Garden Tips

 

I read these garden tips on Mom4Real blog this morning and thought they were so interesting and easy.  I am definitely going to try putting coffee grounds on my ivy that I want to give a jump start

 

1.  To get seeds to germinate quickly, simply snip the end of each seed with a pair of nail clippers and soak in water over night! Then plant and watch them germinate in a few days!

2.  Add crushed eggshells to your soil…the eggshells add calcium to the soil and keep unwanted critters away.

3.  Clean out your hairbrush and lay human hair around your plants to keep rabbits away.  I know it sounds kind of icky, and rabbits are cute, but they will eat your flower and plants.

4.  When there is a cold snap coming and temps are going to dive down into freezing, cover outdoor plants with painter’s plastic.  It works like a greenhouse does and keeps frost from killing your plants.

5.  Add an aluminum pan filled with beer to your garden to deter slugs from getting to your plants.  Slugs love beer 

6.  To stop mosquitoes and other insect larvae from breeding in birdbaths or rainwater barrels, put a few drops of vegetable oil on top of the water.  It spreads to form a film over the surface of the water so the larvae cannot lay eggs, but won’t bother the birds!

7.  Hang an aluminum pan in your fruit trees to keep birds from eating the fruit!  The birds do not like the reflection of the sun in the pans.

8.  Spray cabbage and other vegetables targeted by caterpillars with onion juice! Simply grate an onion and mix it with water, then spray down your veggies!

9.  Add coffee grounds to plants to flowers that won’t bloom and ivy that is not spreading very quickly.  It will help the flowers bloom and really get your ivy growing!

10.  Use aspirin and water to repel aphids and other sucking insects as well as promote strong plant growth.  Simply mix an aspirin and water in a spray bottle and spray down plants.

Miss Lily Has a New Outfit!

 

I was in a Salvation Army store yesterday and clothing was on sale for one half off.    It's been a while since my garden lady had a new outfit so I found some things for her.   The paisley blouse is  Jones of New York and it was sixty-five cents.  The overalls were $4.99!

I don't have much blooming right now but these New Guinea Impatiens have thrived in spite of the heat.    You'll notice one corgi girl on the porch and one looking out the door.  I always have more than enough help with any project.

My daughter gave me this adorable black cat holder for a hanging basket several years ago.  These begonias don't seem to mind the heat and have done very well.

My best friend from high school is coming to visit tomorrow.  I am so excited!  We're going to do some antiquing and then have lunch at a new cafe in my area.

Daylillies

This has the best year in a long time for my lillies.  Of course, they are dried up now after these days of three digit temperatures.  In early fall, I'll cut back what's left of the foliage, fertilize them and look forward to next season. 

$$$ Money Plant $$$

I have a large bed of "money plant" growing in my backyard.  Last spring it  was gorgeous with dark purple flowers which have now turned to seed pods.  When the seed pods are peeled off, it has silver dollar size ovals that dry beautifully.

Today I was in a consignment shop and found this metal pitcher for $3.   I knew immediately that it would be perfect for the dried stems from the money plant.

This is what the pods look like before you peel the seed pockets off them.

Below is information I copied from the Internet.

I have an  abundance of seeds this year and would be happy to share them.  Please send me your address by email if you'd like to plant a few in your yard!

Lunaria annua, called honesty or annual honesty in English, is a tall (height about 1 m), hairy-stemmed biennial plant native to the Balkans and south west Asia, and naturalized throughout Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. It has large, pointed oval leaves with marked serrations. The common name "honesty" arose in the 16th century, and it may be due to the translucent seed-pods which are like flattened pea-pods and borne on the plant through winter. In south-east Asia, it is called the "money plant" and in the United States it is commonly known as "silver dollars," "Chinese money," or "Chinese coins," because its seed pods have the appearance of silvery coins. In Denmark it is known as judaspenge and in The Netherlands as judaspenning (coins of Judas), an allusion to the story of Judas Iscariot and the thirty pieces of silver he was paid.

A New House for My Fairy!

A few weeks ago on Saturday morning I went to the flea market looking specifically for a new house for my fairy in my fairy garden.  The one I was using was a clumsy looking bird house and not at all appropriate for a beautiful fairy girl and her handsome little corgi. I was about ready to leave the market and I spotted this little house which was actually a Yankee Candle tea light holder.  It was the perfect size and the perfect price, $2.  Some miniature sized mulch in the bottom covered up the holder for the candle.

I've had so much fun with this little garden this summer.  Children love it!

I Love This Idea!

I saw this picture on Facebook today and I love it.  I've had hens and chickens planted in old shoes for a long time but have never thought of using a rubber boot.  Wouldn't it be fun to use one of the bright colored boots or maybe even polka dots?

My mission will be to find some boots a the flea market or a yard sale soon so I can get busy on this project.  There's only about three weeks left until spring and I'm looking forward to planting flowers and putting Miss Lily back  in the garden.

A Beautiful Day!

Even though I had a hard time getting up this morning, I'm excited about this beautiful day and getting outside to work in my yard.  It's time to prune my crepe myrtle and get some leaves out of my flower beds.

The corgi girls will  get in the way help me.  Arabelle will  stand beside me with her frisbee in her mouth and sad eyes until I throw it.  Heidi gets excited when she sees Arabelle with the frisbee and starts pulling up grass or flowers around her.  Hanna will be walking around like a princess because she doesn't like to get dirty.  Once in a while she might assist in digging a hole if there's a mole or vole around.  It's not a Tasha Tudor kind of scene, for sure.  Her corgis always looked like garden statues.

Fresh air and sunshine always make you rest better.  I hope your day is beautiful too!

Corgi Topiary

Planting Fall Pansies

I read in Southern Living last fall that there is a new pansy available that is called Plentiful.  It is a trailing pansy that spreads about 18".  The article says that these pansies will survive below zero temps with little damage and should bloom from fall through spring.  I was never able to find them locally.  Did any of you plant them last year and what did you think?

Lily Has a New Dress

If you're visiting my blog for the first time, Lily is a wooden lady who stands in my garden to greet visitors and watch over the fairies.  She's very elegant and loves getting a new outfit about once a month from the "Boutique of Goodwill"

There's not much blooming in my yard right now but I thought you'd enjoy these pics of my little cowboy boots  running over with "hens and baby chickens".  Aren't they  adorable?

Spring Flowers

I want to share with you these beautiful pictures my friend took this week.  I love spring flowers! 

Hope you have a restful Sunday!

 

Morning Glories and Arabelle!

For two days  I've been trying to clean out my day lily bed.  It's been neglected and the morning glories have taken  over.  I've considered using a weed killer,  but I'm afraid to do that because my corgi girls play in the backyard.

The weather has been cool and perfect to work in my backyard.  There's woods behind my house so it's very private and peaceful.  Sometimes I feel like Tasha Tudor when I'm out there and the girls are following me around.  Today I was dragging a tarp half full of   weeds and leaves to the woods and all of a sudden I noticed it got very heavy.  I looked over my shoulder and Arabelle was sitting on the back of it.  I thought to myself, "what would Tasha do".  I don't think she would have scolded her, so I didn't either.  That dog is such a mess!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Fairy Garden

Today I was at a local nursery and saw this fairy garden made from miniature plants.  I haven't seen these tiny plants before.  I put a quarter in some of the pictures so you could get an idea of the scale.

  

                                   

The plants in the round containers are hens and chickens!  They are about the size of  green peas.

The blue ball is a gazing ball.

This garden was so fascinating! I felt like I wanted to place my dollhouse beside it.  Everything seemed to be in a 1 inch scale.

Knock Out Roses

My sister has been telling me how easy the Knock Out roses are to care for and how beautiful they are.  I've only had a few rose bushes and haven't had great luck with them.  Well, tonight I was at Home Depot (I know, I know, it sounds like I live at Home Depot) and I saw this double pink Knock Out rose.  It was so gorgeous! I read the label and it blooms from spring until fall and can withstand severe heat which we have here in central Virginia.  I didn't buy one because I really have to find a place to plant it.  It requires 4 to 6 hours of full sun and I'm not sure I have that anywhere in my yard.  Tomorrow I'm going to see if I have a spot suitable.

Corgi Topiary

This past weekend I went to a Home and Garden Show with a friend and found this corgi topiary.  It was expensive, but I decided I couldn't live without it.   I plan to  leave it out in the rain  to get soaked later this week  and then plant some small plants on it.  I am going to use hens and chickens for a collar and very small sedum for the britches.  I'll post pictures of the finished corgi next week.

My friend bought this cocker spaniel.  It is so adorable and already had everything  planted on it.   She looks very friendly greeting visitors on her front porch.



Pruning My Crepe Mrytles

I can't stand it any longer.  The temperature is going up to 69 degrees here on Wednesday and already I'm making plans for all the outside chores I want to do.  This is a good time to prune my crepe myrtles.  I was looking at the Southern Living website and they refer to the pruning that most people do as "crepe murder" because they butcher the shrub so badly.  The website offers great instructions on how to prune them properly.

I think I'll also prune my butterfly bush.  It may be a little late in the year but I think I'll do it anyway.  Last year my bush was full of blooms and attracted so many butterflies.

Just thinking about these projects is really theraputic for me.  I love spring and this will be my first spring since I retired.  I plan to enjoy every ray of sunshine and daffodil that blooms!

New Life for Old Shoes

It's always rewarding to me to see old things take on a new life.  These worn  work shoes show signs that they spent my hours working in the garden before they became planters for hens and chickens.

I found these little boy's cowboy boots at a flea market and filled them with chickens too.  They haven't done as well because they dry out so quickly but they're still so darn cute!

In just a few weeks it will be time to plant spring bulbs.  I can't wait to plant those big yellow daffodils.  I might start looking for bulbs this weekend!