What Are These White Spots?
Question: What are the white spots on my trailing ivy?
Answer: Well, they could be lots of things… A really great thing to do would be to invest in a magnifying glass (I use the word “invest” here loosely, since magnifying glasses can be bought most anywhere and are pretty cheap). It is underestimated how helpful [...]
Mystery Solved!
If anyone remembers the crazy picture I put up of the mystery item I found in my house-bound Croton, I finally have an answer for you! This beautiful black and yellow garden spider is what layed that fabulous egg sack. I got a hold of one of the Entomology professors at the Ohio State University. [...]
It’s raking time!
I remember when my parents used to make my little brother and I rake the yard as kids. We would gather all the dead leaves from under the tall sycamores into little piles, then scrape and push all the little piles together until we had one gigantic mound of leaves. Then we would jump into [...]
What in the world…?
I found this cacoon in my croton as I went to bring it inside! Or could it be an egg sac?
I’m not really sure what to do.
It’s about an inch from top to bottom. Light brown or tan in color. It looks papery, but I didn’t actually touch it. It’s not attached to the plant, [...]
Condensed Coffee Concerns
I’ve been putting coffee grounds into my house plants. They like the extra boost the ground beans provide to the soil, but I’ve noticed that the coffee tends to become compacted on the surface, inhibiting evaporation, and hindering proper water absorption.
To remedy this, I just broke up the soil on top of my house plants [...]
Your Best Garden Defense
Having an organic garden is a great way to watch nature in action. I have never laid a chemical on my garden, and I never will. To help gt rid of garden pests, I simply allow nature to take its course. I put out bird feeders and bat boxes to encourage pest-eating animals to stop [...]
Christmas Cactus Questions
Q: I have five Christmas cacti that had flowers on them when I brought them home but haven’t re-bloomed yet. What’s the deal? I have them in bright light and I feed them violet food, but no flowers, what should I do?
A: There’s a lot going on in this question. First, when did you bring [...]
Gardenia Growing
Q: I have a gardenia topiary in a North facing window in my house. Some of the leaves are turning brown and some of the branches are wilting. Why? Please help!
A: Ah, gardenias. The famous white bloom Billie Holiday wore in her hair. Popular in the Southern US, these plants are native to Asia and [...]
Petunia Problems
Q: I think I over watered my petunias. They look like they died, can I bring them back?
A: This classic gardeners favorite doesn’t require much water, so it is likely you have given them more than they could handle. The soil in which you grow petunias should be very well drained. If planting them in [...]
A Picture Tour of My Urban Vegetable Garden
Even though I live in the city, I like to have fresh, organic produce on hand. I also like to know that my yard space is being put to good use. I used about a third of my fenced in back yard to create a veggie garden that I’m very proud of. The space is [...]
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