The Real Dirt

Summers are getting hotter in much of the U.S., including our local environment. One way to counteract this change in climate is by planting trees to provide more shade in the summer months. But adjusting to a shadier garden also means shifting to different plant choices.

Companion planting combines diverse plants in an informed manner to bring a balanced ecosystem into the garden. This approach to gardening has been used by organic gardeners for decades. The idea is to plant herbs and flowers with vegetables to create sustainable gardens with better crop yields.

Next time you go for a walk in Upper Park, look closely at the different plants you see. Notice the enormous diversity of shapes, colors, and forms.

A colorful perennial has been brightening spring gardens for many weeks. Azaleas are the easy-to-care-for stars of semi-shaded locations. The most common varieties are evergreen azaleas, which are more accurately described as having persistent-leaves.

If you are noticing droopy, dried-out flower clusters on your pears, Asian pears, quince, apples or crabapples, fire blight may be the cause. Fire blight is caused by a bacterium and is a common and frequently destructive disease that shows up in April and May.