WHAT GARDENER'S FEAR MOST

I saw this in a Hortus book and thought it was funny to share.

• Alliumphobia - fear of garlic
• Anthophobia - fear of flowers
• Apiphobia - fear of bees
• Arachnophobia - fear of spiders
• Batonophobia - fear of plants
• Bufonophobia - fear of toads
• Dendrophobia - fear of trees
• Entomophobia - fear of insects
• Lanchanophobia - fear of vegetables
• Myrmecophobia - fear of ants
• Ornithophobia - fear of birds
• Ranidaphobia - fear of frogs
• Rupophobia - fear of dirt
• Scoleciphobia - fear of worms
• Spheksophobia - fear of wasps (this used to be me until I got stung by one and realized it was no big deal)
  

WE ARE LEAVES OF 3 AND TRUST ME YOU WANT TO LET US BE

Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac can generally be identified by their clusters of 3 shiny leaflets. DON'T TOUCH OR INGEST THEM! LET THEM BE! LET THEM BE! Some sighs include itching of the skin and blisters. If you come in contact with this plant you could take an oatmeal bath which may help, but you should really seek medical treatment at once.



Notice in this picture of a poison ivy in the fall that there are 3 distinct leaflets attached to the stem.

GARDEN STAIN FIGHTER - JUST REMOVE IT!

There are many ways to SAFELY remove your garden stains. Below are methods listed by Hortus.

Grass, foliage and flowers - Work earth friendly soap or detergent into the stain, then rinse with cool water. Do not use chlorine it is toxic but you could buy earth friendly bleach.
Mud - Let the stain dry and then brush it well to remove the soil. If the stain remains then treat it as if it were grass and use the above method. Strains from iron rich clay's should be treated as rust.

Rust - spreat the stain portion on a pan of boiling water and squeeze lemon juice on it, and spread the fabric in the sun to dry. Rince and repeat if needed.

Berries - Remove all the excess berries with a spoon. Thoroughly saturate the stain with cold water and work earth friendly soap or detergent into the area. Allow to be for 5 minutes. With the stained area stretched over a bowl in the sink, pour hot water through the back of the stain to force it out of the fabric.

IF IT SAYS ORGANIC THEN WHAT?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture set the following standards on the use of organic.

100% Organic - A raw or processed agricultural product sold, labeled or represented as 100% organic must contain 100% organically produced ingredients.

Organic - A raw or processed agriculture product sold, labeled or represented as organic must contain not less than 95% organically produced raw or processed agricultural products.

Made With Organic - Multi ingredient agricultural product sold, labeled or represented as made with organic must contain at least 70% organically produced ingredients.

Buying organic is not about spending more money but rather your health. Whether you are buying groceries or cleaning supplies or even pet food and litter it's a good thing to buy organic.

This lady at Tanaka Farms told me that "produce that has been sitting on the shelves at grocery store (Von's, Ralph's etc.) has been traveling 2 months before it gets into your mouth." So you mean to tell me that by the time I buy it it's 2 months old? Yikes!

Here is what I do which not only improved my health but translated into "ALL NATURAL HEALTHY" weight loss. It's easy, simple and worth every penny. Remember your health is priceless.

• 95% of all the fruits and vegetables I consume are either bought at farmers markets or a local farm.
• I buy everything else at Whole Foods, Sprouts or Mothers.
• All of my cat food and cat litter is organic (hey if I am going to eat healthy why shouldn't my cats).

Do the right thing for you and your family. Buy responsibly! Buy organic! Just plain use common sense when buying products! If there is an ingredient that you cannot pronounce then perhaps it's not natural or good for you.

NATURALLY CONDITION THE INDOOR AIR

All plants take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen but the ones listed below are great at filtering air pollution and cleaning up toxins, which makes them great for offices, homes and other enclosed spaces.

• Areca Palm
• Arrowhead Vine
• Boston Fern
• Chrysanthemum
• Date Palm
• English Ivy
• Pothos (pictured)
• Rubber Tree
• Spider Plant
• Weeping Fig

AN EASY WAY TO DRY FLOWERS

There are many ways to dry flowers but the steps below is easy not to mention a fun activity to do with your kids.

1. Select flowers after the morning dew has dried.
2. Shorten the stem to the desired length and remove any foliage or damaged parts.
3. Put all the stems in a bunch and tie a rubber band or string around it.
4. Hang the bunch upside down in a room that is well ventilated, dry and dark. Your blooms should be dried and ready to use in 4-7 days.
5. Once they have dried be sure not to put them in the sun to preserve their color.

There is a wide variety of plants that you can dry but might I suggest something fragrant. This way as the plant is drying the room or area that you are using will smell nice so you won't have to use the toxic room sprays to add scent.

CONDITIONING CUT FLOWERS

Conditioning cut flowers is just a way to ensure the plants longevity.

1. Fill a clean bucket with cool water and add in 1 tablespoon of flower food.
2. Once you have picked your flowers then remove all foliage that might fall into the water and well as thorns or any damaged parts.
3. Cut at least 2 inches off each stem at an angle and put the flowers in water to allow the flower to soak up water.
4. Arrange these flowers in your favorite vase with the proper water level added.

If your plant oozes a milky sap then dip the cut ends in boiling water for 10-15 seconds to seal the cuts.

GOING ON VACATON UH OH WHAT ABOUT MY INDOOR PLANTS?

There is a simple step to keeping your indoor plants watered while you are on vacation. You could go out and buy a complex system but you don't have to. Just follow these steps and you should be good to go.

1. Cut a length of pantyhose roughly 12-18 inches in length.
2. Bury one end in the root zone of the soil around the plant.
3. Immerse the other end in a container of water placed above the level of the plant.

The pantyhose will get drenched with water and slowly that water will be released to your plants.

PLANT TAXONOMY

Plant taxonomy is the science of naming plants. Carl Linnaeus is considered to be the father of taxonomy and used Latin as the primary language of identifying plants. Each plant thus has what is called a botanical name.

• Genus
• Species
• Common Name

For example...... Parthenocissus tricuspidata Boston Ivy

The genus is Partheonocissus which is always written with the first letter in capitals. The species is tricuspidata which is always written in all lower case. The common name is Boston Ivy and is written with the first letter of each word in capitals.

In some cases there are what is called a caltivar (variety). In such cases the cultivar name would go after the species name and is put in single quotes with the first letter of each word capitalized.

CLIMATE ZONES

The zone you live in may affect what you can plant in your garden. Each area has a zone. For example zones 22-24 is mostly Orange County (this info can be found on page 51 of the Sunset Western Garden Book). Now each plant is given varioius zones that they will grow in so before picking the plant you like make sure that it grows in your zone.

Zone 22 - Colder-winter Parts of S. California's Coastal Region

Growing season: Mar. to early Dec. Winter lows seldom fall below 28 degrees F/-2 degrees C (records are around 21 degrees F/-6 degrees C), though colder air sinks to this zone from Zone 23. Summers are warm; rain comes in winter. Climate here is largely oceanic.

Zone 23 - Thermal Belts of S. California's Coastal Region

Growing season: almost year-round (all but first half of Jan.). Rain comes in winter. Reliable ocean influence keeps summers mild (except when hot Santa Ana winds come from inland), frosts negligible; 23 degrees F/-5 degrees C is the record low.

ZONE 24 - Marine-dominated S. California Coast

Growing season: all year, but periodic freezes have dramatic effects (record lows are 33 degrees to 20 degrees F/1 degree to -7 degrees C). Climate here is oceanic (but warmer than oceanic Zone 17), with cool summers, mild winters. Subtropical plants thrive.

GARDEN FITNESS

I have heard this many times and said it myself a lot that there is not enough time during the day to work out. I'll be the first to admit that every time I say it it's just out of pure laziness. Have you ever thought of using your garden as a gym. Pulling weeds involve using your arm muscles. Other gardening chores which may seem boring might be a great way to get at least half an hour or some sort of work out. You could even get the kids involved. Try having a neighborhood gardening day where you and your neighbors go to each other's homes for an hour or so and help each other in the garden. It's fun, free and some people have actually found maintaining their garden to be relaxing. Remember that the gym is not the only place to workout!

Below are other tips from fitness suite 101...

1. Don’t make it a marathon: keep a regular gardening routine. Instead of trying to do everything over the weekend, schedule at least 30-60 minutes of yard work two to three times per week.
2. Warm up your body by taking a brisk walk around the yard before any vigorous work.
3. When raking, change the movement and alternate the sides of your body to ensure you are working them both equally.
4. When digging, switch hands often so you are using both arms. This helps prevent muscle imbalances, repetitive motion injuries and blisters.
5. Bend at your knees and keep your back straight when lifting heavy items.

Don't forget to stretch after gardening.

“As with any good exercise program, be sure to cool down with these stretches to help alleviate post yard work aches and pains,”

1. Hamstring stretch: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and slide one foot in front of the other. Gently sit your hips back and support your upper body on the leg you did not move. Hold for 15-30 seconds and switch legs.
2. Lower back stretch: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Bend knees slightly and bend at the hips. Support your upper body with your hands on your thighs. Gently round your back so it arches like a cat.
3. Chest opening: Stand tall and relax your shoulders down your back. Reach hands back with thumbs pointing up. If this is uncomfortable, grasp hands behind back and lift your chest.
4. Upper-back stretch: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Bring palms together and reach arms away from body. Feel the stretch between your shoulder blades.

Remember basic precautions when outdoors

Lastly, don’t forget your hat, sun protection and gloves – even in autumn.

1. Wear sunscreen, long-sleeved shirts, pants and a wide-brimmed hat to limit sun exposure.
2. Drink plenty of water to replace the sweat.
3. Use gloves to help prevent blisters and splinters to your hands.
4. Use a kneeling cushion to support your knees.
   

I DARE YOU TO KILL YOUR LAWN

Do you really need a large area of lawn? Most likely not. This couple in Irvine, CA hired me to kill their lawn. So I did! Their front yard lawn area was serving no purpose and taking up useful space. They got the look they wanted without really denting their wallet. Simply put an unused space was given purpose while maintaining a friendship with the environment.
If you have kids or animals and are concerned about where they will play, then might I suggest using synthetic turf. It is much easier to maintain than regular turf, requires no watering and you never have to reseed or mow. You will on occasion have to sweep it to ensure that you get whatever dirt may be there, but not often enough to be bothersome.
OK so now that you have thankfully decided to kill your lawn let's talk about how to kill it. First identify what type of lawn you have and then follow the steps to appropriate removal.
Cool Season - Fescue, Marathon, Bluegrass & any grass blends that stay green in the winter - With this type of grass you can do the following steps to removal...

• Smother with mulch - this will prevent the grass from receiving the sunlight it needs to grow.
• Strip and flip using a sod cutting machine.
• Rototill, only if no rhizomatous weedy grasses are present.
• Stop watering it.

Warm Season - Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoyzia & any rhizomatous grass that is brown in the winter - With this type of grass you can do the following steps to removal...

• Hand removal by weeding & digging out the roots.
• Herbicide usage - This can be pricey and somewhat toxic so use with caution.
• Do not rototill as this will spread the seeds for more new grass to grow.

Remember that patience is key to removing your lawn. It will take some time but in the end it will be well worth it to have a beautiful garden. You just might end up being a trend setter in your neighborhood.

Update:  in designing lawn-less gardens I have come to learn many things, tips and tricks and one that I have learned after writing this post is about a safe method to killing the lawn.  Before I get to that I would like to state that if you use RoundUp then you are putting yourself at high risk.  On the one hand it is water soluble and on the other hand it is cancer causing.  NO JOKE!  This is a post I did about RoundUp and a safer method of killing your lawn using vinegar.