Protect Your Plants from ChickensIf you have chickens or other animals that like to scratch in your containers, put wire over the top of the containers.
Alcohol Kills Mealy BugsIf you find mealy bugs on the coleus or other plants, dab them with a q-tip dipped in alcohol. They die instantly. I keep a bottle of alcohol and q-tips near the coleus plants so I don’t need to run indoors for some.
Early Warmth Followed by FrostWe had a heavy frost 4 nights in a row last week. The temperature dropped into the mid to upper 20s F and there was a rime of hoarfrost on the grass and plants and across the roofs of cars and houses.
Free ClocheA nice size cloche may be expensive. This is a 15 Litre (4 Gallon) water bottle with the bottom cut off. Recycle and save money!
How To Attract Hummingbirds to Your GardenAttract hummingbirds to your yard and garden by planting some of their favorite flowers and by hanging nectar feeders when blooms are not plentiful. In addition to nectar, hummingbirds consume large numbers of tiny insects, such as mosquitoes, aphids, and whiteflies.
Old Dishwater and Homemade InsecticidesI don't ingest harmful chemicals, I don't give them to my family or my cats and I certainly don't want them near my plants or in my soil. So what should I do about those slugs, meal worms, spider mites, cabbage worms and Japanese beetles that insist on destroying my flowers and vegetables? Simple, really. I just do what my grandmother did; I save my old dishwater.
Rain Water HarvestingInvest in a 50 gal drum to use for a rain barrel.
Cover the Holes in the Bottom of Your PotsI used to put coffee filters in the bottom of my flower pots to keep the soil in, but I found they disintegrated too fast, so I now use some landscaping fabric and it holds up much better.
All About Herbaceous PeoniesFor a spectacular flower show in your garden, herbaceous peonies (paeonia) in bloom can’t be beat. They’re a long-lived perennial, they make wonderful cut flowers, and when they’re done blooming the foliage provides a beautiful backdrop to other plants for the rest of the growing season.
Don't Let Weeds Take HoldIt’s best to pull weeds when they’re small. They’re easier to remove, it won’t disturb the roots of nearby plants, and it prevents them from going to seed.
The Best Time of Day To Take CuttingsThe best time of day to take cuttings for propagation is early, early in the morning. The plants' natural rooting hormones are highest up in the tips of the plants in the morning, so you stand a better chance of propagation by taking your cuttings as early as you can. This applies even if you apply a rooting hormone to your cuttings.
When the hosta "eyes" appear, I mix one part household ammonia with ten parts of water and pour this mixture around the eyes close to the plant. It doesn't hurt the plants, but it does dissolve the eggs that are laid around the roots. It has reduced the slug population noticeably. I also pour the ammonia solution directly on slugs that I see on the deck. Dissolves them right away.
Don't Water Plants with Chlorinated WaterWhen watering a Pitcher plant (Sarracenia or Nepenthes) it is best to use rain water or distilled water. They don't like the buildup of salt and minerals that are present in most tap water.
Brighten Up Your Rain Barrels!Use exterior paint for plastics & decorate those rain barrels with flowers or whimsy! People will see them in a whole new light.
Garden Tours: ChelleThis is a Garden Tour you'll long remember. Chelle has done marvelous things with her 10 acres in Indiana and she will show us both the before and after photos. We think you are going to love this tour! (Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge so you'll get the full picture!)
Mini-Greenhouses from Your KitchenRecycle plastic trays and gallon Ziploc bags to make a mini-greenhouse for rooting plants. These are especially good when using damp sphagnum moss for rooting as it tends to dry out quickly. I rinse the trays and and bags and keep a supply on hand. You can write the contents on the bag with magic marker so you won't have to guess what you're rooting. Monitoring your greenhouse is simple with the clear bags.
Good Edging Makes Lawn Care EasyLawn care is made easier with flat trim next to your gardens that the lawn mower can roll over. This also helps to keep the weed-whacker away from your plants.
Planting by the Light of the MoonAunt Bett said, "Listen to the moon. It'll tell you when to plant." I think she was real close to being right.
Milk Jugs Instead of Watering CansI fill empty milk jugs with water to water baskets/plants where no hose is handy. Saves trips into the house or to the hose.
Soapy Water To Defeat Aphids3 teaspoons of dish soap added to a large squirt bottle helps get rid of pests, especially aphids. Spray both sides of your plants.
April Plants for Honey BeesApril is here and beekeepers will be kept busy trying to keep up with their bees' need for extra room to store the bounty collected from the blossoms they visited. April also marks the start of swarm season, so beekeepers will be keeping an eye out for swarms to catch; or they'll be trying to keep them from swarming by making splits.
Butterflies Love FruitWhen trying to attract butterflies to your garden , don't forget to add some ripe fruit.
Protect Strawberries from the BirdsPlant strawberries in hanging baskets to keep the birds from eating the berries before you can. Hang the baskets all over your yard for snacking. I had a row of strawberries and didn't get a single berry before the birds, dug 'em up and put them in hanging baskets and haven't lost a berry yet.
Keep Cats off Your Outdoor FurnitureSetting inexpensive but attractive plastic beach balls on your outdoor furniture will keep unauthorized cats from lounging on it after hours.
Opinion: Erasing Carbon FootprintsI learned a lot growing up. I learned to make do with what I had, I learned to live off the land, I learned to respect nature. But somewhere along the way I almost lost sight of all that learning.
