It’s still summer. Don’t give up on your yard yet.
It's time for new potatoes, berries, trimming back your lawn and - in Anchorage - plastic pot recycling
Gardening
See these charming purple flowers in your yard? Destroy them immediately.
Jeff Lowenfels: Bird vetch and purple bellflower are two plants vexing readers this month - and serve as perfect examples of how powerful invasive plants can be.
The fireweed is blooming: Here’s what Alaska gardeners need to do next
Jeff Lowenfels: For starters, we should be harvesting.
It seems like cow parsnip is everywhere – but it could be so much worse
Jeff Lowenfels: All those plants you thought were highly poisonous aren't as strong as either yellow or giant cow parsnip.
People on the Peninsula: The peony pioneer
Rita Jo Shoultz started Alaska's first peony farm.
Gardeners, it’s time to get bear aware
Jeff Lowenfels: We have to be careful what we keep in our sheds and outdoor greenhouses. Granulated molasses and fish meals are popular organic fertilizers that are also primo bear attractants.
Here’s what’s eating your currant bushes and ‘spitting’ on your wild roses
Jeff Lowenfels: I got tons of emails about caterpillars stripping the leaves off gooseberries and currants. If you have one of these plants, you have the problem. If not, you are a rare exception.
July is a great time to visit the Alaska Botanical Garden
Himalayan blue poppies, peonies and foxglove are just a few of the flowers in bloom now at the Anchorage garden.
If you have plants outside, you have aphids. Here’s what to do about it.
Jeff Lowenfels: We have aphids and I am sure you do, too. There are a variety of ways to attack the problem - from garlic-based sprays to shop vacs.
Plants starting to look a little crowded? Here’s how to thin them out
Jeff Lowenfels: Thinning is necessary, and it is thankfully easy. Use scissors if possible and simply cut the unwanted plants to ground level. You know how big veggies get, so cut accordingly.
Why I kill forget-me-nots whenever I can — and you should too
Jeff Lowenfels: Everyone lavishes praise on the cute, diminutive blue flowers, but the seasoned gardener knows forget-me-nots present a real danger.
Ladies and gentlemen, start your compost
Jeff Lowenfels: There is no need to apply thick layers of compost. It is the microbiology in it that counts, and putting just ⅛ to ¼ of an inch around your plants will suffice.
Bring your own bucket: How to join Anchorage’s community composting program
Anyone with a 5-gallon bucket can take salad scraps, coffee grounds and grass clippings to drop-off sites in Anchorage and Eagle River. A curbside collection program is also starting.
Your garden chore this week? Do the neighborly thing and tidy up
Jeff Lowenfels: The obvious will only be briefly stated: Pick up debris. We are not Sourdoughs anymore. Get rid of the junk.
It’s been a cool spring, but don’t be fooled. Now is the time to put plants in the ground.
Jeff Lowenfels: If you wait another weekend, hoping that some sort of Palm Beach Express is going to blow into the area so you can plant in your shorts and T-shirt, you are going to be disappointed
It’s just about time for Alaska gardeners to put plants in the ground. Here’s what to do now to get ready.
Jeff Lowenfels: Get things ready now so you can concentrate on just the job of planting when the time comes. You don't want to interrupt your cadence on planting out day!
Buckle up, Alaska gardeners: It’s go time.
Jeff Lowenfels: There are some things you can plant right now. Let's start with potatoes - It is time to buy yours.
Birch buds are finally open. It’s time to harden off your plants.
Jeff Lowenfels: Timing is everything in all gardening, but especially in Alaska, where there's a very short window to grow things.
Here’s what to do with all that sand and gravel left behind now that the snow has melted
Jeff Lowenfels: Best of all, this practice might even help your lawn.
Resist the temptation to rake your lawn right now — you’ll be thankful later
Jeff Lowenfels: Your lawn greens up as it warms, not because you put fertilizer on it. (Don't!). It is still way too cool to do anything to yours.