Fabulous & Carefree Perennials for English Cottage Gardens

"To say those who garden are passionate about their hobby is an understatement.  Those who garden live and breathe horticulture, always seeking to improve their plantings and create beauty around each corner."
~Jane Goodger

While formal gardens are all about order and well-defined spaces, English Cottage Gardens bubble in cheerful tangles of flowers that form a kaleidoscope of hue and texture.  To create an English Garden go big on color, but light on labor with this classic, informal garden style, using these plants:

For SUN:

False Sunflowers
Sun-Loving, easy to grow, hardy, heat and drought-tolerant,  False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) with its brilliant yellow daisy-like flowers add cheery color to a garden bed or border. 

https://www.gardenia.net/plant-variety/heliopsis-helianthoides-false-sunflower

Salvia - Vibrant Blue or Pink Flower Spikes

This plant will rev your garden with big, electrified vibrant blue or pink flower spikes above a dense mound of lush foliage.  Extras include its appeal to butterflies and hummingbirds. 

https://www.bluestoneperennials.com/SAMM.html

Yarrow

Drought-tolerant common yarrow (Achillea) grows well in poor soil, making it an ideal plant for xeriscaping, especially if you live in a desert environment.  Yarrow is most often sold as a potted plant but can be easily grown from seed and doesn't need much attention once established. 

https://www.almanac.com/plant/yarrow

Echinacea
An adaptable, easy-to-grow wildflower for your garden.  Grows in a variety of soil types and moistures but is intolerant to long, dry periods and might begin to droop.  The stunning blooms are long-lasting throughout the summer.  Highly attractive to the Monarch butterfly and large seed heads attract small birds later in the season.

https://onplants.ca/product/echinacea-purpurea/

Shasta Daisies

Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum) are an old-fashioned favorite for planting in a cutting garden, along a fencerow, or in a half-wild, meadow-inspired cottage garden.  They will not attract the deer wandering through but will draw in butterflies when bursting with blooms in spring and summer.  Shasta daisies are tough and tolerant but prefer well-drained soil and require full sun (at least six hours).

https://www.southernliving.com/garden/flowers/daisy-flower-plant

.

SHADE / HALF-SHADE

Siberian Iris

Like all irises, Siberians (Iris sibirica) have strappy, sword-like foliage, but the leaves of Siberian iris remain quite attractive long after the flowers have faded, offering a texture similar to that of ornamental grass.  Siberian irises are also somewhat more cold-hardy than most bearded iris.

https://www.thespruce.com/growing-siberian-iris-5089592

Japanese Anemones 

Japanese Anemones (Anemone hupehensis) do best in semi-shade, in rich soil with lots of organic matter dug in to improve their structure.  They’re very easy to care for – simply cut the old flower stems back to the base in autumn to keep the plants looking tidy, and remove any tatty-looking old leaves in spring once new leaves start to appear.  They don’t like being dug up and transplanted, and also don’t respond well to being divided, so if you want to propagate them the best way is by taking root cuttings in spring.  Ironically, given that Japanese anemones can be difficult to establish and don’t like disruption, once they are settled in.

https://www.radwaybridgegardencentre.com/news/902/garden-plant-of-the-moment-anemone

Astilbe 

Astilbe (Astilbe spp and hybrids) varieties are hardy. Plant in spring to early fall in a part sun or part shade location spaced 1 to 3 feet apart depending on the variety. Astilbe plants can take more sun but need more shade in warmer locations. Astilbe will grow in a full-shade location, but may not flower well. An East-facing location with morning sun is usually best. Astilbe grows well in moist, fertile soil with a slightly acidic pH. Keep plants well-watered and mulched with a layer of bark mulch. Replenish the mulch each spring and fertilize in spring with compost spread around the plant roots.

https://gardenerspath.com/plants/flowers/best-astilbe-varieties/

Lady's Mantle

Absolutely enchanting after the morning dew, the fuzzy leaves of Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) catch the tiny water droplets which glimmer like tiny crystals. The foliage is a soft grey-green and nearly round with deep lobes, giving them a scalloped look.  From late spring to early summer, masses of finely textured, star-shaped, yellow-green flowers are held in small clusters above the foliage. They work well as a filler in cut flower bouquets or can be dried for fall and winter arrangements.

https://www.greatgardenplants.com/products/ladys-mantle?variant=37358152581287

This is just a small list of flowering plants for an English Cottage Garden.  Here are more that I can suggest, such as Shrub Roses,  Lupins,  Delphiniums,  Lavender,  Poppy,  Hollyhock,  Peonies, Snapdragon,  Foxglove,  Bee Balm,  Loosestrife,  Hydrangeas,  Sage,  Flox,  Goatsbeard,  Spiderwort,  Castor Plants,  Salvias, etc.

Planting and Design Tips:

• Plant in clumps. Avoid individual plants, group your flowers and plants in clumps.
• Mix flower typs. Never have a single flower species in a flower bed, so, mix them all up.
• Mix colors! You can mix all colors. Make sure you choose a wide range of colors too.
• Flowers are the real protagonist. You can have trees and shrubs etc. but you will need lots of flowers in English cottage gardens! They are the real heart of a cottage garden.
• Get rid of large lawn areas. Install more flower beds and have lawns only for footpaths - if at all.

<><><><><>

.   

Savvy Gardening: How to Avoid Plastic

 

Trying to cut back on your plastic use?  Don’t overlook your garden! Have you ever wondered what happens to all the plastic waste we generate in our gardens?  Using less garden plastic will help slow demand for single-use plastics, reduce waste, and also keep plastic chemicals from leaching into your soil.  Over 350,000 pounds of horticultural plastic enters the waste stream each year in the United States alone.

Keep Plastic out of the Garden in the First Place

Recycling is not the solution to dealing with garden plastic.  But how?  Here are effective ways to use less in the future.  Cut demand for horticultural plastics.

Make Your Own Fertilizer - Known as Compost.

Make your own fertilizer, known more commonly as compost.  If you’re not already turning food scraps and garden waste into a nutrient-packed soil additive that plants love, you’re missing out.  It’s a vital and necessary sustainability strategy for reducing waste, closing the nutrient cycle, and preventing air pollution that causes climate change.  Remove plastic stickers from your fruits and vegetables before you compost.  You can make simple homemade fertilizers from food scraps like banana peels, coffee grounds, and eggshells.  If you have a fireplace, wood ash is also a great addition to garden soil.  Leaf mold may be used as a soil conditioner, made from nothing more than composted tree leaves.

Make Your own Mulch

One easy way to cut down on plastic in the garden and save money is to skip bagged mulch and make use of the free materials growing in your yard all season.  Not only do mulches look good and help reduce the number of weeds that pop up, but they also preserve soil moisture and add nutrients and organic matter to your beds over time.  Use seaweed, pine needles, cut-down twigs, or chipped wood.  Many municipalities also offer free wood chips by the truckload at community compost sites.

Pass on Plastic Nursery Pots

If you buy transplants from a garden center, odds are you’re bringing home plants in plastic pots. While some are recyclable or can be brought back to the nursery for reuse, most wind up in the trash.  

• Get divisions from friends, neighbors, plant swaps, social networking groups, and Freecycle.org
• Start your own seeds at home with seed starter pots made from newspaper or toilet paper tubes, or repurpose a cardboard egg carton
• Buy bare-root plants
• Propagate flowers and shrubs from your existing plants
• Look for pots made from compostable materials like coir or paper

Pick Non-plastic Growing Containers

Are you a container gardener? When you’re buying new pots or planters, skip the plastic and go for terracotta, wood, ceramic, or metal. You can repurpose metal tubs or oak barrels you find at flea markets and thrift shops as well.

Choose Plastic-free Tools and Gear

When you have the choice, go for durable metal and wood tools. Plastic tools are more likely to break in the short term and need replacing.  You can often find rakes, shovels, trowels, garden carts, and trimmers made without plastic. I found lots at garage sales for a few bucks or for free.  

Look for Ash handles in tools featuring wood since Ash is one of the strongest and long-lasting woods available.  When buying a tool featuring metal, avoid aluminum and opt for forged carbon, or stainless steel.  Pick cotton garden gloves.  When they wear out, they can be composted along with your food scraps.

Use Plastic-free Weed Barriers

While plastic sheeting suppresses weeds, it also keeps moisture from getting to your plants and can leach chemicals into your soil. Commonly-used “landscape fabric,” while more porous, is made out of woven plastic. Weed roots like to clinch through these tiny holes and it is almost impossible to get the weeds out. “Landscape fabric is one of the worst items a gardener can purchase!"  Instead, use thick layers of newspapers or cardboard and cover them with mulch.  It works well for garden pathways and is good for in-between perennial plantings, too.

Another plastic-free weed barrier that works well when covered with bark mulch is the repurposed burlap sacks from organic coffee roasters.  These are usually made from jute or hemp and will biodegrade into your garden soil, adding nutrients along the way.  Check-in with your local coffee company for more information. 

Enjoy Non-plastic Composters

Plastic composters are widely available but many options exist for composting without plastic.  You can build your own compost bin from up-cycled pallets or other scrap wood, or metal wires, or help speed the composting process with a metal compost tumbler.

Gardening with less plastic can take a little extra thought, but it isn’t difficult.  Try some of these simple swaps and enjoy a plastic-free garden.  You will have the double pleasure of a healthier garden and the knowledge that you have helped to slow the demand for unnecessary plastic.

.

<><><><><>

Beautiful Blooming Ground Covers That Suppress Weeds

 

Weeds are usually controlled only after they have already spread. However, removal is a never-ending cycle. To nip the troublemakers in the bud (literally), you can take preventive measures - and plant decorative as well as bee-friendly ground covers. 

Even though the name suggests that groundcovers are only planted at ground level, the natural weed fighters are versatile: whether in a perennial bed, along a stone wall, or between paving joints - the dense plant covers can grow anywhere.  They will fill in bare spots, preventing wild weeds from sprouting in the first place.  Best of all, groundcovers are not only practical, as many varieties are hardy and evergreen, but also beautiful to look at.  Especially if you choose flowering perennials, shrubs, or climbers.  Learn about plant carpets that are equally suitable for gardens and patios.

These groundcovers help keep weeds at bay:

Blue or Pink Carpet Phlox 

The plants develop into a beautiful (often pink) carpet of blooms during the spring - right into June.  After that, the natural weed killer remains evergreen, making it a beautiful sight all year round.  It's also good to know that the ground cover is drought-resistant and hardy, making it a low-maintenance and undemanding plant.  In addition, it prefers a sunny to semi-shady spot in order to achieve - literally meaning - its full bloom.

Hardy Ivy

Ivy is known for its tenacity - making it an ideal ground cover against weeds.  The hardy and evergreen climbing plant is particularly easy to care for.  So you don't have to do anything but watch the sturdy ivy develop into an impenetrable carpet of plants with its adhesive roots.  The ground cover is also pretty uncomplicated when it comes to location: a shady spot will do.  It is also good to know that after a few years, the ivy begins to form umbel-shaped flowers in late summer.  These, in turn, serve as a source of food for bees and insects.

Ground Cover Thyme

Groundcover thyme - Thymus serpyllum - also called Sand Thyme is an evergreen, ground-covering semi-shrub with a growth height of 5 to 10 inches.  The branches are heavily branched to form beautiful, dense cushions. The fragrance of the flowers & the evergreen leaves is impressive.  The ground cover thyme is hardy.  With its beautiful floral bloom, it is ideal as an underplanting for taller perennials, or as a groundcover in the rock garden & perennial bed.  Thyme's fresh or dried leaves can also be used for cooking.

Small-leaved evergreen groundcover thyme blooms from June to August and loves a sunny location with well-drained soil in the garden. Hardy perennials, this groundcover is low maintenance and has low water requirements.

Goldmoss Stonecrop

Goldmoss Stonecrop - Sedum Acre - the name says it all: the small plant likes to grow on rocks, in joints, or on the dry stone wall.  It is satisfied with few nutrients, prefers a sunny location, and is drought resistant.  The tiny perennial grows just five to ten centimeters high and is also suitable as a ground cover.  Wall pepper can be planted all year round and captivates from June to July with yellow flowers that are insect-friendly.  The wall plant is hardy and evergreen - so it visually enhances the dry stone wall even in the cold season.

Basket of Gold

Basket of Gold - Alyssum saxatile - Early blooming begins in April and is both a treat for the eyes and for insects in search of food.  Although the bloom is short-lived, the rockweed is evergreen and hardy.  It can be planted all year round and reaches a height of about 20 centimeters.  The fragrant plant thrives best in sunny locations. It is essential that you avoid waterlogging.

Planting ground cover - this is what you need to consider.

If you decide to use a ground cover against weeds, you should follow the following steps in advance: Root weeds have a bad habit of spreading rapidly in the soil, even if only tiny remnants of them are still in the soil.  Therefore, it is advisable to sift the soil before planting.  This way, you can be confident that you haven't missed any roots.  To be on the safe side, you should cover the soil with some compost and wait for a while to see if the weeds start sprouting again.  If it does, you can remove the remains before planting the ground cover.

If you want to create an impenetrable carpet of flowers in a short time, you should choose the smallest possible distances between individual plants.  This is because the greater the spacing, the longer it will take for the ground cover to spread over the entire area - and thus for weeds to stop growing back.  As long as this is not the case, the undesirable weeds will naturally continue to grow and must be weeded again regularly.  However, it is important here that you adhere to the recommended number of pieces per square meter, which the appropriate nursery will give you.

When planting ground covers, keep in mind that it takes time for them to grow together into an area-wide carpet of flowers.  By the time they do, pesky weeds have an easy time of it - accordingly, it may make sense to put the plants in the ground as early as fall.  This gives them more time to spread their roots and cover all the areas where the unloved wild weeds normally spread by next spring.  This head start is helpful, but not necessary.

.

<><><><><>

.

Micro Clover for a Perfect Lawn

If you are tired of constantly mowing the lawn during the summer season like me, a solution might be to over-seed and grow clover.  Having no clue about the varieties of clover, I bought White Clover: Also called Trifolium repens or Dutch clover.  Thanks to my healthy and rich soil, it grew well - almost too well: it spread and bloomed and I had to mow again.  The next garden year, I inquired at a nursery about shorter clovers and learned that there is a Micro Clover.  However, the nursery didn't have it for sale and instead gave me the producer's name so I could order it online.  

I balked first at the high price compared to Dutch Clover but then ordered it. 

.
Micro Clover is an incredibly beneficial plant that not only looks fantastic but supplies your lawn with nitrogen. Micro Clover converts nitrogen gas from the air and enriches it into the soil, resulting in a green, healthy lawn. While most lawns stop growing once the summer is over, Micro Clover lawns are incredibly tolerant to both lower temperatures and harsher conditions. When grass is starting to die off at the end of the season, Micro Clover is still green. 

100% Micro Clover "Lawns" Have Many Benefits: 

• Not only do they grow with ease and reliability, but they also require significantly less care.
  
  
• A benefit that all homeowners would appreciate is fewer weeds. Micro Clover is a broad-leaf plant that out-competes unwanted weeds. 
  
  
• It's almost an evergreen. Immediately after the snow melts it shows its vibrant green color and stays that way even during the hot summers - when grasses are getting brown - until the first snow.
  
  
• It is the best choice to replace turf grass, but you can seed it into an existing lawn as well.
  
  
• Having clover on your lawn acts almost as a sort of fertilizer. You may find you don’t even have to apply extra fertilization when you have lots of clovers, as it delivers nitrogen from its roots to the neighboring grass.
  
  
• It can hold up better in overly shaded areas or areas that don’t have enough drainage for conventional grass to thrive.
  
  
• If you have pets, you’re probably familiar with the dreaded pet spot. Clover is more resistant to turning yellow than grass.
  
  
• Adding clover to your lawn can rejuvenate your grass, fill in bare patches, and make the entire yard look healthier and more resilient.
  
  
• Micro-clover is better able to handle a greater amount of foot traffic than white Clover. However, it has very few blooms.
  
  
• In lawns that contain both clover and grass, the clover usually performs satisfactory re-seeding on its own.
  
  
• In one sentence: It offers a host of cost-saving, maintenance-reducing, and environmental benefits.

How to Prepare Your Lawn for MicroClover Seeding

• Don't seed clover during the hot days of summer. Spring is the best time at temperatures of 16 - 20 degrees (65F) and not below 8 - 12 degrees (47F) at night.
  
  
• The first step is to cut any existing lawn very short. Then clear out all weeds.  A stand-up dandelion remover helps with this chore and saves you from back pain.
  
  
• Water your lawn really well - or let the rain do it, then spread fine garden soil thinly over any bare spots. 
  
  
• Water once more to moist the soil, and then apply the MicroClover seeds. 
  
  
• I use an old kitchen mesh strainer (or buy one in a dollar store) and "powder" a bit of light soil over the seeded area (max. 2 mm or 1/8") to avoid that birds picking the seeds.     
            
• For two weeks at least sprinkle water every day when it is not raining, and after that every third day until the clover is established.

Happy Gardening : )

Enjoy your new green "lawn".

Amazing English Gardens

 

Imagine masses of hollyhocks, daisies, phlox, catmint, and foxgloves mingling together and spilling out of garden beds.  English cottage gardens invite wandering and evoke whimsy.  Their designs often include curving pathways, rose-covered arbors, and white picket fences.  When planning your informal flower garden, start with a list of cottage garden plants like foxgloves, Shasta daisies, catmint, lavender, hollyhocks, sunflowers, cosmos, zinnias, nasturtiums, and cornflowers.

.

Aim for plenty of variety

Tall plants, short plants, pink flowers, white or blue flowers—all of these things can be placed next to one another in an English garden.  Of course, you'll have to make some adjustments to ensure that all of your plants have access to sunlight and aren't too crowded, but in general, it's best not to overthink a garden like this one.  Instead, opt for a free-flowing plan.

Meandering paths are a lovely touch

At first glance, a garden path might seem like too much work.  But actually, it couldn't be simpler to source and lay the right one for your garden—and the payoff is big.  Not only will you give yourself an easy route in and out of the space, but you'll also be afforded the luxury of watering your plants without having to step into tall grasses or get your shoes muddy.  It's a win-win!

Add a gate

There are few things more magical in an English garden than a simple gateway. They're easy enough to purchase and install, and the visual impact is huge. Don't have a wall into which to install your new structure? You can also buy stand-alone designs that can be surrounded by simple bushes and vines.

Think vertically too

It's not just about what's on the ground! Be sure to think about the "y-axis" of your space as well. Consider adding a trellis or simply twisting ivy, draping wisteria, and high-flying vines around a shed or other already-existing structure.

Incorporate seating

English gardens are meant to be enjoyed and savored, which is why they often include benches.  What better way to sit and take in all the beauty around you?  Wooden, stone, and metal structures all work beautifully in these spaces.

Replicate a country garden 

Plant a variety of flowers—roses, lavender, delphinium, and other colorful options—close together to replicate a garden you would find in the countryside.   A dense and rich garden with plenty of character is what you're after.  When it comes to gardening, nothing's more English than a fragrant rose bush. Avoid the temptation to snap up every variety that catches your eye. You can achieve a lavish look like this with just two types of climbing roses: 'William Baffin' and 'New Dawn.'  You only need to plant a few kinds of things, but do it in big sweeps.

Color is important

While citrus-hued daylilies are already pretty splashy on their own, buck conventional wisdom by pairing them with alliums in equally assertive but seemingly contradictory shades of purple—to brilliant results. Color is particularly important where you don't have structure.

After planting, mulch the soil with an organic mulch like bark or compost to reduce weed growth and hold soil moisture.

Happy gardening : )

.

<><><><><>

.

A Dozen Garden Hacks That Save Money and Time

 

Watering Flowers When on Vacation

For example, what happens if you go on vacation and can't find anyone to water the garden for you?  All you have to do is fill an empty bottle with water, drill a hole in the cork or cap, and stick it in the ground. The water will slowly seep out and keep the soil moist.

Sweet Tomatoes

If you grow tomatoes, there is an age-old trick that could help. Take a small bag of baking soda and sprinkle it on the soil around the tomatoes for a bigger, sweeter yield.

Cookie Cutter Tomato Shaper

Tomatoes are naturally round, but what if you could change that?  As the tomatoes grow, place cookie cutters around the fruit.  As they continue to grow, the tomatoes take on the same shape, creating hearts, stars, and everything in between!

Glow-in-the-dark Planters

When summer comes around, garden lighting can be a nice way to enhance the atmosphere, but getting creative can often mean spending a lot of money. In fact, the solution to a chic outdoor space might actually be a coat or two of paint. Simply paint the pots and planters with the color and watch your garden come to life at night!

Empty Cans

They can be a very valuable - and totally free - resource for the garden.  Placing a few old Coca-Cola cans at the bottom of a planter before filling it with soil will act as a drainage aid and ensure your plants don't wither.  A thick layer of newspaper will keep the soil separate from the cans.

Eggshell Seed Starter

Eggshells provide the perfect safe, warm place for seeds to start.  All you have to do is carefully place soil and seeds in the tray and wait for the magic to happen.  The box itself can serve as a stand. 

Potato Rose Bushes

Wash them, put the rose bush section in the top part of the potato, and plant it in the ground.  The potato not only keeps the cuttings in place but also supposedly makes wonderful bushes grow.

Muffin Tin as a Plant Spacer

Creating perfectly spaced plants can be time-consuming. If you use the tin to push off the soil, you'll have a perfect guide to where to plant.

Vinegar Weed Killer

It's easy to be seduced by the big (extremely toxic) weed-killer brands when we want to keep our driveway or garden paths looking perfect.  Take a 2-liter bottle of White Vinegar and pour it directly on the growing green nuisance.  The vinegar works just as well as any commercial weed killer - but is not harmful to the environment or to you.

Hanging Strainer baskets

Not only does it look good, but it has perfect drainage built in.  Just add chains, line the screen with a little bit of floss or moss, add your compost and plants, and you're done.  It's a great way to reuse something that would otherwise end up in the landfill.  As the tomatoes grow, place cookie cutters around the fruit. As they continue to grow, the tomatoes take on the same shape, creating hearts, stars, and everything in between!

Mirrors Enlarge the Garden

All you need are two retired old window frames, preferably with rustic accents like peeling paint.  You'll also need two mirrors cut to fit inside the window frame.  Then hang them on the sides of your shed or fence.  This will create an illusion of space as they reflect the forest or your garden.

Grow Green Onions

Materials needed: leftover green onions.  Thanks to this trick, you'll never have to buy green onions at the store again, because they're easy to replant over and over again.  All you need are leftover green bulbs, a sunny spot in your garden, and potting soil (or just good soil).  Place the scraps in a pot or raised bed in the garden.  Make sure the roots and bulb are completely covered.  Water the plant scraps regularly, at least three to five times a week.  They will grow quickly, and the next time you need them for a recipe, just go outside and cut off the parts you need.  Repeat this process to grow them again.

Growing Corn From Popcorn Kernels

There are always a few kernels in the popcorn bag that don't pop, even when the microwave is beeping.  Perhaps you can grow corn from these kernels.  Place the kernels between two damp paper towels to let them germinate.  You can tell when a seed has germinated because it will form a tiny root and a stalk with leaves.  After the seeds have germinated, plant them in the ground in blocks of three (corn is wind pollinated).  Each short row should be spaced half a meter apart.  Keep the corn watered during dry periods as it grows.  Leave the ears on the corn until the leaves of the corn have turned brown.

.

<><><><><>

.

More Stunning Flowers With Phosphorus Fertilizer

 

Did you ever enjoy a beautiful planter arrangement or a hanging basket that you bought and after a month or so the lush flowering vanished?  Despite dutifully watering new flowers were scarce.  Then you fertilized, and maybe new leaves came up but not many flowers. 

Did you use the right fertilizer?  The middle number on the bag or bottle should be higher than the ones right and left of it.  It shows the amount of phosphorus by weight.
Not all fertilizers contain phosphorus.  Many are designed to target specific nutrient deficiencies, soil conditions, or growth requirements instead.  Printed on the front of the bag or bottle, the N-P-K tells us what percentage, by weight, of each element is present.  It’s the P value to watch if you’re hunting a high phosphorus fertilizer.  The middle number should be higher if you aim for more blooms.

Too much nitrogen can result in lush, green growth but also reduce flowering. 

Too little phosphorus can also be the cause of plants not flowering.

Why Use High Phosphorus Fertilizers?

Phosphorus is a key element in plant growth, and one that’s removed from the garden every time we mow, discard autumn leaves, or harvest our delicious crops.  In order to keep on growing, we need to replace what we take away.  Phosphorus makes up about 0.1% of the Earth's crust.  Fertilizers that contain phosphorus are often sourced directly from plant or animal waste.  Others are chemical, taken from mined rock phosphates.

Bone Meal: Bone meal is exactly what you’d imagine – ground-up bones.  The bones are sourced from slaughterhouses, heat treated to kill pathogens, then milled into a fine, usable powder.

Fish Emulsion:
A more complex product than fish meal, fish emulsion is a liquified and chemically stabilized by-product of the seafood industry.  Besides the excellent amount of phosphorus it provides, it contains a modest but balanced amount of nitrogen and potassium.  Ratios vary from product to product but typically hover around 2-4-1.  Fish emulsions also contain micro-nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and sulfur, as well as protein to help encourage the growth of healthy micro-organisms in the soil.  While potted plants love fish emulsion, it’s often not a good choice for indoor plants because the smell tends to permeate the whole house or office!

Nitrogen - Phosphorus - Pottasium 
When purchasing a fertilizer consider the N-P-K ratio of the product.  Printed on the front of the bag or bottle, the NPK tells you what percentage, by weight, of each element is present. 

High Phosphorus Fertilizers

Fertilizer Type % Nitrogen (N) % Phosphorus (P) % Potassium (K)

Rate of release:

Ammonium Phosphate 12         20         None          Moderate to rapid

Rock Phosphate        None 17-30  None          Very slow

Bone Meal                 4         10          None           Moderate

Fish Emulsion                 2-5          2-4          1-2                   Rapid

Compost                       1.5-3.5    0.5-1  1-2                   Slow

Source: University of Colorado

For Flowering Annuals
It is a good idea to provide your flowering annuals with a bit of extra phosphorus as the growing season kicks off.- and also in the middle of the season.  It’s a lot of hard work to grow an entire plant in a single season, and then produce flowers on top of that!  Hydrangeas, Azaleas, Rhododendron, and Begonias also enjoy a bit of extra phosphorus as the summer sets in, to feed those luscious flowers.  Herbs and citrus trees also benefit from a supplementary dose too.

Bone meal increases phosphorus in soil for optimal spring gardening results.  Essential in the development of strong root systems, this element is released into the soil for up to four months.  Slow, steady delivery of nutrients helps you grow plenty of big, blooming flowers, fruits, and vegetables.

.

<><><><><>

.

Two Evergreens for Southern Gardens

There are few plants more perfectly adapted to work effortlessly in every style.  A profusion of powerfully fragrant blossoms that smell like upmarket hand cream and leaves that are flushing blood red in autumn, before turning emerald green again in the spring: Cape Jasmine 

Cape Jasmine is a wide-growing shrub with sweetly-scented flowers. These jasmine plants have glossy leaves similar to gardenia. They also have ruffled, snowy white flowers a bit like baby gardenias. The scent isn't the same but it's a light, very sweet fragrance - more so at dusk. 

The beauty of this shrub is it's easier to grow than gardenia  - heavily in spring and then blooms on and off during the summer - colder tolerant and less attractive to bugs. It is an evergreen flowering plant -  in the coffee family Rubiaceae.

Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sand, more on the acid site

Hardiness: 8 – 11

                               

Nandina Domestica - Called Heavenly Bamboo

This lovely Asian plant is a small semi-evergreen shrub introduced in the U.S. in the early '1800s.  A plant that offers fall and winter interest to the garden with its bright red berries and burgundy leaves, in the spring with pleasant white flowers and in summer with dark evergreen foliage.  The Nandina is a hardy and fast-growing plant from full sun to undergrowth and in heavy shade in a variety of moist soils.

Nandina Domestica creates an airy canopy of elegantly divided leaves on evergreen shrubs around 2m tall. With new growth that is flushed with burgundy before maturing to dark green come the autumn, the red and purple shades return with the first frosts to protect the leaves from the cold.  Once warm weather returns as if by magic, the green hues spring back into the leaves as if nothing had happened.

Soil Type: Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Hardiness: 6 – 9

Success in the garden starts with healthy soil. Soil—as much as water and sunlight—determines whether plants thrive or die.  Getting a soil test is the best way to find out your soil pH and soil health.  Soil tests can be found in nurseries, garden centers, and online.

Use the first spring days to improve the soil in your garden, and add lots of compost and natural fertilizers, such as blood meal and bone meal.  A thick layer of mulch after planting shrubs keeps the soil moist and the weeds (mostly) out.  

.

<><><><><>

.

Fertilizing Soil With Coffee Grounds

 

Fertilizing soil with coffee grounds and kitchen waste:

Coffee grounds contain a good amount of the essential nutrient nitrogen as well as some potassium and phosphorus, plus other micronutrients.  The quantity and proportions of these nutrients vary, but coffee grounds can be used as a slow-release fertilizer.

To use it as a fertilizer sprinkle the used grounds thinly onto your soil, or add them to your compost heap. Paper coffee filters can go in too.  Despite their color, for the purposes of composting, they are a ‘green’, or nitrogen-rich organic material.  Make sure to balance them with enough ‘browns’ – carbon-rich materials such as dry leaves, dried grass, or small shredded paper pieces.

Coffee grounds are particularly suitable for fertilizing plants that require acidic garden soil, such as hydrangeas and rhododendrons or cucumbers, zucchini, and strawberries.  Always allow the coffee grounds to cool and dry well - if they are moist, they will mold easily. 

Another benefit: Slugs and ants do not like coffee grounds.

Food scraps are also a good source of fertilizer too.  Fish waste, for example, is a good tomato fertilizer.  Bury the fish remains about eight inches below before you plant the young tomatoes.  By the time the roots get there, the fish has rotted.  Other kitchen waste such as vegetable and fruit scraps, eggshells, tea leaves, crumbled newspapers, and shredded office paper, but also garden waste such as dried lawn cuttings, small pieces of shrub, and tree cuttings can go on the compost.  

There, they decompose into nutrient-rich, humus-rich soil - perfect for fertilizing or as a soil conditioner.  However, maintaining the compost should be turned over or moved approximately every two to three months.

Much easier is it to dig a 20-inch hole in the garden bed, fill it with the above-mentioned items in layers with a bit of soil and top it with soil.  Poke some holes into this and cover it with a flat rock or mesh to deter critters to dig in. Usually, in summer you will have the most beautiful, healthy garden soil within three weeks.

.

<><><><><>

.

Over-Wintering Plants and How to Care for them

 

Your Mandevilla plants that were thriving in the garden, bringing joy with all their fantastic blooms are suddenly getting yellow leaves when brought indoors. After some weeks, your beautiful Mandevillas or your Oleander look pathetic and seem to die. What happened? Tiny little critters, called spider mites are nesting and multiplying, and you detect even a miniature white net between the twigs of your plants. 

Spider mites are brought into the house via your shoes, and clothing, nestled in between animal fur, and, most importantly, from other infected plants or via the indoor planting soil, flowers, and vegetables brought into the house and even through window screens as they are so tiny.

Spider mites thrive in warm, dry conditions and can become a major problem during the winter when your dry house becomes the perfect breeding ground for them. Spider mites multiply very quickly and, in the right conditions, can double their population every couple of weeks.

.

Humidity Too Low

When humidity is low, spider mites (Tetranychidae) can become a problem. The small eight-legged creatures are difficult to see with the naked eye and are mainly found on the underside of leaves near the leaf veins. The infested leaves are initially delicately speckled before they first turn silvery, then gray-brown, and finally, fall off. Another identifying feature is webbing which can be found in leaf axils and on leaf margins. 

• As a preventive measure, plants that overwinter in a dry, slightly cool place should be sprayed with water from time to time.
• The first thing you should do is quarantine the infested plant and inspect all surrounding houseplants for mites. 
• In case of infestation, shower the whole plant with lukewarm water. Wrap it in a plastic bag or a translucent garbage bag for three days, high humidity will kill the spider mites.
• A good prevention is to spray your house plants with tea tree oil or Neem oil.
• Canola oil-based pesticides smother the spider mites; especially the undersides of leaves should be treated

Here is a spider mite insecticide soap recipe:

1 small teaspoon of mild liquid soap

1 liter of tepid water

***** NEVER USE ANY CHEMICAL PESTICIDES *****

.

Mandevilla Plants Overwintering

During the over-wintering in the house, the plant should be watered very sparingly and not fertilized at all. However, place it close to a sunny window - but in a cool room and away from heating outlets. Only in spring, around  April, some diluted liquid fertilizer can be added to the watering and the room temperature should be slowly increased. Spraying the leaves frequently with a water bottle keeps them moist - which spider mites don’t like. From late May on, when no frosts are expected, it can move outside again. Here it should first be accustomed to the sun again for a few days in partial shade.

Disinfect the Indoor Potting Soil

To ensure that your indoor plant soil is clear of bacteria and illnesses, disinfect it with hydrogen peroxide. To do this, just sprinkle some hydrogen peroxide in your organic potting mix. You also can sterilize potting soil in your oven. Place it in an oven-safe pan, cover it with foil, and bake it at 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Oleander Indoors

Years ago, I had every winter an aphid problem with Oleanders in large pots that I brought into my solarium. I carried the whole pot into my shower and sprayed it with tea tree oil, but also pruned it a bit. 

Oleander plants (Nerium oleander) easily become victims of pests. In particular, some species of lice, as well as spider mites eat the oleander. However, since they significantly weaken the plants, it is essential to fight them. Healthy plants are more resistant and are not attacked as quickly as weaker ones. So often an infestation of pests indicates a care error such as the wrong location. Too much nitrogen can also be the cause, as it makes the tissue softer and more susceptible. 

Aphids (Aphidoidea) are much easier to detect than spider mites because of their size of a few millimeters. On the oleander, they only sit on fresh shoots and inflorescences, where they pierce the plant to get at its sweet sap. The first thing you usually notice is the white sheaths that are formed when aphids molt and stick to the plant.

https://getbusygardening.com/control-spider-mites/

.

<><><><><>

.

Earth-Friendly Gardening

Winter Berries and Pines 

.

Niki Jabbour, author of The Year Round Vegetable Gardener, and Growing Under Cover was in the Globe & Mail recently, teaching Globe readers how their gardens can help fight climate change, by making their gardens peat-free and becoming converts to the no-dig movement.

“I stopped digging my gardens three years ago,” she says, adding that her soil (which was sandy) is now darker, dense with organic matter, and holds moisture much better. This has the added benefit of preventing the release of carbon that was previously stored in the soil, and which is disrupted and released by digging.

Peat bogs, which are under serious threat around the globe, store vast amounts of carbon, and if gardeners can do their part to preserve them they will be making a serious reduction in their carbon footprints!”

Gardening with ‘Garbage’

Look at used household items from a different perspective.  Newspaper and cardboard can be turned into effective weed barriers under mulch.  Empty yogurt containers poked with drainage holes make perfect starting pots for seeds.  Even used coffee grounds and crushed egg shells can become earth-friendly fertilizers.  

When you add paper, rip it into small pieces. Whole potatoes, onions, corn, carrots, etc. are slow to compost, cut them small before adding them to the compost bin.  Improve your soil and feed your garden naturally with compost you made from kitchen scraps and garden clean-ups. 

Keep leaves out of landfills!  Every year about 8 million tons of leaves end up there.  Another reason: leaves help the grass.  Leaves are full of nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium which improve the soil's health.  Those nutrients are being returned to the soil - but only if you use a lawnmower to cut them into small pieces.  

If you leave the leaves on the grass, it will exclude light.  And then the grass won't be able to photosynthesize.  Eventually, it would die under a thick layer of leaves. Shredded leaves can also be piled into garden beds.  Leaves are a resource - and not a problem!

Don't stop composting in winter! The material will freeze and then thaw, come spring. This way you have lots of material to create an earth-friendly garden in a couple of months.

.

<><><><><>

.