Magnificent May - Gardening & Birding Tips

~ Time to hang your hummingbird feeder! The syrup is one part sugar to 4 parts water. Boil, dissolve, cool & store remainder.

~ Good garden gloves will protect your hands. The nitrile type still leaves you with a good feel of the plants & soil.

~ Check your 10 day forecast for overnight temps. You may be able to get a jump on planting those annuals.

~ Add a slow release fertilizer like Osmocote to each planting hole, container & scratched in the soil around your existing perennials.

~ Keep an eye on tall growing, late summer blooming perennials like obedient plant & asters. You have until Late June to take them down some inches without affecting the bloom. For phlox and bee balm you have until late May.

~ Try a different annual for shade this year. Impatiens are on their way out due to a fungal disease, downy mildew. (double & New Guinea are not affected). Try torenia or wax begonias which are both available at a flat price.

~ Have a garage sale this spring & clean out. Divide off some perennials & sell those too!

~ Mind your back when planting in the next few weeks. We can no longer do it all in a day like years past! Plant only until your enjoyment lasts & save some for another day.

~ Set up a temporary planting station so you can stand or sit to plant those containers comfortably. Use saw horses, fruit baskets & an old door for a roomy table surface.

~ Check out the perennials blooming now like columbine, coral bells, lungwort, lily-of-the-valley, fairy bells, lamium, fern-leaf bleeding heart & consider adding them to your garden.

Container Gardens - Summer Plants

    When choosing your container plants always consider the sun exposure you have first of all & then plan your choices. You will ALWAYS see other plants not on your list that just strike a chord with your gardening soul. Go for it & try them out. Learning by experience is the best teacher. I offer this advice is as a guide to save you money and frustration.

    For sun & part sun the plants that are traditional but DO NOT do well in containers generally are: ageratum, dahlia, geranium, marigolds, gerbera daisy, snapdragon (hates container heat), osteopermum (only blooms in cool temps), verbena, rosebud impatiens. What we are looking for are continual bloomers that are fine with container heat.

     Here are your sun/part sun choices: I use angelonia in many planters these days as a thriller. It comes in shades of purple & pinks & is maintenance-free (no deadheading, discretely stake early on). My largest planters are only 18”-24” across so I watch the size of the thriller. I LOVE the begonia ‘dragon wing’ variety (available in pink & red, green leaf). I use this in my hanging baskets; one plant grows so large it’s all you need. This year I will pair with euphorbia ‘diamond frost’. Others to consider (other than the traditional dracaena spikes) are canna, mandevillia, papyrus, cordyline, new guinea impatiens (requires LOTS of water). Tree standards like lantana, hibiscus, citrus, magnolia, & boxwood are lovely. I use a magnolia tree standard in the center of my arrangement of planters; I just love the fragrance.

    The filler choices are many. I like calibrachoa (million bells, spreads across), euphoria ‘diamond frost’ (airy white flowers are PERFECT for any planter!), heliotrope (purple, sweet smelling flowers, but grows fast!), petunia (wave variety makes a great spiller), lantana, wax begonias, salvia, coleus, zinnia (pinch these for perfection!). Consider perennial heuchera & hosta or dicentra (fernleaf) for shade. (you may have these free right now outside, just divide off).

    The spillers are lamium, Jenny’s tears (perennial), wave petunias, ivys, scaevola, vinca vine, torenia summer wave, dichondera.

    For shade consider NOT USING the regular bedding impatiens as filler this year. (More on this in a blog coming soon.) There is a fungus among us (downy mildew) & it is affecting the impatiens. Instead try coleus, dragon wing begonias (less blooms in the shade), new guinea impatiens (not affected), boxwood & other miniature trees as thrillers. Fillers such as heuchera, hosta, torenia, dicentra, begonias, fuchia & perilla love the shade and are colorful. Spillers such as sweet potato vine, lamium, ivy, purpleheart (deep purple leaves with bright purple flower) will thrive.

I hope this will get you started. Again, remember to check your planting zone for frost free planting dates! Check out this cool link below!!!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/index.php?q=19002&submit=Go

Container Gardens - Get Ready For Summer!

    It is getting close to plant my annual containers (Zone 7) & the blank canvas I see every year is the most exciting part. I have given you some of the actual container basics in Container Gardens 101 & watering advice in Watering Container Gardens 101, now it’s time for the artist in all of us to shine!

     Before I get to the actual plants, I want you to consider the complimentary colors & some beautiful color blends. (see wheel at left) There are never any right or wrong color choices because whatever you choose will blend like a wonderful English cottage garden. The basics: blues compliment peaches, tangerine/mango (the 2012 color of the season), & orange. Lots of green foliage compliments the pinks & reds. Yellows compliment the purples. I like white anywhere. These are some basics. I use the purples, pinks & white together for a soft, seamless look. Also blending many shades of a color together is a very sophisticated look. (Think pinks or purples because the selection is endless) Again, there are no wrong colors, the sky’s the limit! Be creative & squint like an artist.

     Containers of the large size have three basic components: the thriller, filler & spiller. The thriller is your centerpiece plant. The filler plants are your lower growers that surround the thriller. The spiller plants will spill & drape over the sides of your container giving a soft look. Look around your yard first before you shop. You may have some plants waiting for you. I use Lamium (pictured at left) for my spiller plant. It makes a wonderful ground cover, but has a spilling growth habit & it’s free! Vinca vine is also a nice choice.

     Consider the sun exposure you have first of all & then plan your wish list. You will ALWAYS see other plants not on your list that just strike a cord. Go for it & try them out. Learning by experience is the best teacher. I offer this advice is as a guide to save you money. Tomorrow I will post the plant choices as a guideline only. Proper sun exposure, watering & maintenance will make all your planters a success!     

Remember to check your planting zone for frost free planting dates! Check out this cool link below!!!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/index.php?q=19002&submit=Go

Wonderful Spray Paint!

    You might wonder what one can do while waiting for the garden planting lull to pass. It’s too early to put in the annuals, no need to water this time of year; you may have a few perennials to move… Well have some fun with spray paint! Give me a can of spray paint in a great color or two & the sky’s the limit!

    I love to use the Rustoleum Painter’s Touch Multi-Purpose Spray Paint (Krylon is nice too) to freshen up some of my garden stakes, planters, bird feeders & decorations. It’s easy, fun & for little money has a big impact. The paint can be found at Home depot, etc. but I like the colors they have at A.C. Moore & Michaels (and you can use the 40%-50% off coupon there – so around $3.00 a can!) Two of my favorite colors, pictured at left are Key Lime & Jade. Just lay down some newspaper & wear gloves to protect the mani. Spray on thin coats; the paint dries very quickly & can be used on wood, metal, wicker baskets & more. Both my projects here are metal. The planter had a nice patina but rust was compromising the structural integrity. This turquoise/jade color was a perfect complement to where it will end up, against the brick of my house. The suet feeder has been a favorite of mine for years but started to fade drastically. So, I cleaned it up & voila, brand new! Look around at your house or at garage sales this season & see what you can repurpose. Check out the link below for all my before & afters so far this spring.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77860913@N03/?saved=1

Salvia ~ Sage

     One of my top picks for a perennial for anyone’s garden is salvia or sage. ‘May Night’, pictured at left, is a wonderful, compact bloomer. It will profusely bloom in a few weeks & then bloom all the way through fall! There are not many perennials with that much bloom time. Although it is a member of the mint family, it will not spread. This plant only needs a little early care & then some deadheading to keep it going.

     First, plant in full sun to light shade in a well-draining soil, do not overwater this plant. Second, you need to stake it early on. The large leaves when mixed with rain will cause some flopping. In the picture to the left, I tie each plant to the lamppost with fishing line. (I’ve been using fishing line for years & it works wonderfully; it’s inexpensive, you can’t see it, & it does not cut into any stems.) This plant will grow towards the light, so carefully stake to compensate for that. I have one in my largest perennial garden that grows so tall because it competes for sunshine with the taller plants around it. That really needs some staking. I also have a white variety that is really beautiful & low growing. Remember to keep deadheading & you will have blooms into fall!

Fabulous Fragrance ~ Lilac & Lily-of-the-Valley

    There are no plants or shrubs for me that can out-fragrance the lilac & lily-of-the-the valley. Blooming on the heels of each other in the spring, these two totally different joys of the garden are a must have.

    The sun-loving lilac shrub is glorious this time of year. The beautiful shades of purple blooms & heady fragrance are a real treat. My French lilac, pictured at left (at least 30 to 40 years old) is a staple in many a garden. We grow them for their color & blooms. I cut vases full this time of year. My tips are as follows: cut your blooms & put in lukewarm water right away. The stems need as much water as possible, so cut the stems on a loooong angle or smash the lower stems completely to allow as much water to be absorbed. Even with all that, I prefer not to cut the blooms all at once. Every couple of days will give you the freshest blooms & delightful fragrance. My French lilac is blooming a few weeks early this year due to warmer than usual spring temps. I have a dwarf ‘Miss Kim’ variety that will bloom in another month or so. A great choice to lengthen the love of lilacs! Don’t let the dwarf name fool you, though. It still will need to be pruned to keep a smaller shape but it is an easy one to trim (after it blooms). See below for a link on pruning the traditional lilac. Plant and enjoy the fragrance for years to come!

http://gardening.about.com/od/pruning/a/Pruning_Lilacs.htm

     The fast-spreading ground cover, lily-of-the-the valley, has to be the best smelling ground cover around! This rhizome is easy to grow & likes most soil conditions & likes sun or shade. Pictured at left, the same applies when cutting for vases. Cut as many as you need for a few days & then cut more. The delicate bell-shaped flowers dry up quickly. I also cut a few of their beautiful leaves for a simple arrangement. There is even a pink variety ‘Rosea’ that is gorgeous! There really is no maintenance here. Just control their place in your garden by dividing them in summer if needed. These will be peaking soon for me, can’t wait!

Marigolds for Vegetable Gardens

    While putting your wish-list of bedding annuals to buy this year, I am sure the lovely marigold will be present and accounted for. Many gardeners just sow the fast germinating seeds right into the ground. I’m here to remind you of their pluses (so many) & minuses (just one).

    First the minus: The marigold does not do well traditionally in a planter/container garden. So if you are looking for yellow in your planter, look elsewhere. So that being said, the pluses: they do beautifully in the garden beds. Planting in or around your vegetable garden, especially, will be a great benefit to you & your investment. Marigolds have abundant amounts of pollen & nectar & will attract the pollinators (bees, butterflies) you need for your fruit & vegetables. (Mix in a few zinnias there too!) They are also considered to discourage destructive parasitic nematodes (roundworms) in your soil. They make wonderful cut flowers too! With their beautiful traditional fall colors, they are a vase staple for me come September!

Remember to check your planting zone for frost free planting dates! Check out this cool link below!!!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/index.php?q=19002&submit=Go

Watering Container Gardens 101 - Dechlorination

    So as we are joyfully putting are lovely garden planters together for spring, and shortly for summer, we need to remember the ‘art of watering’ them. When we water for the first time, we need to water thoroughly to remove any air pockets that may be left. Subsequent watering will depend on need this time of year. When it begins to get hot EC style, we need to water every day & sometimes twice. If your planters are left to completely dry out over & over again, the water will begin to do a ‘run-off’. It will appear to soak in but what often happens is the hard shell that has formed forces the water to the sides, down the sides of the container & out the drainage holes. A tell-tale sign of this is immediate water drainage, where you might say I guess it doesn’t need any water. (I find this happens more towards August when it gets hotter & I get a tiny bit lazier). To save your smaller planters, you can submerge them completely in water until the soil completely soaks through. Your larger containers will need some work around the plant bases to loosen as much as you can of the older soil. (Just adding additional soil still masks the hard shell underneath.)

      Now for the ever important lesson on dechlorination. (I can hear some friends chuckling now; they think I’m ‘over-enthusiastic’) Our tap water contains levels of chlorine for healthy drinking purposes. That same chlorine can damage your plants & kill the healthy organisms in your soil. When talking about containers, we are dealing with a finite amount of soil that needs to stay healthy so your plants thrive. (Your garden beds can heal themselves, but it’s always a good idea to water the soil, not the leaves with your hose water. A good reason to have soaker hoses that lay close to the soil.)

    I dechlorinate it two inexpensive ways. The first is to fill your watering cans so they sit for at least 24 hours before you water your containers. This will allow the chlorine to evaporate. The larger the mouth of the can, the quicker the evaporation. The added benefit to this is it will also get the water to air temperature which is best for your planters. So the routine being, water then fill before you go in for the day/night, they will be ready to go the next day. Having many watering cans is helpful (many can be found at garage sales – cheap!) My second tip is to use crystals that are used for fish tank water to dechlorinate immediately. These can be found in any pet store. My $10.00 jar treats 25,000 gallons! (I use PURA Chlorlock, very simple & effective). What you do is mix a little concentrated mixture according to directions. I keep in a small container & add two dropperfuls to each watering can. Having this option is beneficial when you have a plethora of planters as I do!

    This may seem like added work, but it really is easy & the investment in your plants is nurtured in a big way! You will notice a difference, but remember to keep feeding your containers all summer & fall. The constant watering does wash away some nutrients. Enjoy the link below that explains it all!

http://www.gardenguides.com/80170-dechlorinate-water-garden-plants.html

Shopping the Garage Sale 101

     Having a garage sale is hard work, but very rewarding both financially and feng shui-ishly. (new word – but doesn’t it feel wonderful to have less stuff?) Now, this blog will teach how to get new stuff on the cheap. I know, but we just went to the trouble of purging old stuff! I will keep the above quote going because this time when you are ‘shopping’, you will remember these words – must be useful & beautiful.

      To start, begin checking Craig’s List, local newspaper ads & signs that begin to pop up on telephone poles, etc. starting Thursday & Friday for sales that might interest you. Most ads give an overview of what to expect & times to arrive. You can usually get there a little sooner unless they specifically say ‘no earlybirds’. Map out your route & times. Neighborhood sales are wonderful because you hit dozens of homes at once & get some exercise too! Bring a great cup of coffee or tea & a snack with you. (You will need sustenance to keep you going!) Think outside the box when it comes to possibilities to improve your home & garden. I personally love garden chotskies, but sometimes they need some refurbishing. (more on that in a later blog) Think outside the box on gardening containers & sweet little statues you might tuck into your plantscape here & there. (I have an angel garden & a bunny garden all from rummage/garage sale items) It’s fun to collect & so inexpensive. The majority of decorations my Mom admires at my home/garden have come from these sales. (It’s now our running joke, and she’ll say “how much?” & I’ll say “a dollar”.)

      Now a word on pricing; this should not be an expensive proposition. If you are buying a few items say totaling $4.00, you may ask for a ‘bundled’ price of $3.00 for everything. (Channel your inner American Picker). Ninety-five percent of the time you get a yes on that. Rummage sales/flea markets at churches, etc. usually price things so cheaply that you don’t need to bargain. They have checkout lines & it makes it hard to haggle. But, since it’s such a worthy cause, it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is to have fun with the adventure & anticipation. You can get some retail therapy at non-retail pricing. (I can’t tell you how many Yankee Candles I’ve gotten over the years for a dollar or less – now that’s fun!) Every week is something new & remember – useful & beautiful!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

    I’ve always been a backyard bird watcher. I started my backyard species count almost twenty years ago. But, I was more determined to attract the Ruby-throated Hummingbird to my yard than any other species! East of the Mississippi, this is the only hummingbird we will see. I was okay with that, I knew how much joy this one tiny, 3-1/2” bird would bring. So I proceeded to hang my sugar water feeder, & change the nectar religiously all season, year after year. I began planting appropriate plants that would attract the little sweethearts. I waited & waited, still nothing; but I was not discouraged. An avid reader of Birds & Blooms, I knew it would happen for me too. I know that gardeners & bird watchers both need a little faith, a little perspiration, & a little luck to get them through to the ‘joy of it all’.

     So after about three years (yes, years) my first hummingbird arrived & they have been here ever since!!! I did what every birder does: screamed, jumped up & down, called everyone I knew (that would care) & prayed she would come back! The male has the beautiful iridescent red throat & green iridescent upperparts & belly. The female has green upperparts & whitish underparts. In my yard they are most active in the morning & dinnertime, early evening. That is when this video was filmed by my daughter. We were both standing inches from the feeder. They were so active that evening I knew it was time for her to get “up close & personal” with them. They are very territorial & feed one at a time here. In the video you can hear their soft, little squeeks.

    All you need is a feeder & some sugar water. You can make your own by boiling water & mixing one part sugar to four parts water. Store what you don’t use in the fridge. No need to fill your feeder to the top at first. See how much they drink first. With the hot summer you need to clean & refill every few days. Hang your feeder at a window where you can really enjoy the antics! As for plants in your garden, I have had the most success attracting these gems with bee balm, coral bells, honeysuckle, trumpet vine & various other red flowers. They are attracted to the color red, but there is no need to color your sugar water. They will start to arrive around the end of April (zone 7) and hang until early September. Be patient, they will come! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE4o5lqjKW4&feature=youtu.be

Having a Garage Sale 101

    Well if the above quotation was as easy as all that, especially after years of accumulation! I believe you need to start somewhere & having a garage/tag sale is a productive way to start.

     Spring is a wonderful time to sort through your things, be generous with the phrase ‘I don’t need this anymore’, and make some money while purging your things! As a veteran of at least four garage sales over the years, I can offer some helpful tips. First, as you go through your things, be willing to put it all out there. There is a buyer for everything. Second, price to sell! You do not want to bring it all back in the house. Third, advertise well using signs (they sell great ones & pricing stickers at the Dollar store) & use Craig’s list to detail your items. Post your sale with photos if you like the week before your date(s). Update it periodically so it will move to the top of the listings. Have your sale on Saturday, but consider Friday also. I have had my sales both days & make more money on Friday. (It is a lot of work, so why not two days?) There is less competition on Friday. Sundays are never a good day. Fourth, make sure you have lots of tables so people can see your items easily; shoppers will walk right by a mess of items. Fifth, have fun! It’s a great way to see neighbors & meet new people. I often sell some perennials & have great garden talk with shoppers. Lastly, have a plan for what you don’t sell. You can donate to a local good will or charity. Even do a ‘curb alert’ on Craig’s List. That way someone who really needs it will come by and remove it for you. Remember, everything that’s not useful or beautiful goes!

Spring Flowers for Containers

     Now that you have some container guidelines under your belt, it is time to choose some plants for spring. Keeping the cost low is always a good option because you will be swapping out your plants come mid-May-June for summertime. I like to look in my garden first to see what is available…

      The three components of a nicely arranged planter are the thriller, the filler & the spiller. The thriller is the centerpiece of your arrangement. It stands taller than your other plants and has a ‘wow’ factor. The filler are the plants that encircle your thriller & occupy much of the room. You can have one to three different varieties if you choose, or the same plant in various colors. The spiller is planted along the edges of your container and drapes/hangs over the edges to soften them.

     A nice plant for the spring as your thriller is the perennial hellebore. There are varieties with more flowers to start than leaves, and after you do the swap you can find a nice shady location for it to spend many years. Heather (Erica – zones 9-10) pictured in my planter at left is beautiful but needs 40 degree temps at lowest, but again can go in your garden later for the entire season. Just about to flower bulbs like daffodils, tulips, hyacinths are also nice choices. Here you would need a number of bulbs. Your fillers can be pansies, forget-me- nots (growing right now in your garden – pictured at left), lettuces (which come in many shades of green and maroon). For spillers think of the lamium (beacon silver – pictured at left) & vinca vine (periwinkle) again growing right now in your garden. Also, think of adding ‘twigs’ like pussy willow, forsythia, quince, redbud. These make a lovely backdrop if your plant is against a building.

    Don’t forget to ‘mulch’. I like to think outside the box for a planter or two. At left I used some plastic Easter eggs. Dollar store colored glass gems & seashells collected from vacations also make nice choices.

    Just have fun & be creative. Water really well the first time to remove all the air pockets from the soil. Enjoy!!