All posts by Jan Bills

In speaking
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Favorite Ornamental Plants

So many plants, so little time! Learn what’s new, what’s how and what will perform well in your garden this year!

In speaking
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Comfort, Ease and Simplicity

Gardens should be our love, not our labor of love! Discover how sustainable gardening includes a variety of gardening practices including design, planting and maintenance. Together we will develop a shift in perspective as we explore how to garden with comfort, ease and simplicity. Jan will share her dirty little gardening secrets for a happy and healthy 2019!

In speaking
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Comfort, Ease and Simplicity

In speaking
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Comfort, Ease & Simplicity

Learn how sustainable gardening includes a variety of practices used in design, planting and maintenance. Together we will explore how to use these simple, low maintenance, affordable and practical principles in your gardens. Enjoy interesting, invigorating and FUN new approaches to gardening in 2019.

In speaking
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How to Garden with Comfort, Ease and Simplicity

Customizable Tool Belt

Posted On 18 May 2018
By Jan Bills
In Garden Tools, Give-away, Uncategorized
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CONGRATULATIONS

✿Gail✿

Gail loves to plant an English Garden!

And now she has a customizable Tool Belt to help her in the garden!

Customizable Tool Belt Lets You Carry as Much (or as Little) as You Need!

Someone is going to win it!

I am delighted to be part of the Gardener’s Supply Company’s product review program. Recently they sent me this FABULOUS tool belt to review for our honest feedback. Well, if you can’t tell already, it was love at first sight! This high quality tool best is exactly what me and my team of gardeners needed! And, I am excited to host this giveaway because one lucky reader is going to WIN their very own must have tool belt!

This belt holds everything you need! NOW we are ready to work!

Are you ready to win?

✿To enter today’s giveaway, leave a comment below – tell me your favorite thing to plant! One entry per person, please.

✿Comments will close by 9:00 a.m. EST on Friday, May 25th.

✿The winner will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced in this post shortly thereafter.

Here’s some highlights:

Pruners, notepad, seed packets and more are literally at your side!
Pockets slip on and off and snap in place so you can customize and use only the ones you need
Frees up your hands to carry seedling flats, plants, etc.

The ingenious design includes four separate pockets; use as many as you need and slide the others off. The pockets snap into place so they stay put — you can slide them to the back, out of the way when you’re crouching or bending. And never again set down your pruners and then forget where you left them — with this tool belt you can safely stow them between uses. Four pockets. One has a hook-and-loop flap closure for phone or keys. One has a netted pocket for your water bottle. Two have double openings for hand tools and small supplies. The adjustable belt has a durable clip so it’s easy on, easy off. Fits waists up to 49″.

Nylon belt, laminated cotton canvas, cotton twill tape, polyester mesh, plastic clip
4 pockets, each 11-1/4″ L X 5-3/4″ W
Fits waists up to 49″
Weighs 12 oz.
Machine wash in cool water, delicate cycle
Imported
Gardener’s Supply Exclusive

FYI: Gardener’s Supply Company is on Facebook, Twitter: @gardenerssupply and Instagram: gardeners.

Friends, I am so excited for you all. Please tell your friends, share the love and joy because someone is going to be a winner…good luck!

When Pruning is Necessary

I am not a big fan of pruning; it is probably my least favorite garden chore. In fact, I believe many shrubs and trees are over-pruned. In most cases, dead, diseased, weak or broken branches can be pruned any time of year. If additional pruning is needed on an ornamental shrub, I encourage you to thin out at the base rather than hedge off the top. It is not only healthier for the plant but more aesthetically pleasing.

Pruning is often necessary to maintain a plant’s health and natural beauty. Following are my cutting-edge practices on pruning:

The best time to prune most plants and trees is when they are dormant; winter or early spring is ideal. This is my favorite time because there are no leaves and it is easy to see the plant’s branch structure.

Early spring -flowering shrubs should be pruned after they have bloomed, preferably before July 4th. If you prune flowering shrubs or trees, like Lilac and Forsythia, before they have produced blooms, you will forfeit blooms for that season only.

Early and late summer flowering shrubs like Hydrangea and Hibiscus should be pruned in late winter or early spring.

Excerpt from Late Bloomer: How to Garden with Comfort, Ease and Simplicity in the Second Half of Life by Jan Coppola Bills, St. Lynn’s Press, Fall 2016