Blog - gardenmyths.com

Mulch – How Does It Affect Soil?

Mulching the garden is a very common recommendation. Mulch will reduce the number of weeds and it will hold moisture in the soil but how does mulch affect the quality of soil?

There are lots of claims that mulch improves soil but have you ever seen numbers to validate them? I haven’t either. How exactly does mulch improve soil? It should add organic matter, but how much? It should increase the number of microbes, but is this really true? Unfortunately, almost nobody studies landscapes and gardens because no one will fund the work.

Luckily I was able to find one very good research paper that looked at this exact problem.

Effect of fertilizer and mulch on soil, by Garden Myths (based on reference 1)

If you like this post, please share .......

Lamium orvala

Mention lamium to most gardeners and they run for the hills. Some lamium spread so fast they are thugs in the garden. Others, like L. maculatum, spread but can be controlled. A few are excellent, well behaved, garden plants and this includes Lamium orvala, which forms a nice non-spreading clump. It might seed around a bit, but it is easily pulled out if you get too many.

If you like this post, please share .......

Sunscald on Trees – Prevention

It might surprise you to learn that trees do get sunscald or sunburn and the remedy is not an SPF 30 lotion. Sunscald on trees usually happens on the south or south-west exposed bark. The bark is damaged and in severe cases can result in the death of the tree.

Historically, sunscald has been prevented by wrapping or painting the trunk of the tree. Do these preventative methods work? Are they still recommended? Time to have a closer look at the problem.

sunscald on sugar maple tree, prevention, by Robert Pavlis — Sunscald on a sugar maple tree, by Robert Pavlis

If you like this post, please share .......

10 Reasons for Adding Art to the Garden

Art is a very important addition to any landscape design. In many ways, the addition of art makes the garden, but few people think about this aspect of gardening. In this post, I will give you 10 reasons for adding art to the garden. What purpose does it serve? How does it enhance your garden design? How can it be used to make your garden more interesting?

Sculptures at the Cornell Arboretum, by Robert Pavlis Adding Art to the Garden — Sculptures at the Cornell Arboretum, by Robert Pavlis

If you like this post, please share .......

Fall Cleanup Advice – Be Good to the Environment

Cleaning up the garden in fall is a tradition as we get ready for winter. Rake the leaves, cut back perennials, cut the grass short – there is lots to do in the fall. The reality is that most of the fall cleanup jobs are not good for the environment. People clean up their gardens in fall for aesthetic reasons, not because it is good for the plants or the garden.

It’s time to rethink the whole process of fall cleanup.

Aspen Grove Gardens, by Robert Pavlis, fall garden clean up — Aspen Grove Gardens, by Robert Pavlis

If you like this post, please share .......

Beneficial Pond Bacteria – A Waste of Money

I was reading some gardening Facebook posts and a lady said she buys beneficial pond bacteria for her pond and adds them weekly. WOW! That was news to me. I’ve had a man-made pond for over 8 years that works just fine without added bacteria. I must be missing something important?

Truth be told – I smelled another gardening myth. Let’s have a look.

Beneficial pond bacteria for ponds - koi — Beneficial pond bacteria for ponds – koi

If you like this post, please share .......

Kamal Meattle – Plants and Air Purification

In 2014 I wrote a post called A Garden Myth is Born – Plants Don’t Purify Air, which has become one of my most popular posts. A recent comment on that post about a video by Mr. Kamal Meattle has prompted me to write today about another story related to plants purifying air.

Mr. Kamal Meattle has become well known for a short TED Talk video where he talks about converting an office building in New Delhi, into the cleanest building in India. His secret is the use of air purifying plants.

Plants cleaning the air in an office, desk designed by Julio Radesca

If you like this post, please share .......

Arisaema franchetianum

It is late June in the shady garden and out of nowhere appears a spotted finger sticking out of the ground. It grows quickly unfolding a huge tripartite shinny leaf. Each lobe is almost as large as my hand. But the real treasure is hidden below the leaf – a striped cobra that needs to be seen to be believed.

If you like this post, please share .......

10 Wasp Myths That Will Surprise You

Wasps are feared and hated. Granted they do sting if you disturb them but that is no reason to fear them. In this post I will look at 10 wasp myths that will surprise you. Armed with this new knowledge I hope that you will learn to either like wasps or at least hate them less.

As a general background review of wasp facts have a look at Understanding Wasps – They Are Not Evil!

Paper wasp nest being built - 10 Wasp Myths That Will Surprise You — Paper wasp nest being built

If you like this post, please share .......

Iris Identification – Which Type of Iris Do I Have?

Iris are very common in the garden and often people ask for help to plant, grow, move or divide them. The answer to such questions starts with proper identification. There are many different species iris and they do not all grow the same way. Some have tubers and need to be divided regularly. Others are bulbs and hardly ever need to be divided.

Learning how to grow your iris starts with identifying the type of iris. I am not talking about finding out the actual cultivar name, but you do need to know which type of iris you are dealing with.

In this blog I will help you to identify the type of iris you have. In a future blog I will provide cultural advice for each type of iris.

A table showing different iris and their characteristics — An easy way to identify the type of iris you have, source GardenMyths.com

If you like this post, please share .......

Dynamic Accumulators – Are They Beneficial to the Garden?

Dynamic accumulators are plants that accumulate higher-than-average nutrients in their leaves. Some people grow these plants and then either mulch with them or compost them so that these extra nutrients are made available to other plants. This is particularly popular in permaculture circles, but it is also used a lot in organic gardening.

On the surface, this sounds like a great idea. Use plants to fertilize your other plants. How can you get more organic than this?

In this post, I will look at the pros and cons of using dynamic accumulators to try and understand how beneficial they are to gardens. In the process, I’ll also uncover some myths about dynamic accumulators.

Dynamic accumulators - Is it worth growing them? — Dynamic accumulators – Is it worth growing them? Source; Takashi .M

If you like this post, please share .......

Understanding Wasps – They Are Not Evil!

Why do people hate wasps? They can sting, but 97% of wasp species don’t. A sting hurts but you can do things to avoid being stung. A lot of people have an unhealthy fear of wasps, probably because they know very little about them except for the common yellow jackets which almost every gardener can recognize.

In this post I will explore their world and hopefully reduce your fear of them. I’ll also show you how to avoid getting stung, or at least lower the chance of an encounter. Learn more about wasps – they are extremely important for the garden.

People are starting to like bees, at least a little bit. Now it is time to fall in love with wasps!

Wasps have hairless bodies, tend to be long and sleek with a narrow waist between the abdomen and thorax. — Wasps have hairless bodies and tend to be long and sleek with a narrow waist between the abdomen and thorax.

If you like this post, please share .......