If you are a fellow gardener, I'd love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts by signing the guest book. If you are interested in starting a garden, this page is for you, and if you enjoy a stroll through the garden, this page is for you as well!
Summer, 2010
I'm sure many avid gardners were able to really kick it up this Spring and Summer by adding more plants this year. I found a real challenge this Summer with watering and trying to keep drought-tolerant plants happy. It might be time to invest in a drip irrigation system, a gardener's dream. I did find time to volunteer with the Friends of the Zoo early this Summer, still working towards my final hours of community service and who knows, maybe that Master Gardner Certification is within reach!!
Spring, 2010
Now is a good time to start removing some of the leaf mulch you put down last winter, to help protect the roots for winter's cold, if you haven't already; and if you have already, it means you're on time with preparing your garden for spring. You'll probably see fresh beds of newer, more fresh looking mulch. It's okay, just follow suit.
Did you enjoy your garden during the winter, 2010?
With the freezing cold and harsh winter snow storms we can actually have an aha moment. From time to time, even in winter, wrap up warmly with your favorite mug of hot chocoloate, hot tea, coffee or latte and stroll through your garden to check out the beds of your containers or on the ground. Remember, before the final frost, be sure to add extra leaf mulch to cover the roots, or check for wind damage. Sometimes, just being in the gardewn while sipping something warm or just strolling, is so amazingly relaxing. You are in the midst of Nature at its finest, even in Winter.
Believe it or not, I keep a pair of winter boots and a down coat available just for walking out in the yard on cold days just to check on branches that might need a little relief from heavier than usual snow.
According to Behnke’s Nursery, February is one of the best times to take care of your foundation and landscape plantings.
Correct pruning will regenerate many older plants and maintain newer plant's proper form and ideal health and vigor. Wrong pruning will damage healthy plants, cause additional dieback, and potentially permanently misshape or kill the shrub.
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This winter's freeze and snow storms might have set us back on the pruning calendar, but the warm temperatures have allowed us to thaw out a little, and do a spot check on any damaged branches due to the weight of the snow and or ice.
Did you know that leaves make a healthy mulch? With the beautiful fall foliage, sweep your leaves into your beds, of course you can bag the excess leaves. Concerned about the appearance? You can put purchased mulch on top of your "leaf mulch". In the spring, when you turn the soil and incorporate the leaves, you'll find a leaf/mulch compost, full of rich nutrients for your soil and great for planting annuals and perennials.
A good reason to choose evergreen shrubs and plants such as boxwood or liriope (also known as mondo-grass). Evergreens give a color of green throughout the year and are especially appealling to the eye during the winter months.
Colder temperature check list. Be sure to check with your local nursery in your zone, some areas about planting spring bulbs, before the frost. Some areas have had their frost and are set for the winter. In our area, zone 7, we've had frost and warm days, there's still a small window.
Those beautiful mums that are purchased to decorate your steps and porches can be planted into containers or in the ground. They are cold hardy and can survive the North East Coastal winter. Which means for those of you living in the South East and South West, you'll enjoy the color of those mums a little longer.
Serenity With Denise
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Your journey to serenity and inner peace will begin......