Garden
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Garden :: The Beauty of the Sunflower
The sunflower has special meaning in my life and my relationship with my husband. When I give flowers to my husband for Father’s Day or for his birthday, I always give sunflowers. Back when we were dating, we were walking along a beach path in Laguna Beach, and I saw a gorgeous sunflower growing in front of a restaurant. He saw that I was admiring it and literally jumped over the fence, plucked it, and handed it to me. I remember thinking to myself “this is a guy who will do just about anything for me.” Fast forward 15 years later and we are still together! I do love how…
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In the Garden :: Beneficial Garden Helpers
Many factors contribute to a healthy and successful garden. Beyond soil amendments, water retention and adequate sunlight exposure, the garden also needs pest control. Historically, through the use of pesticides, many gardens were kept from the destruction pests unleashed; however, today’s modern gardener may prefer a more natural approach. Beneficial Garden Helpers: The use of beneficial garden helpers to control and eradicate pestilence such as aphids, beetles and hornworms has become extremely popular in the past decade. Nematodes, praying mantis and ladybugs are great additions (and hard workers) to the organic garden or gardens where pests have become resistant to pesticides. Beneficial nematodes are microscopic non-segmented roundworms which…
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Instagram of the Week :: Meet “Earl” the Staghorn Fern
My Love Affair with Staghorn Ferns: The first Staghorn Fern I came across was years ago at a good friends housewarming party. Her family had recently purchased a home that had the most amazing plant hanging from the side of their gazebo. I was instantly smitten and set about finding out more about this exotic plant. I found out it was a Staghorn Fern and thus started my love affair with this tropical plant. Fast forward a few years and my husband and I were moving into our first house and when I came across the largest Staghorn Fern I had ever seen (2 x 2 feet) at an estate…
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Garden :: Planting Flowers in June
An excuse for many would-be gardeners this time of year is that they just missed out and will have to wait till next spring to get their seeds planted and gardens tended. Well stop making poor excuses! June, and even July, can still be optimum times to plant the right kinds of flowers to make your gardens burst with color right into the dog days of summer, and it gives you a great chance to prep for next spring as well. Rely on Annuals If you’re late to the dance then bring annuals along as your date. These flowers that grow, bloom, and die in one season are perfect for…
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The Fragrance of Spring :: The Rose
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet”. ~ Juliet This past week, I led my Junior Master Gardener class down a path at our local garden center. The flowers were in bloom, the breeze blew gently and the fragrance of spring wafted through the air. Immediately, one wonderfully potent scent stood out among all the rest – the rose. Its tender yet sweet, intoxicating fragrance enthralled my senses and made me take pause. The rose, is my personal favorite in the garden. Its ability to add height, fragrance, dimension, color and even pluck the senses makes it a perfect…
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Play :: 8 Fun Earth Day Activities
Tips to Celebrate Earth Day: Earth Day is on April 22nd this year. This day is a wonderful opportunity to share with our kids the beauty of nature, and the importance of preserving and respecting our environment. It’s so much fun to get our kids involved in the natural world, or even bring a bit of nature inside. Here are 8 fun Earth Day activities to enjoy with your kids. Grow some seedlings: This is really fun and something I do regularly with my children. At the moment my son has a little pot on his bedroom windowsill with baby carrots growing in it. He started by…
