Mother Earth's Garden

I’m finding myself completely frustrated over the fact that, being such a tree nut, I had such a hard time figuring out what type of tree this is. I’m offering a $10 Amazon gift card to the next person who figures it out, or at least comes the closest. It is an absolutely beautiful tree when full grown. Most of the dark green leaves are similar to maple in size and shape, though some are more rounded. It also has very soft bright white “fuzz” completely covering the back of the leaves and also covering young branches and stems. …read more

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I’ve noticed something very peculiar when blogging about my garden. If I blog specifically about one of my plants, they either die or become seriously ill within the next week. I blogged about my hanging baskets full of Lobelia, and they all got a freak infestation of earwigs. My weeping fig tree shriveled up and died shortly after doing a post on repotting, and my Aloe plant lost a few limbs after posting about basic aloe plant care. Not mention that the little Red Bud I spoke of has dropped all it’s leaves, due to some …read more

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Watering is a big deal when it gets into the later days of Summer. Here are a few tips to make it less of a chore.

If you live in an area that is prone to dry Summers, then don’t try to kid yourself into buying plants that need lots of water. Buy drought tolerant plants for your garden. This will save you a lot of headache. The more you can depend on nature to provide all the water your garden needs, the better.

Try to group plants by watering needs. This will save you from running all …read more

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It’s getting into those dull arid days of Summer, and keeping your garden looking spiffy is becoming quite the chore. Here is a few plants that can beat the heat on those dry Summer days!
Black Eyed Susan
This is usually a perennial, but some varieties are annuals and biennials. They bloom all Summer and usually prefer full sun, though they will tolerate partial shade.
 
 
 
Blanket Flower
Depending on the variety, it can be annual or perennial. Blooms Summer to Fall and loves full sun. A very brightly colored flower, with either a red or purple center.
 
 
Cosmos
Usually an annual, but can be a tender …read more

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It’s baby corn time! Sadly, I didn’t plant enough corn to afford to harvest a few early this year. I’ll be dreadfully short on corn at the end of this season if I took any early ears. But that doesn’t stop me from sharing a great recipe! Baby corn is harvested from sweet corn about 40-50 days after planting, when the silk is about an inch long. Baby corn goes great with cooked carrots, which is one of my favorite vegetables!
 
 
 
Baby Corn and Carrots
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup baby carrots
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup baby …read more

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When you are working with a container garden, it’s important to use trees and shrubs that don’t mind being a little pot bound. You will inevitably need to prune the roots or repot a tree or shrub occasionally, so don’t plan on planting a tree or shrub if you think you’ll regret having to wrestle with it later. Here is a list of trees and shrubs that do well in containers. You’ll note that some of them are not so much a tree or shrub, but they can be trained to grow into a tree like shape.

Fig …read more

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We seem to be ending the month out by sharing some beautiful images! My Aunt Alice shared this computer scrapbook page of her Summer garden. She shared her new interest in computer scrapbooking with me a few weeks ago, and has since forwarded me several beautiful pages. Thanks for sharing!

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This is an image of my own, taken of a petunia after the rain. I always love to walk through a garden after it rains!

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One of the greatest joys as a gardener is simply enjoying the beauty of our labor. The smell of earth and nectar from flowers. The vivid colors and designs. The way ornamental grass sways in the wind. Seeing the all this and more makes all our hard work worth it. In lieu of these thoughts, I figured I would share this beautiful image taken by Gabe, the son of some friends of ours. If you have some pictures you would like to share of your garden, or just something beautiful you have seen in …read more

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If you’re looking for the perfect plant for that difficult indoor space, here’s a little list I put together of plants that do well in certain, more difficult to grow areas indoors.
Steamy Bathroom (with good light)

Flamingo flower
Cape primrose
Coleus
African Violets
Aloe Vera
Prayer plant
Peace Lily
Croton
Ferns
Hibiscus

Small Cool Room or Foyer

Cactus
Citrus
Japanese fatsia
Spider plant
Umbrella plant

Dark Corner of Medium Sized Room

Cast-iron plant
Chinese evergreen
some varieties of Dracaena
Snake plant
Philodendron
Pothos

Sunroom (kept cool)

Asparagus fern
Cactus
Clivia
Ivy (English and Swedish varieties do best)
Artillery plant

Sunroom (kept warm)

Bromeliads
Passion flower varieties
Cactus
Crown-of-thorns
Grape ivy
Wax plant
Jade plant
Panda plant
Nerve plant
Ponytail palm
Ficus

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