Take some time right now and think about pest management in your garden. Winter is a good time to think about this because you have time to do some research and plan your strategy. With some research and knowledge you should be able to bi-pass harsh pesticides and enjoy your organic garden.

We often attack pests when we first spot them in our flowers and this knee-jerk approach usually involves harsh chemicals. Take a minute today to think about garden pests that will visit the garden this summer and the earth friendly ways to control them so that we can have more fun in our garden this summer.

Slugs can be a terrible garden pest. They make yucky paths all over the garden and they make ragged holes in the leaves of your garden. Yuck. Before you break out the most deadly of slug pellets which will also kill all the snakes, toads and [little bird feeding| bird feeding]creatures you can try some other things. Try slug traps using terra cotta pots turned upside down which flip over in the morning and pick off the slugs. Slugs will crawl under old newspaper bundles strewn around the garden and then you can just pick them up and toss them in the garbage. For a "crawl in but don't crawl out" trap, partially fill soda cans with a solution of beer, water and yeast. Scare slugs away by putting coffee grounds around the base of your hostas. Alternative methods may not be an absolute cure, but they are healthier for your garden and the creatures living there than harsh chemicals.

Japanese beetle, black vine weevil, fleas and cucumber beetles are some more unwelcome guests in your plants. Japanese beetles love to feast on yellow flowers...keep it in mind when choosing the colors of the garden. Black vine weevil enjoy chewing up your rhododendrons in case you were wondering what was eating those edges and cucumber beetles leave polka dot spots all over your daisy leaves.

Toxic chemicals will kill these garden pests, but they will also kill everythings else: put beneficial nematodes to work instead. Nematodes are threadlike worms that you mix with water and spray or pour around your plant roots. Nematodes need to be poured or sprayed on the garden on a cloudy day as exposure to sunlight will kill them. These namatodes are like little missiles in search of the offending grubs in your garden. Nematodes will not harm you or your family.Get those bad beetles with an application of nematodes in the early spring and late fall. Nematodes while initially expensive are a long term solution saving you a lot of money later. Say good bye to grubs forever by applying beneficial nematodes on your lawn. Nematodes are healthy medicine for your garden.

Aphids are a real rose flower problem. Spray them for a once a day for a few days with a heavy jet of water from your garden hose. Spray them with a mix of soap, oil and water. Try predatory lady bugs and praying mantis but they are iffy workers and don't always show up when you need them the most.

Nobody likes mosquitos! Citronella is probably your best and most accessible weapon against them in your garden.[Glass firepots| Firepots]filled with[citronella gel fuel|citronella fuel gel]are a key defense against these invasive and unwelcome garden pests!

You can feel good knowing that you are using these environmentally sound methods of pest control vs. poisonous pesticides. While these measures may not kill every pest in your landscape you can rest with the knowledge that you are doing your best to create a balanced environment. You help the planet and all the good creatures on it when you choose alternative pest management. Stop and think before you apply pesticides to your garden.

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The Poison Garden $8.29 It is the 1850's, and a young boy, Thomas, leaves his family to be apprenticed to a pharmacist, at the behest of his dead grandmother. He also inherits a magical box from her, which provides him entry into a mysterious garden. But while visiting it, he sees a ghostly vision of his grandmother, who tells him she was poisoned, and warns him that he must find the person responsible, and save her precious garden. For she was one of five members of an arcane guild, each of whom cultivated an individual garden, mastering the art of poison, perfume and medicine. The guild members jostle for power as, one by one, they are murdered... can Thomas solve the mystery, before he in turn is threatened?

Boxwoods are an excellent addition to a formal landscaped garden. They really can be shaped into almost any design your heart can think of. They're know for being perfect in gardens, staying vigorous and green all throughout the year and even in the northern seasons. Boxwood's do require a certain amount of care and maintenance. Keep your boxwood's looking great all year with these few simple steps:

1. Avoid a  mix and match boxwood hedge. If you have a boxwood hedge that needs replacement it is totally possible to have issue finding the exact same replacement to what you already got. For this scenario, look for a variation with a similarity in the branch. Just like with flowers, there are a variety of choices and what looks good together can vary, so examine what the green house has, see what looks good together and make your decisions accordingly. Alternatively you'll wind up with assortment of rapid growth and slow growth boxes with some being a pale green and others being more brilliant green giving you a hodge-podge end result!

2. Every region is different, so doing your homework before constructing your new hedge designs is solid advice. You will be better off if you can get a nice boxwood that is healthy, hearty and vivacious.  For example, Korean Boxwood is a variety that grows quickly,and is disease resistant in northern climates.

3. Your spring clean-up and maintenance of boxwood's starts with the addition of a 1/2 cup (per plant) of good organic, acidic fertilizer that has compost, peat, some special evergreen nutirents and dehydrated manure, mixed and spread out, around the base of your bushes. Roots have to be protected and will require you to accomodate them with fresh soil each couple of seasons.

4. The process of boxwood pruning is a pretty forward thing with a couple rules worth knowing. Never, never, never prune the boxwoods late in the fall, and, always, always, always be sure to let new spring growth "harden off" before you go out give'em that first "hair cut" of the year. If you didn't know, pruning in the fall promotes new and tender sprigs to grow that are going to brown in the spring. This will cause a dead look for several months before new growth comes in so your best not to do it. Since boxes are a kind of winter interest plant it is bad form to have big dead brown splotches in them. Better they be a little shaggy than dead looking.  

5. A shallow root system on boxwoods typcially leads to your green beauties drying out rather fast. So don't forget to do the mulching on your boxwoods. This is going to help the boxes roots to retain the water they do get and protect them. Shy away from mulch over-kill as you could very well wind up killing your trees due to bark rot from buried bases. Moderation is the key even in the garden.

6.Periodically do a check of your boxes for fungal type diseases. While they are generally vigorous they can fall victim to few problems. The problem with your boxwoods could be disease caused and not just some damage from winter so you'll want to do some researching. Most diseases can be easily cured with a fungicide spray or an oil soap spray depending on what you are dealing with: mold or insect. Don't go throwing a bunch of toxins around before you have throughly analyzed the issues. If all else fails just dig it out and replace the offending bush before it contaminates the rest of your hedge. Fortuantly having to replace just one plant isn't a huge deal, but when it comes to big issues and replacing a full hedged area your in for some bucks.

Enjoy this time of landscaping...boxwoods are really great for landscaping wheather you have a formal or even informal setting.

To find a complete line of Bird Brain home and garden decor to accent your landscapes, be sure to check out Cool Garden Things with their recycled glass gazing balls and decorative ceramic Bird Brain fire pots.

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