The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 133
May is the month we associate with the holiday, Memorial Day, honoring all who died serving in the Armed Services during U.S. wars, beginning with the Civil War. In 1971, Congress passed into law the Uniform Monday Holiday Act establishing that Memorial Day be commemorated on the last Monday of May of each year. And the red poppy is the flower associated with this holiday. After Flanders Field in Belgium was rutted for years with the tracks of heavy armored tanks and vehicles, red poppies...
Sure, tending to plants and flowers brings pleasant fragrances, vibrant colors, and a little buzz for the birds and bees, but the real groundbreaking magic happens beneath the surface. A garden does more than brighten up an outdoor space—it can transform your health in ways you might not expect. Does gardening count as exercise? Are there any mental health benefits to growing your own plants? Yes to both. From lowering stress to supporting weight management, gardening offers lots of powerful m...
Did you know that the term of one having a "green thumb" has been declared a type of intelligence. A Harvard professor who studied educational psychology in college, Howard Gardner, declared this fact in his "Theory of Multiple Intelligences." He found areas of the brain which 'light up" when certain abilities are activated. We have known people with abilities in the areas of music, mathematics, and languages. He calls this green thumb knowledge "naturalist " intelligence. These are the people w...
As we have always heard, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb and it is also known as the windy month. This is also the month of St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated on Monday March 17th. Who was St. Patrick? He was a much loved fifth century Roman British Christian missionary and Bishop of Ireland who later became the Patron Saint of Ireland. He was supposedly the one who banished all snakes from Ireland, and even today, there are no snakes in Ireland. Later this holiday evolved into a...
In order to reproduce, most flowering plants rely on animals to move their pollen. In turn, pollinators rely on flowers for food, including both nectar and pollen. If you're a gardener, you might want to support this partnership by planting flowers. But if you live in an area without a lot of green space, you might wonder whether it's worth the effort. Writing for The Conversation, Laura Russo, a University of Tennessee assistant professor who studies bees and other pollinators, shares her new...
National Arbor Day will be celebrated on April 25th, 2025, this year. And Alabama's first Arbor Day Proclamation was signed in 1887 by Governor Thomas Seay. However, in 1975 the Alabama Forestry Commission and other state organizations collaborated with the Alabama State Legislature to designate the last full week in February as Alabama's Arbor Week. As such, many cities throughout the state are offering free tree seedling giveaways this month to encourage the planting of trees throughout Sweet...
October, the month of falling leaves and cooler temperatures. Riding through the countryside, leaves are displaying beautiful colors ranging from reds, oranges, yellows, dark plum and gold. Many people take fall trips to different parts of the country to view the fall leaves. Some favorite tours include the states of Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York,Connecticut and Virginia. In the musical, The Sound Of Music, there is the song which mentions "the hills are alive with the sound of...
This summer's heat was simply brutal for any type of gardening. Hopefully we have turned the corner and the temperatures will cool down. Of course cooling would mean no higher than 90 degrees. September brings Labor Day and the commencement of football season. which most people in the south have a passion for. Whether it is Alabama, Auburn, Alabama State, Troy or Huntingdon College, let's cheer our favorite teams on to victory. There is one job that is a constant for gardening, and that is weed...
As they say, the month of August is the dog days of summer because it is so hot and humid. For that matter, this whole summer could be termed the dog days of summer. One thing I have noticed in all this heat and humidity has been the absence of bud worms on my many geraniums. Every summer from about the end of June until fall, I have to dust my geraniums with Dipel and reapply when I water or it rains. No need for Dipel so far this year. There are several garden tasks which need to be completed...
With the Fourth of July approaching, everyone is thinking red, white and blue. If you have a pot garden, you can switch out some of the pots with RED, WHITE AND BLUE at the speed of a blink of an eye. Buy white vinca, red begonias, and blue salvia (or whatever you can find in this color scheme) and plunge them into some existing or new pots to highlight the patriotic season. Every year I bake a sheet cake and ice it with white icing. Then with red strawberries for the stripes, and blueberries...
The old adage, "April showers bring May flowers" will hopefully hold true for May 2023. And with these showers come many weeds. Before getting down to the business of actually planting, preparing the beds is a must. And this includes weeding, adding any soil or organic material, and applying fertilizer. Over the years, many newer gardeners have asked how much water do flowers and shrubs require. Of course, some plants need more water than others. As a rule of thumb, a woody stemmed flower...
They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. I have also heard that March is a great time to fly a kite. And we have all heard about "beware the Ides of March". However, March to gardeners could be termed the turnaround month, between winter and spring. The weather in the River Region is usually mild, with cooler nights and warm days which indicates the perfect time to start seeds, plant cool weather flowers and bulbs. Before we just jump out in our gardens with a random...
February is the iconic month for Valentine's Day. And who does not like receiving happy cards, chocolate candy, and flowers. Even if your New Year's Resolution includes fasting from candy, I declared that Valentine's Day can be an exception. Just do not go overboard. As Ben Franklin admonished, "everything in moderation". But how many people realize we also have a Federal and State holiday, President's Day, which falls on February 19th. President Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers...
With the waning days of December, we should look back at all the good things we were given over the last 12 months...good health, love from family and friends, finally a hard enough freeze to kill even the most stubborn of insect eggs. The bitter cold did damage to my Sago palms, but after I prune all the fronds back, new growth will emerge and it will live on bigger and better. It is best to totally cut back all of these to the trunk and not just those that look damaged. The same goes for the...
Christmas time is here again with all of the chores of decorating inside and out. But I have been noticing decorations, gift baskets, Christmas wrapped candy and Christmas themed cookies since Halloween. It appeared that Thanksgiving was lost in the shuffle. I just hate to rush the season, but it is truly time now to get ready to have the finest Christmas ever. One thing, that with all the reminders, we should be well prepared with no last minute shopping this year. If you are searching for a...
November has sneaked up on many of us and it proves to be a busy month. First of all there is Veteran's Day on the 11th and Thanksgiving on the 23rd. As far as getting into the fall mood, I will leave the artificial pumpkins, fake fall leaves and other fall looking decorations in place while adding some pilgrim figures etc. for Thanksgiving. Another great plant you can use in fall decorations is pyracantha berries which should be plentiful in November. Sumac with its crimson long flower heads...
October heralds in the first full month of fall, with cooler temperatures and of course "falling" leaves. So after doing all the weeding during summer, we now have the task of raking leaves. One good thing about these leaves is that they make good soil in a compost pile. So as with most unpleasant things, there is a happy ending. We also celebrate Columbus Day on October 9th, however, I believe there are a few States that are trying to cancel this holiday. There may have been other countries who...
When we reach the month of September, we say goodbye to summer. Labor day barbeques and festivities abound. The children settle back into the routine of school, vacations have been planned and executed, and conversations begin to wrap around football whether it be college or high school. September is also a transition month as far as gardening is concerned where some annuals have flagged and need to be pulled out, and some perennials have flagged and need to be cut back. Caladiums, which we...
Recently I had a disaster in my flower garden with a rogue armadillo rooting and digging up some expensive Pentas that I had just planted a few days before. The unfortunate incident occurred at the farm which is in south Dallas County. I have had trouble with these critters before, and I ordered from Amazon a product named Armadillo Scram. It seems like I used up the whole bag in 2 areas about a year ago. So what do they say, out sight, out of mind. After replanting these Pentas which most survi...
Where does the time go? I am barely over Christmas and now we are past the mid mark of the year. The Fourth of July should be a time to demonstrate patriotism, honoring our founding fathers and all who have made America great. Red, white and blue bunting adorn porches, smaller flags peek out of flower pots and gardens, and I saw at one store red, white and blue solar string lights. Using white vinca, red begonias, and blue ageratum in the flower beds complete the theme. I chose to plant a...
We have had a relatively cool spring, with plenty of rain which has done wonders for flowers planted last month. Recently I went to the big box stores looking for summer annuals and perennials to plant to fill some areas of my garden. I was not just amazed, but stunned at the huge hike in prices, even since March. There were no 6 packs, just quarts which were $6.00 per container. And the herbs were not much cheaper since a 6 inch pot was $5.78. Earlier in February I tried my hand at getting up...
The old adage, "April showers bring May flowers" will hopefully hold true for May 2023. And with these showers come many weeds. Before getting down to the business of actually planting, preparing the beds is a must. And this includes weeding, adding any soil or organic material, and applying fertilizer. Over the years, many newer gardeners have asked how much water do flowers and shrubs require. Of course, some plants need more water than others. As a rule of thumb, a woody stemmed flower...
March is the month when serious gardening tasks must take place to make life easier later on. The first task would be weeding. Unless you have mulched during the winter months, there would be pesky winter annual and perennial weeds that need to be extracted. Winter weeds have shallow root systems which support large clumps of plant material, so it is rewarding to view the huge pile of weeds which resulted from very little effort. For one thing we do not want these to grow and go to seed,...
In February, our thoughts first go Valentine's Day with Cupid firing off his arrows of love. I can remember as a child picking out boxes of small Valentine cards at Woolworth's Dime store to give to classmates. They were adorned with flowers, funny valentine greetings and were appreciated by all. I really have not noticed in today's world with Email, Tik-Tok, texts, Instagram, and Facebook whether these silly little valentine cards are still sold. February can certainly be named the red and...
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells...Christmas is upon us. We can count our blessings to include no lockdowns, no mandatory anything, where we can attend our houses of worship, and freely visit family and friends. One does not know how much we have while living in America until certain freedoms are taken away. Let's pray we never have to go through the last 2 years again. It is time to bring home pots of bright poinsettias, narcissus, mulling spices to fragrant the home during the holidays, Christmas...
