Bone Meal for Healthy Plants

Bone meal fertilizer is often used by organic gardeners to add phosphorus to garden soil. Bone meal fertilizer is essentially what it says it is, a meal or powder made from ground up animal bones


The three most important nutrients for plants are nitrogen, for green leaves; phosphorous, for healthy flowers and roots; and potash, for overall vigor and disease resistance and bone meal is an excellent source of phosphorous and it is easy for gardeners to use. 


The effects phosphorous has on plants that can be easily observed by gardeners are in vitality, the time of blossoming and maturity. Flowers will produce more colorful blooms. 


Phosphorous is critical as a stimulus to root development and roots branch out and root hairs form profusely in the vicinity of a source of phosphorous. Because of its effect on roots, phosphorous is a major factor in determining early growth of a plant and its vigor throughout the season. Throw a handful of bone meal in the hole when planting trees, shrubs and rose bushes and to help them establish a healthy root system faster.


Be sure to consistently water so the phosphorous in the bone meal can be released slowly and taken up by the plant's roots. 

Wheelbarrow Flat Tire!

Many of you many find that if you have not used your wheelbarrow all winter or it's been cold where you live.....the tire may be flat.


Most wheelbarrow tires are tubeless and it takes a bit of effort to get it re-inflated but it can be done by following some simple steps.


1. Once the tire is ready for inflating, clean the tire bead, (the area that will be in contact with the metal rim) and remove all dirt. In order to inflate the tire you must line up the tire bead and press it tightly against the rim. Use tire bead sealer or dish soap to assist in the bonding process.


2. Tie a rope around the center of the tire tread and start to cinch up until the bead presses up against the rim. If tire just won't seal, gently rotate and and press the tire down from the center to stick the bead to the rim using the grease or jelly. Listen to remove all leaks and try inflating again.


3. Inflate the tire using a compressor (found at a gas station), or a small compressor that plugs into your cigarette lighter. A hand pump may not have the PSI required but a foot pump should.


If you are having problems getting the tire inflated or just don't want to deal with the process, take the tire to your local tire store and have them inflated the tire for you!

Hanging Baskets

Hanging baskets are a wonderful way to have a burst of gorgeous flowers especially if you don't have the time or the space for a flower garden. You can but pre-made hanging baskets or have the pleasure of making your own beautiful creation.

Choose Your Basket
Typical hanging baskets are made of wire or plastic and come in
diameters of 8 to 24 inches. Wire basket liners include sphagnum moss,
coco fiber, plastic, and pressed paperboard. Sphagnum moss and coco
fiber are porous, so they will dry out more quickly than pressed
paperboard or plastic.

Add Soil
Fill the basket with a lightweight potting mix. You can buy a packaged
mix or make your own with equal parts peat moss, perlite, and
vermiculite.  Fill the soil to within an inch or two of the rim for ease in watering.

Plant the Basket
Baskets packed with a single kind of flower have loads of impact.
Combinations can be handsome, too, if there's space for the multitude.
When using multiple species, include tall, midrange, and trailing
forms for variety. Place taller plants near the center and trailing
plants along the edges. Try to include varying bloom sizes. For
example, vinca, miniature rose, and petunia offer large flowers, while
hyssop, lobelia, and calibrachoa have dainty blooms.

Water Well
Water the soil mix thoroughly after planting. Thereafter, you may have
to water daily in hot weather. Break open the crust and rewet the soil ball thoroughly.
Pinch the tops of plants if they begin to look leggy.

Cactus Gardens

Cactus are some of nature's most beautiful and exotic plants and in California some cactus are native and most species can grow anywhere with a little accommodation. A cactus garden can liven up your yard and give your home a look that nature intended.

The first step is to decide where you want your cactus garden. The best spot place for a cactus garden is on hill, because this allows the garden bed to easily drain but you can still make a cactus garden if your yard is flat.
Cactus soil is a necessity that you can purchase cactus soil at your gardening center or home improvement store. You can make your own cactus soil by thoroughly mixing two parts potting soil, two parts sand and one part gravel.

Choose cactus plants that will do well in your area and you should be able to get this information wherever you buy your cacti. Don't forget to account for the space they will require when they mature, plants like agaves can get very large over time but you can always transplant them if necessary. A bonus will be the volunteers that the cactus send out once they are settled and happy in their new garden.
Your cactus garden will need very little maintenance. No watering or irrigation is needed, the rainfall will be enough which is very important here in California. Feeding your cactus with 10-10-10 fertilizer once a year in the spring is the only thing you will need to do.

Check out the following web sites for a wide range of cacti for your garden.
The Cactus Jungle
Cactus Specialties
The Great Petaluma Desert
Cactus & Succulent Nurseries in California

California Poppy

I know that spring is truly here when I see the whimsical California Poppies opening their beautiful petals to the sun. Nothing can be so simple and yet so joyous as a field of orange poppies gently swaying in the breeze.

Emory E. Smith, The Golden Poppy, 1902
 Vast fields of Golden Poppies have ever been one of the strong and peculiar features of California scenery. The gladsome beauty of this peerless flower has brought renown to the land of its birth. Present everywhere, at all times in some form, it is not surprising that it has taken firm hold of the affections of the people, and that the homage of the nature-loving world is so freely offered it.


California poppies have been grown successfully in many parts of the world, from cool temperate regions to lowland tropics. 

• California poppies should be planted by direct seeding when possible
• They transplant best when very young
• They need good drainage
• They do not perform well in small containers
• They grow best in cool, sunny conditions
• They respond poorly to heat

Our Wonderful Dogs and an Amazing Photographer

OK, I know this is way off topic but the photos that photographer Seth Casteel takes are incredible!  The underwater shots are the most original and amazing shots I have ever seen and I would have loved to had my beautiful boy Gunner photographed by Seth before I lost him last year.


Here is their information from their blog:
Based in Chicago and Los Angeles and available for photo shoots nation-wide, Little Friends Photo specializes in documentary-style pet photography, embracing the at-ease mentality of pets on location in their natural surroundings. The results are spontaneous, priceless moments of your pet's personality captured in photographs that will last forever. 


Check out his blog at Little Friends Photos Blog and his website at Little Friends Photo

Butterflies!

What gardener doesn't love to see beautiful, delicate butterflies floating through their garden, they bring such a simple wonder and joy!

One way to attract lots of butterflies and pollinating bees is to plant a Butterfly Bush which will act as a magnet for all the butterflies who pass through your garden seeking nectar. Many butterfly gardeners plan their garden around Buddleia (pronounced BUD-lee-ah), a genus that includes over 100 species and cultivars. 

You'll be happier with your Butterfly Bush if you accept its growth habit, which is not neat and tidy. Its narrow branches support lilac-like clusters of blossoms a foot or two in length, with side branches and blossoms. Some species can droop all over your flower bed so you'll want to allow at least four feet between bushes to keep some semblance of neatness.

Butterflies and bees will flock to the honey-scented blossoms, whose dilute nectar is sweetest in midday sun. Near a path or patio, the shrub provides delightful fragrance for you, too.

The Butterfly Bush grows well in Northern California and is generally pest-free, except for spider mite infestations during drought or stress. It performs adequately in spare soil but prefers a sunny spot with well-drained soil, a light application of fertilizer in spring, and a few deep waterings in summer.

Garden Tools

Trowel and Hand Rake
Before you can plant a garden, you first need to do a little digging.
A trowel and hand rake are two essential tools for planting small
seedlings, breaking up clumps of dirt and weeding between your plants.

Shovel or Garden Fork
For bigger tasks,you’re going to need a shovel and or a garden fork.
Use these to loosen large patches of packed soil and amend the soil or
dig holes for saplings.

Pruning Shears
Once your garden is growing, you will need shears  to prune back
flowering and fruit-bearing plants to ensure you get a healthy yield
and keep the plants under control. Shears don’t have to be expensive and you don't need to buy them right away, but when you do buy, make sure you find something that feels right in your hand.

Gloves
While gardening can be a joy but very tough on the hands. A good set
of gloves will protect you from thorns and thistles that can make
garden work an otherwise painful hobby. Get a pair that fit well and
it will help going after those small bits of weeds and debris.

Wheelbarrow
If you have a large yard and need to shift around topsoil or haul away
the waste from an old tree stump, you’re going to need a wheelbarrow.
A wheelbarrow will also be great for moving plants and bags of soil
from your car to the yard.

Garden Rake
Not to be confused with the leaf rake you use to clean up a
leaf-strewn backyard in the fall, a garden rake features a forged
steel rake head that’s designed to bite into the dirt, loosening it so
that your plants’ roots can grow freely. Once you’ve tilled the soil,
flip the rake around and use the backside to smooth the soil.

Lawn Mower
A must have if you've got a lawn. There are many choices out there
from the traditional push mowers that work very well to electric which
require an extension cord, gas which may required a 'mixed' fuel and
re-chargable. Try to find the one that suits you best and isn't too
heavy to push around the yard.

And when it comes to buying tools make sure that you buy sturdy, good
quality tools. You won’t save any money in the long run by buying
something that will bend in half or break at the first tough patch of
dirt.

Its very worth while to check out sites like Craigslist also where you
can often find great deals on lovingly used garden tools.
Money saved on tools means more to spend on plants!

Spring Flowers

Depending on where you live it's probably been a somewhat colorless winter and you ca't wait for those spring flowers and blossoms to arrive. And if your garden and yard are not offering much in the way of early color this year, you can always plant some of the following this year for a beautiful spring next year.

• Witch Hazel: These shrubs are a wonderful yellow in the early spring garden. Some cultivars bloom red.
• Crocus: The earliest varieties, such as Crocus chrysanthus, Crocus sieberi, and Crocus tommasinianus, bloom through the snow. These are the small crocus, usually flowering in shades of purple or yellow.
• Hellebore: These are often known by common names such as Christmas Rose and Lenten Rose in areas with mild winters.
• Camellia: These beautiful shrubs have lovely blossoms in winter in mild climates or early spring in slightly harsher areas.
• California Buttercup: The California buttercup, scientifically known as Ranunculus californicus, is a common flower in Northern California that is one of the first spring flowers to bloom.
• Daffodil: The earliest Narcissi appear now, especially small cultivars like Tete-a-Tete.
• Iris Reticulata: The large iris are a summer pleasure, but this small beauty is an early spring treasure.
• Forsythia: This is a shrub that screams "Springtime!"
• Scilla: These small bulbs produce wonderful blue and purple blossoms.

Mason Bees

The key to excellent pollination is more bees, nature’s pollinators. To attract bees and promote maximum nesting activity you can supply your Mason bees with a clean, dry, safe bee home. These will allow your bees to go forth and multiply to their maximum potential, providing you with better pollination of your fruits and berries thereby increasing the quality and quantity of your harvest.


The mason bee is a bit smaller than a honeybee and is recognized as an effective pollinator. Like most bees, mason bees feed on the nectar of flowers, and are especially attracted to fruit blossoms, which make them an excellent fruit pollinator. Since they have no honey to defend, they will only sting if squeezed or stepped on. As such, they make excellent garden "pets", since they both pollinate the plants and are safe for children and pets.


A honey bee typically pollinates about five percent of the flowers it visits in a day. It is estimated that a mason bee pollinates ninety five percent.  On top of that,the mason bee visits more than twice as many flowers every day!

The mason bee emerges early in the spring when daytime temperatures rise to about 50 degrees.


You can mason bees and mason bee homes from the following sites:

Bee Diverse

Mason Bees for Sale

Mason Bee Houses

Revitalizing Your Lawn

When less than 75% of  your lawn is comprised of desirable turf, renovation procedures are recommended. Your first step will be to check for insect, disease and soil problems and correct as needed.

1.  Apply Roundup. 

2.  Mow the lawn to a height of about one inch. 

3.  Apply 3 - 5 lbs. of good nitrogen-based, slow release fertilizer per 1000 sq. ft. 4. Rake or rough the surface of the soil giving special attention to bare spots.

5.  Spread the seed with a drop-spreader or a hand-cranked "broadcast' spreader. Special attention should be given to spots where the ground is bare. Extra seed should be applied by hand to these spots.

6.  Drag or rake the grass to be certain the seed comes in contact with the soil.

7.  Water the seedbed lightly so the soil surface is moist. Continue watering lightly so the soil does not become hard or baked.

8.  When the seedlings reach a height of 2 - 3 inches, mow to a height of 1 1/2 inches with a sharp mower at a time when the grass is not wet.

And remember to never mow more than 1/3 of the leaf blade off per cutting and keep that blade sharp!