Trends-Fairy Gardens

I was fascinated with the beautiful miniature gardens that were on exhibit at the garden show in Springfield, Missouri recently.  I could see it being a fun hobby to give us who are gardening enthusiasts a "garden fix" in the winter and also could be a nice thing for someone who just likes to collect, or is even unable to garden in "life size". Having had the stomach flu this winter, I can definitely see how that would help lift your spirits. :)

We enter the Fairy Garden, with the Fairy Mushrooms, or are those toadstools? :) 

Your Fairy Garden in the little Fairy World....with a Fairy Pond, and the resident Fairy, and Fairy Creatures. Love.  

  Little Fairy Benches, Fairy Tables, Fairy Furniture....so cute.

 If your inner fairy has a really rustic personality, look at these chairs, tables, and fairy arbors! 

All of which you could situate in the little Fairy Garden Box, if you wished. :)

I have a brochure somewhere, that has some resources. I don't know if that will ever be located. LOL So I will leave you with a link that will show you some beautiful possibilities.

 Fairy Garden Collectibles-the pictures and inspiration alone are worth the visit. Enjoy your week! ~JB was here

A Garden Geek and Her Toys.....

I'm a geek on several levels but I'm to the age now, I'm OK with that…..LOL. I love new garden gadgets. Or should we more accurately call them my “toys”?  This is my new gardening can that I just love. I saw one in Missouri Gardener and wanted one right away. There were so many reasons! It's made from recycled plastic in the USA. That's important to me. It has a little container onboard to carry your plant food in, and a measuring spoon on top to measure it with, as well as a date dial to remind you when to feed again. The grips are really comfortable, and although it's a two gallon can, it doesn't feel that heavy when you pick it up-very well balanced.

Additionally it has a place to attach the sprinkler if you want to stream and not sprinkle around your plants, and a place to store your garden gloves.

I love my new gardening can!  If you want to learn about them you can find information at www.theucanbrand.com and, btw, I don't get anything for that. I just think it's a good product and wanted to share that with my friends.

Have a good week in YOUR garden.

~JB was here…….

Trends-Try this for a natural Weed & Feed Fertilizer-Corn Gluten

One of the cutting edge trends in the lawn and garden this year is using corn gluten as a natural weed & feed fertilizer. I'm excited about this because it means that we now have a totally United States produced, renewable source for fertilizer for our gardens and lawns! It is also environmentally friendly and is an organic option. Corn Gluten naturally runs around 10% nitrogen. To gain its pre-emergence benefits, you need to apply it BEFORE the weeds sprout. If you wait until after, you will have paid to fertilize those little nuisances…..

Follow guidelines that are with the product for correct dosage to your specific usage and application.

Nitrogen, by the way, is the “N” value of the N, P, K you see on fertilizer bags and when soil test results are interpreted. It has to do with the lush green color of your plants and is a very necessary nutrient. (I won't bore you in this post with all those excruciating details, but take my word for it. )

Of the other two values, "P" is for Phosphorus. There is a movement to greatly reduce the application of Phosphorus to our lawns and gardens because the runoff of that element into our streams, sewer systems, etc, produces a lot of problems. It really isn't the use of it, it's the overuse, and even abuse. More on that in a future post.

"K" refers to Potash (Potassium). It's the third element in the N, P, K.

Corn Gluten as a fertilizer is a development I am very encouraged by. It has many benefits and implications for future use as it is adopted by lawn and garden owners more widely.  I plan to begin to use it.

The product shown is from www.bradfieldorganics.com and is available locally through some of the chain stores. There are several other brands available too, some organically labeled, and some not.  I won't be surprised if there won't be a lot of “indie” dealers for this product as well, as it should be fairly easy to adopt processing methods to make it.

Have a great week, and happy gardening!

~JB was here.

Seeing Red: Do Tomatoes Really Have a Favorite Color?

Who would ever imagine that plants have a favorite color? Turns, out, Tomatoes do!

According to research work done in the 80's and 90's, tomatoes do have a preference for color! It has been well documented that yields can be as much as 20% higher when tomatoes are mulched with either red plastic, or alternatively, a red colored mulch. I have employed both methods and both have produced excellent results. I must admit that I'm a bigger fan of biodegradable methods, and therefore, have gone to the red colored wood mulch. You'll want to be sure that if the wood mulch is enhanced with color, that it is a good, safe choice to use in your garden....and it will specify on the bag the range of uses it is suitable for.

Here is a link to one of the better-known studies in this area. Some of the most well-regarded studies were done at Clemson University in South Carolina. This is a link to a PDF that will explain why it works, from the light rays and spectrum to absorption levels, and, well, you can look it over yourself to find out more than you ever wanted to know! But red mulch for tomatoes does rock!

http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/bitstream/10113/18007/1/IND44088287.pdf