Bugs and the Heat

The Heat

Thank God that is over. The heat really tires me after just a couple of days. I guess that's what happens as you get older. Watering was a top priority for us the last several days. And now that it has cooled a bit we are giving our annuals a feeding of triple 18. Hopefully we can get a good root foundation and then it them with bloom booster in mid June. I think the early summer heat helped heal all of our material in, and with all the water we gave them they seem to have tissue growth now. So I am happy. The storm last night downed two trees in our Pine Grove area. It could have been a lot worse, and we are fortunate to have one of the very best arborist around in Chris Frank of The C.L. Frank and Company. He and I do annual inspections and try and take out dead or hazardous items before the storms. Well anyways it is shaping up to be a terrific week-end.

Bugs

In the early morning hours in the summer the bugs are all over the place. If you work outside you know what I am talking about. Bug spray will work with a high amount of Deet in it, but will only last so long. My method is to eat plenty of garlic with my diet and that acts as a natural retardant. I also have an ability to ignore them. I just flat out don't let them bother me. Just go about your business. You can also smoke cigars and the smoke will help greatly.

Plant of the Post

Dark American Arborvitae
Makes a great hedge and responds well to pruning and shearing. We have a few old ones that have not been maintained for several years. We have gotten in the middle of them and cut out a bunch of old canes and sort of topped them. We have been shearing them and removing dead wood from them for the past couple of seasons. Also we have seen a lot of new growth on the inside of the hedge and they appear much tighter then we have ever had them. We gave them a shot of Holly Tone and a good drink of water after shearing them and look forward to a season worth of inner growth to fill them out. They really look much better, what was once a scraggly hedge of about 25 feet high is a tight row of a hedge of only about 15 feet.

Fineto

A lot happening on the landscape everyday, more and more nature making it self seen. The last ducklings hatched and must of headed off to water. A great blue or grey herring was seen over campus today.
Good luck, Eddie Pags ( the Italrish Kid )

P.S. Can you see the Pointer Sisters in Concert anymore?