Your National Gardening Association weekly news for May 6, 2017

Are you growing vegetables this year? We recommend you check out the new varieties being offered by our friends at Victory Seed Company. They have many interesting (and reasonably priced) varieties you have probably never heard of before. This year, try a new tomato, pepper, or winter squash. You will be delighted to see the unusual new vegetables and you will enjoy growing historical heirlooms with links to our past. Visit their new varieties page to see pictures. Most seed packets are under $3.

It’s Garden for Wildlife Month

"Attracting birds, butterflies and other wildlife is a wonderful way to make a difference right outside your door. It all starts with the things you plant."

Growing Citrus

"Most people don't realize just how large the citrus family is. What you see in the supermarket is only a small portion of what can be grown. Pummelos, blood oranges, limequats, and myriad mandarin varieties offer exciting new taste experiences and landscape possibilities."

Basil Varieties

"Common basil (Ocimum basilicum) includes a number of different basils most commonly used for cooking. Sweet basil Your basic basil, with large leaves and white flowers. The Genovese variety (names include Sweet Genovese and Genovese or Genova Profumitissima) is particularly nice, with a very pleasing flavor preferred for pestos. I've also found it a vigorous, luxuriant grower, slow to bolt."

Weeds- Nutsedge

"Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is a perennial weed that usually appears in colonies. Common in moist soils throughout much of North America, nutsedge reproduces by shedding seeds and by developing nut-like edible "chufas" on its root tips."

Avoiding and Solving Common Bulb Problems

"No wonder bulbs are so popular in the garden -- they return year after year and are among the most carefree garden plants. To ensure repeat appearances, choose healthy bulbs and plant them correctly."

Corn Earworm

"This pest is common throughout North America. The adult is an inch long, tan moth. In spring, yellow eggs are laid on leaf undersides.The caterpillar larva has alternating light and dark stripes that may be green, pink,"

Mulching Tomatoes

"Mulch is simply a covering over the soil that keeps moisture in, blocks weeds and protects low-growing tomatoes from resting on the ground and developing rot. There's some extra benefit to using organic mulches such as grass clippings, hay, leaves or sawdust because these materials -- unlike plastic, aluminum or other synthetic mulches -- decompose, providing food for the millions of microorganisms that live in the soil, making nutrients available to your plants and improving soil structure."

Photo of Air Plant (Tillandsia tectorum)
By tarev:

Photo of Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris (Iris 'Vlastelin Kolets')
By cliftoncat:

Photo of Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Merchant Marine')
By UndertheSun:

Photo of Peony (Paeonia 'Meadow Lark')
By Mieko2:

Photo of Rose (Rosa 'Royal Sunset')
By Calif_Sue:

Photo of Tulip (Tulipa 'Vincent Van Gogh')
By cliftoncat:

Photo of Hen and Chicks (Sempervivum 'Gamma')
By gg5:

Photo of Maltese Cross (Silene chalcedonica)
By DianeSeeds:

Photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Black Sheep')
By GaNinFl:

Photo of Orchid (Vanda Pachara Delight)
By plantladylin: