Home is where we go to rejuvenate our spirits in the arms of loved ones who reassuringly tell us everything will be ok.  It’s where we get to sit back and relax in the privacy of our own homes without the usual pressures that we feel at work.  To that end, more people are attempting to create their own haven away from the big, bad world.

One of the easiest and ostensibly, least expensive, ways of doing that is by improving outdoor garden spaces.  What a wonderful way to extend your living quarters and getting an added bonus of being closer to nature to boot?  No matter how large or how small your yard may be there are always creative ways to bring it up a notch.

One important way is to balance your hard scape and soft scape ratios.  Always try to strike a balance between structures like pavers, trellises, ornamental pots, bird baths, decks, etc. with plants, trees and shrubs.  It’s always important for one not to overpower the other.  There is also a risk of having too much of either.  Decide on a design style and stick with it; too many varied elements can make your garden look too busy and confused without a specific identity.

If you are not sure of what type of look you are going for, do research by scouring garden mags and doing google searches to get ideas and identify what particular look that is appealing to you.  Surround yourself in color!  Whether you choose a bright, colorful pattern for patio furniture, a splash of instant color via a container garden or tinted garden statuary, don’t be afraid to make a bold statement and create the haven you envision for you and your family.

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• Simple to attach
• Use with shovels, spades and forks
• Specially engineered to be durable, even in heavy use
• Non-slip surface on the step
• Made in the U.S.A.

You can purchase the trenchfoot at: http://www.trenchfootinc.com/

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1. Mycor Root Builder

Mycorrhizal fungi are tiny, harmless critters that attach themselves to plant roots and actually help plants to make use of organic chemicals in the soil. You can stimulate the growth of Mycorrhizal fungi and get them to work more efficiently with GreenSense Mycor Root Builder. Mycor Root Builder contains Endomycorrhiza, Ectomycorrhiza, Scleroderma, Kelp, Zeolite, and Humate.

It will work on all the plants you grow, including turf grass. You can use it directly on your new transplants or use a coring drill or auger to penetrate deeper into the soil for established plants.

2. Natural Insecticide

It’s a fact of life that your plants will attract bugs. You can minimize this problem by growing plants native to your region. These plants are typically more resistant to pests. Companion planting is another solution for fighting off bugs. However, even with these simple techniques, you’re still likely to have problems with pests at some point in your gardening experience.

Gardeners all over the world have found that natural citrus-based insecticides will kill off most of the pests you are likely to see in your garden. SharpShooter Organic Insecticide is a tried and true spray designed to kill common garden pests, including cut worms, caterpillars, snails, slugs, aphids, bean beetles, cabbage loopers, earwigs, flea beetles, Japanese beetles, leafhoppers, mealybugs, mites, rose chafers, scales, and adult whiteflies.

It is even safe enough to use indoors if you happen to have houseplants that you’d like to treat.

3. Hot Pepper Wax

Another way to keep insects and even animals out of your garden is with Hot Pepper Wax spray. Animals and insects are instantly repelled by the strong cayenne pepper oils. The spray lightly adheres to the plants with a natural food grade wax, and therefore won’t run off when you water your plants or after a heavy rain.

This is the perfect product if you have a lot of edible crops to protect. It works to repel most insects and animals such as squirrels, gophers, chipmunks, and hedgehogs.

If it sounds like you’re going to be turning your vegetable patch into a salsa factory, not to worry! You can harvest your vegetables and eat them on the same day you spray your plants, without any spicy residue. They just need a good washing and they’re ready to eat!

4. Bat Guano

The Bracken Bat Cave in Texas is famous for being the cave with the highest population of bats on the planet (roughly 20,000,000 of these fanged, flying mammals). This means it’s a great place to harvest high quality bat guano, which is an ideal natural fertilizer. Why bat guano? It has a high humus content and works great as a soil builder and fertilizer. It’s also 100 percent natural.

Farmers and gardeners have used bat guano for hundreds of years. It wasn’t until recently that inorganic fertilizers have become popular enough for people to forget that there is a natural option that works just as well!

Additionally, the folks who make this product, make sure not to harm any bats during the harvest. They follow the high standards of Bat Conservation International, so you can feel good about buying this natural garden and bat-friendly fertilizer.

5. Organic Natural Fire Ant Killer

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is a major problem for many gardeners. They make big nests that can uproot turf and affect your mowing. Once they get established, fire ants can get into your compost pile, kitchen, vegetable garden, and even your electrical equipment. Moreover, if you’ve ever felt the sting of a fire ant, you know how painful it can be!

A natural fire ant killer with Conserve is just the thing to put an end to these pesky critters. This product comes in a shaker, and contains enough fire ant killer to treat 22 mounds (around 10,000 square feet). You just need to apply it to each mound and wait. You can also sprinkle it in your flower beds and around the outside of your home to keep the ants from coming inside. This fire ant killer is a synergistic blend of natural plant oils.

You can use the fire ant killer as part of the Texas A&M developed Texas Two Step fire ant control method. This product is step one of the process. Step two involves using a citrus-based liquid insecticide that will help keep the ants from coming back.

6. Grampa’s Weeder

Weeding is one of the most important chores in gardening, but one of the least enjoyable, at least for me. Who wants to spend hours ripping up weeds, especially when they keep coming back! Grampa’s Weeder is an extremely effective, easy to use and care free weeder that is based on a 1913 design.

You can figure it works if it has been around that long! It has a simple lever action and is made of durable metal. You can use it while standing up, which will save your back from the aches and pains of stooping over a garden plot. This will be a one-time purchase as this weeder will last a lifetime. It doesn’t matter if you’re a grampa or a grand kid, this is one weeder you need!

7. Natural Organic Weed Killer

When you’ve got a serious weed problem or time constraints, you many not have the energy to manually weed your garden. However, instead of grabbing a bottle of harsh chemicals to kill off those weeds, try out a natural weed killer.

BurnOut is a citrus and vinegar-based liquid that will cause the weeds to wilt and die within minutes. If you have grass that’s growing into your garden beds or onto your patio, it will work to kill it off for easy removal. While perennial weeds may need a couple treatments, most annuals will be gone after the first application.

8. Organic Liquid Lawn Fertilizer

For a nice, lush yard without chemicals, try out HastaGro 12-4-8 Organic Liquid Lawn Fertilizer. This product is a precise blend of lawn food supplements, a natural soil activator, and Humate Liquid Humus. This means that you will stimulate the beneficial soil organisms that live under your grass.

You can use it to quickly green up your lawn, from spring to fall. It works a lot like other lawn fertilizers. Simply mix it, attach it to your hose, and spray. One container treats about 4,000 feet of turf grass.

9. Tumbleweed Australian Composter

Organic gardeners know that most problems in the garden go away when your plants are growing under the healthiest conditions possible. Having good quality soil with lots of organic compost mixed in is the first step to ensuring healthy, happy plants. Moreover, composting is a great way to recycle you organic home and garden waste.

To make high quality compost in your own home, you’ll need to follow a few tips. First, set up an area where you’re going to compost. Next, make sure you know what materials are safe to compost. Next, you’ll want to think about how you want to compost.

A tumbling compost bin is probably one of the quickest, cleanest, and most efficient ways to compost. The Tumbleweed Australian Composter is a unique patented design that will create large quantities of high quality compost in no time at all. If you spin it daily, you’ll get ready-to-use compost in less than 3 weeks.

And don’t forget a Composting Book to go with it.

This simple, best-selling guide to composting will help you compost up to 30 percent of your family’s home and garden waste. This is the definitive guide to composting, written by folks who have dedicated their lives to organic gardening and compost education.

10. Rainsaver Rain Barrel

Water is a precious and expensive resource these days. By simply investing in a rain barrel and using stored rainwater to water your garden instead of water from the tap, you can save money and grow happier plants.

The water coming from your tap has been treated as drinking water for human consumption, which your plants don’t necessarily need. In fact, most garden plants typically prefer naturally “soft” rainwater, which is also free of chemicals, minerals, chlorine, and fluoride. After all, rainwater is what plants have been thriving on for millions of years!

An 80 gallon Rainsaver rain barrel will allow you to store more than enough water for your garden. You can use the excess water to water your house plants, or even wash your car.

11. Horticultural Corn Meal

Horticultural cornmeal is an organic way of controlling harmful soil fungi and problems with plant roots. If you’ve got vegetable crops, you may be familiar with these soil related fungal problems.

When you apply horticultural corn meal to the soil, it actually strengthens beneficial fungi such as Trichoderma, which will fight off the harmful fungi that can attack your plants. It also helps build up the quality of the soil, which will benefit all the plants in your garden.

Apply it directly to grass, soil, and all your flowerbeds. You don’t have to worry about over applying this product, as it will in no way harm your plants. Also, if you have a pond, you can use it to remove algae. However, read the instructions carefully on the package when you use it in your pond, as applying too much can cause oxygen depletion problems.

12. Electronic Soil Tester

If your plants are struggling and you don’t see any signs of pests or diseases, chances are you have a problem with your soil. The best way to treat the problem is to identify what’s wrong and correct your soil accordingly. For example, your plants may not be healthy if you have improper soil pH or poor drainage.

An electronic soil tester is a great little gadget that will easily diagnose the problem and let you know when you’ve got your soil just right. Multipurpose soil testers are easy to use and usually include readings like soil pH, soil moisture, total combined nitrogen and phosphorus levels, and potash levels. They’ll also tell you the intensity of the light hitting your plants so you’ll know if it’s too shady or too intense.

Once you have the proper pH, nutrient levels, drainage, and light levels, your plants will be able to efficiently make use of water and the nutrients in the soil. This will make them less susceptible to diseases and pests, and will save you time and energy taking care of them.

Source: http://www.cleanairgardening.com/groworganic.html

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University of California - Cooperative Extension Service

Dreaming about buying that new “perfect” tool? Forget it. Recycling and inventing new uses for household items can be more productive and certainly less expensive. Some items can gain whole new lives as garden tools, and developing new uses for dependable old standbys can open a whole new world of possibilities. All of these “new” tools will ease your gardening chores for many years, and you’ll feel the pride and delight that comes with creating a new use for what might have been discarded.Here are 50 ways to get started
FROM THE KITCHEN

1. Save boxes just wide enough for seed packets to stand up. Sort packets by planting season, and put each group in its own box. Within each season, arrange packets alphabetically, or group them into into early-, middle-, and late-season use. When you’re ready to sow, the packets for that time will be together already, with no searching.

A strawberry basket protect a seedling
Strawberry and cherry tomato baskets provide protection to tender seedlings from marauding birds — by the time the seedlings grow through the container, they’re no longer as tasty to the birds.

2. Use empty citrus rinds for the simplest seed-starting container of all. Just fill the rind with potting soil, place one or two seeds in each, support it upright, and water to moisten the mix. Thin later to one seedling per rind. Transplant the whole unit into the garden. The rind will decay into the soil, and the roots will benefit by the fertilizer close at hand.

3. Use pint-size plastic mesh berry or cherry tomato baskets to start seeds indoors. Cucurbits–cucumbers, melons, squash–and other plants that don’t like to be transplanted do especially well with this method. Line the baskets with one or two thicknesses of newspaper or paper towel, fill them with potting mix, and sow four or five seeds in each. Thin seedlings later to one or two plants; three if they’ll be planted in hills, as for melons. The baskets allow plenty of room for root growth. When the weather outside is warm and settled, plant the baskets, making sure the soil is mounded over the plastic and the newspaper. There’ll be no transplant shock, and the roots will grow through the paper and mesh into surrounding fertilized soil. At the end of the season, lift, clean, and store the baskets for future use.

4. Keep vegetable and flower row/bed labels bunched together with rubber bands or twist-ties from sandwich bags. Make a grouping for each individual vegetable, with all the varieties in that one bunch. This makes searching easier the next time you plant, whether in several weeks or next year.

5. An old fork or spoon will separate and lift seedlings gently from flats, and the handle–or a pencil or ice cream stick–can be used to ease transplants from individual growing pockets in segmented flats–all without damaging the tender roots.

6. An old paring or putty knife can be used to cut transplants out of a flat or as a harvesting aid.

7. Slit open plastic drycleaning bags for lightweight sheeting over newly seeded flats or beds. Outdoors, anchor the sides to keep it from blowing away. Remove the sheeting when the seedlings are an inch tall.

Cut-off milk cartons provide protection from wind and cutworms.

8. Cheesecloth staked over a seed bed or transplanted seedlings helps in several ways. It protects the bed from hard rains and overhead irrigation. When the sides are anchored down, it keeps snails and birds out. In summer, it shades newly-seeded beds from the drying sun.

9. Slip half-gallon milk cartons with the tops and bottoms cut off over celery plants to blanch them as they grow.

10. Use plastic mesh baskets from cherry tomatoes or strawberries to protect newly-sprouted seedlings such as corn, cucumber, melons, and squash from birds. By the time the seedlings are tall enough to reach through the tops of the baskets, they are no longer as tender and delectible as the birds prefer.

11. Use plastic or metal cans (or those ever-useful plastic berry baskets) to support melons and squash as they mature. These supports will keep the fruits above the soil surface so they are out of range of many soil-borne insects and diseases.

12. Metal cans under melons concentrate the sun’s warmth and transfer it to the maturing fruit, resulting in sweeter melons ripening earlier in the season.

13. Use refrigerator and oven racks covered with cheesecloth to make a “sandwich” rack for drying fruit or herbs. Place cheescloth on one rack, and spread out the fruit on it. Cover the fruit with another layer of cheesecloth, and place the second rack on top. Flip the “sandwich” each time the fruit needs to be turned for even drying. Bread and cake cooling racks also work well.

14. Use inexpensive household rubber gloves during wet weather for all but the roughest garden chores. They will not absorb moisture, and they’ll insulate your fingers from the cold better than will cloth gloves, especially when they get wet.

15. Save sets of jars for sorting and storing seeds you’ve collected. Use the same type of jar for each type of seed for quick sorting. Choose the jar size to match the quantity of seeds you have. Place them together on a shelf for quick, at-a-glance recognition and easy retrieval.

Compost bin

Assorted bits and pieces become a compost bin.

16. Use a lightweight plastic garbage can to haul around the yard when weeding or pruning. Periodically, empty its contents into central disposal cans, and continue collecting. You won’t strain yourself carting around a heavy container, and this saved energy can go into further gardening.

17. Use common household baking soda to get rid of mildew in your home and garden. Dissolve five tablespoons of the soda in a gallon of water. Spray or wipe the solution on windowsills, porch, or other mildewed areas, and let it dry for 30 minutes. Rinse the area, scrubbing with a plastic brush if necessary. Spray it onto plant leaves weekly or after rain or overhead irrigation.

18. Use a coffee can with two plastic lids to protect the connection of two extension cords outdoors from the weather. Remove the metal bottom from the can. Slit each plastic lid from one edge to the center, and enlarge a center hole in each lid to be slightly smaller in diameter than the cord. Slide the can over the end of one cord, connect the cords, center the connection in the can, and slip on the lids. Keep the slits pointed downward to allow drainage, in case of condensation.
FROM THE GARAGE

19. Create a “glove trap” by attaching a mousetrap to the wall near an entrance to the garden. The gloves will be easily accessible and can dry quickly.

20. Use a shallow, compartmented, plastic basket with a handle as a garden carryall for seed packets, pruners, trowel, fork, and other small items. Before each day’s initial trip into the garden, replenish the basket with seed packets appropriate for planting at that time. As empty spots develop in the garden, plant a few seeds of carrots, lettuce, parsley, etc.

21. Tie twine through the springs of two clothespins, and clamp the pins to a trellis on each side of a cucumber, pea, or other reluctant climbing vine. The clothespins allow easy moving or readjustment of the tension on the twine without a lot of tying and untying knots hidden in the plant foliage.

22. Use a child’s wagon for hauling moderate amounts of fertilizer or tools into the garden. Its four-wheeled stability makes the effort easy when a wheelbarrow-sized amount is unnecessary.

23. Place a rubber washer around a length of dowel at the correct planting depth to punch planting holes for seeds like corn and beans without bending. The washer can be moved up or down the dowel to adjust for different seed depths.

24. Use a long section of pipe to direct seeds into premade holes without bending. Just drop the seed in at the top. When the seeds are in their holes, push a bit of soil over them with the end of the pipe.
5-gallon nursery cans in the ground
Five-gallon nursery containers make easy deep-watering containers.

25. Bury five-gallon and larger plant containers as irrigation funnels in between large plants such as tomatoes, or at the center of hills of beans, melons, or squash. The containers prevent the hole from filling up with soil with successive waterings. The drainage holes at the bottom of the containers serve as funnels for water and fertilizer solutions to flow directly to plant root zones. Place a shovelful of manure in the container for manure tea each time the plant is watered.

26. Place a few buckets around the garden as handy waste baskets. Two can be left at each location–one for items destined for the compost pile, and the other for items to be discarded. Inexpensive galvanized pails, plastic paint buckets, and five-gallon plant containers are ideal.

27. Use pliers to pull up tree seedlings without having them break off at ground level and grow back stronger than ever. Grasp the stem at the soil line, carefully winding it around the pliers, and pull upward. The whole root system will come out. Watering deeply the day or two before will ease the pulling.

28. Use masking tape for handy labels on containers. Stick a strip of the tape onto a container of a concentrated solution such as liquid fertilizer, and write abbreviated instructions on it with indelible ink. Refer to the simplified version on the tape each time you need it, rather than searching for and rereading the container’s more lengthy and detailed directions.

29. Paint tool handles and hose nozzle heads with a bright color of exterior enamel paint for easy retrieval in the garden, especially when they are forgotten or mislaid.

30. Use a garden hose to help plan a curved landscape area. Its position can be easily changed until the desired shape is attained.

Garden with plastic milk jugs
Plastic water and milk jugs — the King of Recyclables
PLASTIC GALLON MILK OR WATER JUGS:
THE KING OF RECYCLABLES

31. Cut strips from the flat center portion of plastic jugs for use as plant labels. Use pens with indelible ink to write on them.

32. Use jug bottoms as saucers for pots, shallow starting trays, or cutworm guards. For the guards, cut a slit from one side to the center, and remove an inch-wide hole at the center for the plant stem. Slip the plastic into place, with the bowl directed downwards.

33. With tops and bottoms removed, jugs become mini-greenhouses. Pushed an inch or so into the soil, the containers form a barrier to cutworms, snails, slugs, and other crawlers. Rest the snap-on caps lightly over the tops for some protection from nightime chill. Be sure to remove them during warm days, however, or the plants will steam. When the plants have outgrown the containers, they will be sturdy enough to thrive without their protection.

34. The jugs can be used as watering or fertilizer funnels for smaller plants such as lettuce. For slow percolation of water and nutrient solutions into the soil, punch holes in the lower halves of the jugs, and sink them into the soil between plants or seedlings. For faster irrigation, invert the bottomless mini-greenhouses, and bury them between seedlings so the jug is about a foot deep and the bottom edge is just above the soil level. Place a shovelful of manure in this container for manure tea each time water is added. Roots will grow deeply in search of this nutrition and moisture. During longer periods of hot weather, these deep roots will keep plants thriving–especially contrasted with shallow-rooted plants that are barely surviving.

35. The jugs can protect tender plants from late frosts. Fill four or five jugs with water, and place them around each plant so that the corners touch. This wall around the plant will protect it from light frosts by radiating the heat it stored in the water during the day.
LEFTOVER BITS AND PIECES

36. Use two-foot-long sections of bamboo staking to keep plastic jug mini-greenhouses from blowing away. In the jug, cut away a hole leading straight down into the handle. Through this hole, push the stake into the soil, leaving six inches or so sticking out the top. No amount of wind can dislodge the jug from the stake.

Tiles in use as raised bed sides

Excess tiles become raised-bed sides and in-the-garden art.

37. Support stems of chrysanthemum plants growing closely in beds by using chicken wire. Unroll the wire the length and width of the bed, and stake it one foot above the soil. The stems will grow up through the holes and support themselves to their full height without toppling over. Setting up this support is easier than staking each plant, selective cutting of blossoms is easier, and clean-up is quick.

38. Short lengths of hose and “Y” hose connections with individual on-off valves can simplify garden watering chores. Attach a “Y” to an outside faucet for double duty there–one outlet for a hose and one for a bucket or another hose. Further “Y” connections and short sections of hose ending in soaker hoses or sprinkler heads can easily provide all-at-once irrigation of a small or medium-sized garden. Any variety of shapes can be accommodated, from very long and narrow to square. Tailor the layout of the hoses to the vegetable and flower beds as needed, and end each with the appropriate sprinkler head or soaker hose. Adjust the valve at each “Y” connection for water flow rates as needed. With sufficient water pressure at the originating faucet, many small and perhaps awkwardly shaped areas can be watered all at one time.

39. Use an outdoor grill or fireplace to sterilize soil, rather than using your indoor oven or fireplace. This avoids filling the house with the unpleasant odor from the sterilizing. After lighting the fire in the grill or fireplace, set an old roaster pan onto the rack, and fill it with a mixture of equal portions of garden soil and builder’s sand. Cover the mixture tightly and bake it for an hour, stirring it several times to keep the soil evenly heated. After removing the pan from the fire and letting the mix cool thoroughly, stir in an equal portion of milled peat moss. Store the mix in a closed container.

40. Save a “Y” shaped crook from pruning to scrape mud from boots, forks, and other tools. A broad wedge is best for shovels.

41. Save used motor oil to coat the metal surfaces of tools for winter storage. Fill a can with builder’s sand, and add some old oil for easy maintenance of shovels, hoes, and forks after each use. Be sure to choose a can with no drainage holes that is deep and wide enough to accommodate the whole shovel blade and fork tines.

42. Apply used motor oil to the underside of the mower housing before you mow the lawn each time. The oil inhibits rust and helps prevent grass clippings from sticking, making cleanup easier. Coat all the metal surfaces before storingthe mower for the winter.

43. Make a garden colander by replacing the bottom of a wooden box with half-inch hardware cloth or chicken wire. Collect fresh-picked vegetables in the box, and rinse them off in the garden so that the soil remains there. Only the final cleaning will be necessary indoors.

Bicycle used a planter with flowers
Even bicycles can become container planters..

44. Fasten chicken wire to a frame a foot above the soil as a horizontal trellis for vining crops. Plant seeds in compost-enriched hills in the center, and mulch heavily under and around the racks. As the vines develop, train them up through the wires onto the flat area. They’ll soon shade their roots and thus require less irrigation. Suspended in the air, the vines and fruits are less susceptible to downy and powdery mildews, and to soil-borne insects and diseases. Those insects that do appear are easy to spot and control. The racks also help keep the vines and fruits above walking and weeding areas.

45. Save pantyhose to hang individual fruits and vegetables from trellises and to protect them from birds, earwigs, snails, and other munchers. This works well for corn, cucumbers, grapes, melons, peaches, small pumpkins, and squash. For trellis support, tie the pantyhose ends to the trellis, and support the fruit or vegetable in its own hammock. For protection, tie knots at the top and bottom of the fruit or vegetable for a close fit with no entry openings. The pantyhose dries off quickly, doesn’t hold heat, yet stretches to allow further growth.

46. Make your wheelbarrow support its own load by adding wheels to the rear legs. Anchor a bar to each leg with a “U” screw and bolts. Anchor two small wheels to the ends of the bar with a bolt and washer on both the outside and inside of the wheel. The smaller the wheels, the less the rear end of the wheelbarrow is raised. This enables the wheelbarrow to be pushed rather than lifted and pushed, making heavy loads much easier to move with less strain.
MAKE YOUR GARDEN WORKING TIME MORE PLEASANT

47. When planning several hours of work in the garden, take along a lightweight chair, a clip-on umbrella, a hand towel, and a thermos with some liquid refreshment. Enjoy a periodic rest and appraisal of your garden efforts.

48. Pin a facecloth or hand towel to your waistband to wipe the sweat off your forehead and out of your eyes while working in the garden on a hot day.

49. Leave backless, thick-soled rubber or wood shoes such as clogs that are somewhat worn outside the door to the garden for quick and easy garden access. They’ll keep feet well above soggy soil and won’t require cleaning every time you take them off. With only the addition of heavy socks or old padded houseslippers (also recycled) during cool weather, the clogs will serve well year around. In cold-winter areas or where pathways aren’t mulched, heavier protection such as boots may be preferable.

50. Give your hands a moisturizing treatment as you garden. Lavishly spread hand lotion or cream onto your hands, adding more under your fingernails, before you put on your gloves. As you work, your hands will absorb the cream. When you remove the gloves, your hands will have benefited from the cream rather than suffered from the moisture-removing soil. Any soil on your hands will wash off easily because the cream or lotion formed a barrier.

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The term “Rain Garden” refers to a low-lying area that collects water in heavy rains that has been planted with plants that thrive in such conditions. This can mean something as simple as choosing better-adapted plants to plant in low-lying areas of your landscape that already collect water, or it can be complicated enough to involve soil tests, landscape architects, and serious construction. Something in the middle is best for most gardeners. Any rain garden is better than no rain garden: every bit of runoff that you help to be filtered and reabsorbed helps to clean the water in your neighborhood, city, and anywhere downstream and keeps your local water supply healthy and plentiful.

The best rain gardens use a combination of four things to succeed:

* A low-lying area that collects water from the surrounding area and keeps it there long enough to effectively be absorbed
* Mulch to absorb and retain water, as well as to provide organic nutrients to the plants
* Plants that thrive in periods of flood and drought, absorbing and retaining large amounts of water in storm conditions
* Loose soil that allows water to be absorbed and transmitted into the water table.

Japanese Iris ‘Light At Dawn’ Most gardeners have a pretty good idea what areas of their landscape already tend to collect water, and those are usually the best places to start your rain garden (though you can redirect rain to other spots). It’s especially good if water from your roof and lawn drain into this area. It is very important to build your rain garden at least ten feet from any building (also keep it away from large trees and septic tanks or drain fields). You’ll need to dig the soil and loosen it to two feet deep to give the water room to infiltrate (as with any garden project, be aware of underground lines and utilities before digging). If the soil is clay-like or very dense, you may want to add looser soil to your garden area or even replace the clay entirely.

After loosening the soil you will now have have excess dirt. You can just move this to another part of your yard, or you can use it to build a low wall to block water in the rain garden area (this is called a “berm”). Slowing the water further will allow more water to be absorbed and filtered by your rain garden.

There are a variety of beautiful plants that are excellent for rain gardens. You’ll want to choose plants that are tolerant of both standing water and drought. Some of my favorites are Calla Lilies, Japanese Iris, and Aster. Black-Eyed Susans and Cannas are some great choices, too. Where possible, I recommend using native plants, as they are often more adaptable to local conditions (find other plants that are great for this use here).

The last important step is mulching. The right mulch will prevent erosion, keep the soil moist, and absorb some water itself. It will also replenish organics in the soil and discourage weeds, which helps to keep your rain garden as low-maintenance as possible. Mulch your rain garden heavily (two to three inches) with a heavy organic mulch. Coarse compost is best, as it will float less than wood chips or shreds. Do not use grass clippings, as they will overfertilize your soil.

Keep in mind that this information is for a small rain garden. If you’re planning a larger garden, you’ll want to do more research than what you find here, and possibly even seek out professional help. Check with your local university extension offices and gardening clubs to find out more: in most areas these groups will be more than happy to help you out. In many areas where watersheds are particularly threatened or where flooding is a problem, entire neighborhoods have pooled resources to build large rain gardens or many small versions, and this has made a huge difference in their areas.

***Park Seed Garden Journal - May 2008

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There are some tried and true methods that you can employ to get your paradise-in-progress on the right track:

Take a leisurely drive around your neighborhood. If you find your immediate area uninspiring, take an informational drive through an area that you’ve long admired for their creativity and let that provide the impetus for your next project. There are always certain elements that you can borrow from others…as long as you make it your own!

Take cues from the various garden publications. Popular gardening magazines like Better Homes & Gardens, Garden Gate magazine and Backyard Living offer not only step by step directions on how to create your ideal garden, but offer beautiful pictures to illustrate the point. Give into your senses and begin to devise plans using a sketchpad or graph paper to plot out your landscape. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate or fancy, just something that you can provide a blueprint of your future plans. I’ve created an inspiration book using clippings from my favorite gardening magazines that I search through when I’m feeling particularly uninspired.

Surround yourself with other people who like to play in the dirt. When you visit your local nurseries and garden centers strike up a friendly conversation with others who share your love of gardening. You will be surprised at how much knowledge fellow gardeners are willing to share with you. That is the one common thread….we love to brag about what plants are doing well in our gardens and we especially love to give problem solving advice.

Join virtual communities like this site, where you can meet with other gardeners. Many will take great pride in showing pictorial evidence of their green thumbs, offering answers to specific questions, or just being a sounding board when you experience the inevitable travails of landscaping. Even doing a google image search on ‘flowers’, ‘shrubs’ or ‘trees’ will provide beautiful selections for even the most novice gardener.

Survey your own garden. I find that just a simple walk around my yard provides a great opportunity to assess how well or conversely how poorly I am doing when it comes to meeting my stated goals. This is a good time to see how everything flows, to identify what element is contrary to what you are trying to achieve or to determine what looks unfinished or out of place. Sometimes, the best ideas come to me as I am weeding my flower beds.

Watch garden related television shows like Gardening by the Yard, Desperate Landscapes, and Gardener’s Diary on the Home and Garden Television channel (HGTV) or Weekend Gardening or DIY gardening on the DIY Network channel. These experts provide great insight as to how you can not only improve your yard, but teach you how to take care of it with step by step instructions.

Lastly, as an extension of the previous tip, visit the associated gardening websites where you can get detailed information (that you can easily print out) about the projects discussed on television. Remembering to open your mind and allow the free flow of ideas to permeate your senses will be the first step to realizing the garden paradise of your dreams! Good luck!

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Purchase this gem of a tool at A. M. Leonard’s Gardeners Edge website for 21.99!

www.gardenersedge.com

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Northern Grasses

In roughly the northern half of the United States, cool-climate grasses are used for lawns. In this part of the country, lawns put on most of their growth in spring and fall and slow down in the hot months of summer and the cold months of winter. The most common grasses are:

Kentucky bluegrass. Grass seed mixes in the North will have a high proportion of Kentucky bluegrass. A mix that is identified for sunny areas should have mostly bluegrass, since it does best in sun.

Fine Fescues. Most fescues have finer blades than Kentucky bluegrass, and since they do well in shady areas, they are the dominant seeds found in grass mixes for shade. Red fescue and chewings or hard fescue are favorites. Tall fescue has a wider leaf blade, almost like Kentucky bluegrass, and stands up to hot summers better than Kentucky bluegrass.

Perennial ryegrass. These have a Kentucky bluegrass-like look and feel, but grow from seed much faster. Many named varieties are available and these are often combined with Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescue in grass seed mixtures.

Grass seed mixes may also contain annual rye grass. This establishes quickly and dies after one season. It is used to stabilize the area while the premium grasses become established. It is also used to cover vegetable gardens that will not be used for one season, then turned under when it is to be replanted. Avoid using annual ryegrass for a permanent lawn.

If your lawn appears to be thin–for example in a shady area–try overseeding. Just before the growth season in spring and fall, scatter grass seeds over the existing lawn and rake them down into the root zone. Keep the area watered.

Two areas of the country don’t quite fall neatly into the conditions that clearly favor cool-climate grasses or warm-climate grasses. One of these is the area of the high plains, where native grasses such as buffalo grass and wheatgrass are used–particularly where there is no irrigation. The other is a transition zone that runs like a belt from the southern half of California to North and South Carolina. Both the northern and southern grasses are found here, and local conditions make the right choice critical. Garden centers should be consulted for local knowledge.

Warm-climate grasses

These are found throughout the South. Often they are wide-bladed and coarse compared to the northern grasses. They put on vigorous growth during summer and go dormant and turn brown in winter. Golf courses and some homeowners keep lawns green by overseeding with annual rye grass toward the end of the growing season. Instead of being started from grass seed, lawns of warm-climate grasses are usually started from planting sprigs, plugs, or sod.

Bermuda grass. Durable and heat-loving, Bermudagrass is the most common of the warm-climate grasses. It does not do well in shade. Hybrid bermuda grass is very soft and fine-bladed and is therefore a common choice for golf greens in southern regions.

Centipedegrass. This grass makes a good lawn in hot areas, although it is lighter green in color and subject to drought damage because of shallow roots. It does well in poor soil.

St. Augustine grass. St. Augustine does well in shade and is fast-growing, but is subject to damage from chinch bugs. It prefers slightly alkaline soils over acid soils.

Zoysiagrass. This grass establishes slowly, but when it gets going forms a dense, wirey, fine-textured lawn and is resistant to heat and drought. It tolerates shade, where it grows slowly. Zoysiagrass is relatively free of diseases and insect problems. Many improved varieties are available.

If you have deep shade, steep banks, or other problem areas, it might be worth investigating the many ground covers that can be used in place of grass lawns.

Source: The Home Depot

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By Barbara Criddle, Seattle, Washington

Backyard Living

Take a neglected portion of the yard, stir in a fascination for gardening, a healthy measure of free time and a splash of bargain hunting-that’s how we cooked up this glorious cottage garden landscape for around $1000!

Our little piece of paradise didn’t become a reality until my husband, George, and I both retired, 2 years ago. To adjust to our new lifestyle, we decided to pursue some activities together, including gardening. With that in mind, there was only one place to start- the southern section of our yard where our two daughters and four grandchildren used to play.

Once crowded with swings and slides, all that remained in the neglected 50- by 20-foot plot was a huge steel-piped swing frame built by George’s father, a few established perennials and a weed-filled rock garden. Any wonder this eyesore was tops on our to-do list?

Weathering the Weather

A tiled garden bench from co-workers and the towering swing frame gave me the idea to create a casual cottage garden that I could relax in and enjoy. We didn’t have a budget, but George and I agreed to do the work ourselves to keep things affordable.

After sketching a rough plan, we were ready to roll. So, on one of the hottest and windiest days of the summer, we commandeered our grandson to help maneuver the wheelbarrow. We removed all of the sod and several inches of sand from the area. At times, it was nearly impossible to see each other through the dust.

Extreme summer heat and a rainy autumn put the cottage garden on hold until February. Blessed with a warm, dry spell, George and I headed back out into the yard to begin construction on a stone path.

Hauling and installing the rock were tough. George figures he lifted several tons by the time we finished. But the work was satisfying, and the price was right!

Adding Some Color

With the garden path finished, we turned out attention to areas surrounding it. Great gardens start with the soil, so we carted home, spread and tilled about 5 yards of topsoil into the area. the leftovers were used to fill in cracks along the walkway, where I planted creeping plants like ‘Elfin’ thyme, also known as creeping thyme, is my favorite. It’s more compact and produces bright-pink flowers.

Slowly but surely, I added flowers to the gardens, relying mostly on perennials I found on sale at local garden centers. To brighten the swing frame, George and I attached black nylon garden mesh to each end and trained trumpet vines to grow up it. By September, the vines were blooming vigorously. Things were starting to shape up!

Rooms to Grow

Years ago, George made several cement stepping-stones for the yard. After moving several together to fashion a small patio, we realized this wasn’t enough. So back to work he went while I headed out on a long-awaited trip to England to view, among other things, the country’s numerous gardens.

By the time I returned, George added six more lovely rectangular stones to the patio and even crafted several matching oval steppers. By building his own forms, mixing and pouring the concrete and finishing the steppers himself, we saved a bundle.

I was inspired by the many English “garden rooms” I’d seen and was eager to re-created similar, low-cost ones in our yard. So when we finished the patio, we added a small table, chairs and umbrella. that I’d received for Mother’s Day. It was our first garden room, a perfect place for breakfasts.

Personal, Thrifty Touches

The old swing frame now holds a two-seated cedar swing, creating another relaxing garden room. Engulfed in trumpet vine, cape fuchsia and surrounding annuals and perennials, it’s a delight for the senses.

The once-weedy rocky garden, which we cleaned up and extended, became a focal point thanks to an inexpensive wicker chair I picked up at a yard sale. I painted it lavender and surrounded it with more second-hand items, including a metal table and an old window frame painted chartreuse and filled with mirrors.

The bare wooden fence flanking the lot turned into a backdrop for my collection of birdhouses, many of which were gifts. And a small Japanese maple, a present from my mother, graces another corner. Aside from saving money, these priceless keepsakes make our garden that much more meaningful.

There’s more work to do, and a few new “garden rooms” are in the plan. They’re small, fun and easy to create, especially on a budget.

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In the summer, the sun is shining and everything is vibrant. Even the summer flowers are brighter and bolder. No meek pastels or pasty whites here; summer flower bulbs are vivacious. While less hardy plants are dried, brown, and dying, summer flowers are bright, alive, and thriving. Summer flower bulbs are flowers that bloom in the summer. Some examples are daylilies, lilies, gladiolus, dahlia, begonia, and caladium.

Summer flower bulbs should be planted in early spring. They need to be planted in an area with adequate drainage. Flower bulbs will rot in standing water. For this reason, they should never be planted at the bottom of a hill.

Summer flower bulbs vary in their sun requirements. Dahlias, lilies, and daylilies, for example, thrive in full sun to partial shade. Gladiolus, on the other hand, requires full sun and iris prefer partial shade. When planning your arrangement, pay special attention to the amount of sun your garden or flowerbed receives and pick your flower bulbs accordingly.

All summer flower bulbs require loose, workable soil. If the area has never been used for growing, add some compost or peat moss. Most bulbs will not require any special fertilization, but follow your package directions carefully.

These flowers work best in masses. For the best effect, do not plant a single bulb or a thin line of bulbs. They look best when they are clumped as in the wild.

Summer flower bulbs should be planted when the soil is dry and free-flowing. Did the hole six to eight inches deep, and place the bulb in with the pointed side facing up. Cover the hole with dirt and pack firmly. Water thoroughly.

If you plant your summer flower bulbs in an appropriate location and give them the most basic attention, you will be abundantly rewarded. When all the other plants and flowers are dying, you will have a bed of bright, vibrant flowers.

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