Plants need nourishment to perform in the best way.  Flowers and vegetables love potato starch and using potato water in the garden is a good way to give it to them.  To add starch in a “green way”, save the water you boil your potatoes in.   Starchy water will spur the release of plant nutrients …

This homemade fly repellent formula uses the common household cleaner Pine Sol. The reason it works is because of pine oil. Read on to discover why this fly spray works. We all know how bothersome flies can be in any outdoor gathering. Keeping them away often means using harsh chemicals. What if I told you …

These inspirational flower quotes are both pretty and motivational. Share one today with friends. I love to start the day with an experience that gives me a moment of inspiration.  Often, that is simply walking through my garden, admiring the flowers. Why are Quotes so Popular? When things in life get tough, like they have been …

Preparing a homemade mosquito repellent with a lovely aroma and natural ingredients is easy with this tutorial. This DIY essential oil mosquito repellent spray is made with a few common household ingredients, and works well to keep the mosquitoes away. Summer is here. The days are longer and it’s so nice to sit outside in …

Are you bothered by the cost of maintaining a garden? These creative DIY garden ideas on a budget should help to keep your costs down. I’ve put together a list of 30+ vegetable garden hacks that will make your gardening life easier and cheaper. One of the big pleasures of summer for me is tending …

Vegetable gardening in small spaces can be a challenge. My answer to this problem is to build a concrete block planter to use as a raised bed vegetable garden. Concrete blocks are inexpensive and making a raised bed with them is an easy project that can be accomplished in just a few hours. This year, …

Who doesn’t love the look of a lush, green hydrangea bush in their yard, just full of those gorgeous and huge blooms? Propagating hydrangeas to get new plants for free can be done in several ways – hydrangea cuttings, tip rooting, air layering and division of the mother plant. Growing hydrangeas from seed is also …

Swiss chard is one of the easiest and most versatile of vegetables for home gardens. Its colorful stems and big, crinkly leaves are packed full of nutrients. Read on for tips on growing Swiss chard. What is Swiss Chard? Swiss Chard – beta vulgaris subsp. vulgarisis a leafy vegetable in the beet family, but it …

If you enjoy walking trails that immerse you in a tranquil lake scene, with 113-acres of lovely themed gardens, the Springfield Botanical Gardens are for you. My husband and I spend the summer touring and writing about botanical gardens around the country.  We recently spent some time in Missouri and discovered this little gem of …

The Shasta daisy has lovely summer blooms. Caring for Shasta daisies is easy. It is a fairly low maintenance perennial plant that naturalizes to give more and more blooms each year and is great for filling in garden beds and bare spots in your garden. These care tips will help you to get the most …

The flavor dried dill just can’t compete with that of the fresh herb. Let’s check out some tips for growing dill. Fresh dill is a very popular kitchen herb. It is highly aromatic and really easy to grow. Fresh herbs are something that I grow year round, both indoors and outside, either in pots or …

This giant hosta variety is called Blue Angel Hosta. This plantain lily is one of the larger mounding varieties that is perfectly happy in the shade. A recent trip around the JR Raulston Arboretum provided me with a chance to look at their magnificent collection of hostas. I have a large collection of hostas in …

It is easy to clean a cement bird bath to make it a safe and fun place for birds to enjoy. All you need are a few common supplies and minutes of your time. After a long summer of use, a bird bath can be getting pretty grimy this time of the year. Algae grows …

Trying to control squash bugs can seem an insurmountable task when you find them in your vegetable garden. These bugs can do a huge amount of damage, particularly to young plants. These 10 easy tips will keep your garden pest-free. Take charge and find out how to kill squash bugs for good. Last summer I …

Tarragon is a perennial herb with an anise-licorice flavor that is often used in French cuisine. Follow these tips for growing tarragon in your kitchen herb garden. What is tarragon? French Tarragon, artemesia dracunulus, is also known as estragon.  It is a member of the asteraceae (sunflower) family.  Tarragon is a type of perennial herb …

If ants are invading your home and you don’t want to use harsh chemicals, home made Borax Ant Killers may be the answer, but how effective are they? I decided to test five of them to find out! Using more organic ant killer remedies is something that many environmentally conscious homemakers have an interest in. …

Make your own home made Miracle Grow as well as several other plant foods easily with epsom salt, baking soda and household ammonia. It’s time for another fun vegetable garden hack. This DIY Miracle Grow fertilizer is a more organic way to feed your plants. The homemade plant food recipe is easy to make and …

Would you like tips for attracting monarch butterflies to your yard this year?  I’ve been seeing them in my garden for a few weeks now. The first Saturday in May is marked National Start Seeing Monarchs Day. What an appropriate national day for this time of the year!  This day was chosen to raise people’s …

Growing Spring Onions is a garden project that starts early in the year.  You’ll end up with small bulbous onions that have a much milder flavor than a normal yellow onion but can be used in the same way.  I use them all the time in my recipes, and fortunately for gardeners, they are very …

Growing onions is a pretty easy from a gardening standpoint, but did you know that you can also regrow spring onions in water? At times like these, when some food items are in short supply, knowing how to get more bang for your buck is a win in anyone’s book! This gardening hack is one …

This variegated hosta is called Hosta Stained Glass. It is a sun tolerant hosta variety that adds a vibrant and dramatic punch to any semi sunny border or garden bed. My husband and I love to tour botanical gardens, such as the JR Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, North Carolina. This botanical garden features plants that …

There are many vegetable garden problems that can plague the average gardener. Fortunately, there are also easy solutions to those problems.  Not everything about vegetable gardening turns out as expected. Troubleshoot your garden with these easy tips to get a bumper harvest this year! You have spent the first part of spring getting vegetable garden …

Do you have a problem with squirrels?  If so, these natural squirrel repellent ideas may prove useful to you. Dealing with squirrels has been an ongoing problem for me in one way or another for several years.  If you read my blog often, you may remember reading about the squirrels in my vegetable garden a few …

Planting forsythia is all about timing and spacing. The two best times are early spring and mid fall depending on your hardiness zone. One of the earliest plants to bloom in spring is forsythia, but when should it be planted?  Forsythia bushes delight us each spring with their burst of cheery yellow flowers. This deciduous …

Mother’s Day is right around the corner.  This easy kitchen gift basket makes the perfect personalized gift for anyone’s mother who loves to cook. It is filled with fun, whimsical and useful kitchen items that are made even more special by including items that are geared to your mother’s tastes. This easy kitchen gift basket …

If you don’t have a big yard with room for a large vegetable garden, try growing a vegetable garden on a deck.  Vegetable gardening is one of the great pleasures of the summer months for many gardeners. But for many of us, space does not allow a full outside garden. So many vegetables can be …