Thursday, November 23, 2006

Post Thanksgiving decorating

Since alot of rain is in the forecast for the next few days, I think I will work on a few indoor Christmas decorations. I'm picking up poinsettias and decorating my dining room table. I don't really use it for anything right now & it looks bare with the harvest decorations gone.
I think I will go for the traditional red or burgundy varieties. I'll let you know the ones I choose.
I have some gold meshy fabric, baskets & ceramic pots to make a nice display.
Do you have any centerpiece ideas?
In between rain squalls, I want to clip some of the Nandina(Heavenly
Bamboo) foliage & berries from my front yard. I will also pick up some cut pine & cedar. I love to make arrangements with these to bring in fragrance of the season. Nandina berries will last a long time indoors.
I'm also taking a cue from Carol Sprague at Garden Gallery Ironworks. She had great ideas on last week's show using evergreen boughs to decorate hanging baskets. I think with a little practice, my baskets will look just as nice!

Judy

Friday, November 17, 2006

November in the Garden

I don't like to cut back too many perennials at this time in my garden. But, I'm not a fastidious gardening. I do like to let the tops of the perennials decorate the Fall & Winter landscape.
The birds like to pick at the Coneflower (Echinacea) & Tickseed (Coreopsis) seed heads.
I also like the way the ornamental grass looks on a frosty morning. The frost crystals seem to glow if the sun is shining on them.
I do cut back & clean up the old Hosta foliage. If the leaves stay on, they just make slug motels for the Winter. It's best to stop that right away! (Don't forget to bait early in Spring).
I don't have a big garden so I don't see leaf raking as a huge chore. It's kind of a relaxing mindless task, like hand weeding.
I do save the non-diseased leaves to put on the raised beds as a 'Cover Crop'. I missed the window to plant a real cover crop but this will work as a substitute.


Judy

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Welcome to Garden Time

Greetings,
I would like to welcome you to the Garden Time Blog. This forum will allow you to take a peek into the inner works of the Garden Time TV show. It is my hope to create more gardeners in the Northwest and do it in a fun and creative way. Both William and Judy will be occasional contributors to the site and will give their insight as well.
Thanks for joining us on this garden ride.

Jeff, Garden Time, Owner/Producer