Garden News and Notes for June
First of all - it's the time of year that many of us have been waiting for - the Fourth Annual Tacky yard Art Contest. We have two divisions this year - Terribly Tacky (for all of your neighbors' yard art) and Terribly Clever - undoubtedly where your own yard art belongs. Stop by and join the fun, comment on the entries - and send in your own. We're accumulating some great prizes! And lots of them - so we can have several winners!
SOLVING GARDEN PROBLEMS
It's a bit early for powdery mildew to have become much of a problem but when it does, here is an amazing new remedy that really works. Milk. That's right - According to the New Scientist Magazine, cow juice works effectively against mildew. Totally environmentally safe, and a blessed relief to the cow.
A few weeks ago, a member posted a photo of a "mystery Weed" in one of our discussions, which turned out to be the same Garlic Mustard weed that I had just pulled several thousand of. And almost immediately after, it was the Weed of the Week at the PC AlienPlants Network group - and even if it is delicious in scrambled eggs or minced and mixed with butter or cream cheese, you may want to consider drying or freezing what you have and then trying to do away with it.
If you've been out garden shopping and been enticed by some of the beautiful vines and climbing roses, you may be in need of an arbor or structure to let them climb. You can make your own from copper tubing and plumbing parts for a fraction of what a commercially made one would cost - and you can get instructions right online at Rebecca's Garden.
* U.S. EPA approved a first-of-its-kind protein product that switches on a plant's natural defenses against diseases and insects. Known by the trade name Messenger, it's one of a growing number of biopesticides that either trigger or strengthen plants' natural defenses or contain microbes that attack pests. Among the pesticides that Messenger could replace is the soil fumigant methyl bromide, which is being phased out for most uses. Messenger will be marketed by Eden Bioscience of Seattle. - more information is available at
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