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Bill Cary’s idea of a good weekend is to dig in a few dozen bulbs, turn the compost pile, pull weeds for a couple of hours and fill the car twice with
new annuals from the nursery. He grew up in Louisville, Ky. His gardening was limited to growing parsley and impatiens on the windowsill of Manhattan walkups until the mid-1990s when he bought a rundown old chicken farm on 8
acres in the Hudson Valley. Now he spends his weekends chasing deer, hacking away at invasive shrubs and vines and wondering why he doesn’t have more meadow and less lawn.
E-mail Bill Cary at wcary@lohud.com
I’ve got evening primrose growing in a few untamed parts of my yard. The plants are low growing and insignificant all spring, and then suddenly the whole area bursts into yellow blooms in mid-June.
The dish-shaped flowers last just a day or two, but the plants are so covered with buds that the bloom cycle goes [...]
Perennials: Plants growing in shade may need water in spite of rain showers. Trees act as umbrellas, keeping the moisture from reaching the plants under them. Check the soil to make sure it has not dried out. Tuberous begonias provide a colorful display either hanging in baskets from low tree limbs or planted under them. [...]
Ask the master gardeners
Q: I am having trouble with deer in my vegetable garden. Can I use deer repellents on my vegetable crops or must I use a fence?
A: Controlling deer in a vegetable garden can be challenging. A fence at least 8 feet high is the only sure way to exclude deer from an [...]
From Pam Freeman at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies:
“A FORUM ON
OPPORTUNITIES
IN ECOLOGY
“Tuesday, July 7, 2009
9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
at the Cary Institute Auditorium
“This forum provides undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to hear firsthand about a wide range of career paths in ecology, including:
· Media
· Education
· Museum Science
· Academic Ecology
· Environmental Law
· Advocacy
· Governmental [...]
Here’s a link to an excellent article in Fine Gardening on pruning tomatoes for maximum fruit.
Proven Winners’ Project Manager, Kerry Meyer, has a great article called “Hope for Hanging Baskets” on their Web site. —click here to read it. Every month, Kerry writes a new article for their Winner’s Circle consumer newsletter, I’m told.
Ask the master gardeners
Q: One corner of my property is shady and tends to become boggy. What are the best perennials for wet shade?
A: Before planting, first test your soil to make sure that it is appropriate for bog plants, as most prefer acidic soil. Use tall plants for the back of your planting area.
Black [...]
I’ve got a few things coming out on time delay over the next week, but I’ll be away unil July 6.
A little more sun would be nice, but here’s to no watering. My new shrubs are very happy.
Happy gardening (and weeding).
A note from Ed Impara:
“Add to your new nursery list, Sundial Farm Perennials on Route 134, (Croton Dam Road) just west of the Taconic Parkway.
Owned and operated by Penny and Bill Hawkey, they can be reached at 914-329-7498”
It’s been a good year for my daisies.
They self-seed and move around the yard, in and out of the lawn, field and garden beds. I like that about them.
Like so many other self-sowers, they like to plant themselves in open pathways. I can’t bear to mow them down till they finish blooming.
A clump just outside [...]
Bill Cary grew up in Louisville, Ky. His gardening was limited to growing parsley and impatiens on the windowsill of Manhattan walkups until the mid-1990s when he bought a rundown old chicken farm on 8 acres in the Hudson Valley. Now he spends his weekends chasing deer, hacking away at invasive shrubs and vines and wondering why he doesn`t have more meadow and less lawn.
Copyright ©2009 The Journal News, a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper serving Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties in New York.
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