Sunflowers

It's that time of the year. 

 Sunflowers are everywhere! 

 It feels like just yesterday they were tall green funny looking stalks.  Today they have HUGE heads smiling and bobbing in the breeze.  

They are one of my favorite flowers. 

 A field of sunflowers always brings a smile to my face, and generally I stop the car to take in the fragrance, and view the magical scene.  The above picture is of my lovely daughter.  She recently visited a sunflower maze! Next time I think I will tag along!

Growing

It's a hot steamy June day here in Indiana. 

Today I'm working on estimates for future clients as well as repeat business.  Here at One Broken Nail Gardening and Landscape Artist my little business has blossomed and bloomed with new clients this Spring.  The blessings have been numerous and we are forever grateful to everyone who entrusted their yards to my vision.

I've enjoyed watching my clients faces light up with joy as they see the landscape change and grow.  Becoming everything they had hoped for and much more. 

Many times I've watched them with their "scrutiny face" as I'm dismantling and ripping apart their beds or lawn.  I'm sure they are also researching "who to call when their yard is a mess".  Then as it slowly comes back together and they step outside and it's much better than anticipated.  These things make me happy, I just wave my little magic wand, and Voila! All Better.

Nothing really wrong with the bed to the left.  It was just boring, two types of flowers that had taken over the bed. Now she has a flower garden that will bloom all 3 seasons!

My husband looked at me strangely this past weekend, which always makes me nervous.  "What?", I asked.  He smiled and said, "I'm super proud of you"  I of course told him he was being a weirdo.  Then he went on to explain, in our 18 years together he couldn't remember when I was this happy.  I laughed and said, I'm not sure it is happiness as much as an obsession ;)

What Comes Next

This summer brought about a leap of faith.  I've been a Purdue Master Gardener since the fall of 2007.  As part of our training we are obligated to give back to the community by volunteering our time, effort and knowledge to groups around us.  I've been blessed over and over to have been able to assist many organizations large and small.

Now it is time to take all of my years of training and put it into practice in my own business.  Why did it take me so long?  I liken this to being a new physician, would you want one who just graduated from Med school, or would you have more trust in one who has real-world experience through practical internships?  I've completed my 8 years of internship and I'm Open For Business.  Hanging out my Shingle!  

Now Accepting New Clients.

Thanks, just needed to say it out loud.  

  

I will always be grateful to my first client.  The Stires/Lee home.  Amazing young couple that have been working on the interior of their home.  The exterior was overwhelming to them.  The main focus has always been to just keep the overgrowth at bay.  Just doing that exhausted them.  This is where I stepped in.  

We discussed a plan of action, listening and setting their goals.  Together, we learned what they wanted to see when they pulled into their driveway.

I took a minute and learned what her favorite flowers are, and that YES she would like to be able to spend time cutting flowers and enjoying plants that bloom.   I learned that he wanted the planting beds larger and they both want flowering trees.
We had a few things to tackle.

First was the obvious dead trees in the front lawn.  I started with the removal of a very old cherry tree and then next a large maple.  Both had been deceased for years and just needed removed.  

Then I tackled the Vinca vine.  I'm not a fan of vinca, it is a quick and easy ground cover, yet it has it drawbacks.  As you can see from the pictures above.  During this time I found that there were several other plants that were trying their hardest to reach sunlight and pull nutrients from the earth.  Rest well little ones next summer will be much better now that the Vinca has been removed/destroyed/conquered! 

They also had a very large, beautiful, Colorado Blue Spruce which, unfortunately, had been planted way too close to the front porch and walkway.  The tree, while lovely, made it difficult to navigate the pathway and was actively blocking the home.  Feng Shui came to mind when looking at the removal of this tree.  It was definitely blocking our Chi. 

Before we departed there was one more "tree" to be tackled.  In the side yard was a Barberry that had become a huge thorn in their side, yes Pun was intended!  A few minutes with a chainsaw and a pick ax and their side-yard is again a yard, freed from the oppression of this monstrosity.  

Unearthing this front lawn revealed rocks, LARGE rocks everywhere.  At one time, I'm certain that there was an amazing landscaped bed in this front lawn.  Unfortunately the Vinca didn't respect those boundaries.   After the mulching was complete I put a small edge border along the driveway to keep the mulch from washing away during rainstorms.

A note regarding the before and after of this picture.

 I took the before in late July, and the homeowner added a few plants during the summer.  A choice was made to see whether the Coreopsis would revive next Spring, or will it need replaced. The goal is for this bed to have a 3-stage planting, spring - summer and fall flowering.  The removal of the old timbers, and replacing with a rounded border is to give the same flowing of the beds closer to the home.  

Next comes planning for the Spring plantings.  Placement of flowering trees, and adding more perennials and a few additional bushes.  A beautiful cutting garden will go in the space between the driveway and sidewalk. Our homeowners will be welcomed home with color, rather than kept from their door by the needles of the Blue Spruce.  

Big plans also in play for that wonderful spot vacated by the monster barberry next Spring (sorry, no spoilers here)!

Feel free to share, I'm here local to Indianapolis and planning new planting beds and fall/winter clean up for clients.  

Crimson Thorn roses in July

Over a year ago my wonderful children gifted me with my favorite rose bush.  Crimson Bouquet Grandiflora Rose (Rosa KORbeteilich)

This picture was taken this morning.  I didn't have the heart to pluck off the rose petal that was sticking oddly out the side of the bud.    I thought it added to the charm of the photo.  We have experienced some terrible storms here lately in Indiana, and I chalk this small amount of damage to one of those storms.

These beautiful ladies arrived before we moved into your new home, I placed them all in individual containers and began their journey with us.  The weekend we closed on our new home, they were installed in their new place of honor.  

Last summer they handled the heat like pros, a drought that withered many lawns.  Then they weathered through the worst winter in 30 years here in Indiana.  I have never covered my rose bushes for the winter, I give them a good pruning and mulch.  Maybe I should have last year, during the worst of the freeze I was hopeful the house would protect them.  Spring arrived, and the center three bushes immediately sprung to life.

 

 Followed by this little one that worried us during most of last year.  Her placement is not optimal and I am still debating if I should bring her more out into the planting bed. 

It is July and many times for the past month

I was ready to call the rose grower and inform them that one of the girls did not make it through the harsh winter.  This morning I was completely delighted to see that the final bush has begun to produce foliage.  

 One of the reasons I enjoy the Grandiflora roses is for their size, shape and that they can be managed for years as beautiful specimen roses.  I'm not a fan of the more modern often considered less work variety of rose bushes that have become a favorite of landscapers and homeowners.  I enjoy my time with my roses, trimming away the dead leaves, pruning them into the shape.  

Here is a picture of the 5 girls in my front area.  

 As you can see, they were also chosen for the height they grow, to fill the area without blocking the area.  The final one to grow foliage is to the right.  This makes me feel that maybe I should pull it out into the sunlight more, along with the one to the far left.   My feral cats are very fond of sleeping under this bay window, and I also like to think they enjoy the roses.

Container gardens

When you think of container gardens, what do you envision?

I would guess most of us think of a large pot with flowers,

all beautifully coordinated and arranged to grow in harmony.  

These are some of my favorite type of containers to pot up in the Spring, and place strategically around my yard during the summer months. 

Many of these pots have unique light conditions.  Keeping this in mind I will meet their needs during the weekdays, and move them to my desired location when entertaining friends.  Heavy?  No not at all, most of these pots with annual specimens are filled with left over packing peanuts in the bottom, only utilizing 5-6" of dirt.  The 1st picture I swiped off of another site. It's June here and mine look more like this in the beginning month.

This pot I wanted to be different than others.  With limited full sun growing areas in my new yard limits my vegetable garden growing abilities.   I decided to tuck in two eggplants along with the Calla Lily (my precious daughter begged me to add to the mix) and the traditional vines to add overflow.  There is a a couple of very small begonias hiding and a spike to add height.  I'm feeling confident that the eggplants will end up dominating this pot with the ivy.  (Yes, one of my dogs is completely photo bombing me today while I was taking photos.)

On to water gardens.  We LOVE the sound of water around our house.  I'm very fortunate to have a large pickling crock to use as a small water garden on my front porch.

I just recently added the water Hyacinth and a few goldfish with a small fountain that gives motion to the water.  The fish do very well in this crock despite the hot summer days, it receives full morning sun and is cool the rest of the day. 

As the plant grows and fills the container I will separate and divide the plant.  If you find you need a piece of water hyacinth this summer stop by I'm sure I can share. (And YES, that is a our little Chimichanga completely photo bombing while I took pictures)

I've experimented with this container in the past using various types of water plants.  Many of them did not do as well, needing a shallow depth for planting or more motion in the water. Last year I went with a simpler approach.

The effect was amazing and guests to our front door couldn't help but smile. 

We keep about 2-3" of small aquarium rock in the bottom of the crock.  This crock is heavy, it is slowly moved into place every year after all threat of freezing has passed and lovingly put back in the garage for storage in the fall after we have dried it out completely.  

The flowering water hyacinth has become one of my favorites.

Tomato Plants ... what not to do!

In an overzealous moment, I thought to myself "Why not fertilize the tomato plants?"  They are growing beautifully, they could use a little food to boost their metabolism "Right?"
Wrong! these little guys obviously did not need fertilizer,  I have managed to scorch and kill all of them.  I'm sure if I had tried a very soft "tea" it might have worked?

I'm sure that many of you will tell me your mixtures that you use to feed the little guys to give them a more vigorous root growth at this young age.  Unfortunately, it is too late for them.

Today I will start a new tray of lovely little seeds.  I still have enough time, It's only April! And with the horrible winter we have had we might get one more snow/hail/sleet session from Mother Nature before it is safe to put the plants in the garden beds.

On the bright side, I did add this mess to my compost bin, along with the household small collection bin, some more leaves and water.  This is one of the reasons I like these types of planting trays.

Time to head out and stir the compost, can't wait to spread it in the garden beds!  Then to the store for more supplies for the seedling trays. 

Artichoke a mystery to me

I've realized that I've become a little bit obsessive over this crazy vegetable.  Sure we enjoy the flavor, like it in our dips, on pizza or a sandwich.  Yet when I saw it in the grocery this week for the low price of $1/ea

I felt the need to stop buying them already prepared in a can or from the deli.  I knew I could do this, I could master the art of cooking artichokes! 

With the wonderful world of the internet at my finger tips I set upon a journey to ready and watch everyone else's tips and tricks. 

First I cut off the top and bottom and trimmed many of the thorny tips, this picture is of my last one and by this time I knew I would not be using the outside parts, skipped the trimming of the leaves.    Lemon seems to work the best for rubbing on the cut areas and keeping them from premature browning.  I also added lemon to the boiling water for steaming.

After steaming them I found a marinade that is a lemon base for the acid. My husband has declared this the best tasting artichoke he has every had.

 Makes me happy since I have been steaming, cleaning and putting them in a marinade for a few days.  Now I have some stored away to easily add to other recipes.

Now to figure out how to grow them here in Indiana!

Thinning day for the tomato sprouts

It was great getting away for a week. The better news is that my tomato plants grew so much in my absence (HUGE THANK YOU TO MY HUSBAND).  I sometimes compare growing vegetables to watching a pot boil.... stop watching and amazing things begin to happen.

They are so pretty, it really was difficult to begin thinning them out. 

They only cried a little :)  

My youngest child really did not like that I had a "discard" pile and thought that all of them should be given a chance.

They really do look much better and after reassuring the small child and placing the "discarded ones" into the compost.  The plants are basking in their space and enjoying the sunlight today.

March 25th....more snow

Today's forecast was for more snow.  When I hear this I always think of the funny story about the man who was so excited to shovel snow during the first snowfall.  By the 2nd week he was less than excited about the white stuff.  This winter I'm beginning to feel a little like Jack Nicholson in the Shining!  Enough with the snow!

On a more positive side, we received a quote from a gutter guard company today.  MasterShield Gutter Guards.  They guarantee that their mesh shield deflects everything that is larger than 1/2 the size of a human hair. Pine needles seem to be a large part of their guarantee.  In fact they give a list of the types of pine needles on their website:

• eastern white pine
• western white pine
• sugar pine
• red pine
• pitch pine
• jack pine
• longleaf pine
• shortleaf pine
• loblolly pine
• slash pine
• Virginia pine
• ponderosa pine
• pinyon pine
• Jeffrey pine
• lodgepole pine

This made me curious as to what is a Loblolly Pine?  Pinus Taeda is commonly referred to Loblolly Pine.  The forestry industry refers to this tree as the Southern Yellow Pine.  This is the 2nd most common tree (as identified by the US Forestry Service) in the U.S., after the red maple.If we had a pine this tall we would be worried about pine needles in our gutters.  Fortunately for us our one lonely pine tree is much small than this tree.

Sometime this Spring (whenever it arrives) we will become the happy owners of gutter guards.  This will keep my husband safe, he likes to climb the ladder at every chance to clean out the gutters.  I'm not trying to keep him from moving about and exercising, just trying to keep his feet on the solid ground.

In the meantime I will keep watering my seedlings, and dreaming of warm Spring days. 

My orchid is blooming!

My excitement can't be contained, my orchid is blooming!  I've been unsuccessful for years at keeping an orchid alive let alone getting to bloom.  In my prior 3 homes I became very good at killing a wide variety of orchids.  Yes, I followed all the instructions, videos, advice from all the orchid growing experts, friends and fellow master gardeners.  It took us moving and building a home with windows that allow just the right amount of natural light.  Or maybe it is the humidifier on the furnace?  Maybe I just became calm enough to finally grow these delicate plants?

Isn't she just lovely?

My first clue that I was doing something right was earlier this winter she began producing more leaves.  I was confused, this is the normal time that my other orchids would begin to shed leaves.  I knew she liked me and our home.

So many colors that blend seamlessly together in this very common household orchid.

Isn't it amazing how much pleasure one can gain from one $9 plant?

The bud just beginning to open, we wait for days in anticipation of the opening of this delicate flower.

Garfield Park Conservatory will be hosting the annual Orchid show in April.

Maybe I will find a friend to keep her company?

Mulch...important things to know

I'm probably one of the few people you will meet who does actually enjoy spreading mulch.  Be it either the 5 cubic yards delivered to my driveway or picking it up bag by bag at the local garden center.  Something about the smell, feel and texture of mulch makes me a happy girl.

I've been on somewhat of a crusade  for a few years now.  My mission to share the proper way to mulch a tree.  Came across this diagram today on a Master Gardener site.  "Volcano Mulching" is a NO NO!

I'm not sure what started the piling up of mulch around the base of a tree.

"Was the landscaper just not willing to dig to the appropriate depth for the tree to be planted?" 

" Did someone start the trend thinking that trees with a giant hill of mulch was attractive? "

" Maybe they thought the tree was afraid to show a little "knee" and should be covered? "

Anyway you look at it, the run off of water and the suffocating of the root structure are a terrible way to to treat the beautiful trees in our landscapes.  Save your self some time and effort, flatten out the mulch, give the tree a slight doughnut (who doesn't love a Donut?) and keep the water going to the roots and let the trees knees show a bit.

This is the time of year I start planning out my mulch purchases.  Many of the local mulch retailers give great discounts if you pre-plan your mulch delivery.  Check out Tiffany Lawn and Garden they were offering great discounts this week due to the Flower and Patio Show.  I've also used Greendell. In the past they assisted with a large mulch supply for my former HOA and they have specials for Church programs. There is also GreenCycle they are taking the yard waste and other items that would normally be headed to the city dump and composting it into a usable product.


Composting... that will be tomorrow's blog.


A word of caution:  get your mulch from a reputable source, mulch that is properly composted.

A few pretty pictures

Just a few photos taken early this morning from 

the Flower & Patio Show's exhibit gardens.

Tulips and Daffodils always make me think of Spring

Azaleas and Rose Bushes remind me of my Grandmother

I've seen many very original uses for discarded or antique store finds.  Never have I seen a piano turned into a water feature.  Very unique concept, maybe it would be best used as a focal point at a venue or reception hall?  Thinking that the piece could change out annually to keep the crowds coming back every year for meetings and gatherings. Leaving them with anticipation for what this years centerpiece will be.

I always take away something from each of these type of shows that I attend.  I found this very formal reflecting pond soothing.  Yes, the large splashy gorgeous ponds installed right across the aisle way beg you to pet the fish and put your toes in the water.  This one spoke to me in many different ways.  The stillness of the water (to me) is very inviting.

One Broken Nail Garden and Landscaping is at your service. 

 Accepting clients for the 2014 growing season.

Look what popped up today!

Here in Indiana we are once again facing Winter's brutal grasping hand.  Snow, Sleet and rain and blustery winds.  Yesterday we had a beautiful Spring day that had the kids out riding bikes and playing ball.  I did see the beginning of the daffodils in my cousins yard this morning, thank goodness they do not mind the snow (too much).

Inside the warmth of my hearth room the tomato seeds found the conditions to their liking and popped through the soil!!  My youngest child squealed with glee a the site of them just now.  Her first question "Which ones are boys and which ones are girls?", merrily jumping up and down.  "I want to name one Charlotte"

I began to explain the make up of the tomato plant, which quickly brought the 10 year old brain to a halt, taking all the fun out of naming the plants.  I guess Beefsteak and San Marzano are not great names for plants and they need a first middle and last name.

Meet Charlotte (the one on the right) Marie San Marzano the tomato plant.

One Broken Nail Garden and Landscaping is at your service. 

 Accepting clients for the 2014 growing season.

Ladybug Ladybug fly away home....

I'm  sure many of us rhymed this little tune as children as we gleefully blew the little ladybug off of ourselves

I felt very special today while out cleaning up the landscape beds this little gal (or guy) came along to visit with me. Today's beautiful sunshine and the warm feeling of the earth again made me for a few minutes forget the harshness of this past winter.

Hurry along little ladybug find a snug place to stay for the next few days, we will visit again soon.

One Broken Nail Garden and Landscaping is at your service. 

 Accepting clients for the 2014 growing season.

Crabgrass my summertime nemesis

When is the perfect time to treat for crabgrass? That question (and a few more) were asked of me early this morning at the Flower & Patio show.

Here in Indiana we have been frozen most of the winter (this is unusual for us) and normally I've begun to purchase the crabgrass preventative and dust off the spreader by now.  Lucky for me John Orick of Purdue University was hanging out this morning with us and he is a "Turf Guy".  He says wait, as long as we have it on the lawn by the first week of April we should be okay this year.

Here is a great document from Purdue University on Crabgrass control

http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-10-W.pdf

This photo could have been of my lawn last summer.  Brand new lawn applied by a professional landscape company (courtesy of our home builder) we still found ourselves with the unwelcome crabgrass visitor. By this time it was too late our only control method was to physically pull it out (which we did).   No it did not arrive in the sod, it chose to make itself at home between the squares.

Our back yard was a different problem, we pretty much only had crabgrass.  Making the best of the situation we allowed most of them to stay with us for the season.

After speaking with "The Turf Guy" for a little bit longer I may try to spread some very early grass seed this week and see if maybe (keeping fingers crossed) we can get the back lawn to flourish this year.  Our backyard parties go so much better when guests are not standing in mud. If the growing of grass doesn't go as planned our next step will be to completely hard scape the yard!  Starting with a Bocce Ball court, large fish pond and extensive patio areas. I'm starting to think this might be the way to go.

Do you have any tried and true tips or tricks that you use for your lawn?

One Broken Nail Garden and Landscaping is at your service. 

 Accepting clients for the 2014 growing season. 

Let's talk Bees

Garth (my DH - dear husband) and I have a deep admiration of the honey bee.  Every year we say we are going to become the proud sponsors of a honey bee hive, and every year we "chicken out".  Huge responsibility!  Maybe this year we will take baby steps and attend the state conference and learn more about this deeply rewarding hobby.

I have always planted many perennials that support the dietary needs of the honey bee. Recently I stumbled across this adorable chart and wanted to share with you.

Many of these I have growing in my gardens, and a few are on my list to plant this year.  If you would like assistance with integrating these into your gardening landscape let me know.  

One Broken Nail Garden and Landscaping is at your service. 

 Accepting clients for the 2014 growing season. 

Looking for signs of Spring

It feels like Spring outside today!  Wandered around my yard for a few minutes enjoying the sun's warmth and the earth's squishy-ness.

 Gil and I checked out the temporary fish pond all seems well.  Small pond heater is still functioning and the fish were moving about.

We are looking forward to building a much larger pond this coming summer.

After much searching we only found this small bit of green color.  Not much, yet encouraging that our world did not freeze solid destroying all plant life in our yard.  :)

Looking forward to all the bulbs emerging from their winter slumber.


Time to clean up the remaining leaves on the lawn.  With the small break in snow this would be a great time to spread crab grass preventative.

 Adding that to the to do list for tomorrow.

One Broken Nail Garden and Landscaping is at your service. 

 Accepting clients for the 2014 growing season.