The Blog for Your Entire Garden

Oh those beautiful red holiday plants.  I’m seeing them everywhere as the holidays approach.

Native to Mexico, the poinsettia originated in a region near the present-day city of Taxco. Joel Robert Poinsett, a Southern plantation owner and botanist, was appointed the first United States Ambassador to Mexico (1825-1829). While visiting Taxco, he was struck by the beauty of the brilliant red plants he found blooming in the region during December. He had some of the plants sent to his plantation in Greenville, South Carolina, where they flourished in his greenhouse.  With over 70 million plants sold nationwide each year, the poinsettia is now the number one flowering potted plant sold in the USA.  While the botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima, was given by a German taxonomist in 1833, the common name, poinsettia, became and has remained the accepted name in English-speaking countries,although no one seems to be able to agree on how to spell the plants name, poinsettia, poinsetta, pointsettia, pointsetta, and some just resign to referring to them as Christmas plants.  In any event, there is no doubt that the plant has almost become as synonymous to Christmas as the Christmas tree has.

Everyone seems to love the beauty and color they offer but who likes just throwing the plant in the garbage after the holidays?  If you don’t like watching your poinsettia plants die each year, try these steps to try re-blooming it.  It  takes some patience and commitment, but the reward is that your holiday plant will  bloom again next winter.

After the holidays:

Place the poinsettia in a very sunny indoor spot and keep soil just barely moist.  Fertilize as package recommends.

In March: Trim to six to eight inches tall after its leaves fall.  Continue to water and fertilize.

In May: When your poinsettia shows strong new growth, re-pot and bring outdoors.  Give plant 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily.  Protect from harsh afternoon sun.  Fertilize weekly.

Mid-July: Trim 1/4 of the growing tips to encourage branching.  Leave at least 2 to 3 large leaves on each stem.  Continue watering and fertilizing.

Early autumn: Bring indoors when nights fall below 60° F.

October 1 to December 15: Place your poinsettia in complete darkness from 5:00 PM until 8:00 AM in temperatures around 65° F.  Any light dash even for a moment – will ruin your efforts.  Place in a sunny location during the day.

Mid-December: After plant starts to color, a long night is not as necessary, keep giving poinsettia 6 to 8 hours of bright sunlight until completely colored.  Then stopped fertilizing and place the plant in its holiday location.  Your poinsettia may not be quite as plush or bright as those in the nurseries, but it will still be beautiful.

Note: There is a widespread misconception that these beautiful plants are poisonous and although every year I hear folks relaying this misinformation, it’s simply not true.

For more information on Poinsettias and how to select and care for them, visit the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.

Merry Christmas!

I’m hearing that parts of the country are already getting snow not measured in inches but in feet!  When I hear this, my mind wanders back to the days that I lived in Western NY and I remember how beautiful it was but also what a pain the neck it was!  I also remember that it was the time I worried most about “my” backyard birds.  I felt like they’d never survive without my feeding and providing shelter for them.  That of course is nonsense as mother nature provides everything birds need to survive the winter.  My providing for  them just helps ME to be able to enjoy their presence year round.   You almost can’t beat the simple beauty of seeing a red Cardinal or a Blue Jay in a snow covered backyard.  It’s simply spectacular!  If you want to see birds in your backyard during winter, just provide for their 3 basic needs.  Food, Water, and Shelter.  It’s that simple.

This brings me to the months issue of Birds and Blooms magazine.  Anyone who knows me know that I love this  magazine!  This months issue was so full of craft ideas and beautiful winter wonderland photographs that I just couldn’t put it down!  I wish I had a copy to give to every one of you!  I found so many ideas this month I couldn’t help myself but to share it with you.

This month on their website they are sharing how to make birdseed ornaments with just a few ingredients and some cookie cutters.  Another idea and a very inexpensive way to feed your feathered friends that they mentioned was to attach dried corn cobs to tree limbs.  This will be especially attractive to Blue Jays!  When the corn is gone you can spread peanut butter on the cob and roll it in birdseed for an extra treat.  (a very inexpensive way to feed.)  Whether you are a subscriber or not, their website is a really great resource for anyone who loves gardening or birding and I highly recommend that you visit the site here.

With a few simple tasks you can enjoy year round birds in your backyard.

Happy Winter birding!

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is next week!  Where has the year gone?

Carl Wilson, of Colorado State University’s Horticulture Cooperative extension, offers some good advice on end of season vegetable gardening.  Here’s my summary of his article.

In Charleston South Carolina, where a I live, gardening season hasn’t come to an end but it is certainly slowing down.  While gardeners in all other areas, have put away the gardening tools for the year, others are still thinking about putting their vegetable gardens to bed.  Still others, are planning to harvest through the end of November, and some others are planting winter crops right now.  It all depends on which part of the world you live in.

Mr. Wilson, writes “it all depends on what you like to eat”

If you grow tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and other warm season vegetables, the first hard frost means an ending for you.  In fact, tomatoes actually are best harvested and taken indoors to ripen once night- time temperatures drop to 40°Fahrenheit.

For gardeners who like cool season crops, life is just getting interesting.  Kale, planted in mid-summer is just coming into maturity.  Some believe the crops flavor improves after a few frosts.  Plants will continue to grow and produce leaves for harvest until at least this time of year.  The red Russian variety seems especially resistant to freezes.

Collards are another leafy green that seems to laugh at the cold.  They will survive temperatures down to 15° F.  Again, cold tends to improve the flavor.

Cabbage is best stored in the garden until there is room in the refrigerator or until severe winter temperatures threaten.  On heads grown almost to bursting, gardeners in the know twist plants ¼ turn to partially sever their root.  This will prevent further growth and allows for storage in the garden until you are ready to use it.

Root vegetables also will store for months in garden soil.  Once the soil has cooled, many gardeners will apply a dried grass or hey mulch to prevent carrots, beets, turnips and other underground vegetables from freezing solid.  Dig them up as needed for fresh vegetables up to the Christmas/ New Year holidays.

As for warm season vegetables, promptly harvest the debris struck down by frosts.  A thorough clearing of vegetation from the garden will help prevent the carryover of diseases into the next season.  Garden debris nicely complements dry tree leaves in the compost bin and will produce a welcome soil amendment by next spring.

Once garden space is cleared of warm season vegetables, consider one of two options to improve your garden soil for next year.  If your soil is heavy clay, turn  over all of the soil and leave a large clods on the surface.  Winter freezing and thawing will tend to break these down saving you work.

On both sandy and clay soils, Mr. Wilson recommends a second option.  “Seed a crop of winter rye”.  The seed will require several waterings to germinate and get going.  The plants will grow through the winter and attain a height of 12 to 15 inches by spring.  Their deep roots break up clay soil.  Turning under the Rye in early spring will add valuable organic matter to your garden.

Other crops to seed for winter are lettuce and spinach.  By using mulch or in old window supported around its sides by mountain soil, you can grow salad greens for the winter.  Both lettuce and spinach germinate at temperatures as low as 40° F.  Cast lettuce seed on top of the soil and keep moist.  The seed requires light to germinate.

Interested in dill for next year?  Many gardeners swear that seed is best started by broadcasting it over the soil in fall.  Germination often is more successful than spring seeding.

For some vegetable gardeners, the first frost is in ending.  For others it’s just a beginning.

As for me, I’ll be working through the winter getting my garden store ship-shape for the spring.  I’m in the process of adding lots of new categories, new manufacturers, and new products.

In the meantime, inspired by local nurseries, I’ve added a holiday shop to my store.  Check out the Holiday Shop page and the Gifts page for some inspiration on what to give the gardener this holiday season.

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.

I recently met the most wonderful woman.  She called me about a Hummingbird item listed in my store and we ended up talking for a half hour.  It was such a pleasure talking to you Ms. Wrene, I enjoyed every minute of it!

Ms. Wrene is just beginning her journey into the joys of learning everything that she can about Hummingbirds.  She wants to know how to attract hummingbirds, how to identify them, what she needs to do to keep them coming, and she is looking forward to watching the hummers she attracts.  She, like all Hummingbird lovers, is excited!

Although it is late in the season and the hummingbirds are well on . their migration south from the northern parts of the U.S. and Canada, I was so inspired by my conversation with Ms. Wrene that I thought it would be nice to answer her questions by providing some links for her, and all the others who are just discovering the love of hummingbirds out there, here on the blog.  Ms. Wrene is looking for information on hummingbirds in an effort to be prepared for next season and I know that she is not alone.  I receive more mail and telephone calls about hummingbirds than any other subject.  In this way, it is my hope that others looking for the same information will find it and learn from it as well.

Since the hummingbirds have began their migration, I thought I might end the season by giving you some resources for finding out everything that you can about hummingbirds to be prepared for next year.  But before you take down your hummingbird feeders, make sure to read this.

The first place you can look for information is right here on this blog and at my store.  At this link Garden Decorative Items-Hummingbirds you will find lots of hummingbird facts, as well as see some hummingbird feeders, supplies, gifts, and decorative items in the hummingbird theme.  Sign up for our newsletter to receive notice when we update or add information and products to this category.

There are ideas and tips for all kinds of gardening topics, birds, flowers, and other things on my blog and here are a couple that involve hummingbird topics to give you an idea of the kinds of things I enjoy writing about on the blog: How to attract Hummingbirds and keeping your hummingbird feeders clean are two articles about hummingbirds on the blog right now.

Sign up to receive updates and every time I update my blog It’s NOT just about the Garden Decorative Items I will send you a notice.

Here are some of my favorite posts from Birds & Blooms Magazine.

Top 10 plants for attracting Butterflies to your garden

All about Hummingbirds

Top 10 plants for attracting hummingbirds to your yard

You can subscribe to Birds & Blooms Magazine and save 52% off the cover price PLUS get a FREE  bonus “Attracting Hummngbirds” right here.  I love this magazine!  I look forward to each and every issue.

The Hummingbird Society is another vast source of information.  You can find the Hummingbird Society website here.  It’s filled with wonderful information and beautiful photographs!  They have a very good newsletter as well.

Finally, enjoy the video below by Birdman Mel on attracting hummingbirds.  He is one of my favorite people.

Happy Hummingbird Watching!

We are always looking for tips to help our readers make their work easier and we were please to come across the following garden tip for keeping hummingbird feeders clean.

It’s not easy cleaning hummingbird feeders and it is extremely important to do so!  Hummingbirds won’t return to dirty feeders or stale hummingbird nectar, and as a new subscriber to Garden Gate Magazine, http://www.gardengatemagazine.com I found this tip from reader Rose O’ Mahony of North Carolina.This will work on all hummingbird feeders and works especially well if mold takes a foothold in your hummingbird feeder.

Rose knew how important it was to keep feeders clean so she came up with a technique to make quick work of cleaning the feeders.

“After dumping any remaining nectar, she sprays a couple of squirts of a bleach cleaning solution from the store into the feeder to kill the mold.  Then she adds a tablespoon of uncooked rice (not the instant kind), replace the cover and shakes the feeder.  The rice works as an abrasive to dislodge the mold.  Once the feeder is clean, she throws the contents out and rinses it thoroughly with water.  If you are concerned that your cleaning solution is too strong for this, use the recipe recommended by the Hummingbird Society http://www.hummingbirdsociety.org of 1 tablespoon of unscented bleach to 1 quart of water.  A clean feeder will keep your hummers happy and healthy.”

To Keeping it Clean!

Not your regular electrical plants with transformers and surrounded by chain link fences.  These electrical plants that have actually had electrical current passed through them making them into works of art.  These may not be for IN the garden but they are certainly garden decorative items.

I found an interesting article at the Mail Online website in the Science and Tech section with some amazing plant photos like I have never seen before.

Photographer Robert Buelteman sends 80,000 volts throught his flowery subjects and then literally paints photographs of the outcome.

See more of these beautiful photographs by visiting the Mail Online site at either of the links above.

Simple Strategies to Keep your Cool While Gardening

Heat Index Chart

I had an unpleasant experience while gardening yesterday and I believe it’s one that many gardeners have experienced.  Heat Cramps.

Heat cramps are just one of several heat induced conditions that may be experienced by gardeners who subject themselves to working in hot and humid conditions.  Here, I have listed the most common and given you information as to how to avoid these conditions as well as identify and treat them.

I have experienced Heat Cramps a few times since I moved to the Southeast.  It gets so hot and humid here and although my intent is to work outdoors in the morning while it’s still cool, I often end up working in the heat of the day in order to get everything I want to do done.  Sound familiar?  The first time it happened I was scared enough to pay a visit to the emergency room where they diagnosed the problem and also gave me a scolding about using sun screen.

First, let me address that I am not a doctor or a medical professional.  All of the information I am about to post is from my own experience or was gathered from resources on the internet.  Should you experience any of these conditions and are not sure what they are, see a doctor!

However, after doing some research, I found several other heat induced problems worth posting in hope that if you are savvy about strategies for handling the heat, there’s no reason to put your garden projects to the back burner in the summer.  However, when temperature soar, watch for the following heat induced problems.

Heat Cramps are brought on by profuse sweating and the loss of body salt, heat cramps are painful spasms of the abdominal, leg, and arm muscles.  Cramping usually goes away when you firmly press on the area with your hand, apply warm wet compresses, and sip slightly salted water (1/2 teaspoon salt to a pint of water), at 15 minute intervals.  It’s best not to resume gardening until the cramping has totally subsided.

Heat Rash – This condition, commonly called “prickly heat,” results from a temporary blockage of the sweat pores when skin gets waterlogged with perspiration.  The sweat damages cells on the surface of the skin, forming a barrier and trapping perspiration beneath the skin, where it builds up and causes the characteristic bumps.  As these bumps burst and sweat escapes, you may experience the “prickly” or stinging sensation that gives this condition its familiar name.

The rash generally appears on the torso and thighs, or in folds of the skin, especially if there is friction from clothing.  Because moisture aggravates the condition, it’s best not to garden in wet or damp clothing.  Symptoms of prickly heat may include itching, irritation (prickling), small blisters, or large red patches.

If you have heat rash, don’t apply sunscreen or insect repellent to your skin because they may further aggravate the rash.  Also, don’t use thick creams or ointments, which further block your sweat ducts.  Instead, make your own cooling lotion from equal amounts of witch hazel and rubbing alcohol.  For a soothing bath, add 1/2 cup each of cornstarch and oatmeal to cool water.  After bathing, blot, don’t rub, your skin dry.  If you keep the affected area cool and dry, most cases of heat rash will clear up in two or three days.

Heat Exhaustion – Caused by exposure to heat and excessive perspiration, this condition results in the loss of vital body fluids and minerals.  Unlike heat stoke, a far more serious condition caused by prolonged exposure to excessive heat, heat exhaustion isn’t usually associated with high fever or cessation of sweating.  One way to tell the difference is by the feel of the skin, which is hot and dry in heat stroke and cool and moist in heat exhaustion.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include dizziness, paleness, nausea, headache, and muscle cramping.  If you experience any of these telltale signs, immediately stop gardening, get out of the heat, and drink plenty of fluids to combat dehydration.  Apply cool compresses to your skin and rest in a cool area.  With fluids and rest, symptoms generally subside within several hours.  It’s wise, however, to take it easy (translation, STAY OUT OF THE GARDEN!) for the remainder of the day, even if you do recover quickly.

Dehydration – To avoid the effects of dehydration, drink lots of fluids.  Especially cool water.  Drink a tall glass, 10-18 ounces, thirty minutes before gardening.  Then continue sipping (not gulping) 4-8 ounces every fifteen minutes while you work.  As a reminder, keep a pitcher, thermos, or bottle of water nearby for easy access.  Add freshly squeezed lemon, orange, or other citrus to the water, or try crushed mint leaves to enhance the taste.

Don’t wait until you feel thirsty or weak.  At that point, you’ve already become dehydrated.  When gardening for long hours in high temperatures, you may want to increase your salt intake. (Ask you doctor if this makes sense for you).  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a quart of cold water or lemonade, or drink a commercial sports beverage which already has the salt added.  You can also replenish lost fluids and electrolytes by drinking diluted fruit juices.  your body absorbs beverages better when they’re cold, not iced.

Remember too, that humidity, like we have here in the Charleston, SC area, challenges your body’s cooling mechanism even more than high temperatures alone.  That’s because it’s more difficult for your body to get rid of extra heat.  So be as aware of decreased sweating as well, which can be a sign of serious dehydration.

Stay Cool Strategies

• Garden in a wide-brimmed hat.
• Tie a damp handkerchief around your forehead and moisten it periodically.
• Wear loose fitting, light colored clothing in fabrics that “breathe” and wick perspiration like cotton.
• Be prudent regarding when and where you garden.  Try to work in the morning hours or late in the afternoon.  If that’s not an otion, plant yourself in the garden’s shadier areas when the sun is most intense.
• Try a “Minted Cooler” recipe below
• Remember, many plants require full sun, but YOU do not!

Recipe for Minted Cooler

2 cups diced cantaloupe

1 cup diced honeydew melon

1 cup diced seedless watermelon

1 cup white grape juice

6 large Mint leaves

4-8 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth and enjoy!

Stay Cool!

Balmy summer nights are the perfect time to linger near the garden and enjoy the intoxicating fragrance of flowers that release their scent after the sun goes down.  Here are three favorite annuals that release their fragrance at night:

Moonflower

Moonflower (lpomoea alba)  A relative of the morning glory, moonflower is grown as an annual in most climates.  For those who love the large blooms the Moonflower produces fragrant, white, 4-6 inch flowers that open after dark.  Grown as an annual in colder climates, this beauty grows year-round in warmer climates (Zones 8-11).  This night blooming vine is perfect for an arbor close to the entrance to your home.

Evening Scented Stock

Evening Scented Stock (Matthiola hybrids)  With pink, mauve, or purple 1 inch blooms, stock releases a strong, spicy scent at night.   This plants flowers have a very powerful fragrance!   A rather plain looking plant, what the Scented stock does not have in looks it makes up in fragrance that only happens at night. The perfect flower for a night blooming garden, you truly will be shocked at its strong fragrance.  I have this planted near entrances to my home and under bedroom windows.  Easy to grow from seed.  Grows 12-18 inches tall. Best in full/partial sun.

Flowering Tobacco

Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.)  This fragrant plant’s scent is more intense at night.  Trumpet-shapped, tubular flowers open in the evening in shades of pink, red, green, or white.  This plant blooms repeatedly and grows 36 to 48 inches tall.  Perfect for much needed height to beds and borders, group it in cluster for more impact.  Sun to Partial Shade.  Warning: All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested.

You can add color, texture, and height to your garden with fast-growing annual vines.  Use them as a natural privacy screen, a welcoming habitat for butterflies and bees, or protection against sun, wind, and unattractive views.  Here are five of my favorite varieties.

Black-Eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata).  This is a fast growing vine!  Black-eyed Susan grows easily from seed.  You can expect this tropical twining vine to grow 5 -8 feet tall and have vibrant orange, yellow, or white flowers although other varieties are available.  This plant is good for a trailer in a hanging pot or a window box or as a climber on a trellis.  Plant in full sun.

Corkscrew Vine

Corkscrew Vine (Vigna caracalla)  Another tropical, this sweetly scented twining vine (also called a snail vine) produces silvery blooms with lavender-pink, coiled centers and curved outer petals that look like seashells.  Clusters of blooms grow 12 inches long; the vine grows 25 feet tall.

Cypress Vine

Cypress Vine (lpomoea quamoclit).  Another member of the Morning Glory family and a favorite of Hummingbirds and Butterflies alike  is the Cypress Vine.  This twining vine has lacy, fern-like foliage and grows to 20 feet tall.  It produces star shaped red, pink and white flowers.  Easy to grow from seed.  Full sun.

Cardinal Climber (lpomoea x multifida). Another easy to grow from seed vine, this vigorous twining vine grows 15-20 feet tall and some varieties will grow to 30 ft. tall making it an excellent choice for covering fences or walls. Cardinal Climber produces trumpet shaped, deep red flowers (hence it’s name) with white or yellow throats from summer to fall. Great for attracting Hummingbirds! A member of the morning glory family, this vine does well in full Sun.

Cardinal Climber

Hyacinth Bean

Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpureus). My personal favorite. I love this plant! This striking vine is actually a perennial but is grown in colder climates as an annual. Widely grown in Southern Asia and Africa where the ripe seeds and the green pods are used for food, Hyacinth bean produces fragrant purple flowers, 4-6″ long, followed by velvety purple bean pods containing eatable peas (I’ve never eaten any). The stems are purple too as are the veins in the leaves. Grows to 20 feet tall and is beautiful on a trellis.

Happy Growing!

Info from an older edition of Cooking Pleasures Magazine.

Fresh greens from your garden are a welcome addition to summer meals.  Choose seasonings and food pairings that complement rather than mask the flavor of the greens.  Here are some suggestions:

• Bitter Greens:  Chicory, dandelion, radicchio, escarole, and endive.  Season with garlic, olive oil, and bold vinegars.  Pair with citrus fruit, hard boiled eggs, aged hard cheeses, and sweet, salty, or smoky meats, fish, and cheeses.

• Sweet Lettuces and Greens:  Pea shoots, sunflower shoots, red and green butterhead, red and green romaine, red and green looseleaf lettuce, oak leaf, and mache.  Season with fresh herbs, light oils, and sweet and light vinegars.  Pair with mild cheeses, shallots, and fruit.

• Spicy Greens:  Mustard, cress, sorrel, turnip greens.  Season with bold oils, garlic, curry powder, minty herbs and bold spices such as cumin, rosemary, basil, and chile.  Pair with cooked onions and smoky meats, fish, and cheeses.

• Sturdy Greens:  Arugula, spinach, beet greens chard, kale, baby bok choy.  Season with garlic, chile, herbs, and bold oils.  Pair with butter, cream sauces, cheese, citrus fruits, and smoky meats and fish.