Archive for General
March 24, 2009 at 5:56 am · Filed under General
After thinking a bit and talking to the always lovely, helpful and now gardening Micah, I decided on a list of plant recommendations for children’s gardens. You want your little one in the garden with you and goodness knows they want to be right beside you as you kneel in the freshly turned soil, but how are you going to harness that energy and put it to good use? You certainly don’t give them a handful of carrot seeds and tell them to get planting! No, you hand them the largest seeds you can find and put them to work. Does this absolve you of the ultimate responsibility of ensuring that all is planted well? Of course not, but it does give you a little more time to plant some of the peskier garden additions.
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March 19, 2009 at 5:18 pm · Filed under Garden Landscaping, General
The Washington Post have a great story on how to spruce up your back garden on a budget. Recession doesn’t necessarily mean you have to neglect your yard.
The first step is to reduce or remove vegetation. The second is to redefine the lines that frame lawns, beds, fence lines, paths and patios. Together, these measures will yield a neater, cleaner garden that works better aesthetically and bestows a profound sense of satisfaction that transcends the momentary aches and pains of the work. A tip: You don’t have to tackle the whole garden at once.
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March 18, 2009 at 1:35 pm · Filed under Planting, General
Our friend Ben was fascinated to receive an e-mail from the Park Seed Co. (www.parkseed.com) titled “Top 10 Seeds for New Gardeners.” What an interesting idea! Our friend Ben thought some of Park’s choices were inspired, some less so. But they certainly inspired me to start thinking of a “Top 10″ list of my own. If I were recommending seeds to new gardeners, I’d choose ones that would grow well when direct-seeded in a garden bed, as opposed to seeds that had to be started indoors and then transplanted. And of course I’d cheat a little. So here’s my list. What’s yours?
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March 18, 2009 at 12:46 pm · Filed under Planting, Garden Landscaping, General
Most flowers, and some non-flowering plants, can be divided into annuals, perennials and biennials. Biennials bloom only every other year. Perennials will lose their flowers, but then come right back the following year - often for many, many years. Annuals, by contrast, bloom one year and never again, typically dying out entirely.
As a result, annuals have to be freshly planted every year - hence the name. But as a kind of reward, they offer gardeners and landscapers the widest array possible of stunning color and style choices. Annuals are the brightest, the most intense and among the most beautiful flowers available.
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February 20, 2009 at 5:49 pm · Filed under General
Although there is no one set of “official” classification system of roses, there are many different popular rose classification schemes that are employed throughout the world. The most popular of the systems in use has been proposed by The American Rose Society in cooperation with the World Federation of Roses. Although this classification system is not the only one in use, a large majority of internationally established societies have adopted this scheme for classifying roses.
According to the American Rose Society, there are three main groupings of roses: the Species; Old Garden Roses; and Modern Roses. Species Roses, the origin of every other rose class, are commonly referred to as “wild roses.” These “wild roses” are easy to identify, as they normally have five petals, are once-blooming, and are generally thorny shrubs or climbers. Several popular Species Roses include: Cherokee Roses, Dog Roses, Gallic Roses, French Roses, and Redleaf Roses. Species Roses can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, as they flourish in temperate climates.
Unlike Species Roses, which existed millions of years before man walked the earth, Old Garden Roses are identified as a major class of roses recognized before 1867.
Most Old Garden Roses bloom once per season, usually at the arrival of summer. Old Garden Roses occur in a variety of shrub and vine sizes. Although colors vary, Old Garden Roses are typically white or pastel in color. These “antique roses” are generally preferred for lawns and home gardening because they are easy to care for. Several groupings of roses are classified as Old Garden Roses including: China, Tea, Moss, Damask, Bourbon, Hybrid Perpetual and Noisette roses. Many “antique roses” have a strong sweet scent, which makes them very desirable.
Old Garden Roses are the predecessors of Modern Roses. Any rose which has been identified post 1867 is considered a Modern Rose. This group of roses are very popular. The Modern Rose is the result of cross breeding the hybrid tea with the polyanthus. The colors of a Modern Rose are lovely, rich and vibrant. Most of the roses found in this class flower repeatedly when cared for properly. Perhaps that is why horticulturists find this class so attractive. The most popular roses found in the class of Modern Roses are the hybrid tea, floribunda, and grandiflora. Although Modern Roses are adored by florists and gardeners, they do not adapt well to colder environments.
After a rose has been classified according to the three main groupings, a rose can then be further classified by color, scent, growth habit, ancestry, date of introduction, blooming characteristics and size. It is very difficult for horticulturists to classify every rose, especially the hybrid roses which often seem like a grouping of their own. While there has been much debate on classifying roses, the American Rose Society appears to have the most functional system for these stages of classification. Perhaps this is why the American Rose Society’s classification system has been adopted by so many rosarians the world over.
February 11, 2009 at 4:28 pm · Filed under General
Most tools have metal parts, making them subject to oxidation that weakens them. Wooden parts, too, can suffer an early demise if the coating is worn off by neglect. Keeping lawn and garden tools including gloves clean maximizes their lifetime and usefulness.
For neoprene gloves, the solution is simple. Just leave them on and rinse under a hose or faucet. Soap and water will do a fine job and not harm the glove. Cotton gloves, too, don’t object to a little detergent. Tossing them into the washing machine might be overkill, but rinsing with water and a little liquid detergent works fine.
Leather gloves will need a little extra care, but the reward is a pair that will remain softer, tougher and last for years. Saddle soap or commercial leather cleaner is best. Working outside, they may get wet but try to minimize it. Leather, once it’s off the cow, pig or deer and onto your hands will harden and eventually crack if excessively wet.
Keeping tools clean is equally important. Dirt and moisture encourage oxidation. Most tools are made of an alloy that contains iron that rusts. Keeping them clean and dry is the first step to preventing that.
Go the extra mile and don’t stop at just wiping off the outer portion of the blades or tines. Get down into the vertex, the crevices and other parts. Washing with soap and water is fine, provided you dry them well. Don’t allow them to just air dry, since that starts the rusting process. Even when the surface is dry, once rust begins, oxidation can penetrate under the surface, weakening the tool.
Rub down any oxidation that’s formed with steel wool and then remove any residue with a soft, dry cloth. Apply light sewing machine oil or paste wax to shears, hedge clippers and other tools.
The area around where a handle meets a retaining sleeve is important. Any tiny opening will admit moisture, potentially rusting the interior of the sleeve and rotting a wooden handle. A small amount of paste wax applied after cleaning will seal that off from air and moisture. Be sure to let the tool dry well, first, though. You don’t want to lock in any moisture that seeped in during cleaning.
Modern cleansers, such as Fantastic, Simple Green and the like are okay in a pinch but they tend to leave residues that are difficult to remove. Over time the compounds in these commercial chemicals can harm wood and metal. They’re designed primarily for use on tile, plastic, fiberglass and other modern kitchen and bath materials. Also, since tools tend to be cleaned outside, they’re often not very kind to patio brick or grass.
A chemical specifically designed for cleaning tools is preferable.
July 3, 2007 at 11:44 pm · Filed under General
Most lawn and garden tools have at least some parts that are prone to rust. The alloys used typically contain iron, which combines readily with the oxygen in air and water and produces the familiar reddish paste, iron oxide. Iron oxide is rust. Actually any metal which oxidizes is said to be rusted, but aluminum oxide, zinc oxide and others are not usually a large problem with tools.
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June 30, 2007 at 11:44 pm · Filed under General
By Helen Kibbles
Getting you hands dirty is part and parcel of gardening. All gardeners have their own techiques for cleaning their hands and nails after a day in the garden. I thought I would share with you some environmentally friendly tips on cleaning your hands after a long day in the garden.
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