Garden Supplies News

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.

How To Turn Your Weeds Into Salad

hughe — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:30:49 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

I found this article by Margaret Lauterbach with the intriguing title “When life gives you weeds, make a salad” and it reminded me of a book I bought many years ago called “How to enjoy your weeds”. For most gardeners weeds are a nuisance that require constant attention if we are to keep our beds and borders free of them. Of course you can keep most weeds at bay with a generous layer of mulch, but even this will not suppress bindweed which is my pet hate. But this is straying from the theme of her article which is in effect “if you can’t beat them, learn to make use of them”.

The article lists five common weeds that you can include in a salad. Dandelion is top of her list, a plant that is rich in vitamins and minerals, but is too bitter for my taste.

Purslane is one that I have not eaten myself, but is apparently nutritionally rich, containing more omega-3 fatty acids than some fish oils. Purslane is also a very good source of Vitamins A, C, some B complex vitamins, and dietary minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, and others. It’s usually added to salads.

The article describes how Sonchus (sowthistle) is eaten in New Zealand, but history records that it was used as a salad herb by the Romans. More recently the herbalist Culpeper suggested its use as a cosmetic that “is wonderful good for women to wash their faces with, to clear the skin and give it lustre”.

One common weed that is not included in the article is the stinging-nettle. As a source of iron it beats spinach and also contains vitamin C. While nettle eating contests prove that you can eat it raw, most recipes involve cooking in some way. The book I mentioned earlier on “How to enjoy your weeds” has recipes for nettle soup, creamed nettles and nettle porridge and also instructions for making nettle wine and nettle beer. Read more..

Window Farms And A Clip-On Apartment Garden

hughe — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:51:06 +0000

No yard space to grow your veggies? No problem, just build your own Vertical Hydroponic Window Farm. Now anyone can grow crops. All you need is a window and the hydroponic kit. If you follow the link in the article to the WindowFarms Project website you will see that the latest version can grow 16 plants provided your window is large enough. It is possible to modify the system to double the plant capacity to 32. And the more plants you grow the more efficient in terms of the amount of nutritional calories per fossil fuel calorie the system becomes. And if you’re not quite sure what that means, you will just have to read the article on their site. Read more..

If you’re feeling slightly more ambitious and want to increase the growing space in your apartment a group of New Zealand students have come up with a novel solution. Their clip-on garden in a box Plant Room is designed to be bolted on to the front of your apartment. This extra space will provide room for a vegetable garden, clothes line, rainwater collection and solar hot water production. The basic idea is to, “combine sustainability with cheaper energy and a desire to improve the landscape from inside, and out.” Read more..

Coming back down to earth Annie Spiegelman, the author of,“Talking Dirt: The Dirt Diva’s Down to Earth Guide to Organic Gardening”, has seven tips to save you money in your garden. Compost, compost, mulch and succulents are just four of her tips. All good solid advice from a Master Gardener. Read more..

Poisonous Weeds And Liquid Fertilizer

hughe — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:21:23 +0000

Gardening is generally regarded as a gentle pastime which involves a mixture of light work interspersed by periods of calm when we can stop and enjoy the beauty around us. But as I mentioned in my last post there are hidden dangers in some of that beauty such as the gas plant that can cause a nasty rash. Summer salads can often be made more appetising by the addition of some herbs, but even here there are dangers for the unwary. Recently I saw a press release from the Weed Science Society of America which told of a woman in Washington State who died from suspected hemlock poisoning after gathering the leafy green weed and using it on a salad. They have produced a list of their top ten rogue’s gallery. Read more..

FLICKR/JOHN.E.ROBERTSON

Using urine as a fertilizer for plants and trees has a centuries-old history. It is a renewable organic resource with the perfect combination of plant-growing nutrients that also saves water and chemicals when kept out of the sewage stream. Urine provides ideal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium: the three nutrients required by all growing plants. Source www.ehow.com where you can read instructions on How to Use Urine as Fertilizer. While the idea is not immediately appealing there are apparently a number of organic gardeners who follow this practice.

Pradhan and Heinonen-Tanski, environmental scientists at the University of Kuopio in Finland carried out a trial growing four plots of beets and treated one with mineral fertilizer, one with urine and wood ash, one solely with urine, and one with no fertilizer, as a control. The beets grown in the plot with urine fertilizer wre larger than those treated with mineral fertilizer. Read more..

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen garden gnomes mentioned in the news, but today I came across this toe-curling headline “Gno end to gnome-lovers”. Despite the fact that these harmless creatures are alomst universally despised and rarely seen in gardens, it has been reported that more than 26,000 were sold on ebay in Canada last year. Read more..

And if you would like to see some more of these friendly chaps, take a look at my Gnome Gallery.

Fence Top Gardening And The Gas Plant

hughe — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:17:09 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Everyone knows that they should avoid touching poison ivy and if they do the result is likely to be rather painful. While poison ivy declares its menace in its name, there are several other plants which can cause a nasty rash as Jane Milliman discovered to her cost. In her case the culprit was the gas plant, Dictamnus albus. Other plants that should be given a wide berth that Jane mentions in her article include wild parsnip and giant hogweed. Both of these are umbellifers and other members of that family can also cause rashes. These include dill, celery, parsnip and even the humble carrot. Read more..

Upside down tomato planters are very much old hat these days, but Tony Tangorra has given the idea a new twist with his Fence Top Gardening. He has produced a heavy-duty plastic bracket that attaches to the top of a fence and securely holds a pot. The patent pending container bracket fits all fence tops and allows you to grow from the bottom, side and top. Further details are available from his website and you can even buy the brackets from Amazon, although it was out of stock when I checked. Read more..

Major Clark Davis who lives in Dunlap decided that he would like to start growing vegetables, but did not want to dig up his lawn or have to erect rabbit proof fencing. I suppose he could have gone to Fence Top Gardening, but instead he took his inspiration from the Survival Blog.com. He has installed three 10-foot long, 6-inch diameter PVC pipes mounted horizontaly on wooden posts. The pipes are filled with Miracle Grow soil and seedlings are planted into holes drilled in the top of the pipes. The lowest pipe is 18 inches from the ground, too high for rabbits but high enough so he can still mow the grass underneath. Read more..

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Cat Repellent And Raised Beds Revisited

hughe — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:42:34 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

In my last post I discussed ways of keeping cats out of your garden and also the subject of raised beds and how some people thought that you could’nt grow veg without one. Well today I have found a gadget, or rather an installation, that combines all round protection from intruders with built in raised beds. Wire mesh over a stout wooden frame is strong enough to keep deer out and netting above and below deters both climbing cats and squirrels and burrowing rabbits. The raised beds inside come complete with soil and optional extras include watering systems and even “a starter supply of organically grown plants”. This is clearly not for someone who is worried about the cost of the wood for constructing a raised bed since prices for the basic 8-by-10-foot model start at $3,500. Read more..

Cat Repellent and a Small Budget

hughe — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:14:39 +0000

A few years ago I wrote an article on How To Keep Cats Out Of Your Garden. As well as placing a copy on my website I submitted it to Ezine Articles where it has been viewed over 152,000 times. Clearly cats are a problem for many gardeners and although various solutions have been suggested, none appear to be particularly effective. I found this article which is concerned with keeping your cats in the garden and preventing them from escaping into the neighbourhood, but it seems that the remedy they suggest would be equally effective at keeping other cats out. The basic idea is that you erect a special type of netting on top of your garden fence. Because the netting is flimsy the cat cannot get a grip and vault itself over. The article includes a link to a page with detailed insructions for a Do-It-Yourself Cat Fence. Read more..

Raised Beds are so popular nowadays that some people believe that you cannot grow vegetables without one. To buy the timber kit and suitable soil to fill it from a garden center will set you back quite a few $$$, and this has led people to think that they cannot afford to start a garden. People turn to growing their own vegetables with a view to saving money, but often it turns out that it would be cheaper to buy from your local supermarket when you take account of all you have spent on plants and fertilizer as well as tools and equipment. But help is at hand in the form of Maureen Gilmer whose Small Budget Gardener: All the Dirt on Saving Money in Your Garden contains helpful tips and advice on how you can create beautiful, healthy sustainable landscapes with recycled materials and limited resources. Read more..

15 Gadgets For Indoor Gardeners

hughe — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:12:22 +0000

As readers of this blog will know I am always on the lookout for new gardening gadgets and am constantly amazed at some of the weird and wonderful creations that are offered for sale. Today I found a list of “15 Gadgets To Keep Your Indoor Plants Alive”. Top of the list is the O2 Air Purifier which accelerates photosynthesis for more oxygen and so promotes optimal growth. It also lets you know when the plant needs more water.

A common feature of many of the gadgets on the list is the provision of information. For instance numbers two and nine monitor the moisture level in the soil and send a message to your cell phone when it begins to dry out. Surely a more practical approach would be for the sensor to activate an automatic watering system rather than just issuing a cry for help, but that would be less geeky.

Perhaps one of the more practical objects is number three, the plant robot which moves around your room to ensure that your plant receives the maximum amount of sunlight. Another is the Soil and Sun Probe which I have seen before. This is an electronic probe that you stick into the soil so that it can analyze the conditions for that particular spot. You then plug it into your USB port and it will suggest plants that will suit the conditions.

Further down the list you will find the expanding flower pot and the self watering umbrella stand. You can find the full list here.

One item that was not included in the list of fifteen is the “Grow Your Own Beer Garden kit”, surely far more useful than many of the above!

Source

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.

Smallest Waterlily In The World

hughe — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:36:32 +0000

I heard about this on the radio this morning and then found this link to the story:

Smallest waterlily in the world brought back from the brink of …

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew’s top propagation ‘code-breaker’, horticulturist Carlos Magdalena, has cracked the enigma of growing a rare species of African waterlily – believed to be the smallest waterlily in the world with pads than …

Publish Date: 05/19/2010 1:30

http://www.sciencecodex.com/smallest_waterlily_in_the_world_brought_back_from_the_brink_of_extinction_at_kew_gardens

You can see pictures of the waterlily here.

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Climbing Plants – Clematis Early And Late

hughe — Tue, 18 May 2010 09:50:31 +0000

Clematis Montana

Clematis Alpina Constance

Clematis Sunset

Clematis Montana is known as a vigorous climber and this one in my garden has lived up to its name. This is now the third season since this was planted and it has now completely covered the tree stump. While montana can be a nuisance in the wrong place, where there is room for it to sprawl it makes a fine show.

The montana was the second clematis to bloom in my garden this year. It was preceded by clematis Alpina Constance which put on its display in April and is now over. Next I am looking forward to Ice Blue and Sunset which are growing together in a container. The Large white flowers of rather oddly named Ice Blue are complemented by the reddish purple of Sunset.

The oldest clematis I have was planted soon after I moved to this house some six years ago. Clematis Jackmanii Superba has puple flowers and blooms profusely on a north facing fence. Each year I prune it back to eighteen inches from the ground, but last autumn I decided to leave the main branches in place. Unfortunately when I checked earlier this spring I found that the main stem had been broken almost at ground level and it is only now slowly beginning to grow back. Slugs are a problem and nibble the emerging shoots, but clematis are tough and always recover after a slow start.

Slugs And Snails And How To Save Your Plants

Roses, Radishes and Squared Recipes

hughe — Tue, 04 May 2010 11:17:30 +0000

Following the revival of interest in his space saving “square foot gardening” technique Mel Brooks has recently published the natural sequel the “All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook“. The book covers fruits and vegetables from A to T, Asparagus to Tomatoes with Melons and Berries for the fruit. Unlike the average cookbook this one starts with advice on when to harvest, how to know that it’s ready and even when it’s too late. Then there are tips on storage and even companion planting receives a mention. Finally we come to the recipes which include Roasted Asparagus With Cherry Tomatoes and Asparagus Wild Rice Salad.

Source(which includes recipes for Squash and Crab Soup and Cool Cucumber Ginger Limeade).

Krystle Vermes writes a regular Plant of the Week column in the Boston Green Community Examiner and her piece on radishes caught my eye. Radishes are ideal crops for kids because they are easy to grow and take only a few weeks from planting the seeds to harvest. With their bright pink skin and peppery taste radishes make a coloful addition to any salad. Read more..

A recent subject in the Plant of the Week series covered a flower that has been flourishing for over 35 million years. Certainly the rose has been prized throughout history and remains a firm favorite today. The article by Krystle Vermes includes advice on planting and varieties as well as the best time to pick them for use in flower arrangements. And it gives me an excuse to include some of photos of a few of my favorites. Read more..

The strongly scented GertrudeJekyl

St Swithun climbing rose

Rose border at RHS Wisley

Spring Clean the Roses and Scrap the Lawn

Heucheras, Hostas And A Portable Garden

hughe — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:40:12 +0000

The technique known as “square foot gardening” has been around for many years. In fact it was way back in 1981 that Mel Bartolomew wrote about this method of growing plants in small 4 foot square boxes. The benefits are now well known – less work, fewer weeds and less water. It is also an ideal system for the beginner and, what I have not seen mentioned before, for someone whose job involves frequent house moves.

Bryn Bird’s husband is in the Navy and so each time they move to a new posting she packs up the soil and boards of her square foot garden and loads them into the removal van along with her other belongings. On arrival at the new station she can reassemble her garden and be ready to plant straightaway. Read more..

On a similar theme, if you want to grow grow climbing vegetables in a small space, here is a simple design for an A frame that is an easy DIY job. A neat feature of this design is the replaceable foot. Read more..

“Heuchera is a shady alternative to hosta” writes Sara Busse in the Charleston Gazette. I love hostas but so do slugs, and there is nothing worse in my eyes than a hosta that has been decimated by these slimy pests. Mind you I do not find heucheras as attractive as hostas, but they are useful plants and I do have several in my garden. Read more..

Basil, Berries and De-Lawning Plus Gadgets

hughe — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:49:13 +0000

Just over a month ago I featured a report calling for us to scrap the lawn and today there is another. This comes from an article quoting Susan McCoy from the Garden Media Group who tells us what is trendy this year. “The rewards of growing your own—basil, berries or flowers—are boundless” she says “and people are looking increasingly to their plots of green, little or large, to recharge, and reap the benefits both aesthetic and, often, edible”.

Losing the lawn or de-lawning is the current trend “to reduce or eliminate a green pit of wasted time, money and space”. Recycle rainwater, think vertically, go native with plants are other directions in which we should be moving. Read more..

I love reading about garden gadgets, and enjoy pouring scorn on some of the complicated and expensive products that are produced to perform functions that are far easier if done in the traditional way. But today I have found a useful gadget, a folding wheelbarrow which is ideal if you have limited storage space. On the same page you will find some other interesting ideas including a wheelbarrow chair. Read more..

Then here’s the Gadget of the Week – “By sharpening the normally dull sides of a pruning sheer, the Fiskars Garden Multi-Tool ($20) brings Leatherman-like convergence to your prized plants. One side is serrated for tough wood, while the other is a plenty-sharp knife. While we love the added functionality, be warned: You may be used to grabbing regular sheers by the blade, but one squeeze of these could be enough to keep your hands out of the garden until harvest. fiskars.com.”

Source

And finally here is what I would describe as the ultimate geeky gadget – the Blossoming Garden Solar Light. “This motorized flower blooms every single morning and closes up at night”. Read more..

Camellias And Unusual Visitors

hughe — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:09:44 +0000

When I moved to my present house some six years ago there were two camellia bushes in the garden. I don’t know what varieties they are, but one has white flowers and the other white. They are the first flowers to appear each spring although the pink variety which blooms first is often damaged by the frost.

Both bushes are over ten feet tall and the pink one leans over the adjoining path. I did prune it gently last autumn so that there was room to walk underneath, but the weight of the flowers pulls the branches down.

The reason I mention this is that last week I watched a gardening program on TV where they demonstrated that you can prune a camellia right down to within two feet of the ground and within a year it will produce new shoots and flower the following year. I don’t think I will be that drastic, but am encouraged to know that I am unlikely to kill the bush.

We had some unusual visitors to our 3×5 foot garden pond the other day. A pair of ducks arrived and she rooted around the weeds while he stood guard on the bank. There is a large pond about half a mile away in a local park and I assume this is where they came from, but why they should leave that large area of water for my small pond is a mystery.

Two days later I saw three ducks in the pond, but before I could get my camera they waddled off down to the bottom of my garden where there is a small stream. I assumed they had flown in, but perhaps they had used the stream. Anyway there is no harm to the pond although I cannot see the frogspawn any longer..

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A Tale Of Two Poplars

hughe — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:08:19 +0000

Last November I wrote about what I described as “the loss of an old friend”. There used to be two magnificent poplar trees in a garden near to the back of my house, but last November one was blown down in a storm. It was the smaller of the two that fell and I hoped that we would be able to keep the second tree. Unfortunately an inspection revealed that the remaining poplar was no longer safe and so had to come down too. Because of the proximity of several houses it was not possible to fell the tree in one go. Instead one man and a chainsaw nibbled away until it had been reduced to half its original height before the remaining trunk was brought down. It was a fascinating operation to watch, but a great pity that two such fine trees have been lost.

Yesterday I Lost An Old Friend

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..

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Garden Ramblings – March Issue Now Online

hughe — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:02:26 +0000

The March issue of Garden Ramblings is now online. This will be the last issue of the newsletter which has been published every month since 2004. Unfortunately the number of subscribers has reduced recently and this has been mainly the result of several changes in my autoresponder service.

As regular readers will know the newsletter has relied on guest authors for much of the content over the last year or so and I have tried to bring you useful articles on various gardening topics. Although this newsletter will no longer be published, I plan to increase posts to this blog to include guest authors whenever I find interesting articles. I have added a subscription form to the blog so you can sign up and receive an email each time there is a new post.

On to this month’s issue where I have included articles by four guest authors. First comes a warning from Abel Jones about the dangers of toxic mulch. This is clearly a significant problem and something you need to be aware of when buying chipped bark for mulch.

Our second guest is Jeffry Bullock who writes about “The Different Colours In Your Garden”. His article looks at the way that color can be used to create a mood in the landscape. He discusses the effect created by different colors and suggests plants that can be used for each.

Next Geoff Wolfenden gives us his ideas on “How To Keep Cats From Wrecking Your Garden”. This is a constant problem for many of us and Geoff has some useful tips.

Finally Mike Podlesny writes about “The Least Favorite Vegetables To Grow In The Garden”. This is the result of a poll he carried out with his subscribers and you may find the results surprising.

As usual we start with a video which is looking forward “Primavera – Spring is Coming”.

Here is the link to Garden Ramblings.

Garden Ramblings

Spring Clean the Roses and Scrap the Lawn

hughe — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:15:33 +0000

“Staring at enticing photos of roses in magazines, books, and catalogs during winter makes it easy to conjure up images of warm days, fragrant blooms, and lush green foliage. But one look outside quickly snaps you back to reality: The garden’s a mess” is how Lynn Hunt introduces her piece on Spring Cleaning in the Rose Garden. Here you will find lots of practical advice, in particular the importance of removing all diseased leaves and her suggestions on feeding your plants. Read more..

If you live in a part of the country with an arid climate and want an alternative to the usual advice that you should just grow native plants, Susan Reimer has a suggestion. Give up your lawn and grow succulents instead. Although they like water and they look more lush and lovely when they get it, they will survive through dry weather. Grow them in containers and you will be able to move them around during the season. You will also be able to store them indoors during the winter. Read more..

It’s that time of year again when we should be starting on the veggies. And there’s no shortage of advice on how to set about it. Lee Reich has “10 steps to a successful first vegetable garden” with basic advice for beginners. If you prefer video Bob Webster has his “Vegetable Gardening 2010 Edition” which is a recording of his seminar. Take your pick.

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Forest Gardens And Talking Weeds

hughe — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:52:13 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Willie Chance who is now retired from UGA Extension in Houston County says that he knows of no reason not to talk to your plants, but suggests you stop if they begin to talk back. In fact he is making a serious point that although you will not hear what they are saying, if you use your eyes you will see that your weeds are giving you a clear message. For instance the appearance of certain weeds in your lawn can show you what you need to do to remedy the situation. Read more..

Many people are talking about a second Great Depression and Terry Johnson writes a somewhat gloomy article outlining the problems that may lie ahead. Although you can grow your own fruit and vegetables, he suggests that this may not be so easy as the cost of fuel and fertilizer rises to make this uneconomic. But he has the answer – a sustainable, self-renewing, low input food forest garden. Read more..

On a lighter note here is someone who is really into garden gadgets: “Gardening and lawn care is so much more fun when you have all the latest gadgets and tools. You know you are truly prepared when you step outside in your lawn aerator shoes and wearable garden stool, rolling your pecan picker upper, with your trusty power drill auger at your hip! If you are the type of person who loves gadgets and gizmos as much as you love gardening, then you are in the right place. Make sure you are not missing out on any new gardening equipment that you did not know you could not live without!” Read more..

Garden Statues And A Grass Lamp

hughe — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:29:19 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Garden statues come in all shapes and sizes, but this one I found is rather more ambitious than most. “At 22 feet long and 11 feet tall, this Jurassic-sized replica is the largest sculpture we have ever offered! Realistically sculpted with rows of menacing teeth, a fearsome tail and scaly skin, our prehistoric artifact is cast in quality designer resin and hand-painted with powerfully convincing color and texture. This display-quality sculpture transforms any home, garden, restaurant or hotel into something truly magnificent!” The quote is from a highly critical article on this monster that is supposed to be a Tyrannosaurus rex. Here’s some more: “I mean, come on, who in their right mind would want such a terrible mockery of a dinosaur sitting out in their yard? The only, and I mean only, possible use for something like this is to place outside your neighbor’s bedroom window at 2am and then tap on the glass. Does that justify the $7500 you’d have to spend? Uh, not even close”. Read more.. (Please note that the dinosaur shown in the picture is not the one described in the article.)

The title of this next item is “Grass Lamp Reminds You the Grass Is Always Greener In the Country” which almost sounds like a haiku and is just about as useful. As the author explains “While you can’t grow a crop of tomatoes in Marko Vuckovi’s Grass Lamp, the grass will flourish under the lamp’s light and remind you the grass is always green—in a country house”. Read more..

Finally a useful tip. Maybe this is common knowledge, but I have not seen it before. Simple instructions showing you how to dry herbs in the microwave. Could be useful at this time of the year. Read more..

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Welcome To The New Look

hughe — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:30:03 +0000

Welcome to the new look Garden Supplies News. I was never entirely happy with the previous design although it was the best I could find at the time. Recently I came across this design by Chris Pearson which is plain and simple and so easier to read. But it is far more flexible allowing me to add extra sections on the right hand side. So now there is a list of recent entries and a full list of the archives as well. I hope you agree that this is a definite improvement over the previous design.

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How To Grow New Vegetables In 2010

hughe — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:57:01 +0000

Yet another report confirms that growing your own vegetables is becoming ever more popular. “According to November’s Edible Gardening Trends Research Report sponsored by the Garden Writers Association, food gardening will continue to be big, with 37 percent of the households surveyed planning to expand their food garden this year. Many seed companies are paying attention to how this translates to sales of new offerings for 2010.”

After considering the technical difficulties of producing new crop varieties the article lists “Trendy seeds for 2010″. It’s an A to Z from ‘Agnes’ cucumber to ‘Zesty Blend’ microgreens. Read more..

If the above list has fired up your enthusiasm to have a go, but you’re not quite sure where to start, this article will point you in the right direction. Sarah Henning leads you through the process starting with how to pick your site, whether to use a raised bed or containers, what to grow and how to prepare your soil. Her 7 point check list ends with the final instruction: “Eat. Harvest your garden’s bounty and enjoy every last bit!” And there’s a handy planting timetable as well. Read more..

Finally the February issue of Garden Ramblings is now online. Do take a look.

Gray Water And A Travelling Garden

Gray Water And A Travelling Garden

hughe — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:40:48 +0000

When you see a headline “Giant Man-Shaped Travelling Garden” and below it a picture of a plot measring 60 meters square planted with herbs in the shape of a man, there is clearly a problem. How can a large herb garden firmly rooted in the earth travel even a few meters, let alone from town to town as this giant claims to do? Obviously it cannot, but what this story is about is a crew of Japanese landscape designers that travel around during the summer creating their giant in different locations. Like a travelling circus, but using shipping containers rather than tents, they arrive at a site and plant their giant. The containers are then used to teach visitors about the medical uses of the herbs. The reason for the giant is that the herbs are planted in the areas of the body for which they are beneficial. As well as the education of their visitors there is an added benefit in that they use funds raised to go towards building playgrounds in developing countries. Read more..

In times of water shortages and hosepipe bans we are often encouraged to reuse “gray water” from our baths and sinks for the garden rather than just let it drain away into the sewers. But now it seems that this may not be such a good idea after all. Here’s a warning from the Health Mininstry in Israel that studies of gray water showed that it had often had very high levels of e.Coli bacteria. “The Ministry said that the public could be in danger from infection if it uses gray water for private vegetable and fruit gardens, or even if it is used on lawns where children and pets play”. Read more..

Garden Statues And A Grass Lamp

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.

Uphill Waterfalls, Talking Plants and 5 Myths

hughe — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:21:21 +0000

Scanning the headlines for topics to write about I have found three unusual items for today’s post. Water that flows uphill, plants that talk and five gardening myths.

Starting with the water this is a waterfall, or rather a water feature consisting of four waterfalls in which the liquid appears to travel uphill. Inspired by the drawings by M C Escher the water travels round the rectangle cascading down and then up the slope to the next cascade. To see how it works, read more..

Under the headline “Science confirms book’s tale: Plants talk” Jeff Ball talks about a book he read some forty years ago about the Findhorn Community. This was a group living in a remote part of Scotland who started a vegetable garden and were able to communicate with the garden plants through spirits they called devas. Crazy as this may sound it turns out that scientists have discovered that certain plants can communicate with each other. Read more..

The gardening myths are the second five of a series by Denny McKeown. Common mistakes that beginners often make include over watering, pruning and deer proof plants are just three of the topics he covers. Read more..

And finally the January issue of Garden Ramblings is now online so take a look and let me know what you think.

Forest Gardens And Talking Weeds

Last Few Days of the Year

hughe — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:59:09 +0000

Another Christmas has come and gone and we head towards the end of the year. As usual the children, or in my case, grandchildren had the greatest fun this Christmas. The adults exchanged gifts of the usual kind, chocolates and other fattening goodies to add to all the weight added by loads of turkey and mince pies. But my daughter gave me a little book called “50 Ways To Kill a Slug”. Most of the book describes the conventional methods of slug control, but there is a section at the end called “Simply Silly” with suggestions such as holding a slug race to making slug suey or sending them into orbit! All very silly, but quite amusing when you’re in front of the fire on a cold winter’s day.

As you see from the banner Gardener’s Supply Company still have their Winter Sale, but if you visit their site and look down the left hand menu you will find their After Holiday Sale where there are savings of up to 81% and prices start at just $2.77.

Sky Planters, Christmas Trees and a Hori Hori

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.

Sky Planters, Christmas Trees and a Hori Hori

hughe — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:51:54 +0000

In general December is a quiet month for gardeners since most people are now concentrating on preparing for Christmas. There’s plenty of advice in the local papers on what to buy your gardening friends, but it’s mostly the same suggestions that we get every year. One headline that did catch my eye was “Nothing says ‘Merry Christmas’ like a hori hori” by Mary Fran McClure. I had not heard of a hori hori before, but it certainly sounds like a useful tool that would make a most acceptable present. Read more..
photo credit: russelljsmith

When I first came across this site I had to check the date in case it was 1 April. While the practice of growing tomatoes in upside-down containers has been around for a couple of years, the idea that you should do the same with a collection of houseplants seems faintly ridiculous. While I can see that it is a way of saving space, the rsulting display is decidedly peculiar to me at least. See what you think. Read more..

Finally some practical advice on choosing a Christmas tree. Master Gardener Marsha Overton lists the different kinds of evergreen trees that are available and discusses the pros and cons of each. Read more..

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Yesterday I Lost An Old Friend

hughe — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:37:15 +0000

The Original Two Poplars

The one remaining poplar

As long as we have lived in this house my wife and I have always admired two tall poplar trees in a neighboring garden. Watching the leaves appear each spring – my wife insists that April 20 is the date when they are fully in leaf, and then gradually losing them in the fall so now the branches are bare again. But alas stormy weather has caused more than the leaves to fall. Yesterday the weather was particularly wet and windy, and when I looked out of the window at lunchtime I noticed that one of the trees had disappeared. Here are before and after pictures. Now we are just hoping the the remaining poplar will survive as it has been such a feature of our landscape.

A Tale Of Two Poplars

The End Is Near and the Blue Rose

hughe — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:31:54 +0000

“The End Is Near!” screams the headline, but all that it portends is the passing of the seasons as we come to the end of another gardening year. The article itself is a chatty interview with three gardening experts from the Twin Cities, “Don Engebretson, author of five garden books, who also runs the Renegade Gardener website; longtime garden writer Lynn Steiner, whose most recent book is “Landscaping With Native Plants of Minnesota” and Mike Heger, garden author, lecturer and owner of Ambergate Gardens in Chaska”. For three different views on bulbs, cutting back, mulching and compost, read more..

Of the many ways of propagating plants division is one of the simplest. There’s no fiddling with seeds or complicated grafts, just dig up the plant, divide it into smaller pieces and then replant small sections where you want them to grow. Of course this is not suitable for all plants, but works well for many perennials as Tony Tomeo explains. Read more..

“THE quest for gardening’s holy grail is over. It’s a blue rose – and it will be gracing flower arrangements near you thanks to an Australian company”. The article continues in similar vein and then almost breathlessly confides: “The blue rose has almost mystical connotations. Associated with royalty and ‘love at first sight’, they are also symbols of the ‘impossible dream’ – most likely because of the difficulty associated in developing them”. I’m not sure what all the fuss is about since we have had the rose “Blue Moon” for years although that is not regarded as a true blue, but rather more lilac or mauve. Then again this new Applause rose is being described by some as a “wishy washy mauve”. See what you think. Read more..

And finally I couldn’t resist this quote from Mel Gibson:
“Some of the best advice I was given, a long time ago, was from a guy who said, ‘You want to make yourself better, go and dig a ditch.’ So, a lot of that’s been going on, ditch-digging, vegetable-growing”.

Source

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Landscaping Pavements and November Cleanup

hughe — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:33:33 +0000

Landscaping a pavement sounds like a contradiction in terms until you realise that what Tony Tomeo, writing in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, is talking about is growing plants in pots. Not that he is particularly fond of container gardening, but he found it was the answer when he had large areas of paving that he wished to landscape. What is really interesting about his article is the list of shrubs and small trees that he suggests are suitable for this kind of treatment. Read more..

“November gardening tasks” by Katherine Grace Endicott is a handy reminder of the tasks that need to accomplished this month. “November cold signals that it’s time to put the garden to bed for the winter. Clear debris that would harbor insect pests over the winter. Plant young, winter-weather-hardy, spring-blooming plants now so that they will grow sturdy roots over the winter. Spring-blooming plants planted in fall significantly outperform spring-blooming plants planted in spring” is the introduction to her checklist that follows. Read more..

And now for a book review from Nancy Szerlag. In fact she is talking about two books both by Tracy DiSabato-Aust – “The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques” and “The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals and Bulbs”. If after reading her review you think that either book might be of interest, I have discovered that making your purchase from Amazon will result in a considerable saving. Read more..

Spring Clean the Roses and Scrap the Lawn

Exploring the Compost – Garlic Connection

hughe — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:53:32 +0000

I was intrigued by the above headline that was on an email I received from Kitchen Gardeners International whose newsletter drops into my inbox every month. The article talks of three ways that compost and garlic are connected. The first two are fairly obvious that using compost to amend the soil helps to produce a great crop of garlic and that November is the time to build your compost pile and to plant garlic. The third link is that the two most popular videos on KGI’s YouTube channel cover these topics. Completely by chance I included the “Planting Garlic” video in the October issue of Garden Ramblings, so to complete the link here is their advice on “How To Make Compost”.

If you haven’t completed your bulb planting yet, I’ve just heard that Dutch Gardens are having a Fall Clearance Sale where you can save up to 40% – worth a look.

Seeds Saved and Roasted plus White House Veggies

hughe — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:11:18 +0000

In these times of financial crisis and ultra low interest rates here’s a reminder of a form of saving that really pays dividends. Or as Donna Campbell puts it “saving seeds is a savings account that can’t evaporate into thin air”. She is particularly keen on saving seeds of unusual or heritage vegetables and explains both the wet and the dry methods. Follow her tips and you will never need to buy another packet of seeds again. Read more..

I always keep my eyes open for Q&A articles. Although the same questions seem to come up time and time again, there’s usually at least one helpful piece of information that you can glean from them. This is by Richard Nunnally writing in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. How to get rid of English Ivy, dealing with crabgrass in junipers and how to store banana trees and hibiscus plants over the winter are just three of the subjects he covers. Read more..

Michelle Obama and the White House vegetable garden are in the news again. On this occasion she has invited some elementary school students to help her harvest the crops, but the interest seems to be more on the fashion than the veggies. Read more..

Tomorrow is Halloween and Terry Wolfley gives us a potted history of pumpkin carving and the origins of Jack-O’-Lantern. He also makes some suggestions about varieties suitable for the garden and includes his recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds. Read more..

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Koi, Mosquitoes and No-Dig Gardening

hughe — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:37:30 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

If you have spent time and money installing a garden pond and stocking it with koi, the last thing you want is preditors stealing your precious fish. Luckily there are a number of ways that you can protect your koi and this artcle suggests several different methods. From the obvious one of making the pond too deep to allow a heron the stand to providing areas where the fish can hide in the depths are just two of the ideas you can find here. Read more..

It is a well known fact that back problems are one of the commonest reasons why people take time off work and digging in the garden can be a prime cause of the problem. For this reason people may be put off starting a new project in their backyard which involves digging, but there is another way as Cindy McNatt explains. “You can start a new bed anywhere in your landscape without lifting a shovel. No-dig gardening is easy and it works.” Read more..

So many of the gadgets that I review here turn out to be complicated pieces of machinery which are designed to carry out functions that traditional gardening methods achieve with far less cost and greater efficiency. I am thinking in particular of those fancy indoor plant growing systems where an old fashioned flower pot would serve just as well. For a change I have come across an electronic gadget that performs a useful function. The Electronic Bug Zapper kills mosquitoes and other flying insects both inside and outdoors as Owen Jones explains. Read more..

And finally here is a belated reminder that the October issue of Garden Ramblings is now online.

Conservation Gardening and Gadget Reviews

Koolatron, Naked Ladies and the USB Greenhouse

hughe — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:33:31 +0000

Bulb planting time is here again and all the papers are full of articles reminding us that now is the time to complete this task. Pop them in the ground and then wait for spring is the general tenor of their advice, but it’s not always that simple as Mike Lascelle has discovered. Raccoons and squirrels are always on the lookout for a free meal and your bulbs, except perhaps for daffodils, are an easy target. Mike tried scattering peanuts to distract the squirrels, but the wily creatures stored the nuts and then ate their fill of his bulbs. He describes various ways that you can try to protect your bulbs some of which are more effective than others. Read more..

“Take time to watch ‘naked ladies’” is the title of this article in the Sun Herald. Lycoris radiata is the official name of these flowers whose common names include surprise lilies or spider lilies, even hurricane lilies as well as naked ladies. In fact naked is an apt description for the plant which has no leaves but just “gloriously red frilly flowers” on a bare stalk. Jack in the pulpit and Black-eyed Susans are two other common names discussed in this piece. Read more..

And now for the gadget spot. I was intrigued by the name of the “Koolatron Dog and Cat Repeller” hoping that someone had finally come up with an effective way of keeping these animals away from our gardens, but was disappointed to find that it is just a battery powered ultrasonic device of which there are already plenty on the market.

As gardeners we enjoy planting seeds and tending the plants as they grow, but all that you need is a container, compost and seeds. The people who make gadgets just seem to make life so complicated, or is it just the “fishing lure” trick to hook the angler rather than the fish. The “Self Sustaining Indoor Garden Gadget is perfect if you don’t have a garden, but you want to grow your own herbs, flowers or vegetables indoors”. I suppose it’s just a minature hydroponic setup, but I am not sure how many vegetables you can grow in a small pot.

On the same page you can find a link to the ultimate geeky gadget – the USB greenhouse. It reminds me of an easter egg in which you can plant three marigolds. You can watch them growing on your desk and you can monitor progress on your screen – Wow! Read more..

Conservation Gardening and Gadget Reviews

hughe — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:20:01 +0000

“Mowing your lawn for an hour produces as much pollution as driving a car 650 miles” is just one of the facts quoted by the Virginia Living Museum in its campaign for the creation of conservation gardens. While it’s a well known fact that gas mowers cause pollution, I have not seen it spelt out quite as starkly as this before.

But a conservation garden is not just about grass. “The new 7,000-square-foot Conservation Garden features environmentally friendly gardening with an emphasis on native plants and mulching and composting techniques to reduce the use of commercial fertilizers and pesticides that are potentially harmful to people and nature”. The article contains some helpful hints as to how you can adopt these priciples in your own backyard. Read more..

A few months ago I wrote about various garden gadgets that were new on the market. Now I’ve found a couple of articles by people who have bought some of these products and tell of their experiences. First is Larry McDermott writing in The Republican who is not too happy with his $12 watering wand. Read more..

“One of my favorite parts of writing this column is that it provides the perfect excuse for buying and trying gardening toys. Usually, I have three or four new tools or gadgets to play with, but the second one I purchased this year was such a whopper of an expense that I quit after two” says Linden Staciokas writing in the Daily News-Miner. The “whopper of an expense” he refers to is an indoor composter costing $400. When I read about this product earlier in the year I thought it sounded too good to be true and so it turns out. Read more..

And finally the September of my Garden Ramblings newsletter is now online with articles on spring bulbs and organic lawncare among others.

Cuttings, Gadgets and Escargots

hughe — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:51:00 +0000

Why is it that whenever you take a particular fancy to a plant or shrub that you have read about or seen in a neighbor’s garden, you find that your local garden center does not sell that variety? In “Growing new plants from old” Maureen FitzPatrick suggests a way round this problem by reminding us of the gentle art of taking cuttings. This is a useful article full of practical tips. Read more..

Slugs and snails are one of the more annoying garden pests because of the damage they cause to flowers and vegetables. I listen to a weekly radio program where a panel of gardening experts answer questions sent in by listeners. Last week the panel were surprised to be asked how to encourage snails into the garden. It turned out that the questioner enjoyed eating escargots and wanted to be able to “grow his own”. In case you are interested here is the recipe for a snail farm. Take an old laundry basket and place inside some plant pots for cover and soil for the eggs. Provide water and feed your stock lettuce and paper. Bon apetit!

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk

I’ve found a couple more garden gadgets, both solar powered so with green credentials. Depending on your point of view the first one is either exceptionally cool or the height of tackiness. “The Amazing Solar Powered Whirling Sunflower” – when the sun shines it spins! Wow!
The second gadget is more practical. If these “Garden Solar Insect Zappers” work as claimed, then they sound like a worthwhile investment.

And finally the August issue of my monthly newsletter Garden Ramblings is now online.

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..

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Lawns, Veggies and Gadgets

hughe — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:39:27 +0000

Combine the current enthusiasum for growing your own veggies with the concerns about the use of pesticides and you will see how Tressa Eaton can make such a persuasive case for turning your lawn into an edible garden. “When we put pesticides onto our lawns they run off into sewers, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Consequently, we end up drinking pesticides in our water, breathing them in our air…” and “more water is used on household lawns every year in the US than on corn or wheat crops”. So dig up your lawn and plant potatoes and cabbages instead. And don’t miss the comments below the article including details of some natural pesticide recipes using ingredients from your own garden. Read more..

If you are not too keen on seeing vegetables in front of your house, then why not grow them on the roof? For restaurant owners Mike and Helen Cameron the desire to use produce grown locally in their business was a major concern. A rooftop garden above their restaurant means that their food miles can be measured in feet. Read more..

Like fishing lures which are more often designed to catch the fisherman rather than his quarry, some garden gadgets turn out not to be such a good idea as they first seemed. I’ve found these two selections containing products of varying usefulness. The first list includes the Easy Bloom plant sensor. Plug it into the ground for 24 hours, then plug it into your computer and you will be given plant recommendations. The portable composter sounds interesting, if a little pricey, but Prepara Power Plant Mini seems to be an unecessarily complicated way of growing a few seedlings. Read more..

The second group comes from Shiny Shiny which just about sums up this collection. From fairy lights to a laser fountain by way of Darth Vader speakers and ending with a hot tub, what more could you want in your backyard? Read more..

And finally the July issue of my monthly newsletter Garden Ramblings is now online.

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..

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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Fashion, Gadgets And Green Savings

hughe — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:25:08 +0000

Every gardener needs tools and we all have our favorites, but we don’t all make an exclusive selection from around the world and list them for sale on our website. But this is what Dianne Benson from East Hampton has done. Her “Ten Garden Greats” include clippers from Japan, gardening shoes from France and hand made stainless steel shovels from Idaho. Number ten on her list is a garden tie called “Better-Than-Twine” which comes from the UK. Read more..

On a rather more high tech level are these “10 brilliant gadgets for your garden”. There’s an Alligator cordless powered lopper with Ni-Cad battery powered jaws that turn branches into wood chippings, with up to 150 3.5cm cuts per hour. The Toro 3-in-1 Recycler Mower gives you the choice of either spinning the cuttings in to a regular grass bag, or chewing them up and spitting them out as a mulch. And for relaxing there’s a gas barbecue and outdoor sound system. And perhaps the ultimate gadget, a completely autonomous robot mower with its own built in solar panel, enabling it to recharge itself when not in use. Read more..

Back to reality and Carol Oneal writing in the Mail Tribune has some suggestions on ways to save money in the garden. Recycle and save some “green” is her motto and she starts with a plastic gallon milk jug which can be used in four different ways. Using old pantyhose to make ties is one that we’ve all heard before, but I’m not sure if cutting up a discarded venetian blind for plant labels is really worth the effort. Read more..

Mowing the lawn is not everyone’s favorite task, so how would you like to give up your grass and be paid for it into the bargain? If you live in LA this is now on offer. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has begun a cash-for-grass program. Single-family homes served by the DWP will be eligible to receive $1 for every square foot of turf that they replace with less thirsty alternatives. Las Vegas has had a similar scheme for years and, as a result, has saved almost a tenth of its annual water supply. Read more..

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.

Hanging Tomatoes and Cool Intruders

Hanging Tomatoes and Cool Intruders

hughe — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:23:34 +0000

The upside down tomato planter is a gadget that I have mentioned once or twice before. It is a type of hanging basket in which the tomato plants grow out of the base of the container. The idea is that the plants require no staking and are kept clear from the ground and away from any pests. I’ve never tried this myself, but Sonja Smith
writing in the San Jose Gardening Examiner describes her experience of using a similar product called the Tomato tree. Read more..

Another gadget that caught my eye is this Garden Shower. Just what you need to cool off after a hot day in the sun. The shower consists of a 30 inch diameter disc that is completely portable. Just hook it up to your garden hose and step on the pad to activate the jets. Read more..

One gadget that would be really useful and would be the answer to every gardener’s prayers would be one that kept cats out of your garden. Numerous methods have been suggested but I have yet to find one that is truly effective. Listening to the radio the other day I heard of a novel suggestion that was said to be absolutely foolproof. Make a noise like an elephant and cats disappear in a flash.

Talking of four footed intruders a few months ago I found this cheeky fellow sunbathing in the flowerbed. He let me get quite close before he slowly strolled away.

Perhaps it wasn’t a “he” after all because look who came to show off her family.

I had to take the picture through the window so as not to disturb them and that is why the photo is rather fuzzy.

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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..

Organic Weedkillers And Chelsea Flower Show

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.