Garden Stuff, etc.
Notes from "Norm"
Some housekeeping chores that need to be done on an ongoing basis:
Flower Pots...Disinfect all pots as you empty them or do it when you have a "batch", just be sure to do it.
It's heartbreaking to pot up something and then have it die for no apparent reason except that you were in a hurry and grabbed a dirty container. Soak pots in one part bleach to 10 parts water for twenty minutes then scrub with a stiff brush. Allow to dry thoroughly before reusing.
Fruit Trees...Make sure you pick up all fallen fruit and keep the area to the drip-line clean and weed free. If the tree didn't drop enough fruit by itself, thin to make room for each piece to develope. Some experts reccomend needing 50 leaves to support one piece of fruit. Fallen fruit and debris attract all kinds of pests right up to opposums and raccoons. Weeds just compete with water and nutrient needs.
Pots without Drainage...Do you have a great looking cache pot that you are afraid to drill holes in? Choose a small strip of fabric the same color as pot, or if foliage will cover one side have your fabric in that shade of green. Press several inches into the soil and let the other end hang over the side. It will wick away the excess water and you won't have to worry about drowning your plants.
How much is a cubic yard?...About the size of your washing machine. Or look at 27 one cubic bags of fertilizer etc.
A number to keep handy: ASPCA 24-hour emergency poison hotline 1/888-426-4435
They also have up to date lists of poisonous plants, toxic plants as well as plants toxic to specific animals.
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Since we last got together I have been a busy little person. I attended the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. Had a wonderful time, spent money I didn't have, and came home loaded with treasure. (in my arms as well as my head)
One idea i noticed several of the gardens utilized; building pots. or large statuary into walls or fences. Below a couple of examples............. Sure beats a board fence you have to stain every year.
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Last issue I promised terrariums. Now that I'm on the look out I've seen some great ideas. I find myself hunting for unusual containers, thinking inside the box, literally.
As long as you have drainage the planting part is no different than potting up a pansy. If it's a sealed container, bottle, etc. then it's a completely different story, some add charcoal, some, rocks or pebbles in the bottom. Ann Whitman at Gardener's Supply has one of the best tutorials I've seen.
At our local Habitat for Humanity "Restore" I found some industrial lights that screamed to be taken home. They are now set up outside my door to the patio. They make me smile everytime I open that door.
Top pix has my herd of sheep
Middle has a small flock of pink flamingos
Industrial Lighting fixtures, on end
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Another fun thing I did this last month and I have the picture to prove it. I have a new camera, can you tell? I lined up with half of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county residents to burst into one of the nurserys on the recent Greenhouse open house and Tour. The conversations overheard while waiting made the time pass quickly. Many a spouse realized very quickly, they were brought along to be a pack horse. I had never before seen one person carry six hanging baskets, quite a feat.
THIS IS JUST WHAT WE COULD FIT BEHIND THE REAR SEAT, YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR OR OUR LAPS. THIS IS TRUELY AND EVENT NOT TO BE MISSED!
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After the recent rains we all know it's a great time to pull weeds, what we sometimes forget is, it's also a great time to apply a pre-emergent. Some of the newer data is showing that the soil about an inch below the surface warms up several weeks earlier than previously thought. If you apply the pre-emergent too late you've wasted not only your time but your money, and you'll be out there pulling weeds again way too soon. Pull those weeds now, rough up / cultivate the surface, apply your pre-emergent and figure out something else to do with all your free time. Just don't forget to re-apply the pre-emergent again in 4 months.
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I consider kitchen garbage next to gold and garbage disposals, thieves. An easy sanitary way to handle your peelings, skins etc. is to put them in the freezer. The actual freezing bursts the cells and when they eventually come in contact with the soil they break down in record time becoming food for all those beneficial organisms lurking beneath the surface. I take my small freezer container out any time of the year, dig a hole between a couple of plants and dump it. Usually I top it of with a small piece of cardboard to alert me if I dig there again too soon. Cover it all with soil and wait for the earthworms, they usually show up first, being attracted to the cardboard.
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When we get early warm weather, often times the urge to think it's permanent is overwhelming, I know from personal experience. Our last freeze dates vary from sometime in mid February (Santa Barbara) to sometime in April and even May in places like Cuyama or Paso Robles. Check with your Sunset Western Garden Book and still be cautious.
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