By Mary Jo Baur
If you're like most gardeners, you are probably looking forward to spring and the growing season. If you'd like to extend the season, think about planting annuals in a container for your front steps, porch or deck. We are familiar with pansies and know that they can withstand some cold, but what can we plant with them? I've had luck with snapdragons and alyssum, but recently read that osteospermum and lobelia are also good for early season planting. Of course, most of these will not be available at nurseries for at least a month, but we can plan ahead and envision what color combinations we might like. And if we rush the season a bit too much, hopefully you have planted a container that is small enough to pick up and take inside on nights when the temperature goes below freezing. A garage or enclosed porch is probably a safe haven for them when it gets too cold for the outdoors. About now, I'm sure we all look forward to a pop of color to brighten our surroundings.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Terrariums
By Mary Jo Baur
If you're itching to do something "gardeny", you might consider creating a terrarium since it's still too early to be starting seeds. A terrarium holds plants in a clear enclosed container. You can make one using succulents or perhaps make a mini-woodland scene with small plants you might find in the forest. Do not place the container in direct sun or you will "cook" the plant material. Choose houseplants that are small and don't need much sunlight.
In order to create the self-sustaining environment of a terrarium, you need to lay the proper foundation by starting with a layer of pea gravel, 1 to 3 inches deep depending on the size of your container. Then add a thin lyer of activated charcoal which will take care of any plant decomposition. A layer of sphagnum moss comes next, then some potting soil. This final layer can be contoured with small hills and valleys if you want. Now you are ready to plant. Dig small holes and remove the plants from their pots, loosen the roots, then add to the terrarium. It's best not to have the leaves touching the sides of the glass. Water your new creation, but then only water it about once a week because the plants will create moisture which collects on the inside of the container and drips down to water the plants. It's nice to have a touch of green indoors during the winter, or any time, for that matter.
If you're itching to do something "gardeny", you might consider creating a terrarium since it's still too early to be starting seeds. A terrarium holds plants in a clear enclosed container. You can make one using succulents or perhaps make a mini-woodland scene with small plants you might find in the forest. Do not place the container in direct sun or you will "cook" the plant material. Choose houseplants that are small and don't need much sunlight.
In order to create the self-sustaining environment of a terrarium, you need to lay the proper foundation by starting with a layer of pea gravel, 1 to 3 inches deep depending on the size of your container. Then add a thin lyer of activated charcoal which will take care of any plant decomposition. A layer of sphagnum moss comes next, then some potting soil. This final layer can be contoured with small hills and valleys if you want. Now you are ready to plant. Dig small holes and remove the plants from their pots, loosen the roots, then add to the terrarium. It's best not to have the leaves touching the sides of the glass. Water your new creation, but then only water it about once a week because the plants will create moisture which collects on the inside of the container and drips down to water the plants. It's nice to have a touch of green indoors during the winter, or any time, for that matter.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Hellebores
By Mary Jo Baur
I went out into my garden on February 1 and found that my hellebore has 10 clusters of buds! This plant, also known as the Lenten rose, is very early to bloom in our area, but I think our mild winter has made the buds come out even earlier than usual. This is an easy perennial to grow. It likes partial shade and evenly moist soil which is well-drained. These plants take a year or 2 to establish themselves and do not like to be moved. They rarely need to be divided. There are many hybrids and they are available in many colors from creamy white, through shades of pink, deeper maroon and my plant has lime green flowers. When I planted mine, I forgot that there were some crocuses in that spot, so now every spring I have purple crocus emerging through the leaves of the hellebore plant. It wasn't planned, but it works. Sometimes you just live with your gardening mistakes and enjoy them.
I went out into my garden on February 1 and found that my hellebore has 10 clusters of buds! This plant, also known as the Lenten rose, is very early to bloom in our area, but I think our mild winter has made the buds come out even earlier than usual. This is an easy perennial to grow. It likes partial shade and evenly moist soil which is well-drained. These plants take a year or 2 to establish themselves and do not like to be moved. They rarely need to be divided. There are many hybrids and they are available in many colors from creamy white, through shades of pink, deeper maroon and my plant has lime green flowers. When I planted mine, I forgot that there were some crocuses in that spot, so now every spring I have purple crocus emerging through the leaves of the hellebore plant. It wasn't planned, but it works. Sometimes you just live with your gardening mistakes and enjoy them.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Starting Seeds
By Mary Jo Baur
It's too early to start seeds for next spring yet, but I just read a great idea that I wanted to pass along for you to use next February or March when you're thinking about sowing seeds of annuals, perennials or vegetables inside. You can use old K-cups as pots to start your seeds in. They already have a hole pucned in the bottom by the Keurig machine. Simply pull off the top, empty the coffee grounds and give it a quick rinse. Fill with a potting mix made specifically for starting seeds, poke a hole with a pencil, then put in a few seeds of whatever you want to start. Place the K-cups in a 9" by 13" baking dish, then pour about half an inch of water in the bottom of the baking dish. When you water from below, there is less chance of the seedlings damping off. When the seeds sprout, pull out the less hardy seedling and let only one grow in the container. When the second set of leaves develop, you need to transplant it to a larger pot until it's warm enough to plant the seedling outside. Using old K-cups is such a neat idea! Why didn't I think of that???
It's too early to start seeds for next spring yet, but I just read a great idea that I wanted to pass along for you to use next February or March when you're thinking about sowing seeds of annuals, perennials or vegetables inside. You can use old K-cups as pots to start your seeds in. They already have a hole pucned in the bottom by the Keurig machine. Simply pull off the top, empty the coffee grounds and give it a quick rinse. Fill with a potting mix made specifically for starting seeds, poke a hole with a pencil, then put in a few seeds of whatever you want to start. Place the K-cups in a 9" by 13" baking dish, then pour about half an inch of water in the bottom of the baking dish. When you water from below, there is less chance of the seedlings damping off. When the seeds sprout, pull out the less hardy seedling and let only one grow in the container. When the second set of leaves develop, you need to transplant it to a larger pot until it's warm enough to plant the seedling outside. Using old K-cups is such a neat idea! Why didn't I think of that???
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Holiday Decorating with Fresh Greens
By Mary Jo Baur
Perhaps you've heard the expression "Shop in your closet before you shop in stores." The same applies when you are thinking of purchasing greens to decorate at the holiday season--look in your own yard or perhaps a friend's before you purchase greens from a florist or garden center. You may have some yews, boxwood, arborvitae, white pine or hemlock that you could prune and use the branches in your decorating scheme. If you bring them inside and they are not kept in water, they will dry out pretty fast in our heated homes, but if you need them for only a few days inside, it will work. Making a wreath to hang on your door or windows is not difficult, but it does take some time. An easier, quicker adornment is to make a swag, where you gather an assortment of greens together, tie them at the top and add a bow.
Another source of greens is to take the lower branches off your tree, if you get a fresh one, which I hope you do. It's better for the environment since Christmas trees are a sustainable product. You can use the extra greens around a punch bowl on your table or to add a festive note around the platter when you serve dinner. Adding a few sprigs around a mirror or picture frame adds a bright spot in your decorating. So have fun thinking of other places where you might use fresh greens. Outside in an urn or container is another beautiful way to dress up your home.
Perhaps you've heard the expression "Shop in your closet before you shop in stores." The same applies when you are thinking of purchasing greens to decorate at the holiday season--look in your own yard or perhaps a friend's before you purchase greens from a florist or garden center. You may have some yews, boxwood, arborvitae, white pine or hemlock that you could prune and use the branches in your decorating scheme. If you bring them inside and they are not kept in water, they will dry out pretty fast in our heated homes, but if you need them for only a few days inside, it will work. Making a wreath to hang on your door or windows is not difficult, but it does take some time. An easier, quicker adornment is to make a swag, where you gather an assortment of greens together, tie them at the top and add a bow.
Another source of greens is to take the lower branches off your tree, if you get a fresh one, which I hope you do. It's better for the environment since Christmas trees are a sustainable product. You can use the extra greens around a punch bowl on your table or to add a festive note around the platter when you serve dinner. Adding a few sprigs around a mirror or picture frame adds a bright spot in your decorating. So have fun thinking of other places where you might use fresh greens. Outside in an urn or container is another beautiful way to dress up your home.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Posting a Comment
It has come to my attention that some followers of this blog are having difficulty posting comments, so I'll be writing a short series of entries on posting comments here.
The first step to post a comment is to establish an online identity, or profile, if you do not have one already. This is a security measure to help protect our blog and our host. Our host, Blogger, needs to be able to verify the identity of those who wish to post comments in order to protect us from any malicious individuals out there who might try to post inappropriate material which might result in taking down our blog.
Establishing an online profile is free and easy. All you have to do is join Google or one of the other such entities. You could go to Google.com and just follow the prompts. After you have an online profile, you may choose to show your real name with your comment, or you may choose to use a display name. In either case, Google/blogger will know you are really you and will let your comment be published.
Please get an online profile if you wish to comment on our blog posts. We'd love to hear from you. DGC members, make sure you post as an individual and not as the club.
The second step is to be logged in under your profile when you post your comment. Remember, Blogger needs to verify your identity during the comment process. More about that tomorrow.
A.F. Northrup
Blog Webmaster for DGC
The first step to post a comment is to establish an online identity, or profile, if you do not have one already. This is a security measure to help protect our blog and our host. Our host, Blogger, needs to be able to verify the identity of those who wish to post comments in order to protect us from any malicious individuals out there who might try to post inappropriate material which might result in taking down our blog.
Establishing an online profile is free and easy. All you have to do is join Google or one of the other such entities. You could go to Google.com and just follow the prompts. After you have an online profile, you may choose to show your real name with your comment, or you may choose to use a display name. In either case, Google/blogger will know you are really you and will let your comment be published.
Please get an online profile if you wish to comment on our blog posts. We'd love to hear from you. DGC members, make sure you post as an individual and not as the club.
The second step is to be logged in under your profile when you post your comment. Remember, Blogger needs to verify your identity during the comment process. More about that tomorrow.
A.F. Northrup
Blog Webmaster for DGC
Monday, October 31, 2011
Planting
By Mary Jo Baur
Well, I got my Brent and Becky's bulbs in the ground just before the snow started flying. It was raw and cold out there, but the chore is done. I planted 20 daffodils, (4 different varieties), 20 tulips, (again 4 kinds), 10 hyacinths, and 60 grape muscari in the rock garden. This year I bought some very showy types, so I can't wait to see what they look like next spring. In the process of preparing different areas to plant the bulbs in, I managed to do some garden clean-up at the same time, cutting down hosta, iris and the asters which had just passed.
Gardeners must be believers, otherwise we couldn't plant bulbs in the fall and have the faith that they will bloom next spring. And when we plant a tiny seed indoors in March, we know that eventually we'll have a lovely plant to admire in the summer, if we care for the seedlings properly. I feel like my gardening year is done, at least outside; but I do plant amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs in pots timing them to bloom for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. The timing isn't always correct, because several factors can effect the flowering time, but I do know that they will blossom for me at some point during the colder months and brighten a corner of my home with color and fragrance.
Well, I got my Brent and Becky's bulbs in the ground just before the snow started flying. It was raw and cold out there, but the chore is done. I planted 20 daffodils, (4 different varieties), 20 tulips, (again 4 kinds), 10 hyacinths, and 60 grape muscari in the rock garden. This year I bought some very showy types, so I can't wait to see what they look like next spring. In the process of preparing different areas to plant the bulbs in, I managed to do some garden clean-up at the same time, cutting down hosta, iris and the asters which had just passed.
Gardeners must be believers, otherwise we couldn't plant bulbs in the fall and have the faith that they will bloom next spring. And when we plant a tiny seed indoors in March, we know that eventually we'll have a lovely plant to admire in the summer, if we care for the seedlings properly. I feel like my gardening year is done, at least outside; but I do plant amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs in pots timing them to bloom for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. The timing isn't always correct, because several factors can effect the flowering time, but I do know that they will blossom for me at some point during the colder months and brighten a corner of my home with color and fragrance.
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