The Path to Serenity

There is something about paths in the garden that can transform a garden into a serene sanctuary that creates the mystery of where the path leads, especially when connected with secluded garden rooms. I love the randomness of the pattern and diversity of materials used in the featured path....

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Fall gardening checklist

The autumn leaves are changing colors,  the temperatures are coming down,  in Florida it is less humid. At a loss on what to do in the garden? Fine Gardening's website has an awesome series of videos and articles on seasonal gardening. Click here to go there! ...

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Fall gardening for subtropical and tropical climates

This is one of my favorite times of the year for gardening in our Zone 9, Central Florida garden. Soon the black eyed susan vines that have seeded themselves all over the Paradise that is now a jungle will provide a much needed splash of color.  Another season has gone by, leaving the...

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Nasty Grasshoppers Caught In The Act!

Not only have they chewed up most of our  plants, but now we caught them in the  act of having sex in our front yard. Shameless grasshoppers . . . I hate them! ...

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Summer Reflections

Another summer has come and gone . . .  Paradise still remains like a jungle. Of major note . . . the lime tree that was a memorial gift from JR's aunt when he died started producing very tasty and juicy limes that we have really enjoyed in cooking and sharing with others.  It is...

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Nature's miracle . . . composting

It is estimated that yard trimmings and food scraps account for 26 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream.  Why not recycle them into the best fertilizer you could ever buy? Utilizing nature's fertilizer by way of composting is the economical way to revitalize and nourish your...

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Soil recipes for container gardening

What a gorgeous tropical container planting! Container gardening is my preferred method since I detest digging through tree  roots and I really don't enjoy using a big shovel . . . guess it is a girl thing.  It is so much easier to plant in containers . . . much easier to manage! Grouping...

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Slug Control . . . Home Remedies

You can have gorgeous flowering plants one day and wake up the next morning to nothing but sticks.  Slugs will do that! After lots of experimenting, I found many different methods of getting rid of them . . . Best method . . . purchased organic slug bait and put in jars with holes in...

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Growing Tomatoes . . . soil additives

As an organic gardener, I'm always looking for tips from other gardeners who have successfully used what some would consider off-the-wall methods for maintaining healthy tomato plants. The following mix has been used by several gardeners  on the Organic Gardening website forum ....

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Cilantro ~ Grow it in your garden

Coriandrum Sativum . . . also known as Chinese parsley. The leafy part is called Cilantro, the seed is known as Coriander. Cilantro loses its flavor when dried or cooked, so it is best used fresh. Since Cilantro plants grow and go to seed quickly, it is best to plant them continuously...

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Mosaic Trash to Treasure

This gorgeous mosaic planter started off as a concrete slab piece with square inserts that someone had ready for the trash.  It goes to show you that one person's trash is another's treasure.  I love the use of mosaic tiles! Click here for the tutorial on how it went from a ready...

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Container Gardening in the Shade

Awesome containers! Utilizing containers in different shapes, sizes and colors can add lots of interest to the garden landscape. I love container gardening in shady areas of the garden, but not all plants can tolerate shade.  Find the plants that love the shade and the results...

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Outdoor Seating Areas

Having a larger sized property makes it possible to have various seating areas for the versatility of having smaller secluded quiet  spaces and the larger spaces for entertaining. The Captain and and I are currently clearing out our large property that is still way overgrown,...

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Coffee grounds in the garden?

Don't throw away your used coffee grounds!!  Fertilize your acid loving plants with old coffee grounds . . . they will love it!  Did you know that used coffee grounds repel snails and slugs? Add to your garden soil before seed planting or work in plants already planted.  Used...

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Want to grow your own tomatoes?

Although we got a late start, we are enjoying tasty tomatoes our tomato plants are putting out. In the past, we have been able to grow our tomatoes all year long, which is what we are setting out to do.  There is nothing like picking your own tomatoes off the plant for dinner . . . and...

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Creative Garden Design

Michelle is "consumed by seeing art and design in everyday life." It is apparent in her awesome landscape designs that is a mix of gardening and art with awesome and unusual results. Her blog, Garden Porn, is an art gallery for the gardener who loves putting an artistic touch in...

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Trash to Treasure

What an awesome idea for yard sale treasures! My grandmother used one of these to make her  tasty mashed potatoes.  It brings back lots of  great memories :)   I'd love to make one of these for the carport jungle! Click here for a tutorial on how  to make...

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Driftwood Plant Container

Container gardening is one of my favorite methods of gardening.   One of the things I love most is being creative with containers.   I love this container featuring driftwood! Click here for a tutorial of how to make it . . . awesome idea! ...

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Grassless Wishes

I already dislike grass in the landscape . . . then the lawn mower decided to quit working with flowering weeds looming in the midst of a sparse lawn.  That was it for me . . . no more grass . . . it is history! The more landscape design research I do, the more I am loving large winding paths,...

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