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10 weeks 4 days ago - By Jeff Goldsby \\

Moles

Moles and vols are always a problem this time of year and Aspen can treat for you.  To know if you have a problem check your yard for tunnels. Significant furrows above tunnels in the lawn, with the occasional mound of dirt, indicate mole activity. Smaller furrows and the presence of many holes are evidence of voles at work.
Inspect your plants for damage. Moles are insectivores that eat grubs and earthworms and mostly damage lawns, by tunneling through the root systems. Voles are herbivores that eat bulbs, grass and will even feast on tree bark, leaving a signature "girding" ring around the base of the trunk.
Identify the pest. You are more likely to see a vole than a mole, because moles spend most of their time underground. Voles will travel above ground, especially when there is snow to partially conceal their movements. Moles have paddle feet and long snouts; voles are smaller and look similar to mice.

 

14 weeks 2 days ago - By Jeff Goldsby \\

Early bulbs

 Ive been getting lots of questions lately about  bulbs this year , my first piece of advice is simple: do not worry too much. If your bulbs are starting to come up early, they are simply reacting to the weather around them, which is out of your control. Think about it this way: if these bulbs where growing in the wild (as they originally did), they would experience this same thing from time to time and would still flourish without the intervention of any human. A little bit of foliage growth during freezing temperatures is not a big deal for these bulbs and should not affect their flowering in the months to come. If this happens in the wintertime, chances are that more cold weather is on its way. In this environment, the foliage will yellow and die back, returning the bulb to its “dormancy” period. This is completely normal and should just be allowed to happen.

Now if the weather continues to stay unseasonably warm, there is a slight chance that the bulbs may begin to produce flower buds. If this happens, your intervention may be necessary in order to protect these buds. Simply find some dry leaves, straw, or even sawdust to cover the sprouting plants and buds. Once the weather begins to warm and the threat of frost is gone, uncover the plants and allow them to continue to grow as normal. If the frost does happen to get to these flower buds, those flower buds will be damaged for the current season. However, this does not necessarily mean that the bulb will not produce additional flower buds at the proper time and then bloom as it normally should. Also, this one-time “frosting” will not have any adverse affect on the bulb’s performance in the years to come.
 

23 weeks 3 days ago - By Jeff Goldsby \\ Bed Maintenance

Butterflys

Have you ever gazed out of the kitchen window at your beautiful wildlife garden on a cold winter’s day?  It looks so barren and lonely.  Have you ever wondered where the butterflies go during this time of year?
 

As humans, we get to bundle up in our fuzzy flannels and spend the winter months indoors all snug in our homes, drinking hot chocolate. But what about the butterflies – our delicate winged wonders?

To Stay or to Go…that is the question

The gradual arrival of cooler nights, combined with the shorter daylight hours of the autumn season, signals all members of the insect kingdom to prepare for the onset of winter. Many of us are familiar with the most famous traveler of the butterfly family, the Monarch. The Monarch butterflies in North America that emerge during the fall season do not attempt to find a mate. Instead, they eat as much nectar as they can, in order to store up energy reserves in their body. Then those that were born East of the Rocky Mountains fly south all the way to Mexico to spend the winter in a warmer climate.

30 weeks 1 day ago - By Jeff Goldsby \\

needle drop

A tree or shrub is considered  an evergreen if their leaves persist more than one year before falling. This includes conifers like pine, arborvitae, spruce, and juniper.  The needles of  evergreens shed in late summer or early autumn. The natural yellowing of older needles, those towards the center of the tree, occurs uniformly from the top of the tree to the bottom. Needles at the tip of each branch (the younger needles) stay green. Since the younger needles are still green and healthy in appearance, then you can be certain this is normal and nothing needs to be done. New needles are added every year, so there is always an overlap between green needles and those due to fall. In most years, gardeners may never notice this leaf drop as it occurs gradually over a long period of time. In some years natural needle drop occurs in a short period of time making for a striking display but, some may fear they are losing the tree. Rapid leaf drop has been  triggered by weather this year and should be no cause for alarm but if you fell your plant is in danger please contact an Aspen professional.

 

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