Garden -- lessons learned

I've done a lot of preaching about gardening. Now it's time for some lessons from the last 18 months or something.

As Mike McGrath has said many times, trees should not be planted in spring or summer.

I know somebody who planted trees in spring. The cicadas ate them up.

I know somebody who planted trees in summer. The sun burned them up.

Second, just say no to drive-by services. Actually, this is true for all services, but here's how it applies to gardening.

Find the website for your state extension service. Look at their licensing programs.

Also find the website for your state Department of Natural Resources or whatever it's called. Look at their licensing programs.

In Maryland, the extension service has a Master Gardener certificate program. The DNR has a Tree Expert license program.

Ask any drive-by service provider for their certificate or license. If they hesitate for so much as a second, just say no. You should say no anyway, but this way you scare them off and your neighbors might not have to deal with them.

Third, make sure every service provider knows what they are doing even if they are long-established.

Mike McGrath documented a service provider that serviced a lawn illegally. Six times a year they charged the poor homeowner for feeding the lawn. It put illegal amounts of nutrients on the lawn and ruined it into the bargain. It may have also put down nutrients which are illegal in any amount but we can't tell now. 

Ask your service provider what they are putting on your lawn and how much. In Maryland, potash (potassium) and phosphorus are illegal on lawns and there are strict limits on nitrogen. You should also say no to Roundup which contains the carcinogen in Agent Orange and to Bayer bee-killing products. (Both of these are illegal in two towns in Maryland; start a movement in your town.)

Also, any time your service wants to plant something, ask them if it's deer-proof. If they hesitate for a minute, fire them.

I know somebody who paid a service to plant hydrangeas. The state extension service has posted online that deer will browse hydrangea.  Need I say more?

Cheating yourself or paying for illegal products is one thing. Paying somebody to do something illegal or ruin your lawn is crazy.

Know what you're doing. Know what they're doing. And sometimes, you will have to just say no.