Before I get started this week I just want to invite you all out to the Coles County Extension Master Gardeners' Idea Garden located on the west side of Sarah Bush Lincoln. We have been very busy getting it ready this year. With the weather we have had, that has been a little bit of a challenge. Justin Grady (who also is a Master Gardener) created a beautiful sign that has been placed on the west end of the gardens.

Another really special area this year is the Children's' Garden. It has been arranged into miniatures. It is really very unique. So if you need some ideas (hint –hint) the Idea Garden is the place for you to go and see. Even if you don't need anymore plants it will be fun for you to stroll through and enjoy the beautiful flowers.

Now, did you know there are ways to try and keep the pests from attacking our plants? It seems the interaction between garden plants have not been extensively studied in careful controlled trials, so there isn't much hard scientific data on the abilities of different species to help (or hurt) each other when they're grown close together.

Over the years, gardener's observations have formed a body of advice that's impressive enough to be worth some consideration. Of course, some of you experienced gardeners probably already know most of these suggestions or otherwise have found ways to do the same thing. I thought it would be nice to go over them again. Besides I do enjoy finding out all these ideas for helping in the vegetable gardens. A lot of the tried and true is just common sense.

Plants with strong odors—such as basil, rue, marigold, scented-leaf geraniums—and loved by bees—such as borage, thyme, and bee balm—help attract these pollinators and thus improve fruit-set on many vegetables, including summer and winter squash, tomatoes, peppers, and beans.

There are also many specific combinations that are famous, at least in folklore, though as the diet advertisements say, "results may vary". Much will depend on climatic conditions, the nature of the soil, and the overall health of the plants in question.

Nevertheless, more than a few gardeners swear by rules like these: Plant parsley near asparagus to improve vigor. Radishes grown near lettuce are more tender. Petunias help to repel bean beetles. Beets inter-planted with onions will help stifle weeds. Carrots will grow larger if inter-planted with chives. Dill or caraway will help repel cabbage moths. Tomatoes hate fennel; keep them apart. Beans don't do well near alliums (garlic, onions and chives). Nasturtiums attack aphids and deter cucumber and bean beetles. Even though the previous suggestions are not "scientific", they could be interesting to try out. A friend and I were talking the other day and he said he did not feel it was necessary to rotate the crops in his vegetable garden. According to the "book", rotation is useful for two reasons. It helps prevent buildup of pests and diseases specific to particular plants or plant families. And it maximizes the use of soil nutrients.

Although there are some equal-opportunity scourges- slugs come to mind—that will attack everything in the garden, they are in the minority. Many of the nastiest mosaics, for example, attack legumes (peas and beans) but have no interest in nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplants). Similarly, earworms are a real problem in corn but couldn't care less about lettuce.

By moving their favorite targets around, you make it harder for these bad actors to establish themselves. While you are foiling the pests, you're also managing the soil. Corn and squash require a lot of nitrogen. Peas and beans make nitrogen (or, more accurately, fix the nitrogen from the air into a form that roots can use).

By alternating one with the other, you can reduce the amount of supplemental fertilizer you'll have to add. Unfortunately, corn will always be a lot taller than beets, so where space is at a premium and crops must be closely planted, it will always be wise to put tall crops to the north of short ones so they don't cause shade problems. One more reason people who have larger gardens in full sun have an advantage over those who don't.

GARDEN QUESTIONS FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Q) Should the foliage on my peonies be cut back after blooming? A) No. The foliage should not be cut until it has been killed by a hard frost. The food manufactured in the foliage is stored in the roots, and thus helps produce flowers for the following year. If the foliage is cut back shortly after blooming, the plants are deprived of their next year's food supply.

Q) Will the tulip bulbs bloom again after the flowers are cut off? A) They will not bloom again this year but if most of the foliage is left to die down naturally you will have more blooms next year.

Q) How do tulip bulbs multiply? A) By offsets (young bulbs), which grow from the base of the mother bulb. These are separated and are grown on to flowering size in specially prepared nursery beds. Q) Should tulip bulbs be taken up each year and separated? A) No. Dig them up and separate them only when the bloom falls off or unless the ground is wanted for other purposes. Winter mulch is desirable where temperatures go much below zero. Bulbs planted deeply or in heavy soil require separation less frequently than those in light soils or that are shallowly planted.

Shade Garden Program

U of I Extension Coles County Master Gardeners will have a program on Shade Gardening Saturday June 14 from 10 to 12 noon. Discussion will focus on shade loving plants and will include a tour of a private shade garden in Charleston. There is no charge, however, registration is required. Call 345-7034 to register and for further details.

If you have any horticulture questions, call the U of I Extension office 345-7034. Volunteer

Master Gardeners are in the office on: Monday—2 to 4 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday—9-11 a.m.

This column is based on information and materials at the University of Illinois Extension office, located at 707 Windsor Road, Suite A., Charleston, 61920; phone 345-7034; or web site: www.extension.uiuc.edu/coles/