Gardening Tips

October is rapidly approaching and can be such an uncertain month for gardeners. Though winter can come to stay at any moment we often can get an Indian summer throughout the entire month. If heavy snowfall and cold weather seem likely, rush to complete outdoor work...with emphasis on harvesting and winter protection.


After mounding tender roses, cut the tops back to half their height, then if there is time defoliate the remaining canes. Before snow and after defoliation is a good time to prune all deciduous trees and shrubs. Consider the fall seeding of Swiss chard, head lettuce, Spanish onions and parsnips. Here are a few gardening tips for fall.


Before the ground freezes down
~ Complete the harvesting of vegetables such as cabbage and sprouts.
~ Dig remaining root crops.
~ Dig gladiola and cure corms in a warm, dry place.
~ Complete planting of tulip bulbs for spring bloom.
~ Continue to water woody plants if soil becomes dry.
~ Mound up tender roses before snowfall.
~ Rake up leaves and save for compost area.
~ Clean out eaves' troughs.
~ Dig the vegetable garden, turning under decomposed organic matter.
~ Pot up special tulips, daffodils and hyacinths for winter forcing.
~ Repair fences, walks and other elements of your yard.
~ Plant your spring flowering bulbs as early as you can so they have time to send down a few roots before the ground freezes hard.


After the ground freezes down
~ Prune trees and shrubs.
~ Complete the mounding of tender roses and place straw covering over strawberries.
~ Protect woody plants against wild animals if they pose a problem.
~ Service the lawn mower and other mechanical equipment.
~ Store cold frames, wheelbarrows, and other garden equipment under cover.
~ Clean and store hand tools under cover.
~ Reduce watering of houseplants but increase humidity.
~ If snow cover is uncertain mulch perennials.


When harvesting vegetables, you may wish to save the waste leaves and return them to the garden later in the form of compost. Make sure they are free of disease before adding them to the compost bin; if uncertain then toss them out.

Prepare bulbs for indoor winter bloom
Flower bulbs for winter forcing indoors are specially selected kinds pre-treated to provide mid winter bloom. After potting and watering they are kept in a cool, dark place to grow roots. When the roots are developed they are pulled out of the dark into the warm sunlight of a window where they will delight you with blooms to enjoy in the cold of winter.

Holiday Pet Safety

Pets are an important part of the family, especially during the holidays. While most of us are busy making festive arrangements, we must not forget our pets safety. Once you know the hazards, a little additional precaution and planning will make the holiday a happy time for everyone. Common holiday hazards to be aware of:

Be mindful of holiday decorations...
Something as simple as an electrical cord, tinsel, or a decorative ribbon may pose a threat if your pet thinks it is something to chew. Use cord protectors and learn which plants are poisonous to your pets, including ivy, mistletoe, and poinsettia.


Keep time out in the cold to a minimum...
Just because your pets have fur, doesn't mean they don't get cold. Animals should be kept out of extreme temperatures. Walks in snow can lead to frostbitten paws. Never leave your pet in a car for an extended period in extreme temperatures.


House guests may unknowingly introduce unsafe conditions if their medicines and toiletries become accessible to pets. Outdoor chemical exposure increases in winter--whether chemicals or salt used to clear icy streets or antifreeze that has leaked from your car. Wipe away chemicals and salt from fur and paws after a walk. If you suspect your pet has ingested poison, contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center 1-888-426-4435.


Arrange for qualified pet sitting if leaving town for the holidays...
Even though some animals do well for a few days, it's important to have someone check in on your pet. Ask your friend or pet sitter to contact you with daily updates. If you can't find a neighbor or friend, look into kennels or bring your animal to a pet-friendly hotel with you.


Make sure young children are supervised when with an animal...
Young children may not understand the consequences of their actions when playing with a pet. If your animal is exposed to children, make sure both are safe by paying close attention during interactions (or place pet in another room).

If giving a pet, consider giving pet care stocking stuffers...
Giving a pet can be a sweet holiday gift. Before you give a pet as a family gift, take the overall home environment into account: Will the animal be well cared for? Is there enough time to dedicate to a new pet? Are the children old enough to understand the responsibility of pet care? If the answer is yes, giving an animal can lead to years of joy. Consider giving a pet-care book and a super-reflective collar so that health and safety will be the most important thing in the life of a new pet.



On a totally different note...


DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD DO THIS!


Yes folks, keep an eye on your children, lest they end up on MSNBC.

Frosty Friday

The nights are getting rather chilly around here and the past few mornings have found me scraping ice off of my windshield, (and every other glass surface on my car) grumbling and mumbling the whole time because my mittens have decided to part ways and only one can be found.

Sorry, I digress...Today I thought I'd talk a little about the plants in our yards and gardens and how to care for them during the winter months so in the spring they can pop their little heads up and dazzle us with yet another season of beauty and function.

Roses

Many people have roses in their landscaping and in my yard my roses are my pride and joy each blooming season. Caring for them over the winter is very easy and it only takes a few minutes to have them all ready for winter slumber.Start winterizing hybrid teas just before the ground freezes, which usually occurs about a month or two after the first frost.

If in your area, temperatures remain above 20° F Hybrid Teas need few special measures beyond adequate mulching. If roses are growing in sites exposed to drying winter winds, wrap the plants or build a windbreak with natural burlap or white polyspun floating row cover.


If your temperatures fall as low as 10° to 15° F for 2 weeks or more at a time, begin winterizing roses after the first hard frost. Mound fresh, loose soil or compost 6 to 8 inches high around the base of each plant. Prune canes back only enough to prevent them from whipping about in the wind and to allow them to fit under a protective covering. 

Detach climbing roses from their supports and bend them down to the ground. Carefully bunch the canes together ands peg them to the soil with wood or wire hoops of some kind. Finally, cover them completely with 4 to 6 inches of well-draining soil, compost or organic mulch such as wood chips.


Perennials and Bulbs

Let perennial plants die down to the ground naturally to allow them to store energy and nutrients in their roots for the winter. Cut back and discard the dead aboveground parts to reduce the risk of disease and deny winter shelter to insect pests. Mulch the soil to moderate the effects of freezing and thawing, and/or cover tender perennials and bulb beds with boughs cut from evergreens to trap snow for additional cover.


Protect bulbs that are located in the open from small animals by stretching plastic bird netting over the ground during the winter. Alternatively, line planting trenches with chicken wire or put individual bulbs in hardware cloth cages when planting bulbs in the fall.


Well, with all that said, we can now take care of all those other winterizing tasks such as wrapping outside pipes and making sure that the nasty draft under the front door is taken care of!


Bright Blessings

A Very Witchy Garden Update

The last couple weeks have been unbearably hot and it's been a bit of a struggle trying to keep my little herb garden from wilting in the sweltering afternoon heat but I've managed to do pretty good.

It wasn't that long ago that I put in my herb garden and pond and looking at the pictures I took right after I planted, I can see just how far they've come!

My cats love to dring the refreshingly cool pond water and have not benn tempted to do any fishing and love to feel hidden amongst all the bushy herbs. I have even been able to throw together a few tasty dishes with clippings taken from my favorites. I still have a few things in mind for appearance of the garden but right now, I'm feeling pretty darned pleased!

Pink Jasmine

Since our living room has been newly painted, I decided I'd brighten it up by putting a few new plants under my plant light. Among my violets and pots of herbs and an ailing pothos plant, I just knew I could make room for it simply because the scent is absolutely intoxicating (and it was on sale for $9.99 at Fred Meyer.)

Anyhow, since jasmine is not a hardy outside candidate due to our winter freezes it will have to be strictly an indoor plant but that's okay with me because I will have the chance of trying to grow a new variety of plant. I'm usually very gifted with the ability to grow anything (except the cactus..... of any variety) it was a great fit with my other semi-tropical loving greenery.

This morning as I walked out of my bedroom, I was met with the most delicious scent...pleasantly sweet but not overwhelming...I sat down to enjoy my first cup of coffee feeling as if I had stepped right into the tropics! It's so relaxing to sit and wake up to such a calming, soothing environment.

I also have another addition to my plant table...I recently received five little Bird of Paradise seeds straight from Hawaii, that I promptly notched and soaked (for 24 hours) then planted in loose loamy/sandy soil so I'm really anxious to see their progress. They grow very slowly and take between two to five years to flower but when they do it is a very striking vision indeed!
I just love my friends, they always seem to know which plants I secretly wish for....and that the way to my heart is a flower with all it's roots attached.


"The lattice of thy casement twines
With jasmine vines, with jasmine vines;
The stars, like jasmine blossoms, lie
About the glimmering sky.
No jasmine tress
Can so caress
Like thy white arms' soft loveliness."