TIPS · TIPS · TIPS · TIPS
TIPS · TIPS · TIPS · TIPS |
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Tips and Snips
* Plant your vegetable garden in raised beds. Soil will be looser, easier to cultivate, easier to harvest, and beautiful to look at. * Grow your tomatoes, peas, cucumber, and pole beans on decorative structures such as trellises and obelisks. Take advantage of wet poorly drained areas of your garden by planting perennials that like wet feet – examples: cardinal flower and swamp milk weed. * Create a dry river bed look with rocks and gravel and plant with plants found along these “rivers.” * Start a garden journal – write down when and where plants were installed and the rate that the plants progress. Do your journal by season and separate the season into trees, shrubs, bulbs, perennials, roses, and annuals. Mention your biggest successes and failures to help with future planning. Use photos and garden diagrams for mapping and plant locations. * Take note this winter of the most used bird feeders, their location, and type of bird seed along with what feathered friends they attract. * Create a garden with an artist’s eye – color, focal point, texture, structure, and balance. Then pull up a chair and enjoy your new creation. Hanging Basket Tips * Pairing the fussy silver of the Helichrysum (Licorice Plant) with an All-America Selection's Blue wave petunia will make for an attractive contrast of color for any arrangement. You should also consider a burgundy or deep pink flower as contrast coloring with the silver. * The habit of the sweet potato vine, both the burgundy and chartreuse, lets it fall freely downward making it a wonderful plant for hanging baskets. The leaves are bold and growth is vigorous. It thrives in our hot, humid summers. * Creeping Jenny or Pennywort (lime green lysimachia nummularia) looks great with Lantanas of all colors. The lime green leaves compliment and play off the flower colors in many of the lantanas. * Filler plants tend to be underestimated in baskets; however, consider using nemesias, which come with the added bonus of a sweet scent, dahlias, for a heavier filler, or several of our wonderful coleus or perilla for a more full look. * Some plants suitable for the South's hot summers are as follows: * Alice du Pont mandevilla - if placed in the middle of the basket, can create a nice look as it climbs up the chain* Don't be afraid to let the falling plants reach 3 to 4 feet in length, which can make the look more dramatic. * Your soil mix is very important. It should be light and airy and the best you can afford to buy. If you need help to carry the bag, then it is probably too heavy. The Baskct tips made by Norman Winter Book |
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New Spring Tips
* When planning a shrub border, consider more than flower color, consider size of shrub, texture and color of leaves or needles, and growth habit * If you're mulching a border in front of white trellising and don't want splashed mulch staining the lattice, mulch with pine needles. This a great solution for homes with no gutters. * Many 'sun loving' plants appreciate afternoon shade, a respite from summer heat. * When trying to eliminate moles and voles with rodenticides, be careful to dig the pellets into the ground deep enough so that pets are not tempted to sample the goodies. * Prune trees and roses to outside buds to eliminate crossed branches and poor air circulation. * After you have worked hard in the garden, enjoy your labor with a cool iced drink - "take time to smell the roses." Tips found in The New York/Mid-Atlantic Gardener's Book of Lists by Bonnie Lee Appleton and Lois Trigg Chaplin Deer Deterrent (Excerpt from "Mid-Atlantic Gardener's Guide" by Andre and Mark Viette with Jacqueline Heriteau page 244) |
| ........ · Match a garden's style
to that of the house. A rustic fence and cottage garden can highlight
a saltbox home. ........ · Adding an elegant touch such as a stained glass window to a garden house can turn the structure into a focal point. ......... · Create clean, strong design lines in the garden, and then soften them with flowering plants. ......... · The best planting schemes come from experimenting and experience. A good gardener is ready to move or replace plants. ......... · Potted cool-weather plants can create a cheery outdoor space in winter. ......... · Choose plants that highlight rather than hide your home and that are in scale with the structure. .......... · Give guests a clear path to your front door. .......... · Adding a berm provides relief in an otherwise flat landscape and creates the illusion of additional space. .......... · Even the simplest arbors can provide immediate shade for a young garden. .......... · When designing a garden, check for drainage problems before tackling any other task. ......... · An outdoor fireplace lets you enjoy the garden on chilly days or nights. .......... · Focus on texture and foliage for a lush-looking, all-season garden. .......... · All gardens should please the eye, but don't overlook the added dimensions of smell, touch, and sound. .......... · Never design more garden than you feel you can handle. .......... · If you want curves, don't use squiggles. Curves should be simple and bold, which makes them easier to maintain and easier on the eye. .......... · Plant a dense border of trees and shrubs to add privacy and mask neighborhood noise. .......... · Grass terraces are cooler and more comfortable in summer than those made of brick or stone. .......... · To give a pool a natural look, use a dark-colored concrete base and plant grass close to the pool's edge. .......... · Berry-producing shrubs and even the simplest water feature attract birds to the garden. .......... · Low walls are a great way to enclose a terrace and add extra seating. .......... · Mirroring the style of an existing water feature helps a new pool blend with the rest of the landscape. .......... · Dark Paint is an inexpensive camouflage for an unattractive wire or chain-link fence. .......... · Arrange sitting areas where afternoon shade and breezes cool the garden in summer. Vines often provide shade more quickly than trees. The tips mentioned above were found in Southern Living: Landscape Book |
| ........ Make a rabbit barrier from used kitty litter - put some on
the outside of your garden (never on the soil used to grow edible plants),
and it will form a scent fence rabbits won't dare cross. ~~ Jerry
Baker ........ Make up your own Rot Go Tonic mix to prevent blossom end rot on your tomatoes:  1t. gypsum, 1t. Epsom salt, and 1 big shovel of compost.
.........Mix in a bucket and add a trowelful to the hoe when you plant tomato seedlings. ~~ Jerry Baker .........Dust seed potato pieces with talcum powder to prevent seed potato from rotting. .........To prevent chiggers from eating your ankles and any other places where clothing restriction occurs, dust your shoes and ankles with flowers of sulfur. ~~ Kay Wilson-Hayes ......... To gather soil samples, make a 11/4" hole in a 1-gallon plastic bucket or flower pot. Use a cordless drill and a 1-inch wood bit to drill the soil through the hole and into the container. Make sure the bit is long enough to drill 6 to 8 inches into the ground. ~~ Journal Magazine ..........To "heal" a split in a garden hose, use PVC cement. Straighten hose, paint cement on spot, and allow drying. Hose is still supple and useable. ~~ Garden Gate ..........Walk in the woods and gather moss to use as a decorative blanket for houseplants that will be moved to a shady area during the summer. ..........Do you have a spring flowering bush that is in a pivotal part of your garden? When it finishes blooming, is there a real hole in your color palette? If so, under-plant with summer flowering clematis that will extend the color in that spot. ~~ Garden Gate ..........While the trees are still leafless, critically assess your garden's bones. Assess statuary and hardscapes. Should something be moved or enlarged? Look at access to different areas. How do your walkways function? It is much easier to "eye" and judge these features during the winter and early spring without the distraction of leaves and flowers. ......... To keep tall, thin bud vases from tipping over, put sand in the bottom as ballast. ..........When putting up a trellis for vining plants, make sure there is space between the wall and trellis for air circulation. This is beneficial to both your house and the plants. ..........Plant herbs and tomatoes in containers or gardens that are close to your cooking area. The plants help set the stage for the wonderful recipes they star in. ..........If you've had a lot of snow and ice, you may have an excess of wood ash. Compost this by itself to use in next year's snow and ice storms. Use ash on walks and stairs rather than salt. The ash will not adversely affect foundation plants where salt may. ..........Do your weeding after a rain or after irrigating. This will ensure that the roots will be removed as easily as the tops. ..........Plan now for your dried flowers in the fall. Plant larkspur, statice, yarrow, and other annuals and perennials that are easily hang-dried so they can be enjoyed in spring and winter bouquets. ..........Take a look at your porches and patios and plan your planters and pots. Repair and paint your containers so that by mid-April you'll be ready to fill them with wonderful Maplewood proven winners and annuals. ..........To keep birds from flying into plate glass windows in the winter, tape small pieces of paper to the glass. If you want to invite spring's arrival, cut out flower shapes or valentines or shamrocks from colored posterboard. ~~ Grace Crawley |
| * When spraying roses with Funginex or Immunex, add a few drops of
dishwashing detergent and liquid fertilizer for the perfect blend of
cure and food for your roses. (Clip contributed by Earl Hoppes) * For an inexpensive weed barrier, layer 4 or 5 sheets of newspaper over garden area, plant your shrubs, etc. and cover newspaper with bark mulch. The paper is biodegradable, and breaks down slowly enough to block weeds. * Create a fanciful fall scarecrow to scare away predators but still decorate the garden. Encourage children and grandchildren to help. Mr. and Mrs. Scarecrow can reinvent themselves for the Christmas season into a ScareClause! * If salt-water spray affects your shrubs or trees during a hurricane, hose the salt off as quickly as possible. * Fall and Winter are the best times to assess the sculptural habits of your plantings. Look with an artist's eye at shape, size and balance as well as color. Use the subtleties of texture - leaves vs. needles and select plants that create the effect you want. * Ashes from your fireplace can be used beneficially in most veggies and flowers, but do not use in azaleas or heathers which prefer acid soils. * Asparagus tops become a lovely gold in fall and can be used in Autumn arrangements. Gives new meaning to food for the stomach and the soul. * When putting a bench in your garden, place it in the bed itself so you won't have to move it each time you mow. * Kill weeds, moss, or grass in a brick walk by dousing with undiluted bleach. * Reuse old slate shingles as an edge material on the borders of your garden. Just cut a trench, insert shingle, and bang in to make all the same height * Plant mint around your dog pen to repel flies on hot days. * If rhodys or "rhododendrums" have grown too tall for their location, consider pruning them into a tree, then underplant with shade loving hosta, lamium, ferns, or vinca to help cool roots. * Work a handful or two of bonemeal around your rose bushes before winter to assure spectacular blooms next year. *Do not fertilize newly planted shrubs and trees for at least 4 weeks. * Do not cut mums or salvia back in the Winter as their hollow open stems catch winter rains and then the crown of the plant is damaged as the water freezes in the stems. Cut these plants back when it warms up toward the end of March. * Do not put bird feeder with Black oil sunflower seeds near boadleaf plants ex: Hydrangea, as the seeds secrete a toxin to plants. Watch other plants in vicinity to make sure no damage occurs (from an article by Pete and Ann Rowe in Master Gardener Newsletter) |
| ....Protect your
jeans from your pruners by using an old eyeglass case as a holder for
your pruners when working in the garden. ....To add a little more water to hanging baskets, cube some oasis and insert in the soil. Wet the oasis before you add the dirt and plants to give you a little grace time between waterings .....Do you have an old garden rake with no handle. Hang the rake end on the wall and use it to hang gardening hand tools on. ....If you have a brick walk, spritz it with water to let the butterflies have a drink. A flat rock provides the same treat. ....Next time your family enjoys watermelon put a chunk out for the butterflies. ....Hummingbirds love tubular flowers, but Butterflies prefer flowers that have a flat or conical shape. They are easier to land on. ....Train a clematis vine to climb an ornamental tree. Then you can enjoy the flowers of the tree and the flowers of the clematis. ....To create an interesting entryway it is not necessary to mirror one side of the entrance with the other. It is just necessary to have each side balance with the same 'weight' of plantings. This creates a more casual, relaxed design. . . ...Remember that Winter is coming. There are plants that are not evergreens that still are full of winter interest. Diciduous hollies, red twig dogwoods, and the sculptured grace of crape myrtles with their mottled bark.When selecting a new plant look at all its assets in each season, so that your garden is always full of surprises and wonderful plants. ....Break a big landscape job into smaller tasks. Have an overall plan and start your work at the foundation so that you have gratification each time you go into the house. Then complete gardens from the foundation out. Remember to look back and "smell the flowers" as you progress. ....Use old panty hose, cut in strips, as ties to fasten vines to trellises. Gives a whole new meaning to "support hose" ....When installing yards of fencing, save yourself some time and aggravation by digging the holes for one section and then installing the posts and rails before moving on to the next section, Digging all the holes first leaves room for error - if one hole is off by a few inches, it quickly becomes a 6" PROBLEM. ....Use your spent coffee grinds around the base of gardenia bushes. (This tip comes to us from Mary Hamilton Stuart) ....Do you love bananas? Seems that your roses do too! Plant the peels around the base of your roses to give them a shot of potassium too. ....Train a climbling rose and a clematis on the same trellis. Use an early blooming rose and a late blooming clematis (or one that blooms all summer) for a spectacular show of color and texture. |
