Hot, rainy weather is nirvana for weeds. Check out my garden if you don't believe me.

The weeds that drive me nuts the rest of the year are familiar, their points of origin clear. Such perennial weeds as Canadian thistle, oxalis, quack grass, plantain, bindweed, wild violet and dock survive no matter how vigorously I went after them the year before.

Annual weeds like dandelions are just as bad. Their seeds blow in from neighboring yards even if mine are all dug up -- not that they ever are. Equally annoying are the acorns that rain down on my garden in late summer and produce wire-stemmed seedlings so tenacious that I have to use pliers to pull them up the following spring.

Then there are the self-seeding annuals and perennials that I planted myself. These include a nonsterile catmint (never again!), cushion spurge, California poppies, creeping Jenny, wild petunias, an heirloom morning glory called Grandpa Ott ... the list goes on.

I like drumstick alliums. I used to love them. I'm not referring to Purple Sensation, a hybrid whose stems are strong enough to hold its flowers aloft. I mean the tall, skinny ones that reproduce so thickly they collapse before a single bud has appeared. Unless given something to lean on -- like an upright sedum or a stout boxwood hedge -- they flower in the prone position.

At first I thought the onions were some native grass I'd invited onto my boulevard strip. On closer inspection, I sniff the same monster that had tried to suffocate the Angelina sedum, English thyme and hardy geraniums on my brick terrace. I must have pulled up thousands -- no, tens of thousands -- of the pea-size bulbs. The best time to weed is after a hard rain, by the way.

I've left most of the Egyptian walking onions alone, even though they've also multiplied many times over since last summer. Their tall grayish-green and -- at this time of year -- erect stems make a bold vertical statement against spreading conifers and creeping sedums.

I know they soon will produce onions at the tips of their tubular stalks and that the onions will cause the stalks to bend under their weight and topple, whereupon another stalk -- this time in a prone position -- will shoot off from the first.

Thus, the plant will begin its stroll through the garden, here and there sprouting new bulbs, roots and plants. Around mid-July, the original stalks will begin to age, turning brown and unattractive. That's when I'll begin to question the wisdom of planting Egyptian walking onions in the first place.

On the other hand, every garden needs its eccentrics.

Read the original post:
Blundering Gardener: Thistles and quackgrass and dandelions - oh, my!

A major section of the Waldron Street reconstruction, begun last July, should be completed by next Friday.

All that remains to be done, according to an update from the citys Engineering Department, is new asphalt paving of the outer lanes of 17th Avenue at Waldron, adding lane markings on Waldron, on the repaved portions of south hospital drive and on 17th and some final grading, erosion control maintenance and grass seeding.

The $1.1 million project involved reconfiguring Waldron between 17th and 23rd Avenues into three lanes with a center turn lane. About 2,000 vehicles a day make left turns off Waldron into various businesses, including Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, the Hutchinson Clinic and the Dialysis Center. A new road base was built, along with new curbs and gutters and an 8-foot-wide sidewalk on the east side of Waldron. A right turn lane from westbound 17th Avenue onto Waldron also was added.

The construction was done in several phases to maintain access to the medical facilities throughout the work.

This past week construction workers finished milling and paving Waldron from the south hospital drive to 17th as well as the center lanes of 17th between Waldron and K-61. They also installed a railing along the Waldron walkway over a drainage ditch just south of 23rd and completed electrical work at 17th.

On Friday, the only portion of Waldron still closed was between the south hospital drive and the entrance to the Dialysis Center.

According to the update by Senior Civil Engineer Michael Kramer, the outer lanes of 17th, which were milled this week, should be repaved on Monday. Pavement markings are scheduled to be added on Wednesday and all of Waldron is expected to be open to through traffic by the end of the week.

Design work for the final phase of the reconstruction of Waldron between 23rd and 30th Avenues has been completed, and work to relocate utility lines is underway. The city will solicit bids on the street construction in December, and that work is expected to begin during the 2015 construction season.

Excerpt from:
Waldron street work should be finished by June 13

CNS Canada Seeding in Alberta is nearing completion, with about 90 per cent of the crop reported in the ground as of Friday, despite the southern part of the province starting about two weeks later than normal.

Although it was a late start to the year, we had really good conditions for people to get the crop in, said Harry Brook, a crop specialist with Albertas provincial Ag-Info Centre in Stettler. There were very few interruptions.

The crops that havent been seeded yet are mostly for swath grazing and greenfeed, he said, adding there werent too many crops seeded outside of their optimal windows.

Overall, crop conditions are good so far, as most regions received at least half an inch of rain to start the season and help with emergence. But more rain will be needed soon across the province, said Brook.

That (rain) has all gone into germination, but theres not much subsoil moisture down there, he added.

Forecasts call for variable rain showers in some parts of the province next week, but nothing really widespread across the province, according to Brook.

HOWS SEEDING COMING? Wed like to see photos of your seeding progress by email at [emailprotected].

Forage crops look good so far, but grass may see some productivity problems this summer because there were a lot of cattle sent to pasture too early this spring.

I think guys just ran out of hay; we had such a long severe winter and people went through their feed supplies faster than they expected, Brook added.

There arent too many concerns about disease or insect damage yet, though there has been some canola sprayed for flea beetles. Cutworms werent a big problem as of early June, as the insect seems to be at its low cycle in Alberta.

Continued here:
Seeding nearing completion in Alberta

Boston, MA (PRWEB) June 05, 2014

Every dad takes pride in a great looking lawn, so why not make dad happy this Fathers Day with the gift of premium grass seed from Pearls Premium that is sure to give pops the greenest and most drought resistant grass hes ever had. Something else that all dads love? Saving money with this grass, you save 34 on your water bill and with Pearls Premiums special 10 percent Fathers Day discount code dad will be even more happy to know his green grass was on sale! Across the country customers are raving about the greatness of Pearls Premium. Homeowner David, of Weston MA, is 90 years young and still mows his lawn. He says, "It was easy to install, softer and easier to mow than my old grass! I love the low maintenance of it all, because I now cut the grass only once a month to look like this. I have better things to do with my time than cutting the grass. I also want to save our precious and limited drinking water."

Like many others, David has found the secret to maintaining the perfect lawn all summer long, Pearls Premium grass seed. Maintaining Pearls Premium takes only a small amount of time and requires far less water, which eases the burden on homeowners wallet. Pearls Premium can be planted right over an existing lawn to create a new lawn that stays green in spite of heat, cold, and water bans this summer.

According to Dr. Alex Lu of the Harvard School of Public Health, many chemicals used on lawns have been linked to an increased risk of learning and behavioral problems for children, as well as increased risk for Asthma, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease, Sexual Dysfunction, Cancer and Leukemia. Having a green lawn is safer and healthier.

What to do? The secret to great grass is when and what to plant. So a slower growing, deep root grass that is organic and doesnt need chemicals, is the healthier safer solution along with a few other best management tips like mowing 3.5 inches tall, leave the clippings, always use a sharp blade, deeply and infrequently water and use a better deep root seed. Some say, starting with the right seed is one of the most important parts of a good lawn. The right seed can help address global health, by saving water and preventing chemical run off, and lessen climate change with extreme deep roots to sequester carbon out of the air.

Timing: Plant in the next two weeks for warm climates and for the next month in cooler climates. Plant later in the summer using the Hydro-seeding method or in the fall There is a new game changing, breakthrough grass that recently won a National Award for innovation by the Boston Museum of Science for Being one of the 3 most important patented inventions from New England. It turns out that you can easily and dramatically improve your lawn after the most intense two years of weather droughts and floods in recorded history for 60% of US; by over-seeding with this ultra low maintenance grass seed.

Pearls Premium is a wonderful gift to promote a money and water saving, safe and healthy lawn. This is the improved 4th generation Pearl's Premium Ultra Low Maintenance Lawn Seed, that is more drought, weed, bug and disease tolerant than most grass. It is the result of 10 years of intense research by Jackson Madnick with assistance by a number of PhD grass experts. Two White Houses, the UN and Al Gore have commended Madnicks past work.

Find Pearls Premium grass at some Whole Foods Markets, at many quality garden centers, and online at http://www.PearlsPremium.com. Put in coupon code DAD2014 online for a 10% discount until June 22, 2014.

More:
The Ultimate Gift for Father's Day

Substantial vandalism to the old Central School site in Ottawa destroyed week-old grading and grass seeding.

"Everything was looking good, despite the rain," said Commissioner of Public Property Dan Aussem. "However, some vandals decided to drive through the area and tore it up pretty bad."

An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.

Need an account? Create one now.

kAmpFDD6> D2:5 :E 😀 =:<6=J G69:4=6 2446DD E@ E96 2C62 ?@H H:== 36 C6DEC:4E65 F?E:= E96 AC@;64E :D 4@>A=6E65]k^Am

kAmQ(6 H6C6 9@A67F= E92E :E H@F=5 92G6 366? C625J 7@C E96 H:?6 76DE[ 3FE :E =@@

kAmt2C=J |@?52J r:EJ qF:=5:?8 ~77:4:2= |:<6 $FE7:? DFCG6J65 E96 >F55J[ 49FC?65 FA D:E6]k^Am

kAmQ%96J EC2D965 6G6CJE9:?8[Q 96 D2:5] Qp S`_[___ D665:?8 ;@3 😀 @FE E96 H:?5@H]Qk^Am

kAm$FE7:? DA64F=2E65 E96 52>286 😕 E9C66 2C62D @7 E96 D49@@= D:E6 E@@< A=246 $F?52J 27E6C?@@?]k^Am

kAmw6 D2:5 96 DE@AA65 3J 27E6C 49FC49 2?5 E96 D:E6 =@@<65 7:?6] %96 H2E6C :? E96 CFED :?5:42E65 E96 52>286 E@@< A=246 367@C6 $F?52JVD =2E6 27E6C?@@? C2:?]k^Am

See more here:
Vandals damage Central school site

Boston, MA (PRWEB) June 02, 2014

Every dad takes pride in a great looking lawn, so why not make dad happy this Fathers Day with the gift of premium grass seed from Pearls Premium that is sure to give pops the greenest lawn hes ever had. Something else that all dads love? Saving money and with Pearls Premiums special 10 percent Fathers Day discount code dad will be even more happy to know his green grass was on sale!

Across the country customers are raving about the greatness of Pearls Premium. Homeowner Cynthia Y. She says, "It was easy to do! I love the low maintenance of it all, because I now cut the grass only once a month to look like this. I have better things to do with my time than cutting the grass. I also want to save our precious and limited drinking water."

Like many others, Cynthia has found the secret to maintaining the perfect lawn all summer long, Pearls Premium grass seed. Maintaining Pearls Premium takes only a small amount of time and requires far less water, which eases the burden on homeowners pocket books.

Pearls Premium can be planted right over an existing lawn to create a new lawn that will look amazing in spite of heat and water bans this summer.

According to Dr. Alex Lu of the Harvard School of Public Health, many chemicals present in lawns have been linked to an increased risk of learning and behavioral problems for children, as well as increased risk for Asthma, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease, Sexual Dysfunction, Cancer and Leukemia.

What to do? The secret to great grass is when and what to plant along with a few other best management tips like mowing 3.5 inches tall, leave the clippings, always use a sharp blade, deeply and infrequently water and use a better deep root seed. Some say, starting with the right seed is one of the most important parts of a good lawn. The right seed can help address global health and lessen climate change with extreme deep roots to sequester carbon out of the air.

Timing: Plant in the next three weeks for warm climates and for the next 6 weeks in cooler climates. Plant longer using the Hydro-seeding method. There is a new game changing, breakthrough grass that recently won a National Award for innovation. It turns out that you can easily and dramatically improve your lawn after the most intense two years of weather droughts and floods in recorded history for 60% of US.

Pearls Premium is a wonderful gift to promote a money and water saving, safe and healthy lawn. Find Pearls Premium grass at some Whole Foods Markets, at many quality garden centers, and online at http://www.PearlsPremium.com.

More:
Pearls Premium Grass Seed Offering 10 Percent Discounts for Fathers Day Gifts

Channel crossing: Bernard Tomic is happy to leave Paris for British grass. Photo: AFP

As much as Bernard Tomic may expect the welcome shift from clay to grass to instantly transform his difficult season, Davis Cup coach Josh Eagle has warned the world No.80 not to assume his favourite surface will not automatically be the career-reviving panacea he would like.

As Marinko Matosevic's straight sets loss to Andy Murray emptied the French Open draw of its last Australian man at the second round stage, Tomic who had earlier lost 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 to 12th seed Richard Gasquet left Paris for London on Thursday to start an extended preparation for the Wimbledon lead-up event at Queen's Club.

The 21-year-old is yet to win a main draw match after double hip surgery in January, and remains a magnet for on-court criticism and off-court scandal. But the 2011 Wimbledon quarter-finalist is a proven, enthusiastic performer on grass as he needs to be in the coming weeks to help salvage a ranking that is plummeting towards the danger zone.

"It's almost a relief for Bernie that the clay swing is over and he can try and focus on getting some wins on the grass,'' Eagle said. "He very much feels he can just flick the switch and start winning; it's not going to be as easy as that. Knowing Bernie as I do, I honestly believe he's the sort of guy that will go to the grass and feel like 'right, I'm going to have some wins now, this is my surface, and this is my time to shine'. Easier said than done, though. That's the problem.

Advertisement

"It was pretty clear in his match with Gasquet, that not only was his movement struggling, but I think he was struggling with confidence, so some wins on the grass at Queen's would give him a real boost, and he's just a really good player on grass, whereas a lot of the field are not comfortable on it.

"I would expect Bernie to do pretty well, but he does need to start having some wins soon, or otherwise it'll put pressure on his ranking, and the last thing he needs is to fall outside the top 100, because he's too good to be ranked where he is, and I'm not sure how he'll handle having to play some qualifying events and stuff like that.''

While Tomic admitted his dislike of the French Open, it may prove to have a far more positive effect on Matosevic, who had so memorably celebrated his first grand slam match win in 13 attempts with an extended claycourt roll he ended only because he started to feel dizzy. A swift 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 reality check followed on Thursday against Wimbledon champion and seventh seed Andy Murray, but the effects could be extended.

Matosevic says he is already playing more freely the much-discussed burden of a barren grand slam record having finally, mercifully, been lifted with his four-set success against fellow journeyman Dustin Brown. "Everything came easier,'' he said. "Even though (Murray) won pretty comfortably against me, I feel much better on the court now ... I just feel free to play now, I don't have to think about that, it's done with, thank God."

Visit link:
Grass not complete answer for Tomic

Channel crossing: Bernard Tomic is happy to leave Paris for British grass. Photo: AFP

As much as Bernard Tomic may expect the welcome shift from clay to grass to instantly transform his difficult season, Davis Cup coach Josh Eagle has warned the world No.80 not to assume his favourite surface will not automatically be the career-reviving panacea he would like.

As Marinko Matosevic's straight sets loss to Andy Murray emptied the French Open draw of its last Australian man at the second round stage, Tomic who had earlier lost 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 to 12th seed Richard Gasquet left Paris for London on Thursday to start an extended preparation for the Wimbledon lead-up event at Queen's Club.

The 21-year-old is yet to win a main draw match after double hip surgery in January, and remains a magnet for on-court criticism and off-court scandal. But the 2011 Wimbledon quarter-finalist is a proven, enthusiastic performer on grass as he needs to be in the coming weeks to help salvage a ranking that is plummeting towards the danger zone.

"It's almost a relief for Bernie that the clay swing is over and he can try and focus on getting some wins on the grass,'' Eagle said. "He very much feels he can just flick the switch and start winning; it's not going to be as easy as that. Knowing Bernie as I do, I honestly believe he's the sort of guy that will go to the grass and feel like 'right, I'm going to have some wins now, this is my surface, and this is my time to shine'. Easier said than done, though. That's the problem.

Advertisement

"It was pretty clear in his match with Gasquet, that not only was his movement struggling, but I think he was struggling with confidence, so some wins on the grass at Queen's would give him a real boost, and he's just a really good player on grass, whereas a lot of the field are not comfortable on it.

"I would expect Bernie to do pretty well, but he does need to start having some wins soon, or otherwise it'll put pressure on his ranking, and the last thing he needs is to fall outside the top 100, because he's too good to be ranked where he is, and I'm not sure how he'll handle having to play some qualifying events and stuff like that.''

While Tomic admitted his dislike of the French Open, it may prove to have a far more positive effect on Matosevic, who had so memorably celebrated his first grand slam match win in 13 attempts with an extended claycourt roll he ended only because he started to feel dizzy. A swift 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 reality check followed on Thursday against Wimbledon champion and seventh seed Andy Murray, but the effects could be extended.

Matosevic says he is already playing more freely the much-discussed burden of a barren grand slam record having finally, mercifully, been lifted with his four-set success against fellow journeyman Dustin Brown. "Everything came easier,'' he said. "Even though (Murray) won pretty comfortably against me, I feel much better on the court now ... I just feel free to play now, I don't have to think about that, it's done with, thank God."

Read the original post:
Grass not complete answer for Tomic, says Eagle

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Chris and Jim McDermid pose with new annuals in their yard Wednesday. Despite winter being hard on their yard and having to bring 10 yards of topsoil in to mitigate the damage, they're optimistic about a late-spring planting. Photo Store

Even after the object of Jim McDermids angst had melted away, he was still lamenting the winter of discontent.

Perched on his front veranda, McDermid was pointing around his lawn for remnants of one of the cruellest winters on record. He points to where the snow was more than two metres high. He talks about how his furnace shut down five times because snow plugged the intake. Then theres the large patch of black seeded soil on his front law, part of the 10 yards of dirt the McDermids ordered to spread over the brown spots that pockmark their grass, as well as lawns all across the city.

"The winter before we were in Hawaii," McDermid said. "So every time I was out shovelling snow I was thinking I was in Hawaii the same time the year before. Its been a hard year. We know we get snow but it was more than we could bear."

Winnipeggers are still dealing with the fallout from one of the coldest and longest winters on record.

"We are definitely behind in terms of care and fertilizing lawns," Ryan Buffie, operations manager at Green Drop Lawns, said Wednesday. "Normally, we would have started a month earlier. Its been a noticeable delay for everyone."

As one might expect, given the sudden arrival of summer, business is booming for Buffie and his Green Drop operation. Wednesday morning, his company received 143 calls over a four-hour period, with most of those calls ending in appointments for lawn aerations, seeding and fertilization care.

"The biggest thing people want fixed is the winter kill," Buffie said. "Its been a huge issue this year."

Winter kill is caused from a lot of snow being over one area of grass. When that snow melts during the day and freezes overnight, the repetition of this cycle eventually kills the grass and then leads to snow mould. The only way to resuscitate the grass is to aerate and re-seed the section, and that process takes time to take root.

Read the original post:
Winnipeggers' lawns struggling to recover from tough winter

Bumblebees and plants have a symbiotic relationship, and we wouldn't have food without it.

image credit: Contributed

I began my front garden after removing all the lawn in 2006.

It is a slow and interesting process, testing plants and procedures to see what works best in sandy, dry soil under a beautiful, mature honey locust tree.

At first, the big empty space was daunting, so vigorous self-seeding perennials that thrived were welcome:

Lamium Beacon Silver, White Nancy and Chequers bloom all summer.

Tradescantia (Spiderwort) has spikey, grass-like foliage topped with small flowers most of the summer.

Geranium phaeum has interesting black markings on its maple-shaped leaves. June-blooming, black flowers produce lots of seedlings.

For the past year I have been digging all these plants out.

I appreciate their good points but their self-seeding is so promiscuous and far-flung that they are overtaking other plants.

Read the rest here:
Steele: Choose the right mix of plants for a waterwise garden