Planting

Well, yesterday was a great day for planting. I spent about 6 hours on my knees planting Hot Pink and White Vinca. What a striking contrast and I know that the hours of my hard labor will turn heads for the rest of the summer. But my knees are paying the price. They are sore! I guess there is something to be said about knee pads or kneeling cushions. And all this was done the old fashioned way, with a shovel. So much fun! It was a good day.

Backyard Safety

If you have children, grandchildren or even have friends with kids there are some things you should be aware of. Most people assume their backyard is a safe place, please take a good look around and become really aware of your surroundings and the potential dangers that may lurk for little ones.
An unlocked garden shed is an invitation for danger. Sharp tools and chemicals are enticing to small children. They like to do what the grown ups do. A pair of hand pruners left out can mean a trip to the hospital for stitches. Tools left around the yard even while you are working, can be hazardous. If your kids like to help, get them child size tools. It will be much easier for them and more enjoyable for you. Using power tools like a chain saw or hedge trimmers should only be used when children are not present.
If you have a pond, please beware of small children that want to have a closer look at the fishies. If you have ever had to pull a child out of a pond, you know how scary that can be. Even at only 2 feet deep it is dangerous. Either keep a pond screen over it (one they cannot fall into) or never leave them alone in the yard.
Pools are the biggest danger in the yard. Pools are great fun and we have always had one, I’d hate to go through a hot New Jersey summer without one! But they are dangerous if not monitored properly. One cannot be safe enough when it comes to small children or anyone for that matter that cannot swim.
An inground pool should have its own fence and locking gate around it. A pool alarm is also a good measure to take. It floats on the water and if the water is disturbed an alarm goes off. An above ground pool should always have the ladder up and locked when not in use.
Never, never, never leave anyone, especially a child alone in the pool. Not even for a minute. If the responsible adult must leave the pool, make an unbreakable rule that everyone comes out of the pool, even if it is just for a minute. If you have ever known a child that has drown, this rule would never be broken. Drownings are avoidable. Drownings are preventable. Simple safety measures must be taken. The heartbreak of losing a child in a drowning is unimaginable.
We never like to think of bad things happening and we should not focus on them. Being aware is enough. If we are aware and use good safety practices, we nearly eliminate the element of an accident occurring in our own backyard.

Brill Push Reel Mower

The Brill Push Reel Mower is a German made rotary type mower. Remember the old push mowers? They were heavy and back breaking to use, then came the Gas powered mowers and the Reel Type mower became almost obsolete. Sure, you would see an old die hard using one every now and again, but not often. Well the Push Reel mower is back and better than ever!

At one time I had a gas powered push mower, when it died, I hired a lawn service. I used that lawn service for 5 years. I could have bought 10 lawn mowers with the money I spent having someone else do it. We came across the Brill Push Reel Mowers while researching new environmentally friendly products for our retail website. They looked so interesting, I decided to buy one for myself. My neighbors laughed when I told them I bought a Push Reel Mower. I was very excited that I would no longer be contributing to the pollution of our environment and I would be getting a great workout.

When the mower came, my husband put it together, it took about 10 minutes. Then I was off. I had let my landscapers go, so my grass was ready to be cut. I was pleased and surprised at how easy it was to push! It only weighs 17 pounds, so it is actually mush easier to push around my 1/2 acre yard than my old gas mower. It is super easy to turn as well. The sound was so quiet I could have a conversation with my kids while cutting the grass!

The Silent Cut Design reduces wear and tear on the blades. In this system, the reel blade and the bedknife don't come in contact, instead they remain separated by less than a millimeter and shear the grass like scissors. This clean cut also helps the grass recover, because it doesn't mangle the stem or leave a jagged edge. Cutting height ranges from 15mm to 45mm (0.7 inches to 1.8 inches). This lets you cut low enough for the golf course look, and high enough for an average length cut for a wide variety of grass types.

I set the cutting height for 45mm for the first cut. I was worried it may be too short, since it is July and we have not had any decent rainfall in New Jersey in weeks. The grass looks great!
As the owner of a company that promotes Green Practices and sell products that help to reduce the footprint on the environment I am very proud to say I own and use a Brill Razorcut 38.

Low Maintenance Gardens

Gardening consumers are always looking for low maintenance. Plants and shrubs they can just put in the ground and forget about. That process does not exist. There are plants and shrubs that require less care than others, however. What makes a garden low maintenance?

Creating low maintenance gardens first takes some thought. What may be a chore to you may be a joy to another. Think of the things you enjoy doing in your garden and expand from there. If you don't enjoy raking leaves, plant evergreens. If you don't like pruning, plant slow growing shrub material. If you don't like planting annual flowers every year, plant perennials.

Researching plants growth habits is very important for a low maintenance garden. You'll want to choose plants that grow slowly and require little pruning. A formal garden is not a good choice for low maintenance. Perennials are a great way to add color to your garden. They come back bigger and better each year with little effort on your part.

Another way to make your garden low maintenance is the way you fertilize. A good organic fertilizer usually gets applied less frequently than a chemical fertilizer. For example, the famous liquid blue fertilizer recommends feeding once per week throughout the growing season. Definitely not low maintenance! Organic fertilizers can be applied as little as twice per season. Once in spring and once in fall (depending on variety). They generally have a slow release and last much longer with better nutrient quality and uptake.

Using good quality garden tools can also make your garden less work. Good, sharp tools will make your jobs easier and take less time.

Mulching your garden in the spring is a must. It is work, however, once it is done it will save you time and money. You will save time weeding because the mulch will keep the weed seeds from germinating and you will save money on your water bill because the mulch helps to retain moisture around the plants.

All gardens need food and water to survive. There are many plants that are drought tolerant once established. This does not mean they never need watering. It means they can tolerate dryer conditions.

Planning is the key to a good low maintenance garden. Once your garden is planted, using the proper tools and fertilizers will minimize work.

Caring For Your Roses

Roses are one of the most beautiful flowers in the garden. They can also be the most difficult to grow. Caring for roses may take some time, but the rewards are worth it. There are many, many different types of Roses. Tea, Grandiflora, Floribunda, Old English, Ramblers, Climbers, Miniature, etc. Many of the newer hybrid varieties will bloom off and on throughout the growing season, while others have one spectacular show, with intermittent flowers later on.

Roses have very particular needs. Roses need a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight per day. They also like light, well drained soil. The soil around their roots should be kept loose by cultivating often. This brings necessary oxygen to the roots of the plants. They also like to be fed a good organic fertilizer regularly and mulched around the base of the plant to help keep the roots cool in the heat of summer and warm in winter.

Roses also need regular care to keep insects and disease at bay. An insecticidal soap spray will keep away Aphids and Whiteflies. An organic fungicide spray will keep away Black spot, a disease very common to roses. Watering the soil around the Rose rather than the foliage is also a good prevention against Black Spot. If you keep a scheduled maintenance for insect and disease prevention, the care seems very easy. If one waits until there is an infestation of one sort or another, it is much more difficult to eradicate the problem. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure definitely applies.

When pruning your Roses, or simply clipping some for a vase, be sure to use good sharp pruning shears. Dull shears can tear the stems, leaving ugly dark marks. It also leaves a larger open wound for disease and insects to feast on. It can even inhibit new growth. When pruning a Rose, prune just above a leaf. This will encourage the plant to grow bushy and thick. Leaving long stems will make the plant lanky. It is also important to prune out any old dead canes. Depending on the type of Rose, how they are pruned and cut back for the winter will vary. Check the instructions that come with the plant.

Roses have been revered by many generations of gardeners and non-gardeners alike. The beauty of Roses will enhance the look of your home year after year.

All Garden Tools Are Not Created Equal

Tools, all gardeners need them, but which tools to buy? What tools will I really use? A good quality tool will get much more use and will last much longer, than a tool you bought just because it was on sale.

The following is a list of Garden Tools all gardeners should have in their shed:

Wheelbarrow- A tough, lightweight wheelbarrow is a must. A 5-6 cubic foot bin that is made of plastic (I know plastic, yuck) will last 100 times longer and be much lighter than a steel bin. This will enable you to move larger, heavier items with ease.

Rakes - Rakes are essential for good gardening. A leaf rake 24" or 30" is standard. I like a metal rake, because it gets through wet, heavy leaves easily. A shrub rake is a great thing to have for getting in between and under bushes. It's usually only 10"-12" in width. A hard rake is necessary for grading and leveling soil and mulch.

Shovels- A good strong hand shovel for planting, bulbs, annuals and perennials is a must. Shovels with a cushioned grip are great on your hands and increase leverage. A round point shovel is great for digging holes and shoveling up dirt. A spade or flat edge shovel is a must for edging beds, dividing perennials, etc.

Pruning equipment- Pruning shears are one of the most important tools for all gardeners. Hacking away at a plant with dull tools can do a lot of damage. Hand pruners are great for pruning roses, small shrubs and perennials. Loppers are like hand pruners with long handles for pruning larger diameter branches, large shrubs and small branches on trees. Pruning snips are like extra heavy-duty scissors that are great for cutting flowers. A pole saw is great to have for trimming high branches on trees. It is a saw on one side and a lopper on the other. They usually have a telescopic pole and I recommend one with a lightweight fiberglass pole. This makes balancing easier.

Tank Sprayer- A good 1 or 2 gallon tank sprayer is great for spraying insect, disease and weed control. They usually have a pump pressure spray action. This will enable you to spray larger areas at a time than ready-to-use sprays. Do not use weed control in the same tank as insect and disease control. You run the risk of killing your plants if residue is left in the tank.

Good quality tools like Fiskars, True Temper, Radius and Truper will perform well and last for years to come. When it comes to garden tools, quality is the only way to go. They will save you time, money and backaches in the long run.

Lawn Mower-People more now than in recent years are turning to Push Reel Mowers to keep their lawns in manicured condition. They do not require gas, nor electric and they do the job as well as any push behind mower. The technology going into the design and manufacturing of this new breed of mower is far superior than the old type our grand parents and great grand parents used. The Brill Razorcut 38, from Germany only weighs 17 lbs and the blades only need sharpening about every 8 to 10 years. It comes with an optional grass catcher. Sun Lawn makes an equally advanced push reel mower at a higher cost for it’s top model, and Scott’s has had their classic 20” for a long time.

Choosing your Garden Tools-Always remember to choose tools that are of a higher quality and meet all safety requirements. Gardening and Landscaping can be fun and rewarding but you must always adhere to the manufacturer safety warnings. Prepare yourself with the right tool for the job and you will always enjoy the results of your labor.

Perennials, repeat pleasures

Perennials are one of my favorite types of plants to have in my garden.

Perennials are flowering plants that go dormant in the winter and return each spring. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of different types of perennials. Perennials have as many different blooming seasons, colors, textures and sizes as there are types. This is what makes perennials so fabulous.

By planting different types of perennials in your gardens you can have color from the first of spring until a hard frost in the fall. If you are lucky enough to live in Planting Zones 8-10 you get to have color all year long!

Some perennials are grown for their striking and beautiful foliage. Others for their flower. Some perennials will only bloom once per season, but the show is spectacular! Many perennials will bloom repeatedly throughout the growing season. Dead-heading the spent flowers will encourage more to bloom. Use a good, sharp pair of pruning shears or garden scissors to remove the spent foliage.

Adding compost or organic fertilizer twice per season (spring and fall) your perennials will be lush and beautiful. After a few seasons you will be able to spread them around in your own yard and share them with friends. Another added benefit of perennials, they multiply!

Planting perennials for the best show...plant them in groups. By planting a few (or more) in the same area you will end up with waves of color in your garden. This is striking. For a more informal look spread them out, so you have color here and there.

I even use perennials in my planters. They make an interesting and unusual look in pots and even hanging baskets. I only use annuals as an accent tucked here or there in my planters.
You will get many compliments on your planters, because they are not the same old Impatiens or Petunias.

Using perennials will allow you to use your creativity and your imagination to create the garden of your dreams.