Got Garlic Mustard?
Now I am not asking because I am making a sandwich.
The garlic mustard I am talking about is not some artisan condiment; rather it is a noxious weed. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolate) is a biennial that grows a leafy rosette in its first year and flowers in its second. The leaves are alternate and somewhat heart-shaped.
Garlic mustard is so called because when its leaves are crushed they smell like…garlic. This helps identify this weed from look-alikes.
Garlic mustard grows in sun or shade. Its roots exude a chemical substance that inhibits the growth of nearby plants. And one plant can produce up to 5000 seeds that remain viable in the soil for up to 5 years. It’s easy to see why garlic mustard is such a problem to control. Large stands of garlic mustard can quickly take over a woodland, choking out natives and wildflowers.
The most effective way to control garlic mustard is by hand pulling as it is flowering – before it sets seed. It is important to grab from the base and remove the entire root; I find that weeding is best done after a rain as things are softer. What about large areas of the weed? Still, hand pulling seems like the right option. Although herbicides can also be used, just make sure that directions are followed. Herbicides will not kill garlic mustard seed which is why hand pulling even after an herbicide application is important. Any plants that are pulled should be bagged and put in the trash as they will continue to flower and set seed. Mowing will not work and can actually be counterproductive. Mowing between May-September can actually spread the ripening seed pods.
Last year I spoke with Ellen Zachos who is a forager and she turned me on to eating a good portion of my garden. You can do the same with garlic mustard. Here is a great link that shares many yummy options on “The Forager’s Feast”
Seeing Red
Isn’t this a beautiful garden? It will certainly attract the attention of your friends and neighbors.
However if you are hoping to help pollinators like bees it will fall flat.
Bees will not give this garden a second glance.
Why?
Read More»Flower Show Season
It’s that time of year again. We winter weary gardeners can get a tease of spring and scratch the gardening itch with great area Flower Shows.
I am fortunate to be speaking at the Connecticut Flower Show on February 22.
I will have two talks: “Beauty and the Bees” which will discuss better ways of designing with pollinators in mind, and “Power Couples” where I will share some of my favorite perennial parings for gardens and containers.
I am also thrilled to be returning to the Philadelphia International Flower Show and will be speaking on perennials on March 7th.
Both of these shows are great and definitely bucket list worthy trips. If you are able to attend either, or both, I highly recommend it!
The Good Witch
One of my all-time favorite plants for the late winter/early spring garden is witch hazel (Hamamelis).
This is an easy going, low-maintenance shrub or small tree that is at home in any garden. The best part about witch hazel is that between January and March it covers itself with beautiful, dainty four-petaled strap-shaped flowers. I have planted one in the back garden where I can see it from every window. On those days when I feel that winter will just not end I glance outside and see the branches covered in yellow; I have hope.
Forget forsythia, as a harbinger of spring, witch hazel cannot be beat.
Read More»Spotted Lanternfly
Spotted Lanternfly
Sounds like something a character out of a Dr. Seuss book might bring home as a pet, right?
Problem is, it is not fictional or friendly.
Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), is neither a fly nor a moth but rather an invasive planthoppper that is native to Asia.
It was first discovered in Pennsylvania in September 2014. It has since been reported in Delaware and New York and recently in Connecticut. The adults and immatures of this species damage host plants by feeding on sap from stems, leaves, and the trunks of trees. Sap from the wounds where feeding has taken place can cause sooty mold and also attract bees, wasps and other insects that are attracted to the sugary sap. One of the favorite hosts for Spotted Lanternfly is Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) although it has been found on over 70 species of plants.
While the Spotted Lanternfly has not yet been spotted in Massachusetts it poses a significant threat to our state’s landscape. For more information, including identification, visit the UMass Center for Agriculture website. Report any suspicious findings to the Massachusetts Department Of Agricultural Resources via the Invasive Pest Reporting Form.
Meet the Crew.
I am the proud founder and owner of The Captured Garden but the success of the company depends on more than just me. I only have two hands and would never be able to handle all the clients that come my way.
Thankfully, I have a wonderful crew of women that make me look good.
Let me introduce them:
Read More»The Woman in the Bank
The other day I was at the bank. Sitting in the manager’s office waiting for some paperwork to be signed. There wasn’t much to do so I spent the time just watching people. One woman in particular grabbed my attention.
She was older and slightly hunched over but came through the doorway with such a sense of purpose. She marched up to the teller to conduct her business. After a few pleasantries I heard her ask about the teller. If it was her first time at the branch? Was she a floater? To which the teller replied yes. This woman then went on to say that she had been to just about all the branches and, “This branch is the best. The people here are so friendly and they really know what they are doing.”
Her compliments went on and on. I couldn’t help but smile as she lavished praise on this particular location.
As this woman left she passed a man at the ATM machine who was wearing an athletic jersey of some kind with a big W on the back. She walked by him she said “Does that W stand for Wonderful?” He smiled and said, “Yes.” She left the building, got into her car and drove off.
I was still waiting for my documents so I reflected on what I had seen.
This woman, with her kind and encouraging words, had just made the day better for two people. Three, if you include me.
The Bible says we should “encourage one another and build each other up”. (1 Thessalonians 5:11). That’s exactly what she had done. Our society is so quick to criticize and tear down; I contend we would all be a little happier if we followed the example of the woman in the bank. I am determined to try and do so.
I never did get her name, but as she left whistling, I wished I had.
Thankful. Grateful. Blessed.
It’s that time of year again when we take time to count our blessings and give thanks for all we have. I am personally trying to do it on a more regular basis!
As a gardener I am thankful for many things: polar fleece, daylight savings time and warm gloves top the list.
I am thankful that I have eyes to see all the beautiful plant material I am blessed to be able to use.
I am thankful that my ears work well enough to hear the birds around me as I garden.
I can also hear when my knees pop when I go up and down but at least they do their job and for that I am thankful.
Ditto for my hands and wrists which get a little sore after too much pruning. But I am thankful for my Felco pruning shears which make the job that much easier.
As I travel far and wide in pursuit of great plant material I am thankful for a car that works. Even if it does, as my kids constantly remind me, “smell like manure.”
I’m thankful for gas that is available and still relatively inexpensive. I should mention, however, that if it ever hits $5 a gallon you will see The Captured Garden on a moped.
I’m thankful for my new GPS which means I will never get lost again – ha, ha.
I am thankful that I live in a country where I have the freedom to start my own business. Seems like just yesterday The Captured Garden was only a seed of an idea and now it is a real honest-to-goodness business venture. Just ask the IRS!
Lastly, I am extremely fortunate and blessed to have the greatest clients/friends in the world. I am grateful for each one of you and thank you for the opportunity to work with you.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and are surrounded by all that gives you joy.
Grand Garden Show
Someone pinch me.
No really.
I must be dreaming because I am going to Mackinaw Island in August. Initially I was not familiar with the place and referred to it as Mackinack Island, sounds like Mackinawe Island. After doing a bit of research I learned it was an island in Michigan and that cars were not allowed. To get around you had to bike or take a horse-drawn carriage. Right away I was intrigued. So many times I wish I could go back in time to a gentler type of world – this sounded like the place.
Then I found out that Mackinac Island had some breathtaking gardens.
Sign me up.
Read More»Fireflies
We are blessed to own a family home on an island in Maine. It is an old sea captain’s house that belonged to a great great great member of the family and has been lovingly passed down to its current caretakers. It’s a place I go to escape. To turn back the clock. To breathe deeply. I have a very vivid memory of a time a few years back when we had all headed in from the front porch as it got dark to play games or watch TV. Suddenly my daughter groaned “I left my camera on the front porch”. The groan was due to the fact that is gets dark in Maine. Really dark. So dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face dark. There are no street lights and we have no outside lights at the front of the house.
We decided we would go and retrieve the camera together. What greeted us when we stepped onto the porch was amazing. Bursts of lights and flashes, as if from a hundred different cameras, made me feel like a superstar on the Red Carpet. I think we both gasped and immediately shouted to those inside to “get out here” or something like that. The field across the dirt road was filled with fireflies and we watched their show for what seemed like hours.
Read More»
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