Flowers Blooming in My Garden: Photo Gallery

Even though the weather has changed and the evenings have been dipping into the low thirties there are still flowers blooming in my gardens. These white, yellow, and pink flowers add interest and are also eye appealing.

Sweet Autumn clematis 

 

Today I awoke to find that the change in temperature has caused the autumn leaves to fall from the trees onto the garden beds.  These golden and red leaves make a nice background for the burgundy and yellow Chrysanthemums and magenta and salmon-colored Four O clock flowers.

Yellow daisy-like Chrysanthemums 

Other autumn wildflowers are blooming in the woods that is adjacent to my home; delicate white flowers of the sweet autumn clematis, and goldenrod, and then a compact weed has delicate white flower clusters that look so pretty. I noted a few lavender phlox-type flowers blooming along the trail and thought this flower would be lovely if grown in masses.

Flowers blooming in the woods along the nature path

I suspect that these flowers will continue to bloom until there is a hard frost, hoping that does not occur any time soon.  I hope you enjoyed the photographs of the autumn flowers that are blooming in my yard and gardens. 

What flowers are blooming in your yard?

Early Fall Yard Work: Trimming Grass / Brush

For the last three days my husband and I have been working together to clean up the yard and gardens.  The weather is cooler and we find is agreeable when working long hours in the yard. 

Trim grasses around pavestone and stepping stones

Husband has been using our greenworks chainsaw and pole to trim the tree branches and I have been using the 10 amp string trimmer to clean up the tall grass growing next to the garden edgestones, and along the rock wall.  

This trimmer is light weight so I could use it easily to get close to the base of the rock wall and cut down the tall grass. Cleaning up the wall will discourage snakes from wanting to winter in the crevices.

When the overgrowth by rock wall was cut back I moved to the side yard to trim the tall grass growing up against the dog pen.  In order to get this grass I needed to stand on a large limestone rock and lean up hill.  If I had used the gas trimmer I would be really sore right now, but the greenworks is light and I could get the trimming done without feeling discomfort.

Next on my list was to work on the evasive vines that were choking out the blackberry and raspberry bushes, so I got busy in removing the wild sweet autumn clematis.   When I get the vines removed I will use my trimmer to cut back the grass and brush growing around the berry bushes and then remove clippings with rake. 

There is a lot of work that needs to be done during early falls and I am thinking that I will need two more days to get every section manicured.  Then I can relax on the patio and enjoy looking out at a well maintained yard and garden.

Gardening to Relieve Stress: Great Therapy

In my desire to rid my body of stress, I put on my gardening gloves and went outdoors to do some hand-pulling of weeds in the flower garden.  Being outdoors and being productive is a good way to cleanse your body of any negative energy and anxiousness.

While I was gardening I could watch the birds at the ground feeder and in the distance I saw a groundhog posing on the river rock.   The garden was alive with wildlife and biting bugs which I found took away from the good feelings I was getting from the garden.

My garden after a day of removing weeds

Whenever I perspire it seems the gnats go for my eyes and they are aggravating.  I sprayed myself with deep woods off before going outdoors but I do not spray my face.  So I went and got the protective glasses that I wear when I am painting or doing other home improvement projects.  The glasses worked but then my ankle felt itchy and sure enough there was a tick crawling on me.

The bugs in the garden were going against my stress-free therapy so I went to the shed to look for the natural pest control that I got at amazon.com and found that the mosquito and other biting insects barrier was empty so I went inside and put some diatomaceous earth food grade in a powder sugar shaker and then went back to the garden to dust the gardens with the natural pest control.

Diatomaceous earth food grade safely rids garden of biting bugs

 

Normally it takes 20 minutes for the DE food grade to kill any ticks, fleas, chiggers, mites, and ants that may be lurking in the garden.   By tomorrow morning the garden pest will be gone and I can resume my gardening therapy to get rid of stress.

I really love gardening especially when I need to overcome stress or feeling of anxiousness but hate when the bugs bite me and make me feel itchy.

Gardening in the Heat of the Summer

Now that the peak heat of the summer is here I make a point to get up at dawn so that I can get whatever yard or garden work completed.  During this time I can weed the gardens, deadhead the flowers, and water the plants.  However, I need to wait a few hours to use any of my electric or gas-operated garden tools. 

Watering lilac shrubs in summer

I was going to use the electric grass trimmer to manicure around the flower gardens but decided to hold off on this project until next week when the weather will be 20 degrees cooler. At 9:00 this morning, the temperature was 89 degrees and I thought it was too hot.

Other than that maintaining the garden, I find it is a full-time job to keep the container and specialty gardens hydrated. The plants get a good watering in the am with a soaker hose but come noon the topsoil in containers and garden beds looks like dust.  So I am outdoors again in the late afternoon to water the hosta, coleus, and fern plants because the heat of the summer is causing them to feel stress.

Cosmo flower-like hot weather

Zinnia flowers grow best in the hot sun

The only plants in my garden that are flourishing are the zinnias, cosmos, and four o'clock flowers. These heat-seeking plants are producing multiple flowers and the plants do not bolt when the summer weather gets hot.

Transplanted Herb Plants During Growing Season

A couple days ago I transplanted my indoor herbs into outdoor containers because they weren't doing so good indoors and thought the natural sunlight would do them good.  Plus I like the way fragrant herbs repel mosquitoes, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. 

When I transplanted the herbs it was on a cloudy and cool day but today the weather had changed it is extremely hot.  Of course, this means I need to take extra steps to prevent outdoor herb plants from stress.

Read the first post about these herbs here transplanting kitchen herbs to outdoor garden

Anything planted in a container will dry out quickly and if you water the plant in the morning by midday when the sun is hot the soil with dry out.  Normally when I check with my index finger the soil is dry an inch down after a hot day. 

To prevent dry soil I generally water in the morning at the soil level until the water drains from the holes on the bottom of the container.

Applying mulch is good also as long as you do not put the mulch close to the herb stem.  Mulch is great because it absorbs the water and then releases moisture back into the soil slowly. A mulch that I use and recommend is nature scapes advanced garden mulch by Scotts  I bought this brand mulch at lowes.com, had watched sales, and got a good buy on 2 cubic feet.

What I like about this mulch is that it retains the water and slowly releases it back into the soil which means you will not need to water your flower or herb gardens daily.  On average you will save up to 30% on your water bill.  Plus you will save time and energy because you won’t need to water the garden daily.

When I get home from work I will need to check on the newly planted herb plants and will mist the leaves and stems with the garden hose because this will prevent them from wilting.

The best way to care for any newly transplanted herb in the growing season is to make sure the soil does not dry out. Keeping it evenly moist but not wet will ensure that the roots will take hold and the plant does not get stressed out.

Also helpful when transplanting during the growing season is to use a Green Light organic root stimulator.  I would not dream of putting a plant in the ground without a root stimulator.  I have bought the green light product at amazon.com and am pleased with it.

Here is a great way to keep the plant sauce full of water, thus the plant roots will never dry out.

Summer Season Gardening Checklist

Now that spring has come to an end, I find that I need to get my garden ready for summer. Today I went into the garden with a clipboard so I could make a checklist.   

Before I knew it my list was two pages long and I knew by looking at the lists of tasks that I would need my husband's help to get the gardens manicured and ready for the summer season.

My yard and garden checklist:

1. Cut back spent flower blooms
2. Remove all weeds and grasses from flower gardens by doing a hand pull
3. Prune spring-blooming shrubs
4. Cut back overgrowth on trees
5. Plant zinnia flower seeds 
6. Update Moroccan tile planter gardens with heat-seeking petunia wave flowers or sun-loving herbs
7. Add a thick layer of organic mulch to all gardens, around shrubs and trees
8. Use a vinegar solution to kill weeds growing in garden paths and flagstone patio
9. Remove spring tree droppings from gutters
10. Control yard and garden pests; mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and chiggers with organic pest control; garlic or Diatomaceous  Earth food grade.
11. Add outdoor accessories and patio lights to make the yard and garden more appealing

Note: A good way to get garden jobs done is to divide the yard into sections, then complete one section before moving on to the next one.

Preventing Bug Bites While Gardening

If I was ever going to enjoy the garden again I knew I would have to take steps to prevent the bugs from biting me.  This year the biting bugs; mosquitoes, chiggers, ticks, and fleas have taken the fun out of gardening. Two days ago while doing a hand pull in my hosta garden I was bitten by, several bugs.

I was so itchy that I stopped what I was doing and ran inside to take a hot shower with Yardley of London antibacterial hand soap, flowering English lavender herbal scent.  The hot soapy shower killed the germs and safely removed the roaming chiggers from my skin and lessened itchy mosquito and other bug bites.

Normally I spray myself before going out to the garden with deep woods off but I know that with the wildlife; deer, raccoon, skunk, wild turkey, groundhog, coyote, and bobcat coming into my yard that there are probably other biting bugs lurking.

I decided to address the bugs in my yard and garden by treating my entire yard with a concentrated garlic formula that will safely kill and repel mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, chiggers, and some wildlife from my yard. I found an all-natural product at amazon.com MOSQUITO BARRIER – LIQUID SPRAY REPELLENT -1 GALLON.  I read the reviews and they were favorable plus I liked that it was natural 100% garlic and would not harm my family or my pets.

Granted this organic pest control costs more but I will tell you it is worth it.  There is a garlic smell and it is potent but the smell is what repels and kills the biting bugs and you get used to it.

Gardening Today: Cutting back Brush

Gardening today took me to the side yard where there was a lot of underbrush as well as low-hanging tree limbs that needed to be trimmed. 

For this project, I needed my rose-trimming gloves.  I found a pair of Terra Professional rose gloves at Amazon.com that I really like because these rose gloves protect my hands and my lower arms from cuts and scratches.  When I have my hands in the brush you never know what you will find and the wild roses will really hurt if I don’t protect myself.

Then to tackle the tough weeds and tall grass that was growing under the shrubs I used my Black & Decker 14-inch curved shaft electric string trimmer.  This trimmer does a good job of taking down the overgrown brush.  When it comes to manicuring the yard I don’t mind doing the trimming as long as I do not have to use a gas-operated trimmer.

Whenever I take on big projects I always wear safety glasses because my trimmer might hit a rock and push it back into my face and that would not be good. I also wear thick weave jean or khaki pant that is tucked into my garden boots.  

It is best to dress for this garden clean-up job because of the snakes, rodents, and other garden pests.  It’s a good idea to spray your clothing with deep woods off to prevent chigger and tick bites.

I went out early to clean up the yard and it was completed by noon.  Now all that needs to be done is for my husband to follow up with trimming back the low-hanging branches by the chain link fence as they are growing in to thick and blocking the sunlight. 

I am glad the brush is cut back because while working I found mole holes.  I had some scoot mole repellent in the garage so I used the garlic and Castor oil concentrated treatment and sprayed the surrounding area by attaching my hose to the formula. The moles will move on now that I used a safe environment repellent.

Other garden cleanup posts by Author:

How to Dress when Working in Yard and Garden

Pavestone Adds Definition to Flower Garden

Today I am working on my side flower garden and decided to make it more interesting so I added 12-inch pavestone and also a pea gravel boarder. 

My husband had some stones leftover from a retaining wall that he did and I thought that the stone would add definition to my lily garden.  (See photo above).  The curving stone wraps around the lilies until it meets with the pea gravel path.

I thought about doing two layers of stone but thought that the one layer was fine.  I like the way the stone breaks up the garden. This is an easy way to add definition and also make the flower garden more eye appealing

For this garden project, I used a 12-inch pavestone retaining wall cement block that we bought at Home Depot for $1.78.  This cement block also looks good as a tree ring and outdoor fireplace ring.

See in this photo how I added a ring of pavestone cement retaining wall blocks around a host garden.  I think that you will agree that it is a great way to accent your garden.

Pavestone cement wall block around hosta garden

View other photographs of pavestone cement retaining wall block projects here:

Flagstone patio and walkway with pavestone firepit

Retaining wall in ornamental grass garden

Michigan Bulb: Honest Business and Product Review

Michigan Bulb company has been in business for 60 years and as a kid, I recall seeing their shade and sun garden collection in the circular in the Sunday paper and my Dad always said it was a good price for so many plants.  Then they came out with a mail-order catalog and a profitable online business.  

I think we all know of Michiganbulb.com because of their great sales and deals; buy $40.00 in plants and get $20.00 off.  

As a gardener who can resist a sale like that?  I could not resist the great savings on plants and when I checked out the online catalog I liked that I was not overpaying for the plants.  I thought what the heck I am going to buy from Michigan Bulb and hope that they deliver quality plants to my door.

Michigan Bulbs' motto is: “For more than 60 years, we've been providing the best plants at the best prices.”

Hands down they do have the best prices I will agree with that, but their plants are small and you will have to take care of them during their first year so that they will survive occasionally there is a mix-up in your order and you will get other clients' plants.

The order that I placed was a total mix-up as I received plants I did not order and the shipping box was damaged when received which meant the coneflowers that I had ordered were not in the best condition.

Coneflowers received from Michigan Bulb

Damaged shipping box

18-inch Dick Clark rose/did not order

The good thing is that they have excellent customer service and if you are not happy with your purchase for whatever reason they will replace your order with an in-house certificate or give you a refund that is paid to your form of payment or send out replacement plants. Whatever you want.  

Suburban Raccoon Visits Yard and Garden

For the last couple of days, I  have noticed that the mulch in my garden has been pulled away from the plants and in some cases, it is all pulled away from the plants and is in a large grouping like a mountain of mulch.  At first, I thought neighborhood kids were playing a joke on me, but I was wrong because tonight at dusk I learned that a suburban raccoon was visiting my garden.

Raccoons playing in the grass

My husband thought the little raccoon was cute because he seemed to be playing peek-a-boo behind the fountain grass in the ornamental grass garden.  But the thing about raccoons is they are very social animals and if there is one there will soon be more.   That is exactly what happened next, the kits came out of the hallowed tree and came to play in our patio fountain and our garden fish pond; washing their paws and putting leaves in the water.  Such cute behavior but not good for the pond filter.

Suburban Raccoon drinking from the garden fish pond

Raccoons are adorable but I do not want them to think my yard and garden are their hangout. That is when I knew that I had to set up raccoon boundaries so that they knew that playing in my garden was not acceptable behavior.

Planted an Herb Garden Today

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.

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

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

Autumn Lawn Care Tips

Buffalo Grass for No Mow Lawn

Lawn Care Tips: Crabgrass

Learn more about thatching and aerating your lawn by viewing this video:

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

Winter Snow and Ice Damaged Irises

Protect Spring Gardens from Wildlife

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

 

Read other lawn and garden posts by Sgolis here

Attribution: Lawn with sun and shade: http://mrg.bz/5a7gsg

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:

1. Remove the grass with a lawn trimmer
2. Level the soil
3. Lay out the stones for easy stepping
4. 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

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:

Where to buy diatomaceous earth food grade for garden

Maintaining Iris Garden: Transplanting tips for Bearded Irises

Get Rid of Borers in Iris Garden with Diatomaceous Earth

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:

Honeysuckle Growing Tips

Yard and Garden Snake Removal

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

Growing tips for carrots

Growing Tips for Lettuce Salad Bowl
Tips for Growing Tomatoes

Tips for Growing Strawberries

Attribution: This spinach photo is in the public domain in the United States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CDC_spinach1.jpg

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: 

1. 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.  
2. When spring greens up the deer will no longer need to be fed as there is ample forage in the forest. 

Yard and Garden Cleanup After Ice Storm

I am looking over my yard and garden to do list and I need to cleanup the lawn and the spring bulb gardens. Last month’s ice storm caused us to have many down branches.  We removed the large branches but there many smaller branches they need to be picked up. Hopefully I will accumulate enough sticks to  ask my hubby to add them to the wood chipper because they will make nice mulch for the garden.

When I finish the removal of down branches from the lawn, I will then concentrate on the gardens.  

Our one maple tree holds onto its leaves until late winter however many of the leaves did come down after the ice storm and fell onto my spring bulb garden. I think it is a good idea to remove the leaves and any mulch from the early spring gardens as it will make it easier for delicate crocus to come up. 

Hopefully the day will stay warm as I also have on my list to replace some parts of my mulch garden path .  Winter was hard and did pull much away from the path.  All In need to do is fill in because it is spotty. 

I hope I can get everything on my list completed, as it late January and before you know it spring garden beds will be blooming. 

Daffodil spring bulb garden

Safe-T-Pet Ice Melt Keeps your Yard and Garden Healthy

Protect your lawn and gardens in winter with environment friendly ice melt.  This toxic free ice melt is the only product that you can use especially if you have gardens close to your hard surfaces.

Non-toxic ice melt keep your garden healthy

The other products may be cheaper but before you buy read the ingredients.  If you value your soil, and your flower beds, then think twice about using toxic chemicals to melt ice.  Those chemicals will penetrate through the soil and kill your plants at the roots.

Saving a few bucks at the hardware store for a harsh and harmful to environment ice melt sure won’t feel worth it when your wife is making you remove all of the chemical damaged garden soil in the spring to replace with new soil for planting.

Instead pay the few extra bucks and rest easy because Morton Safe-T-Pet Ice melt is salt and chlorine free which means it is safe for your yard, gardens, pets and kids. 

Making Mulch out of Christmas Trees

Before you drag your Christmas tree to the curb for trash pickup, think about recycling it by turning it into nutrient rich  mulch for your yard and garden.

My husband never wanted to make mulch out of the Christmas tree but when he saw all the mulch that he got that was free of charge he realized it was a great savings.  My husband collected all of our neighbors trees that were put out for the trash and by doing this we had enough Christmas tree mulch for our gardens and for our trees or shrubs.

There is some work in getting your tree ready for the wood chipper.  But before you remove all of the branches call your areas recycling center to see if they can chip the whole tree for you.  If not do the following;

  

1.   Remove all of the branches and stack them neatly in a rubber 32 gallon trash bin. When all of the branches are remove set the tree trunk on top.

2.   Call a buddy to see if you can borrow their wood chipper if none is available you may be able to rent one for the day or take your Christmas tree branches to a recycling place that makes yard and garden mulch free of charge.

3.   Use the trash bin to collect your mulch. Then apply the mulch to your garden beds or encircle your shrubs and trees with the fragrant and nutrient rich mulch.