I strive to be humble, but I’m just going to come out and say it: Birds love me. But I didn’t realize until 10 years into gardening that the feeling is mutual. Here are 4 tips to make your garden and yard more attractive to birds: 1. Grow A LOT of plants and flowers. This is how… Continue reading Birdscaping
I love what I’m doing and I love doing what I love. It has been the busiest Spring of my life and I am so grateful for it!!! Here is what I have been up to….Creating a School Garden….Chickens….Tablescaping in Green Bay…Mulching in Seattle…Creating Pots for new clients and the usual…..planting, creating, weeding, staking and… Continue reading Spring 2012 in Mel’s Green Garden….
Wave goodbye to winter with a little spring-cleaning — in your garden that is. I couldn’t have asked for better weather for doing just that this past weekend. Here are some tips for waking up your garden in the spring: Do overseed your lawn and put some grass seed down. Spring and fall are the best times… Continue reading Spring Forward
Show of hands! Who buys wonderful, expensive, organic fruits and veggies with the best intentions of making a healthful meal, only to throw them away weeks later, after the fridge starts to produce a strong, foul odor? Mel’s tip, which has been working for a while: When you realize you are not going to use… Continue reading Garden to Table
So you have clay soil, either because you live in Indiana or because you have new construction and your builders left you with compacted clay soil with a dusting of topsoil. What to do? Plant natives. Try these natives I learned about on a recent Wisconsin Gardener show: compass plant, prairie dock, Bergamot, big bluestem (ornamental grass), ox-eye sunflower, yellow coneflower,… Continue reading Overcoming clay soil
Simplify Watering! Have a tricky plant in a spot that is hard to water, or always spills over onto your nice wood furniture? Instead of watering it the old-fashioned, “normal” way, just place 2 or 3 ice cubes on the dirt once a week. I started doing this last year and now water mostly with ice cubes, as… Continue reading Tip of the Day
1. Wash vase with bleach and water, NOT dish soap. Dish soap can leave behind a residue that can shorten the flowers’ life span in your vase. 2. Cut flowers early in the morning or late in the evening, when your flowers are holding the most moisture. 3. Remove all leaves that would be in the… Continue reading 3 Tips for a Great-looking, Long-lasting Bouquet
Poring over seed catalogs and gardening books is my favorite winter pastime. A cup of coffee in one hand and my journal for notes in the other, I love planning my next season’s garden. And now I find that as I plan my own garden, creative ideas pop up for my clients’ gardens as well. One example:… Continue reading Top 10 Seed and Garden Catalogs
Daffodils make a great spring bouquet! Just make sure they STAND ALONE, as they will kill any other flowers you add to the bouquet.
Mel's Green Garden 