DIVIDING PERENNIALS
Most perennials thrive if they are divided every three years or so. Oriental Poppies and Daylilies are no exception to this practice,
and now is the time of year to divide them.
Dig up the entire clump by getting a garden fork or spade underneath the root mass and pushing it upward. If the center has died out,
remove all the dead roots and clip back any that were damaged during digging.
One method of splitting daylily clumps is by putting two garden forks back to back in the center of the root clump, then push them apart by force.
Another is to use your spade and slice the root mass in half or quarters, depending on the size of the clump.
Before replanting any of your new divisions, replenish the soil with compost or bonemeal and a commercial fertilizer that is high in
phosphorus, for good root development.
VINES ON TREES
Wistaria growing up in a big old oak tree can be a beautiful sight in May when flowering. But sometimes a vine's growth can become so rampant
that it actually strangles the tree, or topples it from the added weight.
Virginia creeper, bittersweet, wild grape and honeysuckle are probably the worst offenders, and should be avoided. If you are growing any vines on
your trees, they should be cut down if and when they become unruly.
An easy method to removing vines is to simply cut the vine off at the ground. When the tops wither and die, the vines can be pulled down out of the tree canopy.
INSECT PESTS
Gardeners are often unaware of Spider Mites until the damage has been done. They feed on the succulent leaves of yew, arborvitae, juniper,
boxwood, hemlock, and spruce, causing the leaves or needles to yellow and drop off.
Mites are very small and difficult to see, to detect their presence, hold a piece of white paper under a twig or branch. Tap the branch lightly
and if the mites are feeding, they will drop onto the paper. Control with any of the miticides available.
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Keep an eye on your Azaleas, Laurels, and Rhododendrons for lace bug activities. They can ruin your broadleaved evergreens by feeding on the
undersides of leaves and stain them with a molasses like excrement.
The surfaces of the leaves turn yellow, sometimes gray. There can be as many as 4 or 5 generations of lace bugs in a summer. Spray to control as needed.
WINE CUP
Looking for something refreshing to offer your guests that will be worthy of remembrance ? Why not try making a wine cup; but plan ahead, you don't just slosh
together the ingredients as your guests are heading up the driveway. Here are the steps:
Early in the morning when the dew is still upon them, collect a generous handful of Borage leaves. Pour into a bowl half a cup of brandy and crush the leaves
into this with a wooden muddler. Let them steep there until noon, imparting to the cognac the faint flavor of cucumber.
At noon bring forth a bottle of not too rare or expensive Rhine wine or Moselle. Drain off the borage saturated brandy, throw away the leaves and now mingle the wine with
the brandy and place the bowl in the refrigerator.
Before dinner the pitcher can be made ready, with a dish of pineapple slivers and other fruits. As your guests arrive, pour the chilled wine into the pitcher, add a pint of
ice-cold Champagne and garnish with the fruit.
AUGUST WILDFLOWERS
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Beech-drops
Black-eyed Susan
Boneset
Cardinal Flower
Cherokee Rose
Dandelion
Elecampane
Gentian
Gerardia
Golden Aster
Golden-Rod
Iron-weed
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..... |
Joe-Pye Weed
Large Aster
Late Purple Aster
Mallow
Milkweed
New England Aster
Orchis
Peanut, Wild
Pearly Everlasting
Saint John's-wort
Turtle-head
White Wood Aster
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.. |
