Bird Feeder Weblog » Gardening

Recycled Chair Planter – Container Gardening

gardenaccentheaven — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:52:19 +0000

We had a chair that the bottom strapping had worn out and broken through. In our town you just can not put a chair out next to your trash can and have it picked up. You have to take it to the transfer station and throw it into a inter-modal container which is then taken by truck to the railroad yard and put on the daily unit garbage train and taken to the landfill. The minimum fee for the transfer station is $20.00. Throwing this chair out was not worth $20.00 that was for sure.

Need is the mother of invention and we needed to find something to do with this old patio chair. Bob had the idea of turning it into a planter. We found a pot that would fit inside the chair frame. Bob had a some small cut off pieces of 2″x4″ treated lumber from building the fence. These where put on the ground and the pot set on top of them. Linda filled the pot with some gravel in the bottom for drainage and a mixture of potting soil and 1/3 compost, then planted the pot with some flowers We now had a new garden accent for the cost of a new pot! The cost of the pot was a lot less then the $20.00 fee at the transfer station.

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Linda’s New Fence – Landscaping

gardenaccentheaven — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 02:17:32 +0000

We had 5 evergreen trees growing on the property line between our house and the one next door. They had been planted by the builder when the houses where constructed about 12 years ago. They had grown to be 60 feet tall and where still growing. This type of tree grows to be 120 feet tall when fully grown. They where becoming a hazard in high winds and they where blocking much of the sun from Linda’s Serenity Garden. They had to be removed.

Once the trees where removed we now had great sun down the south side of the house for the first time since we lived here, but the yard was now open to the one next door which did not set the flower garden that is our back yard off very good. Linda wanted a fence built to draw the eye back to here Serenity Garden.

I first built a short 10 foot fence from the house wall to the walkway that would hide the propane tanks that where now in view since we had the shrubs removed along the side of the house when the trees where being removed. Lining up the 6ft ceder fence boards here was easy. I put a 2″ X 4″ board on the ground, got it level and just put the fence fence boards on top of it. For the time being until I can build arbor I put a wrought iron arbor we purchased in the entry way.

Down the side of the property line where the trees had been removed we added garden composted soil to the ground which made the ground a bit higher. I wanted to keep the fence about 9″ above the ground so none of the soil would touch it and rot it’s boards. The ground also has a slope to the rear of the property so just laying a board on the ground was not an option.

Fence Jig

To line up my fence boards from the top I built a jig. I took a 2″ x 4″ board and screwed a 1″ X 8″ board on top of this. I was then able to sit this on top of the 2″X4″ treated board, put two nails in place to hold it and line up my fence boards from the top of the fence instead of the bottom. To give the fence some character I made a patten with the boards where I spaced the boards on both sides of the fence. The 1″ X8″ allowed me to work on both sides of the fence.

The fence was a two weekend project. The first weekend was a Sunday

Under construction with jig in place

afternoon putting the posts into the ground about 18″ deep and setting them with concrete. Since this is the Pacific Northwest and as soon as I got the fence posts in place and the concrete poured it just had to start to rain. We took 30 quart trash bags and used them to covered up the newly poured cement, throwing shovels of dirt on top of them to hold them in place to let the concrete set up. The following Saturday was spent actually constructing the fence.

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Pole Bean Trellis

gardenaccentheaven — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:13:48 +0000

Linda purchased red runner pole bean seeds this spring. Linda selected Red Runner Beans for three reasons: their height would provide shade for the house, the red blossoms attract humming birds, and the beans are edible.The package said they grow to be 9 to 10 feet tall. She started to germinate them in her greenhouse between two damp towels until sprouted.

I needed to have a bean trellis built for her before she could plant the seeds in the ground. The area where she wanted to grow them was on the southeast corner of the house, in an area where we had just removed five evergreen trees that were way too large and too close together. We also removed three mugo pine that were badly over grown. This opened up the whole yard to sunlight.

As I was wondering how in the world I was going to build a trellis 10 feet high, the idea came to me to just use the side of the house as a support. Once this idea came to me it was easy. The netting that Linda purchased at the nursery was 7 feet wide. I had an area 9 feet wide where she wanted to plant her pole beans. I dug three holes the first two 7 feet apart and the third one 2 feet from the second about 18 inches deep. I purchased three 16 foot treated 2″x4″ at the lumber hard. I put them into the holes, nailed them onto the eves of the roof, back filled the three holes and tamped the dirt. Next I ran 1″x2″ furring strips up the posts on 24 inch centers. I started the first cross strip 6 inches above the soil.

Plant Netting Material

The netting material was 20 feet long. Linda and I rolled it out on the ground and cut it into two 10 foot pieces. I next stapled the netting onto the frame I had built starting from the top. I put the 7′ x 10′ piece up first. Once it was securely stapled in place I took the other 7′x10′ piece of netting and stapled it onto the remaining 2 foot wide area of the frame. Once the netting was securely stapled in place I used a pair of scissors and trimmed it to size.

Now that the pole beans are in the ground and the trellis is built I am waiting to watch these beans grow and find out if they really can grow to be 9 feet tall.

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Gardening with the Kids – Childrens Gardening

gardenaccentheaven — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:53:53 +0000

For many families working in the garden together can help to make that connection with the natural world. Today’s youth seem more at home sitting in front of a computer or playing a video game and often spend the vast majority of their time there. How often do you hear kids telling stories of building a fort, or going down to the creek to play in the water or to fish?

I think the youth are not getting involved with nature, not because they do not want to, but because today’s technical lifestyle just does not give them many opportunities to do so. Youth have a curiosity about nature and it is part of their learning experiences. As parents and adults, how often do we help them to explore nature? Sometimes, in today’s world, we hesitate from fear about their safety.

Gardening is a way to encourage children to learn about nature and how things grow. Just having the kids pull weeds is not the way to encourage them to learn. Start at the beginning of the growing process by having them help you prepare the beds, plant the seeds and potted plants. I have found that using potted plants works the best with the kids. They get to plant them and see the results of their work and not have to wait for the seed to grow. The kids then enjoy watching the plants that they planted into the ground themselves grow. If you have the room, you could even give them a small area to plant as their own garden.

Take them out with you as you check on the progress of what you and your children have planted. This helps them to feel they are a part of the growing process and to take ownership with you for the garden. As you work together in the garden, you will be listening to them tell you their stories. And it is a time for you to pass on your own stories and knowledge to them.

Time spent working in the garden together will be remembered for a lifetime, unlike the highest score gotten on a video game. Have fun together and love each other.

Click here to watch a video about kids and gardening.

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Desert Landscaping

gardenaccentheaven — Wed, 05 May 2010 18:54:25 +0000

We recently made a trip to St George, Utah where we had a family member hospitalized for nearly two months. The difference between the lush green we are used to here in the Puget Sound of Washington State and the desert of the Southwest at first just over whelms our senses. At the Intermountain Dixie Regional Medical Center, River Road Campus has some very interesting landscaping that took very little water to maintain. They also had some art designs made with colored stones that where very attractive. The photos on this post where take at the medical campus and might be of interest to for some landscaping ideas.

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Gardening Gift Ideas for Mom

gardenaccentheaven — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:50:08 +0000

Next weekend will be Mother’s Day on May 9th. Here are a few ideas for your mothers who are enthusiastic gardeners!

Mix plating of culinary herbs: This is a simple project and makes a wonderful gift for any gardener who likes fresh herbs for the kitchen. Just pick a nice an attractive ceramic pot and fill it with good potting soil, and then plant four 4″ potted herbs. Creeping herbs like rosemary, thyme and oregano will cascade from the top of the pot. Plant some upright herbs like parsley, sage and chives in the center of the pot. Tie a bow around around the top of the pot, and a Mother’s Day card and you have a thoughtful gift.

Assemble a European basket: Find a nice woven basket with a handle. Place inside of it potted flowering herbs and some attractive flowering plants. Add some packets of seeds, a hand trowel and some gardening gloves and a card. Tie a ribbon to the handle and you have another beautiful homemade gift.

Hanging Flower Basket: A hanging basket of flowers also is a great gift item. You can make it yourself or buy one from your local nursery. Tie a ribbon to it and add a card.

Wish all of you Mothers a happy Mother’s Day.

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Attract Hummingbirds with Columbine

gardenaccentheaven — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:48:11 +0000

Western Columbine

Columbines (Aguilegia spp) are a great plant to grow for their intricately shaped flowers, good color ranges, frilly fern like leaves, and some have a long bloom period. They are perennial and will reseed easily. Columbines rely on hummingbirds to pollinate them so there is a good symbiotic relationship.

The nectar is secreted in the long tube of the flower and collects in a bulge at the base, making it the ideal source for humming birds. Plant them en masse for extra effect along walk ways and patios.

You can find them in seed catalogs and as plants at high quality nurseries in the early spring. I like to get starts and seeds from friends.

There are seed catalogs that focus on native plants which contribute to their hardiness and accessibility by hummers. Four to experiment with are:

Aquilegia Canadensis, Canada or wild red columbine. Native from Manitoba and Saskatchewan to Ontario and
Canada Columbine

Quebec south through much of the eastern United States. The flowers are red and lemon yellow in midspring to midsummer. Plants grow two feet tall and one foot wide. Wild red columbine is also a larval food plant for the columbine dusky wing butterfly.
Rocky Mtn Cloumbine

Aquilegia carulea, Rocky Mountain columbine. Erect blooms are bicolor in lovely shades of blue and white. Plants grow 1 to 2 feet tall and bloom from June to August. This is the state flower for Colorado and includes the mountains of southwestern Montana and central Idaho to northern New Mexico and Arizona.
Aguilegia chrysantha or golden or yellow columbine. The horizontal-facing canary
Yellow Columbine

yellow flowers look like little rockets. They have a long bloom from April to September making them especially appealing. Plants grow 2 to 3 feet tall with a nearly equal spread. They grow in mountain canyon seeps in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan desert regions, and are found from west Texas, southern New Mexico, southern Utah, and Arizona and Mexico.
Western Columbine

4. Aquilegia Formosa, western columbine. Formosa means beautiful. It reaches 1 ½ feet tall and bears dangling yellow and red blooms in late spring through early summer. The spurs are only about ½ to ¾ inch long and point upright, making them ideal for hungry hummers. They are found in meadows and damp areas of western mountains, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska.
Aquilegia longissima, Long Spur Columbine, relies on the sphinx moths with their
Long Spur Columbine

extra long proboscises to effect pollination; hummer tongues are too short for them to successfully feed on this plant. This species has particularly large flowers with spurs that are 4 to 6 inches long which makes them inaccessible to hummers. They are native from west Texas to southern Arizona and northeastern Mexico.

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Splitting Roofing Slate

gardenaccentheaven — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:45:12 +0000

The splitting of slate is all done by hand. The slate is soaked in tubs of water. Then using a special chisel made in the blacksmiths shop it is hit with a large hammer down the grain of the slate block. It takes a skilled craftsman to see the grain of the slate and hit the chisel in just the right place to split the slate. Slate products such as walking slates and flagstones can be used as garden decor in your lawn and garden.

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Punching Holes in Roofing Slate – Garden Decor

gardenaccentheaven — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:32:45 +0000

This 70 year old man is punching the holes into roof slate that allow it to be nailed in place. This is all done by pumping the machine with his feet. No electric motor, it is all being done by human power the way it has been done for centuries. Slate products such as stepping stones and flag stones can be used for lawn and garden decor.

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Greenhouse Cold Frame – Gardening Video

gardenaccentheaven — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:10:03 +0000

Linda tells about how she over came the winter cold in her greenhouse to keep her plants safe and growing.

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