Nadia Knows Gardens

I KNOW THAT CREATING + GROWING = INSPIRED LIVING!

The Giving Garden October 15, 2009

THE GIVING GARDEN

THE GIVING GARDEN

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“It is more blessed to give than to receive. [Acts 20:35]“

Taking cuttings from my garden and transplanting them into a friends garden, this is a Giving Garden.  After deciding on a Zen Garden Design (see previous blog about Stepping into Zen), I designed a plant-scape of symmetry and flow.  By grouping plant varieties together, it gave the tiered planters an organized eye candy appeal. This project took several carloads of clippings from my succulent, aloe, euphorbia,and cacti plants from my yard. Before transplanting, I dipped each plant into Root Tone/Rooting Hormone to help stimulate root growth as soon as possible. The weaving rocks (placed with landscaping fabric underneath) created a nice visual separation between the plants; giving each section distinction. The right side of the yard gets more shade, so I placed a few flats of impatiens and ferns for that area. The top of the hill stays dry and sunny; a perfect home for the cactus and aloe. Other additions to create a Zen atmosphere of peace were 1) The painted stepping stone 2) A bird feeder that I bought on clearance at Target. 3) Home made bird  bath (see previous blog) 4) River Rock . The project took several days in September (during that heat wave we had in California) and was a labor of love. The final photos were taken three weeks later to allow the plants to fill in.

Sharing plant cuttings is a great way to help inspire gardening and also help a friend “Reclaim her yard!”

Thank you for visiting my blog: www.nadiaknows.com       “I know I want to Create-Grow-Inspire”

 

Sloshed Slugs September 10, 2009

I have read a few organic gardening articles about various methods for getting rid of snails and slugs in the yard and put one to the test last night. Could it really be true that allowing them to enjoy a night time swim in a pool of beer can do the trick?  This week I’m getting my raised planters ready for fall crops and I wanted to cleanse the soil of any hiding slugs before planting seeds. After sinking a few shallow dishes in the planter and adjusting the rim of the dish so that it was just even with the soils surface, I then filled them up with some cheap beer (shall I say the name?). The next morning I discovered over 30 slugs were captured.  What a great way to get those slimy slugs out of the soil and it sure beats getting up early in the morning and hand picking them out. I love a succesful experiment- try it- it works!

Slugs Doing The Backstroke In Budweiser
Slugs Doing The Backstroke In Budweiser

Thank you for visiting my blog! www.nadiaknows.com

“i know i want to keep creating, growing and having fun.”