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Cedar oil has been used for 1000s of years as a natural pest repellent. Though it may be hard to prove definitively, we believe that cedar, in the form of its needles and in the form of sawdust was used by the earliest earth-bound dwellers in order to deter the invasion of biting, stinging and destructive pests into their homes, as humble as they may have been.

There is, however, no doubt that our earliest ancestors used cedar saw dust to coat the floors of their homes and establishments in an attempt to not only deter destructive and dangerous insects, but to control odor. Cattle ranchers built their fence posts out of cedar, which naturally resists pest infestation and decay, some of which are still standing today. And the Egyptians soaked papyrus leaves in cedar oil, wrapping their dead, aiding in the mummification of their most revered leaders. Native Americans rubbed their bodies with cedar needles to discourage biting and stinging insects; even your grandma knew of cedar’s insect-repelling properties, storing linens and valuable textiles in cedar chests and placing blocks of fresh cut cedar inside closets so as to repel moths, cockroaches and other destructive pests.

What our ancestors and the ancients didn’t have though is the science to really understand exactly WHY cedar oil is so effective or HOW it works. More recent studies of NOCDOWN III and other products made of cedar oil have only added credence to what our forebears already knew—the positive attributes of cedar wood and cedar oil.

We now know, for example, that insects and snakes dependent upon their heat sensors and scent receptors in order to locate prey and suitable breeding areas are greatly hampered by cedar’s pungent odor. A most pleasant smell to us humanoids, the scent of cedar-based products like NOCDOWN III is kind of like that of a cesspool to non-beneficial pests, such as scorpions and snakes, ants and spiders, lawn grubs, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and fleas and ticks. It repels them; it confuses them; it makes them unable to function in that “smelly” environment, which causes them to flee and search for other, more pest-friendly environs.

We have also learned that in addition to deterring these pests, cedar oil is destructive to the eggs and larvae of these same noxious insects. Penetrating the cuticles and the exoskeletons of the eggs and larvae, these pests are no longer able to retain the moisture necessary for life. They dehydrate and die, very quickly, sometimes on contact.

So, not only have you discouraged the infestation of these nasty pests, you have now successfully interrupted their growth cycle, just by utilizing this family-friendly and earth-friendly, pleasant smelling, economical and completely safe product

NOCDOWN III organic pesticide will not hurt aquatic life. It will not repel beneficial insects, nor is it something that non-beneficial pests become immune to. The simple truth is that we are almost out of solutions for some of these pests. Ask any entomologist and you’ll be told how the majority of products on the market today are becoming less and less effective. Ants, cockroaches, lice, fleas and ticks are all becoming harder to kill because the pests are becoming immune to the chemicals being used. In fact, just ask your vet about how flea and tick preparations are always changing. Ask how certain parasites can no longer be treated and how scientists are quickly running out of solutions. It is all there by word-of-mouth and in print—we are running out of viable resolutions to control the most harmful and even the most innocuous of pests.

And yet, cedar oil still works! Only the process by which it is mass-produced is man-made. The product itself is all-natural.

As proof of its safety, visit any area with cedar trees.

• Near the ponds in the Poconos, where the water is red from the cedar fall-out, there are virtually no mosquitoes or other offensive insects, but you will find plenty of turtles, frogs, fish, butterflies and honey bees.
• On any farm, you will find chickens taking “dirt baths” below the cedar trees in order to rid themselves of fleas and mites. Equines, cattle and goats will even congregate under cedar trees, sometimes rubbing against the bark and oftentimes eating the needles. No, it’s not for the shade!
• I’ve seen numerous species of birds nesting in cedar trees, a further indication of their safety.

So, then the question becomes, “Why use anything that is chemical-based and not safe when there are cedar oil products, such as NOCDOWN III readily available and highly effective?”

NOCDOWN III and products of its kind will not harm the environment. There are no chemicals to rinse into drainage systems and ground water, contaminating our streams, rivers and lakes. There are no chemicals for mutant insects to become immune to. There is no danger to you, your family or to your pets.

There is, simply put, no reason NOT to use NOCDOWN III!

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Whether you have a vegetable garden or flower gardens, or no gardens at all, a garden plaque can say the one thing that is closest to your heart or be a reminder and tribute to someone you care for.

Proudly made in the U.S.A., our garden plaques are cast from concrete, not resin, therefore having the true look, feel and weight of real stone. Colored throughout, not just on the surface, they are designed to last a lifetime while decorating your favorite outdoor spaces. Each garden plaque or stone has a meaningful quotation or comment on life and is artfully decorated, designed to contribute to the beauty of your outside world. Our selection features a wide range of colors, everything from natural to charcoal gray, terra cotta, sand, white granite and even more vibrant colors. All of our garden plaques come complete with a stand, while our garden stones are meant to be displayed like a stepping stone. It is up to you if you choose to use the provided stand or not.

There are many reasons that you may want to express your feelings through a garden plaque or garden stone. One of the most common is in memorial to a loved one that has passed, leaving you feeling somewhat adrift and lonely. Many gardeners choose to plant a bush, shrub or perennial plant in honor of this special someone and many will add a fountain, wind chimes or gazing ball and stand to further memorialize them; a garden plaque will serve to let all who enter your yard know that your heart was touched by this person and that he or she will never be forgotten. It can be like a healing salve to know that you have remembered someone so cherished, even in this simple way. We even have garden stones for beloved dogs and cats.

Garden plaques can also display your pride in our Armed Services. So many of our country’s young men and women are serving in dangerous places around the globe, the guardians of our freedom and that of the down-trodden in other nations. Many of you are probably related to or are friends with a soldier. We have Honor Garden Plaques with each of the armed service logos for the US Army, US Air Force, US Navy and US Marine Corp. as well as for the National Guard.

And if your loved one serves here in the U.S. as a public servant in the form of a Police Officer, in the Fire Department or as an EMT Paramedic, they too are deserving of recognition and their community’s pride. Garden plaques of this kind will always bring a warm smile and a bit of hope to the heart of someone who may be feeling down, and will definitely boost the morale of those people who serve both their country and their community so selflessly.

Proclaim your faith, honor a friend or make a loving statement through the permanent and reverent display of a garden plaque or garden stone. It is amazing that such a simple artifact can bring such peace of mind or joy to those who display it, to those who see it and to those who give it as a gift!

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Ahhh. Just the mere mention of a succulent, sweet, juicy, humongous Better Boy tomato will have gardeners licking their lips with anticipation and preparing their garden bed or containers for the day when they can finally begin the growing season and start producing this most popular of all tomato varieties. There are even backyard “tomato gardeners” that will grow nothing but the Better Boy tomato, their whole garden being a tribute to this one vegetable; this tomato is THAT good!

The Better Boy tomato is a hybrid indeterminate variety, which is a fancy name that means it is a cross between two other tomato plants and that it will produce tomatoes all season long. Hybrids are bred for qualities in the parent plants that are desirable, such as better disease resistance, color, meatiness, size and ease of growth. The Better Boy’s parents are the Big Boy and the Lemon Boy, both of which are still available and popular in their own right, but the Better Boy has surpassed both of them when it comes to popularity with both commercial and individual producers.

The Lemon Boy tomato is often advertised as an heirloom because of its unusual lemony color, but is actually an F-1 hybrid itself; the F-1 simply means it is resistant to Fusarium wilt, a very common tomato disease. It is a particularly meaty tomato with few seeds and has an exceptional flavor when compared to many bland tasting yellow varieties. Yellows also tend to be less acidic, which heart-burn and acid-reflux sufferers appreciate. Big Boy’s parentage, on the other hand, is a trade secret, as it has been for over 50 years. An Israeli vegetable breeder joined Burpee’s staff and produced a number of successful hybrid vegetables; his most significant being the Big Boy tomato in 1949. With a sweet, full flavor, this smooth, red-skinned fruit is also remarkably fragrant and can often weigh in at a pound or more. Being blessed with good disease resistance, it also has a bushy growth habit and is a strong grower. In fact, tomato connoisseurs often list it amongst the top five of their all time favorites.

So, now that you know where it came from, let’s look at the Better Boy’s qualities. First and foremost, Better Boy is resistant to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt and nematodes, often annotated with the initials VFN either before or after the variety name. When it comes to tomatoes, it’s a good idea to know what the initials mean: V – Verticillium wilt, F – Fusarium wilt (F1, race 1; F2, race 2), N – nematode, T – tobacco mosaic virus, A – Alternaria alternata (crown wilt disease) and L – Septoria leafspot. Obviously, the more initials the better, but most will have 3 or less, with some having no special resistance at all; VFN are the most prolific diseases that you would like your tomatoes to be resistant to, but you can find more information about The 10 Most Common Tomato Plant Problems here.

Being an indeterminate variety, the Better Boy tomato plant will produce tomatoes all season long. In fact, the green tomatoes can be picked when the first frost is expected and allowed to ripen in a cool place in a brown paper bag. You really don’t want to let a single one of these juicy fruits go to waste. Determinate varieties, on the other hand, will form blossoms and then fruit, all at one time, and then quit producing. These varieties are most popular with people wanting to make tomato pastes, sauces, salsas, stewed tomatoes, etc. for canning. You can pretty much determine when the crop will be ready to harvest and process. Most serious gardeners will plant both the determinate and indeterminate varieties.

One or two plants will produce more than enough tomatoes for a family of 4, maybe allowing you to give away a few too. Plan accordingly. One of the biggest mistakes someone growing tomatoes for the first time will make—planting way too many plants, which means some going to waste (which is a shame), the creation of more and more creative ways to use tomatoes, your first efforts at home canning, or really happy neighbors and coworkers who receive the extra tomatoes your family is tired of seeing by now. The other by-product of over planting is frustration.

Better Boys are meaty and have a superb flavor. They are large enough to make great sandwich slices and their smooth, red skin is a joy to see hanging from the branches. Most Better Boy tomatoes weigh in at around 8 to 12-ounces, sometimes more and tend to have fewer problems when it comes to cracking and splitting.

You can grow Better Boys just as you would any other tomato plant, but definitely be sure to provide support for this precious plant. You don’t want these tomatoes hanging on the ground to be easy prey to critters or insects; their size and weight make that a real possibility.

You will find that tomatoes are remarkably easy to grow, though some seasons, like 2010, just seem to be “bad” years, with the instances of tomato growers grumbling about high temperatures, disease run rampant and even soil borne diseases. The best way to guard against this is to buy your plants from a reputable green house. Local greenhouses are best, because they grow tomatoes common to your area. Beware though—many of the so-called largest local retailers are importing their plants from other countries which can lead to diseases and pests being imported as well. If you are not confident in your local supplier or they do not have a large selection of tomatoes to choose from, we grow all of our tomato plants right here in our greenhouses in the heart of the U.S., in Berne, IN. We guarantee their quality and their arrival and provide amazing one-on-one customer support. We even have a Master Gardener on staff to answer any questions you may have…without waiting in line!

We have many varieties from open-pollinated to Heirloom to Hybrids, of which the Better Boy is. Better Boy will produce ripe tomatoes about 70 days after you’ve transplanted…and then for the rest of the season. You better order right now—the longer you wait, the longer you will be waiting for that first beautiful tomato to appear!

We are quite sure that you will be just as enamored of the Better Boy tomato as are most tomato lovers! Enjoy!

*The Better Boy photo was provided courtesy of Becca from Little Green Bees.

Posted in Growing Tips, Information | 2 Comments »

I have two lilac bushes that are on the west side of my home. They are 5 years old, 5 feet tall, bushy and have never bloomed. I would like to cut them back to a smaller size. If they are not going to flower I want to pull them out.

I will appreciate your advice.

Bonnie T. – Salt Lake City, UT

Answer: The usual reason for lilac plants and other blooming shrubs to not bloom is being trimmed at the wrong time of the year. Lilacs should be pruned immediately after the blooming period. Since yours has not bloomed, you would just have to watch others in the area, then trim. Also, when you prune it’s good to thin an older shrub by removing no more than one-third of the older woody trunks, trimming down to within a few inches of the ground. Blooming is usually more vigorous on new growth. It would also be advisable to give the shrub some fertilizer in the late winter/very early spring, usually just around the time of your last snowfall. I would recommend using Hi-Yield Triple Superphosphate as the phosphate is what the plant needs the most for blooming. Avoid giving it too much nitrogen, which is the first of the three numbers that will be listed on the product. The nitrogen will just produce lots of green leaves and no blooms.

Also check your plant’s location and the amount of sun the plant receives. It should be getting four to six hours of sunlight daily. Lilacs transplant easily, so try taking one of the divisions or side shoots and plant it in a different location. Southern exposure is always good. See if your luck improves.

Some lilacs do take several years to reach maturity and a blooming state. You might try not pruning it this year. Give it some Superphosphate in the spring and see what happens next year.

Good luck and happy gardening,

Karen

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Whiteflies are a scourge that more and more gardeners are falling victim to. A world-wide problem, the use of insecticides has created a whitefly “monster”, immune to the most common pesticides and becoming more immune every year, until there will be a point where insecticides may no longer work. Insecticidal soap is becoming the most accepted form of control because pesticides are now known to go more than skin deep on fruits and veggies, it is safe to use, it produces results quickly and insecticidal soap is a solution that whiteflies cannot become immune to.  

A tiny pest, they work in huge numbers to devastate your house plants, greenhouse plants, vegetable plants and the world’s food supply. Most of you will be the victim of the greenhouse whitefly, which is so-named because it is frequently seen in greenhouses, but is a major pest that attacks numerous fruit, vegetable and ornamentals, both inside and outside. In fact, these thirsty pests not only feed on just about everything, they transmit any number of plant diseases. Tomato yellow leaf-curl begomovirus, TYLCV, is considered the worst, but they are attributed with spreading 60 different viral plant diseases.

In addition to the Greenhouse whitefly, the Silverleaf whitefly is becoming more prevalent. Your plants are likely to be attacked by either one of these species and though the physical differences may seem minute, the damage they are both capable of causing can be catastrophic. They often go unnoticed for a while because they attack the undersides of the leaves, staying out of the direct sun and out of sight, so the first preventative measure is to check the undersides of random leaves throughout your garden, especially on your tomatoes, squash and watermelons.  

An adult female Greenhouse whitefly will lay an average of 50 to 150 eggs, and though the Silverleaf whitefly is smaller, she can lay up to 7 times the number of eggs that the Greenhouse whitefly can. The life cycle of both is also similar, growing from eggs, which hatch in 5 to 10 days, depending upon the temperatures, at which time a “crawler” emerges, travels a short distance and then starts feeding, which is when they start damaging your plants. From crawler to nymph to pupa takes about two weeks, and then the adult female will emerge from the pupa about a week later and will start laying eggs almost immediately. Her average life span is only 6 days, so she makes the most of it. She feeds with sucking mouthparts that extract the sap from the phloem of your plants. The phloem is the living tissue of your plants that carries nutrients throughout the plant. Without it, plant death can be quick to occur, but the warning signs are usually quite easy to spot:

• Yellowing leaves, yellow-spotted leaves and curling leaves can all be symptoms
• Eggs will normally be laid in a circular pattern and will either be opaque or slightly yellow, depending upon whether it is a Greenhouse or Silverleaf whitefly. The eggs will be laid on the undersides of your plants’ leaves.
• The nymph and pre-pupa stage will see the emergence of tiny white “legs” or fibers all around the small oval in the Greenhouse whitefly and not so much in the Silverleaf whitefly.
• As they reach pupa stage, they may appear to look like fish scales on the backs of your plants’ leaves.
• The most obvious sign is if you are enveloped in a white cloud as you bend down to inspect your garden. By that time, your infestation is probably quite advanced and at least partial plant death may be occurring. (Silverleaf whiteflies will be smaller and more yellow than white)
• Adults secrete honeydew as they suck the life out of your plants, and this will attract ants in droves; another sign to watch for.
• The honeydew that is secreted is the perfect growing medium for sooty mold, a black sticky mess that is impossible not to notice, but even more difficult to deal with than the whiteflies.

As stated above, there are pesticides to combat the problem…for now. Just remember that every time you use a pesticide, you are contributing to a future generation of whiteflies that will be immune to the pesticide you use today.

We recommend, instead, organic means by which to control this stubborn and adaptable pest. There are, of course, natural enemies of the whitefly, such as green lacewings, ladybirds (ladybugs), minute pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs and damsel bugs. You can either buy them in egg form or as adult insects from commercial enterprises or you can plant plants that will attract them. Lacewings and ladybugs are both attracted to fern-leaf and common yarrow (achillea), fennel, dill and cilantro/coriander. There is more information here on which plants to grow in order to attract beneficial insects to your yard.

But, if you have a whitefly infestation to deal with now, you don’t have the time or the luxury to wait for plants to grow, or even if you buy plants already close to adult size, for the word to get out to the “whitefly brigade” of insect assassins to gather for the whitefly buffet in your garden. You need something now and you need something that will act quickly (remember, it only takes them about 3 weeks to go from egg to egg-laying adult). 

The most common and safest organic method used is an insecticidal soap. We carry Safer Insecticidal Soap, derived from all-natural potassium salts and OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institue) listed for organic gardening. You simply spray Safer Insecticidal Soap on the undersides of the infected plants’ leaves, either in the very early morning or in the late evening when the temperatures are below 85°F and when the whiteflies are not actively flying. It kills by penetrating the outer shells of these soft bodied insect pests, smothering, dehydrating and causing death in just a few hours. Insecticidal soap is non-lethal to beneficial insects and can be used indoors or out. A 32-ounce ready-to-use bottle will treat about a 1000 square foot garden plot. It is gentle on your most prized ornamentals but lethal for whiteflies and it has no unpleasant odor.

Whiteflies do not have to be the death of your garden. Besides ornamentals, palms, weeds, poinsettias and countless other plants, the fruits and vegetables most affected are: Avocado, Cantaloupe, Carrot, Citrus, Cucumber, Eggplant, Gourds, Drapes, Lettuce, Peas, Pepper, Potato, Sage, Squash, Strawberry, Sweet potato, Tomato & Watermelon

Always look for whitefly infestation prior to bringing home new plants. It will save you a world of heartache. But, whiteflies can attack at any time, so we also recommend having insecticidal soap on hand, ready to do away with this pest before they have a chance to become a real problem for you.

Happy Gardening!

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So which plant is it? If you look up the first instance, with the “s” before the “ch”, Webster will tell you that it is definitely wrong. In fact, as I write this, Word has underlined F-U-S-C-H-I-A in the red wavy line that tells me it is incorrect, while the spelling F-U-C-H-S-I-A, has not been marked for correction.

That should be all the proof you need, and yet there is a battle constantly waged over this issue across back yard fences and in local gardening circles around the world! There is, however, no confusion (okay, just a little) over its pronunciation. The most common pronunciation is FEW-she-uh, while some of us tend to run it all together, saying FEW-sha, and still others pronounce it FEWK-see-uh. We, by the way, have got the run-together version and a new one, FOOKS-ee-uh, listed in our description, derived from some botany pronunciation guide or other. I’m afraid the original pronunciation has been lost to time. And the truth is, that regardless of how you spell it—Fuchsia Plant or Fuschia Plant, everyone is going to know what you are talking about anyway!

We are here, though, to set the record straight, at least insofar as the proper spelling goes. The proper spelling is with the ‘CH’ before the ‘S’. The reason for this is that the Fuchsia plant was named after Leonhart (or Leonhard) Fuchs who was one of the founding fathers of botany (and I can find no phonetic pronunciation for his name). A very well-known German physician, at least in the 16th century, he created the first medicinal garden at the University of Tubingen in 1535. The Fuchsia, which bears his name, was discovered on Santo Domingo in the Caribbean in 1696 or 1697(record-keeping at that time left much to be desired) by French scientist Dom Charles Plumier. Okay, this is probably where the original confusion started—a French scientist named a tropical plant after a German botanist.

So, there you have it! Webster describes the fuchsia as “ any of a genus (Fuchsia) of ornamental shrubs of the evening-primrose family having showy nodding flowers usually in deep pinks, reds, and purples”. Most of us though,  just call them beautiful! Maybe we should just take a clue from Shakespeare and know that “a fuchsia by any other name, would smell just as sweet” and just enjoy the flower, not worrying about whether it’s spelled it Fuchsia or Fuschia.

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Hello – I just had to write to tell you how impressed I was with your service…last month I ordered some plants from a large, well-known internet plant and seed company. After hearing nothing for nearly 3 weeks, I went online to check my order and saw it still had not shipped. I contacted customer service and was informed that “oh, those are no longer available”. Guess they never planned to let me know. I found the same plants on Garden Harvest Supply, ordered them, and they shipped the next day! They have arrived and are beautiful – thank you so much! I will definitely be ordering from you again. Cathy F.

GHS: Cathy thanks for your kind words. Glad you enjoyed your plants. We look forward to seeing you again.

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Now is the time to take advantage of the fantastic prices that we are offering on every single annual plant in our greenhouses. Summer is starting to heat up and many of your perennials may be fading soon, which is what God created annual plants for—to supplement the blossoms of their perennial cousins—adding color to a landscape that has become mostly green.

Many gardeners plan their annual beds in advance, knowing exactly what they will plant where, but annual plants offer a great opportunity to change things up year to year. Just as you decorate your indoor space, your outdoor space can also be a reflection of your personality, your moods and what makes you happy. Searching for and trying new annual plants offers not only a change of pace, but gives you the chance to really shine, to take a risk, to try something new and different that may very well become your new favorite, but will certainly have your friends, family and neighbors sitting up and taking notice.

We also suggest planting containers and just setting them in amongst your perennials, grouping them in naked corners or hanging them from your pergola, the eaves of your house, or even from tree branches throughout your yard. Planters also enable you to move things around, just like you do your furniture and since annuals are only here for the current season, you can try something new in the same planter next year! How cool is that?

Our three top sellers are the Calibrachoa, Fuchsia and Ipomoea plants:

• Calibrachoa look similar to petunias, but have smaller blossoms that literally overflow their containers! We have a collection of Calibrachoa plants from four different award-winning producers: Candy Shop, Million Bells, MiniFamous and Noa. These beauties are completely self-cleaning, which means you don’t have to deadhead. They will produce blossoms over and over again!
• Fuchsia plants are an exotic beauty, also called Lady’s Eardrops. Its blossoms hang gracefully, and will gently move with the slightest breeze. Available in a variety of colors, from deep jewel-tones to feminine pastels, even the blossoms can appear quite different from plant to plant. The tropical scent is nothing short of heavenly!
• Ipomoea plants are better known as Sweet Potato Vines, though they will not produce one single sweet potato. In varieties that include black and bronze colors, the leaves are also not the same from plant to plant, some being spade-shaped, while others are lobed and veined in contrasting colors. Ipomoea is most often used in combo plantings with blooming plants or are used as an annual groundcover.

But don’t stop there! We have a huge selection of ANNUALS available and every single one of them is 50% off…but only for a limited time!

The sale starts Friday, June 10th and ends Friday, June 17th.

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We know that when you buy a garden hoe, you have a choice. We just think that your choice should be an educated one, with you having all of the facts in front of you…before making a choice on which garden hoe to purchase.

We carry Rogue hoes because we consider them the absolute best on the market, for a reasonable price and because they are made by a family-owned company, right in the heart of the good old U.S.A, in the Ozarks, in Missouri.

In researching this article, I looked at those hoes available at Wal-Mart, Lowe’s and Home Depot, the three most common places for people to shop for garden hoes. I saw all kinds of hoes, in all different colors, and in many different shapes and priced from a cheap $3.98 to a whopping $153.00!

The one for $153.00 claimed to be “non-sparking” but did not tell you what it is made of. It also claimed to be “non-magnetic”, hmmmm, maybe made of aluminum then? “Corrosion resistant” and “Beryllium-free”. I think that aluminum probably fits the bill for the corrosion resistance, but Beryllium is a naturally occurring element that has been used for years as a hardening agent in metal alloys. If the metal here is aluminum and is not a Beryllium-aluminum alloy, its strength should be called into question. It also claims to be made in the U.S., but when you scroll down to the Specifications part, right under the shipping weight, which is specified in pounds, it says “Assembled in Country of Origin: USA and/or Imported”, and on the next line it says, “Origin of Components: USA and/or Imported”. Would you trust that this item is made in the U.S.A. by American workers? Or do you just buy it because it must be a “magic” hoe since it costs so much and the fact that it costs so much must mean it really IS made in the U.S.?

So, after looking at all of the other garden hoes, I decided to point out the features that are not present on any given hoe, all at one time but that are all standard features of every Rogue garden hoe; in fact, all garden tools made by Rogue Hoe are superior in their handcrafted craftsmanship, are loaded with well-thought out features that make gardening and work-sense and are 100% made in the U.S.A.

First and foremost is that every single hoe blade is made with recycled agricultural disc blades. These are the blades that are used in commercial farming operations and are made of high quality tempered steel. They are strong and made to hold an edge, and the fact that these are re-purposed to make Rogue garden hoes is impressive. Every hoe blade is sharpened on three sides, not just one. You can flip each hoe to either side to reach into smaller spaces with the same cutting ability as the full-sized front blade. All grinding, welding and sharpening is done completely by hand.

The handles are all made of Northern White Ash, which is 2% harder and 26% more stable than Northern Red Oak. It also has exceptional shock resistance and remains smooth under friction, which means you won’t be getting splinters in the palms of your hands. Then, the hoe blade is attached with both a pressure fit and epoxy bond, with the handle being firmly inserted inside a steel sleeve. Rogue hoes have been handed down through generations, having never had the blade become separated from the handle. You also have your choice in most models, of both a 54” and 60” handle, which means short and tall people alike, can more comfortably use this hoe without choking way up on the handle or unnecessary stooping, thereby losing much of the leverage that is built into this garden hoe.

And, take a look at the swan neck. This is a signature of the Rogue hoe. A wide, swan-shaped neck, as opposed to a thin tube-like form of attachment not only lends additional strength, but increases the leverage, making the Rogue garden hoe more effective, with less exerted energy. Hoeing can be a tough job! Rogue hoes, by design, make it much easier.

So now the decision is yours. We invite you to shop and compare! We are confident that you will find that Rogue garden hoes are an exceptional value with a life-expectancy that will not only surpass your own, but that of your grandchildren and great-grandchildren too. And it costs no-where near $153.00!!!! Not even close. In fact, Rogue Hoes are less expensive than about half of the hoes I saw advertised on those other sites, but with many more features that make them what we consider to be the best garden hoe on the market!

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The Coleus plant is, by far, one of the most popular house plants ever, but is also fast becoming a sought-after annual, one that provides amazing color and contrast for perennial beds past their bloom and for those partially shaded areas for which color is hard to come by. However, Coleus is a somewhat fragile annual; one that requires a bit of TLC in order to reap its colorfully impressive rewards.

Transplanting Your Coleus

Your Coleus plants will arrive in a 3-inch pot. We have carefully nurtured your coleus plant in our greenhouse, providing it with the proper amount of sunlight and nutrients in order to ensure it grows the best root system possible. Your coleus plant, however, has not been subjected to wind and full sun, so should be “hardened off” before actually being planted in the ground or in a fully exposed area in a pot.

Hardening off is the process of acclimating a plant to its new habitat. You do the same thing for vegetable seedlings you’ve started at home, moving them outside for longer and longer periods of time where they are exposed to the elements and can therefore survive more easily when first transplanted into the garden. The same method is wisely used for any new transplant. Start by moving them into a partially shaded area that is protected from the wind, gradually moving them to an area with the same conditions as the one they will be planted in. Be weather-aware and be sure to provide shelter or bring them inside if the nighttime temps are expected to drop below 40°F and if high winds, driving rain or hail are expected. This whole process should take no longer than a week to a week and a half, but will virtually guarantee the most beautiful and healthy Coleus plants possible.

We recommend transplanting your newly acquired Coleus into a pot with good quality planting soil within a couple of days of its arrival. Immediately upon receipt, remove the plant(s) from the shipping box and put them in a shallow glass baking dish or some other suitable container and make sure that the soil stays moist, but that the shipping pots are not sitting in standing water for any length of time. We also suggest that you mix water with our highly concentrated Neptune’s Harvest and just pour a little into the container at a time until the plants have soaked up the water. Pour off any excess and leave them for 15 minutes before potting, or leave them like this for up to three days, but no longer. When we shipped them to you they were most likely already starting to outgrow their shipping pots. Neptune’s Harvest helps your plants to more quickly overcome the stress of shipping and will give a boost of essential nutrients to get them off to a great start.

Potted Coleus Plants

If transplanting to a permanent pot or container, the process is quite simple. Choose a pot with a drainage hole in the bottom, or one of any number of decorative hanging baskets. Of course, the ultimate destination for that pot, be it inside or out, will determine your container needs. One or two coleus will fit well in a 6” to 8” diameter pot, while a larger pot may hold three or four. The best potting soil will have lots of organic material and may even contain a slow-release fertilizer. If you live in a particularly hot area and your coleus plant(s) will be hung or placed outside, you may also want to consider adding water crystals to the soil. They expand, holding 100s times their weight in water, releasing it as the soil starts to dry. Using these will reduce your household water bill and keep your coleus hydrated, even on the hottest days.

And never place your Coleus plant where it will have all day direct sunlight! The newer cultivars are much more sun-resistant, but Coleus will not thrive well in all day sun throughout the summer. The best combination is full morning sun, as sun seems to produce more colorful plants, and then afternoon partial shade, especially in the heat of the summer. If you have your plants in pots, you can even move them in and out of the sun as necessary, most easily accomplished if you have them on a rolling cart or trolley. You will know that your coleus plant is getting too hot when its colors seem to fade and it wilts, even when well hydrated. Coleus recovers quickly from wilting once watered, but too much repeated water deprivation will result in a faded, unhealthy plant over time.

Garden Bed Coleus Plants

For your Coleus plants that will be going directly into the ground, we strongly recommend you transplant them into a larger pot in order to harden them off and then ultimately put them directly into your flower beds. Again, location is important. If you are not quite sure that an area is suitable (morning sun and afternoon partial shade), you can either monitor your planned area throughout a couple of days, or get an inexpensive light tester to measure the amount of sunlight an area receives, even if indoors. Also keep in mind your geographic location. Full sun in Texas or Arizona is much stronger than full sun in northern climes.

Planting your Coleus plants into a peat or organic material pot will preclude your having to stress the plant further when transplanting, though once you’ve given them a couple of weeks in a pot and have hardened them off properly, this shouldn’t be an issue. The choice, of course, is totally yours. Many people save their “nursery” plastic pots, just for a purpose such as this, which makes perfect sense. You have re-purposed the pot without spending any more money, and have probably also proven to your significant other that you weren’t at all out of your mind when you decided to save them in the first place!

Additional Care for Your Coleus Plants

Amazingly, Coleus plants don’t respond well to over feeding. Besides adequate moisture, you will find that your Coleus’ colors are much more vivid when the plants are just a little neglected. If you fertilize, use a slow release or feed at half the recommended strength. We also highly recommend mulching your Coleus plants if planting in the ground, especially in hotter climates. This not only retains life-giving moisture, but will inhibit the growth of weeds and grasses. If you water with a sprinkler or hand-held nozzle, make sure to water after the full sun has left your plants, but with enough time for the leaves to dry before it turns dark. Wet nighttime foliage on any plants can lead to fungal diseases, mold or mildew occurring and wet leaves in full sun can burn the plant.

Finally, pinching the growing tips of your Coleus plants will encourage fuller and bushier growth. For blooming Coleus, you can pinch the bloom or allow it to remain, though Coleus blossoms are mostly insignificant and do not noticeably add or detract from the beauty of the plant. You may find that in mid-summer pinching will help the plant to maintain its bushy appearance and keep its shape, but that is largely a personal preference as well, just as are the colors you have chosen.

Speaking of colors! Coleus plants are available in just about every color of the rainbow! Though it may be tempting to buy some of every color, planning in your head for the mixture of textures and colors will result in the most beautiful indoor and outdoor decorating and the personal satisfaction that comes from a job well done!

Happy Planting!

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