Early in August, Hurricane Debby made landfall in the Big Bend of Florida’s Gulf Coast, crossed into Georgia east of Valdosta, and moved leisurely northeast. The remains of Debby crossed the coast, briefly moved over the Atlantic Ocean before turning northwest and making another landfall northeast of Charleston then headed north into New England. While the winds decreased quickly once Debby made landfall, it dropped huge amounts of rain along its path. The highest official rainfall amounts topped 12 inches, but I heard of some unofficial measurements of 20 inches in a few isolated locations.… Continue reading this article “How would your garden handle a 12-inch rainfall?”
Month: August 2024
Weeding out the Pseudoscience in Companion Planting
As gardeners, we often assign human characteristics to our plants as a way of feeling more connected to them. We talk about their preferences and dislikes for certain environmental conditions and even for each other. The idea that plants have feelings has caused many to believe that plants are sentient and capable of making deliberate choices.… Continue reading this article “Weeding out the Pseudoscience in Companion Planting”
Earthworms: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Earthworms have held a secure place in the hearts of many gardeners for quite some time. Charles Darwin himself was endlessly fascinated by these organisms (publishing an entire book about them in 1881) writing: “it may be doubted whether there are any other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world…”.
Recognized for their benefits to soils, including improvements in water infiltration, aeration, porosity, tilth, organic matter, beneficial microbes, and the list goes on, it is not difficult to see why.… Continue reading this article “Earthworms: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”
Landscape Malpractise Cases
…Or “When to Fire Your Landscaper”
We have a guest writer for this week’s GP blog post, Teresa Watkins! She’s a professional landscaper and garden consultant in Florida (her bio is at the end of the column). As a professional she has seen “landscaper results” that will astound, scare, shock, or otherwise perturb you to no end. She has graciously shared photos and input for this blog post.
We hope this will be a series highlighting what to watch for when hiring a landscape company.… Continue reading this article “Landscape Malpractise Cases”