THE BLOG: let's talk gardening


JULY 27 2010 FILED UNDER Edibles	Berry Bliss Delicious fresh blueberries are a summertime treat and are packed with vitamin C, potassium and fiber. We feel that the blueberry crop this year has been great due to the heat and drought, so now is the time to start picking and ENJOYING this fab fruit!! The general rule when it comes to picking blueberries is "the bigger, the sweeter". A ready-to-pick berry is round, blue with a smooth skin (not cracked). We suggest not picking berries that are white as they have not ripened yet and blueberries will not sweeten any further after picking. Watch out for those berries that are small and hard, as they can be very sour. To pick a blueberry, simply attempt to roll it off of the stem. Then, either put the berry in a bucket or eat it. If it doesn't come off with a very light touch then it is probably not ripe yet, even if the color is right. If you find a "clump" of good berries on one stem, try cupping your hand around them, and rubbing them gently to loosen the berries and make them fall off. This is a good way to pick more than one at a time, because most of the bad berries will stay on the stem, since they don't come off as easily. Enjoy your bountiful berries this season! { Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, July 27, 2010 }
JULY 15 2010	Crepe Myrtle Trivia Crepe Myrtle is spelled with an “e.” TRUE: In the McDonald Garden Center dictionary, we spell Crepe Myrtle with an “e” based on the tissue-paper like flowers that resemble the crepe paper texture. All crepes grow into trees. FALSE: Crepe Myrtle breeding has given us a wide range of plants. Some can be as small as a few feet tall such as the Pocomoke variety. There are also medium-sized varieties capable of providing summer shade like the Natchez Crepe Myrtle. All Crepe Myrtles are disease resistant. FALSE: Many of the older varieties do not have the improved breeding from Dr. Donald Egolf of the National Arboretum. Dr. Egolf first worked with Lagerstroemia indica for breeding and selection in hopes of eliminating the problem of powdery mildew. From that initial work, 6 varieties were chosen with improvements and these were given native American Indian names so that these plants would be recognized worldwide as having American Heritage. His work further continued with cross-breeding with Lagerstroemia fauriei which gave us many of today’s newer hybrids such as Natchez, Tuscarora and Tonto. It is important to select newer improved varieties to replace the older disease prone selections. Crepe Myrtles love the heat. TRUE: Crepe Myrtles love the hot summers of our area and are the perfect addition for carefree summer color. Crepe Myrtles are not picky about the soil they are planted in. TRUE: Crepe myrtles are adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions and can perform even in poor soils. Crepe Myrtles can flower in the shade. FALSE: For maximum flowering, Crepe Myrtles must have a full sun location, meaning at least 6 hours of sun daily. Less than that will mean less flowers and poor performance. Crepe Myrtles need to be dead headed. FALSE: It is not necessary for the newer varieties to remove old blooms before they go to seed to produce new flowers. Re-current flowering is one of the greatest benefits achieved with new varieties. Crepe Myrtles bloom for 100 days. TRUE: Crepe Myrtles are known as the Tree of 100 Days blooming from June into September. The Natchez variety is one of the longest blooming trees, lasting up to 110 days! Crepe Myrtles are a multi-season interest plant. TRUE: They produce flowers all summer, have great orange-red fall color, and many varieties will display cinnamon colored bark in winter. Crepe Myrtles have a very long window of interest! { Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, July 15, 2010 }
JULY 6 2010	Got pests? Get rid of them the natural way! One of the most frequently asked questions is how to protect your plants from uninvited pests. We suggest protecting your plants the way Mother Nature intended by using organic and natural solutions thus keeping you, your pets, your plants and trees safe. Organica K-Neem Organica K-Neem contains Neem oil which comes from the pressed seed of the Neem tree. It is an effective repellant, insecticide and fungicide. Many Neem products are used in medication and can be consumed by humans, so exposure to Neem does not pose a threat. It is great solution for use on vegetables, fruit trees, herbs, roses, annuals and perennials. DiPel DiPel has long been a favorite insecticide of organic gardeners. It is harmless to humans, animals and beneficial insects. Dipel has no withholding period so veggies, fruit and salad ingredients can be washed and eaten immediately after spraying. DiPel offers particularly great protection against the “very hungry” caterpillars. Beneficial Insects Nature is filled with "good bugs", crawling and flying creatures whose diet consists mainly of the pests that ravage garden plants. We offer ladybugs and praying mantids to help keep garden pests under control. Ladybugs are the most popular and widely used beneficial insect. They help control aphids and other slow moving pests. Another, garden protector, the Praying Mantis, is the only predator fast enough to catch mosquitoes and flies and they possess a voracious appetite and will eat a variety of insects including aphids, grasshoppers, fruit flies, moths and crickets. { Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, July 6, 2010 }
JULY 5 2010	Trash to Treasure Get creative by recycling your old castaways into beautiful treasures for your garden! We had a few fun finds lying around the Garden Center and recycled them into unique planters. The options are endless and inspiration can be found anywhere! Here's a few of our favorite recipes to get you started... SCOTTS SPREADER: 1 cu. ft. bag of McDonald Potting Mix 1 5lb bag of Greenleaf Fertilizer 12-4-8 (1/2 cup used in planter) 2 Petunias 1 Solenia Begonia 2 Trailing Red Mezoos 1 12x6-inch piece of Weed Fabric Line the spreader portion with weed fabric to prevent soil from falling out of the spreader and to allow proper water drainage. Fill the spreader with McDonald Potting Mix and ½ cup Greenleaf Fertilizer Plant the Solenia Begonia in the middle, back as the thriller. Plant two petunias to the left and right of the Begonia as the filler. Plant Mezoo Trailing Red as the spiller.. CRAB POT: 1 cu. ft. bag of McDonald Potting Mix 1 5 lb bag of Greenleaf Fertilizer 12-4-8 (1/2 cup used in planter) 1 Cocoa Liner (12-inch round) or Spagnum Moss 1 Hens and Chicks 1 Sedum 1 Pennisetum Karley Rose 2 shells for decoration 1 fish net for decoration Open up a hole in the crab pot and use the cocoa liner to line the hole. (Note: Spagnum moss could be used for this step.) Fill the liner with McDonald Potting Mix and ½ cup Greenleaf Fertilizer. Plant the grass as the thriller in the middle, back. Plant the sedum as a spiller and Hens and Chicks as a filler. Decorate the crab pot with shells and a fish net. MILK JUG: 1 cu. ft. bag of McDonald Potting Mix 1 5lb bag of Greenleaf Fertilizer 12-4-8 (1/2 cup used in planter) 1 8 qt bag of Perlite 1 Croton 1 Million Bells 1 Dichondra 1 Pennisetum Rubrum For a large container, you can fill half of the container with perlite so it is not as heavy. Add McDonald Potting Mix and ½ cup Greenleaf Fertilizer to the remaining half of the planter. Plant the grass as the thriller in the middle, back. Plant million bells and croton as a filler and the Dichondra as a spiller. { Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, July 5, 2010 }