Basil Plant Loaded with Flavor Adds To The Energy Of This Raised Bed

Burpee Sweet Basil & Ball Annual Favorites

This is the second year of totally mixing it up in the gardens around the greenhouse.  In the images above I share a few of my favorites by Burpee Home Garden. Color dances early in the season by adding favorite traditional annuals that have been revamped for today’s gardeners.   You can find many of these plants by Burpee at your local garden center.  I found these locally at Bostdorffs in Bowling Green, Ohio and at the Andersons General Store in Maumee, Ohio.

Boxwood Basil by Burpee

My curiosity  got the better of me when I snipped a tiny leaf from this Boxwood Basil featured in the image above.  Committed to letting this herb grow larger before taking a really good taste in a favorite recipe.  I can’t wait to see how this Boxwood Basil will mature.  So far I’m loving the tangy flavor from a small nibble.

Pesto Pizzazz From My Kitchen

CLICK IMAGE – EASY Pesto Pizzazz Recipe

A pinch of sugar and a cost cutting tip in the recipe I share above.  Click on the image to view the complete recipe for my families favorite Pesto that can be used as an appetizer on fresh Italian bread, topper for chicken or mixed in your favorite pasta sauce for more punch.

Thank you @BrianDowd on Twitter for asking for a pesto share.  It gave me an excuse to step away from my desk to share some images from my garden tonight and inspired me to create some fresh pizza using the pesto in the sauce for a late dinner tonight.    Enjoy!

Silver Princess Shasta Daisy Take Center Stage

This evening I spent a few moments with my 50mm lens on my Nikon Camera in my home garden that is totally taking shape after a rough spring.  I will admit that after spending yesterday in award winning landscapes  with the APLD group I thought I would return home with hopeless envy when it came to the design in my space.   I experienced amazing landscapes with some extremely talented people from across the country while touring in the Cleveland area returning to my NW Ohio property with some creative ideas.  I captured some fabulous images that I’m anxious to share with you on my network.

When I added these yellow tomato cages for the Mighty-Matoes I honestly forgot about the yellow in the Shasta Daisies that will bloom from June to August.    Unfortunately, I didn’t see too many landscapes yesterday with veggies growing in them.

The Shasta Daisy I captured tonight reminds me of my first year of growing year-round.  This was the first perennial seed I grew in the greenhouse and I was ecstatic to see it blooming today reminding me that growing is a wonderful thing!

Caution : Container That Explodes Throughout the Season

After watching this container design filled with a few of my favorite colors this season erupt into summer, I ‘m seriously considering creating a category dedicated to Container Design.  This combination I’m sharing today will explode all the way into the first frost.

Tag for a Winning Combination

In This Planting :

• Fireworks Fountain Grass / Proven Selections
  
• Coleus / Wizzard Sunset < not proven winners >
  
• Superbells CoralBerry Punch by PW
  
• Sweet Caroline Sweet Heart / Light Green by PW
  

The Fireworks grass in the combination recipe above is going on it’s third year in my garden.  The grass in this container is going on 3 years old after spending winters in my Ohio greenhouse.   The coleus, petunia and potato vine are all new this year.   I want to note that Proven Winners has a shop on their site where you can order plant so be sure to check that out if you can’t find these at a garden center near you.

Don’t Forget The Container

In this design I am using  a tall / thin new plastic container.  This container is celebrating six years in the BGgarden.   I will have to get you the manufactures name during the next soil change because the label is inside the container.  A bonus while using plastic containers  is they are lightweight and can be left outside year-round in my planting zone.  This material also retains water better than other containers such as terra cotta clay. Plastic containers get a bad ‘wrap’ for being too light making them more acceptable to tumbling over in wind.  I use Up’s A Daisy in the bottom of mine allowing room at the bottom to be weighted down with a rock if container is placed in a windy location in my garden.

I would love to hear about your favorite container combination this season.  Please leave me a comment with a link to your blog entry or image featuring your design.

Pink, Yellow & Orange – BGgarden Theme Colors 2011

IF you are familiar with my garden networking there is no doubt you will agree I’m a seed addict.  I love everything about seeds!  How can anyone not love the experience of nurturing your own plants in your home & garden? Saving seeds from the plant and collecting new ones out on the market from various seed companies has helped me collect well over 1,000 different seeds which I keep neatly organized in my Seed Keeper Kit.   In this collection I  have over a dozen new zinnias to add to my collection this year in the cut flower garden.    In this short article I want to share with you some basic tips that will help you plant more while staying accurate on your plant identification.

Basic Number  System Identified by a Photograph

Lets face it,  there is no excuse for not taking a photograph at least one time a day.  Is there a cell phone out on the market that doesn’t have a camera?   Why not use the basic principles of taking a photograph to better help your gardening experience?

Here is what you will need for this planting tip:

• Sharpy
• Seeds
• Plant Marker
• Camera

Tips on how to identify your seeds making for a quicker growing experience :

• Organize your seeds into variety categories.  ( Zinnias, Sunflowers, Cosmos, )
• Each seed packet will be numbered with a matching plant identification marker (image above).
• Take a quick photo of each packet with number clearly visible.
• Save images in a file labeled with its category for easy reference as the plant grows.
• When planting the seeds be sure to put the correct seed marker in the soil where you planted. ( last image).

No more confusion on which company, variety, color you used in your garden with this simple system I’ve been using for many years.    I look forward to sharing some of these fabulous zinnias with you as I prepare to take them to flower shows this summer.   This technique of organizing seeds has helped me plant MORE – whats not to love about having more flowers to enjoy?!

If you have a seed identification tip for mass planting that you would like to share I would love to hear from you.  Please leave a comment below. 

If you are familiar with flying on any major airline these days I’m sure you are like me and consider other sources to travel to your set destination to avoid any complication commonly experienced at airports.   A negative of flying is the dilemma of what to pack with flight safety in mind.  I’ve been reserved about sharing what I walked through security with on a recent flight back from a garden tour event.    First of all, I can’t help but think I will be put on  a ‘watch list’  with our homeland security because I do feel the items I got through security could have been a bad thing if in the wrong persons carry on luggage.  Second, it isn’t like me to brag about goodies I acquire for my gardening experience unless it involves sharing what it can do to benefit someones growing experience.  As I’m in the heat of planting season I keep thinking about what I flew home with and I can bite my tongue any longer…… I must brag!

It was a pleasure to meet up last April with some amazing garden writers at the Garden2Blog event in Little Rock, Arkansas.  We had a fabulous mini ‘vacation’ touring spectacular gardens designed by  P.Allen Smiths and spending an educational day at his Farm.  As a few of us caught cabs together  to the airport as we began our journey home it was wonderful networking about what we had experienced in the short time we were together.  We also had some awesome garden goodies to bring back home with us as souvenirs from our trip.    I must say I was the lightest packer carrying a small plan tote that can actually fit in those crazy ‘example’ of carry-on size gizmos devises at the check in line and my backpack filled with camera equipment that is shoved under the ‘seat in front of me’. It was great to be flying out of a small airport because after getting through security we all met up at the one coffee shop for a last good-bye until the next garden networking event.  Much to my surprise we all made it through the same security with the oddest combination of garden souvenirs.  I couldn’t believe I still had in my possession items the rest of the group got thrown into ‘the box‘.   You know, the box of nail clippers, tweezers and things you wonder where they go when they don’t make it through security at the airport.

One of the items that my travel friends had confiscated from them was the 9B or orange snips from Corona Tools who happen to be one of the sponsors of the Garden2Blog event.  You can find the original 9B / orange snips on display at the  CA State Citrus Museum as a tool that was instrumental in the success of the citrus industry.  I’m proud to BOOST I have one of my own thanks to security check randomness! It is hard to believe  I got it through security when  on a flight a few years earlier on this same airline I got my hair pin thrown in the box after an embarrassing scene of pat-downs in the security line.   Don’t get me wrong,  I’m willing to obey the rules and guild lines but I just can’t believe how RANDOM the security really is.

My Treasures From #G2B11

I must admit that as we sat and swapped stories about what we made it through security with I was totally wishing I had packed those yummy sugar cookies I was worried would get smashed after hearing one of the girls had them in her carry on.   It would have been one more thing I would have made it home with despite the condition it would have been in after being smashed into the over head compartment.  Another item I was surprised made it through was my hand shovel.  REALLY….. a shovel! I can’t help put wonder what would have set off the security personnel  to act upon emptying out my carry-on into ‘the box’.   I guess I will have to see what luck I will have with the next garden travel adventure through airport security.  Can you blame me for wanting to brag that I made it through and the others are shovel and snipper- LESS! < na-na-na-na-boo-boo! >

I’d love to hear your traveling story so please leave a comment below!

Poison Ivy : Leaves of Three – Let It Be!

If you have ever encountered poison ivy and have dealt with the skin irritation that most commonly follows then  you know the long term lasting effects from this plant.   It almost  seems unfair how poison ivy attacks.  If you are not aware of the ‘three leaf’ warnings a peaceful afternoon in the country garden can turn ugly with skin irritation.

First I want to share with you some basic facts about poison ivy.  From the photo above you can see what the plant looks like.

DID YOU KNOW that if you have open cuts on your legs and you walk through a patch of poison ivy you could end up in the Emergency Room?  Always wear long pants when you are removing weeds via a ‘weed-eater’.

DID YOU KNOW that if you burn poison ivy and it is inhailed you could end up in the hospital.

DID YOU KNOW poison ivy is spread by touching something that has touched it. If is commonly spread by touching the leaves, but yanking the vine out by the roots anytime of the year can leave you with a rash.

DID YOU KNOW that the oil from poison ivy is extremely stable and will stay potent forever.  You can get a rash from clothing or tools that have the oil from last summer.

What Can Be Done To Prevent The Rash?

They say within an hour of touching or coming in contact with it you should rinse with lots of cold water.  Hot water will open your pores and let the oil in.  Up to six hours washing with alchol may help remove the oil but many say after 1/2 hour the oil has already begun to soak in.  I believe it has alot to do with your skin type as well.

#1 : know what the leaf looks like and STAY AWAY!

Green Salve Wins The Poison Ivy War

I’m not sure what is in Green Salve by Motherlove but I do know it provided INSTANT relief from my spring encounter with poison ivy.    Not only did I use it but my daughter who went ‘fearlessly’ into a wooded area to garden with poison ivy all around her with no gloves and shorts became iritation and itch free with in minutes of using green salve.  

How did I come in contact with this product by Motherlove? IF I tell you Twitter…. would you really be surprised coming from me?!

One afternoon while sharing on the networks how my garden was growing I happen to tweet out about the discomfort I was having with the poison ivy I had came in contact with.  It was painful to network not to mention simple gardening tasks.  I received a comment from @MotherLovePR .  Within days she was kind enough to send me a jar of the all natural herb remedy Green Salve.    With in minutes of applying the rub the itch was gone!

I’m excited to announce that Motherlove Herbal Company are tonight’s sponsor on #gardenchat.  Five lucky participants at tonights #gardenchat will receive a jar of Green Salve to try for themselves.    JOIN US tonight on #gardenchat from 9-10 p.m.for more details and to enter to win.