Happy Garden - March 6, 2008

This week we have a great article about Attracting Hummers To Your Garden by Ellen Brown. She also asks more of your gardening related questions.

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Thanks for reading,

Susan

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Photos:

• Lots Of Flowers In A Small Space

Tips and Articles:

• Attracting Hummers To Your Garden
• Use Honey as a Rooting Hormone for Cuttings
• Birdfeeder Bullies
• 2008 All-American Selections Winners
• Making Indoor Water Gardens
• Tomato Planting Tips
• Use a Broadcast Spreader for Salting Sidewalks
• Recycle Every Part Of Your Morning Coffee
• Use Soda In Your Flower Arrangements
• Attractive Container For Your Compost Scraps

New Requests:

• Blooming Brier Taking Over Yard
• Refinishing a Resin Yard Statue
• Removing Grass From Ground Cover
• Tomato Plants with Yellow Leaves
• Trouble Growing Marigolds
• Inexpensive Greenhouse Shelving
• Environmentally Friendly Way to Get Rid of Grass

Crafting for Fun and Money!

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Lots Of Flowers In A Small Space

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Attracting Hummers To Your Garden
By Ellen Brown

One of the greatest joys of having a flower garden is watching the hummingbirds dart from flower to flower-wings buzzing away while their tiny bodies hover in mid air. Late winter signals the start of the hummingbird migration as they head back to their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada. The males will return first, with the females arriving a few days behind them. Here are some tips for attracting hummers to your garden this year.

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Use Honey as a Rooting Hormone for Cuttings

Prepare cuttings in the usual manner, however dip the ends of the cuttings in honey instead of rooting powder and you will have a high success rate. An old gardener friend has used this method for over forty years and he believes that the hormones produced by the honey promotes rapid root growth.

By Jan from Poona Queensland Australia

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Birdfeeder Bullies
By Ellen Brown

Question:

Hardiness Zone: 7b

Asad from Jonesboro, AR

Answer:

I had this same "bullies at the birdfeer" problem last year with European starlings. I stopped feeding everyone and eventually the Starlings moved on. Then I slowly resumed feeding, but only Niger and safflower seeds, two seeds bully birds generally don't find desirable, but only finches, chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals and grosbeaks do. Slowly I added other seeds back in to lure in more types of birds. Everyone came back but the starlings (knocking on wood and crossing fingers).

Mockingbirds are notoriously territorial-especially during breeding season. One strategy might be to erect a second feeder in a different part of the yard that is out of sight of your first feeder. Most mockers will be so focused on defending the first feeder and won't even notice the second.

Another strategy is to erect some type of crate-like cage from wire or lattice to cover your current feeder. The holes need to be smaller than 2 inches to keep mocking birds (and starlings) out. If you use wire, make sure it's rigid and a wide enough gauge to prevent little feet from getting caught. The cage will allow smaller birds to get in, while keeping bullies out. Don't worry, I assure you the little guys will figure it out and resume feeding.

Some backyard birders have also found success by shortening or eliminating the perches on their tube feeders. Personally, I have not tried this, but the theory is that the smaller birds will still zoom by to grab seed, but instead of hanging out on a perch, they will take it out of harms way to eat it.

You can find more ideas for controlling bully birds at the National Wildlife Federation, here: http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=76&articleID=1101

Good luck!

Ellen

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2008 All-American Selections Winners
By Ellen Brown

Much like the Perennial Plant Associations award for the Perennial Plant of the Year, The All-America Selections organization honors a selection of new seed-grown flower and vegetable varieties each year. The AAS winners are selected for their outstanding performance in field trials conducted at locations throughout the country. Some years there have been as many as 32 winners, but this year, only three made the cut. (Visit www.all-americanselections.org to find a display garden near you.)

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Making Indoor Water Gardens

Question:

Crafts4Life from Kentucky

Answer:

Here are some ideas for creating these small-sized water gardens:

Ideas for Containers

Choosing Plants

Some of the plants you come across at nurseries are meant for larger outdoor ponds. These can be used indoors as well, just keep in mind that you will eventually need to replace them when they outgrow the space. When adding plants, start by adding substrate to the bottom and then slowly fill the container until it is half full. Add and anchor the semi-aquatic plant first (then more water), submersibles second (more water), and floaters last (fill completely).

Some examples:

• Floaters
• Water lettuce
• Water hyacinth
• Lotus

• Submersibles
• Anubias
• Parrot's Feather
• Elodea
• Hornwort
• Blood grass
• Water lily
• Cabomba
• Lace Plant
• Sword Plant

A few of these will help oxygenate the water and reduce algae problems.

• Semi-Aquatic
• Sweet flag
• Arrowhead
• Black taro
• Bamboo

Anchor the roots of semi-aquatic plants with thoroughly washed pebbles, colored marbles, sand etc.

Growing Requirements

Water-You can use tap water, but let it stand at least 24 hours before adding plants to allow chemicals to evaporate.

Feeding-Wait 2 to 3 weeks before adding fertilizing pellets made especially for pond plants. You'll only need a tiny fraction of the amount required for an outdoor pond, so use sparingly.

Discarding Plants-Eventually, your plants may outgrow their space. Compost them or discard them in the garbage, not into local ponds and waterways where they may become invasive and harm native species.

Have fun!

Ellen

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Tomato Planting Tips

Tomatoes are touchy about getting too much rain or water overhead. First of all, plant the tomatoes as deeply as you can but not with the leaves touching the ground. In between the plants, bury 4 pint plastic milk containers. However before burying them, punch holes all over well spaced holes. Fill them with water so they are watered from below. Make a teepee shaped clear poly/plastic cover and stake on one side so you can refill water and early fertilizer. Yummy !

Source: Tip Combination of research and thinking.

By Bev from Chilliwack BC

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Use a Broadcast Spreader for Salting Sidewalks

Winter is here and it seems like we constantly have to put down salt on either the driveway or the sidewalk. So my husband, being the clever person he is, came up with a very easy and cost effective way to put down our salt. He uses our hand crank seed thrower (that is just sitting on the shelf waiting for spring) and this spreads the salt evenly and lets it go farther, saving us money on salt and less time spent actually doing the job. When spring time comes back around we just wash the seed thrower out really well and it is set to go. We are always looking for double duties around here and this is a great one.

Source: My wonderful husband.

By Michelle from Newark, Ohio

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Recycle Every Part Of Your Morning Coffee

After I've sprinkled my used coffee grounds around my plants and fruit trees,

• Sprinkle Used Coffee Grounds Around Plants

• Homemade Fire Starters

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Use Soda In Your Flower Arrangements

To make fresh cut flowers last longer, use 1/2 water and 1/2 soda, such as Sprite or any clear color soda. Your flowers will last for weeks and weeks and they will remain beautiful.

By Dawn from Newburgh, NY

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Attractive Container For Your Compost Scraps

Composting is always great. It recycles plant wastes and makes great soil. We have a composting unit in the back yard under a tree. When I worked in the kitchen, it was hard to save things for composting and I was always debating if it was worth the time to take the little I had out or if I should just throw it out. This was especially true at night or if I was not feeling well.

Now I have a stainless steel container with a lid right by my sink (It is about 1 gallon size). Since it is not see-through and closes securely it is neither an eye-sour or a smell problem. I put the banana peel in after breakfast. The ends of carrots, onion and potato peelings, salad wastes, etc. from lunch and supper. I also put in tea bags (minus the staple and string. Coffee grinds are great too. When this can is full, I empty it into the composter . We also layer the leaves and grass clippings into this composter. Having the steel canister in the kitchen saves me time and I end up with great soil for my garden.

By Harriet from Lakewood, CA

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Blooming Brier Taking Over Yard

I have some sort of brier (wild tea rose maybe - has small pink blooms) that is taking over the side of my house. I wouldn't mind so much, except it is overcoming my hibiscus. It is now more brier than bloom, and I'm afraid for my hibiscus.

I've tried cutting, digging, cutting through the roots for the past 2 years and it keeps coming back. What can I do to permanently get rid of (or at least contain) this problem without hurting anything else? Would brush-kill work?

Hardiness Zone: 6b

Doodles from New Jersey

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Refinishing a Resin Yard Statue

I'm trying to refinish a poly resin yard statue. The paint has started to peel. How can I remove the rest of the paint without damaging the statue?

Kelly from OH

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Removing Grass From Ground Cover

I have some large garden beds that have grass growing up through the ground cover. In fact, the grass is now higher than the ground cover and some of the gardenia shrubs. Does anyone have an idea for me to kill the grass without me having to pull out all the ground cover?

I have begun pulling out all the ground covers and the grass just to get to the grass roots, but it's such an enormous job that it will taking me forever, as I am not very well and I only manage a few good days each fortnight.

Friends have been saving newspapers for me to put down as the ground is weeded. I have sugar cane mulch to cover the newspaper once it's down. How many sheets of the newspaper is about the best thickness?

Hardiness Zone: 11

Wendy from Hervey Bay, Australia

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Tomato Plants with Yellow Leaves

Can someone tell me why some of the leaves are turning yellow on my patio tomato plant? I would greatly appreciate an answer.

Hardiness Zone: 10a

mitch914 from South Texas

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Trouble Growing Marigolds

I CANNOT grow marigolds. I plant them and go out the next morning and the little leaves are stripped off the stems and the marigold bud is all that is left on the stem - no leaves. What is doing this?

Hardiness Zone: 6a

Peggy from Springboro, OH

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Inexpensive Greenhouse Shelving

I am looking for cheap greenhouse shelving. Any ideas?

Doreen from Pine Plains, NY

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Environmentally Friendly Way to Get Rid of Grass

I need some advice for making a grass-free environment, it's for business purposes. We need to keep the soil but without any grass growing on it. We have been using round up for quite a long time but only killed the grass after each application, and it comes back soon after rain. So, is there any organic, non-chemical, cheap and environment friendly way I can get rid of all of the grass for a really long period ?

Hardiness Zone: 11

chphoea from Surabaya, Indonesia

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Crafting for Fun and Money!

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