Tag: garden

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Cool rain catchers

During the summer I went to visit a friend of mine. On her porch she had what she called rain chains. I had never seen them before, and she explained that they caught the rain and watered the plant below, that was in a pot with the chains attached to it. She had a lots of really cool ones all around her house. I knew right away that I wanted to get some for my gardens, yard, porch and gazebo next summer. I asked where she had gotten them and she told me she went online for them.

I of course got online and found the garden rain chains that I totally love and want for my gardens next year. So then that led me to start doing more garden planning for spring. I’ve listed all the seeds and plants I want and how I want to redo some of my gardens just for these chains. They will make really nice additions to my front gardens as well. I have a lot of little fairies and what I call peeky people situated in places that one would least expect them, but can be seen if a person looks closely.

While browsing, I found a gutter rain chain and thought that would be a great idea for dispersing more rain water than what my boarder flowers would normally get because of the overhang on the porch.

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Easter and garden supplies out

I went shopping yesterday and could not believe it!! Easter items are out already. To me, this is getting a bit out of hand. I asked the store clerk how long they had been out, since it looked like the shelves were pretty much picked over and I hadn’t gone to that store in awhile. He told me they had stocked Easter things right after Valentines Day. (SMH)

The great thing though, is that the garden supply section is now nearly fully stocked. Looks like I’m going to get an even bigger jump on shopping this year for my garden. I’m at least excited about that!

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Garden

Living in the city of Nashville, I do not have a large space for a garden but I still want to have some fresh vegetables available to me. I have planted a couple of tomato plants in pots and some pepper plants in a couple of planter boxes just to have some produce available to me. My tomato plants are blooming and are growing rapidly. Just being able to grow a little garden is a great way to enjoy life and spend some time in the yard that I would not get to do with-out my little garden.

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A great Spring gardening magazines

I’m so excited. My son brought in the mail today and handed me not one, but two new Spring 2012  Native Gardener’s Companion magazines! This is like a catalog, but with tips on growing various flowers, potted plants, shrubs and trees, plus a whole lot more.

In the What’s New section, I see that they now offer a Pollinator Kit that I would like to try. It consists of a tray of 38 potted plants for moist soil situations, and from the sound of it, there are a variety of really pretty colors, and forms of plants that attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, all of which I love. Some people are afraid of bees and try to get rid of them. I’m not one of those people. I love bumbles and honey bees. The only kind I don’t like, are the ones that are long and yellow and up here, people call them yellow jackets. They like to attack and build nests under the eves, and actually anywhere they can. Those are scary and so very mean. Plus they do nothing for my gardens. I’m glad that I rarely see them anywhere near my plants.

I’ve noticed also that the Gardner’s companion has include a color coded diagrams for planting gardens in various way, including plants in pots and various flowers and grasses. This is a great idea. I like to get new ideas and ways of making my gardens look different each year. I’m so excited for Spring to get here. And getting this magazine in the mail today boosted my spirits.

 

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A new Garden Trellis

Since I’ve been already planning my front yard gardening and also getting seeds, I decided I need new trellises. I’m really looking forward to getting them because I have been growing various climbing vines and they seem to be taking over the whole yard. I am going to get four, since I have four porch posts that actually look like they are holding up the roof of the porch, but are really for decoration.

I have tried a vinyl trellis in the front garden before, that my husband had gotten me for my birthday, but it didn’t last like the ad said it would. Within the season, it cracked and fell apart. I don’t think that he got it from a reputable place. I do though, give him an A for effort at getting me something that he thought I would like. I did too, but it just didn’t hold up in our weather here

I like a trellis that is strong enough to hold my runner beans, morning glories and my other types of plants that like to have something to climb on, other wise I end up with really pretty flowers laying in the lawn and they don’t look happy, plus they are really bothersome to mow around, if they aren’t picked up, then laid back down after the mowing is over. My husband used to try, but it was a loosing battle, since most of them were voluntary plants, and I had just let grow wild. I just didn’t have the heart to pull them up. This year, I’m going to do a lot of yard work and am looking forward to this new look also!

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Address Plaques are a great solution

After my mail box got hit and demolished the other night, I’ve decided to look at cool address plaques. My old mail box had the house numbers that were reflective, right on the wooden mailbox post. It was free to have the first time, from the village I live in. Now, it will cost me a mint to get another one. Since the mail is delivered around 10:00 am, and everyone knows everyone here, my mail man does not need to know my the house number, so it doesn’t need to be a reflective address sign.

I rarely ever have company in the night time, and if I do, once again, I don’t need reflectors on the house number, but I would indeed like to check out house numbers for the front of my home. I like the look of them. I’ve seen many now after shopping around on the net, that are classy, but not too fancy or overstated for me.

I also have been trying to decide if I would like to buy something distinctive for the front lawn, since my herb and flower gardens are planted there. I’ve been looking at lawn plaques. There are some really very classy, but simple ones I wouldn’t mind having. I’m still undecided, but I am leaning to these, as they would give a great touch to my front lawn and gardens.

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Planning for window boxes for the Spring

As all of my family are aware of, I’ve been planning on putting up window boxes when Spring comes. I know it’s early to be planning such things to some people, but I am the kind of person who likes to plan ahead when it comes to my  out door plants and flowers. I plan all winter long for what I would like to do with my gardens and my lawn, way before most people are even planning for Christmas.

Since we have been remodeling the house, I have all new windows and I think that I want to put in window box planters. Every time I go by a home that has them, I really start getting plans in my head about the flowers I could plant that would match all of the flowers and herbs I have in my gardens, especially out in the front court yard. I think it would be a perfect accent to what I already have growing now. Not to mention that I could make more use of color against the siding of the house.

Window flower boxes would be an excellent touch to the atmosphere also. I could have the windows open and then smell the fragrant scent of the flowers and herbs I plan on planting in them. I’ve done a lot of planning on this and even my husband is in agreement that they would make a nice “finishing touch” on the home.

 

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Slow week

It seems like this week is just dragging by. Not that I really have anything special to do this weekend, but something might come up and for some reason, it just seems like it is taking it’s time getting  here. I did play out in my back gardens this morning and my pumpkins are all starting to get their color.  They aren’t very big this year, but they still look nice. I think I just might go out and do some digging and cut some flowers for some arrangements. Guess I’m just bored.

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An unexpected plant

I’ve just about given up on my garden. It looks terrible as we haven’t had rain and with the water bill as it is, due to filling the pool and the kids taking cold showers, plus laundry and just in general using lots of water this summer, I really can’t afford to water the gardens like they should be. I did however walk out into the back yard, and we have bales of straw back there to be burned when we get some rain and the fields, trees and grass aren’t so dry. I had looked out the window and saw orange “somethings” way out back, so when I walked out there to see what they were, they turned out to be flowers which are HUGH and beautiful, and a very large pumpkin plant! There is a little pumpkin growing on it also. My blogging buddy told me about her bale gardening, and her grandson’s pumpkins along with her other plants, and I thought it was a strange way of doing things, but had told my son about it. Now I’m wondering if my son had stuck a seed in that bale of straw just to see if it would grow. I might do this next year!

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Flowers and vines

My gardens seem to be coming along nicely! I love the fact that I started much earlier than I normally do, and had the time to do it. Now, if I can keep the dogs and the cats from tearing everything up, I’ll be a happy camper! We’ll have to wait and see how that goes. I’m thinking about planting more things in the front yard and also getting some potted plants to hang on the porch and set in various locations on the decks!