This last month has just flown by – I can’t believe that December is almost upon us! As the end of November fast approaches we now have to start thinking about the December gardening jobs that need to be carried out. For us December usually means that the garden hoses are dusted off and the watering systems are checked. Nothing has changed this year because the amount of rain that we have had lately is slowly starting to ease up. While we have had a few showers, they are becoming less … [Read more...]
Tulips: Tips for Getting More Flowers
Tulips can provide wonderful spring colour. However, a small amount of care and the right preparation is vital if you want to have brilliant tulip flowers! We have been growing tulips in our garden in spring time for the last three or four of years. Initially we bought some beautiful red tulips that were already flowering in a pot. We have been lifting and replanting the tulip bulbs every year and have had mixed success with the quality of the flowers. Now that the tulips have died down … [Read more...]
Aphids on Roses: Natural & Easy Control Methods
When beautiful spring roses begin to bloom, aphids will usually try to spoil the show. But I have just learnt that getting rid of them is easier than you might think! Since the beginning of spring our rose bushes have really taken off and they are now literally covered in flowers and flower buds. Recently when I was having a closer look at one of the buds I noticed that it was covered in aphids. They were gathering on the new buds and sucking the moisture out of them. They were basically … [Read more...]
October Gardening 2013: What’s Going On in My Garden!
We are almost at the end of October and the weather is really starting to warm up now - I can’t believe how fast this month has gone! There is so much happening in the garden in springtime that it is a struggle to keep up! Despite the frantic pace October gardening is so much fun! We can pretty much walk around the garden every day and find something new that is blooming or a shrub that needs some attention. As the weather is warming up everything is coming to life and it is a full time … [Read more...]
Blue Flowers Enrich a Garden
It’s almost a month into spring time now and as the weather slowly warms it is wonderful to see an array of flowers bloom. One flower that looks absolutely stunning in my garden at the moment is the Ceanothus plant – or California Lilac! We have several of these plants in our garden and they are all covered in the most amazing blue flowers. While most flowering plants look stunning when they are in full bloom, there is just something special about a plant with blue flowers! When we first … [Read more...]
Growing Garlic: It’s Easy
I have never used as much garlic in my recipes as I have this year. I am finding that I use it in so many of my dishes. There is normally a small patch of garlic growing in one corner of my garden but I must admit that in the past it has been largely underused. Some years we have dug it up and used some of the garlic cloves but other years it has died back and stayed in the ground. That is all changing though, because this year I have really started to get serious about growing garlic for … [Read more...]
Rose Care: Fertilizing Hints and Tips
I have just finished pruning the beautiful roses that I have in my garden using the great rose pruning tips that I found last year. When I was finished I also wondered about other aspects of rose care, in particular fertilizing and when I should so it. One of the rose pruning links from last year suggests that roses should be fertilized 3 weeks after pruning. This got me interested in finding out more about rose care with respect to the type of fertilizer that I should use and when … [Read more...]
Controlling Oxalis Weeds in the Garden
I find weeding the garden can be quite therapeutic, getting down on your hands and knees amongst the plants you can forget about life’s troubles and just concentrate on pulling up those pesky weeds while you burn some calories! If you are vigilant and ensure that the weeds are removed before they can have a chance to flower and spread their seeds then most weeds will not return either! One weed that is not so easy to get rid of is my arch enemy oxalis pes-caprae, also known as soursob and … [Read more...]
Hi, I'm Kaylene, and I'm a keen gardener,budding baker and wannabe DIYer!