I’m not sure which is more stunning : the larger bloom of the new Tropical Escape Hibiscus or …..
…. where they come from. This is a photo out in the fields where the Tropical Hibiscus grows on the Miami based farm at Costa Farms.
“Plants are no longer a luxury, but a necessity for our lives,” says Susan McCoy, trendspotter and outdoor living expert from Garden Media Group.
*these photos were taken during my January visit to Costa Farms in Miami for the TPIE12 event.
Does every gardener take to birdwatching in the winter months? At first last year when I started networking the birds I spotted and took photos of from my office window I felt a bit odd. I guess I always thought of birdwatching as a hobby old people enjoyed doing because it was something you could do in the warmth of indoors without much activity involved. Well after a few photo shares of the birds I had captured as they stopped by my Ohio garden, I noticed that birdwatching was something all ages were enjoying. You can imagine my surprise to have a young 4-H Clover-bud who was a 2nd grader comment on a Blue Jay photo I shared on Facebook.
The Ladies Hangout
Nikon D-90 is my weapon of choice. I snapped this image with my Iphone4.
From the comfort of my home office about 15 feet from the window and 10 feet out into the garden, I took this cozy photo of two female cardinals in the late December burning bush. I’ve been keeping my Nikon D90 next to me with the 55-300 MM lens ready to shot at any given time. Natural shots are fun outdoors to and I will journey out to the wooded area of our yard as soon as the ground freezes. We’ve had so much rain this year our property has been Lake front this year in Ohio. The best time to take photos in the woods is later afternoon when the temperature is around 20*f – 35*F . I don’t mind wearing extra socks and using hand warmers to spend hours sitting in the deer blind the hunters left behind for me to use for my hunting with the camera.
It took FOREVER to get that photo of the cardinals on this partly sunny mild winter day. The bird feeder was just filled with a new blend of seed just for the Midwestern song birds I was given to try out in my garden. What gives? The bird feed was yummy! I couldn’t help but try a bite of a dried cherry. Seriously, look how yummy that food looks in the image collage below. My green feeder is filled with Midwestern Bird Blend with ingredients that include: Black oil sunflower, niger, white millet, safflower, peanuts, sunflower chips, raisins, canola seed, cherries. Anything good enough for my guest is good enough for me to try!
Picking out Bird Food Can be Confusing - I went with the Midwestern Blend!'
It wasn’t until I got up to get another cup of coffee that I noticed to the right of the window where I was shooting there was an Oppie Kitty on the prowl. SHAME ON YOU KITTY! I want to note that this kitty is a handicap kitty who had no back claws because of malnutrition when he was rescued and brought to us in 2005. I don’t think he could catch a bird if it was the last meal he ever had.
Shame on you Kitty ..... Oppie Kitty on the Prowl
I look forward to sharing more #birdwatching photos throughout the winter from my garden here in Ohio.
Capturing the rain in my Flat Tire Pot by Flat Tire Decor
It has been my mission to keep it green and as natural as possible in my home and garden and proud to say I’ve been completely green in my year-round greenhouse for over a year. Every day is a learning experience with information I collect mostly online via Social Networking on Twitter / Facebook. Like most gardeners active online I rely on my garden writers who share information about products and how they use them in their home & garden. It really doesn’t matter to me if the product is from a HUGE company or from a small mom & pop business, as long as the writer is being honest with their shares and actually using the items they are promoting on their site.
Capturing The Rain : Eco-Friendly Way
I’ve had this decorative bucket by Flat Tire Decor for a few weeks now and I will be honest with you I’m in love with it. It has had everything from rain, weeds to bunny poop in it while at my place. It is rugged and yet very stylish not to mention it is made from recycled tires!
Eco-Friendly Is #1 On My Potting Table
Tonight on my potting table as the rain continues to fall in my neck of the woods, you will find this bucket collecting more water to be used in the greenhouse tomorrow morning. I love what this company is all about so much that I’ve negotiated with Mr. Brown Thumb of Chicago NOW to give one away via #gardenchat.
If you would like to be entered in the drawing that will take place on Wednesday afternoon please comment on this post what you are doing that is ECO-Friendly in your Home & Garden. Drawing will take place via LIVE FEED on #gardenchat Wednesday afternoon.
Spring Has Spring In My Garden
I’ve been very excited about the upcoming #gardenchat on Twitter this Monday evening not only because it is a great excuse to sit back after a long day of gardening with my growing connection but because the topic is a sure sign that SPRING has Sprung! Now we maybe enduring winter like temperatures but one look at the quickly greening grass and the early spring bulbs arriving in the landscape and there is NO DOUBT spring has arrived.
Time to open up the potting shed and get out the wheel barrows, shovels, rakes and pruners to prepare for some exciting new and healthy growth. Today I had the privilege to speak with Chris Sabbarese who is the Digital Marketing & Communications Manager for Corona Clipper, Inc. – Professional, Landscape & Garden tools. Chris shares some important facts about maintenance for Corona tool users or ANY OTHER brand you may use in your garden that will help keep our gardens and landscape in top shape this upcoming season. You will find that podcast at the bottom of this blog entry today.
Preparing The Soil For a Healthy Harvest
This is my second year using raised beds for my spring harvest. I can’t wait to harvest some of my families favorites that are easy to grow like a few varieties of peas and lettuce.
The first thing that needs to be done in my raised beds for spring cleaning is to turn that soil. The raised beds right outside the greenhouse I use have a layer of bunny compost on them that was added this winter. The awesome thing about using bunny compost is that it breaks down super fast leaving me the easy job of just turning it with a hoe or smaller shovel. Once the soil has been turned a few times it is ready to plant. I will have to have something handing to cover the seeds once they start to sprout like a sheet or plastic cover because we get nights with frost up until mid-May that can damage those early crops.
If you are taking care of those tools properly as directed in the podcast I shared today with Chris Sabbarese, those tools are extra sharp. Be sure to use caution when operating or transporting the pruners or loppers.
No Stitches Required This Time - USE CAUTION with the properly maintained tools.
The Corona Tools Resource Page Link at CoronaToolsUSA.com
As the tease to spring arrives and we endure temperatures in the low 60*’s I can’t help but wonder how many cabin fever zone 5 gardeners made the mistake of getting out and doing some spring clean up in the landscaping? It is only late February and even though I’m feeling that spring itch we must resist the temptation. Spring landscape maintenance such as pruning can actually permanently damage your shrubs.
A few weeks ago I received a pair of much anticipated Corona Dual Cut Bypass Pruners – BP 7100. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this tool because you know I do major gardening / landscape here in the BGgarden and I love how the red handle tools by Corona have the soft grip. I’m a big fan of the bypass pruner BP and of course the hand tools that came out in Fall 2010 because of the soft grip. They maybe soft to the touch but there is NOTHING cushy about the job they can do! I’ve been looking forward to the new Dual Cuts because of the effortless ‘patented Power Zone’ they claim to have. I’m a hard core gardener out here in what was once known as the Black Swamp of Ohio and I need a tool that won’t leave my hands aching. Not to mention a tool that can preform well in my trendy landscape projects and just as well in the heart of the woods to take down a wild torn bush.
When the shipment arrived in mid-January I didn’t even bother to open the new Dual Cut Bypass Pruners because I knew I would be tempted to use them. Later that week I noticed some of my southern friends networking about their pruning adventures since they can officially start the task before I can up here in zone 5. One of my Facebook garden connections shared how her hand was hurting her from pruning all day and asked if anyone had suggestions for a tool that could do the job painlessly. YOU KNOW I jumped right on that comment because of my anticipation to prune. I shared the video below with Brooke of Creative Country Moms Website It has been fun to watch Brooke’s garden grow on her adorable website and I invite you to stop over and leave her a comment.
I’m totally anticipating sharing how my carpal tunnel is not acting up in spring 2011 thanks to my Corona Tool soft grip tool collection.
You can imagine my surprise when Brooke shared this video with me shortly after I sent her my message. This is truly an example of great garden networking. Two garden girls sharing their honest thoughts and inspirations and making that growing connection. Thank you Brooke for sharing this with me!~
I love your garden share Brooke and continue to look forward to watching your country garden grow in 2011.
I will be at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show next week and look forward to seeing you all at the Tweet-up. Corona Tools will be on hand as well so be sure to ask The dude in the RED SHIRT about the new tools for this spring. YOU may just be taking a pair of them home with you.
If you can’t make it to the show I will be tweeting all week from Seattle so be sure to follow me on Twitter at BG_garden. I’ll be sure to share the tools and so much more that will rock your garden this spring / summer 2011.
Got a question or thoughts on tools in the garden? I would love to hear from you so be sure to comment below. And until it is save to prune in your garden zone… resist!
On a recent visit to a local community garden I was introduced to sprouts. I know some of you are scratching your head thinking ‘what in the world is Bren thinking… sprouts have been around forever!’. Yes they have been around for a long time but I recently discovered a simple and easy way to grow them on my own in my kitchen.
I’m using this 3 tray kitchen crop kit from HomeTownSeeds.com to grow my sprouts in today. There are many different sprouting seeds available by just about every seed provider today but you want to be sure to purchase seeds that are truly grown for sprouting. Using a seed that is produced for sprouting will ensure that the seeds have been handled in a sanitary manner and do not have any seed coatings, since you will be eating the seed as well as its sprout. Some easy and effective seeds to try if you are a first timer at growing your own are Alfalfa and Mung Beans. For these recipes and video I am using Alfalfa.
I put together this quick video to show you how easy it is to grow your own sprouts in your kitchen.
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How Cool is that?! In 3 days I had this yummy handful of sprouts!
Chicken, Harvati Cheese and loads of Sprouts Melt!
It is hard to make that image of the sandwich look as good as it tastes. You can click on the image above for the super easy recipe and the video in this blog entry shows how to grow the sprouts. This is a quick and easy meal for summer or winter now that I can grow the sprouts on my own in the kitchen.
Do you have a favorite recipe you enjoy using sprouts in? I would be honored to have your thoughts on my network here at BGgarden.com blog so please leave a comment.
