5 Insane (But True) Facts about Pest Control

Mice.  Roaches.  Bed bugs.  Fleas.  Ants.  Most of us want nothing to do with them, outside of hiring someone else to get rid of them for us.

For those of you who have an interest in all things scientific, this post is pretty cool.  For those of you who are fairly squeamish about pests around your home, this post may be the stuff of nightmares.

Here are five really crazy, but totally true, facts about pest control.

1. Adult ants cannot consume solid food.

Who would have thought, right?  Especially for those of us who have ever had to deal with those little black ants in our kitchen during the spring and summer, you might never have guessed this!

Ants have extremely narrow waist parts (called petioles), that make it impossible for solid food to make it through their digestive systems.  Many species of ants simply cannot physically swallow solid food, and digest it.  It would kill them.

As a work-around, they have a couple of defenses against this.  First, they take solid food to their larvae.  The larvae in an ant colony will often apply an enzyme that breaks the solid down into a liquid.  Some species regurgitate the solid in a liquid form for the adults to eat.  Some have a “pouch” where the adults place the solid food, and the larvae essentially “drool” on the food; the enzymes in their spit breaks down the food.  There’s even a species of ant commonly referred to as “Dracula ants” that takes a bite out of their larvae.  When the digested food is broken down, the adult Dracula ants lap up the leaking fluid, essentially turning their larvae into a giant “tap,” like a soda fountain for already-digested ant food.

Adult ants also have mouthparts that essentially act like a strainer or colander.  Anything that is too big to digest gets filtered out, and spit out, by the ant.

2. Newly hatched bedbugs can survive for months without feeding.

According to the University of Minnesota, “Newly emerged nymphs can survive without a blood meal for days up to several months.”

One reason for the variation has to do with a number of factors.  How active are the new little blood-suckers?  If they’re looking for a meal in a vacant apartment, and travelling far to try and find one, they’re using more energy.  More energy used without a meal means they die sooner.  Just like a starving man wondering through the desert would expend more energy than a man trapped in a cave waiting for rescue.  One is constantly on the move, looking for something.  The other is relatively sedentary.  The sedentary person will use less energy, and the reserves in their body will last longer than the traveler.  Same with bedbugs.

Another factor is the temperature.  Bedbugs are cold-blooded, and cool temperatures will slow down their metabolism.  Slower metabolism means (again) less energy expended.  Less movement and energy expended means longer lifespan without a meal.

Lastly, bedbugs also have an extra, waxy exoskeleton.  This makes them far more resistant to desiccation (drying out) than many other species of bugs.  This can help them live longer, even without feeding.  It also makes them more resistant to insecticide control methods, incidentally.

In short, there are a variety of factors involved but, under the right conditions, even bedbug nymphs (baby bedbugs) can sometimes go for months without eating and survive.

3. A single female German cockroach can produce 10,000 or more descendants in a year.

This one is the stuff nightmares are made from.  You read that heading correctly, too – in a single year, assuming only 2 generations per year, a single female German cockroach can produce 10,000 descendants in a year.

German cockroaches are one of the hardest structural pests to control here in Pennsylvania.  They produce egg sacks with between 30-48 eggs at a time, and carry these sack with them until just before they hatch, which greatly increases their survival rate compared to other cockroach species.  Eggs take about 28 days to hatch, and a mating adult female produces a new egg case about every six weeks.  They also reach sexual maturity (where they can begin to reproduce) within about 60 days of hatching.

The rapid reproductive capability of these pests, along with the way they guard the eggs by carrying them, makes them a formidable challenge to control.  Even pest control professionals can struggle with the management on this if they don’t know what type of situation they’re walking into!  Call a professional for help in dealing with this pest.

4. Mice reach reproductive maturity at just six weeks, and have no control over their “bodily functions.”

Outdoors, the house mouse’s typical lifespan is only about a year.  When they’ve moved indoors, where they generally have a food source and protection from the elements, they can live for two-to-three years.

Mice reproduce exceptionally quickly for a mammal – from birth to reproductive maturity, a female mouse needs only six short weeks.  Males only need eight weeks to accomplish that feat.  Gestation for a female is only about three weeks, and newborns are generally weaned for about another three weeks.  Litter size can range from 3-14, but six-to-eight is typical.  This means that a single female mouse can birth a new litter every six week.  Over the course of a two-year span she might take up residence in your home, that’s about 17 litters.  17 litters multiplied by six mice per litter equals over 100 mice, descended from a single female over that span.

Also, mice (and rats, too!) have no control over their elimination functions.  In other words, they have zero bladder or sphincter control.  That means that wherever they may be in your home, if they have to “go,” it just happens.  It happens in your drawers, in your cabinets, on your plates in the cupboard, your kid’s pillows – wherever they happen to walk in your home!  And while there are a few different diseases that mice could transmit, the chances are unlikely.  It’s obviously unsanitary having an animal pee and poop all over the stuff in your home.

5. Fleas can remain dormant in their pupal stage for months at a time, and jump extremely far.

This one makes every pet owner cringe a little bit.  Whether you are a dog person or a cat person (no judgement either way!), you’ve probably dealt with fleas to some greater or lesser degree.  Hopefully for you, it’s been to a “lesser” degree!

Fleas have a life cycle where they go from eggs to larvae to pupa to adults.  It’s in this pupal stage that they can be most difficult to deal with.  Fleas in a pupal stage build a cocoon for themselves.  They can lay dormant in that stage for months, and some species for up to a year, without feeding.  They wait to feel vibrations in their cocoon, and can emerge instantly (imagine a chicken egg hatching suddenly and violently with a fully-grown chicken) to feed.  Also, this cocoon makes the fleas impervious to any type of chemical control.  Because of this, we often advise clients that even with a professional treatment, they will likely continue to see a few fleas here and there after treatment is completed.

Depending on the species as well, they can jump as high as 5-10 inches vertically and about 13 inches horizontally.  This would be the equivalent of an average adult American male jumping the distance of a football field in a single leap!

The best bet for controlling these guys is not to let them into your home at all.  We recommend treating your pets with a topical flea control that disrupts the life cycle – it should control all life stages of the flea (egg, larvae, pupa, and adult) in order to get maximum control.  Controlling them on the host is the only sure-fire way to get the control you’re looking to achieve!

If you have further questions for us, we’re happy to help!  Please contact us for more information if we can be of assistance with your pest control!

 

 

The post 5 Insane (But True) Facts about Pest Control appeared first on Tomlinson Bomberger.

from Tomlinson Bomberger http://ift.tt/2ozug7a

Coming Home

Rob shops on and off all year long, but in the month of September, he shops in Europe and the US, traveling just about full time. Months ahead of the fact, he is shopping for the spring season to come. Last year’s extended shopping trip was to France. Suffice it to say that he landed [...]

from Dirt Simple http://ift.tt/2oz7agQ

Garden Features

The post Garden Features appeared first on Miss Smarty Plants.

Your garden is an important aspect of your home. You want to be able to sit in your garden and enjoying spending them there. Even with  some fantastic plants and lovely garden furniture,  you may feel like it is missing something. With that in mind, here are three potential garden features.

Water Features

Few gardens are complete without some kind of water feature.  This can be lovely and add extra depth and color to your garden. Options can include a fish pond, simple reflection pool, or perhaps a fountain or stream. Either way, a water feature can be a great garden feature and provide the focal point your garden needs.

Moving water comes with a distinct and unique sound that makes your garden that much more relaxing. When planning a water feature for your garden, there are several things that you first need to consider. Firstly you want to think of the practical side of things. This means planning where any water pipes and tubes are going to go. If they have to run directly through or under an existing landscape, then you might not want to install a water feature. You also want to consider the size of your garden and whether you have space for this type of garden feature.

Shed

Most gardens need a shed. It is an integral part of the garde nbecause it is used to store important garden items and tools. However, with a little extra work, it can also adds the aesthetic of the garden as well. You might want to get a wooden shed or one of those metal buildings. 

Consider using your shed beyond the practical aspects; you can turn your garden shed into a relaxing area where you go to read a book, play a game or just putter about. You can design the inside of your shed so that it fits whatever needs you have. However, much like a water feature, you want to make sure that your garden has space for a shed. If it is a squeeze, then you may want to consider getting a small shed or going with a different garden feature entirely.

Paths

Almost every garden will already have some kind of path, whether formal or just a naturally worn walkway. However, what kind of path and what you do with it will likely be unique to each person’s garden. I am slightly in love with garden paths and featured many forms here. You may decide to go with paving that goes through the middle of your garden or have more traditional stone slabs that go around the edge. A path helps you to explore your garden and walk around it with ease.

This contributed post may contain affiliate links to other sites. 

The post Garden Features appeared first on Miss Smarty Plants.

from Miss Smarty Plants http://ift.tt/2CLb0IN

3 Secrets of Tree and Shrub Care Everyone Misses

I can hear the anxiety in her voice as it cracks with emotion.  She’s tense; there’s a real sense of emotional investment in the answer, the answer to the question she has just asked.

“Can you save it?”

Inwardly, tree and shrub care experts often cringe at this question.  Many times, the answer is “Yes!” or “Maybe…” However, just as often, the answer is “No, there’s nothing we can do at this point.”

Caring for your landscape plants can be a complicated process.  There are a variety of factors to consider: the amount of precipitation we’ve had in the calendar year, average temperatures, the cyclical nature of insect populations, predator populations, soil conditions, where the plant is question is physically located in the ground – all of these play a role in overall plant health.

Here’s 3 secrets to great tree and shrub care that everyone usually misses:

1) Results Take Longer to See

Most lawn care companies offer some sort of tree and shrub care program.  This only makes sense; your local lawn care company obviously cares about plants (since a yard is made up of hundreds of thousands of them), and they know that you probably care about plants, too, since you hired them.

However, customer expectations often get skewed because of their relationship with their lawn care company.  For example, if you have a problem with a neighbor who doesn’t treat their lawn, and their dandelions travel across the border into your lawn, your lawn care service will likely come out between your scheduled services and treat for these weeds, usually at no charge.  And you, as the consumer, see the results almost immediately – in the case of dandelions, usually within a day or two you begin to see them curling up and dying.  It is as close to instant gratification as one can get with a plant.

Now, call that same company up when there’s a problem with the azaleas you transplanted from your previous home, or the dogwood you planted in memory of Grandma, and you don’t see the results right away.  Oftentimes, I’ve heard from clients that treating trees and shrubs “doesn’t work” because they have “tried that before” and “nothing happened.”

Part of the problem is the expectation that company set for you, the consumer, on the front end.  They are often so happy to have the business, and often times the applications are having a positive impact.  The reality, however, is that no one has taken the time to understand that you, the consumer, have a different expectation based on the previous relationship with that service provider.  When you have a problem with the lawn, resolution is often very quick.  Trees and shrubs are different altogether.

Treating trees and shrubs can take time.  Some problems are a quick fix, and regular treatment maintains the health of the plant.  But, depending on the severity of the issue when treatment starts, it could even take years to see really noticeable improvement.  Be sure and ask your provider how long it may take to begin to see results.

2. Timing is Key!

Another often overlooked component of tree and shrub care is that the timing often has to be right for the treatments to be effective.

I worked for a national lawn care firm that also offered tree and shrub care.  I was trained on how to identify problems, and how the service we offered would help address those concerns that a client has about their landscape.  What I wasn’t told, however, is that many of the issues we were selling treatment for would be ineffective; we were getting to them too late in the season.

For example, a common problem we encounter is a disease that effects many deciduous (leaf-producing) trees called anthracnose.  Anthracnose is a fungal disease and can spread from tree to tree.  Most trees, like oaks and maples, do okay, even when sick.  Perhaps a little more water than usual will help (at the base of the tree – don’t disturb the leaves!), but that’s about it.  Dogwoods, however, typically respond especially poorly to this disease.  Without treatment, they regularly die.

The catch is this: anthracnose on a dogwood needs to be treated very early in the spring.  A fungicide application right when the leaves emerge (called “bud break”) and again at least once, about 10-14 days later.  This (ideally) prevents the fungus from spreading to the point where it can do major damage to the tree.

The point of this quick horticultural lesson is this: the damage from this disease typically won’t show up until late May, at the earliest.  It can often be seen and identified from that point on until the leaves drop from the tree.  By that time, it is far too late to do anything for the tree except intentionally irrigating it, and some fertilizer in the fall.

Timing for dogwoods isn’t the only problem we run across.  Many other plants that are common in Pennsylvania landscapes have similar timing concerns: azaleas, Eastern hemlocks, pachysandra, and ash trees are just a few of the plants that require specific timing to address the issues that ail them.

3. Treating Trees and Shrubs adds Value to Your Property

This is often one of the most overlooked areas of any homeowner’s property.  But, the reality is that when you do decide to sell you home (at some point we’ll all have to do that), the landscaping does matter.  In fact, according to an article in Turf Magazine (hyperlink on “Turf Magazine: https://www.turfmagazine.com/services/landscaping-actual-home-value/), “…the value added by a landscape upgrade from average to excellent increases a home value by 10 to 12 percent.” Also cited by consumers in this study was the importance of the design itself, and plant size (maturity).  Basically, when you ignore your landscape plants, and you have to replace your trees and shrubs, you’re damaging the overall property value.  According to an article by the New York Times, “There is a reason so many Americans choose to develop their net worth through homeownership: It is a proven wealth builder and savings compeller.”  (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/magazine/how-homeownership-became-the-engine-of-american-inequality.html ) When you neglect the trees and shrubs, you’re hurting that investment.

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I’ve personally had conversations with homeowners over the course of my Green Industry career about this specifically.  The conversation often goes like this…

Homeowner: We just moved in a few weeks/months ago.

Me: Congratulations!  That’s great!

Homeowner: Thanks!  Yeah, we’re pretty excited.

Me: So, what are you doing with the lawn and landscape?

Homeowner: We haven’t really thought about that just yet.  We’re trying to get furniture settled/get kids enrolled in school/figure out my new commute to work.  [You, the reader, get the idea.]

Me: Okay, well, that’s why I get a paycheck.  I can help with that, so you don’t need to think about it!

Homeowner: Well, I’ll give you a call when I have time to get around to it…

Homeowner [two years later]: I told you’d I’d call!  I’ve gotten a promotion/job relocation/parent that needs care, and we need to sell the house!  How much is it going to be to get my lawn in shape?

Me: {gives quote for lawn maintenance and tree and shrub care}

Homeowner: Holy smokes!! That’s expensive!!

Me: Yes.  It is.  It would have been less expensive to start it off the right way, and then simply maintain the property, which would have added incredible value to the largest investment you will make in your lifetime.  Instead, you had to focus on that sectional from Ashely Furniture before you could be bothered about the landscape, sooo….yeah….

Okay, so I’ve never really had that last part of the conversation with a potential client.  I’m too professional for that.  However, that’s the reality of what many lawn and landscape professionals would like to tell their clients.  The old adage holds true that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

---

Here’s the bottom line: you need work with a professional who can set the proper expectations for results and you need to consult with them on the proper timing for those applications based on your specific property.  Doing this will preserve your investment in your property, which is always a good thing.

If you’d like to talk further with us about a free consultation for your trees and shrubs, we’d be happy to talk to you!

The post 3 Secrets of Tree and Shrub Care Everyone Misses appeared first on Tomlinson Bomberger.

from Tomlinson Bomberger http://ift.tt/2oc7hyH

Alexandra Campbell on YouTube Gardening in England by Garden Rant

Award-winning English writer Alexandra Campbell, recently described what she calls YouTube Gardening in this post  on her blog The Middlesized Garden. Like me, she complains about there not being enough good gardening videos for her readers – even there in a lively gardening culture like England’s!

She wrote that “the YouTube gardening scene currently seems dominated by the US, Australia, Canada and India/Pakistan. They’re interesting and often useful channels, except when the weather is too different.”

Which is exactly my complaint – in reverse – because searching on YouTube produces a preponderance of videos from British television, usually with Alan Titchmarsh.

So to learn more about what videos pop up for YouTube searchers from England, and more about this interesting woman, I suggested to Alexandra that we Skype, and she was all-in.

English Gardening YouTubers

From left, Katie at Lavender and Leeks; Tanya at Lovely Greens; and Sean James Cameron

According to her, what the English do find on their YouTube searches are lots of allotment (community garden) videos because allotments are a big deal there, and “cool.” (There are TV shows about allotments and even allotment competitions!) One allotment YouTube channel she likes is  Lavender and Leeks. I checked it out and noticing that some are 30 minutes long, I imagine that Brits have longer attention spans than we do.

For videos about ornamental home gardening she likes Tanya at Lovely Greens: Gardening, Beauty and Bee-keeping, a channel that’s “picking up new subscribers by the thousands.” Tanya won a week’s training at a YouTube Creator Camp designed to encourage successful new YouTubers. (Tanya recounts the experience here.)

Alexandra also recommends Sean James Cameron, a “top YouTube gardening influencer.”

She also likes videos by Charles Dowding, who’s famous for his no-dig gardening technique that’s based on his own research. And of course BBC’s Gardener’s World is great, though it doesn’t seem to be available anywhere for us deprived Americans – even on BBC America.

Finally, she recommends the Royal Horticultural Society YouTube Channel, which is so exhaustive, it posted 14 hours of coverage for last year’s Chelsea Flower Show. (More proof of the superior attention span of the English?)

Moving on to the not-so-great on YouTube, I heartily agree with Alexandra here:

There are lots of videos which are essentially slide shows with music, often called something like ’20 Small Backyard Garden Ideas.’ There are also channels where people peer fuzzily at the lens and lose track of what they’re saying. They wave the camera about so much that it’s like viewing a garden from a small boat being tossed in a storm. All very like some of my own videos admittedly…

But I don’t believe that last self-deprecating bit because I’ve seen her own year-old YouTube channel, and her videos are delightful. They include a Middle-Sized Garden of the Month, and monthly tours of her own garden, somewhere in England that’s equivalent to our Zone 8. Looks damn good for February 1!

She records the videos on her phone, with one external mic and another to use indoors for voice-over, and edits in Adobe Premiere Pro. About her videos she told me “I lost my nerve for about six months” but “rediscovered my mojo” thanks to encouragement from no less than Monty Don himself! (She was able to chat with him at an event for his newest book.)

Alexandra is very multi-media, with her 9 novels and 10 nonfiction books, her garden blog, freelance writing, plus coaching others in writing/blogging. Video came next for her because it’s “an important part of building a brand.” She’s also a fan of blogs because unlike Facebook, etc, blogs are something the creator actually owns.

Alexandra Campbell on YouTube Gardening in England originally appeared on Garden Rant on February 23, 2018.

from Garden Rant http://ift.tt/2ERVNre

Starting over with the terrarium by Elizabeth Licata

Here it is when it was given to me in 2008.

I have always looked at plant failure as an opportunity, but I held out against replanting my terrarium for months. It looked … ok. At first, the fact that one of the succulent varieties was pretty much taking over the thing was fine. But eventually I had to recognize that the stems were browning at the bottom, making it impossible to prune them to healthy areas. After almost ten years, it was time.

Close-up with the tiny new plants

So everything got pulled out, and I put in a few new plants, still succulents. These are not necessarily recommended for terrarium planting, but I find that their hardy natures work well in that environment. Some years ago, I lined the edges with rocks, holding the cloche away from the base enough to let some air in, and get rid of condensation issues. Which it does.

Will I get another ten years from the new array? Maybe not—and that will be an opportunity to try some different plants. Maybe I’ll finally have to read my terrarium book.

Starting over with the terrarium originally appeared on Garden Rant on February 22, 2018.

from Garden Rant http://ift.tt/2CdRLvU

Controlling mealybugs on succulents

The post Controlling mealybugs on succulents appeared first on Miss Smarty Plants.

Imagine my surprise when I came across a major mealybug infestation on my succulents. Mealybugs on succulents are not rare, however I was surprised to see just how many I (or rather my aeoniums) had to deal with!  I was cleaning up some plants and as I turned this container a half turn, bam! There they were. 

How did I get mealybugs on my succulents?

That’s a good question. Quite honestly, they’ve probably always been there, but just not in these numbers. Stressed plants are going to be more favorable to mealybugs, so that may be an indicator which plants need some care. Mealybugs on succulents is common and since I did bring in a lot of plants from outside this fall, I may have accidentally brought these pests indoors too.

When we lived in Florida it wasn’t uncommon to have an outbreak in the landscape occasionally. Hibiscus are especially prone to this and you can see how I dealt with those HERE.

What do mealybugs look like?

Mealybugs look like little pieces of cotton stuck to the plant. They are often found along the stem and where leaves attach to the stem is a really good place to look. The mealybugs shown here have found a nice protected place under the canopy of the leaves on this aeonium. Outdoors it would provide them protection from the elements, in my house it provides them a place to hide where I am not likely to see them!

According to California Extension, “Mealybugs suck sap from plant phloem, reducing plant vigor, and they excrete sticky honeydew and wax, which reduces plant and fruit quality, especially when black sooty mold grows on the honeydew. Large accumulations of mealybugs, their egg sacs, and wax can be unattractive. High populations feeding on foliage or stems can slow plant growth and cause leaf drop; however, healthy plants can tolerate low populations without significant damage. ”

 

How do I get rid of mealybugs on succulents?

The supplies for this are simple: Rubbing alcohol and Q-tips.

I like to pour some of the rubbing alcohol into the cap and then use the Q-tip to soak up as much as possible. Then, simply touch the wet tip to the mealybugs. Sometimes they will turn black instantly (my favorite!) and if there are a lot you can kind of wipe them up with this.

This is also a good time to look for any dead or yellowing leaves that might have collections of these mealybugs on them. I just remove these and throw them in the trash in combination with the alcohol rub down.

Once cleaned the plant looks great again. I will keep my eye on it for a few weeks to come back and treat any mealybugs that were missed.

What a simple and easy way to treat mealybugs on succulents without introducing unwanted chemicals or pesticides into your home. 

The post Controlling mealybugs on succulents appeared first on Miss Smarty Plants.

from Miss Smarty Plants http://ift.tt/2CADkhe

Saving Seeds for Biodiversity by Thomas Christopher

It’s called the ‘Mostoller Wild Goose’ bean.  Sarah Mostoller found the first seeds in the crop of a wild goose that her son had shot in a mill race in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in 1865.  Sarah planted the rescued beans the following spring and found them to be a particularly productive pole type whose harvest proved excellent for baking.  A specialist in rare beans obtained seed from her great grandson in the 1970’s and in 1981 he in turn donated some offspring to the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa.  And now the Seed Saver’s Exchange is sending a sample to Svalbard, Norway to be stored in a tunnel 500 feet beneath an icy mountain just 800 miles from the North Pole.

Photo courtesy of Seed Savers Exchange

This bean is just one of 2,000 collections that Seed Savers has sent for safe keeping to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.  Impressive as this number is, it represents only a small portion of the 20,000 varieties of heirloom food crops that Seed Savers Exchange has collected over the last 45 years. In a world of increasing agricultural uniformity –  over the last century, the United States has lost as much as 90 percent of it food crop cultivars – Seed Savers Exchange has been a leading advocate for biodiversity, preserving some 20,000 varieties and cultivars that otherwise would likely have become extinct.   Aside from the unique flavors such collections provide, they also offer adaptations to different climates and soils, and often disease resistance that could prove invaluable in the future.

In the past, Seed Savers has preserved its collection in its own vault in Iowa and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture seed bank in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Svalbard, however, provides a whole new level of security against the loss of diversity due to natural disasters, the effects of war, and changes in global farming practices.  With its dry atmosphere and permafrost, Svalbard naturally provides near ideal conditions for seed preservation, without risky dependence on refrigeration.

Seed Savers Exchange maintains rights to the collections dispersed to Svalbard and Fort Collins and continues to maintain its own collection in Iowa.    Members of the public can order seeds and plants from the Seed Savers Exchange catalogue of over 600 varieties; members have access to an exchange list for sharing and swapping thousands of seed types often unavailable anywhere else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saving Seeds for Biodiversity originally appeared on Garden Rant on February 19, 2018.

from Garden Rant http://ift.tt/2HtyrtT

Keeping The Chemicals Out Of Your Garden

The post Keeping The Chemicals Out Of Your Garden appeared first on Miss Smarty Plants.

Preservatives, cleaning agents, pesticides, we are using chemicals everywhere and anywhere we can. More people are starting to wake up to the idea that this probably isn’t the best for us, our environment, our water supply, and our air. So, if you’re looking to tackle your chemical use, where should you start? If you’re fond of gardening, then it should be no surprise that this is where we’ll look first.

 

Why?

It’s easy to hear the word “chemicals” and think “bad”. But what is the real impact they have on the garden and the wider environment? There are a lot of different effects depending on which chemicals they are. Herbicides do a lot more than affect weeds; they impact all kinds of flowers, the fertility of the soil, and the health of helpful insects. Pesticides, on the other hand, can be a real danger to any animals and children in the garden. Even if they “wash away” with time, they seep into the soil. Ground contamination has also raised a lot of concern for its potential to affect the water supply, too.

In the pest-proofing

Just because you avoid pesticide doesn’t mean that you have to avoid fighting off pests, of course. They can still cause a lot of havoc to the garden, so you want to get rid of them. But there are organic ways to do it. Organic pesticides like the examples shown here can work against them just as well. As can planting companion plants. Some attract the pests’ predators, like how Angelica attracts the ladybugs that feed on aphids. Others, such as garlic, will act as a straight-up repellant to some pests.

In the water

The water we use to keep our garden healthy isn’t always the healthiest itself. If it’s not drinking water, it can contain chemicals that end up contaminating the soil. Amongst other effects, this can impact the pH and salinity of the soil so that your garden ends up withering before your eyes. What’s more, the tips found here show that garden chemicals can end up in your water supply through your irrigation system. A sprinkler system backflow preventer is essential if you use sprinklers.

In the soil

You may use inorganic fertilizer to help your plants grow. However, while it can work, it can have some nasty side effects. For one, if you’re growing your own food, you are guaranteeing that it’s contaminated by those same chemicals. Not everything in inorganic fertilizers is safe. Many of the industrial strength varieties contain mercury, lead, and arsenic. When these filter out through the soil, they can have a huge impact on the surrounding wildlife. When it comes to helping the garden grow, then nothing is as effective or as safe as growing your own compost.

A healthier garden, a healthier habitat for wildlife, and a healthier you. That’s what avoiding garden chemicals can help you do. Hopefully, the tips above help you enjoy a better, brighter garden without having to rely on artificial toxics quite as much.

This contributed post may contain affiliate links.

The post Keeping The Chemicals Out Of Your Garden appeared first on Miss Smarty Plants.

from Miss Smarty Plants http://ift.tt/2GrY5xW

Obama with Flowers by Susan Harris

I’d seen the new Obama portraits all over the media, so yesterday I subwayed down to the National Portrait Gallery to see them in person.

The president’s portrait, on the second floor in the president’s gallery, I found so real, so intense, so HIM, it was hard to pull myself away from it.

But let’s get to the flowers and foliage, this being a gardenblog. (And thanks, artist Kehinde Wiley, for giving us an excuse to write about it here.) The flowers are: chrysanthemums (official flower of Chicago),  jasmine (evoking Hawaii, where Obama largely grew up) and African blue lilies (for Obama’s Kenyan father). I heard the artist explain that he chose elements that are “personal, decorative and historic,” and that’s all I’ve been able to find about his inspiration.

Damn. I was kind of hoping we’d learn about Obama’s as-yet unrealized but lifelong desire to garden. We’ll have to settle for applauding the use of flowers to tell the story of his life, though gardeners might have made the flowers a lot larger.

The leafy background, which I’d assumed to be Boston ivy, looks like no plant I’ve ever seen, so unless someone corrects me, I’m calling it a faux vine – a purely decorative element.

Here’s the line to take close-ups and selfies with the president.

To give you some context, most modern presidential portraits here are staid and dull, like these.

These two are exceptions. Kennedy’s is by Elaine de Kooning. 

The portrait of Michelle Obama is hanging in a hall on the first floor.  Like the president’s, it’s drawing a steady stream of camera-ready locals lining up for a selfie with her.

I found the portrait beautiful and interesting but ultimately…not her.

One last portrait from elsewhere in the museum, just because.

Obama with Flowers originally appeared on Garden Rant on February 15, 2018.

from Garden Rant http://ift.tt/2sDH9T6

9 Bogus Facts About Lawn Care

I knocked on the door, stepped back, and politely awaited a response.  I stepped down a little from the front porch, so as not appear threatening to the person answering the door.  A shuffling noise, followed by some hurried footsteps approaching the front of the home, and then the door opened…

“Hi, my name is Jay, and I work for –“

“Sorry, I don’t believe in chemicals,” was the response I got once the woman who answered the door saw the lawn care company logo on my shirt.

“Well…that is unfortunate, because chemicals do exist.  They are a very real part of our world, so….”

Luckily, this woman saw the intended humor in my sarcastic response, and broke into a wide grin which turned into a laugh.  “What I meant was that I don’t believe in using chemicals on my lawn.”

Having been in business in Central PA for over 35 years, we often hear lots of reasons from potential clients for not purchasing lawn care.  I myself sold lawn care door-to-door for many years for a national lawn care firm, and heard just about every excuse and justification you can imagine from a potential client for deciding against hiring a service.

What follows here is the collective wisdom accumulated from personal experience and institutional memory – here are 9 “facts” about lawn care that are just categorically untrue.

1.“Lawn care is too expensive.”

I hear this one frequently.  There’s an assumption that because this service is considered to be a luxury by many homeowners, that the “luxury” must come at a premium price.

The reality is two-fold.  First, it really is a necessity for many homeowners.  I frequently field calls from clients who have neglected the lawn for years at a time, and then want it magically “fixed” before they sell it in four months.  Lawns are a complex ecosystem, composed of hundreds of thousands of individual plants.  There is no “quick-fix” for many lawn care concerns.

Secondly, many homeowners who have never had a quote are often surprised at the affordability of a lawn care service for their property.  I would frequently ask clients (and still do) to simply “Allow me to put a quote together for you.  It is no-obligation, and you might be surprised at how affordable it actually will be.  I’ll be five minutes or less with that number.”

When clients take the time to hear us out, they are usually pleasantly surprised at the resulting quote.

2.“My lawn is so bad, no one can fix it.”

This is a particularly persistent myth we run across.  Often times a homeowner has either had a bad experience with a competitor of ours, or they have tried to do this maintenance themselves with little or no results to show for their effort.

The truth of the matter is that a trained and seasoned professional can help you by setting realistic expectations for your lawn.  Unless your lawn is on an extremely steep slope or gets less than five or six hours of direct sunlight daily, you can usually have a pleasant-looking, healthy lawn.  Your professional should communicate reasonable expectations for results, how long they will take, and any additional recommendations, like aerating the lawn or the need to re-seed.  They will also probably insist on a soil test, so that any nutrient deficiencies can be address and remedied, giving your lawn the best possible chance of success.

3.“My neighbors don’t treat their lawn, so it would be a waste of money for me to treat my lawn.”

Again, the homeowners we hear this from usually fall into one of two categories.  First, they may truly see no value in treating the lawn, and they are using their neighbor’s lack of interest as a justification for their poor property management.  The other scenario is often a homeowner who worked consistently on their lawn for a number of years, and threw up their hands in frustration when the neighbor’s weeds consistently encroached across the property line.

The fact is very different.  We’ll get into some of the environmental benefits of having a healthy lawn further down the list, but the reality is that most respectable lawn care providers offer you free “call backs” or “service calls” with a full program.  If you’re paying a company to treat the lawn, and they’re leaving behind something in the lawn (usually a small flag) that has their company name on it, they want the lawn to look good.  Calling once or twice throughout the season, between your scheduled visits and asking for a touch-up on the weed control is doable.  And it usually minimizes the frustration you have with “that” neighbor’s turf issues trying to claim territory in your lawn.

4.“Lawn care is a scam. I can buy the products and DIY it!”

This assumption is only partly true.  Yes, you can buy lawn care products like fertilizer, weed control, and insecticides to treat the lawn yourself.

The reality for many homeowners is that it is very difficult to select the right products at the home center, get the timing of those applications correct, and continue to do so throughout the entire growing season.  In fact, many of the fertilizers you can buy “over-the-counter” so to speak are in effect a “watered-down” version of what the professionals use.  The companies that produce these products have been forced to do this by consumer habits; most homeowners have no idea how much product they should be applying, or they deliberately over-apply to get the lawn looking “extra-green” this season. In fact, this is the reason most of these companies no longer include phosphorus, a key ingredient in fertilizer, in their mixes.  Misapplication by homeowners runs into the watershed (it ends up in storm drains, for example) and causes rapid algae growth that damages the ecosystems it traverses on the way to larger bodies of water, like the Chesapeake Bay.

The full truth is also that many products are simply not available to your average homeowner.  Products used by your lawn care company are applied at lower rates, and applied for a specific purpose.  A professional lawn care company will almost always apply a lower (but correct) rate of fertilizer than a homeowner, and still get better results.  And many of the most efficacious herbicides require licensing from a governing body.  Here in Pennsylvania, the Department of Agriculture has a registry of licensed applicators, and they are the only ones who can legally and safely (due to training) apply these products to your lawn.

For best results, you should still hire a professional.

5.“Lawn care is bad for the environment.”

Ah, the environmentalist.  Listen folks, I grew up sorting my recyclables and watching Captain Planet for cartoons.  I get excited about plants, and read books about trees for fun.  I care as much about the environment and being a good steward of our natural resources as anyone, and probably more than most people.

The fact is that lawn care is not bad for the environment, and hiring a professional is even better for the environment, many times, then doing it yourself.  Lawn care companies have tighter government regulations on the products they use and the rates at which they use those products.  This means less run-off into local water sources; a properly applied fertilizer is absorbed by the plants it is fertilizing, leaving no room for the “extra” nutrients to leave the property.

6.“Lawn care does nothing to help the environment.”

The national firm I worked for previously invested heavily in research and development.  They had a “hold message” (when you called in and waited to speak with a representative) that gave lots of helpful information about the environmental impacts of a healthy lawn.  For instance, did you know that an average residential sized lawn, when healthy, produces enough oxygen for the family that lives there for an entire year?  Or that a healthy root system in your turf filters water more effectively than anything on the planet except virgin, untouched rainforest?

No, my friends, lawn care is not bad for the environment.  Ignoring your lawn’s needs can lead to erosion, where soil ends up in the water supply, making it dirty.  THAT is bad for the environment.  Not responsibly applied products to promote the lawn’s health.

7.“Lawn care companies don’t care about people/pets/the environment.”

I once knocked on a potential client’s door, and walked away after about a minute when there was no answer.  I got halfway to the next door to knock on, when the previous homeowner came out.  I turned back around, smiled politely, and introduced myself.

What I was greeted with in return was anger, rudeness, and outright animosity.  This woman screamed at me and waved the door-hanger I had left at her home in my face for about three full minutes.  She went on about every conceivable conspiracy regarding how lawn care companies are hurting people/pets/the environment.  I had trouble following much of it, honestly.  I finally said “I’m sorry you feel that way, Ma’am.  Sorry to have bothered you,” and walked away.  I decided I had earned a coffee break, and drove to a local gas station, where my phone rang…she had taken my phone number off the door-hanger, and called me to continue her rant.  (In fairness, she did eventually apologize to me for the way she treated me.  Lovely woman, actually!)

Lawn care products go through a pretty stringent “vetting” process by the Federal government and many state Departments of Agriculture.  They are labeled only for very specific purposes, and there are incredibly stiff penalties for violating those product label’s guidelines.  It is simply not worth the risk for your lawn care company to do something illegal (or immoral) in the way they apply products to your property.

The truth is pretty simple here; the people that run your local lawn care company have families/pets/property that they are concerned about, too.  Here at our firm, many of our coworkers are avid outdoorspeople, and care very much about the environment.  We are not going to ask you, the client, to have something applied to your property that we would (or don’t) apply to ours.

8.“Treating my lawn only means I’m going to have to mow more often.”

False.  This statement is just not the whole truth.

The real truth is that having a lawn with a healthy root system does mean that it is generally more heat and drought resistant than a lawn that suffers benign (or even malicious) neglect.  Regularly treated and aerated lawns tend to use water more effectively, and so weather the hot, dry conditions we typically experience in summer, better than untended lawns.

But the reality is that the amount of rainfall often has far more to do with the amount of mowing you’ll be doing than anything your lawn care company is applying.  That is why you mow more often in spring and fall than you do in the summer – there’s more water for the lawn.

Getting the lawn treated will help it withstand heat and drought better, but won’t necessarily make you have to mow more often.

9.“I’m paying XYZ company to treat my lawn, so it should be perfect!!”

Again, just flatly untrue.

While it is true that your lawn care professional is being paid to maintain the turf, there are many things that they simply cannot control, or cannot control until they know about them.

For instance, I once had a client that was a soccer coach, and he was from a foreign country.  The climate in his home country was much warmer, and he was used to a much different grass type.  (Grasses in North America are generally either “warm-season” or “cool-season” grasses.  We grow cool-season best here in Pennsylvania.)

This client insisted on mowing his cool-season grass very close to the soil level, like the warm-season grass he was used to in his home country.  He simply would not listen to me about the proper mowing height, and became impatient when he continued to have problems with drought stress, weeds, and a generally thin, anemic looking lawn.

Cultural practices like this are an important part of the partnership you have with your lawn care professional.  You should be working together to get the desired results, and sometimes that means you, as the homeowner, need to accept and respond to the company’s feedback on these issues.

Other considerations are insect populations, amount of rainfall, overnight temperatures, the actual grading of the lawn in question, presence (known or unknown) of turf-damaging fungus, the amount of shade on a property, the degree of slope on the property, and the amount of traffic on the turf, just to name a few.  This is by no means an exhaustive list.

Here’s the bottom line – lawn care is an established industry for a reason.  There’s value in it for the homeowner, for the neighborhood, and for the environment.  It’s here to stay.  We hope you’ve taken a few moments to read through this list and educate yourself.

If you would like more information about lawn care for your property, we’d be happy to give you a free consultation.

The post 9 Bogus Facts About Lawn Care appeared first on Tomlinson Bomberger.

from Tomlinson Bomberger http://ift.tt/2syLjeP

A minor rant and a big rave by Elizabeth Licata

At least we still have flowers for Valentine’s Day.

Flowers have left the building, as far as the Olympics are concerned. In Rio (2016), medalists were given little sculptures made of resin, polyresin, and PVC, because flowers were “not sustainable.” And this year, in Pyeongchang, the athletes are waving little stuffed animals (tigers) from the podium. There are symbolic reasons for the tiger choice, which make sense, and they are kind of cute (unlike Rio’s resin doodads). But I’m not buying the sustainability argument. Cut flowers are ephemeral. You enjoy them, they fade; they can be composted or even thrown on the ground to decompose. Nothing that’s produced and given en masse is going to do well on a sustainability smell test; my take is that flowers are no more guilty than most gifts. But they’re gone. It appears that London will be the last Olympics that came with bouquets, unless something changes. Thank god for Valentine’s Day, which is creating enough of a flowery atmosphere that I don’t mind so much. People need flowers in winter.

A flowery portrait

Count me among those with two big thumbs up for both of the Obama presidential portraits. You can read about them everywhere; here’s one place. I particularly like his. I was immediately charmed by the backdrop of foliage that artist Kehinde Wiley explains is studded with flowers that have personal significance for the former President. I am not sure what the greenery is; it looks like a cross between Bishop’s Weed and some really aggressive vine. Maybe someone here knows. To many, the backdrop is surprising, but if you look at other portraits by this artist, an ornate, patterned background of some type is almost always used. It is a formal device and I wouldn’t read that much into it except that it makes a lovely change from the usual blurred or nonexistent surroundings used for official portraiture. We have a big wall of Boston ivy that local photographers have used for portrait backdrops; it’s a nice look. I think so, anyway.

A minor rant and a big rave originally appeared on Garden Rant on February 15, 2018.

from Garden Rant http://ift.tt/2szPmr8

Bringing The Outside In

Given that the inside and outside are very different places to be, it is no surprise that designers who are equally at ease whether inside or out are the exception rather than the rule. I know a few, and I admire them for their ability to move from inside out and back in again without [...]

from Dirt Simple http://ift.tt/2EISXrM

The Power of the Sun: Truth or Consequences by Allen Bush

Salvisa, KY.

I retired from Jelitto Perennial Seeds last month, and it’s been cold and gray in Kentucky ever since.

I’m itching for spring.

I have to be picky about my newfound spare time. I’m poring over seed and plant catalogs—a fun winter ritual—and I don’t want to be tangled up in politics when the redbuds bloom. I need to be ready to plant penstemons and phloxes in Salvisa.

But look what I’ve gotten myself into.

Politics make my blood boil.

Mayfield, KY. Solar Energy Solutions photo.

Here, at home, the Kentucky House Natural Resources and Energy Committee passed legislation last week that could cripple Kentucky’s solar energy growth.

Business groups such as Greater Louisville, Inc. (GLI) and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce have advocated strongly in support of HB 227— a bill that may jeopardize many of the estimated 1,200 solar jobs in Kentucky.

GLI and the Kentucky Chamber reside within a closed loop. You scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours. They are forsaking potential job loss with their support of HB 227. In this case, it’s downright peculiar that they don’t care about job loss.

Kentucky needs a secure energy infrastructure, but there’s no need to throw solar power under the bus. Solar should be a partner in job growth, providing decentralized, and secure, energy production.

Louisville, KY.

House members attempted to stir up a rural-urban divide. Some contended that most of the solar installations are in larger cities. That’s not true, according to Steve Ricketts, partner with Solar Energy Solutions, the state’s largest solar installer. Seventy percent of their jobs have been outside Bowling Green, Lexington and Louisville.

How can anyone—or any group—be so afraid of science, truth and the power of the sun?

Simpsonville, KY. Solar Energy Solutions photo.

Solar provides 1.0009% of Kentucky’s power needs—not much of a current impact, and certainly not a threat. Yet there is a sense of urgency to cut solar off at the pass. (There are an estimated 1200 Kentucky residences with solar panels.)

At least one utility company sees a way out of the dependence on fossil fuels. (Take note, GLI and Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.)

The sun makes so much sense. The planet is 93 million miles away and wirelessly delivers energy to Kentucky in nine seconds—free of charge!

Kentucky Coal Mining Museum. Benham, KY. EKB photo.

Free and naughty, according to some warped sensibilities.

The uppity—and mostly rural—solar fiefdom is a burr in the side of the politically powerful utility monopolies. House Bill 227 is meant to punish solar energy, just when it appears “renewable energy might be unstoppable.”

The utilities stress that owners of solar power are getting a free ride and are being unfairly subsidized for the excess power they produce. All other utility customers are covering the costs of the solar elite, they argue.

Meanwhile, every Kentucky utility customer is footing the bill for the dark suits that roam the floors in the Capitol Annex, lobbying for the utility companies.

Hopkinsville, KY. Solar Energy Solutions photo.

HB 227 will be up for a full house vote soon. A number of the 16 proposed amendments seek a reasonable compromise that would provide fair compensation for the value of the homeowner’s solar energy as well as fair coverage (operating and capital expenses) for the utility companies.

Why cripple Kentucky’ solar energy future?

Why jeopardize Kentucky jobs?

Don’t dim the sun.

 

If you are a Kentuckian, please call the Kentucky State Capitol at 800-372-7181. Tell the friendly operator you are opposed to HB 227. It will take only 2 minutes.

 

 

The Power of the Sun: Truth or Consequences originally appeared on Garden Rant on February 14, 2018.

from Garden Rant http://ift.tt/2EtfCJB

Creating a hanging succulent terrarium

The post Creating a hanging succulent terrarium appeared first on Miss Smarty Plants.

Winter getting you down?  How about creating a hanging succulent terrarium to get you through? I have been so impressed by my collection of hanging succulent terrariums that I felt it was worth sharing this again. I see so many of these online with the wrong plants and wrong supplies that they are destined to bring failure to their new home.

Have you noticed these cute hanging succulent terrariums popping up in your favorite catalogs and decorating blogs? Don’t be fooled by their sleek design and beautiful colors, these are extremely simple to put together and are a great way to add plants to even the smallest spaces. Read on to learn how I made my seven different succulent terrarium and how to maintain your plants.

Creating a hanging succulent terrarium: Supplies

Keep it simple. All you need is some potting soil (less than 1 cup per globe), simple top dressing like these stones, succulent cuttings and your globe.

Here is a list:

• • Well draining potting soil
  • Glass globe- I love these from Amazon and they are 6 for $15!
  • Succulent cuttings. I always enjoy scouring my local nurseries and garden centers, but if you can’t find any locally, here is a nice collection of haworthias which would do great.
  • Top dressing (beach glass, stones, or sea shells all look great!)

First step: Add soil

I know that it is tempting to add a lot of soil but trust me on this, less is more. I add between 1/2″ and 1″ of soil flat across the bottom. On this hanging globe you can see the opening dips fairly low so it is important the soil level is below that line so water can be added without spilling out. Regular potting soil will work really well for this project. You can see here that I opted for soil that didn’t have any perlite so that the little white pieces wouldn’t stand out but that is just personal preference.

 

 

Second step: Add plants

Plant selection is going to be key to the success of your hanging succulent terrarium. Even though your window may seem sunny to you, the light levels are actually much lower than outside so you want to make sure to select plants that will not get stretched out and lose their beautiful shape. Because we want these to last for several years, it also helps to make sure your plants will stay small so that they do not outgrow your globe.

You can see a listing of some of the best succulent terrarium plants here. I went with Haworthia retusa, “Window Succulent,” because I already had a pot of it growing and it was easy to pull off three pups for this project. I prepped the cuttings but removing any soil and trimming the roots to about an inch in length. The few roots help to anchor the cutting and also make it very easy to stick right in the soil.  I strongly recommend using cuttings for this purpose.  You can use plants but in that case you will want to put the plants in the container and then add the soil around them– it is just more difficult.

 

Third and final step: Add top dressing

This is the stuff that kind of covers up your soil and also holds your plants in place while they start growing new roots. I chose a mix of smooth stones and some blue clay pendants that I found. I think seashells also look very cool and the possibilities are really endless on this. Pennies, sticks, glass pebbles, moss…

 

Watering and care

I water my hanging succulent terrarium globes by using a plastic cup that I can squeeze a little bit to pour in the opening. I water these about every two weeks but I know there are times when I’ve gone a month without watering and they are doing just fine. When watering, make sure to really saturate all of the soil.

 

 

Look at the color of the soil to determine if you need to add a little bit more water to get rid of the dry air pockets. See the darker portion on the bottom? That area is nice and wet and is how you want the entire depth to look. It is a fine balance because you don’t want to submerge your plants; if you aren’t sure stop a little early and let the water soak in to the soil for a bit.

 

These fabulous little hanging succulent terrariums are so easy to make that you just might find yourself getting more to share with friends. My office feels so much better with some plants hanging above my computer!

 

The post Creating a hanging succulent terrarium appeared first on Miss Smarty Plants.

from Miss Smarty Plants http://ift.tt/2H4KU7i

What Happens when a Rain Garden isn’t Weeded by Susan Harris

I love this rain garden in my neighborhood, on land owned by my co-op, even as it’s changed over the years.

There once were many more types of plants here, though without a plant list I can’t name them.

Here’s the only sign at the garden, an old, weathered one with information from a local RainScapes program.

The garden hasn’t been weeded probably ever, so the result is a garden of tall species that have successfully beat out shorter ones for dominance. I know some locals find it unsightly but it looks lovely to me, thanks to its location. I wouldn’t want it in MY tiny garden, of course, but in this spot – along the back of a bank of garages, in full sun and full view of passersby – I say “Hey, enjoy the tall meadow.”

Makes me wonder how many other rain gardens, lacking regular maintenance, have become dominated by tall species and whether money spent on short plants could have been saved altogether.

This close-up of the rain garden sign demonstrates how challenging plant selection is for rain gardens – what a tall order of plant qualities! – and has me concluding that rain gardens are jobs for professionals. Make that professional designers with specific rain garden experience who take into account the maintenance plan for the garden – if any.

What Happens when a Rain Garden isn’t Weeded originally appeared on Garden Rant on February 8, 2018.

from Garden Rant http://ift.tt/2H1gwdR

The Amaryllis Crop

February in a northern garden designer’s life ought to be snoozy. 25 years ago, my landscape design work finished up in mid November, and did not resume until the snow and cold looked to be waning the following March. I can’t remember what I did with those winters now, so it couldn’t have been much. [...]

from Dirt Simple http://ift.tt/2nR9jnJ

Hanauma Bay to Petropolis by Allen Bush

Hanauma Bay

Sorry to be late with winter coping tips, but I’ve got two ideas that might be worth mentioning. If you’re at your wit’s end of winter, try to find a sunny and warm place to snorkel (preferably in the tropics), or go to a local tropical fish store.

My friend Peter Morrin, on a walk around our Salvisa farm last month, described the view across the alfalfa field, with its dozens of shades of grays and browns, as looking like landscape paintings of 17^th century Dutch tonality. Peter is a distinguished art historian and former Director of Louisville’s Speed Museum. His observation was brilliant, and flattering, but the day was still dreary.

Seasonal tonality in Salvisa, Kentucky.

I did not feel trapped in a painting. I only felt trapped in winter.

I’ve got a yellow-flowering witch hazel, Hamamelis ‘Wisley Supreme’, in glorious bloom, urging me on, but it’s still slow sledding to spring.

Hawaii’s beautiful Hanauma Bay is a full day of air travel from Louisville; Petropolis is only a 10-minute car ride from Salvisa.

Movie Vault and PETropoliS in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.

No one might imagine that the misery of a cold winter’s day could be a mitigated by freshwater tropical fish—pacu, discus and cilchids. PETropoliS Live, in Lawrenceburg, KY, is not just any fish store but one run in tandem with the Movie Vault. Nowhere else can you buy tropical fish and rent a John Wayne movie. The Movie Vault, with 11,000 movie titles for sale or rent, has survived Blockbuster’s downfall and Netflix’s reign, in no small part, thanks to Petropolis.

Yellow labs and peacock cichlid at Petropolis.

Mac Reid, my friend and Salvisa neighbor, tipped me off about Petropolis. Mac, known storewide as Guppy Man, picks up guppies every Thursday afternoon to feed Brucie, his baby smallmouth bass. Brucie is named after Mac’s late uncle, Bruce Bass.

Mac caught Brucie with a fly rod, and a tiny fly, last July while fishing on the Salt River. The Salt River snakes around his Millwood Farm. At the time, Brucie was a tiny one-inch long.

I thought about Mac and Brucie last month, while Rose and I were snorkeling in Hawaii’s Hanauma Bay. It was sunny and warm on Oahu.

Brucie

It was, well, uh, freezing in Salvisa, KY. The temperature struggled to inch above freezing during the day and was down in the single digits at night.

Brucie was snug as a bug in a warm (70 F), 20-gallon fish tank. He lives in the kitchen near the Reids’ fireplace. Mac keeps the fire stoked and feeds wiggle worms and guppies to Brucie.

Brucie, who is now five inches long, takes slow laps around the fish tank and occasionally noses by a Java fern.

Hanauma Bay was created roughly 32,000 years ago when an ocean vent erupted and created a crater that eventually weathered away. Coral reefs and a horseshoe bay slowly took shape, creating a shelter for tropical fish.

Convict tang at Hanauma Bay. Shutterstock photo.

Rose and I snorkeled in Haunama Bay in suspended, slow motion. We floated over cauliflower coral, watched convict tang pass by, and kept an eye out for stingrays and sea urchins.

But now Hanauma Bay is only a warm memory.

Back home, I visit Brucie on cold afternoons while I wait for snowdrops to bloom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanauma Bay to Petropolis originally appeared on Garden Rant on February 7, 2018.

from Garden Rant http://ift.tt/2Eah7rI