Bayer Advanced

No December Downtime

2006-12-12T11:05:00.000-05:00

For many people, December is downtime, at least in the garden. It’s a month when we all plan and enjoy Christmas with our families and probably put off garden chores. Most of them can wait anyway.

December is anything but downtime for me. On our 17-acre citrus ranch, we are picking fruit like crazy, everything from Meyer lemons to mandarins to bergamot sour oranges. And that’s just during the day. At night, I’m trying to protect the same fruit from cold damage. The first part of the month has been colder than normal, with temperatures into the upper 20s. That’s cutting it close for most citrus. For protection, we run water and wind machines, which can raise temperatures by a degree or two. So far I think we’ve come through unscathed. Keep your fingers crossed.

December is also when I start to prepare for this year’s Tournament of Roses. This is seventh year Bayer Advanced has had a float in the parade, and this year I’m going to be riding on it. Oh boy! You can find out more about the float, Red Carpet of Roses, on the float information page. It’s going to have many great garden roses, including celebrity roses like ‘Betty Boop’ and ‘Paul McCartney’, and we’ll be introducing the 2007 All America Rose Selections. It’s going to be fun. Make sure you watch on New Year’s morning.

In the meantime, have a Merry Christmas!

Lance Walheim video podcast

2006-09-27T16:34:00.000-04:00

Watch Lance Walheim's video podcast about Bayer Advanced Brush Control.

Orange isn't so bad.

2006-07-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

I've always told people to have a color theme when they plan their garden. It gives a garden order and prevents it from looking like a box of Crayolas left outside on a hot summer day. In my own garden, I concentrate on red, pink, white and gray, leaving out yellow and orange. But thanks to the test roses I get every year from various nurseries, I've changed my thinking a bit. Some of the most beautiful bouquets I've made recently have included some orange roses. My favorite combos- “About Face,” “Livin’ Easy,” “Hot Cocoa” and “Orange Marmalade”. Throw in a few “Julia Child” and you really have something. Try it.

Tree Care

2006-07-05T17:25:00.000-04:00

How to select, plant, water, and prune your trees -- plus protect them from insects.

Lance Walheim's Tree Care MP3

Wear gloves when you work in the roses.

2006-06-28T16:26:00.000-04:00

Two months ago I was picking roses for a bouquet and caught a thorn in the middle finger of my left hand. Man that hurts. Worse, the thorn broke off in my finger and pained me for two months. Just yesterday, it worked its way out. Thank goodness. My finger was killing me for 2 months. I'm a guy who likes to put his hands in the soil (I'll tell you about the slice of potato I got under my fingernail another time) but from now on, I'm using puncture-proof gloves (nurseries have many types) when I work in the roses.

More mulch!

2006-06-21T10:27:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we were getting ready to shoot some videos in my garden for the Bayer Advanced web site (bayeradvanced.com), so I had to get the garden "TV-ready.” Well it rained (see above) and we had to postpone the shoot, but I'm still enjoying the work I put into the garden. It never ceases to amaze me how far a little mulch will go to make a garden look better. A pickup truck full of ground bark spread around the garden makes everything look so neat and clean. Remember that when you're expecting guests or planning an outdoor party.

Caring For Your Shrubs

2006-06-14T17:29:00.000-04:00

Learn the correct way to plant and care for shrubs – the most versatile plants in landscaping.

Lance Walheim's Shrub Care MP3

Brush Control

2006-05-31T10:44:00.000-04:00

Find out how to kill tough brush weeds like poison oak and poison ivy.

Lance Walheim's Brush Control MP3

Lance Walheim's Brush Control Video Podcast

Late Spring Musings

2006-05-24T16:00:00.000-04:00

At one time, as a gardener I thought I was at the mercy of the weather. I felt unexpected rain storms, excessively hot springs or long dry spells were a curse to my normal progression through the seasons — unexpected glitches in the enjoyment of my roses or the harvest of my vegetables. But over the years, I've realized that nature gives as well as it takes and I've learned to roll, and even enjoy, the unexpected surprises that come my way. After all, averages are just averages and normal doesn't really exist. This newfound appreciation has given me a keener understanding for how plants (and insects and disease for that matter) grow and develop, and made me a better gardener.

This spring has been a perfect example. In Exeter, CA, we had a mild, wet spring with intermittent hot spells and some long stretches of very cool weather. Everything bloomed late. My citrus was several weeks late, and I'm wondering what affect the cool weather will have on the size and quantity of fruit. My roses on the other hand love this weather. In California's central valley, Memorial Day weekend is usually hot, sometimes very hot. This year we barely got over 75 degrees - it was downright balmy. My “Iceberg” roses, and all my cool — season flowers, think they're living it up on the Coast. The blooms are long-lasting and they just keep on coming. Now, if I had already planted my impatiens and zinnia, which I usually do by this time, I would probably be a little less appreciative. So this spring Mother Nature is smiling on me. I'll worry about my tomatoes and corn later.

Insect Control

2006-05-17T15:58:00.000-04:00

Protecting your soil and turf from above and below ground pests.

Lance Walheim's Insect Control MP3

How To Care For Your Roses

2006-05-04T10:36:00.000-04:00

Lance’s tips on rose selection, planting, pruning, fertilizing, and protecting them from insects and disease.

Lance Walheim's Rose Care

Insect-Free Lawn

2006-04-21T16:08:00.000-04:00

Tips on how to control grubs in your lawn all season long.

Lance Walheim's Insect-Free Lawn MP3

How To Best User Containers

2006-04-05T10:39:00.000-04:00

Learn the rules of container gardening and see how to create a potted work of art.

Lance Walheim Container Gardening MP3

All-In-One Rose and Flower Care

2006-03-27T10:22:00.000-05:00

How, when and where to best fertilize your roses and flowers to protect them from insects and disease.

Lance Walheim All-In-One Rose and Flower Care MP3

Back from Dallas

2006-03-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

I just returned from a weekend in Dallas, Texas, at the Neil Sperry All Texas Garden Show. Bayer Advanced sponsored a free lecture series, and I gave a talk on planting trees to conserve energy. While I was researching my talk, I came across the CityGreen Program developed by American Forests. The remarkable computer program uses high- resolution satellite imagery to analyze the health of our urban forests and predict how trees, or lack of them, impact cities financially.

The results are troubling. Over the last 30 years rapid growth in many major U.S. cities has cost a significant amount of tree canopy. More troubling is the increased costs that cities must incur as a result of those losses. Trees provide many benefits to our environment, not the least of which are controlling storm runoff, reducing erosion, filtering pollutants and providing energy-saving shade. When cities lose trees it costs them millions, even billions, of dollars to provide additional storm runoff control, health care for pollution- related illnesses and air conditioning. You can see the startling specifics at www.americanforests.org.

Many new homeowners came to my Dallas talk. They knew they needed to plant trees and were looking for help on how to position them for maximum benefit. You can find that help on this Web site. But just planting trees around our homes is not enough. We need more trees on our streets, in our parks and in our neighborhoods. We must also make sure our forests are healthy and vital.

Bayer Advanced wants to help you plant trees. The Bayer Advanced/ Arbor Day Foundation Restore America’s Trees Program is recruiting volunteers in an attempt to create the largest tree-planting event in history. You can find out more information by visiting www.bayeradvanced.com/arborday.

117th Tournament of Roses

2006-01-08T15:51:00.001-05:00

I just got back from the 117th Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, California where Bayer Advanced’s Jack and The Rose Stalk was lead float and winner of the Queen’s Trophy for outstanding use of roses. As I hope everyone knows by now, the Tournament of Roses uses Bayer Advanced rose- care products exclusively. It was my job to talk to radio, TV and newspaper reporters about the float, roses and our role as sponsors of the tournament. Although I did all the yakking, the PR team at Luckie and Co. set everything up and they did a magnificent job. I haven’t seen any numbers, but my guess is that more people heard about Bayer Advanced than ever before.

This was my sixth rose parade for Bayer Advanced and even though it got me up early (I was often at the float by 5 a.m. for East Coast TV and radio) and very busy, it was also a lot of fun. I got to watch all the wonderful volunteers who put the flowers (750,000 on ours alone) on the floats and experience the unique excitement that can only be found at the Tournament of Roses. Hats off to everyone at Phoenix Decorating who designed and built our float and so many others. What a great team.

This year we introduced the 2006 All America Rose Selections on the float and that made my job a lot easier. These are the best of the new roses, and I’ve tested them in my own garden. For me, nothing is more natural than talking about roses I’ve grown myself.

As you probably saw on TV, the parade itself was windy and wet. Although the floats stood up well, my heart really went out to the kids riding on the floats and in the bands. My daughters, Ashley and Teale, rode on the first Bayer float six years ago. Even in sunny weather, five miles of marching and/or waving makes for a long morning. In driving rain, and often dressed in shorts and short sleeves, it must have been miserable for this year’s participants. But they made it, and they deserve a lot of credit.

And then there was the game. I’ve been a football fan for a long time, and I can easily say I’ve never enjoyed a game as much as I did the national championship between USC and Texas. As a Cal grad, I rooted for USC and the Pac 10. But by the end of the game, it was hard not to feel good about Texas winning. Texas fans are real fans. The way they cheered and sang as one is what college football is supposed to be all about.

Insect Spray

2005-12-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

Learn to protect your home from pests like ants, spiders, and roaches.

Lance Walheim Insect Spray MP3

2005-11-30T15:05:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the BayerAdvanced blog. Here you will find information about gardening and lawn care from various people including garden expert Lance Walheim.