Q: My patio is being overrun with yellow jacket bees. I want to find the nest and spray them, but it seems that the nest isn’t in my yard. A friend said they are beneficial insects. Are they really doing good for my garden, or can I just get rid of them if I find…
Going Off the Grid: A Family Shares the Joys, Challenges, and Lessons Learned From the Journey to Self-Sufficiency
When the Great Ice Storm of 1998 hit, it left millions without power for days, weeks, or even months. The crisis affected northern New York and Maine in the United States, and Eastern Ontario, Southern Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick in Canada. Canadian cities Ottawa and Montreal completely shut down, and the storm caused…
Thinking Mini: How to Make the Most of a Small Garden Space
“Small is beautiful,” as the saying goes. Everything tiny is cute. Images of tiny kittens and puppies bring about squeals of delight. We stand and look in awe at creatures such as insects, hummingbirds, and bats which are perfectly formed and yet diminutive in stature. Works of art that are produced in miniature are seen…
Lawn Pests and Fungus
Question: Lately I’m finding small clumps of lawn grass, roots and all, dug out and laying there. The clumps are only an inch or two across. At first, I thought it was a mole or gopher, but I don’t see any tunnel beyond the removed clump. I read that moles prefer areas that have a…
This Caladium Creates a Burning Heart for Your Garden
By Norman Winter From Tribune News Service Imagine a plant so unusual and beautiful in your landscape you stare hypnotically at it every day. Go further and say, 100 days. That is precisely how I feel about Heart to Heart Burning Heart caladium, and the reason is this: It simply can’t be that color. In…
This Gardener Wants to Teach the World How to Grow Healthy, Bountiful Food
In 1976, gardener Jim Kennard discovered the Mittleider gardening method, and was blown away by the bountiful fruits and vegetables he reaped that year. His harvest was far more abundant than any of his previous crops. When he retired from a successful career as a CPA, he decided to help create and become the pro-bono…
Cicadas, Beans and Tree Water Questions
Question: My oaks and shade trees look like they are beginning to die. The last six inches to a foot or more of many branches all over the tree have dead leaves. We have not had much rain, but when we do, a lot of these branches fall off. I have started watering; is there…
Self-Pollinating Pears
Q: My local nursery is selling fruit trees at a discount because they are getting ready for fall. I have been trying to decide if I want to plant a peach tree or a pear tree. I think I really only have room for one tree. I have read that I need to get two…
Scarlet Goes Wild in Hot New Petunia
By Norman Winter From Tribune News Service Supertunia Mini Vista Scarlet petunia will quickly become the one in which all other red petunias will be compared. Although it is making its debut in 2023, the tsunami created from the beauty shown in 2022 trials is already causing market jitters. Will there be enough next spring?…
Tiny Insects That Cause Big Problems
Question: Our magnolia tree has sooty mold. We had the tree sprayed for the fungus, but it is still dripping stuff. Do you have any suggestions? Answer: Sooty mold is a fungus that grows on the sugary sap that is dripped on everything below a tree that has sucking insects. Some insects are sort of…
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