When it comes right down to it, I AM an "old wife," so it makes sense that I'd be intrigued by old wives' tales—especially when it comes to gardening. I weeded through my collection of books with garden tips that may or may not prove useful. It's a lot of fun to browse through these volumes, some of which contain purportedly effective tips passed down through the centuries. Since these books were pulled off my shelves, some of them may be difficult to find. There are newer releases that I'm sure will prove just as interesting, but the one good thing with old wives' tales—they only get better with age.
“Gardenside First Aid: In case of contact with poison oak or poison ivy, use soap and hot water immediately to wash the effected area, but don’t take a hot bath or shower. If you don’t have access to soap and water, put mud on the effected area and scrub vigorously. Repeat the process several times, using fresh mud. Pat fresh mud onto the surface of your skin and let it dry.”
“Adding Ferns: Incorporate a handful of coarsely chopped ferns into a planting hole to improve the texture of the soil. Do not use ferns with lime-loving plants, since they are slightly acidic.”
Proven Garden Tips, From Fine Gardening
“Roses Love Bananas: By now everyone knows that roses love banana skins. However, I have found an easier way to use them without disturbing the roots or burying the skins so shallow that rodents dig them up. I just use my garden shears and snip, snip, snip every quarter of an inch across the skins. Throughout the year, I sprinkle the chopped-up skins on my roses. The winter cold and summer sun will turn the skins black in a day and you’ll never see them again, but your roses will benefit from the precious minerals. – Florence Edwards Wagner, Athens, OH”
“Ash Trees: If you decide to fell an ash already growing in the garden. . .all old country people would warn you to ask its permission first. How it will signify its assent we do not know. Perhaps the civility of asking is all that is required. It makes a splendid firewood, and there are several versions of an old rhyme about how long to keep different kinds of wood before burning them, all of which end:
But ash new or ash old
Is fit for a queen with a crown of gold.”
“Chives (Allium schoenoprasum): One of the Allium tribe and probably the best to grow to keep fungal diseases down. Use it against black spot on roses and scab on apples, but be patient, as it will be three years before it takes effect. Chives discourage aphids on chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and tomatoes, and benefit carrots. Chive sprays have been used against downy and powdery mildew on cucumbers and gooseberries. As they are beneficial to us as well, they can be planted in many places to ensure a continuous supply."
“Some years back we met a sunflower enthusiast who had coaxed a prize plant to grow 20 feet tall. When asked what his secret was, he smiled and said, ‘I just throw the seeds down and run like hell!’ While this trick may work, it’s just as rewarding to grow some of the smaller sunflowers in your garden varieties that hover around six feet, with multiple stems and dozens of vase-size blossoms. They’re becoming wildly popular and make the garden sing in the fall. For best results, plant sunflowers where you want them to grow when the soil is warm and nights are predictably above 55 degrees F.”
“Ammonia Magic: The natural color of flowers may be altered by exposing them to the diluted fumes of ammonia. Most of the blue, violet, and light crimson flowers turn to a splendid bright green. Dark crimson clove pinks turn black, other dark red flowers turn dark violet, and white flowers turn sulfur yellow. The change of color is especially beautiful when the flowers are variegated or the single petals possess a different color. As soon as the new color is fully developed, the flowers must be dipped into cold water, where they will keep their new shade from two hours to six hours; by degrees, their natural color returns." – The Household, 1882
“Ale is an excellent liquid food for flower beds and borders. Plants which grow very tall, such as hollyhocks, delphiniums, and sunflowers, benefit from a weekly feed of beer.”
Do you abide by any garden tips passed down in your family? I'd love to hear about them, as well as any other books of gardening tips you'd like to recommend.
Becke Davis is the senior writer for The Landscape Contractor magazine, a member of Garden Writers of America and the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association. She has written well over 1,000 published articles and is the author of five garden-related books in addition to being the moderator of B&N's Mystery book club.
