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 [...]
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, [...]
Winter Refugees
You know cold weather is around the corner when the bugs start their yearly exodus from the garden. There is a little spider taking up residence in one of my cupboards. He’s just too fast, I can’t catch him!
I only hope the first few light frosts kill off the smaller pests, like spider mites and [...]
Banana Answers
Question: I bought two dwarf banana plants. I kept one and gave the other one to my sister. Well, mine died, but hers is still growing. I don’t know why. Do you know where I can get another dwarf banana plant?
Answer: Try looking up some local greenhouses in the phone book. This is a tropical [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Wanted: Garden Enemies
Have you seen this critter?
This is a common grasshopper. These guys are native to the US. Just a few of them is no big deal, but a swarm of them can wipe out a whole Summer’s worth of work. Grasshoppers have many natural enemies. Help harbor the predators, keep the pests to a minimum.
Don’t throw [...]
Eureka!!!
I’ve been stuffing spent coffee grounds into my houseplants and they love it! No fruit flies, no risk of bringing in hitch hikers from my outdoor compost!
Reader Mail: Venus Fly Trap
Q: Can I use a five-gallon fish tank to grow my Venus Fly trap?
A: Absolutely! Actually, that would be ideal! Venus Fly traps (Latin name Dionaea muscipula) are an interesting little plant native to the Carolinas in the Eastern US. They grow in swampy bog areas where the soil is very acidic. They cannot obtain [...]
More Reader Mail!
Q: What is the watering schedule for succulents?
A: This is a good question, reader, but one that is hard to quantify. Succulents are plants, often from the desert, that store water in specially evolved organs. These organs can be in the roots, stems, leaves, or in special potato-like growths that expand and contract.
These plants like [...]