I went to my sister’s farm a few days ago and planted some vegetables. They have a beautiful place there with lots of acreage and a very big garden every year. This spring I wanted to try some of the companion planting that we have posted information about and I am very limited as to what I can do in my small backyard. 

My brother-in-law, David, tilled the rows and I spread some 8-8-8 fertilizer and then planted corn, pole beans, bush beans, squash, sunflower, and peas. I planted the corn, beans, and squash together along with the sunflower on a couple of rows. Not a good plan! Yep, I made my list of corn companions, made my plans on how to plant them, and bought seeds accordingly. Unfortunately, I didn’t check to make sure that all the corn companions were also “friends” with each other!  All were compatible except the sunflower. Well, that is fine because I can go and dig those out as soon as they are up high enough to determine which ones they are. I will just transplant them to another row with other veggies that are compatible. If you have never planted vegetables then I will give a little more details regarding what we did so you will know how to plant your vegetable garden.

Drop the seeds into the rows taking care to space your seeds 5 or 6 inches apart. If yours fall closer together it is no problem you can just thin the plants later after they have sprouted. 

Once the seeds are in the rows, take your hoe and pull the soil toward you to cover the seeds, and then place your hoe on the other side of the row (the side closest to you) push the soil up toward the middle of the row. Lastly, gently pat or tamp down the soil in the row with the back side of your hoe. This will tuck the seeds in and get them ready to grow! Click on the pictures below to see a larger view.

It was very warm that day and the ground was dry. Thankfully we got a good soaking rain this weekend which should help the seeds to germinate soon. I will post pictures of the seedlings as soon as they come up! 

In my backyard garden I planted some English peas in March. This week I have planted several more vegetables, herbs, sunflower, marigold, nasturtium, zinnia, and moonflower. I am paying close attention to which veggies I plant as “neighbors” so not to make the same mistake as I did in my brother-in-law’s garden.

It is sometimes difficult to get it all right and I am trying to learn from season to season. So to keep track of my lessons learned this year, I started a journal that tells what I planted, when I planted it, where it’s planted, what I planted with it, and comments on the season’s progress. In addition, I am taking more pictures and filing them on my laptop so that I can go back later and review the results. I have always wanted to keep a gardener’s journal but just didn’t take the time to do it. I’m hoping this will help me know if the companion planting is working for me, if so which companions work in my garden, how long it takes the seeds to come up, if the plants like where they have been planted, and so forth. 

If any readers out there keep a gardener’s journal please make some comments with pointers and tell us what you have planted this spring.

The morning sun lights up the woodland path as it beckons with dianthus “Bath’s Pink”, clematis “Earnest Markham” with magenta blooms and “Silver Moon” silvery lilac with pale yellow stamens. Bath’s Pink is a graceful little groundcover with fragrant light pink blooms.  Only 6 inches tall, Bath’s Pink with its grassy blue-gray foliage is an eye-catching border along this garden path.

Daffodils accompanied by leucojum “Snowflake” start the early spring show and if the weather stays slightly cool their blooms will continue for 2 or 3 weeks.  There are several different daffodil types blooming with the earliest bloomers being the large, yellow cupped daffodil quickly joined by Ice Follies, Fortissimo, Ring of Fire, and Tahiti with the jonquils and Pheasant’s Eye making the grand finale to the daffodil season.  The leucojum “Snowflake” with their bell-shaped, white and green flowers is dazzling whether they are sitting alone or cuddled-up with daffodil and hyacinths.

We are blessed with several dogwood trees on our property that are native to the southeastern United States. Their luminous, white masses of blooms splash the landscape and woods chasing away the winter drabs.

Iris begin blooming in early April and continues into June. Several are pass-along -plants from friends who shared their surplus, some I bought at local nurseries, and some are reblooming iris that I ordered from a catalogue a few years ago. Collectively there are white, purple, lavender, peach, and yellow in our gardens. These grow about 24 or more inches tall and are quite stunning when planted in mass.

Lonicera sempervirens “Alabama Crimson” honeysuckle is starting to bud and bloom. Its crimson trumpet-shaped flowers with yellow throats are already receiving visits by ruby throated hummingbirds as it is one of their favorites. There are about 180 species of lonicerna vine that are native to the northern hemisphere.  Not to be confused with the many invasive species that have been imported to North America, the lonicera sempervirens is a native of eastern and southern United States and is easy to grow and keep in check.
 
Fothergilla is a deciduous shrub named after Dr. John Fothergill (1712 – 1780). This shrub has distinct white bottle-brush shaped flowers with no petals that are actually clusters of white stamens. These have a pleasant honey-like fragrance and are so adorable. Fothergilla is also a native of the southeastern US and provides interest to the garden in all seasons. It grows best in part shade, propagation by cuttings or seed, and blue-green leaves turn orange-red in autumn.

Azalea began blooming around mid-April starting with first the white and then the pink, purple, red, and a couple of native azalea, one yellow and one orange, join the throng. Not just a southern belle, there are hundreds of species of azalea with varieties that will grow in most any U.S. garden.

Ah, I can’t wait to see what May will bring to the garden..

Growing 12 – 18 inches tall, Lenten rose makes a fantastic, low maintenance groundcover or border for shady areas. These beauties come in bloom colors ranging from white, red, purple, orange, green, pink, and maroon with a variety of leaf sizes. Bowl shaped flowers will vary in size as well but commonly are  2 inches across. So now if you are thinking about planting a few, let’s talk a bit about how to grow Lenten rose.

When should you plant Lenten rose?
Plant Lenten rose in either the fall or spring. In the spring, I prefer to transplant seedlings into small pots allowing them to grow a bit through the summer. The following fall I plant them directly into the garden where they will continue to grow and mature. On occasion I have directly transplanted Lenten rose seedlings from where they sprouted near the mother plant to another location and they grew just fine as long as I kept them watered regularly the first season.

You can harvest their seeds in mid to late summer when they are ripe and plant them directly into the garden or landscape. I have had great success with both planting seeds and transplanting seedlings. The key is to provide them with a location where they will thrive.

Where is the best location to plant Lenten Rose?
They prefer full shade in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil.  Those that flourish best in my garden are planted under deciduous trees where they receive sunshine in winter months and full to dappled shade in the hot summer. Once Lenten rose is established, they are rather drought tolerant but thrive in moist (not wet) conditions in zones 4 – 8.

How to plant
Dig a hole about 12 to 18 inches deep that is more than twice as wide as the root ball. Adjust the size of the hole for smaller seedlings but keep it twice the size of their root mass. Add organic material such as compost. If you desire, mix in a slow-release all purpose fertilizer such as 12-6-6. Take care to set the plant level with the top soil and gently press the soil down to eliminate any air pockets.  Plant them about a foot apart but not too deep. Apply mulch around the base of the plant to keep roots moist and prevent weeds.

Companions
Lenten rose grow well with early spring blooming flowers such as daffodil, narcissus, hyacinths, early snowdrops and crocuses as well as fern and hostas. Take care not to hide them behind taller planting but place taller plants to the side or back of your Lenten rose.

Care and maintenance
Water Lenten rose at least once a week when there is little or no rain. Add a layer of mulch in the fall and again in early spring. Feed Lenten rose with a top dressing of well-rotted compost or slow-release fertilizer. You may divide plants every couple of years in the fall or allow them to naturalize in woodland settings and among shrubs. I have never divided mine since they reseed every year providing me with many to transplant into the woodland landscape and lots more to share. Snip or trim away any damaged or ragged leaves – do not pull them as this can tear and injure the plant. Watch for seedlings in the spring and transplant them to a moist location or pot once they have 4 leaves.  I enjoy transplanting them into small nursery pots and sharing them with my gardening friends.

It takes Lenten rose at least one year to establish and 2 or 3 years to produce blooms. However, they are well worth the wait with blooms becoming more abundant every year. 

The helleborus featured in this article were grown in my home garden with the smaller ones being 3 years old and the fuller, larger ones 5 to 6 years old. Many other varieties exist and a wide array of selections are available through catalogs, garden centers, and websites.

Click on any pictures for larger view.

WARNING: All parts of the hellebores plants are poisonous if eaten.

Marigold is an annual flower that has a distinctive smell which deters many garden pests. To achieve the maximum benefit, you should plant marigold throughout your vegetable rows.  The French Brocade Marigold has the added benefit of nematode control as its roots emit a substance that repels nematodes in the immediate area. For marigolds to be effective in nematode control, they should be grown over at least one full season and additional seasons for their effect is cumulative.

Rue is a shrubby perennial herb that has uniquely fragrant, blue-green leaves and 2-inch yellow flowers that make it attractive in borders.  Used as an old European culinary and medicinal plant, this herb, when planted near roses and raspberries, deters Japanese beetle. Sow rue seeds along the vegetable and flower garden borders or scatter rue leaf clippings in an infested area. Rue can cause a poison ivy-like rash for some people, so handle rue with caution by wearing long sleeves and gloves.

Sweet Basil is a popular kitchen herb but when grown among vegetables or flowers it repels aphids, mites, and mosquitoes.

The companion charts below are great references for what to grow to deter pests and to attract beneficial insects.

Organic pesticides should be used only as a last resort and in the smallest quantities possible so to minimize the harm they do to butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.  Keep in mind that all pesticides, even organic ones, leave some toxic residue that will remain in your garden for years.

**Information sources used here:
Carrots Love Tomatoes, by Louise Riotte
Roses Love Garlic, by Louise Riotte
All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Rodale Press (editor)

My husband and I want to attract birds into our yard and garden so we have tried a couple of ways to add small inexpensive water sources that birds love.  This little pond cost us less than $50 to install and is a wonderful focal point in our backyard. I got the inspiration for this simple design from one of my gardening magazines. Although their setting was much more formal, I was able to take their basic ideas and adapted them to our more casual style.  With that in mind, we easily found the items needed to put it all together.

For starters we purchased the liner, pump, and a couple of bags of small rocks in the garden section of a home improvement store. The larger stones were found locally during our hikes and visits to my sister’s house. She and her husband have many rocks of various sizes that are just lying around their yard and property.  (They encourage me to take all I need or can carry!)

Before we dug the hole, we chose a shade dappled location in the garden that could be seen from our kitchen window, patio, and screened porch.  Then we looked around our gardens and garage to see what we already had that could be used in our new niche. When you have been gardening for years it is amazing what you collect over time! We arranged the various pots and plants to make a casual woodland-like setting that brings us daily pleasure year-round.

Our pets enjoy drinking from the pond as well. We have an outside cat and an inside cat that both love to hide under the plants and observe birds, squirrels, and other small creatures as they take a drink and bathe in our little pond. Fortunately our cats are well-fed and too mature to be seriously interested in doing any backyard hunting. 

This copper birdbath was purchased several years ago at a discount store for about $15 and is perfect for smaller birds. (You can click on the picture to get a larger view.) Best of all, this little birdbath is almost effortless to move to any garden location and it is easy to keep clean. I love to tuck it in our woodland garden next to the tall fern and Sum and Substance hostas. In this early springtime picture you can see the copper birdbath has turned that lovely verdigris color and the fern and hostas are just starting to emerge. In summer the long fern fronds and large leaves of the Sum and Substance hostas give the birds a sense of protection as they hide to drink and bathe.

These little water sources create an oasis for the wildlife, and not so wild life, that enter our gardens.  Water features that are suitable for birds are needed not only during the hot summer months but also in the winter when both food and water sources are scarce. With spring just around the corner you can readily find water features and birdbaths to suit your garden and budget too!

We would love for you to share your thoughts and ideas on how you provide an oasis in your backyard. Your ideas and comments are welcome here!

At first I thought that the term companion planting just meant planting flowers that look really good together. After reading about this topic in some gardening magazines I soon found out that being “companions” is far more than just looking good together, they must be compatible too.

Companion planting is essentially the practical use of planting particular combinations of flowers, herbs, and/or vegetables together for beneficial purposes.  This is based on the thinking that certain plants can benefit others when planted alongside, or close to one another. Those benefits provided by neighboring plants may be to keep certain pests away, to add nutrients to the soil, to aid with root development, to provide shade or wind protection, attract pollinators, as well as any combination of benefits.

Is companion planting some kind of new organic gardening idea?

While little has been understood about the benefits of companion planting, it is not a new concept to today’s gardener and it has been practiced in some manner throughout agricultural history.  The early European settlers observed Native Americans planting corn and pumpkin together because they knew the benefits these have when grown together.

Horticulture science versus historical observations

There continues to be a great deal of attention given to the research and discussion regarding horticulture science versus the traditional basis for companion planting. I have discovered entire books, government sponsored projects, research farms, and websites dedicated to the study of and scientific support of companion planting.  There is just too much information available out there for us to digest it all here!

Keeping it simple

We will stay on course with just the tried-and-true traditional recommendations for now.  Personally, I just don’t have the time or horticulture education to get caught-up in the many different planting combinations with their analysis of historical observations and scientific data.  It would be easy for someone like me to get lost in this abundance of information so I am going to try to keep this topic as uncomplicated as possible. Our focus will simply be on how vegetables, herbs, and flowering plants interact when planted together. However, if you wish to learn more on this subject I highly recommend the excellent sources that I have listed at the bottom of this article.

Always remember that good soil, warm sunshine, and ample water are essentials for your garden. The suggestions here for putting together companion plants are only a start to a great garden.

**Information sources used here on the topic of companion planting:
Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting For Successful Gardening, by Louise Riotte
Roses Love Garlic: Companion Planting and Other Secrets of Flowers, by Louise Riotte
All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Rodale Press edited by Fern Marshall Bradley and Barbara W. Ellis
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service at http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/complant.html.

My first order of business is to decide what type of fence I am going to construct to try to keep out the deer, figure out what materials I need for that little project, and consider where I can find those materials. Although I will not construct the fence until closer to planting time, true efforts have to be made to ensure it gets built. If I don’t get that done then there is really no point in planting anything.  Otherwise, the vegetables and plantings just become deer food!
 
Next, I will need to make my seed selections and try to be as realistic as possible. Ah, this is my favorite part of the planning process; however, this task is hard for me because I seem to always plan for more than I can get planted. In order to avoid waste and keep down the cost of my garden I must only choose what I have space to plant.

Now, do I want to start some of the seeds indoors and if so what do I need for that? I will look around at the seed starting supplies that I already have, see what I can still use and make note of any additional items that may be needed.  Hum, I remember buying some soil plugs and a seed starting kit last year but didn’t get around to using any of that stuff, so much for good intentions.  I have heard about the road paved with good intentions and I am not going down that road!!

Finally, I must determine what gardening tasks I can do now during these winter days to prepare for planting in the spring.  Let’s see: I need to trim off dead seed heads and cut back the frost-bitten stems, pull out winter weeds and lifeless annuals, and lastly tuck in another light layer of leaf mulch and pine straw. This should keep me busy until March or April.

What are your garden plans that your are making this winter?  Please take a moment and share those thoughts with us.

“You can make from $395 to $6,000 per year from a daylily bed that’s only 16-feet long and 12-feet wide” says Helen Wheeler Boykin of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

In a small daylily bed that size, you can plant 79-double fans of daylilies in the early spring. The following spring those daylilies should double. Then you can sell the increase, generally one-half of your crop, and get your money back in one year’s time. When the late spring of the third year of your daylily crop arrives, your daylily crop again will have doubled, and you once more can sell one-half of your crop and make a profit this time.

“You’ll still have some of your original stock of daylilies from which to grow more daylilies,” Boykin explains. “Daylilies can provide a reliable, extra income as well as color and beauty for your home and garden. Many types of daylilies, usually a double fan, sell for only $10, but some daylilies sell for up to $300 per double fan. Your customer base will determine the price of daylilies you sell the most.”

Today many families earn $1,000 and more each year by selling not only daylily plants but also daylily seeds.  Daylilies are beautiful annual flowers that multiply quickly, don’t require much upkeep and are drought-resistant. They can grow in almost any part of the United States and southern Canada and come in thousands of varieties of shapes, colors and sizes.  

Daylilies for College

With the rising costs of college educations, some families have begun raising and selling daylilies and putting the monies made into college funds for their children. Here’s another twist on that idea. Jason Berryhill of Birmingham, Alabama, planted daylilies to help finance his college education once he started to college.

“I helped someone with a daylily garden set up his computer system, so I received my initial stock of daylilies without having to take any money out of my pocket,” Berryhill says. “From what I’ve read, studied and learned from the daylily growers I’ve talked with, I expect to make from $3,000 to $8,000 a year from the 1/4-acre of raised beds of daylilies I’ve planted.”

To learn how to raise, grow, care for and sell daylilies, go to www.hunterstorch.com where you can see photos of hundreds of daylilies and learn about them. Click on “Garden Tips” to receive free tips for raising daylilies.

John Phillips

John Phillips is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily Internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. He is also the president of Nighthawk Publications, Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama and the owner of Hunter’s Torch Daylily Garden.

Written By Dan Troceen 

Dan and his summer vegetable garden

Recently I was asked by my daughter who has a home of her own now, how do I keep my yard and home looking so nice? I started giving her a few tips, but quickly realized that what I do is a time-saving system that produces year-round good results.

I had never thought of it that way before, probably because no one had ever asked me how do I do it? So, I decided to write up my system so she as a new homeowner could learn about the elements of good yard maintenance. The payoff is that if it’s done right, the yard and home look great, it doesn’t take more time than necessary, and that leaves more time to do the things we’d rather be doing. 

Then I thought, other new homeowners might benefit from this approach also. So, this is what I’ve learned from keeping up many homes over the past 30-plus years, and share it with you today.

1. Get organized. Have a plan of what you need to do and what you want to do — weekly, and over the course of the growing season.

2. Get the right equipment to get the job done, and keep it in excellent condition. That includes a mower, edger, blower, rake, pruning clippers, hedge trimmer, lopping shear, and safety equipment like gloves, safety glasses and hearing protection.

3. Mow the lawn every week during the growing season. Do it religiously. Your grass will love it and grow healthier. But, mow only the top third of the grass stalk. If you mow more than that the grass will be damaged, allowing weeds to takeover! Keep the blade of your lawnmower sharp. Sharpen the blade at least once every year; it’s better if done twice. 

In the spring when the grass just begins to wake up from winter dormancy and is about 50% green, drop the deck on your lawnmower to a low setting (most mowers have adjustable wheels). Mow the lawn at this low setting for a few weeks until the lawn begins to thicken up. Move the deck up one notch each time the grass grows thicker until you move the deck up to its highest position in mid-summer. Tall, thick grass chokes out weeds from germinating and growing, and also shades the root zone during hot summer months.

If you do have some weeds, the best defense is by promoting growth of the good grass through fertilization, and then selectively target and kill weeds that remain in the grass. There are weed and feed fertilizers for application in the spring and fall that work fairly well, and for the weeds they don’t kill, there are spot-treatment spray weed killers that are safe to spray on lawns.

4. Edge the yard at least every 3 or 4 weeks. This keeps the landscape areas and lawn areas looking crisp and well-maintained. It also keeps the grass from growing into the garden areas, thus losing the shape of the garden. The yard can be edged every week if you want, but that takes more time and is not necessary.

5. Water the lawn and gardens so that they receive about an inch of water each week. When there is no rainfall, watering twice per week has been best for our lawn and gardens. Watering more frequently can lead to fungus and diseases in the lawn. Always water in the morning when the air is calm; don’t water at night when the plants and grass will stay wet for an extended length of time, which will promote disease. 

It is best to water with an irrigation system. The next best method is to set up hoses with sprinklers that are turned on and off by a battery-operated control box attached to the faucet.

6. Do not let weeds get established in the garden areas!!!! At the first sign of their growth, either pull them out after a hard rain that softens the soil, or my preferred method is to hit them with Roundup anytime. In addition to mechanically edging the garden areas, you can carefully spray along the edge to kill the grass runners that have grown into the garden area. That saves the time from pulling out the runners. Be careful though with the conical spray pattern. Tilt your spray nozzle slightly up and away from the lawn area so that just an edge of the conical pattern hits the edge of the garden without spraying onto the grass. If the nozzle is pointed straight down, half of the conical pattern will spray onto the good lawn area, and that will destroy the good edge of the lawn. Be careful where the rest of the conical spray pattern goes also. If it gets on the plants in the garden, they will be killed. For that reason, I hold the spray very close to the ground so the pattern is small and tight. Don’t spray on a windy day. Sometimes it’s helpful to use a large piece of stiff plastic as a shield to protect the lawn or a plant. Just be careful that the Roundup spray that accumulates on the plastic shield doesn’t drip off onto the lawn or a plant as it’s moved from one location to another.

7. For easier mowing, plan your garden areas so that the lawn areas flow smoothly, and can be mowed with a minimum of stops, starts, turns or difficult places to maneuver with a lawnmower. The yard looks better with curvy lines, so why not use this approach to make the lawn easier to mow. Where grass does not grow well due to lack of sufficient sunlight, convert those areas to mulched gardens, perhaps laying stepping stones so that these areas can be traveled easier when it’s wet outside. Where grass has a difficult time growing, usually the weeds take over. Be strategic in deciding where lawns and gardens are placed.

8. Straight lines do not occur in nature, so lay out your gardens and landscape with flowing lines. Doing so will soften the yard against the straight lines of the house. Also, avoid planting trees in a row or planting shrubs and bushes in a straight line unless a formal patterned look is desired. 

9. Getting back to the idea of mowing the lawn every week — it’s a good habit to get into so that not only the lawn gets mowed, but some of the other yard and home maintenance can be done as well. Over the past several years my informal weekly to-do list had evolved into a spreadsheet with all the seasonal home and yard requirements noted on it. I use this as my annual game plan, and then refer to it weekly to see what I should be doing this week or next.

It’s particularly helpful to note scheduled lawn fertilizer applications and spraying for bugs both inside the house and around the foundation of the house. This has become very important for me ever since I planted my fig trees, blueberry bushes and roses so that I keep track of the fertilizer and spraying schedule. It also has helped me keep track of the vegetable garden requirements and fertilization schedule for trees and shrubs that I’m trying to get established. 

Note that when a required fertilizer or chemical treatment is missed, your landscape will show the effect, or the bugs will start moving back in.

10. Pruning the shrubs and trees is important to do on a routine basis so that only a small portion has to be removed each time. Severe pruning shows, and can be hard or fatal to a shrub or tree. 

I’ve found that pruning shrubs is best done after the new spring growth has had a chance to set. Typically late May or June is a good time to trim the shrubs. When we’ve received a lot of rain during the spring and summer, another light pruning in September may be needed. 

For trees, it’s best to prune while they are dormant, which means a winter month. In general, the ideal winter month to prune is late February or March, just before the tree wakes up from dormancy, or just as it wakes up. Other light pruning can occur on both shrubs and trees during the growing season, but not after October 1st. The cuts have to harden before the first frost or freeze that might occur in November. 

Other important tips on pruning trees: never remove more that a third of a tree’s total mass at one time, no more than one-third of a branch if shaping a tree and never prune the central leader (which will destroy the natural shape of the tree and its vital structure).

Note that there is an ideal time to prune various plants in your yard, and they will benefit if that schedule is followed. Examples are the crepe myrtles, and the hydrangeas. A search on the web, for your growing zone or region, will provide the needed info. This is a good example of info to include on your yard’s personalized Maintenance Calendar. 

11. Keep the exterior of the house and the foundation treated to prevent insects from establishing permanent residency. Spray with Ortho Home Defense Max on all eaves, corners, along the base of the house, around windows — anywhere a spider or bug would love to live. Also sprinkle Ortho Home Defense Max Granules for Lawn and Garden around the base of the house and in the gardens, for a 2 to 3-foot perimeter of defense. Each of these treatments must be done every 3 months to retain an effective barrier. If not done, the house will get covered with spider webs, spider droppings, and all sorts of other creepy-crawlies leaving their mark on your house. Eventually, these new residents will make their way into your home as their families grow! By keeping the bug population down, your home will be much cleaner on the outside.

12. Wash down the siding, eaves and windows each year in the spring after the pollen has finished falling from the trees. Doing this once a year not only takes the pollen off, but also removes any mildew or fungus that may be starting to grow on the paint. All of those things, plus the dust, dirt and chemicals in the air that fall on our homes is very destructive to the paint. If you keep the house washed down, then it looks great, and the paint will last a lot longer. The difference could be several extra years of paint life by washing down the house.

How the house is washed down is an important element to review. In short, washing with the lowest pressure water, and least harmful chemical mixture is best. A mild approach prevents water intrusion behind siding and into the house, and does not break down the paint. Protect door and window areas on the inside. Check to see that water is not entering the house when they are being sprayed. High pressure can break the seal on insulated glass windows, rip the mortar from between bricks, cut lines into siding and rip pieces of the house loose. 

I recommend using a soft bristle brush, like the ones for washing a car’s paint, with a mild solution of about a 1/4 cup of Dawn dishwashing detergent, and 1/2 to 1 cup of bleach to about 3 to 4 gallons water. You’ll know that the bleach is strong enough if the mildew washes right off. The detergent is to get the sudsing action that will lift and carry the dirt away. First, lightly spray the area that needs to be washed to remove loose dirt and debris. Then wash the area with the brush and solution. Then, again lightly spray down the washed areas with fresh water before the solution dries on the siding. Squeegee the windows dry. Step back and be amazed at how great the house looks when it’s clean. If the house is washed each year, the job can be accomplished by this method. When the house is extremely dirty, a professional pressure wash will be the best option, but carefully screen for a neat, careful, conscientious contractor.

13. Plan ahead for the next year’s growing season by updating the Lawn and Garden Maintenance Calendar in January or February each year. Look over your notes from the last year to see what worked and what didn’t. Update or modify your plan. Make a list of items needed to purchase, like fertilizers or sprays so that they will be in place at the right time.

A little planning and organization will increase personal productivity during the year by doing the right thing at the right time. No longer will there need to be big yard cleanup days or weekends because things have gotten out of control. If you develop your own plan and stick to it the results will show in your yard year-round and you’ll have more time to do the other things you enjoy.

Deer eating our landscape

On a recent evening while turning into our driveway I was doing my usual “lookout” for the pesky neighborhood deer herd, when I discovered several of those hungry beasts nibbling around my roses and daylilies.  This little herd of about 9 or so deer is seen almost daily roaming around our subdivision dining on everyone’s shrubs, roses, hostas, and other flora.  It was pitch dark so I grabbed my flashlight and leaped from my vehicle yelling and chasing them from our yard.

It was too dark to tell if I actually rescued any of our plantings from their ravenous consumption, but further inspection at next morning light revealed that the herd had struck our garden again.  The deer had enjoyed quite a nice buffet at our expense!  The damage this time was quite extensive.  Late summer growth on several rose bushes was eaten to the bare stems; so much for my hopes for a few fall rose blooms. 

Many of our hostas had been reduced to spiky twigs sticking up where their long, green leaves had once been.  They even ate the summer’s growth on the small Japanese maple that I had sitting in a pot near the side of our house.  I had tended and shaped it all summer and had planned to plant it later this month in one of our front flower beds.  It looked so pathetic that no amount of fall sunshine and fertile soil can help it this year!  This was not the deer’s first visit to snack on our landscape nor will it likely be their last one.
 
So what is a gardener to do?  Short of deer hunting in our neighborhood, how can we send these varmints packing?  Our mission is not to harm the deer but to actually control the deer, or at least, make our landscape less appetizing and unattractive to them.  The following suggestions come from other experienced gardeners and have proven to be effective in discouraging deer and other unwanted animals from eating our vegetables and landscape plantings

Choosing deer resistant plants for the border of the flower beds is one thing that I have tried and it does work to some degree.  Before shopping for your plants do a little homework so you can select those that are less attractive or even tend to deter deer.  This tactic seems to work in some areas but not as well in others.  It seems the deer find some plants to be more offensive than others and tend to avoid those.  However, they will often trample right through those less offensive plants for the more tasty ones at the middle or back of your beds.  For instance, in the woodland garden where it is more shady we border with hellebores, fern, and Bath’s Pink dianthus. The deer have never bothered these plants nor have they ventured into that garden to nibble the azalea and hydrangea behind that border. 

Over in the sunny herb beds we border with rosemary, thyme, and lavender.  Again, the deer never take a taste of these plants; however, they will step over them to get to the tender daylily shoots in early spring. 

A very effective method of deer control is to put up a fence.  Generally, the more aesthetically appealing the fence the more it will cost you.  Keep in mind though that the fence does not have to be expensive or elaborate to be effective.  I have noticed that one of my neighbors used a small charger and  a single strand of electric fence placed low to the ground around his vegetable garden.  I have often seen the deer herd in his yard but not in the vegetable garden.  His summer vegetable garden was lush and looked to be quite productive. 

If a wire or electric fence is not something you desire, I have heard gardeners say that the most successful deer and rabbit deterrent they have used is to drive a stake into the ground, then tie a single strand of string or twine around their garden area. Take several white plastic bags and tie them to the string every so many feet apart. They swear that the deer and rabbits will not cross that line.

Consider making a tent or a wrap for your plants to keep deer and other animal pests away from your plantings.  Check the garden center of your local home improvement store to find a black mesh product that can be placed over your shrubs or other plants. It comes in various size rolls, has been reported to be much more attractive, almost invisible, and at quite effective.

I have read where gardeners have sprinkled human hair gathered from hair salons around their plants or hung scented bars of soap in trees or shrubs.  Others have concocted potions of egg shells, garlic, and hot pepper that they spread around or spray on their vulnerable plants.  Deer and rabbit hate those smells and will move down the road to other more desirable vegetation. This method works rather well until it rains for several days or weeks and you will likely need to reapply.

The most simple and least expensive method that I have heard is to take pieces of old garden hose and place them around the garden. Animals seem to think these are snakes and will not cross them. My garden hose is in good shape so I think I will purchase a couple of rubber snakes and try this idea.

Last but not least, we can rely on man’s best friend.  Yes, a good dog will keep the deer chased out of your garden and landscape.  Just be sure you train it not to dig up your plants!

What is your most effective means of keeping deer from devouring your landscape or prize plants?

What other animals are you trying to control in your garden?