QUESTION OF THE WEEK
How do I get rid of sandburs?
Answer: Several viewers have emailed with this question. If you have an area that’s typically on the dry side, you may sandburs, or what some of us call grassburs. They thrive in pool soil, that’s been compacted or neglected. In gardens and lawns, this often is where we haven’t provided good healthy soil conditions.
Once they’re growing, they’re difficult to control since they’re a grassy weed. With broadleaf weeds, we can mow them close to the ground and that tends to shut them down. But grasses grow from the base of the plant, so no matter how short you mow, the sandburs are going to come right out, and they’ll set their seed heads lower and lower.
The best thing to do is to go and hand-dig them. At this point of the season, pre-emergents won’t help you, and there’s not an herbicide that will kill it without killing your lawn grass, too.
Next, build up that soil and the turf is those areas. Add compost and small amounts of slow-release fertilizer and keep the area watered once it dries out again. By hand-digging this year’s crop, and then restoring soil heath, you may be ahead of the game by next year.
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PLANT OF THE WEEK
Buddleja or butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)
 Indeed, Butterfly bush is a butterfly magnet. It’s great plant for many reasons. I like to use them as cut flowers and they're also fragrant. One called ‘Nanjo Purple,’ a light purple, is especially fragrant. There’s also a white and red variety and a very dark violet-pink.
Butterfly bush is a good plant for sunny areas. It blooms on large terminal spikes, but between cycles, can look a little bedraggle. Shear it back and it’ll bounce back with vigorous new growth and twice as many flowers as the first time.
The only problem it really has is with spider mites, and you can keep those in check with some blasts of water every week or two.
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PLANTING TIPS OF THE WEEK
- Check fruit trees for scale and control it right away with a summer-weight horticultural oil.
- Plant winter squash and pumpkins.
- Check out new colors in hot weather favorites like lantana, cannas, firebush, and Mexican milkweed.
- Replant tomatoes for a fall crop.
- Start preparing soil for fall vegetable planting.
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THIS WEEK’S FEATURES
Designer Robert McKay from Mac Design Build illustrates ideas for framing the garden to enfold, invite, and open doors to discovery. |
