Did you know that gardeners have no difficulty understanding vague phrases and terms? Like, I mean, you know what I’m saying, when I use “soggy soil” instead of “wet to a depth of 3.5 inches.” In his most recent book, “Not Exactly: In Praise of Vagueness,” Kees van Deemter explains and approves of this delicate linguistic balance. There’s science that supports gardening practices and there’s fuzzy language that nails down our insights from the science. We need them both to be successful.

Did you know Virginia has been experiencing periodic droughts for more than 800 years? The tale’s told in tree rings, oyster shells (Juliana Harding et. al. at the University of California, Davis) and personal accounts (John Bartram). Every time the rain stops I prepare my garden for the next drought. Though I hope to be disappointed, Virginia’s weather offers a potent warning each July and August. Did you know that drought last year diminished Japanese beetle populations this year? And a dry summer this year means fewer beetles next year. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Did you know some gardeners are sensitive to the oil exuded by oregano as it is harvested? It feels like a burn for about 5 to 10 minutes especially on the face with no rash. The reaction is similar to the one you get when peeling and chopping onions.
Never touch your face when cutting herbs in the garden. Got an itch you just can’t suppress? Use a sweatband above your elbow or a cotton kerchief loosely tied around your neck to rub the irritation.

Did you know that when you tend the garden, you nurture the weeds? As the wrong plants in the wrong location, weeds are best dispatched with hand pulling. Hoeing disperses their seeds if you’ve come upon them after flowering. For some weeds, hoeing also redistributes their underground roots guaranteeing even more will invade your tender plot with rootlets where they’ve never been before.

Did you know that the carbon dioxide you produce from both your breath and hand pores alerts mosquitoes; then orients them directly to you? Add to the red flag, humid conditions and the lactic acid exuded in your sweat from vigorous exercise. The signals act in synergy; each making the smallest amount of all, more powerful than one alone. More of any one of them does not attract more mosquitoes. There’s scant research on other insects because scientists are busy pursuing effective ways to reduce man’s exposure to disease-carrying mosquitoes. Moreover, experiments do not support mosquitoes’ preference for any particular human blood type.

Did you know that overhead watering on hot sunny days does not scorch leaves? These are the guilty ones: extreme temperatures (hot or cold), salty water from roadside de-icing residues and ocean spray, drought, irrigation with high-salt gray water; wind, and reflected light from metal structures, light-colored stone, and water. Drench stressed plants immediately, preferably with a hose’s soaker nozzle or drip line; filter salts from gray water; curb your use of chemicals containing sodium or chloride salts.

Did you know that climate model experiments at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University show heat waves will increase in frequency, intensity and duration during the next 30 years? Plan for heat and drought alternating with floods and heavy snows.

TIP OF THE WEEK
Provide insect-eating birds with an inch of fresh water daily. Use a plastic bucket-cover, a shallow tray or the bottom cut from a plastic jug. No metal. It heats and evaporates water quickly, then shimmers in the sunlight, scaring birds away.