Your ornamental grasses
I was driving down the road yesterday and witnessed one of my neighbors cutting back his large ornamental grass – If you have not cut yours back yet – now is a good time. I wanted to stop to talk to him, though my schedule did not allow the opportunity. There he was, at his front foundation, standing amongst all of the previously trimmed grass blades strewn throughout his lawn. There were still quite a few blades to be cut and he was using hand pruners. I am sure we could all feel for this guy. How many times has each one of us tried to prune something monstrous and used hand pruners?
Sometimes those are the only tools available to you. I remember cutting back a patch of moonbeam coreopsis with hand pruners. The patch was three feet wide and nine feet long. Wow did I regret that! The coreopsis was fine, my hands, wrists and arm – not so fine. Now when I look at a large patch of coreopsis I get flashbacks sometimes-phantom aches – as my hands tell me – never again!
A sharp and clean pair of shears will work wonders for you and your plants. Whether your shears are manual, electric or gas – your body will thank you. To save yourself some time – use the right tool. Shears are much simpler. It is also easier if you bind the grass before you cut it. You can use twine or you can call us and order a reusable Grasswrap. The Grasswrap has been developed as help for gardeners who would otherwise fight these large ornamental grasses alone. The Grasswrap simplifies the cutting of large ornamental grasses – you will wrap your grasses with the Grasswrap in seconds – on a commercial example the Grasswrap cuts labor time in half and uses half of the man power, saving the contractor time and money – Check out this link if you want more info.
For a Q & A on the grasswrap and Grassblet check out this link
http://neohiogarden.com/what-is-a-grassbelt-grasswrap-q-a/
Your Heather
This week is a safe time to remove the boughs of your pine tree that you had placed over your heather for winter protection. If you have spring blooming heather I am sure your breath is held in anticipation.
The News on Neem Tree Oil
Neem tree oil is one of those products you come to know and admire as a gardener. In the horticultural world it is – 3 products in 1 – fungicide, insecticide & miticide! Best of all, for those of you seeking the meaning of true organics, it is NATURAL & ORGANIC! You can also apply it to the vegetable garden or other edibles up to a day before harvest – Upon a conversation with a dear friend and colleague the question of sustainability was raised. What effects, if any, are there on the environment where these trees naturally occur and any indigenous people who may rely on this tree? I set my sights on Google and could not find any information warning of the drastic culling of these trees, quite to the contrary, I have found they are considered weeds to many areas including some parts of the middle east and Sub-Saharan Africa including West Africa and Indian Ocean States as reported by Wikipedia. Most interesting to me though – as I have known of Neem Trees horticultural uses – were the practical uses on humans. The Neem tree is submerged in India’s culture – not only is it one of their primary shade trees, as it grows quickly and is drought resistant, it is used as a vegetable, traditional medicinal uses such as healthy hair, healthy teeth, detoxify blood, balance blood sugar levels, skin disease and more. If it was a snake it would have bitten me – my thoughts of the Neem tree and its antibiotic oil had never made it past the garden. All of the while it was sitting quietly on the shelves of the health store up the road.
I’ll end with this…. if your not wanting to brush your teeth with it or use it as a skin lotion – and you are more concerned about preventing the leaf hopper virus on your cucumbers this season– You will want to pick some up.
If you have questions concerning something we have already discussed or new topics – give us a call or write in.
Also this week we will post a discussion on the dreaded Hosta Virus X. you will want to know If your Hosta are infected.
Until then…we hope you continue to cultivate joy in life’s garden!!!!
