Carpenter ants make their nests in dead and decaying wood, and sometimes that results to damage to structural wood. People often worry when they see a large black ant crawling in their landscape. Does this mean their house is at risk? Learn about nature’s carpenters and how to prevent carpenter ants from entering and infesting your home.
Category: Insects
Rethinking Sweet Autumn Clematis
When we first think about invasive plants, we often conjure images of plants that are not pretty. I often think of the brambles that Maleficent casts around the castle in Sleeping Beauty. Sharp thorns, jagged edges, overall, a barren landscape. Invasive plants are not new. We know that some thistles, leafy spurge, and palmer amaranth…
Old But New
Plant breeders have given us some spectacular wonders for our gardens over the years. We now have beebalm and phlox that are more resistant to powdery mildew. Coneflowers now come in bright bolder colors with sturdier stems. We even have different Joe-Pye-Weeds that are shorter, more compact and even some like Eupatorium altissimum ‘Prairie Jewel’…
Winter Care of Houseplants
If you grow your own fresh air, you appreciate the liveliness houseplants bring to the indoors during the long winter months. On days when I’m feeling blue, nothing lifts my spirits like taking care of my houseplants. Removing dead leaves, looking for any insect pests that I missed when bringing them indoors last fall, pinching…