Saturday, July 9, 2011

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 (every three weeks is suggested) throughout the growing season (spring and fall) to keep the crop going.  Summer heat will speed up the growing process, quickly seeding the plants when soil temperatures reach 75 degrees.  

The plants love growing in a moist, well-drained soil mulched with compost for nutrients and root protection to keep the soil cooler to prolong growing.  The shade from closely growing plants also keeps the roots cooler.

The plants do not grow well indoors . . . they require mostly full sun, although it is possible to grow in morning sun and afternoon shade.  In general, they are a cool season plant and best grown in the ground since they don't tolerate transplanting well.

To prolong leaf growing, trim off flower heads as soon as they start to flower.  You can allow the flowers to mature and seed . . . they will resow and another crop will be ready in a few weeks.  The seeds can also be collected when they turn brown to use as coriander or to dry out and save for replanting.  Keep your seeds in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for use as a culinary spice in cooking or as seeds for next year's crop.  

The cilantro leaves are ready to harvest about 8 weeks from seed and can be cut any time during the growth period.  Cutting the outer leaves first is recommended so the smaller leaves can continue to grow.  It is best to harvest before it begins to seed, which produces bitter tasting leaves. 









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Thursday, July 7, 2011

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 for the trash concrete slab to gorgeous mosaic planter.

Creative projects for the garden are so cool!




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Monday, July 4, 2011

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 are awesome!

Click here for an excellent article from Fine Gardening that lists shade loving plants and tips for growing container plants in shady areas.  Lots of great tips!

The photo source is Fine Gardening.





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Thursday, June 30, 2011

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, making way for new and
exciting areas which are still in the planning stages.

I'll be featuring more garden spaces that inspire me, along
with informative articles that I find as we go through our
inspirational planning stage.

I love this intimate outdoor garden spot . . . a great little place to
escape and enjoy nature.  Love the chairs and the placement of
container plants to create the barrier.  The use of the fence as
a backdrop rather than trying to hide it is a great idea!

Click here for an informative article from Fine Gardening entitled
"Seating Areas Made Simple" for tips on creating awesome spaces
on your property.  The photo comes from this article.



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Saturday, June 25, 2011

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 coffee grounds also repel ants . . . 

Spread used coffee grounds around your flower beds to keep the cats from using your garden as a litter box.  

I never throw away left over coffee in the pot! What I do is add water to fill the pot and water the container plants in my carport jungle. They love it! 

 Of course your compost pile will also love those used coffee grounds . . .



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Sunday, June 12, 2011

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 you can never have too many tomatoes!

If you need information on how to grow your own tomato plants, Fine Gardening has an awesome video series covering various topics.  Click here to go to their tomato page.

And if you haven't checked it out yet, click here to go to my tomato links page.




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Thursday, June 9, 2011

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 their garden designs.  It is a
delight for the inspirational senses!

The above photo from her blog features an awesome staghorn fern
planting that is mixed with a variety of succulents displayed in a way
that we will definitely be doing for our carport jungle.  I've already
decided to cover the wire container with staghorn ferns since those
succulents don't do well in our humid climate.

Here is what I have done with staghorn ferns . . . they are featured
in a discarded book rack trash to treasure project that is still thriving
in our garden after a decade and survived some very harsh winters.


I started the staghorns as babies in the book rack that
was lined with chicken wire and gardening moss.  It has
grown in a semi-shady area and basically left alone for
at least the past 8 years.  This photo was taken four
years ago.  It is still thriving and growing in the same 
spot . . .  definitely a survivor!

We may scatter some baby staghorns around the sides of
the rack, which should make a spectacular feature in
 the garden.

More recent photos to come as soon as we refresh
the bald spots!







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Friday, June 3, 2011

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 one of your own.

I've often used many kitchen items in the
 garden.  My favorite is an old broken 
coffee maker that I painted . . .


One of the things I love creating most is giving
life to  an otherwise useless item.  You'd be
surprised what a difference a little paint makes.

Happy crafting and gardening!







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Saturday, May 28, 2011

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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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

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, raised beds and structures in the garden.


We have been thinking about different landscape designs for the front yard and my thinking is that a circular driveway nestled in between a cactus rock garden is the current winner.  It may take a while to get to this project, but the grass is definitely history.  The good news is that we have tons of cactus that the cold winters didn't kill from my days of massive propagation with hopes of a nursery business.


With a huge property as a blank canvas, half the fun is planning the landscape.  Unlike the last landscape design for our paradise, the new design must be as low-maintenance as possible.  My 24/7 gardening days are over . . . I want to enjoy, not work myself to death in the garden.


Click here to go to an article that addresses Low-Maintenance Alternatives to Lawns.


Something that I caught on one of the home and garden cable channels was artificial turf . . . I have not researched pricing, but I'm sure it carries a high price.  It is a consideration for small areas where a little patch of grass would be attractive.  I'll report my findings when I get to it . . .


How about you?  Do you love or hate lawns?


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