What do the bees do in October?What do the bees do in October?
If you have New England aster in your garden, they keep foraging like mad.
In my garden the bees were all over my ‘Hella Lacy’ aster this morning, and I was very glad to see them. My shorter asters have now stopped blooming and are going to seed, but ‘Hella Lacy’ is a late bloomer and I’ve seen it feeding monarchs in October fueling up for their trip to Mexico.
White for FallThey used to say you’re not supposed to wear white shoes after the first of September but in the garden, white is the great new fall color, and at my house it’s absolutely au courant.
Almost overnight, the sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora) that my neighbor planted on her side of the fence (but which has decided it likes my side better) burst into bloom. A few flowers arrived on the first of September, and a thrilling foamy white cascade of blossoms just one day later.
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It’s finally starting to feel like a real spring. Migrating songbirds can be seen (and heard rather loudly at dawn) ...
Columns
I am a snow thief. There, I said it. I have been known to pilfer snow from my neighbors’ sidewalks. I know that many of you ...
Columns
People ask me why, year after inexplicable year, I continue to crank out these bizarre little lyrics for the holidays.
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This giant and usually tender summer-flowering bulb can be found thriving in a Dane County garden.
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Illinois is an agricultural state. We all know that, right? But did you also know that Illinois imports 90 percent of its food
questions
My lilac had a grayish blight on the leaves this summer. What caused this and how can I prevent it?
We moved into a house with a lovely azalea that didn’t bloom. We thought it might have been over-pruned. Last fall we did not prune it and now it still hasn’t bloomed. I was hoping to transplant it this year, but it looks rather sickly. Shall we prune it again and give it another year? Can I still transplant it?
Last summer my neighbor told me the black spots on my peony were a blight, although my peonies bloomed nicely. What can I do about this?
