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Author Archives: Kelsey Savage

Kelsey Savage

About Kelsey Savage

Kelsey Savage writes about home and garden care in between doing her crafty best to update her small New York space. She has worked for Martha Stewart Living and Country Living. Check her out on Google +!

5 (Nearly) Kill-Proof Houseplants

HOUSEPLANTS
Usingaloevera.com Aloe Vera

Photo: usingaloevera.com

Bringing a plant into your home doesn’t just enhance your décor but it will actually help purify the air in your dwelling. Sure we’ve all had that one bad experience with some plant we picked up from the grocery store that quickly turned into a wilting mess. But don’t be intimidated by past failures, here are five nearly kill-proof house plants with care tips from Dr. Neil Mattson, Assistant Professor of Floriculture Extension in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University. Keep in mind that according to Dr. Mattson, “It’s amazing what plants can survive.”

Slideshow: 5 (Nearly) Kill-Proof Houseplants

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Reblooming Amaryllis

GARDENING | CARE
Amaryllis Bulbs

Courtesy of whiteflowerfarm.com

Far from a one-time treat, forced amaryllis bulbs in a pot with their big trumpet flowers are one of the bright spots of winter.

Since amaryllis are native to tropical environments, they love lots of water and humidity. To mimic those conditions, give your plant—foliage intact, flowers pruned—as much light as possible. Water often and fertilize twice a month.

Once the frost threat has passed, put your amaryllis outside for the summer in a sunny spot until the weather chills. Bring it indoors to induce a dormant period, keeping it in a dark place for eight weeks, withholding water. Then put it in a sunny window and provide lots of water… keep your fingers crossed for another bloom. Unfortunately, if the foliage appears first, then you have a stubborn amaryllis. Fertilize more frequently and try again next year.

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The Winter Garden: Hedge Your Bets

GARDENING | CARE | SEASONAL | TREES & BUSHES

Courtesy of Midwestgardentips.com

“Don’t stop gardening just because it’s winter,” says Cindy Baker, Manager of Grounds at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Most plants, at least those hardy to your climate, can handle 90% of winters, but why not hedge your bets a little so that come spring, you have no sad discoveries (whether due to animals, frost, or dehydration)?

Once the ground freezes completely, there’s not much to be done for annuals, but you can extend the season a little longer until then. When you are aware that there will be an early cold snap or hard frost, lay down a bed sheet on the protected plants. “The sheet holds in enough heat to get them through the night,” says Cindy. Lift it off in the morning once the sun hits. You can also get creative and try protecting individual plants with items like dog food bags or milk jugs. Just don’t use plastic sheets—they don’t allow for enough air exchange. Glass or clay cloches make for perhaps the prettiest option, but also the priciest.

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How To: Care for Winter Birds

HOW TO | SEASONAL | MAINTAIN

Courtesy of wildbirdfeeder.org

Sure, the majority of birds head south for the winter, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop buying birdseed. According to the Audubon Society, more than a hundred bird species supplement their natural diets with food offered at feeders, and in winter, when food is scarce, human assistance is especially important. Feeders also provide pit stops for birds on the way to warmer climates, or returning home when spring finally arrives. Providing for your feathered friends means offering fresh water, shelter, and the right mix of quality seed.

To battle the cold, birds need a high calorie, high fat birdseed mix. If you incorporate only one bird feeder into your yard, go with a sunflower-seed tube feeder that has metal ports around the seed dispensers—these will attract small birds like chicadees, titmice, nuthatches, and goldfinches. Hang feeders at least five feet off the ground, and for your own enjoyment, near a window.

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How To: Stack Firewood

Nothing celebrates the colder weather like the distinct scent and sound of a crackling log in the fireplace. A steady supply of firewood can help offset your heating costs and, unlike oil and coal, is a renewable resource that can be replanted for future fire-burning pleasure. It takes up to a year to properly season wood, but following these guidelines for proper stacking will help keep purchased logs dry and burnable.

How to Stack Firewood

Photo: woodheat.org

The purpose of seasoning freshly cut wood is to remove the moisture for ease-of-burning. Allocate a dry, sunny spot of your yard for stacking. A well-built pile provides proper ventilation and keeps the wood from being prone to molds or fungus. A haphazard heap, on the other hand, won’t dry, will soak up rainwater, and eventually turn into a smelly, rotting mess.

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How To: Preserve Your Jack-o’-Lantern for Halloween

HOLIDAYS | HOW TO | MAINTENANCE
All Halloween Crafts Pumpkin Carving Tip

Photo: allhalloweencrafts.com

No amount of candy corn can make up for the moment you realize that your carefully carved pumpkin’s smile has turned into a rotting grimace just as the trick-or-treaters start showing up at the door. The freshest pumpkin is carved October 31, so if you are tempted to start the festivities earlier, follow these tips to make sure there will still be a plump pumpkin to greet the neighborhood kids once the big day arrives.

With a keyhole saw, either take off the top of the pumpkin (best if you intend to put a candle inside), or make a hole in the back. Then dig out the pumpkin pulp with a scraping tool—a spoon can do, but it helps to have something with a sharp edge or teeth. Be sure to remove one hundred percent of the pumpkin guts. Carve the gourd by affixing a stencil and using an awl—or another thin, sharp tool—to outline the pattern with small holes before cutting. Then dig in carefully with a miniature saw or sharp knife to complete the Jack-o’-Lantern’s face. Even a drill can double as a carving tool—use a ½ inch or ¾ spade bit for making the eyes.

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Black Roof Stains? Check for Algae

ROOFING | MAINTENANCE
1877960roof.com algae-streaked asphalt shingles

Photo: 1877960roof.com

It’s not mold. It’s probably not soot. The black spots discoloring your asphalt roof are more than likely the pervasive and prevalent algae known as Gloecapsa Magma.  These roof-invaders require a moisture-rich environment, usually supplied by dew and shade. The first stains usually appear on the north-facing sides of a roof, which receives less light, and in areas with heavy tree coverage. Algae travels through the air, so if one neighbor receives a few spores, the whole neighborhood will soon be sporting the black streaks.  Unfortunarly, they love to feed on the calcium carbonate contained in most asphalt shingles.  According to Tom Bollnow of the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA), “The algae is mostly an aesthetic nuisance, although with time, the moisture retained in the algae can prematurely age the shingles.”

No matter how tempting, don’t attack the discoloration with a high pressure washing system, which will affect the integrity of shingles. Instead, William Woodring, the Director of Technical Services at GAF, suggests gently spraying on a solution made from one cup of trisodium phosphate (available at most hardware stores), one gallon of bleach, and five gallons of water and letting it sit for about twenty minutes. “Apply the treatment on a cloudy day so the liquid doesn’t just evaporate,” says Woodring. Be sure to protect the plants and bushes that might be affected by the bleach runoff with plastic tarps. Then, rinse with a soft-pressure wash.

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Winterizing Your Patio Furniture

DECK PATIO & PORCH | FURNITURE | SEASONAL
O.com Five-piece Wrought Iron Patio Set Bob Vila Fall Maintenance

O.com Five-piece Wrought Iron Patio Set

As sad as it is to move indoors after enjoying your outdoor furniture all summer, taking a little extra time to care for your patio set now will keep everything pristine for spring’s return. While most patio and lawn products are manufactured to remain outside for the winter, some precautions may still be required for harsher weather conditions.  Here’s a general breakdown of how to treat the common materials that show up on your patio, porch or deck.  For more specific guidelines, check with your furniture’s manufacturer.

Metals
Most aluminum furniture has been powder coated, keeping it from rusting.  Zac Bryant, the Vice President of Product Development and Merchandising at Lane Venture, a manufacturer of outdoor furniture, suggests washing aluminum and then applying a coat of automotive wax for extra protection.  Touch up any scratches with car paint in the appropriate color.

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Mulching Your Flower Beds

GARDENING | COMPOST & MULCH
How to Mulch Your Flower Beds

Photo: New York Botanical Garden

Laying mulch before the winter gives your soil a head start for the next growing season. It also protects delicate plants, adding the equivalent of a whole zone level to those that might not be hardy enough for the area. Kristin Schleiter, the acting Director of Outdoor Gardens at the New York Botanical Garden, shares some tips to make the most of mulch.

When choosing the type you want to lay in your garden, avoid mulch made of raw wood (because it robs the soil of the nitrogen plants require) and any that are artificially dyed (since they add extra chemicals to the garden).

The New York Botanical Garden prefers leaf mold (pictured above), which you can make yourself in the backyard, and pine bark mulches (right). Other suitable materials include cocoa hulls, straw, even walnut shells—just keep in mind that the smaller the pieces making up the mulch, the faster it will need refreshing. Leaf mold, for example, will deteriorate very quickly and can be laid thickly, but one to three inches of bark mulches will do.

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It’s Bulb-Planting Time!

LANDSCAPING | GARDENING
Fall Bulb Planting

Fall bulb planting at Longwood Gardens

For gardeners in areas where the weather has cooled, it’s time to plant bulbs for spring tulips and daffodils. Bulbs are nature’s perfect packages, having all they need to grow inside their compact, convenient forms. They just require a bright, sunny location and a little soil preparation. For tips on creating the showiest display, I spoke to Rodney Eason, the Display Division Leader at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA.

The best blooms start with loose soil and a few inches of well-aged compost mixed in. The beds at Longwood Gardens are well maintained and don’t need fertilizer, but home gardeners might want to pH test their soil to make sure it doesn’t need amending. Your local botanical garden extension, nursery or garden center can help.

BulbsDirect Eremurus Pinocchio

Eremurus Pinocchio at BulbsDirect.com

Break-up the soil and mix in compost with a till or a garden fork. Then take a trowel (try one with the measurements already marked on it) to lever the soil and slide the bulb into the ground, pointed tip up.

Tulips and daffodils should go in six inches deep and six inches apart. Eason suggests staggering rows of bulbs to give a fuller look to the bed (that means the second row’s bulbs are behind and in between those in the first row, but still six inches apart).

Remember to examine the bulbs before tucking them in—don’t bother using those that are dried out, or that feel squishy. You can plant through the last week of November, although some gardeners don’t stop until the ground is completely frozen.

Fritillaria Imperialis Rubra at Home Depot

Fritillaria Imperialis Rubra at Home Depot

If you fear squirrels and deer, which like to undo all your hard work, stick to daffodils, since they don’t incite the taste buds of critters the way tulips do. Or lay down a thin gauge of plastic ½” square mesh (held in with turf staples) to prevent your bulbs from becoming a snack. Just make sure to remove the mesh once the foliage reaches 2” tall in the spring.

Eason suggests these two bulbs to add some variation from the typical tulips and daffodils: Eremurus (Foxtail Lily) whose big spikes of yellow flowers make a splash in the spring, and Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial) whose unusual hanging blooms appear in May.

For more information on fall yard and home maintenance, see our Fall Home Maintenance Checklist here.

For more on gardening, consider:

Quick Tip: Mulch
9 Daffodils to Cheer Up Your Garden
18 Ways to Color Your Garden This Fall


 
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