Well my gardening friends,
here we are over my cottage garden fence.
Spring was well and truly sprung
upon us with all those rainy days making the ground soggy.
My lovely snowdrops have gone to seed and the daffodils
are bowing their heads and wilting, as the warmer weather
approaches. So to start with, here's a nice handy collection
of my favourite gardening tips & ideas that may make
life in your garden that little bit easier, or at least
show you that gardening doesn't have to be expensive to
be enjoyed...
I've amassed these tips over
my many years of being an avid amateur gardener, and nature-loving
enthusiast, from old gardeners, neighbours, friends and
my own tried and tested methods. I'm no expert and would
never claim to be one, I only pass on a small part of my
accumulated knowledge in the hope of helping others enjoy
the most rewarding of pastimes "Amateur Gardening"...
1. To prevent animals
from digging up and eating your spring bulbs, you should
have first, wrapped them in a thin layer of steel wool.
It does no harm to the bulbs, as its shoot will push right
through it...
2. Washing up liquid
makes a great insecticidal soap when you mix it with water.
Take 1 to 3 tablespoons of washing up liquid and mix it
into 4 litres of water, add a tablespoon of vinegar too,
put it in a spray bottle and mist spray the entire plant.
Small left over soap bars, you remember the ones that clutter
the soap tray in the bathroom, and no one likes to use,
can be utilized also and easily dissolved using warm or
boiling water. Of course always remember to let it cool
before applying to your plants. Soapy dish or bath water
can also be collected and used effectively...
3. Cut all flower stems
at an angle, as it creates a larger surface area for the
flowers to draw up more water and you must remember to put
your flowers into water immediately. When I cut long stemmed
flowers I take a deep pale almost full to the brim with
water which was stood in my glasshouse or shed overnight
just for this purpose. If you don't then tiny air pockets
will form in the stems and cause the flowers to droop. Oh
yes and don't forget to drop an aspirin in your vase with
the water, your flowers will love you for it and repay you
by staying fresh looking for longer. A small piece of an
Alka-Seltzer tablet or a part spoon of liver salts, once
the fizzing has stopped are good alternatives to aspirin.
Don't put long stemmed flowers in a small vase, and visa
versa, for small stemmed ones.
Always choose the appropriate
vase and your cut flowers will certainly last a little longer,
provided you maintain the correct water level. Last but
not least, never ever use water straight from your tap for
your vase of flowers, always put water in your vases the
night before and stand them on a windowsill to gain room
temperature, as tap water is very cold and causes those
little air bubbles to form...
4. If you didn't plant your trees and shrubs late
last autumn, to get well established before the onset of
winter, then it's nearing that time of year in temperate
zones, when the ground is free from hard frosts.
They can be planted out now
or as soon as they become available at garden centres and
nurseries. Always choose the ones with the freshest or plumpest
buds, as these are raring to get growing. A good handful
of bone meal or other general-purpose plant food, even the
pellet form of chicken manure dug well in the bottom of
the hole will help feed your new addition to your garden.
Large trees will benefit from the addition of a length of
garden hose being buried alongside their roots to help watering
in long dry spells...
5. Use old bubble wrap
to line your pots and containers, it will help warm the
compost and prevent late frosts from damaging delicate new
roots...
6. When planting up
your fresh spring hanging baskets why not use your old knitwear
or newspapers for a no cost basket liner, this will save
you plenty, and the money saved can go towards better quality
compost and plants. Don't throw away the remnants of last
summers baskets; either dig it into your garden or at the
very least put it in your compost bin...
7. When giving your
garden hedges that spring prune, get nice neat level edges
and flat tops by fastening a length of rope to two points
across it. Or push broom handles into the hedge at each
end and tie your line to them. An old washing line or strong
garden twine are ideal, remember not to cut through your
line.
Although not 100% accurate
it will certainly help achieve a better-looking hedge...
8. So now the path has over wintered, and the mosses,
lichen's and of course the weeds have all taken over.
Salted Boiling water and a
good stiff broom will do the trick. It may need to be repeated,
but will not damage surrounding soil like commercial products
can, and is the safest where pets are concerned...
9. We all love our own
pets, but we simply hate it when that old cat from down
the way decides to use your garden and freshly dug flowerbeds
as a toilet. Now I've tried just about everything in the
book apart from a shredder LOL and I've still yet to find
a really good solution to this problem, as most only seem
to work for only a short time.
Please don't say get a dog,
frankly my dog is fast asleep just like me when our neighbourhood
cats come calling. The closest I've come to a deterrent
is rose thorns on your flowerbeds, the cats simply hate
them as its like walking on glass and as any gardener knows
who has ever had rose thorns in his/her fingers that really
hurt and are difficult to get out. It's often easiest to
grow lots of plants that cats don't like...
10. Now dogs are a lot
different, because of their acute sense of smell, old perfume,
or the ones given you for Christmas, you know the ones that
you always give away as presents to those you don't really
like, well use them in your garden instead. Even aftershave
will work wonders. Cayenne, White or Black Pepper powders
can also help but are easily washed away by rain...
I hope you've enjoyed a few
of my gardening tips and ideas, it's off to my potting shed
for me, as there is always plenty to do no matter what time
of year it is, an amateur gardener's work is never done.
Do look out for any of my other
articles, but most of all.......
"HAPPY GARDENING until
we meet again OVER THE GARDEN FENCE with Daisy Mae"
our resident green fingered amateur gardener as we continue
to "Motivate & Empower, both men & Women, in
the home for Business, Health and Leisure
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