by type of soil. At temperatures of 70°-75°F (21-24 C), plants use 0.15″-0.20″ (0.4-0.5 cm) of water per day, … Continue reading →

Posted in Basics, Soil | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Tip of the Day: Lysol® is your friend

Posted on June 25, 2010 by

Actually, it doesn’t have to be Lysol®, but a reliable disinfectant spray should definitely be part of your gardening arsenal of tools and treatments. Pruning out infected shoots and branches has always been a useful and, yes, organic, way of eliminating … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Diseases | Tagged , | 6 Comments

If you don’t see it, just ask

Posted on June 25, 2010 by

Encyclopedic volumes exist on just about every aspect of gardening–from trees, shrubs and perennials, to insects and diseases, to soil and turfgrass, to vegetable gardening. My personal library consists of 150 books and at least 300 publications, so I know … Continue reading →

Posted in Basics

Plants for Clay Soil–The Asteraceae Family

Posted on June 21, 2010 by

One of the reasons for naming this blog Gardening in the Mud is that, like many of you reading this, I live in an area where the developer bulldozed off all the rich top soil from the former farmland and left the homeowners with nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden Design, Soil | Tagged , ,

Itea virginica ‘sprich’ (“Little Henry”)

Posted on June 19, 2010 by

June can be a slow month in the garden while waiting for the roses to bloom. The spring flowering shrubs are spent, all but the latest blooming peonies have shed their petals, and the colorful spring bulbs have turned into tan stalks with … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant of the Month | Tagged , ,

Gardening Terminology

Posted on June 18, 2010 by

I   Garden Design v. Landscape Design As used on this blog, Garden Design will refer to all arrangements, layouts and selection of living materials.  Topics might cover anything from mixed borders, to borrowed scenery, to including raised beds in a garden layout. Landscape … Continue reading →

Posted in Basics