Garden Google Calendar

One of the features I love about Google calendar is that I can make a "new" calendar for a particular group of events. ie. a calendar for when your bills are due, a calendar for all school assignment due dates, a personal events calendar, etc. I started working on a new calendar just for my garden indicating the last frost date, sowing times, planting times, time to add compost, time to prune, and time to plant some more. Each plant has its own specific needs and by the height of summer when all your plants are going out of control, it's hard to keep track of what needs what. Using a calendar and planning it ahead of time is a great way to keep track.



What other calendar programs work for you? How do you keep track on knowing what your plants' needs are?

Entertaining Electrics

At Target, this 3 tray electric warming tray from Kitchen Selectives is great for holiday entertaining. It's something I would definitely find useful.

Target $69.99

Green roof...for dogs!

I was browsing Google Images for garden landscaping inspirations when I came across this. A green roof for a dog house.

From Ellis Hollow
























Here is another one from Treehugger













From Urban Citizen

How to Prune our Lavender Plant

From Essortment

"Second tip-Pruning your lavender plant: As your lavender plant matures, make sure that you prune it every spring. There are two reasons for this: lavender can get too leggy with the prospect of taking over a small garden space. Also, as lavender matures, it will develop bark by the original plant. This is a sign that your lavender is due for a trim---possibly a severe pruning.

When you prune your older lavender plant, cut back all of the overgrown stems and flowers back so that the original plant is exposed. Hopefully, you've pruned in time for new sprigs to start sprouting on your lavender plant. Otherwise, if nothing comes back it means that your lavender has lived its life---which is generally five years from young seedling to full maturity.

Third tip-Replanting your lavender plant: If you simply want to move your plant into another area of your garden, or if you nursed you lavender plant from seed to young plant, you can easily replant lavender into your garden. For a move to another location of your garden, you have two choices. Either you can cut off a healthy section of your existing lavender plant to replant or you can dig up the entire plant. Make sure that you know how to transplant a whole plant or a section of the plant by digging a deep enough hole for the lavender plant and its roots. For a lavender sprig, dig a narrow hole up to your second pointer finger knuckle and place your sprig into that hole. Make sure that it has the right fertilizer and that you water the transplanted plant daily so that it can acclimate itself to its new home."

My new obsession - Sewing

My mom is an extremely talented seamstress which has further motivated me to learn how to sew. Knowing how to sew has many advantages. I'm vertically challenged and need allll my pants taken up. Also, I've seen things I want in stores and know it's not worth what they retail for.

Pink sewing machine at Sears - Thanks to Home and Garden magazine















Check out these cute aprons at Anthropologie. Definitely something you can make yourself.























These are from Paper-Source.


















Miss Lovebug sent me this link to Superfantastico. I love this garden belt.

Shaping Up the Yard

I read that you're supposed to work in your compost in the Fall, so your soil is nice and loamy in the Spring. Frankly, I have been too overwhelmed to go back into the garden, but I knew if I waited until Spring, I would have an extremely hard time working the ground as I did last Spring.

I thought I would start off slow and just do the South side of the house. We've affectionately deemed it the "ugly side" of the house, but it is also the side of the house that is most visible from the street, so I would like it to be presentable.


In front of this window is a concrete slab, which is odd. I just buried it with dirt to make it part of the landscape.


The ground was surprisingly easy to work with. The grass/roots are mostly dried out, so was much easier to dig it up because they aren't bound together now.


I shaped this circular area where I plan to plant a small tree. I'm trying to create 'depth' around our house.


From the other angle.


The problem with doing this is you have to consider how it looks from afar. After digging, I took 10 steps back to look at it. From 10-20' away, take another look at it. Can you see the shape? Does it make sense? And most importantly, can you get the lawn mower around it?


After looking at it, I realized I had to come out more and more. Here, I plan to do something to camouflage the air conditioner. I also read up about collecting the runoff and "reuse" it to water my plants. I'm going to see if I can do that here with this drain.


Since that was so easy, I ran with it and continued with the very back of the yard. I really want to make it a focal point and not just "the crap in the back". In the summer, the back is completely shaded by our neighbors tree and fence. I extended it out in order to grow anything back there.


You can't really tell in the above picture so here it is again.


The view from our deck. See here, it's not nearly as wide as I need it to be to see it from afar. But with my limited time and winter coming, it's a start and at least it will be a little easier on my wittle body next Spring when I have to work the soil.


I started on the side here where my vegetables go.


Again, from the deck it can hardly be seen, so I have to keep making it wider and wider.


I know it's boring. Just a pile of dirt. It doesn't look like much now, but by next spring it will be better.



You can't tell but it's 2 to 3 feet wide from the fence.


This could use more shaping. See how it's jaggered.


Also, dig up your dahlias! Store them in a paper bag in the basement until next year.