Martinis and Marigolds - Refreshingly Quick Tips for Home and Garden

Caring For Spring Flowering Bulbs

Caring For Spring Flowering Bulbs

After a long winter, seeing the daffodils blooming along our roadways really lifts my spirits. And I do see some tulips emerging in time for Easter. If you have spring bulbs in your yard,  you might be wondering how to best take care of them.

In this week's tip, I'll give you a few easy steps to caring for your spring bulb plants so that they keep flowering every spring.

Posted in daffodils, flower gardening, flowers, garden, garden planning, garden tips, gardener, gardening, gardening tips, spring bulbs, spring gardening, tulips

Getting Started with Composting

Getting Started with Composting

I love this time of year! We are so blessed with the bounty of summer fruits and vegetables. I hope that you are finding delicious ways to enjoy them!

But we are also faced with the resulting peels and pits that many times end up in our trash. According to the EPA “The estimated 35.3 million tons of wasted food that went to landfills in 2018 represents 24.1 percent of all MSW landfilled.”  Somehow that just doesn’t make sense, since all of this organic waste can quickly break down and return lots of nutrients to the soil.

 So what’s a home gardener to do? Composting your kitchen and garden waste is a great way to reduce the amount of waste you dispose of in the trash.  By composting, you can generate a free source of nutrient-rich material to help improve your garden.

Read on to find out how to get started!

Posted in compost bin, composting, garden tips, gardening

It's Too Hot to Plant - Now What?

It's Too Hot to Plant - Now What?

The heat of summer is upon us in most of the US. While it might be tempting to continue planting, the next optimum time to plant perennials and shrubs is fall.

So what' a gardener to do besides maintenance chores?  (And hopefully by following our tips you don't have too many of those!)

Read on for 5 of my favorite gardening-related and relaxing things to do now that the rush of Spring planting is over. 

Posted in beginner gardener, flower bed, flower gardening, flowers, garden, garden design, garden planning, garden tips, gardener, gardening, gardening tips

Don't Forget The Foliage

Don't Forget The Foliage

As you’re planning your summer garden, don’t forget the foliage! Foliage plants are chosen for the beauty of their leaves, rather than their flowers. Some foliage plants have colorful leaves, such as coleus. Others have striking geometric patterns, like the canna lily (which also has showy flowers). Still others are selected because of their unique shape, such as cactuses or succulents.

Read on for three great ways to use foliage plants in your garden.

Posted in annuals, garden, garden design, garden planning, garden tips, gardening tips, landscaping, new garden