Tag Archives: Nature

A Green Hoe™ Give-Away

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we are excited to offer our first Green Hoe™  Give-away!  Please share YOUR favorite ‘GREEN‘ eco-friendly practice in the home or garden by leaving a comment on this post!   Examples:  mulch leaves, use vinegar on weeds instead of chemicals, use natural cleaning products in home, etc.!

Using a random number generator on March 23rd at 12 midnight EST, one lucky ‘GREEN’ Hoe will select one Green Hoe™ product below from our Boutique! The Winner will be announced March 24th at 9:00 a.m. EST!

Happy ‘GREEN’ Hoeing, Friends!

 

May all your gardens grow,

Diary of a Robin – March 12, 2012

Now when the primrose makes a splendid show, And lilies face the March-winds in full blow, And humbler growths as moved with one desire Put on, to welcome spring, their best attire, Poor Robin is yet flowerless; but how gay With his red stalks upon this sunny day!

~William Wordsworth

May all your gardens grow,

Small Worlds: Toledo Museum of Art

Yesterday I visited the Toledo Museum of Art with my Soil Sister, Kylee Hartwig Baumle,  a/k/a Our Little Acre.  Needless to say, we had a perfectly lovely day! Let the holiday gatherings begin!

One exhibit, among many, caught my eye!  Gregory Euclide, an American contemporary artist and teacher, took recycling to the next level!  Here’s a brief summary and picture of his unique art cleverly displayed:

“A two story installation, (Take it with you – Toledo) was built on the Canaday Gallery Bridge at the Toledo Museum of Art. The installation was designed to be the entryway to the Small Worlds exhibit.

Discarded shipping crates, packing foam, paper cut outs of trees from paintings in the collection, 7 dioramas built into the crates, organic matter from the museum grounds, gravel from the Maumee River bank, gravel from the parking lots of Toledo and water from the Maumee River.”

And now, Artist Gregory Euclide’s desciption of his art:

Although he declares he was “simply showing” where land is today, there was nothing “simple” about this display or the message behind it.  Admittedly, he left me with much to think about and consider.

May all your gardens grow,


 

 

 

On Black Friday…

May the sun bring you new energy by day.
May the moon softly restore you by night.
May the breeze blow new strength into your being.
And all of the days of your life,
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty.

~Native American Blessing

 

Quote of the Day

Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable,

butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life.

And everyone deserves a little sunshine.

~Jeffrey Glassberg

 

May all your gardens grow!


The Cutting Edge on Pruning

Better to be pruned to grow than cut up to burn.

~John Trapp

Learning how to prune woody ornamentals may be difficult at first. For many gardeners, it can be daunting trying to decide what to cut and what to leave! Pruning is necessary and should not be avoided or intimidating. In fact, it is beneficial for the overall health of a plant. Remember: practice makes perfect and, in no time, pruning will become second nature!

I have discovered through the years that most pruning principles are common sense. I am excited to share my six favorite pruning tips! It’s time to break out your pruning tools and leave your fears behind!Let’s get started:

    1. Consider the shape and design you wish to create before you start pruning. It’s important to have a clear vision and plan in mind! Your decision on the shape and design will dictate the amount of pruning necessary.
    2. Always remove dead, broken, diseased or insect-infested branches.
    3. Branches that criss-cross, grow toward the interior, or ruin the shape and appearance of a plant should be removed.
    4. To avoid excessive and unattractive clumping of branches at the top, thin out rather than cut back.
    5. Always prune suckers and water shoots.
    6. Cut off any old stubs. is good for our plants and good for us, too!

After all, we all need a bit of trimming, reshaping, controlling, and snipping from time to time! Happy pruning!

May all your gardens grow!