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Sandy's Garden Column

  We're pleased to introduce Sandy Feather as a garden columnist at donnan.com.  Sandy is Pittsburgh's leading garden columnist and works as the Extension Educator for Penn State's Cooperative Extension in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

  
On these webpages, Sandy will share her timely and expert gardening advice with readers. Sandy's columns will address top gardening and landscape issues, so stop back often to read her latest column. Or sign-up for the RSS feed.
   

  
Sandy's Garden Columns

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African Violets blooming
What can cause African violets to stop blooming.
African Violets - Propagation from cuttings
African violets (Saintpaulia spp.) are easy to propagate by leaf cuttings.
Aggressive Perennials
Perennials that are 'garden bullies.'
Almonds and Pecans
Are Almond and Pecan trees hardy in Pennsylvania?
Amaryllis Care
How to care for amaryllis bulbs during and after they bloom.
Amaryllis - Starting Amaryllis from seed
You can start new amaryllis plants (Hippeastrum spp.) from the seeds contained in the pods.
Annual flower trial - Outstanding performers
Annual flowers that perform well with minimal maintenance.
Annual flower trial - Flowers rated 'good' and 'poor'
Annual flowers that performed 'average' to 'poorly.'
Artillery Fungus New!
This could explain those black tar spots on your house.
Asian Lady Beetles
Beetles that gain attention when they move into households to overwinter.
Asparagus beetles
Two types of beetles chew on your asparagus plants.
Asparagus growing
Preparing asparagus for the winter.
Attracting Songbirds New!
Plants for your yard that attract birds.
Azaleas and Rhododendrons
Rhododendrons and azaleas both are classified in the genus Rhododendron, so they are very similar.
Azalea Bark Scale
White crusty areas on an azalea's branches may be this soft scale insect.
Azalea gall
Azalea gall is caused by a fungus.
Bagworms
What look like pinecones may actually be bagworm cases.
Bamboo: How to get rid of bamboo
Bamboo takes time and persistence to eliminate.
Bees in the Garden
Use these plants and methods to encourage and protect honeybees.
Best Flowers
Our best performing flowers of 2008.
Biofungicide for tomato late blight
Another option for preventing late blight on tomatoes.
Black spot on roses - Control methods
Black spot is the most common and severe disease that rose growers have to face.
Blighted tomatoes
Late blight also damages the tomatoes, not just the leaves.
Blister beetles
Bad for your flowers and to the touch!
Blossom End Rot on Tomatoes
Blossom end rot appears as black leathery areas on the blossom end of maturing tomatoes.
Blueberries in containers
Blueberry plants require an acidic, evenly moist yet well-drained soil rich in organic matter.
Blueberry pruning and care
When and how to prune blueberry bushes.
Boxwood leafminer
Blisters on boxwood leaves are characteristic of boxwood leafminer.
Butterfly Bush New!
Whacky spring weather was brutal to subshrubs like Buddleia.
Caladiums
Growing a caladium indoors is difficult due to lower humidity.
Canna Viruses
Cannas are susceptible to several viruses.
Chinch Bugs
These bugs love hot, dry summers on lawn areas in full sun.
Christmas Tree Freshness New!
Purchasing and maintaining a fresh cut Christmas tree.
Clematis Care - Pruning Clematis Vines
It's advisable to prune all clematis annually.
Clematis Problems
Clematis wilt occurs most frequently on large flowered hybrid varieties.
Coffee on Plants
Compost coffee grounds before using them in the garden.
Coleus
Saving Coleus from your flower garden one year to the next.
Common Stalk Borer
Common stalk borer feeds on over 175 types of plants.
Compost - Composting for the garden
Compost that is thoroughly "done" has a fresh earthy smell, and you cannot identify the original components.
Composting for Houseplants
Compost should be completely broken down for houseplant use.
Controlling Weeds
Weeds in ground covers require extra work and care.
Corn Earworms
Corn earworms cause damage by feeding on the fresh silk and boring into the tips of the ears of corn.
Cover Crops
Cover crops such as winter rye are grown to protect the soil from erosion and increase its nutrient content and organic matter.
Crabgrass
How to get rid of crab grass in your lawn.
Crabgrass infestation repair
How to repair lawn spots damaged by crabgrass infestations.
Crane Flies
Huge mosquitoes or crane flies?
Crape Myrtle
Are Crape Myrtles hardy enough for northern climates?
Crown Gall
This "brain-looking" growth is common on Euonymus.
Cucumber beetles
Beetles transmit a disease called bacterial wilt to your cucumbers.
Cucumber problems
Downy mildew is a real problem when growing cucumbers.
Currants with insects
Red currants can have several insect problems.
Cutting-back overgrown Yews
Overgrown Taxus can be severely cutback in early Spring.
Cyclamen
How to care for this holiday plant.
Deer resistant flower bulbs New!
If deer eat your tulips try these bulbs.
Deer Rubs on Tree Trunks
Preventing and repairing deer damage to the trunk of a tree.
Dividing Dahlias for planting
How to divide Dahlias before planting them.
Dog damage to Lawns New!
Tips for preventing dog damage to your lawn.
Dollar Spot
Dollar spot disease is a big problem on bluegrass lawns.
Drought Tolerant Plants
A list of landscape plants for dry conditions.
Easy Perennials
Try some of these plants for an easier time in your garden.
Eggplant Flea Beetle
Numerous tiny holes on plant leaves are characteristic of Flea Beetle feeding.
Emerald Ash Borer
This deadly insect is now present in 10 Pennsylvania counties.
Euonymus Scale
White flecks on euonymus leaves are probably scale insects.
Fertilizer burn on lawns
What to do following over-application of lawn fertilizers.
Fertilizing Daffodils - What to use and when
Daffodils and other bulbs put on significant root growth in the fall, so it's a good to time fertilize them.
Ficus Leaf Drop - Houseplants dropping leaves
Weeping figs (Ficus benjamina) are famous for dropping leaves when moved from one location to another.
Fire Blight on Crabapples
This bacterial disease affects plants in the Rose family.
Flower Pots need good drainage
Use an interior plastic pot liner with drainage if necessary.
Flower Trials
The hottest picks in flowers, by guest columnist Nancy Knauss.
Fourlined Plant Bugs
Fourlined Plant Bugs cause circular brown spots in flower foliage one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter.
Freeze Damage to Outdoor Plants
Plants damaged by a cold snap.
Fungus Gnats - Those annoying little household pests
These common houseplant pests are primarily nuisance insects.
Garden soil amendment
Amending garden soil often begins with horse manure.
Gardenias as Houseplants
Successfully growing a gardenia indoors requires special care.
Grape Black Rot
When grapes shrivel up before they are mature enough to harvest.
Grass Seed Purchases
Considerations for buying the right grass seed.
Grasses with endophytes
Endophyte-enhanced turfgrasses are insect resistant and more!
Grassy Weeds in Daylilies
Quackgrass is the ultimate challenge.
Gray Mold on Peonies
Peony botrytis is the most common disease of herbaceous peonies.
Groundcovers under trees
These groundcovers work better than grass under trees.
Ground Ivy
Ground Ivy is a tough lawn weed to eliminate.
Growing Amaryllis
Foliage usually appears after flower stalks.
Growing Black-eyed Susan
This tough perennial does have a few problems.
Growing Beans
Legumes do better when treated with rhizobia.
Growing Blueberries
Look to the soil and roots when you have sluggish blueberry plants.
Growing Boxwood
Plant boxwoods in areas with good drainage. It's alright to prune them while dormant.
Growing Christmas Cactus
How to keep Christmas cactus blooming.
Growing Prayer Plant
Learn about the three things that can cause brown leaf tips.
Growing Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a cool season, perennial vegetable grown for its piquant leaf stalks used in pies and other dishes.
Growing Rosemary
How to grow the rosemary herb indoors during the winter.
Growing Seeds Indoors
How and when to start your vegetable plant seedlings.
Growing Zucchini
Why your garden zucchinis might be bitter tasting.
Gypsy Moths
Gypsy moth caterpillar identification and control.
Helping the Honeybee
Steps you can take to encourage honeybees in your landscaping.
Hemlock insect pest spreads
Hemlock woolly adelgid has devastated Canadian hemlocks.
Hibiscus
How to overwinter Hibiscus indoors.
Hillside Plantings
Hillside plantings can replace difficult to mow lawn areas on slopes.
Holly Leafminer - Control measures
There are several species of leaf mining flies that attack holly foliage.
Honeylocust sprouts
Getting rid of root sprouts from a tree that was cutdown.
Honeysuckle Aphids
Honeysuckle aphid feeding spoils the flowers and the toxin they inject causes curling of the leaves.
Hostas and HVX
Hosta virus X (HVX) was first reported in 1996.
Houseplants frozen?
How to tell if houseplants have survived a freeze.
Houseplants - Watering
Drooping and leaf loss can be signs of drought stress.
How to prune a Butterfly Bush
When and how to trim Buddleia.
Hydrangeas not blooming
Why your hydrangea is not flowering
Impatiens Problems
Verticillium wilt is a common problem when impatiens are planted in the same place every year.
Insects in Mulch
Properly applied mulches have many benefits.
Integrated Pest Management
IPM is a common sense approach to pest control. New!
Iris Borer
Iris borers enter through the leaf and exit through the rhizome
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese knotweed, also known as Mexican bamboo or Japanese bamboo, is extremely difficult to eradicate.
June Beetle or Emerald Ash Borer?
Distinguishing the difference between the two insects.
Kerria in the Garden
Tending Kerria in the garden.
Landscaping Steep Banks
Landscaping's greatest challenge is steep banks.
Late-season Garden Vegetable Plants
What to plant in your vegetable garden after mid-July.
Lawn: Beautiful lawn tips
Follow these tips for a beautiful lawn!
Lawn fundamentals
Fundamentals for keeping a lawn in good condition.
Lawn grasses for low maintenance
Grasses to ease your lawn care tasks.
Lawn plantings in Fall
Working with nature by seeding your lawn in the fall.
Lawn spot-seeding
How to successfully spot-seed a new lawn.
Lawn surface roots
What you can do about bumpy tree roots in your lawn.
Lawns in the Shade
How to grow grass in the shade.
Lawns with low maintenance practices
Cutting back on chemicals and pesticides in your lawn care.
Lawn weed control
How and when to treat lawns with weeds.
Leucothoe
Leucothoe prefers a shaded location.
Lilacs Not Blooming
Lilacs (Syringa spp.) fail to bloom for a number of reasons.
Low-E window glass and houseplants
Higher window insulating values mean less light for indoor plants.
Magnolia scale
Sticky-stuff, bees and black leaves are the usual symptoms.
Mail Order Plants
How to handle your plant order upon arrival.
Maple Leaf Spot
A wet spring increases the occurrence of leaf spots. New!
Mexican Bean Beetles
One 'bad' lady bug may be devouring your green beans.
Mold on Peonies
Gray mold (botrytis) will cause black leaves and flower buds.
Moles
Lawn damage from moles?
Moss
Controlling moss problems on your lawn.
Moving a Holly bush
How to transplant a holly when it gets too big.
Moving houseplants indoors at summer's end
Expect some leaf drop due to changing light conditions.
Mulching tree leaves into your lawn
Tree leaves bring added benefits to your lawn, so mulch them if they aren't too thick.
Mulching Rhododendrons
Leaves that are light green can indicate a nitrogen deficiency.
Mulching trees
What's up with this "volcano mulching" of trees?
No Berries on Holly
Hollies (Ilex spp.) are dioecious with male and female flowers produced on separate plants.
No lawn pesticides
How to grow lawns without pesticides.
Norfolk Island Pine - Culture and care
Norfolk Island pines (Araucaria heterophylla) can make attractive, durable houseplants.
Oak Wilt
Northern red oaks are more susceptible than white oaks.
Oakleaf Hydrangea Pruning
When to prune Oakleaf Hydrangeas.
Oleander trimming
How to trim Oleanders without affecting their blooms.
Outstanding Perennials - Perennial Plant of the Year
The selections for Perennial Plant of the Year.
Overwintering Bulbs
Caring for daffodils and more.
Pachysandra diseases New!
Volutella is the most common disease of pachysandra.
Pampas Grass
How to deal with large clumps of Pampas Grass.
Pear Tree problems New!
Several things can blemish pears.
Peony care - How to get your peonies blooming
Peonies fail to bloom for a number of reasons, including lack of maturity.
Pepper Plant Problems
Pepper plants in the vegetable garden can drop their leaves for a number of reasons.
Pesticide Storage
Pesticides need to be stored properly.
Petunia Flowers Getting Eaten?
Tobacco budworm larva damages petunias and many other species of flowers.
Picking Flowers
List of flowers that did well, and not so well, in our southwestern Pennsylvania gardens.
Pine Sawfly
Sawflies cause needle stubble on Mugo Pines, watch for them in the Spring.
Pine tree dieback
Weevils could be causing the growing tips of your pines to dieback.
Pink Patch on Lawns New!
Pink patch and red thread are similar lawn diseases.
Plants for Street Lawns
What to plant on those narrow strips of ground.
Planting Annuals
Annual flowers can suffer from heat stress and sunburn when they are suddenly exposed to full sun rather than given an opportunity to acclimate gradually.
Planting in the Shade
A list small trees, shrubs and perennial plants that flourish in shady locations.
Planting Potted Tulips in the Garden
Potted tulips don't usually move very well into the garden.
Poinsettia care after Christmas
Caring for poinsettias and getting them to re-bloom.
Poison Oak and Poison Ivy identification
How to identify poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac.
Potato Beetles
Watch your tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, and peppers.
Powdery Mildew
White coating on plant leaves is probably Powdery Mildew.
Preparing a Vegetable Garden for Winter
Steps for getting your veggie garden ready for winter.
Pruning Hydrangeas
What you need to know about Hydrangeas flowering.
Pruning Raspberries
Raspberry varieties require different pruning strategies.
Pruning Rhododendrons
Overgrown rhododendrons can be salvaged with severe pruning.
Pruning snow damaged plants
How to prune away snow damage.
Raised Bed Plantings
Plants for hot, dry locations along your foundation.
Raspberry Problems
Several varieties of raspberry cane borers can cause problems while growing raspberries.
Renovating Privet Hedges
Mid-March is the best time to renovate privet hedge.
Rhododendron Problems
Watch for these three major rhododendron diseases.
Root Sprouts on Trees
How to deal with root sprouts on trees.
Rose color change New!
Why your yellow rose becomes a red rose.
Rose midge
One reason roses won't bloom.
Rose preparation for winter
How to get your roses ready for cold weather.
Rubber Mulch
Rubber mulches are touted as longer lasting than shredded bark.
Scale Insects
Scale insects can be hard to detect if you are not familiar with them.
Scheffleras
How to prune overgrown schefflera houseplants.
Slope Plantings
Plants to use when planting a slope that has clay soil.
Slug Damage on Hostas
There are environmentally-friendly ways to prevent slug damage.
Slugs in the Garden
Ridding your garden of slugs.
Snow Mold damage to lawns
Why lawns often look worse for wear in early spring.
Soluble Salts on Clay Pots
Accumulations of soluble salts from fertilizers and minerals appear on clay pots.
Squash Vine Borers
Often the cause of zucchini wilt in hot weather.
Starting Seeds Indoors
Start your cool-season vegetable crops indoors from mid-February to early March.
Stink Bug damage to plants
Stink bug damage to agricultural and ornamental plants.
Stink Bugs
Not all stink bugs are bad!
Stinkhorns New!
These garden fungi will get your attention!
Storing Dahlias over winter
How to store dahlia tubers over the winter.
Storing Seeds from your Garden
Seeds should be stored in a cool, dry place.
Strawberry patch care
How to maintain your strawberry patch through the seasons.
Strawberry selection and culture
Strawberries are one of the most commonly grown fruits in the home garden.
Termites in mulched beds
Both wood mulch and stone mulch can invite insect problems.
Thistle Control
What to do when thistles take over your carpet Juniper bed.
Tomato Growing 101
Stick to basics for tomato growing success.
Tomato Late Blight
Avoid growing potatoes and tomatoes next to each other.
Tomatoes and Late blight
Steps to prevent the devastation of tomato blight.
Tomatoes with TMV
Leaf roll on tomato plants may be due to Tobacco Mosaic Virus.
Top Flowers of 2009
Demonstration garden results are in for the best flowers of 2009
Transplanting in Late Fall
Some plants tolerate late fall transplanting better than others.
Transplanting Shrubs Before Home Construction
It's best to move woody plants while they are dormant.
Tree replacements for Ash trees New!
Trees to plant if the borer takes your Ash.
Trimming Holly
How and when to trim your Hollies.
Tulips that will not bloom
Listed here are the reasons (other than deer) that tulips will not bloom.
Vegetable Gardens - Mulches
Leaves that have been composted or shredded make a good winter mulch for the vegetable garden.
Vegetable gardens in partial shade
Leafy crops do better than most with less than 8 hours of sun.
Vegetable garden weed control
How to control weeds in your veggie garden.
Vegetable gardens and temperatures
Certain temperature ranges favor vegetable production.
Vegetable Seed for Next Year's Garden
Saved vegetable seed can last several years depending on the variety.
Viburnum dieback
Don't stress your viburnums.
Viburnum Leaf Beetle / Updated
These small leaf beetles defoliate several Viburnum species.
Vines for a Shady Trellis
Nice perennial vines that perform well on a shady trellis.
Watch for Ticks! New!
Ticks can carry Lyme disease, and more.
When to fertilize your lawn
Apply lawn fertilizer late in the Spring for better results.
When to Prune Shrubs
Some shrubs need to be pruned at the right time.
Watering new landscaping
Too much water can be as bad as too little.
Webworm on Honeylocust
Honeylocust trees with brown, webbed leaves in late summer.
Weeds in gravel driveways
What to do about weeds growing in a gravel driveway.
Whitefly control with insecticidal soap or oil
These small flying insects are common pests on many houseplants as well as on plants in the garden.
Why roses won't bloom
Rose buds that turn brown and fail to produce flowers are classic symptoms of a rose midge attack.
Wild Onions or Wild Garlic?
Wild garlic and wild onion are related and similar in appearance.
Wildflowers
Converting your lawn into a wildflower meadow.
Window box flowers
25 annual flowers for sunny window boxes.
Winter garden beauty
Plant selections that will add interest to a winter landscape.
Wisterias that don't flower
How to care for stubborn bloomers
Wood ashes will affect the soil's pH
Wood ash reacts with soil much like lime, raising the pH of the soil.
Yellow Nutsedge
Nutsedge likes wet areas of the lawn and landscape.
Zucchini blossom end rot
Why your half grown zucchinis are rotting on one end.

LINKS

Master Gardener's gardening columns

BOBscaping on YouTube

 

    

Sandy's Garden - Answers to your gardening questions
Sandy's Garden - Garden Columns about trees, lawns and gardening.


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