Oh such pretty flowers blooming in ditches, along railroad tracks and in large stretches of farm yards. Oh but what evil those beauties bring upon us. Dame’s Rocket looks like a native phlox but it’s not! Learn more about this pretty pest on today's Garden Bite.

Today is the day we reflect and remember our military personnel who gave their all for our freedom. The red poppy came to symbolize our war veterans in 1921.  It is a wildflower poppy.  During World war one, the fields of Flanders in western Belgium saw 4 years of unrelenting battle. After the war, these poppies came back in a most spectacular display. Learn more about the "corn poppy" aka the American Legion poppy. 

Got deer?  Get some deer resistant plants.  Notice I said resistant!  There are some plants that are naturally not delicious to deer.   Due to their toxicity, fragrance or texture, deer seem to be repelled by these plants.

Shrubs could use some food too but there are some caveats, we’ll get to those.  Keeping plants healthy also helps lower opportunities for disease and insects to do damage.  A caveat to fertilizer response is the environment your shrubs are grown in. Woody plants respond well to fertilizers with a 3-1-2 or 3-1-1 ratio, for instance, the package may read 24-8-16, 18-6-12 or 12-4-4, etc. 

First, there IS NO poop in fertilizer! Proven Winners, one of the top plant breeders, says it’s really important to feed your container plants, which I talked about last week.  That makes sense, they’re roots can only go so far and get so much! There are 3 main kinds of fertilizer: water soluble, slow release, and controlled release.

Planting HERBS for pollinators! I’ve told you before that swallowtail caterpillars LOVE parsley and dill. Listen in for more herbs and be sure to plant enough for you AND the pollinators! Check my website for more details and recipes too. 

So often folks find a tree they like and then everyone plants it and then that’s all you see.  And then they get taken out by disease and our boulevards are naked.  Planting diverse species is the best way to protect them all. Plant this not that, take 2

This is one of my favorite times of year... planting my annuals in containers! But it can also be overwhelming. If you get plant-love overload at your local nursery, it can  make it difficult to choose plants!  There are some basic rules to follow that will help you create that eye-popper every time.

Tomatoes and peppers like warm soil. And who doesn't? Think about putting your toes in warm sand... or soil! It’s an exciting time to get our most favored vegetable garden plants in the ground! What are some of the best practices when planting these warm season crops? 

Since we discussed watering newly planted trees and shrubs I thought I would go a little further today.  We talk a lot about sun/shade conditions and soil types but one thing we don’t always check on when pursuing our favorite plants is whether they like dry feet or wet feet. It's important to know who likes what!