10 Mistakes to Avoid with Raised Garden Beds

image: eartheasy

There are many people today that are creating their own gardens at home whether in their backyards, front yards, or even a small space inside their home.  There are also co-op gardens available for those that may not have space to grow their own produce on their property.

If you are someone who may be considering starting your own raised bed garden, here are several mistakes to avoid.

Creating a Border with Vincas

Today I will share with you how I created a simple border with Vinca flowers in my backyard. As you know, during the winter months, our yards tend to look pretty sad and dull and in the spring we can bring it back to life by planting flowers. I chose Vincas for this little project. I wanted to create a border with these flowers because they bloom year after year. They are round, flat flowers that appear on top of 12 to 15-inch stems. These drought-tolerant bedding plants thrive in any soil type as long as it is fast draining and not overly fertile. These are very easy to care for. I purchased small flowers in a pack of 12 that only cost me ten dollars, so I got a lot of starter flowers that will eventually grow nice and thick to fill the whole space and will look lovely. You may also plant these in pots if you do not have a yard or space in where to plant them.

Make a Raised Garden Bed

On today's post, I will share our latest project, a "Raised
Garden Bed".  I will keep the post short and sweet.
There are several ways to construct a raised
garden bed, and it all depends on your budget, the size that you
want and the wood you will use.
Our garden bed is 18 inches in height, that gives me enough room to
plant vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and onions. It is 3 x 6
feet. In order to get an idea for the type of garden bed that you
want to build, I will provide this link here.
There, you will see several varieties; you may choose which one to make.

We planted some seeds this summer in biodegradable egg cartons,
so when they sprout, we may plant them in our vegetable garden.
You may view that in my Instagram account.




We added chicken wire to the bottom as well as this dark weed
liner to prevent weeds from growing & critters from digging
from underneath the bed.


My husband measured the width & length on the ground
in order to remove the grass to prepare the ground for the raised bed.

We added the soil and mixed it with organic compost. 

After the soil was mixed into the garden bed, we added the plants.

I hope that this inspires you today to create your own garden bed.

Thank you for stopping by.

How We Created a Butterfly Garden

There may not be a creature on earth that is more admired by children and perhaps adults, than the butterfly. Why not put out a welcome mat for these amazing creatures? One of the most wonderful features that butterflies have is that they are easy to attract into your own back yard. Our backyard oasis was designed to attract butterflies by providing them with only four things; 1) Plants that the baby caterpillars can feed on 2) Host plants that serve for laying eggs, 3) Flowers that provide nectar and 4) shelter from wind and predators.

Plants that provide Nectar

Your own observations will tell you what kind of flowers will attract butterflies where you live. Start by setting aside a sunny part of your garden to grow wildflowers.  Among the wildflowers try planting a Butterfly Bush (buddleia).  It's fragrant flowers spikes bloom from July until the first frost--and most butterflies can't resist them.

In planting perennials, consider Phlox, Yarrow, Black Eyed Susans, Coreopsis, and Shasta daisies. We have had great success in attracting the Tiger swallowtails and Monarchs.

I had to snap several photos in order to finally capture the beautiful wings of this lovely Eastern Tiger Swallow Tail Butterfly.  

Plants that caterpillars can feed from

One good way to ensure a continuing supply of butterflies is to put in plants that will feed caterpillars and their larvae.  Consider Bermuda grass, clover, dock, hollyhock, lupine, nettle, St. Augustine grass, and turtle head for this purpose.

Shelter for Butterflies

Butterfly houses, similar to bird houses, provide shelter to the fragile creatures during storms as well as food.  They may be brightly painted, just as their inhabitants are.  

Planting a butterfly garden will not only attract these beautiful insects to your yard, but it will also preserve them.  Many species of butterfly are endangered and creating a habitat where they can thrive will help them to survive.

Because many butterfly species are threatened, please don't try to "preserve" their beauty by killing them & mounting them in boxes.  Admire them in their natural habitat.

I must admit, these are beautiful, and they are so large in size.  This is the Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, isn't he a beauty?

What attracts these amazing creatures here in our garden the most are the wildflowers like the buddleia, also known as the butterfly bush.  We have plenty of those around the property and they attract the hummingbirds too. Many zinnias planted in a garden along with purple cone flowers are appreciated by all these amazing creatures and the flowers bring in beautiful colors into your garden.

To find out what plants attract butterflies in your area, visit your local gardening store.

I hope that you have enjoyed our little butterfly adventure, these are only a few of the many photos taken in our butterfly garden and I hope that you enjoy.

Note: No butterflies were harmed.

Blue Birds and Garden Life

It has been raining on and off the last couple of days, but I managed to get a few shots of the

garden and our yearly visitors.  The photos are not clear due to raindrops, but I still wanted to share

our beautiful little neighbors with you.  Every year in June our little blue bird guests fly over to 

lay blue eggs in their nests and they are almost ready to hatch.

Do you remember this post?  We managed to get photos that time of the little ones in their nests.

The Bluebirds have had challenges this year with other birds.  The other birds get territorial in
our backyard, so when they see unwanted guests, they try to keep them away.  But the
bluebirds work as a team and both female and male, protect their nest.

I also posted my gardenias which I left out from this post last year.  You can see how

many flower buds they grow and how the weight makes them droop.  These flowers

fill the back patio with a marvelous fragrance and are as potent as the Jasmines on the other

side of our yard.  

Last year they were all malign with spots, disease, and mites.  I've been using

remedies for plants to help them maintain healthy foliage this year.

The biggest challenges have been the gardenias and the hydrangeas. 

Another bush loved by butterflies is the Butterfly Bush or Milk Weed above.  It has a faint 

sweet scent and it attracts hummingbirds as well.  This is a hardy plant and grows back every year.

It is a low maintenance bush, something I love.

The clay urn you see here is the fountain I created last summer, you may view the tutorials here to create your own.  The birds enjoy it, especially on hot summer days.
How is your garden growing this year?

Planting Pinata Lavender

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This past weekend I stopped by my local hardware store to look for supplies for a project.

As we walked up and down the aisles, I noticed that they did not have all the supplies I needed.

I decided to head over to the gardening section of the store.

And there it was,  Pinata Lavender.  I love lavender for their fragrance and the little things

you can do with them when harvested.  I just had to get some for my garden.  

I posted below how to plant and care for these for those interested in planting lavender.

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These are a mounding perennial which means that they grow and bloom over the spring, 

summer and into fall, then die back to the ground in winter returning in each spring from their roots.

A great tip for planting this type of lavender in borders is to plant them either in the center 

or toward the back since they tend to grow taller than other flowers and plants.  

To make a huge visual impact, plant the same variety and color perennial in one area. 

This is commonly referred to as a mass plantings.  

In combination planters, use tall perennials as the centerpiece surrounded by mounding 

varieties with contrasting flowers and foliage. Then add trailing varieties to cascade 

over the edge of the planter. Annual flowers can be added to fill in between blooming cycles.

• Prepare the area for planting by conditioning the soil. Loosen the soil and incorporate an organic soil conditioner according to directions.  

• Dig a hole 2 times the width of the root ball and a depth slightly less than the height of the root ball. Allow the top surface of the root ball to rest 1/2 inch higher than the soil line.
• For container grown plants, carefully remove plant by squeezing container and slowly removing the root ball. Never pull on the plant trunk. Instead let the root ball slide out by tipping the container. If the plant is heavily rooted, loosen roots by gently pulling a few away from the root ball. This encourages stronger root growth. Set root ball in hole making sure the top of the root ball is slightly higher (1/2 inch) than ground level. Place soil mix under root ball if too low. Back fill soil mix around plant to ground level and tamp lightly removing all air pockets.
• Water thoroughly to settle the soil around the plant. Add more soil mix around plant if necessary after watering. Apply root stimulator to encourage new root growth and fast establishment.
• Add a 2-3" layer of mulch around plant to conserve soil moisture and eliminate future weeds.
• Fertilize just before and during the plants active growing cycle. Fertilization should begin just prior to new growth and end three or four weeks before the first frost.
• Choose an all-purpose fertilizer recommended for flowering and/or foliage plants. Frequency will depend on the type of fertilizer. Liquid (water soluble) and granular quick release fertilizer, require more frequent application; slow release granular fertilizer requires less.
• Perennials are pruned to increase flower production and new growth.
• Perennials that go dormant should be allowed to die back. Prune them in late winter or early spring. This encourages new growth and flowers.
• Perennials that do not die back completely can be selectively pruned in early spring to remove dead and damaged limbs.
• Removing old flowers prevents the plant from setting seed and encourages new blooms.
• Always water slowly and deeply making sure the root ball is completely saturated.
• Don't water at night if possible. Watering in the morning helps prevent disease.
• Plants in containers may require more frequent watering than plants in the ground. This will depend on plant variety, pot size and soil.

I hope that these are helpful tips from Lowes.

Happy Gardening!

Get Inspired this Fall with Miracle-Gro & the Gardenieres

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hi everyone, today I want to share with you some gardening ideas for the Fall.

I live in the SE part of the country and gardening down here can be tricky when it comes to your soil.

I went over to Gardenieres and Miracle-Gro Facebook page  for great Fall project ideas from none other than real gardeners from around the states.

After viewing all their great tips, I concluded that the area that needs the most work in my garden is my soil.  I chose this project to work on because the secret to a great garden is great soil.

My soil is a combination of clay and sand.  This kind of soil is terrible for growing a garden, due to the lack of nutrients and oxygen in the soil.  So to help my garden grow well this Fall season and next Spring,

I need to dig into my beds about three inches or so and add  moisture control soil by Miracle-Gro.  I can use any combination of soils for different plants and purposes.

For instance, Miracle-Gro Garden Soil can be used for flowers and vegetables especially formulated for annuals, perennials and veggies.  This improves the existing soil to build strong roots and it feeds plants up to three months with Miracle-Gro Continuous Release Plant food.

Another great product to use during feeding time is Miracle-Gro Liqua Feed.  It makes feeding as easy as watering.  It feeds plants through leaves and roots and it is safe to use with all flowers, vegetables, trees and shrubs.  This is perfect for my gardening needs.  

These Miracle Gro products will strengthen my plants' roots, preparing it for Spring during the fall season and it will improve growth and foliage.

I love visiting Miracle-Gro Facebook page because you come across many gardeners across the country with  gardening stories that you can relate to.  They are helpful when it comes to growing anything whether in the garden or in pots.  I recommend that you visit Miracle-Gro Facebook page and "Like" their them for your gardening inspiration and needs.  View the many photos of gardens from all over the country and even add yours.

Are you planting or preparing your garden for the Fall?  Do you have future plans to start your own potting project?  Visit Miracle-Gro Facebook page and share your stories and ideas.

Hope to see you there!

  

Find beauty in the Fall

Photo of the Day

This is the time of year that we get the most butterflies in the Butterfly Garden.
I have to say that aside from ladybugs, these are the only other insects that don't make me cringe,
beautiful aren't they?

I can't help, but to grab my camera and photograph there beauty.
Do you have butterflies in your area?

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How to Make an Outdoor Water Fountain

This little project can be intimidating, 

but it is easier than I thought.

First decide where you want to place your fountain, 

how large you want it to be, and how you want it to look.  

This will let you to know what supplies you 

will need for your project.

For this particular fountain, I used a reservoir, 

in other words, a plastic container/ tub.

I placed the tub on the ground and used the shovel 

to outline the size of the hole that I needed to dig. 

This way the tub can fit snugly in the ground. 

Don't do labor? No worries, have someone do it for you, 

I won't tell.

The hardest part was the digging, 

this can be a good work out though.

For me the best time do this little project is early in the morning 

when it's cool out and 

the pesky mosquitoes are not around to bother.

1. ...Make sure you have all your supplies.

  A Terra Cotta Urn for fountain, Shovel, River Rocks, Dirt that you have dug for re-fill, 

water pump with pipes and tubing.

2. Dig, dig, dig.

3. Fit tub in hole making sure that you leave two inches under it for drainage, 

do this before adding water.  The tub should come with a lid, 

so cover it leaving the opening exposed to fill with water later.

4.  Test the water pump by putting it into a bucket of water 

to see if the motor runs properly.

5. Connect pump to the pipe under the urn.

6. Fit the pump in the reservoir before adding water. 

   7. Once your pump is working properly adjust the water flow, 

and adjust level of urn...

...add your design elements, (ex. water inside the reservoir, rocks around the urn) 

The water pump should remain submerged in the water reservoir and accessible

 for adjustment, repair and cleaning by leaving it near the opening of the tub inside 

the reservoir.  This will allow you to easily remove the rocks over it 

and just reach in to grab when needed.

There you have it, a water feature for your yard.

Enjoy!

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Gardening in June

I've been out and about in my yard getting the garden ready for summer.

This time of year most gardens have begun to flourish already, I can see all the colors of different

blooms in my flower beds and the energy that we put into gardening all spring really pays off.

However, once planted, the garden needs to be weeded and watered regularly.

You will need to supply your garden with water if it receives less than one inch

of rainfall a week.  I tend to do a rain dance in the hope that we get some rain during the week.

What I have done to control weeds and conserve moisture is to mulch around my plants.

Plants with heavy flowers, or that are very tall, may need some staking by June.

I have found a few of my own that I have supplied with stakes.

The roses you see above are held by stakes.

Peonies with their full blooms can droop to the ground about now, so you may

want to use one or several pole stakes with string depending on how large your plants are.

Annuals such as cosmos and perennials such as foxglove grow tall and may need to be staked as well.  I found that this year my gardenia bushes are full of blooms that make it droop and I have had to supply them with stakes as well.

There is still work to be done and trees to be planted before summer is actually here,

my avocado plants are tall and need to be transplanted, my lemon tree needs a larger pot 

 and our gourd vine which our sweet neighbor gave us, needs a place in the garden as well.

Happy Gardening!