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SMALL SPACE GARDENING: 2024 winning flowers for your garden and containers

April 3, 2024/0 Comments/in Small Space Gardening/by Melinda Myers

Sweetheart Kisses verbena attracts pollinators and brings a vibrant mix of red, rose, pink, and a bit of white to gardens or containers. (photo courtesy of All-America Selections)

by Melinda Myers

Make some room in your garden or containers for the new All-America Selections 2024 National award-winning plants. These winning varieties are tested in trial gardens across the United States and Canada. Volunteer judges rate entries based on their improved performance, flavor, disease resistance, and other unique qualities related to their performance in gardens and containers.

Celosia burning embers was selected for its bronze foliage with dark pink veins that contrasts with its vibrant pink flowers. Like other celosias, this variety is heat, humidity, and drought tolerant. Grow it in a container or garden bed in a sunny location. Grow plenty as you will want to pick a few to add to summer bouquets and dried arrangements.

Siam Gold marigold is another season-long bloomer that thrives in full sun and tolerates heat and drought. The three-to-four-inch double flowers top 18 to 20″ tall plants that do not need staking. Purchase transplants or extend your planting budget by starting these seeds right in the garden.

Interspecific Solarscapeâ XL Pink Jewel impatiens offers a tropical look and feel to full and partly sunny locations. You’ll enjoy flowers all season long as well as this plant’s superior disease resistance, including resistance to downy mildew disease. Grow this in mass in garden beds and borders or in a few containers on your patio, deck, or balcony.

Sure ShotÔ White Petunia can tolerate crazy weather conditions including heat, cold rain, and sunshine. This petunia hybrid grows eight to ten inches tall and works well in containers, hanging baskets, and garden beds. You’ll enjoy the lightly fragrant flowers that help attract bees and other pollinators to your gardens.

EnVivaÔ Pink petchoa is a cultivar of a petunia and calibrachoa hybrid. This variety wowed the judges with its mounded habit that persisted throughout the growing season. The bright pink flowers with yellow throat held up through heat and rain. Grow these in containers, hanging baskets, and garden beds.

Sweetheart Kisses verbena adds a vibrant mix of red, rose, pink, and a bit of white to full and partly sunny spots in your landscape. The airy foliage creates a nice backdrop for the flowers. Use it as an annual groundcover, edger in a flower bed or mixed border, or in a container alone or mixed with other annuals. Then watch for the butterflies and bees stopping by the flowers.

Big EEZE Pink Batik geranium’s unique pink and white mosaic blooms perform as well as other members of the Big EEZE series. The plant produces an abundance of flowers of equal size and coloration. It performed well in full to part sun in containers and garden beds.

Combine these winners with your other favorite flowers to create a stunning landscape and eye-catching containers this growing season.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: The squash (pumpkin) bug; you don’t want this fella in your cucurbits

April 3, 2024/0 Comments/in Scores & Outdoors/by Roland D. Hallee

Squash bug

by Roland D. Hallee

Have you ever heard of a pumpkin bug? Well, neither had I until someone asked about them.

The pumpkin bug, or squash bug, are also called stink bugs, but are not the traditional stink bug. Although some pumpkin bugs are called stink bugs, not all stink bugs are pumpkin bugs. If you ever spot a sizable green stink bug, there’s a good chance that it’s a pumpkin bug. They are similar in appearance to stink bugs because they both have a foul odor when squashed. However, stink bugs are wider and rounder.

The squash bug, Anasa tristis, is common throughout the United States. It primarily attacks squash and pumpkins but can also attack other cucurbits, such as cucumbers.

They are the bane of a gardener. They are difficult to kill and can cause a lot of havoc.

The adult bugs are somewhat flat, large insects, measuring 5/8 inch long and 1/3 inch wide. They are usually dark gray to dark brown. The edges of the abdomens protrude beyond their wings and typically have alternating orangish and brown stripes. They are able to fly, however they often simply walk around on plants.

These bugs overwinter as adults in sheltered places, such as under plant debris, around buildings, or under rocks. When adults emerge in the spring, they fly to growing cucurbit plants to feed and mate. Females lay eggs individually in small clusters of about 20 commonly on the undersides of the leaves, especially between the veins where they form a V. The females usually begin to appear in gardens in early June, and continue to lay eggs through mid-summer.

These bugs have piercing-sucking mouthparts they use to suck the sap out of leaves. This process produces yellow spots that eventually turn brown, and disrupts the flow of water and nutrients, which can cause wilting. Young plants are more susceptible to extensive damage. Larger, more vigorous plants are more tolerant of feeding damage, although they can also be injured or killed if they are severely attacked.

These bugs inject a toxin into the plant and suck the sap right out of it with their sharp mouthparts. This causes yellow spots that eventually turn brown. The leaves will wilt because the damage prevents the flow of nutrients to the leaves, and then they will dry up and turn black.

The most important times to control squash bugs are when the plants are young seedlings and when they are flowering. Early detection is important because adult squash bugs are difficult to kill.

Remove or knock off and kill nymphs and adults by dropping them into a bucket of soapy water. This can be challenging because the bugs hide under leaves and move quickly when disturbed.

Crush the eggs that are attached to the undersides and stems of leaves.

Trap the bugs by laying out boards or pieces of newspaper. The bugs will congregate under the boards at night, and then can be collected and destroyed in the morning.

Check your plants daily. If there are no more than a few vines infected, keep collecting and destroying the bugs and crushing the egg clusters that you find.

Insecticides are not generally needed to control these bugs. They can be used if cucurbits are found wilting early in the season. Carbaryl/Sevin, is most effective if applied when eggs are hatching. Consult your local garden center for controls that are locally approved. When using an insecticide, make sure to read the instructions well.

Planting time is approaching. Make sure your garden is free of these little pests. There is no worse feeling than seeing your plants being destroyed and you have no idea what is causing it. Check under the leaves.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Which MLB pitcher owns the distinction of having won the most games, and having lost the most games during his career?

Answer

Cy Young’s career record was 511-316.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Helping Alleviate Children’s Anxiety

March 27, 2024/0 Comments/in For Your Health/by Website Editor

At bedtime, when lights go out…sometimes thoughts stay on. A new children’s book can help.

(NAPSI) — If your children are like most, they get anxious from time to time—but you can help them get over it.

The Problem

In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), even with the best parenting, 80 percent of little ones feel that unpleasant emotion.

Some Answers

Fortunately, there are several ways you can help.

For one thing, the NIH suggests parents of younger children can help them “come back to earth” from spiraling thoughts with the 3-3-3 rule: Ask your child to name 3 things they can see, identify 3 sounds they can hear, and move 3 different parts of their bodies.

For another, one of the most anxious times for little ones is at bedtime. Scary things and worries flutter and flap around, making it hard to sleep. A calming nightly routine, including reading to your children, however, lets them settle down for the night.

Bedtime Reading Can Help

According to the Children’s Bureau of California, reading to your child at bedtime builds trust in them that you will be there for them. With a little imagination (and a lot of love) you can create a cozy nest for happy thoughts—and sweet dreams for your kids. One excellent new picture book that can help with that is “My Thoughts Have Wings,” by Maggie Smith. The bestselling author of the viral poem “Good Bones” and the memoir “You Could Make This Place Beautiful” delivers a lyrical and reassuring book great for calming active minds at bedtime (or anytime).

The poetic book was inspired by Smith’s own daughter who dealt with intrusive thoughts at night. It’s an fine way for children to recognize and name unsettling thoughts and provides an empowering, reassuring strategy for self-soothing.

The colorful hardcover is aimed at children from preschool through grade 3, published by HarperCollins and available wherever books are sold.

Learn More

For more information or to order the book, visit www.harpercollins.com.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: A childhood memory

March 27, 2024/0 Comments/in Review Potpourri/by Peter Cates

by Peter Cates

A childhood memory

Among my many childhood memories were the innumerable Sunday drives, when gas was inexpensive, down to Pemaquid, Rockport, Port Clyde, Belfast, Owl’s Head, St. George.

One particular memory is of the humongous rock quarries in St. George and it was brought to mind when I was browsing in Maine: The Pine Tree State from Prehistory to the Present (1995, University of Maine Press) and came across a paragraph on the beginnings of the quarry industry during the early 19th century:

“Maine’s granite quarries were first opened by local companies using local capital. These were usually small firms with fewer than twenty-five employees. The business was fiercely competitive, as was the construction industry generally, and wages and profits fluctuated widely. In the second half of the century, the industry was stabilized through two developments. During the 1870s, the federal government issued lucrative contracts for public buildings, known as “fifteen percent contracts” because they guaranteed that amount of profit to the builders and, by extension, to the suppliers. Several large quarry owners gained a monopoly over these contracts and profited heavily. ”

Needless to say, greed increased with the wealth and relations between management and labor deteriorated.

Dean Martin

Dean Martin recorded two quietly wistful ballads – Dreamy Old New England Moon; and Three Wishes – on a ten-inch Capitol 78 that was released in April 1949. What particularly enhanced Dino’s decently professional singing was the exquisitely crafted arrangements of Paul Weston who directed a studio orchestra consisting of some of the best strings and woodwinds session players to be found on the west coast and a backup group of harmonizing women.

NCIS Hawai’i

Vanessa Lachey

Though not quite on the same level as the Mark Harmon original, NCIS Hawaii’s first seven episodes for season one have proven entertaining. Vanessa Lachey as Jane Tennant, the lead agent for the Pearl Harbor branch of the Navy Criminal Investigation Service, had conveyed commendable presence.

Madeline Zima

Episode 5, Gaijing, which deals with the murder of a visiting Japanese officer, has an unusual plot twist. A woman who was close to both the victim and his girlfriend who had been murdered the previous year is the prime suspect because of what seems to be a psychopathic personality disorder. It’s the surprising plot twist that gave this episode unusual merit.

Madeline Zima’s performance as the suspect was quite extraordinary in her development of this character.

Leopold Stokowski

A 12-inch acoustically recorded shellac of the concluding part three of the Overture to Wagner’s opera Tannhauser had Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra in one of the most exciting performances to be heard when the horn was used for recording instead of the microphone. Stokowski not only drew extraordinary playing from the orchestra but achieved the most vivid sound from the still crude horn technology.

Stokowski’s other discs from before 1924, when Victor developed the electric microphone system, were also quite vivid in sound. And he would live long enough to record with stereo and four channel microphone set ups before he passed away in 1977 at the age of 95, and with a recording contract until he reached 100.

CRITTER CHATTER: Is it really hibernation?

March 27, 2024/0 Comments/in Critter Chatter/by Website Editor

by Jayne Winters

At several recent visits with Don Cote at Duck Pond Wildlife rehab, I couldn’t help but notice that the resident chipmunk has seemed more “chipper” (pun intended) than usual. Despite his rehab stint in the living room, I suspect his natural internal clock is nudging him about the warmer weather, signaling him to become more active, seek food, prepare for nesting and maybe even find a mate.

We all know that hibernation is the time of year when some animals pack it up for the winter and instead of moving south, hunker down to snooze until spring. Survival depends upon their ability to decrease their body temperature, as well as their heart, respiratory and metabolic rates. I was surprised to learn there are only three true hibernators in Maine: little brown bats, whose heart rate drops from 1,000 beats per minute to five; groundhogs, who spend the winter in a den located below the frost line and above the water table, dropping its body temperature to 38°; and meadow jumping mice, who spend only two weeks fattening up and won’t wake to eat or drink until spring.

Other species can reduce their body temperature and metabolic rate during the winter are not considered true hibernators because they rouse easily and can become active during warm periods. This semi-hibernation is called ‘torpor’ and Maine critters that utilize this behavior include black bears, skunks, racoons and reptiles. Reptiles are considered cold-blooded because they can’t produce their own body heat – their temperature is controlled by their environment. When the cooler days of fall arrive, they go into a dormant period called “brumation” [I’d never heard of this!], during which they can survive long periods without eating, but still need to drink to prevent dehydration.

Back to the chipmunks: At around 40°F, they start gathering nuts, seeds, twigs, and other items in those cute little cheek pouches, moving large quantities of food into their burrow storage rooms called ‘caches.’ They’re always busy, gathering up to 165 acorns per day! An enormous amount of food can be held in their cheek pouches, which can stretch to three times the size of the head. Within just two days, a chipmunk will have collected enough food to last through the whole winter. They don’t sleep for the entire season, but wake up occasionally to bring their body temperature back to normal, eat to build up their fat reserves, urinate and defecate. In addition to maintaining a constant lower body temperature for the winter, they slow their heart rate from the usual 350 beats per minute to only four beats per minute. A new study has found that as winter temps become milder because of global warming, chipmunks may become less likely to hibernate in the coldest months. Research indicates that follow normal hibernation procedures have a winter survival rate of about 87 percent, while those that remain active because of warm winter weather are almost certain to die by spring.

I’ve noticed a couple of Chippies in our yard the past few days and I’m sure the little guy at Duck Pond will be happy to be released back into the wild where he can start filling those cheeks!

Don and his volunteers appreciate and thank the other rehabbers who continue to generously accept critter transfers from Duck Pond. Please check the following web sites to see if there is one near you: https://www.mainevetmed.org/wildlife-rehabilitation or https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/living-with-wildlife/orphaned-injured-wildlife/index.html . Donald Cote operates Duck Pond Wildlife Care Center on Rte. 3 in Vassalboro. It is a non-profit state permitted rehab facility which is supported by his own resources and outside donations. Mailing address: 1787 North Belfast Ave., Vassalboro ME 04989 TEL: (207) 445-4326. Please note the previous e-mail address is no longer monitored.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Incoming! Excitement builds for the return of ice giants

March 27, 2024/0 Comments/in Scores & Outdoors/by Roland D. Hallee

An iceberg floats past a village in Newfoundland. (photo by Terrance Klassen)

by Roland D. Hallee

A strange phenomenon occurs every spring in the north Atlantic. Large icebergs come floating down the south shore near Ferryland, Newfoundland, Canada. People journey to the site – some traveling thousands of miles – to see this spectacle.

For the locals, it’s no big deal. But for others, seeing them for the first time, it’s a breath taking sight.

Slowly, an entire flotilla of massive chunks of ice several stories high gradually make their way south from Greenland.

Most years, hundreds of icebergs break off from glaciers and their one- to three-year nomadic journey begins. If the winds are favorable enough, they reach “iceberg alley,” an area of the Atlantic that roughly stretches from the coastal waters off Labrador, in Canada, south along Newfoundland.

In 2019, 1,500 icebergs were sighted.

Meteorological and oceanographic conditions – wind direction, ocean currents and air and sea temperatures – play a role and impact the flow of the icebergs, determining how big a show Mother Nature will put on each year, according to the U.S. Coast Guard International Ice Patrol, which monitors the area off Labrador and Newfoundland for icebergs.

The icebergs have become a major attraction, giving rise to some iceberg tourism and delivering lucky spectators with a front-row seat to an unusual parade.

Tour boats actually venture out for a closer look at any number of the many icebergs. However, they never get too close in case the icebergs continue to break up.

Speaking of boats, could it be possible that one of these giant icebergs was responsible for the sinking of the RMS Titanic? The sea disaster happened on April 14, 1912, in the north Atlantic when the British luxury passenger cruise liner collided with an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland. The timing would be right.

These gigantic icebergs in Greenland can reach up to 300-feet above sea level. That, plus most of the icebergs are not visible, with 90 percent of an iceberg’s size beneath the surface. Some take on odd shapes as they melt, even looking like ice castles by the time they pass along the Canadian shore.

As many enjoy the icebergs and all of what they have to offer, some are concerned, hoping that future generations will be able to marvel at these giants of nature as many do today.

They should be enjoyed while they last, with the current climate changes, there’s no guarantee we’ll see this spectacle in years go come.

Where to Watch

Iceberg Alley stretches from the coast of Labrador to the southeast coast of the island of Newfoundland. Some of the more popular places from shore, or from tour boats, are (from north to south): St. Lewis, Battle Harbour, Red Bay, Point Amour, St. Anthony, La Scie, Twillingate, Fogo Island, Change Islands, Bonavista, St. John’s / Cape Spear, and Bay Bulls / Witless Bay. All of these locations are accessible by road. The first four, which are on the coast of southern Labrador, can be accessed by car ferry from the island of Newfoundland year round. The further north, the longer the iceberg season.

Time of Year

The icebergs come through Iceberg Alley from spring to early summer. As you move north, the season stretches a bit longer. April and May are the months when bergs are most plentiful, but they may be locked up in sea ice, so it is suggested late May and early June for best viewing.

Are you planning a vacation to Newfoundland, yet?

So, you thought he was wrong

I’ve heard it, and even half expected it. Back on February 2, my weather prognosticating groundhog, Woodrow Charles, predicted six more weeks of winter. Everyone snickered when March came in like a lamb, and the weather just continued to improve as the month went on, to the point that by the first day of spring, there was not a snowflake to be found anywhere. My crocuses and tulips are up, my rhubarb had broken ground, even my lilac tree showed some buds. My friend the groundhog had been wrong. And then came March 23. Six weeks following February 2, a major snow occurrence, and March is going out like a lion.