The Gardens of France – Part 1- Tarascon
At a friend's recommendation, we utilized France's Gites de France system of bed and breakfasts to find a place to stay, and boy did we score: a 17th century monastary overlooking this little city's cathedral, now inhabited ...
True Bug – Good Luck Charm or Messenger of Death?
Another great question came in this week from a fellow Gardenerd:" I'm pretty sure we have a variety of stinkbugs including harlequin bugs. Any suggestions after destroying infested plants and accompanying bugs?" First things first. I just found a really great website featuring a insect photo catalog to help you identify your critters. Simply hover over the diagrams on the left hand side to find the right category of insect. You will find Stinkbugs and Harlequin bugs under the category…
A Sentimental Tree
"[My daughter] has a tree she planted from seed. I'm not sure what it is, at one point thought it was a Chinese Elm. It has completely outgrown the huge pot it was in (cracked it in half wide open), and is much too large for us to keep in the pot, and no where to plant it. The tree is somewhat sentimental (if trees can be that - it is to us, we're weird). Is there anyway I can keep part ...
The Gardens of Ireland – Part 4 – Kylemore Abbey
I've saved the best for last. I am hoping that you will share my enthusiasm for what pictures can only begin to describe as the most amazing garden in Ireland. I speak - with hand ceremoniously held over heart - of Kylemore Abbey. Kylemore is a castle tucked into a wooded hillside on the edge of a lake. That alone has a pretty high drool factor. What you can't see from the entrance of the estate, however, are the sweeping gardens that are a shuttle drive away down a windy road nestled in the forest.
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With Harvest comes Fruit flies
It's hard to think that anything bad can come from having too many tomatoes around. They sit so beautifully on my kitchen counter in an Italian ceramic bowl, their colors ranging from bright striped green to bright yellow to golden orange to brilliant red. Yet one thing tarnishes their image. Fruit flies. They seem to come from nowhere, and appear to have nowhere else to go and no other target than my tomatoes. Naturally, I'd much rather be out in the garden than standing around in my kitchen with a fly swatter, so with a little research and ...
Oops, I overwatered!
"I left my soaker hose on in my garden for two days straight and everything got way too much water. Will it be ok? I have squash, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions and lettuce."
Well, in this hot weather, you should be okay. In the summer, up to 60% of the moisture from overhead watering can be lost to evaporation. You've been using a soaker hose, so your evaporation is going to be less. If you have sandy soil, drainage and evaporation will happen faster than with clay soil. If your soil is covered with mulch, clear it out for the time ...
The Gardens of Ireland – Part 3 – Strokestown
Near the end of our tour of Ireland, we made a stop at Strokestown House and Gardens. This was quite possibly the most influential part of the tour, historically speaking. Strokestown House is where you will find the Famine Museum. Now, most everyone knows that there was a potato famine that swept Ireland in the 1840's, but what I didn't know was the horrific treatment of farmers that came with it. Here's a short summary:
Irish farmers had their land taken away from them by British rulers. British landlords who were put in place would then rent the...
The Gardens of Ireland – Part 2 – Powerscourt
There is much to be said for opulence. Whether you admire wealth or despise it, you've got to hand it to the creators of the Powerscourt Estate for a job well done. I won't go into a history lesson, but I will tell you that this site is one of Ireland's most important and most famous pieces of property. You might recognize it from the film of recent years, The Count of Monte Cristo, in which the big-bash, "I'm richer than all of you" party scene was filmed. My jaw dropped open upon walking through the double doors overlooking ...
Flies in My Soil
"We used 5 gallon buckets for our 3 tomatoes, 2 squash, and lemon cucumber plants this summer. I seem to have flies in the dirt! Am I over watering? What natural ways can I get rid of them?"
I'm going to take a stab and assume that the flies in question are gnats rather than house flies or white flies. Given that, yes, over watering contributes to this problem. It sounds like you have Fungus Gnats - little flies that lay eggs in the soil where it's nice and moist, then the eggs develop into larvae and new ...
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