Grow a Lemon Tree in a Container

If you use lots of lemons in preparation of meals and beverages, there is nothing like having your own supply. Once established, your lemon tree will provide you and your friends with more than enough!

Want to know the secrets of one gardener who grows lemon trees in containers?  Click here.

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Creative Ways to Grow Herbs

I love growing herbs close to the kitchen.  In fact, they are beautiful grown indoors.

Container gardening is my preferred method of gardening since the plants are portable and can be moved from outdoors to indoors.

Click here to go to an article from The Empress of Dirt on being creative growing those herbs.  

Photo source is also The Empress of Dirt.

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Common Gardening Mistakes

Mistakes . . . we all make them!  We are not aware of some mistakes.

I ran across an excellent article on common gardening mistakes that all gardeners should read.  Some I was not aware of and through the years, I have done a ton of gardening research.  You never stop learning!

Click here to go to the very informative article 15 Common Gardening Mistakes Everyone Makes.

Some things to keep in mind . . .

Through my years of gardening in moderate zone 9 climate, the "rules" for winter depend on the weather.  It is not a bad idea to push the limits and experiment in certain climates.  For example, my best success in propagating hibiscus was during the winter when the temperatures were consistently in the 70s.  For one thing, I broke the cardinal rule of not hard pruning during the winter months.  

The experiment was a monumental success and I had a record number of hibiscus ready to plant in the spring and had enough to give away to other gardeners who were happy to share cuttings and surpluses of their own.  You never know unless you push the limits.

The photo is a version of my garden back in 2000.

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Small Garden Inspiration

Even though The Captain and I have a large property with way too many future projects, we decided to start in the Carport Jungle.  Now that our tomatoes, peppers and herbs are on their way, it is time for us to concentrate on landscape design.

Even if you have a large area that needs landscaping, start small or you may overwhelm yourself.  I speak from experience!  Better to concentrate on a small area at a time rather than nothing because of overwhelm. It is something I have a problem with in every area of my life . . . overwhelm!

One of my favorite things to do is browse the internet for some garden inspiration.  Love the small garden in the photo, which is from the Fine Gardening website, sent in by one of their readers Lily Jacobi.  Love the layering on different levels and the use of container gardening along with the visual pleasing rocks.

I've always loved container gardening versus hard landscaping.  The problem is that when my first husband passed away and I neglected the massive gardens on the property, the container plants grew out of control and took root into the ground.  Anyway, tackling that problem is a future project!  This year, The Captain and I have been transplanting our grown seedlings into containers since we could not decide on exactly where to put what.

Click here to go to the article at Fine Gardening.  Other readers have sent in their photos for more inspiration.

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Best Plants for Harvesting Seeds

As a little girl growing up, my dad taught me the joys of growing plants from seed.  For as long as I could remember, I had a little patch of my own to plant whatever I wanted . . . I always picked red zinnias.  He also taught me to check my zinnias often, cutting off the spent flowers so I could increase my inventory of seeds to plant in the future.  To a little girl, it was amazing to watch nature in action and exciting that I had a part in it.  

One of my favorite publications and website, Birds and Blooms have published a wonderful article on the 10 best plants for harvesting seeds.  Of course my beloved zinnias are listing . . . but there are nine more!  Click here to go to the article.

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Winter Sowing

Moving our clocks forward is around the corner which means so is spring!  Here in Florida, there is already a change in the air and it has been very pleasant to get out there and do pre-spring clean up.

Get an early start on spring by starting your seeds indoors.  There are so many methods and don't necessarily have to be expensive.  Utilizing egg cartons is my favorite method for seed starting.  The following article from HGTV Gardens has some other great ideas.

In the past I purchased my seeds from the popular catalog companies, which can get rather pricey.  Last year, I ordered lots of seed from Amazon.com which saved me quite a bit of money.  Check them out!  Even better . . . do a search on free seeds and you will find lots of offers for limited amounts of free seeds.  

Join a seed swapping group and get tons of seed for the price of postage unless you find a local seed swapping group that organizes get togethers.  In the past I've even swapped plants with other gardeners with great rewards of getting a ton of new plants for free and making some awesome gardening friends.  Back in the day, we hosted some awesome plant and seed swaps complete with BBQ grill going and everyone bringing a cover dish.  Loads of fun!

Gardening doesn't have to be fancy or expensive.  Just use your imagination and do your research!

I'm so ready for spring!!!

Winter Sowing

Satisfy the itch to garden in January by starting seeds—outdoors. Winter sowing techniques are super easy and reliable.

by Julie A. Martens, HGTV Gardens

"Get your hands dirty this winter by starting seeds outdoors using a practice called winter sowing. This method forgoes supplemental lighting and pricey seed-starting kits and lets nature’s rhythms coax seeds to sprout. Winter sowing is simple and yields sturdy seedlings that are ready to grow. If you have avoided starting seeds because you lack space or sunny windows, check out winter sowing.

To get started with winter sowing, you’ll need supplies you probably have around the house. Plastic containers, like milk jugs, 2-liter bottles or clear-lidded clamshell-type containers serve as a mini-greenhouse for the seeds. Use a box cutter or pen knife to cut around the middle of the container. Leave roughly a one-half inch section uncut to act as a hinge. What you’re doing is creating a hinged container that opens. Clamshell containers don’t require cutting.

Punch drainage holes in the bottom of the container. Use a lighter to heat the tip of the screwdriver to make punching through plastic easier. The container forms a mini-greenhouse for your seeds. Cut slits in the lid of the container to provide ventilation and prevent heat build-up. If your container has a lid (milk jug, 2-liter bottle), remove it.

Fill the container with 2 to 3 inches of soil. Winter sowing works best with a soil a mix that’s light and drains well. Bagged commercial peat moss and perlite mixes work great. Avoid mixes that feature water retention agents or moisture control properties. Wet soil thoroughly, place seeds on the surface, and add additional soil as needed to cover seeds. Pat the soil lightly to ensure good seed to soil contact, and close your container. Use a piece of duct tape to hold the container closed. Be sure to label containers with planting date and seed."

Photo and Article Source

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Plant a Spring Container Garden . . . Lettuces

It is never too early in the season to start thinking about spring plantings, especially if you live in a subtropical climate as I do.  

I found the following article very interesting since I love container gardening and have been meaning to give growing lettuces a try.  You may want to try growing lettuces this spring after reading this article!

Growing Gourmet Greens

Of all the planting I do each year, I think my spring container kitchen garden is my favorite. Maybe it’s because the containers are conveniently placed right outside the kitchen door or maybe it’s because it’s so easy to plant, maintain and harvest.

Whatever the reason, I look forward to the first cutting of container-grown spring greens. I prefer to plant and grow baby lettuce mixes because they grow quickly and a packet of seeds yields enough for many salads or sandwich toppings. They’re also inexpensive, too. These are the same pricey gourmet blends found in up-scale grocery stores, specialty produce markets and farmers’ markets.

I buy packets of mesclun which are mixes of small salad greens that vary in color, textures and flavors. Traditional mesclun salad mixes include chervil, arugula, lettuces and endive, but they can also include dandelion, mizuna, mâche, radicchio and sorrel.

Look for salad mixes that offer assorted colors, textures and flavors. I like combinations that include bronze and lime-green leaves, curley and leafy textures and flavors that are tangy or peppery. Baby leaf spinach is also a good choice.

The tender leaves will grow quickly and can be cut and recut several times. For a continuous harvest, sow successive batches until the weather gets too hot.

In addition to planting from seed, consider adding small transplants, like chives. The chives in my container are perennial, so they’re the first greens to appear in my container garden each year.

Planting is Super Simple

One of the advantages of planting in containers is that you can plant 4-6 weeks before the last killing frost in your area. Another advantage is that you don’t have to wait for the soil to warm before planting. Just fill a container with new potting soil and you’re ready to plant.

Planting Instructions

1. Fill a container with soil to within 2 inches of the rim.
2. Tear open a small corner of the seed packet.
3. Sprinkle seeds lightly over the top of soil, with seeds landing about a half inch apart.
4. Cover with a thin layer (about 1/4 inch) of soil.
5. Pat down the soil gently.
6. Water with a fine spray to keep seeds in their place.

Grow the plants by placing the container in a sunny spot and keeping the soil moist. When leaves are about 5 inches tall, grab a small section and use scissors to make a clean cut; leave several inches of plant remaining. New leaves will sprout from the roots you’ve left behind.

Wash greens carefully and blot dry. Use immediately in a spring salad or to top sandwiches. Refrigerated greens can be stored in a plastic bag for several days.

Disclaimer about photo and article source . . . In the past, I have given websites the courtesy of not cutting and pasting their articles into my blog posts and just providing a link to the article.  In going back through all of my blogs, it occurs to me that most websites reconfigure their websites often and wipe out articles all together or change the url, making it impossible to find the article again.  That is a major waste of time and lots of valuable information lost!

I would prefer to preserve the entire article and give the website credit for the article and promotion for their website.  In the case of this article, it comes from VegetableGardener.com, one of my favorite blogs.  An email subscription is available for their newsletters which is the source of this article.

Photo and article by Jodi Torpey

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Gardening tips from a master gardener

As a long time fan of Home and Garden Television (HGTV), the programming changes that have pushed my favorite gardening shows off the air continue to upset me.  Apparently, ratings for gardening shows fall short of the television executives' expectations and shows geared toward the real estate market have taken over the majority of their programming schedule.  Oh well, who am I to question the television experts?

One of my favorite gardening shows was Gardening by the Yard with Paul James.  He's a quirky guy with lots of gardening knowledge.  I sure do miss his shows and decided to do a search on him and found his website.  Of special interest was an article about the demise of Gardening by the Yard, according to Paul James.  Click here to go to the article.  Check out his website while you are there . . . although it does not seem to be updated regularly.

I found another article on the HGTV website featuring gardening tips from my favorite gardening guy . . . the link appears at the end of the article if you care to read more of the older articles from Paul James.

1. To remove the salt deposits that form on clay pots, combine equal parts white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to the pot and scrub with a plastic brush. Let the pot dry before you plant anything in it.

2. To prevent accumulating dirt under your fingernails while you work in the garden, draw your fingernails across a bar of soap and you'll effectively seal the undersides of your nails so dirt can't collect beneath them. Then, after you've finished in the garden, use a nailbrush to remove the soap and your nails will be sparkling clean.

3. To prevent the line on your string trimmer from jamming or breaking, treat with a spray vegetable oil before installing it in the trimmer.

4. Turn a long-handled tool into a measuring stick! Lay a long-handled garden tool on the ground, and next to it place a tape measure. Using a permanent marker, write inch and foot marks on the handle. When you need to space plants a certain distance apart (from just an inch to several feet) you'll already have a measuring device in your hand.

5. To have garden twine handy when you need it, just stick a ball of twine in a small clay pot, pull the end of the twine through the drainage hole, and set the pot upside down in the garden. Do that, and you'll never go looking for twine again.

6. Little clay pots make great cloches for protecting young plants from sudden, overnight frosts and freezes.

7. To turn a clay pot into a hose guide, just stab a roughly one-foot length of steel reinforcing bar into the ground at the corner of a bed and slip two clay pots over it: one facing down, the other facing up. The guides will prevent damage to your plants as you drag the hose along the bed.

8. To create perfectly natural markers, write the names of plants (using a permanent marker) on the flat faces of stones of various sizes and place them at or near the base of your plants.

9. Got aphids? You can control them with a strong blast of water from the hose or with insecticidal soap. But here's another suggestion, one that's a lot more fun; get some tape! Wrap a wide strip of tape around your hand, sticky side out, and pat the leaves of plants infested with aphids. Concentrate on the undersides of leaves, because that's where the little buggers like to hide.

10. The next time you boil or steam vegetables, don't pour the water down the drain, use it to water potted patio plants, and you'll be amazed at how the plants respond to the "vegetable soup."

11. Use leftover tea and coffee grounds to acidify the soil of acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, gardenias and even blueberries. A light sprinkling of about one-quarter of an inch applied once a month will keep the pH of the soil on the acidic side.

12. Use chamomile tea to control damping-off fungus, which often attacks young seedlings quite suddenly. Just add a spot of tea to the soil around the base of seedlings once a week or use it as a foliar spray.

13. If you need an instant table for tea service, look no farther than your collection of clay pots and saucers. Just flip a good-sized pot over, and top it off with a large saucer. And when you've had your share of tea, fill the saucer with water, and your "table" is now a birdbath.

14. The quickest way in the world to dry herbs: just lay a sheet of newspaper on the seat of your car, arrange the herbs in a single layer, then roll up the windows and close the doors. Your herbs will be quickly dried to perfection. What's more, your car will smell great.

Source

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Tips on growing basil

Our basil seedlings are growing like weeds!  We are going to have more basil plants than I have ever grown at one time :)  One can never have enough basil and I love giving them to friends and family to enjoy . . . ready to pinch and use in cooking.

Have you ever had a homemade pizza with just a little garlic and basil, topped with mozzarella or provalone cheese?  I can make a meal of it!

I've reposted the following information several times, but it is great information for anyone wanting to grow one of the easiest plants ever.  

Basil just loves to be pinched regularly and will reward you with thick bushy plants that will provide you with more than enough basil for your personal consumption and lots to give away to friends and family.  It is easy to dry and will last forever when stored properly (I use big glass jars with a tight fitting lid.)

Here is some information on growing basil from The Essential Herb Garden website.

GROWING BASIL FROM SEED

Sow the seeds in spring in seed trays and keep indoors or in a heated greenhouse until the seedlings reach the four-leaf stage. Keep well watered at all times whilst the seedlings are growing.

The seedlings can then be easily handled and transplanted out into pots or containers or directly into the garden in a well drained soil, where they can continue growing with the benefits of all the nutrients from the soil.

Plant the seedlings 50cm apart and keep shaded for the first few days and water regularly throughout to ensure healthy growth.

CONDITIONS FOR GROWING BASIL

Although basil likes sun, it must be planted in a sunny, sheltered spot away from wind and draughts.

Don't plant basil until all risk of frost has disappeared. During midsummer basil likes semi-shaded growing conditions.

GROWING BASIL IN THE GARDEN

Growing basil between tomatoes and other vegetables in the greenhouse or garden will benefit both the basil and the other vegetables.

Basil will enhance the flavors of the other vegetables growing around it and will also deter insects.

Growing basil in your garden will attract bees and butterflies if planted outside.

Growing basil under glass in a cool summer is a good way to ensure a lush and healthy plant and supply of leaves. Remember though, if you are growing basil in your garden, you should not plant it next to rue.

GROWING BASIL IN THE KITCHEN OR GREENHOUSE

Basil can quite easily be grown inside as long as it has a light and sunny spot on the windowsill or shelf in the greenhouse. If you keep the plants indoors you should be able to keep your basil growing well into the cooler months.

HARVESTING BASIL

Once the basil has grown to a height of about 15cm, you can start to take off the top sets of leaves. Pinch them out to the next set of leaves growing below. This will ensure a continual growth and should encourage a healthy, bushy basil plant.

Prune your basil every 2 or 3 weeks to ensure a healthy bushy plant.

Basil will continue growing throughout the summer and can ultimately reach up to 60cm in height. If the basil is left to flower, it will produce long spires of small, white tube shaped flowers.

To encourage a supply of leaves throughout the summer and autumn, pinch out the buds as soon as they appear.

BASIL FOLIAGE

Depending on the variety of basil you are growing, the juicy, oval leaves will grow up to 10cm in length and will be a glossy rich green. Basil is highly aromatic with a strong scent reminiscent of cloves.

Basil plants will cross pollinate very easily so if you are collecting and planting your own seeds year after year, you should notice some slight variations which makes growing basil an interesting hobby and pastime.

Get out and get your hands dirty!!

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Beautiful container plantings

Seems like I love container planting more and more as time goes by.  I love being creative and taking inspiration from other gardeners to come up with my own creations.  

Although there are many wonderful websites to inspire us, my latest favorite is Fine Gardening Magazine's website.  Of course, the website is my photo source!

Today's inspiration is a glimpse of Chanticleer Garden.

Looks like this gorgeous and unique container is more of a mini raised bed, put together with pieces of slate, cut in various sizes.  My idea is to make the pieces made of concrete . . . the forms would be super easy to make.  

Two of them placed diagonally would be awesome looking!  Wouldn't it?  I would love to see this exact design on a larger scale, placed diagonally, as the focal point of a front yard.  Awesome!  We are looking for ideas for raised beds as an alternative to way too much grass in the front yard and this design would be great.

Color variations are endless by using concrete tints or by painting them.  Anyway, love the design!  Who knows?  We may gather the energy to get this project done after the huge tree stump comes down!

Want to see more from Fine Gardening's article and many

 more ideas for container planting?  Click here

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Cranberry Hibiscus

We have officially started working in the carport jungle getting it cleaned up and organized.

The basil, tomato and pepper seedlings are thriving and we are so excited about getting our vegetable and herb gardens going.  For color in the garden, I have planted rainbow coleus, red salvia and marigold seeds this week.

Today we cut down a pesky cranberry hibiscus that came up out of nowhere in a pile of leaves on the carport . . . in the way!  The plan is to do a mass planting of them in the front yard since they thrive in the full sun and other than keeping them pruned to avoid a leggy plant, they are really maintenance free.  I cut the plant up into a ton of pieces and got the propagation process going.  I've never tried propagating them before, but after doing some research online, they seem to be a very hardy plant which propagates easily.  I also gathered many seed pods that I plan on getting started in the next couple of days.

Since we are gardening on a tight budget, the more plants we can use from existing plants, the better.

Want to know more about the Cranberry Hibiscus?

  Here are some links:

A previous post about these gorgeous plants from this blog.

A plant guide and discussion about this plant from Dave's Garden.

All about the Cranberry Hibiscus plant from the University of Florida.


Are you getting your hands
 dirty in the garden yet?

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Elegant Garden

The elegance of this garden immediately caught my attention when I was browsing through Fine Gardening's garden photo section for some garden inspiration.  

Photo: Courtesy of Barbara Nuffer via Fine Gardening

Since our property is so large and we really don't want to be a slave to the garden as I have been in the past, the general thinking has been to design raised beds around large paths.  Barbara's garden in upstate New York is exactly what has been going through my mind.  Click on the Fine Gardening link to read the entire article featuring her garden and more photos.

An excerpt from the article . . .

"This garden is a raised bed. The shape is a 20-foot-diameter circle with a gravel path at ground level leading to a fountain in the center of the circle, and continuing to a bench. The outer perimeter of the garden is a 2-foot-tall stone wall. The interior wall is pressure treated 1 x 6s cut into 3-foot lengths and sunk into the ground 12 inches. Since portions of this wall are curved, we used metal strapping nailed to the back of the pieces of wood to hold it in place. They are slanted slightly back towards the bed. The shape is really pretty in winter as the sun sets behind it. A natural stream is down the hill behind the garden so you hear running water as a backdrop.

We lined the bed with black plastic with some drainage holes punched in it. My soil mixture included 6 cubic foot bags of coarse texture vermiculite. We mixed this with potting soil that contained lots of peat. This was suitable because I was planning to use acid-loving plants. We also mixed in two parts of topsoil. The proportions were one part vermiculite to one part potting soil to two parts topsoil. The bed was well moistened and mulched with finely ground cedar bark."

Awesome inspiration!

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Raised Beds

Need some inspiration for your spring garden?

Click here for an awesome gallery of raised beds!

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Container gardening in the landscape

Love the simplicity of the container plants in this gorgeous Tennessee garden.

Fine Gardening has featured Jeff Calton's beautiful garden, which is a mix of landscaped areas with lush lawns, trees, lots of blooms and container gardens.

Click here to go to the article . . .


Photo: Courtesy of Jeff Calton via Fine Gardening

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Claude Monet's garden in Giverny

Photo from

Claude Monet's garden in Giverny

Courtesy of Maria Fleming via Fine Living Magazine

Fruit trees don't have to stand alone!  

I love the mass planting at the base of these fruit trees  . . . looks like impatiens to me, a plant that I have used extensively in my garden to liven up boring spots in the shade.

Find a flowering plant that works in your climate and fill in those boring spots in your garden!

Check out more photos of Claude Monet's spectacular garden . . . click here.

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Margaret's Container Gardening Tips

Planting in containers is my preferred method of gardening.  Containers can add a new dimension of color and texture to your garden.


One of my newest discoveries on the internet is "A Way To Garden" by Margaret Roach.  


Click here for an awesome article and podcast with Margaret's Container Gardening Tips.  The awesome photo comes from that article!

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Beautiful Flowering Variegated Gingers

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year in subtropical Florida.  The Captain and I visited Busch Gardens this month and will be featuring plants and landscaping from the beautiful gardens.

The first in the series is 

Variegated Gingers

Flowering variegated gingers were featured in this raised bed at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.

A close up shows the beautiful flowers that remind me of clusters of pearls.

The variegated ginger is a green tropical perennial which grows up to ten feet tall outdoors and 3–4 feet tall indoors. 

They do very well in the shade as well as the morning sun, however, they don't do well in the hot afternoon sun.  They are reasonably drought tolerant with little insect or disease problems. 

For more information on these showy, easy to grow plant, visit my webpage dedicated to growing gingers.

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