How to keep Deer out of your yard.

My friend Cate asked me how to keep deer out of her yard. These techniques only work until the deer gets used to them, but that may be long enough for them to move on. Deer love tulips, laurel, forsythia, Japanese yew, crocus, pansies and anything with fruit.
You can put mothballs around the plants but not if you have dogs; they may want to play with or eat them. Another option is to go to a barber shop and ask for human hair (it should be free) and scatter that around and in your plants.
Some people have put hot sauce into a bottle of water and sprayed the plants. I would recommend testing this on only a couple of leaves first and wearing gloves. Make sure you label the bottle.
You can hang bars of soap from your trees using rope, or try hanging wind chimes; deer don’t like movement or noise.
Otherwise, planting deer-resistant plants will work too. These include butterfly bushes, bugleweed, boxwoods, St. Johns wort, tiger lilies, wisteria, bougainvillea, lavender, shasta daisy, lambs ear, and peony, among others.
And if all else fails there are store-bought repellents but make sure that they are pet friendly. So, I hope that some of these will work for you. If you know of any other techniques please share!

Grow It First with CK Worley ~ Summer Salad

Here is my recipe for the best summer salad ever! You’ll need really ripe tomatoes, some fresh basil, crisp bacon, feta cheese -or cheese you like best - and some thinly sliced red onion (which I forgot in these photos) Next some balsamic vinegar and good olive oil. Such a yummy, creamy, fresh, savory salad. Enjoy!

photo credit: CK Worley

photo credit: CK Worley

photo credit: CK Worley

photo credit: CK Worley

Still time to Save!

It’s not too late to purchase end of year deals. I just got this car load of plants, some annuals and some perennials for under $9! There is still plenty of planting time left so be on the lookout. I’m also trying to find some nice ceramic pots to put plants in to prepare for the winter months. I found one today and will continue to look for sales! LOVE IT!

photo credit: CK Worley

I purchased a tray of Snapdragons and another tray of French Marigolds for $1 dollar per tray. 5 Black and Blue Salvia for 25 cents each. Another Gerbera Daisy for 50 cents, 4 Apricot Sun Crossandra plants for 25 cents each. A Pretty Crimson Mandevilla for $3 and a Heller's Japanese Holly plant for $1.

Know Your Weed

Have you ever been in the garden weeding and come across a plant that you weren’t sure about? “Is this a weed?” you may ask yourself. Well, I’ve taken some of the many weeds that we have in our yard and researched them the best I could. It’s difficult to match the weed with the photos or descriptions on the web sometimes. I think I did a pretty good job with these few. I will tell you what the weed is and have a picture for you. Perhaps this may help you in your next garden adventure.

photo credit: CK Worley

Dog Fennel is a short-lived summer perennial. It kind of looks like a fern but it gives a bad odor. It has small white flowers and spreads by seed. It’s easy to pull up but be careful not to spread the seeds. This one was growing in my mint!

photo credit: CK Worley

Dandelion is a winter perennial. Its yellow flower forms into a white fluffy seed ball. It spreads by seed and root. It’s very important to remove the taproot (it grows vertically downward) and use a tool that will allow you to do this. Pulling by hand won’t get the whole root system and they will grow back. We had a whole field of these across the street when I was growing up and my Dad used to make dandelion wine out of them. I suppose if you can’t beat them, drink them!

photo credit: CK Worley

Wild strawberry or Indian mock strawberry is a low trailing winter perennial. They spread by seed and runners. The strawberries are small with no taste. When you pull them up make sure you get the whole plant. It may run several feet.

photo credit: CK Worley

White clover spreads by stolons or runners that take root along the way when it’s put in contact with soil. Small white flowers from May through September. It’s best to use a good liming and a nitrogen fertilization practice to keep them from spreading in your lawn like these did.

photo credit: CK Worley

Violet flowers range form purple to white to pink to yellow. They are perennials and spread by seed and by or long stolons. Control by digging them up making sure you get the whole root. Violets are pretty but not when they invade your yard.

photo credit: CK Worley

Creeping cucumber has light delicate vines that travel and climb. It has tiny watermelon shaped fruit on it and that’s how it spreads, through seed. Some people eat the fruit but I wouldn’t and I don’t recommend it. Creeping cucumber is a perennial and will climb up other plants. Even though it looks like ivy, it will die back during the winter. You can get rid of it easily with a good yank.

photo credit: CK Worley

Crab Grass. Everyone knows this weed. So what is the best way to get it out of your yard? Put out Weed and Seed in the spring before the crab grass germinates. Re-apply because all crab grass seedlings do not germinate at the same time. Follow the directions on the bag carefully and don’t use more than is recommended. You can then dig it up as you see it. It’s easiest to do after a good rain.

Happy weed hunting!

The new spice~ Fennel Powder

My friend Joy came over today and we started catching up on all things kids and gardens. She mentioned that she had visited Mario Batali’s restaurant in California and bought some fennel powder. Seems this is the new herb to flavor and spice up everything from baked salmon to roasted eggplant marmalade. It runs around $4 per jar but you can make it yourself.

I have never used the powder, but I do put fennel seed on the 12 hour pork recipe that I got form Suzanne Somers’ cookbook. So good!
If you’d like to try making fennel powder yourself you simply roast fennel seeds on medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes, cool and dry, grind and store in air - tight container. It will stay fresh for 2 to 3 months.
The word fennel comes from latin meaning “Little Hay”. Romans used fennel tea to relieve eye irritation and Medieval Europeans used the herb to fight obesity. Fennel can be used to help with stomach cramps, digestion problems and to help break up congestion caused by colds.
Did you know that you can freeze fennel bulbs and a whole lot of other things?

You can freeze all citrus, milk (take about 1/4 cup out of the plastic container to allow for expansion) cream cheese, butter, apples (peel and slice), shredded cheese, bananas (make sure you freeze them on a cookie sheet and then put them in a baggie so they don’t stick together) , grapes, celery, roasted tomatoes, onions and carrots. Potatoes freeze well if you slice them (maybe french fry style?) and soak them in a little salt water and drain before you freeze them. Asparagus and cauliflower are the only freezer disasters that I’ve heard of.
Thanks Joy, for the idea for todays blog!

By the way, Pantone’s 2011 color of the year is Honeysuckle Pink. Just in case you’d like to theme your garden. Bulb planting is just around the corner. It's a good idea to wait until night temperatures are consistently below 60 degrees before planting.

Now is the time to Bargain Shop!

Now is the time to spice up your garden with new color. Many plants are going on sale in order to make room for Christmas and other holiday items. It’s an especially good time to plant foundation shrubs and trees because of these sales.
I bought some Lantana in pink and planted it near my orange Lantana. This is a perennial and will only get bigger and bigger every year. Butterflies love it too!

photo credit: CK Worley

Gerbera or Gerber Daisies for Robert’s surprise garden! He’s in Texas right now and will be pleased to see a daisy garden growing by the front door.

photo credit: CK Worley

Wine and Roses Weigela starts with dark green leaves which turn to almost black. Hummingbirds love the rose colored tubular flowers. They are perennials and hardy to zone 4. I think I may get more since they were only $4 a piece (normally $16).

photo credit: CK Worley

Calamondin Orange tree. The fruit is used for marmalades and fruit drinks. If I get any eatable fruit I will let you know. The leaves smell amazing. And I got it for less than half price. Remember to always use Soil Moist in all your potted plants. It will keep plants hydrated even when you occasionally forget to water them. My new orange tree looks happy sitting next to my lemon tree. :)

photo credit: CK Worley

Gazania has daisy-like flowers and is a perennial. This one has now been added to my butterfly garden. It didn’t take long to attract some attention! I think this may be a Buckeye Butterfly.

photo credit: CK Worley

I got a whole tray of Yellow and Orange Mums for $3! My best buy! See the butterfly in the shot....and Kaylee the dogs nose!

So now is the time to bargain shop and to-

Grow It First!

Dog Talk

photo credit: CK Worley

Meet my dogs. They are active and healthy. I don't usually buy them store bought doggie treats. I give them treats from our garden and they love them!

Good snacks for your dog include carrots, apples, bananas, orange sections, broccoli, cauliflower and beans. Raisins and grapes aren't good.

The fertilizer that helps keep your plants green and healthy can cause trouble for your pet. Ingesting large amounts of fertilizer can give your pet a good case of stomach upset and may result in life-threatening gastrointestinal trouble. If your pet is outside while you are placing fertilizer, make sure it's watered in quickly and fully.

What to Plant and WHEN?????

I wrote to Nancy Awot who is a Horticulture Specialist at W. Atlee Burpee & Company and asked that same question. Here is her answer to my Zone 7 question.

“It is too late for tomatoes, however, there are many things you can plant now and in the fall. You can still plant lettuce, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions and garlic.  Onions and garlic you plant in September for a next summer harvest. If you want to try a fruit you could try alpine strawberries.  If you would like some flowers try pansies they will flower until the hard freeze.

 As it gets colder you can still continue to plant lettuce, beets, carrots and spinach about every two weeks for continual harvest. If you check out our website www.burpee.com  click on the growing calendar on the left column.  It will tell you  what you can plant and when  to plant  your vegetable. So you can plant well into the fall.   A winter garden doesn’t mean you can plant things all winter long. Once the ground freezes no more planting but you should be able to harvest up until that first heavy freeze.

Make sure you try spinach you can still plant those in October they like the cold.”

Thank you Nancy Awot ~ That was very helpful information! :D

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