Solar Firefly Lights for Yard and Garden

 

 

Instead of using outdoor lights that use electricity I opted for solar firefly lights.  These lights add interest and also soft light without the energy costs.

 

Today I bought outdoor solar lights at Amazon and installed them in my garden.  The lights came on at dusk and stayed on from dusk to dawn due to the light sensor.   Which is very good considering the power is generated from the sun.

Firefly solar lights add soft light to your outdoor space 

I find that the solar lights provide me with a reliable source of light that enhances my garden. Throughout the years I have bought a variety of decorative solar lights and have found that they have a long lifespan and that they are weather-resistant and durable.   

Set up in solar lights in feature garden, spaced them 18 inches apart 

Solare lights have many benefits including they are energy efficient, maintenance  free, and good for the environment because they have zero carbon emission and do not contribute to pollution . 

 

It took me a few minutes to install 8 solar lights into the ground around my garden.  Then I turned the button to steady light rather than blinking and  the installation was complete.

Firefly solar lights are easy to install 

When the lilies grow in the firefly solar lights will look good

I liked the solar firefly lights so much that I bought four more and added them to my flower pot. When my lilies grow in I think the lights and the plants will look great.

Growing Tips for Cool Season Snapdragons

 

Grow cool season snapdragons in the spring and fall and you will enjoy not only the sweetly scented flower but also the bumblebee, hummingbirds and other pollinators.  

Snapdragons are flowers that grow best when the weather is cooler.   These cheerful flowers grow well with pansies and even though they will survive a mild frost they will die if exposed to snow or extreme cold weather below 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Here is a photograph of dwarf pink and red snapdragons that I planted with pansies. Photo was captured in early spring.

cool season dwarf snapdragons and pansy container garden

 

Plant snapdragons by seed in early spring or in the fall season. Or you can buy snapdragons at your local nursery and transplant the nursery grown dwarf flowers to a container or tall snapdragon flowers in the ground The tall snapdragons look fabulous when grown as masses.

 

tall pink snapdragons grown in masses

For seeds you should start your snapdragon seeds indoors eight weeks before the last frost. Transplant seedlings when the leaves have developed and plants are thriving. Remove the tips of the snapdragons once they have six leaves this will encourage a fuller flower bloom.

Cool season snapdragon flowers grow best in full sun and well drained soil 

 

Snapdragons are classified as an annual in my growing zone. They are perennials in USDA plant hardiness zone 7-10.  

Plant snapdragons in a container or in the ground.  Choose an area that has full sun.  Plant in well-drained soil and space them 8 inches apart. This flower will thrive with repeat blooms when temperature is average to 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  

 

Snapdragon flowers attract pollinators, bees, hummingbirds and butterflies

Water snapdragons so that the soil is moist, let it dry out between waterings, but not to the point that soil pulls away from the stem.  Check the soil by inserting your finger, push down into the soil about an inch if the soil is dry then water the snapdragons at the soil line and not above.  Avoid wetting the flowers and the leaves. 

Fertilize the snapdragon flowers throughout the growing blooming season.  I fertilize with Miracle-Gro bloom booster.  It’s a liquid feed formulated for perennial and annual flowers. 

Check your snapdragon flowers daily for dead blooms.  Remove spent flowers to encourage more flower blooms. 

If you have extremely hot summers try cutting them back and applying mulch.  Continue watering and hopefully the snapdragon will return in the fall when weather cools.

Flower Blooming Tips for Clematis

  

For many years growing clematis was trial and error then a few years ago all of my efforts were awarded because I had glorious blooms. 

I had planted clematis from seeds and then learned that it would be many years before the clematis would bloom.  I did not want to wait years for a flower so I bought a nursery-grown clematis that was two years old and I planted it in my yard where it would get six hours of direct morning sun with part shade to shade in the heat of the day, followed by sun at dusk.

 

The soil had a slight alkaline PH and I set up a soaking hose that would provide a slow drip throughout the day.  Which kept the well-drained soil moist but not wet during our extremely hot summer months.  

My clematis was healthy it was climbing the trellis and the leaves were green and thriving but I had no flowers.  My neighbor told me that the top of the plant needs sun but the roots need to be kept cool and should be shaded.  I applied a thick layer of organic mulch in May and fertilized.

 

Clematis was fed every two weeks during blooming season (May – July) with Miracle-Gro water-soluble bloom booster for flowers. This flower fertilizer is water-based and can be used on all flowers, annuals, and perennials during the growing season.

Best Time to Fertilize Hydrangeas

  

My brother gave me a beautiful hydrangea plant last year and I took the steps to learn as much as I could about how to care for and when to fertilize.

The best time to fertilize a hydrangea is seasonally.  Late winter or early spring when new growth appears. Then again in May or when summer begins again in July to help the hydrangea flowers continue to bloom throughout the summer months.

 

Here is a photo of the hydrangea that I planted in the ground last year.  You can see that there is new growth.  So, I fertilized it with Espoma organic soil acidifier because it would turn my hydrangeas blue. 

 

You can also fertilize your hydrangeas with spent coffee grounds.  So pour yourself a cup of coffee and save the grounds for your hydrangeas.  I lightly sprinkle the coffee grounds on the soil around my hydrangeas plants.

Growing Bleeding Hearts with Wildflowers

 This year I am growing bleeding hearts in my wildflower garden because I think the spring-blooming heart-shaped flower is pretty and that it will attract hummingbirds.

I am very excited to be adding the bleeding heart to my wildflower garden this year. The garden bed gets early morning sun with part-shade in the heat of the day plus the soil is well drained as the garden sits up on a slight hill.

When the bleeding hearts stop blooming in late spring the other flowers will start to bloom.  Lasting beauty throughout the growing season.  I will be growing the bleeding hearts as a border plant in the front of the garden.

My neighbor grows bleeding hearts in a partial shade spot by her pond and also grows in a container next to the border of her patio.  The bleeding Hearts grow well in USDA zones 3-9.  It is best to grow bleeding hearts where they get morning sun and afternoon part-shade.   They also grow best in well-drained soil.  If the soil is too wet then the roots will rot.

border planting / bleeding hearts

My garden bed soil is rich as we amend the soil yearly with Miracle-Gro Expand and Gro mix.  This potting mix can be used in in-ground garden beds or in containers and can expand up to three times its size when water is added.  What I like is this soil is formulated to feed plants for up to six months and can hold up to 50% more water than basic potting soil.  Which means you water your gardens less. 

You can plant bleeding hearts from seed or from a nursery-grown container.  Either way plant after the threat of frost has passed.

Seeds should be planted a half inch deep, then water well and keep the soil moist but not wet until germination  Then I would recommend watering the seedlings so that the soil does not dry out and pull away from the stem.   Normally I mist my seedlings in the morning and the afternoon.

When fully grown the bleeding hearts will be up to 30 inches tall with a similar spread.  They will bloom in late spring then the foliage will turn yellow and the plant will die back.   In early summer you would prune them.

My neighbor never cuts her bleeding heart plant back she lets it die back naturally and allows the spent flowers with the seeds to fall and naturalize so that she has more blooms the following year.

I do cut back my wildflower garden in late summer, and I will apply a layer of mulch.  I will continue to water the garden where bleeding hearts are planted until there is a hard frost.

Growing Fuchsia in a Container

 Last summer my brother gave me a Fuchsia flowering plant in a hanging container and told me that it would attract hummingbirds.  This pretty purple and rose-colored Fuchsia bloomed from early summer to frost and did indeed attract hummingbirds.

 

Hummingbirds and bees seem to enjoy the small, double purple and red flowers The colorful blooms looked stunning against the dark-green leaves. 

Overall, I did not do much with the plant besides hanging the container from the overhang of my side porch in a shady area with partial morning sun and watering when the soil felt dry.   

Fuchsia is a low-maintenance plant that anyone can grow. 

Winter Care

I did prune this plant in the early fall when the flowers stopped blooming and brought it indoors during the winter months.  I am not certain if the plant will return in the spring.  

I applied a light mulch to the soil and hung the plant in my basement/crawl space where the temperature is an average of 45 degrees the basement is cool, dark, and dry and it will prevent the plant from being exposed to frost.

 During the winter months, I water the dormant plant sparingly to make sure the soil is not overly dry.

Leaving Leaves on Yard in winter (Pros and Cons)

 Here in the Midwest, we Clean up the bulk of the leaves in late fall and very early spring as it will reduce the number of pests, ticks fleas, aphids, and snakes. We have 9 mature Oak trees and the majority of leaves need to be removed, it's just too much leaf matter. 

photo of leaves in my yard

The remaining oak, maple, and crabapple leaves on our lawn are shredded with the lawn mower to create a mulch that we leave on the lawn and the gardens.  This natural mulch is a way to improve the PH balance of your soil.  It also increases acidity which is good for many perennial flowers.

Leaf matter that is left in your yard and gardens over winter does have pros and cons. Excessive leaf matter can produce snow mold.  This type of mold is a fungus that will kill the grass when the snow melts. This mold can cause some people to have an allergic reaction; runny nose, and itchy and watery eyes.

Many people leave a thick oak leaf mulch on their flower beds, I don’t and the reason is If the leaves are left on your garden beds your spring flowers may become smothered.  The heavy leaf mulch will block light, moisture, and air circulation which is needed for spring blooming flowers.

If you plan on leaving leaves on your yard and garden then I would recommend a light leaf mulch as it is beneficial to your lawn and gardens.

Tips For Taking Care of Poinsettia

 My brother gave me a beautiful poinsettia in November and today is February 29^th and my poinsettia is as beautiful as the day I received it.   I reside in a cold climate transplanting outdoors was not something I could do and bringing it indoors was not an option either so I put it on my enclosed front porch that had southern sun exposure but was not heated.

Poinsettia received in November

I guess the cooler temperature was agreeable because my poinsettia plant is thriving.  The temperature on the porch averages out to be 55 to 65 degrees at night and during the day when the sun is out the temperature averages out at 65 to 70 degrees.

 

Poinsettia in February 

 I take care of my poinsettia by providing it with a space heater when the temperature drops below freezing.  The heat is not hot but instead, it just prevents our enclosed porch from causing the plant to be stressed from the cold.

I also set the plant in an area where it gets 6 hours of indirect southern exposure sun daily.  The porch provides the poinsettia plant with an area that is not drafty, not too cold, and not too hot. 

Then I water the poinsettia in moderation.  When the soil is dry to the touch I will water with tepid water.  Give the plant a good soaking until the water drains from the bottom.  No water is left in the drainage saucer.  The soil is thoroughly dried out before I water it again.  On average I water it once a week. 

My poinsettia will tell me when it needs water. The leaves will drop and some may fall off the plant.  I have found if I go over a week without watering that this will occur. But once watered the plant will bounce back. 

When summer comes the porch will be too hot for my poinsettia plant so I plan to move it to move the poinsettia to the root cellar where it is cooler and provides the plant with artificial sunlight.

Yard and Garden Snake Repellent Tips

 Not all snakes are poisonous but if you are not a snake expert then it’s a good idea to take steps to repel the snakes from your yard and garden.  Here are some solutions that I have tried and found all of them to be effective snake-repellent

Copperhead snake Public Domain 

 

My home resides directly next to a densely wooded area and this area has its share of copperheads, garden snakes, and other snakes.  All of these snakes assumed that my yard was their habitat. Since my home is too close to a wooded area I knew I needed to take steps to keep my yard snake free.

My side yard heavily wooded with dense brush

 

If you live close to a park or a wooded area then I recommend that you take steps to make your yard and gardens unappealing to snakes before March.  Snakes typically come out of brumation (Brumation is specific to reptiles and amphibians where they sleep deeply during the cold season) in March or April depending on the weather.  If your temperature is an average of 60 degrees then snakes will be out and about.  The snakes in my area are most active from May through October.  

The best way to repel snakes from your yard and garden is to make it unwelcoming and uncomfortable. 

The first thing that we did was clean up the clutter.   We removed the down trees that were in the side yard and moved the firewood, logs away from the house.  Stacked logs provide snakes a safe place to hide. 

Firewood provides hiding places for snakes 

 

The leaf debris in the side yard that was on the limestone rocks was blown off and the rocks then we bought pea gravel from Lowes and added this rock to this area.  Snakes don’t like crossing rock so the smaller rock created a barrier for us to keep the snakes in the woods and out of our yard.  

Another way to keep your yard snake-free is to clear all brush and avoid growing dense gardens like daylilies or irises grown in masses. A manicured garden with good airflow between plants rather than dense vegetation is a great way to eliminate places for snakes to hide.

 

My Iris garden with lilies growing behind. too dense needed to thin out 

Because snakes eat small animals like mice, lizards, and birds you would want to remove your bird feeders as they are attracting the snakes to your yard. 

The best way to keep snakes out of your yard is to install a fence that the snake cannot penetrate.  An aluminum or a metal mesh would be best.  They are strong enough to keep the snakes out of your yard. It's like chicken wire, but stronger with a small opening.   It's best to install the fence so that it's 30 inches above the soil line to prevent the snake from climbing over.  Higher than 30 inches would be better.  

You also want to dig a ditch in the soil to put the bottom of the fence into the ditch then add quick-drying cement to secure the bottom of the fence in the ditch.  By cementing the bottom of the fence, you will prevent the snake from getting into your yard from the soil line.  

Keep the snakes out of your yard with natural cedarwood, clove, and cinnamon bark or oil.  A few years ago, I had a snake in my garden and put down highly aromatic natural cedar mulch and the snakes left my yard and garden.   

Cedarwood has a strong smell that snakes dislike

 

Here is a snake repellent product that I found online at Amazon Exterminators Choice - Snake Defense Spray - Non-Toxic Repellent for Pest Control - Repels Most Common Type Snakes - Safe for Kids and Pets - Cinnamon Scented 

Fertilizing Spring Bulb Flowers

 Spring will be a glorious season with many flower blooms provided you fertilize.  Fertilization will make sure that the flowers grow strong and thrive in your gardens. 

 

AI created by Sgolis / spring gardening 

My spring bulbs are established in my garden with no new plantings in the fall.  However, I always fertilize in the fall after the flower beds are cut back to the soil line and all weeds are removed from the bed.  I will fertilize with bonemeal. And apply it to the soil where I have planted my spring bulbs. I will top the fertilizer with a layer of soil and water. Then before winter comes I will add a layer of mulch.

 

Then in the spring when I remove the winter season debris and any remaining leaves, and mulch/ If I see that the spring bulbs have broken the soil line I will give the flowers a spring growing boost by fertilizing them with bonemeal topped with soil and replace the mulch around the spring bulb stems to help retain hydration and to prevent weed growth. 

 

Care for your spring flowers by letting the foliage die back naturally.  Do not prune the leaves as the leaves are a way for the plant to replenish energy and nutrients for next spring's blooming season.

 

I use Espoma Organic Bone Meal Fertilizer 4-12-0. An All-Natural Plant Food Source of Nitrogen and Phosphorus and I bought it at Amazon.  bone meal is a slow-release fertilizer that takes 4-6 weeks to start working so apply it as soon as you see new spring growth in early winter so the mid-spring blooms will be beautiful. 

Mid-Season Flower Bed Clean Up

Today the temperature was warm and since the snow had melted my husband and I took advantage of the weather and worked to clean up the yard and gardens.   Normally our flower bed clean-up begins in March but this year we got a break in the weather and were able to get many garden chores accomplished.

In the fall we had removed the leaves and sticks from the lawn and gardens but since then the leaves from our maple tree finally fell and the yard and gardens were covered again.

  My husband raked all of the backyard gardens and to our surprise, we saw that the spring flower had broken the soil line.   I am so thankful that we were able to rake and remove the leaves because now the flowers will be able to get sun and better hydration when it rains.

Snowdrops and crocus are blooming and soon the daffodils and tulips will emerge.  I felt excitement when I saw all the greenery in the garden when we removed the leaves.  Spring is coming soon.

We had some topsoil in the shed so I added that to the gardens to fill where there was runoff.  And I took note as to where I will need to add mulch.  Tomorrow we will be pruning the dead branches and plan to remove any weed growth in the garden beds.   After weeds are removed I will fertilize. 

Enjoy Zinnia Flowers During the Fall Season

  

Just because the summer season is coming to an end it does not mean that you cannot enjoy beautiful flowers during the fall season.  There are many flowers that you can plant in September that will add color and interest to your fall containers or feature gardens.

I love Zinnias, do you?.

 Zinnia flowers will add interest to your feature gardens and some zinnias can be grown in containers.  Dwarf zinnias are best for container gardens. 

Here are photographs of zinnia flowers 

The dwarf zinnias come in a variety of colors and will bloom continuously during the fall season and until there is a hard frost.  You would just need to provide your zinnias with at least 8 hours of sun daily and water when the soil is dry to the touch. Plus deadhead all spent flowers and your zinnia plant will give you repetitive blooms. 

This year I sowed zinnia seeds in the spring and then again in mid-August. The flower germinated quickly in the warm soil.   I have been deadheading the spent blooms to encourage new growth and more flowers.  All of the zinnias are still blooming in my end-summer garden.

 Even in cooler weather, the zinnia does not bolt.  Our weather is warm mid 70’s during the day and cool low 50’s at night.  As long as my zinnia gets sun throughout the day they will continue to bloom until a hard frost.

After a hard frost, I will cut back the zinnia plants and deadhead any remaining flowerheads as this is a way to collect seeds for the next spring season planting. Or you can buy seeds online or at your local garden center.

Keeping Container Gardens Hydrated During Extreme Heat

  

This past summer has been extremely hot and, in my area, the average temperature has been in the 100s with a heat index of 108. The excessive heat has caused my city to have water restrictions and we can only water outdoor crops.

 

I grow vegetables and herbs in containers and containers do dry out quickly so keeping the edible plants hydrated during a water restriction has been difficult.

In extreme heat keep container plants in the shade
this will prevent the leaves from wilting and will
keep them from drying out as long as you water them deeply
in the morning and at night

After a month of extreme heat, my vegetables and herbs are thriving but I did need to be creative with watering and I did provide them with afternoon shade which prevented the soil from drying out.

 

For my container gardens, I utilized wastewater from the water I used to clean my vegetables indoors in the sink.  I also used rainwater that I had collected in the barrels.

 

When I did have to use the hose to water my container gardens I watered the plants deeply until the water drained from the bottom of the containers and collected the drainage water to use to water other plants. I watered early in the morning and at night when the temperature was cooler.

 

All of my container gardens have a thick layer of 3 to 4 inches of organic cypress mulch.  The mulch is a great way to keep the roots cooler and retain moisture.

 

During the peak afternoon heat, I used my patio umbrellas to provide shade.  I moved all of my container gardens under the umbrella so the intense sun and heat do not cause them to wilt and dry out.

 

 If you do not have patio umbrellas you can also set your containers under a shade tree or another shade structure like a pergola.  My friend uses a shade cloth and a white cotton sheet for her row covers.

Do your best to protect your gardens from the excessive heat, hopefully, the rain will come soon, and cooler temperatures.