Here in USDA growing zone 6 the threat of spring frost has past and now it is safe to garden. So I took advantage of the warm and sunny day and planted an herb garden.
Last week when I did my garden checklist I noted that the harsh winter and killed many of my herbs and that I needed to replace many. I was fortunate to have a friend with a nursery in town as she provided me with a discount. Lucky me I was able to buy 11 herbs in three-inch pots for $3.00 each.
I found some new herbs for my garden and this year I will be growing
Mojito mint, I grow many varieties of mint and think it is a delicious plant for aromatics and for culinary uses. In fact last year I made an invigorating soap from peppermint leaves. So I am excited to be growing the new Motito mint.
Another new herb this year is Kew Red Lavender for growing in full sun. This aromatic herb looks exciting as it is covered with vibrant pink flowers with gray-green spikes. I like that the lavender is drought-tolerant because my summers do get dreadfully hot. I am thinking that this lavender herb would make a nice bath soap and also a wonderful potpourri.
I am so happy that winter is finally over and that gardening season has begun.
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.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Shopped Online for Garden Replacement Plants
Now that my
garden has grown in I am aware of the plants and flowering shrubs that did not
survive the bitter cold winter. Today I made a list of what I needed and shopped online for the replacement flowers for my gardens.
I needed to replace my daisy gardens and bought at
Michiganbulb.com a mixture of Green Envy coneflower, Black-Eyed Susans, Every
blooming purple coneflower and crazy Shasta daisies. These flowers will be planted
in my wildflower garden back by my serviceberry shrubs.
Daisy garden with coneflowers |
Also from Michiganbulb.com I was able to replace the bee balm. I bought 12 plants that were on sale. The bee balm will bloom in early summer and
continue to bloom until fall. This plant
is fast growing, perfect for borders that are close to dog kennel. The entire
plant; leaves and flowers have potent mint fragrance plus it grows to 3 feet
with similar spread.
As for shrubs the oak leaf hydrangea was replaced with an
elderberry black lace sambucus. This shrub will produce pretty flower blooms in
the spring followed by edible fruit in the late summer. I am glad I was able to
find the plants at greenwoodnursery.com as they were exactly what I was looking
for as all will attract wildlife to my yard
Now all I need is some red cardinal flowers for the moist
soil around the pond where nothing else will grow.
Cottage Garden |
I am looking forward to my replacement plant deliveries and look forward to spedign time in the garden. I am so happy the winter season is over and I am looking forward to an enjoyable summer season.
Note: I was able to buy many plants with a coupon that I had gotten from Michigan Bulb and thus saved greatly. Had I shopped locally I would have paid more. When I receive the plants I will post again to let you know the quality of plants and will share photographs.
Attribution: Cottage garden with bench: http://mrg.bz/OrmYmE
Labels:
bee balm,
cottage garden,
daisies,
Echinacea coneflowers,
garden,
plants
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Aerated: Late Spring Lawn Care
Normally the lawn is my husband’s job but this year it has
become my job. Today when I look out at
the lawn I viewed a few green patches, but other than that the lawn looks like there
is a lot of thatch build up around the roots.
I decided to aerate the lawn to
punch holes into the soil so that oxygen, hydration and fertilizer can get to
the grass roots.
There are a couple ways to aerate your lawn, for small yards
you can wear aerator sandals and walk across your lawn in the same way in which
you would mow your lawn.
I personally like the lawn aerator rake because it gets rid
of the excess thatch and also loosens the soil around the grass roots.
For larger yards you
may want to look into buying Agri-Fab spike aerator push. This aerator looks like a push mower however
the blades will loosen the soil up to 2.5 inches. Then there are self-propelled units that you can
hook up behind your lawn tractor. These aerating
attachments are great especially for the homeowner with large lawns.
Clean up after you aerate your lawn with a rake, then plant
grass seed or fertilize your lawn.
Other Lawn Care Posts by Sgolis
Learn more about thatching and aerating your lawn by viewing this video:
Monday, April 14, 2014
Protecting Plants From Late Spring Snow
When I
looked out my window this morning I could not believe my eyes, because the snow was
falling onto my newly green lawn and my flower gardens.
White powder
from the sky is covering the newly opened tulips, lilacs, redbud blooms, irises with
buds, and this morning I noticed the hostas had broken the soil surface.
My entire yard and garden are flourishing because
of the warm spring-like weather. This
April Snow will destroy my plants
because of the hard frost advisory.
Normally I
cover my plants with blanket frost protection and I will use the row covers for
my crops in raised vegetable garden; however, I cannot cover the entire yard and
all of the gardens.
I am hoping
for the best, that the wintry mix moves far enough away from my area to
prevent the temperatures from dropping into the low 20s.
Related
Garden Posts by Sgolis
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Testing Soil to Determine Right Grass Seed for Lawn
Before you can grow a lush green lawn I recommend that you know what type of soil you have. Grass seed is formulated to grow in specific soil types and if you want a lawn that will be admired by all then test your soil.
Choose grass seed blend for combination lawn; sun and shade |
I
would recommend that you buy a soil test kit to check the nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium pH levels. I you can buy
and inexpensive kit at amazon.com, or any garden center; Lowes and Home Depot
also sell soil test kits.
Know that if your soils pH is 6.0 to 7.0 then you are in good shape because you have the perfect soil for growing a lush green lawn. When you know your pH level you will be able to shop for the right grass seed for your lawn.
View this video to learn how to test your soil pH
Attribution: Lawn with sun and shade: http://mrg.bz/5a7gsg
Labels:
Grass seed,
growing grass,
lawn care,
Lawn photo,
soil Ph,
test soil
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Yard Sale Find Creates an Inexpensive Garden Path
While shopping at our neighborhood yard sale I found some
capstone at a yard sale and then my brother gave me some cypress mulch. I knew immediately that I had the makings of
a practical and inexpensive garden path.
When it comes to creating garden paths in my yard I tend to
design paths that are practical and cost-effective. I do not have a lot of money to invest in
garden hardscapes so I tend to make the best with what I have or buy inexpensive
materials from yard sale finds.
Path Location
The capstone path would be located adjacent to my side steps
and then would wind around my black-eyed
Susan flowers, ornamental grasses, and herb garden beds, thus providing me
with easy access to gardens without walking on the grass. It would also put an end to dirty shoes
tracking mud or dirt indoors.
Garden Path
Installation
When planning a garden project I prefer to design by drawing
the path out and then work with my husband in the preparation and
installation.
Husband's to-do list:
- Remove the grass with a lawn trimmer
- Level the soil
- Lay out the stones for easy stepping
- Remove the dirt so he can set the stone into the space so that it is even with the soil.
When my husband completed the layout for the stepping stone path
I then filled in around the stones with cypress mulch.
The finished recycled capstone and cypress mulch path looks
wonderful, even my neighbor likes the mulch surrounding the stepping stones. You do not have to use the stone steps, you
can create an easy garden path by using the mulch only.
The total expense was $10.00: 14 capstones for $10.00 plus cypress mulch was given to me.
View another landscape posts by Sgolis here
View another landscape posts by Sgolis here
Monday, March 10, 2014
Harsh Winter Causes Damage to Bearded Irises
Today while cleaning the winter debris from the bearded iris
garden I noticed that many of the rhizomes had suffered from erosion due to ice
and snow. Instead of being under the
soil many of them were fully exposed which concerns me.
My iris garden with many buds |
The first thing that I did today was clear the iris gardens
of all leftover leaves, sticks and check the rhizome for damage. I expect many of the plants to perish as it
was an extreme cold winter with heavy snow and ice.
Tomorrow I am going to amend in my wheelbarrow top soil with
organic compost and diatomaceous earth.
Then I will spread an even layer over the irises, covering the exposes
rhizomes and leaving only the tip for nutrient collection from the sun.
I am hoping that this natural fertilizer and
borer pest control will aid in healthy spring iris growth and bloom production.
The photograph of my iris garden. Enjoy!
Other Yard and Garden Secrets Posts that you make like:
Friday, March 7, 2014
Pruning Japanese Honeysuckle Vines – Early Spring Cleanup
Today was warm and I worked outdoors cleaning up the river
rock wall by pruning the Japanese honeysuckle vines. Last year the vines had not been pruned and
they became invasive.
I like the honeysuckle because, in the summer when the
flowers bloom, they attract hummingbirds and honey bees but if they are not trimmed
back they will take over the river
rock wall. Here is a photograph of
the honeysuckle that has grown in too thickly on the rock wall.
Japanese honeysuckle on the river rock wall |
I used extended-handle hedge
shears to cut the massive vines that had grown in so thickly and to protect
my hands I wore heavy-duty pigskin yard work gloves
with knit wrists. When pulling vines you
need to protect your hands otherwise they can get cut.
Pruned Japanese honeysuckle on the river rock wall |
I got the river rock column cleared by cutting the vines
away and I also cleared four feet of vines from the wall. Once the vines were removed I raked away the
leaves that were embedded into the vines.
I am happy that I took on this
early spring yard cleanup job because by pruning the vines from the rock wall
I will also be discouraging the snakes from taking refuge.
Other blog posts by Sgolis that you may like:
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Getting Ready to Plant Organic Spinach Seeds
Even though it is too cold to plant spinach outdoors I am
getting ready to plant Ferry-Morse organic spinach seeds in containers. I like to have my salad bowl of spinach close to my kitchen and thus the containers will sit in the sun on my back deck.
Today I washed my container out with dawn antibacterial
dish soap and rinsed them well in the shower.
Then I let them air dry. When the
containers were completely dry I then mixed organic matter with potting soil in
the container and set them aside.
(If you do not have compost for your organic matter then buy a bag of manure)
Now the containers are ready for planting spinach seeds and
as soon as the weather warms to an average of 20 F I will set the containers outdoors
in a full sun area and plant the organic spinach seed ½ inch under the soil and space 8 inches apart. When the seeds are all planted I will water them well.
Caring for Spinach:
Keep the soil evenly moist but not wet. If the soil should dry out the spinach will have
stress and the plant will bolt. Watch for
weather that may dip below 15 F. If the weather is extremely cold, cover spinach plants with row covers.
Other Garden Posts by Sgolis
Attribution: This spinach photo is in the public domain in the United States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CDC_spinach1.jpg
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Protecting Spring Bulb Gardens from Whitetail Deer
When I looked out my picture window I saw doe deer and fawn
in my yard nibbling in my spring bulb garden.
I ran outside and waved my arms in the air and the deer left my yard. But
I knew they would be back and I needed to take steps to protect my spring bulb
garden from the whitetail deer.
Whitetail deer doe and fawn in garden |
Every spring I have a problem with the whitetail deer
because I cannot convince them that my spring bulb garden was not planted to
nourish them. Every doe deer in the
forest finds its way to my spring bulb gardens.
Over the years I have tried to discourage
the deer with Contech Scarecrow motion-activated sprinkler s a natural way to scare deer. This water spray deterrent works well in the summer but is not a good deterrent during winter.
Other deer deterrents that I have had good results with is a potent pepper
spray and deer scam, however, these products need to be reapplied and depending on
your weather; snow or ice these products can get costly.
Last fall I put down a deer forage plot but that died back due to a cold snowy winter. I found in the past that if I proved the deer with their dietary needs that they will leave my spring bulbs alone.
Since it is whitetail
deer in garden season and I need to keep the deer out of my garden I went to Atwoods ranch and yard store and
bought 40lb bag of natural apple corn for $7.49 and a mineral salt lick. I set up a feeding station that was downwind
from my tulip garden.
My husband and I waited on the side deck and at dusk, we saw
the deer coming up the side yard path.
The doe deer come out of the woods to enjoy the corn and to lick on the
mineral block.
Notes by Sgolis:
- This wildlife compromise worked because the deer have stayed away from my spring bulb garden because their dietary needs are being met with the mineral lick and feeding station.
- When spring greens up the deer will no longer need to be fed as there is ample forage in the forest.
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