Top 3 September Lawn Tasks

Wisconsin has had a lot of rain this summer and I have to say my lawn is still looking lovely...albeit a bit weedy.

September is the best time of year, in my opinion, for lawn care.  The cooler weather allows you time to reseed, get rid of the weeds, green things up and prep for winter.  

Here's the top three things to do list:

• Reseed bare spots using a good-quality seed mixture.

• Apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer at the rate of 1 pound nitrogen/ 1,000 square feet.

• Put down a broadleaf weed killers to knock out the new weeds that have sprung up since mid summer.

Top Four Fall Garden Lists

Labor Day weekend is almost here.  While a lot of us will spend it with one last big weekend away or back yard blowout, some of us will be spending it quietly at home...maybe in our backyards...with a cocktail.

What a great time to make your lists!  Here's my top four:

• What do I want to plant for Spring. Colors? Tulips or Daffodils?  When will they bloom and do I have room?

• What do I need to clean up in the yard now? Deadheading, stalking, riping out, veggie garden tending?  Get some done now and you'll feel better later!

• How do I want to decorate the yard/house for Fall?  Do I need to buy mums or asters?  I personally want to make a scarecrow.

• How do I want to decorate for Halloween?

These are some of my FAVORITE questions of the gardening year!!  Especially Halloween!  

Just get to thinking about them.  I've included some of our favorite links to help you visualize and brainstorm.

Remember, you don't have to plant 200 bulbs, like I did one year, to make it memorable. You will enjoy a little patch of color peaking out of the gloomy Spring ground anywhere!

Your house doesn't have to look like Martha Stewarts craft page....although I wish there was enough time in the day to make mine look like this!

Put out a pumpkin and a mum together on the porch.

Plant a bag of grape hyacinths and yellow daffodils.

Clean up the veggie and flower garden a bit and begin thinking about Halloween.  

A little touch can make you smile!

A Magical Mini Garden for Outside or In

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I just fell in total LOVE with this idea from Midwest Living the first time I saw it.  Sort of a terrarium in a box!!  Mini gardens, fairy gardens, miniature ANYTHING, I'm in love!

This is a really fun idea to start thinking about as Fall comes on.  It gets kind of depressing having to put everything to bed for 6 months...ok that's here in Wisconsin the rest of you lucky people don't even email me to rub it in!

Anyway, you don't have to give up your outdoor herbs and little succulents...dig a clump and bring it in to keep you company!  See the link to Midwest Living above for the how to and more ideas and I'll continue to post about other great Fall "bring in" projects.

End of Summer Garden Party Tips

Sadly the summer is winding down...

The stores have the shelves packed with school supplies, the Halloween marketing has begun and it won't be long before we shift our focus from our gardens to school, football and the upcoming holidays.

Nobody likes to see the end of summer, but there's still time to throw a great backyard party with not a lot of fuss!  Here's some ideas how:

• Pick 2 of your favorite salads or picnic food items to make and then make those!  Ask your guests to bring the rest...keep it simple by just asking them to bring a dish to pass...it ALWAYS works out.

• Make the dishes your make really memorable!  This can be done with the prettiest bowl, fancy garnishes or just by making the world's greatest potato salad!  I like this WOW idea:

The Watermelon Hedgehog 

• Another thing that makes a party memorable is a signature cocktail.  Make up a big picture, put out a bucket of ice and the glasses so the drink station is self serve and away your guests go!!  Sangria, homemade lemon limeade with vodka or homemade tart margheritas with a bit of orange juice are some of my favorites!

• For the rest, keep it simple!
• Use paper products...there are a million out there with cool colors and patterns now.  You'll appreciate it the most after guests have all gone home and you are left with 50% less mess!
• Throw some beer and soda in a big bucket of ice and let guests help themselves.  Don't forget to put a bottle opener nearby for those non-twist offs.
• When your guests ask if they can help, say YES and give them something to do
• Put some games out in the backyard like volleyball, croquet or jarts to keep people occupied
• Don't have an outdoor stereo system?  Either do I!  Just put the radio out there and crank up your favorite station or mixed CD with summertime favorites! 

With a little luck, fun friends and good weather, your end of summer bash should be a smash!!

Favorite Gardening Gloves

I can't believe it's taken me till now to do a post on garden gloves!  My husband always says I'm so hard on things...my tools, my gloves, him!  Just kidding about that last one.

He's right about the tools and gloves and every year I used to need a new pair by mid summer.
That all changed about two years ago when I discovered Womenswork gloves at  Milaegers garden center in Racine, WI (my home town).

My two major issues with poor garden gloves are that they fall apart or get holes too easily (usually in the fingers for me) and that they don't fit snuggly!

Not the case with the "Colorful work & Garden" gloves from Womenswork!
These are an example below, but mine are lime green. That makes me smile and want to garden more!!

Best part of these gloves?  They fit GREAT!!  There's a velcro wrist closure that not only keeps dirt out (love that!) but is snugs them around my wrist and keeps the gloves from moving all over.  The gloves are made of Micro Suede so they are durable, breathable and washable.  The fingers are reinforced and the palm is padded.  All making for one comfortable and fabulous glove!!  I highly recommend them. Mine are lime green and that makes me smile and want to garden more!!

For more options like the ones above (called gauntlet gloves), mens gloves, tools, etc. check out this cool website.  They are a women owned, family run business so there's another great reason to support em!

Garden Mosaic Magic

The Garden Elves have been getting excited about doing mosaic projects ALL summer so imagine my glee when I got to see a bunch of cool mosaic project ideas on a recent garden walk!  

From terracotta  pots, to birdbaths, to hanging sparkly things and address plates, I got some great shots and ideas for what we might all make together at our next class.  I'm sharing those pics today, but would love to see some of yours too if you've ventured into mosaic land.

Mosaic Madness with the Elves is coming up in August!  What would you most like to make?

Little Things you can do to Keep Your Garden Blooming!

Here is Wisconsin we had an early Spring and everything is about 2 weeks ahead.  This means my normally pretty August garden is starting to look ratty!  Lucky I know a few tricks, that I'd like to share with you today, that will help provide a second bloom.

Giving your perennials a quick shear and removing about one to two thirds of the height of the plant will spur some perennials on to new life in early Fall!  A good example of a current bloomer is Coreopsis.  Cut your Coreopsis back by 1/3 and you'll likely to blessed with side shoots that will provide you with another round of sunny, smiley faces!

For early summer perennials that will benefit from this treatment do the following:

Cut your delphinium (my favorite flowers and the ones I carried down the aisle with me) back to ~6 inches above ground and you'll have fabulous Fall fireworks with glorious spires of this cottage garden favorite.

For another blue flower I love, try Bachelor's Button.  This profuse spring blue bloomer really benefits from dead heading while it's flowering and about 1/2 height shear when it's done blooming.  The blue of this bushy plant REALLY complements the orange and yellows of the fall mums!

For great purple color during August and September, shear you spring salvia back by 1/3 also.

Don't forget you should always keep deadhead roses and annuals to keep their blooms coming. Roses can bloom right up till frost!


Don't forget to keep fertilizing and watering in the hot months too...a little nurturing goes a long way!!


Happy second season everybody!!  


Got any tips for reblooming?  Please shoot us an email at thegardenelves@gmail.com

My Best Garden Walk Pictures

I'm dedicating this post today to less words and all pics! Here's some of my favorites from the last two years of garden walks.  Enjoy and share yours too please!

Clever Make it Yourself Garden Accents

We Garden Elves LOVE do it yourself and repurposing found objects.  Almost anything can be turned into garden art and we've tried a lot of things.  Where do we get ideas?  From magazines like Midwest Living, Country Living and DIY magazine.  It's almost overwhelming how many cool ideas they have!

I also get inspiration from my sisters...we are all big "junk" collectors inspired early on by our Dad who would bring home anything off the curb and fix it!  He was a cabinet maker and pretty handy.

Old sink now a drink cooler!

One of my favorite ways of finding neat new garden art ideas though is going on garden walks.  They are filled with them because usually the gardens that you visit have been chosen as the best of the best.  Bring your camera and be ready to snap away or jot down the ideas!  I've never had anyone get mad at me for "stealing."

Here are some of my favorite pics from garden walks I've taken. Great ideas everyone!!

Rain gauge/ bird house made of plumbing pipes

Mirrors add depth & interest

If you have one, please send it along to us and we'll be happy to post giving you credit!  In fact here's one from our new friend Stephanie, over at Sand & Starfish. Such a cute idea for a hanging herb garden!

Benefits and Varieties of Rain Barrels

Many of you may have never heard of a rain barrel or know what they are. I admit I hadn't until a few years ago.

A rain barrel is a system that collects and stores rainwater from your roof that would otherwise be lost to runoff and diverted to storm drains and streams. Lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40% of total household water use during the summer. A rain barrel collects water and stores it for when you need it. A rain barrel will save most homeowners about 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months! Saving water not only helps protect the environment, it saves you money and energy.

On my recent garden walk for Olbrich Garden's home and garden tour, we got to tour a unique area of Madison, Troy Gardens.  It's a housing development, a 26 acre community garden project and much more.  The large community gardens are exciting to see, but I was really fascinated by all that was going on in the small garden plots of the people who live there!  Rain barrels, herb gardens, great garden art, mosaics, bird houses and flowers and plants galore...all tucked into tiny plots off the front porch.  

For this post,I am only sharing the rain barrel pics, but check in for future posts on accents,etc. While rain barrels aren't cheap, they do save you money on water and can also help prevent your basement from flooding!  Being on the bad end of that scenario myself, I'd pay $100 to prevent it!  For other benefits click thru. To make your own, check here.




  

Great Garden Walks & How to Prepare

Last Friday was one of my favorite days of the year.  Why?  Because it was Olbrich Garden's home and garden tour.  Each year I look forward to spending some reflective time with my camera and myself, yes I go alone, meandering around someone elses inspiration and space. Not only do I see amazing flowers, plants and landscaping, but I often find fun garden accent ideas.


I took so many pictures from the walk last week that I've decide to break up the trip into a series of blog posts:
Garden Walks                         Rain Barrels               
Garden Accents                     Amazing flower pics

I'll be posting over the next couple of days and we'd love to hear your feedback on your experiences with garden walks of your own!!

So for today, here's my short list of must haves and must dos when going on garden walks:

• Wear comfortable, light weight clothing. Preferably white. I like to wear a sundress so I look the part AND feel comfortable. Pants with pockets are really the best though (more on why later).
• A hat. Again, I'm such a girl so I like one with a wide brim, but any hat that keeps out the sun will do.
• Sunglasses. Every great hat deserves cute sunglasses!
• Camera (preferably with a shoulder strap or one I can tuck in my pocket)
• Small notepad- to jot down ideas, plant names or other inspiration.
• Water bottle (you can leave this in your car, but you are going to want to keep hydrated since garden walks are usually warm and rather long)
• A snack (I find I get hungry with all the walking)
• A pocket or coiled wrist key holder. I find I really want to be hands free when I'm walking around.  Don't bring your purse or your whole set of keys.  Just take the key off the ring and go!

A great attitude, the energy to walk in the warm sun and excitement for the day help too.  

Get out there and tour the gardens in your area or state!  You never know what you will find in your own "backyard." 

For added inspiration, here's a cool book I recommend browsing and a link to some Martha Stewart garden walks.

Keeping Those Tomatoes Growing Strong!

My tomatoes are as tall as me right now, but are suffering from some yellow leaves and black spot in the lower regions.  I've been pinching those spots off and they are really starting to put on fruit!  I've got pumpkins growing around their base so it's acting like a natural mulch!


Today's advice on tomatoes comes directly from The Bruce Company, a wonderful home and garden interiors and exteriors shop just outside of Madison.  They are far more than a greenhouse and offer landscaping too!  Just stepping into their large show floor is magical...especially at Christmas!


Here's their advice for your tomatoes.  
The best way to get those sweet treats to your table is to keep the plants well watered and free of disease and insects. 


Make sure you have a good layer of mulch around the base of each plant. This holds in moisture and helps prevent soil borne diseases from splashing on the plants. 


Water plant early in the morning and soak ground throughly. 


Remove all leaves that are curled or browning. This will likely start at the bottom of the plant. A fungicide such as copper sulfate used routinely will control 90% of all fungus problems. 


To promote faster growth and concentrate the plants energy into the main branches, remove suckers that grow from the crotches of the main stems. 


Remember that tomatoes need support. Use of stakes or a cage will provide a better harvest than just laying plants on the ground. 


Fertilization should also be done regularly with a fertilizer that is formulated specifically for tomatoes. The key is to stay ahead of problems by inspecting your plants often and employing midseason care. This will  keep your tomatoes growing strong and will increase your harvest.


Happy Growing Everyone!

The Best Garden Footwear

Back in February, when the snow was still flying here in Madison, Wisconsin, I had a chance to go to the Wisconsin Garden Expo.  It's a great show full of garden sights and smells and really a treat when it's 20 degrees or less outside!

As I was buying up as many of the Fiskars garden tools that I could afford, I came upon a booth selling garden clogs, rain and winter boots.

I was smitten!  I sat down and started trying on every cute boot they had.  They were adorable. I jumped up and down like a little girl in a puddle in the rain boots...this garnered some attention from other expo goers, but I didn't care!  "Do you see how CUTE these are?"  I just said and kept jumping.  I think the sales girl thought I'd lost my mind.

Well I had already spent $100 on tools so I decided I could only buy one pair.  I ended up with what Bogs calls a "Rain bootie" but I wear them everywhere and certainly not just in the rain!!  They are comfortable, stable, well made and just super cute!!  Do yourself a favor and get a pair...or three today!  I'm linking to Amazon who has far better pricing than I paid...about $10 less.  If you have to muck around, why not look cute?!

  

What to do in Your Garden In July

Well the first thing to do is enjoy it!!  This is the month of the largest proliferation of flowers for most Wisconsinites.  Get out there and breath it all in.  Put on your bug spray, if need be, and sit in a chair and just watch the bees and humming birds if you are lucky!                                                                                                              

Make sure you also cut some of your flowers and bring them inside.  No need to make a fancy bouquet even.  Throw them in a mason jar, old milk bottle or even a water pitcher.  I like to use a bunch of old, little bottles and put just one stem in each. Then I line them all up on the table, in odd numbers, with the same flower.  Makes for a very dramatic affect with not a lot of work or flowers. Below is a perfect example from Design*Sponge.

Next, and not nearly as much fun, are the other things you should do in your garden in July.
Here's a limited list, but click the link for more in depth information from Midwest Living.

• Water
• Weed
• Fertilize
• Mulch again if necessary
• Deadhead your spent flowers

And now the good July gardening news:

• Mow less for longer grass that chokes out weeds and doesn't need as much water
• Start collecting your harvest from your garden

Enjoy the long days and nights, the summer rains, the warm, starry nights and the flicker of fireflies!

Indoor and Outdoor Water Fountains

Fountains have been on the mind of the Elves for over a month now.  We are busy making plans to combine our cool cast leaves along with a fountain concept.  We'd like to make a cascading fountain with two leaves (one above the other).

Cindy has really been taking the lead on this project and our artist friend, Mark Weerda has been providing pointers.

 Do YOU have any tips for us?

Watch the blog and Facebook page for upcoming classes.

Thanks, in advance, for your help!!