Basic Gardening Techniques at Very Good Things

The lovely Ali from Something So Clever has posted the July issue of Very Good Things. My column on gardening features an ongoing series called Basic Gardening Techniques. For issue 7, it's How to Repot a Plant. Please visit and enjoy. The whole magazine is lovely, especially Ali's Lemon Cream Cupcakes. Must try to make them Deb-friendly.

In other news, I'm fighting an awful battle that I'm afraid I'm losing. It's against the scourge of the gardening world, the Japanese beetle. My plum tree in the front of the house is infested with the things, and I'm just praying that they don't attack my newly potted container garden in the back of the house. It's only a matter of time, though, since I've spotted at least three near the deck.

The worst part is that I can't use the traps because they must be placed at least 30 feet from the beloved plants. Otherwise, the beetles will still eat the plants and be attracted to them rather than the traps. And, I live in a townhouse development, so I can't hang the traps in the shared areas.

So, I contacted the association (to which I pay an unGodly sum every month for very minimal services)(never again will I live in an association-run area). On the phone, they balked. So, I took to my email and copied my councilman (for whom I voted in the 2005 election, mind you) on the message I sent to the association. I don't expect this will solve anything, but it's the right thing to do.

In the meantime, out of my office window, I'm watching the beetles devour my plum tree and roses. If you want to learn more about the damage these pests can do, visit this site.