Forest and eastern tent caterpillars are sometimes confused for those of gypsy moth. Forest tent caterpillars have a blue head with a prominent central row of yellow keyhole shapes. Eastern tent caterpillars have a black head with a prominent central yellow strip (pictured). Gypsy moth caterpillars have a beige head with dark marks with prominent blue and red dots.
Apply any preventative grub control in May. These typically need to be watered but check the label directions for more information.
Sweet potatoes need 90 to 150 frost-free days to yield a crop.
Make a planting hole as deep as the plant is in the container and 2–3 times as wide.
Now is a great time to clean out the tool shed and think about what didn’t work and what is in need of replacing. Some essential tools to consider include a heavy-duty iron bow rake; a long-handled, round-pointed shovel; a square garden spade; hand pruners and a belt-mounted scabbard to hold them; a long-handled pair of loppers for larger branches; a small, curved pruning saw and a collapsible lawn rake.
Check houseplants growing near windows to make sure they are not getting sunburned. Most tropical houseplants prefer low light conditions. Now that sunlight is more intense as the sun rises higher in the sky, vulnerable plants should be shaded or moved away from windows.
Drawing a host of pollinators with its deep purple flowers on long branches in the fall is ironweed hybrid Veronica ‘Summer Swan Song.’ Growing 3’ tall, it is hardy in zones 4-9.
Plant Something Massachusetts is a project of Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association, and was originally established in partnership with Massachusetts Flower Growers’ Association.