Ask the experts

1. Change water in birdbaths at least once a week.
2. Check for inverted garbage can covers as these fill with water each time it rains.
3.  Drill some half-inch holes in the bottom of garbage cans and flower pots so that they don't hold water.
4. Swimming pool covers: an inflatable pillow when installed properly, (pool is topped off by slipping hose under cover), leaves no moat for water to collect.
5. Gutters that don't drain are perfect breeding places - unplug leaders so water flushes through.
6. Any other item that could contain stagnant water should be removed.
    

 Gardening, like all good things, must sometimes be taken in moderation. We are not all blessed with acres of property, hours of free time, or the mobility to garden unrestrained. Whatever the situation, container gardens can be a wonderfully creative solution.

There is a wide array of pots, troughs, baskets, boxes and barrels of all shapes, sizes, colors and textures available. Literally anything that can hold soil can be converted into a "flower pot". Old buckets, dishes, shoes, toys, add humor and whimsy and work just as well as traditional pots. Several companies now sell lightweight faux stone pots, which are attractive, inexpensive and easy to care for.

 

The mole is prevalent throughout North America, living primarily underground. One researcher nicknames the mole as a "little gentleman in velvet" -- but the mole is far from being a "gentleman" to landscapers.

 It's no wonder the mole is quick to dig an array of underground runways across a yard or garden. The mole needs to eat 50 percent of its body weight in food per day; otherwise, it's threatened by starvation. 

 One method of treatment is the use of Mole Scram 

 Mole Scram granular mole repellant.

 Mole Scram works three ways:
1. It coats worms – moles’ main food – with castor oil, which disrupts the moles’ digestive system and drives them to new feeding areas.
2. It also makes mole habitats – feeding tunnels and surrounding soil – smell bad.
3. Finally, it repels insects – another mole food source – from the surface of the mole habitat.