Spiders! At Least Their Webs

As I walked around the garden at the Extension office this morning, I was overwhelmed by spider webs. They were everywhere! Here's a few shots of what I saw this morning:

On pineapple sage

Along the walkway

In the yard (that's not cotton balls thrown out there!)

Between hosta flowering stems

Good ol' garden spider (this was a BIG one)

On the daphne

Between coneflower leaves

On boxwoods (there would be 7 or 8 webs per boxwood!)

Top 5 Reasons to Go to a Farmers' Market

Drumroll.....and I'm not as good as David Letterman's writers....

5. Socializing is a big part of going, and we all like to talk.
4. Where else can you have an intelligent conversation about 12 different cultivars of tomato?
3. TENTS! They just make for a party atmosphere!
2. If you buy from them, they might make enough money not to turn their farm into a subdivision.
And the #1 reason to go to a farmers' market....
1. GOOD FOOD, produced by people you can look in the eye!

Downtown Somerset Farmers' Market open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7am til sellout.
Somerset Farmers' Market at the Mall open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8am til 2pm.

Put Pruning Equipment Away

It's the time of year when I begin highly discouraging the use of pruners, loppers, saws, or any other implement used to cut woody plants. I usually tell people to just forget about pruning trees or shrubs from about the middle of August through leaf drop.

The why, if you think about it, is quite logical. Pruning sort of re-invigorates the plant. Makes the plant want to send out new shoots. If a little new shoot emerges below a pruning cut that's made September 1, it usually won't have time to produce wood and harden off completely before our first frost (about October 15). That makes for a dead little shoot.

Unfortunately, this dead shoot can then be the entryway for rotting organisms, like fungi or bacteria. Once they're in, they're in. And the rotting will begin.

The link above is UK's publication called 'Pruning Landscape Trees'. Here's the link to another called 'Pruning Landscape Shrubs'.

Cool Pics of Corn Silks

Sometimes when I come to a tough spot and can't think anymore, I go outside and look around in the garden. I did that today.

Have you ever really looked at corn silks? I mean, reeeeealy looked at them? Here's a couple of pictures of silks. Notice they have little appendages? Guess this makes them able to better grab the pollen as it's shed from the tassel.

Master Gardener Program

If you are interested in participating in the 2010 Master Gardener Program, the application and fee is due by next Friday, August 6. My horticulture page has the application available.

The program will start September 9 and end on December 16. Classes will be held on Thursdays from 9am to noon. I need 10 people to make the program happen this year.

For more information, call 606-679-6361.

Lunch from the Land (the Land of Pulaski Co, KY)

Most people would agree that a tomato you can pluck off your plant in the backyard is one of the best-tasting, most nutritious tomatoes you'll ever eat.

With this in mind, Edith Lovett, Richard Whitis, and I will be highlighting some foods from the next best place -- local farms right here in Pulaski Co.

Come eat lunch with us on Tuesday, July 27 at 11:30am when we will be using locally-produced meat, fruits, and vegetables.

We'd like you to pre-register and you'll need to bring $5 as well. Call the office at 679-6361 to sign up!

Get Outside and Get Healthy! It's a FACT!

According to some studies in Japan, getting outside around plants is good for your health. Well, duh! I figured everyone knew that. In my non-scientific way of looking at it, if you're outside you are probably doing something, something active -- which is good for you.

In Japan, they call it 'forest bathing'. Is that a cool way to put it or what?!

But the article goes on to state some more scientific facts than what I presented above. Being outside among plants and trees actually can boost your white blood cells. And it can lower your blood pressure and your pulse rate.

Another reason to help preserve our natural places and promote parks.

Guess I'll live til I'm 148.