Year: 2021

Seeds are planted, watered, washed with sunlight, charged with electrons during a thunder and lightning storm and nurtured to maturity. We as humans absolutely depend on this process. But so do the pollinators. Those hard-working players in this ecological balancing act are active in our gardens 24/7.

Birds, bees, butterflies, moths, bats, beetles, ants and yes, even the lowly flies have important beneficial duties to perform in the garden. Flowers, fruits and vegetables have adopted elegant systems to attract carriers, and attach and distribute their pollen for optimum survival of the species.

To a bird, insect or bat, your garden is a metropolis filled with neon signs and billboards advertising its goods. The neon signs and billboards are the flower petals. They attract attention using color, including ultraviolet markers, fragrance, shape and size. The ultimate reward for the transporter is the sweet and nutritious nectar of the flower. The base of the sign is the flower stalk, which is designed to hold the flower high enough to be easily seen. This insures it won’t be trampled by insect and critter traffic on the ground before it has a chance to be fertilized.

A bee has seen the ultraviolet nectar sign and beats a path to its target. Hairs on the bees abdomen are statically charged to help hold the pollen as it brushes the anther, which is the male part of the plant that produces the fertilizing powder. Bees also have built-in ‘saddle bags’ and ‘baskets’ on their legs and body parts to transport the pollen to the next flower. Once the pollen is brushed off onto the sticky stigma (female part of the plant), it travels down the stigma’s tube to the ovary and ovules at the base of the flower. There each ovule becomes a new fertilized flower seed. And that is the ultimate reward for the flower!

Evolution has further modified plants to provide just the right size nectar tube to accommodate the exact size critter tongue. For example, moths hover to feed, so they need a flat flower with a deep tube to match the length of the moth’s tongue. The flower will be white or very light in order to be seen in the moonlight, and it will be heavily scented to be found in the dark of night.

Bats work the nightshift as well. Those flowers that open after sundown and are extremely fragrant, large, showy and white with larger pollen grains will attract our echo-locators’ attention. They have bristles on their tongues to which some pollen sticks as they lap up the nectar. It is then transferred to the next flower from the bat’s head, feet and tongue. Larger, tougher flowers will accommodate the bat’s head without damage. Additionally, bats can consume thousands of harmful insects each night. I’d hate to think where we’d be without their vigilance!

Bees are particularly attracted to yellow and blue colors as well as sweet smelling plants. The flower tubes of these plants just happen to be the right size for the bee’s tongue to reach. Interestingly, snapdragons can only be ‘unlocked’ by a bee of the right size and weight to ‘provide the right key’ to open the ‘magic door’ to the ‘treasure room’.

Conversely, butterflies do not have a good sense of smell, but they can see the color red. Did you know that they ‘taste’ with their feet? They have highly sensitive receptors that tell them if they are on the right nectar-rich plant, or on the edge of a yummy mud puddle full of minerals and moisture necessary for their survival. Flowers that produce clusters of smaller flowerettes create a good landing pad for the butterflies so they can sip securely.

Those plants that store their pollen inside the anther rather than on top, such as the tomato, need to be shaken to make sure the pollen is released through the pores of the stamen. Bumblebees provide this service. They land on the flower and then vibrate their wings, and voila!

Beetles are another flying creature that can benefit a garden. They love the spicy or fruity scents of large greenish or off-white flowers. Since beetles have fairly efficient chompers, these particular flowers have developed armor to protect the delicate ovules from damage as the beetles go about their pollinator task.

Hummingbirds have a good sense of smell and are drawn to red, orange and pink tubular flowers in your garden. I’m sure you’ve seen a hummer sipping nectar from a hanging fuschia or potted petunia. They require flower petals that are curved away from their fast-beating wings as they feed. Pollen is transferred to their chest, beak and head in the process.

Songbirds do not have a strong sense of smell, so they seek brightly colored flowers such as red, orange, pink, yellow and purple. They not only spread pollen via their beaks, heads, chests and feet, but distribute the seeds that they have eaten via their droppings. A location where birds congregate on a regular basis will yield ‘surprise’ gardens, which have automatically been planted and fertilized by our beautiful aviators.

Additionally, birds consume a huge amount of insects. Bugs that can do damage to our flowers, vegetables and fruits are fed to baby birds as a nutrient-rich protein source. This helps the baby birds grow fast and strong. Adult birds benefit from consuming these protein snacks as well. Blue Jays even use ants to ‘comb’ their feathers and repel other insects with the formic acid they exude! Thankfully, our backyard birds do a number on vast quantities of insects every day.

All this biodiversity insures a vastly varied gene pool. The larger the gene pool, the better the chance a lot of different species survive to reproduce. Resist the temptation to swat a bee or squash a ladybug. Remember, they do great things for our orchards, farms and gardens.

Without birds and other flying creatures to provide these essential benefits to our gardens we would be overrun by harmful insects, which would then destroy our wonderful flowers, vegetables and fruit trees. Even if they weren’t done in by insects, without the pollination process so efficiently performed by our pollinator friends, there would be no more flowers, veggies or fruits. Our ecological balance would be destroyed and us along with it. That’s how important these vastly underrated birds and other flying creatures are to all of us!

Gardens add beauty to any home. It does not matter if a garden is large or just a pocket garden around the corner, it still provides an aesthetic advantage. A garden adds color to surroundings and brings in fresh air to your home as well. However, if you have a medium to large sized garden and you have varieties of bushes and flowering plants on it, then it is important to add something that will make your yard more functional as well as attractive. This is where garden edging comes into the picture.

Garden edging is simply a border that frames your plant beds. The initial use of garden bed edging is to separate your plants from the grass lawn. By doing this, your garden will have a well defined look that is definitely more attractive. Adding a border also eliminates the need of frequent grass plucking from the plant beds. It also keeps mulch in its place and provides a mowing path that makes mowing easier; no more accidental clipping of your flowering plants. The edging will guide your mower and prevent it from cutting your plants by mistake.

Garden borders and edging can make garden maintenance easier. Most homeowners do not like the idea of tending their gardens regularly and doing things such as weeding and mulching. Another common but dreaded gardening task is keeping the grass in shape.

Garden edgings, as a matter of fact, reduce the need of frequent weeding. They also keep mulch in the plant bed, thus eliminating the need of mulching repeatedly. If you have garden edgings in your yard, you will have a more defined pathway so your visitors would not have to guess where to walk.

One of the most common struggles homeowners encounter when tending a garden is the grass that keeps growing out of place. This can be very frustrating, especially to those who have no much time to care for their lawns in regular intervals. When grasses, and sometimes even plants, go out of way, this result in unattractive lawn. However, with the properly placed edgings, this problem will surely be eliminated.

Since landscape edgings aid in defining and separating particular garden areas, you will be able to take care of your garden with ease. Edgings mark the areas where the plants and grasses are not supposed to meet; therefore you will be able to determine if they are going astray.

There are different designs of edgings for gardens. Most designs or layouts match the edges of traditional lawn mowers. This makes it easier for you to control your mower while trimming around the edges.

Although some disagree that edgings are vital to the plants’ health, most people swear that border installation plays a great role in their plants’ life. This is because borders keep out weeds, which can bring in diseases. Therefore, by properly placing garden borders, you won’t need to spray herbicide much often.

Apart from the benefits, it is obvious that garden edging also brings artistic value to your lawn. This reason alone might be enough to help you understand why it is important to install borders in your garden.

From teacups to oil drums, there is nothing you can’t use as an outdoor plant container. Your choice of plants, your decorative style, your budget, and your creative imagination will all influence your plant container choices. However, there are several things to consider before you start adding plants to your outdoor pots.

Very small containers will dry out quickly, and they offer limited growing room, so that teacup is probably not a wise choice. Very slow growing plants, such as sedum or cactus, will grow well in a restricted environment. However, keep water needs in mind. Some succulents do need a fair amount of moisture.

Be certain that any container you choose has good drainage. With the exception of pond plants, decorative plants do not like to have their feet constantly wet. If you are concerned that your potting soil will be drained out along with excess water, cover the holes with a single layer of newspaper or a coffee filter before adding your planting soil.

Clay or Terra Cotta Planters

Available in just about any size and shape, clay plant containers are traditional garden standbys. Their look is especially attractive in warm and sunny southern or Mediterranean garden designs.

Un-glazed clay pots are porous, which means that water in the soil will evaporate through the sides of the container. They will have to be watered more frequently than less porous containers. Painted or glazed clay pots will retain more moisture through a hot day.

These pots are heavy for their size. If you are planting a large pot, moving it will be difficult. If you anticipate having to move a large terra cotta pot, place it on a decorative wheeled dolly before filling it with your planting mixture. This way you will be able to move it even when the soil within is moist and heavy.

If you line these containers with plastic before planting you can reduce water loss through the sides. The easiest thing to use is a plastic bag large enough to touch the sides of the pot all around. Remember to punch drainage holes in the bottom. When you add your planting mix, hide the sides of the bag by pushing them down into the mix before you plant.

Because all clay pots are porous, they do not do well outside during cold winters. Moisture in the pot will expand if it freezes, often cracking the pot. Cement and other stone containers will also often crack in freezing temperatures for the same reason. Consider whether you will be able to bring your pots into warmer shelter during the winter. If this will not be possible, and you want to keep your plantings, choose another kind of container.

Wooden Plant Containers

Whiskey barrels and other wooden patio containers are popular. Because wood will eventually deteriorate when exposed to water and sunlight, lining wooden plant containers with heavy plastic will extend their life and reduce water stains on the outside.

Cedar, redwood and teak are naturally resistant to water decay. Containers made of treated wood or lumber will usually last quite a bit longer than untreated wood. However, some chemicals used to treat wood are not suitable for edible plants, and may pose a health risk. Always check the materials used to treat any wooden planter for safety.

Metal Pots, Tubs and Wagons

So long as there is drainage at the bottom you can use any metal container to hold garden plants. Be aware that any large metal container will be heavy, so place it where you want it to remain unless it has wheels.

Plastic and Resin Containers

Plastic plant containers are the most lightweight and often the most inexpensive containers for the garden. Of course, this is why your plant nursery uses plain plastic pots.

You can find resin containers that mimic the look of cement or glazed pottery. These pots are handy if you don’t want to worry about freezing and cracking or excess weight. Most are quite handsome, as well.

Plastic and resin pots are not porous, so they will not lose moisture as quickly as un-glazed pottery. Because they don’t lose moisture, it is especially important to be sure that they have sufficient drainage at the bottom so that plant roots do not become waterlogged. Many resin containers have holes that must be opened by the end user. Be sure that you do this before you begin planting.

Thin plastic pots will have a short lifespan, as they will eventually crack in the sun. However, because they are inexpensive, they will be less costly to replace every few years.

Color Makes a Difference

Dark plant containers will absorb summer heat. If the roots of your plants get too hot they will be damaged or even killed. In hot climates choose lighter colored containers to reduce heat buildup.

Avoid Outdoor Pot Saucers

Many planting containers come with saucers to hold water outflow. Avoid saucers under your outdoor plants as these are great places for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Your plants may wick up a little extra water between watering, although this is not always the case. However, your yard and patio will be overrun with mosquitoes.

Whatever container you choose as a planter, the three main things to remember are: 1) choose the correct size for your plants. A too-small container will not have growing room, and a too-large container will overwhelm and dwarf your plants; 2) make sure your container drains well; 3) monitor soil moisture regularly and maintain the kind of moisture that your plants require. Don’t plant a cactus and a rose in the same container – their water needs are vastly different.

The neem tree (Azadirachta indica) is an incredibly versatile plant with many uses. In India it is known as “the village pharmacy”–over 75% of Ayurvedic remedies contain some form of neem!–and lately the tree has also been called “the world’s most researched tree.” But even though neem has been used traditionally for several thousand years it is still relatively unknown in the western world.

Apart from the seemingly all powerful neem oil–pressed or extracted from the seeds–there are a whole range of other neem products: neem capsules, neem soap, neem tea, neem bark powder… Most people have heard about neem oil only and they don’t know much about it. For neem to live up to its reputation you need to use the right neem product the right way, at the right time for the right purpose!

In this article I will look at the most common use of the oil: as an insect spray in the garden.

Neem oil is an absolutely wonderful alternative to chemical insecticides because it is totally non toxic to humans. If used correctly it works wonders and it only affects the bad bugs while leaving the good bugs unharmed.

The keywords in the above sentence are “if used correctly.” Here are seven things you should understand about neem oil before you use it in the garden.

1. Neem oil is NOT an instant knock down insecticide. Neem does not kill insects or grubs instantly! It acts as a feeding repellent and it also interrupts their breeding cycle. Neem is similar to insect hormones. When insects take up the neem ingredients they “forget” to eat, to mate, or they stop laying eggs. Some forget that they can fly. If eggs are produced they don’t hatch, or the larvae don’t moult. Don’t conclude neem doesn’t work just because it doesn’t kill everything instantly. Neem oil needs to be used regularly. Spray it once a week to once a fortnight and it WILL protect your garden from sucking and chewing bugs.
2. Neem CAN kill honey bees. Neem is not toxic to honey bees or other beneficial insects but it can certainly kill them! Any oil you spray can coat insects and suffocate them. In that respect neem oil makes no difference between good and bad bugs: coat them with oil and they suffocate. To protect beneficial insects, only spray neem in the very early morning or late afternoon, when insects are least active. Once the oil has dried it only harms the bad bugs.
3. Neem CAN harm your plants. If a little bit helps, then more will help better. Right? Wrong! Any oil spray can burn plants. If you spray during the day it burns better. Again, use neem spray early in the morning or late in the afternoon, so it can dry before the sun hits it. Some plants are so sensitive, they don’t need the sun to suffer. Having their delicate leaves coated with too much oil is bad enough. Stick to the instructions! Use the lowest concentration and do a little test application first. Neem oil is strong stuff. A little goes a long way.
4. Neem CAN harm aquatic organisms. This aspect is rarely mentioned. Research studies showed that neem ingredients can hurt many aquatic organisms, including fish and tadpoles. Luckily it takes more than just traces to do damage. Spraying near ponds is generally safe, but do not spray neem directly into the water.
5. Neem oil is NOT registered as an insecticide. In most countries neem oil is not registered as an insecticide or insect repellent. So the sellers are not allowed to call it that or to mention that it kills or deters insects. If you try to buy neem at the local hardware store, don’t look in the aisle with the poisons. Rather look for leaf polish… Seriously, that’s what one manufacturer sells it as. The easiest way to find it? Ask for it. But beware…
6. All neem oils are NOT made equal. Many people hear about neem oil, go to the hardware store or garden center and buy some “neem plant spray” or “neem based insecticide” or other ready to use mixture of who knows what. Some of those bottles contain nasty chemicals with a bit of token neem. Few contain raw neem oil–the most potent neem oil–but rather a clarified hydrophobic extract. Those extracts are not as powerful as the raw or crude neem oil. The best neem oil to buy is raw, cold pressed, organic oil with a high Azadirachtin content. Azadirachtin is the main insecticidal ingredient and most sellers of good neem oil advertise the high Azadirachtin content. By the way, you are unlikely to find the raw oil at your local hardware store. Try health food stores instead!
7. Neem oil STINKS! The descriptions of the smell vary. Rancid peanut butter, rancid garlic, rancid burnt onions… do you detect a theme here? How about garlicky peanut butter with some rotten eggs thrown in?

I’d say, just get some and come up with your own description. And get used to it. Because the stuff really works!