Blog Surfing: www.urbangardensweb.com
25 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Flowers, Garden Design, Garden Projects, Living Healthy Tags: nadia's san diego garden blog, new york garden, sunflowers in the city, urban gardening, urban gardens web
Urban Citizen’s Traffic Island Garden
September 20, 2011
Last May, when New York City workers were planting a tree on the traffic island in front of the salon where he’s employed, Victor Rueda asked them if he could contribute his own plants, including some sunflowers, to the small plot of land. They agreed. Ever since, Rueda has cultivated the garden as if it were his own, protecting the tall sunflowers from the recent hurricane by tying them with nylon thread to keep them from blowing over.
The tree planting effort is part of New York City’s Greenstreets program, launched in 1996 as a partnership between the Department of Parks & Recreation and the Department of Transportation. The citywide program’s goal is to convert paved, vacant traffic islands and medians into green spaces filled with shade trees, flowering trees, shrubs, and groundcover.
In April 2007, Mayor Bloomberg announced PlaNYC, a blueprint for New York City to attain sustainable growth and improve the quality of city life. PlaNYC includes a number of groundbreaking greening initiatives, including planting street trees in all possible locations, creating 800 new greenstreets, and reforesting 2,000 acres of parkland. Mayor Bloomberg has dedicated $391 million over ten years for these initiatives, and also funded an additional 156 staff and $4.6 million in new forestry and horticulture maintenance funds to support these greening efforts. The city’s plan did not include citizen gardeners like Rueda: he’s just doing it out of the goodness of his heart.
Garden Lanterns Votives
17 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Garden Design, Garden Projects, Living Healthy, organic gardening, Photography Tags: Create outdoor candle light, DIY garden lanterns, DIY votives, garden candles, garden lantern, holiday gifts, Mason Jar votives, nadia's san diego garden blog
♥ Garden Lanterns and Votives can add a bit of charm to any garden or patio area and they are easy to make.
Table top or hanging, here are some creative ideas I found on several DIY Blogs.
Any of these can be created to enhance holiday decorating too or given as gifts.
Halloween Votives: DIY BLOG directions
Basic Garden Pots with candles: Image from Google images.
* Use transparent stickers and glitter glue to decorate a re-used food jar or mason jar.
Frosted glass on mason jars: Follow directions on how to create these by following this link: DIY Lanterns.
These lanterns look great during the day too:
Photo credit to : http://hearttheday.blogspot.com
Mason Jar Lantern Votive
Blog Sharing: Liventhingsup
07 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Cactus, euphorbia, Garden Design, Garden Projects, Photography, Succulents Tags: Garden Blog, liventhingsup blog, nadia's san diego garden blog, ocean theme garden, succulent landscape
Garden Feature Today:
→ Liventhingsup.blogspot.com
Sharing another blog link that featured my succulent gardening and landscaping.
This blogger’s mission is about ” Sharing her passion for design, interiors, art, travel and photography.”
Thank you for the “shout out” and for sharing the beauty of drought tolerant landscaping 
www.nadiaknows.com
September Planting Guide
01 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Flowers, Garden Design, organic gardening, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: garden flowers, nadia's san diego garden blog, September Garden Guide, Southern California Planting Guide
September Planting Guide for So. CA
*Frostless areas
Herbs ♥ Vegetables ♥ Flowers
The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. ~H. Rion
FLOWERS: My garden is now a permanent home to flowers. The Zinnia’s and Dahlia’s are coming to their seasonal end with Sweet Pea and Snapdragons waiting to be planted in September. Flowers are a great way to add color to the garden when rotating crops and seasonal vegetables create a sparse landscape.
September Flowers: African Daisy, Bachelor Button, California Poppy, Flax, Foxglove, Marigold, Pansy, Petunia, Snapdragon, Stock, Sweet Pea, Verbena, Viola, Wallflower.
September Herbs: Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme
Vegetables: Beans (bush), Brussels sprouts, Carrot, Celery, Fava Beans, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Onion sets, Radish, Swiss Chard.
* Remember to mulch even in the cooler months ahead.
* Check for feeding (fertilizing). Azaleas, cyclamen, roses and fuchsias this month.
*Plant perennials. Plant sweet peas the first week of September (specifically the early variety: Mammoth, Early Spencer or Multiflora).
*referrences from Pat Welsh’s Southern California Organic Gardening Book- a month by month guide to gardening in Southern California.
* Think good thoughts when gardening and they will grow
Thank you for your visit- www.nadiaknows.com
→ Create – Grow – Enjoy ←
GROW YOUR OWN SUPERFOODS
14 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in Garden Fruits, Living Healthy, organic gardening, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: create and grow, garden super foods, growing super foods, healthy eating, nadia's san diego garden blog
How many super foods can you grow in your own garden? The super food lists usually boast about 20 beneficial foods to incorporate into your diet. Super foods are high in anti-oxidants, high in fiber, low in fat and overall the most nutritional foods ounce per ounce.
According to resveratrol.com: Super Foods, also known as anti aging foods, are foods high in antioxidants as well as high concentrations of crucial nutrients that have been proven to help prevent and in some cases, reverse the effects of aging.
Peppers growing in a Topsy Turvy Planter
The Super Foods:
- avocado, broccoli, onions, peppers, soy, spinach, and sprouts, hot peppers, leeks, daikon radishes
- açai, apples, blueberries, pomegranates, pumpkin, kiwi, oranges,and tomatoes
- wild salmon, turkey, eggs
- beans, barley, seeds, nuts, lentils, oats, walnuts and buckwheat
- cinnamon, dark chocolates, garlic, honey, extra virgin olive oil (“cold pressed”), sea salt, yogurt & kefir
- sea vegetables, irish moss, umeboshi plums, wheat grass, miso
- red wine, green tea and water were also on this list.
Blueberries for the Southern California Garden
Dwarf Anna Apples
Spinach
Raw and Green: Juicing from the Garden
07 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in Garden Fruits, Living Healthy, organic gardening, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: breville juicer, garden juicing, garden to juicer ideas, juicing fruits, nadia's san diego garden blog, organic gardening
Boost your immune system, help your bodies digestion, increase your energy, help with weight loss, add more anti-oxidants to your diet… that’s the information I read on what a juicer can do for us, so why did it take me so long to finally purchase one? Maybe it was the price tag, or another appliance fighting for space on the counter. More likely it was the thought of having to clean out an appliance on a daily basis and buy a cart-load of vegetables each week to maintain a new health habit. I have a back yard garden to grow seasonal fruits and vegetables, not a farm that produces high quantities of juicing fruits and greens. It took watching the documentary ” Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead ” to change my mind and give it a chance. I don’t have a weight problem, so the anti-oxidant and increased vitality health claims were the motivation that lead to a purchase.
Two very popular juicers are the Jack LaLanne and the Breville Elite: I chose the Breville.
Breville Die-Cast 800JEXL Fountain Elite Juicer: quoted straight from the website: “ It is called the most powerful centrifugal juicer that is available in the market today. It can juice any produce within seconds with 1000 watts motor and spinning rate 13,000.You can make any combination of juice with it. It has quite a wide chute and spares the need of cutting and dicing fruits. You can pour the juice in the plastic pitcher with skimmer to prevent foams in the citrus juice. The machine has a stainless-steel mesh basket that removes the pulp automatically into a juice container. The juicer has two kinds of speeds to juice soft and hard fruits. It is dishwasher safe.”
Great Recipe Book For Juicing: “The Big Book Of Juices“: more than 400 natural blends for health and vitality every day by Natalie Savona.
Breville Juicer
Juiced Carrots, Apples and Pink Grapefruit
* Organic Fruits and Vegetables are best*
I wanted a juicer that was easy to clean so that I would actually continue to use it. I give it a thumbs up for simple assembly and cleaning. The best part about the pulp leftovers is returning it to my compost bin and worm farm. Both compost bins are benefitting from the scraps. Another use for the pulp can be used for making soups by returning the pulp to the juice and simmering with herbs and spices. Not a bad way to juice up your nutrition and enjoy the benefits of adding more vitamins, minerals and micro nutrients to your day.
Scraps (Pulp) for the compost bins
Plumeria Martini
26 Jul 2011 2 Comments
in Flowers, Garden Design, Living Healthy, organic gardening, Photography Tags: martini glass, nadia's san diego garden blog, Plumeria Decorating, plumeria flowers
Decorating with Plumerias
A huge Deco Martini Glass full of Plumerias…
Plumeria Martini
Plumerias… California Style
25 Jul 2011 1 Comment
in Flowers, Garden Design, Living Healthy, organic gardening, Photography Tags: california plumerias, fertilizing plumerias, growing plumerias, nadia's san diego garden blog, plumeria
♥ I first fell in love with Plumerias “Frangipani Trees” when I went to Hawaii on a summer vacation. Taking in their fragrance in their native setting is something to put on anyone’s bucket list. I purchased a little plumeria stalk at the airport in an envelope sized plastic case and without any effort stuck it in a pot in the backyard when I got home. The following summer came the first pinwheel bloom and I have been collecting and growing plumerias ever since.
Yellow and white plumerias blooming
This year I decided to fertilize my plumerias every 3 months throughout the year and then 2x a month during the growing season. I have listened other plumeria experts give their advice on low feeding and I had very partial blooms the previous year from too little feeding. This year was different though and by increasing the feeding I in turn received an abundance of blooms.
Potted plumerias arial view
I have them decorating and creating amazing aromas all over the house in flower frogs.
Plumerias in a Flower Frog
Tips for Plumerias: not expert advice, only what worked for me this year.
1. Lots of water: 2 to 3 times a week . On average they grow best with 1 inch of rain per week. In California we have to simulate the rain with the hose.
2. 10-30-10 fertilizer: Feed every 3 months and 2x a month in the growing season.
3. Keep plumerias in 40 degree or above temperatures year round. This is a tropical plant.
4. Well drained soil. They grow great in pots.
5. 6 or more hours of sun per day. Some partial shade is ideal.
6. Spray with soap spray to rid of pests.
White Plumeria with Yellow Center
Best tip: Go out and get some plumeria plants, put them in pots and enjoy them!
www.nadiaknows.com
♥ a garden blog ♥
Wordless Wednesday: a July garden
13 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Flowers, organic gardening, Photography, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: anna apple tree, garden photos, nadia's san diego garden blog, organic flower gardening, topsy turvy pepper planter, zinnia flowers
Growing and Sowing Sweet Peas :)
09 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Flowers, Garden Design, organic gardening, Photography Tags: how to grow sweet peas, nadia's san diego garden blog, problems with sweet peas, Renee's Garden Seeds, sowing sweet peas
How did your sweet peas grow this year?
I tried a little experiment this year by planting sweet pea seeds in several locations.
1. Full sun exposure with early morning sunshine.
Full Sun Exposure Heirloom Sweet Peas
2. Second location with only afternoon sun.
Morning Shade with only 3 blooms 
The full day sun with early morning exposure won by a long-shot. Prolific blooms and abundant foliage. The one secret that has worked wonders is soaking the seeds overnight prior to planting. This softens the hard outer shell of the seed and allows for quicker growth.
Here is a photo from one of my garden blog followers who experienced the same problem of growing sweet peas with no morning sun exposure. Her photo prompted me to write about this today
withering sweet peas
I have heard it be said that “gardening lessons only need to be learned once!”
Next year choose a location with full sun in the morning and enjoy!
Notes from Renee’s Seeds Web Site: Also complete growing and sowing guide can be found on Renee’s web site for Sweet Peas.
Growing sweet peas is really quite easy and rewarding if you follow the basics. In mild winter climates, where the ground does not freeze, sweet peas should be fall-sown in October or November for spring bloom. But if you don’t get your sweet peas planted in fall, you can still get a nice crop, although a little later to bloom, if planted in late January or February. In cold winter areas, plant in early spring as soon as soil can be worked; sweet peas can handle light frosts.
Plant your sweet peas in full sun in a garden spot with well-drained soil. If summer weather is hot very early in the season where you live, sweet peas can thrive in a spot with morning sun and bright afternoon shade. Dig deeply to loosen the soil and enrich it with aged manure or compost before planting seeds. Don’t forget to set up a well-anchored trellis, fence or vertical support for climbing varieties before planting seeds. If all your seeds don’t germinate in 10 days to two weeks, don’t hesitate to plant more as they will catch up quickly. Some gardeners like to soak sweet peas overnight before planting them; others never do it and still have good results. If you do soak seeds, be sure you leave them in water no longer than eight hours before planting immediately.
