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It’s time to start thinking about planting bulbs to flower in the spring, but if like most of us you have squirrels in the area, you need to plan how you can protect the bulbs. I found this article by Ciscoe Morris writing in the Seattle Times in which he suggests various ways to safeguard your tulips. I was interested by his first suggestion that you should plant tulip bulbs twelve inches deep. I heard of this many years ago and tried it myself for several years. The idea was not to deter squirrels, but to allow you to leave the tulip bulbs in the ground after they had finished flowering and then plant summer bedding on top. This worked well for me in my previous garden, but now I just plant tulips in containers. I have to cover these with chicken wire to stop the squirrels digging up the bulbs, but luckily they do not nibble the growing plants. Read more..

“What Are Those Weird Green Brain Fruit Anyway?” was enough to peek my curiousity as did the picture of this weird softball-sized green fruit. It seems that despite their green color, they’re oranges. Osage oranges, to be specific. Read more..

Vertical gardening is all the rage these days. We have wall plantings, window farms and now you can find instructions on how to turn your old ties into vertical gardens. Read more..

And finally here’s one of those good ideas that seem so sensible, but do we actually get round to putting it into practice? A simple garden plant organizer that would be so useful provided you make the effort to create it. Read more..

Related posts:

1. Plastic Essentials, Herb Scissors and Squirrels
2. Koolatron, Naked Ladies and the USB Greenhouse
3. Urban Foraging, Chickens And The Green Lantern

“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..

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