BlogWhere insects are concerned, an ounce of prevention can be worth a pound of cure. What I’m talking about is dormant spraying shrubs and trees to head off insect problems later on. Specifically, oil sprays called dormant oils are applied winter and early spring to dormant trees and shrubs. They work by coating insect’s eggs, [...]
“Where is what I’m looking for?” These are words I first uttered years ago in the midst of a spring rush at the nursery. It’s funny but not too surprising given the intensity of the ramp up which happens each spring here when the place goes from bare ground and empty greenhouses to a riot of [...]
So, it snowed in April. No big deal for plants and gardens. Snow actually protects foliage, flowers, etc. from the air which can be much colder and, thus, more damaging than frozen water. Besides, most everything is still dormant and waiting for warmer temperatures. Things are happening though. Grass is greening up, buds are swelling [...]
March weather is notoriously unpredictable here in the Missoula valley
“Cast aside any fears and venture boldly into the vast canvas which is your yard”
“When pruning, think of selective thinning rather than simply cutting back”
What has winter brought? For Montana gardeners, “What will spring bring?” might be the better phrase. Either way, the answers vary every year. What will survive unscathed? What might be winter injured or even killed outright? In spring 2010 the answer was a resounding “Heck yeah, a lot of plants were winter killed!” The hard [...]
If you have lots of leaves and garden refuse, consider starting a compost pile. It can be built now and will provide you with excellent composted humus for soil conditioning later. By soil conditioning, I mean that it will be adding nutrients, moisture retention and looseness to the soil in your gardens and flower beds. [...]
What does the term landscape mean to you? Your answer will likely differ from those of anyone else. For some it means a well manicured lawn, while for others it means all the possible components of an outdoor area including lawns, trees, gardens, boulders, water features, shrub beds, retaining walls, and public and private areas. [...]
Deer have become a problem in most areas of town as they find many of the plants in yards to be quite edible. Additionally, in late summer/fall bucks can irreversibly damage trees by using them to “rub” their antlers. Deer have become so prevalent that plant selection often revolves more around what will survive the [...]