Hope you enjoy our June newsletter

A Personal Message

I've got an exciting project that I want to share with you. Take a look at what we've done...

We built a fruit and vegetable courtyard for this client. There are raised bed gardens and fruit trees inside a fenced courtyard.

Here's a view of the entire courtyard. There are lots of raised beds with a flagstone walkway. We used white pea gravel for the "floor" of this outdoor courtyard.

There's more that we've done since these photos were taken last summer. But, not everything is in bloom yet this year. So, I'll show off with last year's pictures for now.

Vegetables and herbs are growing here.

We planted squash and more beans in this garden.

Here's a beautiful garden of rosemary. There's a small lavender garden directly behind it.

Look at the size of the bean plants that are growing!

As you can see, we can assist you with a courtyard full of gardens.

Or if you have a more modest project in mind, please give us a call at
410.253.9063. See you next month!

June Garden Tips

* Do you love hanging baskets as much as we do? If you want to hang a basket in a shady spot, try tuberous begonias and colorful impatens. Use English ivy as your trailing plant.

* And, there are always lots of suggestions for sun-loving flowers in baskets. Petunias and geraniums are always popular, but how about these beauties?

Lobelia typically requires an area with full sun, but will tolerate partial shade. Additionally, they prefer moist and rich soil. It's an easy to grow plant that even enjoys cool weather. Once it has been planted, it requires little maintenance. However, it needs frequent watering during hot, dry weather.

Lantana is a plant that is easy to grow and flourishes even with little moisture. They require a sunny location and prefer a slightly acidic soil, even though they are tolerant of many types of soil conditions. Newly planted flowers require much watering, but need little maintenance afterwards. Watering once a week should be enough.

Let's Talk Tomatoes!

* Seems as if everyone has several (or more) tomato plants tucked away somewhere. Here are a couple of suggestions for some frequent tomato plant problems.

Establish stakes or cages in the soil at the time of planting. Staking keeps developing fruit off the ground, while caging allows the plant hold itself upright. Some sort of support system is definitely recommended, the sooner, the better.

This is similar to the type of cages and stakes that I use in my own garden. I like 3 tomato stakes and sturdy cages like these.

Make sure you water generously for the first few days. Then, water well throughout growing season, about two inches per week during the summer.
Keep watering consistent or "cracking" may occur. When fruit growth is too rapid, the skin will crack. And, this is usually due to inconsistent watering. Mulching around your tomato plants will help them retain moisture.

We really like the tomato information we found in The Farmers Almanac. Here's a link for more of their expert advice: https://www.almanac.com/plant/tomatoes.

Check out their tips for fertilization and dealing with pest control for your tomatoes and other garden plants.

Why Tick Bites Can Make You Very, Very Sick

I've been bitten by a tick. Twice. However, I never contracted Lyme Disease.

But, I ended up in critical care, close to death after the second bite. I'm so blessed to be here, to discuss the trauma of a tick bite.

The first bite occurred in 2006. Within a week, toxins from the tick had entered my system. The right side of my torso became swollen to twice the normal size. The skin around the area became extremely infected with poisons from the bite.

Even after all this time, I'm still not sure which was worse...the bite or my reaction to the antibiotics.

This is an adult black legged deer tick.

A photo of a classic bull's eye rash, resulting from a tick bite.

The second bite resulted in Ehrlichiosis, a disease that attacks white blood cells.

I was admitted to Critical Care, immediately after a doctor's visit. That's where I stayed for the next five days.

Eventually, I was discharged and sent home with a whole host of medications. I was as weak as a kitten. Most of my time for the next month was spent in bed.

I took the recovery time to formulate a program designed to prevent tick bites in humans and pets. We began testing the program about 10 years ago. It's now a full-fledged service that we offer. And, it really works!

Take a look at how carefully we spray your property. We treat the entire lawn and all landscape beds. We also allow the spray to drift back into any wooded areas that may surround you.

I offer a guarantee with this service. If you allow me to spray your property once in the spring and once in the fall, I promise you won't have any ticks.
If you do find a tick on yourself or your pet, I'll return and retreat the area where you found a tick, at no charge to you.
We treated over 400 properties in 2015. We retreated small areas for eight of these properties. I'm very proud of my track record.

The reason for such detail about myself is to convince you how important it is to protect yourself from a tick bite.

If you're interested in more information and a free estimate, please give me a call at 410.770.5882.