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Garden Plot: How to squirrel-proof your vegetable garden

By Mike McGrath

The orchid show must go on (the rose show too)

It’s official: The government shutdown has forced the National Capital Orchid Society to move its annual orchid show and sale. Held at the National Arboretum for the past 50 years, the event will now be held at Behnkes Nursery in Beltsville. The show, still featuring thousands of non-sequestered orchids on display and for sale and epiphytic experts on hand to answer orchid-oriented questions, runs Friday through Monday.

Find more details and the show schedule here.

And the 75th Annual Potomac Rose Society Rose Show also opens Friday and continues Saturday at Merrifield Garden Center’s Fair Oaks location in Fairfax, Va. Both events are free.

Find more details and show program here .

Keep evil squirrels at bay with wire, water, and

Tools to protect decks, fruit trees, young plants and grass

By Mike McGrath
Carpenter bees: You can keep your deck and enjoy their pollinating powers Bill in Indian Head writes: “Do you have any tips on deterring wood-boring bees? They’re doing a number on my wood-frame front porch and are elusive when I try to spray them or swat them down with a broom.” Carpenter bees don’t sting and are hugely effective pollinators, so please stop trying to kill them. Instead, pick up some blocks of untreated pine, cedar or other soft wood. Drill 1-inch to 2-inch deep starter holes into them with a 5/8-inch drill bit and then hang these “nesting boxes” in nearby areas facing south or east.
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