Gale Borger's Books

Thanks for an Amazing Year!

galeborgerbooks — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:03:49 +0000

Hi everyone, and Happy New Year! I want to talk about books today. First off, I want to thank everyone who bought my books in 2011. I was especially surprised and amazed by the response to my books at Christmas time.

Totally Decked, my Christmas short story, sold like hotcakes. I don’t know if it was the bad Santa, the flatulent Bulldog, the budding romance between Fred Miller and the cute guy from the coffee shop, or the elf who took off with the frozen rats, but I am sure glad it was well received!

Totally Buzzed is the first book in the Miller Sisters Mystery Series. First out in September, 2010, “Buzzed” serves as the introduction into the crazy life of Buzz Miller and her sisters. This book is screwball comedy at its worst (or best, depending on your point of view). One person said they started out by reading about a murder, and the next thing she knew, she was launched into a scene from The Three Stooges. I wanted to thank her, because that is exactly what I wanted, but I don’t think she meant it as a compliment…I guess not everyone can appreciate humor in its lowest form!

Then there is Totally Fishy, the second Miller Sisters Mystery. My husband, Bob, had a hand in the storyline; many of you already know him as Captain Bob-the fish guy. Bob and I keep tropical fish, and Bob has developed several varieties of fish foods, which is taking the fish world by storm. You can see what Bob does at captainbobsfishtales.com.

The story involves a shady fish guy, a gold mine, two scientists from South America, two bargain-basement assassins who keep bumping off the wrong guys, a geriatric pole dancer, and some really, really, really bad guys.

Thanks again for your support, and watch out for Totally Evil this fall from Echelon Press!

Petal Pushers: Winterize your Dahlias

galeborgerbooks — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:05:59 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving, fellow gardeners! I hope you have pulled your dahlia bulbs and have them ready to store for the winter. Are you ready to put your dahlia bulbs to bed? It’s easy, and if you over-winter dahlia bulbs, you get a big spring bonus!

You will notice that the single lobe I planted last spring has sprouted into a many-lobed mass. This bulb has been cleaned and dried, and is ready for division. I like to divide my bulbs in fall rather than spring because it seems to me they are easier to cut. The point of this exercise is to cut the bulb up into viable pieces; each to be planted next year. To do this you need a sharp cutting tool (I use my most excellent bypass pruners or an exacto knife), and a good eye–literally!

You just have to look deep into your dahlia’s eyes. Yes folks, your dahlias have eyes. Notice the little bumps at the top of the bulb below? If you can’t see them look at where the green sprouts out of the top of the bulb. These are called eyes. From each of these eyes will grow a shoot. Look closely at your bulb. Where the lobe meets the stem, you can locate these eyes. Cut the bulb cleanly so each eye has a lobe attached.

Be very careful you do not cut the eye itself. In this picture you can see I now have four lobes with eyes that will produce four separate plants next spring.

Each of these sections will be stored buried in peat in a plastic container. Now some gardeners wrap their bulbs in newspaper and store them in paper bags. One winter I tried four different types of storage containers and media. I used vermiculite in one, I wrapped some in newspaper, I wrapped and stored some in a refrigerator in a summer house, and I buried the rest in peat, and stored them on a shelf in our basement. By far the bulbs in the peat in the basement faired the best, and after many years, I still use this method. Though our basement is a little warmer than it should be (most people’s basements are), aside from a couple sprouts, they winter over very well.

Some gardeners cover their bulbs in fungicides, but if you clean, dry, and store your bulbs correctly, you should not have problems. Another thing you need to do is not allow your bulbs to touch each other in the storage bin. Make sure the peat completely covers each bulb. Check on them a couple times over the winter and remove any bulb that might have soft spots (usually black), as these will not make it until spring, and they will rot the others in the box.

One more word on dividing your dahlias. In the picture on the left, you will see chaff and extra lobes. This lobes will not survive, and usually break. You will also notice not all lobes connect to eyes. Don’t bother storing these–they will not produce a plant. So toss the waste in your compost pile and tuck in your bulbs for the long winter’s nap.

If you would like further information, or have questions, please feel free to give me a shout!

galedborger@gmail.com

Petal Pushers-Put Your Dahlias to Bed!

galeborgerbooks — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:45:59 +0000

Hello dedicated gardeners! In my Zone 5 garden, the dahlias tell me when it’s time to give it up for the growing season. If you have checked out Buzz Miller’s Facebook page you saw the beautiful bloom from my “Giraffe” dahlia I bought from Willow Creek gardens (www.WillowCreekGardens.com). Take a look at their stuff. They offer beautiful bulbs, and are great to deal with. If you haven’t seen Buzz Miller’s page, do me a favor and take a look. If you “like” it, she’ll think she has friends….

Let me tell you a little story about this dahlia. I ordered these dahlias and they arrived in pretty tough shape. I took a picture and emailed it to customer service. Kathleen McCarthy wrote back immediately, and with no muss, fuss, or argument, sent me new ones in a matter of days. This bloom is on a first year plant. They were prolific bloomers, the first dahlias to bloom (I had eight varieties in this area), and the next to the last to fade. They were wonderful! I can absolutely recommend Willow Creek Gardens, and I look forward to ordering from them again.

Back to the subject at hand, your dahlias will fade and start to darken-usually after a couple light frosts, and definitely after the first scrape-the-stuff-off-your-windshield frost, so keep watch. The buds turn black, the stems fall over and get kind-of mushy in places. In the picture on the right, you can see the blackened bloom. I stood the stems against another plant, but they have already fallen over, and they are ready to dig.

Be sure to give the stem a wide berth-the dahlia bulb has fleshy lobes that grow outward from the stem. Though they are not far from the surface, the lobes can grow six inches or more from the stem.

Sink the shovel into the soil and gently lift the plant. You can see how the lobes fan out from the stem. Be sure not to break these off. The lobes are delicate, and can easily break.

I use a hose to get the majority of the dirt off my bulbs. If you put your bulbs-any bulbs-to bed with the dirt still attached, you run the risk of putting any critters crawling in and out of the dirt to bed with them. Just think! A nice warm cozy winter home with as much to eat as you can hold, and conditions perfect to reproduce and allow future generations of bugs to feast on your stored bulbs!

The last step we will cover today is bringing the bulbs down to the laundry tub and finishing the cleaning process. Once your bulbs are clean, place them in a place to dry which has good air circulation in and around them. I use my little indoor green house where I sprout everything in the Spring. I peel back the plastic and dry my bulbs on the wire rack. I leave the greens attached for the time being for two reasons. One, to keep my smaller bulbs from falling through the wire, and two, so I can identify them later. I also place a tag on them to identify the name of each dahlia.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Petal Pushers-the continuing saga of putting your dahlias to bed!

Happy Gardening!

Fall In!

galeborgerbooks — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:06:02 +0000

Fall is falling fast in my Zone 5 garden. We have had beautifully warm weather up until this week, and that means prolonged blooms and time to get more perennials in the ground before the freeze hits. We’ve already had frost on the pumpkin this fall, but it didn’t last much past dawn.

However, the caladium wilted, the coleus has a pinched and saggy look to it, and most of the hostas on the north side of the house are finished for the season. I’m about ready to break my containers down and plant the heuchera and grasses I used. I also need to mulch my little Lo and Behold Buddleia heavily, or I might lose it over winter.

I have started cutting back some of the hostas that flopped over, and the grasses that aren’t very interesting in the winter, but I am so pleasantly surprised by my dahlias sticking it out I can hardly stand it!

This is the last plant to bloom this year. Miss Eileen is her name and she is just beautiful!

This is the top bloom from the picture above, and that is a full-sized paper plate behind her. I don’t purposely try to grow giant blooms. I know people who pinch off all the buds except for one. I know folks who mix up special soil like mad scientists, and I know one guy who does everything but stand on his head and light his hair on fire to get great blooms.

In all honesty, I have found if I mix up a good combination of potting soil and compost, if I keep them watered well and even, if I feed them regularly and give them additional snacks during bloom time, plus a little relief from the hottest summer sun, they remain happy and are still blooming on October 21st.

In other words, show your dahlias the love and they will love you back!

Happy Gardening!

Hosta la Vista, Baby!

iambuzzmiller — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:10:53 +0000

Hosta la Vista Baby! That is the title of my newest Olive Branch Mystery! Give it a try-it’s only 99 cents!

Speaking of hosta, I knew a guy who yanked his hosta out of the ground like weeds. “Hosta laVista” to him meant get rid of as much of the stuff as he could. He mowed it down too! I think he must have been very disturbed (sorry Dad). The hosta on the left is “June,” and it is one of many hosta in my yard. If you look close, you can see it is three distinctly different colors in the variegation. Very beautiful.

I figure hosta have to be about the most misunderstood plant in the garden. I have a lot of them now. I remember the first time I walked into Graf’s Garden Center. I had a shady, mostly bare spot along the east side of my house. I asked owner, Carole Graf what she would suggest I put there that I wouldn’t kill.

Carole asked if I had any hosta.

“Hosta? Yeah I got some of that, It’s green and white with ugly purple flowers.”

“Buzz, there is more to hosta than just a plain green leafy plant.”

“Yeah, there’s a green and white one too.”

“Ever seen Orange Marmalade?”

I stared at the picture. “Wow. It’s really orange.” What a dope. Good thing I have a lot of investigative experience, right?

Carole laughed. “That is the Spring color, and the new leaves come in orange, but yes, it’s beautiful.”

“I guess I was thinking there were only two kinds.”

“In the “Hostapedia” by Mark Zilis, there are 7400 descriptions of hosta.”

I stood there looking dumb. “Wow.” Great communication skills run in my family.

“Here’s another one,” Carole said. “It’s called ‘Liberty’.”

“It’s sure got my vote. Look at the frilly thing it’s got going with the leaves! It’s…It’s…”

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Carole laughed again. She laughed often at me in the early days. I miss her a lot, but she sure taught me about how beautiful planting with hosta can be. Check out these sights-you will be surprised and amazed at the variety of hosta available these days.

Some of these sites are wholesalers, but they have wonderful educational material on hostas. Some also offer companion plants. Check ‘em out and tell me what you think!

http://www.qandznursery.com/index.html

http://www.hostasdirect.com/hostas-for-sale

http://www.greenmountainhosta.com/

http://www.nhhostas.com/companion-plants.htm

http://www.nhhostas.com/companion-plant

What’s Next?

galeborgerbooks — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:30:38 +0000

I picked up my fair entries last night and was blown away at how well my containers did. I must say, though, that by the time I got home, I was bummed to the max. My beautiful coleus at the left fell over in the car and sheared off at the base. I tried to save it, and though I re-planted her the best I could, she doesn’t look too healthy today.

This is what she looks like this afternoon. Poor thing is in the shade, but she’s pretty wilty. Though there were roots attached, the heat sucked the life out of her. I think I’ll take some cuttings and start a couple new plants because I don’t think she’s going to make it.

On a brighter note, My stuff did real well at the Lake County Fair in Grayslake, Illinois. I grew up in Lake County and showed everything from horses to candles growing up. The people who enter take their flowers very seriously. The competition was fierce! My lilies were stunning, and I feel very proud to have taken a third place. The experience was extra cool, because an exhibitor in arrangements asked if he could use my lilies for his entry on Friday. I said sure, and he ended up with first place in his category! It was a beautiful arrangement with driftwood, Achillea and my lilies.

I ended up winning three First place ribbons, the Third (with my lilies), and two Best of Shows. How about that? I am just beside myself.

I’m now looking forward to the Kenosha County Fair, August 17th through the 21st in Wilmot, Wisconsin. I don’t show the same things at the Kenosha fair as I did at the Lake County Fair, so I’ll see how I do there. I’ll also be at the Master Gardener booth, answering questions. See you there!

Happy Gardening!

Gale

It’s County Fair Time!

galeborgerbooks — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:37:26 +0000

: Hanging flower basket

Yep, it’s county fair time and I think I’m ready! This year I’m not so much into the cut flower thing as I am into my containers. Like many of you, I cut way back on my flower spending this year, but containers of any and all kinds are versatile and moveable. Flowering baskets, planters, foliage baskets, I love ‘em all!

Above is my hanging flower basket. There is a lovely little annual that looks like alyssum, but tumbles like bacopa. You will find it labelled as “Snow Princess,” and those are the white cascading flowers in the front. The delicate lavender flowers of cuphea, sometimes called “Lavender Lace” or “Mexican false Heather” pop up in the center. A ”Pony Tail” grass on our right and “Toffee Twist” on the left finishes it off. I love it!

Whoever said you need flowers in a basket to have beautiful color never saw the likes of this one! I used several different types of textures and colors to create what you see here. I combined coleus, heuchera (pronounced “hoo-ker-ah), or “coral bells,” dusty miller, and a beautiful grass in this caleidescope of color. The tall coleus in the middle is “Saturn,” on its right is “Henna.” I used a neat little lime green heuchera called “Lime Ricky”on the side and directly in back used garlic chives, so it gives Lime Ricky a dark green frame-I love it!

Coleus Limoncello

The last entry I want to share is this year’s coleus. Called “Limoncello,” I had never seen this particular coleus before. I fell in love with the multi-colored speckled leaves, and wow! I was not dsappointed in her performance. The picture does not do this plant justice!

Well, there you have it. I am very glad to be able to share three of my entries for this year’s fair. I never worry about who wins or loses, I have so much fun in the process. Someone is always interested in the how-to about container gardening, and I love the question and answers as much or more!

Look me up at the Kenosha County Fair-I’ll be by the Master Gardener garden. We’ll have lots to look at-bring samples of your garden problems, and we’ll try to help you out with answers! http://www.kenoshacofair.com/