Political Commentary

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

From the Garden Registrar: Thistles, Raspberries,  and Japanese Beetles

Hello Gardeners,

CANADA THISTLES There are many varieties of thistle, some of them native to Wisconsin. However, the thistle we primarily have in the gardens is the Canada Thistle, which is a very invasive plant which forms big colonies and spreads easily. If you have Canada Thistles in your plot, please pull the plants out now before they go to seed and the problem gets worse, for you and for your garden neighbors. You’ll definitely want to wear gloves.

RASPBERRIES Here’s a link to the UW Extension publication, “Growing Raspberries in Wisconsin”

 
ANNOYING INSECT OF THE WEEK The Japanese Beetles are now here in large numbers. These very pretty and voracious insects seem to eat almost anything, but they particularly target roses, grapes, plums, hollyhocks, and a number of tree species. They also eat bean leaves. There aren’t many effective controls for them - hand-picking is probably the best way to get rid of them. Here’s a link with a picture and general information: http://hort.uwex.edu/articles/japanese-beetle/

WORKDAYS – This week's workday will be Saturday, July 16, 8am - 11am, in the Eagle Heights Garden. The task will be removing thistle and bindweed from the tree line. Please bring gloves and water bottles. Here's the link to sign up:  http://doodle.com/poll/abv837rf93nkp9x8 Do not respond to this if you are not volunteering. We will also be scheduling another weekday evening and a Sunday session in the next few weeks, when the weather allows.

Happy gardening, everyone,
Kathryn

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