Nadia Knows Gardens » Flowers

Favorite Garden Moments

nadiaqh — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:43:56 +0000

This is a photo gallery of my favorite garden moments from the last year.

Desert King Figs and Heirloom Yellow Pear Tomatoes

7 foot Sunflower is a smile maker

Strawberries squeezed in anywhere I can find space

Herbs are always so rewarding to grow: Rosemary, Parsley Chives and Oregano

Sugar Baby Watermelon- another first for me in the garden this year- LOVED them

Growing short carrots was fun and great in soups and stews- super tasty

Dahlia flowers that continued to bloom month after month and made a great cutting flower

I planted Zinnia flowers for the first time in a rainbow of colors- very rewarding flower.

Happy New Year 2012

Happy Gardening

www.nadiaknows.com

Blog Surfing: www.urbangardensweb.com

nadiaqh — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:15:49 +0000

I found this blog today and wanted to share it, so here it is completely cut and pasted into my blog site.

It’s good to Blog surf- I’m inspired daily by garden blogs and garden creativity on the world wide web!

Full Credit/ REPRINT OF BLOG FROM: 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.

September Planting Guide

nadiaqh — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:28:48 +0000

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 ←

Plumeria Martini

nadiaqh — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:45:50 +0000

Decorating with Plumerias

A huge Deco Martini Glass full of Plumerias…

Plumeria Martini

Plumerias… California Style

nadiaqh — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 03:36:23 +0000

♥ 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

nadiaqh — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 05:05:20 +0000

Growing and Sowing Sweet Peas :)

nadiaqh — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:57:46 +0000

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.

Cactus Bloom in June

nadiaqh — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:36:42 +0000

Trichocereus brevispinulosis

♥

I found this blooming outside my kitchen window today.

What a real beauty!

It has a very faint sweet scent and the petals are like silk.

White Cactus Bloom

Encinitas Surfing Madonna- Day Trip

nadiaqh — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:20:48 +0000

The perfect day trip in Encinitas for art, organic coffee, water wise landscaping and a California burrito. I suggest you hurry though as the rogue art Surfing Madonna aka: Our Lady of Encinitas may be removed from this location soon.

♥ Start out your trip on foot by parking near the Lofty Bean Coffee Bar on Hwy 101 and Encinitas Blvd where organic coffee is their specialty. Pleasant employees and pastries (hey that rhymes) welcome you in this beach side retreat. Sit outside with your cup of joe and enjoy the ocean air and people watch as beach-goers head for the sand. Ask the barista for a bag of used coffee grounds (completely organic) to take home and blend into your garden soil. This is a great way to start composting and bring life to your azaleas and acid loving plants. Check out the positive reviews for The Lofty Bean on Yelp.

Park on Hwy 101 or on side streets

Recycle and Composting used coffee beans

♥ Walk only 1/2 a block South to the corner of Hwy 101 and Encinitas Blvd. and cross the street going East another short 1/2 block to check out the Surfing Madonna underneath the train overpass. This mosaic was placed by an un-kown artist in April with the purpose of bringing awareness to “Save the Ocean”. See related links for full story and controversies surrounding this art piece. Surfing Madonna.

Mosaic on Encinitas Blvd and Hwy 101

♥ After checking out “Our Lady of Encinitas” head directly West on foot to Moonlight Beach, one of Encinitas’ finest that offers a snack bar, volleyball courts, showers, children’s play area, bathrooms and benches under palm trees. Rent beach chairs, umbrellas and anything else you may need for the day available next to the snack stand. Directly North of the Volleyball courts is a flourishing water wise landscaping in a unique santa fe style home. This is a beautiful example of using cactus, aloes, euphorbia and succulents all blended together in various sizes and shapes. There are different flowers blooming all year-long here and I have enjoyed the beauty of this home for years!

Home has a view of volleyball courts at Moonlight Beach

Years of planting and grooming creates beautiful curb appeal

Blooming Aloe in sand

♥ Head back over to the Lofty Bean Coffee Bar to get your car and drive North of Hwy 101 to about a mile. Take a Left on Marchetta street at the Stop Sign. Try a California Burrito at Juanita’s Taco Shop. Don’t let the decor scare you, locals know this taco shop has a reputation for great tasting burritos after a day of sun and surf. Great tacos and breakfast burritos too.

On the Corner of Hwy 101 and Marchetta Street

Happy Travels! Enjoy.

www.nadiaknows.com

♥ organic gardening and healthy living ♥

DAHLIAS- Garden Eye Candy!

nadiaqh — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:12:56 +0000

Adding more flowers to my garden this year next to my tomatoes and around my herb garden has been very rewarding. If you have not tried Dahlias I highly recommend them! There’s still time to plant them before the summer heat sets in and I promise you will love the sturdiness and beauty of this amazing flower.

The photos below are the Sky Angel Purple Dahlia

Simple Care Guide for Growing and Caring for Dahlias:

→ Plant Dahlias in April and May with morning sun exposure and at least 6 hours of sunshine per day.

→ Plant 4-6″ Deep and 18″ apart. Do not water right away. Less water is better until sprouts have appeared. Since these flowers are planted in April and May the natural rainfall should suffice.

→ Use stakes for tall growing Dahlias over 3 feet.

→ I grow these in my vegetable garden since they both require the same type of fertilizer such as 5-10-10.

→ Dahlia bulbs are tubers. The dahlia plant can mature for years without benefit of seed or spores. To sprout the next season, each tuber must have one eye. This makes a great cut flower.

♥ Thanks for visiting my garden today. There is something about flowers in the way that they open up and blossom into incredible beauty that keeps me believing in miracles.