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Gardeners enjoy bringing the beauty of the summer garden indoors. During the fall it is no different. A table centerpiece is a nice way to add a touch of fall to the home. Centerpieces need not be high priced creations bought at the florist. It is possible to create an easy and relatively inexpensive fall centerpiece. Adding apples or other garden bounty will make it an edible display.
When there is a plethora of leaves and other fall items, what should you do? Go on a treasure hunt, of course. This article includes several ideas for the young gardener to make crafts from items found in the fall landscape. Why not introduce your children to the joy of gardening by taking them on an autumn treasure hunt, and then make fall crafts together.
In spring you planted them. You pampered them like a new mother. Finally the time has come. Your tomatoes are ripe. In fact, there are so many you cannot eat them fast enough. The vines drag the ground with sweet, tantalizing tomatoes. If you enjoy Mexican food, why not make salsa from those excess tomatoes? Included in this article is a step by step recipe for making one of my family's favorite treats, Fiesta Salsa.
An economical meal that tastes wonderful is a good thing. Growing up in the South, we ate grits, tomato gravy and cathead biscuits because it was an economical meal. I thought we were poor; now I realize how rich we truly were.
I have many plants in my gardens. To select my favorite would be impossible. As with my children, I love them all. But to choose the most stress-free plants among my gardens is not as difficult a task. In this article I share my top ten stress-free plants with my fellow gardeners.
Today it was warm in Northwest Missouri. The thermometer in my front yard read 65 degrees. And for January that is a wonderful gift. I took a break from the hustle and bustle of the day to walk through my gardens and remember them as they are during the warm season. I carried a notebook along so I could take notes as I roamed through the gardens.
When snow days come around and the children are bored, make snow flowers with them. It's easy and the children adore making them. You are not limited to flowers alone; there is a plethora of designs you can create in the snow. Have fun on those snow days by making gardens in the snow, and make memories with your children while you do.
Is there anything more striking than a majestic white oak with its sweeping limbs and broad, familiar tops? The white oak is often a superb acorn producer. It is also prized for its hardwood lumber. One of the products made from white oak lumber is whiskey barrels. As a gardener, I value whiskey barrels for their many uses. Read on and learn about the white oak tree and ways to use whiskey barrels in your home and garden.
It is the winter season and time to hibernate. No. It's time to grab your camera and capture the beauty of winter. The flowers are not in bloom, and the vegetable garden is out of season. But the gardens are still lovely. Peek through that frosty window and see the glory of winter sparkling in your gardens. This article includes photos of my winter garden and plant suggestions to enhance your winter landscape.
Growing up in the sandhills of northwest Florida, I was blessed to have the freedom to roam the woods. One of my favorite places to walk was a stand of longleaf pines on the west side of our property. An uninterrupted stroll through a stand of longleaf pines, the piney woods to old-time southern folks, is a true pleasure.
In the north, we are entering the time of year when we are often confined to our homes for prolonged periods due to snow or harsh cold. Gardeners who are prone to suffer the frustrating symptoms of cabin fever may find this article helpful. At the very least, it will take your mind off your cabin fever with suggestions on how to organize your garden seeds and shed.
On Whitehead Street, in Key West, you'll find a Spanish Colonial house with big, shuttered windows and several dozen polydactyl cats wandering freely about the home and beautifully kept tropical gardens. This was once the dwelling place of Nobel Prize winning author, Ernest Hemingway. If you want to walk where he walked, then visit Key West and tour his home and gardens. This article picks up where Part One left off.
On Whitehead Street in Key West, you'll find a Spanish colonial house with big, shuttered windows and several dozen polydactyl cats wandering freely about the home and beautifully kept tropical gardens. This was once the dwelling place of the late Nobel Prize winning author, Ernest Hemingway. If you want to walk where he walked, then visit Key West and tour his former home and gardens, and enjoy the tranquility...
As a gardener I find the scarecrow is a delightful and practical addition to my vegetable garden. And I am not alone; the scarecrow is an accepted method of scaring away birds the worldwide. It is also a familiar symbol of the fall harvest. With the harvest season upon us, I thought it would be interesting to research the history of the scarecrow. Herein are tidbits of scarecrow history, humor, and ideas to create your own unique scarecrow.
Halloween is the time to ponder on all things creepy. And these large, hairy predators are no exception. They are serious about hunting their prey. They creep about the environs, often in the night, in search of tender morsels such as cockroaches. Don't be squeamish. These hairy hunters are a gardener's best friend. We may not enjoy the fare they do, but their steady appetite of insects makes for excellent biological insect control.
During the Victorian period in England, the language of flowers was utilized in different ways. One such way was by making tussie-mussies. A tussie-mussie was used to convey a particular message to the recipient. Creating a tussie-mussie is a unique and enjoyable craft for the young and old gardener alike, and you can use plants from your own backyard to create the it.
For those of us who enjoy an old movie, Helen Hayes is one of the stars which come to mind when we think of the black-and-white films made long ago. Although she was dubbed the First Lady of American Stage, she also achieved success in countless films. But did you know there was a rose named in Helen Hayes' honor? This article discusses both the woman and the rose.
January is a gloomy month for those of us who live where the cold winters keep us cooped up in the house. The skies are often gray and dreary, the clouds heavy laden with snow. Even though the winter landscape is sparkling white and beautiful, it is a colorless beauty. What we need in January is color. Coleus seedlings are abundant with color. Try this winter project to brighten your day and lift your spirits.
Did you freeze those plump, delicious berries from the garden this year? Perhaps you have last year's frozen berries yet hanging around in the freezer. This quick berry recipe is great for desert, breakfast or anytime you are craving berries. It begins with a medley of frozen berries. It ends with an empty plate and your family crying out for more.
One morning I awoke to find my newly planted altheas eaten down to small remnants of the thriving shrubs they had once been. I was livid. My mother had given the altheas to me. I had hauled them over one thousand miles from her place to mine. They had certainly not been planted as cuisine for the local wildlife. And so began my search for deer-resistant plants.
Do you appreciate the rich patina of an antique? Is your house filled with relics form days gone by? Perhaps Granny's priceless heirlooms reside happily in your parlor. Antiques add character to the decor of a home. Did you know there are a variety of antique flowers? These antique flowers can be found in many gardens and in countless settings. Why not travel back in time by creating a garden abundant with antique flowers?
False spirea is a deciduous shrub with leaves that resemble a feather. It has clusters of billowy white blossoms which move like ballet dancers in the wind. It is a tough shrub with a delicate appearance. It is not a shrub for small gardens. Nor is it for those who want compact shrubs which mind their manners. This shrub requires its own quarter. It grows rapidly and will gladly spread to fill a space of 5' to 8'. If you need a shrub that will quickly naturalize areas prone to erosion this is the shrub for you.
Have you ever gazed at your garden and pondered whether or not you should add a special something to it? Just like a room in your home there are many ways to add that final decorative touch which will give your garden a distinguished look. Your choices are not necessarily limited to the more common elements, such as water fountains and birdbaths, statuary, or birdhouses. Why not add an element that gives your garden a characteristically unique air? Continue reading as I discuss the possibilities.
Have you dreamed of boasting flower beds akin to the great palaces of the world? Perhaps you thought it impossible. But even the most humble plot can flaunt a flower parterre. A parterre is a formal garden. The individual planting beds are bounded by clipped hedges then filled with flora or nothing at all. Paths direct one through the parterre. The parterres of the great palaces were designed on a grander scale along sweeping lawns and often incorporated topiary, impressive planting beds and paths. This article will help you attain a touch of that royal elegance within your backyard.
By now you may have begun your instant garden hedge. In this article I will explain how I made unique 'toppers' for my instant hedge. You can do the same or create decorative tops all your own. More important than the 'toppers' is the choice of flora you adorn the panels in. Depending on the purpose you have intended for your instant hedge your plants will vary. You may want to cover it with climbers, perhaps put an assortment of shrubs in front of your instant hedge.
When you live on a windy knoll the definition of unhinged comes fully into perspective. The unrelenting southeast winds which rode over us akin to a herd of wild mustangs propelled me over the proverbial edge more times than I care to admit. If you need an instant windbreak as we did but haven't the funds to buy trees or shrubbery large enough to create it then there is nothing better than tall fencing. It truly works.
If you want to create an instant garden hedge then this is the article for you. In part 1 I introduced you to my 'instant hedge' which also doubles as a garden wall. I spoke of how you can achieve a 6' tall hedge almost instantly. If you are in need of an instant windbreak as we were, but haven't the funds to purchase trees or shrubbery large enough to create it perhaps this may be a practical alternative. Part 2 includes fence building instructions. Part 3 will explain how I fashioned unique 'toppers' for the hedge.
Is your entryway humdrum, woebegone or simply bland? Is your front door the focal point of your home or does it blend into the facade of your home like a wallflower? There are many ways to add curb appeal to a home, but for those of us who love the flower garden there is nothing better than adding a new flower garden for that special blossoming touch. Read on and discover a recipe to spice up that bland entryway by creating a pleasant dooryard garden.
When I think of my childhood in Florida, I envision the shade of Live Oaks and Spanish moss draped like old men's beards from the trees. I see the azaleas which brighten the deepening shadows of the eve. And in the gloaming there could always be found a mocking bird shadow dancing for his dinner. But more than these, I touch with my remembrance, the flowered clusters of the Oakleaf Hydrangeas which quietly open to whisper their sweet nothings beneath the sheltering arms of the forest.
