Seize the opportunity offered by stormy weather to clean and sharpen your garden tools. William Bryant Logan, author of Smith and Hawken’s The Tool Book (Workman, 1997), suggests a simple maintenance regime. First scrub the dirt off your shovels, trowels, forks and pruners, then plunge the long handled tools into a sand filled bucket to which a bit of vegetable oil has been added, finish off by wiping everything off with an oiled rag.
For pruners dulled by use and abuse a little sharpening work now translates into clean cuts that heal quickly. Fine Gardening offers detailed pruner sharpening instructions with video
Archives: Garden Tips
Gardening tips and suggestions.
Garden Tip #95
Wondering which brand of pruners to buy? Go to GardenToolReview.com to read recommendations from Genevieve Schmidt, an opinionated and active gardener who blogs at the North Coast Gardening website
Garden Tip #76
Having a hard time supporting your plant habit? Or maybe you rent your house and don’t want to invest money in a garden you may leave in a few years? You could get a part time job at a nursery where you’ll receive a discount on plants and get first dibs on the many scrappy-looking plants that end up in the dumpster. Or, you could read one of these fine books:
Plants for Free: how to create a great garden for next-to-nothing by Sharon Amos (Time-Life, $16.95) focuses on simple propagation methods and includes a mini encyclopedia of plants that are easy to divide or start from seed or that root from cuttings. Self-sowing annuals are featured, including Pot Marigold, Lady’s Mantle, Honesty and Rose Campion.
The Frugal Gardener: how to have more garden for less money by Catriona Tudor Erler (Rodale, out of print, but available used online) also teaches about propagation in addition to chapters on soil, cutting maintenance costs, and budget design. The chapter on cost-conscious garden projects gives detailed instructions on building pathways, rustic trellis and PVC pergola.
Frugal Tip: Create mini-greenhouses for frost tender plants in the spring by wrapping a wire tomato cage with clear plastic punched with a few holes for ventilation.
Online articles on budget gardening:
frugalliving.about.com/od/gardeningfrugally
Garden Tip #82
Treat fallen leaves like the resource they are. Under the dripline of a tree, let leaves lay where they fall so nature can recycle the nutrients back to the tree. Yes, the leaves may kill the grass, but tree roots don’t like the competition from grass anyway. Outside of the dripline shred leaves with your lawnmower. Mixed in with grass clippings the shredded leaves will break down fairly fast and feed the lawn.
Still feel compelled to rake those leaves? Fill a few black plastic garbage bags, add a shovel-full of soil and then stash the bags for about 9 months. You’ll be rewarded with what the British refer to as “leaf mould.” Use leaf mould as mulch or as an earth-friendly substitute for peat moss. Stash the bags under the deck or porch or even under the shrubbery. Just mark your calendar for next July so you don’t forget. If individual leaves can still be recognized wait a few more months or use it as a mulch around perennials. For a good article on leaf mould go to the Irish Peatland Conservation Council
Garden Tip #79
Use the right tool for the job. Bypass pruners (with blades arranged like scissors) make the cleanest cut. Anvil pruners may feel more powerful, but the blade tends to crush small branches, leaving a jagged wound more vulnerable to rot. But anvil pruners are essential if wrists are weak. If bypass pruners aren’t working it’s time to move up to a lopper or a pruning saw. For a concise discussion of all the various pruning tools go to: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/pruningtools.html
Garden Tip #80
While native plants are all the rage these days some gardeners desire the look of a desert oasis. The members of the Pacific Northwest Palm & Exotic Plant Society plant hardy palms, New Zealand Flax and cold-tolerant bananas. The society holds regular meetings, plus garden tours, plant sales and social events. They also publish the quarterly newsletter The Hardy Palm with articles on culture, design and member profiles. While most members live in British Columbia they are looking to gain new members in Oregon and Washington. Membership costs $40.00 per year. To join contact Frank Hunaus at 604-271-9524 or go to www.hardypalm.com.
Garden Tip #73
Most gardeners, at one time or another, attempt to get a garden design down on paper. Those of us lacking drawing skills often find the exercise yields disappointing results. We may be tempted to buy design software, but the good programs cost hundreds of dollars and have a high learning curve. Before investing in an expensive program try a simplistic, but free version from the King County Native Plant Guide. Whether you are a seasoned gardener wanting to go native or just getting started you can use these landscaping plans to get ideas or for a complete yard makeover. The sample plans will not work for every yard and situation but you can use them to help you get started. The main benefit from this program is having a chance to try out different designs without spending a dime. Remember, you get what you pay for!
Garden Tip #68
Seed racks are sprouting up at nurseries and grocery stores across the city – it’s time to start seeds. One reason to start your own transplants is to save money. One packet of 50 marigold seeds typically costs the same as one 4″ little start. The budget growing may extend into seed growing supplies by using recycled plastic pots from last season or even reusing individual yogurt containers or other comparable containers. “Growing chambers” can be made on the cheap from clear plastic bags and chop sticks to keep the moist plastic off emerging sprouts. The frugal gardener will be tempted to put those seedlings in a south facing window, but beware: Pacific Northwest windows are NOT bright enough to produce healthy, sturdy seedlings.
Invest in a 4 foot fluorescent shop light from the hardware store. It is worth the small amount of money. Buy one 40 watt cool tube and one warm tube, or if you’re feeling extravagant buy the full spectrum grow lights, which will cost more. These lights should be replaced every year or at least every two years. Once your seedlings are up, the lights should be about 2 – 4 inches above the leaves. This can be tricky if you have plants growing at different rates. Try placing a platform under the short seedlings.
For a full explanation of fluorescent lights for seedlings go online to:
http://www.garden.org/articles/articles.php?q=show&id=817
Garden Tip #66
Become a garden voyeur this season by participating in one of the many organized private garden tours.
The Garden Conservancy is a national organization dedicated to preserving America’s most significant private gardens. Each year hundreds of private gardens hold Open Days to raise money to support Garden Conservancy’s work of preserving private gardens for future generations to enjoy. The current year’s Open Days Directory is for sale in winter and is useful for planning garden touring trips across the country. Available online at www.gardenconservancy.org/ or call (845) 265 2029. Washington had nearly 40 private gardens open in 2004. There is a nominal admission charge to visit each garden.
Local communities also organize charitable garden tours which usually feature 5 to 10 private gardens within driving distance. Some tours also include speakers or music. The Elisabeth C. Miller Library compiles a list of regional tours.
Garden Tip #63
From knock-your-socks-off colors of Coleus to the dreamy silver elegance of Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum), the theme is foliage. Flowers, mostly, are ephemeral. For longer lasting color with less fuss, combine foliage plants in your garden design.
Ornamental Foliage Plants, by Denise Greig (Firefly Books, $45) inspires with a section on foliage plants for specific themes and situations. Judy Glattstein’s prose in Consider the Leaf: Foliage in Garden Design, (Timber Press, $24.95) is rich with experience and example, including information about growth habits and care. David Joyce organizes plants by leaf shape and size, texture, color, and overall plant form in Foliage: Dramatic and Subtle Leaves for the Garden (Trafalgar Square Publishing, $35). The highlight of Leaf, Bark and Berry: Gardening with Foliage Plants, by Ethne Clarke, is a plant directory organized by color groups with luscious photos (out of print, but available through online booksellers and at the Miller Library).
On the web, the University of Illinois Extension has an attractive and easy to use Fabulous Foliage website for using plants with colored foliage. Give it a try.