What is a conifer

What is a Conifer ?


Most evergreens are conifers but not all conifers are evergreen...

Conifers produce wood that is called "softwood." AHA ! But, A tree that produces "soft" wood is not a tree whose wood is soft to the touch...

Examples of conifers :
Cedar trees
Cypress trees
Hemlock trees
Pine trees

One more interesting fact.
Did you know that all of the trees considered conifers bear cones -
but not the kind you need for ice cream.

this gardening and tree stuff can be confusing at times...

;)

Evil Missy in the garden

Don't squash Squash Bugs -

plant petunias instead...


A List of Companion planting to deter pests

Listed in alphabetical order by pest-
(of course, pests are my friends, so make them move from your garden to the neighbors )
;)

Ants:
(this is for the bad ants, not the good ones you have to have for beautiful peonies)
mints

Aphids:
anise, catnip, chives, coriander, eucalyptus, fennel, garlic, larkspur, marigold, mint,
mustard, nasturtium, onion, oregano, petunia, sunflowers

Cucumber beetles:
catnip, marigold, nasturtium, radish, rue, tansy

Cutworms:
spiny amaranth

Japanese Beetles:
ageratum, arborvitae, artemisia, ash, begonia, boxwood, caladium, catnip, chives,
cockscomb, garlic, hydrangea, juniper, pansy, tansy, white geranium, yew

Mosquitoes:
basil, garlic, geranium, pennyroyal

Slugs and Snails:
artemisia, fennel, garlic, rosemary

Spider mites:
coriander

Squash bugs:
catnip, mint, nasturtium, petunia, radish, tansy

Tomato hornworms:
(I found that planting marigold scattered around the tomato beds work well)
borage, dill, marigold, opal basil, petunia

Whiteflies:
basil, marigold, mint, nasturtium, oregano, peppermint, thyme, wormwood


Happy gardening...



Evil Missy in the garden
;)

My ideas for Quirky theme gardens

How about a Face theme Garden
using 2 iris', tulips and a Lipstick Plant.


Depending on which gender you choose for your face garden you could use a Mother Fern or Maiden Hair Fern or a Lady Fern. Would you like Hooded Lady's Tresses, a Pony Tail or a China Doll plant. I know as long as there is an Angel Face rose or a Freckle-Face you should be happy. It is hard to choose between blackeye susan or Blue Eye Grass, of course you must have at least 2 iris, tulips and a Lipstick Plant to complete your face themed garden !

Well that brings us to the Mother-In-Law's Tongue, the Fetid Adder's Tongue or the Hound's Tongue. Don't forget the Fork Tooth Ookow, hopefully you have more than 1 or 2 of those -
;)


Ahhh, baby's breath-
should you choose elephant ears or Mule Ears?
A Fiddleneck is a must, especially if you plant a Necklace Vine.

Would you like a Dumb Cane, an Ain't She Sweet rose,
Do you want to plant a Virgin Palm or a Hoary Azalea, Rhododendron canescens ?
;)
-snicker-
you will get that later and just laff-


I am thinking I should plant a Blue Jeans Ceanothus with asters around it.
Right next to it, lets place a flannel bush and some bachelor buttons.
How about adding a little color along the border with ladyslippers.

a Fingernail Plant is a must, unless earlier you chose to go with Dichelostemma capitatum Liliaceae - I'll let you look that one up, or Aaron's beard and a California Manroot, with flat-topped white asters. You could always go with both and make it a couples garden.


Lets see you could start out with Heart Ivy or Sweetheart Ivy...


There is just not enough thyme to play in the dirt
;)


Evil Missy in the garden

Happy Christmas

the magic of santa is always near...
merry christmas and happy new year


-missy






Evil Missy in the garden
;)

Taking food from a squirrel

How to dig up bulbs for Winter storage

Depending on your zone, most tender bulbs such as Cannas, Dahlias, Gladioli, and others will need to be dug up and stored for the winter.
Dig them up very carefully and shake off most of the excess soil.
Store in a cool, Not cold, dry location.

Many gardeners wrap their bulbs in newspaper and layer them in boxes.
Be sure and label your bulbs before putting them to bed so you will know which bulbs are which in the Spring...
When deciding where to store your bulbs consider this...
Do not let the bulbs freeze and don't let the boxes get wet over winter.

One more tip, make sure you store them where wild critters can't get to them,
there is no sense in letting your sleeping babies become a Winter feast for the squirrels


Evil Missy in the garden


My favorite site for
Gardening tips

the living - the dead - the very dead

What is Organic Material ?

Dr. Fred Magdoff of the University of Vermont has finally explained the unexplainable.

He states there are three kinds of Soil Organic Matter, also called SOM...
1) the living
2) the dead
3) the very dead

I like Dr. Magdoff
;)

Healthy, productive soil already has a good proportion of organic matter in it. The trick to having an outstanding plant or garden is to successfully increase the quality of your soil by regularly adding organic matter. Improving the soil is an ongoing process.
It's essential for successful backyard soil conservation and improvement.
Soil organic matter is a key indicator of soil quality.



Evil Missy in the garden

The Cat Days of Summer

The Dog Days of summer

The Dog Days of summer are typically the hottest and most humid times of the year so it makes perfect sense to me, that the coolest days should be called The Cat Days of Summer?

Lets write our congressmen :)

Dog Days usually usually fall between July and very early September but the actual days vary greatly from region to region. It depends the latitude and climate of the particular region. The term 'Dog days' has also been used to define a time period or an event that is very hot or stagnant.

It is believed this seasonal period originally was named Dog Days by the Ancient Romans. This is the period when the star Sirius, which is the brightest star that can be seen from Earth, is also known as the Dog Star. In ancient times It was also believed that the heat from Sirius increased the heat of the sun.



Evil Missy in the garden
;)

The Mayapple is also called a Devil's apple

American Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum


The Mayapple is also known as the Devil's apple, Hog apple, Indian apple, Umbrella plant, the Wild lemon, and American mandrake.

All the parts of the plant, except the fruit, are poisonous...

;)
I like May Apples...


According to history, Native Americans and early settlers originally used the rhizome of the mayapple for a variety of medicinal purposes. The plant grows in patches or colonies, usually in open woodlands.

Go here to see a beautiful mayapple photo.


I can't figure out why the May Apple is called May Apple...
the flower appears in early May, not the apple. The so called apple appears later during the summer and it is NOT even remotely related to apples. HA, How about that !!!!

I like May Apples.

The May apple is a perennial plant, native to the eastern part of North America. The stems grow to between 12 to 16 inches tall, with palmately lobed leaves that have 5-9 deeply cut lobes. The plant produces two forms. The ones with a single umbrella like leaf do not produce any flower or fruit. The plants that have a twin leaf structure bear a single small white flower with six to nine petals.

I like May Apples.



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;)

Venus flytrap - meat eaters from Venus ??

Venus flytrap - meat eaters from Venus ??

Venus Flytrap
Dionaea muscipula


The first person to describe this plant was Governor Arthur Dobbs of North Carolina.
In 1763 , he originally named them 'Fly Trap Sensitive'. A few years later they became known as Venus Flytrap after specimens were sent to England. When studied it was the first plant ever suspected of being carnivorous. These teethy perennials, insectivorous 'carnivorous' plants, can live from twenty to thirty years.

Venus Flytraps lived naturally in boggy areas of North and South Carolina.
Because of people's fascination with these plants, they harvested so many of them they became endangered in their select habitats. Today, most Venus Flytraps are grown in greenhouses. Many nurseries sell the seeds and plants because of their unique habits. There are several varieties of the Venus Flytrap available.

The typical plant has long, thin teeth along the edge of the trap. Another common variety found in many nurseries is the Dente Flytrap. This variety has shorter and more pronounced teeth.

Other specialty varieties that are slowly becoming available are the Giant, Royal Red, Big Mouth, Red Piranha, Paradise and the Sawtooth. Another variety that is becoming available in some areas is the Red Dragon Flytrap, it turns completely red when grown in full sun.

Many gardeners find the specific needs of the Flytrap to be too demanding, for example they grown better outdoors, in a sunny location in containers and you must over-winter them in an unheated garage or basement area. Even while dormant, your flytrap will still need to sit in a small amount of standing water to prevent their soil from drying out. They are not very cold tolerant and do better in areas with little to no snowfall. You must have just the right - extremely specific - "bog" garden conditions if you are entertaining the idea of planting them in the ground.

If you decide to invest in one of these beautiful plants be sure and research them further. Keeping in mind potting soil and fertilizer will kill your Venus Flytraps.




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;)

I would have given those garden gnomes a nice gnew home

I would have given those garden gnomes a nice gnew home



Last week I saw the perfect man,
My prince charming,
The man of my dreams,
I saw him and let him
slip
right
through my fingers.


I saw him standing in his yard chatting with 2 of his friends.
I should have pulled over and snatched up that little garden gnome before I looked at the other yard sale items.

*sigh*

He was already sold-
She had 3, she could have shared 1 of them with me...
no new gnome for my home



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;)