Houseplants, Part Three: Tropical and Other Unique Plants

January 12, 2015January 13, 2015 / The Bent Trowel / Leave a comment

I hope everyone had a wonderful week! It was the coldest week yet for this winter in Buffalo. Sub-zero wind chills and single digits for a good portion of the week made the temperature in the teens that we experienced the other day feel down right balmy!

Brrr! Icy cold was everywhere!

We had a nasty lake effect band come in the wee hours of Friday morning, dumping 9 inches of snow at my house, and more in some other areas. Work was delayed until noon, so I took advantage of the situation and went snowshoeing in the rare, yet precious powder we get around these parts! There were great examples of winter interest all around me:

The way the snow was on this tree reminded me of zebra stripes!

Grateful for this perfect cold and snowy morning!

I finished up the weekend by cross-country skiing, and sadly, my binding broke on my ski and I wanted to cry. Those were my dad’s skis, and even though the bindings are ancient in technology terms (the skis I am using are close to 30 years old), those have been the only skis I have ever loved and used so much! Hopefully, all I have to do is get new bindings.

While I must say people thought I was crazy because I went out this weekend, the wind was really bad, at times visibility was zero — yea, they were probably right. But when I got back in the house, I was in for good. I thought I better do my weekly watering of my plants. And then I saw this:

My cat Leo has supernatural leaping abilities, and way too close for comfort to my Amaryllis!

This reminded me of the time my beautiful, unique plant called the oxalis was nearly destroyed by my other kitten, Teddy. I was horrified to see it in such awful condition after coming home from work one warm and sunny summer afternoon.

What is an oxalis?

It is part of the clover family, or false shamrocks. They refer to this particular plant as the “three-leaf purple shamrock.” My daughter calls it the “butterfly plant” because of the petals looking exactly like a butterfly. I was first introduced to this interesting plant by a co-worker. I had asked her what it was, and she said she didn’t know, but it looked like butterflies to her.
There are over 900 different species of this plant. You can actually plant this one outside, too!

A couple of months later, I am perusing the Farmer’s Market in downtown Buffalo, and lo and behold, there it was! I asked the fellow working at this particular tent what it was, and he told me. I just had to get it! It was in a lot better condition than it is now, but I am happy to report that I have nursed it back to life. Little by little, just by watering it on a regular basis, it is starting to get bushy again.

This is a great addition to your houseplant collection because not only is it different, but it gives a burst of color to the sea of green that is common among your houseplants. It’s a talking piece, which is something I definitely like. I love looking at the expression on everybody’s faces when they see something and ask, “WHAT is that?”

Just like when I show people this plant:

The pitcher plant is a carnivorous plant.

This a Pitcher Plant. I squeed with joy when I went into my local supermarket (that boasts a great selection of houseplants, I must say) over the summer to find the exact plant I was going to purchase online because I couldn’t find it anywhere!

The Pitcher Plant:

Is a carnivorous plant just like the venus fly trap, meaning, they eat flies and other insects.
They “trap”insects in the “pitchers”, the leaves which are commonly known as “pitfall traps” filled with liquid.
There are several different kinds of pitcher plants.
This particular pitcher plant is tropical. They need warmth and need to always have moist soil. I put my pitcher plant out on my enclosed patio for the summer, and bring it in to my bedroom the cooler months.

I have to admit, this has been much easier to take care of than I thought it would. Just watering it regularly and keeping the soil moist seems to be the trick. That, and because my bedroom is one of the warmer rooms in the house, it may think it’s in its native tropical setting.

*Not all species are tropical. You can find some of these in bogs in North America!

This is a GREAT plant to add to your collection. It is so unique and adds some real jazz to your home decor!

Here are just a couple of good examples of some different plants that add great value to your house. I have a few more that I am going to single out in future posts, but for now, hopefully these will give you some ideas on trying something different to keep the long winter days full of color and excitement!

A Natural Pause

January 9, 2015January 9, 2015 / The Bent Trowel / Leave a comment

It’s been awhile since I have had a chance to post a “Natural Pause”! I just wanted to update you on my Amaryllis that I potted from the kit that I purchased a few weeks back. It has bloomed! And quite fast at that! I was very nervous about this actually blooming, but according to the directions, it’s actually ahead of schedule!

What a beautiful plant to brighten the long days of winter that include sub-zero wind chills and lake-effect snow!

Here it is in all its glory! Enjoy your day!

Houseplants, Part Two: The Common Ones

January 3, 2015 / The Bent Trowel / 4 Comments

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful New Year! It’s a new year, and a new perspective on life! I am happy to say that I have already checked a few things off my list that I told myself I was going to do this year. One of those things includes a renewed sense of appreciation for fine art pieces:

My daughter’s picture of a kitty brightens my days in the cubicle…

Anyway, I am posting a day early because I will be going out-of-town to my parents tomorrow to FINALLY celebrate Christmas. With my daughter sick last week, and the weather horrible today, we had to scratch plans until tomorrow. And something tells me my work schedule is going to pick up pretty quickly this first week back, so, again, I am prioritizing.

I have spent more time inside than I have wanted to this past week. The weather has been so awful (bitter cold, wind, snow), I haven’t even entertained the thought of taking my workout outside. So, this has allowed me to prepare for my post this week on common houseplants! In fact, I watered them all today, and already have a couple of more in mind I would like to purchase.

With that being said, here are some common houseplants I have in my home that would be good for you.

1. Snake Plant— the snake plant is the best plant for forgetful people. It’s part of the succulent family and tolerates neglect. Snake plants love to be left alone. I water mine about once every two weeks. It doesn’t need a lot of light or water, and it grows just as well.

The Snake Plant is the non-plant person’s best friend! Low maintenance living decor!

2. Green Dracaena— can be recognized with white stripes on their leaves. They grow upright and need medium to bright light. I water mine once a week, and even a little more during the winter months. I purchased mine at a home improvement store and it done very well for me.

3. Pothos— This is probably the easiest to recognize. They have this beautiful marbled look on their leaves. I have about three of these. I have purchased all of them from my local grocery store. It’s a vine that is extremely low maintenance. There is no such thing as too little or too much light for this vine, it grows in any lighting condition you give it. I have had one of mine for at least 6 years, and in the early years when watering my plants was not high on my to-do list, my pathos weathered that ugly time and have flourished for me.

4. Philodendron — I also have a few of these, and they have a tendency to get confused with the above pathos. They too, are not fussy about light, and will grow through neglectful times. The philodendron has heart-shaped leaves, and my one also happens to be very long– about four feet. They are the number one most common plants in any indoor gardening setup.

5. Peace Lily — This was the first plant I got when we moved into our house. It’s been in my bedroom ever since. The Peace Lily gets these beautiful white flowers on them about once a year, and they too, are very tolerant of low light and low humidity.

6. Ivy— I believe this is English Ivy, but I have to still research it. This is actually part of the Ivy that grows outside. I took a shoot off two years ago and put it in water in the house. It has grown very well, surprisingly. Because the last time I purchased an Ivy, it died right away. Again, I was younger and didn’t pay much attention to my plants, so this could very well be the reason why it failed for me. Boston Ivies are the more common indoor Ivies, and they are hard to keep going, in my opinion. I still have to figure out how to keep them alive!

Some other plants to consider:

*Corn Plant— they resemble a corn-stalk and are very tolerant as well. I actually have one of these, but I didn’t get a chance to photograph it. They can take a beating and still keep going!

*Jade Plant— I really want a Jade Plant. They look very unique and grow very slowly into a tree. They love bright light!

There are still many other indoor plants that you can choose, but I just wanted to list the ones that are very common and easy to maintain. I also have some other interesting houseplants that I will talk about in a later post. For now, you have a good foundation on the basics of houseplants, the ones that are the easiest to find, and what will be good for you and your home!

Houseplants, Part One: Basic Information

December 29, 2014 / The Bent Trowel / 1 Comment

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I can’t believe the year is almost done! Christmas was very nice this year.

I know we had a nice time, despite my little girl getting sick on Christmas day. Santa was very good to her this year.

Now that the holidays are over, and a new year is upon us, most people, gardeners included, end up hunkering down for the rest of the Winter and hiding until they see the tulips come up in Spring.

However, most people fail to think about houseplants– the gardening you focus on when the snow and cold are swirling outside! Houseplants can be fun to collect, and you can get them at a fairly reasonable price– especially the common ones.

So, what is so great about that green plant in the pot in the corner of your living room?

A lot, actually.

Houseplants:

Are great “living” home decorations. They bring a warm, homey feeling to your interior decor.
Most varieties of houseplants are very easy to maintain. Even easier than you outdoor gardens!
There are houseplants for every type of person. For example, if you are a person who is tends to forget you have plants around, there are plants that are extremely low maintenance and don’t need to be watered as much as others. If you are very attentive to your houseplants, there are many more high maintenance varieties that you will love as well!
Houseplants are healthy for your home. They work as filters for the air in your home. Experts say you should have between 10-20 houseplants in your home to keep the air you breathe clean.
They are easy to find. To be honest, most of the houseplants I own came from my local grocery store. And they are always on sale. They can be much cheaper than the chintzy little vase you paid a fortune for that does nothing to improve the look and feel of your home!

Caring for Your Houseplants

Depending on the plants you purchase, you may have to experiment for a while to see what works for them. I know I have had to move plants from one place to another before they started to really take off. Some like more light, others don’t. You can research the plants you would like to get and see what has worked for others. But don’t go crazy. If you are looking on the internet, there is a lot of information that people will throw out, but really and truly, you must listen to your gut and use COMMON SENSE. Take the information you learn and work it into your houseplant care routine. It’s really not as crazy as what people say.

For example:

“Water three times a day, with the first time being warm water, then with slightly cold water and then just regular water.” WHAT?!!

Common Sense says:

Plants can not only get too little water, but too much. They will rot and mold if water that often. Keep it simple– schedule your main watering once a week. If it’s Winter time, they tend to dry out quicker because of the heat being on. Do a soil check and you may have to water more. Just take the time to be watchful at first so you know what works for you and your home.

The next part of this series will discuss and portray common houseplants you will most likely find in your home improvement or grocery store.

So, I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Make it even better by getting a houseplant to not only chase the Winter blues away, but keep your green thumb fresh for the Spring!

Great Gifts for Gardeners

December 15, 2014 / The Bent Trowel / Leave a comment

Now that my Christmas shopping is pretty much done, I can sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that I am two weeks ahead of the game. That’s a first for me! I am now going to sit back and enjoy what’s left of this holiday season.

Now that the gift buying is complete for everyone else, you can actually stop and think about what you would like Santa Claus to bring you! What does someone get for a gardener? A bucket of dirt? A packet of seeds? There is just the right gift for every level of gardener out there–amateur to master. Here are few ideas for gifts for every type of gardener on your gift giving list!

The Amateur, or the “You have to water this!?” Gardener

Watering Can— some of the most beautiful gardening supplies I have ever seen are a simple watering can with great design.
Gardening Gloves— being a country girl, you were considered a wuss if you wore gardening gloves. I have since learned that gloves come in very handy when pulling weeds. You can pull twice as many with gloves on!
Knee Pads— as I stated in an earlier post about planting spring bulbs, my knee pad saved my life. You can also buy knee pads that attach right to your knees.
Gardening Tools— just the basics. Just get them a “digger” and call it a day.

2. The Seasoned, or the “Yea, I Am a Gardening Expert” Gardener

Planters — the more you garden, the more you want to plant more stuff. There are beautiful planters out there to go with any decor.
Seeds— you would think an Amateur would like this, but in all actuality, they are still very new to gardening, and they would think seeds would be a lame gift. Now, for the seasoned gardener, this is like striking gold. The less you need to pay for, the better!
Garden Decorations– garden decorations of any kind will make any seasoned gardener jump for joy. Gnomes, snails, mushrooms, bird baths– bring it on!
Soaps, bath oils, etc. –– if I have been out digging in the dirt without my gloves on, I notice that my hands get really dry. There are many beautiful soaps, bath oils and salts that restore and rejuvenate your body from all the hard work you put in to your garden that day.

3. The Master, or ” I am too Sexy for My Shirt” Gardener (I’m just kidding, I just couldn’t think of anything for this one!)

Copper-Plated Tools — actually, I wouldn’t mind at least one of these for myself. Copper is a natural slug deterrent, and they do have some nice copper plated trowels, cultivators, etc. The copper is supposed to fleck off from your tools when you use them and it sends slugs running! The not so great thing is that these tools start around $60 apiece– hmm, um Santa?!
Gardening Books— master gardeners have spent a lot of time learning in and out of the garden. Why not give them something to feed their appetite for gardening know-how?
Plants, bulbs, etc. — you can give these to any level gardener, but when you have years of gardening experience under your belt, you really come to appreciate different specimens of plants and want to add to your collection!

Gifts not mentioned but worth taking into consideration:

Large brimmed hats, water bottles, pocket knives, garden boots and clogs — all very important in the gardening process.

Now, trust me, just to have some fun, I split gardeners into levels. I can tell you that anyone who is interested in gardening will love any of the above gifts. There are no designated levels of gardening, and that’s what makes it beautiful.

So, what’s on my list?

A potting soil scoop — I didn’t even know they made these until last week! I saw it in the garden center and would jump for joy if I got this for Christmas. I am sick of spilling potting soil all over when I re-pot plants.

Soap— I saw this display of soaps and thought about how nice it would be if my hands didn’t get so dried out after digging in the dirt.

Heated Bird Bath — I really want to have a bird bath for the Winter, and when I saw that they actually made heated bird baths, well, I just have to have one! I love feeding the birds in the Winter, so this may be something that will have to be a part of my yard sooner rather than later…

Plants— I turn my attention to houseplants in the Winter. (Posts to follow!) I love Ferns. I love the simple beauty they possess. Ever since I saw an alligator fern at the botanical gardens, I have wanted it. When I happened upon this at the garden nursery today, I wanted to squee with joy!

So, no matter what you gift to your favorite gardener this holiday season, it will sure to be a hit!

Winter Whaaaat??

November 25, 2014November 25, 2014 / The Bent Trowel / 5 Comments

So, as many of you know, the Buffalo area, particularly the south of the city and its surrounding communities, are digging out from 7 feet of snow and now dealing with possible flooding that comes with temperatures rising to 65 degrees like they did today. This week has been a roller coaster ride, all starting with this incredible lake effect front that left an indelible impression on us all:

So, even though Winter is still just under a month away, the subject at hand is SNOW. I figured this would be a perfect time to discuss a little garden concept called Winter Interest.

I know, you are saying, “Winter What?!” When I said this in front of my friends, the puzzled, contorted look on their faces pretty much summed it up.

So, what the heck is Winter Interest?!

Winter Interest is another way you can keep some sort of aesthetics in your garden, even though the growing season is long over. It gives “interest” to empty snow-covered flower beds.

So, how do you “do” this Winter Interest?

Simple. It can be anything. Whether it’s a bird house in your garden, or some exotic grasses that have passed their prime, anything can create an amazing silhouette under a blanket of snow.

Examples of Winter Interest:

Trees- any, but the best are any kind of spruce for winter
Garden decorations– bird houses, bottle trees, bowling balls, wheelbarrows, ANYTHING
Grasses–reed grasses, zebra grasses, etc. Don’t trim these down– they look spectacular in the snow!
Evergreen and woody shrubs-mountain laurel, holly bushes, rhododendrons, arborvitae, boxwood–just to name a few.

Basically, anything that has some sort of character in the off-season that will pique the interest of passersby can be Winter Interest!

Here are a few pictures from my back yard last November 2013. The few inches I did get this year did not stay on the ground long enough to allow for any photo documentation.

My bluebird house that does not get any bluebirds, but it’s from my childhood home and I love it.

My old childhood tricycle that has seen better days is now a planter and part of the Winter Interest around my house.

Snowmen are the best example of Winter Interest yet!

When Winter finally arrives, I will be doing some “Winter Interest” features from time to time when I venture out on my snowshoes or cross-country skis.

Think about what you would like to use as Winter Interest in your gardens. Giving a quiet garden a little attention is sometimes the thing you need to keep in the gardening spirit all year round!

A Natural Pause

November 20, 2014 / The Bent Trowel / Leave a comment

While western New York is getting pummeled with more than 7 feet of snow in some areas, that’s not happening at my house, and I’m just a few miles away! I have maybe an inch or two of snow at my house if I am lucky. Even though the pictures coming out of our great Lake Effect storm are amazing and beautiful, I want to show some pictures I took last week from Late Autumn, and just how different the colors are when nearing Winter.

I want to give a shout out to my mother who is truly the crafty one in the family! She made this cute little turkey set for me:

Thanks to my mom for making this cute wooden turkey set that can be inserted in a pumpkin.

Thanks to my mom for making this cute wooden turkey set that can be inserted into a pumpkin.

Late Autumn brings out even deeper colors in trees. I never noticed this tree any other time, and I walk that same route almost every day:

I love the contrast on what I believe is a birch tree. It was snowing big snowflakes that day I took my “lunch break” walk.

My last picture is of the Buffalo Lighthouse. I love taking pictures of this lighthouse. This isn’t the greatest picture, but I tried to get one so you could actually see the snowflakes coming down around it. I have several different pictures of this lighthouse at different times of the year.

The Buffalo Lighthouse. My favorite subject on my “lunch break” workout every day.

Say it ain’t “snow”! Now what do I do?

November 16, 2014November 16, 2014 / The Bent Trowel / 1 Comment

What a week! Western New York got its first real accumulation of snow this week! My parents have over 6 inches on the ground already, while at my house in North Tonawanda, we had only a dusting.

This was on Wednesday night of this past week. I just had arrived home from work and snapped this pic of our first “snow” in my backyard. It looked pretty to me.

This coming week is forecasting to dump some major snow on us, all in thanks to the Lake Effect machine we call Lake Erie. Great Lakes living at its finest! No need to worry, my car is stocked with blankets, shovels, boots and I just purchased a new pair of YakTrax for my boots and shoes. The last pair I purchased was over six years ago and they have seen better days.

I am prepared for the weather to come!

This is always the time of year that nobody looks forward to. That icky transition from Fall to Winter, even though Winter is officially a little over a month away, this time brings unpredictable, icky weather that really doesn’t allow for much time outside. In between it getting dark at 5 at night, and the icky cold, windy weather that isn’t easy to do anything in, it’s easy to see how many people get the “Winter Blahs.” I took my daughter on a nature walk last week through a wildlife sanctuary, and it was so windy and cold, thank goodness it wasn’t a long trail!

She loves being outside, but I don’t think she was loving the wind on our marsh walk!

Now that your garden is buttoned up for the Winter, you are probably thinking, “Now what do I do?” This is the time to capitalize on the time you have to start planning your gardens for the next growing season. I like to call it the “off-season”, and here are some really great things you can do to while you are cooped up inside for the Winter:

Research, Research, Research — utilize the down time you have to start planning for next year’s growing season. Pick up some magazines such as Fine Gardening, Garden Gate or English Garden to get inspired and get some great ideas for your gardens. All of these periodicals happened to be my favorites. Start making a list of what you would like to do next season and write down the seeds and bulbs you would like to purchase. The research phase of the “off-season” is something I have always enjoyed, and you will too!
Get Educated — Take a look at some horticulture classes that are available near you, or take a class online. There are also some free classes and webinars out there, as I have taken a free landscape design class at my leisure. It’s always important to understand how gardening and growing works, and if you learn the “ins and outs” of it, the better you will be able to enhance your own little gardening spot!
Take It Inside — Just because you can’t play with your outside plants doesn’t mean you can’t purchase and work with an inside garden! Houseplants are just as interesting, and I started really adding to my collection last Winter, so I have some really cool houseplants that I will be sharing with you for the duration of the Winter. Different houseplants require different care. That keeps you busy in itself!
Get Back to Nature — Embrace the season. I am a very active person and outdoor enthusiast, I like to exercise and take advantage of all the weather Western New York has to offer, which includes all four seasons–some longer than others. When Winter rolls around, I am usually sledding with my daughter or snow shoeing and cross-country skiing. I am known to walk and run during the Winter, but have limited my exercise outside to just walking anymore. Just enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer. You will come across some pretty cool things.

So Winter Blahs no more! Enjoy and grasp the season for all it is worth! It could be the down time you need to come up with something spectacular for your garden next season!

Fall Preparation Part 2 – I’ve Got You Covered.

November 9, 2014 / The Bent Trowel / 2 Comments

As the weather turns even more unfavorable as the weeks progress, I am reminded I still have stuff that needs to be done in the yard before the ground freezes and the snow starts sticking to the ground. It’s really hard to do so when it starts getting dark at 5:00 at night. I used to be able to get quite a few things accomplished after work, but it just doesn’t happen anymore! I did, however, manage to help some of my plants take cover yesterday, and also started cutting some of my hostas down.

One thing I have not done yet is rake the yard. I have A LOT of trees in my neighborhood, and I would like to wait another week before I get the leaf blower out. The trees still have a lot of leaves on them, and I don’t want to have to keep going out and raking when I could just wait when most of the leaves are off the trees instead of another futile attempt. Haha!

Well, this is finally the second phase of my Fall preparation in the garden. It took a little longer to do it than I would have liked, but I finally got it done. Covering and cutting– it’s that simple. And I used only a couple of things:

For this garden session, I used some burlap and large garden shears.

Burlap is a nice, heavy-duty covering for any shrubs, trees or plants that you would like to protect from the weather or animals. It’s fairly inexpensive, and you can get it at hardware and home improvement stores. You can also purchase covers that go right over shrubs and trees to make things easier. I just happen to have burlap leftover and figure I will use this up before I buy anything more.

Large gardening shears or clippers, happened to be my favorite gardening tool. They are so versatile, and can be used for most of your landscaping needs. They pulled double duty for me when it came to cutting my burlap and cutting down my plants.

I have a couple of small emerald-green arborvitae out in front of my house. I started wrapping them first with burlap.

I wrapped the burlap around the arborvitae until it was completely covered. You can use anything to tie or clip the burlap on. There are ties that you can use, and I have known people to staple it and I myself have used metal ornament hooks to keep the burlap closed!

The next item on my “To-do” list for cleaning up was cutting down my hostas. I cut the old stuff down so the new can grow up next season.

For anyone who doesn’t know, hostas are a gardener’s dream plant. They are a hardy, shade loving perennial that will pretty much grow anywhere you put them. So, if you have a spot in your yard that you can’t seem to grow anything, chances are a hosta will do the job for you! And because they are so prolific and they grow so big, they can be separated, and people will give them to you just because they have so many.

There are several types of hostas, and I have quite a few. They grow HUGE and can be separated.

Now my hostas have turned a beautiful yellow, and I need to shear them.

I really want to thank the Deer, for they have helped me out tremendously with my fall cleanup. (Future post will be coming!)

Deer LOVE hostas.

I just cut them as close to the ground as possible.

Voila! All done.

And I take the “garden rubbish” and dispose of it properly.

There you have it! Fall cleanup is a cinch! Lots of work no doubt, but very important if you want to start your next growing season out the right way!

One to Grow On: Lessons Learned in the Garden this Year

November 4, 2014November 4, 2014 / The Bent Trowel / Leave a comment

Oh boy, it’s been a busy week! With Halloween and my parents coming to visit, and some Christmas shopping accomplished, I had a full weekend! The weather was less than desirable, we ended up getting some snow on Saturday! Last weekend was absolutely beautiful, and I was ready to accomplish the second phase of my fall preparation for my garden, but I guess that was not meant to be. I pulled muscles in my lower back yet again, and I was sidelined for the whole weekend. So, in between snowflakes that are forecasted for next weekend, I need to start cleaning up the gardens! I figured while I have some down time allowing my back to rest and heal, I thought this would be the perfect time to reflect on this past growing season and evaluate what I did well with what I did not do so well.

Overview:

This was actually a very hard growing season for Western New York. We came off an unusually cold Winter that included two blizzards that shut down the city of Buffalo. We were in the single digits for most of the Winter; no thaw came at all! And because of this brutal cold, the ground stayed cold right into June. Unfortunately, I lost a few plants due to the Winter, and I had a really hard time growing anything I had planted. In fact, most of my plants didn’t really start “growing” until August and bloomed right into September!

Pros:

– The new bed I had my husband roto-till in early spring was just the right size for my yard and my lifestyle. As the old saying goes, “don’t bite off more than you can chew”. I was a little nervous that I might have gone in over my head,that I wouldn’t be able to maintain it. It actually turned out to be just right.

My brand new flower bed–it has changed so much since this picture!

– I added MANY new plants this year. It was pretty much an addiction. I kept buying plants right up until August when all the spring nursery stock was marked down 50%! Spring nursery stock is just a term used to describe plants, shrubs, trees and flowers available for the new growing season.

– This was the first year I was able to enjoy my garden. After six years of planting, transplanting and expanding, my back yard is finally looking like the beautiful, lush, oasis I wanted it to. I bought a few Adirondack chairs and would sit out in the backyard early in the morning listening to the birds and drinking a cup of coffee, all before my daughter woke up. It was the best feeling in the world.

Cons:

– I did not water enough. Water, Water, WATER. Even though, I must say that I was a lot better this year with watering all of my new plants, I could have done better. Plants you purchase and put into the ground need a ton of water to establish, or as I like to say, “make themselves at home”. Then, once they are established, you don’t have to water as much.

– I need to mulch a little more than I did. This would have helped out with my water situation! It’s amazing how much of a difference mulch does make for beds, such as the ones I have in the far back of my yard, when you can’t get the hose to reach out that far! I have also been interested in making a compost pile.

– I didn’t fertilize as much as I should. I usually fertilize with the Miracle-Gro liquifeed for maybe the first 4-6 weeks of the season. I probably only did it two times this year. I think this would have aided in earlier blooms in my garden.

All in all, progress was made this year, I am happy with that. I have big plans for next year, so that makes me all the more anxious to get out there and get “growing”!