Flip through My Pages!

          (THANKS FOR AWARDING ME "BEST OF POD")
       I'll put the award on as soon as I figure how.......
As you can see I don't know HOTMAIL and can't get the title
centered. It's driving me crazy. So do me a favor, pretend
that it is. You're gardeners, you're visionary, you can do
                          it!        



           I've made many gardening mistakes. 
              They cost me time and MONEY!
                  I hate wasting money.

             Here's my list of gardening tips!

1. Unless you want to carry buckets and buckets of water,
   don't plant anything that you can't reach with a hose. 
   Or buy more hose!
2. After planting, cover the poor babies with those gallon
   containers,4 in. pots, even newspaper to shield them 
   from the sun for a few days.
3. Plant before it's going to rain for a few days, let 
   nature do the watering! I even plant in the rain!
4. When you can't decide what color to buy, choose white.
   It goes with everything,and it stands out at night. 
   Light colors make things look farther away, hot colors,
   make things look closer. If you want your yard to look 
   bigger, use light colors along the outside perimeter.
5. Pinch the shoots off when planting. I know this is hard 
   to do, but you will have bushier plants that fill in 
   much better.
6. Don't fret over what should go where. I spent so much
   time trying to decide. The poor things would be half
   dead by the time I got them in. Plants that like sun
   in the sun, shade in shade. Tall plants in back, short
   plants in front. If you don't like how it looks, JUST
   MOVE IT. Then make sure you follow tips 2 & 3.
7. I decide what bulbs should go where in the spring. 
   Plant your bulbs in the fall in a patch. In the spring
   arrange them in your garden. By doing this, you don't 
   mistakenly dig up other bulbs and you know what blooms
   together.
8. When you buy bulbs, stick them in the refrigerator till
   you get around to planting in your patch. Most bulbs 
   require 12 weeks of cold, less time for crocus and 
   early bulbs. This gives them a jump start, and it's 
   much better for the bulb.
9. Bulbs on sale in January? Choose the Daffodils, you'll
   have much better luck. If the ground is frozen, pot 
   them up, stick 3 sticks in the pot, cover with a 
   plastic bag, tie it, stick in frig. Wait 12 weeks. Take
   the bag off, place in cool spot for a week, then place
   in a sunny window. You just forced bulbs!
10.Beware of invasive plants! Ivy, Vinca (Periwinkle), 
   Dead Nettle, Spiderwort etc. they will take over all
   your other plants. Plant them only in places that you
   don't want ANYTHING else!
11.Use an old florist tip and plant in odd numbers. I also
   plant the same thing in different places, not only does 
   it tie the yard together, but I found some things like
   one spot better than another.
12.THE BOTTOM LINE. NOTHING BEATS GREAT SOIL. I'M 5FT.8IN.,
   SEE THE FOXGLOVES IN THE PICTURE, THEY WERE GROWN IN 
   GOOD SOIL. THAT AREA WAS MULCHED FOR 5 YEARS, THE MULCH 
   BROKE DOWN AND CREATED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TOPSOIL. LOOK 
   HOW TALL THEY ARE! I HAVE HOLLYHOCKS THAT FOLLOW THE 
   FOXGLOVES AND HAVE TOPPED OUT AT 15 1/2 FT.! ALMOST
   EVERYTHING RESEEDS. I HAVEN'T HAD TO PLANT IMPATIENTS IN
   FIVE YEARS! THEY KEEP COMING BACK.