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Hens enjoying yogurt. Our hens love treats. They are fed regular layer crumbles available to them from morning until dusk. This mixture provides them with nutrients that keep them healthy and producing eggs. But a little gastronomical stimulation never hurts. When I enter the back yard they come running. Are they fond of me? [...] There has been an abundance of wildlife in our gardens this year. Seven years ago, a single quail couple hatched chicks in the open space behind our property and used the fenced portion of our garden as their playpen. The family of fifteen ended up being a family of four, but those are considered good [...] Traditional composting of yard clippings and kitchen scraps is not for everyone. Some gardeners just don’t have the space for composting bins but would love to have the “black gold” plant food that composting provides. If you want to try composting on a smaller, more concentrated level, worm composting (or vermicomposting) might be the answer. [...] When I was a kid, I found the song “Shine on Harvest Moon” haunting. What does “I ain’t had no lovin’ since…mean to an 8-year-old? Pretty scary stuff! I got that the weather was changing and there wasn’t much time for this lovin’ stuff, so better get to it while the harvest moon was shining. [...] This time of year is an excellent time of year to plan for new additions to your garden. You may live in an area that requires you to wait until the soil has warmed in the spring to plant. In more temperate zones, the fall is the best time of year to add to your [...] Whatever you’re paying for high-priced garden solutions, it is far too much! Many concoctions can be made with ingredients you have in your pantry. Here are a few recipes I’ve found to be effective and can be made at home by any frugal gardener. ROSE SPRAY-helps prevent diseases such as rust, blackspot, and powdery mildew. Mix [...] Fall is not my favorite time of year. The light and colors are fading, the days growing shorter. Landscape plants look tired and spent. Grape vines on the hillsides have shriveled, their harvest (offspring) cut from their branches. I feel a sense of sadness as flowers fade, pumpkin vines shrivel, and sunflowers recline across [...] You can grow vegetables in greenhouses, raised beds, mounded beds, rows, and in containers. You can plant a “French-intensive” garden or a formal kitchen “parterre”. But if you don’t have the space to dedicate exclusively to vegetables, consider tucking seasonal vegetables in and around your landscape plantings. Planting vegetables among your ornamentals allows you to [...] Spanish Lavender Heady fragrance of the pink jasmine vines, dripping with fragrant clusters of blossoms, surrounded the hilltop bed and breakfast in Napa Valley. Mediterranean plants in terraced gardens were in full bloom. Most of the vegetation planted under the oaks and in beds around the inn were deer resistant and drought tolerant. They [...] While visiting northern France a few years ago, I was inspired by Claude Monet’s garden. It is not the typical French garden with controlled manipulation of nature, but a flurry of texture and color more reminiscent of English landscapes. I gravitate to this type of casual gardening and have created areas in my yard that [...] |
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