Scent & Sight - Agastaches Have It All!Long lasting flowers that bring hummers and bees in droves, soft colors or wild bright colors, not to mention the scent! Agastaches will win you over, no matter where you live!
Longer Lasting Cut FlowersInstead of using water in your vase of freshly cut flowers, use flat Sprite or 7-Up. The citrus keeps them perky and the corn syrup keeps them alive. Just follow these two rules: Don't use the diet version, and remember that the soda has to be flat in order to be effective.
Tree Trimming Companies Are Great Sources for MulchIf you need mulch and lots of it, contact a local tree trimming company. Usually they're willing to just give you the mulch for free if you can come and pick it up, or they'll charge you a nominal delivery fee if they're in the area.
Salvia, a Plant for All GardensNo matter what kind of garden you grow, there's always room for a salvia.
Both Sight and Scent: Agastaches Have It All!With a scent that will make you come back for more, plus the bright happy colors, a non-fussy agastache plant is a definite plus for every garden!
Where, Oh Where Are the Blue Roses?The most elusive of flowers: the blue rose. Will it ever be?
Choose the Shovel for the Soil TypeIf you live in rocky soil / hard clay, use a fiberglass shovel to dig. The right tool for the job!
Chicken Litter Makes Great FertilizerIf you keep chickens, make sure that you spread around the straw/sawdust/bottom of the coop in the late fall / early winter. Let the winter snow/rains mix this into the soil. Free nitrogen and happy plants!
Acidify Your SoilIf you have naturally alkaline soil, you can combat it naturally by saving the needles off your Christmas tree and tilling them into the soil.
A Fishy Solution for Soil FertilityIf you have poor soil, go to your local big-box pet store and ask the employee in the fish department for a bag of their dead feeder goldfish. Bury the goldfish below your favorite plant and watch the plant explode with growth! This tip also works with fish "leftovers" provided by those who like to fish.
Push the ZoneIf you suffer from cold winters and you have tender plants that are doomed to live outside, but shouldn't in your zone, try this: Get a black bucket that a big perennial came in, cut the bottom off, wiggle it around the plant, and fill it with natural mulch (not colored/dyed). I have many zone 7 roses that survive my zone 5/4 winters when I do this.
Get Rid of Bugs on Your Cut FlowersSometimes the joy of bringing your flowers inside as cut flowers is ruined by pesky bugs. By eliminating them, you can have the full enjoyment of your outdoor flowers inside.
Plant Marigolds as an Ant DeterrentDo you struggle with sugar ants in the house? Line your walkway with marigolds. Also, when you deadhead the marigolds, crush the spent flowers along the outside of your window sills. Works great as a natural deterrent on ants of all sizes.
Help for Heavy Clay SoilThis method of dealing with heavy soil is easy, cheap, and effective. In early spring after the snow melts and/or the ground is workable, start breaking up the lumps of clay with a garden fork. Then add shredded paper to the soil, working it in as you go. The paper will break down, adding organic matter to the clay, and it is a lot cheaper than "clay buster"!
Hydrogen Peroxide Is a Gardener's FriendAfter planting all of those new plants, you might have ground-in dirt on your skin. Hydrogen peroxide will bubble it away. It works the same with grass stains.
Cooking Spray Cleans ToolsRust will come off your tools with an application of cooking spray such as Pam. Spray it on, wait a few minutes, wipe it off. You may have to do this a couple of times to achieve the desired results.
African Violets Are Easy To GrowContrary to popular belief, African Violets don't need to be babied. Don't over water them. Watering them once or twice a month is usually good enough. The most important thing to remember is not to place them in a sunny, hot window.
Growing Roses in ColoradoRoses: Ah, the "Queen of Flowers," the most popular flower given to sweethearts on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and even "oops, I messed up, honey, but here's a bouquet to make it better" day. You can grow roses!
Home Depot CouponsSign up with Home Depot Garden Club for online deals and coupons. You can get LOTS of free plants and coupons that way!
Frugal GardeningGarage Sales/Flea Markets/Craigslist are great places to find used tools and plants, especially estate sales where an older couple used to live. Also check your local FreeCycle, especially if you enjoy bulbs/rhizomes. You won't know their exact name, but a rose by any other name is still pretty.
Keeping Fingernails CleanWhen your toothbrush gets too spongy to clean your teeth, don't throw it out. A toothbrush works great for cleaning dirt from under fingernails and can be easily carted around in your back pocket when you're out in the garden or transplanting a potted plant. Fingernails appreciate softer toothed bristles and they don't ingrain the dirt.
Newspapers as a Tree WrapTo prevent tree scalding in the winter, don't bother with "tree wrap." Just get some newspapers, wrap those around the trunk of the tree, and use duct tape to keep the newspaper in place. I prefer the bright orange duct tape so I will remember to take it off in the spring. Just don't wrap the newspapers tight around the trunk.
Use Fish Aquarium Water for Your HouseplantsFor people who keep freshwater aquariums: when you do your water changes, keep the water for your houseplants or take it outside for your garden. Fish Emulsion is a nice way of saying fish poo, and a lot of expensive organic fertilizers are "fish emulsion". Why spend $20 for a bottle of fish poo when you can get it for free from your aquarium?
A Quick Tip about BirdseedTo keep your birdseed from sprouting, put it in the oven for about 10 minutes at about 300 degrees.
Research Plants Before PlantingResearch your plants before you install your new plants. Tags lie. A lot. Use our database or Google the plant to verify the information! Nothing worse than buying an expensive plant just for it to croak because it won't live in your zone even though the tag said that it's a hardy perennial!
A Birdbath Just for the WaspsPaper wasps need water. To keep them from bugging you too much, have 2 bird baths available with water. One should be low on the ground & yucky looking, the other can be in the traditional bird bath. Paper wasps seem to prefer yucky water to clean water.
