Southern Trees - Live Oaks

Traveling the Southern States and discovering new trees, shrubs and flowers is such a pleasure!  One of my favored trees down south is the Live Oak, a beautiful, shade-spending, and characterful species.  Spectacular alleys like those in "Gone with the Wind" can be found in many residential neighborhoods in the South!

Live Oak Trees
It is such a pleasure to walk underneath huge Live Oak trees, especially when they are overgrown with silver-green moss.  They are called a "live" oak because it is evergreen, with green foliage year round, rather than going dormant in the winter.

One of the oldest can be found outside of Charleston, South Carolina.
Few trees are as colossal and awe-inspiring as the Live Oak (Quercus virginiana). It's a fast grower, ultimately reaching up to 80 feet tall and 100 feet wide.  The tree in the Angel Oak Park is estimated to be 400-500 years old. It stands 66.5 ft (20 m) tall and measures 28 ft (8.5 m) in circumference.  Thriving in rich, coastal soils and along banks of streams and rivers, moss drapes over its long branches and dances with each breeze.

Live Oak trees' natural habitat is in the States from North Carolina all the way to Texas and from New Mexico up to Oregon - Hardiness Zone 8 and higher.  Their acorns are a sweet attraction to qual, wood ducks, wild turkeys, and whitetail deer.  These and a variety of birds and squirrels nest and make this tree their permanent home.

Live Oaks do best in warm, moist weather.  They also like areas with mild winters.  That makes them perfect for Central Texas.  Live oaks cannot survive prolonged freezing temperatures and icy weather.  The Live Oak does best in soil types that range from well-draining loam to poor-draining clay.  A young live oak needs regular watering.  The best way to water a live oak is to use a drip system for a slow, gradual soaking.

Protect the root zone of a live oak!  You want to limit competition for resources surrounding your live oak.  The best environment for a live oak is one where there is a comfortable root zone (15 ft) that contains mulch.  You may have to remove sod and plants.  You don’t want anything around the tree that can inhibit its growth.


More Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_virginiana
http://www.sptreefarm.com/interesting-facts-about-live-oak-trees.html
https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Live-Oak-Tree.htm
http://www.keepaustingreen.com/care-live-oak/

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List of Fabulous Shade Flowers

As longer I garden as more I prefer shade - not only because it is a more pleasant spot to garden in summer.  But also because plants for shade have a more subtle, elegant appearance.  Another great benefit is that flowers which are grown in shade last longer and maintain their color intensity better than those grown in full sun. 

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You Might Ask:
What perennials, annuals or shrubs can I plant other than Hostas?  Well, there are dozens and dozens of shade-loving plants out there.  See the long list below, that doesn’t even cover those for a warmer climate or the native shade plants.  But first things first, lets start with the soil:

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Nutritious Soil and Sufficient Water Are a MUST:
No matter where you garden - in shade or sun - your plants will only thrive when you feed them well with the right soil, compost, and regular watering, especially near or beneath trees and large shrubs.  Trees take up all the nutrients and moisture (even prevent rain to reach the soil), so there is nothing left for your attractive flowers - if you don't soak the soil every other day.  A great help is also to cover the soil with mulch to even out temperature difference, avoid weeds and yes, help to reduce watering.
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Have This List Handy When Shopping for Shade Plants:

PERENNIALS:
Hellebores
Salomon’s Seal
Ladies Mantle
Hostas in blue and yellow
Astilbes: white, red, or pink-flowering
Japanese Ferns
Deadnettle
Spurges (Euphorbia)
Alyssums
Heuchera Copper or Lime
Daffodils
BlueBells
Bleeding Heart

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Azaleas
Wild Ginger
Pulmonarias (Lungwort)
Siberian Iris
Bigroot Geranium
Anemones
Trout Lilies
Shooting Stars
Trilliums
Foamflowers
Japanese Forest Grass
Primulas
Periwinkle

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ANNUALS:
Pelargonias
Begonia
Impatiens
Lobelia
Pansies
Coleus
Caladiums

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SHRUBS:
Mock Orange (Philadelphus)
Hydrangeas (PeeGee, Annabelle, Climbing Hydrangea)
Rosa Glaucia
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See descriptions and more images for shade plants:
http://garden-dream.blogspot.ca/2016/06/benefits-of-shade-in-your-garden.html
http://garden-dream.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-to-gardening.html
https://www.sunset.com/garden/flowers-plants/shade-plants
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Grow Your Vegetables in Winter

I learned it by accident: One day I discovered that potato peels I had thrown into the compost started to grow and weeks later I had a nice harvest of new potatoes. They tasted even better than the store-bought - no wonder to the fine compost soil they grew in.
Buy once and keep growing - sounds almost too good to be true. Instead of just composting or throwing away the leftovers, you can grow new plants from them. This not only benefits your wallet but is also an important step against food waste.  Here are just a few examples, there is more produce you can re-grow:

• Green onion
• celery
• ginger
• garlic
• potatoes

Green Onions
An onion does not just grow a new plant.  Instead of replanting them, you can also grow and use the green of the onion. The roots of the onion must be placed in a container filled with water and placed in a sunny place. Then you should change the water every few days.  With this care, the green of the onion begins to grow again.  You can also just use the remaining part of a green onion (with the roots on) and place it in moist soil.

Celery
Place the leftover celery stalk in a shallow bowl of water and then place on a sunny windowsill.  Make sure that the core is just covered with water and it is changed every few days.  After a good week, fresh leaves begin to sprout from the stalk.  Now you can put the whole thing in a pot with earth.  A few weeks later you will already be able to harvest new celery.

GInger 
Ginger is not only healthy and delicious, but it's also easy to grow by yourself.  All you need is patience.  Leaving the tubers for some time, it forms small, green shoots by itself. These can be broken off and planted in a pot with soil.  A few months later, when the leaves have died, the ginger root can be harvested.

Garlic
Garlic cloves, which are a little longer, form small shoots.  The growth can be accelerated if the toes are placed in a bowl with a bit of water.  After a few days, the garlic sprouts are a couple inches long and can be harvested.  They taste milder than the originals and are perfect for refining dishes.  If you want to grow a new garlic bulb, plant a toe in a pot with soil.  The pot should then stand in a sunny place and be watered regularly.

Potatoes
You can easily cut a raw potato into pieces, making sure that each piece has two "eyes" and is at least one inch thick.  The potato pieces should then stand in an airy place and dry. After two days, they can be planted in moist soil.  Since the tubers need very nutrient-rich soil, the soil should be best mixed with some compost.  Now a new potato plant can grow!

Get more ideas and images here:
https://www.icreativeideas.com/13-vegetables-that-you-can-regrow-again-and-again/

Best thing is: you can grow these veggies also during the winter on a windowsill.  Enjoy your own FREE produce!

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Avenue of the Giants

If there is only one magic place or travel destination in the United States I had to choose, it would be the Redwood National and State Parks. Majestic trees, no not trees, but century-old giants, growing right and left of US Hwy 101, just South of Eureka, from Southern Oregon into Northern California. Their enormous stems rise like gothic columns almost 300 feet into the sky.  

Once you get off the roads, its almost eerily quiet - and much darker than in other forests, as the crowns of these giants are blocking sunlight and sky views. These are the last remaining old-growth redwood groves in North America, if not the world.  Even if you are not a tree-hugger you are stunned, maybe even you tear up when wandering through these “tree cathedrals”.

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I Didn’t Do It!
While cutting a car-size hole through ancient redwoods is thankfully no longer permitted, but you can still drive through the Chandelier Tree at Leggett, California, south of the intersection of Highway 101 and Coastal Highway 1, where this enormous redwood continues to stand and grow in spite of its drive-thru traffic.  For me it’s a sacrilege - these trees are holy! … and I never would drive through.

Take at least several days to indulge in nature’s wonders and beauty.  

Inhale the pristine air of the forests, which is neighboured by the Pacific 

Ocean - a terrific mixture!

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Oregon Redwoods Trail
The best hike starts at Loeb State Park and follows the Chetco River for 0.7 miles before crossing the road and beginning the Redwood Nature Loop.  Loeb State Park is a highlight in itself and features rental cabins, campsites and fishing opportunities.  It makes a good place to stay overnight when visiting the Oregon redwoods.

Directions: From the bridge across the Chetco River in Brookings, turn onto North Bank Chetco River Road (following signs for Loeb State Park) for seven miles to a large sign and parking area on the right. Trailhead GPS coordinates: N42 06.766 W124 11.225

Giant (or coastal) redwoods thrive in the moist, humid climate of the Northern California coast, where marine fog delivers precise conditions necessary for its growth. The fog adds moisture to the soil and helps trap it thereby lowering the rate of evaporation.  Redwoods, particularly coast redwoods, or Sequoia sempervirens are the tallest trees on the planet.

The tallest trees in the world have been given names—because such enormous trees deserve equally grandiose names—and are, in order: Hyperion (~398 feet tall), Helios (~374 feet tall), Icarus (~371 feet tall), and Daedalus (~363 feet tall).  Their thick bark resists fires, insects, and fungi, while their shallow roots absorb dew drops that drip from their needles.

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Giant Sequoias of Northern California
Giant sequoias thrive in higher elevation habitats than those giant redwoods and grow naturally only along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, primarily between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation.  Giant sequoias require the periodic dry heat of the mountains in order for their cones to open and release seeds.
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More About Redwoods and Sequoias

Giant Redwoods

• Live up to 2,000 years
• Have branches up to 5 feet in diameter
• Bark grows up to 12 inches thick
• Can reproduce either by seed or by sprout

Giant Sequoias

• Live up to 3,000 years
• Have branches up to 8 feet in diameter
• Bark grows up to 3 feet thick
• Reproduce by seed only

See a Zoomable Map
http://avenueofthegiants.net/Zoom/map.htm

Culture Not Far From Nature
http://a-happy-traveler.blogspot.com/2015/03/bookstores-in-oregon-and-northern.html

Tallest Trees in the World
http://crosstalk.cell.com/blog/why-redwoods-are-one-of-the-great-wonders-of-the-world

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Gardens of Alcatraz

Once home to some of America's most notorious criminals, and famous all over the world, Alcatraz island is now a tourist attraction in the San Francisco Bay. The first lighthouse on the Pacific Coast, the former prison cells and most of all the historic gardens are luring visitors. 
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As early as 1869, military inmates began tending the Gardens of Alcatraz.  Many of these inmate gardeners had no horticulture experience, but with vocational training and donated plants, they were able to transform the barren rock into extensively planted terraces, including a rose garden and cutting gardens overflowing with brightly colored flowers.  Alcatraz gardeners/inmates needed tough plants that could survive with little water or care.  Today, visitors to Alcatraz find a landscape alive with fragrant old roses, fig trees, bulbs, and colorful succulents.
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The work was a privilege: not only did it allow inmates to be out of their cells and away from the tension of the prison, but it also offered them a chance to create beauty in a forbidding environment.
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Getting to the Island
The island is open to visitors every day year-round except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.  Although there is not an entrance fee, there is a charge for the ferry service, supplied by a private company under contract to the National Park Service, from Pier 33 in San Francisco.  For additional information on schedules, prices, parking, and to purchase tickets in advance (tickets are made available about 90 days in advance) please visit the Alcatraz Cruises website.  Alcatraz frequently sells out, as much as a week in advance, in summer and near holidays.  In early March a round trip ticket is $30.  The best time to visit the Gardens of Alcatraz is from January to September, and especially in the spring from January to March.

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A Visitor to the Gardens Gives this Advice:
“Because Alcatraz is surrounded by water whose temperature rarely goes below 50F, the island is literally in a temperature zone warmer than its landlocked neighbors.  January is the most pleasant month to visit because the summer fogs are absent and winds are mild because the temperature differential between the coast and valley are minimal.  And the birds are mostly gone so their droppings are gone too. It's been up in the high 60's on the island while SF is low 60's on the same day.”
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And Here a bit Alcatraz Garden History:
Once home to some of America's most notorious criminals, the federal penitentiary that operated here from 1934 to 1963 brought a dark mystique to the Rock.  The presence of infamous inmates like Al "Scarface" Capone and the "Birdman" Robert Stroud helped to establish the island's notoriety.  To this day, Alcatraz is best known as one of the world's most legendary prisons.  In the 1920s, hundreds of trees and shrubs were planted as part of a general beautification project.
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The most significant phase of garden construction began in the mid-1930s when Fred Reichel, the secretary to the warden, convinced the warden to allow prisoners to work in the gardens.  At the same time, he sought the advice of the California Horticultural Society and plant breeders on which plants might thrive on Alcatraz and was able to obtain a large variety of Mediterranean-climate plants.  The offspring of many of these plants continue to be found in today’s gardens.

In 1941, prisoner Elliott Michener began a nine-year stint as the head gardener.  He built a greenhouse and was allowed to order large amounts of seeds and bulbs.  His labor helped shaped the terraced gardens on the east side.

After the prison closed in 1963, the gardens were abandoned and fell into disrepair together with everything else on the island.  Plants that required irrigation for survival died while those that were able to make do with natural rainfall and moisture from the frequent fog—mostly succulents—survived.

In 2003, the Garden Conservancy, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and the National Park Service launched a cooperative project to restore the island’s gardens.  With the help of countless volunteers, horticulturists propagated new material from the surviving plants and brought in new introductions appropriate for the harsh climate.
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Enjoy this unusual garden trip to the Alcatraz prison island!

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Where to Purchase Cannabis in Canada

See how happy Canadians are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9N3kufjmic

On October 17, 2018, recreational Cannabis is legal in all provinces of Canada.  Which province has the most stores and how well are they prepared for the countdown?

Canadian Provinces
While traveling through the province of New Brunswick in the Maritimes I saw lots of new stores with the "Cannabis NB" sign.  All 20 locations are expected are stocked and staffed across New Brunswick, having already shown off one of the government’s completed cannabis stores in mid-June.

Nova Scotia: The government-owned Nova Scotia Liquor (NSLC) Commission will be the physical cannabis retailer as of legalization day. Eleven NSLC locations across the province will offer about 150 different cannabis products in separate stores within existing alcohol retailers.

Prince Edward Island: Canada’s smallest province will have four government-owned cannabis stores. Locations in Charlottetown, Summerside, Montague and the West Prince region.

New Foundland & Labrador: Canada’s easternmost province will have 24 private retail cannabis locations.  Some smaller businesses made the cut – Tobin’s Convenience in Labrador City, for example – but the majority will be owned and operated by large corporations, such as Loblaws.

Quebec: The plan is to open 20 storefronts “gradually” once legalization takes effect. But so far, the SQDC has only announced 14 locations, with half of them in either Montreal or Quebec City.

Ontario: The OCS (Ontario Cannabis Store) will launch an online-only format as of Oct. 17 - while private businesses will handle all bricks-and-mortar cannabis operations - locations or how many will be allowed to open have not yet been released.

Manitoba: Around 30 cannabis stores stocked and staffed across Manitoba in time for legalization.  The overall goal is to have 90% of provincial residents living within a 30-minute drive of a cannabis store by the end of the decade.

Saskatchewan: 51 draw-winning cannabis retailers (out of 1,500 applications) have been given the approval to open storefronts as of Oct. 17.

Alberta: The AGLCC estimates at least 150 stores will be licensed, stocked and staff by mid-October. More cannabis stores will be in Alberta than in the rest of Canada combined.

British Columbia: An official plan calls for a mix of both privately-owned stores and government-run locations under the “BC Cannabis Stores” banner, but neither appears to have made much progress. Well, I guess there are so many previously opened illegal cannabis operations, so BC inhabitants might not be too excited about the legalization : )
Somewhat similar to Quebec.

Northern Territories: Not even a dozen stores, some government run, some private are in the Yukon and NWT to cater to patrons. Nunavut will be delivered by online stores.
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College Education in Cannabis Growing Operations
Niagara's College's new cannabis program: On the first day of school, the prof had not only students huddled around him, but also reporters and cameras.
These "pot school" offers intensive hands-on training in growing pot with classes which focus on topics like plant nutrition, climate control, pest control, and plant selection. There are also courses about the regulations governing cannabis in Canada.  The program ends with a field placement for students at a cannabis producer in the region.

"Pot School" in Niagara 
"Over 300 people applied for 24 spots in Niagara College's program, making entry to the pot school very competitive. The two dozen students in the first cannabis class range in age from 21 to 54 and several of them left full-time jobs for the opportunity" reports CBC News.

Even a Ph.D. in pot Production...
“The University of Guelph in Ontario has already produced a student believed to have completed North America's first Ph.D. in pot production.”

Read all about Cannabis in Canada on this government website.

• Laws about cannabis
• Road-side drug testing
• Protecting youth
• Growing cannabis
• Health effects
• Share the facts

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However, don't consume pot before and while driving as shown in this funny video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PLC_cBJwk4

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Most Colorful Foliage: Caladiums and Coleus

Caladiums
These tropical shade dwellers are a stunning choice for the darker corners of your garden landscape.  Caladiums also make excellent container plants.  Most varieties grow between 18 and 24 inches tall, but dwarf forms are also available.  Because their large leaves are easily damaged by high wind, plant them in a protected location.

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Caladium Growing 
Caladiums are tropical bulbs that need to be dug and stored after frost blackens their foliage in the fall, just as you would do with Gladiolas or ….. In warm, frost-free regions they can remain in the garden. Indoors, use caladiums as a cheerful houseplant. Just give it medium light and warm temperatures.  Water caladiums whenever the surface of the soil begins to dry. They prefer moist, but not wet soil.  Pinching is for many annual and tender perennial plants—such as coleus—an encouragement to branching and to full, bushy growth.

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Winter Care
Northern gardeners will need to store caladiums over the winter. Dig the tubers up after the first light frost. Then, brush off the soil and plunge the roots into a box of peat moss and place in a cool, dark, warm location for the winter.  Occasionally sprinkle the bulbs with just a splash of water to keep them hydrated in storage. Replant in pots in the spring and set the plants outside after frost danger has passed.

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Coleus: Another Colorful Plant for Shade Gardens
Distinctive leaf shapes, intricate patterns, and rich colors rival some of the showiest foliage plants.  Coleus is grown for its ornate foliage in eye-catching colors including white, yellow, red, pink, purple, maroon, copper, and a wide range of greens. Coleus makes an attractive addition indoors or outdoors.

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Cut It Back
When the weather begins to drop, especially at night, cutting back the coleus flowers will help the plant conserve a lot of energy and food. You do not have to worry about hurting the plant too much if you cut it back too far.  Coleus is a very hardy plant and can handle the cutting. In fact, it will come back even bushier and more colorful than before. intense summer sun which will scorch the leaves.
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Keep it Moist
Coleus leaves will wilt and may fall off if the soil is too dry. You'll have a much healthier-looking plant if you keep the soil moist at all times. Use a pot with drainage holes and water thoroughly.  Need a container? Check out the stylish self-watering pots available now.  It's just the thing to keep your coleus from wilting this summer.  Dropped leaves indoors?  Low light, dry soil or cold air can cause leaves to drop.  Don't worry - this vigorous plant will replace them when it gets what it wants.
Transplanting indoors will save your plants from freezing.  Carefully dig around the plant and lift out of the soil. Transplant it into a pot with soil that is already moist.  Coleus make a lovely, colorful Thanksgiving dinner table decoration!

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Propagation Coleus’ is Easy: 
Cut several twigs, stripe most of the leaves off and place them in a water glass.  Exchange the water once a week.  After a couple of days, you will see the first tiny roots appear.  Once the roots are growing sturdy, plant each of the new plants in a small flower pot and place them overwinter on a window sill. 
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Read More About Coleus and Caladiums:
https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Coleus
https://www.finegardening.com/article/pinching-coleus
http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/coleus-plant.html

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Spring Bulbs to Plant This Fall

Plant these classic bulbs in autumn 

for a glorious flower show next spring.

While it is still early fall and warm outside, the garden centers and nurseries are already fully stocked with spring bulbs for a marvelous, colorful spring garden.

Planting bulbs this fall will reward you with a sea of flowers next spring. While your garden is cold and dreary, the bulbs will be forming roots and preparing to bloom when the weather warms up again.  Popular varieties sell out fast, so buy or order your favorites ahead of time.

If You Have Already Spring Bulbs in Your Garden:

See how you can divide your bulbs and plant them - and also plant new spring bulbs:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd9cBEx2SC0

Seaweed to Improve Your Garden Soil

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If you are living close to the Atlantic, the Gulf or Pacific coast you are lucky as seaweed for your garden is easy to gather.  Gardeners inland have to buy the gardening gold.

Seaweed contains about 60 trace elements, as well as fungal and disease preventatives.  Using seaweed for compost improves soil consistency and increases water retention in sandy or grainy soils.

Amend Your Garden Soil and Compost
Water the seaweed well to remove the salt and work it into the soil or add it to your compost heap.  When using seaweed as compost, it can be used dry or wet.  As a soil amendment, seaweed even deters pests both large and small.  Instead of buying mulch you can even use seaweed to top up your flower beds. It will save water, keeps the soil moist at ground level, eliminates the need to weed and enriches the garden soil.
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Get More Tips Here:
How to Use Seaweed in the Garden - YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gFUQ2w7lnI

How to Use Seaweed to Mulch Your Garden
https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/how-to-use-seaweed-to-mulch-your-garden/

Seaweed as Composting Ingredient
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/composting-seaweed.htm

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How to Propagate Hydrangeas from Cuttings

Select a Hydrangea twig for cutting that should be at least 12 centimeters/6 inches long, has no flower and is new growth.  Take a sharp pair of shears and cut the stem off just below a leaf node.  A leaf node is where a set of leaves is growing. 

Strip all but the topmost set of leaves from the cutting. The cutting should have only two leaves left.  Dip the end of the cutting in rooting hormone.  While rooting hormone which you can purchase at nurseries and garden centers, will increase the chances of successfully propagating hydrangeas, you can still propagate hydrangea shrubs without rooting hormones. 

Find a wide, clear plastic bottle or empty peanuts container that is higher than the twig.  Fill it with planting soil or peat moss, and add water to moisten the soil.  Stick the cutting into the damp potting soil.  It should not touch the plastic device, at least not the leaves.
Close the lid and poke a half dozen holes in it, or if you don't have the lid for the device, place plastic over the top opening and also poke holes in the plastic cover.

Place the pot in a sheltered location out of direct sunlight.  Check the hydrangea cutting every few days to make sure the soil is still damp. In about two to four weeks, the cutting will be rooted.

This method for propagating works for pretty much of all shrubs, only the times to take the cuttings varies between the types and the locations/hardiness zones.  Just google it in typing the plant and the word propagation from cuttings and your planting area.

Have fun with creating new shrubs - almost for free!

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Discard Toxic Garden Poisons - Round Up

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ROUND-UP and WEEDS B' GONE kills not only plants and pets, makes people sick and poisons our water… Scientific tests during the last 20 years show the evidence of cancer risk. However, Monsanto 'bullied scientists' and hid weedkiller cancer risk, lawyers tells the court.

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Why Monsanto is Hiding Round-Up Weedkiller Cancer Risk?
Monsanto has long worked to “bully scientists” and suppress evidence of the cancer risks of its popular weedkiller, a lawyer argued on Monday in a landmark lawsuit against the global chemical corporation.

Global Glyphosate Study Pilot Phase Shows Adverse Health Effects at ‘Safe’ Doses
The results reveal that glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) were able to alter certain important biological parameters, mainly relating to sexual development, genotoxicity and the alteration of the intestinal microbiome -  with direct impact on our health!
The pilot study involved the participation of multiple Institutions and Universities in Europe and the U.S.

“Monsanto has specifically gone out of its way to bully ... and to fight independent researchers,” said the attorney Brent Wisner, who presented internal Monsanto emails that he said showed how the agrochemical company rejected critical research and expert warnings over the years while pursuing and helping to write favorable analyses of their products. “They fought science.”

Attorny Wisner, who spoke inside a crowded San Francisco courtroom, is representing DeWayne Johnson, known also as Lee, a California man whose cancer has spread through his body. The father of three and former school groundskeeper, who doctors say may have just months to live, is the first person to take Monsanto to trial over allegations that the chemical sold under the Roundup brand is linked to cancer. Thousands have made similar legal claims across the US.

Want to kill your cat or dog or make yourself, and your whole family sick?  Look no further than your “Weed Man” or any other “landscaping” contractor or to yourself...  I am talking here not even about the glyphosate-drenched soil and water that we leave for our children and grandchildren…

Please, Wake Up Folks!  
Just to remove a couple of Dandelions (which are edible, for example, to make a healthy salad or to roast the roots) some people pull out their “Weeds b’ Gone” or RoundUp. Conveniance kills!
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Read More:
Glyphosate: Unsafe On Any Plate:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.fooddemocracynow.org/images/FDN_Glyphosate_FoodTesting_Report_p2016.pdf

Carcinogenicity of tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazinon, and glyphosate:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045%2815%2970134-8/abstract

Glyphosate and Its Degradation Product AMPA Occur Frequently and Widely in U.S. Soils, Surface Water, Groundwater, and Precipitation:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jawr.12159/abstract;jsessionid=627881F2E3FB2D580B24CCF6F2B2A33D.f03t02

Glyphosate persistence in seawater
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X14000228

UCSF Presentation: Bio-monitoring of glyphosate across the United States in urine and tap water
http://detoxproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/APAMT-Poster-Gerona.ppt

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Good News - Monsanto to pay $289 million

Jury orders Monsanto to pay $289 million to a man who says their Roundup product gave him cancer

US news  August 10, 2018

In a potentially precedent-setting case, agrochemical giant Monsanto was ordered to pay damages to Dewayne "Lee" Johnson, a former groundskeeper whose repeated use of the Roundup weed killer contributed to his terminal cancer diagnosis. Hundreds of other similar cases are pending.

Please read one of many articles I wrote recently about the health issues of glyphosate (Roundup):

Pesticides: Surefire Recipe to Harm

Why kill your kitten with pesticides?

Want to kill your cat or dog or make yourself, and your whole family sick?  Look no further than your “Weed Man” or any other “landscaping” contractor.  I am talking here not even about the glyphosate-drenched soil and water that we leave for our children and grandchildren… 

Wake Up, Folks!  

Just to remove a couple of Dandelions 

(which are edible, e.g. to make a 

healthy salad or to roast the roots) 

some people pull out their “Weeds b’ Gone”. 

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Why kill your dog with pesticides?

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Adverse Health Effects

Cancer, Alzheimer, Birth Defects...
why would anyone use Glyphosate - aka WeedsBGone?

Global Glyphosate Study Pilot Phase Shows Adverse Health Effects at ‘Safe’ Doses

The results reveal that glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) were able to alter certain important biological parameters, mainly relating to sexual development, genotoxicity and the alteration of the intestinal microbiome -  with direct impact on our health!

Avoid these Common Sources of Glyphosate:

• Avoid the primary GMO foods including all soy, corn, canola.
• Avoid all non-organic cereals and grains, which are harvested with glyphosate, including wheat, barley, buckwheat, millet, rice, oats, rye, sorghum, wild rice, and popcorn

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Scary Outlook

The pilot study involved the participation of multiple Institutions and Universities in Europe and the U.S.  https://glyphosatestudy.org/faqs-glyphosate/ 

Glyphosate: Unsafe On Any Plate https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.fooddemocracynow.org/images/FDN_Glyphosate_FoodTesting_Report_p2016.pdf

Carcinogenicity of tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazinon, and glyphosate

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045%2815%2970134-8/abstract

Glyphosate and Its Degradation Product AMPA Occur Frequently and Widely in U.S. Soils, Surface Water, Groundwater, and Precipitation

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jawr.12159/abstract;jsessionid=627881F2E3FB2D580B24CCF6F2B2A33D.f03t02

Glyphosate persistence in seawater

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X14000228

UCSF Presentation:

Bio-monitoring of glyphosate across the United States in urine and tap water http://detoxproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/APAMT-Poster-Gerona.ppt

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These are just a few of hundreds of scientific studies...

Coffee Grounds for Your Garden

I love to go to Starbucks, armed with two large pales and let them fill with coffee grounds. Some of the branches even have pre-packed bags with the brown garden wonder. I don't want to let them do extra work, so I insist to leave the coffee filter paper in the grounds. They are so busy that I don't want to make them extra work. I can easily pick the filters out myself at home.  It doesn't take me even a minute to do this.  During my ride home and for the next couple of days I have a lovely coffee smell in my car.
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Don't Discard Your Coffee Grounds 
Coffee grounds are strewn every morning in millions of compost bins (in the best case), but mostly in garbage cans.  Did you know?  They still contain a lot of valuable ingredients: potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, tannic acid and antioxidants.  The very same nutrients that are also found in expensive fertilizer products. In the garden, coffee grounds can be used in many ways.  A basic prerequisite for all applications is that it is always well cooled and dry, as moist coffee grounds easily mould.  Place the coffee grounds in an open, wide container and allow it to air dry.

Coffee Grounds Are Perfect Around Hydrangeas, Azaleas, and Evergreens
Cucumber, tomatoes and zucchini love caffeine too.  The phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium in the coffee ground are supporting pretty much any other plant as well - keep it only away from young sprouts.

• The Nitrogen in the coffee grounds supports healthy growth and reproduction. While native plants are better adapted to their surroundings and oftentimes less affected by nitrogen deficiency, in plants such as vegetable crops, supplemental nitrogen may be required.
• Phosphorus plays a role in photosynthesis, root growth, respiration, energy storage and transfer, cell division, cell enlargement etc. 
• Potassium is one of three primary nutrients required by plants  

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Coffee grounds protect even somewhat against snails
Unlike vegetables, most snails do not like caffeine. The coffee grounds are therefore wonderful as a barrier, which can be spread around the salad.  However, this does not apply to all types of slugs.  But it’s definitely worth a try.
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Coffee grounds scare away wasps
This measure against wasps should only be used outside: If the coffee grounds have dried well, light them on a fireproof base and let them smoke a bit. The smell reminds only remotely of coffee, but the wasps then avoid the garden table.
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Coffee grounds stop cats
No one likes the legacy of cats in the sandpit or basement: What works for most slugs is also true for cats.  Just sprinkle around the sandbox and the cats make a turn around it.
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Coffee grounds improve compost, potting soil and irrigation water
What is good for the plants also helps the compost: coffee grounds on the compost is the best reason why you should not simply dispose of coffee grounds in the trash.
In compost, coffee accelerates rotting, and earthworms like caffeine kick. This also means that leached potting soil can be revived quickly. Mix the potting soil in equal parts with compost and fold in the coffee grounds in small quantities.  Too much coffee in the soil can easily form mould.  For very basic soils and calcareous water, one, two spoonfuls of coffee grounds in the irrigation water can work wonders. It neutralizes the irrigation water and fertilizes the soil.

Coffee is a favorite drink.  What’s leftover is plenty of coffee grounds, which ends up in the garbage quickly.  Coffee grounds are too good to throw away - same for tea leaves.

https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/56/417/1943/484407
https://www.pthorticulture.com/en/training-center/role-of-potassium-in-plant-culture/
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/understanding-nitrogen-requirements-for-plants.htm

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Tips for Your Summer Garden:

Your garden, like all gardens, small or large, requires some TLC to keep them looking fresh year-round.  Make it a habit, to walk your garden several times a week, cut some flowers, pull a weed here and there and harvest the rhubarb, berries or tomatoes.

• Don’t forget to water the soil (not over the flowers!) when it hasn’t rained significantly for two days.  
• Cut all the faded flowers to avoid self-seeding on places you don’t want them and also to clean up your flowers beds.
• Prune flowering shrubs immediately after the blooms get ugly
• Mulch if you haven’t already, it keeps the soil longer moist (water the soil well  before applying the mulch!)
• Dig out weeds, such as Dandelions and Plantains - with their roots
• Give your houseplants a summer vacation outdoors (only in full shade!)
• Side dress flower beds with compost or manure or feed with fish emulsion - or if you don’t have any compost, add a little bit Miracle Grow to your potted plants/annuals

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Composters Beware! 
A herbicide sold under the trade names of ForeFront and MileStone has ruined hundreds of gardens in Great Britain, and it can happen in North America, too.  Used mostly to control perennial weeds in pastures, the herbicide can survive being digested by horses and then being piled up for months as compost.  Especially sensitive plants such as lettuce, beans, and tomatoes refuse to grow and wither when planted in soil that contains very small amounts of this residue.  These herbicides do not injure grasses, so they are often used in fields where manure-producing animals graze.

Registered with the EPA in 2005, the herbicides that survived commercial composting and went on to contaminate gardens in Washington eight years ago. These products are widely available at farm supply stores across the country, anyone can buy them.

Be selective if you decided to import manure for composting projects.  Manure from animals that have fed in pastures that have been treated with these pesticides should be considered unsuitable for garden use!
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Watering Your Garden
Never water your yard in the heat of the day.  First, you waste a lot of water due to evaporation and second it CAN burn your grass or plant leaves.  Best time to water is from 4am till no later than about 7-8 am.

You are doing fine to water two or three times a week, soaking the soil thoroughly. Those people who water every single day and over-water are creating lawns that develop short shallow roots and are susceptible to dying in the winter if there is a bad freeze. In summer their grass requires MORE water as the roots are not digging down deep looking for a water source either nor are they able to retain the moisture being that close to the surface.  The deeper the roots the better your grass will survive a long hot and dry summer and a freezing cold winter.

Don't forget to smell the roses!  

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Hibiscus Plants - and How to Care for

Hibiscus are deciduous shrubs with dark green leaves; the plants can grow to 15 feet tall in frost-free areas.  Flowers may be up to 6 inches in diameter, with colors ranging from yellow to peach to red.  

Don't panic, yellow leaves on hibiscus are normal. They look like something is wrong, but they are usually just a warning, a call for help, and not a sign of impending death.

Hibiscus leaves turn yellow and drop from the plant due to stress. The stress can be of any type and be figuring out what kind of stress is the challenge for the gardener.  We cannot tell you exactly what is wrong with the plant without knowing a lot more than you are likely to be able to tell us.  YOU have to think about it, and when you are pretty sure you have determined the cause, then you can take action to relieve the stress on your hibiscus.  This article is intended to help you figure it out what is wrong.

Stresses that can cause yellow leaves on hibiscus include:

Not Enough Water or Too Much Water
In warm conditions, hibiscus needs a lot of water, even every day or more than once a day if it's really hot or windy. Self-watering pots can be an excellent way to avoid this type of stress. bA watering system controlled by a timer is another way for gardens with large numbers of plants.
Yes, hibiscus can also be given too much water when the weather is cool or overcast.  Hibiscus like to be moist but not sopping wet and if they don't need the water due to cold or dark conditions then too much will stress the root system.
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Too Hot or Too Cold
This is related to water but please take note on super hot summer days that hibiscus will need lots of water to keep all the big lush leaves well supplied.  If they don't get enough they react by dropping leaves (turning yellow first) so that they don't need as much water.
Hibiscus are tropical plants that thrive in the same temperatures that people like, 65-85°F (18-29°C).  They will survive, but they will not like temperatures down to freezing and up to 110°F (38°C).  If they get too cold or are placed in a cold drafty window, they can react with yellow leaves.
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Too Much Direct Sunlight or Too Little Sunlight
Hibiscus like sunlight but just as most people like moderate amounts of it so do hibiscus.  Too much sun places stress on hibiscus that is not used to it and they can react with yellow leaves or big white spots on leaves. The white spots are similar to sunburn on us.  They won't kill the plant but will cause it to shed leaves.

Light is the source of life for plants such as hibiscus.  If they do not get enough to support all the big lush leaves they will drop some of their leaves (which turn yellow first) so that they don't need to support so many. However, that means that there is less green chlorophyll left to support the needs of the rest of the plant so it may continue to decline until there are only a few leaves left on the plant.
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Insects, Particularly Spider Mites
Spider mites on houseplants and outdoor plants is a common problem.  It is important to use a spider mite treatment as soon as possible to keep the plant looking its best.  Spider mites produce the worst effects on stressed plants.  Keeping your hibiscus plant well-watered will help it withstand mite-induced damage.  Because mites prefer dry conditions, use an overhead spray when watering your hibiscus, wetting the leaves to raise humidity.  Read more how to treat spider mite damage:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/spider-mite-treatment.htm
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Hibiscus can be planted singly or grown as a hedge plant; they can also be pruned into a single-stemmed small tree.  The flowers are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.

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