I HOPE YOUR LILIES ARE SAFE AND SOUND. Mine, alas, are not. They've been ravaged by Lilioceris lilii -- the scarlet-topped insect you see pictured above. More about this "Lily Leaf Beetle," and the cartwheels I'm performing in order to save my plants: Read more » Pests
Waging War on the Lily Leaf Beetle
June 17, 2013
I HOPE YOUR LILIES ARE SAFE AND SOUND. Mine, alas, are not. They've been ravaged by Lilioceris lilii -- the scarlet-topped insect you see pictured above. More about this "Lily Leaf Beetle," and the cartwheels I'm performing in order to save my plants: Read more » How to Smother Weeds with Newspaper
May 7, 2013
WHEN WEEDS INVADE MY PERENNIAL BEDS, I don't get mad -- I get newspaper. Newspaper-mulching, as we have discussed before, makes weeds disappear instantly. And it prevents them from re-emerging for an entire season, if not longer. I newspaper-mulched one of my weed-choked beds just this morning. Would you like to see the easy procedure? Read more » The Fall Webworm
August 24, 2012
IN LATE SUMMER, it's fairly common to find weird-looking webs (like the one pictured above) on crabapple and other hard-wood trees. Who weaves these horrid things? Meet Hyphantria cunea, the "Fall Webworm." More about this caterpillar, and why you needn't go out on a limb to eradicate it: Read more » Newspaper Mulching
June 3, 2012
THIS MORNING, during my weekly jaunt to the county dump, I decided to go through other people's garbage. And I found what I was looking for, too: lots of newspapers. Let me show you how old news is good news when you want to make weeds instantly disappear: Read more » Got Blackspot? Get Milk.
May 29, 2012
DRAT. While inspecting my roses the other day, I discovered that some of the shrubs (like 'Mary Rose,' above) are showing signs of "blackspot." Details about this insipid fungal disease, and why -- according to extensive research -- a weekly spray of milk and water is the smartest way to control it: Read more » Got Ticks?
May 7, 2012
LAST SUNDAY, while attempting to put a dent in my lengthy list of garden chores, I went on a weeding-, feeding-, planting-, edging- and mulching-frenzy. My reward for all that work? Well, later that day I discovered a blood-sucking, and possibly Lyme-disease-transmitting deer tick had attached itself to my side. What to do should you find this dreaded Ixodes scapularis embedded in your own skin: Read more » Monsanto, Now in a Bag
March 5, 2012
COMING TO A PRODUCE AISLE NEAR YOU, and conveniently pre-packaged and ready-to-eat, is 'Beneforte' broccoli. As you can see in the photo up top, the package is labeled with a number of health claims. But when you realize what's missing from the bag, you'll probably gag. I know I did. For Beneforte is the product of the agricultural Goliath I like the least. It is the product of Monsanto. Read more » 
