Organic Insect & Disease Control with Ladybugs

When introducing ladybugs – Buy them at your local garden center—(they don’t go through the mail so well.) They should have been kept in a state of false hibernation by being stored in the refrigerator at the garden center. Take them straight home and put them in your refrigerator until the sun is very low in the sky ( around 7 or 8 PM). Add a sprinkle of moisture to the straw that is in the bag with them and place some of the straw and ladybugs at the base of the plants where you have an infestation. They will instinctively crawl up towards the top of the shrub- laying eggs as they move up. They will ingest a small amount of the infestation as they go. Release them 3 times your first Spring until the end of June to make sure that you get them established.

The reason that you should buy recently refrigerated ladybugs and get them re- refrigerated as quickly as you can is that you want them as healthy as possible to get a good start on being established in your garden. Their metabolism starts going the minute that they warm up and start to move –so they need nourishment of water and food quickly—if they have been awake too long without nourishment they aren’t as healthy.

The reason that you need to wait until late in the day to release them is the adults that you buy will have come from California or Arizona –so they will want to go home and they will fly straight for that sky towards the sun if it is high instead of crawling up your plants –laying eggs , nibbling on pests and waiting for the morning sun to guide them.

The reason for releasing 3 times is this – you will –“for sure “ hit it right on one of those releases. ( Space them about 2-3 weeks a apart after danger of frost. Ladybugs are very beneficial and cost very little compared to the money many gardeners spend on short term –( kill everything) pesticides over and over. Note –even includes organic pesticides. The reason for releasing between late March – mid April depending on how mild spring is –—is— During this time is when ladybugs usually wake up in the garden -and the ones you buy as adults until the end of June would have been in this hatching—these insects are the egg layers— the eggs laid on your plants produce the larva and this stage offers the best control of any pest infestation. The lady bugs hatched later (in your garden) then have the ability to over winter which means you won’t have to ever release again ( unless you use something that kills them) and that hatching also ingests a large amount of pests as well as pollen.

The reason that you will see the first adults that you buy- fly off the next morning and then notice that you still have pests on your plants is —- This egg laying momma is more interested in laying her eggs in places where she finds food for them that will be there when they hatch (remember that good bug food is pest eggs and larvae) She doesn’t eat much of it— but leaves it for her babies. She may dine a little on the infestation but will be content with pollen from flowers to meet her needs for hunger and leave the bulk of the pests for her babies to devour –this is when you will reap the benefits of releasing the adults that you bought. (So be aware of this– and don’t feel so forsaken when you notice the next morning , after release ,that the ladybugs are gone and you still have an infestation.) Your control will come as soon as the hungry little larva have hatched –(The eggs will hatch in about 6 days at the most. )

ladybug eggs on the underside of an infested leaf
Ladybug larvae emerge from the eggs and do the clean up
The larvae eat for 3-4 weeks or until the pest ( food) is gone and then turn into a pupa stage.
The pupa stage looks very much like a shriveled adult and you will see it clinging to leaves and other parts of the plants—and may think it is a dead adult—leave it alone to turn into the adult that your garden will evermore be home to. The pupa stage lasts for about 6-7 days .
Pupa stage
Adult Ladybug
These Adults will stay in your garden as long as your garden provides a safe habitat— they were born there and it is their home. All they need are flowers with pollen and a few pests to nibble on –so whatever you do don’t choose to spray a pesticide when you see that the adult that you put out didn’t immediately clear up the problem—be patient.

FYI_ —if the egg stage hatches into the larva stage and it finds no food it has the ability to morph into the pupa stage right away .

Click on the link below for a great real life video of all of the ladybug life cycles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zrDGh2DIRU

Organic Insect & Disease Control with Lacewings

Lacewings are another beneficial that I like to be sure all of my projects have flourishing in them.They lay eggs on plants and structures on slender (almost invisible) umbilical cords to keep them safe. The eggs turn into Larvae that feeds on pests for about 3 weeks. The larvae turns into a translucent cocoon that produces a new adult in about 5 days. I do not have a lot of faith in lacewing eggs hatching after they have been harvested from their little umbilical cords that the adult fixes them on in nature . As a result of this– I recommend that you order already hatched larva from a good insect supplier like Arbico. http://www.arbico-organics.com/category/beneficial-insects-organisms

Lace larvae frame –contains 400
The live Larvae comes packed in this frame that contains 400 tiny compartments and some nourishment—the frame needs to be opened immediately upon receiving it—it will be mailed out via next day air on Monday-you will receive it on Tuesday . as soon as you can get it out of the mailbox –go dump it on any plant with an infestation-anytime of day—it has no wings in this stage –it can’t fly home—It is this predacious offspring that get the job done.—it will eat for about 3 weeks or until the infestation (food source) is devoured and then morph into a cocoon that produces a new adult. Adults can live for up to 6 weeks depending on when they are produced. The cocoon laid late in the fall will over winter on the plant and turn into an adult the next spring.

Once your beneficials are established, pests( bad bugs ) become nothing more then good bug food. You will keep your gardens in good balance with ladybugs, lacewings and other beneficials that will just be there naturally-after you quit spraying pesticides. Remember that even some organic pesticides- can kill everything-so stick to the ones that follow at the end of this newsletter that are allowed on my program.

Using trap plants that pests will choose to live on— (as soon as they reach a stage in their life when they are able to make that choice and lay eggs )- will keep the pests in several easy to find locations- (sort of organize them.) Your beneficials will look at these plants as host plants and lay their eggs on them as well to keep them cleaned up. See companion planting attached to this issue of your newsletter.

Creating a balance in your yard to handle your pest problems instead of using pesticides will lead to a more positive overall situation. You will still have what you consider “ bad bugs” but because they are controlled by the beneficials, you won’t have damage. If you continue to use pesticides after releasing the benificials—even most organic pesticides—you will not keep the beneficials in your garden because the pesticides will kill them as well as the pests or because they have nothing to eat to keep them there. Once you have been on the program for a while you will relax and learn to be more passive—because you will understand how all of this organic stuff really works—but if you feel that treatment is what you really want—- then there are some products that you may use that won’t ruin or undo a balanced program—- if you use some common sense along with them.

If you are having problems with any kind of caterpillars eating foliage or hanging down out of trees you may either dust the plants with Dipel (BTdust) or spray liquid BT into tall trees. (Apply liquid BT in the late evening.) Only dust or spray the damaged plants—not everything—never treat butterfly larvae plants-because these products will kill all caterpillars which include butterfly babies.

Warning—
If you choose to release beneficial wasps ( which do control caterpillars ) you will be releasing an uncontrollable control—they target all caterpillars-including butterfly caterpillars and you have no control over what the wasps attack –once released. If slugs are a problem there is a product called Sluggo that is very organic and harms nothing else—it does chase off snakes [ snakes eat slugs and snails]—but for most people that is a plus. Sluggo Plus is another product that is allowed on the program.

Organic Insect & Disease Control Products

My Fire Ant control of choice is Natures Guide Fire Ant Killer—use it by mixing 4 tablespoons of the powder to 1 gallon of water per average mound and pouring the mixture directly into the mound—do not disturb the mound first. Be sure that you have used enough mixture to fill up the whole cavity below the surface by continuing to pour until you see water puddle up. Do not expose unused product to direct sunlight –it is UV sensitive– after 8 hours of exposure to direct sun it won’t work as an instant control.

I have also found a bait that works well—Organic Green Light Fire Ant Control with Conserve. These products target ants only. Often you may not know what the damage that you are seeing on a plant is –Insect or Disease—Green light RTU ( ready to use)Rose Defense will systemically take care of either cause of the problem—so it would only affect an insect that bites or sucks on the plant. On food crops use RTU Green Light Fruit Nut and Vegetable spray.

For large jobs there is a concentrate of both products—be sure to mix these concentrates in hottest tap water (120 degrees) to emulsify the oil and mix it with the water—otherwise it could damage plants–it cools off right away —use all liquid mixture up for the one application .

Damaged leaves won’t get better—even after treatment the best we can do is cut those plants back a bit to make it possible for the damage to be covered by the new healthy growth.

Have a fun, easy to manage, organic garden using these principles and products—Love & Luck, Lucy

Hi Everyone– Just a reminder –if you are doing your own exterminating for inside pest control like roaches , silverfish, scorpions, spiders etc–and it has been 6 months since your last application—You need to re-apply The Eco-Exempt G (which is the granular ) outside, around the foundation of your home , garage and other structures–The 22 pound bag treats a foundation around most homes twice–so one bag will cover your pest control for a whole year. The product is applied by just scattering it at the base of your foundations–I use a small bucket and a measuring cup ( because it has a handle) to just walk around the house and throw it out-as close to the foundation as is possible ( on top of soil or mulch). Store the unused product in an area where it won’t get wet ( it comes in a paper bag) and use it up in 6 months for your second application. Continue to use this pest control product twice a year to keep insects from entering the inside of the house. Please use my directions–the bag tells you to apply the product through out the garden–it would kill your beneficial garden insects too–so only use up by the foundation.

New Eco-Exempt Pest Control Users

If you have just started using the product —or want to start using the product and have a pest problem inside the house now —you will also need to apply Eco exempt D ( Dust) inside the house -but only under the free space under your sinks. Drill 3 holes in the floor of the cabinets under your sinks–(this is easy to do because there is a hollow space there)– just poof the dust into the holes ( these free spaces are where insects stay and reproduce ) every 3 months until all activity of insects in the house has stopped–(Usually 2-3 re-treatments are all that is needed depending on how bad the infestation is to start with). One bottle of the dust will be all you will ever need for this part of the treatment–and if you are not seeing insect activity inside now– you do not need the Dust.

Using these products can save you a lot of money spent on a professional treatment and I consider it very safe. It is really easy to use and it really works.

You can find these pest control products at the great organic garden centers listed below

Tim’s Garden Center in Southwest Fort Worth,

Marshall Grain in Fort Worth on Lancaster and Grapevine

Stegall’s Garden Center and Designs in Nature in South West Fort Worth-close to Arlington

The Fairy Garden

I grew up in Fort Worth playing in my grandmother’s large garden and listening to her stories about fairies and other garden sprites that, according to her, shared our tranquil space. Fairy gardens was something that I started thinking about again when we were lucky enough to have my granddaughter Taylor ( 3 months old then ) come to us for day care.

I had been given several of the lovely little books written and illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker about her life long fascination with garden fairies. The books are filled with a poem about each fairy and a picture of that fairy along with the flower that it represents. In those pictures each garden fairy is dressed in clothing that looks like it has been made from its flower and each poem is about the fairy as it relates to the plant. Of course the plants in those books grew in England Taylor loved looking at the pictures and as she got older and we spent more time out in the garden-we started making up our own fairy garden stories about plants that grew in our area and talking about how those fairies would look and how they would use different plants found in our garden. I developed a Fairy Gardening Program for Young People during this time as a way to share the love of gardening with the children in our lives and at the same time teach them good gardening skills that will serve them well in a way that would make sense and be interesting to the child. ( you will find this program in it’s original form-along with a cute picture of a “Taylor” garden fairy in “The Ladies Of The Garden” book that Patricia Cowan and I co-wrote about organic gardening in this area) Organic garden centers carry this book.

Fairy Garden Plants

In my fairy garden stories each garden has one fairy per kind of plant-so no matter how many rosemary plants your garden has-the rosemary fairy takes care of all of them. In my stories the gardens are very bio-diverse with lots of different plants—that way the garden is full of fairies that have lots of friends and time to enjoy them ( not too much of one plant for that fairy to take care of) .

It is also important for every fairy garden to have the plants that would meet all of the needs of the fairies that live there. (fairies need and like the same things as human children.) They need love, friends, clothes, hats, cozy beds, night lights , places to take a bath, toothbrushes, tea party supplies, toys, musical instruments, pets, boats, and other forms of transportation, etc. ( for instance -lambs ear makes a nice blanket-it is evergreen and would be there in the winter and it feels soft—roses make good summer beds-fairies like to snuggle into them—daisies make good plates —trumpet shaped flowers make good horns) The fairies in my stories also enlist beneficial insects, lizards, toads, birds, spiders, etc. to help them– so we must think of their needs too as we plan our fairy gardens. These garden friends can get rid of unwanted visitors that could hurt the plants,- they also provide transportation and weave lovely fairy accessories.

Fairy Garden Tasks

The fairy garden tasks are shared by the fairies and the human children that live in every garden. The children tend and enjoy the gardens by day and the fairies take over at night after the children go to bed. The fairies tend their plants, harvest what they need (of course fairies always share with each other) eat, ( tea parties are very popular) chat with their friends, play, sing and dance —- and just before the children wake up —they get ready for bed by brushing their teeth and bathing. Evidence of this co-habitation can be found if you take an early morning stroll and look carefully into the daylilies or other such shaped plant—there may still be some bathwater left there or perhaps a fairy left a stick laying about that he or she was playing with during the night. ( sometimes even fairies forget to pick up their toys)
Fairies often leave presents for human children (fairies are very generous )–but the children must look for these presents with sharp eyes—Taylor and I often found such presents on our walks through her fairy garden. (pretty stones, feathers, colored leaves, acorns, sweet gum balls, pine cones etc.). Often a fairy would talk it’s plant into producing a beautiful bloom that wasn’t there the day before—just for Taylor. Taylor had a treasure box that she collected these treasures in and every once in a while when my clients came to the house they would be treated to a peek. Taylor and I left presents for the fairies too—sometimes a generous crumb from a garden tea party cake , a special piece of fairy furniture that she fashioned , plump sun flower seeds and even notes from her to the fairies. These special presents were always taken in the night which brought excited joy to us the next day.

Taylor and her students search for gifts left in the fairy garden the night before. ( Taylor started teaching children’s classes at the age of 7.) Taylor is 16 now and she and I still share our love of gardening with each other and we remember the children and adults that came to her Fairy Garden and Butterfly Garden classes at our home in Arlington.

- Lucy Harrell

Growing organic roses can be easy if you just plant them the right way in the right spot and understand a few things about how roses grow. Since I don’t know what you have been taught—let’s just start over and learn this simple way from scratch.

Antique or Old roses are the best choice because they are the most disease resistant to start with. Of course as with
almost anything-There are a few exceptions

Here are things to consider when growing organic roses:

*Roses need good drainage.

*Most Roses need 6 hours of sun or more—but there are a few that will take quite a bit of shade and still bloom well –
the best of these is Dame de Cour a lovely shrub rose and Vanity –a hot pink climber

*Pick a site with good airflow.

*Plant your rose by digging a hole in moist soil that is only as deep as you need it [ the base of the rose needs to be above ground] and about twice as wide as you need it. Do not plant too deep. Be sure your rose is well watered before planting it. I like to plant my roses with a mixture of equal parts of worm castings, rock phosphate,rabbit manure and lavasand –add a cup of this mixture to the soil that you removed to make the hole. ( note-sometimes you can find a product made by Rabbit Hill Farm called

Something Special-which is this exact mixture ) or you can add Rose Glo, or Natures Guide Rose Planting mix or Lady
Bug Rose Magic and add rock phosphate & wormcasting mix also. Loosen the roots of the rose gently to let the
roots grow out and not around– as they were growing in the pot and place it in the hole.

*Wet the hole-and add the amendments—*Place the roots of the rose in the hole *Fill the hole with a solution of Maxicrop Seaweed solution (2 Tablespoons to a gallon of water) being sure to soak the roots. Push the mixture of soil and amendments down in the hole to stabilize the rose.

*Add 3” of Mulch to the area around the rose —not right up on the base of the rose– and water the area well. Mulch is important for both moisture retention and disease control. Your choice of mulch –as long as it won’t wash away—Roses really love Pine Straw Mulch.

*Be sure to companion plant your roses with one or more of the systemic and repellant herbs for fungal and insect control such as society garlic, or oregano , and believe it or not -tomatoes -to keep it healthy and FYI- basil keeps a dark pink or red rose from losing it’s color in the sun and repels insects ( plant tomatoes and basil after last frost)

* Be sure to put your newly planted rose on the 28 day watering schedule-attached in this newsletter

*Now that your rose is planted and established you need to understand what it is telling you–so listen closely.

Troubleshooting Organic Roses

*If it has quit blooming and has a lot of dead heads on it- it is saying –cut me back a little on each stem down to just above any 5 leaf node. A three-leaf node will not hold the bloom up well so if the blooms are hanging down it is saying– you cut me wrong. If your rose has dark brown dead looking stems appear at the top of the stem after you deadheaded — it is telling you that you cut below a node, which is wrong—re-cut– being careful to leave the node on the end of the cut. ( always cut just above a node)

*After deadheading or cutting back add a product like Humalfa Humore , Lady bug Flower power or rabbit manure by spreading the product over the drip line ( never close to the trunk) and you will be rewarded with extra blooms. *Be sure when you deadhead or prune your roses that you make a cut that will not hold water on it— cut on an angle so that any water will roll off as soon as it hits that cut. Never trim anything when it is raining-especially roses.

*You may want to cut your roses back to shape them better or control their size—After Valentines Day and before the end of March is a good time for this unless the rose only blooms in the Spring in which case you would cut it back after it blooms.

*If your rose has yellow leaves or black spots on older leaves- -it is trying to knock them off so it can replace them with new ones-smack it with a broom to help this happen faster and they will fall off. If black spots appear on new leaves then your microclimate is wrong for that rose—you need to fix the condition or move the rose. (example of creating a microclimate that causes a problem—a pool in a yard with high wooden fences and poor air flow) Roses on the Favorites list on my web site are less likely to have problems with more humid conditions. www.organicgardeningtx.com

Now you can just sit back and smell the organic roses—you have done everything right for your roses and they will reward you with lots of blooms—and no fussing.

It is my desire to make your experience with organic roses successful & stress free. Gardening should be a labor of love –not a love of labor.

Love & Luck Lucy Harrell

FYI– never trim during rainy weather-it can cause disease in the cuts – trim on dry days — temperatures should be ok for you to be outside — so between 35 degrees  & up while you are trimming.

* Trim back evergreen  shrubs that are not Spring only bloomers — if they need it to make them bushy. Cut them back about 6”-18” to just above a node.  If they are real overgrown you may take most shrubs back by half or more — new growth will come  just above the cut so keep that in mind–as long as you do this between Feb. 15- March 31^st (this is called radical pruning and is done only when shrubs have gotten very much out of hand) Always make your final cut on each branch just above a node.

Take care to dig out any leaves  that have accumulated inside  shrubs–If you don’t tend to this- a wet spring can rot out the plant or cause disease.  Use a stick or rake with long flexible tines on it to reach in and dig out the built up material

*Cut back perennial evergreen vines that are  all season bloomers like Coral Honeysuckle and  Sweet Autumn Clematis-no matter how good they look now– if you don’t the new growth will  pop out and  cause the old growth to turn brown and leave it looking shabby underneath.

Do not cut back spring  bloomers like Confederate Star Jasmine yet or Cross Vines yet-wait until after they have finished blooming usually in May

*Cut  rose bushes  that are repeat bloomers back by ½-

Remove 2-3  three year canes  to the ground-each year after the climbers are 3 years old –these will be  larger and woody ( gray)- and will be replaced by  fresh  stems that will bloom better do not cut back spring only bloomers- wait until after they  have bloomed-usually by May.

*Clean up any evergreen perennials   if they need it [ only cut back if damaged-or just remove damages part.]  Ex ample : Lenten Rose, Holly Ferns, Cast iron Plants, Divaracata Phlox, Columbine  etc.

(Holly ferns can be cut to ground if badly damaged-do this before the new growth appears- ( looks like monkey tails  and Cast iron can also be taken to the ground if badly damaged)

*Cut these woody perennials and others like them–back by 1/3-1/2 just above a node to keep them from getting too woody and leggy.

Salvia Greggii, , Mexican Oregano, Russian Sage etc.

* Always Cut back Powis Castle Artemisia and Pink Skullcap by 2/3–even if it looks good–(if you don’t it will be leggy in June and  you shouldn’t cut it then–the heat on the new growth will kill the plant.)

*Herbaceous  Perennials die back to the ground each year but will return. Remove the dead part or trim it off at just about 2 “ above  ground level.   Example-Turks cap, Mexican Mint Marigold, Mexican Bush Sage, Autumn Aster. Creeping Lantana,  Most Ornamental Grasses etc

*Apply a Granular   and a Foliar on your program— wait at least 2 weeks after  corn gluten meal was applied–If your lawn suffers from SAD or if you  overseeded last fall with Elbon rye  wait until the weather  gets up into the 70′s again on a regular basis to do this task-

see Pick Your Program- attached

Tips for Adding New Mulch

Hardwood Mulch is one I prefer because it holds in moisture, stays in place, and looks very rich.  Apply 3”- 4” deep and it should last for a year.  “However, you may use the one you like best as long as it stays in place ( for instance-pine bark floats away-not a good choice).

Pine Straw  is now available and works great too and lasts longer

a. Use for pathways and sitting areas and  as mulch around plants

b. Use to control turf grasses and weeds; one bale covers 24 sq. ft. at my rate; since it is so acid, turf grasses and weeds don’t grow in it if applied thick enough. Weed seeds don’t germinate in it.

Additional Mulching Tips-and Fire Ant Control under surfaces

How to keep fire ants out of your flowerbeds as long as the mulch stays in place: Remember3-4” of mulch should last a whole year-less will not.

Before you lay mulch, apply a thin layer of DE  to prevent ants in your beds (Diatomaceous Earth) that can be purchased from a garden center (this is NOT the same as what you add to your pool). I use an old sifter as a scoop to shake over the area. As long as the Mulch stay in place the DE will be there—ants do not choose to move in.

you will have to use Nature’s Guide Fire Ant Killer to remove any existing mounds ( the DE by itself won’t run them off- but it will keep them from building new mounds)

Also apply a thin layer of  plain DE under step stones, patios, sandboxes, etc. so ants will not  move in under them. This works great-it lasts as long as the item placed on top  is there.

I had to share this fun easy ( I just made 10) valentine craft with you-check it out–This would work anytime you need a fun bouquet  for the table or a single flower to give .

Takes about 3 minutes to make one after you’ve collected all of the materials–have fun

I have received e-mails every day now from both  professionals and home owners–about corn gluten meal–To put it down now–or—  to not put it down- and what if it rains real hard after the application— are the  main questions.

Nature's way corn meal gluten

With corn gluten meal- especially in the Spring- these questions are always looming.  here are the pros and cons--if the dandelions are blooming then it is time to do it—you have to know that the weeds you see now had to have be controlled last fall- (or if you see them now they weren’t) the whole idea is to put the corn gluten meal down to catch the seeds that are blowing now that will show up later (in another1 1/2- 2 months). If the corn gluten meal  isn’t on the ground when that happens then you will get  more weeds.

Enjoy your garden features day and night with lighting.

Well placed outdoor lighting will accent those special places that we want to stroll to— and enjoy in our gardens. You don’t want to feel like you are sitting in a spotlight—you want comfortable soft light –dancing around the edges of the areas that you are choosing to be in. Front lighting that welcomes you home and shows off your house and landscape also needs to be well thought out. Lighting should offer security- but it doesn’t have to look like a parking lot and can be done in a way that also brings out the best features of your landscape. Below are 2 examples-WOW!!!!

The lighting in these pictures come from a few well placed lights that make quite a beautiful difference.
Lighting by or around swimming pools and ponds is really eye catching—(it doubles your pleasure) –just look at these great spaces. Of course –all of this is very pretty—and who wouldn’t want it–but you will also want to know how adding lighting will impact your existing garden plan and your wallet!! — I have asked Steve Lamb– owner of Lambs Landscapes and the person that I choose to help my clients light up the designs that I do for them– to answer these important questions for you. (Please notice that I keep mentioning a “few well placed lights” when I describe the pictures above. Getting help with placement can get you the most effect for your money- So choosing the right professional to install lighting is important for a lot of reasons. Steve will explain about the new low voltage lights that he uses—they are easy on the eyes and on the wallet.)

Message from Steve Lamb–
Lighting seems to be one of those things that tends to get overlooked – primarily because homeowners haven’t seen very many landscapes properly lit. But, as you know, Landscape Lighting done well can bring out Beauty, Functionality and Security to any property.

This past summer we totally switched to using LED lights in our landscapes. The advantages to using LED’s are huge! Efficiency (LED’s are 75% more efficient than traditional incandescent lights) – Life (most of our led’s are guaranteed for 15 years) & Output to list a few. Most people don’t realize that we can even convert or retro fit their existing low voltage systems over to LED. We have started using a line of LED replacement lamps that will go right in their existing fixtures. These LED’s are specifically designed for an outdoor application and have a great look! Because they consume so much less energy than the traditional halogen lamps, this allows us the ability to add new lights to a system that may have been maxed out before.

Although bugs are attracted to light, LED lamps give off very little heat, and also emit the wrong colors of the visible light spectrum. As a result, the number of bugs that are attracted will be minimal. Because it is believed that insects cannot see LED light, this is one of the main reasons that people switch to using LED’s in their landscapes.

Here is a point that I think everyone should understand – If they just hire an electrician to install landscape lighting, they will typically use Line Voltage (120v). Doing this requires wire inside conduit buried 18″ in the ground. Therefore, a fixture cannot be easily moved. However, with our Low Voltage (12v) LED Lighting it just requires a small cable that can just be buried slightly – this also allows us to install a system into an existing landscape without tearing anything up. Also, as a landscape matures we can adjust/move the fixtures to
accommodate the growth.

I hope that this blog post and these great pictures have youthinking about adding some lighting to your garden . I love being out in my garden at night—and looking out at it also gives me great pleasure. Check out Steve’s website for more ideas and examples of his and Faron Stauffer’s work. (They also install landscapes , pondless creeks and hardscapes.) For more lighting ideas-go to www.lambslighting.com

I wish you a beautiful space—Love & Luck Lucy Harrell

Strong Scented Repellant Plants——Any plant that has a strong scent will repel bad bugs [bugs that eat plants]. Many herbs fall into this category. Below I have listed some of my favorite repellant plants that I like to include in my designs. I call these my favorite because as well as being useful they are also beautiful.

*Powis Castle Artemisia [small 2’x3’ silver evergreen shrub-like perennial herb] it repels aphids and other pests. I like to add it under hybrid roses to both repel aphids and add winter interest to the naked trunks and branches.

Rosemary

* Rosemary [4’x4’evergreen with blue blooms in late winter-spring] it repels mosquitoes – plant it by all sitting areas.

*Society Garlic [tufts of garlic scented grass with lavender flowers that last spring - fall] it repels all plant-chewing insects. [Also systemic]

*Salvia Greggii [Texas native shrub that comes in many colors and blooms spring-fall] It repels scale.

*Copper Canyon Daisy [3’x4’ mound of green scented leaves with gold daisy like flowers in late fall] This plant has an intense fragrance that you can’t get enough of. It repels flies and most other plant pests.

*African Blue Basil [3’x3’ shrub like herb with wonderful blue blooms on purple-green leaves] it repels flies. [Also systemic]
Trap Plants—–to trap and hold insect pests and keep them off of other plants. Put a bird feeder close to these plants so the birds will spot the bugs and eat them. Beneficial insects will find and control the smaller insects. To follow are
a few of the many plants that are used as trap plants that I find most effective.

*Sunflower [any variety--native multi stem sunflower-my favorite] # one trap plant for all sucking rasping insects. Sunflowers [any variety] are irresistible to grasshoppers and leafhoppers. Sunflowers are full of juice and seldom damaged

Companion planting cabbages and marigolds

*Marigold [good summer annual -- my favorite is French marigold]. Spider mite trap. Plant them around your tomatoes or any other problem areas.

*Oleander –Large evergreen shrub [red is the best in terms of cold damage]. The Oleander is a trap plant for all aphids including and especially the large yellow Mexican aphids. Hang a bird feeder by them.

*Tropical Milk Weed [large annual with tall red and yellow flowers] Aphid trap.

* Mint [any variety--chocolate mint is a less aggressive one]. I allow it to flourish during the spring to trap the four-lined plant bug. In early June, when the heat ends this insect’s stay, I rip out the mint–the heat keeps it from growing and it returns in the early spring to do its job.

Larval plants—-to attract adult butterflies to lay their eggs on You will need to plan for these plants to be eaten back when the caterpillars populate them. They will grow back. Here are some of my favorite ones.

*Bronze Fennel [3’x3’ bronze-purple hairy like foliage that smells like licorice] this will be up spring-fall. Plant *Parsley in the fall to fill in as a larval plant over the winter. Eastern Black Swallowtail. *Dill in the Spring

* Passionflower Vine [Large vine with blue and green flowers and passion fruit] Gulf Fritillary.

*Rue [2’x2’ perennial-Blue-green} Swallowtail and Painted Lady.
Host Plants---to attract and hold beneficial insects in the garden. These plants provide habitat, or pollen for different beneficial insects. Note--trap plants that attract the most favorite food of beneficial insects--bad bugs are also host plants to the beneficial insects. Here are some of the ones that I use most.

*Big Ear Lambs Ear [Large fuzzy silver leaf groundcover] Host to Mealybug predator * Sunflower [Any variety] * Wildflowers *See the list of trap plants

Systemic Companion Plants—To provide fungal control to plants that are prone to fungal diseases such as black spot, powdery mildew and rust. These plants must be planted within six feet of the plant that you are protecting-this puts it in the root zone. To follow is a good list of these systemic plants.

*Tomatoes {any variety–Wonderful companion plant for roses–will make them much healthier.

*African Blue Basil or any basil will help tomatoes be less watery and have a deeper color and keep them from damping off. Basil will also help roses to hold a dark color longer and is good for the overall health of the rose.

*All of these will provide systemic fungal control ——————————

*Thyme, * Oregano, * Dittany Of Crete, *Society Garlic (* Garlic and * Onion Chives work too but reseed freely), * *White Yarrow. ( White Yarrow is the only systemic yarrow –it is invasive so I plant it with edging for control.

Love and Luck, Lucy Harrell

By Lucy Harrell T.C.N.P. A Specialist On Demanding Environments
www.organicgardeningtx.com lucygeorge5208@sbcglobal.net

For every 4 bags of Lady Bug premix –I added 2 bags of Lady Bug revitalizer compost ( or you could use 3 cubic feet of your own compost) + 6 cups of lava sand and 2 cups of Sul-po-mag or K-mag.I planted from plants and put a handful of 50/50 worm castings and rock phosphate mixture in the holes—if you are doing seeds—work a cup of each product in each square. When planting cool season plants- make that mixture equal parts of worm castings, rock phosphate and alfalfa meal . ( The alfalfa meal really picks them up after our usual on & off cool spells)

The average square foot gardens that are shown in the Square Foot Gardening Book and also most of the ones sold as prefabricated kits in garden centers -are made with boards about 6 inches high and laid on top of soil or even concrete—with all sorts of ideas to make dividers to separate the 1 foot squares. If this suits you –I have seen this work . ( although I can’t believe that deeper soil wouldn’t be best)

I wanted to make my beds raised high enough to afford me a sitting area along with a planting area inside the frame – so I designed my own. My square foot garden is 2 cinder blocks high-or about 16 inches deep — and my planting space inside the cinder blocks is 4 feet wide and 8 feet long–( the cinder blocks are 8 inches wide)– so over all– the whole space takes up 5 feet 4 inches wide by 9 feet 4 inches long –you would need 42 Cinder Blocks to do one like mine. You will see different ideas in the book –those are fine too–do what suits your needs best. You can buy fancy cinder blocks at building supplies in all natural brick and stone colors and textures.

I did exactly as follows-and had great luck with mine…

Remove or cut short the grass and weeds in the area that your garden will cover —-sprinkle DE ( garden grade Diatomaceous Earth that you buy in a garden center-not the kind that goes in the pool) on top of the soil. It doesn’t
have to be a real thick layer – I used about a cup. Using the DE will keep fire ants from invading your bed.

Another good tip is to use hardware cloth on the floor of your beds to keep moles from coming in to shop for worms. You can buy hardware cloth- cut to fit -off of big rolls in many garden centers and hardware stores. Lay down pieces of overlapped cardboard-wet it down good- and walk on it—build your garden on top of this.

If you are making it as tall as mine you can fill the bottom portion of the garden (up to the first cinder block ) with an inexpensive potting soil —I used 10- 2 cubic foot bags of living Earth potting soil to cover the bottom of my raised garden and then added 8 bags of the Lady Bug mix with 4 bags of Revitalizer compost mixed in with it to fill my inside garden area of 4’X8’-and I amended as mentioned.

Since I planned to use the holes in the exposed cinderblocks for perennial herbs-I used potting soil in those all the way to the top-it took about 8 bags of soil. If you choose to do a lower square foot garden bed – it will take 5 -2 cubic foot bags of potting soil for a 4X4 square X 1 cinder block high planter—but if you are only doing a 6” high board-like in the book-you will need only the planting mix on top of the cardboard—you need 4 bags of the Lady Bug for every 4X4 space. Add the other amendments too for best results ( compost, worm castings rock phosphate, Sul-po-mac or K-mag– and in the fall alfalfa meal)

4’X4’ or 4’X8’ light weight metal grids that lay on top of the garden-or any size you need

The other thing you need to do -is mark your 1’X1’ squares off—as I mentioned you will see all kinds of things used- like string- vine tape-old blinds etc—I wanted something easier to handle and something that would last forever and look nicer-so we make light weight metal grids that we make to order –just e-mail me.