ODDS & ENDS

EACH YEAR I LIKE to write a couple of articles in which I share what I have recently observed or learned about gardening techniques or various plants. Sometimes this also brings to mind useful things that I once knew but I forgot.

There is an apparent randomness to the items discussed here, but it is for good reason. When something that I think will be interesting to readers pops into my head, I immediately record it. If that happens during the day, I make a notation in a file on my cell phone. If it occurs when I am supposed to be sleeping, I roll over and jot the idea down on an always-present bedside pad. I have always lived by the old adage that the faintest scribbled note is better than the best memory. Eventually I end up with a list of things to write or talk about, each acquired at different times and under diverse influences. So here we go:

WHEN APHIDS ATTACK

I never have a problem with aphids on any plants growing in outside beds or on the deck. But aphids are the scourge of several plants I