May is iris and peony time throughout our section. The real work has already been done on these two and the results indicate just how thorough we were. The main thing now is to provide plenty of water through the flowering season, to produce top quality bloom.
photo credit: Donnaphoto

Each iris plant should have a feeding of one cupful of balanced fertilizer but it should be kept well away from the plant. It will be wise to note the ones that should be divided after flowering and perhaps prepare the soil for planting in new locations.

Peonies are subject to aphid infestation and many times this is first noticed by the presence of ants. These ants live on the honey dew secretions from the aphids and quite often there are “farms” of aphids that are milked” regularly by ants. Aphids cause a blasting of the buds quickly on peonies. Regular spraying with a contact spray will control these critters.

Rose Time

Throughout our section roses are giving their first lush crop of blooms. The annual rose shows are usually staged beginning the second week in May.

In the garden the chief chores are regular spraying at ten day intervals with products to control blackspot, spraying to control aphids, watering. feeding and light pruning to control blooming and habit of growth.

Rock garden plants respond beautifully to feeding and watering this month. Divide and transplant violets and allow a spacing of about ten inches. As the perennials come into flower, keep the faded blooms cut back to encourage new growth and a second crop of flowers. Pinch the early set chrysanthemums is one of the highly recommended plant branching ideas, and feed lightly.

For those of you who enjoy gourds, May is the month to plant. These plants are among the novelty group and are most interesting. Be constantly on the alert for weeds… most of these have an uncanny way of getting established very early.

Investigate the new herbicides for control of weeds by chemical sprays; many hours of hard work can be saved by using them. Read and follow the directions carefully. There is still time to replant water lilies and other aquatic plants. And why not plant a few herbs for both seasoning and unusual foliage for arranging?

Technorati Tags: container gardening, Creative Organic Gardening, garden, Gourds, iris, peonies, rock garden, rose, thegardenersrake.com

When  fall is fading and winter is approaching in NW Pa., I begin to notice the shrubs, trees and lay of the land that is often covered by lush growth and activity in the spring and summer. And at this time of year, in early spring,  the land is still apparent. But only for another week or so.

Living by a large creek and swamp and being only a few miles away from The Roger Tory Peterson Nature Center my thoughts wander back to the food supply and safe living areas for birds.

The birds feed heavily in the Shoemack trees, blackberry and raspberry bushes. They also feast on wild rosebushes and cherry trees.

The deer and squirrels are happy collecting and eating the oak and hickory nuts that lay heavily down by the Creek side. Every morning as the fog rises off the creek you have a ring side seat to the deer. They also clean up apples under the small apple orchard we have. So far they have not damaged the branches and twigs on the apple trees.

We also have otters, beavers, and many varieties of duck and geese on the creek and in the swamp.

The land is rich with wild food so the wildlife flourishes. I occasionally feed the birds, more for entertainment.

Living close to the Roger Tory Peterson Nature center and a large swamp has taught me the importance of nature. To appreciate the land and wildlife.

Many people think swamps are a nuisance and nothing more. The creek and swamp behind the property is beautiful and the wildlife is amazing. I see plants in the fields, outer swamp and creek bank that I do not see other places.

The Blue Herons have a large grouping of nests on the very far corner of the property and swamp. They fly down the creek to make their landing and they are just awesome to watch.
photo credit: hart_curt

The RTP Center in NW New York offers many classes and has beautiful paths for walking and studying nature. It adds to my community and helps remind me of the value of nature.

And as Spring sets in and another summer season heads my way its nice to see life start fresh and new in the outdoors.

Technorati Tags: nature, Roger Tory Peterson Nature Center, RTP Center, thegardenersrake.com, Wildlife

This summer, many patio owners will be looking for ways to make their patios shine. What you might find is that any patio design that brings in the garden around it will do the best job of highlighting the patio itself. You might have a very nice patio but if the garden around it looks awful then the patio will not stand out like it should.
photo credit: gailf548

Your patio can be a normal looking patio if the plants, flowers, and hedges surrounding it look spectacular. By working on your backyard and making sure it looks great, you will also be making your patio look better as well. This way, you don’t have to spend a lot on your patio but just put in the time and care to the garden around it.

This coming summer, you will be glad if you take the time right now to think of all the ways you can make your patio more pleasing to the eye. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend a lot of money redoing and remodeling your whole patio. If you take the time to plan your garden you can make your whole patio environment much more enticing. By carefully blending your patio and the garden around it you can make it look like they are meant to fit together.

Many homes that come with a patio, have a plain slab of concrete. While this is sufficient for some, those who have a nice big yard and live in a place where they are going to use their patio a lot for entertaining, will most likely be interested in trying to find some better patio ideas. Anyone can have that slab of concrete for a patio but if you have a carefully thought out garden and patio combination, it will enhance your whole house and even raise it’s value.

If you use your patio a lot, you will probably want to make it as accommodating as possible and have it be a fun place to hang out. This means you might want to be creative in the furniture you pick and how you arrange the surroundings. The more work and thought you put into your patio and the surrounding area, the better your patio will look and the greater your satisfaction will be. You might look in garden and home improvement magazines for all sorts of ideas for your patio remodel.

Technorati Tags: container gardening, diy, patio design, patios, small space garden, thegardenersrake.com