If you enjoy working in your yard and garden then you have come to the right place.I share with you tips on growing flowers and herbs, designing specialty gardens, and ideas on ways to improve your curb appeal, Also product reviews and recommendations.
Last
week my area had heavy rain, in fact, we got 5.7 inches in an hour.
Needless to say, there were dangerous flash flooding warnings and a fast stream of water running through my yard. This
body of water unearthed the spring bulbs that I had planted last month and caused other yard and garden damage.
After
the rain had stopped and the water had subsided I went out to inspect the
gardens for water damage. All of the mulch that I put down last month
had washed into the lawn and many of my spring bulbs had been shifted, the topsoil washed away from the bulbs but the deep-rooted ones were still in the ground, however, many had become unearthed.
I found seven daffodils bulbs right away. I had planted 260 spring daffodils and crocus bulbs last month so I asked my husband to come
out and help me search for any other bulbs.
My
search for the spring bulbs was careful and I did go into the woods to
look for them. When all was said and done we had found just
under three dozen spring bulbs. If other bulbs were washed
off due to the flood waters then they will bloom in the lower level
of our garden next to the retaining wall and next spring I can
transplant them after they bloom back into my yard.
Instead of
planting these unearthed bulbs in the ground, I have decided to grow
them in containers. I may force them to bloom and give them as
gifts on Valentine's Day. View this video to learn how to force bulbs to bloom indoors for winter color.
When
it comes to buying our Christmas tree we always buy a real tree. We
love the fresh balsam fragrance and the fact that we can give back to
nature when Christmas has passed by recycling our Christmas tree.
After
we have removed all of the decorations we will decide on the best
method for recycling. One way to recycle the tree is to take it to our city's recycling
plant. There they will make mulch out of our tree and we are welcome
to take a scoop full for our yard and gardens. If we pass on taking the mulch it will be used
in city parks.
In
the past, we have recycled our Christmas tree by tying a cement brick
to the tree and then tossing it into the center of our pond. The
brick enabled the tree to sink to the bottom of the pond and this
tree created a habitat for the fish, water turtles, and other pond
creatures.
An
easy way to give back to nature is to create a thicket in your yard.
It is best to do this in the back section of your yard. We have a
large yard so we started our Christmas tree thicket off to the side of our yard.
My husband set the tree on its side at the base of our retaining
wall. Then all of our tree trimmings and branches were set on this thicket. When the trees broke down they became a safe and warm shelter for wildlife.
Thicket made from recycled Christmas trees and Oak tree tree trimmings/branches
Small tree and branch thicket at base of the wall
After several years the trees turned into a safe shelter for animals in the woods
Note: Cat Adoption Guide is my other Blog
Another way to recycle
your Christmas tree is to use it as a bird feeder. You will enjoy watching
the songbirds that are perched on the tree branches for the next few
weeks.
Consider
setting up the tree close to a window and decorate the tree with birdseed ornaments. You and your family will enjoy watching the songbirds.
Buy
birdseed ornaments at these fine online stores. Here are a few that I recommend.
GardenersSupply Company birdseed ornament set of 3
MonticelloShop birdseed ornament assortment
TractorSupply Company (4) Peanut butter Suet balls
Today the weather had warmed to 38 degrees and I
thought I would take a walk in the garden. I
went into the garden to watch for nature and to check to see if any
of the spring bulbs were blooming. To my surprise, I saw that the
snowdrop flowers were blooming. A patch of 8 to 12 flowers was in
full bloom.
This flower is a perennial in the Amaryllis family. There are 75 different species and varieties of snowdrops. All of the flowers are white in color. The species that grows in my garden and most gardens is the Galanthus Nivalis (snowdrop) Galanthus in Latin means milk-white-flowers. These milk-white colored flowers have bloomed in my
garden for the last 15 years and when I saw that they were in bloom a month early I was delighted but surprised.
People call this flower a snowdrop because it usually does not wait for the snow to melt.
It usually is the first flower to bloom in a winter garden.
This
winter has been very warm, 20 degrees warmer than last year.
Although we have had cool to cold weather this past week with snow
flurries on Christmas day, prior to that the weather has been spring-like. Overall I think that the spring bulbs are confusing because
they normally bloom the end of January - first week in February.
Planting
tips:
Plant
in fall six weeks prior to a hard frost and the snowdrops will bloom
the following spring. Grow snowdrops in well-drained clay, or sandy
soil in an area that has morning sun exposure with part to full shade in the
afternoon.
I
think snowdrop flowers look nice when grown under evergreens or
other trees and shrubs. These flowers look especially nice when grown in a rock
garden with other spring bulbs, such as crocus and daffodils.
Remember
to space the bulbs when planting because they multiply quickly.
Snowdrops are deer resistant
If
you are interested in growing this long-lived spring-blooming flower
in your garden then I would recommend that you shop for the bulbs at
the following stores;
Brecks.com
Americanmeadows.com
lowes.com
ebay.com
netherlandbulb.com
Learn more about Netherland bulbs by reading my product review.
Normally
my spring garden would not be on my mind, but today the temperature was 70 degrees Fahrenheit and this spring-like day has got me thinking of my garden.
Normally the weather is cold, with snow but this year the weather
forecast is calling for warmer than usual.
Know
that we do need a hard frost and bitterly cold temperatures to kill off
the ticks and to enable the spring bulbs to sleep before awakening in late January – early February. But nature this year has a
different idea because today when I removed a patch of leaves in the
yard I saw the grassy foliage of my crocus
had broken ground and the green stems were two inches above the soil.
The
spring bulbs breaking ground has got me thinking about gardening and getting a head start on my preparations. I went out to my greenhouse today and sterilized some pots for
planting. Normally I start my annuals, herbs, and vegetables in mid
to late January in the portable greenhouse that I bought at tractorsupply.com last year. But since we are having spring-like
weather I thought I would get a head start with my gardening chores.
I
am thinking that by the end of December, I will have my window boxes sterilized
and painted also. This year I am thinking of planting the tulips and
crocus that I have in cold storage, I have had good
results with forcing the spring bulbs to bloom and will probably force the bulbs to bloom indoors and give the containers away as gifts.
Here is a video that will show you how to force spring bulbs to bloom in approximately five weeks indoors.
Getting
ready for spring in December is an activity that I am not accustomed to but do like that I can get many tasks done now while the weather is warm.
It's the season for the Christmas poinsettia plant for gift-giving and home decorating. The poinsettia is a beautiful plant that comes in a variety of colors; crimson red, pink white, or bi-color leaves along with dark green leaves. It is one magnificent plant and is known as the plant of Christmas. Know if you reside in a mild climate where the average temperate is 55 to 60 at night and the high is 70 degrees Fahrenheit then you can feature this plant outdoors on your porch or in your feature garden. However, if you reside in an area where the weather is cold then poinsettia must stay indoors.
Healthy red poinsettia gets plenty of light by the window
Red poinsettias are grown in an outdoor feature garden.
Shop for live
poinsettias at Teleflora.com This quality plant is best for gift-giving.
Also, shop at Lowes.com or at their store. I saw gorgeous
poinsettias there and they were reasonably priced. Target.com and
Walmart.com also have poinsettias in their seasonal departments.
Buying Tips
When
you go to buy a poinsettia I would recommend buying a healthy plant
that does not have drooping leaves or brown spots as this would be an
indication of not adequate water, which would cause the poinsettia to
have stress.
Caring for Poinsettia
Bring
your poinsettia home in a covered bag so that it does not get too
cold or suffer a cold draft. Remove your poinsettia from the foil
holiday pot wrapper and set it on a plant-draining saucer. The best
location for your poinsettia is in a sunny room where the
average temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Your poinsettia needs an average of six hours of bright light so if you do not have a room that has a lot of sunlight then set in under a table light. (I do not recommend setting your poinsettia in direct sunlight) At night
poinsettia prefers cooler temperatures so a room that is an average
temperature of 60 to 70 degrees will keep your Christmas season
poinsettia healthy. Maintain
your poinsettia plant by checking the soil daily. Know that
poinsettias grow best in soil that is allowed to dry out some in-between
watering. Test the soil daily to see if the soil is dry by inserting your index finger into the soil
about one inch. If soil is dry then water the plant until it drains
out the bottom. Let all the water drain from the plant container,
but do not set the pot in the water in the saucer. Instead, dump the
water out. Poinsettias do not like wet soil.
Other
Know
that my friend resides in Florida and she does grow her
poinsettias outdoors. She told me she planted it in her yard after
Christmas in an area where the soil was well-drained, plus the plant got six hours of sun daily with part sun in the heat of the day. Her poinsettia grew into a shapely shrub in her Florida outdoor garden. Here is a video where you can learn how to make your plant rebloom again.
