When landscapes become too dry for your plants to thrive, it is usually because of a specific soil texture or the fault of inadequate rainfall and/or a dry climate.
Considering soil textures, an elevated sand content increases soil drainage. This ends up resulting in the loss of moisture, because water is no absorbed as much by the sand as by the surrounding soil.
Silt loam soils naturally retain water, while clay loams can alternate between being much too dry and being much too wet. Boosting landscape soils with organic material will help both the silt and loam based soils by permitting them to hold more moisture. In order to boost the soil for water retention, you must mulch around your plants with peat moss, and various types of bark and/or compost. It does not matter whether these are commercial or homemade products, both will work well. Applying this mulch just after planting shrubs and trees, to a depth of at least 2 inches, will also help to retain more water for your plants needs.
Rainfall is unpredictable, infrequent, and light in many states, particularly in the Southwest USA. Other states, including the Midwest, may have temporary periods of near-drought like condition as well. The far West US has annual forest fires that dry out the soul as well as remove dead trees from the forests. Whenever rainfall is below average, landscape plants like turf need extra water to prevent desiccation, in which the amount of water lost by a plant exceeds that absorbed by the roots. In short, the plant dries out in the heat, withers and dies. Water should be added to hydrate completely the root areas of your landscape plants; the amount depending on sizes and species of plant. At least one inch of water is needed weekly and if it fails to rain for several weeks, that amount will increase and you can call your local county extension office in order to find out how much water to add to your own specific plants. You can also find most extension offices online, listed under the local county government entities, and often in association with the agricultural department of major colleges and universities.
As an alternative option to the standard garden hose, the watering can, and the bucket brigade, there are various sizes of irrigation systems that are good for dispensing water in regions that are absolutely dry and water-challenged. A garden hose is not usually best for applying water to woody stems, because the high-pressure water from the hose can quite easily break the stems and result in large surface water run-off as well from a water flow that is much too fast. One effective irrigation system is called the drip or trickle irrigation system, and it uses the operation of a slow trickle over a longer time period in order to allow for absorption. This is good in that it replaces the strong, quick flow from water hoses that is lost before it can soak into the soil. Garden centers stock home garden irrigation systems that connect to your own outside faucet and dispense low water pressure that is much better for your plants and soil. They use plastic lines that are set among the plant and flowerbeds with an emitter placed by each large plant. An attached timer turns on the trickle and causes water to seep into the surrounding soil for a selected time period and then automatically shuts down, saving water and work, along with your plants.
Along with your new irrigation system and soil-boosting techniques, here are some sample trees and shrubs that like the more dry climates of the US, especially the Southwest and the states that experience dry soil during the summer. They will compliment your garden and help to conserve precious water.
Trees
Koelreuteria paniculata Golden-rain tree
Maclura pomifera - Osage-orange
Robinia species - Locust species
Sassafras albidum - Sassafras
Sophora japonica - Japanese pagoda tree
Ulmus pumila - Siberian elm
Shrubs
Berberis species - Barberry
Chaenomeles lagenaria - Flowering quince
Cytissus species - Broom species
Elaeagnus angustifolia - Russian olive
Hamamelis virginiana - Common witch-hazel
Hypericum calycinum - St. Johns Wort
Juniperus species - Juniper species
Myrica species - Bayberry species
Rhus species - Sumac species
Rosa setigera - Prairie rose
Yucca species - Adam's needle
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Plan Your August Sanctuary Now
Are you worried about Global Warming?
Next year in 2007, when you enter the Dog Days of summer, you need not go mad in the heat! Although legend has it that "Dog Days" comes from the weeks in July and August that traditionally drove dogs heat-mad, it is actually taken from Sirius, the Dog Star.
While the ancient Greeks and Romans believed that Sirius-rising brought the most hellish days of the year, you can find cool weather at home in August. Along with fast-growing shade trees, and water-conserving grasses, ground covers, and cool stone, there are several magical accessories that can cool your home landscape so that the Dog Days will include your best days and nights.
One way to keep a cool head is to use a retractable awning attached to an outside wall of your home to create a shaded area. Such awnings come in a wide range of sizes and colors, and create a foldaway extra room without the costs of a house addition. They can also be placed above windows and doors, or nearer the ground for a shaded area for your pet. Since they are water resistant, awnings can catch rain runoff in a decorative rain barrel, and keep a summer cloudburst off the patio, deck, or Jacuzzi. They are energy efficient and reduce interior heat in homes during sunlight hours by 77% according to the American Society of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE, http://www.ashrae.org). They will also keep the sun out of your windows and off your patio furniture to stop sun damage interior and exterior decors.
Complementing awnings, the water mister is a true miracle in the desert. Water misters can be added to the top perimeter of an awning and are more effective than fans alone for covered outdoor patios and dining areas. A misting system can increase relaxation and enjoyment in the hottest of outdoor conditions through quick evaporation engineering. Specifically created mist nozzles place water under high pressure to result in water droplet mists that bring air temperature down by 20+ degrees F or more. If you add an outdoor fan or two, the temperature can be further reduced. You can find mister ideas on the Internet, in items ranging from portable misters, misting fans, and misting birdbaths; to umbrella and patio misters; all the way up to misting tents. There is even a mister to ward off mosquitoes. Misters range in price from under $50 to several thousand dollars, depending upon your needs.
To add to cooler temperatures, hang attractive wind chimes to add pleasing sounds. At affordable prices, chimes can be attached to the top of the retractable awning, or hung from decorative wrought iron garden poles or garden hooks. Wind chimes are created in metals, woods, shells, and ceramics to bring an air of music and art to your yard and Capiz shells can be very colorful. Alternatively, you might choose cool silver or copper chimes, or the wood of a Pacific Island. At night, you can add the soft light of candles set on cool surfaces or floating in the rain barrel with a water lily to create a relaxing getaway in a cooler temperature with the music of chimes.
Light can also be added with patio and landscape lights. Besides electric Asian lanterns, Mexican peppers, and butterflies, there is a range of solar-powered lighting that is attractive and energy efficient. Some of these lights are sculptured flowers that glow at night, while others are carriage lights on tall hooks. Some are Asian teahouses that sit serenely and glow along a cool stone path through your yard. Some even come embedded in the underside of a patio umbrella to light up at dusk. Ranging in price from about $8 for a ground light at Wal-Mart to $150 for a solar-lit patio umbrella on the Internet, there is a price for everyone. If you want to add even more light to your nighttime patio, you can use a chimenea in one of many designs. Larger models provide cooking space, while you can choose a smaller version to burn pinon or other fragrant wood to compliment the aromas of your flowers and outdoor dinners.
Use these ideas to have the best "Dog Days" of your life this summer and include your family, friends, and pets in frequent celebrations of your home and landscape. Stay cool in 2007!
Next year in 2007, when you enter the Dog Days of summer, you need not go mad in the heat! Although legend has it that "Dog Days" comes from the weeks in July and August that traditionally drove dogs heat-mad, it is actually taken from Sirius, the Dog Star.
While the ancient Greeks and Romans believed that Sirius-rising brought the most hellish days of the year, you can find cool weather at home in August. Along with fast-growing shade trees, and water-conserving grasses, ground covers, and cool stone, there are several magical accessories that can cool your home landscape so that the Dog Days will include your best days and nights.
One way to keep a cool head is to use a retractable awning attached to an outside wall of your home to create a shaded area. Such awnings come in a wide range of sizes and colors, and create a foldaway extra room without the costs of a house addition. They can also be placed above windows and doors, or nearer the ground for a shaded area for your pet. Since they are water resistant, awnings can catch rain runoff in a decorative rain barrel, and keep a summer cloudburst off the patio, deck, or Jacuzzi. They are energy efficient and reduce interior heat in homes during sunlight hours by 77% according to the American Society of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE, http://www.ashrae.org). They will also keep the sun out of your windows and off your patio furniture to stop sun damage interior and exterior decors.
Complementing awnings, the water mister is a true miracle in the desert. Water misters can be added to the top perimeter of an awning and are more effective than fans alone for covered outdoor patios and dining areas. A misting system can increase relaxation and enjoyment in the hottest of outdoor conditions through quick evaporation engineering. Specifically created mist nozzles place water under high pressure to result in water droplet mists that bring air temperature down by 20+ degrees F or more. If you add an outdoor fan or two, the temperature can be further reduced. You can find mister ideas on the Internet, in items ranging from portable misters, misting fans, and misting birdbaths; to umbrella and patio misters; all the way up to misting tents. There is even a mister to ward off mosquitoes. Misters range in price from under $50 to several thousand dollars, depending upon your needs.
To add to cooler temperatures, hang attractive wind chimes to add pleasing sounds. At affordable prices, chimes can be attached to the top of the retractable awning, or hung from decorative wrought iron garden poles or garden hooks. Wind chimes are created in metals, woods, shells, and ceramics to bring an air of music and art to your yard and Capiz shells can be very colorful. Alternatively, you might choose cool silver or copper chimes, or the wood of a Pacific Island. At night, you can add the soft light of candles set on cool surfaces or floating in the rain barrel with a water lily to create a relaxing getaway in a cooler temperature with the music of chimes.
Light can also be added with patio and landscape lights. Besides electric Asian lanterns, Mexican peppers, and butterflies, there is a range of solar-powered lighting that is attractive and energy efficient. Some of these lights are sculptured flowers that glow at night, while others are carriage lights on tall hooks. Some are Asian teahouses that sit serenely and glow along a cool stone path through your yard. Some even come embedded in the underside of a patio umbrella to light up at dusk. Ranging in price from about $8 for a ground light at Wal-Mart to $150 for a solar-lit patio umbrella on the Internet, there is a price for everyone. If you want to add even more light to your nighttime patio, you can use a chimenea in one of many designs. Larger models provide cooking space, while you can choose a smaller version to burn pinon or other fragrant wood to compliment the aromas of your flowers and outdoor dinners.
Use these ideas to have the best "Dog Days" of your life this summer and include your family, friends, and pets in frequent celebrations of your home and landscape. Stay cool in 2007!
Adding Shade and Moisture in a Dryer Climate
Nevada holds cast, dry lands and the Las Vegas area is one of the driest regions of them all in that state. Receiving an annual average 4 inches of rainfall and 80 inches of water loss as a direct result of evaporation, Las Vegas areas truly experience the most extreme hot and cold temperatures.
We need specially adapted plants there, but Southern Nevada uses nearly 60 percent of its water on non-native plants in home landscapes, so it may be time for a change to native plants. The tips in this article can be used anywhere that the soil tends to be dry and/or the summer heat is very warm to extremely hot. The information and suggestions will bring additional moisture to your landscaping all year around, along with welcomed shade and comfort.
Consider these things before choosing landscape trees and plants for your yard or grounds:
1. Know your local climate - Attend to the temperatures, rainfall, etc.
2. Know your soil - Is it acid? Sandy? Loamy?
3. Know your local water situation. - Do you need irrigation?
4. Choose plants bred for your local climate and soil, preferably native plants.
5. Choose plants that conserve water and reduce water run off that leads to erosion.
5. Plant correctly, providing adequate follow-up care.
Next, think about ways to plan shade and moisture reserves when watering is prohibited in the hottest part of the summer:
1. Porous materials soak water into the ground, so you can use bricks, mulched pathways, and porous stepping stones and driveway materials.
2. Plant shade trees and use trellises and vines on west and south sides of your house.
3. Dig plant beds lower than lawn surfaces and mulch to hold water.
4. Use rain barrels -a summer storm can produce a lot at once. Moreover, short rain barrels can be attractive and you might float a water lily or even floating candles for summer nights.
5. Keep water accessories practical, such as recirculating fountains that conserve water.
Next, walk your property and cover every corner and inch of it and make mental notes. In addition, draw a sketch of it and include trees, plants, and barrels to catch rain from roofs and down spouts. Remember to leave room between plants to grow.
Mulch is manufactured in earth tones and porous stones come in gray, brown, red and black. Repeat your colors in a bench and a patio table top of granite, marble, tile or artificial stone for a cool place to enjoy your landscape.
Choose fast-growing shade trees that thrive in full sun and a variety of soils.
The American Sycamore is good for its visual splendor and growth rate up to 6 feet per year. Adaptable to most soils and climates, its large green leaves turn golden brown in autumn, reaching up to 70 feet tall and 50 feet wide at maturity. Producing white bark in the winter, it is attractive throughout the year and at about $20-25, it is a good buy. Find a nursery that has a replacement guarantee on its trees and you can plant with confidence.
Other good choices include the brilliant Red Rocket Crape Myrtle that will reach 30 by 15 feet. It produces dark red blooms for 100 days a year and is highly drought resistant. Red Maples are adaptable to many soils and climates, with red blooms in spring. They reach 60 x 40 feet and grow up to 3 feet per year.
Royal Paulownia is the fastest growing tree, with up to 12 feet of growth the first year. Its fragrant lavender spring flowers are fresh and beautiful. Another good choice is the Empress Tree that can grow in drought and thrive in even diseased soils. Reaching 50 x 40 feet, it is almost impossible to kill. If you like yellow, choose the Tulip Poplar with its yellow blossoms and fragrant nectar to bring aroma to your landscape. It reaches 90 x 50 feet. All of these are similar in price to the American Sycamore.
Prairie grasses add interesting visuals as well as shade. Easy to maintain perennials, they crowd out weeds and like hot, dry weather; so watering is unnecessary except when young. Attracting birds and butterflies, some choice grasses in blues, greens, and burgundies reaching 2 feet to 20 feet high are Little Bluestem, Shenandoah Switch Grass, Variegated Miscanthus (Morning Light), Northern Pampas Grass, Indian Grass, and Heavy Metal Switch Grass. They cost about $10 for a 3.5" pot or $20 for a gallon container.
Finally, to conserve water reserves even more fully, water-holding ground cover will spread 2 feet and more. These include the lovely greens, yellows and purples of Oriental Limelight Artemisia Hybrid, Silver Mound Artemisia schmidtiana, and Purple Wintercreeper Euonymus that spreads 20 feet wide. All of these are quite attractive and easy to maintain. They are similar in cost to the prairie grasses mentioned above.
Even during the hottest summer in the Sagebrush State or other dry lands in the US, we don't need to be as hot and barren as the desert around Area 51 in August! You can add shade and moisture with colorful fast-growing shade trees, prairie grasses, ground cover, and porous and/or cool stone accessories. So have fun! And remember - A hat, long sleeves, loose plant legs, drinking water, and sun block are a good defense against sunburn and heat stroke. Stay cool in your shady landscape next summer and have fun planning it now!
We need specially adapted plants there, but Southern Nevada uses nearly 60 percent of its water on non-native plants in home landscapes, so it may be time for a change to native plants. The tips in this article can be used anywhere that the soil tends to be dry and/or the summer heat is very warm to extremely hot. The information and suggestions will bring additional moisture to your landscaping all year around, along with welcomed shade and comfort.
Consider these things before choosing landscape trees and plants for your yard or grounds:
1. Know your local climate - Attend to the temperatures, rainfall, etc.
2. Know your soil - Is it acid? Sandy? Loamy?
3. Know your local water situation. - Do you need irrigation?
4. Choose plants bred for your local climate and soil, preferably native plants.
5. Choose plants that conserve water and reduce water run off that leads to erosion.
5. Plant correctly, providing adequate follow-up care.
Next, think about ways to plan shade and moisture reserves when watering is prohibited in the hottest part of the summer:
1. Porous materials soak water into the ground, so you can use bricks, mulched pathways, and porous stepping stones and driveway materials.
2. Plant shade trees and use trellises and vines on west and south sides of your house.
3. Dig plant beds lower than lawn surfaces and mulch to hold water.
4. Use rain barrels -a summer storm can produce a lot at once. Moreover, short rain barrels can be attractive and you might float a water lily or even floating candles for summer nights.
5. Keep water accessories practical, such as recirculating fountains that conserve water.
Next, walk your property and cover every corner and inch of it and make mental notes. In addition, draw a sketch of it and include trees, plants, and barrels to catch rain from roofs and down spouts. Remember to leave room between plants to grow.
Mulch is manufactured in earth tones and porous stones come in gray, brown, red and black. Repeat your colors in a bench and a patio table top of granite, marble, tile or artificial stone for a cool place to enjoy your landscape.
Choose fast-growing shade trees that thrive in full sun and a variety of soils.
The American Sycamore is good for its visual splendor and growth rate up to 6 feet per year. Adaptable to most soils and climates, its large green leaves turn golden brown in autumn, reaching up to 70 feet tall and 50 feet wide at maturity. Producing white bark in the winter, it is attractive throughout the year and at about $20-25, it is a good buy. Find a nursery that has a replacement guarantee on its trees and you can plant with confidence.
Other good choices include the brilliant Red Rocket Crape Myrtle that will reach 30 by 15 feet. It produces dark red blooms for 100 days a year and is highly drought resistant. Red Maples are adaptable to many soils and climates, with red blooms in spring. They reach 60 x 40 feet and grow up to 3 feet per year.
Royal Paulownia is the fastest growing tree, with up to 12 feet of growth the first year. Its fragrant lavender spring flowers are fresh and beautiful. Another good choice is the Empress Tree that can grow in drought and thrive in even diseased soils. Reaching 50 x 40 feet, it is almost impossible to kill. If you like yellow, choose the Tulip Poplar with its yellow blossoms and fragrant nectar to bring aroma to your landscape. It reaches 90 x 50 feet. All of these are similar in price to the American Sycamore.
Prairie grasses add interesting visuals as well as shade. Easy to maintain perennials, they crowd out weeds and like hot, dry weather; so watering is unnecessary except when young. Attracting birds and butterflies, some choice grasses in blues, greens, and burgundies reaching 2 feet to 20 feet high are Little Bluestem, Shenandoah Switch Grass, Variegated Miscanthus (Morning Light), Northern Pampas Grass, Indian Grass, and Heavy Metal Switch Grass. They cost about $10 for a 3.5" pot or $20 for a gallon container.
Finally, to conserve water reserves even more fully, water-holding ground cover will spread 2 feet and more. These include the lovely greens, yellows and purples of Oriental Limelight Artemisia Hybrid, Silver Mound Artemisia schmidtiana, and Purple Wintercreeper Euonymus that spreads 20 feet wide. All of these are quite attractive and easy to maintain. They are similar in cost to the prairie grasses mentioned above.
Even during the hottest summer in the Sagebrush State or other dry lands in the US, we don't need to be as hot and barren as the desert around Area 51 in August! You can add shade and moisture with colorful fast-growing shade trees, prairie grasses, ground cover, and porous and/or cool stone accessories. So have fun! And remember - A hat, long sleeves, loose plant legs, drinking water, and sun block are a good defense against sunburn and heat stroke. Stay cool in your shady landscape next summer and have fun planning it now!
Monday, October 30, 2006
Winter Garden Art
By Christina VanGinkel
If you live anywhere that, your garden is under snow during part of the year, or even where the temperatures cool to a degree that makes it impossible to at least have a bit of green showing during the off season, adding a few pieces of garden art that will work year round, just might be the thing to keep your garden looking alive. I do not know about you, but I really dislike the idea of my garden go undercover for winter, tough there is nothing to be done about that fact where we live. To keep that part of our yard looking like a barren landscape though, we decided to situate some artwork out there that still makes a stance when the snow flies.
Garden art for the winter months can be a very open suggestion, so I will try to define a bit more, what I actually mean. Think of those structures or items that are large enough to have substance even when there is a foot of snow or even more on the ground, and of things that will withstand freezing temperatures. This of course excludes much of what one often thinks of when they think of garden art. Gazing balls that set low to the ground are out, as are those that sit on pedestals for the simple fact that most will freeze and crack if left exposed to the elements of winter. Also out are those cute frogs, lizards, and small fairy statues that are so popular in gardens. Most are so small that a single dusting of snow will leave them looking like little else than some bumps in the snow. Not to mention many of them are made of materials that will just not withstand the hazards that winter likes to throw at us. Instead, think medium to large, of a material that will hold its own during wind, freezing rain, and snow.
I once had a rabbit planter that was white with blue snowflake designs over the entire surface. It was medium sized, larger than life, and I thought it would look lovely setting on a high spot in my garden through the winter months, filled with something bright and cheery. I never got around to filling it with anything, let alone anything bright and cheery, as the first time I went out to fill it, it had already cracked in two. Just a bit of water had settled in the bottom of it and after an early freeze, it shattered. I had wrongly assumed it was made for the rigors of winter because I purchased it at a garden shop, and it was decorated for the winter months.
I now evaluate anything I think I might want to use outdoors, never assuming anything. I look specifically for features that will not hold water or moisture of any kind. Some items that I have altered for use, I made sure and drilled drainage holes in to make doubly sure that moisture would not build up and cause cracking or breakage.
Some of my favorite altered items that originally began life as something entirely other than garden art, let alone winter garden art, include vintage bicycles with big front or back baskets attached, and old metal watering cans with the bottoms drilled. Even though I really do not think that a metal object, such as a watering can, could be harmed by freezing, I still drilled holes in the one I used to cut down on having to deal with ice build up. As to the watering can or the baskets on the bikes, I can fill them with a touch of color to attract the birds, even hang a wreath around them if I so please. You would be surprised at how rustic yet lovely a green bough wreath with just a few simple ribbon bows or pinecones will look draped over the spout of an old watering can or dropped onto the handlebars of a vintage bike.
Wicker chairs, or other wicker pieces can be excellent additions to a winter garden too. Again, adding a bucket to a chair seat filled with anything from pinecones decorated with bows, to a plate styled feeder heaped with seeds for the birds and squirrels is ideal. Old, vintage ladders are interesting winter garden decorations. Their height makes them visible even when the snow has been falling for hours, and the steps make ideal spots to add more colored adornments. Consider furniture pieces that you might have labeled for the trash too. A friend of mine has what was once a lovely washstand in her garden. In a move one time, one of the legs of it had been broken off when the movers had accidentally dropped it. The bottom had also cracked, and as the piece was a favorite, but of no special value, she salvaged it for use in her garden instead of just tossing it in the trash. She actually varnishes it each summer, to prolong its life outdoors, as she loves setting a flat metalwork platter over the spot the washbasin should set, and filling it with peanut butter and birdseed covered treats throughout the winter months.
One note to consider in finishing, do not leave anything outdoors in your garden over the winter months that might be damaged by the weather if it is of value. I mention this because some wicker pieces might be of collectable value, and unless you are willing to watch them deteriorate over a season or two outdoors, they are best not used.
If you live anywhere that, your garden is under snow during part of the year, or even where the temperatures cool to a degree that makes it impossible to at least have a bit of green showing during the off season, adding a few pieces of garden art that will work year round, just might be the thing to keep your garden looking alive. I do not know about you, but I really dislike the idea of my garden go undercover for winter, tough there is nothing to be done about that fact where we live. To keep that part of our yard looking like a barren landscape though, we decided to situate some artwork out there that still makes a stance when the snow flies.
Garden art for the winter months can be a very open suggestion, so I will try to define a bit more, what I actually mean. Think of those structures or items that are large enough to have substance even when there is a foot of snow or even more on the ground, and of things that will withstand freezing temperatures. This of course excludes much of what one often thinks of when they think of garden art. Gazing balls that set low to the ground are out, as are those that sit on pedestals for the simple fact that most will freeze and crack if left exposed to the elements of winter. Also out are those cute frogs, lizards, and small fairy statues that are so popular in gardens. Most are so small that a single dusting of snow will leave them looking like little else than some bumps in the snow. Not to mention many of them are made of materials that will just not withstand the hazards that winter likes to throw at us. Instead, think medium to large, of a material that will hold its own during wind, freezing rain, and snow.
I once had a rabbit planter that was white with blue snowflake designs over the entire surface. It was medium sized, larger than life, and I thought it would look lovely setting on a high spot in my garden through the winter months, filled with something bright and cheery. I never got around to filling it with anything, let alone anything bright and cheery, as the first time I went out to fill it, it had already cracked in two. Just a bit of water had settled in the bottom of it and after an early freeze, it shattered. I had wrongly assumed it was made for the rigors of winter because I purchased it at a garden shop, and it was decorated for the winter months.
I now evaluate anything I think I might want to use outdoors, never assuming anything. I look specifically for features that will not hold water or moisture of any kind. Some items that I have altered for use, I made sure and drilled drainage holes in to make doubly sure that moisture would not build up and cause cracking or breakage.
Some of my favorite altered items that originally began life as something entirely other than garden art, let alone winter garden art, include vintage bicycles with big front or back baskets attached, and old metal watering cans with the bottoms drilled. Even though I really do not think that a metal object, such as a watering can, could be harmed by freezing, I still drilled holes in the one I used to cut down on having to deal with ice build up. As to the watering can or the baskets on the bikes, I can fill them with a touch of color to attract the birds, even hang a wreath around them if I so please. You would be surprised at how rustic yet lovely a green bough wreath with just a few simple ribbon bows or pinecones will look draped over the spout of an old watering can or dropped onto the handlebars of a vintage bike.
Wicker chairs, or other wicker pieces can be excellent additions to a winter garden too. Again, adding a bucket to a chair seat filled with anything from pinecones decorated with bows, to a plate styled feeder heaped with seeds for the birds and squirrels is ideal. Old, vintage ladders are interesting winter garden decorations. Their height makes them visible even when the snow has been falling for hours, and the steps make ideal spots to add more colored adornments. Consider furniture pieces that you might have labeled for the trash too. A friend of mine has what was once a lovely washstand in her garden. In a move one time, one of the legs of it had been broken off when the movers had accidentally dropped it. The bottom had also cracked, and as the piece was a favorite, but of no special value, she salvaged it for use in her garden instead of just tossing it in the trash. She actually varnishes it each summer, to prolong its life outdoors, as she loves setting a flat metalwork platter over the spot the washbasin should set, and filling it with peanut butter and birdseed covered treats throughout the winter months.
One note to consider in finishing, do not leave anything outdoors in your garden over the winter months that might be damaged by the weather if it is of value. I mention this because some wicker pieces might be of collectable value, and unless you are willing to watch them deteriorate over a season or two outdoors, they are best not used.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Old Books; New Ideas
I began my serious education as a gardener about ten years ago. We moved to a house that had a extensive, neglected garden in the back yard. The previous owner had been a Master Gardener who had been the inspiration and source for the gardens in the yards surrounding mine. There were even rumors that neighbors had raided the garden for plants before we moved in. Considering one neighbor grew award winning roses and the other owned a landscaping firm, this rumor gives you an idea just how extensive and interesting the garden I had acquired really was.
I had thought gardening was a trip to the grocery store to buy annuals before I watched spring do its job in my new back yard. The bulbs began blooming first and blooms did not stop until fall . Quite frankly, I was in way over my head and the only two options were to sod the whole back yard or learn about gardening. I chose to learn.
I bought a copy of Better Homes and Gardens New Complete Guide to Gardening (copyright 1997). As each new bed began to bloom, I sat with my new gardening book and searched the pictures for some resemblance to the plants that were growing in my back yard. Most of the plants ,at least, were identifiable but not all. A fair amount of weeds were allowed to grow that first year as I tried to figure out whether they were flowers or weeds. When in doubt I asked the advice of family members, who claimed they were gardeners, or neighbors. A whole bed of weeds were allowed to grow because my sister-in-law thought they may be Black Eyed Susans. They were weeds, but I waited months to make that call, trusting in the advice of an individual who had claimed to be quite the gardener.
I took an insect into the best nursery for identification. The staff of this garden center could not identify the insect which I was finding in abundance in the garden beds. I later found on my own that it was one of the healthiest grubs known to man. Since grubs are rather common, even if mine was rather large, I began to lose faith in the advice of my fellow gardeners. It was suggested that I call my local extension service for advice, but after the best nursery in town could not identify a grub for me , I decided to learn on my own and then seek the advice of others.
Ten years ago, the internet was not the force it is today. Furthermore, computers and I have an ambivalent relationship. Even in college, when I took a computer programming class, the computers began to go crazy while I was in the room and even the college professor could not explain what was happening. I dropped the class. This was more than twenty years ago and it has happened numerous times since. I think I put off a weird electrical charge, it doesn't interact well with technology, but plants love it. My family was not thrilled with the frequency that our home system crashed when I used the computer, so I focused on books and observation. Even today I find neither learning method has been made obsolete by the internet. Garden books, even old books ,have value for the serious garden enthusiast.
The first time I found old books of more value than more recent publications, was in finding out about my Bleeding Heart plant. Plants go in and out of style, just like furniture and clothing. While you may not know it today, with Bleeding Heart plants being sold at Lowes in a variety of colors, ten years ago they were considered old fashioned and could not be found in the gardening sections of your local gardening store. The plant was identified in my Better Homes and Gardens New Complete Guide to Gardening but I needed more information on it since the one I had was huge and thriving in a location that did not conform to the information printed in my book. It was also planted in a location that I found undesirable, since it grew where I planned to build a deck.
I pulled out an older version of the same gardening book I was using and found the information I was looking for. It had more detailed information on Bleeding Heart plants since they were more fashionable when the older version had been printed. I found out how to divide the plant and the best location to transplant it. Ten years and two houses later, that Bleeding Heart plant is still growing in my current garden. Instead of one huge plant, I now have three good size plants that bloom until early July. I still have not managed to get a rebloom in the fall, but I know it is possible due to the research I have done on this plant. Who knows, maybe next year I will have Bleeding Heart all season long.
Recently, an old gardening book kept me from transplanting my Siberian irises. I had seen Siberian iris thrive in a variety of locations. These plants had traveled with me from house to house and I thought I would create a iris garden in my front yard incorporating Bearded irises which I had in abundance at my new house. I planted my irises together and waited for sequential blooms.
Neighbors went out of their way to tell me that my Siberian irises would not thrive and were planted in the wrong location. Current books all told me that they needed marshy conditions and that the conditions that made the Bearded irises bloom would destroy my Siberian irises. I began to seriously consider transplanting my Siberian irises even though I had seen them thrive in non marshy conditions. Before I got my shovel out, I decided to do a little more research in the old gardening books I was given when my mother-in-law cleaned out her basement. In Crockett's Flower Garden ( copyright 1981) I found the information I needed to put away my shovel and wait until spring.
I had guessed my Siberian irises had been prematurely divided, thus explaining their poor performance the first year I transplanted them. I had not expected them to bloom, since they were transplanted in summer but I was concerned the foliage had not grown. Crockett's Flower Garden discussed how his Siberian irises were exposed to drier, sunnier conditions than they like. He compensated by keeping the irises moist ,especially during the spring. I got out my hose, put away my shovel, and I am glad I did. In spite of every neighbor's predictions, I had sequential blooming irises in my front yard this year and the plants look great for next year's blooms. Since my iris collection is on a slope, I can water my Siberian irises without drowning my Bearded irises. Observation of past Siberian iris behavior and an old gardening book let me follow my instincts and create an iris bed that no one but me thought would work. My neighbors do not comment on the location of my plants anymore, they just wait and see.
A variety of books is also great for flower identification. Several wild flowers come in so many cultivars ( varieties) that identification can become a nightmare. Is it a flower or is it a weed? Sometimes this question depends on the year, since wildflower gardens are fashionable one year but not the next. You may also have a cultivar of a flower type that looks nothing like the pictures you will find on the internet or in books. Having a variety of books, increases the likelihood that you will find a picture of the flower that is growing in your backyard.
I had what I think was a cultivar of self sowing cornflower in my neglected garden. My best guess is they were Bachelor's-Buttons but the plants I had were different than any picture I have ever seen of Bachelor's-Buttons or the plants I eventually bought at a greenhouse with the same name. My plants were similar, but different, to the plants labeled Bachelor's-Buttons at the greenhouse, thus resulting in my less than positive identification. All I know is the only way to transplant the flowers I had was to dig up the entire plant bed, including dirt and place the entire clump in a new hole, otherwise the plants died. I think I had a cultivar of cornflower but this identification has come only after looking at numerous pictures of cornflowers. If I still had the plant I would send this one into my local extension service for identification but alas, they did not survive the last move.
Landscape design is another reason to keep hold of old garden books. For amusement purposes only, I looked through the design section of the 1968 version of the Better Homes and Gardens New Garden Book. I was amazed to find the originals of the designs I see on television landscape shows. The retro look that inspires many new designers is there in all its original glory in the 1968 garden book. I am not sure I want to follow the construction advice in my 1968 book but the ideas are fresh and new for today; well at least a modified version of the look is new for today.
I am not sure I want to walk out my door and be transported to 1968, but I did consider some different ideas for hiding my air conditioner and electrical boxes that I had not thought of before. While the only idea I actually used was for creating a planter with a screen on the back , which hides my air conditioner and creates a raised bed for my basil, several of the other ideas are still under consideration. Especially interesting is the idea for screens with fabric inserts that I could change as the mood inspires me. I know I am keeping this book if for no other reason than the new ideas it inspires when I look through it.
Old books contain new ideas, at least new to a new generation of gardeners. They contain advice on plants that may not currently be in fashion but deserve or want a place in your garden. They contain design ideas that may be passe but may work for your backyard. I am keeping all my old garden books because so far they have served me well and allowed me to create even though conventional wisdom says my creations are impossible. If you are given an old gardening book, do not consign it to the trash can. Wait for a rainy day and look through it, the information or inspiration you need may be in its "out of date "pages.
I had thought gardening was a trip to the grocery store to buy annuals before I watched spring do its job in my new back yard. The bulbs began blooming first and blooms did not stop until fall . Quite frankly, I was in way over my head and the only two options were to sod the whole back yard or learn about gardening. I chose to learn.
I bought a copy of Better Homes and Gardens New Complete Guide to Gardening (copyright 1997). As each new bed began to bloom, I sat with my new gardening book and searched the pictures for some resemblance to the plants that were growing in my back yard. Most of the plants ,at least, were identifiable but not all. A fair amount of weeds were allowed to grow that first year as I tried to figure out whether they were flowers or weeds. When in doubt I asked the advice of family members, who claimed they were gardeners, or neighbors. A whole bed of weeds were allowed to grow because my sister-in-law thought they may be Black Eyed Susans. They were weeds, but I waited months to make that call, trusting in the advice of an individual who had claimed to be quite the gardener.
I took an insect into the best nursery for identification. The staff of this garden center could not identify the insect which I was finding in abundance in the garden beds. I later found on my own that it was one of the healthiest grubs known to man. Since grubs are rather common, even if mine was rather large, I began to lose faith in the advice of my fellow gardeners. It was suggested that I call my local extension service for advice, but after the best nursery in town could not identify a grub for me , I decided to learn on my own and then seek the advice of others.
Ten years ago, the internet was not the force it is today. Furthermore, computers and I have an ambivalent relationship. Even in college, when I took a computer programming class, the computers began to go crazy while I was in the room and even the college professor could not explain what was happening. I dropped the class. This was more than twenty years ago and it has happened numerous times since. I think I put off a weird electrical charge, it doesn't interact well with technology, but plants love it. My family was not thrilled with the frequency that our home system crashed when I used the computer, so I focused on books and observation. Even today I find neither learning method has been made obsolete by the internet. Garden books, even old books ,have value for the serious garden enthusiast.
The first time I found old books of more value than more recent publications, was in finding out about my Bleeding Heart plant. Plants go in and out of style, just like furniture and clothing. While you may not know it today, with Bleeding Heart plants being sold at Lowes in a variety of colors, ten years ago they were considered old fashioned and could not be found in the gardening sections of your local gardening store. The plant was identified in my Better Homes and Gardens New Complete Guide to Gardening but I needed more information on it since the one I had was huge and thriving in a location that did not conform to the information printed in my book. It was also planted in a location that I found undesirable, since it grew where I planned to build a deck.
I pulled out an older version of the same gardening book I was using and found the information I was looking for. It had more detailed information on Bleeding Heart plants since they were more fashionable when the older version had been printed. I found out how to divide the plant and the best location to transplant it. Ten years and two houses later, that Bleeding Heart plant is still growing in my current garden. Instead of one huge plant, I now have three good size plants that bloom until early July. I still have not managed to get a rebloom in the fall, but I know it is possible due to the research I have done on this plant. Who knows, maybe next year I will have Bleeding Heart all season long.
Recently, an old gardening book kept me from transplanting my Siberian irises. I had seen Siberian iris thrive in a variety of locations. These plants had traveled with me from house to house and I thought I would create a iris garden in my front yard incorporating Bearded irises which I had in abundance at my new house. I planted my irises together and waited for sequential blooms.
Neighbors went out of their way to tell me that my Siberian irises would not thrive and were planted in the wrong location. Current books all told me that they needed marshy conditions and that the conditions that made the Bearded irises bloom would destroy my Siberian irises. I began to seriously consider transplanting my Siberian irises even though I had seen them thrive in non marshy conditions. Before I got my shovel out, I decided to do a little more research in the old gardening books I was given when my mother-in-law cleaned out her basement. In Crockett's Flower Garden ( copyright 1981) I found the information I needed to put away my shovel and wait until spring.
I had guessed my Siberian irises had been prematurely divided, thus explaining their poor performance the first year I transplanted them. I had not expected them to bloom, since they were transplanted in summer but I was concerned the foliage had not grown. Crockett's Flower Garden discussed how his Siberian irises were exposed to drier, sunnier conditions than they like. He compensated by keeping the irises moist ,especially during the spring. I got out my hose, put away my shovel, and I am glad I did. In spite of every neighbor's predictions, I had sequential blooming irises in my front yard this year and the plants look great for next year's blooms. Since my iris collection is on a slope, I can water my Siberian irises without drowning my Bearded irises. Observation of past Siberian iris behavior and an old gardening book let me follow my instincts and create an iris bed that no one but me thought would work. My neighbors do not comment on the location of my plants anymore, they just wait and see.
A variety of books is also great for flower identification. Several wild flowers come in so many cultivars ( varieties) that identification can become a nightmare. Is it a flower or is it a weed? Sometimes this question depends on the year, since wildflower gardens are fashionable one year but not the next. You may also have a cultivar of a flower type that looks nothing like the pictures you will find on the internet or in books. Having a variety of books, increases the likelihood that you will find a picture of the flower that is growing in your backyard.
I had what I think was a cultivar of self sowing cornflower in my neglected garden. My best guess is they were Bachelor's-Buttons but the plants I had were different than any picture I have ever seen of Bachelor's-Buttons or the plants I eventually bought at a greenhouse with the same name. My plants were similar, but different, to the plants labeled Bachelor's-Buttons at the greenhouse, thus resulting in my less than positive identification. All I know is the only way to transplant the flowers I had was to dig up the entire plant bed, including dirt and place the entire clump in a new hole, otherwise the plants died. I think I had a cultivar of cornflower but this identification has come only after looking at numerous pictures of cornflowers. If I still had the plant I would send this one into my local extension service for identification but alas, they did not survive the last move.
Landscape design is another reason to keep hold of old garden books. For amusement purposes only, I looked through the design section of the 1968 version of the Better Homes and Gardens New Garden Book. I was amazed to find the originals of the designs I see on television landscape shows. The retro look that inspires many new designers is there in all its original glory in the 1968 garden book. I am not sure I want to follow the construction advice in my 1968 book but the ideas are fresh and new for today; well at least a modified version of the look is new for today.
I am not sure I want to walk out my door and be transported to 1968, but I did consider some different ideas for hiding my air conditioner and electrical boxes that I had not thought of before. While the only idea I actually used was for creating a planter with a screen on the back , which hides my air conditioner and creates a raised bed for my basil, several of the other ideas are still under consideration. Especially interesting is the idea for screens with fabric inserts that I could change as the mood inspires me. I know I am keeping this book if for no other reason than the new ideas it inspires when I look through it.
Old books contain new ideas, at least new to a new generation of gardeners. They contain advice on plants that may not currently be in fashion but deserve or want a place in your garden. They contain design ideas that may be passe but may work for your backyard. I am keeping all my old garden books because so far they have served me well and allowed me to create even though conventional wisdom says my creations are impossible. If you are given an old gardening book, do not consign it to the trash can. Wait for a rainy day and look through it, the information or inspiration you need may be in its "out of date "pages.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
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Spring Gardening Plan
It has been a number of years since I've planted a vegetable garden. I have plans to have one again in the spring, however. Why plant a vegetable garden? I am sure that every gardener has his or her own reasons but I needed to decide what my own reasons are. It's not like I'm especially fond of digging in the dirt because I'm not. Is it the fact that I enjoy being outdoors? Nope, not that either because I have a real problem with heat and once May arrives the weather is usually uncomfortable for me.
Well it certainly couldn't be that I enjoy pulling weeds or getting bitten by bugs (see, I'm telling the truth when I say I'm not an outside kind of person!). So it must be something else; some other draw that makes me want to plant vegetables and watch them grow instead of buying them in the produce section of the supermarket like I've been doing for years now.
The reason is that it gives me a good feeling to grow some of the family's food. Pure and simple, that's all it is. There is a good feeling that comes along with planting some tiny seeds and in a few months being able to pick the bounty and help it to find its way to the dinner table.
I have wanted to get into home canning for a very long time now, so I may decide to plant some extra things (or a larger amount of my favorites) and try my hand at it. I'm not real sure about that, though, because it may be a bit too ambitious until I see how the garden is going to grow. I will feel so much like Mary, Mary and I'm sure I'll be quite contrary as she was.
In the days of our grandparents and great grandparents and back through time, having a garden or not wasn't a choice that they made each year like I am now doing. When the ground was ready, the garden was planted and there was no debate about it and no other way to do things. I am a big fan of historical things as well as genealogy so that is an additional plus for me, to feel that I am doing something my ancestors all did.
In the past when I've had a vegetable garden, I sometimes had a bit of a problem knowing how much to plant and ended up with excess. One year it was zucchini and I spent way too much time looking for recipes so that I could serve it in new and different ways. I still have to smile at the number of dishes that can be made with zucchini!
Another year it was tomatoes. Now that one wasn't so bad because I enjoy Italian foods. That just meant that many of the extra tomatoes ended up in homemade spaghetti sauce, lasagna sauce, and so on. Some of the excess tomatoes went into chili to freeze and many of them ended up sliced for the table or put into salads. Extra tomatoes are rarely a problem.
I need to be sure not to plant too many onions. I tried recently to freeze some that a neighbor gave to me. (I guess he didn't anticipate that planting too many onions would be a problem!) I just don't like the way they turn out once they are frozen. If you dice them up and then use them for something like chili, they're fine, but I tried slices and it just didn't turn out well. The odor in the freezer and fridge even when they are wrapped very well is a consideration, too.
I enjoy garden peas, but I think I'm recalling from the past that it takes an incredible amount of picked peas to get enough for even a small family. If I plant peas, it will be just enough for a few meals and I think that will be enough.
I might plant potatoes but not corn. For some reason, watermelon or cantaloupe never worked well for me as much as I love eating them. Then again, since this is a new house and different soil, maybe I will try them once again. I won't grow lettuce but will grow cucumbers.
See, I almost have it all planned out already! When it comes right down to it, nothing beats produce that you know is fresh and you will have the assurance that nothing nasty has been sprayed onto it or spread on the ground while it was growing.
Well it certainly couldn't be that I enjoy pulling weeds or getting bitten by bugs (see, I'm telling the truth when I say I'm not an outside kind of person!). So it must be something else; some other draw that makes me want to plant vegetables and watch them grow instead of buying them in the produce section of the supermarket like I've been doing for years now.
The reason is that it gives me a good feeling to grow some of the family's food. Pure and simple, that's all it is. There is a good feeling that comes along with planting some tiny seeds and in a few months being able to pick the bounty and help it to find its way to the dinner table.
I have wanted to get into home canning for a very long time now, so I may decide to plant some extra things (or a larger amount of my favorites) and try my hand at it. I'm not real sure about that, though, because it may be a bit too ambitious until I see how the garden is going to grow. I will feel so much like Mary, Mary and I'm sure I'll be quite contrary as she was.
In the days of our grandparents and great grandparents and back through time, having a garden or not wasn't a choice that they made each year like I am now doing. When the ground was ready, the garden was planted and there was no debate about it and no other way to do things. I am a big fan of historical things as well as genealogy so that is an additional plus for me, to feel that I am doing something my ancestors all did.
In the past when I've had a vegetable garden, I sometimes had a bit of a problem knowing how much to plant and ended up with excess. One year it was zucchini and I spent way too much time looking for recipes so that I could serve it in new and different ways. I still have to smile at the number of dishes that can be made with zucchini!
Another year it was tomatoes. Now that one wasn't so bad because I enjoy Italian foods. That just meant that many of the extra tomatoes ended up in homemade spaghetti sauce, lasagna sauce, and so on. Some of the excess tomatoes went into chili to freeze and many of them ended up sliced for the table or put into salads. Extra tomatoes are rarely a problem.
I need to be sure not to plant too many onions. I tried recently to freeze some that a neighbor gave to me. (I guess he didn't anticipate that planting too many onions would be a problem!) I just don't like the way they turn out once they are frozen. If you dice them up and then use them for something like chili, they're fine, but I tried slices and it just didn't turn out well. The odor in the freezer and fridge even when they are wrapped very well is a consideration, too.
I enjoy garden peas, but I think I'm recalling from the past that it takes an incredible amount of picked peas to get enough for even a small family. If I plant peas, it will be just enough for a few meals and I think that will be enough.
I might plant potatoes but not corn. For some reason, watermelon or cantaloupe never worked well for me as much as I love eating them. Then again, since this is a new house and different soil, maybe I will try them once again. I won't grow lettuce but will grow cucumbers.
See, I almost have it all planned out already! When it comes right down to it, nothing beats produce that you know is fresh and you will have the assurance that nothing nasty has been sprayed onto it or spread on the ground while it was growing.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Decorating with your Garden's Fall Bounty
By Christina VanGinkel
Decorating your home and yard with the bounty from your garden is one of the best things gained from all your hard work and effort. With fall underway, you may be thinking there is not a lot left in your garden from which to use around the home, but you would be wrong, especially if your garden included a pumpkin patch or gourds. Even if it does not, there are still ways to enjoy the end of your garden's season.
For those with no pumpkins or gourds, just a garden that has seen better days, take a few hours and cleanup the rows, then plant a scarecrow decorated for the season in it. This will not only make you smile and be a pleasure to view both for your family and the neighbors, but it might even keep the late season birds away from eating up any seeds that you would still like to get out and harvest a few of.
If you happen to be one of the many who did plant pumpkins, harvest a nicely sized one, and measure the top of it to a diameter that will easily hold a simple vase. Then carve out the pumpkin as you would ready it for traditional pumpkin carving, but stop when you have the interior cleaned out. Set the vase into the pumpkin and fill it with an assortment of late blooms such as marigolds, or with dried flora. You can also use what I call local gifts of bounty if you happen to live close to an area where you can harvest a few cattails. Snip a couple close to their tops so that they extend just a bit out of the vase and add some thin twigs. This seemingly simple mixture will appear quite elegant in the middle of a dining room table or displayed on a hearth. If you have a vase that has a top, which is made with separations to keep the flowers arranged more neatly, you can even forgo the vase and just set the top into the pumpkin.
Gourds and pumpkins come in many different colors and shapes, so mix things up a bit and assemble a few different ones to decorate a large table. These can also be set outdoors for a late season garden party, or even to line a large walkway or to fix up a display by your entryway in place of cornstalks or some other more common fall display.
Painting on pumpkins is nothing new, but choose a design scheme that is more sophisticated than your typical pumpkin painting. Simple quilt patterns are both easy to do and can bring some great colors to the artwork. Depending on the way your home is decorated, choose a Victorian or western design and paint it on a white gourd or several, and create a centerpiece of twigs and cattails lying flat in the shape of a nest and place the painted gourds on top. A nest of large colored leaves will work nicely too. Fill a large wooden bowl with colored leaves, stick a few strategic twigs in, and place a large pumpkin in the center to hold the leaves down and help the twigs to stick up and outward.
For an impromptu dinner party, bring in a pot of late blooming mums to use as a centerpiece, and peel of a few fresh dried cornhusks to use as napkin rings. Cover thee exterior of the pot in anything that fits your theme or mood for the meal, from a piece of checked flannel, to gold lame. Peel off the very exterior husks of the corn and toss in the trash, as they are often dirty. One layer down, the husks will not only be cleaner, they will be a bit more malleable than the very outside ones and will wrap around your napkins without cracking and crumbling. Add a fresh ripe and crisp apple or small mini gourd by each place setting with the occupants name tied to the apple top or written across the face of the mini gourd with acrylic, non-toxic paint.
Decorating your home and yard with the late blooms and other fall bounties from your garden are just one more way to extend the pleasure from something you have worked so hard at almost the whole year. From the first time you turned the earth over early last spring, to these late fall bounties you are still harvesting, you are doing both your garden and yourself good by making full use of such a splendid part of your yard and home, and even your life. A garden enjoyed so fully, is sure to be a garden that will once again be ready for enjoyment come the first day of a new spring next year.
Decorating your home and yard with the bounty from your garden is one of the best things gained from all your hard work and effort. With fall underway, you may be thinking there is not a lot left in your garden from which to use around the home, but you would be wrong, especially if your garden included a pumpkin patch or gourds. Even if it does not, there are still ways to enjoy the end of your garden's season.
For those with no pumpkins or gourds, just a garden that has seen better days, take a few hours and cleanup the rows, then plant a scarecrow decorated for the season in it. This will not only make you smile and be a pleasure to view both for your family and the neighbors, but it might even keep the late season birds away from eating up any seeds that you would still like to get out and harvest a few of.
If you happen to be one of the many who did plant pumpkins, harvest a nicely sized one, and measure the top of it to a diameter that will easily hold a simple vase. Then carve out the pumpkin as you would ready it for traditional pumpkin carving, but stop when you have the interior cleaned out. Set the vase into the pumpkin and fill it with an assortment of late blooms such as marigolds, or with dried flora. You can also use what I call local gifts of bounty if you happen to live close to an area where you can harvest a few cattails. Snip a couple close to their tops so that they extend just a bit out of the vase and add some thin twigs. This seemingly simple mixture will appear quite elegant in the middle of a dining room table or displayed on a hearth. If you have a vase that has a top, which is made with separations to keep the flowers arranged more neatly, you can even forgo the vase and just set the top into the pumpkin.
Gourds and pumpkins come in many different colors and shapes, so mix things up a bit and assemble a few different ones to decorate a large table. These can also be set outdoors for a late season garden party, or even to line a large walkway or to fix up a display by your entryway in place of cornstalks or some other more common fall display.
Painting on pumpkins is nothing new, but choose a design scheme that is more sophisticated than your typical pumpkin painting. Simple quilt patterns are both easy to do and can bring some great colors to the artwork. Depending on the way your home is decorated, choose a Victorian or western design and paint it on a white gourd or several, and create a centerpiece of twigs and cattails lying flat in the shape of a nest and place the painted gourds on top. A nest of large colored leaves will work nicely too. Fill a large wooden bowl with colored leaves, stick a few strategic twigs in, and place a large pumpkin in the center to hold the leaves down and help the twigs to stick up and outward.
For an impromptu dinner party, bring in a pot of late blooming mums to use as a centerpiece, and peel of a few fresh dried cornhusks to use as napkin rings. Cover thee exterior of the pot in anything that fits your theme or mood for the meal, from a piece of checked flannel, to gold lame. Peel off the very exterior husks of the corn and toss in the trash, as they are often dirty. One layer down, the husks will not only be cleaner, they will be a bit more malleable than the very outside ones and will wrap around your napkins without cracking and crumbling. Add a fresh ripe and crisp apple or small mini gourd by each place setting with the occupants name tied to the apple top or written across the face of the mini gourd with acrylic, non-toxic paint.
Decorating your home and yard with the late blooms and other fall bounties from your garden are just one more way to extend the pleasure from something you have worked so hard at almost the whole year. From the first time you turned the earth over early last spring, to these late fall bounties you are still harvesting, you are doing both your garden and yourself good by making full use of such a splendid part of your yard and home, and even your life. A garden enjoyed so fully, is sure to be a garden that will once again be ready for enjoyment come the first day of a new spring next year.
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