Plannting Garlic

How to Plant Garlic

Did you know that garlic reduces cholesterol, is a fungicide and antibacterial? The Roman armies used to carry raw garlic when they marched to keep their soldiers healthy.

I plant garlic in and around my roses for the same reason.

Plant garlic after the first frost. Why? Because you don't want any top growth before winter sets in. This will make the plant weak.

You cannot use store bought garlic heads because it has been sprayed with a growth retardant. Purchase your garlic from a seed catalogue, from the web or your local garden center.

Break apart the head into cloves. Do not remove the paper outer covering like you do in cooking. Plant the clove, point end up, root side down 2 inches deep in the soil. Cover. If you have compost or a bag of compost, top dress. Water and relax. The roots will grow out during the winter and the plant itself will push up in the spring after frost.

Harvest after leaves are 1/3 to 2/3 brown. If you wait until the plant is totally brown the bulbs will be inedible. Dig with a fork like potatoes or onions. Let the skins dry before storage.

Garlic is a member of the Allium family...as are lillies, onions, chives and society garlic. All look good in the garden!

Knock Out Roses

The Fearless Rose is a Knock Out!

By Mark S. Bowne

Throughout the centuries, roses have always evoked a rainbow of emotions; from the passion of a red rose on Valentine's Day to the anger and pain of a pricked finger by the cruel thorn. Fear; however, remains the emotion many gardeners associate with roses. Fear of pests, fear of disease, and fear of pruning. These fears may cause even the hardiest of plant lovers to run screaming from the nursery. Fear no more.

Enter the Knock Out rose. The so called 'no fear rose'. Bred by Mr. Bill Radler (one time director of Boerner Botanical Gardens of Milwaukee, WI) these roses are as tough as they are beautiful. Both resistant to pests and disease, Knock Out roses bloom spectacularly from May to hard frost of late fall. They are classified as a shrub rose and grow to about four feet tall, by four feet wide in a mounded form. They are very easy to grow. Simply cut them back to a foot tall in early spring (this keeps them bushy and compact) and feed them with your favorite rose food. I recommend Rose Tone for Espoma. Overhead irrigation is acceptable, but excessive water will reduce bloom and could rot this rose. It is very drought tolerant once established. You never have to deadhead this rose. It is self cleaning.

The history of the Knock Out rose is as amazing as the plant itself. Mr. Radler has grown roses since the age of nine and as a teenager made a promise to himself that he would develop a disease free rose. After many years and thousand upon thousand of trial roses later, Radler managed two promising candidates: the mother a shrub rose with strains of 'Carefree Beauty' and the father, 'Razzle Dazzle', an extremely disease and pest resistant plant with insignificant flowers.

Radler crossed these roses and held his breath. When the mother rose produced only one fruit (called a hip) that contained one seed, his dream almost ended. Luckily he managed to germinate this single seed and nurtured the seedling plant through the harsh Wisconsin winter. In the spring he planted the spindly rose in his trial garden not expecting much. Then it bloomed and it bloomed and it bloomed. Beautiful single red blossoms that never stopped.

In 2000, The Conard-Pyle Company of West Grove, Pa, (a wholesale nursery) introduced the new Knock Out rose to the horticulture industry. It was an instant hit and won the prestigious 'All American Rose Selection' award from the American Rose Society. The wholesale nursery's initial production run was for 135,000 plants. Today millions are grown. This makes the Knock Out rose the hottest selling rose in history.

Whether it's the original single red, the blush, the pink or the new double blossoms, plant this rose and FEAR NO MORE!

Fertilizer Information

This is a basic information posting regarding common fertilizers found in garden centers through out the United States.

The three numbers are known as the fertilizer ratio, the ratio between nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Nitrogen is the first number and regulates green color and growth. Phosphorous regulates bloom and root growth. The third number, potassium also regulates root growth and the over all vigor of the plant.

1. Palm Tone (4-1-5) Tropicals, Hibiscus, Palms.
2. Garden Food (10-10-10 or 5-10-5) General plant food good especially for veggie gardens.
3. Triple Phosphate (0-46-0) Improves root growth and bloom.
4. Potash (0-0-60) Promotes plant vigor and disease resistance.
5. Rose Tone (6-6-4) Long lasting rose food for abundant blooms.
6. Plant Tone (5-3-3) Can be use on all plants: Flowers, veggies, trees, shrubs, lawns...
7. Holly Tone (4-6-4) Use on evergreen trees, shrubs and other acid loving plants. See bag.
8. Cottonseed Meal (6-2-1) Slow release food for trees and shrubs, especially boxwood.
9. Tomato Tone (4-7-10) Plump and juicy tomatoes.
10. Tree Tone (9-5-4) Use on any tree.
11. Kelp Meal (1-0-2) Source of nitrogen and potash for growth and over all health.
12. Bone Meal -Pure source of phosphorus. Also calcium. Use with tomatoes. Use with bulbs.
13. Magnesium Sulfate (4-0-0) Deep green foliage for all plants.
14. Miracle Gro (24-8-16) High nitrogen. Use on containers. Hanging baskets, etc.
15. Miracid (30-10-10) High nitrogen for acid loving plants.
16. Dried blood (12-0-0) Nitrogen for deep green growth.
17. Osmocote, many different ratios for many uses. It is a slow release fertilizer.

Butterfly Identification 10

The Monarch Butterfly

Host and Nectar Plant:

Host and nectar plants for the Monarch are from the Milkweed family. Asclepias. There are many. This picture is of Asclepia Tuberosa, or butterfly weed. It is a native plant and likes dry well drained soil.

See native perennial post for more information.

Butterfly Identification 9

The Silver Spotted Skipper

Nectar Plant:

Joe Pye Weed is loved by many butterflies. It is a tall perennial, but new shorter hybrids can be found. It likes a moist soil, so plant it by your mudpuddle or by the downspout.

Host Plant:

Wisteria is the host plant for the skipper, a very common butterfly. Be careful of placement of this vine as it can be extremely aggressive. There are reblooming wisterias now.

Butterfly Identification 8

The Painted Lady Butterfly

Nectar Plant:

Aster, a perennial fall flower is a butterfly magnet. Painted Ladies also enjoy butterfly bushes.

Host Plant:

The tall hollyhock is the host plant for Painted Lady butterflies. These plants are short lived perennials. Many consider them bianuals because the only bloom their second year.

If grown next to a wall, foundation or fence, hollyhocks can reach 7 feet. Their flowers can be found in a wide range of colors and in single or double blossom form.

Butterfly Identification 7

The Red Admiral Butterfly

Nectar Plant:

Anise Hyssop is a wonderful tall perennial with blue spiked flowers. Growing to 3 feet, this plant rarely needs to be deadheaded. The leaves are fragrant.

Host Plant:

OK beer lovers, this is a hops vine and the host plant for the red admiral. Hops has wonderful fall color. It can take some shade, but will not bloom well unless grown in full sun.