November 5, 2009
Northern & Central Midwest
By
Kate Jerome, Pleasant Prairie, WI
Books
The Essential Garden Maintenance Workbook
Although The Essential Garden Maintenance Workbook, by Rosemary Alexander (Timber Press, 2006) is useful on a wide scale, it is a very detailed workbook that is even useful as a textbook for budding garden management professionals. It is filled with diagrams and color photos, and will give the beginning designer good tips on creating a new garden, renovating an old one or simply making an existing garden easier and more efficient to care for.
Clever Gardening Technique
Drown Those Pests
When bringing in a pot of herbs or a houseplant that has spent the winter outdoors, submerge the soil ball in a container of warm water for about half an hour before bringing in (the only things that can survive this are ants). Pull a piece of pantyhose up over the ball and tie it at the plant stem to keep the soil from washing away. Once you've let it sit for half an hour, pull it out and let it drain really well. This should drown just about everybody that has taken up residence in the soil.
