All the Dirt on Gardening

Hi Trish - You sound like me: When I see something...

2012-05-22T17:56:48.318-07:00

Hi Trish -
You sound like me: When I see something new in the garden I have to know more about it.

Snitch beetles, indeed!

Here's a terrific article about these golden beauties - written by Todd Murray at http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/homehort/pest/GTB.htm

Thanks for your blog post. It was great to find an...

2012-05-22T13:58:46.547-07:00

Thanks for your blog post. It was great to find an answer to my "What is this bug??!"

These are amazing creatures!
I had never seen them before till today!

I just saw several of these on a weedy form on morning glory growing in southwest Michigan. I was tempted to call them "snitch" beetles after the elusive beetle-like thing in Harry Potter's quidditch game. It seems like as soon as you reach for them they are gone!

I'm still trying to figure out where these beetles come from - what part of the world are they native to? Do they get to be a pest or can I happily leave them alone? I don't mind them on the morning glory but i've heard they also like tomato plants. It would be a shame to kill something so beautiful.

Thanks again for sharing your photos and blog post.
Sincerely,
Trish

Hi Ellen - I updated the link to your art so now v...

2012-05-16T12:50:30.364-07:00

Hi Ellen -
I updated the link to your art so now visitors can see what I enjoyed so much.
Martha

Thanks for the wonderful mention! I have to apolog...

2012-05-15T18:28:19.909-07:00

Thanks for the wonderful mention! I have to apologize though. The link to the sample pages of the book from my website was broken. I fixed it recently. This link should work:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/28604039/natural_companions_page_samples.pdf

Thanks again,
Ellen Hoverkamp

I thought I was winning the battle of the Japanese...

2012-05-08T07:46:59.026-07:00

I thought I was winning the battle of the Japanese honeysuckle until this week.

It's flowering in all new places.

Sigh.

Here's a starting point for you = the list of ...

2012-05-07T06:40:24.345-07:00

Here's a starting point for you = the list of edible flowers and how to grow them from NC State Univ

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8513.html

PLEASE BE SURE TO TAKE DEEP WOODS TICK SPRAY TO WA...

2012-05-07T06:37:52.697-07:00

PLEASE BE SURE TO TAKE DEEP WOODS TICK SPRAY TO WALK THE TRAILS.

Forgive the all-caps but everyone who has walked since my visit has come home with lots of ticks, even though I did not.

Can't wait to visit Crystal Bridges this summe...

2012-05-06T14:27:08.350-07:00

Can't wait to visit Crystal Bridges this summer - thanks for the post!

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2012-05-04T14:19:11.712-07:00

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I'd like a book on 'edible flowers' - ...

2012-05-04T08:13:04.478-07:00

I'd like a book on 'edible flowers' - someone at work yesterday made pork burritos with paprika and rose petals. I'll admit I'd never have thought of putting rose petals into a burrito! I don't even know exactly which flowers are edible so would be nice to see some recipe ideas.

Well, I've never been to Texas unfortunately, ...

2012-05-04T08:10:28.409-07:00

Well, I've never been to Texas unfortunately, but it's on my list!

Hakone Gardens in California is my favourite even though it's quite small, I've been there three times now - I go every time I visit the States! I've been to the Japanese Tea Garden too once, that was beautiful.

It is in the center of the U.S. in northeast Oklah...

2012-05-01T17:50:56.921-07:00

It is in the center of the U.S. in northeast Oklahoma.
Isn't it a wonder?

Did you get to visit the Japanese garden in Fort Worth Texas? It is wonderful. So is the one in St. Louis and of course San Francisco.

Would love to hear from you - which ones did you visit and which were the best?

Hi Donna - Nice to see you here. We are only rec...

2012-05-01T17:47:39.013-07:00

Hi Donna - Nice to see you here.

We are only recently zone 7. NE Oklahoma was zone 6b until about 10 years ago when it heated up to 7a.

But we still have horrific ice storms, spring blizzards with 18-inch snowfall, etc.

I bet most of those plants are worth trying. Dr. Miller puts solid fences on the north side of his plants to protect them from north winds.

Keep me posted on what you try!

Lovely pics! Whereabouts is this? I've been to...

2012-05-01T10:03:49.171-07:00

Lovely pics! Whereabouts is this? I've been to some absolutely beautiful Japanese gardens in the US recently, trying to find something similar in the UK

From your posts, this garden looks very interestin...

2012-04-28T04:01:42.712-07:00

From your posts, this garden looks very interesting and a pretty place to spend the afternoon. I do like the Koi pond and the tea garden most. The zone 7 plants are useful here as that includes many I can grow here in 6B, with my microclimate garden supporting many zone 7 plants.

Wow!~ Zone 3? It's much more hardy than I had ...

2012-04-26T18:42:24.406-07:00

Wow!~ Zone 3? It's much more hardy than I had imagined.
Thanks so much for dropping in and letting me know.
Martha

I had a bellamcanda exactly like the one in your p...

2012-04-26T18:18:03.172-07:00

I had a bellamcanda exactly like the one in your photo in my old garden in Calgary. It was the only one that sprouted when I tried starting it from seed
It didn't produce many blooms, but it was always a treat to see the ones that did appear. This was in zone 3, in a harshly exposed spot.
I'm going to try again in Saskatchewan, in a slightly more sheltered area.

Me, too, Donna. I've tried to add several more...

2012-04-26T05:52:37.896-07:00

Me, too, Donna.
I've tried to add several more but they do not seem to like our weather enough to stick around.
My most reliable is Pineapple Sage - it has come back for 5 years in a row.

I really love Salvias in the garden. The leaves ar...

2012-04-25T17:49:01.171-07:00

I really love Salvias in the garden. The leaves are soft and the flowers are long lasting. A nice plant to feature in a post. It rarely gets talked about and is very deserving.

Awaiting more posts!

2012-04-21T13:04:58.593-07:00

Awaiting more posts!

This year as I was straightening the rocks that bo...

2012-04-21T09:47:37.122-07:00

This year as I was straightening the rocks that border the flower beds I found 3 baby snakes curled up in different protected locations.
I just gently return the rocks where they were and let him/her continue their sping nap.

My/our Bridal Wreath Spirea is outgrowing the bed ...

2012-04-20T16:12:07.552-07:00

My/our Bridal Wreath Spirea is outgrowing the bed it is in. I'd love to give away hunks of it!

Yes, storing the bulbs near fruit in the fridge ca...

2012-04-11T04:39:26.122-07:00

Yes, storing the bulbs near fruit in the fridge can add moisture that they don't need.
But, what the heck, treat them and plant them.
You might be positively surprised like I was.
Let me know how it turns out.

http://allthedirtongardening.blogspot.com.au/2011/...

2012-04-10T20:52:00.834-07:00

http://allthedirtongardening.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/moldy-tulip-bulbs.html

Thankyou so much for this! I bought tulips for th...

2012-04-10T20:49:54.515-07:00

Thankyou so much for this! I bought tulips for the first time this year, and some went soft after the fridge (too much fruit?). I was also worried because everyone says throw them away, but I planted them anyway hoping I didn't waste my excitement and money. Hopefully some of them still bloom like yours did!