Like clockwork, the bane of many gardeners has made its annual comeback. Japanese beetles are known to devour hundreds of varieties of plants, turning leaves into skeletal “lace,” and raspberries, which are just about to ripen in Eastern Iowa, are among their favorites. Rather than use synthetic chemicals to control the ravenous beetles, alternatives include […]
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Category: gardening
Changes in store for summer garden walks...
UPDATE: July 16, 2020 — Organizers have decided to cancel the 2020 Project GREEN Open Gardens Weekend in Iowa City. “We’d hoped to postpone it and do something in September,” chairwoman Beth Cody said, “but decided that with the uncertainty of this year, it would be best to just wait until next year.” Original post: […]
Traditional flower of Memorial Day flour...
By Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan What started as a hobby has grown into something much more for Mary and Brian Grimm. “I’d call it an addiction,” Mary said of the couple’s 700 different varieties of peonies planted at their acreage in rural Lamont, in northeastern Iowa. When they relocated from Strawberry Point in 2011, the Grimms […]
Historic Brucemore garden inspires partn...
Two Cedar Rapids nonprofits have joined forces to provide fresh produce to help people in need. Volunteers with Feed Iowa First will prepare, plant, tend and harvest a specialty garden on the grounds of Brucemore, a National Trust for Historic Preservation property at 2160 Linden Drive, SE. Produce will be distributed through Feed Iowa First […]
Czech gardening legend of the Three Froz...
When temperatures climb in early spring, gardeners can be tempted to get everything in the ground, but in the Midwest, it’s best to heed a warning brought here generations ago by Czech immigrants. Known under various names, including the Three Frozen Kings, the three icemen – tři ledovi muži – or Three Ice Saints, Three […]
Timing is right for potato planting on G...
If you’re able to stay safe at home during the coronavirus pandemic, there is no better therapy than getting outside and into the garden. While early April is too soon for some outdoor tasks, this week could be a prime time to plant potatoes. One gardening tradition calls for planting potatoes on Good Friday, which […]
Woolly Bear caterpillars and weather pre...
In case you haven’t heard, colder weather is forecast for Iowa this weekend. Not only could much of the state experience the first frost of fall, but a freeze is predicted that could kill all sensitive vegetation from Friday night, Oct. 11, into Saturday morning, Oct. 12. Bring indoors any houseplants that have been outside […]
Naked Ladies make late appearance in Iow...
In a topsy-turvy gardening season, when June clematis are blooming in August, an Iowa favorite known as Naked Ladies have finally made an appearance. Also known as surprise lilies among other names, the perennial flowers possess an astounding synchronicity, blooming at the same time throughout the region. For the past several years, they have popped […]
Hosta and Dessert Social serves special ...
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa — The Spece family has held their Hosta and Dessert Social for nearly 15 years, but the event later this month offers up a different type of treat. “We’ve never brought in a famous speaker before,” said Josh Spece, co-owner of In the Country Garden & Gifts, in rural Independence, Iowa. “This is […]
Iowa’s record low winter temperatures no
(UPDATE: A short-lived reprieve; first two Japanese beetles of the season spotted on our raspberry bushes on June 26.) The first Japanese beetles of the season are typically spotted around this time in east-central Iowa, but so far there appear to be no signs of the voracious invaders, at least in our Cedar Rapids gardens. […]