Gardening Tools

I wanted to do a fun blog on garden tools. I was interested to know what my gardening friends had in their tool apron or bucket.

The first one that both Davis and Martina told me about is the Kombi garden tool.

http://www.kombigardentool.com/index.html

photo credit: Kombi.com

It’s called the shovel with attitude. It says on the web site that the Kombi aggressively slices weeds off below ground with less effort. It looks pretty mean!
I guess I’ll have to get one!

My friend Katie told me that she couldn’t do without her garden kneeling pad. Now there are all kinds of kneeling pads. You have the ones you can carry around with you, the ones that have handles and pockets and even pads that strap onto your knees so you don’t have to carry them around.

photo credit. Sears.com

I like the plan old foam pads you can carry around. You can get one for less than $10. I did have a good laugh when I went to the Sears web page and they offered a JMK foam knee pad for $141.02! I’m not sure what else it does!

http://www.sears.com/home-outdoor-jmk-04150-large-foam-knee-pad/p-SPM10508696819?redirectType=SRDT

One of my husbands favorite gardening tools isn’t a hand held one. We have ten 100 year old oak trees so we have lots of fall leaves. He likes the Little Wonder debris vacuum.

http://littlewonder.com/lw-vac.asp

photo credit: LittleWonder.com

This thing sucks up the leaves and then mulches them. There is a bag the size of a trash can on the back that collects the leaves and lifts off for easy dumping into your compost pile.  It saves time and back breaking work.

As for me, I go through a lot of gardening gloves. I have more gloves with holes in them than not. I have found that Digger Gardening Gloves by Womanswork hold up the best.
They are more expensive than many of the other gloves but you won’t have to replace them as often.

photo credit: Womanswork.com

http://womanswork.com/catalog/womens-gloves/digger-gardening-gloves

So there is my short list. I’m sure there are plenty more wonderful products out there. If you have one you particularly like, please let me know about it.

Remember that after all the leaves have fallen to wash your tools and gloves so they will be ready and waiting for you come spring.

 "What did the carrot say to the wheat?  Lettuce rest, I'm feeling beet."
-  Shel Silverstein

Peonies

Love Peonies! That’s why it’s important to plant them in the fall rather than the spring time.  They tend to flower sooner then those planted in the spring and they establish themselves better in the fall.

Photo credit: Elstika.com

Make sure you plant them in full sun in the North and sun with part shade in the South.  They need good drainage.  Throw some bone-meal into the soil mixture before planting.  If the soil is too sandy or heavy add some compost. Plant them so the tops of the bulbs are one to two inches below the surface of the soil.

Photo Credit: Shltrip.com

If you are planting more than one in the same area make sure to leave three to four feet between each plant.  When you first plant Peonies you’ll need to top them off with plenty of mulch to help keep the plant at more constant temperature. (Remove the mulch in the spring.) Make sure you water until the ground freezes.

Photo credit: Wildaboutants.com

If you have clumps of Peonies that you’d like to separate then fall is the time to do that.
Did you know that some Peonies have been know to live for 100 years!  Crazy!  Once they are established they don’t need much fuss. Make sure you deadhead the spent blossoms and remember to cut the foliage down to the ground in the fall.

Photo credit: Flowerpics.net

Peonies come in red, pink, yellow, purple and white and can make any garden look outrageously gorgeous. Plant some this weekend. You'll be glad you did.

Bald-Faced Hornets and Hibiscus Sabdariffa

You can easily tell the difference between a Yellow jacket and a Bald-faced hornet. Bald-faced hornets are known by their white and black color. They have a white or a Bald-faced head and have three white stripes on their tails.

Photo Credit: PestControlPlus.biz

My friend Martina had a nest right next to her front door. These nest can hold from 100 to 700 hornets!
If you really look at it - you’ll see how intricate and pretty it is. But don’t get too close! Funny, after all the work they do on their nest, they won't return to it next season.
These hornets are very aggressive and each one can sting over and over again. So don’t mess with one-ever!

Photo Credit: M.M.Goscha

When Martina called the exterminator he had to come at night. All the lights had to be turned off before he could get near enough to spray. They are all asleep at night and you can get the insecticide down into the entrance without getting stung. Of course he had protective gear on just in case.

Martina’s neighbor Jean gave me this little plant called Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Sorrel, Roselle). Here is what Jean told me about this plant. ”The leaves are delicious and can be used raw in salads / soups / stir fry or smoothies and the flower bulb (post-bloom) is used for tea and many other things medicinal. You have probably had sorrel or Hibiscus tea?

photo credit: CK Worley

Bring it inside for the winter and it will provide greens for you in the cold months. And save/ harvest the seeds after it blooms (about 8-12 in each one) so you can expand your garden next spring.”

This plant has been used in Folk Medicine as a diuretic or as a mild laxative. It has a high content of Vitamin C and can even be made into wine.

Healthy wine? Why not! Thanks Jean!