Natural Methods of Keeping Groundhogs Out of Your Garden

Groundhogs love to steal, eat, and trample your plants, but there are natural methods of keeping groundhogs out of your garden. These furry pests are a common ailment to many summer gardeners, and building a fence is an expensive means that does not always work. This article will discuss several natural methods of keeping groundhogs out of your garden.

Noise and Motion

Groundhogs can be pretty big and invasive, but they do have their fears. Noise and motion are scary to groundhogs, and if your garden is a scary place it is less likely for a groundhog to visit it for a mid day snack.

Pinwheels

Pinwheels are an inexpensive and whimsical method of keeping groundhogs out of your garden. These small wonders provide natural motion and sound that will scare off groundhogs. You can make your own pinwheel easily using paper and plant stakes and a few other common items. Placing these around your commonly eaten plants is a natural method of keeping groundhogs out of your garden.

Aluminum Pans

Another natural way to instill fear in groundhogs is making it noisy. You can do this by adding aluminum pans to your fence or from trees. You can also hang noisy items from garden stakes in between the rows in your garden. When the items bang together the noise will terrify the groundhogs and the will learn to keep out of your garden.

Smell and Taste

Just like humans groundhogs do not want to eat things that smell and taste badly. This method of keeping groundhogs out of your garden relies on natural items that smell and taste unpleasant to groundhogs.

Pepper Sauce Spray

In a spray bottle mix together about an 1/8th cup of pepper sauce and water. Spray this on all of the plants you want to keep safe from groundhogs. The groundhog will hate the burning taste from the pepper sauce. He will worn his groundhog buddies to keep out of your garden. Make sure to spray the mixture on your plants after heavy rain and watering to keep the strength in tact.

Peppermint Plants

Another natural method of keeping groundhogs out of your garden is with peppermint plants. Planting peppermint near the entrance and around the border of your garden will deter these common inconveniences. Groundhogs do not like peppermint and will stay away from it.

These natural methods of keeping groundhogs out of your garden are easy and inexpensive. Try these methods to keep your groundhogs under control and your garden happy!

Shade Tolerant Flowering Ground Covers

 

Shade tolerant ground covers that produce flowers are the perfect way to add color and weed protection to your garden. It can be hard to find ground covers that produce flowers and live in shady areas. Here I will provide you detailed information on several shade tolerant flowering ground covers.

Ajuga

This shade tolerant ground cover is popular because of its ability to grow in sun, partial shade, and shade. This plant is also known as bugleweed, and it produces blue flowers. It is hardy in zones 3-9, and it grows up to 12" in height. This fast growing ground cover will grow up to 4 feet wide and flowers in spring.

Bethlehem Sage

This ground cover is shade tolerant, but will also thrive in partially sunny areas. Bethlehem sage produces white, pink, and blue flowers. This plant needs a moderate amount of water and lives in zones 4-8. This shade loving plant produces flowers in the spring. Bethlehem sage grows from 8"- 12".

False Spirea

This shade tolerant ground cover enjoys thorough watering once a week. False Spirea produces pink and white flowers in summer. The large showy flowers make this a perfect perennial for your shady garden ground. This flowering ground cover enjoys full shade and partial shade, and grows from 6" -24" in height. False Spirea grows in zone 6.

Vinca Vine

This flowering ground cover is also known as periwinkle because of its tiny blue flowers. This popular shade loving plant also produces white, red, and purple flowers. The Vinca vine can be major or minor, and these plants enjoy similar conditions. Periwinkle is drought tolerant as well as shade loving. Another benefit of this popular plant is its resistance to deer. This flowering ground cover grows in zones 4-9. It grows up to 6 inches.

Wild Ginger

This ground cover enjoys full shade to partial shade. Wild ginger produces flowers that are white, purple, maroon, and red. It needs thorough watering and is hardy in zones 5-9. The one of a kind flowers produced by this perennial ground cover are sure to attract attention along with its heart shaped leaves.

Wood Sorrel

This shade loving ground cover can also tolerate partial shade. Wood Sorrel produces white, pink, and purple flowers. It is hardy in zones 7-10, and grows up to 6" high. This flowering ground cover produces tiny flowers that are shaped like stars. The leaves resemble clovers and it is drought resistant.

Try using these plants in shaded spots in your garden. They add the perfect detail with their flowers and foliage and they provide protection from invasive weeds.

How to Create a Flower Garden Layout

 

Creating a flower garden layout is easy and beneficial for several reasons. Creating a flower garden layout will allow you to maximize your garden space, create depth, and add style to your garden. These simple steps will help you learn how to create a flower garden layout.

1.Draw a map of your garden. You can simple use a pencil and paper, or you can break out the crayons to add detail and color to your drawing. Either way start by drawing the basic shape of your garden. Remember to add details such as existing plants, rocks, and decorations.

2.Determine the amount of sun and water your garden will receive. If there are many trees than you know you will be looking for plants that tolerate shade. If you do not plan on being able to water the garden often you will want to look for flowers that tolerate drought.

3.Determine what type of pests you will have to deal with. If you have deer in your area you will need to chose plants that the deer are not fond of if you want your garden to grow nicely. Beetles, aphids, and ants are all common garden pests that can affect your garden and you will want to take precautions for them. You may also want to build a fence to keep out unwanted animals.

4.Pick out flowers. After you have established the growing conditions in your garden and the pests that are native to your area you can pick out flowers. Start by researching on the Internet and visiting local garden stores to get an idea of what type of flowers you would like in your garden layout. Make a list of the flowers you would like, their colors, height, bloom time, and spacing.

5.Now use your list to create your flower garden lay out. Remember to consider the height, colors, and spacing when creating your layout. Taller plants can be used as borders or focal points. Varying height will add depth and interest to your flower garden layout. Also keep color combinations in mind when creating your layout. Using colored pencils or crayons to simulate the plants on your layout is a great way to get an idea of your finished garden. Bloom time is another factor to incorporate into your flower garden layout, and it should be used to make sure the entire garden is blooming all season.

Creating a flower garden layout will help you eliminate garden woes before they occur. These simple steps will make your garden layout easy to create, and your flower garden will be guaranteed to please.

Natural Ways to Lower Soil PH Level

There are many natural ways to lower the soil pH level in your garden. Many plants need a lower soil pH level in order to grow and produce healthily. Lowering the ph level in your garden soil is essential when growing blueberries, cranberries, orchids, hydrangea, and azaleas.

The pH level of your garden soil can have a strong impact on plants. Certain minerals can only be absorbed through soil with lower pH levels. Osmotic water pressure is is also affected by pH level of the soil in your garden. A lower pH level also dissolves metals in soil.

A lower ph level can be achieved through several natural means. Many of these means are temporary so the soil can be used later for other plants that do not require a low pH level. Some natural methods for lowering pH in soil can be found right in your kitchen, and some are little more expensive. If you are trying to grow plants that need a lower pH level these methods are imperative.

Coffee grounds can be used to lower the pH level in your garden. Place the grounds around the base of the plants that need lower pH. If you are amending the soil before planting mix the coffee right into the soil. This is a great way to recycle your coffee grounds and feed your plants.

Vinegar is another household item that will naturally lower the pH level of your soil. Add a few tablespoons of vinegar to a gallon of water and use it weekly around roots of the plants that need lower pH levels. This is a temporary fix, but will work quickly. Apple cider vinegar will work best for this method.

Sphagnum peat is another natural way to lower the pH level in your garden. This can be mixed with the soil before planting or place around the base of plants that are already in the ground. This should be done in the spring and fall to keep the pH level lower year round.

Adding sulfur or sulfur flowers to the top soil around your plants will also help lower pH levels in your garden. This method of soil amendment will work gradually over time. If you are adding the sulfur to soil before planting it will still take less time to lower levels.

These guidelines will help you lower the pH level of your soil in a natural way. Remember to check the level of pH in your soil beforehand to get an accurate estimate of the changes to be made.

Autumn Crocus: History, Uses and Cultivation

 

This pretty plant is not very big, and it has strong medicinal purposes, but it is also so poisonous that it can kill you. This herb flowers in "September," and it has pretty lavender or light pink flowers; it grows to only about "12 inches" in height, and it is native to "Europe and North Africa" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18). This herb looks very much like a regular crocus, but it is not a part of the iris family like most crocuses; it bears six stamens which is the easiest way to identify it. This herb has strong medicinal purposes, but it can also be deadly.

The history of the autumn crocus started way back in the time of the "Egyptians;" they used this herb to treat "gout 4000 years ago" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18). The healing popularity of this plant decreased when people started to recognize the deadly powers of this herb. The powder of the bulb f this plant is ground up to create a poison, and it is said the "Greek naturalist Theophrastus wrote that when slaves became angry with their owner, they ingested tiny bits of the corm to make themselves ill and thus unable to work" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18). This plant was widely used in history as a poison, and the ground up bulb was often added to wine.

This plant is a great healing herb, but it is better not to be experimented with. The most common use of the autumn crocus is still for the gout; it is taken in a "tablet form or intravenously," but this is the only form of arthritis that this herb is used for; the active ingredient in this plant is "colchicines," and this chemical "inhibits cell division" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18). In the 40's colchicines was considered a possible cure for cancer, but the toxicity level appeared to be too high to be safe. An overdose of this plant will cause "nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, purging, extreme thirst, weak pulse, coldness and pain in the extremities," and this plant can also cause "damage to the kidneys and blood vessels" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18).

Autumn crocuses easily grown from bulbs, and they enjoy moist, loamy soil. These plants are accustomed to full sun or partial shade, and they live in "zone 5" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18). The autumn crocus is planted in early fall like many other bulb plants. They enjoy enriched soil, and they like to be planted two to three inches deep. This plant can also be planted from seed, but they will not bloom for several years if started this way.

The autumn crocus is a lovely plant that has an interesting and slightly criminal history. Its medicinal properties do not outweigh its toxicity so leaves this plant out of your
medicine collection.

Perennial Vegetables for Your Garden

 

Pulling up the annual vegetables plant at the end of the growing season can be disheartening, but there are perennial vegetables for your garden. Growing perennial vegetables in your garden is a great way to grow crops that will produce without effort for years to come. This article ill discuss several perennial vegetables you can grow in your garden easily.

Asparagus

The perennial vegetable that most people are aware of is asparagus. Asparagus is a great perennial vegetable for your garden that comes in a wide variety. White, purple, and green asparagus are common types of asparagus that can be grown. Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that can be started indoors from seed or crowns can be purchased and planted 3 or 4 weeks before the last frost. Asparagus will not yield for the first 2 or 3 years, but it will produce a bountiful harvest for decades once it has established itself. Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that needs room in your garden to spread.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is another delicious perennial vegetable for your garden. Rhubarb is one of the few vegetables that need cold weather to produce and thrive. Rhubarb needs temperatures below 40 degrees to grow well in the following season. Rhubarb does not do well in warmer climates because it stops growing when temperatures reach 90 degrees. Rhubarb enjoys rich soil and excellent drainage, and should be spaced a few feet apart to provide room for expansion. Rhubarb is a wonderful perennial for your vegetable garden.

Sorrel

Sorrel is a great perennial vegetable for your garden. It can be grown easily and with little care. This perennial can be sown and harvested in roughly 2 months. Sorrel is a leafy green herb that needs little maintenance. Weeding and moisture are beneficial to this perennial vegetable. Growing sorrel in your garden is simple and the leaves should be harvested young. Plants should be placed at least a foot apart, and thinning can be eaten as well. Sorrel is a great addition to any perennial vegetable garden.

Sunchokes

Another perennial vegetable for your garden is the sunchoke. This plant is also known as the Jerusalem artichoke, and it produces tubers that look similar to potatoes. These low starch tubers will grow quickly in an 18 inch space around the original tuber. Sunchoke need good drainage to prevent tubers from rotting. This perennial vegetable can be planted a few weeks before the last frost, and they take over 100 days to harvest. Leave tubers in the ground to produce new sunchokes in the following growing season.

Artichokes

A tasty perennial vegetable that is very popular is the artichoke. Artichokes are tender flower buds that have yet to bloom. This perennial vegetable will grow up to 6 feet wide and 4 feet high. It will provide you with many vegetables, and it enjoys full sun in your garden. Rich soil with good drainage is important. Artichokes prefer warmer climates, but they can be winterized in cooler zones using a heavy application of straw mulch and coverage.

These perennial vegetables make a great addition to your garden. Try growing these vegetables this year, and the following years you will be supplied with a bountiful harvest with very little effort or cost.

6 Flowering Shrubs that Love Shade

     

It is often hard to find flowering shrubs that love shade, and shady areas of your garden can suffer because of this, but there are plenty of flowering shrubs that love shade you just need to know what to look for. This article will provide you with a list of several flowering shrubs that love shade and details about how to grow them.

Butterfly Bush

Another wonderful flowering shrub that loves shade is the butterfly bush. These popular shade loving shrubs flower during summer time, and they come in a very large variety of styles. These flowering shrubs can be planted in full sun to shade, and the colors available are endless. Butterfly bushes smell lovely, and grow to various heights.

A great flowering shrub that loves shade is the glossy abele. This shrub has several pink and white colored flowers. This shade loving shrub has a very long flowering season, and it has pretty red tinged leaves. This shrub does well in zones 6-9, and it enjoys acidic soils.

Banana Shrub

A shrub that loves shade but can also live in full sun is the banana shrub. This flowering shrub bears medium sized yellow flowers and warm weather. The banana shrub enjoys acidic soil that has good drainage. It is a hardy plant that grows to only about 12 inches high.

Mountain Laurel is a flowering shrub that loves shade and well drained soil. It also prefers acidic soil and flowers in spring. This flowering shrub will grow to about 3 feet height; it also grows about 3 feet wide. This flowering shade lover is perfect for your shady spots because it produces bright purple flowers that will attract the eye. This shrub grows hardily and is good in a wide variety of climates.

Juneberry

Another shrub that loves shade and produces lovely flowers is the Juneberry shrub. This flowering shrub loves shade and bears large amounts of white flowers. The white flowers then turn to red berries in the summer and fall for more interest and detail in your shady areas. This flowering shrub likes well drained soil and full to partial shade.

Bottlebrush buckeye is another shade loving shrub that bears pretty flowers. This flowering shrub can grow up to 12 feet high and 15 feet wide. These shade lovers should be trimmed and maintained in order to prevent overgrowth of your garden. They prefer well drained soil and love shade. This shrub cannot tolerate drought and produces flowers in the summer time.

Shade loving shrubs can be flowering if you know the right shrubs to choose. These flowering shrubs will make a great focal point for the shady part of your garden.

Straw Bale Gardening Basics

 

Knowing the straw bale gardening basics will allow you to make your first straw bale garden thrive. Straw bale gardens are a great way to garden without having to worry about the condition of your soil. Straw bale gardening is a great way to create a raised bed and help your plants thrive. This article will discuss straw bale gardening basics in detail.

When first deciding to plant a straw bale garden you may be wondering what type of straw to use. Any straw will work for your straw bale gardening needs, and it is best to go with what is available in your area. The important part to remember is to not use hay. Hay is different from straw and it will sprout grass that is extremely hard to pull. Using hay will cause more work than necessary; so only use straw bales for your straw bale gardening needs.

Now that you have the straw bales you will be gardening with it is important to consider where and how your will create the structure of your garden. First it is important to remember to not let the string tying the bale together touch the ground. The string must not come in contact with the ground because this contact will cause it to rot. If the string rots your straw bale will fall apart, and so will your garden. Well kept straw bale gardens can be used for up to two years so this simple step is important. When placing your straw bales to form your garden there are a variety of patterns and designs you can create. Feel free to be creative with the design. As long as you can reach the top of the bale to add plants and weed than your straw bale garden placement is successful.

Now that you have the gardening layout set up you must wet the bales completely. When you wet the straw bales they will get hot. This is the composting process and it will take about a week for the bales to cool down. After the bales have cooled down feel free to weed them and add about 3 inches of soil to the top of the bales. If you are going to be gardening with transplants the soil is not necessary because you can plant right into the straw bales. If you are starting this garden from seed you will need to add the soil and sow seeds the same as you would in any other gardening situation.

Creating a straw bale garden is fun and easy. It adds an interesting touch to your garden and helps out in areas where the soil is not good for gardening.

Gardening Early in the Season

 

At this time of year there is a lot of work to be done in the garden. If you are like me you wait all winter long to start planting again, and anything you can do to speed up the process is great. I know around January, I feel like digging through the snow just to touch some dirt, but I know when February rolls around, I can get started getting ready to get dirty. Here are some thing you can do before the last frost in your local area.

First thing I do to start my season off right is start my seeds indoors. I like to start seeds indoors so I can get a jump on the growing time of my plants, and it gives me something to look forward to during the cold season. I usually start out with some herbs, flowers, and vegetables. The seed packets will tell you which to start indoors. Some of the plants I started indoors this year are tomatoes, peppers, lavender, and cucumbers.

Many plants can be started indoors, but I prefer to plant root vegetables outside in the place they will grow all summer. This is also the time of year when I will save some potatoes to start growing more potatoes in the spring. I like to pick out a couple potatoes with a lot of eyes. I will then put them in a closet where it is dark and dry. The potatoes will naturally start to grow from the eyes. I will let these grow for a couple weeks before I cut them up and set them out over night to dry the day before planting.

The next thing I usually do after most of the snow has melted is assess the damage in my garden from the winter. I fix any fences, and I realign the rock borders of my garden. This is also essential t weed control in my garden. If you start your garden with good weed control it will make the rest of the process easier. I like to pull whatever might have started to spring up and apply a good layer of mulch.

I will at this time decide where all of my plants will grow. I usually start out by making a basic drawing of the garden. I organize the plants according to there sunlight needs and what was growing on a plot during the previous year. I do not like to plant the same thing in one spot more than two years in a row. This part of garden construction is a lot of fun because it is like a blank canvas, and making a map will make your life easier later on.

All of these activities can get you back into the swing of gardening, and all of these activities can help banish the winter blues so enjoy them!

Step 5 – Create Your Garden Plan - My Square Foot Garden