Mother Earth's Garden

My son went to a summer nature camp every day this last week, and on Friday I went with him. We had a great time hiking through the woods and meadows, enjoying Mother Nature’s garden. I thought I’d share a few images with you of the flowers in the meadow.
Some of our walk was through the woods, and down around a small pond. Check out the milkweeds. It always makes me happy to see milkweed pods, I know it makes the butterflies happy too.

Here was the first butterfly we saw.

And a few more beautiful flowers.

These …read more

2 Comments

One of my absolute favorite beneficial insects is the the ladybug. Ladybugs are small round beetles that range in color from red to orange, with black spots.

If you want to avoid using chemical pesticides, attracting beneficial insects to your garden becomes very important. It’s a vicious cycle, once you use pesticides it’s hard to get beneficial insects like lady beetles to come to your garden.
So how do you attract ladybugs to your garden?

Ladybugs love strong scented herbs and flowers with plenty of pollen. Some of their favorites include dill, cosmos, cilantro, fennel, tansy, and yarrow.
Provide plenty of …read more

No Comments

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden this summer here are 7 plants growing in my garden the hummingbirds seem to love.
One quick tip, hummingbirds love longer narrow flowers they can dip their beaks in.
1. Bergamot or Bee Balm (another name for it is Monarda) is a hummingbird favorite in my garden. These perennials come back year after year, I love it when they’re in full bloom. They look like someone’s having a bad hair day.
 
2. Petunias are another hummingbird favorite at my house. Since they’re an annual and don’t come back every year, I plant a …read more

1 Comment

If you’ve been thinking about going organic in your garden, but you’ve been afraid to take the plunge, there is help out there. Quality Assurance International (QAI) provides information and guidance to anyone who is looking to grow organically, or or to have their garden or growing system certified organic.
Over ten years ago I remember checking out their guidelines when I wanted to take my garden totally organic, and it was a big help then, and they’re still a big help now. They share some great organic gardening pointers you may not think of otherwise.
Quality Assurance International’s organic experts …read more

1 Comment

Epsom Salt is a low cost, naturally occurring remedy for your garden. It helps deter many garden pests, and helps your plants flourish and grow.
Check out some of the things it can do for your garden according to the Epsom Salt Council:
Research indicates Epsom Salt:

Helps seeds germinate.
Makes plants grow bushier.
Produces more flowers.
Increases chlorophyll production.
Improves phosphorus and nitrogen uptake.
Deters pests, including slugs and voles.

The Council also provides some great tips for helping you apply Epsom Salt to your garden, or potted plants in the proper amounts:
Tips for your plants and garden using Epsom Salt:
· Houseplants: …read more

No Comments

The LEHR Company will be introducing the Eco Series line, a environmentally-friendly technology. This winter they will debut the world’s first-ever commercial line of portable, propane-powered lawn and garden tools.
From the company:

The LEHR Eco Trimmer will be the first product on the market from the complete Eco Series line. The Trimmer has all the power and performance of a competitively priced gasoline trimmer — minus the danger to our families and detrimental environmental effects of gasoline use and storage.

A couple facts about the new LEHR Eco Trimmer:

The LEHR trimmer has Zero evaporative emissions.
No ozone depleting hydrocarbons.
No messy mixing of …read more

3 Comments

My favorite garden is actually not really a garden at all. It’s a small patch on the hillside above my house. I planted several varieties of plants and flowers there several years ago, then I’ve just sat back and watched it grow.

Sure I’ve done a little weeding. But I selected the plants for my hillside garden by looking for hardy plants that would come back year after year without any extra help from me. I also tried to find varieties that would expand and fill in, without taking over the entire garden.

It was a bit …read more

1 Comment

It’s getting very buggy outside, especially in and around my flower garden. I think all the extra rain we’ve had has made a wonderful breeding ground for mosquitos and other bugs this year.
I’m allergic to the scents in many of the commercial insect repellents out there. Most of them throw me into a sneezing fit, and eventually give me a major headache if I don’t wash them off or get away from the smell. I can use one or two of the unscented varieties, but I’d rather avoid them all together when I can.
Here’s my favorite homemade …read more

21 Comments

If your kids won’t eat their vegetables have them wear them instead. Check out these cute new jammies for kids. New Jammies is the first certified organic collection of infant and children’s wear, in the U.S.
These cute pajamas come with companion books that help encourage your children to eat their fruits and vegetables.
New Jammies are made from 100% natural organic cotton, which is a huge plus (to me). You can put your children to bed at night with visions of oranges and bananas, and know that they’re sleeping in 100% natural comfort.
Image courtesy of New Jammies 
Technorati …read more

No Comments

Sandy knows her holidays, and she sent me some important information on National Pollinator week.
The Pollinator Partnership declared June 22 to the 28th National Pollinator week to help raise awareness of the decline of bees and other pollinators. Honey bees have been hit especially hard in the last couple years with Bee Colony Collapse Disorder, which has devastated a large portion of the honey bee population.
The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign is releasing a set of guides over the next couple years to help people determine the best plants in their region to help pollinators thrive.
The …read more

2 Comments