I read a great article by Horticulturemagazine about overseeding your lawn with clover. Clover is a nitrogen fixer, meaning it adds nitrogen to the soil and helps things grow and green up. A clover lawn stays green longer than regular grass and beneficial insects likes bees love it.
Clover used to be part of lawns until people started to use chemical herbicides. Clover is not a weed and should be considered a healthy part of your lawn. Click here to read the full article.
Here is another article posted by CloverLawn.org regarding using clover as a lawn.
I was out on Monday doing a little yard clean up for a client and I do believe it was the first of more very nice, not too cold Spring days.
The crocus and snowdrops are up, the daffodils and hyacinth are beginning to poke their heads through the soil, and the hellebores are coming along as well. I must say that I think Spring is here.
I do love Spring, all the promise of a new season, warmer weather, going outside without putting on layers of clothing and getting to play in the garden again.
But before we get too excited . . . . . wait.
We will get more freezing weather and storms and our planting season doesn't officially begin until Memorial Day weekend. Most of us (me included) have gotten excited and planted things too early that got bit by a freeze and was lost.
What you can do is clean up. Prune out any broken or damaged tree limbs. Trim down those ornamental grasses and perennials from last year. Rake up your pine needles and add a hefty dose of compost to all your planting beds. Plan how you want your yard and/or garden to be like this year if you haven't already.
Soon you can also plant trees, shrubs and hardy perennials since the soil is no longer frozen. When planting, build up a water well to hold the water in around them. And, remember to water them regularly by hose until your irrigation system is turned on.
Speaking of irrigation, I highly recommend Miller Irrigation if you don't already have a company you are happy with. I know Scott Miller and his family and they are knowledgeable good hard workers. You can get a hold of them at 541-388-0190 to help you get your system turned on and tuned up.
I wait for this ever year and now it has happened once again. Grocery Outlet has an awesome collection of very, very, very well priced good looking glazed pots for sale.
These kinds of pots will make great fountains, water gardens and add excitement to your landscape.
These green pots sell for $19.99 - wow! Elsewhere they would be $60 or more.
What a nice color green! Nasturtiums would look great trailing out of these pots.
Grocery Outlet in Bend is located on the corner of 3rd and Wilson. While there, check and see what flavors of Ben and Jerry's they have....
During the heat wave back in January (though it happens every year, this year was a doozy) I got to help a client increase their curb appeal for a house they were putting on the market. I got in on the property the day after he called me, got it all weeded, trimmed, blown and bark mulched and it made a fantastic difference as to how prospective buyers will now view the property.
Since I didn't know how long the house might be on the market, I follow-up with an email as to how to maintain the impeccable look of the landscape and some things to do once spring arrives.
This is something I always do, follow up with a client and so this was no different for me. The client though was very appreciative of the feed back and had this to say:
"I must say I've never seen this type of follow up from pretty much anyone! That is very helpful."
Exceeding expectations and giving people excellent service (plus a fantastic looking landscape) is just all in a day's work for me because I am invested in each project and am passionate about what I do.
I am a follower of the blog Playscapes and the latest blog features photos of older Japanese playgrounds. I love this image of the elephant slide:
I love the fun, creative design in these slides. Children love whimsical and I think adults do too, it helps to set the imagination free.
Check out Playcapes for more great posts on playgrounds and playscapes.
One of my favorite magazines is "The American Gardener", the magazine of the American Horticultural Society. In the November/December issue they had an article about the 2010 American Garden Award Winner.
The 2010 American Garden Award, now in its second year, featured four new flower varieties chosen by their breeders for their excellent garden performance. Once these new varieties were planted and put on display by the participating gardens, the public was invited to vote on their favorite. The winner for 2010 is Rudbeckia Denver Daisy from Brenary of America.
According the American Garden website: "'Denver Daisy' wowed voters with masses of reddish ringed golden flowers having a delicious looking chocolate brown center. It's a knockout with huge 4-6 inch golden blooms that cover attractive deep green foliage. The long-lasting golden dark eyed blooms proved their ability to stand up under extreme weather conditions. This most popular winner guarantees fantastic summer-long flower power throughout the country in gardens, mixed containers and landscapes. This variety was created and named in honor of Denver's 150th anniversary."
Second place is Echinacea 'Prarie Splendor' from Syngenta Flowers with it's three inch amethyst blooms and long blooming period from early summer to late fall.
Both of these selections will be very well in our climate and will be well appreciated by bees and other insects.
The third place winner, an annual, is the ornamental pepper 'Purple Flash' from PanAmerican Seed.
This will look fantastic in a container, adding great color and interest, it would also look great surrounding a pot of Rudbeckia 'Denver Daisy'. Now that's a fun combo.
I'm getting excited about spring and the upcoming season, I can't wait to plant these this year!
I went to go visit a client and her landscape yesterday to make sure everything was overwintering well and it all looked great, including the crocus bulbs coming up.
What?!?
It is early February and in Central Oregon that is too early for even the early bulbs to be coming up. Even though it is really a lovely bright spot in her garden, she was concerned that she wouldn't have the beauty of the bulbs for later in the season.
For the bulbs that have already flowered or are budding, there is nothing to be done. There actually is not much to be done at all when unseasonally warm weather prompts bulbs to grow or trees to start budding out earlier than normal. The bulbs that have not budded should slow down with the return of the cold temperatures. Putting down some extra mulch to eliminate any light that the bulbs are getting might also slow their current growth down.
Meanwhile, enjoy those little spots of color and start thinking, planning and dreaming of this years gardening season!
Born again gardener. I started gardening professionally in college but thought I needed a "real job". It took me years, but now I'm back and loving every minute of it. I have a great balance of quiet working time at my table and time outside talking with clients and walking landscapes.
