Stacy Walters, registered kinesiotherapist, fitness director and creator of the Fit to Garden program, provides tips on how to turn a day of lawn and garden care into a day of healthy exercise.

Gardening warm-up
Like any other workout activity, gardening requires a warm-up to prepare the heart, muscles and joints. Begin with five to 10 minutes of stretching the legs, ankles, arms, shoulders and wrists as well as light aerobic activity to help reduce the risk of injury and decrease soreness.

Proper technique
Time spent in the garden can be relaxing, and it’s important to make sure you’re in a comfortable position when planting or weeding. To keep from getting stiff, try alternating between squatting, kneeling on a pad and sitting on a stool. Remember to keep your work close to you and tighten your abdominal muscles to protect your back when you reach and move.

Garden workout
When lifting heavy bags of soil or mulch, remember to keep your feet shoulder-width apart, tighten your abdominal muscles and bend at the hips and knees, not at the waist. This activity helps strengthen the upper body and the abdominal muscles.

Mulching is an important step when gardening and an excellent way to help conserve water in your garden, prevent weeds and keep your outdoor spaces looking neat. Scotts NatureScapes Advanced is a color-enhanced mulch made of natural forest products that comes in a variety of colors and textures to maintain moisture and create a groomed landscape all year long.

To mulch efficiently, use a wheelbarrow and stand close to your work when shoveling. Scoop and lift the mulch with a shovel while keeping stomach muscles tight and avoid twisting the spine.

Raking is another way to build upper body strength, but make sure to vary your movement during the task. If you’ve been raking right to left, change direction and alternate arm and hand positions so one arm isn’t doing most of the work. When you’re finished, use the proper bending and lifting technique to move the product of your labor.

Gardening cool down
Following a garden workout, be sure to cool down. Stretching the hips, hamstrings, back, neck and shoulders will help balance muscle groups that may have been overused and decrease post-gardening soreness.

In addition to the physical health benefits of working in a garden, multiple studies have shown the mental and emotional benefits of creating and working in green spaces. Gardens have a calming effect and can help relieve stress, improve attention skills and reduce feelings of anger, fear and aggression.

For more information on garden workouts, visit Scotts.com or OutdoorLivingWithStacy.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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(ARA) – While some people see gardening as simply playing in the dirt, the physical and mental benefits are well-documented. In addition to being good for your mind and body, sustainable gardening is a great way to be kind to the planet, and to connect you to nature and the food you eat.

Gardening is Good for You

* Being active in the garden increases your connection to nature and gets you up off the sofa. Remember, weeds won’t wait.

* Growing a garden takes patience, follow-through and problem-solving skills, making it a great activity for the entire family.

* Gardening helps increase endurance and physical strength, and improves coordination, balance and agility. Working in the garden strengthens muscles, improves blood flow and releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers.

* Activities like pushing a wheelbarrow and carrying plants help to strengthen your heart and bones.

* Life can be stressful. Time in the garden can be meditative and calming. Research has shown that people who interact with plants recover more quickly from stress and fatigue.

* Growing plants — especially fruits, vegetables, herbs and other edibles — gives a sense of accomplishment and improves nutrition. You’re more likely to eat healthy foods you’ve grown and prepared yourself. If you’re growing fruits and vegetables, make sure to grow a little more than you need and take the GroGood pledge to donate the extra harvest to your local food agency. Gardening is good for your health and giving is too.

Gardening is Good for the Earth

* Test your soil to find out the pH and how much nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium it contains, and then use a fertilizer that contains the right nutrients for your soil type. Always be sure to sweep any loose fertilizer off sidewalks or driveways to prevent runoff.

* Keep an eye on your plants and pay attention to the bugs that you find. Not all bugs are pests. Some, like lady-bugs, are actually beneficial and eat the insects that would otherwise harm your garden.

* Many regions of the country experience droughts and water usage restrictions during the summer months. Use a rain barrel to collect water from the roof and gutters and you’ll have a ready supply of water. If you’re not sure when to water your plants or how much, try Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Garden Soil. It improves existing soil to build strong roots and is specially formulated to hold up to 25 percent more water than native soil. If your current soil condition is worn out, compacted and drained of its essential nutrients, Moisture Control Garden Soil mixed with your existing soil can turn bad soil into great soil.

* Pull weeds by hand as soon as you see them to eliminate the competition for space and water.

For more information on gardening and healthy soil, visit the Miracle-Gro Web site, and for additional information on the GroGood pledge, edible gardening resources or how to locate a local food agency that accepts fresh produce, please visit www.GroGood.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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There are a number of ways to winterize your roses and it depends on the climate you live in and also the type of rose that you have. Obviously a shrub rose is not going to be cut back but it will still require some maintanance to ensure that it is healthy the following spring. The topic of winterizing your roses is one that is often debated. Some feel that roses don’t need to be winterized, some feel that only a few types need to be and others follow a general rule of thumb, “if it’s a rose, it should be winterized.” I usually follow the latter but don’t feel that you need to.

Now that you have assessed your rose bush and the climate you live in, let’s get to winterizing in general. Since there are a number of different varieties of roses, I will cover them in sections.

Rose Bushes:

Rose bushes, such as hybrid roses, only need minor pruning to prepare for winter. This means that you remove all of the leaves and if you feel it is necessary, cut back the canes of the rose bush until they are about 3 feet long. Once you have cut the canes back, you can use a rose bush cone or chicken wire and stakes to create a circular enclosure aroudn the rose bush and pile some soil around the base of the bush. Generally, you want to use about 12 inches of soil. Once the soil has frozen, pile another 4 inches of mulch on top of the soil and make sure it is spread around the entire bush.

Climbing Roses:

Climbing roses do not need as much work as a rose bush does but it will still take a bit of time to secure your climbing roses for winter, usually because of the fiddly parts the job entails. Before you remove your climbers from the trellis, or fixture that they are attached to, you will need to go under the bush and remove any small canes that seem to be growing uncontrolled. After that, remove the climber from the trellis and lay it flat on the ground. Cover them with soil and leave them for the winter, come spring you can reattach them to the trellis.

Before you winterize your climbing roses, make sure that they need to be. Many varieties of climbing roses are hardy enough so they will not need any winterizing to be done.

Rose Shrubs:

For the shrubs in your yard, all you will need to do is crawl under your shrub and cut away any dead canes so there is ample air circulation through the plant. After that, you’re done, except for the usual care of your rose bush before winter, such as removing dead blooms, ect.

With all rose bushes, it is recommended that you remove all of the leaves that you clipped off from the area. Don’t leave them in yoru garden since they could be covered with insect eggs. Another recommendation is to spray your roses with lime sulfur after you winterize them and throughout the winter if you can. This is not a necessity but it will help alleviate blackspot in the spring.

Sirena Van Schaik

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Now that I have just walked down memory lane with you, let’s get to the important facts, mulching. It isn’t the best job in gardening but it has its purposes. Mulching, if you aren’t sure, is used for a variety of reasons including provide temperature control for the roots, controlling weeds and repelling insects. There are a number of items that you can use for mulching and they all have their pros and cons, much like everything else.

Although rubber mulch isn’t the organic answer for mulching, it is an eco-friendly option since they are reusing old tires. The number of tires discarded in Canada alone each year is roughly 28 million tires. I’m not sure if you have been in a tire shop with about 10 stacks of tires, probably 50 to 100 tires max, believe me, it is crammed and I can only imagine what 28 million is like.

With rubber mulch being offered to consumers, it helps alleviate some of the problems of used tires. If we are looking at this simply as a gardener, rubber mulch has many benefits. It has been proven to never decompose and it provides many of the benefits that other mulches provide.  It keeps the temperature at a proper degree, reduces the growth of weeds and allows nutrients through to the plants.  It can be as decorative as you want it and actually comes in several colors, including green, blue, terracotta, black and brown.

For pet owners, it does provide a non-toxic mulch that shouldn’t harm your pet if they ingest some, although I am not completely convinced about this.  Much like stones, I can see the consumption of rubber pebbles causing some quick jaunts to the vet to have them extracted.  The pebbles are said to be odorless and shouldn’t attract many insects. Since they do not decompose, you shouldn’t have to replace them often.

The price for rubber mulch is fairly high, with a yard of coverage ranging in price from 50 to 100 dollars but many manufacturers of the product really pump the fact that rubber mulch does not decompose and it is resistant to wash away.  Of course, I often wonder how resistant it is to walk away, when children collect the pebbles from your garden.

Rubber mulching is a great choice for any gardener but before you invest in it, you should figure out what it is you want in a mulch.  If you are looking for something that provides protection and nutrients, then this is not the mulch to go with.

Sirena Van Schaik

Photo Credit

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Still, even with that knowledge safely tucked away, there is still one point about fall that many people are thinking about in late summer and that is the fall bulbs. There are many to choose from but for this week’s plant of the week, I thought I would look at the Cyclamen, which is a beautiful fall bloom that you will want to see in your garden.

The Cyclamen can be planted in late August and early September and you will begin to see blooms in October, although this can vary with blooms occurring between September through to November and some varieties also have blooms as late as January.

It is a hardy plant that can survive low temperatures that are found in Zone 5 and it does well in shade. It has small shooting star-like flowers that come in several different colors; pink, white and rose-purple. The stems are usually between 2 to 4 inches, which make them an excellent plant for the front of a garden. The leaves are two toned and provide ample color throughout the fall and winter.

Lastly, this is a plant that can be brought inside, and you will often see it at Florist’s or the garden section at the grocery store. All you need to have success with this plant indoors is to provide it with enough humidity and a cool temperature (the recommended temp is about 55 to 65 degrees).

So if you are looking for a beautiful fall bloom, I would suggest the Cyclamen.

Sirena Van Schaik

Photo Credit 1

Photo Credit 2

Photo Credit 3

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But enough of winter, the snow will be upon us (or some of us) soon enough and we’ll be relegated to indoor gardening or greenhouses for those of us who have them.  Late summer has a number of tasks that should be done in the garden and below is a helpful list.

• Weed your flower gardens and continue with the general maintenance of your garden by dead heading all the flowers and removing pests.  Check out our post on organic weed control.
• Fertilize any plants that seem to need it. 
• Plant any bulbs that you have that bloom in the fall.
• Sow any of the vegetables from your garden that are ready in the late summer.  Another task for your vegetable garden is to dry off your onions and store them.
• Harvest your herb garden (if you have one) and dry the herbs.  See our article on “Do It Yourself Microwave Herb Drying”
• If you are planning to have strawberries next year, this is the preferred season to plant them.

And lastly, enjoy the last few weeks of summer.

Sirena Van Schaik

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Green Gardening: Save Time, Money and the Environment

Everyone wants a beautiful landscape but most people feel they lack the time and expertise to cultivate the results they want. With a few simple eco-friendly changes in your fall landscape care, you can get more beautiful results with a limited investment of time and effort.

Triple Your Benefits
Cut the grass, recycle fall leaves and improve the soil with a pass of the lawn mower. Shred leaves and leave them on the lawn as you mow this fall. As long as you can see the grass through the leaf pieces, the lawn will be fine.

According to nationally known horticulturist and gardening expert Melinda Myers, “Shredding leaves and leaving them on the lawn is good for the grass and saves you time. As the leaves break down they add organic matter to the soil, improving drainage in clay soil and water holding ability in sandy soils. It’s a great way to recycle a valuable natural resource and reduce your work load. You can increase the environmental benefit even further by using an electric mower to both cut your grass and shred the leaves.”

Further improve your lawn’s health with fall fertilization. University research has shown that fall fertilization is the most beneficial practice for home lawns. Less disease problems and slower weed growth means your lawns — not the pests — benefit from the nutrients. Fall fertilization also helps lawns recover from the stresses of summer because it encourages deep roots and denser growth that can better compete with weeds and tolerate disease and insects.

“Northern gardeners can follow the holiday schedule and fertilize Labor Day and Halloween. Southern gardeners should make their last fall fertilization at least 30 days before the lawn goes dormant or the average first killing frost to avoid winter kill,” recommends Myers.

Use a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer, for best results. Milorganite fertilizer is slow release and resists leaching. Its phosphorus and organic nitrogen stay in the root zone for the plants to use over a long period of time. And, it is good for the environment since the nutrients resist leaching into the groundwater and nearby well. Plus, the non-staining iron promotes greening without excess late season growth that could be subject to winter kill.

Less Work, Better Results
Leave healthy perennials stand for winter. According to Myers, “The seedheads add beauty to the winter landscape and provide food for the birds. Plus, research has found perennials left standing are better able to tolerate the rigors of winter.”

Be sure to remove any diseased or insect-infested plants to reduce the source of pest problems in next year’s garden. Use any extra fall leaves as mulch. Shred the leaves with your mower and spread a layer over the soil to conserve moisture and insulate the perennials’ roots. Not only are the leaves free, but using them as mulch is good for your garden and the environment. Fall mulching gives you a jump on next spring’s landscape chores.

Shredded leaves also make a good mulch for over bulbs. Plant daffodils, tulips and hyacinths in fall for extra color next spring. Set the bulbs at a depth of 2-to-3 times their height deep. Cover with soil, sprinkle on a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer like Milorganite and water. The low nitrogen slow release fertilizer promotes rooting without stimulating fall growth subject to winter kill. The leaf mulch helps conserve moisture, moderate soil temperature fluctuations and eventually improves the soil.

Dig ‘Em In
Still more leaves? Then shred them with the mower and dig them into vacant annual flower and vegetable gardens or incorporate them as you prepare new planting beds. You will be amazed at how quickly these leaves turn into organic matter and improve your garden’s soil. Add a little slow release fertilizer to feed the microorganisms and speed up their decomposition.

Or use the shredded leaves in your compost pile. Combine fall leaves with other plant waste, a bit of soil or compost, and a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer like Milorganite to create compost. Recycling yard waste saves time bagging, hauling and disposing of green debris. You also reduce or eliminate the need to buy soil to improve your existing garden soil.

So put away the rake and find creative ways to save time and money as you put fall leaves to work in your landscape. For more information, visit www.milorganite.com and www.melindamyers.com

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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What you need:

• Wire Wreath Form
• Sphagnum Moss
• Small Well Rooted Plants
• Floral U-pins
• Fishing Line
• Rubber Gloves
• Scissors
• Bucket

Before starting, a nice leisurely stroll through your local garden center is a wonderful way to find the right theme for your wreath.  Go in and absorb the sights, sounds and smells around you to gain inspiration for the wreath.  Plan your visit around the central idea of the wreath; a busy garden center might inspire a wreath that is colorful and filled with busy cheer.  A quiet early morning visit may inspire a wreth that exudes serenity.

Now that you have the mood, you need the plants.  There are hundreds of plants that can be used for living wreaths but it is important to use well-rooted plants.  When choosing the plants, take into consideration the soil composition, light requirements, and moisture needs of the plants since they should all be similar.  Succulents do very well in living wreaths and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.  If you are looking for some blooms in your living wreath, plants such as pansies, violets and many other flowering plants can do well.  Plants that have quick growing roots such as ivy also make an excellent choice for a living wreath.  Herbs such as mint, rosemary and lavender to name a few can be added to a wreath to create a desired ambiance.  Take time when choosing your plants and play around with placement before you commit to the purchase.

When you sit down to create your living wreath, make sure you do it in an area that can be cleaned easily.  Like many creative processes, this can be very messy.  I usually place a garbage bag down and work on top of it.  This makes clean up a breeze and saves time for the more important stuff, like admiring your work.

You will need a wire wreath form but it does not have to be a simple circular shape; hearts and other shapes also look nice.  You will also need fishing line, scissors, floral u-pins, a bucket and rubber gloves.  It is very important to wear rubber gloves since you will also be using Sphagnum Moss to line the wreath and hold the plants.  Sphagnum moss can cause a skin infection if it is handled without gloves. 

To begin, you will need to tie the end of the fishing line to a starting point on your wreath.  Place the Sphagnum Moss, which needs to be soaked for 30 minutes before hand, around the wreath form and make sure that it is generously layered.  Arrange the plants on top of the moss.  It is best if you lay them loosely so you can position the plants until you have created the mini garden that you desire.  After you are happy with the placement, take the first plant closest to the fishing line and place it in the Sphagnum Moss.  Secure the plant with more moss and loop the fishing line around both the moss and the plant.  Repeat these steps all the way around the wreath and keep a close eye on the shape to prevent the size from fluctuating around the wreath.  When the wreath is complete, tie off the fishing line and place the wreath where you want it.

Living wreaths do require a significant amount of care.  The plants need to be trimmed and controlled with floral pins and the living wreath will need to be watered every day.  The best way to accomplish this is to place the wreath in a garbage can lid and soak it for a few minutes in cool water.     

A finished living wreath can be a work of art and can be used in a multitude of ways.  Deep greens and seasonal flowers can create a welcoming wreath during the holidays.  Create a wreath with nothing but fresh herbs and place it in a kitchen.  Not only do you have a wonderfully scented kitchen but you can use the clippings to spice up any dish you desire.    

Romance can be achieved by adding candleholder spikes into the wreath and setting it on a table.  Be sure to securely fasten the spikes with fishing line.  Add a touch of mint or another favorite herb to give the romantic setting a seductive scent.      

A great way to bring the romance from indoors to out is to create several small wreaths and place them on candle spikes down a walkway.  The flickering light of the candles warm the colors of the wreaths at night and can provide a charming decoration during the day.      

One of my favourite ways to use a living wreath is to fill it with soothing greens, warm colors and a soft blend of lavender and chamomile. Add it as a table decoration or as a wall hanging in your bathroom spa.  The need for scented candles will be unnecessary with the relaxing smells that drift from a well-placed living wreath.    

The living wreath has become more than a way to bring the garden indoors during winter months.  It has become a way to create a decoration, a miniature garden, and a central object for relaxation and meditation and there is no end to their enjoyment throughout the whole process of creating and owning one.

Sirena Van Schaik

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For anyone that grows a well-tended garden, there is no limit to the amount of emotions felt when it has taken shape. Gardens can reflect so many things; a person’s moods, dreams, desires or they can be a guided path through peace and tranquility. They can incite feelings of sun kissed joy, whisper of deep green serenity and exotic romance. There is no limit to the structure, flow and accessories that can be added to a garden but sometimes when the focus is on the central space, the outer edges become blurred and forgotten. A living wreath is a wonderful way to take the central idea and move it towards the edges of a garden or even inside.

Wreaths have been used for decades to provide decoration during holidays, to add a touch of color to a room or as a welcoming flourish to many front doors. Wreaths have moved from being decorations only seen around holidays to a potential yearlong celebration of both art and beauty. Living wreaths take a work of art and turn it into beauty that breathes life into a space. They can make an excellent accessory to any garden gate or home, welcoming people with deep greens, vibrant colors, and heavenly smells. They can be used for centerpieces during holidays and can be made year round, although the cost of a living wreath during off seasons can be fairly high. They can be simple to extravagant, a pool of deep cool greens or a bright splash of color. There really is no limit to the shape, colors, size or enjoyment that a living wreath can add to a space.

Making a living wreath can be as rewarding as tending a full size garden, in fact they can be thought of as small gardens that need to be shaped, tended and loved. Living wreaths do not have to be difficult to make and they can inspire the same feelings of accomplishment that gardens do.

Sirena Van Schaik

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But the situation with hydroponics is even trickier, since disease and pests have it much easier in this setting. Plants are constantly kept wet, either immersed in water (’true’ hydroponics) or continually sprayed (aeroponics) or reside in an always wet medium such as perlite or sand. Fortunately, as with soil-based gardens, there is an array of techniques available to manage the problem.

Using beneficial organisms is one popular way to control unwanted pests, including certain types of bacteria and fungi. These help control spider mites and other invaders by crowding them out, eating them or releasing compounds toxic to the pest. They’re called beneficial because they do all that without damaging the plants themselves.

Pesticides of different types are available, too.

Pesticidal soaps have been in use since the 18th century and still provide effective and non-toxic ways to keep the pests down. One sub-category called botanicals are compounds released by plants themselves that have been packaged into an easy-to-use pest control method. Botanicals break down naturally from exposure to air and water and leave no harmful chemicals behind.

Neem oil can control over 400 different types of bug that commonly invade gardens, including hydroponic ones. A simple spray to the leaves can often eliminate common pests. The bugs absorb the oil, which interferes with their ability to reproduce, leading to a lower population.

For more serious infestations, many commercial pesticides continue to work well.

White flies, aphids, mites and other pests can be a problem in hydroponic settings, just as in soil-based gardens. Powdery mildew is a common problem. In fact, because of the continual moisture, they all have a ‘friendly’ environment. Making it ‘unfriendly’ is easy though, using fungicides and organicides. Sulfur-based compounds help control white flies, mealy bugs, thrips and more.

Pyrethrum continues to be a safe and effective means of control. Though it has a scary chemical formula and a ‘non-natural’ sounding name, it’s derived from flowers. This class of natural compounds released by plants are extracted and used in many commercial insecticides. Dosage is low, so the compound is safe when used correctly. Azatrol is a broad spectrum insecticide that provides easy control over most common pests.

Hydroponic gardeners have to exercise additional care when using any disease or pest control method, though.

Since no soil is present to secure the roots, it’s easier to damage a plant when manipulating the leaves and stems. That means, for example, that if you pick off mites by hand – an effective method for low-number infestations – it’s important to exercise extra care.

Since moisture is present, mildew and other fungi are more common. Keeping leaves dry and just the roots wet will help. Any insecticide sprayed on should be allowed to dry under the lights. For aeroponically grown plants, for example, that may require a temporary relocation.

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