War on Weeds: Spotted Spurge

Spurge

Spotted spurge is a low-growing summer annual weed with prostrate stems that radiate outward from the center, and small, oval leaves that have a small reddish spot. It can grow to be as much as two feet across. It grows very quickly in warm temperatures, and may only take about five weeks from germination to flower and produce seeds. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, and one plant can produce several thousand seeds. Because the seeds are sticky when wet, they can cling to animals' feet, birds' feathers, or shoes, and be spread widely. You can end up with two or three generations of spurge over the course of the summer.

Favorite Flowers: Morning Glories

"Carnival" morning glory

Allergy Index Scale:  4
Annual
Full sun, 6-12' tall

Morning glories grow pretty quickly, so they're great for covering a lot of the homely chain link fence around my yard every summer. Mine usually start flowering in July, and continue through the rest of the summer.  The flowers may be white, blue, pink or purple, and may have stripes or splashes of color, or picotee edges. Each flower lasts only a day. They attract both hummingbirds and butterflies.

Soil Drainage

It's been raining again this evening; just light showers at this point, but the soil is already saturated, and water is standing in the yard in places. In part, this is simply because we've had so much rain over the last couple of weeks that there's a flood watch in the area. But it's also because the soil in my yard tends to be a heavy clay, that doesn't drain very well.  I've observed that lower-lying areas in my yard, water pools up after heavy rains.

Are you unsure of how your garden soil rates on drainage? Sometime when it isn't rainy, try this test. Dig a hole about a foot deep, and about as wide as your shovel. Fill the hole up completely with water, and leave it to drain out completely. The next day, go back and fill it up completely again. This time keep an eye on it to see how long it takes for all of the water to drain away.

Summer Rains

As forecast, it drizzled rain off and on all day today.  I'm sure glad I mowed yesterday. We've had a surprising  amount of rain over the last couple of weeks for this time of year, and it looks like it's not done yet.

Mowing the Lawn

One of my tasks today was to mow the lawn. It needed it more than usual, since we've had quite a bit of rain recently.  The forecast tonight and tomorrow includes more rain, so I really needed to mow today.

Since I am allergic to grass, I try to take a few precautions when I mow. Grass pollen is one of the primary causes of allergies during the summer.  People can also have problems while mowing from exposure to mold spores and other allergens being stirred up by mowing.

Angel Wing Begonia

Angel wing begonia

One of the house plants I cherish most is an angel wing begonia that was given to me years ago by my grandfather.  Since I need to keep the humidity in my house so low, to control mold and dust mite allergies, the begonia was having a hard time.  Once I put in a glass watering bulb, which helps keep the soil more evenly moist, and began misting it with water once a week, it started doing a lot better.

Cutting Back Chrysanthemums

This evening I cut back all my chrysanthemums.  If mums are allowed to do so, they'll bloom in mid-summer instead of in the fall. By pinching or trimming back the plants, they are encouraged to grow back thicker than ever, and will put off blooming. When you cut back one stem, the plant will grow back with two. So you end up with a bushier plant, with more flowers.

The Bug that Got Away

This evening I went out to the garden to do a bit of weeding and to pick some veggies for supper.  There are always weeds to pull, and bushes to trim back.  Since we had a nice rain over the weekend, I didn't need to do any watering.

Coffee Grounds for the Garden

One thing that many gardeners save for re-use in their gardens is coffee grounds.  Some gardeners love to use them around their roses.  Some, with coffee's acidity in mind, use them around acid-loving plants like blueberries, rhododendrons, and azaleas. Others are doubtful of coffee grounds' value added directly to the soil.  But everyone agrees that coffee grounds are great added to compost.

Bitter Cucumbers

Cucumber vine after rain

Part of the cucumber I had for supper tasted bitter.  I cut off the end that had been nearest the stem, and peeled the rest, and it tasted okay.  It wasn't too surprising to run into this bitterness, as we've had some hot weather recently.

Green Beans for Supper

This evening I went out to the garden and picked green beans.  They're cooking right now, with onion and new potatoes and a bit of ham.  It smells wonderful!

Re-Growing Vegetables, early July

Re-growing lettuce, after about a month

I am continuing to be interested in the progress of the romaine lettuce and green onion that I am regrowing.  The lettuce that I started in soil, both inside and outside, is doing well; while the lettuce that I have in just water doesn't seem to be making much progress.

Veggie Garden, early July

Tonight I picked a lovely tomato to slice onto my sandwich; the first large tomato from my garden this year.  Up to now it had been cherry tomatoes coming ripe, which are great for salads and snacks, but I do love fresh tomato for sandwiches.  There are lots more green tomatoes that should be ripening soon.

Container Gardening: Pots and Soil

Even though I have a yard, with all kinds of flower and vegetable beds, I do a lot of container gardening. Growing things in containers lets you move plants around to take advantage of sunshine or shade, bring plants inside for the winter, start things early in a protected location, and incorporate your garden into your porch or patio. If a planting goes out of flower you can move it back behind another that is looking better at the moment.  You can grow something in a different soil condition than your yard permits--a soil mix with better drainage, or one that is more acid or alkaline.

Diatomaceous Earth

It's turning out to be a bad year for insects because of the mild winter and wet spring we've had.  There are lots of mosquitoes and chiggers, and I hear folks talking about how bad the fleas and ticks are. I'm trying to get back in the habit of applying insect repellent every time I go outside to work in the garden, or to go for a walk.  

I'm also protecting my dog from insect pests like fleas by applying a monthly topical flea treatment. I'm not thrilled about exposing him to strong chemicals, so I limit his exposure to times when the risk of infestation is greatest.  I am also taking preventive measures around my house to make sure that fleas can't get started in here.  Fleas can become quite an itchy problem if they get into your home; they can live in your carpet or in cracks and crevices, and hatch out generation after generation of blood-sucking little nasties.

Some people reach for bug bombs and cans of spray insecticides when fleas move in, but I have found less toxic protection that is still quite effective: diatomaceous earth.