by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 27, 2010 | birdwatching, habitat restoration, wildlife
Articles on bird houses usually focus on the importance of putting up nesting boxes for various species so that they have a place to reproduce. This is important. However, bird houses do not have to be the same old bluebird box in the back yard. Take a look at this...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 27, 2010 | organic gardening
There has been a lot of press lately towards using “natural” products to treat illnesses, kill pests, and fertilize plants instead of “synthetic” chemicals. The assumption has been if it is natural, or organic, it is safe. This is not necessarily so for several...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 27, 2010 | gardening101
Buying Fertilizer When you buy a bag of fertilizer, it has three numbers on the front of it. Do you know what those numbers really mean? By law they are listed in this order: Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium. The numbers are the percent of the product inside that is...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 27, 2010 | entomology
SlowTexas When I speak as a Master Gardener, I get more questions on fire ants than any other subject. Fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) are loathed in the Southern parts of the United States. These ants came into the US from South America in soil used as ship’s...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 27, 2010 | entomology
Bird Baths need maintenance My parents have a bird bath near their bird feeder so the birds can take a bath, get a drink, and lounge around. It gets lots of activity, especially during the hot summer. Unfortunately, birds are not the only creatures that use bird...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 27, 2010 | flowers
The property I live on was once part of a much larger farm. There was a farm house on part of my land, although it long ago fell down and was cleared away. Since I have been here, some remnants of plants that must have once been around the farmhouse have come back....
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 26, 2010 | entomology
Bugs abound. With all the rains we have had this winter, we can look forward to a spring and summer full of bugs. The temptation is to kill everything that creeps, crawls, or flies to protect ourselves, our pets, and our plants. That would be a mistake, however, as...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 26, 2010 | dogs
Plants can poison your dog. There are lots of ways dogs can get into poisons. One often overlooked problem is poisonous plants. Some of the ornamentals that gardeners most enjoy in our area are very poisonous. The American Society for the...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 26, 2010 | dogs
I used to live in a small rural county about 40 miles northeast of Dallas, Texas. As far as I know, there are only two other service dogs in the county, both labs. My hearing and mobility assistance dog is a striking cream Standard Poodle named Amber that I trained. ...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 26, 2010 | Posts on Writing
I entered the elevator speech contest over at Allfreelancewriting. An elevator speech is a short pitch you give if you step into an elevator with your dream employer and only have the time it takes to get to the next floor to convince them you are worth talking to....
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 26, 2010 | Posts on Writing
I read a variety of writer related blogs and newsletters. Christina Katz asked these questions in her The Prosperous Writer newsletter and dared everyone to answer them. Here goes: So. Let’s talk about you. Have you been haunted by the talent ghost? Are you...
