Our Newsletter

august 2010

 
Earth laughs in flowers.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cosmos originated in South America and Mexico, and Yellow Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) are abundant here in the United States. These lovely plants range from four to seven feet tall, with many hybrids that are two to four feet tall. Yellow Cosmos are low maintenance, needing only basic care to provide a vibrant bounty of blooms all summer long. Yellow Cosmos thrives most in full sun, with well-drained soil, minimal fertilization, and minimal water once the seedlings emerge. The most common problem encountered when raising Yellow Cosmos is over-care: over-watering, over-fertilizing, over-thinning. Just let nature do her job, and you can grow Cosmos in the poorest soils, under the hottest sun, and with the least water.

Cosmos is a self-seeding annual, and also can be direct-seeded. Let the soil get hot, generally well after spring, and just rake the seed into the soil. (Not too deep!) Keep the soil moist for 5-10 days after seeding. Cosmos germinate in 7-21 days, and will bloom around 50-55 days after germination and from May into December.

Cosmos work beautifully in large areas, or in edging, as cut flowers or dried, and for backgrounds and screens. They attract butterflies and birds. Cosmos are simple, easy, beautiful, and versatile, and their evenly placed petals led them to their name "Cosmos," the Greek word for harmony or ordered universe. What could be more fitting?

I appreciate the misunderstanding I have had with Nature over my perennial border.
I think it is a flower garden; she thinks it is a meadow lacking grass,
and tries to correct the error.
Sara Stein, My Weeds, 1988

august in the garden

I think the true gardener is a lover of his flowers, not a critic of them.
I think the true gardener is the reverent servant of Nature, not her truculent, wife-beating master.
I think the true gardener, the older he grows,
should more and more develop a humble, grateful and uncertain spirit.
Reginald Farrer, In a Yorkshire Garden, 1909

FRUITS & VEGGIES

* Fertilize fruits and vegetables as needed with a good quality, slow-release vegetable food.
* Stake your tomato plants.
* If necessary, spray tomato plants and other vegetables to control diseases.
* Seed a fall crop of peas and spinach and keep harvesting. There's always something to make with zucchini.
* Pick herbs for fresh use and for drying. Continued harvesting will extend their growing cycle.

flowers

* Fertilize your daffodils and tulips by mid-August.
* Order spring bulbs for planting and forcing.
* Add more mulch as needed (to replace what has decomposed or blown away.)
* Spread a mid-season layer of compost or manure.
* Keep harvesting and deadheading.
* Begin dividing perennials. Pot up some of the divisions for spring plant swaps. You can go ahead and sink the pots into the ground this fall and have one less chore in the spring.
* Leave some annual seeds to self-sow, but also start saving seeds and taking cuttings.
* Prune summer flowering shrubs as the flowers fade.
* Take pictures of your garden at its peak, especially of areas you'd like to repeat.

You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.
Author Unknown

august calendar of events

national catfish month

august is National catfish Month!

Barlow's Blackened Catfish

Ingredients
* 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
* 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
* 2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons pepper
* 1 pound catfish fillets
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 cup Italian-style salad dressing

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. In a shallow, medium bowl, mix cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Brush both sides of catfish fillets with butter. Rub fillets with the cayenne pepper mixture on both sides.
4. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until really hot. Add fillets, and fry approximately 2 minutes on each side, until slightly blackened.
5. Arrange blackened fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, and coat with Italian-style salad dressing. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

catfish blues

good news

Good News is a new feature in the YART newsletter with a focus on positive and uplifting news from around the world and in our own community. If you have some good news you'd like to share, please email your story to yart@taosgardenstyle.com.

Ford will soon have a first in the U.S. auto market

A hybrid sedan that costs the same as the gas-powered version. Visit the Lincoln MKZ website: http://www.lincoln.com/mkz

Heroic mailman saves lives while on the job

Read more www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38322154

Paralyzed cat gains strength and relief from water therapy

Read more: http://www.happynews.com/news/7212010/swimming-kitty-proves-she-no-fraidy-cat.htm

completely paralyzed people able to type messages

A device that detects the subtle movements needed to sniff air through the nose or mouth can steer a wheelchair or allow completely paralyzed people to type messages, reported researchers from Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38417355/ns/health-health_care/

O Spirit of the Summertime!
Bring back the roses to the dells;
The swallow from her distant clime,
The honey-bee from drowsy cells.
Bring back the friendship of the sun;
The gilded evenings, calm and late,
When merry children homeward run,
And peeping stars bid lovers wait.
Bring back the singing; and the scent
Of meadowlands at dewy prime;
Oh, bring again my heart's content,
Thou Spirit of the Summertime!
William Allingham
 

wellness on the web

Birthing Project Provides Mentors for At-Risk Mothers-to-Be

Since 1988, the nonprofit Birthing Project USA has battled high infant-mortality rates by matching pregnant moms-to-be with volunteer "sister friends" who provide guidance and support through the pregnancy and first year of the baby's life. Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/22/cnnheroes.birthing.project/index.html

Crayons and Brushes Provide Escape from Alzheimer's

Tania Becker developed the Arts 4 Alzheimer's program with the help of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Alzheimer's Association. Art 4 Alzheimerís helps Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers escape the disease, even if only for a few hours. "One of the ways to get to people with Alzheimer's is to engage them through art, because art is so creative," says Becker. Read more at www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/07/alzheimers.art.class

Mind-Body Therapy Shows Promise for Fibromyalgia

A form of mind-body therapy that focuses on the role of emotions in physical pain may offer some relief to people with fibromyalgia, a clinical trial finds. Read more: http://www.happynews.com/news/772010/mind-body-therapy-shows-promise-fibromyalgia.htm

New Gel Regenerates Teeth

A new peptide, embedded in a soft gel or a thin, flexible film and placed next to a cavity, encourages cells inside teeth to regenerate in about a month, according to a new study in the journal ACS Nano. This technology is the first of its kind. Read more at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37978810

August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a matchflame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.
Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.
Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away.
Elizabeth Maua Taylor

announcements

spirit garden metaphysical fair

Sunday, September 5 at YART. Choose from over a dozen practitioners of holistic therapies. Come nourish your body, mind, and spirit!