This and That

Heading to Fresno, CA ? Check out the Forestiere Underground Gardens: a 5-acre subterranean maze patterned after ancient catacombs. The garden design includes three levels planted with 65-90 year-old grapevines, trees and ornamentals. The gardens are the lifetime work of Sicilian immigrant Baldassare Forestiere. www.undergroundgardens.com

Children are notorious for putting anything and everything in their mouths! Take extra precautions if you grow the following poisonous plants in your garden: Castor Bean (Ricinus communis); Daphne, Foxglove, Mountain Laurel, Pieris ( pieris japonica), Rhododendron, Azalea and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinqefolia). Contact the UMass Co-operative Extension Service for a complete listing.

'Botanical Interests', a Colorado-based seed company, has developed an app for iPhone users who happen to be interested in vegetable gardening. You'll have at your fingertips detailed information on over 300 vegetables, a guide for growing in the shade, a link to help you locate your local county extension service, solutions to crop issues, fact sheets from the National Garden Bureau and recipes, too!

A new approach to slug control. Instead of waiting to trap them at the base of your favorite plants, trap them where they hide during the day.  On a bright sunny day, place your bait and traps under ornamental grasses and woody shrubs. When the slugs head out at night for their dinner, they'll end up in your traps, instead.

Ah, peonies! Such a shame that their gorgeous blooms, usually appearing all at once, are gone so soon. Solution: try extending their bloom time with cold, dry storage. When you see the first crack of color on the bud, cut the stem (about 16" long), strip off most of the leaves, and wrap up to ten stems in a triple layer of tissue paper. Mark the date on the paper and pop them in the fridge where they should last up to three weeks. To rehydrate, remove from fridge, cut an inch off the bottom of the stem and place in a vase of fresh water. The buds will be in full bloom in 2 days!!

In late spring, when temps warm, sow seeds of Nasturtiums outdoors, in a sunny location, directly in containers. Do not add compost to the potting medium. Instead, add extra vermiculite. Don't fertilize. Nasturtiums bloom best in lean soil. FYI:Nasturtiums help deter aphids, white flies, squash bugs and cucumber beetles.

New!! Veronica spicata 'Foxy Lady'. Growing 12"-15" tall and wide with bright pink and white bi-colored blooms. An erect, clump forming plant that will bloom for up to 6 weeks (with deadheading). The perfect shape to break up the plethora of round, daisy-like shapes so prevalent in our mid to late summer gardens.