Monthly Garden Update: May 2011

I pretty much have my garden in full swing now!

Parsley Plant

Eucalyptus Plant

Rosemary Plant

Sugar Snap Peas and Green Beans

Coleus Plant

Tomatoes, Cucumbers, & Celery Plants

Awesome new flower from Sunrise!

Peach Flowers : )

My favorite yellow!

Beautiful!

I'm sure by the next post, I'll have a ton more flowers in the ground!

- Ashley

First Garden Update of the Year: April 2011

I am so excited that I already bought a few things for my garden this year!

Pansies : )

Spearmint

Dill

Garlic Chives - yummmmmmm!

Beautiful!

Cider vinegar to keep flies away!

I was reading how to keep fruit flies away, which is always annoying when you have plants indoors. I have a small spray bottle with a water and a free and clear dish-soap solution. It really helps when you notice the flies to mist the plant and cover the leaves with the solution. The plant won't get harmed and the flies and eggs will die. Also, I was reading that if you put a little bit of cider vinegar in a small dish and cover it with plastic wrap, leaving a small hole at the top, the flies will be attracted to it. They will fly inside the hole, but not be able to get out. So far, I haven't noticed many tiny flies, so I am not sure if it's working!

I also planted my sugar snap peas and green beans last week. I can't wait until I start getting sprouts! I'll be sure to post some pictures in time for my next monthly newsletter : )

- Ashley

10 Tips for Saving Money in the Garden

10 Tips for Saving Money in the Garden
By: Laura Fisher Kaiser

Published: January 28, 2011
Carefully plan and plot your garden to add value to your home and make the most of your time and money.
So don’t impulsively drive to your garden center. Walk your land, consult an almanac, test the soil, and make a budget. You’ll save your back, your budget, and your home’s curb appeal.

Tip #1: Get to know your land

Before shelling out money for new plants, consider what’s thrived and died in past gardens. Ask, “Is this plant doing its job? Adding beauty? Providing shade? Creating borders?” Give a pink slip to landscaping that’s not pulling its weight.

If you’re a newcomer to gardening or to the area, scout the neighborhood to see which plants look happy and which wither on the vine.

Keep in mind that even plants appropriate for your growing zone might not work in your personal patch. Your particular soil conditions, sunlight patterns, pest populations, and available water will determine what will grow. Your local cooperative extension service can analyze your soil and recommend amendments and suitable plantings.

Tip #2: Become sun savvy

Even experienced gardeners make mistakes. They plant shade-loving plants in full sun or sun-loving plants in partial shade. Before planting anything in your garden, compare the amount of sunlight your landscaping needs for the amount you have.

Evaluating garden sunlight is tricky because daylight is a moving target: Seasons change and plants mature and cast different shadows.

So before plotting plant beds and tree locations, study the movement of the sun throughout the day and, if you have time, throughout the year. Calculate how many hours of sun each garden section receives. Then check planting directions to make sure your greenery will get what it needs.

Tip #3: Become water wise

Over-watering plants can kill your landscaping and budget. To avoid death by water, know how much and when your greens need to drink: Sales tags should have watering directions.

Drip hoses are thrifty ways to water plants, because the water goes directly to roots, drop by drop. Wind drip hoses around tree bases and bottoms of shrubs. Put hoses on automatic timers to avoid over-watering.

If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, install an ET (evapotranspiraton) controller. These systems, which use real-time weather data sent by satellite to control when sprinklers turn on and off, can cut water use by as much as 30%. The controller costs between $300 and $400, depending on system size, but many municipal water agencies offer rebates, particularly in the arid Southwest.

Tip # 4: Mulch much

Spreading a few inches of mulch in landscaping beds protects your plants and shrubs from drying out, and makes beds look tidy and uniform. Mulch also keeps down weeds and moderates soil temperature.
Organic mulches--grass clippings, wood chips, pine needles--eventually decompose and add vital nutrients to your soil and landscaping. Organics also encourage worm growth, nature’s own soil tillers and fertilizers.
Shredded bark mulch from the garden center provides a rich look for your beds, adding curb appeal. It also prevents dirt from splashing on leaves.

Tip #5: Color your garden

Stick to a simple color scheme for flowers and blooming shrubs in your garden. Your landscaping will look more cohesive and professional.
Massing plants of coordinated colors creates a sense of luxury and order. If you like pinks, add lavenders and blue-hued plants. If hot red is your color, mix with yellows and oranges.
Keeping to a single color family in your garden also narrows your focus when roaming plant center aisles. If you are a gardening newbie and can’t tell a tea rose from a trumpet vine, ask the store’s plant expert for help. Most will be glad to exchange their knowledge for a sale.
Also, gardening catalogs and websites often group complementary colors together. Some even provide a complete landscape plan, which you can faithfully recreate.

Tip #6: Avoid invaders

Ivies, grasses, and vines will fill in your garden quickly, and just as quickly take over your landscaping. Once these “invasives” take root, unearthing them is difficult, and in some cases, impossible.
Your garden center doesn’t call these spreaders “invasives.” They are billed as “fast growers” or “aggressives,” but often that’s code for non-native plants that take over the landscape and crowd out locals by stealing nutrients, light, and water.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains a list of invasives that includes various ivies, grasses, weeds, vines, self-seeding varieties of bushes and shrubs, and even seemingly innocuous herbs, like mint. Your county extension service can steer you toward the species best suited to your garden. Warning: If you love growing mint, grow it in a pot on your deck or patio.

Tip #7: Beware of neighbors bearing green gifts

You should love thy neighbor, but don’t ever take cuttings from their gardens unless you know exactly what they are and how they grow. Self-seeding perennials, such as Black-Eyed Susans and coneflowers, will quickly fill bare spots with splashes of color. If you tire of them, just grab a spade and dig them out.
But if a neighbor extends a slender stalk of Rose of Sharon, or other invasive tree species, run away screaming. These trees will spread throughout your yard and grow roots so deep that only a professional--or the better part of your weekend--can dig and pull them out.
Tip #8: Plant shade trees for natural A/C

Shade trees planted on the south and west sides of a house reduce cooling bills--up to 25%--and lower net carbon emissions. So include shade trees in your landscaping plan.
Choose shade trees according to their size at maturity, which could be 20 years away. Dense deciduous trees--maples, poplars, cottonwoods--are good selections because their leaves cool your house in summer, and their bare branches let light in during winter. Plant them close enough to shade your house, but not so close that they will overwhelm the space.
If you want a faster growing shade tree, about 2 feet per year, select a northern red oak, Freeman maple, or tulip tree.

Tip #9: Power down your lawn mower

The Environmental Protection Agency says gas-powered lawn mowers contribute as much as 5% of the nation’s air pollution. Switching to new generation electric and push-reel mowers—which are lighter, quieter, and kinder to your lawn than power mowers—reduces emissions and cuts fuel consumption.
To mow three-quarters of an acre of grass with a power mower requires 1 gallon of gas. As gas prices head to $4 per gallon, you could save $100 a year by switching to a muscle-powered or electric machine. An electric or good push-reel mower costs $150 to $250, so it will quickly pay for itself.

Tip #10: Grade your landscaping

Once a year, walk your property, cast a hard eye on your garden beds and ask, “Is that plant doing its job? Is it growing into its space, or wandering wherever it likes? Are leaves healthy or spotted with mold and pests? Are these greens improving curb appeal or just making my house look overrun?”
If a plant or shrub isn’t working out, it’s compost. If shrubs are growing too close to your foundation--1 foot away is good--transplant or prune them.
Make sure trees are growing no closer to your house than the width of their mature canopies. Otherwise roots can burrow into foundations, and overhanging branches can trap moisture against the roof or siding, leading to rot and insect damage.
Check your flowering plants and shrubs to see if they are indeed flowering. Too few or dull blossoms should rally after a dose of fertilizer or layer of compost. An inexpensive alterative to commercial fertilizers is manure tea. Fill the foot of old pantyhose with a clump of cow or horse dung, tie the hose to the watering can handle, and let the manure steep in water. You can get weeks of nutrition from a little bit of dung.
Jeanne Huber is the author of 10 books about home improvement and writes a weekly column about home care for the Washington Post.

Garden Update: August 2010 - MUMS!!!

Hi there everyone,

I'm so excited that I've already gotten some Mums for my garden! I really love fall and am looking forward to also getting my mini pumpkin and hay bale for my porch! Anyways, here are some current pictures of my garden in August:

Here are two of the Mum plants on my porch.

Here are the other two Mum plants.

My sweet potato vine on my front porch has gotten HUGE!

I'm really excited about my new Venus Fly Trap! These plants are awesome and live in your house year-round.

All of the flowers in my garden have gotten huge and basically taken over!

My red bell peppers are looking good! Yum!

This plant has grown as large as a bush! It started as only a tiny plant in the spring when I bought it because I thought it looked cool.

My pretty purple flowers!

Well, that's my update for now. I can't wait until my Mums start blooming and I can get the rest of my fall decorations!

- Ashley

Ashley's Garden Update: July 2010

Hey there everyone! I bet you've been wondering what's the latest update with my garden? You haven't...well, I'm going to tell you anyways! LOL!

Most of my plants are doing very well although I'm sad to say that my cilantro plant died due to all the heavy rains that we had. It drowned from too much water in the pot. I wish I could plant things in the ground, where they do so much better!

Here are some pictures from my garden:

These are some yummy veggies that I picked: grape tomatoes, yellow banana peppers, sugar snap peas, and green beans!

These are my green beans that I made for dinner after just being picked! They were soooo good with some butter and breadcrumbs!

This is my lantana plant that has gotten huge! It's doing so well in the ground!

This is my garden in the back, which also does very well every year. The in-ground sprinklers hit it just right and when it rains, it really saturates the area back there!

This plant has grown into a huge bush!

Here's a jalapeno from my plant. I plan on making this jalapeno cheddar potato soup that my parents had on a cruise and the waiter gave them the recipe for...yum! (recipe to come soon I'm sure!! lol)

Here are some yellow banana peppers on my plant. I want to make a relish with these for Italian sub sandwiches.

Here are some green peppers from my plant. I also have red peppers, which start out looking exactly like this.

Well, I hope you like looking at my progress! Sorry I couldn't figure out how to flip my pictures I'm starting to look forward to mums in the fall and mini pumpkins! But mostly pumpkin spice lattes!

- Ashley

Ashley's Garden Update!

Slacking isn't even the right word to use here...I'm basically ignoring my blog...not purposefully, believe me! Things have been insane and I have been out there working it in the real estate world. I did recently take a trip out to Grant Park, IL, to Wagner's and Sunrise, and I wanted to write about it and share the beginnings of my garden this year with you!

I bought TONS of flowers this year and filled the entire trunk! It's hard to stop once you get started!

I brought them home to their "adjustment period" in the garage (and my car has to "rough it" outside for a few days!) and here are some pictures from that:

A lot of the green, leafy ones are veggies. This year I am growing jalapenos, yellow bell peppers, red bell peppers, candy onions (sweeter than vidalia!), of course my famous grape tomatoes, and a huge assortment of herbs!

Here are some of my supplies - I use the organic dirt for all my veggies and herbs because I grow them in pots and don't want them exposed to any unhealthy stuff! I use the garden soil with fertilizer in it for my flowers that go in the ground.

Close up of one of my pretty pink flowers!

Here are some of my herbs: peppermint, chives, basil, parsley and the orange one in the right corner is my cilantro! I am also growing green beans and sugar snap peas from seed! And of course my green onions! Yummmmmmmmmm!

What are some of your favorite things to grow in your garden?

- Ashley

Share Your Gardening Tips

I am so happy that spring is right around the corner! I don't know about you, but I'm tired of this cold winter and ready to spend some quality time outdoors! I wanted to start a discussion to share gardening tips, advice, and knowledge.

Some of My Favorite Place to Buy Supplies

For cheap accent lighting and other garden decor, I love to go to Target or Walmart. I've even bought seeds from Target before and they turned out great.

For plants, I like to go to Lowe's or Alsip Nursery. Also, a place that my Mom introduced me to, Sunrise Greenhouse in Grant Park, IL (http://www.woldhuisfarms.com/index.html). Although it's quite a haul from Lockport, this place is like a "Sam's Club" for flowers! I normally get the majority of my garden goodies at Sunrise!

Some of My Favorite Things to Grow

I absolutely love to grow all things edible! My must-haves include grape tomatoes and green onions. Last summer, I grew candy onions (sweeter than Vidalia!), strawberries, cilantro, basil, and three breeds of lettuce, in addition. I also love my Lavendar plant that keeps my patio smelling nice! This year, I want to grow some green beans since I love eating them and some kind of roses. Any pointers?

Now It's Your Turn to Share

Now I invite you to share some of your insight and knowledge about gardening for other fellow gardeners to comment on and learn from!

- Ashley