 Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.
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Compost Bins & Worm Bins
My household of four generates about 2 gallons of garbage a week, more if it's a big cooking weekend. Recent studies report that at least 20% of what goes to landfills is food waste, and I steadfastly refuse to contribute to that. I also have a yard and garden that contribute a whole lot of brush, leaves, etc. To deal with that much organic matter, we have set up two different systems. |  |
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All About Purslane
Living in a dry heat with high temperatures between 105 and 110 during the summer, purslane laughs in your face and thrives here in Phoenix, Arizona. Add some incredible, edible ornamental purslane to your garden this summer! A salsa with purslane recipe is included in the article. |  |
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Sharpening Tools
Even top-of-the-line tools need regular cleaning and sharpening to perform their best. Sharp pruning tools make cleaner cuts, allowing plants to heal faster, and sharp digging tools save you time and energy. |  |
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Planting Groundcovers
Use low-growing perennial plants and shrubs as groundcovers to cover slopes and rough ground or to replace high-maintenance lawns. Choose plants that thrive in your particular soil and climate. |  |
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Growing Strawberries in Small Spaces
Strawberries have a reputation for being hard to grow and requiring lots of space. Many gardeners have an image from ″pick your own″ strawberry farms of rows and rows of strawberry plantings. It's easy to think that's what you need to get a crop. |  |
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Creating a Planting Calendar
Although it can be tempting to try to get a jump on the gardening season during an early warm spell, it's best to be patient and wait until the weather is right to plant. Spring weather in many parts of the country can be erratic, with unseasonably mild weather followed by a severe cold snap. To help you avoid the temptation of planting too early, make a calendar with planting times for various crops. |  |
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Rose (Rosa 'Gigi')
Bloom size: Medium: 2-3"
Bloom shape: High-centered, Other
Petal count: full: 26-40 petals
Rose bloom color: Red blend
Extra Bloom Info: In clusters
Rebloom: Good
Class: Miniature, Other
Fragrance: Mild
Hybridizer & year: Mogens Nyegaard Olesen, 2007
Optimal growing zones: USDA zone 6 and warmer
Plant Habit: Shrub
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Leaves: Deciduous
Flowers: Showy, Fragrant
Flower Color: Bi-Color
Flower Time: Spring, Summer, Fall
Uses: Cut Flower
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs repotting every 2 to 3 years, Needs excellent drainage in pots
Parentage: Seedling x seedling
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Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpureus 'Ruby Moon')
Plant Habit: Vine
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun, Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 9b -3.9 °C (25 °F) to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
Plant Height: climbs 6 to 15 feet
Leaves: Unusual foliage color, Other
Fruit: Showy, Other
Fruiting Time: Late summer or early fall, Fall
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Other, Purple
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer, Summer, Late summer or early fall, Fall
Dynamic Accumulator: Nitrogen fixer
Wildlife Attractant: Butterflies, Bees
Resistances: Humidity tolerant, Drought tolerant, Pollution
Toxicity: Fruit is poisonous
Pollinators: Various insects
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs excellent drainage in pots, Suitable for hanging baskets
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Chilean Glory Vine (Eccremocarpus scaber 'Tresco Mixed')
Plant Habit: Vine
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 9a -6.7 °C (20 °F) to -3.9 °C (25 °F)
Leaves: Evergreen, Semi-evergreen
Flowers: Showy
Uses: Suitable as Annual
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Purple Bell Vine (Rhodochiton atrosanguineum)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb, Vine
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun, Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 10a -1.1 °C (30 °F) to +1.7 °C (35 °F)
Plant Height: 8 -10 feet
Plant Spread: 1 - 2 feet
Leaves: Evergreen, Other
Fruit: Other
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Purple
Bloom Size: 2"-3"
Flower Time: Summer, Late summer or early fall, Late fall or early winter, Fall
Suitable Locations: Houseplant, Espalier
Uses: Suitable as Annual
Containers: Needs excellent drainage in pots, Suitable for hanging baskets
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Black Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia)
Plant Habit: Shrub, Vine
Sun Requirements: Full Sun, Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 9a -6.7 °C (20 °F) to -3.9 °C (25 °F)
Plant Height: 6-25 feet
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: White, Yellow, Pink, Blue, Purple
Bloom Size: 1"-2", 2"-3"
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer, Summer, Late summer or early fall, Fall
Uses: Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant: Butterflies, Bees
Resistances: Humidity tolerant
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger, Needs excellent drainage in pots, Suitable for hanging baskets
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 Photo by Baja_Costero
"10 inch pot"
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 Photo by kidfishing
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 Photo by plntblbs8
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 Photo by Valery33
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 Photo by DeweyRooter
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 Photo by sunnyvalley
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 Photo by plntblbs8
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 Photo by drirastucker
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 Photo by Paintedtrillium
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 Photo by Baja_Costero
"4 inch pot"
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Active threads from our forums:
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The numbers from this week:
349 members joined.
3,110 posts written in our forums.
1,017 photos posted to the plant database.
657 plants added to personal inventory lists.
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 Be outstanding in your field. Hold your head high. Spread the seeds of happiness. Feed the birds. Think solar. Stay on the sunny side. Keep growing! -- The Sunflower
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