Author: sparky

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An Organic Wasp Killer that Takes the Sting Out of the Great Outdoors

The Importance of Organic Wasp Killers for Backyards

Wasps can be very beneficial.

However, wasps elicit fear in many people, especially those who are severely allergic to them. Painful to humans, a wasp’s sting can vary greatly in toxicity.

For those without an allergy to wasp stings, they will experience varying degrees of burning, itching, redness, tenderness, and swelling that may last up to a week. These reactions can be treated easily with ice, meat tenderizer, or other commercial topical ointments.

Others may have an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction can include a rash, hives, headache, minor respiratory symptoms, and upset stomach. These reactions can be treated with an over-the-counter antihistamine.

For those rare individuals, a wasp sting can cause anaphylactic shock (fainting, difficulty breathing, swelling, and blockage in the throat) within minutes of being stung. These systemic allergic reactions may cause a person to die unless treated immediately with an epinephrine injection and a subsequent visit to the hospital. For individuals with allergies, a wasp killer becomes an important line of defense whenever spending time outdoors.

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Wooden Garden Furniture

Bench in Double-walled Garden by Charles Stirton

It’s only the start of April, but already the temperature is a little bit warmer, the days are lighter for longer and the season begins to change from Spring to Summer. I absolutely love this time of year.  It’s the time of year when the difficulties of winter, such as the terrible ice and snow, become distant memories and I can really start to look forward to the warmer months.

While having sunny April may not always mean that the next few months will have good weather, I find this time so exciting and uplifting, as it means I can get out into the garden again, do some clearing, planting, and best of all, relaxing on my favorite garden bench.

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Commercial Gardening Website: Southern Living Plants

TheGardenLady gets some commercial websites sent to her that seem interesting. Because there are so many garden websites, one cannot know all of them. So I thought that if any website comes to me that may be of interest to readers of TheGardenLady.org, I would put them on the blog so that you can also check them out to see if there is anything useful for you.  I do not recommend them even though I might like the sites.

The latest site I received is of new plants for gardeners who live in the south- in Hardiness Zones 7 to 9, 10 or 11. Some of the plants will even grow in Hardiness zone 6, but nothing for colder zones. Southern readers might want to see what is new for their gardens and where they can be purchased. And those of us who don’t live in these warmer zones can just drool- as I do over the Hawthornes- or get some bulbs that you might want to plant as annuals and dig up in the fall.

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More Thoughts about an Eco-Friendly Christmas

turnips by ted_major

TheGardenLady received these comments, from  Donna and one lady who did not give her name .

I too noted that real trees are more eco-friendly. It appears there is a lot more information on this subject being presented each day. I am always glad to find more support for the real trees. My friend is a Christmas tree grower and has been telling me this for years. Love the trees you found too. So clever. (Donna)

Unfortunately I had a very un eco-friendly Christmas this year, artificial tree (which is at least six years old), but the worst bit for me was that I had to buy all the vegetables for the Dinner this is the first time I can remember that we have had to do this. The vegetable plot we have normally provides all we need but this year due to the unusual weather I was not able to harvest anything so had to resort to shop bought produce which was not very tasty either. (Anonymous)

TheGardenLady loves to hear from her readers.  I was especially  interested in the comments about having an eco-friendly Christmas.

I appreciate the comment from Donna who enjoyed the Christmas photos and TheGardenLady’s support of real trees. Thank you.

I was saddened to read that one lady was unhappy this Christmas because she felt that hers was not an eco-friendly holiday because she did not have a real tree, but used her 6 year old plastic one. And she was unhappy because her vegetable patch was covered with snow so that she had to buy vegetables. I imagine that she lives in a part of the UK where snow is unusual.

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How to Use the Internet to Find Gardening Information

macterrarium by aur2899

If you wish to do gardening, plant or insect and pest research on your own, TheGardenLady wants to suggest a few ways to get the best, most up to date information on line.

The first is to check out what the extension offices have written on your subject of interest. When Googling up your topic, add the word extension at the end of the word/s you type in the search space and you will get a list of papers put out by various Agricultural extensions at different universities. For example, do you have skunks making a nest in your basement window wells? A friend did and contacted me about what she should do. I told her to call small animal control in her town. However, if you want to see what else might be recommended or if skunks don’t interest you but you are interested in rose care, type in Skunk extension or rose care extension and a list of papers from university researchers on the topic of your interest will appear.

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Buying Live Christmas Trees

Thanksgiving is over and now the next focus for many is Christmas. If you are buying a Christmas tree, the question is often, “should it be a live tree or a plastic Christmas tree?”  Of course, you know which TheGardenLady is going to recommend. This column will be about why to buy live trees for the holiday. 

Did you know that you are helping to support the American economy by buying live Christmas trees?  Between 100,000 and 150,000 people work in the Christmas tree business. Just as there is a push to buy produce locally, when you buy a fresh, live Christmas tree you are basically buying locally since Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii.  Christmas tree growers have about 1 million acres just for growing Christmas trees. And some of these farms allow you to go and have the family fun of choosing and then chopping down your own tree.

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Georgia Vines Nursery is A+ in Customer Relations

Yesterday TheGardenLady posted a comment from Terry, an angry customer, who was frustrated with Georgia Vines, a nursery that has been touted and promoted on TheGardenLady site.  We’re happy to report that the matter has been resolved.  Travis, the son of the owner of Georgia Vines  contacted Terry and discovered what had happened:  Terry had given the wrong address.  Travis shipped her seeds again to the correct address.

Anyways things are back in order, and this gives TheGardenLady more confirmation that her positive recommendation of Georgia Vines was spot on.

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Getting Pricked by a Rose

Drop of blood by sudesh

TheGardenLady received this question from Gary.

I pricked my finger on a rose thorn a few weeks ago. I wore gloves but the thorn still went right through. There was very little bleeding, no infection, swelling or itching. The wound has since healed but I can still see a dark dot under the healed skin and there is still a tiny bit of soreness when I touch it. What is this dark dot? Is there a chance that part of the thorn broke off inside the wound or would it definitely have become infected in that case?

I am so sorry to read that you had a thorn go through your gloves. I wish I could help you, but this GardenLady is NOT a physician, nor do I know any physician who would diagnose a problem from an email. If you are concerned about the soreness and dark dot, I would recommend your going to see your local physician. Good luck.

Let the readers and TheGardenLady know what your doctor tells you and what treatment you are given.

Two interesting websites about problems with rose prick infection are this and this.

As interesting as those websites are, remember NEVER self medicate and Never ask someone who is not a physician for medical advice. Be on the safe side – GO TO A Doctor.

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The Honey Bee Conservancy

Lustrous Spicy Jatropha and a busy shiny-winged Honey Bee by jungle mama

This is an update on honey bees.

This summer TheGardenLady saw numerous bees on all her flowers. It is delightful to see how happy the bees are. However, when I looked at the bees, I rarely saw a honey bee. I think I could count the number of honeybees I saw on one hand. So I have been trying to find out what is still happening to the honeybees. I haven’t read anything optimistic.

But I did find a new site called The Honey Bee Conservancy. This site was formed in response to the bee crises.  It has excellent links to other bee sites. And it recommends things that you can do to encourage honey bees and other pollinators. For example, The Honey Bee Conservancy recommends planting a garden with native, single top flowering plants that are blooming all season long.

I hope all TheGardenLady readers will become proactive in joining the bee movement. Please check out the Honey Bee Conservancy site.

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Spruce Up Your Garden for Less

Julia’s Garden by Allie’s.Dad

TheGardenLady has invited people with horticultural interests and expertise to contribute posts to this blog. The following post is about saving money on gardening and was submitted by Rachael Miller. She is is part of the vouchers team at moneysupermarket.com, which sponsored this post.

A garden can be your sanctuary- a place to relax, to host parties and even to grow your own food.  The problem is that creating your sanctuary can take up a lot of time and be expensive.  If you have green fingers, doing a spot of gardening may be your idea of heaven, but the hefty price tags for flowers, plants, garden furniture etc, can be hell for your bank balance.  Read this guide on how to get gardening products for less.

  • Use vouchers.  You might not associate vouchers with buying gardening products, however seeing as the vouchers market has grown by 50% year on year since the beginning of the recession, more and more retailers are deciding to offer discounts.  Before buying any gardening equipment, be sure to check for vouchers for the specific retailer you’ll be buying from.  You might be able to get some B&Q vouchers, or money off discounts for other big gardening retailers.  You can save a lot of money by taking advantage of the growing vouchers market, so never buy anything without one!
  • Shop online – this is another thing you might not associate with gardening, but you can grab some great bargains by shopping for anything garden related online.  You can find some excellent products such as weed killer, compost, garden furniture and ornaments- things that you don’t necessarily have to see up close before you purchase.  Plants are a different matter as you’ll more than likely want to see these before you buy. Also, see what people are selling- you may find you can get great deals on auctions sites.  Shopping online is a great way to compare products and their prices.

Great Comp Garden in the Round by antonychammond

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