Garden Tools: tips, resources and reviews for gardeners

A reference book is available to help gardeners solve pest problems. Pests of Landscape Trees and Shrubs: An Integrated Pest Management Guide (University of California, $42.00) diagnoses common diseases, insects and environmental stresses with color photos and suggests appropriate solutions. This book also has a chapter on how to get your plants off to a healthy start with proper planting techniques.

The Integrated Pest Management approach tell us the most important fact to remember about plant problems is that poor growing conditions like soggy roots or bone-dry roots inevitably leads to pests and diseases. Select the right plant for the garden conditions to avoid problems later.

The Pacific Northwest is an excellent climate for growing evergreens because our winters are generally mild. We can grow far more species than just Douglas Firs and Red Cedars, and in city gardens dwarf conifers are much more suitable. Explore the wide world of conifers, plants that produce cones, by joining the American Conifer Society. Membership costs $25 per year which includes a nice quarterly journal with color photos. Their website has a database with descriptions and photos, as well as information on becoming a member. Call (410) 721-6611 to join.

Favorite four conifers as voted on by members of the American Conifer Society:

1. Picea orientalis 'Skylands'
2. Abies koreana 'Silberlocke'
3. Tsuga canadensis
4. Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Lutea'

Wondering which brand of pruners to buy? The ratings supplied by fellow gardeners can help you decide if the latest new magic weeding tool is worth the money. Go to Epinions.com to see the 14 categories of gardening products. Some sections, such as tools, have more ratings than others.

When summer arrives we know the fruit harvest is upon us. To find out where to go for "U-Pick" fruit and vegetables go online to the Puget Sound Area Farm and Crop Finder

Test your soil for Ph and nutrients before your next planting project. Our county extension service no longer tests soil, but they do give information on how to take a soil sample and where to send it. Soil Sampling for Home Gardens and Small Acreages by Oregon State University Extension Service will get you started.

After you have your soil test analysis with its recommendations for 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre, use these handy conversion tables to convert that to your 100 square foot P-patch. Fifty other tables and formulas will help you convert just about anything you might need for the garden, including how much potting soil you will need to fill those 10" flower pots. Conversion Tables, Formulas and Suggested Guidelines for Horticultural Use from the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

As the sun sinks a little lower in the sky in autumn ornamental grasses shift from filler to glowing star of the border. For ideas on using these textural plants read Grasses: Versatile Partners for Uncommon Garden Design by Nancy Ondra (Storey Books, 2002). The large color pictures inspire, while the detailed lists of "great grasses for every need" help gardeners choose the best grass for any situation. Two grasses Ondra recommends for fall color are Japanese Silver Grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'November Sunset') and Frost Grass (Spodiopogon sibiricus).

For a primer on growing ornamental grasses online go to the University of Illinois

Professor and UW Botanic Gardens director Sarah Reichard has her finger on the pulse of the planet in this erudite and accessible book. For those who have become complacent and fixed in their gardening ways, or for those just emerging as gardeners, there is much to learn in this handsome, information-rich volume. Are native plants always the preferred choice in our gardens? Do we really need soil amendments? Are we putting things on our lawns and landscapes that pollute nearby waters? What about those worms making compost in our worm bins: might they be invasive? Readers will discover that doing the right thing in our gardens is not only simpler than one might imagine, but deeply rewarding both personally and globally.

If you have been a persistent (but always polite!) thorn in the side of less conscientious (or simply unaware) gardeners and businesses who are purveyors of ivy and loosestrife, spreaders of weed-and-feed, and sprayers of pesticides, you will feel vindicated! If you have never spoken out before, you will feel inspired to do so! Reichard’s clearheaded call to action is well worth heeding.

Reviewed by Plant Answer Line librarian Rebecca Alexander

Seize the opportunity offered by stormy weather to clean and sharpen your garden tools. William Bryant Logan, author of Smith and Hawken's The Tool Book (Workman, 1997), suggests a simple maintenance regime. First scrub the dirt off your shovels, trowels, forks and pruners, then plunge the long handled tools into a sand filled bucket to which a bit of vegetable oil has been added, finish off by wiping everything off with an oiled rag. For pruners dulled by use and abuse a little sharpening work now translates into clean cuts that heal quickly. Garden Gate offers detailed pruner sharpening instructions with video