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Ladybugs

LADYBUGS

Ladybugs ClipArt Dressed in their trademark red-orange suit with black spots, ladybugs are the poster bug for the beneficial insect movement. They consume nearly 200 different kinds of garden pests. Their alligator-shaped larvae are black and spiny, with bright spots, and are even more efficient predators than their parents are. Our gardens are better when they stop by for dinner.

Soon there will be close encounters with these same lovelies of the garden. However, this time they will not be welcome. The Asian lady beetles, imported and sold to control aphids in our gardens, insist on spending their winters indoors with us.

If they have visited you in the past, they will be back. This is a friendly reminder to find and plug all of those little openings in your house. You have been warned. The ladybugs are coming.

Question & Answer - Nandinas

QUESTION:

Good Morning from Rainy Texas, Two years ago I bought this house and the previous owners must have loved Nandinas. I have them everywhere and would like to start getting rid of them in the flower beds. How do I kill them? I tried sawing them off at the ground but now I have a rounded bush. What does it take to get rid of them? Thanks.

ANSWER:

You have discovered that cutting them off just makes for a stronger shrub! Unfortunately, you have to dig them out by the roots. They will self-seed happily in the fall/winter, too. Remove the lovely clusters of red berries from all of the plants and use them for Christmas decorations or in floral arrangements. Make sure to pull up any new seedlings as they appear. They only need a couple of seasons to get established in the garden.

White in the Garden

We know winter by its whites. Ice or snow blankets the landscape with shimmer and shine. Summer whites banish the sizzles and deflect the sunny rays, bringing in an implied coolness to the landscape. Grouped together, whites seduce you into thinking their area of the garden is chillier.

Begin your bed or border with a small plan - or not, if you are more inclined to spontaneous bursts of creativity and energy.

Next, improve the soil with amendments. It doesn't matter if the soil is sandy or clay, amendments like well-rotted manure or compost will improve the soil's texture, structure, and fertility. See to the roots and your plants will thrive.

White Lily - Casa Blanca

Bring elegance into the springtime garden with some thought, earth turning, and planting in the fall. White violas make a dramatic foil underplanting white tulips and white daffodils. There are several white tulips to choose from, but 'Maureen' is a good performer in most of the country. If you live in an area where winters do not sustain low temperatures, be sure to order your tulip bulbs early. In those warm zones, the bulbs need chilling in the refrigerator for 8-10 weeks before their sojourn outdoors. Daffodils are easy. They just go in the ground where they will stay and multiply yearly.

Oriental poppy Miss Piggy(tm) would make anyone proud, even Kermit. Wouldn't you want to grow this poppy just because of its name? She is definitely an uncommon poppy. Her huge blossoms of nearly white look as if they are wearing Miss Piggy's feather boa.

Names establish a feel for a plant, just as they do for a person. The lily, 'Casa Blanca' is no exception. She is definitely a lady, an Oriental hybrid that has flourished in gardens warmer than U.S. Zone 5 (coldest to minus 20 F) for years.

Snowcap Daisies

Oriental lily bulbs are large and plump, with scales that break off easily. Be gentle when you put them into the soil this fall.

Leucanthemum 'Becky' has been a super performer in gardens for years. She doesn't need improvement, but better she is, with the introduction of Leucanthemum 'Snowcap' . Why is Snowcap better? It is a dwarf, easy for little hands to reach from garden paths. Little ones needn't step on the alyssum or lamb's ears to get that perfect bouquet for Mommy.

If you are looking for a late summer flower for the shade garden, look at Anemone 'Honorine Jobert.' A part-shade lover, the more shade she gets, the more she sprawls, weaving her foliage in and out of established perennials. In late summer, just when you think the garden holds no more surprises, she shoots large white flowers atop stiff stems, punctuating the green with pleasant upturned faces.

Clematis - Henryi

To go up instead of out, send Clematis 'Henryi' up an arbor or small tree. He has impressed gardeners for years with his huge white flowers. He even will re-bloom sporadically throughout the year if he is kept happy in alkaline soil. If your soil is acid, work lime into the planting bed and in future years, add more lime as the soil returns to its natural acid state.

Icy whites bring wintertime cool to the summertime landscape, establishing elegance in a serene setting. In your private spaces, flee from the hot reds, oranges, and yellows. Put a chill in your garden air with summer ice.

---Coach Anne K Moore August 29, 2007---

Question & Answer - Calla Lily Bulbs

QUESTION

Calla Lily with Pitcher Plants

I received calla bulbs a few days ago. I want to plant them in containers. What tips can you share with me so these plants will be healthy and beautiful in my garden? How many bulbs should i sow in a specific sized pot? I am looking forward to your response. Thank you so much.

ANSWER
The calla lily bulb can go into an 8 inch pot, or larger if you are planting it with other flowers. Callas like a lot of water, so the larger the pot, the less often you will have to water it. Don't let it totally dry out. It will grow nicely in boggy conditions, so if you have some garden soil with clay in it, you could mix that into your potting mix to help it hold water. If you plant a mix of flowers, make sure the others in the pot need the same conditions as the calla. It will grow in sun or part sun.

Blueberry Antioxidant Effects on Brain Function

Blueberries

According to agricultural research scientists and the USDA, we lose brain cells throughout our lives, but it has been thought that the loss accelerates, as we grow older. In addition, it was thought that the central nervous system is not capable of regenerating itself. Studies now show that regeneration does take place although at a slower pace in the aging. Scientists have been studying the effect of antioxidants on brain function. A promising finding, in experiments on "senior citizen" rats and mice, shows a marked reduction in brain cell loss in these elder rats and mice. The group receiving the antioxidant diet maintained their ability to balance and maintained awareness of their surroundings better than the control group, which was fed regular chow. Strawberry, spinach, or blueberry extracts were the main antioxidants fed to the experimental groups. The blueberry extract achieved the best results, at least in the studies of these three foods. "Such studies aim to find the best dietary regimens to help adults preserve their mental capabilities while aging." —By Rosalie Marion Bliss, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.

For more, go to http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/aug07/aging0807.htm

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