Wilting plants? Could be heat, not drought

Heat is causing this hydrangea to wilt.
The soil has plenty of moisture.

It’s obvious when plants have had too much cold. They freeze. They brown. They turn to mush.

Too much heat can be nearly as destructive, but the damage is less obvious. Or the trouble gets blamed on drought instead of heat.

Wilting, for instance, isn’t always a sign that a plant isn’t getting enough water. It could be flat-out hot temperatures.

Click here to learn more

Keep rabbits from eating the landscape

Eastern cottontail rabbit

© William Parnell (Fotolia)

They may be cute, but rabbits can devour many of the plants that define the landscape or feed the family.

These furry lovers of vegetable seedlings also have an appetite for hostas and daylilies.

Click here to learn how to protect your food and ornamentals from cottontails

How to reduce watering duties in the veggie garden

Keep water low, at the root
zone of plants.

© Noam (Fotolia)

Now that the vegetables are planted in the garden, water becomes the life source for healthy plants and good food production.

Most vegetables need about one inch of water every week for good food production.

Click here for tips on efficient use of this precious resource

Ten ways to let nature nuture your landscape

Water only plants that really need it.

Bombarded lately by alarms ranging from air pollution to water shortages to disappearing bees and butterflies, gardeners are paying more attention to what role they might be playing. Some gardening habits can wasteful. Routinely spraying for insects “just in case,” watering to excess and over-fertilizing are among activities that should be curtailed.

It’s possible for your garden to be beautiful and vibrant without having to dominate nature.


Click here for ten ways nature can nuture your landscape