Category Archives: My Gardens

What works and doesn’t work in the home garden. Great garden ideas, practices, blooms and growing suggestions

Gardeners solution to dry hands

Posted on March 16, 2011 by | Comments Off on Gardeners solution to dry hands

Working in garden soil sucks the moisture out of my hands. Frequent hand washing only dries my hands even more. I tried Udder Ointment to soothe the dryness. I like Dr. Hess Udder Ointment in the 4 ounce tube. I keep a tube in my garden tool box.

Owner Polly Tribe also sent a sample of the Udder Stick, a Lip Balm with SPF 15. I was happy indeed to discover the flavored lip balm in Original Vanilla, Mango, Pomegranate and Vanilla Mint. I think it lasts longer than the usual over the counter brand of lip balm I used to buy. The Udder Stick is my new everyday spf 15 lip balm.

The Great Grand Daughter, Polly Tribe now owns Dr Hess Products. Read the story of udder ointment on their website. Originally developed in 1893 for treating chapped teats and udders of dairy cattle, farmers were soon remarking as to the healing effect it had on their own hands.

I use Udder Ointment on my hands and feet at night before bed. Magic happens overnight.

Go to the website to learn where you get your hands on Dr Hess Products.

Dr. Hess Products, LLC, 23 N Scenic Hills Circle, North Salt Lake, UT 84054, Fax – 801.295.7313

Dairy farmers discovered this ointment helped their dry hands.

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Posted in Gifts, My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!, Ozarks Travel Examiner, Product reviews

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Ground-hugging Minus Thyme

Posted on March 13, 2011 by | Comments Off on Ground-hugging Minus Thyme

Minus Thyme Thymus praecox articus ‘Minor’

Minus Thyme Thymus praecox articus 'Minor'

Minus Thyme is a perennial, hardy in zones 5-9. The evergreen, ground-hugging thyme is covered with pink flowers in late spring. One of the lowest growing thymes, it never exceeds 1”. Minus can take light foot traffic making it a good choice along pathyways and between stepping stones.

I bought a plug pack of 12, two years ago from Richters Herbs. The plants did so well, I ordered another plug pack last spring. Then, I divided the tiny thyme that I had planted between stepping stones. It is growing enthusiastically between stepping stones and is easily divided.

The spaces need weeding until the thyme fills in. This very slow process will take a couple more years to fill all the spaces between the stepping stones. I could speed the process by dividing the thyme clumps more often.

Minus Thyme with Cobra for size comparicon

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Posted in Herb Everything, Herbs in the garden, My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!, Ozarks Travel Examiner

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Superbells® Coralberry Punch Calibrachoa

Posted on March 3, 2011 by | Comments Off on Superbells® Coralberry Punch Calibrachoa

Look for this plant

I’ll be looking for calibrchoa to plant in containers. I grew Superbells® Coralberry Punch but Proven Winners has a color to fit every landscape design.

Coralberry Punch Calibrcoa

Coralberry Punch Calibrachoa is a Proven Winners calibrachoa hybrid.

Calibrachoas are a new type of plant that looks like a dwarf  Petunia. The advantage is that calibrachoas are self cleaning, meaning no deadheading.

Calibracoa and coleus

These little flowers bloomed all summer, the containers are in full sun with late afternoon shade and had irregular water. It’s a good container or hanging basket choice.  Superbells® Coralberry Punch is a drought tolerant plant that showed no sign of disease or insect damage.

Proven Winners are easy to find in our area. It was my honor to trial Superbells® Coralberry Punch annual for Proven Winners last summer.

Calibracoa

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proven Winners

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Posted in My Gardens, Oh Grow Up!

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Goldilocks Rocks™ Bidens & Alligator Tears™ Coleus

Posted on March 1, 2011 by | Comments Off on Goldilocks Rocks™ Bidens & Alligator Tears™ Coleus

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Goldilocks Rocks™ Bidens Bidens ferulifolia

ColorBlaze®Alligator Tears™ Coleus Solenostemon scutellarioides

Bidens and coleus

Goldilocks Rocks™ Bidens Bidens ferulifolia

ColorBlaze®Alligator Tears™ Coleus Solenostemon scutellarioides

I watered the container but did not fertilize it. The bidens is self cleaning, takes full sun or part sun and looks good in this combination. Alligator tears doesn’t need constant pinching and looked full, not leggy in the pot.

It was my honor to trial these plants for Proven Winners last summer.  Proven Winners are easy to find in our area. You could imagine my shock when I read the back of the plant label this spring: “BUY THIS! Even Patsy Bell Hobson did not kill it.” I don’t know if this is a regional marketing stategy or a National Campaign. Let me know if you see this tag in your store.

I planted three pots of Alligator tears in the planter under the mail box last summer. The hose rarely made it out that far. I did not add fertilizer.

ColorBlaze® Alligator Tears™ Coleus Solenostemon scutellarioides

Both plants, bidens and the coleus, performed all summer.

Proven Winners

 

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Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

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Build A Butterfly Garden

Posted on February 18, 2011 by | 3 comments

Invite butterflies to live their full lifecycle in your garden. Provide host plants for laying eggs and for caterpillar food.

Butterflies lay eggs that hatch in 3-6 days. A caterpillar pupates in 3-4 weeks then in 9-14 days, a new butterfly emerges.

1. Locate your butterfly garden in full sun. Butterflies need sun to warm their bodies to fly.
2. Plant butterfly-attracting flowers that have strong scents and bright colors.
3. Include plants in your garden for butterflies lay their eggs and for emerging caterpillars to eat.

Bright colors and fragrance attract butterflies.

Select native plants and they will attract local butterflies. Watching a butterfly emerge from a chrysalis is reward enough for all the chewed leaves missing in the garden.

Puddling –

By sipping moisture from mud puddles, butterflies take in salts and minerals from the soil. This behavior is called puddling, and is mostly seen in male butterflies. Placing stones in the garden, or shallow bowls filled with sand and water are perfect for puddling.

Herbs attract butterflies and caterpillars.

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Posted in Gardens (not mine), Go Away, Herbs in the garden, My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

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K State Says Bug Off

Posted on February 18, 2011 by | Comments Off on K State Says Bug Off

K-State Study Takes No Static From Bugs

uninvited guest

For years, master gardeners have claimed that placing Bounce® original brand fabric softener dryer sheets into the pockets of clothing repels mosquitoes. A new two year study from the researchers at KSU suggests there may be some truth to claims that by tucking a Bounce® sheet in your pocket keeps the insects from bugging you.

Some gardeners have been using Bounce® for years, but experiments by researchers at Kansas State University and the University of Illinois revealed scientific evidence that support the claims of gardeners. Raymond Cloyd, professor, K-State’s Department of Entomology, decided to follow up on the claims of gardeners that Bounce® sheets repel insects.

“Being a scientist, I didn’t just shrug it off,” he said. “I thought about it, cogitated on it and decided to test this out quantitatively.” Bounce® fabric softener dryer sheets either directly or indirectly repel adult fungus gnats in the laboratory.

In the rearch discussion “It is interesting to note that the citrosa plant (Pelargonium citrosum ‘Van Leenii’), which is said to repel mosquitoes, contains 6.8% linalool (Matsuda et al., 1996). Citronellol [3, 7-dimethyloct-6-en-1-al (C10H18O)] is a monoterpene found in many plants, including rose geranium, citronella, European pennyroyal, and lemon balm.”

If the scientist or herbalist in you wants to know more, Read the research at Bounce® Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets Repel Fungus Gnat by Raymond A. Cloyd

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Posted in Herb Everything, Herbs in the garden, Herbs in the kitchen, My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

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‘Ruby Frost’ Coreopsis

Posted on February 16, 2011 by | 1 comment

Look for this plant

Repete bloomer great for the butter fly garden

This fringed hybrid tickseed is a scarlet color with white edges. It is a survivor of last years dreadful record breaking heat. It loves full sun and is hardy in zones 6-9. This is not your normal sunny yellow tickseed. The plant wizards at Terra Nova have exploded the Coreopsis color pallet with major breakthrough colors.

Really, if a plant can make it in my gardens, it definitely thrives on neglect. All these long bloomers got from me was water and a rare light feeding. Deadhead old flowers and you will be rewarded with repeated blooms all summer.

Break through color in coreopsis

I’ll be looking for Coreopsis ‘Ruby Frost’ again this year. It was a bright spot in a full sun raised bed sorrounding the patio. Bees and butterflies love it. Go to the Terra Nova site to find the closest retailer. Terra Nova has a bright selection of Coreopsis, and some real standout Heucheras.

Terra Nova are the creators of the Echinacea ‘Tomato Soup’ and Echinacea ‘Now Cheesier’. Don’t even get me started on coneflowers – these breeders have raised the bar on Echineacea.

Bee and butterfly magnet, Ruby Frost

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Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

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What is Succession Planting?

Posted on February 15, 2011 by | 1 comment

Stretch your garden harvest by planting the same crop ten days later, and then again in ten more days.

lettuce and spinach will be suceeded by pepper plants

Another method is to replace one crop with another. For example, I’ll plant spinach in the early spring. As the weather gets warmer, I’ll plant green beans where the spinach was. I’ll plant half the row, and then, ten days later, I’ll finish planting the row with more green beans. Later, I’ll plant turnips in the row that grew green beans.

This method of gardening maximises your garden space. Even a tiny garden or big container can be used in this way.

Early peas will be replaced with green beans

Renee’s Garden has one of the most productive guides to using and reusing your garden space.

Renee’s Kitchen Garden Design Plans designed to maximize space.

Renee’s FAQs site gives you an organic gardeners short and sweet answer, not a science lecture. Her site is especially helpful on ferilizing and storing seed.

Zoning In

Find your plant hardiness zone. Use this guide to buy plants and learn when to sow seeds. I think the line between 6a and 6b runs right through my front yard. Depending on the investment – how much money I spend on the tree or plant –  I go back and forth, my answer could be different on any given day. I live in zone 6a. Or is it  6b?

US National Arboretum “Web Version” of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

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Posted in Herbs in the garden, My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

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Diamond Frost® Euphorbia

Posted on February 14, 2011 by | Comments Off on Diamond Frost® Euphorbia

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I’ll be looking for Diamond Frost® Euphorbia again this year.

Diamond Frost® Euphorbia was a cloud of airy white flowers all summer. Heat and drought tolerant, this is a low maintenance plant that looked good all season. No fussy pruning, pinching or deadheading.

Diamond Frost Euphorbia

My only contribution to this hanging basket was water. This plant is self cleaning, takes full sun or part sun and looks good in any combination. Last year I planted this as a filler in a basket. This year, I will plant it solo to take the starring role hanging from the pergola.

I’ll be looking for Diamond Frost again this year. It was a stellar performer all summer.  Proven Winners are easy to find in our area. It was my pleasure to trial this plant for Proven Winners last summer. This euphorbia got a lot of compliments last year. 

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Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

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Gardeners in the Kitchen

Posted on February 9, 2011 by | 1 comment

http://hubpages.com/hub/Gardeners-Cookbook

I always order several lettuces and spring greens

A good place to start your garden seed order is by leafing through your favorite cookbooks. Renee Shepherd’s cookbooks showcase the best of garden fresh cuisine. Who better to write a cookbook than the person who grows a bountiful vegetable garden?

Renee’s Garden has two cookbooks, “Recipes From A Kitchen Garden” and “More Recipes From A Kitchen Garden.” My cookbooks are tabbed, with penciled notes in the margins and dog-eared. These two very affordable cookbooks ($12.95) have a few food splashes and the occasional sticky fingerprint.

Horseradish is the herb of the year 2011. I’ve ordered ”

Both Cookbooks will inspire you to grow more veggies from seed.

Tricolor Bush” beans and the skinny French “haricot vert,” that are bright green beans “Rolande. I am predicting that Chilled Green Beans with Creamy Horseradish Dressing and Green beans with Basil-Walnut Vinaigrette are going to be garden party and alfresco dining hits.

Best of all, these two dishes are make-ahead recipes that will develop flavor while chilling in the fridge. These two recipes are in the first cookbook, Recipes from a Kitchen Garden.

As an herb gardener, I love that Renee’s cookbooks incorporate edible flowers and fresh herbs in many of the recipes. With these cookbooks, you will enjoy fresh recipe ideas all season.

baby romaines

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Posted in Gifts, Herb Everything, Herbs in the garden, Herbs in the kitchen, My Gardens, Oh Grow Up!, Recipes

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