Maine Garden Ideas
  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • Grow Your Own Amazing Pomato Plant - Tomatoes on the Top and Potatoes on the Bottom
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
      • Control Blister Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables

Fertilizing Houseplants: Is it time, yet?

1/21/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Nearly everyone knows that houseplants grow slowly during the winter and don't require fertilizer, but what you might not know is how to tell when it is time to begin a regular routine of feeding your hungry plants.

Most sources recommend withholding fertilizer from September or October to March, but that's only a rule of thumb. You need to resume feeding your houseplants as soon as you see signs of new growth bursting forth, typically in early spring.

My houseplants have already given me the nod that it is time for fresh nutrients. My anthurirum (above), commonly referred to as a flamingo flower, is producing new leaves and beginning to flourish. At first, I attributed it to moving it to a new window where it received more light, but I don't think that is the only reason.


Mandevilla
New Growth — Mandevilla
Mandevilla Vine
Full Bloom — Mandevilla

My mandevilla vine dropped most of its leaves earlier this winter, but has suddenly decided it is time to resume growth.

I gave them both  a weakened solution of Miracle Grow this morning and expect to see a burst of new growth over the next few weeks.

I'll admit it is a little early in the year to see new growth appearing on houseplants, but sometimes they have a mind of their own. Being ready to give them what they need is the least we plant owners can do.

Personally, I am hoping it is a sign of an early spring.
0 Comments

Supporting Peonies — The Hildene Star

1/14/2020

2 Comments

 
Last year when we bought a new home I inherited several gorgeous peony bushes. They produced beautiful showy blooms in shades of pink and white.

I had used heavy-duty tomato cages for supports but the plants grew so big that as soon as it rained the weight of the blooms caused the branches to bend over the edges of the wire cages damaging them.
Picture
.

This year I have a new plan for supporting my peony plants. This is called a Hildene Star used a Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home in Manchester, Vermont. The formal garden boasts over 1,000 peony blooms and its caretakers strive to keep the garden looking as natural as possible.

These simple supports blend into the foliage and allow the blooms to shine. I'm thinking that if this plan works for them it will surely work for me. Here's what you need to know.
Picture

1. Begin with five garden stakes, preferably bamboo. Place them equidistant around the cluster of peony plants when the plants have produced the first buds. 
2. Connect the stakes with natural jute or garden twine to form a star. Wrap jute at each stake so that the jute is taut.
3. Wrap the jute around the circumference of the stakes wrapping the jute around each stake as you go to form a circle.
Picture
Because the Hildene Star provides sections for individual branches it provides more support than a traditional peony cage or tomato cage that only provides support around the perimeter.
2 Comments

Making an arched trellis with cattle panels

1/14/2020

0 Comments

 
If you are a gardener you probably started dreaming of this summer's garden months ago. I know I start dreaming of the next year's garden before the frost arrives in the fall. One of the projects I want to accomplish this year is making trellises with cattle panels.The video above has inspired me. It shows you how easy it really is to create a beautiful trellis for veggies —but I don't intend to limit mine to the vegetable garden.

I have visions of one of the these trellises covered with climbing flowers with hummingbird and bird feeders suspended from the top of the arch. I see a bird and butterfly oasis that will provide hours of enjoyment and enhance the beauty of the landscape. I may even add a birdbath to the scene.

Whether you are looking to add a decorative touch to your landscape or just want to give vertical growing a try, this video will put you on the path to making an inexpensive and functional trellis.

​

Six Benefits of Vertical Gardening

Picture
 1. Vertical gardening saves space. If you are gardening in a small space it makes sense to grow vining plants vertically. This allows you to grow more plants in the same space. 
2. Vertical gardening produces healthier plants. Growing plants vertically allows for better air circulation which helps to prevent diseases, like powdery mildew. Plants dry off quicker after a rain, which is good news during wet, rainy weather. It also eliminates issues with ground-dwelling insects that can lead to disease.
3. Vertical gardening increases production. Not only will many plants produce more fruit when trellised, you will grow more fruit per foot when you allow crops to grow vertically. That means you will get more veggies in less space if you grow them vertically.
4. Vertical gardens are easier to harvest. When you grow your veggies on a tall trellis such as the cattle panel arch you don't need to stoop and bend (or search through the vines) to harvest the fruit. 
5. Vertical gardening produces well-shaped and clean fruits. Because your veggies are not laying on the ground, you eliminate yellow spots and soil on the veggies. They also grow more uniform as they hang downward from the trellis. Veggies like cucumbers grow straight and beautiful.
6. Vertical gardens are attractive and add beauty to your garden and landscape.
0 Comments
    For more nature photography, check out my photography site.

    Archives

    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    June 2017
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



Photo used under Creative Commons from MyArtfulLife
  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • Grow Your Own Amazing Pomato Plant - Tomatoes on the Top and Potatoes on the Bottom
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
      • Control Blister Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables