For those of you who have not cut off the dead foliage caused by this year’s severe freeze, congratulations! You made it!  For those of you who have already pruned back? Naughty, naughty!

I know it's tempting to remove foliage on a plant that has frost damage, but that is not what is best for the plant. That dead looking foliage is actually acting as a protector from further frost damage. By removing it, you risk the chance of a re-freeze if the weather turns cold again. This could kill the entire plant.

So when should we prune back? A good rule of thumb is to wait for your area’s last frost date. This is based on the weather and, as we all know, our area is inundated with micro climates. Sunset's new 2007 Western Garden Book will give you information on your zone. However, for more specific information about your zone and your plants, come down to the nursery and talk to a Certified Nursery Pro--we have all the answers.

Sunset Western Garden Book - 2007 edition

The much anticipated new edition of the Western Garden Book, the “bible of Western gardens”, has arrived!  With more than 8,000 plant listings (500 of them new), updated information on microclimates, plant selection, and gardening tips, the Western Garden Book is a resource that is useful for gardeners of all skill levels. 

Now available with a coupon book attached, compliments of Orchard Nursery (savings valued over $50).  Coupons are for a variety of products, from a free Garden Compass magazine to discounts off a dozen different products.  Limited to supply on hand.

Cultivated in parts of Europe since the sixteenth century, burnet was introduced into North America by the settlers. Commonly grown in the herb gardens of the past for its fragrance, its young leaves were added to salads, stews, and sauces.

Burnet is a hardy perennial, height 12 – 18”, with medium dark green serrated leaves in opposite, rounded leaflets along a slender stem. Flowers have pink tufts of stigmas and dangling stamens and no conspicuous petals.

A sunny or partial shade location is optimal with regular water.

This plant can be attractive in the garden. Its leaves are used in salads and with vegetables. They also make a nice addition to sandwiches. Like borage, burnet leaves are also used to flavor drinks, such as tea. When crushed, the leaves have a fragrance similar to cucumber.

Resources used:
The Random House Book of Herbs, Roger Phillips & Nicky Foy           
The New Food Lover's Companion, Second Edition, Sharon Tyler Herbst

The rain stops. The sun comes out. You venture outdoors into the garden to get closer to the new greenery unfolding everywhere you look. The all purpose 16-16-16 fertilizer you applied during the last break in the rain is working beautifully, filling-in the winter gaps with new growth. As soon as you get up close to your plants, you see them…APHIDS. They are covering the new leaves and buds on your just-planted Gentle Giant Roses, your just-leafing-out-again-after-the-freeze Meyer Lemon, your had-to-try-it Honeycrisp Apple, your tried-and-true Universal Pansies, all laden with aphids. Sound familiar?

Many of us think that thick, sticky infestations of aphids are just a part of spring that is inevitable; something we have to fight back with chemical systemics and sprays. I suggest that it is not. Rather, it is a reaction to high-nitrogen fertilizers that provide an abundance of nutrients to the plants. We humans get exactly the reaction we wanted--lots of fast-growing succulent green growth...and the aphids get exactly what they want also. They tune in to that soft growth as an easy meal and  come flying in. Did you know that at certain stages of their life cycle aphids have wings? They multiply exponentially. The first to arrive bear live young that are born with the capacity to lay eggs immediately. No wonder it seems as if they appear overnight!

There is an easy way to stop this cycle or at least significantly reduce its onset. Simply change the way you fertilize. Instead of feeding plants fast acting chemicals, feed the soil instead with slow releasing organic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers don't feed plants: they feed soil and all its billions of microbial inhabitants. These microscopic fungi and bacteria (flora and fauna) eat the manures and extracts in organic fertilizers, breaking them down into smaller and simpler elements until they are able to be taken up by the root hairs of the plant. This is a process and it takes time. So instead of getting a fast shot of nutrients, plants get a slow, steady meal.

The results are very different as well.  Instead of fast, green, soft growth, the plants grow more steadily and stronger. They put out growth that the aphids aren't so attracted to sticking their proboscises into. The few aphids that still arrive and start multiplying, are soon cleaned up by birds, soldier beetles and other aphid predators usually within a week or so.

If you go to war with aphids every year, it might be time to change your tactics. Consider letting the microbes, birds, soldier beetles and other allies join your ranks so you can relax and enjoy a healthy garden.

Orchard carries many wonderful organic fertilizers and composts under the E.B. Stone and Master Nursery labels--try them!