Doug's Blog

This is the time of the year the deer and active, hungry and in the rutt.
Saplings and other small trees should be protected with Tree Guard to stop the bucks from rubbing the bark off the trees.
Use a deer repellent like Deer Scram, Deer Stopper, Bobex or another product.

Start with protecting trees from deer. Tree Guard to stop the bucks from rubbing the trunks of saplings and other trees. Then sprays and netting to stop them from chewing.
Hydrangeas can be temperamental bloomers in our climate. Surround plants with tomato stakes and then hang burlap around the shrubs to stop the buds from freezing.

Plants which were bothered by fungal diseases should be cut back and their foliage removed. Don’t compost the leaves, you might be spreading the disease into the compost.

I like to leave most other perennials and annuals in the garden. It’s a great place for beneficial insects to over winter and any seeds will be enjoyed by the birds.

Spray rhododendrons and azaleas with Wilt Pruf to keep the plants happy through the winter.

Join me this Saturday 11/16/13 for the book launch event at the Peters Township Public Library from 10:30am until 12 noon. I’ll be discussing The Steel City Garden and signing copies too. The event is free and registration is required. Here are all the details.

The Steel City Garden; How to Create a One of a Kind Garden in Black and Gold has just been released and the only place to get a signed, personalized copy is right here. Pittsburgh is the only city in the United States where all of its major sports teams share the same colors.

The Steel City Garden explores the many ways you can dress your garden in black and gold. From plants with eye-catching vegetation to beautiful flowers, like black tulips and buttercup shrubs. How about black and gold flamingos? Must be a Steel City Garden.
You don’t have to call Western Pennsylvania home to enjoy this fun gardening book. When the steel industry collapsed in Pittsburgh in the 70s and 80s, tens of thousands of people left town. But Pittsburgh natives all over the country can still be found cheering on their favorite black and gold teams. “

The Steel City Garden can be a tribute to a city, a way of life, your favorite sports team or just a beautiful place to sit and enjoy.” – Doug Oster, from the introduction.

Former Steelers punter Josh Miller had this to say about The Steel City Garden- “In all my travels, it never ceases to amaze me how many passionate Pittsburgh sports fans there are all over this country! Now, with Doug Oster’s new Steel City Garden book, they have one more way to display their loyalties to the Black and Gold… by planting a black and gold garden in their own yards. What a fabulous idea!”

Order the book here.

Join me this Saturday 11/16/13 for the book launch event at the Peters Township Public Library from 10:30am until 12 noon. I’ll be discussing the book and signing copies too. The event is free and registration is required. Here are all the details.