UPDATE: Laura Jesse, entomologist with Iowa State University Extension, said while she is not 100 percent certain from the photograph, it appears the mystery caterpillar is what several of us suspected: a white-lined sphinx moth. “They have a lot of variability,” she noted, and sent along this link: http://bugguide.net/node/view/3071 Previous post: A Homegrown reader is […]
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Category: gardening
Upcoming Backyard Abundance classes help...
Wouldn’t it be nice to step outside your door to harvest what you need for dinner? And wouldn’t it be even better if that food could grow with minimal effort? Iowa City-based Backyard Abundance is offering a series of classes that show you really can have it both ways. Read more from Backyard Abundance Director, […]
Homegrown Harvest contest reminder
We finally received some much-needed rain in Iowa, but even before that, I was hearing about this year’s abundant harvest season. Tomatoes and other vegetables are productive and gardeners who want to show off the season’s bounty can do so in the Homegrown Harvest contest. Entering is simple. Just post a photo or describe your […]
Win a one-year Iowa Valley Food Co-op me...
UPDATE (Oct. 1) – Congratulations to Stacey Lindsay, whose name was drawn as the winner of the Homegrown Harvest contest! Thank you to all of who participated here and on the Homegrown Facebook page!! ———————————————— What gardener isn’t proud of a bumper crop of blueberries, mouthwatering melon or a flawless Fuzzy Bomb tomato? Now is […]
Brucemore Garden and Art Show returns Sa...
CEDAR RAPIDS – You can’t walk away from the Brucemore Garden and Art Show without learning something new, and often, buying something new, as well. Gardening experts offer tips on raised beds, insect identification, heirloom vegetables and much more, while vendors sell garden art, pottery, jewelry and other artwork.
Are you seeing Naked Ladies?
It’s that time of summer. Not the one where people shed their clothes, though that might be happening somewhere, too. This is the magical moment when naked ladies, also known as surprise or resurrection lilies, simultaneously appear after being nearly invisible for the majority of the season.
Weekend Photo Gallery: Koi for a Cause a...
The first weekend in August was a beautiful one for Iowans to enjoy the outdoors. About 100 people walked through the sensational gardens tended by Monica Morley and her mother, Elena Murillo, in northeast Cedar Rapids during Koi for a Cause, a benefit for the HACAP Food Reservoir. Visitors at Abbe Hills Farm near Mount […]
Colorful daylilies and lilies peaking pe...
I’ve been fortunate to visit a good number of gorgeous gardens in Eastern Iowa and one of the best is open for viewing this Sunday, July 21, 2013. Zora and Paul Ronan will open their garden near Central City to friends and gardening enthusiasts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day.
Iowa City homeowner gives up battle over...
IOWA CITY – The Iowa City homeowner whose front-yard garden led to a dispute with the city said he will comply with removing all of his plantings. Dr. Timothy Volm said he was given a July 31 deadline or the city would bulldoze the roses, native wildflowers and other plants that adorn his front yard.
Japanese beetle watch ends in Cedar Rapi...
They’re heeere… As much as I held out hope that the Japanese beetle population had been wiped out by an unusually fortuitous twist of fate, my watch for the invasive insect ended today with the discovery of several beetles on my raspberry bushes. If you have rose bushes, grapes, hollyhock, linden trees, pin oak, willows […]