Fun Facts from my "Grow it First with CK Worley" Facebook Page

Did you know that apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning. :D

An annual herb has a life cycle from seed to flower to seed within a single growing season.
A perennial herb lives for three or more seasons.

For my friends who are trying to cut back on starch. We had celery root last night and it was really good. Peel it and boil it for about 30 minutes until soft (like a potato) Mash it and top it with butter, cheese and sour cream. Texture is just like mashed potato with a little extra flavor. I loved it!

Okay ~ If you like beets and have only had them from a can or jar!!!!!!!! Please buy fresh and cook them just like potatoes. Don’t peel them until after they are cooked. (I don’t peel them at all) Once cooked ~ slice and add salt and pepper. No fancy recipe...just try this one time for me! :)

Mint comes in all sorts of flavors. Spearmint, peppermint, orange, lavender, ginger, banana, apple, lemon, pineapple and even chocolate! Just remember to plant mint in a container or it will take over the same way ivy can. It’s an easy plant to grow and perfect for the beginner. Hint: Try mint with watermelon!

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OH NO! Yellow spots on my Apple Tree leaves!

One of my apple trees has developed yellow spots on its leaves. It’s called Apple Scab, Black Spot or Cedar Rust.

photo credit: CK Worley

This will cause brown scabs on the fruit as well; and while it won’t kill the tree, it will weaken it. I did some research and found that a fungicide spray is needed to control the infection from spreading not only to other leaves but also to nearby fruit trees, as the fungus’ spores travel with the wind.

photo credit: CK Worley

I had insect spray but not fungicide, so I planned to go to the garden store. But then yesterday I was thrilled to receive a package in the mail: it was from a company called Espoma, which is the Mama company of Holly Tone. (I talk about Holly Tone all the time in my blogs and videos for use on all of my evergreen plants.)

photo credit: CK Worley

And what to my wondering eyes should appear? A product called Earth-Tone Garden Fungicide for organic gardening. And it will cure what ails my apple tree! First I went out and pulled all the yellow-spotted leaves off my tree (an easy task because I just planted it this year and it’s small).

photo credit: CK Worley

If your tree is too large for that, the leaves will fall off and you’ll need to rake as much as you can up. I raked up all the mulch around the tree and threw that away just to be safe. (Don’t compost this--get rid of it.)

photo credit: CK Worley

I put fresh mulch around the tree and, lastly, sprayed it with Earth-tone Garden Fungicide. I’ll spray every 7-10 days or after it rains, then I’ll start spraying this again next spring as soon as the green tips on the buds start to appear. Good save Espoma! Thanks :D

photo credit: CK Worley

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My front yard

People often tell me that they don’t know what to plant, so I will share with you what I just planted in my front yard. This may inspire or encourage you to plant some of these on your own. Will Goodman helped me out with most of these selections. It’s always good to work with a friend.

photo credit: CK Worley

First is Encore Azaleas in Autumn Monarch (orange/pink blooms with red freckles). Encore Azaleas bloom in spring, summer and fall. The average height is five feet and the average width is four feet--plants this size will fill up a space pretty quickly. We use Holly Tone fertilizer on all of our azaleas.

photo credit: CK Worley

Next is Rose Creek Abelia which is another flowering shrub. It will grow about three feet tall by three feet wide and have little white flowers with small pink leaves at the bases. This makes for a really funky and cool look. The pink leaves stay long after the flowers have gone. It's a nectar source for butterflies as well!

photo credit: CK Worley

David Viburnum has glossy dark green leaves and white spring flowers followed by crazy turquoise blue berries. Another three foot by three foot shrub, it grows great alongside the Azaleas. Remember that plants of both sexes are required for berry production just like the Aucuba. And just like our Aucuba, we use Holly Tone.

photo credit: CK Worley

Bugleweed Chocolate Chip has little blue flowers that attract hummingbirds. This plant will spread wide and will only grow three to six inches high. Bugleweed is really pretty when planted with Hosta.

photo credit: CK Worley

Around all of this, I planted Yellow Day Lilies, White Irises and Pink Beauty Caladiums. Caladiums are related to elephant ears, something I didn’t realize until my friend Jenny pointed it out. They will have to be dug up before the first frost or they will die (all the other plants are perennials).

Okay, so I hope this helps you. I think it’s cool to find new plants and mix it up. Make sure you are buying for your zone and sun requirements. Relax and have fun!

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Some of my Favorite Plants

photo credit: CK Worley

Silver Mound Artemisia can grow well into zone 3. It has wonderful silvery grey leaves. Clip it well, just after the little silver ball flowers appear, and it will love you. Plant it in full sun - part shade in clay or sandy soil. Divide it every two or three years to give it growing room. It is nice if planted with pretty and vibrant colored flowers.

photo credit: CK Worley

Golden shrimp plants love the morning sun. I’ll have to bring this one inside in the winter, but they root easily from cuttings so I’ll make sure to do that and have plenty more for next year. They like moist warm soil and a spritz from a water bottle every once in a while.

photo credit: CK Worley

Lamb's Ears are perfect for children's gardens because it makes the plant very relatable to the kids. It will spread so be careful were you plant it. It’s almost like Ivy in it’s growth and invasive nature.

photo credit: CK Worley

Liriope is one of the easiest ground covers to plant. It divides easily, as well and blooms in these beautiful purple lacy wisps. It will get lovely dark blue berries on it as well. Liriope will overtake an area, so you have to take steps to control its wondering ways. We also call this monkey grass. This must be cut back in January or February and can be done with a lawn mower to keep the plant clean and compact. Just be sure that the mower is set on the highest setting.

photo credit: CK Worley

Remember to plant trees! They will help with your air conditioning bill, bring wildlife to your yard and will make the world a happier place.

Butterfly Gardens

Ever wonder where the butterflies from your childhood have gone? Well, try growing a butterfly garden.  You will need nectar plants ( Butterfly bush, black eyed susan, marigolds) and host plants (Sweet Fennel, sage, dill, and sunflowers).  Nectar Plants ~ which are the plants that butterflies like to feed on and Host Plants ~  which are plants that butterflies lay their eggs on and their caterpillars like to eat. I planted all of these plants with Soil Moist mixed into the soil. Soil Moist is great if you don't have a sprinkler system or a water source near your plants. You can find out which plants you will need to attract butterflies in your zone on the internet.  Looking for a particular butterfly?  Certain plants attract different kinds of butterflies!  See if they will grow where you live..  Now I don’t want to make this complicated.  There are basic gardens with basic plants that you can grow first. And remember ~ don't use insecticides.....butterflies are insects!

photo credit: CK Worley

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Pee Gee Hydrangeas ~ Paniculatas

photo credit: CK Worley

Pee Gee hydrangeas will grow in a wide variety of climates (hardy to Zone 5).  Another helpful trait of all Paniculatas is their tolerance for pruning. You can prune them at any time except when they begin forming bloom heads in the summer.  We keep ours pruned in the shape found below. The Pee Gee Hydrangea is the one and only hydrangea that can be pruned into a tree form.  These plants often get very large. (8-10 feet tall and wide.) This is not an evergreen so all leaves and flowers will fall off in the winter months.
The ones we chose and one of the most popular is 'Limelight' which can be grown in all parts of the United States except those areas which receive no freezing weather.  It has a delicate cone shaped cluster of flowers.  As you can see, we have two in our front yard.  One was planted by the landscaper a year ago and one was planted by us two months ago.  We made sure that the tree had plenty of good soil, fertilizer and water. Can you guess which one we installed?  It really pays to plant the tree right from the beginning and not have any regrets later.

photo credit: CK Worley

photo credit: CK Worley

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Aucuba

photo credit: CK Worley

Between our front and back yard we have Aucuba hedges that are at least 20 years old.  Here we have both non-variegated (non-striped) plants and variegated (striped) plants.  Aucubas are dioecious having separate male and female plants. The female plant will bear small clusters of red berries if a male plant is near by. These berries will hang in there from Fall until Spring. It will grow from 4 to 7 feet tall and some up to 10 feet tall, but you can find smaller ones.  It grows well in Zones 6-10 but some people in zone 5 have had good luck with them.

photo credit: CK Worley

They are drought tolerant but we water often from our well (we don’t soak them), fertilize with Holly Tone (which they LOVE) and prune the dieback after winter has past.
We lifted the plants up and over our fence which they seem to like and now smaller plants are growing to fill in underneath.  It serves as a wonderful privacy fence for us.

Make sure to follow me on
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Why buy fresh fruits and vegetables when you can Grow It First?

It’s true.  I have friends who are afraid to garden.  This blog was developed to help them take the first steps to becoming a growing addict.  It is also true that I am not a trained landscape architect.  I grew up around a Dad and Mom who gardened to feed our large family of 9.  We helped where we could and watched when we weren’t allowed to.  I love gardening and watching things grow.  I also love to research any questions that you have or that I have.  I just want to share this life adventure with you....If you are ready and willing to try.....I will help you take the steps to Grow it First!

Make sure to follow me on
Facebook @ Grow it First with CK Worley
Twitter @ GrowitFirst
You Tube @ Grow it First with CK Worley
And Oprah’s OWN Channel @ Growit