Cost of Plants

Sometimes I am amazed at the cost of different plants. I understand the requirements necessary to produce healthy plants are large, especially if the plant is rare, but sometimes I see a price at a store and it makes me gasp.

My parents had a few sago palm trees (Cycas revoluta) in their yard that were reproducing like rabbits. Instead of just throwing out the young offspring, they potted them and gave three to me. These guys seem to LOVE Atlanta because they have taken off this year. I just assumed that since these seem to replicate so easily, lord knows my parents didn't do anything special to their trees, the price for a small sago palm would be on the lower end of the spectrum. Well to my surprise one day while shopping at a big box improvement store, I found a small sago palm for $134!!! I couldn't believe it and immediately took a picture to send to my parents. If they only knew they could be making so much money off these things!

Plight of the Shady Garden

Most of my front yard gets little sun throughout the day. Because of this, I have been on a quest for lovely shade loving plants. One I have recently come across is Kerria Japonica. This bush gets pretty big (6'x6') and it has darling yellow flowers. I have ordered one to fill in under our very large magnolia out front. I think the yellow branchy bush behind ferns will look great. I also have a few shade loving bulbs down there that will add some contrasting color.

Picture sourced from here.

My Forray Into Garlic Growing

Seeing that the growing season for veggies has begun to wind down, I decided to fill the empty spaces in my beds with a unique variety of garlic. I bought the Basque Turban variety online from Filaree Garlic Farm. I looked up the proper planting procedures and planted the two bulbs worth of cloves.

Make sure you give the cloves plenty of room to grow and also plant the wider base of the clove towards the ground. These are bulbs after all and will not do well growing towards the ground. You also need to keep the protective "skin" on each of the cloves when you are planting them. I read on some sites that you should soak them in a vinegar bath but I didn't bother to do that. We will see if that was a dire mistake.

When you are done planting the cloves, cover them with loose dirt and a straw mulch (I used the extra pine needles I have all over my yard) and water, water, water.

I cannot wait for garlic scapes and fresh garlic!

Fall Garden

Out back I have set aside some space for a few raised beds for my vegetable garden. After I very fruitful summer crop (I had about 30 massive cucumbers from a single plant) I have begun all of my fall crops. There is mainly winter squash varieties as well as beets, carrots, broccoli, pole beans, and 2 different types of peppers. Thankfully even in October, the chances of a freeze are slim. I hope my returns will be as good, if not better, as this summer.

Gardenia Propagation

Being a child of the south, I adore gardenias. Their simple yet beautiful blooms and that fragrance! When Jonny and I moved into our new home one of the house warming gifts we received from my parents were two small gardenia plants. (My mom knows me too well.) Since then, those plants have more than tripled in size and they bloom like crazy twice a year. I keep them green and happy by adding a tablespoon of Epson salts to the soil every month or so. This will help with any yellowing. Now on to propagation: First, you will want to cut about 2 inches of the newest growth from one of the branches. These leaves will be a lighter green than the more hardy leaves. Next, remove any lower leaves from the stem and put the whole thing into a small cup or pot with potting soil. This cup/pot needs to have a way to draw up the water from below so if possible, use something that has holes (or you can add them). Some people say to add a growth hormone but I have never had any issues with just using soil. Now you will need to cover this cup with a plastic bottle that fits somewhat snugly against the cup you have the gardenia in. It doesn't have to fit exact just enough for a greenhouse effect to take place. In the photo below I have cut the bottom off of a orange juice container. Works like a charm. Place the plant in a window sill or somewhere it will get a decent amount of indirect light for a couple of hours a day. The room should also be warmer than 70 degrees. Finally, wait and water, and wait, and water. You want to make sure the roots have formed and are properly hydrating the plant. This takes a least a couple of weeks. I typically remove the bottle and see if the leaves wilt after a day. If they don't, you can move your new gardenia plant outdoors! I have never lost a plant using this method and I plan to test it out on other plants. The thought of not spending a dime on such wonderful plants is beyond exciting.

First Post!

The very basic goal for this blog is to share my experiences (good and bad) in the art of DIY gardening/landscaping. I will by no means, ever consider myself anything other than amateur gardener. My boyfriend and I moved into our first house about a year ago and while the inside of the house was beautifully renovated, nothing was done to the outside. Even before we signed the contract, I had paint colors and ideal plants I wanted to add. No one bothered to mention the incredible amount of time and physical labor it would take to get this mess of a landscape manageable. Not to mention the cost!!! Seeing that it has been a year since we moved in, I will let this blog post serve as a little review of everything we have done thus far. Our house prior to move in. A typical 60s split level with wood siding and recycled brick.

Our first major project was painting the exterior. We pressure cleaned EVERYTHING to make a clean surface for the paint to adhere to. We borrowed my Dad's industrial paint strayer and over a long weekend had everything but the window trim painted. (Notice in this pic the railings to the front door have started to come down.

Our next big project was adding a front deck and planters to the house. The planters are actually gutters for the roof that we added drainage holes to. They have worked perfectly for about 8 months (and 2 sets of annuals). You can also see the finished railing to the front door. We wanted something less bulky than what was there before.

Finally, our next big project, which is on going, is to remove the overgrown ivy from the hill and replace it with perennial shrubs. This has proven to be the most difficult and labor intensive aspect of our plan. After 3 Sundays of work, we are about 75% of the way done. I am keeping my fingers crossed we will be done next Sunday.