Japanese honeysuckle


Tue. May. 23, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Japanese Honeysuckle

Last week I told you about my mystery plant.  A vine that was labeled Lonicera aka Honeysuckle ‘Major Wheeler’.  Which it clearly was not after I let it grow like crazy last year, with no flowering, and then came up this year looking completely different.   The picture below doesn’t show how wide this plant grew.  This is ONE year of growth

I believe that it is actually a Japanese honeysuckle.  That’s a problem.  The leaves of a  … [Continue reading]

Hardening off warm season plants


Mon. May. 22, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Hardening off warm season plants

Cold…  wet…. Spring.  The recent cooler temperatures reinforce waiting to plant those warm season vegetables like peppers and tomatoes (some would call them fruit!).  They like the soil temps over 60 degrees, in fact, for peppers they appreciate 70 degrees (as do I).    IF you’ve already sunk them into the soil, they’ll be fine but they’ll be slow to grow.

If you started tomatoes and/or peppers indoors, it’s time to begin the  hardening off process  … [Continue reading]

What is it? I thought I planted… the label said…


Thu. May. 11, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  What is it?  I thought I planted….  the label said…

Last June I bought a vine on sale.  It was labeled Lonicera Major Wheeler.  That’s a Honeysuckle vine with bright red blooms.  It grew like crazy, covering an old childs bedspring and part of my fence very quickly but I got no blooms.  This year the leaves look nothing like a honeysuckle vine and new growth is coming up ONLY from the ground, not on old growth like my Dropmore  … [Continue reading]

Flooded plants


Mon. Aug. 29, 2016

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Flooded plants

Many of us have recently experienced some very wet weather.  Rather unusual for August!  Generally our lawns are like crispy toast, but this year, they’re actually green and we’re mowing at least once a week!

Flooding can literally drown your lawn. Air gaps that normally provide breathing room are filled with water. Grass roots die if they go without air for too long. Wet conditions also encourage fungus that can create dieback, damage and even kill your plants.  … [Continue reading]

Earwigs!


Tue. Aug. 9, 2016

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Earwigs!

Ugh, even the word Earwig makes me cringe.  I think of some critter crawling inside my ear!  That happened to me once.  It really makes you feel like you’re going insane.  Thankfully I was with someone who knew what to do!  They used a little olive oil in an eye dropper and the bug just floated out.  It still gives me the heebie jeebies!   How to safely remove a bug from your ear.  It’s hard to remain calm!   … [Continue reading]

Storms take out weak trees


Mon. Jul. 11, 2016

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Storms take out weak trees

My community just recently experienced some damaging storms.  Our City prides itself on it’s lovely flora but after seeing six 8 to 10 inch diameter Linden trees along a boulevard snap, well, I had to take a look.

What I found were massively girdled roots and the remnants of plastic tubing around the base of each tree.

One of the culprits to the girdled roots was plastic tubing placed around the base of the tree  … [Continue reading]

Hugelkultur – huh?


Tue. Feb. 16, 2016

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Hugelkultur- huh?

What’s old is new again. I’ve been hearing a lot about hugelkultur and decided to investigate.  It’s a funny German word that means “hill culture,” or “mound culture.”  Hugelkultur consists of a raised plant bed built up over decaying wood and other compostable materials.    A fallen tree becomes a “nurse log”, decomposing, releasing nutrients, and nourishing new growth above.

Proven Winners has put together a very simple demonstration for the backyard gardener.

hugelkultur logs

A hügelkultur bed can provide nutrients  … [Continue reading]

Chicken & Sausage Skewers


Fri. Jan. 1, 2010

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 lbs. Skinless, boneless chicken breasts (4 oz. each)
  • 1 lb. Italian sausage links, mild
  • 1 Pint Cherry tomatoes
  • 1 Bag Bamboo skewers, soaked in water

    Marinade

  • 2 tsp. Colavita pepper oil
  • 2 Tsb. Fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1/2 Cup Lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 3 Bay leaves, broken into pieces
  • 2 Garlic cloves, large, pressed

Cut each piece of chicken in half lengthwise. Thread each chicken piece onto a skewer; add a cherry tomato to the end of each skewer.

For chicken marinade, in a large baking dish mix  … [Continue reading]

5-Spice Zucchini Bread


Fri. Jan. 1, 2010

This is my favorite way to use the zucchini out of our garden!

INGREDIENTS:

  • Butter and flour for pan
  • 1-1/4 Cups Flour
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/4 Cup Oil
  • 1 Container Unsweetened Natural Applesauce
  • 3/4 Cup Sugar
  • 3/4 tsp. Sale
  • 2 tsp. Chinese 5-Spice Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Ground Pepper, freshly ground
  • 1/4 Cup Sesame seeds
  • 2 Cups Zucchini, coarsely shredded
  • 2 Tbs. Pine nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour dust loaf pan. In a bowl, beat egg to blend, add oil,  … [Continue reading]

Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad


Fri. Jan. 1, 2010

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 slices Bacon, chopped
  • 2 tsp Brown sugar
  • 1 small Red onion
  • 2 Tbs Cider vinegar
  • 1 bunch Dandelion greens, washed and dried, stems removed
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
 … [Continue reading]