Owner: Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas URL:http://www.gardeningtipsnideas.com Join Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 20:23:33 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Gardening tips and ideas to help novices and inspire those of us who have gardened for a while. Site statistics:Click here
Are you a genetic super-taster? 2007-02-25 23:02:25
I always have a chuckle when I hear the joke, "What's the difference between broccoli and snot?" No ideas? Answer: "It's harder to get kids to eat broccoli." Boom, boom.
In actual fact, it may be more aligned to your genetic
makeup than we've possibly ever considered.
Susan Bowerman, from the LA Times, tells us however, that this may not excuse kids from turning their nose up at vegetables. It seems that being a super-taster
takes some time to evolve.
So if you're not into strong tasting-coffee, soy products or grapefruit juice you can thank your genes for making you the super-taster that you are.
Interesting to note that more women than men are super-tasters and so are most chefs!
Garden ornaments for the WOW factor 2007-02-25 22:01:41
Hours and hours of back-breaking, blister-inducing, sweat-covered work have finally culminated in the garden that you have always dreamed about. The garden structures are completed, the plants are melding beautifully and the piece d'resistance (a tacky $29.95 concrete garden ornament) is in place.
Whoa! Roll back the video...Is this another B-grade horror movie?
Unfortunately not. It seems to happen more often than not as gardeners succumb to making bad choices on garden ornaments.
Consider choosing a garden sculpture or ornament the same way a painter considers a frame. Or, with the same creative eye that a chef uses to garnish an extraordinary meal. These professionals would never choose 'tacky'.
It appears to me that gardeners choose garden ornaments based on a few selective criteria; price, purchasing convenience, and fads. Yet, all three have nothing to do with gardening. Even less they don't take into account your specific garden and how you can enhance it to give it Read more:Garden
, factor
Son continues blogging trend 2007-02-24 02:21:24
Jordan (aka Fred), our eldest son, turns 11 on Wednesday and already he's begun his own blog. He's a Lego freak and combined with his Star Wars obsession he's rolled the two passions into creating his own online presence.
He's so cool and I really like enjoy his posts. He's currently working on a little slideshow cartoon involving some of his Lego men. It's not finished yet but should be up on his blog very soon.
Head over to his blog Fred's Lego Creations and say hello...
Weekly Garden Update - Week 8 2007 2007-02-24 01:20:35
Only one week out from autumn and our plants are already gearing up for a break. And who would blame them? They've been flowering their little heads off and deserve a well-earned rest...
Feel free to make suggestions or comment on what you've seen.
Read more:Garden
, Weekly
, Update
Gardening blog's helpful posts of the week 2007-02-23 07:03:03
Patrick from Bifurcated Carrots (Bifurcated means forked or tongued as in what happens to a carrot when it collides with a rock as it's growing) has written a helpful
post on understanding the Latin terms used for plants.
John Curtin, the star behind Spade Work: From Plot to Plate gives some dates for those UK gardeners who want to volunteer for Thrive. Thrive are an organisation that help physically and mentally challenged people find joy in gardening and are certainly a very worthwhile cause to invest some time into.
Concrete and Calendula's, Christa demonstrates how not to grow rosemary.
Andrea, from California's Heavy Petal shows off a new product that might just be the answer for those wanting to grow some hydroponic plants indoors - and have too much money laying around and don't know what to do with it.
Nelumbo from the Garden Blog (of a gal growing Southern) reviews some of the great gardening TV shows that are around at the moment. Great tips for those who are cuddled in Read more:posts
, Gardening blog
, helpful posts
The Garden Fence: Being a good neighbour 2007-02-22 22:15:52
Most gardeners don't build fences for the sake of it. There is always a reason. Some erect a barrier between neighbour
s, others try to block out unwanted views while some may build a fence merely as a decorative ornament. Whatever the cause, the garden fence has been as much a part of gardening as compost and earthworms.
I'm not sure how it works in other countries but in Australia the boundary garden fence is owned by both sets of neighbours. The installation, upkeep and maintenance and any legal obligations are shared by both parties. This can be good but it also has it's down sides too.
For instance, our home was the last to be built in the street so our neighbours had already erected fences around their properties. With four bordering lots we found ourselves with four different garden fences. All similar style but each one was a different colour. Then we received four bills asking for our half share for the cost of materials and installation. Nice...
Yet, while these fences Read more:Garden
Gardening tools on a tight budget 2007-02-21 23:07:12
Man is a tool-using Animal. Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.
Thomas Carlyle - BrainyQuote
When you begin gardening as a hobby, getting all the garden tools can be insanely expensive if you're planning to buy them straight off the shelf at your local Bunnings or Home Depot. Yet there are far cheaper ways to stock your garden shed without buying brand name equipment.
Without sharing those juicy tips too early, you may want to ponder firstly what is needed. There's no use buying a trench-digger if you're never planning to dig trenches. And, a range of hoes for every possible occasion may border on overkill.
Remembering that you're on a tightbudget
, limiting your tool selection is a necessary evil.
But, how do you go about getting cheap, yet reliable, garden tools. Here's some tips 'n' ideas;
Visit estate auctions - usually when a loved one dies their estate including any personal effects is handed over to an auctionee Read more:Gardening tools
, tight budget
So-called "Green Olympics" kill UK allotments 2007-02-21 22:25:24
The Olympic Games - this insane festival of sport aimed at forcing countries into logistical nightmares and higher levels of debt - is approaching the UK for 2012. All fine if you can sit in front of the TV and watch the highlights oblivious to the destruction that was caused for your viewing pleasure.
Our governments purport environmental change; sign the Kyoto agreement and barrage those that don't; espouse the goodness of "An Inconvenient Truth" and talk up decisions to improve the world's worsening climate. Yet, when it all comes down to it - money is still the winner.
And it will win again to the detriment of some 100 year old garden allotments at Manor Garden.
See, the problem is that Manor Garden lies smack-bang in the middle of an already congested Olympic Village design. Fortunately for the designers and landscape architects it has very little effect. A few bulldozers and other earth moving equipment and the problem...well, it's no longer a problem.
Look on the brigh Read more:Green
, Olympics
How to grow a frangipani plant 2007-02-20 22:12:22
The moment someone mentions the word "frangipani" my nostrils begin to seek that aroma as if it were a natural physical attraction. For once you've breathed in the fragrance of these flowers there's no going back - it will become indelibly stamped upon your senses.
But then for the remainder of the year the plant looks like a naked twig taking up space that could be occupied by something far more productive.
It's this love/hate relationship I have frangipani's. When it's flowering there is no competitor. When it's not you could try to hide the stems with aluminum foil and it would still gain more respect.
I'm yet to plant one in my garden for that very reason - and for the reason that most people plant them awkwardly in their gardens. I'm over the idea that they should reside next to a bed of roses or competing against a rampant plumbago. Or worse still, they protrude from their lonely position in a bed of sand (not soil) by some gardener who thought they got lucky with t
Your garden as a meditation refuge. 2007-02-19 22:58:10
Your garden, if it's anything like mine, is a powerful source of downtime. It's a place where one can hermit-ize themselves from the outdoor world and refuel, taking time to reflect and refocus my thoughts.
There have been many times when life has countered some body blows and I've found that an hour sitting in my garden has completely altered my perspective on the situation.
And as I've reflected on what parts of the garden aid this meditative process I've since found that there are a number of design elements that work for me, and you may find work for you and your garden as well.
Before I disclose them, it might be worth mentioning that I'm not talking about zen gardens, feng shui or creating your garden as some shrine to a little known god. I'm talking more about designing a garden that helps you to stop and 'smell the roses' - so to speak - and being able to collect your thoughts in a safe refuge
.
So how do you go about creating it? Here are some elements that I fi
Vegetables you can grow in the shade 2007-02-19 00:07:31
Colleen from In the Garden Online has just posted a great article on 10 vegetables you can grow in the shade.
Now we all know that vegetables need sunlight to produce energy via photosynthesis. But as Colleen quite rightly points out, not all vegetables near full-sun for 24 hours (ok, I'm exaggerating!)
The list including radishes, cauliflower, broccoli and beans can all survive on less than 5 hours sun per day. So all you gardeners who have vegie patches that never see the light of day (metaphorically speaking, of course) have no excuses for tossing something in the ground and growing your own produce.
Read more:Vegetables
How does gardening rate as a popular hobby? 2007-02-18 23:58:46
When you're totally consumed with a pastime you think that everyone else enjoys it just as much. So, you can imagine my disappointment when I tell people that I love to garden and find their reaction is anything but positive. In fact, many of them try to dissuade me from wasting my time or tell me horror stories about their gardening
endeavours - some which haunt me in my worst nightmares.
So, I've always wondered how popular
gardening is. Am I a freak of nature or is this a bona fide pastime that I need to be reassured with?
There are two ways of assessing any theory so I set out to try and justify my hobby firstly by observation.
Yesterday, we drove (annoyingly slowly - to some drivers who have no respect for Sunday drivers) around some of the homes here in Busselton. And while some are just beach houses, and many more are rental properties, there was always the odd few that appeared to show some pride in their gardening achievements.
Seeing these homes and their beautifully
Advertising on Gardening Blogs? 2007-02-17 00:37:37
You may have noticed that there is some advertising on this blog. Or maybe you didn't?
I've been chastised about it from a few readers, some claiming they will no longer visit my blog. Its even been suggested that I donate the proceeds to charities because obviously I'm a capitalist pig who likes nothing more that to enjoy the fruits of the western world while I see others starve!!! And then, some readers have obviously found it helpful.
While I'm not the only one who allows advertising - as probably a large percentage of garden blogs nowadays offer some form - I've noticed it spreading into other areas. Namely being paid for posting certain articles.
While I can't sit on some pious dais and point any fingers for trying to earn a few quid off what you already do, I'm perplexed at some of the articles I see coming from other gardening blogs. One would expect that if you're writing a gardening blog you would intentionally talk about your garden and things pertaining to the g Read more:Advertising
, Blogs
How to completely recycle a milk bottle for garden use 2007-02-16 22:51:28
Wash out the bottle
using the same water you washed your dishes in.
1. Make a garden scoop.
This probably won't be strong enough to dig your soil but it can be used to meter out potting mix or fertiliser etc. You could make on for each medium so that they don't contaminate each other.
2. Make a plant self-watering container
There are only so many garden scoops you will need so rather than waste this bit turn it into a cheap plant self-waterer.
Put less holes in the lid if you want it to come out slowly.
Invert the bottle in your container and fill with water.
3. Make some seed trays
Mark out the bottom 1/4 to create a small seed tray.
Put some holes in the bottom for drainage, add your seed-raising potting mix (using your scoop, of course) and then sow your seeds. Leave them on the window sill to germinate.
4. Make some labels for your new plants or seed trays
There is still some scrap left over from the other projects so these can be turned into Read more:completely
15 best gardening vegetables for the beginner 2007-02-26 21:25:32
There is nothing more delicious than gardening
vegetables in your own plot of soil. As soon as you harvest your vegies you can be eating them without any concern for pesticides, herbicides and any other 'cides' that may have come in contact with your fresh produce.
Not only that, they are dead simple to plant and grow and anybody can do it and achieve a good level of success. Gardening your own vegetables is even a great way to get the kids involved and introducing them to the soil, seeds and enjoying the harvest.
Mother Earth Living has come up with a list of 10 best crops to grow for beginners. They're not all vegetables but we can live with that. So, while it's a great list there are a couple I thought that should have made it.
Here's Mother Earth Living's list;
1. Radishes.
2. Salad greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula and corn salad).
3. Green beans.
4. Onions.
5. Strawberries.
6. Peppers.
7. Bush zucchini.
8. Tomatoes.
9. Basil.
10. Potatoes.
and to add to this
Complete meanings of flowers 2007-02-28 06:49:50
Have you ever tried expressing yourself to another person in a language that's not quite natural for you?
You try to tell them that 'you enjoy their friendship' but it comes out as though 'you want to pick their nose with a gigantic pitchfork' - or worse! Often the meaning gets lost in translation.
It's exactly the same with flowers. Each flower has its own meaning and communicates a different message when being given as a gift. You certainly wouldn't take a red rose to a funeral or give a black tulip to the mother-of-the-bride - though she may give you one. So while a flower given as a gift can mean the world to the person receiving it, it can also mean end of yours if it's taken the wrong way.
Rather than take the risk, I've compiled a little list of more than 300 flowers and their meanings. [If I've missed any, email me and I'll update it immediately].
Easy Alphabet Locator
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | V | Y | Z
&nbs
Stalking the Wild Leek Stalkers 2007-03-01 21:12:50
I offered some of our new Garden Bloggers the opportunity to introduce themselves via a "Native Plant" guest post here on my blog. To date, only Telsing Andrews from Ottawa Hortiphilia has taken me up on the offer, but I'm so glad he has. Here, he features as our guest blogger with this great post - Kudos Telsing.
Wild food is all the rage in restaurants of late and one of the much sought after edibles is the wild leek, a.k.a. ramps, wild garlic or Allium tricoccum. It pops up with the other spring ephemerals such as trilliums and trout lily in eastern North American forests. Apparently, it is delicious with a taste somewhere between garlic and scallions, though I have never tried it.
It is also at risk*.
Like any number of wild plants, over enthusiastic collection has lead to a decline in numbers. While walking through Gatineau Park, and after passing numerous signs asking people to please not pick the wild leeks / d'ail des bois, I saw a women lean over and pull something fro Read more:Stalking
March Gardening Tips 2007-02-28 22:01:19
The changing of the guard is occurring in gardens all over the world so "March
" seems such an appropriate name for this month. The southern hemisphere is facing autumn and the slowing down of our gardens, while the north is preparing for spring. Such a contrast.
While those below the equator are putting their tools away, those above are excitedly getting there's out as they wait for the snow to melt.
For those who aren't quite ready for what's ahead, I thought I'd prepare some gardening tips to help you March forward and embrace the current season.
Southern Hemispherean Gardens
For those of us who live in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America.
What to plant.
Bulbs - the start of autumn is always a great time to start preparing for spring. Some bulbs can start going in the ground already, though many will need to wait until the end of autumn. If you're a garlic fan, try burying a few cloves in the soil with the point facing upwards.
Winter Annuals - you could
Outdoor Chair and Table Set 2007-03-02 22:22:15
I'm a sucker for wood furniture especially in my garden. It looks natural and contrasts well with the scene that I'm trying to create without appearing tacky or cheap. And, it usually goes the distance for wear and tear and is able to withstand the elements outdoor furniture needs to cope with.
Online Discount Mart has a great special running at the moment on their outdoor chair and table set. For a wee $349.95 you could have one of these adorning the patio as you sit and enjoy your gardening efforts. And I say "wee" because it's the best price I could find on the net for a brand new one.
The beauty of this outdoor set is that it's crafted as a one piece which means you don't need to fold or unfold chairs or find a table to suit. And because it only has two seats, it means that you and your spouse or partner can relax by yourselves. It could fit in a cosy alcove along one of your garden paths as a resting point or feature as a design element under your gazebo or pergola. Whiche Read more:Chair
, Table
Gardening blog's helpful posts of the week [Week 8] 2007-03-01 23:51:19
Colleen from In the Garden Online has put together a helpful
post on forcing spring flowering branches. This is a great idea if you're trying to add some colour into your home.
Jane Perrone's Horticultural blog reviews some alternatives to using plastic bags. I can see their purpose for allotment gardeners but I think they could also be helpful for gardeners across the board.
If you love garden whimsy that's a little left-of-centre you're going to enjoy Tricia's post at As the Garden Grows. She's unveiled a terrific lawn creature that sits comes in multiple pieces and looks as though it's buried beneath the lawn.
Katie from Gotta Garden demonstrates how to repot a dendrobium orchid. BTW - she even has a banner for the Garden Blog Directory - Kudos Katie.
Katina offers some helpful tips when planning a kids garden on her Katina's Little Gardeners blog. Great tips if you've got a few ankle-biters running around destroying your the heads of your flowering hippeastrums.
Marc Read more:posts
, Gardening blog
, helpful posts
Do flower arranging skills help make better gardeners? 2007-03-04 21:39:07
My mother, and many gardeners who are part of her generation, seemed to marry both gardening and flowerarranging
and do it quite well. She took a flower arranging course when I was young and has since continued both hobbies as if they were joined at the (rose) hip.
So I wonder which hobby benefited the other or was it a type of synergy that was created because they both had similar characteristics.
From what I understand, and observed from my mother's flower arrangements, arranging flowers is really no different to gardening. The arranger, like a gardener, has a plethora of considerations to be made before they plonk a few stems into an awkward shaped vase.
Firstly, the flower arranger needs to imagine the end product. This isn't unlike a gardener who needs to plan out their garden design with the end result in mind. This initial design period is essential for both the person doing the flower arrangement and the gardener and if not conceived properly will lose focus and the resu Read more:better
How to grow Clivia miniata 2007-03-04 21:19:30
A plant that's used extensively (shall I use the term - 'used to death') are Clivias. Their famed orange heads have become quite popular over the past decade or more and they will quite often be seen lining the base of evergreen trees.
They're a popular plant because they give maximum effect for very little effort. Clivias, given the right conditions, can almost look after themselves and repopulate any free space - which can be viewed as a blessing or can easily become a curse.
Clivias, clivia miniata, are similar in appearance to the agapanthus family. They sport dark green strappy foliage and their flowers sit atop a fleshy wand-like stem. They're a clumping plant and will grow quite well if clumped in large drifts.
If you don't have any clivias already growing in your garden, the best way to get started is by finding a friend who does and dividing their clump. They're not the cheapest plant to purchase and the more rare the flower colour, the more expensive they become.
Artificial lawn in the garden? Maybe... 2007-03-06 22:00:28
As lawn mowers get more and more bad press, properties shrink in size and keeping a lawn healthy seems to contradict every thought on environmental harmony, maybe it is possible to see artificial lawn in a new light.
When I was offered to review Artificial
Grass Ltd, a UK site selling this product, my initial reaction was not a positive one. But I knew I owed it to readers of this blog to be more open in my views on what products and services are out there.
Now, don't get me wrong, you won't be seeing it at my place anytime soon. Certainly not while the Sir Walter soft-leaf is wooing the neighbours, anyway. But, I can concede that there are places that artificial lawn would be suitable and probably more so than natural grasses.
What if you suffer from chronic allergies? Many grasses are highly allergenic and can keep sufferers indoors for days, if not weeks. For the elderly, having a soft undertread and the visual aspect of lawn is now a possibility where they would have needed t Read more:Maybe
What are the strongest trees for home gardens? 2007-03-05 21:21:11
Surfing through some interesting gardening articles, I came across this post about the 2007 Lawn and Garden Show in Springfield, Missouri.
It seems that more gardeners are on the lookout for better trees that are able to survive climatic conditions. Trees that are stronger, shorter and have a better overall appearance are being pursued by gardeners keen to replant.
The most fashionable trees that top the list are; flowering cherry, Amur maple, redbud, dogwood and the crab apple. Bradford pears which have been popular for quite some time are getting a mixed reaction. Some swear by them while others feel they are a vulnerable tree.
Here in Australia many gardeners steer clear of eucalypts unless they're grown on large properties. Most gums have a eagerness to shed their branches whenever a storm hits, but are so temperamental they may only need a short gust of wind.
So which trees are the best at standing up to the storms that will often rip through our gardens? For me, I find th
Tasmania - Here we Come. 2007-03-06 23:02:02
I fly out for Tasmania
tonight and won't be back until Monday next week. I'm off to enjoy the sights and sounds of an untamed wilderness in that little island they keep missing off the Australian map. Basking in some of the great gardens Tasmania has to offer, and home to Australia's legendary Peter Cundall, I'm sure I will be able to fill Flickr completely with my photos - NB. don't try accessing Flickr on Tuesday!!!
It has been erroneously mentioned that I am HOLIDAYing, GALLIVANTing and one close friend, not mentioning any names - Marcus - even used the word JUNKET to describe my time away in Tassie.
Let it be known that I will be working. Not very hard mind you, but it is still classed as a working trip.
My pastor, Noel, and I are heading over for a conference which should take up most of the time but I'm hoping that we'll get a little sightseeing in between.
I was hoping to make it to Pete's Patch at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens but unfortunately we will be
Fuchsia Daydreams 2007-03-07 23:45:24
Kerri from Colors of the Garden is the star guest blogger today as she shares of her passion with fuschias. I've really enjoyed conversing with Kerri over the past year and she epitomizes what blogs are about - they really are just an international cyber-fence that we can hang our heads over and have a natter. If you haven't met Kerri (or her husband Ross) yet, pour yourself a cuppa and spend some time delving through her archives. They're all as good as this one...
Stuart has generously offered to give me the run of his blog, in a guest post, while he's off gallivanting in Tasmania. I thought, "Why not? I haven't had a trip to my beloved birth country since 2003, and I've never been to Western Australia. If I can't go physically, at least I can have a virtual trip". So here I am!
My first thoughts were of the glorious gardens my mother used to grow, and specifically, her magnificent fuchsias.
Mom lived in Palm Beach, NSW during my teen years, and then later at Nels Read more:Daydreams
Gardening blog's helpful posts of the week [Week 9] 2007-03-08 23:10:01 What tips and helpfulposts
are other great gardening bloggers offering? Check this weeks half dozen out.
If you're like Anthony from Compost Bin you might find yourself using one of these little gardening lies. I'm notorious for using the "I'm going out to the garden, I'll be back in a minute" one. I could actually guess that it might be standard practice amongst gardeners anyway.
Mary Ann from Idaho Gardener has come out with a list of gardening predictions for 2007. Her tip for big, bold containers certainly seems to be a correct forecast as garden supply companies have really lifted their game in this area.
Rick, The Whispering Crane Institute's owner shares some history on Linaeus' Flower Clock. In a nutshell, it was a method for trying to calculate the time based on when flowers, predominantly wildflowers, would open up. Uncanny, but as Rick states - fairly impractical.
Mr Brown Thumb reminds us to keep our eyes peeled for cheap bulbs. Rather than pay full retail o Read more:Gardening blog
, helpful posts
Dynamite Plant Food 2007-03-08 22:00:35
The trend in garden fertilising has steered away from packaged products and adopted a more holistic approach. Why? Because in the past many fertiliser manufacturers focused in on the needs of the plants without any regard for the soil in which they were growing. In fact, the soil could be the most impoverished and neglected sod of dirt and still plants would succeed and bloom as expected.
Fortunately today, packaged fertilisers are becoming more holistic in their approach to feeding plants as well.
DynamitePlant
Food is one product that's leading the charge. This retail version of the very successful Nutricote, previously limited to commercial applications, is now available to the public.
It's a slow-release granular feeder that uses ammoniacal and nitrate nitrogen rather than urea-based nitrogen - the latter being harmful to plants and also polluting groundwater. As a fertiliser it will last for nine months slowly feeding your plants in a balanced, measured way. The grains are
Survival gardening tactics in a drought 2007-03-09 23:28:40
Meet Val. Val's the one-eyed Carlton supporter who owns the the blog domain carltonrules.blogspot.com and keeps me up to date with all things happening at Princes Park - and no, that's not a garden. Val is great fun and comments abundantly here on this blog and every other blog I find. Yet Val will often beaten me there.
A retired librarian who loves to create books, not write them - but create them (you will understand when you've spent some time on her blog). She spends her days camping, touring the world, exhorting the 'man who cooks' and writes a great post or two, or three or ....
To guest blog or not? At first I thought, nah, I don't really concentrate on the garden in my blog, even less so now than before, what with the effects of the 10 year drought and all. However, I had recently thought I might post something in my own blog about the water harvesting devices hubby has installed, waiting until our 5000 litre tank was delivered (more than a month's wait). But here Read more:gardening
, tactics
Recommend Site To A Friend
