Using Newspapers Control Weeds

To save money instead of puchasing expensive landscape cloth, herbicides or spending hours on your hands and knees pulling weeds plain old newspapers are a great way to control weeds. Use several sheets of newspaper the same way you would a landscape cloth. Cover the newspaper with soil, mulch, grass clippings or landscape stones. The newspapers allow moisture into the soil and blocks weeds for 3 years or more. The thicker the newspaper is applied the longer it will last. Over time the newspaper will compost into the soil. Also you can run old newspaper through your paper shredder and add it to your compost pile. The shredded paper will compast within a few weeks.

How to take care of your lawn in the summer heat

The most important thing that you can do to take care of your lawn during the hot summer months is to properly water it. The stress of the summer heat makes proper watering important.

Water your lawn early in the morning. During the day up to 30% of the water from a sprinkler can evaporate before even hitting the ground! Water ing in the early morning hours prevents the water being lost to evaporation and allows it to soak into the ground before the heat of the sun can evaporate it. Do not water at night. Night watering invites fungus to form in your yard.

During the summer months cut your grass higher then you normally do during the spring and fall months. I recommend setting your mower blade at least one inch higher during the summer months. I like to cut my grass at least 4 inches tall during the hot summer weather.  The taller grass blades will help to shade your root zone and retain moisture.

Keep your mower blades sharp. The sharp blade cuts the grass blade straight across. A straight cut blade of grass will seal faster to retain water then a ragged edge grass blade from a dull lawn mower blade.  Leave your lawn clippings on the ground to decompose and also help keep the moisture in the ground.

Always fertilize your lawn in the spring. Do not fertilize in the summer. The fertilizer will put your lawn into distress. The fertilizer application you made in the spring suffice.  See our blog on using compost to fertilize your yard.

If you have areas of brown dead grass check to see if weather you can pull the grass up by its roots or not. Grass that is suffering from drought damage will not pull up by the roots. If the grass does pull up by the roots it you may have an infestation of bill bugs. Check with your local lawn and garden store for how to properly treat for bill bugs.

Remember that during June, July and August keeping the lawn sufficiently watered is the key to having a healthy lawn. With a great looking healthy lawn, garden accents from www.gardenaccentheaven.com will give your lawn that unique look that only you can give it to personalize your lawn.

Summertime Watering Tips

Here are some tips on what I do to keep Linda’s Serenity Garden looking good without wearing myself out.

Watering

Watering is a chore that has to be done all summer long. By using water wisely, rather than drenching your entire garden, you will have  a better looking garden.  I concentrate my efforts on the following:

• Plants growing in pots, containers and hanging baskets dry out very quickly, often in the course of a few hours on a bright, hot, sunny day.
• Herbaceous perennials can suffer during sustained dry spells.
• Newly planted shrubs and trees are very vulnerable to drought stress. As a guideline any shrub or tree planted in the last four to five years are vulnerable.
• Any freshly sown or newly planted plants are at risk of drying out.
• Leafy garden vegetables such as lettuce and spinach should never be allowed to dry out. Other crops should be kept watered well when sowing and transplanting.  When they are developing the part that your eat, do not allow them to become dry.
• Lawns can swallow large amounts of water which can be very wasteful and expensive as that water meter spins around and around. Unless you have a very high quality lawn, reduce the amount of watering or stop watering the lawn all together. Instead make sure your lawn is feed. See the article on composting your garden at :http://gardenaccentheaven.wordpress.com/category/composting/

Mow your lawn less often with the blades of your mower set higher than normal. I like to mow my grass with the blade set about 3 to 4 inches above the ground. Keep your blade sharp. A sharp blade, cutting the blades of grass, set up high leaves a nice straight edge that seals fast and keeps the moisture in the blades of grass. A dull blade leaves a jagged edge that takes longer to seal its self and more moisture is lost.

Mid to Late Summer Gardening Tips

Here are some tips on what I do to keep Linda’s Serenity Garden looking good without wearing myself out.

The Ornamental Garden

Now is the time to deadhead your flowing plants. This will help them to keep producing blooms over a longer period. This is a task that you can do while enjoying a summers evening. Get into the habit of taking a stroll around your garden every evening. Stop and snip or pinch off spent blooms. If you do a little of it often, then it is not a big project, rather,  a way to enjoy  the plants in your garden.

The Vegetable Garden

Harvest your vegetables as soon as they are ready to eat. You will enjoy them at their peak of sweetness and flavor.  Harvest continuous producers regularly to encourage more fruits to develop.

 

House Plants

It should now be warm enough for you to take your house plants out into the garden for a summer holiday which they will appreciate.

Lawns

If you didn’t get around to feeding your lawn in the spring, you can still apply a fast lawn feed now. You will really notice the results. Be prepared to push the lawn mower more often however!

 

Since you will be out in your garden more often during the summer months, take the opportunity to assess your garden and make notes of any changes you would like to make.  It always helps to take some photos though out the season to remind you what the borders looked like at various times. Digital cameras are great to use for doing this.

Do not forget that it is also time to be putting out garden decor and accents in your garden and lawn. Visit www.gardenaccentheaven.com and check out the large selection of bird houses, birdfeeders, bird baths, garden gnomes, fountains, statues, English garden houses and troughs, wind chimes and much more. These will give your garden that unique personality that only you can give it.

Early Summer Gardening Tips

Here are some tips on what I do to keep Linda’s Serenity Garden looking good without wearing myself out.

My ornamental garden beds

By early summer all danger of late frosts should have passed, it’s safe to plant tender summer bedding plants and to position summer containers and hanging baskets outside. In the Pacific Northwest, where I live,  this is normally about Memorial Day.

Now is the time to stake or support plants before they flop over. Once they have flopped over it’s very hard to rectify the situation! I use readymade plant supports from the garden store. I also construct my own using bamboo canes, sticks, and plastic coated stakes  pushed into the soil.  When tieing back plants do not use wire as it will damage the plant. Use hemp twine or a similar twine product. I also use my old panty hose and stockings to tie back larger shrubs.

If there are any gaps in your ornamental borders now is the time to fill them in using annual bedding plants. You can also use potted lilies or other summer flowing bulbs from the garden store and put the pots directly into the soil.

Many spring flowering shrubs will benefit from pruning in the early summer as this will give them time to produce the new growth necessary for next year’s flowers before the end of the season.

The Vegetable Garden

Lettuce, radishes and other salad crops should also be ready now. Don’t forget to make repeated sowings at two or three week intervals so that you can enjoy them all summer long. Pinch out the side shoots on tomatoes. Enjoy harvesting and eating the first early potatoes which will be delicious!

Do not forget that it is also time to be putting out garden decor and accents in your garden and lawn. Visit www.gardenaccentheaven.com and check out the large selection of bird houses, birdfeeders, bird baths, garden gnomes, fountains, statues, English garden houses and troughs, wind chimes and much more. These will give your garden that unique personality that only you can give it.

Have fun and enjoy yourself in your own backyard.

Hummingbird Video Uploaded

See the Bird Man Mel talk to you about how to attract Hummingbirds to your backyard. Just click here

www.gardenaccentheaven.com/hummingbirds

Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Backyard!

In the United States, you can find over 16 kinds of Hummingbirds. For people east of the Rockies, the most prevalent by far is the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. In fact the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is the most widely distributed of the worlds’ 338 species of Hummingbirds, all of which occur ONLY in the Western Hemisphere.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is often found between woodland and meadow. However, it has adapted well to human development, but only if there is shelter, space and food. Thus, it is frequently seen in suburban backyards with mature trees and shrubs, in wooded parks, and around farmsteads.

The Keys to Attracting Hummingbirds are to provide Food, Help for Nesting, and Misters (Water) for them to fly through. Offer lots of feeders protected from ants and keep your feeders clean. Hummingbirds will not feed at a dirty feeder.

Visit our website www.gardenaccentheaven.com/hummingbird-feeders  and view our selection of Hummingbird Feeders.

Tulip Fields of Skagit County, Washington

Colorful Tulips

Beautiful Red Tulips

One of the nice things about living in the Pacific Northwest is getting to see the fields of tulips in full bloom each spring. These photos where taken in May 2009.

Yellow Tulips

Colorful tulip field

Hummingbird Did You Know?

Hummingbirds are extremely loyal to feeding sites. A hummingbird that feeds in your yard one year will return to that feeder the next year. If you aren’t attracting as many hummers as you want read on! As the male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is so territorial, one key is to offer lots of feeders. At www.GardenAccentHeaven.com we have several different kinds of feeders you can choose. Remember two Golden Rules: Keep your feeder clean and the nectar fresh. Hummingbirds keep their distance from fermented nectar. They will not eat from a dirty feeder, especially one that has mold on it!

Perhaps hummers understand the need for a clear head for their acrobatic flying. Fermented nectar can support the growth of deadly molds. If a hummingbird gets a taste of fermented nectar from your feeder, it will look elsewhere for a drink and remain suspicious of the offending feeder for a long time.

Ferquently asked questions from those who have Hummingbird feeders:

Q. How can I keep bees and wasps away from my feeders?

A .Use a Flat Top Feeder (The best one is Droll Yankee Aspects Feeder which can be ordered at www.gardenaccenthaven.com /product?????) When the nectar is not at the feeding port, Hummers can reach the nectar-Wasps and Bees cannot!

Q. How can I keep ants out of my feeder?

 A. Buy a new feeder with “Nectar Guard Tips” or hang a Nectar Protector Ant Moat above your feeder and fill it with water (ant’s can’t swim!). The feeder will be easy to fill and clean- yet no ants and lots of hummers in your backyard!

How to Compost Your Lawn

Compost is one of the easiest was to keep your lawn healthy and green. This is preferable because it’s is safe and organic. You are not constantly adding chemical based fertilizer to your lawn or garden.  It is best to compost your lawn 2 or 3 times a year.

Compost is great fertilizer because besides having nutrients like nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus it often has trace elements in it. You normally do not find trace elements in commercial fertilizers.

Some additional benefits to using compost are:

                Compost will not burn your grass

                Compost won’t smell as old manure-based fertilizes

                Compost won’t stain your concrete or brick walkways

                Compost works fast

                Compost is not expensive compared to commercial fertilizers

Step 1

Start with a good, fine-textured compost. Garden centers carry good, bagged compost that is ready to use. You can also use home -made compost if you have some that you produced for yourself. Just make sure that it is fine  textured so it will rake out evenly without leaving clumps. I suggest using some fine hardware screen to sift out the lumps.

Step 2

                Spread the compost. You can use a shovel or just start dumping the compost out of the bag around your lawn. Do not apply it thickly.

Step 3

With a flexible garden rake spread out the compost over your lawn unit it is about ¼” thick. You want a fairly thin layer. Do not apply it much thicker.  More is not better. This will only cause you problems such as smothering your grass. When you are done raking you should not see very much compost showing through the grass.

Step 4

Once you have raked a nice thin evenly applied layer of compost, water it in for 15 to 20 minutes. Take care of your lawn as normal, applying water regularly. Do not mow your lawn for about 1 week.   Allow the compost 7 or 8 days to break down and release its nutrients. After one week you can return to mowing your lawn just as you regularly would.

That is it!

                If you compost your lawn 2 or 3 times a year, it will be very lush and healthy. You will never want to use regular chemical lawn fertilizers again. If you are looking for an organic way to have a healthier lawn, this is it. Also once you have your green healthy lawn do not forget to check out our website  www.gardenaccentheaven.com for items to bring that uniqueness that only you can bring to your lawn, garden or patio.