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In The News: Contain the Excitement

casasugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:30:37 -0700

Since I'm one of the lucky ladies who benefits from a year-round growing season here in the San Francisco Bay Area, it's easy to forget that other gardeners, especially those in the Midwest, aren't so lucky. Long, harsh winters often kill some perennials, and the six-months-or-less growing season is often spent in a harried planting state, trying to cram in as many plantings and colors as possible. Connie Price writes in her article "Contain Yourself," from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, about ways that gardeners can supplement the color and variety of perennial gardens by using trendier and more colorful plants in their container gardens.

Hanging containers and oversized terra-cotta pots are great ways to add some punch to your back porch or front doorway, but, as Price relates, it's sometimes hard to get the right mix. With this in mind, she enlists the help of three nursery owners to help gardeners get the most bang for their container-garden buck. You'll definitely want to check out the article, especially since there's a video tutorial and slideshow of containers included.
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Casa Quickie: Alternatives For Flower Pots

casasugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:00:14 -0700

The other day, when I was walking through the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, I saw the cutest flower display outside of an Italian restaurant. Blooming out of imported tomato sauce cans were gorgeous red geraniums. This is an easy, quick idea you can adapt, too. Just make sure to punch a few holes in the bottom of the can before planting your flowers in them. And unusual, imported tomato sauce cans will look infinitely better than your average Hunt's tomato sauce can. I'm imagining punchy colors and bright, big blooms looking best in these cans — marigolds, geraniums, and petunias would all look lovely.
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Garden Therapy: Stack and Grow Planter

casasugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:30:49 -0700

Since many of you have mentioned that you'd love to garden, but you're dealing with very little room for growing plants, I figured that the Stack and Grow Planter ($39) might be perfect for you small-space gardeners. This planter fits a lot of green into a tiny amount of floor space, with four levels that can hold up to 20 plants. This planter is made of UV-protected plastic, and is supposedly pretty durable while also fairly light (though once you fill it with soil and plants it'll definitely get heavier). Would you use it on your patio or fire escape?

DIY: Planting Your Garden Box

casasugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:00:12 -0700

Did you read my post on building a redwood planter box? If so, you're already halfway done. You still need to anchor the box, level it, fill it with soil, and plant it. Read on for my list of suggestions on how to do it.

Move your box to the area you want to permanently place it. Since the area in my yard was on a slight incline, I had to dig the box in further on one side than on the other. In any case, you're going to want to dig a perimeter trench for the box, and then place it in the trench.
Use a level to make sure that your box is sitting evenly.
You can stand on the four corners and jump up and down a bit to make sure it's anchored well, too.
Now, break the soil that you dug out of the trenches and use it to stuff into the sides of the box to fill in any holes.
Then, use a pitchfork or shovel to dig up and turn over the grass and soil inside the box.

For the rest of the directions, just

DIY: Build Your Own Garden Box

casasugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:45:47 -0700

This weekend, I decided to expand my vegetable garden space by building another garden box. If you know how to operate a power drill, you can build this box, too. Here are some tips to make it easier: If you're a first-time builder, go to a small hardware or lumber store with a friendly clerk who can help you work out the details. Also, have the hardware store folks cut all of your lumber to the correct lengths; this will save you loads of time and headaches. Finally, remember: This is going to get filled with soil, so it doesn't have to look perfect! Tune in tomorrow, when I tell you how to securely place, fill, and plant your box.

Here's What You Need

4 longer pieces of redwood, cut to specified length (I used 8 ft lengths)
4 shorter pieces of wood for the ends, cut to specified length (I used 3 ft lengths)
4 4-x-4-inch square pieces of redwood cut to match the height of 2 boards (in my case it was 12 inches). You can also opt to cut your 4-x-4s to a slightly longer length (such as 2 inches longer). This way, you can use the longer length of the 4-x-4s to anchor your box when you have to dig it into the ground.
Galvanized 4 inch-long screws (galvanized screws will resist rust)
Power drill (preferably with other battery pack charged)
Flat, large surface for working, such as a patio, deck, or garage
A willing helper, who can hold ends of lumber and fetch tools as needed

To find out how to build this garden box, just

Steal of the Day: Fleur-de-Lys Window Boxes

casasugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:15:32 -0700

I was just looking out my bedroom window the other morning and thinking about how a window box would improve the view. And since I'm also a fleur-de-lys fan, this Smith and Hawken window box offers me everything I could possibly want in a flower box — including a reduced price tag. These sturdy steel Fleur-de-Lys Window Boxes ($119-$159) would look great wherever they were placed, whether in a New Orleans Creole or a Cape Cod beach cottage. But wherever you put it, geographically, make sure to fill it with beautiful blooms.

Gift Guide: Patio Plants For a Happy Housewarming

casasugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:36:58 -0800

Whether someone on your gift-giving list has just bought a first home or recently moved into a sweet new rental property, one of the loveliest ways to say Happy Housewarming! is with a festive container plant.

For the aspiring small-space gardener, try this patio gardening seed mix ($14) from Seeds of Change. Pop these pretty packets in a beribboned-woven basket (which can then be used for harvesting peas, beans, and herbs), and present it to your newly moved pal. You can step it up a notch with some beautiful front-stoop cypress trees, like this set of three cypress trees ($39) from Smith and Hawken. And finally, for a truly unusual statement, present your new home dweller with this stunning wine-grape bonsai tree ($64.50) from Organic Style.

Creating Festive Winter Gardens

casasugar — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:00:54 -0800

Do you reside in a harsh Winter climate? Manitoba, perhaps? Vermont, Norway, or Minnesota? Don't worry — there are still some pretty Winter options for creating container gardens.

Small conifers, or needled evergreens, are great choices for hardy winter container gardening, and these dwarf trees come in a variety of shapes, including balls, cones, and columns, as well as varieties that trail, which will add variety to your container. Add some wintergreen to the container for a bright pop of color from its red berries. In the Spring, you can transplant directly from the containers into your yard for easy landscaping. Check in at Evergreen Plant Nursery for some evergreens.

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