Make plans now to join Melinda on her famous Garden Walks at Boerner Botanical Gardens in 2013! Download the schedule here.
Nationally renowned garden expert Melinda Myers helps everyday gardeners find success and ease in the garden through her Melinda’s Garden Moments radio segments. Melinda shares “must have” tips that hold the key to gardening success, learned through her more than 30 years of horticulture experience. Listeners from across the country find her gardener friendly, practical approach to gardening both refreshing and informative! On this page, Melinda shares some more extensive garden tips, which expand on the information provided in her one-minute radio segments.
New tips are added throughout each month, providing timely step-by-step tips on what you need to do next in your garden! Visit Melinda’s website www.melindamyers.com for more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and answers to your questions.
Put an ancient twist on the art of growing indoor plants with kokedama, the Japanese practice of growing plants in a soil filled moss ball.
These moss balls can be used for bonsai, seasonal wild flowers or just about anything green. Japanese gardeners displayed these moss ball gardens on alters. Gardeners today are also wrapping them in twine and hanging them from the ceiling. In either case the construction is similar.
Find or make a clay based planting mix. Some gardeners combine akadaka clay-based bonsai soil alone or combined with peat moss or potting mix.
Thoroughly mix, then moisten and form into a ball the size of an orange or grapefruit. Wrap the ball with sheet moss and secure with fishing line, twine, or wire, depending on your taste. Punch a hole in the ball. Set a bare root plant in place and tamp to insure good root to soil contact. Adjust these planting steps as needed.
A bit more information: You will need to do a bit of experimenting, but isn’t that what gardening is about, to find the planting mixture that works best for you and the plants. A search of the internet will provide additional insight. Check out Tovah Martin’s fun insight on the background and construction of these gardens by clicking here.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Don’t let outdated garden catalogues and magazines go to waste. Give them a second life by creating a colorful collage.
This art form is not just for kids. In Ellen Spector Platt’s book Artful Collage from Found Objects she shows you how to repurpose all kinds of items from the garden, junk drawer and catalogues. The projects vary in skill level and style. You are sure to find one for you and even your family to try.
Or use the plant photos to help you plan your garden. These can be easily moved around a piece of paper to give you a better sense of color and texture combinations.
And, if this isn’t your style, pass them along. Schools, churches, and daycare centers are often looking for pretty photos to work in craft projects. Or contact horticulture students and master gardeners that may be interested in using the catalogues and garden magazines as a reference.
A bit more information: Get a preview of Ellen’s Spector Platt’s book Artful Collage from Found Objects at www.stackpolebooks.com
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Spring is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. And that often means cleaning out the garage, shed or basement. Don’t toss those outdated, unwanted garden chemicals in the trash. They can contaminate our environment, including our drinking water.
Leave these and other unwanted chemicals in their original container. Gather and store in a secure location. Then contact your local municipality’s department of public works, Department of Natural Resources or Extension Service for a recommendation on handling these materials properly.
Many communities sponsor a Clean Sweep Program, giving homeowners an opportunity to dispose of hazardous household waste, including pesticides, in the safest method possible.
Reduce your use of chemicals in the future to eliminate this extra task and negative impact on our environment.
A bit more information: Incorporate more eco-friendly pest management strategies into your garden maintenance. Select the most disease and insect resistant varieties planted in their preferred growing conditions with the proper care. And when problems arise look for natural products that are hard on pests and gentle on people, beneficial insects, wildlife and the environment. And eco-friendly products should also be handled according to label directions.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Grab the calendar, your garden plans and take a look at your area’s climate history before you start planting.
We talk a lot about cold hardiness when planning our gardens and selecting plants. But we also need to look at the number of frost-free days in our area.
This number influences our plant selection and planting time indoors and out. Planting dates, indoors and out, are often based on the average last spring frost.
Next, count the number of days between the average last spring and first fall frost. This is the average number of frost-free days in your location. Compare this to the plant tag, seed packet or catalogue descriptions. Most provide a “number of days to harvest or bloom”. You may need to grow shorter season cultivars, start the seeds indoors, or use season extending techniques to grow plants that require a longer growing season than yours.
A bit more information: Heat is also a limiting factor when gardening. Many plants suffer damage when temperatures rise over 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). The American Horticultural Society Plant Heat-Zone Map has divided the United States into zones based on the average number of 86 degree and warmer days. Visit http://www.ahs.org/publications/heat_zone_map.htm for more information.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Celebrate the equinox with a walk through a nearby botanical garden, a bit of garden maintenance, an indoor garden project or by starting a bloom chart.
Today is one of two days a year when the daylight hours are equal to those of the night. The vernal equinox, March in the Northern Hemisphere, and September in the Southern Hemisphere is often used to mark the first day of spring.
It has long been viewed as a day of renewal and in many areas the start of the growing season.
This is a great time to start a bloom chart. Observe and record bloom times of the trees, shrubs and flowers in your landscape. These yearly observations will help when looking for new plants to fill in low or no bloom times in the landscape.
Or lend a hand at a nearby nature center or botanic garden. They often need volunteers to record bloom times at their facilities.
A bit more information: The vernal witchhazel (Hamamelis vernalis), a North American native shrub, is named for the spring equinox. This winter blooming witchhazel produces yellow, orange or red flowers that appear sometime between January and March.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Don’t throw away or recycle those fast food containers just yet. Reuse them when gardening indoors and out.
The bottom of salad, pasta and other containers make great saucers for your indoor plants. Many are black, giving them an elegant look and feel while others are clear so they are less noticeable. Place a few marbles or pebbles in the bottom to capture the excess water and increase humidity. The plants rest on the pebbles above the existing water, preventing root rot. As the excess water evaporates it increases the humidity around the plants. You also save time and the mess created pouring off the excess water each time you water houseplants thoroughly.
Or use them for starting seeds and growing microgreens. Fill the bottom of a clean container with seed starting mix, plant your seeds, and gently water. Then close the clear lid and you have a mini greenhouse.
A bit more information: Use plastic airtight containers for storing extra seeds. Save any leftover seeds in their original packets. You’ll preserve the needed planting and growing information as well as the seeds. Place seed packets in the container, close the lid, and store in the refrigerator until the next planting season.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Start new plants from your favorite heirloom grape, rose, trumpet creeper or other vine.
Start the process at the beginning of the growing season. Locate one or more long, healthy and pliable stems. Make a notch about 9 inches from the tips of the vine. Carefully bend the stem over, bury the notched portion in the ground, and leave the top 6 inches of the stem above the ground. Anchor with a metal wicket or stone.
Or set a pot filled with a well-drained potting mix next to the plant. Bury the notched portion of the stem in this container. Anchor the vine in place. Water the cutting thoroughly and throughout the growing season to encourage roots to form. The parent plant will continue to supply water and nutrients while the new roots are forming.
Disconnect the layer from the parent plant. Dig and plant your rooted layer in a new location in fall or the following spring.
A bit more information: Look for natural layering to occur in your garden. Vines and long stems that lay upon the soil often root. Separate these from the parent plant and move to a new desirable location.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Boost your garden’s productivity and harvest garden-fresh vegetables all season long.
Enlist some space saving techniques to increase your harvest.
Use succession planting to harvest two or more crops from the same row. Start with a short, cool season crop, like lettuce. As the weather warms and greens fade, replace it with a warm season plant like beans or tomatoes. If time allows, plant another crop or two to finish out the season.
Interplanting doubles your harvest by growing a short season crop like radishes between a long season crops like broccoli or tomatoes. By the time the tomatoes have filled in, the radishes have been harvested.
Relaying is staggering the harvest time of certain crops. Let’s say you’re growing beans. You can make two plantings several weeks apart or plant two different varieties at the same time that mature at different times.
A bit more information: Proper harvesting will also increase your garden’s productivity. Regular picking keeps plants producing. Continually harvest the outer leaves of leaf lettuce when they reach 4 to 6 inches to keep it producing. Remove just the head when harvesting cabbage. Then wait for 4 to 5 additional smaller heads to form on the remaining plant.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Do a bit of remodeling in your landscape this year and dress up the ground beneath your feet with groundcovers.
Groundcovers can add texture, seasonal color with flowers and foliage and help unify your landscape design. But they are more than pretty plants. Proper selection and use of these plants can provide big benefits. Use groundcovers to prevent erosion, reduce maintenance on slopes and improve the environment around trees and shrubs.
Select plants that are suited to the growing conditions. Consider the amount of light, type of soil and moisture they will receive. Consider drought tolerant plants to reduce moisture needs once the plants are established. Check on their longevity and care required to keep them looking good for the years ahead.
And consider their place in the landscape. Select those that tolerate foot traffic when using as a walkway or surrounding steppers.
A bit more information: Groundcovers improve the growing conditions around trees and shrubs. They keep the roots cool and moist and keep damaging mowers and weed whips away from their trunks and stems. And when possible, use groundcover plants that can hide the falling leaves and fruit when grown beneath trees.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Celebrate “What’s on my Plate Day” and surprise your family with a plate full of nutritious vegetables. Serve ‘em cooked up as ratatouille, chopped and mixed in a stir-fry or tossed in a tasty salad.
In 2012 the United States Department of Agriculture declared March 8 as “What’s on my Plate Day” to encourage us all to eat better. On their website, www.choosemyplate.gov, they recommend using the three P’s before we eat; Plan, Purchase and Prepare healthy nutritious meals. I want to add a fourth P – Plant. Consider adding nutritious vegetables to your gardens, even containers this year.
Plant a container full of leafy green vegetables like lettuce and spinach for a crispy dose of vitamin A and calcium.
And during warmer weather grow a trellis or fence full of purple or yellow snap beans, high in B1, phosphorous, protein and fiber.
A bit more information: And those of you on Twitter, tweet a picture of what’s on your plate and include #My Plate hashtag. Or team up with others using the #MyPlateYourPlate hashtag.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Add a ponytail palm to your indoor garden. This easy-to-grow plant is perfect for new and brown thumb gardeners. Its unique shape makes it fun for those who are more experienced.
The ponytail palm, also known as elephant’s foot palm, is not a palm but rather a succulent. The base of the plant is swollen and resembles an elephant’s foot, while the narrow stem is topped with long curved leaves that look like a ponytail.
Grow this succulent in a bright sunny window. The biggest problem is overwatering. So always water thoroughly whenever the top few inches of soil are slightly dry. Occasionally spritz the plants with warm water and wipe off the dust and any mites with a soft cloth.
They need very little fertilizer. You can apply a dilute solution of any houseplant fertilizer once or twice between spring and fall.
These plants are slow growing and long lived. It can take these plants 20 years to reach 6 feet in height.
A bit more information: Brown leaf tips can be an indication of too much or not enough water. Monitor your watering schedule and adjust as needed. You can start these plants from seed or remove offsets (small plantlets) in spring if any form at the base of the plant.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Whether you grow them yourself or purchase them at a florist, celebrate Daffodil Month with a vase of cheery daffodil blooms.
Increase your enjoyment of these spring blooms by extending their vase life. If you are harvesting your own, pick them in the morning. Pull and twist the flower stem so it breaks off right at ground level.
Select daffodils with the flower bud just starting to show color and bent at a 90 degree angle from the stem. Harvest those with multiple flowers per stem when one of the flowers is fully open.
Cut the bottom of the stem on an angle. Place your daffodils in warm water with floral preservative. Move them to a cool dark location for 12 hours or overnight.
Arrange daffodils in their own vase to avoid damaging other cutflowers with their gooey sap. Or after 24 hours in their own vase, rinse the daffodils stems and combine with other flowers.
A bit more information: Further extend the life of daffodil and other cut flowers by using a floral preservative. Add a few forsythia or pussy willows to your daffodil bouquets for added seasonal interest. And those with sensitive skin may want to wear gloves to avoid irritation from this plant’s sap.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Brighten your indoors with a colorful long blooming bromeliad. These easy care plants will provide months of enjoyment.
Grow these plants in a container with drainage holes filled with a well-drained potting mix. Water thoroughly whenever the top few inches of the planting mix is dry.
The leaves of many bromeliads come together to form a cuplike structure known as a tank. These bromeliads can absorb water from the tank. Clean the tank to reduce the risk of salt buildup and fungus that can cause rot when watering through the tank.
Avoid overwatering that can lead to root rot. Increase humidity by grouping with other plants or creating a gravel tray. Place pebbles in the saucer to elevate the pot above any excess water that collects in the saucer. As the water evaporates it increases the humidity around the plant.
Grow these plants in a bright location for best results. Move to a sunny south window in winter.
A bit more information: Once the original plant finishes blooming it will start to decline. Small plants called offsets or pups arise around the original plant. These can be removed, potted, and grown to maturity in their own container. Once the young plant reaches full size you can force it to bloom. Place the plant in a plastic bag with a piece of apple for several days. The apple releases ethylene gas that initiates flowering. Remove the plant from the plastic, return to a brightly lit location and wait for the flowers.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
How To Help Tornado Victims
The tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma, as well the twisters as Kansas and Texas, have killed dozens and left thousands homeless. Officials expect the death toll to rise.
Relief efforts are underway. Right now, the best way to help the victims is a donation to major relief organizations.
Here is a list of organizations that are accepting donations:
American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund: Click HERE to donate online. You can also text REDCROSS to 909999 to immediately donate $10 to the Red Cross Disaster Fund.
Phone: 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767); for Spanish speakers, 1-800-257-7575; for TDD, 1-800-220-4095.
Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief: The Oklahoma Baptist Convention says says donations will "go straight to help those in need providing tree removal services, laundry services and meals to victims of disasters." For more information, and to donate, visit Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief's website by clicking HERE.
You can send checks to:
BGCO
Attn: Disaster Relief
3800 N. May Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK. 73112.
Salvation Army - The Salvation Army is deploying mobile kitchens that can serve to 2,500 people a day. Click HERE to donate via their website. You can also text the word STORM to 80888 to make a $10 donation from your mobile phone.
You can also donate to the Salvation Army via check: Put the words "Oklahoma Tornado Relief" on the check, and mail to:
The Salvation Army
P.O. Box 12600
Oklahoma City, OK. 73157.
Phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769).
Feeding America - Feeding America says it utilize its 200 foodbanks to deliver food and supplies. Click HERE for their website.
Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma - Text the word FOOD to 32333 to donate $10 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
How To Help Tornado Victims
The tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma, as well the twisters as Kansas and Texas, have killed dozens and left thousands homeless. Officials expect the death toll to rise.
Relief efforts are underway. Right now, the best way to help the victims is a donation to major relief organizations.
Here is a list of organizations that are accepting donations:
American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund: Click HERE to donate online. You can also text REDCROSS to 909999 to immediately donate $10 to the Red Cross Disaster Fund.
Phone: 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767); for Spanish speakers, 1-800-257-7575; for TDD, 1-800-220-4095.
Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief: The Oklahoma Baptist Convention says says donations will "go straight to help those in need providing tree removal services, laundry services and meals to victims of disasters." For more information, and to donate, visit Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief's website by clicking HERE.
You can send checks to:
BGCO
Attn: Disaster Relief
3800 N. May Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK. 73112.
Salvation Army - The Salvation Army is deploying mobile kitchens that can serve to 2,500 people a day. Click HERE to donate via their website. You can also text the word STORM to 80888 to make a $10 donation from your mobile phone.
You can also donate to the Salvation Army via check: Put the words "Oklahoma Tornado Relief" on the check, and mail to:
The Salvation Army
P.O. Box 12600
Oklahoma City, OK. 73157.
Phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769).
Feeding America - Feeding America says it utilize its 200 foodbanks to deliver food and supplies. Click HERE for their website.
Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma - Text the word FOOD to 32333 to donate $10 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
Low Maintenance – Big Impact Perennials
Don't let a lack of time, energy or space stop you from growing perennials. Instead select and grow low maintenance plants with big impact.
Start with your design. Once you develop your plan, cut the number of different perennials in half and double the number of each. You will have fewer perennials to identify as they emerge in spring, less maintenance to learn and bigger impact.
Edge your beds to keep unwanted grass out of the bed and make managing the surrounding lawn much easier. I dig a small trench around the edge of my gardens and fill with woodchips.
Always select plants suited to your climate, soil and natural rainfall. You'll have healthier and more beautiful plants with much less work.
Look for perennials that require no staking and little or no deadheading. Avoid those that reseed, are aggressive and do not plant perennials that tend to escape the garden and invade our natural spaces.
A bit more information: Use color to help increase the impact without increasing the number of plants. Warm colors of red, orange and yellow grab your attention. Repeat colors, known as color echoing, from one plant to another to provide unity and balance. Use complementary colors, those across from each other on the artist color wheel, like red and green and blue and yellow to create a focal point.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Grow Your Own Pickles & Celebrate National Pickle Week
Celebrate National Pickle Week by growing a few of your own cucumbers for pickling.
All you need are a few seeds, a sunny location and a bit of garden space or a large container. Train these large vining plants up a fence, trellis or decorative obelisk to save space.
Consider planting National Pickling Cucumber Seeds developed by the National Pickle Packers Association and Michigan Agriculture Experiment station. These were bred for their versatility and perfect pickle shape. You'll be harvesting cucumbers in about 52 days after planting.
Or save some space with Bush pickle. This cucumber forms a 3 to 4 foot wide mound and produces an abundance of 4-inch fruit. It's a perfect size for containers. And save even more space and grow straighter fruit by training these smaller plants up a cage or trellis. Cucumbers are ready to pick in about 45 days.
A bit more information: Cucumbers are generally ready to harvest in 45 to 60 days after planting. This makes them a great option for mid and late season plantings. Just calculate the number of frost-free days left in the growing season to see how late you can plant. And further extend the season by using floating row covers like ReeMay, Harvest Guard, and Frost Covers to protect plants from frosty weather.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Celebrate Clean Air Month – Grow Some Air-Purifying Houseplants
Celebrate National Clean Air Month by growing a few houseplants to improve your indoor air quality.
NASA teamed up with PLANET (Professional Landcare Network, formerly ALCA) and found adding 15 to 18, 6 to 8 inch diameter container houseplants will improve the air quality in an 1800 square foot house. Keeping them healthy will increase their beauty and ability to cleanse the air.
Consider adding a bamboo palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii). Use this large houseplant to create a warm welcome for guests, dress up a blank wall or mix in with other houseplants for an impressive indoor garden.
This palm is an understory plant in Central America. It is hardy in zones 10 to 11 and adapted to the lower light conditions indoors. Grow it in a brightly lit location and keep the soil slightly moist.
Cut off fronds as they die, leaving the leafy stem covering intact. Once it is fully dried, remove to expose the attractive stems.
A bit more information: Start new plants by division. Remove suckers and offshoots that form at the base of the plant. Slide the bamboo palm out of its pot. Use a sharp knife or drywall saw to separate the offshoots from the main plant. Repot the parent plant and offshoots in a container slightly larger than the remaining root ball.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
We get your letters...
What an amazing weekend!
First of all, a very big THANK YOU to everyone who came out to Grafton and Mukwonago and waited in line amid cold, windy and rainy conditions for those Wisconsin Dells Season Opener Cards.
For me, it is a chance to meet / hang out with YOU the listener and give you goodies!
Second, got this letter from our 99.1 The Mix Contact Us forum, from the Dawson family of Port Washington and was truly surprised that my "simple gesture" warranted the following...
Question: Your Name:
Answer: Michelle
Question: Your City:
Answer: Port Washington
Comments:
Yesterday I took my parents to Grafton to wait for season opener cards. It was quite a cold morning. We arrived at 10 because in the past there have been huge lines. My mother is recovering from a recent open-heart surgery. She is a very petite older woman.
Van McNeil was interacting with people people in line and I asked him if it would be possible for my mom to going to the bank to warm up. He unexpectedly took my mom's hand and escorted her into the building. He was so kind to her and gave her a hug. He made sure she was warm and dry and took very good care of her.
My mom and dad are thrilled to be going to the Dells. Unknown to Van my dad just got out of The hospital last Friday after 4 1/2 weeks of being in. It's been a very rough couple of months for my parents and their health. My mother was just beaming about how nice Van was.
I wanted to thank you for the season opener cards which will allow my parents and my family to enjoy a vacation in Wisconsin this summer, and send a special thank you to Van for being so wonderful to my parents.
You're welcome and THANK YOU Michelle!
Just doing what I do because that's how my mama raised me!
Enjoy the Dells!
-Van
#everylistenermatters
Perennial Garden Renovations
Give your tired perennial garden a boost without a total renovation. Topdressing your garden with compost every year or two provides most if not all the nutrients your perennials need.
Pull back the mulch if needed. Then spread an inch of compost over the soil surface. You can buy a quality compost or make your own.
Leave the compost on the surface or lightly mix it into the soil. The earthworms, ground beetles, and other organisms will take it from there – moving the compost into the soil and around the plant roots where it is needed.
Or, do a bit of vertical mulching. Use an auger bit on your cordless drill. Simply drill holes into the soil between plants. Then fill the holes with compost. This gets the compost closer to the plant roots and soil organisms that will help mix it into and improve the soil.
Soil preparation and repair will help transform your garden.
A bit more information: Apply a plant strengthener such as JAZ spray to increase plant vigor and their natural ability to tolerate environmental stresses, insect attacks, and disease problems. These natural products aren't fertilizers or pesticides. They can be applied to established plants at the beginning of the season to boost their ability to deal with stress or as soon as problems arise.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Growing Banana Plants Indoors or Out
Add a bit of the tropics indoors or out with a banana plant.
The large leaves are great for screening views and creating a bit of privacy on a balcony, patio or in the yard. Add a wicker planter or chair and you have your own tropical get-away.
The fiber banana (Musa basjoo) is hardy in zones 5 to 11. It grows in full sun. It will die back to the ground and benefit from winter mulch in northern areas of its hardiness zone.
Less hardy and smaller, the blood banana (Musa acuminata 'Zebrina'), has large leaves with red markings on 6 to 8 foot plants. It's only hardy in zones 10 to 11, but can be overwintered as a houseplant or allowed to go dormant in other areas.
Combine these tropical beauties with palms, ginger and bird-of-paradise. Or add some hardy tropical look-alikes such as Japanese forest grass, large leaf hostas and trumpet vines.
A bit more information: Push the limits of your growing region with special wintering techniques developed by Dr. David Francko, author of Palms Won't Grow Here and Other Myths: Warm-Climate Plants for Cooler Areas. And for those in warmer regions check out Creating the Tropical Look.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Preserving the Asparagus Harvest
Preserve the flavor and nutrition of asparagus to enjoy year round.
This flavorful vegetable is low in calories and high in Vitamins A and C as well as fiber. Unfortunately, it is most readily available and at the best price in the spring.
Insure the best flavor with proper harvesting. Select young tender spears 8 to 10 inches tall. Wash, remove the ends, and then cut to fit the freezer bag or container.
Blanch the asparagus before freezing to lock in flavor, color and texture. Dip the asparagus into boiling water. You'll need a large pan with a lid. Blanch small spears for 2 minutes, medium spears for 3 minutes and large spears for 4 minutes.
Remove and immediately set the blanched spears in ice water for 5 minutes to cool. Drain and freeze.
And, if you don't have an asparagus patch, you may want to consider planting one this year.
A bit more information: May is National Asparagus Month. For tips on planting and harvesting asparagus listen to my audio tip. And check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation website for helpful tips and guidelines for preserving your harvest.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Mexican Mint Marigold (Tagetes lucida)
Add a little color and flavor to your garden and salads with Mexican tarragon.
This subtle beauty is really a type of marigold, but the leaves and flowers have a tarragon fragrance and flavor.
Wait until after the danger of frost has passed to plant this zone 8 to 10 hardy plant. Grow it in full sun to part shade and well-drained soils. It is somewhat drought tolerant. Northern gardeners can treat it like an annual and those in the northern range of its hardiness zone may see it die back to the ground in a hard freeze. But don't worry its root hardy.
The yellow flowers appear in late summer and persist through fall. The 14 to 20 inch tall plants make a nice addition to herb gardens and flowerbeds.
Harvest the new growth to use fresh. Preserve the flavor by freezing the leaves or storing in vinegar. They tend to lose their flavor when dried.
A bit more information: You can find this plant listed under several common names including Mexican tarragon, Texas tarragon, pericon, and sweet mace. No matter the common name you can use the leaves and blossoms in soups, sauces and chicken dishes as well as salads. Some gardeners even seep it for tea. Visit Bonnie Plants for more information and gardeners ideas for growing and using this plant in the garden.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Year of the Watermelon
Year of the Watermelon
The National Garden Bureau has declared 2013 the Year of the Watermelon. Be part of the celebration and consider planting watermelon in this year's garden.
Don't let the sweet flavor deceive you – these are nutritious as well as delicious. High in Vitamin C, low in fat and calories - it is a great way to boost your energy. Plus, all parts are edible.
You can pickle the rind, eat the fleshy portion fresh or roast or grind the seeds for flavoring. In china they stir fry watermelon while the Russians often pickle it before eating. You may want to try some new ways of enjoying this tasty summer treat.
Grow watermelon in full sun and well-drained soils. Save space by growing these plants on a trellis or decorative obelisk. Just secure the heavy fruit to the support with a cloth or macramé sling. Or plant a few seeds in a container and let the vines wander over your balcony or trellis.
A bit more information: Try planting one of the large picnic-type watermelons that can weigh 15 to 50 pounds. These are sure to get everyone in the family excited about growing and eating this, the largest edible fruit in the United States. Or perhaps you want to try one of the icebox melons that is much smaller at 5 to 15 pounds and easier to squeeze into the fridge. And don't forget about those with unique colored rinds and flesh and of course those that lack seeds.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Clematis Stem Wilt
Clematis Stem Wilt
Your clematis looks beautiful until suddenly the stems and leaves start turning black. Though it looks bad your clematis will survive.
The fungus that causes this disease enters your plant through wounds and cracks in the stem near ground level. Fortunately new growth arising below this point will be disease free.
Reduce future problems by pruning out and destroying infested stems. Disinfect tools between cuts to reduce the risk of spreading this disease.
As new growth emerges from the soil carefully secure it to the support to reduce the risk of cracking and damage. Eliminating the entryways for the fungus will reduce the risk of disease.
In the future consider planting the crown of the clematis below the soil surface. This allows the plant to produce new shoots below the point of infection.
Try growing small flowered clematis that tend to resist this disease. Alpina, macropetala and the viticella types are a few to consider.
A bit more information: For a disease to occur you must have the causal organism (fungus, bacteria, virus) present, disease-promoting weather and susceptible plants. Remove one of these factors and you eliminate the disease. Keep this in mind when managing clematis stem wilt and other plant diseases in your garden.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
I'm a fan, are you?
Who doesn't LOVE a good Roller Coaster? Am I right?! I've been so very lucky to been have rasied in the Midwest, a stones throw away from Six Flags Great America, where I practicaly spent my summers as kid with my best bud Edgar!
Mom and dad would drop us off at open and pick us up at close. 10a-10p. Don't think I could handle that now. Heck, I could barley make it on one run of Batman The Ride Backwards!
Yes, that's right, for a limited time this season, (BTW... I tried to find out when from officials, they wouldn't budge, so get there soon!) Batman The Ride will be running BACKWARDS!!
MOBILE USERS: Click here to WATCH Van rides Batman: The Ride Backwards!
www.SixFlags.com
My Lucky Brewers Socks
I've been wearing these sock to the last few games I have attended at Miller Park and the crew always wins when I have them on. Do you think my socks lucky?
Matt Nathanson AND Plain White T's coming to Festa!
YES! That headline is correct...Matt Nathanson AND the Plain White T's will be performing at Festa Italiana, Saturday night, July 20th and I have the honor of being your ON STAGE HOST!!
I'm super stoked and looking forward to hanging with Platinum-selling singer-song writer Matt Nathanson, and Grammy-nominated Chicago-bred Plain White T's again!
Check out the videos from both groups last visit to The Mix Studios:
WATCH Matt Nathanson Interview and Performance.
WATCH Plain White T's Interview and Performance.
Watch for and Prevent Borers on Trees and Shrubs
Extreme heat and cold, droughts and floods can leave our plants stressed and more susceptible to damaging borers.
These insects are the immature stage of moths and beetles that feed under the bark and inside the stems of plants. Their feeding weakens and in some cases kills the plant.
Many borers are opportunists, attacking already stressed trees. We can't control the weather but we can help reduce stress on our plants. Start by growing plants suited to the climate and growing conditions in your landscape.
Mulch the area under and around the base of trees and shrubs. Organic mulches like wood chips keep the roots cool and moist and reduce competition from grass and weeds.
Be sure to water new plantings thoroughly and as needed the first few years. And do the same for established trees and shrubs during extended drought. This will keep them healthy and help ward off borers.
A bit more information: Incorporate trees and shrubs into perennial planting beds. You will create an attractive garden and better environment for the plants. Plus, planting beds as well as mulching will reduce the need for hand trimming and will keep weed whips and mowers away from the trunks of the trees. And don't pile soil or mulch over the stems of shrubs and the trunks of trees. These practices create entryways for pests and encourage disease problems.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Lawn Revival
If sparse, bare spots or lots of weeds describe your lawn, it is time for a little lawn revival.
Start by evaluating the current state of your lawn. If more than 60% is bare or filled with weeds, it is time to start over. Look at this as an opportunity to properly prepare the soil, select a more drought tolerant lawn or convert it into a no mow or low maintenance lawn or planting bed.
Overseed thin sparse lawns. Core aerate first or use a slit seeder to insure good seed-to-soil contact. For small bare spots use a lawn patch kit or make your own. Mix a handful of quality grass seed into a bucket of topsoil. Remove any dead grass and roughen the soil surface. Then sprinkle the commercial or homemade lawn patch over the prepared bare spot.
Keep the soil moist until the grass seed begins to grow.
A bit more information: Larger areas will benefit from the addition of organic matter into the top 6 inches of soil before sowing the grass seed or laying sod. Keep the soil moist until the sod has rooted into the soil below and the grass seed begins to grow. Consider overseeding the lawn to help create a more uniform appearance in the lawn. For more information, click here.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
Leave these and other unwanted chemicals in their original container. Gather and store in a secure location. Then contact your local municipality’s department of public works, Department of Natural Resources or Extension Service for a recommendation on handling these materials properly. 
Celebrate the equinox with a walk through a nearby botanical garden, a bit of garden maintenance, an indoor garden project or by starting a bloom chart.
Don’t throw away or recycle those fast food containers just yet. Reuse them when gardening indoors and out. 
topped with long curved leaves that look like a ponytail.
