Growing Peppermint in the Garden

Photo by: akvalsk

There are several good reasons to grow peppermint in your garden. If you like to grow cabbage, or any member of the genus Brassica family, plant peppermint as a companion plant or just plant some throughout the garden to help keep the white cabbage butterfly out of your garden. Grow peppermint near your roses to keep the aphids away. It also acts as a rodent repellant.

Peppermint has a tendency to spread, so you may want to contain it by putting installing a plastic or metal root barrier into the soil or grow your peppermint in a pot and submerge the pot in the soil. You can buy peppermint plants already growing, or sow the seeds directly into the prepared garden area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture zones peppermint is hardy in ranges from 3 through 7.

Peppermint plants have square stems, reddish in color. The stems and leaves are tinged with a red blush. They look a lot like spearmint, but you can tell them apart in several ways. Peppermint has darker green leaves that are less crinkly.

Peppermint is a wonderful herb used to make tea, or candies. Peppermint oil uses include relieving headaches, removing dandruff, and head lice. Rub the oil on your chest to help with nasal problems or add several drops into a vaporizer. Whenever I smell peppermint, I think of Christmas time and peppermint candy canes.

Peppermint will grow almost anywhere, but if you want your plants to thrive, choose a place that offers some shade during the hottest part of the day. The soil pH can range from mildly acidic 6.1 to mildly alkaline 7.87.   

Dig up the ground in the spring where the peppermint will grow. Amend the soil with 2 to 4 inches of organic compost. Rake through the soil to break up the clumps, remove any rocks, sticks, or hard dirt clods that comes to the surface. Before you leave the garden, turn the rake over to level the soil. 

It is a good idea to let the ground settle for three days to a week. If you need to plant sooner then that, lay a board over the soil where you are going to plant the seeds. Walk across the board to compact the soil. This collapses air pockets in the soil, but doesn’t make the soil too hard for the seeds to germinate.  

Place one seed every 6 inches. You can scatter the seeds over the soil, but then you may need to thin them if you plant them too close together. Lightly cover the seeds so they are 1.4 inch deep. Gently press the soil with your hands so the seed coat is in contact with the soil. This helps in germination. 

Water

 

Water the newly sown seeds with a gentle spray or mister. It is important that you keep the soil moist at all times, but not soggy. Check the soil several times a day so that is doesn’t dry out.  The seeds should germinate in about seven days. 

When the peppermint plants are 2 inches tall, you will need to thin them so that each plant is about 12 inches apart. Throughout the growing season, gve your peppermint an inch of water a week. Clip off the young tender budding tips for a bushier growth and pinch the flowers off to extend the harvesting season.  Do not harvest any peppermint until the plant is 12 inches tall.  If you harvest sooner than that, you will weaken the plant.  The best time to harvest the peppermint leaves is early in the morning while still wet with dew.

Tricks to Increase Your Yard, Optically

Photo by: digihanger

Tricks to Increase Your Yard, Optically

Yesterday, I gave you a couple ideas on ways to make your landscape look bigger.  The nice thing about these ideas is this; they don’t cost a lot of money. In addition, they are simple enough for the average or beginning gardener to accomplish without having to hire it done. You don’t need to spend a lot of money, because many of these things you might find in your yard or at garage sales. You can find some of the items at the dump. Some people offer them free. The only thing it may cost you is the gas in your vehicle to drive there and pick the things up.  

Pathways

The pathways in your garden should meander through the yard. Soft curves and gentle turns help provide depth. Straight lines only lead you from the front of the garden to the end of the garden, making a small yard look smaller. Paving stones or bricks can lead you on a journey. 

As you design the garden area, incorporate a bird station of feeders, houses, and birdbaths. While you walk through the garden, or sit in your private retreat, birds provide the music. They entertain you. They eat a large amount of insects that would otherwise destroy a garden or make staying outdoors less enjoyable.

Even though the garden may be small, place wrought iron or wood benches in different places along the path. Or, using tables and chairs as a centerpiece, design the garden around this area to serve as a private retreat. To take advantage of your backyard during the nighttime hours, place solar lights along the pathway and around your relaxation area.

Antique Wheels

If you want to have a raised garden, consider using an antique iron wheel. You may want to find someone to cut the spokes out of the middle, leaving you with an iron ring.  Fill the inside with potting soil, stopping when the soil is ½ inch to 1 inch below the rim. This will give you room to water the soil so it doesn't run over the sides. Always allow the soil to settle for several days to a week before planting any flowers.

We have several antique wheels serving as planters in our yard. One is about ten inches wide and we have our clothesline in the center. We planted creeping phlox in that one.  It covers the soil and spills over the sides making the area seem cooler during the hot summer days. Two other wheels have flowers and trees planted inside. We weren’t sure whether the trees would live, because the birds planted them for us. One is an evergreen tree, and the other is a walnut tree. The flowers are various wild flowers that grew from seed we sowed over the soil. 

Patios or Decks

Patios can also add to the illusion of having a larger backyard. Design your deck or patio with different levels. For added depth, make each section out of separate materials such as wood, bricks, slate, or stone.

Of course, I’d rather have my patio floor all one level, without the steps except those from the ground up. That way you can walk around without having to worry about tripping up or down the stairs. Decorate the patio area with planters or pots filled with blooming flowers or dwarf trees. Anymore you can find planters made of wood, iron, plastic, ceramic, or concrete and they come in a wide variety of styles, colors, and shapes. Choose the ones that will complement your patio. Plant some dwarf trees or conifers that grow straight, and stay slim. They will give the area some privacy without taking up too much room. 

When starting your garden, always start small or as your budget allows. Each year, you can add different plants or things to your garden area. Also, be patient.  Chances are the plants you see in catalogs or in peoples yards weren’t planted that season. It takes a year or two for perennial plants to establish themselves and cover in the soil or fill in an area like the glossy magazines show.   

Tricks to Make Small Yards Look Big

Photo by: PublicDomainPictures

Tricks to Make Small Yards Look Big

Small backyards might be cramped and insignificant, but they don’t have to look that way. You can use that to your advantage and create space that looks bigger by using a technique that tricks the eye. All it takes is some ingenuity. The results will turn a tiny backyard, into a beautiful spacious garden. It becomes a place that you’ll love to spend time entertaining guests or just kicking back. Here are some tips and ideas on expanding your garden space, without having to buy more land.

Flowers

Flowers are an essential part to almost any garden design. When you design your backyard with flowers, choose bright, bold colors such as reds, oranges, or yellows and cool hues of blues, green and purple. When placed strategically in the garden, they will give you the sense of distance. Plant the flowers with cool hues in the front of the garden, along the border. The warm or bold hues work best when planted toward the back. Some plants perfect to help with the illusion are black-eyed Susans, daisies, zinnias, marigolds and Celosia. When you are planning your garden, think of it as a blank canvas and you are the artist. 

English Gardens

Traditional English gardens allow the flowerbed borders to fluctuate with wavy or curvy lines. Some parts of the garden are very wide and then without warning, they turn narrow. They provide an element of surprise as to the kind of flowers or plant combinations you may find.

Install a gate or an arbor that has climbing roses, clematis, or any vining plant that is hardy in your location clinging to the sides and top. As you enter through, the archway, the wonderful perfume provides a sense of peace and relaxation. English gardens often have stone lanterns near the water sources, weathered stone, or aged bronze statues. The décor has wind chimes hanging in the trees or in the rafters of a patio.

Decorative mirrors or gazing balls are not only beautiful, they add to the depth of your landscape, enabling you to see various angles of the garden. Gazing balls come in a variety of colors and styles. Some gazing balls are made out of a sturdy shatterproof steel, while others are a delicate hand-blown glass.

Fountains

The hardest part about incorporating a fountain in the landscape is picking out the one you want. There are hundreds of styles and shapes to choose from, making you feel overwhelmed. You just need to take your time to find the right one.

Fountains give small gardens elegance and depth. The sound of running water adds to the tranquility of the setting. It can even help lower blood pressure. In order for the water fountain to function properly, they need a flat surface. Lay some decorative flat stepping-stones over the ground, making sure they are level. A small water fountain can be the centerpiece of your garden. A large water feature looks nice in the corner of your yard with tall slender shrubs on each side. This helps soften the view of the water fountain, making the area feel like a cool, tropical oasis. With a waterfall like this, you can have the water cascading over rocks or stones into a pool below where you may add some colorful fish. If you do use fish, add the proper chemicals that are safe to use with fish to keep the water clean and clear. If you live in an area where the weather freezes, choose a fountain that is easy to drain. You’ll need to prep the fountain for winter storage.  

Tomorrow I'll give you a few more ways to make your small yards appear like there is more room.  What do you do to make your back yard look more spacious? I'd love to hear your ideas.                                                                                                     

Growing and Caring for Bachelor Buttons

Photo by: DebAnne70

Bachelor Buttons

You can find growing instructions and information on Bachelor buttons at Bubblews.

http://www.bubblews.com/news/1526993-the-many-names-and-meaning-of-bachelor-button-flowers

http://www.bubblews.com/news/1527120-how-to-grow-bachelor-buttons-in-the-garden

Growing the American Elderberry

Photo by: Hans

Photo by: Emily Carlin

The American Elderberry Shrub



For growing information on this wonderful plant, read my articles on Bubblews. You can find them at; 

http://www.bubblews.com/news/1526492-the-american-elderberry

http://www.bubblews.com/news/1526715-how-to-grow-the-elderberry-shrub