Helpful Gardening Tips for Everyday Gardeners...get rid of wasps, slugs and a great fungicide recipe

Gather Some Helpful Gardening Tips...

I can't image not using some of the gardening tips listed below. Every few weeks I create a Garden Video Update. Not only does this garden video allow my readers to see my flowerbed progression, it allow me to document the placement of my plants.

Believe it or not I also check back to this page to remind me of my to do garden tasks, like dividing my hardy garden lilies, a task I must admit to not liking very much.

Create a binder for your garden. During our first living at our current property, Jim scribbled many lists and other facts related to our gardening designing on sheets of loose-leaf paper. It is quite interesting looking back to our first year of 2007 and comparing our garden wish list to what we have accomplished so far.

Check back often as I am always adding new tips!

In The Flowerbed Garden Tips

Always consider if the plants you want to grow spread vigorously. Read the tag carefully or research growing patterns



Keep your plants accessible. Use stepping stones or apply a ground mulch



When planting consider the wind sweeps through your garden, especially narrow side gardens. Winds can damage young shrubs or young plantings



When planting know whether the plants require dividing often or conversely do not like being divided or moved such as the Butterfly Bush



By the same token, if the plants are blooming and doing well, why divide and cause extra work?



If you are transplanting, do so on a cloudly or in light rain. Less shock for the plant



New! To help prevent mildew, remember to thin your plants to help provide circulation. As an example: for Garden Phlox, only allow 5 shoots per plant.



In the spring, fertilize when soil warms up (50 degrees F or 10 degrees C) otherwise the plants and the garden soil will not react with the fertilizer



Sprinkle slow-release fertilizer on a rainy day (gentle rain, not a down pour). Mixes better into the soil than applying when the soil is too dry



When planting, consider mature height, plant fullness and balance



Don't over fertilize your roses, especially with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer (chemical symbol N). This signals the plant to produce more foliage than blooms



Feed your roses banana skins. High in calcium, magnesium, sulphur and phosphates. Work into the soil at the base



Pick your herbs on dry days only, late in the morning after the dew has evaporated but certainly before the heat of the day



Use good quality landscape fabric (or wet sheets of newspaper) in between plants. Keeps the weeds down. Then cover with soil or mulch

Remembering Your Plants

Draw out and label your planted garden on paper. Trust me, unless you have tagged each plant, you won't remember what you planted where



Keep the flower or plant ID tags. Wash off and keep in a file box or photo album for future reference



Make a short video of your garden. Most digital cameras can now record in at least five minute intervals



Make a photo album of your garden. Take pictures either very early in the morning (6:00am), on a cloudy day or after it rains

Designing Tips

Mix up the angles in your landscape design. Use circles, ovals gardens, curved pathways



The same goes for your front garden. Don't line up your shrubs against the house. Design so that your flowerbeds are drawn out from the house in curves. Plant in layers.



New! Why not try a designer tip...match your flower color with your outdoor furniture color and your outdoor accessory (like dishes ect.) colors.



New! Need to hide an ugly shed or side of a garage. Try affixing prepainted lattice sheets. You can paint the lattice a great contrast color or have it blend in with a more muted color tone. Then hang some flower baskets.



New! Trouble areas in your garden. Do what I did. My long side of the house walkway was an eye sore. I added the new black designer mulch to the ground and placed wrought iron containers strategicially. I also hung wrought iron baskets on the fence.



Use low voltage lighting to highlight features in your garden or to draw the eye to the end of your property



Not enough room? Try window boxes, trellis planting or tuck an art object into a shady unused corner space

Odds and Sods Tips

Use disposable gloves. You can buy them by the case. Can be found in the cleaning aisle of many department stores. If not, try a medical supply store for surgical gloves





Purchase a child's size metal rake (if you can find one). The best garden tool by far. The rake tongs are flexible metal and just the right size to get in between plants and under shrubs





It's always great to purchase your plants from a garden center that will recycle the old pots





Re-use that gallon ice-cream pail for deadheading your plants. I find that the pail is the perfect size to move around the garden with me instead of a huge bucket.





Add pickle juice to your compost. Helps increase the acidic value





New! Besides using the Scarecrow water sprayer to deter cats from your flowerbeds, you can also lay a piece of welded-wire fencing material on the ground and plant through the opening.





New! Do you have moles in your garden? Try keeping them out of your flowerbed with a castor-oil preparation, such as Mole-Med.

More Gardening tips: for misbehaved plants...

Instead of throwing out 'badly behaved' plants like Dead Nettle Herman's Pride or Lady's Mantle, find a spot for them in the very back of your yard and dig them in. I already have a spot in mind for this year's crop. Or better yet, give some away to friends and neighbors. Remember the old saying, 'one person's trash is another person's treasure' so don't throw them out.

More Gardening Tips: Get rid of slugs tip...

Yes, we have all heard of the beer in a saucer, or the half grapefruit placed upside down, but have you heard of using vinegar? Try a 50-50 solution of water and vinegar in a spray bottle. The slimly pests disintegrate within a few minutes and you haven't hurt your plants. How's that for a great tip? Or if you are not grossed out, pick them off by hand as I do...

New! Another interesting way to keep slugs of the flowerbed gardens is to sprinkle coarse sand or crushed eggshells around the plants.

More Gardening Tips: A great fertilizing tip...

If you are using a granular product: When fertilizing your shrubs and trees, try making a 12 inch hole in the soil with a one-inch wide broom handle along your tree or shrub's drip line. Evenly add the recommended amount of fertilizer to each hole and then cover the soil. This lets the fertilizer slowly seep into the ground with each watering and rain.

More Gardening Tips: Garden Recipes for Wasps and Slugs

For wasps:

If wasps are bothersome, here's a great recipe...

Mix the ingredients together and pour into a wasp jar or any other heavy flat bottom container. This recipe really does attract the little 'stingers'.

Basic Fungicide Recipe

Mix the baking soda and water together first. Then add the dish soap and stir. Pour into a clean spray bottle. Spray the plants and soil. Leave on the plants 3-5 days. Do not spray plant leaves in direct sunlight.

Well...no gardening happening in Winnipeg, Manitoba ...however I managed to capture a great image.

This image was taken on October 8, 2009. Winnipeg received a 'freak' snowfall. Thank goodness my camera was close at hand and I was able to grab the winter wonderland image before it all melted.

Look close... you can see the waterfall cascading and the frozen annuals in the foreground.

Related Information:

Please visit Hydroponics At Home for homemade hydroponic system design and general information.

Check out My Garden Shrubs

Or just go to my Site Index page for a complete index list of plants.

Additional Related Information:

Visit Avant Gardening for creative organic gardening information.

Please visit My Gardening Resources and Products Page for additional gardening links.

Go back from Gardening Tips to Gardening and Landscaping Makeover Home Page

Do You Have Any Valuable Gardening Tips?

Share with us Your most valuable and interesting gardening tips.

Can't find what you are looking for? Use the Search Box below and thanks for visiting my web site.

Please visit again and why not 'Bookmark' this site as a favorite...makes it easy to find us again.