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John Gidding, host and star of HGTV’s “Curb Appeal,” will be the featured speaker at the 2013 Pennsylvania Garden Expo.
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 Do you look at the front your house and yawn? Or worse – cringe?

Cringe and yawn no more.

John Gidding, host of HGTV’s “Curb Appeal” – a show that documents Gidding’s makeovers of home exteriors – and the featured speaker at this year’s Pennsylvania Garden Expo, shared six quick tips on how to change your home from bleak to chic.

• Coordinate your front door color with the something in your landscape. “People immediately pick up on that parallel,” Gidding said. “It makes the front of your house look like it’s been considered rather than slapped together.”
• Have a path from the sidewalk to your front door. Giving pedestrians a route to your house that doesn’t involve them having to navigate the driveway is an easy way to change the feel of the front of your home. “It’s a completely new experience,” Gidding said.
• Grab outdoor seating. Lawn furniture is not just for the backyard anymore, according to Gidding. “There’s beautiful pieces out there that blend with the landscape,”he said. “Not only that, but people – without even realizing it – start using it despite thinking they wouldn’t have.”
• Buy a new mailbox. “They’re surprisingly inexpensive,” Gidding said. “For under $100 you can get a brand new mailbox in any style you want. That’s the key, try to find a mailbox that matches the style of your home.”
• Go chic with house numbers. The sticker house numbers on the mailbox are passé – instead invest in a set that not only carry on the theme of your home, but speak to you. Gidding recommends having numbers on both your mailbox and on your home itself – “the house usually has great opportunities to display them,” he said.
• Plant some rosemary on your slope. If you want to cover a slope in your yard, rosemary is Gidding’s go-to. “It lives in every environment, people like how it smells and – although it takes over sometimes – it’s definitely good for soil retention,” he said.

Gidding will be taking questions and sharing tips at the Pennsylvania Garden Expo at 2 p.m. on Feb. 24. He will also be participating in a meet and greet with garden expo attendees from 1-2 p.m.

For more information about him and to hire Gidding and his company, Janus Arch, to transform your front yard, visit www.janusarch.com.

The Pennsylvania Garden Expo runs Feb. 22-24 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg and showcases all the latest in the landscape and garden world. Tickets are $13 at the door, weekend passes are $20. For more information about the expo visit www.pagardenexpo.org.

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   The temperature outside was 28 degrees when I left my house this morning, but there are several gardening jobs that can be accomplished later in the day after the sun comes up and the temperature rises.

   Here is a list of several gardening jobs that can be done over the next few weeks: 

   Now is an ideal time to transplant trees and shrubs. This should be done before the plants break dormancy. After the new leaves come out, plant survivability is greatly reduced. 

   If you are planning to plant Irish potatoes, now is the time to get the seed potatoes in the ground. Don’t forget to add lettuce, turnips, mustards, collards, cabbage, kale, radishes, English peas and other cool season veggies to your garden spot.

   Now let’s look at the fruit garden. Most nurseries will be stocked in February with a good selection of small and large fruit producing plants. In the small fruit category, try blueberries, figs, pomegranates, blackberries and muscadines. In the large fruit category, try pears, plums, peaches, and apples. 

   Even though they are not a fruit, pecan trees can also be planted now. Make sure that the trees that you buy are grafted trees. All pecan trees grown from seed are seedling trees. That means that a pecan that falls from a Stuart pecan tree and is planted, the new tree will not be a Stuart. It will be an unknown pecan tree that could produce great seedling pecans or the tiny seedlings that are so hard to pick up. 

   Reputable pecan tree nurserymen plant pecans, grow the seedling trees for a year and then graft a bud or stem of a known variety to the seedling. Over the next couple of years they grow the grafted tree to marketable size. The graft is always made above ground and is usually 4 to 8 inches above ground leaving a slight to moderate curve in the trunk. 

   As for the lawn, the only thing to do right now is to control those pesky winter weeds. It is not too late to apply a pre-emergent herbicide to your warm season turfgrasses. You need to do it before the end of February. If you see weeds already up in the lawn, spray them now with a post-emergent herbicide that is labeled for your type of grass.

    You may want to add new shrubs and trees to your landscape. Now is one of the best times to do this.  

   February is the ideal time to prune roses.

   And finally, don’t forget to take soil samples. Soil sampling tells a farmer or gardener how much residual fertilizer is in the soil and helps identify the fertility needs for garden crops and landscape plants. 

   For more information on these and other topics of interest, call the Emanuel County Extension Office at 237-1226 or drop by the office at 129 North Anderson Drive in Swainsboro.

Until recently, I’ve never really considered how much of what you need to start and maintain a garden can be acquired for free or nearly free. But a few years back I challenged myself to see if I could create an organic garden from scratch on a total budget of $25 or less. The premise was that I was acting as a brand-new gardener, with absolutely no gardening-related equipment in my possession. I was pleasantly surprised to discover just how far you can stretch that almighty dollar when you put your mind to it.

Take starting seeds, for example. Rather than buying expensive commercial products, I learned to improvise using common household items, like reusing pizza boxes as seed-starting trays. So in celebration of another fast-approaching season of playing in the dirt, here is a partial list of ideas to get you started and keep you on track to your most frugal garden yet.

Repurpose or recycle: When you start thinking creatively, you’ll be amazed at the amount of things you discover that can be used in place of store-bought items. For example, I just returned from two grocery stores. Both donated large clear plastic cake domes with a base. These make perfect mini-greenhouses (to fit over those pizza-box seed-starting trays), and they’ll last for years. If I purchased the real thing, I’d spend about $5 each.

Social media: Facebook and, especially, Twitter have been a gold mine for me in sourcing goods for my $25 garden. I’ve tapped into a vast network of talented, giving people who want to help you succeed (or seed, in my case). I’ve had an outpouring of offers from seeds to supplies. One new Twitter friend even provided free hand-painted plant markers! I treasure them still.

Craigslist.org and Freecycle.org: These are the coolest online ways to find exactly what you need. Craigslist is like a giant virtual garage sale where you can find just about anything you need, right near where you live. Some things are free but most are for sale at good prices. Freecycle, on the other hand, is all free. It’s all based on the idea of keeping things out of the landfill. You post online to give things away and look there for what you need that others are giving away. I have friends who have equipped their entire garden via Freecycle, from hoses and soil to bricks, seeds and plants.

Garage sales: Just in case you’re not a fan of the online world, consider neighborhood garage sales. As much as you need a grow light or nice shovel, someone in your neighborhood is ready to make a deal.

Local government: Many city, county or other municipalities offer free compost for the taking. Some offer rain barrels and helpful seminars on gardening. These services are almost always free or well within even a cheapskate’s budget.

Organize your own swap: Local events provide the ideal opportunity to swap seeds, tools, plants and supplies. Schools, churches and civic groups are great places to organize these events. Not only are you able to trade for free, you’ll meet some wonderful people and recycle many of those items you’re ready to part with.

Online seed swaps: There are many organizations and groups across the country that facilitate seed-swapping. The National Gardening Association (garden.org) has a free online service for this, and hyperlocavore.com is a worthy grass-roots effort that exemplifies the spirit of giving and sharing as it continues to build a network of members. Search online for “seed swaps” for more options.

Agricultural bulletins and classifieds by state: Many regions or states have an online and/or printed version of their agricultural news. It includes a classified section that lists people willing to mail you seeds, merely for the price of a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). The offerings are amazing. Search online using the term “agricultural bulletins by state.”

So little space, but so many more ideas to share. What are ways you save money in the garden? Please email me at email@joegardener.com and let me know. We can continue this conversation soon.

Joe Lamp’l, host of “Growing a Greener World” on PBS, is a master gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com. For more stories, visit shns.com.

 

Until recently, Ive never really considered how much of what you need to start and maintain a garden can be acquired for free or nearly free. But a few years back I challenged myself to see if I could create an organic garden from scratch on a total budget of $25 or less. The premise was that I was acting as a brand-new gardener, with absolutely no gardening-related equipment in my possession. I was pleasantly surprised to discover just how far you can stretch that almighty dollar when you put your mind to it.
Take starting seeds, for example. Rather than buying expensive commercial products, I learned to improvise using common household items, like reusing pizza boxes as seed-starting trays. So in celebration of another fast-approaching season of playing in the dirt, here is a partial list of ideas to get you started and keep you on track to your most frugal garden yet.
Repurpose or recycle: When you start thinking creatively, youll be amazed at the amount of things you discover that can be used in place of store-bought items. For example, I just returned from two grocery stores. Both donated large clear plastic cake domes with a base. These make perfect mini-greenhouses (to fit over those pizza-box seed-starting trays), and theyll last for years. If I purchased the real thing, Id spend about $5 each.
Social media: Facebook and, especially, Twitter have been a gold mine for me in sourcing goods for my $25 garden. Ive tapped into a vast network of talented, giving people who want to help you succeed (or seed, in my case). Ive had an outpouring of offers from seeds to supplies. One new Twitter friend even provided free hand-painted plant markers! I treasure them still.
Craigslist.org and Freecycle.org: These are the coolest online ways to find exactly what you need. Craigslist is like a giant virtual garage sale where you can find just about anything you need, right near where you live. Some things are free but most are for sale at good prices. Freecycle, on the other hand, is all free. Its all based on the idea of keeping things out of the landfill. You post online to give things away and look there for what you need that others are giving away. I have friends who have equipped their entire garden via Freecycle, from hoses and soil to bricks, seeds and plants.
Garage sales: Just in case youre not a fan of the online world, consider neighborhood garage sales. As much as you need a grow light or nice shovel, someone in your neighborhood is ready to make a deal.
Local government: Many city, county or other municipalities offer free compost for the taking. Some offer rain barrels and helpful seminars on gardening. These services are almost always free or well within even a cheapskates budget.
Organize your own swap: Local events provide the ideal opportunity to swap seeds, tools, plants and supplies. Schools, churches and civic groups are great places to organize these events. Not only are you able to trade for free, youll meet some wonderful people and recycle many of those items youre ready to part with.
Online seed swaps: There are many organizations and groups across the country that facilitate seed-swapping. The National Gardening Association (garden.org) has a free online service for this, and hyperlocavore.com is a worthy grass-roots effort that exemplifies the spirit of giving and sharing as it continues to build a network of members. Search online for seed swaps for more options.
Agricultural bulletins and classifieds by state: Many regions or states have an online and/or printed version of their agricultural news. It includes a classified section that lists people willing to mail you seeds, merely for the price of a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). The offerings are amazing. Search online using the term agricultural bulletins by state.
So little space, but so many more ideas to share. What are ways you save money in the garden? Please email me at email@joegardener.com and let me know. We can continue this conversation soon.
Joe Lampl, host of Growing a Greener World on PBS, is a master gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com. For more stories, visit shns.com.

Want to take the plunge into starting seeds? Here are tips from experts Gail Pothour, Bill Bird and Jenn Hammer:

Selecting seeds

• Choose seeds for things you and your family like to eat. No point growing radishes if no one’s going to eat the final product.

Favorite seed companies cited include Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (www.rareseeds. com); Renee’s Garden Seeds (www. reneesgarden.com and in some area garden shops); Lockhart Seeds in Stockton; Botanical Interests (www.botanicalinterests.com); BBB Seed (www.bbbseed. com); Solano County’s Wild Boar Farms (www. wildboarfarms.com), which specializes in tomatoes, and Oregon’s Territorial Seed Co. (www.territorialseed. com).

• Make sure seeds you buy are for the current season – check the date on the envelope. If it’s not dated, write the year on the package for future reference. Leftover seeds usually are good for two or three years.

• If a seed package does not have a photo of the particular vegetable or flower – some companies put the same picture on all packages – cut one from the catalog or print it off the Internet and attach that to the package. You’ll be glad you did.

Gathering equipment

• Use the right medium. Avoid potting soil at this point – it’s too chunky and won’t produce optimum germination. Seed-starting mix can be purchased ready-made at nurseries and home stores or, as Hammer does, you can make it yourself. (She uses one part perlite, one part vermiculite and one part sphagnum moss.) Jiffy pellets, which expand in water, are widely available.

• Containers can be commercial products or recycled items, but they should be clean and a minimum of 2 inches deep (3 to 4 inches is better) with drainage holes. Pothour warns not to use egg cartons or eggshells – they’re too shallow. Or make your own pots from newspaper (see box on Page 5). A tray or plastic container will catch drips.

• Have a source of warmth first, for germination, then a source of light for growth. This can be as easy as the top of your refrigerator, a sunny window sill or, after germination, under-cabinet fluorescent lights in the kitchen.

• To keep warmth and moisture in, use plastic wrap, lids or domes. Lettuce mix containers (the deep ones with flat tops) are ideal mini- greenhouses, as are clean containers from rotisserie chicken.

Get planting

• Read the seed label to check the timing. Tomatoes can be started about eight weeks before planting date. Pothour puts her tomatoes in the ground on Sacramento’s unofficial tomato planting day, April 28, which also is “Farmer Fred” Hoffman’s birthday. So she’ll have her tomato seedlings started by the end of February.

• Certain vegetables, including corn and beans, should not be started indoors – sow them outside when the weather warms up. Root vegetables such as carrots also should be direct-sown, to avoid disturbing the root.

• Beets and hard-shell seeds often benefit from a couple of hours soaking in water before sowing.

• Make the labels first. That way you can label as you go and won’t have to try to guess which pellet or plug is which.

• Put two or three seeds in each pot or cell. And start a few more plants than you’ll think you need, to allow for a less-than-optimal germination rate.

• Have a small dowel, chopstick or wooden skewer handy to poke holes in the medium and to push down seeds. Pothour marks one with 1/4-inch increments so she can get the right depth.

• Use painter’s tape to re-close a seed envelope. It won’t rip the package when you want to reopen it later.

Germination and beyond

• Keep the soil moist but not too wet, to avoid growth of mold or a fungal condition known as “damping off” that can kill a seedling. A small misting bottle is useful for moistening soil without overwatering.

• Be sure to remove or loosen the plastic covering to give the plants air.

• Use a small fan to gently blow on seedlings. That will strengthen them in advance of planting outdoors.

• Thin seedlings by snipping with scissors or fine clippers at soil level so you don’t harm the roots of the plants you wish to keep.

• Shop lights are just as effective as fancy “grow lights” and cost much less. If you can’t adjust the height of the light, put seedling flats or trays on piles of cardboard boxes to keep them close to it.

• Keep a journal or use a calendar to record what you planted when and how. This will be invaluable next year.

Have questions?

The Fair Oaks Horticulture Center will hold Open Garden Day 9 a.m. to noon next Saturday. Master gardeners including Gail Pothour will be on hand to talk to visitors. 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd, Fair Oaks.

– Kathy Morrison

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

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Until recently, Ive never really considered how much of what you need to start and maintain a garden can be acquired for free or nearly free. But a few years back I challenged myself to see if I could create an organic garden from scratch on a total budget of $25 or less. The premise was that I was acting as a brand-new gardener, with absolutely no gardening-related equipment in my possession. I was pleasantly surprised to discover just how far you can stretch that almighty dollar when you put your mind to it.
Take starting seeds, for example. Rather than buying expensive commercial products, I learned to improvise using common household items, like reusing pizza boxes as seed-starting trays. So in celebration of another fast-approaching season of playing in the dirt, here is a partial list of ideas to get you started and keep you on track to your most frugal garden yet.
Repurpose or recycle: When you start thinking creatively, youll be amazed at the amount of things you discover that can be used in place of store-bought items. For example, I just returned from two grocery stores. Both donated large clear plastic cake domes with a base. These make perfect mini-greenhouses (to fit over those pizza-box seed-starting trays), and theyll last for years. If I purchased the real thing, Id spend about $5 each.
Social media: Facebook and, especially, Twitter have been a gold mine for me in sourcing goods for my $25 garden. Ive tapped into a vast network of talented, giving people who want to help you succeed (or seed, in my case). Ive had an outpouring of offers from seeds to supplies. One new Twitter friend even provided free hand-painted plant markers! I treasure them still.
Craigslist.org and Freecycle.org: These are the coolest online ways to find exactly what you need. Craigslist is like a giant virtual garage sale where you can find just about anything you need, right near where you live. Some things are free but most are for sale at good prices. Freecycle, on the other hand, is all free. Its all based on the idea of keeping things out of the landfill. You post online to give things away and look there for what you need that others are giving away. I have friends who have equipped their entire garden via Freecycle, from hoses and soil to bricks, seeds and plants.
Garage sales: Just in case youre not a fan of the online world, consider neighborhood garage sales. As much as you need a grow light or nice shovel, someone in your neighborhood is ready to make a deal.
Local government: Many city, county or other municipalities offer free compost for the taking. Some offer rain barrels and helpful seminars on gardening. These services are almost always free or well within even a cheapskates budget.
Organize your own swap: Local events provide the ideal opportunity to swap seeds, tools, plants and supplies. Schools, churches and civic groups are great places to organize these events. Not only are you able to trade for free, youll meet some wonderful people and recycle many of those items youre ready to part with.
Online seed swaps: There are many organizations and groups across the country that facilitate seed-swapping. The National Gardening Association (garden.org) has a free online service for this, and hyperlocavore.com is a worthy grass-roots effort that exemplifies the spirit of giving and sharing as it continues to build a network of members. Search online for seed swaps for more options.
Agricultural bulletins and classifieds by state: Many regions or states have an online and/or printed version of their agricultural news. It includes a classified section that lists people willing to mail you seeds, merely for the price of a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). The offerings are amazing. Search online using the term agricultural bulletins by state.
So little space, but so many more ideas to share. What are ways you save money in the garden? Please email me at email@joegardener.com and let me know. We can continue this conversation soon.
Joe Lampl, host of Growing a Greener World on PBS, is a master gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com. For more stories, visit shns.com.

Posted: Friday, February 15, 2013 11:25 am

Gardening Tips: Native plants for home landscape

By Matthew Stevens

RR Daily Herald

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0 comments

A few weeks ago I was asked to speak to a garden club about native plants, and it was such a fun topic.

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Friday, February 15, 2013 11:25 am.

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In flower now is bougainvillea.

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• Bringing romance to the garden

Durban – Summertime and the living is easy… but not always when it comes to gardening on Durban’s stinking-hot sunny days that are interspersed with lots of rain – just to keep the humidity as high as possible!

But never mind, says gardening expert Eric Burgess – your garden loves this sort of weather: heat to get things growing and blooming, and regular rain to keep it all racing along.

“I have hardly had to water my garden at all for weeks – just the beds of seedlings and the plants growing under the eaves of the house, where the rain does not quite reach,” he says.

“The hot weather means we tend to seek out shady spots in the garden at this time of year. If you do not have enough shade, or wish to create more shade in a certain area, now is the time to plant a tree or large shrub to give you shade and coolness in future.

“A quick way to make shade, of course, is to build a pergola covered with shadecloth or wooden slats, or thin wooden poles or ‘droppers’.

“The wooden droppers or slats provide wonderful shade that provides moving patterns as the sun moves across the sky.

“There are many shade trees available. Some grow quickly, some flower well, some are deciduous and some are evergreen.”

Evergreen trees, says Burgess, keep their leaves all year, and are thus suitable for screening, but also give shade in winter.

Deciduous trees let in more sun in winter when their branches are without leaves, Burgess points out.

“Falling leaves can also block gutters and drains – and choke the pool cleaner. A tree is forever, so think carefully about your choice, and ask your nurseryman for advice.”

Some of Burgess’s favourite trees are:

* White Stinkwood (Celtis africana) – Indigenous, quick-growing, a big tree with a tap root system, evergreen.

* Leopard Tree (Caesalpinia ferrea) – Exotic, quick-growing, big tree, ornamental bark, yellow flowers, smallish root system, small leaves, light shade, deciduous.

* Golden Trumpet Tree or Yellow Tabebuia (Tabebuia chrysotricha) – Exotic, medium quick-growing, small tree, spectacular yellow flowers in August/September, light shade, deciduous

* Frangipani (Plumeria rubra) – Exotic, medium quick-growing, small rounded tree, very fragrant flowers in cream, yellow, apricot, pink or red varieties, medium shade, big leaves, deciduous.

* Lavender Tree (Heteropyxis natalensis) – Indigenous, 5m to 6m tall, quick-growing, attractive bark, leaves smell of lavender, light shade, deciduous.

* Wild Pear (Apodytes dimidiata) – Indigenous, fairly quick-growing, 5m to 6m, white flowers, attractive seeds, dense foliage, evergreen.

* Natal Laburnum (Calpurnia aurea) – Indigenous, quick-growing, 4m to 5m, attractive bunches of yellow flowers, light shade, evergreen.

* River Indigo (Indigofera cylindrica syn I frutescens) – Indigenous, quick-growing, 3m to 4m, small tree/large shrub, good for small gardens and screening, sprays of pink flowers in summer, light shade, evergreen.

Burgess says that if you are a rose grower, be extra-diligent with your spray programme at this time of the year as the humid weather means blackspot and mildew are a threat.

“Hot, dry conditions are favoured by red spider, so spray with a combination spray of a fungicide and an insecticide – ask your nurseryman for more details.

“Lightly prune back stems that have flowered, to encourage growth for the autumn flush. Feed generously and water well if necessary.”

Summer is the time for flowers and your garden should be a riot of colour.

In flower now are Allamanda cathartica, with huge yellow trumpet flowers on cascading branches; bougainvillea in all their glorious colours; dipladenia (mandevilla), a favourite climber with huge pink flowers in profusion; and Plumbago auriculata, which is indigenous and has many uses in the garden and is covered with either blue or white flowers.

Other flowering plants to see at your nursery are pentas, in a range of colours and so easy to grow; lavender, with its aromatic leaves and flowers; angelonia, in white, pink or blue forms which flower almost all year; and day lily (hemerocallis), which are probably the easiest of all flowering plants to grow, flower really well and are edible.

The perennial portulaca (P oleracea) is another edible plant commonly known as purslane – they are low-growing groundcovers with large, bright flowers in white, yellow, orange, red and pink which need full sun as the flowers close in the shade.

The succulents are full of vitamin C, and contain more omega-3 fatty acids than some fish oils, so are a vegetarian’s delight.

On the pest front, the wet weather is a paradise for snails.

Says Burgess: “On a walk the other day – between rain showers – I found three huge snails on the grass pavement. These were adult carnivorous snails (Natalina caffra), which I was only too happy to carry back to our garden.

“They have voracious appetites for all kinds of snails and slugs – even resorting to cannibalism if food is scarce!

“They are bigger than the common snail, Helix aspersa, (which is the edible snail you pay for in restaurants).

“Natalina is easily recognised as it has a very long ‘foot’ which sticks out both in front and at the back of the shell when it is crawling.

“It also has a round hole in the middle of the underneath of its shell. It is not the snail with the pale, long, tapered shell like an ice-cream cone (this is also a baddy and needs to be destroyed).

“Look for the carnivorous snails and treasure them!” – Independent on Saturday

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