There is nothing better than a green lawn in the fall! Whether you are a new homeowner laying sod for the first time DIY style, or simply patching holes in your yard from the phone companies’ most recent digging site, there are a few tips to know to make your sod laying experience easier, and more successful.

Tips:

1. Prepare the bare spot for sod. If you are laying sod in an area that is sandwiched between healthy sections of lawn, dig a shallow trench through the bare area, and remove the excess dirt. The shallow trench will allow the new sod’s root system to rest (once installed) at about the same level as that of the root systems of the established grass on either side, where it will be protected from the elements or changing temperatures.
2. Give your sod an easy start. No matter how tempting, do not just lay sod down on existing dirt, which may have dried out, or been left uneven and rocky. Always lay a light coating of topsoil on the area before you lay down the sod, to provide the root system with an easy area to acclimate itself to.
3. Tuck in the loose ends! Leaving the corners and edges of fresh sod exposed (like below) is a big no-no in sod installation. Edges that do not fit well within the bounds of the alloted area can dry out, freeze, or otherwise become a tripping hazard in the lawn. One a newly established piece of sod begins to dry out, it is very easy for the rest of the entire piece to follow suit. It is always better to re-trim the sod piece, or adjust the shallow trench area around the sod to provide a better fit for the new grass. Tuck under any root growth on the sod’s edges so that they are below the soil line.

 4.  Secure the sod firmly into the dirt with stakes, or turf pins. Once you have set your sod into place, lightly stretch out the sod patches to ensure a tight fit to the hole. Pin the sod down to the ground to help the root system retain it’s moisture longer, and remain in place. A firmly attached section of sod will establish more quickly than a piece that has simply been set into place, and had pressure applied to it. I recommend using a product called “GreenStakes” to pin down sod, since they are stronger than metal pins, and 100%  naturally biodegradable!

  5.  Apply pressure to your sod. Landscape companies employ the use of a stone roller, to smooth and firm large areas of new sod, but you can do the same job yourself. When you have completed your sod installation it is actually important to walk over the top of, an otherwise apply pressure to the surface of the new sod. Applying pressure helps settle the new grass into your lawn where it will be protected, and flattens any lumps and bumps along the way. 

Your Thoughts: These are my top five tips to sod laying. Do you have any sod tips of your own to pass on? 

A reader recently asked me for some ideas in his Japanese themed garden, so I put together one common and one uncommon choice for arbor plants that will fit the bill with both Asian and aesthetic qualities.

If you are looking for two great options for your trellis or arbor, here are two Japanese vines that are sure to wow your guests, and fill your yard with fragrance!  Two varieties that I recommend for a Japanese themed arbor are Japanese Wisteria, and Akebia Quinata.

Japanese Wisteria is a more common garden find these days, and it’s affluent purple clusters of flowers work naturally with a sturdy arbor, providing a ceiling of blooms overhead.  Japanese Wisteria prefers a full sun location, and well drained soil with moderate watering, in order to thrive. Wisteria is recommended in USDA planting zones 5-9. The growth habits are such that it can quickly overwhelm a weak arbor or trellis structure under the weight of blooms, and brances, so it is a choice for permanent, and strong structures that are capable of holding a great deal of weight.

• Troubleshooting: While juvenille plants can be harder to coax into initial blooming than other varieties of Wisteria, the color, and proficience of the plant once blooming are well worth the trouble. I recommend buying this plant from a nursery, to aquire a plant of several years of age. The older the plant you buy, the more likely you are to have reliable blooms quickly.  Very young plants have been known to wait 5 plus years to bloom, although some plants benefit from a little root trimming at the time of planting to help trigger blooms. To further encourage blooms, fertilize this plant with a high phosphorous fertilizer.

Akebia quinata  is also know as the chocolate vine, and if you aren’t intrigued by the name alone, the purple or suede brown flowers will capture your attention with a scent compared to a true milk chocolate! This vine is cold hardy, and recommended in USDA planting zones 4-9. It’s leaves grow in clusters of five, and look truly unique on a trellis, adding an authentic Japanese flavor, and tropical appeal to your patio.

 Akebia needs well drained but moist soil, and can grow happily in almost any soil type, be it sandy, clay or otherwise. Akebia is successful in all types in sun exposure, from full sun locations, to shaded locations, and will bloom in April and May. Unlike Japanese Wisteria, Akebia quinata can grow in an average light-duty trellis or arbor, and will not endanger the structure under it’s weight.

Both of these plants although beautiful can be very invasive, and their growth habits when left unchecked can pose a danger to local flora and fauna.  The best location for these arbor plants is in a contained environment, under the care of someone who will discard any clipping, and prunings into trash bags to prevent the spread of these species into the natural landscape.

Together or alone these two choices will add an authentic Japanese touch to your home space, and provide you with years of aesthetic enjoyment both outdoors, and in cut displays. Try one of these out for yourself, and let me know how they work for you!

Happy Planting!

Wisteria picture courtesy of atu1666

Akebia picture courtesy of Van Swearingen 

Dracaena Spikes are often sold as annuals in nurseries, but just because the summer is over doesn’t mean you need to pull this plant and discard it. Spikes are actually a cold hardy plant in USDA planting zones 7-11, and can grow up to 2 feet in height, returning year after year when left outdoors. If you live in one of these zones there’s no need to move your spikes indoors for the winter months, or toss the plant in the trash.

Spikes are sold initially in small sizes for easy use in container gardens. After 4 or 5 months in a pot Dracaena Spikes may begin to take over valuable space, and hide your lower growing plants. If you want to reclaim space in your outdoor containers for new plants, you can dig out this plant and move it to your main garden. Use the cooler fall and winter months to create a plan that incorporates these heat and cold tolerant plants into one of your garden beds.

I saved a few spikes from planters to fill in the space between a brick wall and a seasonally rotating planting section, and they have become a stable perennial in that area. After two years the spikes are large and soften the appearance of the brick wall beautifully.

Try incorporating spikes into your yard, and let me know how you like to display yours!

Fall is a great time to get your hands dirty, mixing a little functional gardening in with your weekend projects. A way to complete two tasks at once with bald earth underneath decking, is with the plant Pachysandra. This hardy little ground cover can not only thrive in low light areas with little moisture, but it also doubles as a strong erosion control method, for hilly areas.

This picture was taken at the home of some friends who are using this plant to fulfill both of those two functions, in an area too awkward to mow, and with little light or maneuvering room for other garden plants, and weeding.

How To Plant Pachysandra:

Once you have identified an area you want to use Pachysandra as a groundcover for, measure the area, and plot out the number of young plants you will need to buy, factoring in one Pachysandra plant per 12 inches.  Prepare the garden bed, if the soil is not not sufficiently nutritious for new plants, by ammending the soil and mixing in leaf compost, or rich topsoil. Plant the young plants with about 1/4 inch of dirt covering them, and make sure to keep them regularly watered for the first few weeks, to encourage healthy growth.  For hiily areas, a light covering of mulch over and around the plants will help keep the soil and water around the Pachysandra while it is still becoming established, and retain the moisture better for the root systems.  Regular annual mulching of these plants will be optional after the first year.

Once your Pachysandra has become established, it will require very little by way of watering, and the plant can be trimmed with a string trimmer, to retain it within the bound of it’s garden bed, or simply mowed over with a lawn mower, if it tries to spread into the lawn.  Without regular fertilizing, this plant will remain happily contained within the space you plant it, and will fill in to create a lush evergreen carpet, that can cover a multitude of soil or grading related sins.  It’s also great in shaded areas, and will reduce, or eliminate the need to weed, as it grows to cover the soil, and block the light source weed seeds need to germinate!

The plants themselves are common enough to find at most garden stores, or can be ordered in large quantaties online from providers like Spring Hill Nursery who will ship plants to your doorstep. If you have an akward underdeck area that needs a little TLC, try using this plant, and enjoy a lush garden look with little to no labor involved after initial planting.

Your Thoughts: Have you used Pachysandra around any tough-to-fill areas on your property?  Would you recommend this plant to others?

One of my favorite things about August is the county fair!  There is nothing I like better than strolling around a local fairground on an August evening with an ice-cream cone, and my family and friends, watching the kids get excited about the pig races, and petting the farm animals.  The one barn at the fair in which I notice the most “can I take one home?” action with kids in general, is always the Rabbit Barn. Perhaps this syndrome is only due to the slightly more portable nature of the beasts, when compared to the true life size of Holstein cows, I’m not sure. But what child can resist all that fuzzy goodness?

If you have ever fallen prey to the twinkling of a bunnies eye (or your children have talked you into buying or adopting one), I want to provide you with my list of Green Bunny Picks, for the best fruits and veggies for your family pet, many of which you can grow in your yard to supplement it’s diet.

Unfortunately, the family bunny knows nothing of winter hibernation, and sends you out all year-round to buy food and supplies at the local pet supply store. While winter can be a tough month to feed your pet natural foods, spring, summer and fall, you can grow the healthy food your pet needs and craves.  For the avid gardener, a true vegetable garden will provide most of the food your rabbit needs in season, for children, or those looking only to supplement a pet’s diet, raised container gardens will grow fruits and veggies up and out of the way of the  local wildlife, who may overly appreciate your crop.  Very often, the more packed a pot or garden space is with veggies, the healthier the plants themselves are. For the apartment dwelling rabbit owners, you too can grow herbs and veggies!  I suggest trying windowsill pots, or an herb gardening system, as a way to provide fresh produce for your pet, and as a joint project to teach kids about growing and raising plants.

Below are two lists of raw fruits and veggies that the average gardener can easily grow, with minimal space requirements.

Green Gardenista’s 4-H Rabbit Garden Veggie Picks:

• Alfalfa, or “Lucerne”
• Basil
• Beet Greens
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Carrots (greens and root)
• Celery
• Cilantro
• Clover
• Collard Greens
• Dandelions (greens and flowers)
• Lettuce (Romaine, and Greenleaf)
• Radishes (whole plant)

Green Gardenista’s 4-H Rabbit Garden Fruit Picks:

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

The Roadside Stand Round-up: When summer and fall roadside stands pop up in your area, support your local growers by purchasing Apples, Melons, Oranges, Papaya, Pears, Pineapple, Plums and Bananas to share with your rabbit.  Fruits, and high sugar veggies, (like Carrots) are a wonderful source of vitamins, but should be fed sparingly, because bunnies will feed their sweet tooth to the exclusion of eating healthfully.

Tip: Even turf grass, and chickweed can make excellent additions to your rabbits diet, so where possible, provide your rabbit with a little time in the yard to nibble on the native weeds you’ve got around.  My own rabbits love the exercise associated with their time out of the hutch too, and will run little laps around their exercise area. Remember, where pesticide is used, do not let rabbits loose on the grass until after the first rain, or two to three days after application.

For those new to vegetable gardening, I’ve found that the “grid system” garden (as pictured above) can be a valuable tool.  Placed over an existing garden, or added to a raised garden bed, or patio box, a simple grid made out of inexpensive lumber scraps, plywood, or even old paint stirrers, can help you organize what you’ve planted.  Knowing exactly where every vegetable you’ve planted is, can help you quickly identify what is a weed and what is not.  Grid systems also can function as a great cheat sheet, for you or your children, when you label with a permanent marker the names of each plant on the grin bar above.  Often kids will enjoy writing the labels themselves, or decorating with stickers the boxes area around the plant they are responsible for.

Young herb and veggie plant are usually available in seedling form early in the spring and summer, but seeds can always be purchased year round from home improvement stores, or from Burpee online.  If you haven’t yet tried your hand at home grown rabbit food, it’s not too late to start.  Many veggies do well planted in late August and early fall, for a mid to late fall harvest.

Your thoughts: Have you tried growing food for the pets in your life?  What worked well, for you?

Most of the garden plants we use today owe their popularity in the past to their centuries-old usefulness in the home, and in the medicine chest.  While I won’t try and pass myself off as an herbalist, I have found some great, and creative uses for Rosemary that you might want to know about, to rejuvenate your outlook on this common garden plant!  Here are my top 10 ideas that anyone could try!

1. Cooking, and Garnishes.  Rosemary can be grown in the kitchen window, or in the yard, and is a common herb used in thousands of recipes. The plant can be grown outside year-round in areas where the winter time temperature averages above 20 degrees.
2. Repelling Mosquito’s from yard. This is a great plant to grow in gardens or planters especially around areas you use to entertain guests!  The oils in the leaves of the plant repel Mosquito’s, and that is never a bad thing!
3. Hair Rinse, and Tonic. Rosemary boiled in a few cups of water can be used for a moisturizing hair rinse that has been linked to hair re-growth, and dandruff elimination. Use Half a cup of Rosemary boiled in 2 1/2 cups of water.
4. Tropical Christmas Tree. Hearty bushes can be pruned into Christmas trees in warmer areas, where pine trees are on Short order.  The plant originally came from the Mediterranean, so it thrives in warmer climates, and does well when pruned regularly, seasonally, or into a particular shape.
5. Flavorful Skewers, or Grilling Pins. Woody stem trimmings can be turned into scented kabob skewers, for meat or veggies. Leaves can be pulled off the stems for use in other recipes, or frozen for later use.  The stems also double well as ‘grilling pins,” with recipes featuring meat stuffed with cheeses, veggies, or grilling sauces.  Substitute one or two firm rosemary twigs in place of toothpicks, to hold added ingredients inside the meat while cooking on the grill.
6. Cat Repellent. Most cats detest the smells, and the oils associated with Rosemary plants, especially when it gets on their fur.  Clumps of this plant in your yard can repel feral cats from leaving their business in your garden, and freshly trimmed branches left on furniture, or carpet areas that you would like house cats to keep them away from, will work in redirecting your cat to better locations in the house. This herb has worked like a charm with my own cat!
7. Memory Assistance.  The ancient belief that Rosemary assisted memory, has been proven by modern science!  Whether eaten with food, used in oil form on pulse points and temples, or simply smelled, Rosemary has been linked in several studies to increased cognitive performance, it is currently being examined as a possible pharmaceutical ingredient in future drugs that will battle Alzheimer’s  and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
8. Gift Accent. Spring and summer weekends inevitably fill up with weddings, graduation parties, and baby showers, so why not make your gift stand out with a ribbon tied bundle of Rosemary attached to the top of your gift with your card.  Not only have Rosemary bundles been given with wedding gifts for thousands of years, but the bundles can go in water afterward, to scent the house for days to come.
9. Aromatherapy, and Romantic Fire Bundles. Rosemary oil, used lightly in baths, and oil burners can stimulate the senses, and relax the body.  Dried Rosemary can be bundled up with twine, or ribbon, and kept with your indoor firewood, and hearth tool set, to be added with wood as a fire-starter, and as a romantic mood setter.
10. Steam Treatment. Inhaling boiling water with rosemary in it can assist in treating bronchitis, and the congestion associated with colds, and flu’s.  The oils in the plants gently soothe sore throats and lungs, and open up air way temporarily, providing natural relief of common symptoms.  Herbalists also recommend using the oils of the plant in chest rubs for nighttime relief.  Consult an herbalist for details.

For a great entertaining idea using Rosemary, check out this great recipe for Rosemary Herb Butter!

Your Thoughts: What uses have you found for Rosemary?

(Photo credit: Charlie & Clint)

The smell of geraniums reminds me of my parents house when I was growing up.  The summer was always rung in with potted Geraniums on the front porch, and winter found those same plants waiting out the cold temperatures inside my parents bathroom, perching beside the soaking tub.

One of the great things about geraniums is that fact that they are constant bloomers when they receive enough water, and are pruned on a regular basis.  Having compound flower heads with multiple blooms on them, spent flowers can be pinched off singularly as they age, to keep a few flowers visible.  When an entire stem of blooms begins to look sparse, or is past it’s peak, the best thing to do to encourage more blooms is to remove the entire flower stem. With Geraniums, no tools are needed to efficiently remove dying flowers, and the method I suggest will also eliminate the unsightly dead, or dying stem left from using Pruning Shears.

Every Geranium flower stem has a large elbow at the base of it where it joins the main stem of the plant, on occasion, a flower stem will have an “elbow” half way up a flower stem as well (this usually happens in plants that have grown very tall, to maximize their exposure to the sun).  These elbows snap off easily with little pressure, to neatly and efficiently prune the plant in a way that the Geranium can heal from quicker than from pruning with shears.  Pruning entire stems at once encourages more vigorous growth of the plant, and cuts back the time between blooming flower heads.

You don’t have to go any farther than your grocery store to purchase a green, and low cost solution that will solve your deer problems with a handy deer repellent.  I for one believe that if a homeowner wants to grow Vegetables, Tulips, Hosta, or Hibiscus, that they should be able to, without having to errect an 8ft. fence around them!

Common powdered milk, when dusted on your garden will easily prevent deer from eating those treasures in your garden!  Like many of the more expensive (and potentially harmful) chemical treatments on the market today, dried milk renders a plant inedible, and scent deterring to deer.  Deer do not like the smell or taste of milk after they have been weaned, and routine dustings of this harmless grocery item on your plants will train deer to believe that what you are growing in your yard is not edible.

If you are having trouble with deer try this method out!  It works on flowers, shrubs, and sapling trees. Powdered milk won’t harm your plants, or deter pollinators from them, and its a cheap fix that you can stock up on the next time you are already planning a trip to the grocery store.

Your Thoughts: Have you found a unique home remedy that works on repelling deer?  Have you tried Powdered milk?  Let me know if you find this method works for you!

This year, I wanted a change!  Instead of planting traditional arbor plants around the trellis’ in my front yard, I wanted something a little more substantial, that would feed both myself, and the songbirds I’m desperately trying to attract to my city home!  As part of my “green journey,”  one of my goals is to use multi-purpose plants to provide food, beauty, and function in my garden, while fitting into the tight space I have allotted to me.  I also want to use native plants as much as possible, to support the local eco-system, and to save myself time and money, by planting plants that are known to be hardy in my location.

When I first moved into my current house, my family brought me a tiny Blackberry plant that was a descendant from the crops of my great-grandparents farm in Maine.  Knowing how hardy the American native Blackberries are in my little section of the East Coast, I was excited that the first addition to my new fruits and veggies patch be a low maintenance plant. Happily burdened with the historical significance of the plant, I made sure it lived through the droughts of last year, and that it provided me with enough berries to top a celebratory Ice cream float!

This year, with all the rain we have been receiving, the plant was growing so fast I could hear it’s progress through open windows, so I decided to do something a little unusual with it.  I placed it in a raised planter with a square framed trellis around it, and taught it to climb up the sides, weaving it through the arched top as well, to provide me with maximum berries, with minimal thorn pricks.  Generally, Blackberries grow on sturdy stems that are covered in thorns from all sides, so harvesting berries from the interior sections of the plant can be tricky.  The stems, left on their own in the wild, will grow in three foot arches, which only means that it is a solid, woodier, and easily shaped trellis plant, than many non-native plants available in garden superstores.  Blackberries need no tying up, or excessive fiddling, to keep it attached to the trellis.

With Trellis Blackberries, I can do three key things:

1. Provide Food: I can maintain a smaller part of the shrub for my own food harvesting, in a bed raised above the reach of mammals, and protected by netting from  birds,  while leaving the upper portions of the plant on the trellis available for birds.  This attracts the wildlife I want to my yard, providing them with natural food sources that don’t cost me a cent!
2. Add Beauty: Spring and summer, the plant sends out clusters of small white flowers, that once pollinated, will provide fruit through the late summer. This translates into visual interest around the arbor from spring through summer.  The shrub, also is a hardy one, that provides a solid, and easily maintained green color from early spring, through late fall.  It also will attract pollinators, and songbirds to your yard, which makes gardening all the more enjoyable, and “green,” providing for the local eco-system.  This is a great way to keep your berry bushes neat and tidy too, if you are working with a small yard, or even a balcony garden.
3. Fulfill A Function: The native Blackberry works well in fulfilling it’s roll as a an arbor plant, providing seasonal greenery, without the care that comes from “training” up other flowering-but-floppy arbor vines.  A trellis provides greater, and easier access to the fruit as well, since the plant is growing on a structure, and not just in a tangle of thorny branches.

I’m happy with what I’ve harvested so far this year, and I’m encouraged to be able to add home grown blackberries to my summer food supply.  Being an outdoorsie person too, I hope that the nutritional benefits of the berries will not only meet my dietary needs, but also fulfill a roll in my overall health, and skin care regimine.

Your Thoughts: Have you tried any new ways to incorporate fruits and veggies into your garden design?