In Great Falls, where my landscaping activities are largely centered, its not been snowing  -only raining - so planting tender annuals has proceeded despite the moldy bodily nooks and crannies, and I suppose the dim, damp, grey cover has been largely good for my plantings (there have been years in which the last two weeks of May involved 100+ temperatures, which made the tender new-hires of the plant world shrink and shrivel along with my income), but not so good for anyone’s Gross Domestic Happiness. For that I look to the time of enforced quietude due to being rained out of working.  Its such a treat to sleep just as long as I want, and then to do whatever the heck I want to after waking. I can go for a long (damp) hike, work on the house, cart dirt around, change the oil in my truck, wash my sweaters, watch a movie, read a book, stand on my head, bake a cake or just keep on lying in bed and imagining the world without poverty for pretty much as long as I want to. How long can you lie in bed before getting bored?

           Longer than I have. I keep getting interrupted by new things that have to be done. One of those turned out to be assembling a new wardrobe which I got while browsing around department stores whilst waiting for the rain to stop. The one I found isn’t from IKEA, but it should  be. It’s that iconic. Cheap and un-assembled. As a matter of fact, its so unassembled that when I got the box home and opened it up, I found not just the expected bag of screws and nails and hinges, but a pile of particles and a bottle of glue so that I could make particle board to screw the stuff into. I’m just happy they didn’t include an acorn from which to grow the tree to chop down before chipping it up and stirring in the glue. That would have taken longer than the four hours it took me to assemble the thing. Thankfully, I’m a female, so I could read the directions, which shortened the assembly time significantly. "Insert panel AA into slot II, using the brown-colored, philips-head 5/8ths inch screw, while singing Dixie and crossing your eyes." I did it all and got it done. Were I a male, I’d still be re-arranging the pile of un-used parts and drinking beer.

          I also had the opportunity to begin my indoor gardening enterprises in earnest. My house is so full of greenery now I can barely breathe for all the clean oxygen in it. I’m growing miniature corn, herbs, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and flowers, flowers and more flowers. I’ve got hanging baskets of flowers strewn in front of the windows so thickly I can hardly recognize myself in the mirror for all the bruises on my head. I focused on hanging baskets because in this country it’s the only way to keep the deer hungry. My friend Steve eschewed this natural solution for just shooing the deer away. That lasted for about a week, after which he erected a $3000, eight-foot high chain link fence around his garden. The department of homeland security has taken notice, and is taking notes.  One year I tried draping bird netting over the flowers I wanted to grow, only to discover that deer also like bird netting. As it happens, the deer like anything I plant. At my old house they used to climb the six steps up to my front porch in order to eat the tomatoes, which are poisonous to them. They’d  ignore the gaillardia growing naturally in the meadow, and head straight for the gaillardia I’d planted. They’d spend long hours stalking my window boxes, until finally bringing them down with their sharp little hooves.  Here I’m counting on keeping the front door locked to keep them out, but am still not certain that I won’t lose my crop to depredation by deer. I just hope that whatever they do, they get heartburn. Do any of you want some venison? Let’s talk.

House plants have always been my "indoor garden" when it is too hot or too cold to garden outside. I have about 40 house plants and that number is always growing! The fun thing about house plants is that you can just stick cuttings in water and grow more. My kids have filled our house with ficus plants this way. Here are some of my decorating tips:

1. I picked pots that match each room decor, but leave the plants in their own pots so that I can rotate them based on their size, lighting needs, and my desire for change.
2. The plants are grouped together to provide a variety of textures and to add to that "jungle look".
3. I also like to use Pothos plants as "live garland" across my fireplace mantel.
4. Use plants to camouflage electronics

I've gathered some great sites on selecting, caring for, and decorating with house plants. Click on the binder below to see these sites:

Eat local? How much more local can you get than your own living room?

I try to buy organic when I can (remember, at the store, the number on the sticker begins with "9"), but I do so with the knowledge that there's no guarantee behind the "organic" sticker. We all know how lax the food safety inspection process is. If they can't keep E. coli out of our spinach, how can we be certain they're not going to let pesticides in? And what about the imported "organic" foods? What are the "organic" laws in Argentina? If only about 1% of all imported food is inspected, you know they're not going to bother with garlic when there's all that shrimp to look at.

This isn't meant to be a prime-time news scare, "What you don't know is in your fridge can kill you." But it's the plain truth. And it's always made me want to have my own garden.

As an apartment dweller, I don't have one of those...what do you call it...backyards, so I've never done anything more than the failed window-sill herb garden. Rosemary is the only herb I've been able to maintain. Oddly enough, whenever we've had rosemary growing in our place, Mädchen's breath is much better-smelling. Hmmm.

A friend of ours recently set up an indoor shelf garden in his apartment, and I had to shamelessly steal his idea. His is 3 feet wide and he's got a fluorescent fixture hanging from the ceiling. We can't install anything like that, and I wanted to keep the shelf small, so I found a 2-foot-wide, 30-inch-tall, stackable shelving unit ($20 each) and some worklights and plant bulbs ($25 total). We've got a regular halogen desk lamp in there too, since plants seem to love it. I'll probably take the clamp part off the worklights once we're sure about the placement and just affix them to the shelf so it's less clunky. And as our little sprouts need more legroom, the shelves will fill in and we'll have to get a couple more lights for the guys on the bottom.

I did some searching online and got some pretty good indoor gardening information. You have to be careful with the soil—we used a mixture of potting soil, peat (and coconut), and perlite. You do need to fertilize and help pollenation along with a paintbrush, since you probably don't have a bunch of critters flying around inside. Sounds doable.

We've got rosemary, catnip, cherry tomatoes, cayenne peppers, avocados, scallions (pictured up top), basil, and cilantro. All organic, some from seeds and some already started.

So here are some obligatory baby pictures! (Like any new parent, I promise more—we still haven't seen any cilantro sprout action.)

These avocado babies came with us from L.A. I found a couple of the biggest Reed avocados ever. They were delicious and organic and locally grown, so I did the toothpick-truss-in-water trick with the pits and they both sprouted. They won't be foodworthy for quite some time, but if the world doesn't end too soon, maybe one day I'll get my own Reed avocado from one of these guys.

Here's one of the shortcut plants: long red cayenne. You can already see the little buds on it. Obviously, we wanted plants that we could use the vegetables from—we could probably have all our cayenne needs met by this fella.

This one is a Tiny Tim tomato. According to the little info stick, it's a miniature plant (up to 2 feet tall) that produces 1-inch tomatoes. The stick also mentioned container growing and a window sill, so it sounds perfect. I don't see a ton of tomatoes coming off this one, but it's something. And I just think it'll be terribly exciting to see little orange-red fruits in my periphery when I'm sitting on the couch. I wonder if Mädchen will want to bat at them. I would.

 
And finally, here's a bunch of future basil plants. I think we'll try to keep two of them. It won't be enough to have pesto all the time, but for normal pizza- and pasta-topping purposes, this should do.

and Dino's favorite scent.

Any plant will need light, water, and soil to grow and be healthy.  It is hard to get enough light for some plants when you grow them indoors.  Natural sunlight is far more powerful than just about any artificial light.  A big window with a southern exposure and no shadows is the perfect place to have your indoor garden.  If you have no suitable windows you will have to go with artificial light.  Full-spectrum fluorescent tubes are the most efficient light source for your garden.  A single four-foot fixture with two bulbs will be sufficient to grow plenty of herbs.  You can buy a rack for your garden or make a simple rack with a chain suspension mechanism for the light fixture from commonly available wood.

Once you have a light source and a rack for your garden you will need to decide what kind of soil system you are going to use.  The easiest is of course simple potting soil.  You can fill clay or plastic pots with clean potting soil, or use longer trays that will fit on your windowsill or light rack.  The important thing to remember is that your plants will need adequate drainage.  Herbs need a mixture of soil, water, and air in which to grow.  If you don't have drainage holes in your pots the roots will rot and your herbs will be sickly.

Another choice for growing medium is hydroponics.  This is a bit more complicated than soil.  Your plants will be rooted in mineral wool inside plastic tubes, suspended in a tray of water-nutrient solution.  You will need a bucket and a pump to circulate the solution and this will not only add to the expense of your garden it will also add noise and a bit of clumsiness to your system not found with silent soil in pots.  Still, if you want to go scientific, it's hard to beat a hydro system for productivity.  The herbs I have tasted that were grown hydroponically tended to have a funny taste to them, but this would depend on what kind of nutrient solution you use.

Once you have your pots and lights and rack or windowsill set up it is time to plant your herbs.  What kind of herbs should you plant?  This depends on what kinds of herbs you use.  It would be silly to plant something you never use, unless you just want to watch it grow.  Basil, oregano, parsley, chives, all these are common herbs used in the kitchen.  Herb seeds tend to be really small, so you should be careful when planting them that you do not drop too many seeds in your pots so that you don't have to go back and thin them out too drastically.  Thinning is not necessarily a waste, as you can use the thinnings in your cooking, but pulling out one plant right next to another can damage the roots of the plant you are trying to grow.

After you plant your seeds, or set out the plants you might have bought from a garden center or grocery store, sit back and wait.  It takes time for plants to grow.  Pay attention to your garden and make sure it gets enough water, but don't drown it by watering every day.  When your plants start to get tall and look like they can stand a cutting, cut them back and use the trimmings in your cooking.  If you keep your herbs cut they will grow short and stocky and not get too big for your windowsill or rack.  Outside, a single Basil plant can get almost three feet tall and  a yard across.  If your herbs show any sign of flowering cut the flowers back and use them in your kitchen.  When herbs flower they will lose vitality and will eventually die.  You can also tie herbs with string and hang them in a dry place to dry if you have too many of them.

An indoor herb garden can supply flavorful herbs for your cooking and makes a nice addition to your home decor.  With some patience and a little common sense you can grow all the herbs you need in the comfort of your own home.

As a matter of interest, the wonderful colours you see on Poinsettias are not actually flowers, but they are in fact bracts, which are modified leaves at the base of the very small true flower heads that you can see in the centre of the bracts. 

If the red Poinsettia is too brash a colour for you than you could opt for the cream coloured Poinsettia and place this in a silver container for a cool elegant look. You don’t have to just choose between red or cream, as Poinsettias are now available in a variety of other colours. For example there are pink varieties available, or bracts with a marble effect with a cream background and red veining, or even bracts that have an airbrushed effect.  These too have a cream background and the red colouring looks as through it has been sprayed on.

The botanical name of the poinsettia is Euphorbia pulcherrima and just like most Euphorbias, it too has a white milky sap in the stem, which causes irritation to the skin and eyes, so do take care.

Poinsettias were discovered in Mexico in the nineteenth century and in the wild, this winter flowering shrub can reach a height of between six and twelve feet. Because Poinsettias come from a warm climate they prefer a stable warm temperature indoors and also don’t like being kept standing in water or being in cold wet compost. Instead, water your poinsettia when the compost surface starts to dry out by giving it a good drink with tepid water.

If like me you have ever tried to keep your Poinsettia going after Christmas, you may have discovered how hard it is to do this, as poinsettias require very specific growing conditions. Even commercial nursery growers start off new plants each year from cuttings in order to get a good clean and healthy stock. My advice is just to enjoy Poinsettias while they last through the Christmas festive season as they really do add to the festive colours and decorations.

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#gduk 135

A house filled with lovely lush plants will immediately give your house a welcoming atmosphere and a homely feel. I think that indoor plants really are the finishing touch to any décor as they beautify and add style to any home.

Houseplants are not just for décor alone, just like plants in the outdoor garden they have therapeutic benefits and help promote feelings of relaxation and wellbeing, especially at the end of a long stressful day. It’s no accident that plants are used in so many public places such as offices, hospitals, wait rooms and shopping centres.

Scientific studies have proved that houseplants help remove harmful household chemicals from the air that are given off from everyday household products like synthetic furnishings, computers, electrical equipment and cleaning products.

Houseplants will help freshen the air, absorb noise and lessen dust in the home. Indoor are also said to lower blood pressure, help concentration, improve memory and generally promote feelings of tranquillity and calm.

Outdoor plants need to be placed in their preferred place and aspect and the same goes for indoor plants, as some plants prefer a shadier cooler part of a room, such as ferns or ivy, while others will prefer a warmer sunny room, like cacti for example.

Other plants will welcome warm steamy conditions such as a kitchen of a bathroom, such as the Caladium, Peacock plant with its distinctive foliage. So always check the label before you purchase your houseplant to see what aspect it will thrive in.

Because houseplants are grown in pots, they will tend to use up the nutrients of the compost, so therefore they will need feeding on a regular basis to give them nourishment to grow. If you have a houseplant with broad leaves, then it’s also worth giving them the occasional wipe down with a damp cloth to remove the dust and to allow the plant to breathe.

As with outdoor plants, some houseplants will prefer more watering than others, for example azaleas will like a good drink while bromeliads will need very little water. However, if you would like a virtually maintenance-free plant, then opt for air plants. As their name suggests, these plants obtain most of their requirements from the air.

Do remember that some houseplants will have a dormant period during which time they will need less feeding and watering; again always check the label for instructions.

One interesting indoor plant is the good old common Spider houseplant as this plant is the most effective plant in fighting pollution. It will actually absorb many toxic gases and household chemicals, even cigarette smoke. It is also said that the spider plant will absorb gasses which some refrigerators produce.

As outdoor plants are vital to our wellbeing, our houseplants can be just as important and not only this, but they look great in our homes too.

Acknowledgement to www.freeimages.co.uk for the pictures used in this posting.

************************************************

Have you been watching "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!"?

If so, read my post entitled,
I'm A Garden Designer... Get Me Out Of Here!"

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#gduk 134

By the end of the May, when hopefully the threat of any frost has past, bedding plants can be planted out and hanging baskets can be prepared to give fabulous splashes of colour to the garden.

Hardy annuals flowers from seeds can be sown into prepared soil around this time and is a good way of getting a mass of colour in the garden for just the cost of a packet of seeds.

A useful tip is to sow the seeds in rows about 4" apart so that when they start to germinate, you can easily tell which are your germinating flowers and which are the weeds.

Also by sowing this way, you'll have enough room to hoe the weeds away between your rows of plants. Another good way of getting plants cheaper is to buy plug plants.

These are small plants that can be potted up, grown on and then planted out when they are bigger and stronger.

To help make plants go further; you can divide existing overcrowded perennials clumps and replant them elsewhere in the garden.

If you fancy growing your own tasty organic vegetables, then now is the time to sow crops such as beans, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, lettuce, peas and radish.

Some crops may need to be started off under a cloche in order to give them some more warmth. You can easily make your own cloche tunnel with strong wire or metal coat hangers bent into arches and covered with strong plastic sheeting. On warmer days remove the plastic sheeting, but cover the young plants at night.

Around this time of the year lawns need a bit of looking after if you want to keep it looking good. So treat your lawn with moss killer and then rake out the dead moss to help keep the lawn healthy.

If your lawn is small enough, then you may be able to weed by hand, but if it's larger then you may need to use a lawn weed-killer. To encourage the grass to grow stronger you can also apply a high nitrogen fertiliser to feed it.

With the weather warming up, remember to water pots and start watering the garden, especially fruit and vegetables if the weather is going through a dry spell.

Around this time of year we are often too busy outdoors and easily forget about our indoor plants, so remember to check if any indoor plants have outgrown their existing pots and check to see if any need to be re-potted into bigger pots.

Make the most of the better weather around this time of the year and enjoy the onset of summer in your outdoor room.

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#gduk 105

Did you know that the custom of having a tree as a central decorative piece in winter holiday celebrations can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians? The ancient people had a custom of bringing branches from palm trees into their homes on the shortest day of the year each December. The Chinese and Hebrews from ancient history also had similar traditions too.

So many plants are associated with Christmas time; Mistletoe for kissing under, holly for table displays and other festive decorations, wreaths on doors decorated with other seasonal evergreen foliage and so on.

An ancient belief was that homes decorated during the winter festival with evergreen plants and foliage was to represent the promise of the return to spring once the winter has passed.

In the 1870’s the most popular Christmas tree was the fragrant Cedar, but this tree lost its foliage indoors too quickly. The Cedar was briefly replaced by the Hemlock, but its branches where too flimsy to hold Christmas decorations and so now we favour the Pines, Spruces and Fir trees.

During the 17th century it became traditional to decorate the Christmas tree, mainly with edible decorations such as home baked biscuits and apples as this was a symbol of representing plenty. Nowadays chocolate treats wrapped in coloured foil represents this old tradition.

As the years went by, Christmas tree decorations became more inventive with the introduction of tinsel and glass ornaments and during the 1800’s the Americans introduced the electric lights.

By the 1900’s due to the popularity of Christmas tree, tree farms were started up in order to stop the depletion and destruction of forests. This was also the reason for introducing artificial Christmas trees, which were more convenient and made less mess than the Pine.

I don’t know about you, but I love this time of the year when we bring more foliage indoors, for whatever reason. So decorate your home for the festive season with nature’s gifts and enjoy!

It now leaves me to wish all my readers a happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you and your loved ones.

Thanks for your all your support and feedback.

My next blog will be back here on the 5th January and I hope you’ll join me then.
www.gardendesigner.co.uk

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© Copyright Judy Fenyvesi

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A house filled with lovely lush plants will immediately give your house a welcoming atmosphere and a homely feel. I think that indoor plants really are the finishing touch to any décor as they beautify and add style to any home.

Houseplants are not just for décor alone, just like plants in the outdoor garden they have therapeutic benefits and help promote feelings of relaxation and wellbeing, especially at the end of a long stressful day. It’s no accident that plants are used in so many public places such as offices, hospitals, wait rooms and shopping centres.

Scientific studies have proved that houseplants help remove harmful household chemicals from the air that are given off from everyday household products like synthetic furnishings, computers, electrical equipment and cleaning products.

Houseplants will help freshen the air, absorb noise and lessen dust in the home. Indoor are also said to lower blood pressure, help concentration, improve memory and generally promote feelings of tranquillity and calm.

Outdoor plants need to be placed in their preferred place and aspect and the same goes for indoor plants, as some plants prefer a shadier cooler part of a room, such as ferns or ivy, while others will prefer a warmer sunny room, like cacti for example.

Other plants will welcome warm steamy conditions such as a kitchen of a bathroom, such as the Caladium, Peacock plant with its distinctive foliage. So always check the label before you purchase your houseplant to see what aspect it will thrive in.

Because houseplants are grown in pots, they will tend to use up the nutrients of the compost, so therefore they will need feeding on a regular basis to give them nourishment to grow. If you have a houseplant with broad leaves, then it’s also worth giving them the occasional wipe down with a damp cloth to remove the dust and to allow the plant to breathe.

As with outdoor plants, some houseplants will prefer more watering than others, for example azaleas will like a good drink while bromeliads will need very little water. However, if you would like a virtually maintenance-free plant, then opt for air plants. As their name suggests, these plants obtain most of their requirements from the air.

Do remember that some houseplants will have a dormant period during which time they will need less feeding and watering; again always check the label for instructions.

One interesting indoor plant is the good old common Spider houseplant as this plant is the most effective plant in fighting pollution. It will actually absorb many toxic gases and household chemicals, even cigarette smoke. It is also said that the spider plant will absorb gasses which some refrigerators produce.

As outdoor plants are vital to our wellbeing, our houseplants can be just as important and not only this, but they look great in our homes too.

Well, that’s about it for another week.

Until my next blog, have a good week, take care and don’t forget that you can visit my website at
www.gardendesigner.co.uk

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© Copyright Judy Fenyvesi

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