Susan Reimer's Garden/Photo credit: Susan Reimer

It has been three gardening seasons, 1,733 blog posts and one trip to a convention of garden bloggers just like me. Now it is time for Garden Variety to throw in the trowel, as it were.

This is the last post for Garden Variety. The Baltimore Sun has asked me do to other things. I am sad to see this venture end. It has been a pleasure for me to write about my garden -- and yours -- and to post all the beautiful pictures captured for me by The Baltimore Sun's photo staff.

I did my best to give you some advice and some fresh ideas for your garden -- even if it was only to point you toward someone who knows more than I.

Now that I am leaving the garden blogging scene, let me tell you who they are. Who knows, you might need them next spring.

Margaret lives in upstate New York, and her advice might be a little "off" for those in the Mid-Atlantic. For regional advice and for Maryland garden events and information, please follow Susan Harris who blogs for both Behnke's in Beltsville and Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville.

Susan also writes for the blog, Garden Rant. If you like your garden writing with a hint of controversy, follow Susan and her pals there.

Also, for those of you here in Maryland, follow Kathy Jentz of Washington Gardener. Lots of advice, trips, tours and events. Kathy never sits still.

There are a hundred garden blogs out there. Maybe 1,000. Some rainy day, get out your computer and google around for them. You will find someone who speaks to you. I am sure of it.

In the meantime, you won't be seeing me on the Internet. But you can always find me in my garden.

The posts here on Garden Variety will remain indefinately. You can always search the entries if there is information you are just sure you saw here -- and need to find again.

A: Around mid-August you can try “dead-leafing,” which entails wrapping your hands around clumps of dead leaves and yanking them out.  Or, you can simply cut them down to a few inches from the ground with shears.  They’ll put our some new growth which won’t get as tall as the early season leaves, but should look good and stay green until frost. 

A: Stop watering!

Tall fescue lawns get very few problems, but brown patch fungus is one.  What conditions encourage brown patch?  High humidity and high temperatures.  By watering so much, you are artificially creating a high humidity/moisture environment, perfect for spread of this fungus.

The good news is that brown patch kills blades but rarely grass roots.  Leave your lawn alone and it may recover on its own.  If some areas are dead, overseed in early fall.

Anemone hupehensis var. japonica

Text and photo by Virginia Williams

With broad petals so different from the typical fall mum, Japanese anemone really stands out it a fall garden.

From August through September, few plants grow more reliably and bloom in the shade better than Japanese anemone. This perennial produces clusters of white or pink flowers up to three inches in diameter.

Leaves are large, deeply lobed, and somewhat like maple leaves.  Growing two to five feet tall, Japanese anemon prefer rich moist soil with good drainage and shade but will grow in the sun.

They can be slow to establish, but given the right location they will slowly spread to a nice thick planting and even require cutting back.  Deer tend not to eat it.

Photo credit Michael Lemmon

Stapelia Hirsuta

Stapelias are succulents that are mostly native to Southern Africa. These stars of the desert are notable for large, unusual flowers that are star-like in shape and can grow up to 16 inches wide.

Unlike other plants that lure pollinators with bright colors or sweet nectar, these “carrion” flowers give off an unpleasant smell to attract flies and bees. It’s best to keep them outdoors when in bloom.

This species, the Stapelia Hirsuta has reddish brown blooms covered with fine purple hairs and reaches a magnificent 10 inches in diameter.
 
Since they grow naturally in the desert, stapelias require bright light, warm temperatures and a very well-drained type of soil. Most species do best in a climate that doesn’t fall below 60 degrees F.

They can be grown successfully indoors as long as they receive bright indirect sunlight and are kept warm.

Stapelias take a little more care than most succulents but if given the right conditions will reward you with a spectacular and unique flower.

Saturday August 27th, 12 pm to 6 pm Davidsonville location

Tickets: Individuals $10. Family of 4 is $25 (children under 10  free)
 
Homestead Gardens is hosting its Third Annual Annapolis Tomato Festival  This family-friendly event will feature three different contests: the Chesapeake Chili Cook-off, the Salsa Competition and the Ledo Fastest Pizza Eating Contest. Registration for all contests is open to the public; restaurants and individuals are welcome to enter the cooking contests. 
 
There also will be samplings of a wide variety of tomatoes as well as different tomato-based foods. There will have live music and cooking demonstrations throughout the day. 
 
A portion of the profits from the Tomato Festival and Chili Cook-off will go to support Save the Coconuts, an Annapolis-based nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to fight breast cancer and make life easier for those living with the disease.
 
Schedule of events (subject to change):

12 noon: Doors open to the Third Annual Tomato Festival.

Tomato Sampling: Try them all!

Preserving the Harvest: Tomato Cooking Demonstration with Homestead's own Food Blogger, Rita Calvert

12:30pm-2:30 pm: 2nd Annual Chesapeake Chili Cook-off: Cast your vote for the best chili in the People’s Choice category.

1-3 pm: Live music: The Andy Poxon Band. 

2 pm-4 pm: Salsa Competition Begins: Share your spicy love for this all-time favorite tomato-based concoction.

3 pm: Second Annual Ledo’s Fastest Pizza Eating Contest: Can you eat a large pizza all by yourself? Think you can you eat it faster than everyone else?  If so, prove it!

3:30 pm-6 pm: Live Music The Sly 45 Trio

Liriope muscari and Liriope spicata

Text and photo by Virginia Williams

Tough and adaptable, liriope is a stellar groundcover.

Liriope muscari, as shown in the photo, is a clumping form that stays in a clump and does not spread aggressively.  Clumps continue to expand, but no runners are formed.  It can grow in sun or shade or on the steepest slope.

Once established, it is drought tolerant.  Its ribbon-like foliage can get as long as 18 inches and sports purple or white flowers in the summer.  This clumping form is popular as edging.

Liriope spicata, on the other hand, is a spreading form that sends out runners.  It is especially useful to control erosion, but should not be planted where it can get out of control.

Deer may nibble on it during the winter (saving you the trouble of cutting off old foliage), but liriope is not a big deer favorite.

Stand-up weeder photo courtesy of Yard Butler

Five Tools That Will Save You Time in the Garden
A guest post by Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s Home Expert

While a garden is often considered a labor of love, who wants to spend hours doing what could be accomplished in minutes? These days there are so many gardening tool options that can allow you to save time on everyday gardening tasks such as weeding and pruning. Here are my five top tool recommendations:

#1) Yard Butler Stand-Up Weeder. This tool allows you to stay standing while you pull weeds from your lawn or garden – it puts much less stress on your body and the task gets done faster.

#2) Fiskars Ergonomic Pruning Shears. Made by the folks that produce the famous orange-handled scissors, these shears are just as comfortable in your hand. They make quick work of pruning small branches on bushes, roses and ornamental flowers.

#3) Toro Electronic Cordless Mower. This lawn mower requires no gas and runs for up to 45 minutes on each electric charge. It’s good for the environment and saves you time since you won’t have to run out to the gas station every time you need to mow.

#4) Collapsible Vinyl Garden Bags. These bags help speed up the process of keeping your yard free of debris and clutter. They spring open and hold themselves up for easy loading and dumping; when you are done, just collapse and store. They’ll also save money by eliminating the need to buy plastic or paper lawn bags.

#5) A Quality Wheelbarrow. This is an investment that will last for generations. In fact, mine belonged to my wife’s great uncle and must be 80 years old. Whether you need to mix concrete, haul dirt around your yard, or give your kids a ride, a wheelbarrow can do it all!

For more product tips and advice to help you turn your garden to-do list into a to-done list, head to your local Ace Hardware store or visit www.acehardware.com.

This week, volunteers and Willow Artist Bonnie Gale will build Baltimore’s first living willow tunnels, providing a unique feature and play space at the park.

Gale will guide the construction of the living willow tunnels with the help of volunteers from Constellation Energy and the Boy Scouts.

Willow rods will be planted in certain patterns and the branches will be woven together at the top to form a ridge line and, ultimately, a tunnel that will continue to grow.

The work begins Tuesday and will be completed on Friday.

Located on a one-acre parcel of land on Pier 5 between  Columbus Center and Eastern Avenue, Pierce’s Park is dedicated to the memory of Baltimore contractor and business owner Pierce J. Flanigan III.

A: Don’t apply herbicides when the air temperature is above 85 degrees.  Your grass can be damaged.  Also at high temperatures some herbicides will volatilize, wasting the product and, even worse, the herbicide vapors can be absorbed by non-target plants where serious herbicide injury can occur.

Read the herbicide label very carefully, so you don’t accidentally damage turf or other plants.  In droughts, most weeds slow or stop growing anyway, so you may as well wait a couple of weeks for better, cooler weather.

Fall is the best time to plant grass seed.  By planting in early fall, you insure your grass has three seasons to establish good roots before another killer summer hits. See one of our many publications on growing turf: “Broadleaf Weed Control in Established Lawns” http://www.hgic.umd.edu/content/documents/TT49broadleaf-weed-control.pdf.

A: When developing, watermelons like about an inch of water a week. But during the last 1-2 weeks of growth (unless there is a prolonged dry period) they will produce better flavor if you stop watering.

See our Grow It Eat It website at www.growit.umd.edu for Profiles on each type of vegetable, plus you can trouble shoot with our new Plant and Pest Problems feature.

Brassica juncea

Text by Bob Orazi

Photo by Cornell University

Have any space left in your garden?  Mustard greens are quick to mature, easy to grow, and nutritional in your diet.

Mustards are in the Brassicae family of plants, which includes collards, kale, turnips, and pac choi. They come in many forms and colors averaging 45 to 65 days to maturity.  You can use mustard greens to spice up a salad or cook them with other greens.

Photo credit: Michael Lemmon

Sanseviera

Sansevieria is a group of succulents that are primarily found in Africa. Commonly known as the Snake Plant, their hardiness and virtual indestructability make them a favorite among home gardeners. The long, upright leaves of green or yellow grow to over 3 feet tall, adding dramatic flair to any setting.

Sansevieria contains many different species, including the familiar Mother in-law’s Tongue or Sansevieria trifasciata. The pictured variety known as Sansevieria cylindrica has bluish green foliage, cylinder shaped, that fan out to very sharp tips. In the summer it blooms with small white flowers that produce a sweet fragrance. The orange berry-like fruit adds a striking element to its already unique display.

Most of the Sansevieria grow slowly but remain patient as they’ll reward you with many years of hardiness and will surely stand out in your garden landscape.

This is the time of year -- before fall makes its entrance -- when it is hard to get up the energy to go out into the garden.

It is hot and dry and there is so much to do. And so many mosquitoes.

If I want to feel guilty about all the I am NOT doing in the garden, I can always count on my friends and fellow bloggers Susan Harris and Margaret Roach, who religiously post their monthly list of garden chores.

Susan, who blogs for Behnke's in Beltsville and Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, is invaluable to the Maryland gardener because she gardens more or less in our micro-climate.

Margaret's list is always thorough, but she gardens in upstate New York.

In any case, these are some of the things I haven't gotten done this month. My thanks to Susan and Margaret.

Nor have I cut back the bloomed-out flower stems on my hosta.

I haven't killed off the weeds in my lawn, in preparation for seeding in late September.

I need to clear away the browned foliage on my daylilies and then transplant some of them.

I haven't placed my spring bulb order.

And I need to get some water into my compost pile. Without any rain -- and there has been little or none this summer -- it won't decompose.

There. At least I made a list....

When it Comes to Tools, Sometimes It Is What It Isn’t

A guest post from Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s Home Expert

The old adage says that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. However, you don’t always have to fit the need to the tool – With a little creativity, you can fit the tool to the need. Consider these safe, alternative uses for two common household tools.

Garden Hose

When your old garden hose starts leaking, you don’t have to throw it out. This is the perfect time to give it a new purpose in life.

One of the best uses for an old hose is to add protection to a sapling’s new tree trunk. First, use three wooden stakes and position them around the sapling’s roots in soil that has not been dug into. Next, measure the distance between the stake and tree trunk, then cut three pieces of hose that are twice as long. Feed rope through the center of each piece of hose, leaving a few extra inches of rope at each end. Wrap the hose around the tree trunk in a U-shape formation and tie both ends of the rope to the stake. Repeat this step with the two remaining stakes.

The rubber hose around the trunk will prevent the rope from digging into the tree trunk as it grows. Once the tree grows strong enough, typically after six to eight months, you can remove the rope and stakes and your tree will stand tall.

Did you know that over 250,000 people end up in the emergency room each year due to accidents on ladders? Many of these accidents occur when decorating for the holidays. One way to avoid this is to stay on the ground, but you don’t have to give up decorating.

For years I have been using a twenty-foot paint extension pole and a six-inch roller frame to decorate the outside of my home. Whether it’s for birthday parties or the holiday season, the creative use of this tool is a handy and safe alternative to climbing tall ladders.

Bend a roller frame to look like a “J” and attach it to the extension pole. It’s that simple! Now you have two tools for the price of one!

Saturday, 10 a.m. in Beltsville

Canning and Preserving Your Garden’s Bounty, with host Sissy McKenzie: Extend your gardens goodness into the winte. Behnke's Sissy McKenzie explains how to can and preserve your fruits and vegetables to enjoy at a later date. Be prepared to take notes.  Call (301) 937-1100 to reserve your seat. Admission is free.

Photo credit: Tribune

Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville is hosting its 3rd annual Tomato Festival Aug. 27 and, as part of the festivities, there will be a chili cook-off and a salsa-making contest (the dip, not the dance.)

Monday Aug. 22 is the deadlines for entries, so if you think your chili is cool or that your salsa is hot, register for the competition.