Today we celebrate the Patron Saint of Beekeepers
We'll also revisit the letter Jefferson wrote about gardening - it contains one of his most-quoted lines.
We remember the French Landscape Architect who designed ninety percent of the public spaces in Argentina.
We'll eavesdrop on another letter from Elizabeth Lawrence - the garden writer - who also wrote the most wonderful letters.
We celebrate World Mosquito Day with some Mosquito poems.
We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that will help you create some Inspired Gatherings in your garden.
And then we'll wrap things up with one of my favorite light-hearted poets.
But first, let's catch up on some Greetings from Gardeners around the world and today's curated news.
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Gardener Greetings
To participate in the Gardener Greetings segment, send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org
And, to listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to play The Daily Gardener Podcast. It's that easy.
Curated News
Get the Most from Your Potting Soil With These Tips | The Spruce | Jon VanZile
Here's an excerpt:
"Most soil mixes are peat-based, often made with reed or sedge peat, and pH adjusted with lime. They are rich and loamy fresh out of the bag, and often they are enhanced with fertilizer or water-retention crystals. If you've been gardening for a long time, though, you may notice that plants rarely thrive in these kinds of soils for too long.
This happens because peat-based soils really aren't designed for long-term use. They're not actually designed for plants at all—they're made for your convenience. They're cheaper to produce, and they are lightweight and easy to bag and sell.
As these soils decompose, a number of negative forces will affect your plants.
Take these steps to ensure your plants have the soil they need:
Improve your bagged soil. It's not a long-term fix, but you can improve on peat-based growing mixes by mixing in a few handfuls of perlite. It won't slow the decomposition rate of the peat, but it will increase aeration.
Flush the soil thoroughly every month, at a minimum. Take the plant to the kitchen sink or outside and thoroughly flush the soil to wash out accumulated salts from fertilizer and deposits from tap water.
Wick your pots. Insert a wick through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. This won't help with compaction, but it will wick away excess water in the pot and help drainage, thus reducing the chance of root rot.
Make your own potting mix. Many growers mix up their own potting mixes based on composted bark, coconut coir, peat, perlite, vermiculite, pumice, and other soil additives. This is a more advanced option, but it is possible to build a soil that will last for two or more seasons if you make it yourself."
Pass-Along Plants
"You don't have a garden just for yourself. You have it to share."
— Augusta Carter, Master Gardener, Pound Ridge, Georgia
Pass-along plants have the best stories, don't they?
They have history.
They have a personal history.
One of my student gardeners had a grandmother who recently passed away from breast cancer.
Her mom was no green thumb. But, when her daughter started working in my garden, she let me know that her mom had some plants, and her dad was looking for a place for them. Would I be willing to take one?
Sure. Absolutely, I said.
Next thing I knew, a few weeks later, Mom is walking up to my driveway, caring one of the largest Jade plants I've ever seen. The plant was in a container the size of a 5-gallon paint bucket, and the plant was just as tall.
I took the plant from her with a promise to take good care of it.
When she turned to leave, I asked her mom's name. I like to name my pass-along plants after the people I get them from; and, that's when the tears started.
When she left,
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