Back in 2001, Martha Stewart Living featured an article on Indoor Water Gardens, a step-by-step instructional on growing aquatic plants in your home. Little did we know that this crafty project would probably come in handy for poor Martha in 2005 when her access to the fresh outdoors, garden shears, and freedom in general would be rather restricted. Seeing as indoor water gardens mainly rely on a container of water to grow (presuming hers wasn’t already in use - I don’t know, I just don’t see Martha as the type to try a Peeno, er, Pinot that wasn’t a vintage) – these lovely lilies may have indeed helped her days go by during that dark era. But even us free folk can enjoy indoor water gardens, especially as winter draws close. [click to continue…]
Gardening
For areas that experience big seasonal changes in the year, the window for gardening – thankfully just like Paris Hilton’s moment in the limelight – is largely over. But unlike ol’ winky eye, there is still a little life left for your grower’s patch. Kale, beets, and crisp lettuce all grow very well in cooler weather and only take about 30 days to go from sprout to salad bowl. The trick is to squeeze those 30 days in before the first frost. And when will this first frost occur? No crystal balls required – just a bit of faith in the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Normally I would write an article and then ask you to watch the video at the end. However, in this case I think you need to see it before you read it. Before you watch the video I just want to throw in my two cents. I think it’s a fantastic idea, beautifying city streets and islands. I know in my home state and probably all others, highway crews cut large medians of grass which could be cleaned up and beautified. I know it may result in some job loss or job restructuring but it seems it would look nicer and draw communities together if they could organize and beautify their public roadways and walkways. [click to continue…]
Somewhere in the back of your vault is a memory of being a kid in the dog days of summer, playing in the backyard and being so thirsty you’d even drink Crystal Pepsi if it was offered to you. So like most tykes your age, you walked up to the hose connected to your house, turned on the faucet and guzzled some water. That is until some evil genius of an older sibling snuck behind you and pinched the hose off, causing the water to suddenly disappear. And, like clockwork, as you peered into the nozzle wondering where the blessed hydration went, the aforementioned evil genius would unleash the hose, delivering a built-up burst of water up into your sinuses. Ah, that’s the good stuff! Well, sort of. You see most hoses made then, and some hoses made now, contain lead. And lead + drinking water really aren’t a great health combination. For your own family, we’ve found a lead-free hose – ripe for drinking from – that comes with a lot of other perks too.
Winter’s little secrets always come out after the snow melts: Garbage, doggie doos and lost mittens suddenly seem to appear out of nowhere. But it’s often what we can’t really see (at least not right away) that gardeners and landscapers should look into. I’m of course talking about the Invisible Spring Troll – the one that nibbles on your seeds and sucks the life out of budding plants. Or not. Actually, the unseen menace may be all of those chemicals and salts that you or your neighbors used to remove snow during the winter that have worked their way onto our lawns and flower beds. It’s safe to presume they’ve impacted the quality of the soil, even if you use “all natural” materials. If you want to grow your garden in the very best conditions, it’s smart to start off on the right foot and ensure your soil is prime for what you intend to grow in it. [click to continue…]
