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Landscaping Mulch: Rubber Alternative

Sirena Van Schaik — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:57:30 +0000

When I first met my husband’s grandmother, it was at her tire shop. Yes, she owns a tire shop and there was something about the stacks of tires that all I could think about was how much fun it would have been being able to play with them as a kid. At the time, I basically saw two uses for tires, one was obviously for my car, bike, insert anything that requires tires here and for kids to play around in, I never thought that tires would be used for a basic gardening need, mulching.

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

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Late Summer Gardening Tasks

Sirena Van Schaik — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:48:39 +0000

Yes, it’s almost upon us; the end of summer. For school children, the end of summer has arrived but for the happy gardener, there are still a few weeks of summer to enjoy before we have to start getting everything ready for winter. Obviously, I am in a zone where we see long cold winters and I am always one step ahead on planning out what needs to be done to winterize my garden.

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

A Handy Organic Tip for Weed Control

Sirena Van Schaik — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:00:41 +0000

Every day I notice something new in the whole “go green” campaign. It seems to be a constant reminder of what I need to buy to ensure that I am as eco-friendly as possible. I feel immense guilt if I forget to bring my eco-friendly shopping bags when I go to any store and I am now the happy owner of close to 20 of those said bags.

Still, eco-friendly is a great choice and one that I heartily agree with, especially when it comes to gardening. I often shudder when I see those signs, “stay off the lawn, pesticide use,” and I think of all the hours of enjoyment that will be missed simply because someone sprayed their lawn.

If you are eco-friendly, or trying to go eco-friendly, here are is a handy organic tip on weed control that will keep you and your garden happy and healthy.

Weed Control:

I remember one year my garden became overrun with dandelions. I was in hell. Not because of the dandelions, nope I’m actually quite fond of this sunny little weed, but because of my over zealous neighbors who, I was positive, were casting hexes my way on a daily basis. Two long days were spent going over the lawn on my hands and knees and digging out the dandelions. I had a huge stack to toss into the compost by the time I was finished and my neighbors smiled at me in what appeared to be relief.

Unfortunately, not even a week after my adventures in weeding and the neighbor across the street, who could care less about how the neighbors felt, allowed his lawn of dandelions to mature and I watched in horror as they spread across my lawn again.

Now I take a completely relaxed view of dandelions and the only time you see me out there pulling them out is when I’m harvesting a treat for my son’s bunny.

Of course, this probably doesn’t offer you much advice right there but the most organic way to control weeds is to dig them out. Yes, it’s hard work and probably one of the worst jobs in gardening but it has to be done.

Now, the alternative to digging out weeds in places other than your lawn, is to use an old piece of carpet or a piece of black polyethylene. All you need to do is place the strip over the weed(s) and leave it. The lack of light will eventually kill the weed and it is not a next day cure to weeds. Generally, you need to wait several months for all the roots to die but in the end, if the patch of weeds was large enough, you save yourself the backache and the planet from chemicals.

Sirena Van Schaik

New Feature: Share your Garden

Sirena Van Schaik — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 01:27:39 +0000

Today, I was walking through a local corner store, which doubles as the local book and magazine store, and I was looking at all the beautifully pictured gardening magazines. I have a few favorites of my own but I did notice a trend on every single cover; beautiful gardens.

As much as we talk about gardening, give tips on how to make everything perfect in your outdoor space and look at plant species, it is often hard to get an vision of how all of this ties together in the greater scheme of outdoor beauty.

Yes, we can see the beautiful lily, the flagstone that we reviewed would look great with some deep purples but the end result is lost in translation sometimes. This is by no means saying that these tips aren’t helpful but it was something that sparked the discussion of a new feature here on Savvy Gardening.

So what exactly is it? Well, Savvy Gardening is asking any of our readers to share photographs of their gardens, or special gardening projects that they did. We will feature a new garden every few weeks and you will have the pleasure of seeing your photographs on Savvy Gardening.

If you are interested in sharing your photographs with us, please email me at sirena_vanschaik@yahoo.ca.

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing some wonderful gardens.

Sirena Van Schaik

Dealing with Shade

Sirena Van Schaik — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:48:42 +0000

One of the hardest problems that I ever faced was when I had to contend with a completely shady garden. There was no sun anywhere to be had and I almost succumbed to having only hostas in my garden. That is however, until I started looking into other alternatives for that shade infested space and realized that I can have a garden awash in blooms throughout the summer without having to fork out a lot of money for overly expensive plants. (Although I will be the first to admit that I put in a lot of money regardless of the price of plants.)

The key to utilizing the shady areas in your garden is to not be afraid to use a lot of foliage. I know I just said that I wanted to get away from that but you can use the foliage as the main filler and add bursts of flowers in eye catching spots. It is also much easier to find foliage for the shade than flowers and you can find some very nice colors in that foliage.

Below I have listed a bunch of flowers that you can use for a shady garden and if you find a few others that work well, please feel free to post them in the comments section.

Coleus: Although this is an indoor plant, it can be acclimatized for use in the garden during those warmer months. It is a brilliant foliage with wonderful leaves of red, pink, yellow and green patterns.
Pansies: These little flowers are great for any environment and they can do just as well in the shade as they can in the full sun. They come in a wide range of color and you can create a great little garden space with them.
Sweet Rocket: Although it does much better in partial shade it can also do well in shade. It produces spikes of single flowers in lilac or purple.
Busy Lizzie: I love the name of this plant, don’t ask me why, and it is a great addition to any shaded garden. It does better in partial shade but again, like the Sweet Rocket, it can do well in full shade. It also comes in a wide range of colors and it can be found in a range of sizes as well.
Woodruff: Beautiful lavender blue flowers that have a wonderful scent, this plant does very well in full shade.
Petunias: Another great flower for the shade, petunias can be grown in partial shade. They also come in a wide range of colors and I used them once to create a full rainbow in one of my garden beds.
Forge-me-not: The last flower I am going to mention today, the forge-me-nots can be found in blue or in light pink and they can do very well in partial shade.

And hopefully, I gave you a few tips on some great plants for your shady garden.

Sirena Van Schaik

Photo Credit

Early Summer Gardening Tasks

Sirena Van Schaik — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:51:36 +0000

This last week has seen the first week of summer and many gardeners both beginners and experienced have gone outdoors to start checking off their tasks sheet for early summer.

I find, personally, that it is better to look at a garden in small bursts. Sure there are many things that I will need to do throughout the summer when it comes to keeping my garden healthy and eventually getting ready to bed it down for the winter but when there are only a few jobs to do at each period of time, the amount of work put into a garden seems almost insignificant to the amount of enjoyment you get out of it.

So here is a list of a few garden tasks that you should do in early summer:

The Flower Garden:

Place supports in the garden for any perennials that need it.
Fertilize the plants
Remove all the deadheads from the plants
Water regularly
Prune any plants that need to be pruned. Most will only need to be pruned after flowering, depending on the plant.
Deal with any pests if they are present in the garden.
With any shrubs and perennials, you can take softwood cuttings.
Thin out the annuals
Weed the beds.

The Vegetable Garden

This depends on what plants you have in your garden.

Weed the garden.
Thin out any plants that need to be.
Provide supports for plants that require them such as beans, and tomatoes.
fertilize the vegetable garden.
Place up screens to protect vegetables from pests.
Water regularly
Sow any plants that require sowing

And these are just a few jobs to make summer gardening a little easier and you will find that you spend more time enjoying your garden then struggling to keep up with its care.

Sirena Van Schaik

Taking a Page from Nature

Sirena Van Schaik — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:50:45 +0000

This weekend, I went for a nice long hike with my family for Father’s Day. It was a nice day, not too warm and the shade from the trees provided the perfect backdrop for tranquil moods. Sunlight filtered through the trees leaving little pools of yellow light on the forest floor and the earth around us was a cascade of greens and browns. Large ferns nestled in between the dark browns of decaying trees and wild flowers found a spaces of sunlight to stretch out there weary petals and grab hold of the faint rays.

It was beautiful and it got me thinking about elements that I would like to see in my garden. That in turn made me think about sharing those ideas with you, the readers of Savvy Gardening. So what exactly am I getting at? It’s simple, when you are designing your own garden, take a few minutes to take some things from nature.

Okay, I probably lost you there since nature is abundant in a garden but I mean it in a more inspirational way. Have you ever taken a photograph of a forest path? When you stop and look at the pictures you can look at it and find a haphazard mess with trees leaning everywhere and plants growing wherever there is space and sunlight. It might not be the exact image that you have for a garden but if you stop and take a closer look you can find so many points that you could incorporate into your garden.

Forest ferns may provide the perfect shade of green in one corner of your garden. The path that gently meanders around trees that are hundreds of years old may provide you with a layout for your own garden path. The carefree sprinkling of wild flowers can give you an array of colors to pull out of the picture and into your own garden. There are a million ways to be inspired from nature around us an it is very easy to start using the nature in your yard to build up flower beds and ponds.

For me, I have already decided on incorporating a few more ferns, adding a few more trees and I have plotted out a patch in my yard where I would like to plant wildflowers. The hike has given me endless inspiration and that is really what you should pull from nature; the inspiration to create a garden of untold delights.

Happy Gardening,

Sirena Van Schaik

Plant of the Week: The Knock Out Rose

Sirena Van Schaik — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:49:37 +0000

I would like to take some time each week or every other week to look at a plant that may be a great addition to any garden. I have my personal favorites, as do many other gardeners, but I always look for new plants that may find itself worked into a new or old part of my garden. This week, I would like to start off with the Rosa ‘Radrazz’, which is also known as the Knock Out Rose.

I have to admit, like most gardeners, that many of the plants that I find are either found in a nursery, garden center or on the pages of a gardening magazine or book. The Knock Out Rose is one that I saw in a Fine Gardening magazine and after seeing the plant, it has been put on my must have list. This is surprising in itself since I am not a big rose fan. I mean, I love them in a garden but since they are not my favorite flower, I tend to move away from them and move towards flowers and plants that I love.

The reason why I love the Knock Out Rose is simple. It is a “Knock Out” with its dark foliage providing a breathtaking backdrop of deep green, which deepens to a dark purple in fall, for this fast growing shrub rose. The flowers themselves are brilliant colors and you can find this rose in red, pink, blush and rainbow (pink with a yellow center) and sunny (white with a yellow center). The rose comes in single or double blooms.

Although the color and shrubbery is wonderful, the main draw for me over this flower is the fact that it is fairly hardy and requires very little care. Generally, you only need to prune in the spring, provide it with proper care, i.e. water, fertilizer, and that is it. The plant does the rest right down to the deadheads. This rose is also very resistant to black spots. The bush itself is very hardy and can survive in Zones 4 to 10.

I honestly do not believe that you can find a rose that requires such a low amount of fuss and have as much glory with a full shrub filled with brilliant blooms. There is nothing that I find that would deter me from purchasing this rose for my garden, well except space but I can always make more of that.

Sirena Van Schaik

Garden Center Deals

Sirena Van Schaik — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:15:33 +0000

Every year I tell myself that there is no way that I am spending more than $50 on some annuals to fill in around my perennials. I try to avoid the extra cost but once I get into the garden center, I often find one or two – okay, make it more like 5 to 10 - perennials that I could see fitting into a space in my garden. By the time I wander out of the garden center, I have spent much more than my budget and I hurry home to get the plants in the ground before my husband notices that instead of having a flat or two of annuals, I have filled up the minivan with flowers.

For this reason, I have found ways to alleviate some of the cost of my happy growers finger when I am at the garden center and thought that I would share them with you.

Timing: Although I am usually chafing at the bit to get growing sometime around mid-April (I know way to early) I will force myself to wait until the planting season is almost over. This can mean that the plants you are getting are not as great in quality but if you find a good garden center, you probably won’t have this problem. If you wait until early June, you will still have lots of time to get your flowers in and you will also be able to cash in on some deals. One of my favorite growers offers half off the second annual, the last week of May. This can usually equate to less cost but usually for me it equates to more flowers. (Hey, I never said my method was solid.)
Starting Small: I know that perennials can really add a lot to gardens and it is often very hard to wait for a small plant to grow large and lush. Many gardeners will purchase the larger plant so they have more coverage right from the start but plants grow very quickly and there really is no need to start with a 60 dollar plant when the exact same plant, although smaller, starts at 14 dollars. You will find that you can save money or as in my case, add more.
Return Trips: Go to the garden center, see what they have to offer and then leave. If you find a great deal, as I did with a braided Hibiscus this year, pick it up but if the prices still seem high or there isn’t anything that catches your eye, don’t bother shopping. You might drive the garden center crazy but it will give you time to plan, decide how many plants you need and what you want exactly. When you are ready to buy, usually when that sale is on, you can go back, fill your wagon and leave without overspending.

I know that I should probably have a few more tips on saving money at the garden center but it really only comes down to the last three. To stay on budget, you could bring cash so you don’t over dip into the bank account but it is up to you. Another money saving tip is to never bring kids with you to the garden center. This is the one advice tip that I never follow and I can usually add on a good dozen plants that the kids just had to have.

Happy Gardening!

Sirena Van Schaik

Introducing a New Writer: Sirena Van Schaik

Sirena Van Schaik — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:56:38 +0000

Hello,

It is great to be invited to write on Savy Gardening and to meet all of you.

I guess I should start with a little bit about myself. I am a mother of two boys and have found that having two boys has taken me into top soil and mud more often than I can remember. I have truly learned more about gardening in my six years of motherhood then at any other time in my life. Not because I was doing more of it but because I suddenly had to answer questions. My kids weren’t happy with the simple explanations and would need a full report on why ladybugs are good for gardens or what exactly worms were doing in the soil. I have also learned how to add a green thumb to a potential disaster after a child is let loose with a garden hose.

I won’t say that I am an expert gardener, although I can hold my own with a watering can, I still have a lot to learn and many more gardens to grow. I constantly look for new ways to add a nice touch to my garden, much to the dispair of my husband, and I enjoy bringing that garden in.

So over the next few months, please feel free to contact me if I happen to get a fact wrong, or I haven’t covered a topic that you are interested in. Hopefully though, I will provide you with amazing content, helpful tips and some new ideas that you may want to incorporate into your garden.

Now that we have introductions taken care of. Look for a new article in the next day or two.

All the best,

Sirena Van Schaik

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