Entries by Lee Reich

SMUT POPPING OUT OF YOUR EARS

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Smut popping out of your ears, your corns’ ears?! Spongy galls, looking like corn kernels that have been pumped up with steroids and painted silvery gray, ooze from between the husks? Not a pretty sight, but look at those puffy masses in another light. They are the fruiting bodies of a fungus, as are mushrooms. Huitlacoche, as it is called south of the border, is eaten boiled or fried, and its popularity has spread northward. Read more here: https://leereich.com/2026/08/smut-popping-out-of-your-ears.html

WHAT GAVE SUSAN HER BLACK EYE?

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What gave Susan her black eye? Her central florets, that’s what. Black-eyed Susan flowers, blooming now and for the next few weeks, are actually made up of two kinds of florets, or small flowers. In the center of each flower are small, tubular flowers called disk florets. Those tubular petals are dark. Hence the black eye. But there’s more, botanically and horticulturally, of interest in growing this native flower, covered — as you might guess— in my latest blog post, here:

DINNERPLATE DAHLIAS, AND MORE

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Pinch your flowers. This is but one of a few ways to direct their grow, depending on whether you want a few large flowers or a spray of small flowers. In my latest blog post, I excerpt information from my book THE PRUNING BOOK to cover how various types of pruning can let you direct growth of your flower plants:

ENOUGH WATER?

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What could be more pleasant than standing in place gently showering your plants on a hot day while, in your other hand, you’re holding some drink for yourself? Win, win. But are the plants really getting their thirst quenched? Probably not. That’s what this week’s blog post is about: How to tell if you’ve really watered your plants enough.

WEATHERING CHANGES

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After a few years of gardening, I thought I had nailed down dates for various plantings, grafting, etc. But plants tell me that the climate has changed. The good advice I offered in my 1991 book “A Northeast Gardener’s Year” is still useful if dates are slightly shifted. More about this in my latest blog post:

PRETTY EDIBLES

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Some vegetables growing the flower garden! Why not? A number of them look good enough to put on a show shoulder to shoulder with marigolds, roses, and delphiniums in the flower garden. Here’s a sampling of a few tasty, pretty vegetables; they are highlighted and pictured  in my latest blog post:

TRAINING SESSION

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Newly planted trees are in the ground and have been growing. Now is a good time to do some pruning which will help direct growth so the tree is strong and beautiful as it ages. For how and where to prune, check out my latest blog post: