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Fresh Cut Flowers from Your Garden
Go out and enjoy your garden… then cut some flowers and enjoy your garden inside, too! You should cut when the flower is full of water and plump. Another thing to keep in mind — while most people will grab the full, open-bloomed flowers, you should reach for those that are barely starting to open. Those blooms will last a lot longer. When you cut the plant, it’s important to do it at an angle, and make sure you sink this into a bucket of water right away. Otherwise, a gooey substance will seal the stem, preventing water from absorbing into the flower.
Forcing Branches
These bare branches may not look like much now, but in a few weeks, they’ll be blooming beauties. With a technique called “forcing,” we can actually trick the branches into believing it’s spring, even though the calendar says it’s not time.
Edible Bird Ornaments
You guys ready for some lunch? Yeah! Well, sorry, this food’s not for you. It’s to feed the birds. With snow on the landscape, the birds have a hard time finding food. A lot of people put out bird feeders. Today I’m going to show you a great project that involves the kids by making edible ornaments.
It’s very easy, and it’s sure to keep the flocks flying. The ingredients are simple. All you need is a variety of birdseed good for your area, your favorite cookie cutters, some bread, peanut butter, raffia, and of course, a lot of kids to have fun.
Dividing Hosta
One of the superstars of the shade garden is hosta. And it’s the type of plant where there is no need to go out and buy several of the same plant because if you learn to divide properly, in a few years, you can have dozens. The best time to divide hosta is typically in the spring and fall. We’re going to start by digging around the outside of the plant. This is called the drip line.
Deheading Tulips
Tulips are some of my favorite flowers, probably for various reasons. They’re the first sure sign of spring, and they’re the first splash of color we see after a long winter. The blooms don’t last that long, but, boy, when they peak, they can be spectacular.
But, eventually those beautiful blooms will fade and look something like this. Your first inclination is going to be to come out and saw the plants down. But don’t do that because now the plant is storing energy for next year’s bulb.
Design for Four-season Color
Designing a garden can feel a lot like rubbing your head and patting your stomach at the same time. Not only do you have to think about when each plant will bloom, you have to plan for the right colors, too. Master this trick by doing the following:
Decide on your color scheme first, by choosing two or three main colors and another for accent or contrast. Let’s say you settle on a pink, white and blue garden, with touches of yellow.
Cleaning Tools
Get out your gardening tools. I’ve got some great tips for easy cleaning coming up. Today I’m going to teach you how to clean, oil, and lubricate your tools.
It’s very simple. At the end of the season, bring your tools in. With a brush or a Brillo pad, clean off all the caked-on soil. If you have some rust, just take some coarse sandpaper. Just go ahead and work that rust right out. Then we want to take something like a 3-in-one oil. Pick this up at the hardware store. Coat the blades of our tools, and rub that right into the blade. That will help prevent rust from forming.
Cloning Plants?
Cloning has been in the plant world for centuries. It’s a great way of duplicating a plant you already have at no additional cost. There are many different ways to clone a plant, but today, we’re going to talk about stem cuttings. We’re going to show you how to do it in water.
The first thing you do is take a cutting. You want a pretty lengthy stem here, about 6 to 8 inches. The next step is to remove all the leaves from the stem that’s going to go in the water.
Climbing Annuals
If you’re in need of a cover-up, whether on the side of a house or a fence, annual vines might just be the answer. Not only are they easy to grow, but most of them will add a colorful backdrop all summer long. Sweet peas are an excellent choice, and if you know the trick, you can keep them blooming throughout most of the summer.
Bean Tee Pees
Now, here’s a fun idea for your backyard garden, especially if you’re limited on space. How about making a bean tee pee? Doesn’t look like much now, but wait till the beans start growing.
To start with, you need stakes. You can use grape, bamboo, metal rods or branches. You’ll need some twine and some sharp shears.
