Well, we all know I've been excited about planting more natives this year. There are so many to choose from, and the best part is they all will lend greatly to a natural look and habitat.
One of my all-time favorite flowers is the black-eyed susan. There's a couple different varieties, but I think the more common ones will be what we choose. I'm also gonna go a bit crazy with monarda (also known as wild bergamot and bee balm). If you've never had the chance to smell bee balm, it is a wonderfully refreshing scent with characteristic, fun-shaped flowers. Purple and yellow coneflowers will look nice; as mentioned before they are also a favorite food source for more than a few species. Beautiful asters will lend to the fall color, and I absolutely love them! I have a feeling asters will make it into my pressed-flower art and resin casting next year.
To round out the look, I'll probably plant some bluestem, little or big, along with a few prairie roses and sedges.
For shrubs, I'm thinking maybe some arrowwood viburnum and maybe ninebark. Dogwoods also are abundant in Indiana and who doesn't love those?
We will be cutting down our silver maple this year; it's seen the best of its life and is slowly dying and becoming a sad eyesore. We're not sure which tree we're going to plant there, although we were going to go with a bald cypress. Not anymore, considering our pact to only go with native plants. It has to be a tall, shade-giving tree. We have a baby thornless honeylocust growing close to it right now, we may just leave it where it is and skip replanting in the place of the old silver maple.
If you live in Indiana, or even the surrounding region, I urge you to check out Indiana Native Plant & Wildflower Society to get an idea of natives to spruce up your garden!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
New Studio Space
Even though my store isn't up right now (I gave my ornaments out as Christmas gifts and I haven't made many presses lately), I'm still crafty.
Shaun and I recently switched studios, so his music studio is in the back bedroom and my art studio/spare room/office is in the front bedroom. This room is smaller, but I like the layout. I have everything squared away where I want it -- well, almost everything. I still have to get Shaun's large metal shelf out of here, but we're waiting until he gets the last section of his new floor painted so we can put it in his room.
Shaun built most of my new hutch/workspace design for me, we still have to build the hutch part and get it painted. I can't wait.
For those who don't know, I dabble in a lot of different crafts. Painting, sketching, resin casting, wood crafts and a few other things. I'm going to start working with watercolor pencils for the first time, and I also have my first oils to start working with as well.
Shaun and I recently switched studios, so his music studio is in the back bedroom and my art studio/spare room/office is in the front bedroom. This room is smaller, but I like the layout. I have everything squared away where I want it -- well, almost everything. I still have to get Shaun's large metal shelf out of here, but we're waiting until he gets the last section of his new floor painted so we can put it in his room.
Shaun built most of my new hutch/workspace design for me, we still have to build the hutch part and get it painted. I can't wait.
For those who don't know, I dabble in a lot of different crafts. Painting, sketching, resin casting, wood crafts and a few other things. I'm going to start working with watercolor pencils for the first time, and I also have my first oils to start working with as well.
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| From the door |
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| Workspace area (Huge metal shelf on right will be gone - new work table will be there) |
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| An old dresser works as a great storage center! Painting it is the next task! |
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| New shelf Shaun built for me! Everything is right within grasp of the desk! |
Monday, January 16, 2012
Gardening for Wildlife (and Key Features for a Wildlife Garden)
This is the year our landscape will come together and become a safe haven for wildlife of all sorts -- not to mention a relaxation haven for my husband and I along with our dogs. Growing up in rural settings, I'm used to coyotes, opossums, raccoons, groundhogs and deer running around the edges of the property. While I'm not happy in the city, I am content with knowing I can still provide a habitat for smaller wild animals, birds and arthropods in my yard.
While my favorite plant is Russian sage, I'm going to stick with the five I have and not buy any more. There are plenty of native species that will complement the feathery-soft silver foliage and lavender-esque flowers.
My plan is to get a couple of low-growing native shrubs for cover. Maybe a few native junipers will do this for me, and a couple of honeysuckle bushes. I have this grand idea that trumpet flowers or native honeysuckle vines would look gorgeous growing up the exterior chimney and one spot on the back of the house. I might just go crazy with some native coneflowers. Coneflowers are excellent food sources and provide a bounty of color.
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| My lonely birdbath, cottonwood tree and some of our euonymus. This will look greatly different (hopefully) by the fall of 2012 |
My plan is to get a couple of low-growing native shrubs for cover. Maybe a few native junipers will do this for me, and a couple of honeysuckle bushes. I have this grand idea that trumpet flowers or native honeysuckle vines would look gorgeous growing up the exterior chimney and one spot on the back of the house. I might just go crazy with some native coneflowers. Coneflowers are excellent food sources and provide a bounty of color.
Getting Ready for My Natives!
In my last post, I talked about how to take care of your garden and plants during the winter. Yes, it's still winter. Actually, if you live in NE Indiana like me, it's just now winter considering it's been so incredibly mild (today it is back to being mild -- 10 a.m., mid-30s and a mix of sun and clouds).
Although I haven't began sketching out our garden and landscaping plans for this coming year, we have talked about what's going in and what we want in our veggie garden.
We decided (o.k., I decided and told Shaun) that this is the year we are starting with all natives. Yes, we have several non-native species in our yard, and even some euonymus. Luckily, we don't have full-size euonymus (burning bush), we have a more compact variety that grow to about 7 feet tall. I'm not sure of the exact cultivar -- they were here when we bought the house. Euonymus is an invasive species, although the smaller varieties may not be as much of a threat as the large, 20-foot-tall-plus regular variety.
While I can buy my natives at the nursery I work at, I can also dig several species up from the woods that line my parents' property. While I know those woods like the back of my hand, I know that there are a lot of plant species I've taken for granted out there and never really paid attention to.
Not a huge fan of may apples, but those grow in insanely large patches in the woods out there. I'm also pretty sure I've seen some Jacob's ladder. This spring and summer, I plan on looking for some natural coral bells, Jacob's ladder, spiderwort, American honeysuckle, wild roses and wild lilies. There are also several native grasses out there, and I love grasses.
I want my yard to be more natural. I get sick of looking at green lawns. It's not natural. The grasses we plant in our lawns are somewhat invasive and are definitely alien. As you've guessed from my blog, I'm also disgusted by the lack of habitat for wildlife and the general consensus that it's okay as long as the people are happy.
When my yard becomes developed with my native plants, I plan on certifying it with the National Wildlife Federation as a wildlife garden. My neighbors might think I'm insane trying to attract wildlife instead of exclude wildlife, but hey, maybe they should follow suit.
My next posts will be about ideas for my landscape, wildlife gardens and other related information!
Although I haven't began sketching out our garden and landscaping plans for this coming year, we have talked about what's going in and what we want in our veggie garden.
We decided (o.k., I decided and told Shaun) that this is the year we are starting with all natives. Yes, we have several non-native species in our yard, and even some euonymus. Luckily, we don't have full-size euonymus (burning bush), we have a more compact variety that grow to about 7 feet tall. I'm not sure of the exact cultivar -- they were here when we bought the house. Euonymus is an invasive species, although the smaller varieties may not be as much of a threat as the large, 20-foot-tall-plus regular variety.
While I can buy my natives at the nursery I work at, I can also dig several species up from the woods that line my parents' property. While I know those woods like the back of my hand, I know that there are a lot of plant species I've taken for granted out there and never really paid attention to.
Not a huge fan of may apples, but those grow in insanely large patches in the woods out there. I'm also pretty sure I've seen some Jacob's ladder. This spring and summer, I plan on looking for some natural coral bells, Jacob's ladder, spiderwort, American honeysuckle, wild roses and wild lilies. There are also several native grasses out there, and I love grasses.
I want my yard to be more natural. I get sick of looking at green lawns. It's not natural. The grasses we plant in our lawns are somewhat invasive and are definitely alien. As you've guessed from my blog, I'm also disgusted by the lack of habitat for wildlife and the general consensus that it's okay as long as the people are happy.
When my yard becomes developed with my native plants, I plan on certifying it with the National Wildlife Federation as a wildlife garden. My neighbors might think I'm insane trying to attract wildlife instead of exclude wildlife, but hey, maybe they should follow suit.
My next posts will be about ideas for my landscape, wildlife gardens and other related information!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Taking Care of Your Garden During the Winter Months
While you may not be thinking of your garden when the temp falls below 32 degrees, you should be -- particularly if you've got young trees and shrubs out in your yard.
Winter is a hard season for a lot of us (although, here in Fort Wayne so far the weather's been pretty enjoyable and mild). It's also hard on your young plants and the wildlife that visits or lives on your property.
Squirrels and other small mammals may start stripping bark from trees -- especially trees with tender bark that easily comes off. Protect your trunks with hardware mesh.
While it may not be snowing a lot here right now, it's only a matter of time. The extra weight of wet snow will easily snap young branches and stems. Tie your stems and branches together -- firmly yet gently -- with plant tape or twine. Tying them together gives less of a surface for the snow to settle on and also adds strength by combining them all together.
The salt that will surely be dumped on the roads to provide safe travel can damage your broadleaf evergreens such as arborvitae. Protect your branches from the harsh salt and other chemicals by covering them with burlap. The salt can burn the leaves and kill off branches.
Meanwhile, enjoy the winter frolicking of birds and squirrels throughout your yard while watching from a window, covered in a blanket, wearing fuzzy slippers and sipping a cup of cocoa ;)
Winter is a hard season for a lot of us (although, here in Fort Wayne so far the weather's been pretty enjoyable and mild). It's also hard on your young plants and the wildlife that visits or lives on your property.
Squirrels and other small mammals may start stripping bark from trees -- especially trees with tender bark that easily comes off. Protect your trunks with hardware mesh.
While it may not be snowing a lot here right now, it's only a matter of time. The extra weight of wet snow will easily snap young branches and stems. Tie your stems and branches together -- firmly yet gently -- with plant tape or twine. Tying them together gives less of a surface for the snow to settle on and also adds strength by combining them all together.
The salt that will surely be dumped on the roads to provide safe travel can damage your broadleaf evergreens such as arborvitae. Protect your branches from the harsh salt and other chemicals by covering them with burlap. The salt can burn the leaves and kill off branches.
Meanwhile, enjoy the winter frolicking of birds and squirrels throughout your yard while watching from a window, covered in a blanket, wearing fuzzy slippers and sipping a cup of cocoa ;)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Real Vs Fake: Choosing the Right Christmas Tree
It's that time of year -- and Shaun and I are planning to go pick out our Christmas tree this weekend sometime. A lot of people seem surprised when they find out we prefer real over fake, considering I'm into the environment and preserving ecosystems. This group of people, as it turns out, may not fully understand what goes into the production of real and fake trees.
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