Decorators Garden

photo by John!!!

As more people take up vegetable gardening this season, many questions arise. A common one is “what do I use for soil?” This is a good question to ask. Healthy garden soil is more than just dirt. It should contain the beneficial nutrients your plants need to thrive. This is accomplished by mixing soil amendments into your existing soil.

What are soil amendments? Organic matter that builds the soil to improve soil aeration, water holding capacity and retention of nutrients. What used to be a chore to mix peat moss, top soil, humus and composted cow’s manure into your soil is now mixed for you in bags of garden soil. It is so much easier and more affordable to buy several bags of garden soil and be done with it vs. a bale of peat moss and multiple bags of top soil, humus and cow’s manure.

Miracle Grow has an organic garden soil under the brand name “Organic Choice.” Another option is Miracle Grow Garden Soil with fertilizer that claims to feed up to three months.

Another important soil component is compost. Compost is plant and yard waste that, once broken down, will add nutrients, trace elements, beneficial bacteria and act as an organic fertilizer. You can and should make your own compost from vegetable scraps and yard waste, but it takes some time to break down into usable soil. Some garden centers sell bagged compost, but most do not. You might consider the compost available at your town’s transfer station. Keep in mind that grass clippings and other yard waste may contain pesticides, weed killers and other chemicals that remain in the compost. If you are gardening organically, you may choose to avoid it. Synthetic chemicals in your soil will keep earthworms away, and they are needed to aerate the soil and breakdown organic matter.

How much garden soil needs to be added to your existing soil will depend on what you are starting with. If it is a new vegetable or flower bed, chances are the existing soil is poor. Remove all grass and weeds, then loosen the soil in the ground with a garden fork or tiller. Add several bags of garden soil and mix into the loosened soil. The soil should be loose and friable. If too sandy or clayey, add peat moss. Break up any lumps and remove all stones and twigs. Roots will grow well in a “fluffy” soil. Remember to add compost.

For existing gardens, add the garden soil and compost to your beds and mix well. This will replace nutrients that were depleted from last years growing. Add a little organic fertilizer as you plant your veggies or flowers to ensure your plants will get the proper nutrition.

by Laura A. Bailey, author of The Amazing Pea Stone Garden Sign up for Garden Center Secrets - 20 Insider Tips to Save You Money A free Report. Get yours today!

© 2009, Hands On Decorating, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use must include author’s attribution and link to DecoratorsGarden.com

photo by ProBuild Garden Center

As you plan your vegetable garden for this season, you might be waiting to purchase your seeds until you actually need to plant them. Depending on your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone, you may have already planted your cool weather crops and are waiting for the last frost date for your area to plant the heat loving veggies. This could be a few weeks away. If so, don’t wait until then to buy your seeds, buy them now, or you might not be able to find them.

Retail stores stay months ahead of the season. They stock up on merchandise long before the season starts and put what’s left on clearance before you realize you need it. This is great if you time it just right, you can get a great deal, but if you miss it by a few days, you are out of luck, they’ve cleared the stock to make room for the coming season. Ever try to buy a long sleeved shirt in February (in northern USA), or patio furniture in July? Forget about it. Either they expect you to buy things long before you even know you’ll need them, or that you have lots of cash laying around to spend on what you won’t need for a month or more. Not very consumer friendly, but that’s retail.

What does this have to do with seeds? Same thing. Just as the weather is warm enough to plant seeds for Summer veggies, the stores have already sent the seed displays back to their supplier. Why? The store gets a credit for seeds that don’t sell, so if they wait too long, they are stuck with them. It doesn’t matter if they know customers will be looking for them, it’s a corporate decision. I’ve had to explain this to dozens of garden center customers who are not very happy to hear it. So, don’t wait to buy seeds, thinking the store will discount them, go to a discount store for that. And don’t even bother looking for seeds in the Fall for your late season plantings, buy those seeds now, too.

Vegetable seed sales are actually up this year by more than 25% over last year. With the downturn in the economy, more and more people are starting their own veggie gardens, whether a traditional row garden, raised beds or in containers on a patio. The news of Michelle Obama starting a vegetable garden on the White House lawn has also stirred interest in home gardening. Will this entice garden centers to keep their seed displays and not send them back to the supplier? Let’s hope so! After all, it’s one of the few things that is selling in this economy. But just in case, don’t wait, get ‘em while you can!

Tip #15 from Garden Center Secrets - 20 Insider Tips to Save You Money A free Report. Get yours today!

by Laura A. Bailey, author of The Amazing Pea Stone Garden

© 2009, Hands On Decorating, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use must include author’s attribution and link to DecoratorsGarden.com

There is a lot of bad advice out there on how to properly water your garden. Now that garden center ads are appearing on TV, this is the perfect example of how NOT to water! The scenes of homeowners and garden center employees showering the plants as if it were raining is the WRONG way to water!

If you use a garden hose to water your containers, vegetables, flowers, etc., you should know that the best way to water them is to avoid getting the foliage and flowers wet. Only water at the base of the plants. This is where the plants need water - at the roots. Getting the leaves and flowers wet can kill the plant. Wet leaves and flowers invite fungal diseases and insects.

But what about when it rains, Mother Nature waters that way? Yes, Mother Nature does, but you should not. Often times, people shower their plants, thinking they have given them plenty of water, but if they were to stick their fingers into the soil, the soil would be bone dry. What a waste of water! Not only did the plants not get water to their roots, they are now vulnerable to disease and infestation due to wet foliage.

Exceptions to the rule:

• If you have an insect infestation problem, you can spray the entire plant with soapy water to wash off the bugs. The soapy water will irritate the bug’s stomach and eventually kill them.

• Use the shower spray setting to water newly sprouted seeds and short seedlings. Since these little plants are so close to the ground, you can’t get under the leaves to water just the roots. But as the plants get bigger, avoid getting the foliage wet.

Using a wand attachment on your hose makes it easier to get at the roots than using a trigger sprayer. The leaves of bushy plants need to be pushed aside in order to access the base of the plant. A wand can get in there quickly and easily. Wands are great for watering hanging plants, too. Just remember to hook the wand nozzle over the edge of the container to water downward, not spray from the side or top. Containers should be watered twice, especially if they are really dry, as the first watering usually goes right through the pot. Wait a few minutes and water again. The second watering will nourish the plant.

Time of day matters, too. Early morning is the best time to water when using a hose. If the leaves do get wet, the sun will dry them. Not the case if you water in the evening. Mid day is not the time to water, as it will evaporate in the heat of the sun. If your plants are desperate for a drink, then by all means, water them, but otherwise, try to avoid watering between noon and 4pm, if you can.

The more efficient ways to water would be with drip irrigation systems and soaker hoses, but using a garden hose is still the most common way people water their garden. Watering properly will not only benefit your plants, but conserve water in the process.

by Laura A. Bailey, author of The Amazing Pea Stone Garden. Sign up for Garden Center Secrets - 20 Insider Tips to Save You Money A free Report. Get yours today! Photo by Laura A. Bailey.

© 2009, Hands On Decorating, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use must include author’s attribution and link to DecoratorsGarden.com

photo by shaferlens

Looking for a way to save some money on plants this season? Whether they are for gifts or for your garden, consider packaged Summer flower bulbs. Of course, these are nothing new, but how you grow them might be. You can find a large variety of flower bulbs (or tubers, corms and rhizomes) available at garden centers and discount stores. Instead of buying the same plant already growing in a pot, you can save a few dollars by starting the bulbs yourself, especially when the bulbs are discounted for clearance.

Read the instructions on the back of the package and you will find the traditional method for planting the bulbs in the ground - depth, spacing, part-shade, full sun, etc. But, instead, start the bulbs in pots you have on hand. There are several reasons for doing this:

1. Bulbs (or tubers, corms and rhizomes) planted directly in the ground take a while before they show up above ground. You run the risk of planting something over them, or digging them up if you don’t mark the area.

2. Starting the bulbs in pots, you can plant them in your flower beds when the plants are half grown, quickly filling in the empty spaces as if you just brought the plants home from the garden center.

3. Plant gifts can be pricey. Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, whatever the special occasion, you could spend $10, $15 or more on a potted plant in decorative florist wrap. Plan ahead at least three weeks for holidays and special occasions (check your calendar), and you can save $10 or more on each gift. That really adds up! Plant a few extras for last minute gifts.

To get started, select your pots. Choose decorative ceramic or terra cotta pots for gifts, or even basic plastic ones will do if you add your own florist wrap. If the plants are for your own garden, just use what you have on hand. 10″ diameter pots work great. Line the bottom of the pot with part of a paper coffee filter or left over weed block fabric to retain the soil. Add a few rocks for drainage. Pour in some potting mix, then add the bulbs. You can space them closer together than what is recommended on the package. You can even mix different varieties of bulbs in the same pot, especially for gifts. Put the taller plant bulbs in the center (points up), smaller ones around them and add more potting soil to account for the difference in required bulb depth. Sprinkle some Bone Meal on the bulbs, then cover with soil. If the bulbs have any green stems or leaves already growing (a good sign of a healthy bulb), leave them above the soil line. Water the pots and set them aside in the sun for a couple of weeks. Remember to water periodically and cover with a towel or sheet if there is a frost warning.

You’ll soon have lots of plants for your garden and for gifts at a fraction of the cost of nursery plants. For those flowers that you plant in the ground, keep a record of what needs to be dug up before a hard frost in the Fall. Refer to the packaging for that information. Dig up the plants, cut off the stems and let them dry out for a day or two. Cut off the roots, then keep the bulbs in plastic bags with peat moss to cover. Use a magic marker to write the name of the flower on the bag. Store in a cool, dry place over winter and plant them again in pots next year.

Tip #6 from Garden Center Secrets - 20 Insider Tips to Save You Money A free Report. Get yours today!

by Laura A. Bailey, author of The Amazing Pea Stone Garden

© 2009, Hands On Decorating, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use must include author’s attribution and link to DecoratorsGarden.com

photo by dmuth

Ahh, early Spring! Such a wonderful time of year. The snow has finally melted and the new growth has begun. Such a joy to walk through your yard and look at all flowers coming up, especially those tulips you planted last Fall. Um, wait a minute, they were here yesterday….oh, damn it!

If this has happened to you, you know how frustrating it is to deal with hungry deer invading your landscape. The nemesis of both gardeners and home owners, they sneak into your yard in the wee hours of the morning, eat what they want of your prized plants and move on before you are even hitting the snooze bar on your alarm clock. Some are so blatant, they don’t even dash off when they see you, they just keep eating.

One of the ways to combat deer is to grow plants they won’t eat. While this does help, the deer will eat anything if they are hungry enough and other vermin, such as rabbits and groundhogs, will eat the plants deer won’t, so you are back to square one. You have probably heard of home remedies and concoctions to keep those eating machines out of your yard, such as human hair, soap, dryer sheets and even coyote urine. But do they work? And if they do, they aren’t so easy to apply.

Then there are the deer repellant sprays. I have had great results with one product called All in One Deer and Rabbit Solution. I’ve used it for the past four years and my plants have been safe. The deer have come into my yard, taken a nibble of a plant but didn’t eat it entirely and left the others near it alone. I assume that they didn’t like the taste. They smell it on the other plants and lose interest. Hosta is known as a deer magnet, yet my hosta plants have gone untouched, so I must say the stuff works.

Working in a well known big name garden center, I’ve been asked by many customers what product to use to keep deer from devouring their arborvitae and other deer favorites. I couldn’t recommend what we have on the shelves, only because I haven’t tried it myself. I got lucky the first time when buying “Deer and Rabbit Solution” from my local farm and garden store, so I send customers there to get it.

Deer and Rabbit Solution is a concentrate that comes in a 32 oz. pump spray bottle and in larger jugs. You mix one part solution to ten parts water. Shake it well, pump the bottle a few times to build pressure and then spray it on your plants. Very quick and easy. The container states that it is effective on deer, rabbits, groundhogs, and squirrels. The solution dries clear on plants and can be used on shrubs, flowers, trees, and edible crops providing that you don’t eat the leaf of the plant. It is also rain-resistant, meaning it won’t wash away as other sprays are known to do. It is recommended that you reapply it for every 2″ of new growth. The 32 oz. pump bottle covers approximately 1,000 square feet. Give it a try, it works!

by Laura A. Bailey, author of The Amazing Pea Stone Garden Get your free copy of “Garden Center Secrets - 20 Insider Tips to Save You Money at the Garden Center” at DecoratorsGarden.com

© 2009, Hands On Decorating, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use must include author’s attribution and link to DecoratorsGarden.com

I Recommend

All-in-one Natural Deer and Rabbit Repellent 32 Oz RTU

Natural Pest Solutions

$17.99

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The cool weather of early Spring is a great time to grow lettuce. It’s one of the few veggie plants that love the cooler temperatures and won’t be bothered by frost. It’s the first vegetable I plant to get my garden going, along with spinach, peas and broccoli - all cool weather crops. Lettuce plants are available at most garden centers this time of year, but for what they cost, starting lettuce from seed is much more economical. It’s easy to grow and will grow quickly, about 45 days from sowing, but you can harvest leaves in half that time. So save yourself some money and grow lettuce from seed.

There are many varieties of lettuce to plant and I have had success with all of them, though I haven’t tried growing iceburg, as I prefer the loose leaf varieties. Gourmet blends are a favorite. One seed packet can have four or five loose leaf varieties that you most likely won’t find at the grocery store, such as Royal Oak Leaf, Ashley, Prizeleaf, Lolla Rossa and Salad Bowl. Black Seeded Simpson, Romaine and Bibb Lettuce are a definite must for my garden, all delicious and nutritious.

Mesclun, a mixture of salad greens (often called Spring Mix or Baby Greens in the grocery store) is a blend of lettuces, spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, endive, arugula (rocket), radicchio, sorrel, and other leafy greens. Grow this right along with your lettuce to add some zest to your salads and pasta dishes.

You can grow lettuce in a traditional row garden, raised beds or even a large container set in full sun. I prefer raised beds, planting four plants per foot, following the Square Foot Gardening method. To ensure healthy plants, use a good quality soil mix, such as Miracle Grow Organic Choice garden soil. Be sure to mix fertilizer into the soil before you plant the lettuce seeds. Fertilizer will prevent bitter tasting lettuce. It is so disappointing to discover your beautiful lettuce that is finally ready to harvest is too bitter to eat! I have had great success with Plant-tone Organic fertilizer and highly recommend it.

Follow the seed packet instructions for recommended spacing between plants. I don’t believe in sowing the seeds then thinning them later when they have sprouted and are too close together. It’s a waste of seeds! I follow the Square Foot Gardening method, and sprinkle 4 to 6 seeds together, 4 spaces per square foot, then cover lightly with soil and water with a watering can fitted with a rosette to gently water without washing the seeds away. Keep the soil moist, but don’t overwater. In a few weeks you will have an abundance of fresh lettuce to enjoy. Clip individual leaves instead of cutting the entire plant. Lettuce will bolt (go to seed) in the hot weather, so provide shade by planting tomatoes and taller vegetables near by. Start new lettuce plants about two to three weeks apart to ensure a continuous harvest.

Photo by auntjojo

by Laura A. Bailey, author of The Amazing Pea Stone Garden Get your free copy of Garden Center Secrets - 20 Insider Tips to Save You Money at the Garden Center at DecoratorsGarden.com  © 2009, Hands On Decorating, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use must include author’s attribution and link to DecoratorsGarden.com

I Recommend

Espoma Organic Plant-Tone 5-3-3 - 5 lb Bag #PT5

Espoma

$11.15

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photo credit Ol.v!er [H2vPk] [pKmaO]

An old stand by, the common garden geranium (actually called Pelargonium). This flower has been around for decades and may be over looked when choosing more hipper plants for containers or flower beds. But there’s a lot to be said for these tough, colorful plants.

For the frugal gardener, any annual that can last year after year, if brought in for the Winter, is worth the effort. How many other flowers can survive 40 degree temperatures all Winter with little watering (OK, call it neglect) and also handle the full, hot Summer sun without daily watering? Not many.

I’ve had the same geraniums for the past eight years. And since I spent about a dollar for each plant, I’ve certainly gotten my money’s worth. Gotta love that! They do get leggy, since I don’t cut them back, but I find that to be more interesting. These easy to care for fragrant (they kind of smell like clams) flowers are a great time saver. With so many garden chores to tend to in the Spring, it takes a while before I can devote any time to my containers. The geraniums, on the other hand, just need to be dead headed and set out near my garden fence. The pots still have the sea shells, glass beads and decorative stone I used for mulch. I can add trailing Vinca or Bacopa later when I fill in the display with pots of more extravagant annuals.

So, if you are looking for versatile long lasting annuals that won’t bust your budget, consider geraniums. Next story, I’ll tell you how to propagate geraniums from cuttings.

Laura A. Bailey

© 2009, Hands On Decorating, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use must include link to www.DecoratorsGarden.com

Time Lapse Blooming of a Geranium

With Thanksgiving upon us, I thought it would be fun to relay the story of the turkey who came to visit. A live one, that is. It was the day after Halloween. We hadn’t gotten any trick-or-treaters, which wasn’t unusual. Our house is set way back from the road and not many people dare to venture down our 1000 foot, rocky dirt driveway. We have over six acres surrounded by even more acres of forests, so the occasional wildlife sighting is not out of the ordinary. But a wild tom turkey knocking on our door is!

I remember hearing an odd tapping sound that got my attention. It was coming from the sunroom. As I moved toward the noise, I saw him, a huge turkey on the patio, peering in through the sliding glass door. He pecked at the glass, stepped back, jerked his head around, then pecked at the glass again. How odd. I went to get my camera. He must be seeing his reflection, I thought. I admired his size and his beautiful brown, multi-colored feathers. He had an odd protrusion from his chest, a ‘beard,’ a friend later told me. After taking several photos, I stood opposite him, waving my arms in an attempt to take him out of his fascination with his reflection. He wasn’t phased in the least. But then he started to walk away. He walked the perimeter of the house. I watched him through each window he passed. He stayed close to the building, then came up the walkway to the main door, also glass, and pecked at that door, then back to the patio. This went on for some time. He left a few “gifts” on the concrete, which I later recognized as droppings I had seen in our driveway that I thought had been left by a fox. This told me that he or another turkey had been in the yard before.

He circled the house again and then came back to the sliding glass door. Eventually, the tapping got to be irritating so my husband decided to chase the bird away. Wish I had gotten a photo of that! Hubby ran at the turkey and the bird took off to the woods. Once hubby was back in the house, though, the turkey was back on the patio! Another chase and this time the turkey stayed in the side yard. He was gone the next day and we haven’t seen him since.

How funny to have a turkey knocking at my door. So, we got our trick-or-treater after all, in a very convincing costume. And he was a smart turkey at that, for he chose a house with two people who don’t eat turkey! I hope he is still out in the wild and survives the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

About the Author:
Laura A. Bailey is a nursery specialist at a nationally known Garden Center and has been gardening for over 18 years. She holds a certificate in Interior Design and owns Hands on Decorating, LLC, a home decorating service that brings professional design to do-it-yourselfers at Recipe4MyRoom.com. Read her blog at DecoratorsGarden.com for both gardening and home decorating articles, tips and advice.

© 2008, Hands On Decorating, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use must include link to <www.DecoratorsGarden.com>.

A young woman with a cute little boy came into the garden center yesterday. She was starting her first vegetable garden, just a 4’x4’ bed. She had discovered the book “Square Foot Gardening” by Mel Bartholomew.

My very first gardening project was with that book, the original “Square Foot Gardening.” How fun now years later I can help someone who is discovering the method for herself.

I first saw the technique on Mel’s tv show airing on PBS back in the early 1990’s. It looked so easy. “I can do that!” I said. I bought the book, learned a lot and had great success with my first garden. I have moved twice since then and I now have my third square foot garden just outside my door.

For those of you who are not familiar with the square foot method, it’s gardening with raised beds instead of rows. But it goes even beyond raised beds. You divide the bed, usually a 4’x 4’ bed, framed with wood, into 16 1’ squares. In each square, you plant a different vegetable such as 4 lettuce plants in one , 1 broccoli plant in another, 9 spinach seeds in a third, etc. The book tells you the spacing requirements for each vegetable. When those vegetables are ready for harvesting, you pick them and plant something else in that square. You can have a complete garden in one bed. You can even have an upright frame in the back of the bed for vine crops such as peas, pole beans, cucumbers, etc.

Part of the appeal of these compact gardens is you don’t need a huge area as you would for a row garden. Just a sunny spot in your yard, on your patio or terrace is plenty of room. The best part is the minimal work compared to the chore of tending a large row garden. No rototiller is needed to turn the soil, just use a shovel and trowel. All the space is used for growing veggies so there’s no room for weeds. The veggies just keep coming.

I have had great success with this style of gardening. Thanks, Mel! I highly recommend the book “All New Square Foot Gardening” by Mel Bartholomew, and his original “Square Foot Gardening: A New Way to Garden in Less Space with Less Work.”
You can check out the official website at www.SquareFootGardening.com.

I Recommend

All New Square Foo…

Mel Bartholome…

$13.59

Square Foot Garde…

Mel Bartholomew…

$13.57

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About the Author:
Laura A. Bailey is a nursery specialist at a nationally known Garden Center and has been gardening for over 18 years. She holds a certificate in Interior Design and owns Hands on Decorating, LLC, a home decorating service that brings professional design to do-it-yourselfers at Recipe4MyRoom.com. Read her blog at DecoratorsGarden.com for both gardening and home decorating articles, tips and advice.

© 2008, Hands On Decorating, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use must include link to <www.DecoratorsGarden.com>.

This spring I had high hopes for some signs of life from my silver lace vine.

We had a cold snap in the late spring of last year. My silver lace vine had a healthy cover of green leaves at the time and I was looking forward to it growing over my pergola at least another few feet. But the leaves died after an unexpected freeze and there was no sign of recovery. I scratched the surface of part of a vine and there was green underneath so I remained hopeful that it would come back.

The brown vines that twisted and turned their way up the post trellis and onto the pergola were to remain brown all season. No showy white flowers to admire this year. I planted a cardinal flower vine, an annual, at the base of the silver lace vine just to have something growing there. It did well. It covered the existing vines quickly and bloomed a beautiful red.

When that was spent after a hard frost I pulled it off. I looked through photos of my silver lace vine I had taken a couple of years ago. The abundant, white, fragrant flowers were breathtaking. I really missed that show of color at a time when most flowers in my gardens had already gone by. Still, I held out hope that it was just taking a rest and would be back next Spring.

Well, I had the sad chore of removing the vines a few days ago. I needed a step stool to stand on to pull off what used to provide a nice shade over my pergola. An old hornets’ nest came down with it. Fortunately, it was empty! I carried the mass of intertwining vines off to the woods. So sad. I debated over planting another silver lace vine in the same place. Instead, I have planted a trumpet vine Campsis radicans. I’ve never grown one before. The potential width of the vine has me wondering if I have made the right choice for my pergola post. I will have to keep it trimmed and train it to grow straight up and let it take off once it reaches the pergola.If anyone has experience with growing a trumpet vine, I’d love to read your comments.

About the Author:
Laura A. Bailey is a nursery specialist at a nationally known Garden Center and has been gardening for over 18 years. She holds a certificate in Interior Design and owns Hands on Decorating, LLC, a home decorating service that brings professional design to do-it-yourselfers at Recipe4MyRoom.com. Read her blog at DecoratorsGarden.com for both gardening and home decorating articles, tips and advice.

© 2008, Hands On Decorating, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use must include link to <www.DecoratorsGarden.com>.