Dealing with Tomato (and Tobacco) Hornworms
A subscriber to my newsletter, Eco-Friendly News, Views, Clues and How-To’s wrote, asking “Am I right to leave alive the tomato hornworms that have the parasitic wasps on their backs?”
Why Doesn’t My Elderberry Bush Have Berries?
My elderberry bloomed this spring, but didn't set berries. What happened? Here are some clues for growing a crop of bountiful berries.
Looking Into Sumac
I’ve always loved staghorn sumac’s tropical-looking leaves, young stems resembling velvety antlers (hence its common name), plumy cream-colored flowers, spectacular fall color and fuzzy red berry clusters (only on female plants - they’re dioecious). But I had no idea how much interrelated life, drama, trickery, sex, life and death went on in its embrace until the show was right under my nose.
Pollinators – View from the Farm
Creating a reliable food system calls for a shift of priorities from efficient and as cheap as possible to reliable and local. It needs to be about reliability and nourishment. The big threat is lack of pollination services. To protect the pollinators we must plant native plants and protect habitat.
What to Do with Arugula
Tips for delicious ways to use arugula and a recipe for Arugula Mint Pesto
What to Plant for Pollinators – July into August
Favorite pollinator plants bloom for a long time and attract all manner of beneficial insects. Learn what to plant for July and August flowers for pollinators.
I Won! 2020 Garden Comm Media Awards
Karen Bussolini won 2020 GardenComm (Garden Communicators International) Silver Media awards in three categories. The Media Awards program recognizes individuals and companies who achieve the highest levels of talent and professionalism in garden communications.
Last Chance for June Cutbacks
Life is too short to fuss with staking perennials to keep them upright and looking good. It's easy to control the eventual height of many perennials if you cut them back early. Cutting back stimulates new branching.
Choosing the Right Tree – Decisions, Decisions
Trees have a big, hopefully long-lasting presence in a landscape. Choosing just the right tree means asking a lot of questions beyond - but definitely including - appearance.
Allium Christophii – A Garden Goldilocks
Showy Star of Persia (Allium christophii, aka A. albopilosum) is a garden star. It's a Goldilocks plant - not too tall, not too short, with easy-to-hide foliage, just the right-sized flowering globes - and pizzazz to spare.