This beautiful Proven Winners dahlia has done extremely well in plantings at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden over the past years. In fact, it has done so well that it has been awarded the designation of one of the "Zoo's Best". Its bright yellow flowers and black-purple foliage offer a striking contrast that attracts a lot of attention in any garden. It grows best in full sun, has a mounded growth habit, reaches a height of from 18-36", and has been very insect and disease free in plantings at the zoo. For more information, refer to Proven Winners Dahlia 'Mystic Illusion' http://www.provenwinners.com/plants/dahlia/mystic-illusion-dahlia-hybri

Resurrection lily, which is often referred to as magic lily, naked lady, spider lily, surprise lily, or hurricane lily can be seen blooming in many parts of Ohio right now. These lilies thrive in sunny to partially sunny areas. They grow best in loose, moist soil with good organic matter. These lilies are members of the Amaryllis Family, which includes other well-known bulbs such as common amaryllis, daylilies, daffodils, and snowdrops. These lilies are easy to grow and naturalize readily.

These lilies have strap-like leaves that emerge in spring and die down by mid-summer. No leaves are present during summer months or when the blooms arise (hence the name Naked Lady). Resurrection lilies are called surprise or magic lilies because in late summer, flowers appear almost magically since there is no foliage to indicate where the bulb is planted. Leafless stems emerge and quickly grow 12-24" tall or more before being topped by 8-inch clusters of tubular flowers. These lilies make excellent cut flowers as well as beautiful garden plants.

Several gardeners have complained to Dave Dyke that their ZUCCHINNI SQUASH has not been setting fruit this summer. Dave also had that problem in his squash patch. His squash produced copious numbers of male flowers but very few female flowers. Say what? Male and female flowers? Cucurbits - squash, melons, and cucumbers, have a flowering habit which is quite unique among vegetable crops. They are "monoecious", which means they produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant.

The flowers are found in the axils of the leaves and can be easily distinguished from each other as the female flowers have small, immature fruits at their bases. While there are differences between varieties, the male flowers on zucchini squash are often on long stalks high above the base of the plant while the female flowers will be on very short stalks at the base of the plant.

In order for fruit set to occur, pollen from the male flower must be transferred to the female flower. Squash usually produce male flowers for two weeks before the start of female flowering but that can be affected by day length and temperature. The high temperatures encountered across much of Ohio until recently have probably been the cause of the lack of female flower production. Dave reports that, now that cooler weather has arrived, he is giving zucchini's away.