Jessica Damiano
Garden Detective
Garden Detective: Tasks for July
June 29, 2009
Flowering summer perennials finally hit their prime early this month, competing with fireworks for the coveted spot at center stage. And vegetables, which only recently morphed from seed to plant, begin their journey from plant to plate. Enjoy the harvest, and blast your garden off to a great July with these chores. Just be sure to wear sunblock and keep hydrated.
-
Garden Detective: Tasks for July
June 29, 2009
Flowering summer perennials finally hit their prime early this month, competing with fireworks for the coveted spot at center stage. And vegetables, which only recently morphed from seed to plant, begin their journey from plant to plate. Enjoy the harvest, and blast your garden off to a great July with these chores. Just be sure to wear sunblock and keep hydrated.
-
Garden companions, plants that are best separated
June 19, 2009
In the garden, companions don't merely share a bed, they share a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship that mere humans can only hope to attain.
-
Companion planting principles
June 19, 2009
In the garden, companions don't merely share a bed, they share a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship that mere humans can only hope to attain. Sure, some companions look dapper together, but that's just coincidence. Their raison d'ĂȘtre is to serve and protect. They're allies that, when planted together, support each other's successes, promoting health and vigor while chasing away intruders with ill intent. And they do so without much fanfare, quietly changing soil chemistry, poisoning nearby enemies, waging warfare on insects and even making the ultimate sacrifice when they lure enemies away from their neighbors and unto themselves for the greater good.
-
All about roses, and new roses for 2009
June 5, 2009
June is National Rose Month, so how could I let prime bloom time go by without a mention of the so-called Queen of Flowers? I could start by waxing poetic, quoting Shakespeare or someone else who has written romantic prose about the fragrant blossoms, but that's not really my style. I'd rather provide you with plant suggestions, tips, and some fun, entertaining trivia.
-
June offers gardeners bounty of delights
May 29, 2009
June has always been my favorite month. Maybe because, as a child, it marked the beginning of summer vacation. Maybe because it holds my birthday, my husband's birthday, my oldest daughter's birthday and my wedding anniversary. Or maybe - and most likely - because it's the month when peonies and roses bloom, and the summer perennials take their rightful places in beds that were until very recently barren. And, as if that weren't enough, it's also National Iced Tea Month, National Dairy Month, Great Outdoors Month and Turkey Lovers Month - so there's no excuse not to celebrate!
-
Add bushy Montauk daisies for beauty, butterflies
May 22, 2009
I am making a bed with orange daylily and salvia already planted. I want a white daisy on both ends, 2 feet by 2 feet with a bushy kind of look. What should I go with? -- John Donohue, Sound Beach
-
Garden Detective: Deer-resistant plants
May 15, 2009
Imagine you're a deer. You're prancing along, and you get thirsty. You spot a little brook. You put your little deer lips down to the cool, clear water and BAM! - out of the corner of your eye, you spy a veritable all-you-can-eat buffet in someone's garden. It's as if you've died and gone to heaven (to paraphrase Mona Lisa Vito from "My Cousin Vinnie," with apologies to Marisa Tomei).
-
Deer-resistant plants
May 14, 2009
Imagine you're a deer. You're prancing along, and you get thirsty. You spot a little brook. You put your little deer lips down to the cool, clear water and BAM! - out of the corner of your eye, you spy a veritable all-you-can-eat buffet in someone's garden. It's as if you've died and gone to heaven (to paraphrase Mona Lisa Vito from "My Cousin Vinnie," with apologies to Marisa Tomei.)
-
Readers' odes to favorite garden tools
May 8, 2009
Last month I challenged readers to write an ode to their favorite garden tool, and they did not disappoint. I had lots of fun reading all your entries, but it was Kathy Levine, right, from Long Beach whose prose I found the most entertaining. She gets a CobraHead garden cultivator. Everyone else gets a Garden Detective high-five. Nice work!
-
Eat -- and grow -- your own vegetables
May 1, 2009
Anyone who knows history will tell you that V stands for Victory, but I propose a revision: Beginning with the 2009 growing season, let V stand for vegetables.
-
My dog days came early this year
April 5, 2009
Our beloved mixed-breed boxer, Shelby, died in September after a surprise, completely unexpected diagnosis in June of lymphoma. It was awful. I still can't think about her without choking up. She was only 7, and truly the best dog in the world.
-
Pruning Montauk daisies,planting tomatoes for sauce, and fertilizing housplants
April 5, 2009
Should Montauk daisies be cut down the same as perennials at the end of the fall season? My plants are brown and dry, and I'm inclined to cut them down, but I see some green buds on some of the stems. It seems some pruning of the dead parts is necessary to make room for new growth, but I'm not sure what to do. They bloomed beautifully last year, and I don't want to ruin them. Your advice will be greatly appreciated. -- Libby Vittorio
-
The kindest cuts: pruning dormant shrubs
March 15, 2009
Late winter is the perfect time for pruning most woody plants. They're still dormant, you can better see what you're doing because your view isn't obstructed by leaves, and it's when plants heal fastest. If you're unable to prune before April 15, wait until July, which is the next-best time to prune.
-
How to start seeds indoors
March 8, 2009
If you haven't saved cell packs from last year's plants, you can purchase inexpensive ones from your local nursery. (If reusing last year's packs, disinfect them for 10 minutes in a 90/10 water/bleach solution.) Or you can start seeds in clean yogurt containers, egg cartons or even eggshells (rinse shell half and carefully poke a tiny hole in the bottom with a pin).
-
Salvaging forgotten tulip bulbs
February 15, 2009
I purchased tulip bulbs and forgot to plant them. What can I do so I don't lose them? -- Carmen Ann Saxida, Valley Stream
-
Advice on helping spider plants with problems
January 18, 2009
I have 2 spider plants, which get brown, ugly tips on long leaves. I once read that using distilled water would help, but it hasn't. What causes this? I don't overwater. One is in an east-facing window, the other faces north. They get lots of bright, indirect light. -- Joe Daly, Westbury
-
How to identify and eliminate squash vine borers
November 4, 2008
Q I have tried to grow zucchini for the past four years. I get flowers and the plant dies. Why? -- Edward Maccone, North Bellmore
-
Jessica Damiano: Harvesting common crops in autumn
October 10, 2008
It's beginning to feel a lot like autumn, and frost might be threatening your fruits and vegetables. When to harvest and how to store? I generally let my feet guide me: When I find I'm sleeping with my socks on, I know it's time to bring in the last of the tomatoes and cut down the basil. Some crops will ripen after picking, but others won't. Here's a guide to harvesting and handling some common crops:
-
Hydrangeas for dry arrangements
August 21, 2008
What's the best way to dry hydrangea? I have really nice pink ones in the garden and would like to save them for the winter. -- Antonia Ackerman, East Setauket
-
Caring for Gerbera daisies
July 17, 2008
I have a lot of Gerbera daisies that came back from last year. This spring, I took everything out of my flower garden. The daisies had come back thick and full, but when I replanted them, some of them broke into smaller bundles. They had plenty of roots, so I placed them around my garden. I also bought five new ones. They were all doing fine until three days after planting. They all began drooping, and the leaves are now turning brown. Some of the plants had big pretty blooms, but when this started, the blooms just fell over. I've been babying them like crazy. I'm just hoping they don't die. I read that they like a slow-release fertilizer, so I bought some Osmacoat and added that. I've been watering regularly. Any ideas? -- Stacey Walsh
-
Undemanding houseplants
January 31, 2008
If you love indoor plants but can't seem to find the time to care for them, you're not alone. And the tropical-plant nurseries that breed houseplants know it. "There aren't many stay-at-home moms who have time to dust off their plants anymore," said Lori Vanderlaske, tropical-plant buyer for Hicks Nurseries in Old Westbury. "People are busy, and I've been noticing a lot of easy maintenance, lowlight, sturdy plants coming on the scene."
-
Blooming problem for hydrangeas
November 16, 2006
I did not get flowers on my hydrangea bushes this year. Why?
-
When arborvitae look shabby
June 22, 2006
I have 20-foot arborvitae that I need to trim. When is the best time to trim them? Also, I have many decorative trees and shrubs that need the same attention.
Recent columns
Do it yourself
Garden Detective
Master gardener Jessica Damiano answers readers' questions and digs up the latest gardening trends.
How to repair, clean, replace and tweak to ensure things runs smoothly around the house.
Crafts, projects, freebies and deals from Newsday.com's Corris Little.
Popular stories
- LI cops praise their canine partners' police work
- Rangers add offense with Ales Kotalik
- Temperature of 64 sets chilly record for LI
- Nassau ordered to comply with CSEA retirement pact
- David Lennon: Mets' Manuel, Minaya will get pass thanks to injuries
Home & Gardens blog updates
The Great Long Island Tomato Challenge
The Great LI Tomato Challenge
Photos from this year's event, hosted by Newsday's Garden Detective, Jessica Damiano.
Video coverage


