All posts filed under: DIY

Zone 4 Annuals and Perennials in a Boarder Garden

How to Design and Prepare Your Own Garden For Planting

Published by

Creating a Garden Border: When should I start in the spring? You can start planning indoors on paper in January Outdoor work can begin as early as March in the Midwest, or as soon as the ground is thawed.  The layout work can be done as long as there’s no snow on the ground so you can see what you are doing. Planting is best to be done in the spring for Herbaceous Perennials.  Trees and shrubs can be planted in the spring, or fall for the best success rate.  You can still plant in the summer, but you have to be religious about remembering to water to protect your green investments! 10 Steps to Getting That Garden Started: Be sure to have all your utility lines flagged before you start! Lay out the flower bed with a garden hose to achieve the shape. Then spray Roundup on the grass now to kill it off. Or, if you don’t want to mess w/Roundup, lay out the bed w/garden hose…spraypaint the border, Rent a sod cutter …

How much concrete should I order?

Calculators for Landscape and Concrete Projects

Published by

I just found a cool website that has a calculator for just about any DIY home project! So cool, I thought I should share! Here you go! 5https://www.omnicalculator.com/construction#s-5

Scarlet Runner Beans and Cardinal Climber Vines, Unique Flowers and Beautiful Shades of Bright Red

Published by

My husband, Tim, also a horticulturist, has always been fascinated with the Cardinal Climber Vine, the pentagonal shaped flower with an embossed star shape of sorts shown sitting in the palm of my hand in the photo on the above left. I have always been intrigued by the beautiful red Scarlet Runner Bean, above right. This year, Tim, who is so awesome at remembering to plant seeds, got them planted by our front porch step this spring! Now that I have seen these plants in action, I love them even more! Each flower shape is so unique and intricately detailed! I cannot fathom how such small flowers, each smaller than a quarter, can house such fascinating floral architecture! They are truly miraculous specimens to behold! Especially, if you stop for a moment, to examine them up close, and even dissect them. I hope to one day, get my hands on a macro lens, so that I can capture the intricate details of flowers. Until then, you’ll just have to plant some yourself, or take my …

How to Root Coleus

Published by

Ahhhh, the Coleus….with it’s beautiful, vibrant color combinations, and intricately shaped leaf edgings, it’s no wonder we all wish they could last forever!

Self Watering Seed Starting Kits

Published by

I found something interesting today related to seed starting.  The older I get, the more I think I should simplify. I was looking around on line for some cool indoor containers that would be fun to grow basil seeds and found this cute little kit.  It seems a bit pricey, but it looks sleek and contained. This unit is self contained and includes: a grow light a self watering system with water reservoir cartridges of special soil with seeds already embedded in them (evidently these are re-usable)   How it works: According to the video, you pop in a pre-planted seed thingy that has the perfect amount of nutrients, special soil, etc. all in a cartridge of sorts. pop in a cartridge, fill a reservoir with water, and plug it in. Self watering seeds are a go.   Who Could Benefit from a Product Like This: It could potentially be awesome if you are one of those crazy busy people who wants fresh basil, but can’t handle one more thing to remember to take care …