Summer is flying by, and I have not done a Natural Pause for some time! I love going out in the garden every morning to see what is blooming or just about ready to. Here is my Giant Hibiscus ready to pop, and I can’t wait until it does! Enjoy.
gardening
What’s Growing On in My Garden — The Summer Update
As usual, the summer is just flying by! It’s been super hot and humid in Western New York this summer. We are in a severe drought. The grass is brown and brittle. I have had to water my flowers to keep them alive, and I am afraid that doesn’t help the cause. We need a few days of nothing but good ole’ rain.
This year, I have observed some things that I unfortunately don’t have much control over:
- The deer. No matter how much I try, they are desperate for food. They have eaten all of my hostas, even with my egg mixture on them. It is simply too dry and food is scarce. I am not really too worried about this. I am just going with the flow this year.
- I am covering up my tomatoes and and daylilies at night just to deter the deer from devastating my tomato crop, and my lilies. This is the first year I have actually had a great bunch of lilies! They usually eat them before they even bloom!
- The garden is lacking a bit of luster because of the drought, but also, I have worked harder than any other year to keep up on watering. I have to remember that it’s still just the first quarter of summer and things will eventually start blooming more.
- I am also realizing how important the morning dew is for your plants, especially during a drought. What little moisture it brings makes a big difference!
I have added the following to my garden:
- Foxglove — Light orange and different!
- Delphinium — Love the look of these, and got two at the Farmer’s Market.
- Hydrangeas –I purchased four of these, and I plan on buying more. These are perfect for most parts of my partially shaded yard.
- Balloon Flower– I dug up the one I bought last year accidentally!
- White Globe Thistle — My most surprising, unique addition. It grows like crazy and has done well in the drought!
So here are a few things that are blooming in my garden, some new, some old. All make me happy to see them in the morning!
A Natural Pause- June 23, 2016
Last spring, I planted several different types of alliums. This unique specimen, the hair allium, has exceeded my expectations. Enjoy.
Thinking Outside of the Window Box
Good Morning!
It will be a short and sweet post today, as I will be heading out of town for the weekend. It’s going to be a beautiful, sunny weekend for us, though I wish we would get some more rain. Western New York is “abnormally dry”. Our lawn is brown!
And because we have had so little rain, we need to water everything– most importantly, container plants– window boxes. ( That was a pretty good segue, I think!)
Of course, this leads me into the subject of the post– window boxes. For the first time, I received Proven Winners gardeners idea book for some ideas on how to change things up in my window boxes.
I was not let down– I pretty much wanted to copy two different window box ideas in the book, but couldn’t find some of the flowers– they were sold out!
So, I improvised. And it was great anyway!
*Do not be afraid to try different combinations of plants for your window boxes.*
We are so used to going to our local nursery and getting the same things — geraniums, marigolds, creeping jenny, spikes (don’t worry, I purchased the last two anyway because I love them). And if you like those plants, there is no need to change them! We as gardeners tend not to look beyond the same, familiar flowers just by habit. We don’t look past the “norm” and see all the great, different plants you can put in your window boxes!
That’s why I love this idea book from Proven Winners. It gave me insight on plants I would never think of putting in a window box.
My window boxes for the front of my house contain:
L to R: Coleus (Alligator Tears), Chenile (the red fuzzy plant), Sweet potato vine (yellow leaves) and capped off with another Coleus.
The red fuzzy plant called Chenile I actually saw at the Farmer’s Market in a basket. I was browsing the nursery a month later and found them in packs. I just HAD to add that. So different!
I have discovered the great shade/part sun annual Coleus this year. There are so many varieties at your local nursery. I recommend them to anyone with lots of shady spots in your landscape!
The window box I have on my daughter’s swing set contains:
Bottom to Top: Coleus (Kong Red); Sweet Alyssum ( tiny purple flowers); Black Sweet Potato Vine. I have each of these plants in this particular box as every other.
So please, take a look at some different flowers for your window boxes if you haven’t already done so. It’s amazing the beautiful combinations you can make it look beyond your typical flowers!
The Great Vase Brigade
Good Morning, everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend. I know I did. It was good to relax and get away for a couple of days. We have been doing so much work on our house, along with just being busy in general! It’s hard to relax when you know something has to be done. Even getting away to a hotel or somewhere for one night forces you to relax.
Now that the holiday is behind us, it’s time to get back to work!
When you think about putting flowers in a vase, what are some of the first flowers that come in to mind for you? Roses? Carnations? Daffodils? Yes! And they are all great flowers! I personally love fresh cut flowers around the house in the dead of winter. It makes things so cheery and bright!
Well, how about thinking outside of the box when it comes to flowers in your vase?
Rule #1 – Carry a pair of small clippers with you at all times. You never know when you will find the most perfect branch of blossoms, or grass! I have a pair of Fiskars I bought especially to keep in my car so when I am driving by a wooded area of road, (that is NOT anybody’s property), I can pull over quick and snip a few.
Rule #2 – Always have at least two vases full of your finds around your house. The more, the merrier! Don’t be afraid to be creative!
We have a good mix here. L to R: Hydrangeas, Grass, Iris’
Above are three vases full of things that really caught my eye.
Vase #1– Hydrangeas — I bought these at the supermarket. I like cutting seasonal flowers, but unfortunately we don’t have these in bloom yet, so I just purchased them!
Vase #2 — Grass — I saw this grass on the side of the canal bike path. It looks a lot like wheat to me! I was so intriguing, I just had to cut a few stems. So simple and beautiful.
Vase #3 – Iris
The yellow iris’ are literally right from the canal, next to the fuzzy cattails. I couldn’t help myself and cut a few stems. I liked that they were something you couldn’t find in a flower shop.
Another great option for a vase are Bachelor’s Buttons. These babies grow like crazy! I cut some for a couple of vases. They last forever!
Vase #4 – Lilacs. I just love them, so they have to make a cameo.
So, I hope this post gives you some ideas on being creative when it comes to the vase. Anything can go if you like it!
One more pic, totally unrelated to vases, only because it’s my favorite landscape to photograph:
Have a great rest of the weekend!
A Spring Showcase
Warm weather, bring it on! We are finally getting nice, mild temperatures in Western New York! I am happy to report that a good portion of my bulbs I planted last year are coming up very well! It’s been really great to see everything in bloom. For a long time, I didn’t have anything come up for me in the Spring, only because nothing was planted! I took a lot of time in the fall to plant over 200 bulbs, which included everything from daffodils to alliums — one of my favorite spring flowers. I have a post in the works for why you should plant them. I have planted many different varieties that will be coming up at different times of the growing season. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of planting different types of plants, shrubs, trees, etc. that come up at different times of the year. Making a show for your landscape last year round is a long and slow process. Enjoy the process and remember that your hard work will not go unnoticed.
I have a few pictures of my spring show that’s going on right now. Please hop on over to my instagram feed to see more of my spring flower photos.Instagram is one of the easiest ways for me to post all of my pictures on my many outdoor excursions.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. In between all the BBQs and fun, make sure to take a moment to remember and appreciate those who have fought and are fighting for our freedom every day.
Enjoy.
A Natural Pause-May 15 2016
I’m currently getting some posts ready, but in the mean time, I will put up a picture because I am going too long between blog posts lately! So, on this COLD, SNOWY, and rainy morning, here’s some warm thoughts. Enjoy.
The Bare Necessities of Spring Gardening
Ok, way too much time is going by in between blog posts– and I apologize for that. There is so much going on in life these days that I squeeze in a post as soon as I get some time. I have also been changing up my blog posts lately just to see what you, the reader, likes best.
Life has been happening, and weekends have been full. We are trying to get big house projects out of the way now so we don’t have to do them during the dog days of summer. I have a special project coming up that I am really excited about, and I can’t wait to give you details within the next few months!
For the past couple of weekends, I have been out in the yard preparing my flower beds for the upcoming growing season. It’s so nice to see so many of my spring flowers on their way. The daffodils are up, my hyacinths smell and look wonderful, and my alliums are on their way.
I was trying to weed around all this great, new growth, and I needed a few tools to help me get my garden in tip-top shape!
I like to write my posts to be as simple and direct as possible, but I also like to take the time to explain certain aspects of gardening as well. One thing in particular I like to make clear to every gardener, from novice to master, is that you do not need to have a lot of fancy tools to garden.
Here are the bare necessities of gardening, plain and simple. In one of my first blog posts, I explained a few garden tools and how they work.
Here are a few things that will help you through spring garden preparation:
- Shovel— The shovel is one of the most versatile tools in the garden. Even if you don’t have anything else, or can’t afford to buy too many tools, the shovel could be your one and only and that would be ok. It is your trowel, edger, transplanter, and everything else in between. This will do the job regardless of anything else.
- Straight edge rake— This rake helps you even out mulch, turf builder, rocks, etc. on any surface you are working with. Trying to even out the holes or dips in your yard with topsoil? Make sure to use the straight edge rake to keeps things smooth.
- Wide Brimmed Hat — This is the barest necessity of all! Spring sunshine is the best sun shine, but it can burn you, too! (My forehead is a great example). Wear your hat while you dig in to yard work!
- Trowels — Need I say more? I had to include the trowels in this one. Planting seeds? Or other plants? The trowel is a hand tool that becomes your best friend!
- Gloves — I have mentioned many times before that I used to scoff at people who wore garden gloves — boy, was I WRONG. I love wearing them– it’s much easier to pull weeds with gloves than without! It just protects your hands in general should you come across something not so desirable in the dirt.
- Rake–This is your regular joe schmo rake. Whether you are raking up debris and other yard rubbish that accumulates from the winter, or raking the thick piles of grass from the first lawn cutting of the season, you won’t be sorry to have one of these!
- Garden stool— this handy little stool saves your back, knees, and also has several compartments that allow you to carry all of your hand tools and a knee pad. This will be your savior after hours of garden work.
Here is the list of Spring’s bare necessities for the garden. It doesn’t take much — you don’t even have to have all of these– just a couple will do. It all depends on what you like to use the best and what works with your gardening style.So, here’s to sunshine weekends and happy gardening!
Consider This: Hellebores
Happy April! It has been a busy last few weeks– between Easter and my daughter’s 5th birthday, there hasn’t been a dull moment.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to do too much outside because of this crazy weather. Easter weekend was 72 degrees, and now it’s snowing and blowing! With the weather the way it is, this is the perfect time to add to the “Consider This” series I started at the beginning of the year. I think it is important to introduce and learn a little bit about the different plants you can put in your garden.
Spring is my new favorite season. I have always said that fall was, but my thought pattern has changed. This year, especially, since my winter was not one of the easiest, and I am not talking about the weather this time. I have really been anxious for new life, growth and sunshine. Lots of time outside. While the weather goes up and down, it’s still a little too drab for me outside, though signs of life are popping up a little more now than a couple of weeks ago.
I have been loving all the different floral bouquets that have been at my local grocery store. I usually end up picking up a bunch of tulips every year, but this year, I have been picking up every different flower that has been available!
I picked up calla lilies for my mother and mother-in-law for Easter (yes, and my daughter thought we should have one ourselves), a couple of mixed spring bouquets, and my pussy willows of course.
To my surprise, there was a potted flower at the store that also was something I have been reading a lot about this year. They are called Hellebores.
Hellebores have petal-like “sepals” that hold nectar.
It seems to be that Hellebores are the “It” plant of the 2016 growing season. Everywhere you turn around, there has been an article about them, and I can understand why. They are beautiful flowers with lovely delicate blooms.
Here are some things you need to know about Hellebores:
- They are also referred to as “winter rose”, “Christmas rose”, “Lenten rose”.
- They grow is zones 5a – 8b.
- They bloom in late winter, early spring, usually around Lent.
This plant is an excellent addition to your garden because:
- It starts blooming in late winter, early spring. An important step in the direction of having an all-season garden!
- They are hardy. Despite their delicate look, they can handle whatever comes their way!
Did you buy one in your local grocery store like I did? You can put it in the ground!
- Wait until the threat of frost is gone in your area of the world. You can plant them at the beginning of your growing season.
Consider Hellebores for your landscape. It’s one of the few plants that gives some life to the end of winter and that drab time in early spring before everything starts blossoming. You will be glad you did!
All Things Spring
Happy first day of spring! It’s been so nice to see some of my bulbs that are popping up through the earth– I should have crocus’ tomorrow!
It’s been really crazy weather in my neck of the woods — 70 degrees one week and 30 degrees in another! I have to admit, I have not done much outside, except for uncovering my pencil hollies I planted behind my garage.
I was actually proud of myself for getting some indoor gardening done this year — like re-potting some plants that have needed it desperately. I also planted some cat grass! For those of you who follow me on Instagram and Twitter, I went to my local garden center a few weeks back, but actually found time to plant the seeds last week. To my great surprise, it is coming up really fast!
I was so thrilled to see this!
The cat grass was the extent of my indoor gardening this year. Maybe next year I will get some more time to actually start seeds. I have been doing a lot of re-decorating my house along with all things indoor. Moving furniture, buying furniture, just switching things around, makes a HUGE difference!
Yesterday was a cold Saturday morning to go to our local farmer’s market, but the mission was accomplished– I bought pussy willows!
Now, I was going to dedicate a whole “Consider This” to Pussy Willows, but I chickened out, because though they are beautiful, pussy willow trees have deep root systems, and the roots tend to wreak havoc on underground pipes, tanks, etc. Unless you have LOTS of space, I would not recommend them. There are several different varieties of Pussy Willows, and if you are interested and have an expansive landscape that tends to be more on the wet/boggy side, then I would highly recommend these!
In Buffalo, the day after Easter is celebrated in a big way, called Dyngus Day. This after- Lent celebration includes Pussy willow branches that are used to flirt with the opposite sex by giving that person a gentle “tap”. Pussy willows in bloom are a sure sign of spring to me!
Hopefully, the next post will have me doing more stuff outside, and checking out some great new plants that should go in your garden!
The Bent Trowel 