All Things for the Garden and Gardener

Garden Interest

2007-04-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

There are many ways that you can add interest to a garden. Anything that becomes a focal point will add interest and that can range from garden sculptures to the types of plants you choose.

Adding block planting of a particular specimen can become a focal point in the garden. Even adding areas of variegated foliage can create a focal point in the garden. Truly, the sky is the limit.

Seats, especially the eclectic ones, are another item that can add interest to the garden and additionally they can offer a nice place to rest and relax while you admire your work.

Mirrors that are strategically placed can enhance the garden in many ways. They can bring reflected light to dark corners of the garden. They can also give the impression that the garden is bigger or alternatively they can give the impression that the open space is bigger.

Placed at various angles, mirrors can add a lot of fun and interest to a garden and help to lead a visitor on to other areas.

Using hedges can also add interest to the garden while offering protection to the plants. Hedges are also an excellent way to gain privacy without feeling closed in.

Water features are a favorite for many people and the sound of running water in the corner of a garden can add an atmosphere of calm and relaxation.

Water features can also be good for the birds in the garden particularly in the summer months when they might find it difficult to find water lying around to suit their needs.

As with sculptures, stones, rocks and pebbles can add interest and offer areas where you can walk even when the surrounding ground might be too wet. Shells also make a good cover on the ground for paths that can remain dry in the wet season. Being that I am living near the beach, driftwood can add a great deal of interest to the garden.

There are so many different things that you put in your garden to add interest. Everything from old cartwheels to wind chimes, aviaries or anything else you can imagine. Others I can think of include old wicker baskets, unique planters, glassless window frames (the old wooden ones), just to name a few.

What else can you think of? Leave your comments below.

Bulb Planting Tips

2006-09-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

And now this tip from.... ABC7Chicago.com: Fall Planting Tips: "Secrets to Success with Bulbs and Other Fun Fall Items:

Planting 'bulb bouquets' gives the most bulbs in the garden with the least amount of work to get the best display. Avoid planting bulbs all in a row to look like soldiers all standing guard. Dig a hole 8 inches deep x 10 inches wide. Place 8-10 major bulbs like tulips, daffodils or hyacinths in the bottom with 1 inch between each bulb. Fill the hole half full (cover the first bulbs with 4 inches of soil). Place 10 minor bulbs like grape hyacinth around the edge of the hole. Fill the rest of the hole with soil, apply bulb fertilizer on top and water thoroughly.

If planting tulips you must use a repellent to prevent squirrels and chipmunks from digging and eating them. There are repellents based on odor and taste that are made from different ingredients like blood meal, fish meal, hot peppers, fermented eggs and castor oil that work for tulips.

Bulb fertilizer is important. Bulbs are heavy feeders and they need to be fertilized every fall and every spring. Try Bulb Tone and Bulb Booster.

Gardening Health and Safety

2006-06-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

from the CDC....

Whether you garden 15 minutes a day or all weekend, gardening can be satisfying once you learn the basics. Health and safety should be a primary concern for all who garden, whether novice or expert. Take precautions so that your time is spent enjoying your garden, and not seeking emergency room care. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2003, more than 71,000 consumers went to emergency rooms because of injuries related to push mowers, and nearly 15,000 suffered injuries related to riding mowers and garden tractors. Additionally, nearly 39,000 consumers went to emergency rooms with injuries related to garden tools and supplies.

To read some great tips, see the Health and Safety Guide for Gardeners

Alaskan Gardening?

2006-06-18T03:40:00.000-07:00

For those of us in more moderate climates, we might forget that gardening takes palce even in places that seem well....unlikely. I've watched people be amazed that people garden in Alaska - and yet Alaskan have some terrific gardening weather with the looong summerdays.

Here is some news from the gadening top of the world:

Gardeners, and their gardens, have spent the last month shivering. After two glorious summers -- or so gardeners lament -- it looks like 2006, in Alaska gardening lore, will be a "lean" year and not a "bean" year. More...

Home Garden Decor

2006-06-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

There's a new trend emerging among gardening enthusiasts. Since space constraint is a common problem among those who enjoy gardening, a new breed of this hobby has developed. It's called indoor gardening, or home gardening as it is called in other circles.

Home gardening involves the cultivation of plants inside one's home. This can be accomplished in many ways.....

Read more about Garden Decor

Container Gardening

2006-05-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

I do a lot of container gardening. I'm always looking for creative ways to use containers...be it the containers themselves or the plants that go in them.

Experiment with creative containers. You might have an old porcelain bowl or copper urn you can use, or perhaps you'd rather make something really modern with timber or tiles. If you decide to buy your containers ready-made, terracotta pots look wonderful, but tend to absorb water. You don't want your plants to dry out, so paint the interior of these pots with a special sealer available from hardware stores.

Click here to read more on Container Gardening

Great Plant Picks

2006-05-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, Great Plant Picks has got to be one of the sites you visit regularly when looking for plants for your garden.

The purpose of this eductional site, is to alert all of us to the plants that will perform best in our unique climate. It's a wonderful resource...

So if you garden, if you are interested in plants that will do best year after year, then do visit Great Plant Picks.

Gardening in Mid May

2006-05-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

How is your garden this time of the year? Here in the Pacific Northwest all the rhodies are in full bloom...it's spectacular! For those itching for tomatoes, it's still to early to put them out...our nights are not yet above 50. I am however, awaiting eagerly for our local strawberries which should be arriving in the next few weeks.

My mother use to live in the Mohave dessert....her tomatoes would already be off to a huge start, as it becomes too hot in the summer for them to grow.

I spoke with a friend in the Boston area...the rains are wreaking havoc with plants there.

What is happening in your part of the world?

Garden Tools - Do you know where to start?

2006-05-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Gardening is delightful, but you can't get far without the right tools. Do you know which ones you should start with? Do you know why you need a particular tool? Or are you just starting out and not sure what to get?

You'll find this information and more at Gardens And Things.

Healthy Gardeners

2006-05-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

We are finally begining to heat up here on the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Many gardeners are just really getting into the swing of things. The problem is, when we've not been moving, getting outside and trying to go full steam ahead is not always the wisest. See what this professional has to say about keeping your muscles healthy....

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With the full-sun and the thermometer topping 20 Celsius, people are heading to their gardens like ants to a picnic. Gardening muscles have been in hibernation for the winter, and expecting them to swing into action could cause some discomfort or even damage.

Full article can be found here.

Healthy Kids Garden Club

2006-04-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is a great idea...kinda like a pea-patch garden for kids.

Healthy Kids Garden Club

Alcohol & your Plants???

2006-04-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

I heard of all sorts of things you can give your plants for robust growth (a favorite is fish heads for roses - we'll cover that later), but I have never heard of giving plants alcohol.

A study reported in the April issue of Hort Technology reports that giving plans diluted alcohol will stunt the stem growth but not the flowers.

Read more about it --> Expert Says Hard Liquor Helps Houseplants

Organic Gardening - Some Considerations

2006-04-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

Organic gardening is one of the fastest growing facets of gardening, and more and more people are discovering that it is possible to enjoy a beautiful, thriving garden while still keeping the use of chemicals and pesticides to a minimum.

One reason to avoid the use of chemicals and pesticides is that long term use of such chemicals can deplete the soil and leave it unable to sustain further growth. In many cases beds of perennials suddenly stop blooming for no apparent reason, and the culprit is often found to be the overuse of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.

Dinosaur tree

2006-04-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

One of the joys of traveling includes finding unsual (to me) plants. I'm always amazed at the diversity that Mother Nature has gifted us with.

Australia is no exception when it comes to unusual plants. Apparently they have been able to proprogate a plant - the Dinosaur Tree, and make it available to gardeners. This tree was thought to be extinct for at least 200 million years!

Wouldn't you love to have one of those for your garden? Read Dinosaur tree released to gardeners...

Butterflies - Attracting them to your garden

2006-03-26T07:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know of anyone who does not love having butterflies in their garden. Many garden plans are based just on gardening to attract butterflies. Here is some information on which plants will do the job. Enjoy!
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With the anticipated arrival of spring, we welcome more sunshine, warmer weather, longer days and of course, butterflies. The insects are a welcome sight for many Texas gardeners and landscapers as they plan and often grow their gardens to make them irresistible to butterflies.

“From spring through fall, opportunities abound to make your outdoor area a fun and educational place to enjoy butterflies,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs. “They’ve always been a springtime Texas treat.”

Butterfly gardening requires some knowledge of local butterfly species, flowers that are attractive to nectar-feeding adults and host plants for developing caterpillars.

You can read the entire article here: Attract butterflies this spring

Spring Allergies

2006-03-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Spring! Every gardener looks forward to spring when everything begins to bud and blossom, the trees are beginning to dress in their finest, and the soil smells...earthy. I even love the smell of fresh cut grass.

However, I'm reminded that it is not the case for all gardeners. Some are allergic to various grasses and pollens. It definitely will put a damper on the ability to enjoy gardening to its fullest.

Many do not wish to take medications for allergies for a variety of reason. Well, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has come out with several handy guides that can help you get through the season, both with and without the use of medications.

Wishing you an allergy free season!

Happy Gardening!

Spring Flower Gardening

2006-03-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

"Spring is the time when nature and your garden awakes and comes alive after the long winter. That first spring flower or that first green leave is the sign that winter in coming to an end and that a new growing season has arrived.

Spring and Flower gardening is almost synonymous. Spring is the time to interplant perennials, shrubs, roses and plant or transplant your annuals.

It’s time to shape up your soil, loosen the mulch around your plants and prune your early blooming shrubs. Rake and remove leaves and debris from your garden. Without a good planting medium your flower garden will never be at its best."

You'll find the entire article at Gardening and You - Spring Flower Gardening

Growing Kids and Gardens

2006-03-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

When my son was young, I'd bring him into the garden with me. Yes, early on I had to watch just what creepy crawly thing went into his mouth (how to you keep a curious child from chasing the wasps anyway?), but it was a great way to spend time together and still get the gardening done.

This article talks about ways to get your child involved in gardening and how you as a parent can get involved with them. Worth the read!

2theadvocate.com | Features | Grow your garden, kids together

Don’t Let Your Garden Get the Better of You This Spring.

2006-03-06T14:59:00.000-08:00

March 05, 2006
Don’t Let Your Garden Get the Better of You This Spring.

(PRLEAP.COM) With springtime approaching, thousands of us are now beginning to think about our gardens again for the first time since fall. For some, this is a feeling of joy, but for many unfortunately, it’s one of dread. Gardening after a hard week at work often seems to take second place to a round of golf or a favorite TV show.

However, according to Victor Pryles, a dedicated gardener of 30 years, there is a solution. He proposes a new approach called “Weekend Gardening”, where neither your social life nor your yard needs to suffer. Having honed and fine tuned his skills as a gardener he reckons he can save you the hours of back breaking hard labor that saps the pleasure out of gardening.

With a little planning and the correct choices of flowers, fruits and vegetables it is possible to create a backyard paradise which ultimately takes less time to maintain and costs less to create.

Ironically, it’s in this area that most of us do the opposite and allow our gardens to take over. Through poor design, labor intensive plant choices and the wrong tools we often, unwittingly create a garden monster that consistently becomes harder to manage as each year passes.

It seems that by his own trial and error and learning from the mistakes of others, Victor has come up with a gardening blueprint that does not discriminate in terms of age, ability or budget and yet still produces breath-taking results. Indeed, Kathy Wenger of freeplants.com recommends Victors’ system to anyone who is “gardening-challenged” or simply looking for an easier way to garden.

For more information on Victor Pryles’ unique approach to gardening, please visit http://tinyurl.com/zf672 where you can read a short preview which describes his system in more detail.

Foundation Plantings

2006-02-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

When landscaping, a very important part of the plan includes your foundation plantings. Without these, not only does the house seem "unanchored", but foundations are generally downright ugly.

An important thing to remember when choosing plants for your foundation planting is that you don't want to have it seem overgrown, dark and heavy. Not only do you want some evergreen shrubs, but you want flowering shrubs and perennials and even some annuals as well.

Foundation planting, when done correctly can add immensely to the visual appeal of your home.

Happy planting!

Almost Spring!

2006-02-25T22:48:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about this time of year, at least in the Pacific Northwest, is that we get teased about Spring. It's almost a month away and I've noticed that some cherry trees are starting to show their blossoms.

And finally this week...the daffs have started to bloom in my yard. Even the Daphane has swollen pink buds, the azalea is looking like it's about to burst and I even see little buds down inside the tulip leaves that have broken ground.

I could even hear the birds the other day!

It's still chilly - today I'd say we were lucky if we broke 40 - not counting the wind.

What's coming up in your yard?

Garden Rooms ~ The Barrio Garden

2006-02-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

Garden rooms have been around for a long time and are a particular favorite of mine. Even as a child, I loved to find my own secrete place in the garden...then it was under the huge hydrangaes in a San Francisco back yard.

Here is an article on a garden room in in Tucson.....
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Enclosed by an adobe wall and an Indian fig cactus fence, the Barrio Garden is an intimate space.
The small garden — within the Tucson Botanical Gardens — is designed to honor the gardening traditions and eclectic spirit of Tucson's Hispanic gardeners. It has been a success by any measure.
Filled with herbs, citrus, loquats and pomegranates, and navigated via a winding path, the garden has a homemade, welcoming look. Since its construction in the 1990s, the Barrio Garden has been a personal favorite. Today it seems even more vibrant than normal. I look for a gardener to question.

Continue....

Frost!

2006-02-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

While those of you on the East Coast, who are still digging out from under all the snow, may think...what's a little frost...it's a different story out here on the West Coast.

I've been marveling at the blooms on the Azaleas, smiling at the little lavender crocus that are popping up everywhere, and waiting with anticipation as the first daffodils bloom (they look ready to pop).

And now...here comes an "Artic Freeze". We are expecting temps into the teens! I knew it was bad when I heard the Daphne knock on the front door this morning and asked for her down jacket.

Sigh...just when you think you are past the danger of frost....

The garden has gone to pot -- let's celebrate - OrlandoSentinel.com: Home & Garden

2006-02-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

If you are in Florida, here are some specific Q&A about container gardening - discover...

types of pots to use
most common mistakes
pot size

The garden has gone to pot -- let's celebrate - OrlandoSentinel.com: Home & Garden

You'll find even more information on container gardening at:
http://www.gardensandthings.com/Container_Gardening_Articles.html

More off-the- wall ideas

2006-02-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

I'm all for "found" art in the garden, recycling, and being artsy-fartsy. Some of these ideas however are a bit too much for me. What do you think?

More off-the- wall ideas | www.azstarnet.com ®

Composters

2006-02-11T19:36:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I love composters! There is nothing better than sweet compost when it is ready to apply to the garden.

What I have never liked is all the turning needed to keep it cooking.

I've tried many systems before - sticks, can, empty soda bottles to get air and water deep within, and plain, back-breaking turning. Once I even tried putting my compost into trash cans and rolling them around.

Whether they're rooftop dwellers or nestled under a bedroom balcony, your Roma tomatoes and burrito-bound jalapenos will thrive with healthy compost. (less scraps for the landfill, too.) This particular urban-savvy Spinning Composter is made of 50% post-consumer recycled plastic and it produces up to 85 pounds of odorless, fertile compost in about a month. Removable base collects water drippings — a nutritious byproduct. Eight built-in rollers spin to mix in oxygen and speed decomposition. Secure latching door is hinged for filling, detaches for emptying.

Now this sounds more like it! (Click on the image for more information).

Container gardens....

2006-02-10T21:55:00.000-08:00

Living on a hill side with the forest for a backyard, we've taken to having lots of containers on our deck. There are lots of advantages to container gardening....

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Container gardens can create a natural sanctuary in a busy city street, along rooftops or on balconies. You can easily accentuate the welcoming look of a deck or patio with colorful pots of annuals, or fill your window boxes with beautiful shrub roses or any number of small perennials. Whether you arrange your pots in a group for a massed effect or highlight a smaller space with a single specimen, you'll be delighted with this simple way to create a garden.

Read more..."Tips for Container Gardening"

Early Spring bulbs are appearing

2006-02-10T06:08:00.000-08:00

Being in the PNW, we have more than our share of rain and cloudy days. And this time of year, especially with the Garden shows occuring (ie, in Seattle and Portland), it's so easy to get carried away with plans.

One thing that brings me back to earth (literally), is on the rare sunny days when I can be out and digging in the dirt...such as just a few days ago (while moving those massive Western Sword Ferns that were planted against the house by the prveious owners. I don't imagine they knew how big those ferns get when they were planted!).

While it's still early, I love this time of hear. The bulbs are emerging and indeed I have a few crocus (corci?) in actual bloom. The daffs are budding as, out is the daphane and the many rhodies. Oh yes, even one of the azaleas is showing tight pink buds.

What's showing up in your garden?

Urban Gardens Provide More than Just Food

2006-02-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

Gardens around the world:

ARGENTINA:
Urban Gardens Provide More than Just Food
Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 9 (IPS) - The community gardens initially created to help confront the effects of the late 2001 economic collapse in Argentina have now "grown" into a government-run urban agriculture programme, which provides unemployed workers with much more than just food for their families' tables.

Some 7,000 people who were out of work before entering the programme have joined forces to clear the land, plant and harvest vegetables, and sell their produce in street market stalls.

Many of them are also now involved in agricultural development projects aimed at supplying the market with organic produce, grown without chemical fertilisers or pesticides.

They are participants in the Urban Agriculture Programme set up by the city government of Rosario, located on the banks of the Paraná River in the eastern Argentine province of Santa Fe.
The programme encompasses over 600 community gardens created on formerly vacant lots, on both public and privately owned land, as well as a distribution and sales network and projects designed to develop related industries.

Read more....

The World's Most Beautiful Springtime Garden...

2006-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

LISSE, The Netherlands, Feb. 9, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Winter may still have the country firmly in its icy grip, but Keukenhof is busy preparing for spring. In 2006, the world's most beautiful springtime park will be open from March 23 until May 9.

Some seven million bulbs will be blooming in the 80-acre park, in addition a series of breathtaking indoor exhibitions will be organized. Year after year, Keukenhof inspires nature lovers and gardening enthusiasts who flock to see the latest in garden trends, with demonstrations, the park's Japanese and English landscape gardens, century-old trees, ponds and works of art. Children can follow the exciting 'Bollebozen Route' (an educational adventure trail that teaches them about flower bulbs), explore a maze, visit the petting zoo, and enjoy the playground. Once again, the Keukenhof's program of events is chock-full of activities for the coming season.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/prn/texas/3647508.html

Northwest Flower and Garden Show

2006-02-08T17:44:00.000-08:00

In my opinion, it is simply the best garden show on the west coast.

It starts today.

Read more about it....Seattle Garden Show