HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ceci@lysator.liu.se (Cecilia Henningsson)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Paling primula indoors.
Keywords: primula, houseplant
Date: 10 Jan 93 19:37:27 GMT
Organization: Lysator ACC at Linkoping University

The petals of my two dark-blue primulas are getting lighter every day.

Some background: I bought them on December 31st at the florists. They
were selling hordes of primulas with dark-blue, garishly pink and
white flowers. The flowers have a small yellow area around the center.
The leaves are just a basal rosette. This is the only primula I've
ever seen sold as a houseplant, so it should tolerate being indoors,
although I know that it is fully hardy. Unfortunately I don't know
what species or hybrid this is. From my reference works I'd guess
_Primula_vulgaris.

Current treatment: I don't let it get dry, I mist it some times and I
keep nipping off wilt flowers. The pots are on a window-sill with an
incandescent bulb, treated to give plant light (cheapo floral lamp
surrogate), above it.

So, what's wrong? Does it need lime-free water? Would it want to dry
out completely? Or does it get too much light?

--Ceci
--
=====ceci@lysator.liu.se===========================================
"Science is pretty much what you can get away [with] at any 
 particular point in history and you can get away with a great deal." 
                                                  Wilson Bryan Key
Newsgroups: rec.gardens,alt.pagan
From: bcking@HQ.Ileaf.COM (Christine King)
Subject: Re: Herb names
Keywords: starhawk, herbs, systematical names
Organization: Interleaf, Inc.
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 93 19:53:54 GMT

In article <C0CMqB.I7w@lysator.liu.se> ceci@lysator.liu.se (Cecilia Henningsson) writes:
>I have a list of plants with only common names. Most of the plants I
>have been able to identify, but not all, so I am turning to the
>netters for help. Here is the list:

I'll try to help, but the wildflowers book I have before me is just
for eastern North America, so your Swedish plants might be different.

>S:t Joan's (or S:t John's) wort                      (the sun)
  St.Johnswort, any of the Guttiferae, especially Hypericum sp., as,
  Common St.Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum)  <this one is European too>
  Great St.Johnswort (Hypericum pyramidatum)
  also Shrubby, Spotted, Coppery, Pale, Dwarf and Canadian
  St.Johnswort. They have yellow 5-petalled flowers, toothless leaves
  dotted with tiny translucent or black glands.  Bloom in late June or
  early July, hence named after St.John's Day (June 20?).

>all-heal                                             (mars)
  Probably Heal-all (Prunella vulgaris) also known as Selfheal, alien in
  N.Am. so probably native to Europe.  A low creeping member of the mint
  family with violet, hooded, fringed flowers.

>betony                                               (mars)
  I betcha this is European only.  What we have is Wood-betony
  (Pedicularis canadensis) also known as Lousewort, and is probably
  not the same plant as Betony at all, just reminded the English of it.

>High Joan the Conqueress (or John the Conqueror) root(money)
  Great names!  Sorry, never heard of them.

>broom tops                                           (protection)
  Broom (Cytisus scoparius), alien to N.Am., has yellow pea-like
  flowers, and "suggests a slender spineless Gorse".

>gota cola                                            (energy)
  Sorry, no clue.

>The source of the names is Starhawk's _The_Spiral_Dance_. One last
>question, are bay laurel and laurel the same plant?

Common names are pretty loosey-goosey about exactly which plant they
refer to.  My feeling here is that sometimes Laurel == Bay Laurel,
but often Laurel is the Greek one and Bay Laurel is the California
one.

-- 
 Christine King, bcking@ileaf.com
 Interleaf, Inc.      | My opinions are not  | "Time is like that,
 9 Hillside Avenue    | necessarily those of |  except for the cannon
 Waltham MA 02154 USA | Interleaf, Inc.      |  and the donut." -Dilbert
From: philip@bluedg.linet.org (Philip Perlman)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: what to do about ground hogs
Date: 8 Jan 93 23:06:24 GMT

Hello Anne-Marie!

On Thursday December 31 1992, Anne-Marie Reidy was seen whispering to All:

 AR> From: reidy@denali.gsfc.nasa.gov (Anne-Marie Reidy)
 AR> Path:
 AR> src4src!mcdhup!rutgers!gatech!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!agate!ames!nsisrv!usenet
 AR> Newsgroups: rec.gardens Subject: what to do about ground hogs
 AR> Organization: NASA/GSFC code 921 Message-ID:
 AR> <1992Dec31.180247.6668@nsisrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> Date: 31 Dec 92 18:02:47 GMT

 AR> Hi.  I'm new to this newsgroup so please forgive me if this topic has been
 AR> discussed before.  I moved into a new house last winter with a big sunny
 AR> back- yard and had high hopes for a large garden.  Everything was going
 AR> well until the ground hogs showed up.  They ate just about everything
 AR> except the tomatoes and peppers.  I tried sprinkling cayenne pepper on
 AR> everything to keep them away.  This worked for a while but the groundhogs
 AR> soon figured out that the rain would wash the pepper away so that if it
 AR> rained in the afternoon, by the time I got home from work they had eaten
 AR> everything they could.  I also tried the Have-a-Heart type traps but
 AR> didn't catch anything.  So does anyone have any suggestions for a
 AR> groundhog repellant?  I heard tht deer don't like soap - any possiblitity
 AR> that hanging bars of soap around the garden would keep ground hogs away?

I have lots of ground hogs on my property and keep them out of my vegetable garden by using a fence, one foot of which is buried in the soil. I have never seen a ground hog inside my garden. I have 25 acres of fields and stuff and perhaps they prefer what's outside to what's inside. I *do* know that their favorite food is clover, so perhaps you might planting some clover nearby to attract them to that instead of your garden.

Killing them is wasteful unless you plan on eating them. I try to avoid killing anything living, preferring to find alternative means of dealing with pests.
ttyl.

                                        /* Phil */
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: s5uagm@fnma.COM (Andrew Miller)
Subject: Parasitic wasp - Was: Need alternative to chemical pesticides
Reply-To: s5uagm@fnma.COM
Organization: Fannie Mae
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 16:35:09 GMT

In article 311292121042@shiva4175.nrl.navy.mil, karpen@nrlfs1.nrl.navy.mil (Judy Karpen) writes:
>
>There's a parasitic wasp (braconid?) that preys on hornworms and the like.
>If you see a hornworm with tiny white cocoons on it, leave it alone ---
>it's a nursery for more predatory wasps! 
>

	I saw my first hornworm last year and it was covered with these 
cocoons.  I had no idea these were wasp larve!  I ignorantly and vengefully
dispatched it and the cocoons.  Does anyone have more details on the life
cycle of these wasps.

				- Andrew -
From: ceb@dbrus.Unify.Com (Caroline E. Bryan)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: That Crackle You Hear Is Tooth Enamel (Was Re: spring fever)
Date: 4 Jan 93 22:00:41 GMT
Organization: /usr/lib/news/organization

In article <C0C84I.5FJ@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca> bae@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (Beverly Erlebacher) writes:
>Many people write:
>
>>>>	   IS IT SPRING YET?!
>
>Here is one fairly lousy remedy for spring fever.  When you find yourself
>saying:
>
>>>>ARRRRGGGGHHH!!!!!!
>
>recite the Northern Gardener's Mantra:
>
>	Spring is inevitable
>		etc....

And here I was lamenting the fact that my enormous last rosebud of Angel Face
was looking this morning as if it'd been dipped in sugar (we had a frost
overnight).  I planted daffodil bulbs on Christmas Day.  If you have any
tooth enamel left and are good at 4GL and/or RDBMS, and can't stand it any
more where you are, drop me a line.  My company in Sacramento is hiring.

If you can't come down here, I have a copy of Jerry Minnich's Wisconsin
Garden Guide for sale, for, oh, say, $5 plus postage to you.  Email if in-
terested.


Carrie		ceb@rechenau.unify.com	x6244
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|		"Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first."  - Anon. 	   |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: psmith@alfred.carleton.ca (Peter Smith)
Subject: Re: Organic controls for cutworms?
Organization: Carleton University
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 16:39:13 GMT

In <1992Dec31.150807.12233@rchland.ibm.com> james@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (James White) writes:

>In article <1992Dec30.224703.5894@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>, dipirro@star.dec.com (Steve DiPirro) writes:
>|> 
>|> Last year, for the first time in many years of growing potatoes,
>|> many were damaged by what I believe to be cutworms in the soil.
>|> These 1/2-3/4", orange-ish, segmented, hard-shelled worms/larvae
>|> with pinchers for mouths would burrow into my potatoes, do some
>|> damage themselves and weaken the potato to allow moisture and rot
>|> to set in. I had most of 60 plants worth of potatoes ruined.
>|> 
>|> I can only use organic controls for such things. So I do not
>|> want to use diazinon in the soil, although I've heard this works
>|> for cutworms. If I'm not dealing with cutworms, then I'd like
>|> to know that too. If I am, I'm interested in any organic controls
>|> for these beasts in the soil. Thanks. 
>|> 
>|> ------------
>|> Steve DiPirro  


>What you experienced happened to me a few years ago.  The little critters
>I believe are called wire worms.  What they are looking for is moisture, and
>in years of little moisture they will burrow into the potato after it.

>Not sure if I would try to control it with anything.  I found that particular 
>year just to be a bad one for potatoes and have not experienced the problem
>since.

>So my advise is to hang in there, try growing them again, (maybe in different
>spot) and make sure there is adequate moisture.

>-- 

>James White 


I agree with the prognosis:  wireworms.  I am a strong believer in
crop rotation, particularly if you're organic.  In other words, plant
your potatoes where no other root crops were planted next year.

P.S. For Colorado potato beetles (my biggest problem), I had excellent
results by simply growing green bush beans as a companion, ie:  on
both sides of the potato row.
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Questions concerning SALSIFY/VEGETABLE OYSTER
From: A.S.Chamove@massey.ac.nz (A.S. Chamove)
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 23:43:13 GMT
Organization: Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
X-Reader: NETNEWS/PC Version 2c

Salsify used to be a common veg in Scotland and is sold in shops
there on an irregular basis. People there grow it in poor, sandy soil
like other root veg.  I used to remove a trench, mix the soil half
with lots of sawdust (locks up nitrogen and conditions soil) and
sand, and then replace it. The seeds are slow germinating so plant
with radish.
I used to peel before cooking but after might be better as the
peeling releases a sap that is difficult to remove from your hands. I
find that a quick (5min) boil followed by a quick fry is the
tastiest. The taste is sort of oyster but also like globe
artichoke--very nice and good if you like variety.
I was always of the opinion that gardens are best used to grow stuff
that you cannot get in the shops or are expensive there, so I
recommend Salsify on that basis too.

If you are running out of space, why not consider a "deep bed"; there
you grow more in a smaller space as long as you do not tread on the soil.

Other interesting veg common on the continent are Jerusulem
artichokes ( a knobly potatoe-like thing very easy to grow ).  They
grow easily in scotland so should do in most of the USA. Choose
smooth tubers for planting if possible--eat cooked or raw also.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Arnold Chamove
Massey University Psychology
Palmerston North, New Zealand

Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: clarke@acheron.uucp (Ed Clarke/10240000)
Subject: Source for castor beans?
Organization: Ciliophora Associates
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 93 13:46:58 GMT

Does anyone have a source for castor beans?  I want to plant some this
year for a quick non-permanent screen.  My book (Hortus III) says that
these things can grow 15 feet in a season as an annual plant.  In the
tropics they reach 30-40 feet!

Ricinus communis (castor bean, castor-oil plant, wonder tree) has
poisonous seeds if eaten; castor oil is extracted from them.  Don't
plant this one around kids.
-- 
               |
Ed Clarke      |  I prefer not to kill animals.  I'm a humanist; I'd
acheron!clarke |  rather kill a MAN than a snake.
               |                 - Edward Abbey (Desert Solitaire)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: mparks@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (michelle.lim)
Subject: House plants turning yellow
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 02:27:55 GMT
Keywords: house plant yellow



Why do house plants start turning yellow?
I was told I could be overwatering or undrwatering
them.  How do you tell if you're over or under
watering?  I water once a week.

Does using soft water harm the plant (I use
that once in a while when I'm too lazy to go to the
hard water faucet) and does using *cold* water
harm them?  Any help will be appreciated.  I love
plants in the house but don't have much experience
growing them.

Michelle
From: jane@soave.swdc.stratus.com (Jane Beckman)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Need rose help
Date: 7 Jan 93 02:37:57 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc., San Jose, CA

>We need some help with roses.
>
>Can you suggest a list of roses (either older varieties or hybrid teas), that
>will drop their petals thus avoiding the need to deadhead. The only one we know
>about is the single yellow hybrid tea "Sunny June."
>
>Also, does anyone have recommendations for roses (either old or new varieties)
>that make *great* cut flowers?

Well, I hate to tell you this, but the roses that shatter
(drop petals) make lousy cut flowers, since they do this
indoors, as well.

Two of the English roses are very good, neat petal-droppers:
Graham Thomas and Heritage.  (Neither older nor hybrid teas,
these roses are some of the best things that have come along
in years, says the lady that *loves* "old" roses.  If you
don't mind single-flowering and a rose that gets BIG, I highly
recommend "Complicata."  It has HUGE single flowers, bright
pink with white bases, and puts on a magnificent display every
spring.  Drops its petals neatly when through, and develops
wonderful grape-purple hips.  You can get it from one of the
old rose nurseries, or from Wayside Gardens.  

One note: to get maximum bloom, you want to shear back
reblooming roses periodically, even if they don't need
dead-heading.  Keeps them pumping out new blossoms.  

--
  Jilara   [jane@swdc.stratus.com]

"Every now and then, a big rock falls out of the sky, and everyone has 
a *very bad* day."  --from the PBS "Dinosaurs" special.
From: nicmad!klebba%astroatc.uucp@spool.cs.wisc.edu (Bob Klebba)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Catalpa tree
Date: 11 Jan 93 19:49:53 GMT
Organization: Nicolet Instrument Corporation
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1

In article <carolyn.726721729@bucket> Carolyn Peterson,
carolyn@bucket.rain.com writes:
>I'm looking at our cold, frozen, snowy yard and making plans
>for spring planting.  One thing I'm considering adding is a
>catalpa tree.  Are there any negative points that I should be
>aware of?  Is there a specific variety anyone can recommend?
>We live near Portland, Oregon.

As a child, I always loved catalpa trees.  In flower, they are truly
magnificent.  However, they aren't as carefree as you might think they
are.  Besides dropping leaves, they drop large seed pods.  They are also
weak-limbed and lose branches in ice storms.  Nevertheless, no other
large tree in the north puts on quite the same display in the spring.

Bob Klebba
Madison, Wisconsin, USDA zone 4
Inet: nicmad!klebba%astroatc.uucp@spool.cs.wisc.edu
"Feed the soil, not the plant"
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: kathleen@casbs.Stanford.EDU (Kathleen Much)
Subject: Re: Any Dichondra fans?
Organization: Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 18:33:18 GMT

In article <1992Dec31.152714.10885@oakhill.sps.mot.com> ponder@oakhill.sps.mot.com (Carl Ponder) writes:
>
>Do any of you have dichondra lawns? Are there any unusual problems with 
>it growing too high, dying off in seasons, getting infested with bugs,
>etc.? Does it make a good lawn in (Austin) Texas? Are there any good
>sources on how to take care of it? The books I've looked at all focus
>on grass, vines, and floral groundcovers.

Texas is too hot for dichondra lawns.  Dichondra is a winter plant
there, except in cool shady areas, where it may survive the summer.
If you want to try to baby it along, look in a California gardening
book, such as one of the Sunset lawn books (try the public library
first).  St. Augustine is your best bet for a Texas lawn, though (she
says, as a Texas lawn owner for 20 years, though thankfully now a
California non-lawn-owner).


-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Kathleen Much, Editor		|E-mail: kathleen@casbs.stanford.EDU
CASBS, 202 Junipero Serra Blvd.	|Phone: (415) 321-2052
Stanford, CA  94305		|Fax: (415) 321-1192
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: mnewton@kean.ucs.mun.ca
Subject: Re: Worms and Home Composting in Winter
Organization: Memorial University. St.John's Nfld, Canada
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 17:01:18 GMT

In article <C0HJvs.9D9@eis.calstate.edu>, bmoon@eis.calstate.edu (Bruce A. Moon) writes:
> For wormbins, our county solid waste department recommended one of the
> Rubbermaid storage containers that are similar in size to the commercial
> ones. Seems to me they poked holes in the lid.

	I'm also using the Rubbermaid storage container. I made holes in the 
sides near the top by hammering in nails. Seems to work fine. My only problem 
seems to be an overabundance of fruit flies, just as the worm lady warned. 
They are difficult to get rid of. One solution which kills a few at a time is 
to take the worm box outside at -20C and take off the lid. The flies fly up 
and immediately drop frozen to death in the snow. Don't let your worms out
though, they turn to ice very quickly. I realise this isn't a solution for 
those in warmer climes  and I'd welcome another solution to the fruit fly 
problem. Apart from this minor problem I'm pleased with my worm composting.

	I believe there is a place in Ontario that sells red wrigglers. I've 
lost the address. Does anyone know of a Canadian supplier?

Michael Newton
Grenfell College
Corner Brook
Newfoundland
From: joannek@ems.cdc.com (Joanne Kube-Harderwijk)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Catalpa tree
Date: 12 Jan 93 16:21:38 GMT
Reply-To: joannek@ems.cdc.com
Distribution: usa
Organization: Empros Systems International, a division of CDC

In article <C0psMz.DMz@athena.cs.uga.edu>, karen@athena.cs.uga.edu (Karen Snetselaar) writes:
|> In article <carolyn.726721729@bucket> carolyn@bucket.rain.com (Carolyn Peterson) writes:
|> >
|> >
|> >I'm looking at our cold, frozen, snowy yard and making plans
|> >for spring planting.  One thing I'm considering adding is a
|> >catalpa tree.  Are there any negative points that I should be
|> >aware of?  Is there a specific variety anyone can recommend?

One thing that I don't like about catalpa trees is their smell when in bloom.
I have heard people talk about their wonderful sweet smell in spring, but they
make me sick.  If you or anyone in your family has respritory problems I would
think long and hard about this tree.  The scent in spring can be very very 
overpowering.
         

 Joanne Kube-Harderwijk


|> >We live near Portland, Oregon.
|> >
|> >I want a deciduous tree.  30-40 feet high, with big leaves
|> >(faster to rake in the fall).  It will be about 10-12 feet
|> >from a sidewalk and 10-12 feet from a patch of lawn..
|> >
|> >Any help will be greatly appreciated!
|> >
|> If you're choosing a tree based on how easy it is to clean up
|> after, there are some things you should know about Catalpas.
|> In the spring, they produce large numbers of lovely foxglove-like
|> flowers whose petals end up as a slippery mess under the tree 
|> after a big shower.  Later in the summer they often get infested
|> with Catalpa worms, which don't seem to hurt the tree but are
|> grossly slimy underfoot.  I've been told the worms make great
|> fishing bait but never tried them myself.  The fruits are persistant
|> foot-long pods that litter the yard later in the year.  And, like
|> many fast-growing trees, Catalpas have weak wood and tend to lose
|> branches during high winds.
|> 
|> Having said all that, I must tell you that one of my favorite
|> trees in the world is the big Northern Catalpa that stands about
|> 15 feet from my back door.  This beauty has a dbh of more than a 
|> meter, a graceful arching habit, and these wonderful buttresses
|> that remind me of eagle talons.  Catalpa is in a family that is
|> primarily tropical (Bignoniaceae) and the flowers are unusually
|> showy for a temperate tree.  When they come drifting down to make
|> that white carpet on the lawn in the spring, I want to go dance
|> around a maypole or something.  
|> 
|> I would recommend that you locate some Catalpas in your area, and
|> see how they look (evidence of wind damage, etc.) before you plant
|> one.
|> 
|> Karen Snetselaar
|> Department of Plant Pathology
|> University of Georgia
|> Athens, Georgia
From: time@ice.com (Tim Endres)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Northern Orchards
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 93 15:13:03 EST
Organization: ICE Engineering, Inc.
Reply-To: time@ice.com (Tim Endres)
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.6v2



I am in the process of planning a family orchard in Northern Michigan.
The area is in a zone 5 because of lake buffering but is surrounded
by zone 4. Can anyone give some advice on what types of trees will
do well here? 
Thanks
Karen Endres
karen@ice.com


tim endres - time@ice.com

Register your company in the Internet Business Pages!
 ...send email to "ibp-info@msen.com" for details...

USENET - a slow moving self parody... ph
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: Bob Klebba <nicmad!klebba%astroatc.uucp@spool.cs.wisc.edu>
Subject: Re: Preparing clay soil for planting
Organization: Nicolet Instrument Corporation
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 17:47:01 GMT

In article <1993Jan1.004421.29150@leland.Stanford.EDU> Carol F. Topp,
ctopp@cup.portal.com writes:
>I've heard concerns about the pesticide residues present in city
>composted leaf mulch. Has anyone looked into the levels of 
>residues present. I would want to know the answer before using
>it for growing edible plants.

I have used the compost provided by the county here in Madison, WI for 7
years.  Tests for pesticides and heavy metals in the compost have shown
less than detectable amounts of pesticides and normal levels of metals
(i.e. levels found in nature).   Leaves are collected in the fall off the
terrace, but many are collected from the gutter.  One could worry about
heavy metals from engine oil, brake fluid, etc. picked up by leaves from
the gutter, but I don't.

Pesticides have been shown to break down rather quickly in compost piles.
 I would be more concerned about adding too much organic material that
has not been composted completely.  The decompostition of undecayed
material will lock up nutrients in the soil to the point that plants will
suffer.  My experience is that composting on a municipal scale does not
recieve the same care that the home gardener provides.  There may be wood
chips and other hard-to-compost materials with the leaves.

I really enjoy using compost from the county.  It is free and it is an
excellent soil builder.   The only inconvience is the occasional bits of
trash that I find,  but some of these can be quite entertaining.  For
example, a small toy truck that appeared several years ago resurfaces
every now and again when I'm digging or planting.  I also seem to be able
to harvest more marbles than my neighbors.

Bob Klebba
Madison, Wisconsin, USDA zone 4
Inet: nicmad!klebba%astroatc.uucp@spool.cs.wisc.edu
"Feed the soil, not the plant"