Wreaths

THE HISTORY OF WREATHS

Wreaths have been a part of human civilization for thousands of years going back as far as the ancient Persian empire.  As decoration, wreaths appear on the ceiling tiles of 'Dura Europus', a 2000 year old synagogue in Syria. They were commonly used by Hebrews and Ancient Greeks.

Wreaths first appeared in history as crowns for royalty. Made by twisting branches into a circle and decorating them with flowers, pine cones and colorful ribbons which were worn on their heads. Later crowns evolved into the hat style made of gold and gems which kings and queens still wear during state ceremonies.

In many cultures young maidens would adorn themselves with headdress wreaths decorated with  seasonal flowers and worn during festive celebrations until their wedding day. This practice is still popular in many counties around the world.

Pagans  made wreaths of evergreen branches with four candles representing the elements of Earth, wind, fire and water which were lit during pagan religious gatherings.  This custom was adopted by Christians, the Advent Wreath with three purple candles for penance and one pink for 'the coming  joy'. One advent candle is lighted on successive Friday evenings during the four weeks of advent and all are blown out on Christmas eve.

In Rome, wreaths made of laurel leaves were awarded to victors in athletic games, who would then hang them on their wall as a souvenir. Later many rich Romans hung wreaths on their door as a status symbol.  This tradition was adopted by early Christians and became the popular Christmas wreaths we now enjoy.  

In Christian tradition, the Christmas wreath symbolizes the circle of life and eternal life promised by Jesus Christ as well as God's strength.  Today Christmas wreaths are highly decorated with brightly colored ornaments and lights. 

In modern culture, welcome wreaths are hung on front doors and can be used to celebrate every holiday throughout the year.

Enjoy your garden all year long,

James

Ticks

TICKS IN NEW JERSEY

In New Jersey we have four hard bodied ticks.
For proper ID they should be seen under a microscope. 

October is an active time for adult ticks and it is important that we stay diligent with their detection. Even an Indian Summer can cause these tiny creatures to become active when we often let our guard down. 

In New Jersey we have four hard body ticks; The American Dog tick, the Brown Dog tick, the Lone Star tick and Deer ticks. It is the Deer tick, also known as the 'Black legged tick' that causes humans in our area the most concern due to the transmission of 'LYME DISEASE'. 

Knowing which tick you have will help your doctor decide on a course of treatment.
Call you local Cooperative Extension Service for information.

Throughout the country ticks transmit different diseases including 'Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever', so always be aware of the ticks in your area and the problems they can cause.

If you find a tick outside of NJ the same suggestion applies.
Have your tick identified and inform your doctor. 

Early tick detection is the surest way to avoid problems. This simply means taking a visual exam of yourself  and your children every day. Deer ticks need 24-36 hours to transmit the Lyme Disease bacteria. An adult Deer tick is about the size of a sesame seed. Now with more and more deer roaming though our area we need to increase our guard.

When in tick habitat wear long pants and tuck them in your socks

Since ticks cannot fly or jump they have developed an ingenious way to get on their host.  Tick crawl up a blade of grass and wait for a host animal or human to brush by and give them a ride. This is know as 'questing'. The best place for this to happen is in parks where the field meets the tree lines. Avoid this area whenever possible, especially while wearing short pants. 

In this incredible photograph a tick is 'QUESTING' ready to take a ride on a
passing animal or human.   

If you do find a tick correct removal is very important. Remove the tick carefully with tweezers and put it into a container with a moist cotton ball (an old prescription bottle works best). A good tick specimen is essential if your doctor decides to have it tested. Do not put rubbing alcohol on the tick as it will kill the bacteria and that tick will no longer be viable for  testing.

When removing a tick don't use Vaseline and be sure to carefully remove the entire tick, especially
the head and mouth.
NEVER TRY TO BURN OFF A TICK AS IT WILL INJECT ITS SALIVA\ WHICH WE WANT TO AVOID.

Your local Cooperative Extensive service will either identify your tick or tell where to take it. Here in New Jersey call your local county 'Rutgers Cooperative Extension Garden Helpline' 

Rutgers suggest you always call your doctor when you are bitten by any tick. They will know the best course of action to be taken.

Keep Safe, James

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BLUEJAYS IN YOUR GARDEN

             BLUEJAYS IN YOUR GARDEN               

Winter bird feeding - Peanuts  

Bluejays are native North American forest dwellers, common in our area. They are a familiar and noisy presence around many North American bird feeders.  

If you want to bedazzle friends and family, little is easier then feeding and attracting Bluejays to your garden, seemingly on command.

Once Bluejays have become accustomed to your feedings, they will become a
frequent visitor to  your garden.

Attracting Bluejays is as easy as putting out a cup of *unsalted peanuts every day with some gray striped sunflower seeds. These beautiful creatures will quickly become a dependable and frequent visitors to your garden. If you put peanuts out close to the same time every day you can count on these highly adaptable and intelligent birds to show up within minutes of their regular feeding time. It is truly amazing.  

Why some Bluejays do not migrate is still a mystery, but those that stay add dramatic
color to the winter garden.

If you want to put  out more later in the afternoon there always seems to a 'watch bird' ready to give a call to the rest of the flock.

These beautiful blue crested birds with black and gray wings are easily recognizable . Their bird call is a loud "Jay! Jay!" sound. This is only one of a wide variety  sounds the bird employs—including excellent imitations of several hawk calls. When Bluejays are in your area you will definitely hear them.

Bluejays are known to call for home owners to come out and feed them.

Bluejays are sometimes known to eat eggs or nestling's of other birds making many people hate them.  It is this practice that has tarnished their reputation, but in fact, they are largely vegetarian birds. Most of their diet is composed of acorns, nuts, and seeds.

Most northern Bluejays head south for the winter and join large flocks of up to 250 birds although some do not migrate. The birds that stay add dramatic color and excitement to the winter landscape. Bluejay migration is still considered a mystery to scientist.

Bluejays stay in familty groups throughout their lifetimes.

Bluejays have a special throat pouch that can hold extra seeds and acorns which they bury until later. 

This is why the Bluejays are credited with replanting our woodland forest after the last ice age.

*Don't put out too many peanuts at one time. You will only be feeding the squirrels.

Enjoy your garden all year,                                                                             

James

RESEEDING LAWNS

                                    RESEEDING LAWNS

No matter how beautiful your lawn is it will greatly benefit from reseeding. All plants including grass have a certain life span. As the older grass dies away it leaves  spots where weeds can take hold next spring. The best way to avoid that is with thick lush growth. Since we cut our lawns often they are not able to reseed themselves.

September and early October is the perfect time to reseed your lawn.  As the summer heat fades, weeds and wildflowers begin to wane, dying back in the fields and on our lawns. This will give your grass seed plenty of space to germinate and grow without competition for sunlight, water and nutrients. The cooler weather and increased rain and even the morning dew will keep your seedlings moist until they become established.

Grass seeds must be kept moist so a light watering when it is dry will be appreciated. Lawns do best with one inch of water per week. More that is more harmful rather than helpful, producing weak shallow root systems and encouraging fungus and diseases.

September seeding will also give your young grass a few weeks to sprout before the leaves fall, blocking the greatly needed sunlight.

In order for the seed to germinate it must make contact with the soil so the roots can take hold . Thatching, raking and aerating will greatly improve your success level.

If you haven't taken a soil test in three years, I highly recommend taking a sample of your lawn. This will give you your pH and proper fertilizer information. 

WHY DOES SOIL pH MATTER?

Soil pH is a scale to measure how acidic or alkaline the soil is. Soil pH of 7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic and a pH above is alkaline.

Plants, vegetables and grass grow better, are healthier and produce more within their own pH range.  The proper pH permits plants  to absorb minerals from the soil. Evergreens require an acidic pH around 4.5 while tomatoes need a pH of  7.0.

By knowing the plant nutrition needs of your lawn and gardens, you can prevent the over-application of fertilizers.

Soil test sampling kits are available for a fee from your local County  Cooperative Extension offices listed in the phone book.

Separate soil samples will need to be taken from areas used to grow different types of plants.  For example, separate soil test kits should be used for lawn areas and vegetable garden areas.  Samples from rhododendron, azalea, and other broad leaf evergreen areas should be kept separate from other shrub areas. Also sample separately areas that have previously received different lime or fertilizer treatments and areas that are noticeably different in plant or soil quality.

There is far too much information to give in this article, from how and when to thatch to seed selection.

Luckily for us your local Cooperative Extension will supply  this information free of cost.

Happy Gardening,

James

Feeding Migrating Hummingbirds

FEEDING MIGRATING HUMMINGBIRDS

As the flowers fade from north to south, migrating hummingbirds rely

on Hummingbird feeders as a dependable source of food.

Keep your feeders clean and full until the frost.

If hummingbirds stop at your garden on the way south, there is a good chance they will visit again next spring

Chemical Weed Control

USING WEED CONTROL CHEMICALS WISELY

Take a ride around your neighborhood on a hot summers day and it won't take long to see someone spraying weed control on their lawn wearing short pants and sandals.  I have seen this happen while the children were playing  just a few feet away.

Chemicals are so available is easy to forget they are all toxic.
Read and follow the directions on the label.


 Chemicals are so readily available and abundant in America we take them for granted. This is as true for the sellers as it is for us, the consumers. We are encouraged by the manufacturers to use their chemicals as often as possible.  

Caution is the least dangerous, escalating to Warning and then Danger.
No weed killers are labeled 'safe'.
  

Sadly many people use these chemicals without taking the time to read the label.  If they did read the label they would know that these weed control chemicals become less effective as the temperatures get higher.  The grass and weeds undergo stress and stop absorbing the chemicals.  The toxins slowly evaporate creating a mist over your lawn where your children are playing.  By the time the temperature reaches 90 you might as well throw your money away.

These chemicals work by attaching themselves to the weeds and then become absorbed into the  cell tissues, working their way into the plant and finally the root system. When you apply them in short pants you are exposing  your leg's cell tissue to the same chemicals.

Deep rooted weeds may take more than one treatment.
To use less chemicals remove all but 2 leaves and spray only them. You will get the same result.
If they grow back repeat the same process. 

Removing weeds from your garden beds has multiple benefits. Weeds compete  with garden plants and vegetables for space, nutrients, sunlight and water.  

Worst of all for many gardeners, weeds make your beds look messy and untended.  Basically weeds are plants growing where you don't want them. This can apply to wildflowers, shrubs and even trees, such as the Norway Maple.

The beautiful Norway Maple is so successful it is now labeled a weed tree.
Manual removal with a pick ax is quick and dependable.

Whenever possible use safer weed control practices such as hand weeding and mulching in the spring.

USE AND STORAGE OF GARDEN CHEMICALS

Never buy chemicals that are stored wrong, such as these kept out in the sun.
The price remains the same but the effectiveness is greatly diminished.  

Read and follow the directions on the label.  

Store all chemicals properly as directed on the label.  

Don’t let liquids freeze or get too hot and don’t allow dried chemicals get moist.

If you go to a store and their chemicals are sitting in the sun or are not properly stored,  go to another store.

Keep gardening safe,

Happy summer,

James

Butterfly gardening

BUTTERFLY GARDENING

Everyone is delighted to see colorful and graceful butterflies flutter though the garden during a summer day. 

 Flowers that love a lot of sunlight are very attractive to butterflies.

 

Sadly these lovely creatures now need our help to survive.  Deforestation in their native habitat in Mexico has greatly affected the Monarch butterfly population.  At the same time harsh late winters have hit our Black and Yellow Swallowtails, killing the young caterpillars in early spring.  Thankfully there is something we can do to help, 'Butterfly Gardening'.

When trees in their natural habitat in Mexico are cut down
millions of Monarch butterflies have no place to gather.

Butterfly gardening can be as easy as planting flowers and herbs that butterflies require to feed or lay their eggs.  One step you can take to make your garden a 'butterfly habitat' is to plant parsley, dill and milkweed.  Butterflies lay their eggs on these plants.  The caterpillars hatch, grow, turn into chrysalis, commonly called a cocoon and soon emerge as a new young butterfly.  If you notice your dill slowly disappearing, look for caterpillars of Black or Yellow Swallowtails on it.  Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on 'Milkweed' which is a perennial.

 

 

 

The last stages of both the Monarch (top) and Swallowtail (lower)

caterpillars are colorful and easy to spot.

 

Many annuals are still available that will attract butterflies for your garden.

 

 

The  chrysalis of  Monarchs look like jewels hanging on the bottom of this milkweed leaf.

Butterflies like sunlight but it doesn't matter to them if a flower is planted in the ground or a pot.

Butterflies can't resist lantana which I like to plant in pots. 

My favorite is lantana. Lantana is used as an annual in our area because it cannot survive our cold winters.  Planted in the ground or in a pot, butterflies will always stop at this flower for a snack.  Lantana is deer resistance and hardy.  If you forget to water this plant it will bounce back when you do.  If you are going to a July 4th party, a pot of lantana is a great gift for the host.

 

Look at plant labels to see if they are marked "attract butterflies".

 Most garden centers label plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Butterflies are going to need assistance for many years to come so please keep this in mind when planning your garden for future. 

 

Overuse of pesticides create another hazard  to butterfly populations.

 

Enjoy the summer and happy gardening,

James

 

  

DEADHEADING FLOWERS

KEEP YOUR ANNUALS BLOOMING           

'DEAD-HEADING'

Annuals are plants that grow to maturity, flower, set seed, and die within one year. Once the flowers are pollinated most of the energy of the plant is focused on producing seeds which will ensure its survival the following year. 

Deadheading old flowers encourages the plant to focus  energy on
producing new flowers rather than seeds. 

In order to "fool' the plant into creating more flowers gardeners use the simple trick of pinching off the old flowers. This technique is known as 'dead-heading'.  It forces the plant to start over and produce even more flowers.

 This proven practice works on all annuals from early spring pansies to summer blooming zinnia and marigolds.  Some plants like pansies will even form two new flowers for every one pinched.

Although many flowers can be snapped off with your fingertips, it is often quicker to use snips.

With many flowers you can simply remove the old bloom with your finger tips. On plants with thicker stems it is wiser to use snips to prevent damaging the plants and new flowers.

Many perennials will grow new flowers and extend the flowering season when deadheaded.

The hardest part of this task is finding the time to do it.  If it's late in the season and your marigolds have more dead flowers than you want to deal with, take a chair and cup of tea to where they are and make the task more enjoyable. This will keep your marigolds blooming into early autumn.

On plants such as geraniums and marigold the old dead flowers turn brown and unsightly.
Deadheading keeps them looking neat and tidy.

Dead-heading is also beneficial to many other plants as well. Although most 'perennials' will only bloom for a few weeks during their season, removing the seeds encourages the plants to produce stronger root systems. Since many perennials are best propagated by division (dividing the root system) this practice is very beneficial.

Perennials also benefit from deadheading by producing new flowers
and extending its season.

Even plants grown for their leaves such as Hosta do best when old flowers are removed, producing stronger healthy root systems.

In order to propagate this daylily root division is the easiest and most dependable technique.
Deadheading the spent flowers encourages stronger root growth.

 Summer flowering shrubs such as butterfly bushes or roses will also produce more flowers when dead-headed.

Happy Gardening,

James