Winter Flowers the Endure the Cold

I know that most of you are so tired of the cold winter.  Most of our yards, including my own, look so dull and drab.  Well winter
is not over yet so be careful what flowers you plant now.  It is too early to plant cold sensitive flowers
such as begonias and petunias.  I know, some garden centers have them already in their nurseries.  Don't be
fooled, we still have cold nights ahead, so choose wisely.  There is hope though.  There are so many different
varieties of flowers that you can plant now.  I just planted in my pots blooming dianthus, snap dragons, pansies, nemesia, alyssum,
Lenton Roses,  and even some herbs.  Most of these will burn out before the spring heat but will get you through the
next two months.  Remember these plants are heavy feeders so fertilizer with a general food and they will
bloom their little hears out.

Controlling Winter Broadleaf Weeds

It it important to maintain your turf against weed infestation. However, during the

winter months turfgrasses are not actively growing

and are therefore susceptible to the encroachment

of winter annual broadleaf weeds. Controlling

winter annual broadleaf weeds before they are able

to set seed will not only reduce the likelihood of

an outbreak the following year, but improve the

There are so many different brands of products on the market.  I like to use a
product called Weed Zone since it controls existing weeds at any temperature. 
We carry this product at Botanica Gardens.  Apply now and a second application may
be necessary.

Don't forget to also apply a pre-emergent to prevent spring and summer weeds from germinating.  Make sure to read the
directions very carefully on the label.  Some  products can not be used on certain turf types.
Apply now before it is too late.  The warm weather is right around the corner.

Winter Damage to Plants

Can we be in the Weather Garden for this One??

Extreme cold weather protection tips:

To prepare for more extreme weather, stock up on a supply of plastic, burlap, canvas or old sheets that can be used to cover less cold-hardy shrubs and plants. 

When heavy snowfall or icing is predicted, use this material to cover the plants, anchoring the cover around the base of the plant with stakes, rocks, bricks or logs so winter winds don’t blow it off.

•  Remove the cover and shake off the snow or ice off once the threat has passed.

•  Snow and ice can break limbs and twigs of more fragile multi-branched trees and shrubs.

•  Give them a little help holding up under the weight by bundling the limbs together with string or twine.

It’s fine to gently shake snow from the limbs of trees and shrubs, but let ice melt on its own to avoid breakage.

The best form of winterizing is making sure the plants you choose for the landscape are able to withstand your winter weather. 

As you buy new plants, pick ones that are suited for your growing zone and locate them in the proper spot. 

Tender plants that can’t withstand lots of cold weather should be planted in protected areas or on the west and south sides of houses and other structures. 

And if, despite all your efforts, winter seems to take a toll on your landscape plants, don’t panic.  Many will rebound when spring arrives so be patient and give them time to recover before you give up on them.

Unique Containers

Paint Stick Painter:

Paint sticks aren't just for stirring paint!  They may be used to enhance planters too!  Take a cube shaped wooden box and turn it into a planter for the spring season.  Using the paint sticks, create a design on the outside of the wooden box.  Excessive pieces of the paint sticks may be cut using a "Handi-tool" which is a hand held heavy duty cutting tool.  Hot glue each paint stick onto the wooden cube and then fill in any gaps with spackling.  Once the spackling has dried, paint or stain the paint stick design.  We chose a chevron style pattern to make an ordinary wooden box into a spectacular planter for spring!

Supplies:

- Cube shaped wooden box
- Paint sticks
- Handi-tool
- Spackling
- Hot glue gun/hot glue
- Paint and/or stain
- Plant material

Book Planter:

A unique way of displaying a plant in your home is inside a book!  Take any thick book and open it to where it naturally stays open.  If pages on the left side of the book are not lying down flat, use Elmer's glue to bind the pages together.  You may need to weight the pages down and allow to dry overnight.  Using an exacto knife or box cutter, cut out a rectangle within the size of the pages.  Take out the pages that have been cut and repeat this step until a rather deep "hole" has been cut out.  Line the cut out open area with waxed paper.  Fill with plant material, rocks, and moss to create a wonderful addition to your home!

Supplies:

- Thick book
- Exacto knife or box cutter
- Elmer's glue
- Waxed paper
- Plant material, rocks, moss

Brick Planter:

Do you have any old bricks with holes lying around?  If so, bricks make a fun display for plants or candles to display inside or out!  Simply wash off any dirt from the brick.  Insert succulents, votive candles, or small vases filled with flowers inside the holes of the brick.  This brick planter is a great accent for your spring party!

Supplies:

- Bricks with holes
- Succulents, votive candles, small vase with flowers

Picture This

Spring Twig Picture Frame:

It's time to frame your favorite spring photographs, so let's create the perfect frame!  You will need a picture frame of any size with a wide border, a small bird's nest, twigs, and moss.  All of our supplies came from a local craft store except for the twigs.  The unfinished wood picture frame may either be painted or rubbed with Old English wood furniture polish to create a wood like color. Find twigs from the yard, break them to size, and begin hot gluing the twigs all over the picture frame until completely covered.  Hot glue or tuck moss inside little crevices to give a nice texture and pop of color.  Hot glue the small bird's nest at any corner of the frame.  Now it's time to frame those special spring pictures!

Supplies:

- Unfinished wood picture frame with wide border

- Twigs

- Small bird's nest

- Moss

- Hot glue gun/ hot glue

Wine Cork Ideas for the Kitchen

Succulent Cork Magnet:

Here is a great project using corks!  You may have used corks lying around the house, if not, they may be found at your local craft store.  Using a paring knife or drill, carve out the middle section of the cork.  Carve down 3/4 of the cork.  Place a little bit of soil inside the cork, place one small succulent root inside the soil, and sprinkle with water.  Hot glue a small magnet to the backside of the cork and place on the fridge!  

Supplies:

- Corks

- Paring knife/drill

- Soil

- Succulents

- Small magnets

- Hot glue gun/ hot glue

Cork Trivet:

If you have several leftover wine corks, this is the project for you!  This simple project is decorative and useful!  Simply take several wine corks and create a pattern of your choice.  We hot glued a pair of wine corks vertically and then hot glued a pair of wine corks horizontally adjacent to the vertical pair.  Create at least four pairs for each row.  Repeat until there are four to six rows creating a square.  Using an embroidery hoop, you may also hot glue wine corks together in a circular pattern.  Fill the embroidery hoop first to ensure the number of wine corks needed.  Once all wine corks are glued, tighten the embroidery hoop for an unexpected feature!

Supplies:

- Wine corks

- Embroidery hoop

- Hot glue gun/hot glue

Seed-Starting Helpers

After making lots of fresh-squeezed juice, I reuse my citrus halves as pots for seedlings.   Just scoop out all of the remaining pulp and let the halves dry for a few days in a dark dry spot.  A few days later, just fill them with potting mix and plant with fast growing seeds like sweet peas.  No need to poke holes in the bottom of the rinds since the dry skin of the peel absorbs the moisture.  I like to place my potted rinds in cupcake pans.