Do You Know Your Zone?

The plant hardiness zones identified by the USDA can help people select the plants that may grow successfully in their gardens. The zones are based on average low temperatures in the winter for different areas. The lower the zone number, the colder the winter.

The USDA recently updated the zone maps due to our warming climate. In my zip code, we moved from zone 6a to 6b. The average low winter temperature in 6b is 5 degrees warmer. A 5 degree shift in temperature does not sound like much, however as plant collector, I may have more confidence buying zone 6 plants than I have had in the past.

You can find the zone for a plant you are purchasing on the plant tag. I find this information helpful as I like to travel long distances for specialty nurseries and buy online - usually outside my zone.  Check out the updated USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Maps and be sure to check out the zone for your zip code as the zone can vary from one town to another.

Banish the Garden Thugs

How can I take back my gardens from the voles – little brown rodents with short tails that love to eat plant roots all year long? This year the vole population has exploded and I am seeing signs of vole damage in all my hosta gardens.


Voles love the big fleshy roots of my hosta plants. These mouse-like creatures burrow through the garden, creating shallow tunnels to travel through. When they find some tender hosta roots underground – they can stop for a meal, eating a little, or the whole root system and even the plant’s crown.

The other day my husband was mowing the lawn and reported that he saw a whole hosta turned upside down. He thought a large animal had dug up the plant. When I inspected the plant closely, I discovered that all the roots were missing. This was no large animal, it was a small, four inch, beady-eyed vole on a vegetarian diet.

Usually my vole damage to hostas is minimal over the summer because there are lots of food options available. I usually see more damage in winter as their activities continues under the snow.  I need to get these little herbivores in check before the winter snow flies.

How can I get the voles under control? All summer I have been setting traps and have had little success catching anything. I am stepping up the fight this fall. I'm planting a few key hosta in wire baskets to help keep the voles at a distance.  I’m spreading castor oil pellets throughout the gardens as a deterrent because they do not like the oil on their coat. I also ordered Capsaicin tablets – little pellets of hot pepper that can be tucked under the plant.  The voles will not like the taste of the hot pepper that is absorbed through of the plant's root system. 

There is no guaranteed method for fighting these little garden thugs. I can only hope that a combination of tactics will help reduce the vole population and stop the damage to my hosta plants.

Yellow Twig Project Redefined

When I started digging in my Yellow Twig garden, I didn’t plan on adding a dozen hostas to the space. The project was originally designed to create more garden space for existing plants. As a hosta collector, I’m always increasing the size of the gardens to support the increasing size of the plants.

The Yellow Twig project became a little bigger than I had planned. I worked on defining the space over a couple of weeks – carving and re-carving the curve to mirror the curve of the garden on the other side of the path. Then I had to remove the grass – a great project for a supportive husband. I also added some soil because I like my garden beds slightly raised.

The result is nice, however not nearly enough space for all the hosta I had in pots that needed a home. I decided to add as many plants as I could, knowing I may have to move some in future years. I plan to also expand this garden next year. Increasing the size of a garden or two is an annual event at my home.