The July HortusScope has been posted under HortusScope at the left. You’ll find a full month of garden-related activities.

Indianapolis Museum of Art horticulturist Irvin Etienne blogs about his blood, sweat and tears over the 90-plus degree days Hoosiers experienced in June. As usual, Irvin’s take will give us all a chuckle. Here’s a snippet:

“I know to accept the weather. I – know – to – accept – the – weather. Knowing and doing ain’t always in sync. I love my tropicals and summer annuals and this weather is ideal for them. I want big bananas. I need big banana heat. The fact is though, normal June temps of 80 or so are just fine for growing bananas. I’m not freakin’ Carmen Miranda trying to grow a new hat.”

A checklist of things to do in the garden in July has been posted under Gardening Checklist.

Japanese beetle. Photo courtesy Purdue University

If they are not here yet, they will be soon. Japanese beetles, those somewhat attractive metallic looking insects, will soon be munching on your roses, green beans, hibiscus and dozens of other ornamental plants. On the Hoosier Gardener segment July 1 on Indianapolis’ Fox 59, we talk about these insects and how to control them.

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Preying mantis. (C) iStockphoto.com

In ‘Don’t Let it Bug You,’ I explore integrated pest management and other sustainable practices in the July/August 2009 issue of Indiana Living Green magazine to help us get a control of insects. The magazine is available now online, Marsh Supermakets, Whole Foods, Bloomingfoods and dozens of other retailers.

The cover story is a look at green burials, including cemeteries and who conducts the services. Veteran reporter and editor Ed McKinley talked to people who had a loved one buried in a sustainable way, funeral home directors and cemetery managers about this important final step in our lives and how to die as you lived.

Also in the issue is a look at cosmetics and how you can tell what’s good for your face and the environment. Food guru Susan Gillie serves up ‘Saucy Flavors,’ a verbal taste treat of locally grown and produced savory salsas and sauces. In ‘Cheap Chills,’ the magazine examines ceiling fans and their ability to keep us cool while saving money and conserving energy. One of Indy’s Queens of Green, Betsy Sheldon, guides us through the process of exterior paints and stains, with tips on products that have low or no chemical gases.

Lastly, humorist Maria Smietana, who, with her husband, Bill Swanson, owns Valentine Hill Farm, tells of her battles of the bugs and her desire for a chicken heart to come and save the day.

White clover indicates low soil fertility. Black medic, a weed with leaves similar to clover, sports yellow flowers in the foreground. © Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Driving around town it’s hard not to miss what seems to be a bumper crop of clover. Seemingly overnight, white balls of flowers have popped up in patches or spread throughout the lawn.

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Lightning bug or firefly, this beetle lights up the sky on summer nights. (C) iStockphoto

West Lafayette, Ind. — Some people call these insects lightning bugs. Other folks refer to them as fireflies. These common names are misleading, because the insects are neither bugs nor flies. They are beetles.

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(C) FreeFoto.com

We talked about all the rain we’ve had in Central Indiana, the toll it has taken on our plants and what to do to correct the problem on Wednesday’s Hoosier Gardener segment on Fox 59 in Indianapolis.

Jim O’Brien, Fox 59 weatherman and ace tomato grower, said we’ve had 9.25 inches more than normal since April. That’s a lot and has contributed to nutrient deficiencies and leaf diseases.

Mary Welch-Keesey, a Purdue University horticulturist at White River Gardens, also tackled the issue of too much rain.

Red and purple glads enhance the colorful stems of the perennial ‘Matrona’ sedum, which blooms in late summer. Photo courtesy Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center

Glads are one of those old-fashioned plants that many modern gardeners shun, thinking the flowers worthy only of funeral arrangements.

However, these stalks of funnel-shaped flowers punctuate the summer garden with long-lasting vertical color, especially when planted in succession.

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HortusScope

The extremely informative HortusScope: What’s up in the Central Indiana Garden Community, will be posted at the Hoosier Gardener Web site. HortusScope, an e-bulletin for the Central Indiana gardening community, is published the first of every month as a public service by Wendy Ford.

The posting will provide a listing of all garden and nature related activities, which you can download at no charge once you register.

Every month, Wendy culls dozens of announcements of garden tours, nature walks and programs of sustainable living to create HortusScope, the go-to place for garden related activities. I’m so pleased to be able to offer this to the visitors to this site and I’m grateful to Wendy for sharing her work with us.

You’ll find it listed at the left under HortusScope. Look for it the first few days of each month.