Nature's remedies for bee stings

The other day my husband unwittingly stepped on a hornet's nest and was stung on the leg twice. I'm always concerned when he has a run-in with the little buggers because he was stung 13 times a number of years ago. As most of us know, prior bee stings can predispose us to serious reactions to future bites and stings. The most serious--potentially life-threatening--issue is anaphylaxis: an allergic reaction in which airways narrow, blocking normal breathing. This occurs within seconds or minutes of a sting, so if hours have passed since the occurrence, immediate breathing dangers aren't a concern. But other issues may arise. Pain and inflammation being the most common.

Fortunately, nature has figured out ways to counteract the discomfort of stings--good information to have when you're out on the trail and not near a drugstore. The most important thing to do after a sting is to ensure that the stinger is out. If not, you're getting a constant stream of bee venom injected into your body. If you aren't near your bathroom sink, find a nearby stream and plunge the affected area into the water. Next, take a knife and scrape skin surface around the sting to make absolute sure that you've removed the stinger.

If you have ice with you, place it over the inflamed skin to reduce swelling and pain. A baking-soda-and-water paste works well as a poultice to draw out the venom. If you don't have access to either of these items, nature has provided for you:

HONEY: this effective remedy is ironic. Funny how nature uses the bees' own product to counteract bee stings.

PEANUT BUTTER: Works much like honey and baking soda to soothe skin and draw out venom.

CALENDULA, BEE BALM, LAVENDER, BASIL, PARSLEY: All these plants have natural analgesic properties. Simply pick a handful of leaves and either chew them up or crush them between thumb and pointer to access the moistness inside the leaves. Rub the leaves against the affected area. If you happen to have lavender essential oil, a drop of that works wonders.

GARLIC, ONION: Crush or chop up either of these and gently apply to skin at and around the bee sting.

Whatever you choose, it's reassuring to know nature provides an abundance of bee-sting remedies

Sometimes nature stinks

Taking a stroll through the yard can be so rewarding. Little in this life satisfies like seeing flowers in full bloom against a backdrop of lush green foliage, feeling the warm soil and soft grass beneath bare feet, tasting a ripe tomato from the vine, or hearing the cheerful chirping of half a dozen birds at once. And don't forget those "summer" scents: fresh-mown lawns, abundant blossoms dispersing fragrance into the wind, and the smell of...what is that? As my nose wrinkles and my gag reflex kicks in, I realize I've encountered an offending odor unique to the warm-weather season. Spurred on by the presence of harmful pathogens, excess moisture and lack of oxygen, things that would stink any time of year become particularly odiferous in the heat.

Standing water is guaranteed to stink. Water in ponds and wells needs periodic shots of oxygen into the mix to keep water from becoming rancid. Incorporate fountains into your yard's landscaped water features, and let water from wells run for a little while to flush out iron bacteria and sulfur bacteria, which thrive in moist conditions. I know this seems wasteful, but the alternatives are either add bleach to the water (which is NOT an ecofriendly solution) or live with the stench (it's harmless to everything except the nostrils). Other smelly culprits: compost and manure piles which, if not properly tended to, can turn funky fast. Below is the proper way to process manure and other organic materials so they turn into beneficial compost and not just a fetid mess:

1. Spread manure or compost pile flat to allow it to dry out. The materials in the compost pile should be slightly damp, but not so moist that you could squeeze excess moisture from a random handful of the stuff.

2. For compost piles, mix  a third of the brown, carbon-rich, organic materials with the manure.  Straw, dried leaves, dried grass clippings, and sphagnum peat moss are among the many carbon materials you can add to the manure. Sphagnum peat works especially well because it draws out excessive moisture from the manure. Carbon materials mixed with the nitrogen-rich manure causes the pile to heat up and kill the odor-causing bacteria in the manure. Without providing the proper balance of carbon and nitrogen materials, the pile can heat up too much and kill the beneficial microorganisms that decompose the materials.

3. Drill 1-inch diameter holes spaced 4 inches apart along two 2-inch diameter PVC pipes. The pipes should be about 1-1/2 feet taller than the manure pile height. Hold the pipes upright about a foot apart near the center of where you will build up the pile.

4. Work the composting manure back into a mound or pile after the wet manure dries out. Have one person hold the PVC vent pipes in place while you mound the manure around the pipes. You cannot simply push the pipes through the mounded manure because the pipes would fill with manure rather than allow air to circulate. The manure that was on the inside of the pile should be on the outside of the pile; work the manure from the outside of the pile to the inside so the pile breaks down evenly.

5. Remove the pipe vents and turn the manure pile about once every two weeks. Mist the pile with a spritz of water to dampen, if needed. Replace the pipes and build the mound back around the pipes .Add more carbon materials to the pile when odor becomes a problem. If you add new manure to the pile, you must add carbon organic matter at a rate of one part carbon materials to three parts manure.


Pets can often be to blame for bad odors. If your kitty or pup has decided to use the corner of your patio as a favorite pee-pee spot, a homemade cleaning cocktail can whisk the odor away. Simply mix three parts vinegar with one part baking soda and one part dish detergent in a plastic bottle. Shake well to mix all the ingredients and spray all around the offending area. This will not only neutralize odor, but discourage pets from going back to that spot.

By far and away, the most rancid of smells is caused by dead wildlife. If the decaying animal is small, it's best to simply scoop up the carcass and bury it. Last weekend we discovered a very large deer carcass about 100 yards behind our garage up at our summer place. The smell was so bad that people were coming from a quarter-mile away to investigate the stench. The deer was far too large to bury so we bought bags of lime in bulk and the most intrepid neighbors in the area (my daughter and I being among them) took turns dumping bags of lime dust onto the poor dead thing. Why lime? It's derived from porous limestone, which has natural absorbing properties. Also good: activated carbon (AKA activated charcoal), which is used by organic farmers as a natural air purifier as well as an odor and moisture absorber.

Without foul odors forcing you indoors, you'll be able to enjoy the sweet smell of successful outdoor spaces every time you venture through your yard!

Room with a view

As the summer days get steamier, it's harder to be out in the yard, but that doesn't mean an end to the enjoyment and appreciation of your flower gardens. Careful planning and placement ensure visual access to your garden's beauty from any room in the house. As an example, I've taken a photo of the flowerbeds just outside my downstairs bathroom window (shown above). We don't spend much time in that room, but the lovely view from that window enhances every second I'm in that spot.

We all understand the idea of "curb appeal," and most houses have an abundance of plantings in front of their homes. I'm not discounting the importance of this, but when plotting your outdoor spaces, it's vital to pay attention to the places that may be easily overlooked. Remember, friends and strangers alike pass your house and notice the presentation your place makes, but YOU live there. You see the good, and must suffer through the bad and the ugly.

My friend perked up a bare area in her side yard with a climbing clematis (below), and turned a forgettable area into a charming corner that draws the eye, and sparks the imagination. Clematis are a good choice for large expanses of fencing because they break up the monotony and counter enveloping walls with softly curving swirls of nature. Available in a variety of bloom shades and easy to grow (like the Jackmanii, shown here), clematis offers a tempting sight from the nearby kitchen window.

What I like best about this plant: It was first established in 1858, so it's got a track record; it grows in zones 4-11, so nearly all of us can enjoy it's velvety purple leaves and deep green foliage; it blooms from July to August when there is often a lull of flowering plants in the garden; it thrives in full sun or part shade; and it behaves itself, spreading out no more than 10-13 feet, so you won't be hacking it away from the fence post and cursing it for taking over the area.

Other easy growers that offer long-lasting blossoms during the dog days of summer: Daylilies, hydrangeas (with buds just peaking now, to bridge the gap between spring and fall bloomers), rudbeckia and coneflower (many cultivars of these plants now available), aster (in white, purple or pink--will bloom reliably through fall if you deadhead), sunny yellow coreopsis, gaura (boasts "butterfly buds" in pink or white atop tall spikes), yarrow (I like bright yellow "moonshine" best, but available in a range of hues) paired with the perennial purple of catmint (clip the spikes after first bloom and they will blossom again).

Try one or all of the plants I've listed, and place them so that you can offer a room with a view from every window in your house.

How to tackle a dying tree

It's an inevitable fact: amid life, there is death. When beloved shrubs or perennials in our gardens die, we yank them out--with either frustration or regret--and carry on. When a tree dies, we ponder, we sigh, we stamp our feet like five-year-olds in a petty fit of rage. How on earth are we going to get rid of a tree without great expense (to both our wallets and our emotions)?

I don't suggest cutting corners when it comes to tree removal. Do-it-yourselfers and inexpensive mom-and-pop outfits can be costly in the long run. I mean, really, do you want to lose a limb cutting down limbs? Do you want to risk a serious injury from a fall or a lawsuit from the guy down the street who said he could take your tree down? If a tree's days are numbered, call a fully insured tree removal service to cut it down and cart it away. You can usually get a better price if you let them keep the firewood.

Fortunately trees will usually give you clues regarding their demise--often years in advance. The first clue is a reduction in leafing in all or part of the tree. If you are noticing this, check the tree's bark. Dying trees' bark will be brittle and fall off more easily than the ones in good health. Also be on the lookout for falling limbs and a brittle, or even spongy trunk. These are all signs that insects, fungus, or even old age has set in.

When it comes to aging, trees are like dogs (in reverse). The smaller the tree, the shorter the lifespan. Ornamentals, which reach 20-35 feet high, generally last 15-20 years; maples live 75-100 years, and oaks and pine trees can last two to three centuries! If you suspect your tree is dying, call an arborist or tree doctor for a professional diagnosis. Their services aren't cheap, but if they can save the tree, they'll save you the expense of removing it. And you won't get teary-eyed when you watch a crew cut down the beautiful old mulberry that your kids' tire swing hung from (like I did, sob).

If you've done your due diligence and determined that the tree is indeed a goner, there may be a way to hang onto a part of it for a while longer. Check your local art community (or even sites like Craigslist) for craftsmen who can carve something unique and beautiful into the trunk, like my friend did. As shown, above, she contracted the services of a chainsaw artist who expertly carved a bald eagle atop her dying oak. Now she has a handsome reminder of her cherished tree as well as our nation's symbol of freedom and bravery keeping a protective eye on her garden.

Focusing on sightlines

I've touched on the idea of sightlines in past posts, but this element of landscape design is so important that I'm revisiting the topic. So what are sightlines? As the word sight suggests, it's all about what you see when you sit in your outdoor spaces.

Wikipedia defines sightlines as follows: "A visual axis...a normally unobstructed line of sight between an intended observer and a stage, arena or monument. Sightlines are a particularly important consideration in...road junction layout and urban planning. In cities such as London, construction within sightlines is restricted to protect the key views of famous landmarks."

This last part is key because poor planning can lead to obstruction of plantings and other attractive outdoor features in your garden. That's why it's vital to know how tall and wide particular plants will grow; whether your cultivars and varieties will behave themselves or spread wildly, blocking paths, arbors and views; and where to place hard-scaping features--such as planters, benches, sheds and fountains--so they enhance rather than detract from your painstakingly planned landscape.

The photo, above, illustrates how thinking about sightlines and planning carefully can yield an effect that's easy on the eyes. A screened porch, right, has an iris-lined walkway which leads around a perennial bed onto a stone patio. Placed just beyond the patio--and cleverly framed by an arbor--is a little greenhouse which echoes the shape and color of the main house. The effect is a balance of lush greenery and hard-scaped features.

In my opinion, no one historically understands sightlines like those in Asian cultures. More than 3,000 years ago, the Chinese developed lattice patterns on their windows to "frame" nature. The idea was to capture individual aspects of it in their indoor and outdoor areas, via clever wooden lattice panels that strictly prohibited views when a person stood in one spot. In order to switch up the scene, the observer had to take a step in a different direction--forcing a slightly altered view.

In this subtle way, perceptions are changed; nature is looked upon uniquely, depending on where you stand. It's a wonderful study in nuance amid the natural world, and a great way to learn about the importance of focusing on small, often-overlooked areas of the garden that add intrinsic value.

Check out sites exploring Asian landscaping. I like: www.diynetwork.com/how-to/topics/asian  The information provided will spur you to look at your own yard a little differently.

Don't dredge your pond of algae!

One of the reasons I started this blog a few years back was to educate myself, as well as share my gleaned knowledge with others. Like so many gardening enthusiasts, I came into this game with a bevy of preconceived notions. Among my most notoriously bad ones: colored mulch enhances new garden plantings (it doesn't--it simply adds an ugly, fake-looking layer around otherwise lovely plants); grass must look like a perfect green carpet (only if you like the idea of your kids and pets running barefoot in ankle-deep chemicals); and a pond looks awful when there's algae in it. I'm not gonna lie, I still struggle with this last one.

Just like it took me a while to appreciate the clover in my lawn (seeing all the bees buzzing in the delicate white flowers was what finally convinced me), I have to "train" myself to look into my pond proudly producing green algae blooms and not see red. Here's why it's good for your pond to go green:

1. Algae produces oxygen in the water, which keeps the pond from becoming smelly with harmful bacteria. In fact, like other plants, it absorbs the harmful C02 we expel and releases oxygen.

2. The filamentous version (green string algae) feeds fish and tadpoles, and provides a home for beneficial bacteria.

3. It tastes great. Just ask my dog, who tries to eat it every chance she gets!

Of course too much of a good thing can be problematic. Excessive algae on the pond's surface can block sunlight, counteracting all the good I've just mentioned. A balanced pond--like most things in life--requires moderation. Carefully removing a portion of pond algae is the best solution for good pond health and appearance.

There's a right way to do this and a wrong way. The wrong way is the easiest: dumping chemicals into the water. This, of course, can drastically improve the clarity of the pond, but at the cost of wildlife who inhabit and drink from it. It's also detrimental to the expensive plantings that have been cultivated in and around the water's edge. A far better, less expensive approach is to "old school" it: Purchase a $10 skimmer from a pool store, and manually scoop out the algae. Since it's floating, it's super easy to snatch up, and dump into a bucket. Just be careful to check the skimmer's netting to ensure you haven't snagged a tadpole or tiny fish.

Take ten or fifteen minutes each day to maintain the pond, and you'll have a beautiful landscape feature that you'll be able to enjoy for years to come. I hit up mine each morning with a cup of coffee in one hand, and the skimmer in the other. The frogs have gotten so used to the routine that they don't even bother to hide in the rocks as I'm cleaning their pad (corny, I know, but I couldn't resist the pun). The little critters pay me for my services in dead bugs--the ones they eat before the insects gets a chance to feast on me. If that isn't friendship, I don't know what is. I mean, really, would you swallow flies and mosquitos for your bestie?

Don't dredge your pond of algae!

One of the reasons I started this blog a few years back was to educate myself, as well as share my gleaned knowledge with others. Like so many gardening enthusiasts, I came into this game with a bevy of preconceived notions. Among my most notoriously bad ones: colored mulch enhances new garden plantings (it doesn't--it simply adds an ugly, fake-looking layer around otherwise lovely plants); grass must look like a perfect green carpet (only if you like the idea of your kids and pets running barefoot in ankle-deep chemicals); and a pond looks awful when there's algae in it. I'm not gonna lie, I still struggle with this last one.

Just like it took me a while to appreciate the clover in my lawn (seeing all the bees buzzing in the delicate white flowers was what finally convinced me), I have to "train" myself to look into my pond proudly producing green algae blooms and not see red. Here's why it's good for your pond to go green:

1. Algae produces oxygen in the water, which keeps the pond from becoming smelly with harmful bacteria. In fact, like other plants, it absorbs the harmful C02 we expel and releases oxygen.

2. The filamentous version (green string algae) feeds fish and tadpoles, and provides a home for beneficial bacteria.

3. It tastes great. Just ask my dog, who tries to eat it every chance she gets!

Of course too much of a good thing can be problematic. Excessive algae on the pond's surface can block sunlight, counteracting all the good I've just mentioned. A balanced pond--like most things in life--requires moderation. Carefully removing a portion of pond algae is the best solution for good pond health and appearance.

There's a right way to do this and a wrong way. The wrong way is the easiest: dumping chemicals into the water. This, of course, can drastically improve the clarity of the pond, but at the cost of wildlife who inhabit and drink from it. It's also detrimental to the expensive plantings that have been cultivated in and around the water's edge. A far better, less expensive approach is to "old school" it: Purchase a $10 skimmer from a pool store, and manually scoop out the algae. Since it's floating, it's super easy to snatch up, and dump into a bucket. Just be careful to check the skimmer's netting to ensure you haven't snagged a tadpole or tiny fish.

Take ten or fifteen minutes each day to maintain the pond, and you'll have a beautiful landscape feature that you'll be able to enjoy for years to come. I hit up mine each morning with a cup of coffee in one hand, and the skimmer in the other. The frogs have gotten so used to the routine that they don't even bother to hide in the rocks as I'm cleaning their pad (corny, I know, but I couldn't resist the pun). The little critters pay me for my services in dead bugs--the ones they eat before the insects gets a chance to feast on me. If that isn't friendship, I don't know what is. I mean, really, would you swallow flies and mosquitos for your bestie?