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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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Longview World of Wonders Provides Hands-On Discovery
The woman of the twenty-first century often wears many hats. Mine include wife, mom, educator, gardener, leader, volunteer, accountant, chef, planner, story teller, wonder woman and currently, facilities chairman of Longview World of Wonders, a children’s hands-on discovery center in the making. Longview World of Wonders: Over the past four years, LongviewWOW, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, has operated as a museum without walls serving East Texas children and their families in educational and hands-on programming featuring literary works, STEM, dramatic arts, LEGO ™ and more. In a city, in which there is a large population of children in poverty, LongviewWOW hopes to inspire a life-long love of learning…
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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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The Happiness Project
Hap-pi-ness n. 1.good fortune: prosperity 2.a state of well-being and contentment: joy 3.a pleasurable satisfaction While perusing through many big-box book sellers’ shelves, you are bound to come across a precipitous amount of self-help guides and list-it journals. You might find some on weight loss or dealing with spouses, but more so than not, you will definitely come across books regarding the most elusive and sought after human condition – happiness. To be honest with you, I haven’t really read many self-help guides in the past, but recently I came across Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. In fact, I’m not sure I would personally classify it as self-help, rather…
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Gardening Styles :: The Japanese Garden
The cascade long ago ceased to roar, But we continue to hear The murmur of its name. The Simplicity and Beauty of The Japanese Garden: A diverse environment harkening to bygone years, the Japanese garden provides a tranquil landscape to garden wanderers. Pristine in keeping through extreme pruning techniques, it offers the avid gardener a challenge in form and design. A 1,000 year old evolutionary process, the garden features numerous styles from the strolling gardens of recreation to the dry stone Zen gardens used for religious purposes. In its earliest forms, the Japanese garden was featured as a sacred place and commonly marked by pebbles. During the 6th century and…
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Garden :: A Season for Everything Under the Sun
Each winter, seed and plant catalogs begin heading towards gardeners’ mailboxes. While they wait for spring, gardeners dream about lush gardens full of produce, decide on crops to plant and design garden layouts. Somewhere in between dreaming and deciding, gardeners take into account their climate zone and their plants’ needs. Step One: Check the Farmer’s Almanac The first step to a bountiful garden is planting in the proper season. Vegetables can be sorted into two distinct categories: cool season and warm season. It is important to consult your county extension office for proper planting times for your region or zone. Many gardeners follow the Farmer’s Almanac to better acquaint themselves…
