Garden Supplies News » Garden Supplies

Choosing A Christmas Tree

hughe — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:43:56 +0000

Choosing a Christmas tree can be quite an emotive matter. I found an interesting article the other day which set out to prove that buying a live tree was greener than an artificial alternative which can last for several years, but was distracted by other matters and now can no longer find it. However I have found another piece which makes similar claims pointing out that new trees are planted every year so that there is no net loss of tree cover. Tree growers also point out that their trees can be recycled after the holiday whereas the artificials end up in landfill.

And it’s not just vegetables and chickens that are organic or free range. According to Mother Earth News to be really environmentally friendly you should avoid trees that have been treated with pesticides and herbicides. Read more..

“An Eco-Chic Christmas Tree” is how Lauren Barth describes this eco-friendly tree made from recycled cardboard. All very eco-friendly I’m sure, but despite it being easy to assemble and maintenance free I don’t think it would be my choice. Read more..

If you agree with me that a living tree is the best choice then you have to decide what type of pine or fir to choose for your living room this year. I found this video which was made a few years ago, but the advice appears to be evergreen:

Christmas Tree Guide

Earthworms, Ghosts And The Garden Rug

hughe — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:56:15 +0000

However enthusiastic a gardener you are, you will surely welcome ideas to make routine tasks easier. For instance who wants to engage in double digging when the same effect can be achieved without all that physical effort. Horticulturist Felder Rushing is firmly of this opinion and has, as he puts it “worked my tail off over the years to find ways to take a lot of the chores out of gardening”. His answer to digging is fallen leaves and earthworms. Read more..

“Families use pets as lawn-mowers”. I found this snippet in one of those “100 Years Ago” columns. Using animals to keep the grass in trim is not exactly a new idea – sheep have been turned out in churchyards for hundreds of years. In this case it seems that the pet was a large white rabbit. My experience of pet rabbits is that if you let them loose on the grass they will do their best to escape. However in this case the rabbit was kept in a cage which was moved around the yard as each patch of grass was trimmed. Seems a rather labor intensive way of completing a simple task. Read more..

Margaret Lauterbach writing in the Idaho Statesman has an interesting piece on garden “ghosts”. “Do you have ghosts in your garden? Many of us have friendly “ghosts”, or reminders of friends who gave us seeds for this plant, or a start of that one.” I have plenty of friendly “ghosts” in my garden many of which came from my late mother. My wife, who did not always have the best of relationships with her mother-in-law, is constantly saying “Oh that reminds me of your mother again” as she walks round the garden. As if that were not enough there is that calicarpa which was a gift from a work collegue she would prefer to forget. However the article concerns a plant that has come to be known as “Miss Wilmott’s ghost”. Read more..

Sprinkle the seed and water are common instructions, but not usually on your hearthrug. The Garden Rug allows you to walk on greenery in your living room. Read more..

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Vines, Thugs And Potting Soil Tip

hughe — Mon, 02 May 2011 10:27:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I found this article by Brian Minter about using vines to solve garden problems. “Looking for a simple but fast cover-up to screen an old fence or wall, an unsightly building or a nosy neighbour? Why not try some interesting and attractive vines?” His review covers most of the common vines including Virginia Creeper, Hummingbird Vine, Silver Lace Vine, Wisteria and Honeysuckle.

In my previous garden there was large wisteria which provided a great show provided I remembered to prune it at the right time. It was planted next to a long beech hedge and keeping the two seperate was quite a job. When trimming the hedge I would find wisteria shoots up to twenty feet from the main bush.

So wanting to cover a rather unsightly shed in my present garden I planted a wisteria a few years ago, but so far it seems reluctant to extend its shoots where I want them to go. Instead it is producing a bunch of small branches at one end and, to make matters worse, only a few flowers.

I am having better luck with honeysuckles which along with clematis and jasmin are my favorite climbing plants. As Brian Minter says “Vines are great, easy to grow, colourful and effective in solving so many landscape problems”. Read more..

While vines can be very useful in the right place, you need to make sure that you do not choose one that is too aggressive and so becomes the problem rather than the solution. Joe Lampl writing in The Seattle Times talks about “Invasion of the garden thugs”.

“Aggressive thugs try to take over your landscape. Invasive thugs have larger goals. They escape from the garden into the natural environment and quickly squeeze out a lot of other plants in their path”.

He describes half a dozen common “thugs” including creeping buttercup which is the one that is causing me problems in my lawn and elsewhere. Read more..

And finally a quick tip on how to save on potting soil. I have tried this myself and it certainly makes sense. Read more..

Aphids, Figs And Growing Your Own Soil

Raised Beds, Seed Catalogues And Waiting Out Winter

hughe — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:50:30 +0000

January is the seed catalog month when winter prevents outside activities, but gives us plenty of time to plan for the coming season. All those new varieties are so tempting especially when the catalog pictures all show perfect specimens which never seem to be recreated in our own gardens. I found this article in the New York Times which has some wise advice on controlling your seed order.
Read more..

If you’ve never tried using a raised bed in your garden the beginning of a new year is a good time to start. Raised beds have several advantages over growing plants in open ground. It is easier to control the soil composition so that you know you are using the best soil mixture for your plants. The raised soil level makes it easier to tend the plants. Making a raised bed is a simple diy task, but if you want some detailed instructions, I found this site which shows several different designs. Read more..

And if you want some ideas on how to plan your raised bed, follow this link.

This talk of raised beds is all very well, but if you’re stuck inside looking out on snow and ice, what you need are some practical suggestions on how to occupy your time until gentler weather arrives. “Waiting out winter: strategies for gardeners” is a simple list of sixteen ideas with something for everyone. Top of the list is “Start something from seed. One seed tray on a windowsill can make a difference”. One that I always mean to try is “Force budding branches into bloom”. But I’m not so sure about their final tip “If all else fails, eat chocolate or head south”. Read more..

Christmas Tree Lights And A bargain Fountain

hughe — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:20:56 +0000

Decorating the Christmas tree is all part of the fun as we head towards the holidays, but hanging the lights on the tree can be quite a pain particularly if the wires are tangled. So would’nt it be handy if the tree came with its own lights built in? And I’m not talking about an artificial tree, but a regular pine or fir with light shining from its leaves.

Well you can’t buy one yet, but a Dr Yen-Hsun Su of the Research Center for Applied Science in Taiwan has just bioengineered a way to make a tree that glows. As an experiment he implanted nanoparticles of gold into a plant and the leaves began to glow. Read more..

December is not usually the month when you would be thinking about garden fountains, but I found this coupon which gives you a 10% discount. Just click the banner below and quote DecSAS10.

December Chores, Gift Lists And Plantariums

hughe — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:56:59 +0000

For me December is a month when I have little time for gardening. What with birthdays for my wife in late November and my daughter at the beginning of December, and then it’s time to start the Christmas shopping marathon. Luckily in December the garden can mostly look after itsef. If you want a reminder of the last minute chores read this article by Jan Beglinger from Genesee County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Scanning the lists of the latest gadgets I found these Plantariums. The kit consists of a jar shaped like a test tube containing “NASA-approved colored nutritive growing gel”. Seeds are packed in the lid and there is even a stick to poke them down into the gel. You can then watch the plants develop and once they reach the top of the jar, you move them into a normal flowerpot. As usual with these gadgets it seems to be a rather complicated way of growing a few seedlings. Read more..

And now to the shopping. I’ve found a couple useful lists. The first is by Henry Homeyer and includes several of his favorite tools and his book of the year. Read more..

The second is by Mike Dull who is one of the WSU Master Gardeners of Chelan County. His list consists of five books which would make excellent gifts. Read more..

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Slugs And Snails And How To Save Your Plants

hughe — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:41:15 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

One of a gardener’s pet hates is the common slug and of course the second is the snail. It is infuriating to find that your plants have been damaged by these pests. There are many products designed to eradicate these pests ranging from the notorious slug pellets that you scatter beside yor plants to various kinds of traps. While many of these products work to a greater or lesser extent, it is clear that there is no perfect remedy, otherwise there would not be such a huge range of products designed to solve the problem.

I was give a book for my last birthday called “50 ways to kill a slug”. This listed all the popular remedies together with a few fatuous suggestions designed more to satisfy the blood lust of the annoyed gardener than to be effective in removing the slugs. But one thing I have noticed as the years roll on and each new season unfolds is that slugs prefer certain plants. I suppose this is not really so surprising since we humans have our likes and sdislikes, but perhaps we should observe and learn from the behaviour of our local slugs and snails. For instance I like to grow lupins, but they ar e they one flower that is always decimated by slugs in my garden.

This year I created a new herbaceous border with about a dozen new plants. Out of these two were attacked mercilously and the remainder were ignored. Pyrethrum and liatris were the victims. I was able to rescue the liatris by attaching a collar around its stem, but the buds on my pyrethrum were all damaged before the flowers could open. Another plant that I no longer grow is the hosta because its large and attractive leaves attract slugs by the dozen. And a hosta with shredded leaves is not a pretty sight.

The conventional wisdom is that you should grow plants that are native to your area and so perhaps this should be extended to taking notice of the habits of your local slugs.

Organic Weedkillers And Chelsea Flower Show

hughe — Thu, 27 May 2010 09:50:26 +0000

Controlling broadleaf weeds in the lawn has always been a problem and particularly so for organic gardeners who do not use chemical weedkillers. In my garden I have several clumps of wild promroses that self seed naturally through the borders and provide a fine display in the spring. What is not so welcome is that they seed equally vigorously in the lawn. This is in addition to the usual crop of daisies, dandelions and the other common weeds that spoil the look of the grass.

But help may be at hand. Recently I came across a product which claims to be both organic and effective. Iron X is a selective weedkiller for lawns. It contains iron in a chelated form which you dilute in water and spray on the grass. The iron has no adverse effect on the grass, but kills most broadleaf weeds. And it is fast acting – within hours of application, broadleaf weeds turn black and begin to die.

At present Iron X is only available from Gardens Alive where you can find a list of the twenty weeds that it controls.

Maria Rodlale, CEO and Chairman of Rodale, Inc, has her own secret organic weed control method. This one is not for lawns, but rather those awkward places where weeds sprout among rocks and cracks in paving stones. Simple in the extreme – just boil a kettle and pour hot water on your weeds. Apparently it works best on smaller weeds. Read more..

It’s Chelsea Flower Show time again. In fact it’s nearly over. The show has been running all this week and there are some stunning exhibits. I’ve found this short video from YouTube which is an introduction to the show, but if you want to see more including tours of all the show gardens go to the BBC website.

The $64 Tomato Grown From Seed

hughe — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:19:26 +0000

This article by Jeff Lowenfels “How to grow tomatoes — starting now” is a useful reminder of the basics of growing tomatoes from seed. He takes you through all the steps from seed to plant with a reminder that tomato roots must never touch the walls of the container until they get into their final resting place. And for anyone who thinks this sounds like too much trouble, you can always buy your plants from the nursery. Read more..

Growing your own vegetables has become ever more popular in these recessionary times. The main reasons given are that crops from your own garden are fresher and tastier than those bought from the store and to save money. But some are questioning exactly how much you really save. I found this article by Reid Kanaley which contains links to several reports that have calculated that the savings in money terms are quite small. And beware the $64 tomato! Read more..

Cat Repellent or How to Keep Cats Out of Your Garden

hughe — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:25:25 +0000

This was the title of an article that I wrote way back in December 2004 and submitted to the Ezine Articles Directory. Keeping cats, in particular other people’s cats, out of your garden is clearly a major problem judging by the number of sites that show up when you type “cat repellent” into Google or one of the other search engines. Every now and again I receive an email from Ezine Articles advising me that someone has commented on my article. In fact their email which arrived this morning prompted me to write this post.

Suggestions from people who left comments included sprinkling lime, moth balls, eucalyptus oil and silent roar, but others felt that the first two could actually harm the cats and so were not a good idea.

Another article I found listed 30 tips, but admitted that most were ineffective and that the one thing that had solved his problem was an ultrasonic cat repeller. Then again others have found these to be useless.

If you want to read my article which I see has now been viewed over 135,000 times, you can find it here. Please leave a comment.

Garden Ramblings

hughe — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:38:58 +0000

This is just a short post to let you know that the December issue of Garden Ramblings has now been published and you can read it online by clicking HERE.

You will see that in the special offers section I said that there was no sale at Gardener’s Supply Company, but I have just received an email from the company advising that they are holding a Secret Santa Sale with savings of up to 73%. Click the banner to find out more.

Plastic Essentials, Herb Scissors and Squirrels

hughe — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:30:58 +0000

Some people think that squirrels are cute little creatures. The way that they sit upright with their bushy tails erect using their front legs like hands to eat nuts and other goodies. Or we marvel at the way that they leap from branch to branch in the trees with such agility. But not if we’re gardeners – for us squirrels are one of the most annoying pests. And manufacturers of garden supplies know this well so there are a plethora of remedies available in the stores to deter these critters from damaging our crops. But just how effective are these? Gary Bogue writing in Contra Costa Times tried seven repellent brands with disappointing results. Read more..

With the title “Can We Ever Have Enough Gardening Tools?” you might expect to be presented with a long list of the writer’s favorite implements, but Suzanne Thompson restricts herself to two both made of plastic. Read more..

Here’s another headline I couldn’t resist: “The best herb scissors in the world”. In fact these are for use in the kitchen rather than the garden, to chop your herbs after you’ve picked them. “At just under $11, they’re a time-saver that won’t drain your wallet!” Read more..

Roses, Gadgets And A Novel Herb Bed

Alstroemeria the Peruvian Lily

hughe — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:55:40 +0000

We are all being encouraged to grow our own veggies to save money in these recessionary times, but think how much more you can save by growing your own flowers for cutting. Apart from sweet peas which take up little space, I have never grown flowers for use in the house.

Recently my wife has been buying bunches of alstroemeria from our local supermarket, but after seeing this display at a local garden, I am trying to grow some myself. Hopefully it will eventually grow into a good sized clump and provide plenty of flowers for cutting.

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Green Lawns, Children And Beneficial Pests

hughe — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:00:56 +0000

For Clyde Tressler going green in caring for his lawn means more than using organic fertilizers. For him throwing out the gas powered mower is the key and he makes a spirited case for “the reintroduction of manual labor to lawn care”. I love the way that he suggests that while your head may reject the idea, your body “is quivering (possibly even jiggling) with anticipation”. Read right through to the end and see if you are convinced. Read more..

On the face of it teaching children how to cook seems a strange way of getting them interested in gardening. But harvesting the crop and then preparing it to eat makes the connection and gives kids the incentive to become involved in the gardening activities. The problem is that children usually don’t have a lengthy attention span, but the article explores various ways of overcoming this. Competitions and experiments are just two of the suggestions. Read more..

Organic gardeners do not use pesticides and so have to find other ways of controlling the aphids and other pests that invade their gardens. Here’s a description of “5 Beneficial Garden Pests That You Will Want To Live In Your Garden”. Read more..

“Design a compost heap into the landscape” is the message from Jane Gates in the LA Landscape Design Examiner. We all know the benefits of compost, but it’s useful to be reminded of all the different methods of converting garden and kitchen waste into this soil enriching material. Full of practical tips. Read more..

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Bergenia ‘Morgenrote’

hughe — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:53:16 +0000

I spent yesterday visiting Loseley Park near Guildford. The weather was perfect and the roses were in full bloom, but imagine my surprise when I found this border of bergenias in flower. I had always thought that bergenias were spring flowering plants although I have discovered after some brief research that some varieties do flower a second time in the autumn. When I enquired I was told that the plants were Bergenia ‘Morgenrote’ and that they regularly flowered throughout the season. I will have to find some to replace my unamed variety which has refused to produce a single bloom for the last three years!

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Guerrillas, Working Gardens And Hopping Mowers

hughe — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:51:01 +0000

Guerrilla gardening has been around for several years and is generally understood as a clandestine activity carried out by small groups often at night who plant flowers on neglected areas of public land. Admittedly the publication of “On Guerrilla Gardening” by Richard Reynolds has given the activity an air of respectability, but it is still essentially action carried on without consent. But this is how Rosemary Ponnekanti describes it in her article: “It’s fairly simple to do: Just ask landowners if they mind you improving their garden, picking their fruit or taking a cutting”. Never mind the semantics, it’s clearly a worthwhile activity. Read more..

Writing in “Landscape Juice” Philip Voice considers the reason why garden designers prefer grouping plants in odd numbers rather than even. To “avoid a bed with plants all in a row lined up like soldiers” is one answer, but it all depends on the context and the type of effect you are trying to achieve. Read more..

“Working gardens that are pretty much self-maintaining” is the way that John Cobb describes the rain gardens in Lexington, KY. Designed to catch stormwater runoff and allow the water to soak slowly into the subsoil, rain gardens reduce the flow of water into the stormwater sewers. And provided suitable plants are chosen will add an attractive feature to your garden. “The challenge is to use these (native) plants and not have it look like a bunch of weeds”… Read more..

Fed up with mowing the lawn? Then buy yourself a wallaby, at least that’s what some people in Britain are doing according to the Daily Telegraph. Watch the video and see what you think. Perhaps it might be cheaper to buy a couple of sheep. Read more..

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More Garden Tools And Exotic Alliums

hughe — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:21:14 +0000

The choice of garden tools is a highly personal business as is evident from the huge variety of implements on sale in stores and garden centers. But even with this wide choice you will often fail to find the exact shape or style that you want. So don’t despair – make your own. In this extract from Eliot Coleman’s Winter Harvest Handbook he explains how simple alterations to tools that you buy from the store can give you just what you need. Read more..

I’ve never been too keen on alliums particularly when they are grown en masse like those in the picture, but after reading this piece by Steve Silk I am begining to see them in a new light. Don’t be put off by the photo at the top of his page, but scroll down and admire the Allium bulgaricum or Sicilian honey lily. While it’s a great joke I don’t think that I would bother with Allium ‘Hair’ but I am impressed by the Star of Persia. Read more..

“What stage are you at?” asks Roger Marshall as he takes us through his five stages of gardening from the young novice full of enthusiasm to the more mature gardener. Follow him as he describes the evolving landscape as ideas and interests change over time. Read more..

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Peonies, Tablecloths And Tumbling Tomatoes

hughe — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:44:51 +0000

I planted this peony in my garden last year and it has just come into flower for the first time. But if you want to see some spectacular peony pictures take a look at this piece about Cricket Hill Garden and Peony Heaven. Cricket Hill in Thomaston, Ct is the nursery where the owners have spent over twenty years growing hundreds of different varieties many of which are displayed in their seven acre show garden which they call Peony Heaven. Read more..

It seems that we cannot escape the upside-down tomatoes this year. Here’s another view from Carol O’Meara. Does the method work? Yes it does she admits, but then lists a number of problems that can occur. After you’ve read this you may decide that growing tomatoes in the conventional way is not such a bad idea after all. Read more..

Too often garden gadgets turn out to be more trouble than they are worth. Either they are not strong enough and so break the first time you use them or so fiddly that it is easier to do the job in the conventional way. But here’s a gadget that is both simple and practical. If you like to use a tablecloth when eating outside, you will know the problems caused by a gust of wind. Attach these clip on tablecloth weights to the four corners and you can dine in peace. Read more..

“In Which Urban Beekeeping Looks Like A Religous Experience” Couldn’t resist including a link to this photo.

Chelsea Flower Show And Peonies

Chelsea Flower Show

hughe — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:36:51 +0000

The Chelsea Flower Show, that highlight of Britain’s gardening year, opens to the public today. At the preview yesterday Prince Charles was presented with the Royal Horticultural Society Victoria Medal of Honour by the Queen. This is the highest award the society grants. Only 63 people can hold it at a time in recognition of the 63 years of Queen Victoria’s reign. The medal was awarded to the prince for his “passion for plants, sustainable gardening and the environment”.

The article covering the Prince’s award also mentions a few highlights of the show. With the economic downturn there are fewer sponsored gardens this year and exhibitors have been spending less on their creations including one made from scrap and recycled materials. One uncoventional exhibit has flowers made from plasticine – described as low maintenance by its designer.

: Image via Wikipedia

One unexpected guest yesterday was a garden gnome which was sighted in an exhibit submitted by a member of the RHS ruling council. This caused some surprise since garden gnomes are bannned by the rules and lead to automatic disqualification. But it appears that the offending creature was removed before the judges arrived. Read more..

Soldier Beetles, Ladybugs and Hummingbirds

hughe — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:46:40 +0000

You can tell that Gerry Duggan is a real enthusiast because the first six paragraphs of his article “Bird Friendly Gardening” describe the sighting of a flock of White-winged Crossbills which are rare in North Wilmington. Then he turns to the main subject and suggests plants that will attract hummingbirds. These include petunias, fusia, red monarda, cardinal flower and dahlias. He also suggests two vines, the trumpet honeysuckle and, if you have room, the orange trumpet vine. Butterflies are not forgotten either and he suggests growing milkweed to attract monarchs and swallowtails. Read more..

In “Gardening success stories” Tony Eulo describes three pleasant surprises that he has experienced in his yard this spring. The first concerned an invasion by some evil looking bugs which on closer inspection turned out to be soldier beetles which were devouring the aphids on his artichokes. Number two was his discovery of a better way of dealing with his annnual cover crop and the third involved sunflowers. Read more..

Continuing the good and bad insects saga Matthew Stevens, the horticulture extension agent for Halifax County Cooperative Extension, describes several that we should welcome to our gardens. These include ladybugs and praying mantis as well as spiders. He lists several more beneficial insects and, as these can be harder to recognize, he includes a link to the N.C. State entomology department website where further details can be obtained. Read more..

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Welcome to the New Look Garden Supplies News

hughe — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:39:09 +0000

Welcome to the new look Garden Supplies News. Following the transfer of the Garden Supplies Advisor to a new server I am now able to use WordPress for this blog which makes life simpler for me and should provide a better experience for the reader. All the previous entries in the old version of Garden Supplies News are still online and there is a link in the sidebar.

Welcome To The New Look