With the searing heat that has been baking a large portion of the country for the past few days, many people have been staying indoors more than usual, trying to get relief from fans and air-conditioners.  An unabashed member of that group, I, too have been skipping a lot of my normal outdoor activities during the day.  Furthermore, I refuse to go anywhere that’s not cool (although that’s my year-round policy).

Fortunately, the evenings, though still quite warm, have been tolerable.  In fact, just to get my fill of the outdoors, I have considered sleeping on a lounge chair in my screened gazebo, under the outdoor ceiling fan.  Moreover, I’ve found that other people have thought about, or actually done, similar things.  The other night, as a bunch of us sat around a friend’s picnic table, one of her neighbors announced that she had slept on her swingbed.  After that, somebody else said that a friend of his had spent the past two nights in his backyard hammock.

Nearly everyone I have talked to recently has neglected outdoor chores as well.  It really is amazing how certain weather conditions can change our lifestyles, and throw us off our routines.  Luckily, it’s a temporary situation, as July is one of the busiest months for gardening, and a time when we can ill afford to postpone yard work.  Maybe our lawns can go for awhile without water, because they’ll recover quickly; but flowers and vegetables need attention, especially in areas that haven’t had much rain lately.

Annuals, for example, may be very thirsty now, particularly if they’re newly-planted and trying to establish roots.  Snipping or pinching off spent blossoms is another good way to revitalize plants, and help their roots to grow.  Cutting them back to half their size, and fertilizing them, will give them a second bloom.  If you want to add a dash of panache to dull areas, get some colorful, new plants that are ready to go right from their pots, into the ground.  Transplant and deadhead perennials this month as well.

Container plants, too, can become extremely parched during the summer, and may sometimes require watering twice a day.  They’re worth the extra effort, though, as planters are also ideal for adding pizzazz to the landscape.   Because they can go anywhere, you can put them in garden beds to fill bare spots, arrange them on patios, porches, and gazebos, or line them up along walkways, railings, or steps.  You can also move them around to give them more sun, or shade, when necessary.  To make things even more spectacular, use a variety of planters in several colors and sizes, along with planter trellises and planter benches.

Indeed, there’s much to be accomplished in the garden this month; but it’s more important to take it easy, even in seasonable temperatures.  If you feel that you need a break, just plant yourself in an outdoor chair, under a shady tree, and water yourself thoroughly.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

It is difficult, if not impossible, to name all of the benefits of container gardening.  Even if you pick a single word, to explain just one advantage, you can still take it in a thousand directions.

For example, let’s try the word, choices.  Just for starters, they are endless, when you’re looking for things that can be cultivated in planters.  The list encompasses nearly everything that can be found in a nursery or a garden center, including ferns of all sizes, flowering and non-flowering plants and shrubs, rosebushes, all kinds of vegetables and herbs, and even trees.  Furthermore, if you live in a cooler region, you can grow warm-climate plants in containers, keeping them outdoors in the summer, and bringing them inside when the weather gets cold.

If you’re a novice gardener, you can experiment in a planter, before deciding whether or not to try it on a larger scale.  Because a container garden can be confined to a window box, or cover a great expanse, you have tons of choices, even if you live in an apartment building, or a home with very little yard space.  Not only can you bring your small terrace, deck, balcony, or porch, alive with beautiful, aromatic flowers and herbs, but you can enhance your outdoor décor with colorful planters.

That’s another area in which there are more options than ever, with wood, metal, polywood, vinyl, and plastic-coated steel planters and planter trellises, available in all sizes, styles, and colors.  Scatter them around, group them together, or put them right into your flower beds.

You can create multi-colored or monochromatic gardens, or even choose flowers and planters that match your patio furniture, outdoor furniture cushions, or patio umbrellas.  If you wish to attract butterflies and birds to your yard, use brightly-colored flowers, and hang birdfeeders nearby.  Put plants and flowers that you want to showcase on display, in centrally-placed planter wagons or wheelbarrows planters.

When you’re having an evening party, add candles to your containers, in candleholders or hurricane lanterns, making sure that there’s nothing nearby that can catch fire.  This will give the entire setting a soft, lovely glow; and if you use citronella candles, they will keep mosquitoes away as well.

Containers can also be switched around to new locations and positions whenever you want a fresh look; and they can be moved to places where plants will get more sun, or shade, at different times of the year.

You can also dress up your planters with garden decorations; and there, you’ll have another million choices.  Just be sure to get something tasteful; and not one of those cut-outs of an old lady, bending over, exposing her unmentionables.  That would be perfectly dreadful.  In fact, I’m sorry I mentioned it!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

As the weather warms up, some people are eager to get back outside and start doing some serious gardening, while others would rather spend their time relaxing on their patio chairs, porch swings, and hammocks.  There are also those who would love to be able to produce gardens full of gorgeous flowers, but fear that it’s an unattainable goal.

Sometimes, their trepidation stems from the idea that the talent for nurturing plants is innate, and they simply weren’t lucky enough to be born with it.  In other cases, people think that their schedules are just too hectic, and they could never give a garden the time and effort that it needs.  Then, there are many instances in which people living in apartments, townhouses, or condominiums, feel that they don’t have the room to grow anything.

These concerns, however, are generally unfounded, because virtually anybody can raise a garden.  The thing to remember is that there are all types of gardens; and having one does not necessarily mean that you must cultivate a large plot of land, or even one little flower bed.  No-o!  In fact, you can create one in something as small as a single window box or planter; and that’s why container gardening is becoming one of the most popular pastimes in the country.

Actually, container gardening offers many advantages, including giving you more choices, and more freedom, than the traditional kind.  For example, it allows novices to start small, before deciding whether or not to try full-scale gardening.  It’s also a great way for extremely busy people to get all of the pleasure out of growing beautiful flowers, without having to devote a lot of time to them.  On top of that, it solves the problem of having limited space, because even people with very small terraces, balconies, or decks, can have lovely container gardens.

Furthermore, even a huge garden, or a lavishly landscaped lawn, can be enhanced by strategically-placed flowers, and even small trees, in attractive planters.  They can add color, life, and excitement to porches, patios, decks, and gazebos, and extra height, texture, and interest to garden beds.  They can also be used to brighten up trouble spots that are inhospitable to plants, and dull or empty-looking spaces; and they can easily be moved from place to place.

Moreover, besides having endless varieties of flowers and plants from which to select, you’ll find that there are so many more kinds of planters than there used to be, with options extending not only to the different materials that are available, but to the styles, sizes, and colors.  In addition to the standard plastic, terra cotta, and wood planters, there’s a wonderful assortment of metal, polywood, vinyl, and plastic-coated steel planters, as well as planter tubs, planter benches, and planter trellises.

Whether you use just one container, or a combination of several, you can create a garden that will take your breath away, while breathing new life into the scenery.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

As I was saying, in March, your gardening opportunities will depend upon where you live.  While some people can do a lot of planting now, others are still dealing with frozen soil; but either way, it’s okay, because winter is simply running out of time.  Indeed, this is a month of drastic changes, wherein many cooler regions commonly experience significant spikes in temperatures, sometimes, to the point where they become unseasonably warm.

So, even if your world looks all white and brown and gray today, by the time April arrives, it may be verdant, and bursting with color.  Heck, a few weeks from now, you may even be complaining about weeds, rather than snow.  Yep, March could come in like a lion, and go out like a dandelion (or, thousands of them!).  Furthermore, instead of seeing it through closed windows (that may be covered with plastic), you may be taking in the scenery from your porch swing or glider, or your favorite lounge chair.

Therefore, now is the time to plan your garden.  Decide on a design, look through seed catalogs, and visit some nurseries.  Perhaps, by the time you’re finished, the temperatures will have risen sufficiently, the danger of frost will have passed, the ground will be thawed, and, well, you can dig it!

Of course, the planning stage is important, no matter what kind of garden you have, or where you live.  Still, many people skip it, and end up disappointed with the results.  To avoid this, first of all, make sure that you know the dimensions of your garden.  Write them down and take them to the nursery, along with a picture of the area that you’re shopping for, and let a professional help you to select the ideal number of plants, in the right sizes and colors.

When choosing flowers, it’s easy to get excited about how gorgeous they’re going to be when they’re blossoming; but consider how they’ll appear for the rest of the year.  Pick some with spectacular foliage, or add some ornamental grasses, to keep the beds looking great throughout the seasons.  Oh, and don’t buy plants that are already in full bloom.  Get ones with healthy leaves and plump buds, and let them peak in your garden.

It’s also crucial to establish a color scheme.  While virtually all of the flowers that you’ll see at the nursery will be lovely, they won’t necessarily look stunning together, so organize an ensemble that adheres to your scheme.  After all, your garden is no place for making strange bedfellows, right?  If you see some irresistible flowers in non-complementary colors, use them as striking accents for your porch, gazebo, yard, or walkway, in planters, planter wheelbarrows, planter trellises, planter tubs, or planter boxes.

That way, your theme will be intact, and there won’t be much ado about hue (I suppose that would be called a “hue-ha-ha”).

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

This time of the year is often called the dead of winter.  At a glance, that can seem an appropriate description, whether everything’s covered with snow and ice, or there’s just a brown landscape with barren trees, shrubs, and plants that look, well, dead.

Of course, we know that’s not the case.  Some things are in a state of dormancy, while others are just as active as always.  For example, those tracks in the fresh snow prove that the animals are out in full force, foraging for food; and if you throw some scraps out, or hang a birdfeeder or two, you’ll see plenty of life in your backyard.

You can go out and put down some tracks, too, because there’s plenty to do in the garden in January.  Even when it’s blanketed with snow, the soil is still active, and certain plants and trees, such as evergreens, continue to take nutrients from it.  Because they’re crucial to the overall health of your garden, it’s important to replenish them for your spring growing season.  Composting is one of the best ways to do this, and you should keep tending and turning your compost pile, as well as adding organic materials to it, throughout the winter.

Mulching is another thing that you can do now to keep your plants thriving.  Applying a layer of shredded bark or wood chips, three to four inches thick, will give the soil, your plants, and their roots, extra protection from the elements, especially if an early warm spell tricks them into thinking that it’s time to make their spring debut.

If you’re just not in the mood to go outside right now, or it’s dangerously cold, you can do some indoor container gardening.  Go to a nursery and find the plants that will best fit your needs, your available space, and your level of expertise.

Then, visit CedarStore.com and choose from our great selection of red cedar, white cedar, and pine planters, planter boxes, planter tubs, window boxes, polywood planters and planter trellises, and metal planters, which are available in over a dozen bright colors.

This way, you’ll be doing something positive – bringing the dead of winter back to life!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy