Gardening on the Moon ( GOTM )

Written by Jeff
Non-GOTM pictures credited by hover notes – move cursor over image

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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  Mini Garden Makeovers

  I’m sorry for the pop up that you will probably see when you visit this web page, but it has some good ideas to offer. Check out the tip with the shoes as they look particularly good. I always enjoy picking up one or two new ideas and I hope you do as well.

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  After bloom care for daffodils (Don’t go daffy!)

  Almost everyone enjoys the first blush of daffodils in the spring when little else is providing a sunny smile and cheerful repose. This article will explain how to ensure that your daffodils maintain their vigor and return with glory for many, many years.

http://mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com/2013/06/caring-for-daffodils-after-blooming.html

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  Color choices for the garden
  

  Dashes of bold color in the garden add interest and beauty. Color can bring a bounce to the eye forcing it to move along. Vivid colors also visually excite the onlookers. We like galleria and gazania which offer interesting color.

http://reddirtramblings.com/roses/color-in-the-garden-will-change-your-life

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  VIDEO – A trick to save Peonies for L-A-T-E-R when you wish you had more!

  Watch the video to learn the trick. Give it a try and let us know how it works!

http://www.finegardening.com/item/28095/save-peonies-for-later-on

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  Templates for planting seeds in the garden

  If it is too late for this year, save this to work on during the off season and be ready for next spring. This is great for those who direct sow.

http://chiotsrun.com/2009/03/19/square-foot-gardening-templates/

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

Our courtyard was at its peak a couple of weeks ago, but still looks quite nice. This is the time of the year in the Sonoran Desert, however, when temps are climbing and some of our cooler weather plants begin to shut down. Our trailing pansies highlighted here are all but gone. In the picture above, the flower pot all the way to the right contains our doorway guardians, very pretty pink geraniums. As you can see (below), the foliage is still quite nice, but the buds are blasting.

Here’s a better picture…

Each spring/early summer we have a ritual whereby we replace the geraniums with vinca. I have espoused the virtues of vinca several times, but most notably here. Since we have already planted several large pots of vinca in our backyard, we save some of the plants that were in the multi-pack for this purpose. They have become our Courtyard Ladies in Waiting and this week they will take center stage beside the doorway.

The ladies in waiting above sit in front of our snail vine, but there is also a single lady waiting patiently to see if she will be chosen for sentinel duty by the door.

Last year we had this angelonia that performed superbly and we were able to winter it over and give her another dramatic spot in the garden this year.

We were so pleased with the performance that we also bought a pink mate to place on the opposite courtyard wall.

Here is another picture of the pink angelonia’s quarters with her “buds!”

In addition to our Ladies in Waiting, we also have a variegated bower vine in training. As you can see by the picture below we are training it to grow onto and up the curved trellis on the courtyard’s eastern wall.

We are hoping for a well appointed courtyard by mid-summer, but in gardening like other things, one never knows. I hope your garden vision is coming along this year as well.

Do you have any Ladies in Waiting?

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff
Non-GOTM pictures credited by hover notes – move cursor over image

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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  Favorite Perennials for the Garden – are these among your favorites? If not, should they be? We loved our shade-loving hostas and coneflowers when we lived in New Jersey!

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  This Pallet Crate Box Garden Grows Veggies Fits on Apartment Patios – Many people enjoy seeing projects made by recycling materials. This particular project seems easy and produces a fine result which will provide planting space on a balcony or patio.

http://lifehacker.com/this-pallet-crate-box-garden-grows-veggies-fits-on-apa-486933678

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  Are you looking for unique garden markers? Will any of these fit the bill? Another project for people who like DIY projects. I wish I had thought of some of these!

https://brightnest.com/posts/5-unique-ways-to-label-your-plants

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  This is one of the coolest (is that old fashioned word?) vertical garden projects I have seen. Apparently vertical gardens are the “in” thing nowadays. This project uses succulents which not only provide a variety of colors, but also textures. If you are inspired, why not give it a try? Send me a picture and I will post it on GOTM! –

http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2013/04/succulent-wall-planter-2.html

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  Tips for Growing Food in a Small Space

http://earth911.com/news/2013/04/08/grow-food-small-spaces/

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Mary

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A few weeks ago we traveled northward to the little town of Cottonwood, AZ where we lucked into a small shop filled with some unique garden ware and pottery. In the outside courtyard, we spied a raised, metal planter that would be perfect for our pest-ridden (javelinas, rabbits & ground squirrels) yard. Nearby, a raised planter atop a “half-bike” also beckoned; and my husband successfully negotiated for that item also!!

Above is a picture of the bicycle planter. The wooden box insert of this “bike” fitted snugly inside the holder; but we were able to loosen it and drilled several holes in the bottom for drainage.

We tried to remove the wooden structure in its entirety, but the central plank was firmly attached to the metal so we settled for removing most of it. You have to look hard to see the holes. Then two coats of polyurethane sealer were applied. To minimize “wood rot” that accompanies the requisite watering of soil; we purchased two inexpensive plastic “shoe boxers” that we cut carefully to create one larger box.

Note: it was necessary to also create a few drainage holes in this reconfigured plastic box; although we did not take pains to match the holes.

Small pieces of fine mesh gutter guard were placed over these holes to slow drainage.

We then filled the new liner with our homemade potting mix.

Some multicolored petunias were selected as our first inhabitants; and they appear to thrive in this setting. As the desert temps rise this summer it is likely we will need to substitute hardier fare.

We placed our new planter outside our courtyard gate; safely and smugly elevated from ground critters! Our one acquiescence to security was to insert two large U-bolts through the narrow bottom rim of the metal “wheel” in event high winds or roving javelinas jostle our new planter!! Here is a picture soon after it was placed outside our courtyard.

Below is a picture of the planter approximately ten days later.

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Visit Amazon’s Garden & Patio Markdowns

Find a Good Home for Your Website at

Written by Jeff
Non-GOTM pictures credited by hover notes – move cursor over image

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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  Do you know the top six invasive plants in the United States? Do you grow any? Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is very pretty, but it just takes over. In Arizona we have a native plant, Desert Broom, that is classified as invasive because it tends to colonize areas and it is a fire hazard!

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  This is a post about Bleeding Hearts which are very lovely shade plants, but it also includes a picture of “Jack Frost” Brunnera. We grew Brunnera in New Jersey and we found that it was not a plant that the deer and rabbits liked. We especially love the beautiful foliage. Flowers are just a bonus when they occur.

http://lonadawn.blogspot.com/2013/04/dicentra-spectabilis-bleeding-hearts.html

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  Soften garden borders with appropriate plant selection. The author apparently wants to soften the harsh lines created by hardscape with a selection of vegetation that can lead the eye gracefully to the plants beyond the borders. There are some interesting ideas to be gained from the photographs.

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/9320051/list/Define-Your-Garden-Softly-With-Planted-Borders/

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  The World’s Most Bizarre Plants – For some reason, people tend to be attracted to plants that are strange. Youngsters love the Venus Fly Trap because it “eats” insects. Others enjoy scented geraniums because they smell like something else such as mint or chocolate. The link below provides a tour of some unusual plants which probably are not grown by many home gardeners. [ Click the Next arrow to go to the next picture. ]

http://www.weather.com/home-garden/backyard/weird-plants-20130416

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  For those with rocks in their head (ideas for rocks that is) – Let me just say that rocks are great for garden borders. In New Jersey, we had a three-acre lot with the middle acre carved out for our house and gardens. We made extensive use of rocks as borders since there was an abundant supply in the woods. (I also built many free standing walls with large rocks).

  One very important tip I can pass along if you plant to mow close to the wall, is to leave a six-inch border of mulch for the mower’s wheels. I did this in some areas, but in others I used a string trimmer to keep things tidy, but close to he wall!

http://www.growingthehomegarden.com/2013/04/natural-rocks-for-stone-garden-borders.html

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post