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Gardening ChickBlog
28 Mar 2017
March 28, 2017 0 Comments By nubiangardenchick Uncategorized

Spring is Definitely Here

Tuesday, 01 March 2011

Spring Is Definitely Here

Spring has finally come to Georgia!  My dogwood trees are in full bloom, the weather has been warm and occasional sprinkles of rain here and there.  I have been hibernating for about 3 months now and I am finally starting to get “the fever.”  I’m ready to start my gardening projects for the year and I am even getting my deck built in the back yard with planter boxes.  I spent some time in my yard this weekend, which looks a complete and total mess.  Here’s a few pictures from the weekend:

My cat is already on the look out for poor innocent birds to maul 🙁

I’m going to have to put a bell on her collar to keep the birds aware of her presence.  Otherwise, she will leave little presents for me on the front porch.

I didn’t have much time for my herb garden last year, but this year I so much more time.  Green peppers, tomatoes and collards are a must this year.

Among the herbs that survived this winter, my parsley, cilantro, chives, one sprig of thyme and sage.  My basil has already started growing back and my collard greens are doing fine.

Guess its time to get rid of the fall and winter decor and bring in the spring colors.

28 Mar 2017
March 28, 2017 0 Comments By nubiangardenchick Uncategorized

A Truly Nice Weekend

Monday, 18 April 2011

A Truly Nice Weekend

This weekend went very well.  Temperatures were in the 80s and the sun was shining the whole weekend!  It was nice to have some good weather especially since a tornado came through Friday evening.  This weekend I stopped by a really cool local shop and found some really nice plants.  I ended up spending more than what I wanted to, but it was worth it.  I got two orange mint plants, an asparagus fern and a limelight hydrangea.  I spent all Saturday morning and afternoon running errands, but all I wanted to do is go home and play in the dirt.

So here’s the highlights of my weekend

Continue reading “A Truly Nice Weekend” »

Posted by at 08:11 PM in My Weekends, Outdoor, Spring | | Comments (1)

28 Mar 2017
March 28, 2017 0 Comments By nubiangardenchick Uncategorized

5 Gardening Must Haves

Wednesday, 05 May 2010

5 Gardening Must Haves

Everyone has certain things they can’t live without.  When it comes to gardening I have my own list of things I have to make sure I have before going outside.  Here are mine:

  1. Gardening Shoes:  I would hate to track mud in the house so I bought a pair of ugly crocs to walk around in the mud, grass and dirt.  I take them off before going inside to keep my house clean.  What’s crazy is that I absolutely positively hated these shoes when they came out (and I still don’t think they are attractive at all).  I refused to buy them or let my children wear them.  Somehow after they have gone fully out of style I actually found a use for them.  And while I don’t wear them out anywhere, they are very good shoes for gardening.
  2. Repellant:  Apparently bugs have a cookout when I come outside.  They literally feast on me from the time I go out until I come in.  I use my citronella plant to repel mosquitoes by rubbing the leaves on my arms and legs.  Its less expensive than spray and an organic way to keep mosquitoes away.
  3. Water Bottle:  You know how they say you have to drink like 2 liters of water a day to stay hydrated.  Where gardening is the only time that I ever really follow that rule.  I always have a bottle of icy cold water available while gardening out in the full sun.  Add a crystal light drink packet to your water bottle and it makes drinking water even easier.
  4. Sunscreen:  Georgia’s sun will have you looking baked or even fried in one evening.  I usually make sure I have light clothing on and sunscreen on my arms, legs and face, but even African Americans can get tans and skin cancer.
  5. Tissue:  I have really bad allergies.  And the pollen is sickening here.  So the scenario goes like this….I start sneezing. I run in and get a few tissues to blow my nose.  I run back outside so that I can get back to my gardening and right when I think I am done sneezing, I start up again.  I keep a pack of tissues outside so that I don’t have to keep going in and out the house to get tissue.

Of course none of the things on my list are gardening tools 🙂  But in a way they are just as important.  Happy gardening!!!!!

Posted by at 09:09 PM in Must Haves, Outdoor, Products, Spring, Summer, Tips | | Comments (0)

28 Mar 2017
March 28, 2017 0 Comments By nubiangardenchick Uncategorized

Good Hosta Gone Bad

Thursday, 22 July 2010

Good Hosta Gone Bad

This summer I have had some beautiful blooms from my hostas.  The plants are very low maintenance and of course are beautiful landscaping plants that many gardeners use to fill in space.  Well, apparently some slugs have gotten to a few of my hostas and decided they would dine out for the past few weeks:

Here is the before picture:

And the after:

Guess I better start repelling those slugs!

Posted by at 04:50 PM in Miscellaneous, Outdoor, Summer | | Comments (0)

28 Mar 2017
March 28, 2017 0 Comments By nubiangardenchick Uncategorized

Snooky’s Market

Monday, 31 May 2010

Snooky’s Market

Snooky’s garden market is a great little market with a variety of annual and perennial plants.  They also offer homemade jams, pickles, fresh produce, boiled peanuts, pecans and garden decor.  They have their own personal touch of “redneck” themed trinkets and beautiful water fountains at reasonable prices.  The people there are very hospitable and are knowledgeable about the plants and products they offer.  Snooky’s is located at the High Falls Road Exit, Exit 198 on Rt. 75 going toward the High Falls State Park.

Posted by at 12:26 AM in Local | | Comments (0)

28 Mar 2017
March 28, 2017 0 Comments By nubiangardenchick Uncategorized

Terra Cotta Pots

Wednesday, 28 April 2010

Terra Cotta Pots

As spring kicks off, gardening centers are stacking their shelves with many types of gardening pots and garden decor.  Terra cotta parts are great garden pots and can be used as a vegetable planter or a flower planter.  Here are some advantages and disadvantages of using these pots:

Advantages:

  • They are durable and have withstood the test of time.
  • Prevents plants from tipping over.  For plants that stretch horizontally or for plants that are top heavy, terra cotta parts help to keep them stable.
    Affordable.  Terra cotta pots can be considered a reasonable choice compared to other more decorative pots on the market.
  • Well Stocked in different sizes.  Terra cotta pots come in sizes with the bottom as small as a quarter (I found a few in Michael’s craft store) as well as large pots of 10 gallons and up.
  • Great for letting plant roots breathe and reducing root rot.  Because terra cotta is made from clay, some of the water in a pot is absorbed into the pot.  The best thing to prevent rotting is to not over water and make sure your pot has atleast one drainage hole in the bottom.

Disadvantages:

  • Cold weather causes them to crack.  Some pots are marketed as being crack resistant, but for extremely cold zones, terra cotta plants can crack.
  • Larger pots can be heavy and even immoveable.  If you purchase a large terra cotta pot for the outdoors, make sure the plants can live outside during the winter because it is hard to move large terra cotta pots.
  • Less affordable than plastic containers.  If you are looking for just a quick inexpensive garden pot, terra cotta is not the cheapest on the market.

Posted by at 03:29 PM in Landscaping, Outdoor, Products, Spring | | Comments (0)

28 Mar 2017
March 28, 2017 0 Comments By nubiangardenchick Uncategorized

Mailbox Makeover

Mailbox Makeover

One of my many projects this spring/summer is to make my mailbox area look more attractive.  I really want to change my mailbox color to dark brick red (although I have been advised to do it at my own risk).  I also want to add some nice, easy maintenance flowers and rocks.  This week I have bought flowers for the mailbox and I plan to get the project done during my vacation week this week.  Here is my before picture of my mailbox:

My Gardening Before Picture

I plan to add a plant called agave to the mailbox (beautiful low maintenance plant that looks much like a yucca), some succulents and today I bought lilies. I started working on the mailbox area by taking an edger and digging a semi circle around the mailbox.  I dug up the weeds  and loosened the clay soil, being careful not to dig up the mailbox post.  I planted my plants by adding a mixture of potting soil and cow manure to help the plants adjust.  I added some rocks that I bought a few weeks back at Ace hardware.  Tomorrow I need paint my mailbox (probably should have done this first, but I had second thoughts and I will finally  add mulch and take the final picture.  Stay tuned……..

Posted by at 02:44 AM in Landscaping, Projects | | Comments (0)

28 Mar 2017
March 28, 2017 0 Comments By nubiangardenchick Uncategorized

Mailbox Makeover – The Finale

Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Mailbox Makeover – The Finale

Mailbox Finale

Here is the new look for my mailbox.  The following plants were added to my mailbox:

Agave
Lilies
Succulents

I added mulch, a solar light and reflectors to the mailbox.  Although my grass is in desperate need of a makeover, at least this project has been officially completed.  I still need to get a new flag for my mailbox; but for the most part, its ready to go!  Had a great time working with my BF on the mailbox project!  It was definitely worth it and makes my house much more inviting.  The mailman probably will be pleasantly surprised!  My yard is well on its way to being completed 🙂  Here’s a before and after pic:

 

Posted by at 09:35 PM in Landscaping, Projects | | Comments (0)

28 Mar 2017
March 28, 2017 0 Comments By nubiangardenchick Uncategorized

Hostas

Wednesday, 26 May 2010

Hostas

Hosta

(Click each picture for a larger view)

Here are 3 of the 4 different types of hostas I have in my garden. They are very resilient perennials, very easy to take care of, drought tolerant, disease resistent and live for a long time. There are up to 45 species of hosta. Native to Asia, they are in the lily family and are also known as Hostaceae. Almost all hostas do not have a scent, but their beautiful foliage makes up for it. Every year hostas sprout a beautiful flower in the center, which usually sprouts in early to mid spring and come in colors of white, lavender and purple. Hostas are great accent plants and can be used for basic ground cover and overall landscaping; however they are susceptible to deer, slugs and snails. To maintain these plants, cut any brown outer leaves, water regularly, repel against slugs and fertilize once in the spring and once in the summer. In late fall, after the leaves are completely brown and all nutrients have returned to the bulb, the leaves can be cut and the plant covered with a layer of mulch to protect it from frost.

28 Mar 2017
March 28, 2017 0 Comments By nubiangardenchick Uncategorized

Agave

Wednesday, 16 February 2011

Agave

 

Family:  Agavaceae
Scientific Name:  Agave Stricta
Category:  Perennials/Cactus and Succulents
Origin:  Mexico
Water:  Drought Resistant
Common Name:  Needle Agave, Hedgehog Agave
Height:  12-18 Inches
Blooms:  Late Spring/Early Summer
Zones:  Best in 9a-11
Foliage:  Evergreen

Agave plants are perennial plants.  Known for their nectar, agave plants are beautiful plants with over 300 varieties (200 recognized).  Most of them are monocarpic (meaning non-flowering), but there are a few that flower (like mine).  They are monocotyledons (they produce one seed leaf)  and are related to succulents and yucca plants.  They have very sharp and rigid leaves that look more like teeth.  The blue agave, harvested in Tequila, Mexico, is used to make tequila from distilled agave nectar.  I have the species called Agave Stricta, which looks like a porcupine.  It has a very round shape with sharp brown terminal spines that will bloom an 8 ft. maroon flower.  It propagates by producing offsettings and with long prostrate stems.

I absolutely love this plant.  It’s deer resistant and has a very contemporary look.  Although I am pushing it a little being in zone 8, it still can do well here in Georgia if taken care of correctly during the winter.  The only thing about these plants is that they do have really sharp spines.  I managed to plant mine without being poked.  When leaves and weeds come in, it is very hard to get them out.  The bright side….they require little watering, they are slow growing and very compact.  The nectar from some of these plants are used as a sugar substitute.  The agave I planted was used in my mailbox project.