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Pesticide Problems

Warning Pesticides: Fire Will Cause Toxic Fumes by C. G. P. Grey

More and more people are becoming concerned with the excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers on lawns and gardens. Careful, judicious use of small amounts of pesticides and fertilizers may be helpful, but using a lot on lawns and gardens may not be healthy or safe for humans and animals.

New Jersey may follow New York and Connecticut’s lead to become the third state to ban schoolground spraying.

Florida, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Wisconsin and Maryland are limiting the amount of fertilizer with nitrogen and phosphorus that can be used on lawns and on your property; other states are considering a fertilizer ban. (see here) These bans also give dates when no one is allowed to apply fertilizers. Check out your state’s law on lawn fertilization to see what you can or cannot do on your lawns. Here are the NJ rules which, even if you are living in a state or country that does not have the ban, you should read. These bans are for the safety of our environment. If your state does not have the ban, become educated about the problems and encourage your state to write legislation to have the ban.

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Are ants infesting your house in the winter?

Ant Party by tarotastic

A friend told me that her house has an infestation of ants. They are in her house now, in the winter.

One generally thinks spring is when ants come indoors. But that isn’t necessarily the case. You might have brought the ants indoors with firewood and the heat has made them become active.

It has been a mild winter for those who live in the Middle Atlantic states. Mild weather can make ants become active earlier than usual. If they have a nest somewhere in the structure of your house they might be coming out. And some ants like damp spots to build their nests. With all the dampness we have had this winter, there could be some rotting wood near or in your house.

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Making something special for the garden

Arbor and Gravel Path — explored 🙂 by Chickens in the Trees…

TheGardenLady is always looking for creative and inexpensive ideas for planters or  to make something special for the garden.

With the storms that knocked down so many trees in our yards, I have been searching for uses of these trees other than having the arborist or the person cutting the fallen trees just cutting the trees and removing the trunks and branches.  If you are creative you should be able to reclaim some of the tree material for yourself or for others to use. The people who haul away your trunks will probably make mulch of your trees and resell it or sell it as firewood. Of course, you can do that, too.  But you might want to be a bit more creative. So look at your trees when they are down to try to see how you can recycle and reuse the material. Of course, if the tree was consumed by nasty insects like tree borers and you know that is what caused the tree’s demise, do not use those trees, just discard unhealthy trees. (see here) Use only trees you know to be healthy that were downed by a storm or that had to be removed for esthetic reasons.

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How about an orchid for Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Orchid by LollyKnit

Valentine’s Day is coming and I know all the intelligent male and maybe many of the intelligent female readers of TheGardenLady blog are planning something really special for their beloved Valentine on that day.

Say it with flowers is a romantic advertisement logo- though the florists usually mean cut flowers. I love receiving cut flowers; but if I had my choice, I would prefer receiving flowering plants. Cut flowers last a few days or if I am lucky, perhaps a week or two. However, a flowering plant, if it lives, can give me years of bloom. And if the plant has flowers when it is delivered to me, but it dies, I usually feel that it is still a winning situation because the plant probably cost less or not more than cut flowers which have to be thrown out in a week or less.

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10 things to do for your garden during February

Garden Muse Montage by Chickens in the Trees…

If you’re looking for things to do in your garden in February, TheGardenLady has 10 ideas for you to try.

1. Check to see that your garden equipment is ready and tools are sharpened if need be.

2.  Check seed packages to see that they are not outdated and organize those you want to use by dates as well as decide what seeds you will need or want to order for planting. Go through tubers and bulbs to see if any have rotted or dried out and discard.

3. If it is not too cold outdoors or the snow isn’t too deep, cut dead or diseased branches off trees, shrubs and vines and put them out for yard collection if your city or town offers it. (Diseased branches should not be composted.)

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VIDEO: A gadget that helps your garden grow

Over water. Under water. Forget to water. Of course, there is a gadget to help gardeners with this age-old problem to help keep plants alive and thriving. Personal tech expert Carley Knobloch demonstrates a digital tool that might be your new green thumb.

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Terrariums – Part II

terrarium stuff by pinprick

In the last post TheGardenLady wrote about bringing nature into your house with terrariums.  In today’s post, she will write about how to build a terrarium.

TheGardenLady thinks that Mason quart canning jars will look interesting if you want to build your own terrarium, but you could use mayonnaise jars or spaghetti jars.  You can use unused aquariums or whatever you find in your house. Of course, you can rummage around in flea markets, garage sales or markets for interesting jars, too. Or shop for jars in fancy nurseries or online. This is your creation, so use whatever you think will make a fine container.  Then as you become more adept at making the terrariums, you can get more elaborate containers including terrarium Christmas ornaments (see here).

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Terrariums – Part I

Terrarium by Flower Factor

Winter is the time that most gardeners are stuck indoors and are frustrated because they can’t get outdoors with their hands on a trowel, in soil (not dirt – dirt is something you want to get rid of) adding plants to the garden.  Well, if you can’t garden outdoors, why not make gardens indoors?  Why not make miniature gardens in glass containers which are called terrariums.

Terrariums can be any size from very tiny to perhaps something that can be used as a coffee table. I know someone who did just that, she got so carried away with the tiny terrariums, that she started making coffee tables out of slabs of plexiglass. She bought plastic cut to the size she needed and glued the boxes as she desired.   Watch this video:

 

and check out this site.

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