http://www.marconews.com/news/news/columnists/eileen-ward/?partner=RSSmarconews.com Stories: Eileen Warden-usnews/columnists/eileen-wardhttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/01/gardeing-helping-yards-survive-hot-dry-weather/?partner=RSSWell it looks like we are going right from winter, of which there wasn't much, to summer. We seem to be in a summer-like rain pattern. The recent rains and late fertilizing, due to cold March temperatures, had lawns, shrubs and weeds jumping out of the gr Wed, 01 May 2013 12:25:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339753-734989news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Helping yards survive hot, dry weathermarconews.comgardeing-helping-yards-survive-hot-dry-weatherurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339753-734989Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/19/gardening-prepare-your-lawn-for-drought-and-save/?partner=RSSYou may have noticed that your lawn is drying out much faster these last few weeks. April is a very dry month averaging only 2.03 inches of potential rain fall. Add to that fact the higher temperatures and wind and you end up with a high evapotranspiratio Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338440-734977news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Prepare your lawn for drought and save our valuable water resources every daymarconews.comgardening-prepare-your-lawn-for-drought-and-saveurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338440-734977Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/10/gardening-the-411-on-ipm-8211-integrated-pest/?partner=RSSThe harmful effects of pesticides and other toxins on our environment are increasingly in the news. Because of our tropical climate we have more pests and diseases than most areas and therefore use more pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers. A new and be Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:23:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-337712-734968news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: The 411 on IPM – Integrated Pest Managementmarconews.comgardening-the-411-on-ipm-8211-integrated-pesturn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-337712-734968Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/05/gardening-its-time-to-fertilize-lawns-plants-and/?partner=RSSApril has arrived. It's time to fertilize lawns, plants and trees. While this was a very warm winter some winters are very cold and this fertilization helps plants recover from any cold damage done in the winter months. In fact, March temperatures were co Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-337111-734963news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: It's time to fertilize lawns, plants and treesmarconews.comgardening-its-time-to-fertilize-lawns-plants-andurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-337111-734963Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/mar/14/gardening-the-ph-of-your-soil-can-affect-your/?partner=RSSThe pH of your soil can affect plant growth and health. If you have an area in your yard that doesn't seem to respond to your fertilizing efforts, check your soil pH. Soil pH is the measure of acidity (sourness) or alkalinity (sweetness) of a soil. The pH Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:59:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-334999-734941news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: The pH of your soil can affect your yardmarconews.comgardening-the-ph-of-your-soil-can-affect-yoururn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-334999-734941Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/mar/07/gardening-planting-the-proper-tree/?partner=RSSWhen deciding to plant trees on your property proper tree selection is very important. You should plant the right tree in the right place. Always consider the mature size of a tree when planting. Pay particular attention to the location of power lines whe Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:19:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-334240-734934news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Planting the proper treemarconews.comgardening-planting-the-proper-treeurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-334240-734934Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/feb/27/gardening-spring-fertilizing-is-important/?partner=RSSMarch is here. It is usually the start of our dry season but, unfortunately, we have been in a dry season for a while. Spring time can be very hard on our lawns and shrubs as the temperatures will begin to rise and we will become increasingly dry. It is i Wed, 27 Feb 2013 19:41:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-333601-734926news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Spring fertilizing is importantmarconews.comgardening-spring-fertilizing-is-importanturn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-333601-734926Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/feb/20/gardening-the-calm-before-the-storm/?partner=RSSToward the end of February temperatures will begin to warm a little. However, as we just saw, temperatures in the 30s and 40s are still quite common. The little rainfall we get in February will come off the Gulf of Mexico with accompanying winds or from t Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:24:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-332873-734919news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: The calm before the stormmarconews.comgardening-the-calm-before-the-stormurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-332873-734919Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/feb/06/gardening-snails-and-cutworms/?partner=RSSIt is nice to see the flower beds full of annuals like begonias and petunias in yards around the island. The impatiens are noticeably missing this year due to a mildew disease which has prompted a warning about planting them Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:56:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-331464-734905news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Snails and cutworms marconews.comgardening-snails-and-cutwormsurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-331464-734905Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/jan/30/gardening-16-known-elements-required-for-healthy/?partner=RSSThere are 16 known elements required for healthy plants. Three of these, carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) all can be obtained directly from air and water. The other 13 elements are supplied through the soil. These are Wed, 30 Jan 2013 22:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-330882-734898news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: 16 known elements required for healthy plants marconews.comgardening-16-known-elements-required-for-healthyurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-330882-734898Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/jan/23/gardening-cut-down-on-those-water-bills/?partner=RSSThis is the time of year that you can damage your landscape by watering too much. Water comprises 80 to 90 percent of the fresh weight of grass and it also plays a fundamental role in the plant metabolism. Only one percent o Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:12:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-330154-734891news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Cut down on those water bills marconews.comgardening-cut-down-on-those-water-billsurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-330154-734891Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/jan/17/gardening-planting-your-poinsettias/?partner=RSSOur weather feels more like March than January! I think we are in for a warm winter this year. Many plants will be confused by this and can produce tender new growth or begin flowering early which could lead to damage or fru Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:08:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-329688-734885news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Planting your poinsettias marconews.comgardening-planting-your-poinsettiasurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-329688-734885Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/jan/10/gardening-managing-invasive-plants/?partner=RSSI have often encouraged Marco Island residents to become better stewards of our land by learning good horticultural practices and to learn to identify and remove invasive, exotic plants from our landscapes, vacant lots and n Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:24:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-329061-734878news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Managing invasive plants marconews.comgardening-managing-invasive-plantsurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-329061-734878Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/dec/26/gardening-the-price-of-a-beautiful-lawn/?partner=RSSFollowing is a satirical look at man’s environmentally unfriendly landscaping practices. It was sent to me many years ago by customers from both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do: “Winterize yo Wed, 26 Dec 2012 21:41:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-328028-734863news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: The price of a beautiful lawn marconews.comgardening-the-price-of-a-beautiful-lawnurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-328028-734863Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/dec/19/gardening-protecting-you-plants-from-the-cold/?partner=RSSThe winter cold has not really arrived yet this year! As a northern transplant, I love the cold weather because it always puts me in the holiday spirit. It makes my work a lot easier as well and this is always a welcome brea Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:57:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-327644-734856news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Protecting you plants from the cold marconews.comgardening-protecting-you-plants-from-the-coldurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-327644-734856Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/dec/13/gardening-getting-to-the-root-of-the-problem/?partner=RSSRemember all of the rain we had in September and early October? We needed the water to replenish our aquifers before people arrive for the season but our plants would prefer it not come all at once. This week’s heavy, floodi Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:40:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-327047-734850news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Getting to the root of the problem marconews.comgardening-getting-to-the-root-of-the-problemurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-327047-734850Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/nov/08/2gardening-in-the-weeds-to-save-your-lawn/?partner=RSSWhat is that weed that reminds us northerners of snow on our lawns? If I have had one person ask me, I have had a dozen. The weed is Florida pusley (Richardia scabra) and is a native to Florida. This weed is aggressive and w Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:48:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-324177-734815news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: In the weeds to save your lawn marconews.com2gardening-in-the-weeds-to-save-your-lawnurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-324177-734815Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/nov/01/gardening-multiplying-your-blessings/?partner=RSSLearning how to propagate plants is an exciting way to share with others. Plants can be propagated by sexual or asexual means. Sexual propagation is starting plants from seed. Multiplying of plants from vegetative plant part Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:01:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-323445-734808news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: Multiplying your blessings marconews.comgardening-multiplying-your-blessingsurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-323445-734808Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/oct/25/gardening-how-much-mulch-do-you-need/?partner=RSS[No Paragraph Style]BC BodycopyThis is the time of year when snow birds and tourists return to the island. Everyone is busy cleaning the last of the summer growth from their landscapes. Many people will begin mulching their gardens as mulching adds a unif Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:37:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-322705-734801news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: How much mulch do you need marconews.comgardening-how-much-mulch-do-you-needurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-322705-734801Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/oct/18/gardening-when-it-comes-to-fertilizer-moderation/?partner=RSSYou want to apply fertilizer while it is still warm, as the plants won't take in the nutrients if they become dormant with the cold weather. It will be important for your plants to be strong and healthy going into the cold months of winter. Healthy plants will withstand stresses from cold weather better than underfed, unhealthy plants. Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:16:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-322044-734794news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco, FLGardening: When it comes to fertilizer, moderation is best marconews.comgardening-when-it-comes-to-fertilizer-moderationurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-322044-734794Change0Usable