Sunday, December 14, 2025

Holiday Cactus Growing Guide

 


Photo source: Birds and Blooms


"A holiday cactus is a festive treat for gardeners. This easy-care houseplant is the gift that keeps on giving." - comment from Birds and Blooms

This beautiful cactus can also be grown outdoors in a subtropical climate.  We used to grow them in hanging pots for the carport jungle.

Click here to go to the article page on Birds and Blooms for everything you want to know about Christmas Cactus.


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Saturday, December 13, 2025

Keep Your Flowerbeds Weed Free

 



"If you are tired of battling weeds year after year, only to give up on your flowerbeds by mid-summer, it’s time to stop the madness. And you really won’t believe how easy it can be. In fact, it probably means actually working less than you ever have in year’s past!" - comment from This Is My Garden.com.

I'm ready to pay someone to lay down cardboard and cover it with landscape fabric.  Joking but not joking . . .

Click here to go to the article.



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Friday, December 12, 2025

How To Water Poinsettias – Why You Should Be Misting Your Poinsettia Plants!

 


Photo source:  Old World Garden Farms

"Did you know that how you water your poinsettias during the holiday season is one of the biggest factors of all in determining just how long your plant will keep it’s gorgeous colorful leaves in place throughout the holiday season – and that misting your poinsettia regularly can play a huge role in that too?" - comment from Old World Garden Farms about the article.

Since I grew my poinsettias outdoors, I didn't know about misting them.  Check out the article if you did not know it either.

Click here to go to the article.



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Wednesday, December 10, 2025

What To Do For Daylilies In The Fall – For Bigger Blooms Next Year


Photo source: Simple Garden Life

"As it turns out, fall is actually the perfect time to provide a little care for the daylilies growing in your flowerbeds. As the cooler autumn temperatures settle in, a little bit of work now with your daylilies will pay big dividends for your plants next year – and beyond" from Simple Garden Life.

This is a good article for me to reference back to since I was thinking about growing flowering bulb plants that I know little about.  Actually, I'm not sure if I can grow then in zone 9.  They sure produce gorgeous flowers.

Click here to go to the article.

 



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Nutty and Fun Facts About Squirrels

 


Photo source:  Birds and Blooms

The photo of the squirrel reminded me of how much I love them.

After I quit working way too long in the not-so-nice corporate environment, my back yard became my sanctuary.  My back yard is huge, so I had lots of room to set up many feeding stations for the birds and the squirrels.  They were not scared of me being outside, they were used to me.  So I got to see them in their little world being themselves.  It was quite an experience to see them interact with each other and the birds.  Their quarrels were very entertaining.  Too bad I don't have videos.  I'll have to pull out photos of the feeding stations and bird bath with all of them out there.

My dogs were not fond of them at all!  It was funny but not funny how my beagle would present me with a squirrel in her mouth often when I let her out for a while to run around and have fun.  I'd open the door to let her in and there she was, so proud looking.  One time she just brought me a tail.  lol I miss those days!

The excellent article from Birds and Blooms is very interesting if you love squirrels or just want to know more about them and their little antics.

Click here to go there.  




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How Long Poinsettias Really Last—and How You Can Maximize Their Lifespan


Photo source: Gina Alfani

The poinsettia in the photo is from my yard many years ago.  I'm sorry to say it is no longer living since after JR, my first husband, passed away I had no interest in gardening or anything else.  But I have my photos that I cherish.

There was a cluster of the plants and they lasted for years.  After the holidays, the flowers would fade, but the plant remained healthy.  That is because I took good care of it and I am in zone 9.

The article comes from Martha Stewart.com and here is what they had to say about the article:  "How long do poinsettias typically last, and how can you help them live a long, healthy life? We spoke to gardening experts and got the full scoop."

Click here to go to the article where there is lots of information provided on everything you want to know about poinsettia.

How To Keep Your Poinsettias Blooming Better & Longer This Year!

An article from oldworldgardenfarms.com


 

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How You Can Help Birds in Cold Winter Weather

 


Photo source:  Birds and Blooms

Although birds can adapt to weather conditions, there are things we can do to help them.  Thinking about them adapting to weather conditions, I often wonder what they do to survive a hurricane.  Squirrels too.  Nature is amazing.

The featured article comes from Birds and Blooms and provides excellent information on ways you can help the birds.

Click here to go to the article.




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Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Make Your Real Christmas Tree Last All Through The Holidays

 


Photo source:  Rural Sprout

Real Christmas trees can be very pricey, so why not do everything you can to keep them as healthy as possible so they will last through the holidays.  I have used fake Christmas trees, but there is nothing like a real one with their beauty and wonderful Christmas smell until the needles start falling off.

Rural Sprout has an excellent article that goes into everything about real Christmas trees starting with the selection of the tree.

Click here to go to the article.



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Saturday, November 22, 2025

Overwintering perennials and shrubs in containers

 


Photo Source: Proven Winners

Many would like to overwinter their container plants for use again the next year, especially if they are on a tight budget.

Kerry Meyer at Proven Winners has written a very informative article on overwintering perennials and shrubs in containers.  Topics include what to do with potted plants at the end of the season, choosing the best plants for overwintering, choosing a container, care considerations, and overwintering marginally hardy plants.

Click here to go to the article.  Thank  you Kerry.

Here is a video to go with the article.


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Friday, November 21, 2025

Why is my poinsettia losing leaves?

 

Photo source:  Rural Sprout


Poinsettias are beautiful when they are blooming, but it is distressing if they start losing their leaves.

Tracey at Rural Sprout gives us the reasons why and the solutions in her article.  Click here to go to the article.





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