Herbs: Growing Your Own
July 31, 2007
The first thing you need to do when deciding to create your own Herb Garden is to decide on the size of the plot of land you want to use. This will depend on what herbs and how much you want to grow. Unless you are an experienced gardener or a herb fanatic don’t make your plot too big at first. Remember, you can always add to it later. You can create a raised bed to grow your herbs in and always add more when you decide you need to grow more. Remember to plan out your planting sequence and keep records of what is planted where as well as marking your planting with plastic nametags.
You need to remember that most herbs usually like well-drained soil so start your bed with a good layer of gravel that will help drainage. Place your soil on top of this but remember to add some compost into this. If you have a free draining soil to start with you should be able to manage without the gravel. Make sure your plot is in full sun as many herbs originate in the Mediterranean region.
Butterfly Gardening
July 30, 2007
Butterfly gardening is not only a joy, it is one way that you can help restore declining butterfly populations. Simply adding a few new plants to your backyard may attract dozens of different butterflies, according to landscape designers at the University of Guelph.
Butterflies, like honeybees, are excellent pollinators and will help increase your flower, fruit and vegetable production if you provide them with a variety of flowers and shrubs. They are also beautiful to watch, and are sometimes called “flowers on the wing.”
- Begin by seeding part of your yard with a wildflower or butterfly seed mix, available through seed catalogues and garden centers. Wildflowers are a good food source for butterflies and their caterpillars.
- Choose simple flowers over double hybrids. They offer an easy-to-reach nectar source.
- Provide a broad range of flower colors. Some butterflies like oranges, reds and yellows while others are drawn toward white, purple or blue flowers.
- Arrange wildflowers and cultivated plants in clumps to make it easier for butterflies to identify them as a source of nectar.
- If caterpillars are destroying favorite plants, transfer them by hand to another food source. Avoid the use of pesticides, which can kill butterflies and other beneficial insects.
Feeding the Hummingbirds
July 29, 2007
Early in May here in west central Wisconsin, I can count on seeing a Ruby Throated Hummingbird hovering in front of my kitchen window, flitting back and forth, as if to say, “there was a hummingbird feeder RIGHT HERE last year. Where is it?”
And then I know it is time to put out hummingbird nectar. I feed a 3-to-1 mixture of water and sugar (3 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar brought to a boil and cooled to room temperature). After the hummingbirds’ long trip from South America, they are thin and hungry.
The general rule-of-thumb is a 4-to-1 mixture, but to start out in early spring I always use a 3-to-1 mixture. Later on in the summer, when there are more flowers available, I switch to a 4-to-1 mixture.
I know it is important to wash the hummingbird feeder when I fill it to clean out any mold. I know it is also important to thoroughly rinse the hummingbird feeder when I am finished cleaning it to remove any soap or other chemicals.
10 Free Gardening Products
July 29, 2007
One of the pleasurable spin-offs in organic gardening is finding alternative ways of coming up with the same, if not better, end result…..
Household throwaways can be valuable to the alternate enthusiast. Here are ten recyclable ideas to make gardening a little less hard on the pocket!
1. Hedge clippings: Instead of burning or direct composting, beg, borrow or even buy, if the quantity justifies the price, an electric garden muncher.
Branches up to an inch in diameter are posted into a slot and the machine munches them up into small chips. Spread these chips thickly around shrubs or fruit trees to help keep moisture in, and control the temperature of the soil.
2. Food Waste: All food waste must be composted. Composting is becoming quite an art form, and special composting bins can be bought, or very simply made.
There are many different theories and each gardener will find his or her preferred way. Keeping the compost fairly warm is the overall key to a good result. Or, if you’re in no hurry, simply keep adding to a heap, and dig out the bottom when required. Sieve before using and the compost will be ready for planting small plants and even seeds.
Gardening - Natural Science NOT Rocket Science
July 28, 2007
Don’t force yourself out of the most profitable hobby in the universe because you think it’s too hard to learn …It isn’t!
Gardening is fast becoming the world’s number one hobby, and with all the latest ‘alternative’ information we have to hand, gardening as a natural science is fun to learn about and rewarding in the extreme…
Produce your own fruit and veg - cut the shopping trips.
Keep it organic!- be nice to the planet, and your body.
Stay fit and healthy with exercise and fresh air.
Spend quality family time in the outdoors.
Turbo boost your creative spirit
And if that isn’t enough to be going on with, learn about plant-kind in all it’s glory. From trees through to fungi, there are millions of plants to research, grow and eat- no chance of getting bored!
First you have to take your first step.
Start gardening, be a gardener, enjoy your garden.
Starting from scratch? Let your imagination run wild. Stand in the centre (-ish) of your garden and imagine..close your eyes if you like.
Growing Great Asparagus
July 27, 2007
I went out to feed the birds this morning - the temperature was comfortably above freezing, and a downy woodpecker was telegraphing his territorial rights on the nearest utility pole. I realized it was time to feed the asparagus.
If you love fresh, succulent spears of asparagus but rankle at the price you pay for them (and the quality you get) at the grocery store, consider growing your own. Unlike most vegetables, asparagus is a perennial plant - one planting will return year after year, and a well-tended bed can produce an abundant crop for 25 years or more. Asparagus is an investment, and like most investments, requires some specific steps in order to reap rewards.
DIRT IS EVERYTHING
Asparagus needs soil which is rich in organic matter and drains easily. If your soil is like mine - clay that is as unworkable as Play-Doh - you’ll need to incorporate goodies such as leaf mold, aged manures and compost the season before you plant. Asparagus also likes full sun, so be sure that your plot gets a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight during the growing season.
BUY GOOD STOCK
How To Brighten Up Your Home With These Flower Arrangement Ideas
July 26, 2007
A beautiful flower arrangement piece can become the focal point of the room you choose to decorate. It’s truly fascinating how we can combine different flowers to create a mesmerizing bouquet. With the vast selection of colors, fragrances and shapes, you can create or readily buy a flower arrangement piece that will speak to you and others walking in the room what you want to communicate.
First thing to do is decide where you will be placing your flower arrangement. Will it be placed on the floor in your hall, on top of a piece of furniture?
What about the space where your arrangement will sit? Will you need a finished piece that is tall, round, wide or full? What is the decor of the room you’ve selected that will contrast powerfully with your flowers?
Don’t limit your creativity!
There are several design styles you can choose from and we have included a variety of design here for you to get those creative juices flowing.
Use these as a guide to creating your own flower arrangement style. Pictures of the flower arrangements below can be found at our site.
Bud Vases
22 Fun Things To Do With Your Dozen Rose Gift
July 25, 2007
Your dozen rose gift doesn’t only have to decorate your favorite room. Roses are about romance and enjoying the moment they are given and received. I’ve discovered some fun ways to use roses to create a stimulating day or night.
So read through this list of fun rose goodies.
Spice up your relationship and turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary day you will both remember. Select your favorite and have fun!
* Send your partner a dozen roses of their favorite color along with a check for a hundred kisses.
* Order a dozen roses, eleven red and one white. In your personal message write something like: "In every bunch there’s one that stands out ? and you are that one".
* Want your partners’ eyes to glow? Order a bouquet of different colored roses and place each one in a different place in your home. Where you place the dozen roses, also place a small card (decorate it nicely if you like) where it will state the meaning of each colored rose and how that meaning fits in with your lives.
Spurce Up Your Garden With Decorative Birdhouses
July 24, 2007
Decorative Birdhouses are active garden ornamentation –the presence and movement of birds creates a fluid focal point for your garden. As such, placement is critical for you to earn maximum benefit from your birdhouses. Cavity nesting birds will not be attracted to your garden without the appropriate environment. Each bird has a particular way they want to live and specific needs.
You’ll have a better chance of getting the feathered tenant of your choice if you do your research. For example, if you want to host Eastern Bluebirds, you’ll need to place the birdhouse at approximately 5 feet high and provide an entrance of 1 ½ inch in diameter. On the other hand, The Northern Flicker is drawn by heights of up to 30 feet and needs a southeast facing home. Wrens like their nests to be located in shrubs, while Swallows desire close proximity to bodies of water. Building a pond or enhancing an existing one will make your garden more attractive to these particular birds. You will also enjoy the added aesthetic.
About Hummingbirds and How to Attract Them to Your Garden
July 24, 2007
Visualize watching a bright green hummingbird in your garden moving from flower to flower in search of the tasty nectar within. These beautiful and tiny birds weigh about 2 to 20 grams and are found in a wide variety of environments from the high Andes to lowlands, and from dry desert areas to rainforests. They have slender beaks, extensible tongues, ten primary feathers, and tiny feet suitable for perching but not walking.
Hummingbirds can fly straight up, straight down, backwards, left, right, and even upside down. While most birds obtain their flight strength only from the down stroke, hummingbirds have power on the up stroke as well.
Most hummingbirds flap their wings about fifty times a second and have a very fast heartbeat and high body temperature. They feed every ten minutes or so throughout the day and typically consume two-thirds of their body weight in a single day. Their source of nutrition is primarily nectar from flowers, as well as sources of protein from insects and tiny spiders.
