In those far off days before PCs and the advent of Internet, July and August were known to the print media as the ‘Silly Season.’ Journalists dreamt up stories that today even the supermarket tabloids would turn down. Now the Silly Season is a year-round phenomenon, no less so in gardening than any other pursuit. Worse yet, the stories tend to be true.
In Edmonton, a resident arrived home to find bare soil where her front lawn should have been. It was a mistake, said Patrick Kukanu of Kupak Landscape Ltd. “Our bobcat guy . . . had the wrong address.” In south Ottawa, thousands are banned from outside water use this summer as a major main that burst last January is reconstructed. Across the wide Atlantic, Britain’s National Health Service notes Some 1,200 people needed hospital treatment after falling out of a tree during the period March 2010 to February 2011. And students in New Zealand used herbicide to carve enormous phallic symbols into their high school’s lawns.
Thanks to tales such as these, it is with some relief we turn to healthy horticulture and a look at what awaits us in the coming few weeks. But first, as they are wont to say on television, a message . . .
Diversion No. 1
Alan Titchmarsh, the U.K. celebrity gardener and chat show host, has claimed that talking to plants has no benefit at all but said that gardening is good for the soul. “Gardening keeps you in touch with reality.” Last year, in an interview with Prince Charles at Highgrove, the Prince told him: “I happily talk to the plants and trees and listen to them. I think this is absolutely crucial.” [Source: The Daily Telegraph]
The larvae of the European chafer beetles are hatching down amongst the roots of turf this month. The pest was first detected in Canada in Niagara, Ontario in the 1950s. This year it has been reported in lawns as far east as Fredericton. The damage they cause will not become apparent until later this fall and, especially, next spring.
However, late this month is the ideal time to apply entomopathogenic nematodes for grub control. Ontario government turf grass expert Pam Charbonneau says that Heterohrabditis bacteriaphora (Hb) species or a combination of Hb and Steinernema carpocapse seem to work best. These should be available at any garden centres worthy of that designation, probably under a proprietary name. Water thoroughly prior to and following application, which is best performed in the evening. These nematodes will also control the larvae of Japanese and Oriental beetles, collective known as white grubs.
Diversion No. 2
Plants grow very well if you talk kindly to them. Which is why I sometimes go into the garden and insult the weeds. – German joke recorded by Britain’s Daily Mail.
Gloomy and nameless weeds not to be found in Mentzelius, wrote Aubrey Beardsley in Venus and Tannhäuser (1907). Neglect weeding at your peril. The chore is best undertaken early in the day when weeds wrenched from flower and vegetable gardens are least likely to recover. Weeding in the cool morning is also less strain. Later you may be tempted to quench your thirst with a cool pop – not a good idea, according to Perth Now in Australia. In high heat, these drinks can cause dehydration says the newspaper. And if any are likely to know about high heat, it is Australians.
Consider applying a heavy mulch to discourage future infestations – the thicker the better. That does not mean a few shovelfuls scattered around but three or more inches.
In the lawn, ”natural” selective herbicides have met with mixed reviews, ranging from barely acceptable to dubious. Mowing no shorter than two inches (five centimetres) coupled with regular watering will encourage a sod thick enough to choke out germinating invaders. Deep-rooted dandelions, thistles and dock can be given a shot of pickling vinegar into their crowns, repeated at weekly intervals until they expire.
Diversion No. 3
The bumblebee nesting box in John May's garden has a label that says it has an “interactive window for safe viewing,” reports the wonderful ‘Feedback’ feature in New Scientist. “That’ll be a window you can see through then,” comments John. “What will they think of next?”
Henry VIII may have regarded Anne Boleyn as pain in the neck but experienced gardeners delight in an early morning perambulation cutting off blooms that have reached their “best-before” date. This action is known amongst the horticultural fraternity as “deadheading.”
Consider the same to remove diseased or pest-ridden growth wherever and whenever it occurs. Rather than applying a natural commercial or homemade pesticide, perhaps a better choice is a hand vacuum to remove the wee beasts. The dust inside the machine will extinguish them.
Small saucers of beer bait remain one of the most effective ways of controlling slugs, while four-inch-squares of corrugated cardboard act as condos for earwigs. Distribute these latter in the evening, dispose of next morning in a plastic bag.
Diversion No. 4
The World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress has called for dried fruit to be recognized as equal to fresh fruit on dietary advice across the globe [Source: Daily Mail]
“Think of plants like friends – it is often refreshing to have the opportunity to widen your circle, new ones are different and often exciting,” advised Bunny Guinness in The Sunday Telegraph earlier this year. True – but know what you are getting yourself into. Visit local test gardens to discover just how these new introductions perform over and above commercial claims of the all too familiar “new and improved” kind. Major seed houses such as Stokes in St. Catharines, Ontario have maintained such for many years. More recently the University of Guelph, Ontario has also conducted trials, which have been widely reported in the commercial horticultural press. Bunny Guinness also suggests that buying plants from a plantsman’s nursery, as opposed to a garden centre, is rather like buying food from a gourmet delicatessen instead of a supermarket. It widens your horizons, and you can meet the grower of the plants and have the opportunity to collect sound advice and top-quality plants.
