more about: Pests

The Grumpy Gardener

Alas! The Bandit Squirrel

May 2, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (10)

It’s no secret that Grumpy hates pesky, good-for-nothing, freeloading squirrels. And I know that you do too. With our common disgust in mind, let’s enjoy this clever squirrel poem sent in by reader Susanne Bunch.

The Grumpy Gardener

Is Knockout Rose Down for the Count?

April 21, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (18)

Introduced in 2000, ‘Knockout’ rose quickly became the best-selling landscape plant in the country. It had everything — showy, continuous blooms; compact growth habit; tough-as-nails constitution; and, best of all, no need to spray for black spot disease. But now, nature has tossed green kryptonite into Superman’s garden. And ‘Knockout’ rose may just get its bell rung.

The Grumpy Gardener

Welcome to Dad’s Toxic Waste Museum!

April 14, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (3)

My Dad was an enthusiastic, conscientious, and thrifty gardener. He never threw away anything. This latter point was never illustrated any better than during my visit home last week. I walked into his workshop in the basement and opened the door to his garden pesticide cabinet. There stood a murder’s row of dangerous and mostly banned pesticides. Let’s all take […]

The Grumpy Gardener

Mole Control — Kill Them Critters Dead

March 3, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (7)

From the looks of Grumpy’s mail, Groundhog Day ought to be renamed Mole & Gopher Day. These animal agents of Satan aren’t waiting for spring to start tunneling through lawns and gardens and turning them into sponge cake. They’re partying now. So how can you, the average outraged homeowner, deal with them?

The Grumpy Gardener

Don’t Feed Stinking Squirrels!

February 3, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (30)

I hate squirrels. Hate them, hate, hate them, hate them! They gobble my birdseed, dig up my plants, gnaw on my wires, and nest in my attic. And it’s all the fault of you people. You squirrel feeders out there.

The Grumpy Gardener

4 Bad Bugs to Watch for This Winter

January 13, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (0)

Just because it’s cold and miserable outside doesn’t bugs are miserable too. Some are living quite warm and happily inside your home right now, feasting on your indoor plants. Here’s a helpful roundup of 4 of the most common bugs, how to indentify them and the damage they do, and how to kill them dead, dead, dead. And dead.