Archive for August, 2009

Organizing Your Garage

Published by
ebell
at August 31, 2009 in Home Improvement. 0 Comments

For many families, a well organized garage is something they only dream of.  Many of us have garages that are piled with boxes, long forgotten storage items, tools, and more.  Any hope of parking in such a garage is, of course, completely lost.  But the truth is, a clean and organized garage isn’t something that has to be elusive.  With a little work and time spent organizing, you too can have the garage of your dreams.

Garage organizers

The first step in organizing a garage is to remove everything.  And yes, we really do mean everything.  Once you get all the items out of the garage, the next step is to begin sorting.  Create three piles: items to keep, items to donate or sell, and garbage.  You’ll probably be amazed by the size of the last two piles.

While you’re organizing all your stuff, this is also a good time to clean the garage.  Sweep everything out.  If you have shelves, dust them off.  If you’ve never painted your garage walls or floor, now would be an excellent time to do so.

When you start putting items back into the garage, try to organize things by category.  For example, paints and chemicals in one area, hand tools in another, garden implements in another, and so on.  If you don’t have good organizing products, now is the time to invest in some.  For example, good shelving in a garage is a must.  Pegboard tool storage with pegboard hooks are a great way to hang and organize similar tools in one place.

Pegboard Hooks

Last but not least, remember that garage organization is usually a repititive process.  Don’t expect to organize once and then be done for the rest of your life.  At my house, we have to clean out and re-organize our garage about once every year.

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Deadheading Your Flowers

Published by
ebell
at August 28, 2009 in Garden. 0 Comments

If you like to grow flowers in the summer and you’ve never heard of “deadheading” before, it’s a process you should know about.  Almost every plant that flowers goes through a process where some blooms die out and new blooms form.  Some specific plants, though, have the ability to form new blooms more rapidly if old blooms are removed once they’re dead.  Some plants like this include petunias, marigolds, phlox, coneflower, and balloon flower.

Below is a photo of balloon flowers that need to be headheaded.  By simply removing the dead, dried up flower buds, you’ll make room for a new blossom to emerge.  In fact, if you look closely, you’ll see a bulge in the plant, below the old, dead flower head, where a new bloom is ready to come out, once the old flower head is removed.

Balloon flower

Coneflowers will have to be deadheaded in a slightly different manner.  Instead of plucking off individual dead blooms, you’ll want to take a pair of scissors and cut back the dead flower’s stem, almost down to the base of the plant.  This will encourage the plant to produce more blooms.  By keeping coneflowers and other similar flowers trimmed back of dead blossoms, you’ll be rewarded with a plant that will continue blooming and looking great all summer long.

Cone flower

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Create an Outdoor Privacy Screen with a Vertical Garden

Published by
ebell
at August 26, 2009 in Garden. 0 Comments

Do you have an area in your yard that you want to block from the prying eyes of a neighbor, a roadway, or public park? There is no better solution than adding a vertical garden to create an outdoor privacy screen. A vertical garden is a line of foliage and/or a barrier of flowers trained to grow up a vertical structure like a trellis. Vertical gardens add privacy to outdoor areas such as decks, patios, and porches.

outdoor privacy screen

The first step in creating a vertical garden is to measure out the area you want to block and to consider what you want the end result to be. Do you want your vertical garden to be a permanent property addition or something short lived for just one season? Considerations will be time to grow, desired height and width, and whether or not you need winter coverage. For something short lived, you may want to consider annual climbing vines such as morning glory or moonflower.

Morning glory is an annual flowering vine that can be planted from seed in the springtime, as soon as risk of frost has passed. Morning glory is a rapid grower that can climb to massive proportions by late summer and will continue to flourish into the fall. Morning glory is known for its showy flowers that come in a variety of colors.

Moonflower is another annual flowering vine that is in the same family as the morning glory, but with much larger flowers. As the name would suggest, moonflower blooms at night, making your garden very fragrant in the evening. Moonflower is generally started from seed and will also grow quickly, lasting all summer and into the fall months. There are various colors of moonflower blossoms to choose from.

For a permanent vertical garden that won’t need to be replanted year after year, some other choices might be clematis or Virginia creeper.

Clematis is a perennial flowering vine that is sometimes tropical looking. Some varieties are hardy to Zone 4, withstanding seasonal variations from -30 degrees to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Some other varieties of clematis do well as far south as Zones 9 or 10. Clematis are a unique plant that prefers full sun on its leaves, but likes its feet to stay cool and shaded. This can be easily accomplished by planting a small bush or other plant at the base of the vine. Clematis will get larger and hardier each year, as the root structure grows.

Virginia creeper is a perennial foliage vine that may make an excellent choice. It features dark green leaves that turn to brilliant shades of red and orange in the fall. Virginia creeper also produces tiny green flowers that are followed by purplish-black berries. These berries are a source of food for birds and will make the climbing vine a winter haven for many species, including Cardinals that love the berries. Virginia creeper is a climber that grows by suckers, giving it the ability to follow your fence or trellis without your having to tie or clip the foliage to train it.

outdoor privacy screen

These are just a few examples of planting choices for your vertical garden. Take time to research the specific needs of your gardening zone. Talk to other local gardeners or consult your Agricultural extension office. This will allow you to make an informed decision so you can enjoy your vertical garden investment to the fullest.

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