Summer officially arrives this month - the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer that the song recalls. Schools get out, lemonade stands appear and the scent of freshly mowed grass fills the air. In the garden, birds, bees and bugs are already busy, and even weekend gardeners have realized that it’s finally warm enough to fill the yard with flowers. Any flower or vegetable seeds started indoors should be hardened off and ready to plant in the garden. Don’t forget that you aren’t being cruel when you thin out seedlings, you are helping the remaining seedlings to develop into stronger plants.

Pests and poisonsŒ

Along with everything else that thrives in a healthy garden, there are sure to be some weeds and plant pests. While tempting to wipe out these invaders with the latest in chemical weapons available to gardeners, remember that there may be fallout from this type of weapon, too. You may kill beneficial insects along with the troublesome bugs - bees and butterflies are often the victims of these toxic treatments, and children and house pets can be vulnerable, too. Weed killers can leach into the water supply, and, like pesticides, may only be effective when applied strategically at specific times of year.
(more…)

Q. Do I need a new fertilizer for the apple tree in my yard? The leaves on my apple tree are turning yellow and they feel like velvet.

A. Have you been fertilizing the tree? Did you happen to use a fertilizer containing an herbicide? Some herbicides can cause leaves to yellow and thicken. If you used a broadleaf herbicide in the root zone of your apple tree, contact your local New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service office to determine what you should do next.

If you didn’t use an herbicide in the root zone of the tree, how extensive is the yellowing? Is every leaf or the majority of leaves yellowing? This may indicate a pH problem and iron deficiency. Apply a fertilizer containing chelated iron to alleviate this problem. Sulfur can also be applied to the soil outside the dripline of the tree. The sulfur will help acidify the soil and make nutrients more available to the tree.
(more…)

There are few sights as lovely as a trellis or fence smothered in roses, unless it’s a rose and a clematis growing together intertwined, bringing out the best in each other. Most clematis are vines that need the support of a structure or a plant. But the support needn’t be vertical; the plants will grow along a low fence or wind their way through other sturdy plants. Even shrub and ground cover roses make good partners, so the possibilities for combining these two stars of the garden are endless.

Bloom time is the first consideration. Decide if you want both plants to bloom at the same time or at different times to prolong the flowering on the fence or arbor. If your rose has just one flush of blooms, you can choose a clematis on the same blooming schedule. Or you can choose a clematis that blooms earlier or later. Or you can really extend the show by planting three different clematis alongside your rose — one that blooms before the rose, one that blooms simultaneously, and one that blooms later. That way, you’ll be sure to have color all summer.
(more…)

The planting of a garden, perhaps more than any other part of the design and construction process, gives it its soul. Each plant must be carefully selected to meet the following criteria:

Client preference and taste; If you tell us that you like a particular plant we will try our best to find it and design it in, if you don’t like something, we won’t use it.

Position and aspect: We want the plants we put in to thrive, sun/shade, soil, wind, must all be considered along with the many other factors which affect plant growth.
(more…)

Wood is a standard building material that has been used since we emerged from caves. But if it’s not protected, it will rot. There are products that can repair or replace rotted wood.

Minwax makes a wood hardener. This product can be applied to less-than-firm wood to add stability to it. It will buy you time before repairs or replacement work must be done.

If the wood is rotted and needs to be replaced, consider trying wood epoxy. Don’t do this on a large area because the materials can be costly. If the area is large, you probably could replace the wood itself. But for window sills, some exterior trim, columns and other hard-to-replace pieces, this would be a good solution.
(more…)