Hobbies

During my youth kids were required to pass through a tree climbing phase as part of the transition from being a kid to becoming a teenager. Not just any old tree would do of course. The majestic oak was always a tower of strength but the limbs were too high up for it to be a good climbing tree. Likewise, the tall pecan trees that grew in our yard would have required a chain of ladders just to make it to the first limb.

Back toward the center of our property grew a very beautiful Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia Virginiana) tree. The leaves were bright green with an almost wax appearance in the sunshine. Inside the green foliage it was very easy to climb right to the center trunk where numerous low hanging limbs were perfect for any size kid. It was so much fun to make the criss-cross climb across the various tree branches winding my way up as close as possible to the top. Inside the foliage, cool air rustling the leaves was the only sound heard on a summer’s midday. The beautiful, fragrant magnolia flower blooms were always a special treat in March and April. Only a kid knew that the best views of the flowers were from an inside tree limb looking out towards the sun.

Imagine starting your morning with a saunter out the back door to enjoy a cup of coffee in your garden hot tub, or relaxing just before bed with a lazy soak in your backyard hot tub under the stars. More and more homeowners are taking the plunge (pardon the pun!) and installing a hot tub in their backyard or garden. If it all sounds tempting to you, here are a few things to consider when deciding where and whether to put a hot tub in YOUR backyard.

- Do you have the space?

A hot tub may look small, but even the smallest hot tubs weigh hundreds of pounds ? thousands when filled with water. You’ll need to figure in space for the plumbing and controls as well ? and if your county requires security fencing around your tub, you’ll need to take that into consideration as well when you’re planning for your garden hot tub.

- Where will you put it?

If you are a gardener you probably already do a bit composting to recycle yard and kitchen waste. This homemade “Black Gold” does wonders for your plants and soil. But, have you discovered the gardening benefits of harvesting and recycling rainwater to use in the garden?

Many communities nationwide are experiencing either short-term or long-term water shortages. Some communities have begun rationing programs and impose fines if a homeowner uses too much water. Why not try some simple rainwater harvesting techniques and use the water to irrigate your garden? You’ll be able to water your plants when they need it and you may see a bit of savings on your water bill at the same time.

Harvesting rainwater is as simple as placing a rain barrel under a roof gutter downspout. Practically any large, clean container can be used as a rain barrel. For instance, you can use a plastic or metal trash can. However, there are major benefits to using commercially designed rain barrels. Features of commercially available rain barrels include: childproof and pet-proof lids, mosquito screens, overflow hardware, spigots for attaching hoses, and the ability to link multiple barrels together. These features make using your rainwater much easier and safer. Many city water departments will give homeowners a rebate on their water bill if they buy a rain barrel.

PLANT GROWTH & PHYSIOLOGY. (Part 5)

There are three classes of plants. Each of these classes metabolize in a different way. The first class are succulent plants called CAM. These plants like low light and high humidity levels and so thrive indoors, in bathrooms and kitchen areas.

The second class of plants is called C4. These plants grow in hot arid regions and are very efficient at using both Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Sunlight. Most C4 plants are grasses.

The third and last class of plants are called C3. These plants join two 3-Carbon atoms together to produce sugar. The chemical formula for sugar is C6H12O6 which is 6 Carbon, 12 Hydrogen and 6 Oxygen atoms stuck together. Most of our favourite plants are to be found in this class.

HOW DOES A PLANT WORK?

Like all living things, plants breathe 24 hours a day. In order to make energy each plant cell respires (converts plant sugar to energy). The plant uses Oxygen (O2) and expires, or breathes out, Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

It is wisest to let Nature have Her way. Nature has her own agenda, and your life as a gardener will be easier if you bow to Her desires. Better to dance with the fairies than struggle with eliminating “weeds”. What herbs already grow around you that you can use as teas and seasonings? Most areas are rich in such plants, both native and introduced. Many of them will be happy to grace your garden with very little effort on your part. Some will appear; others may want to be transplanted. Still others are simply there, waiting for you to notice.

For instance, pine trees. Pine needle vinegar is an exquisite treat that is easy to make. I call it homemade “balsamic” vinegar. Fill a jar with pine needles. (I prefer white pine, and pinyon pine is even better, but the needles of any pine are fine.) Cover needles completely with apple cider vinegar, filling the jar to the top and capping with a plastic lid or a piece of plastic wrap held in place with a rubber band. This vinegar, like most that I make, is ready to use in six weeks. Pine vinegar is rich in flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals. It helps keep the immune system strong, and strengthens the lungs as well. I love it on salads.

Here’s where your creative instincts kick in. This is where you make your pond your own. Basically, it’s landscaping, but with a pond it can really become an artistic endeavor.

Sandstone, bricks, slate, field stone, crushed bricks, stream pebbles, mulch, you name it. Let your imagination be your guide. And that’s just the beginning. Once you get a base down then you can start thinking about how you want to work in flowers, and plants. You can integrate annual flowerbeds with perennial beds. That way you can add something different each year for variety and still have the "permanence" of the flowers that come up year after year. In the perennial beds for example you could plant some early spring blooms like daffodils, and then in the same bed plant mid summer and fall bloomers to keep the color going. Of course there are so many different varieties of annual flowers that you’ll never run out of ideas for your annual beds.

Maybe you like the little ceramic figures that can be set in among the plants. The garden centers have loads of that kind of stuff. You can even get a ceramic toad or two if you like, but I’ll guarantee you that you will have plenty of real toads around your pond.

The location of your pond should be decided. You’ve picked a good spot in your yard where you can see the pond from different places, and it’s near enough to the house so you can see it from a window. This is really part of the fun because you can visualize the landscaping ideas you’ll be incorporating into the pond area once the dig is finished.

The first thing to do is outline the perimeter of your pond. Avoid square or sharp corners because your pond liner will conform much better to a freeform round or kidney shape. You should also have made the decision by this time about the size of the design. I would strongly suggest not going too small. I changed the size of our pond two times because the first and second time just weren’t big enough. Lay out the final design and size on the ground where you plan to dig with a can of spray paint.

Recent lawn care information reports that a lot of us might be guilty of over-kill when it comes to tending our family turf. What may be the most effective way to solve problems may not be the best way for the long-term health of our lawns and safety of our families.

For instance, most experts tell us we need to aerate our lawns each spring to control thatch. Thatch is a layer of dead stems and roots that build up under some grasses. The truth is that thatch is a natural part of a lawn and a shallow layer of it (up to ½ inch) even acts as a moisture holding mulch for your turf. That is not always good information, as everything in life it depends on several factor such as soil type and the like. You can tell if your lawn needs thatch control by walking across it. If you find you have too much spring in your step, then check to see how difficult it is to reach the soil under your grass. If you have to dig through a dense mat of thatch to hit pay dirt, then you need to aerate your lawn.

You’ll often hear garden writers recommending the use of Epsom salts in the garden as a general rule. First off, I’m not one of those writers. Secondly, Epsom salts are essentially magnesium so if your garden soil is magnesium starved, adding the Epsom salts will seemingly work miracles. If your soil is not magnesium starved, adding Epsom salts is a waste of time, effort and money.

A magnesium deficiency is often a problem when the soil is acidic or composed mostly of sand. So if your soil is acidic because you’ve been heavily feeding with chemical fertilizer or if you are in a housing development where sand is the rule rather than decent topsoil, you may need to add magnesium to boost plant performance. So a short term solution is to add some Epsom salts but the long term solution is to modify the soil pH so that it is less acidic and increase the organic matter content of the soil so it is less sandy. Lime make soils less acidic and you’ll need a soil test to tell you how much to add while compost is the key to solving organic matter problems.

Every spring some mysterious hormone hits the male of the species and the urge to “do lawn work” strikes.

One rite of spring is act of rolling the lawn. I’ve never been able to figure out why someone would roll a lawn; in my household, a lawn is for rolling on, not for being rolled. Many local homeowners, no doubt hormonally unbalanced by the passing of winter, like to go out and drag a heavy weight around the lawn. I recently read one newsletter that said the reason for rolling was to make sure the grass roots were in contact with the soil. Right, and I’ve got a bridge I can sell you. Grass roots, if properly grown, are quite deep and no amount of frost is going to throw them out of contact with the soil. The only thing rolling a lawn accomplishes is to compact the soil.