Creating the perfect Fathers Day Gift! One is the Wine Bottle Star!

Ugggg.........yes.........it is that time of year to find that perfect gift for that special man in your life.......your Dad..... If your Dad is a gardener or just simply likes to play in the yard, then we have that perfect gift. The best gift is usually a collaboration of several different and related items. You want your Dad to know you actually put some thought into it. Here a inexpensive but wonderful gift idea. Purchase or reuse an existing hanging basket. A plastic basket will be just fine Then place four herbs in the empty baskets still in their individual pots. Then go ahead and also add to the mix a book on herbs. Secure with raffia or twine, add a card, and now your done. We will show you several other ideas to make Father's Day a very special day this year as well.

Here's another idea! I like surprises in the garden. Here is a fun and simple project to hang from your trees or simply use in a container. I call this a "wine bottle star".

Your will need:

9 Assorted wine bottles with corks
2 tubes Household silicone glue
4 rolls Paper towels
A little patience

First you start with gluing the bottoms of 4 wines bottles together. Let dry for 4 hours.
Then you glue the center of the 4 bottles with one additional bottle sitting upwards. Let dry for 4 hours.
Last, you then glue 4 bottle leaning upwards at a 45 degrees angle with the paper towels supporting each bottle as they dry for 4 hours.

Then either place in a tree or lay on top of a pot and then plant around.

Adding Texture and Color to your Garden

It's that time of year to get your gardens looking great so you can enjoy their beauty all summer long. I know, the temperature is getting hot, but it's not too late. So let's get some work done. Remove those old pansies and add lots of different varieties of annuals. Cheat a little and fill voids with over sized hanging baskets. Use colorful foliage plants such as Moses in a Cradle that will for sure add color to your landscape all the way through to the first frost. Remember to add plants such as the Summer Snap Dragons, Hibiscus, and Kimberly Ferns for drama. I like to plant in drifts and I like the flowerbeds full and lush. You get alot of bang for your buck when you spend more for spring and summer annuals. Eight months for that matter. So spend a little money and enjoy a beautiful retreat all summer long. See what we have planted in the Weather Garden. We have lots of great ideas for you.

Dressing Up A Dreary Fence

So many of us are surrounded by a wood fence. A wood fence can become our only focal point in the back yard. It is virtually impossible for most of us to cover and hide the entire fence. So, in these circumstances this is what I do.....work with it! Just find inexpensive metal art such as metal flowers at your local garden center or craft store. Then, add some pizazz by spray painting each item a vibrant color, like I've done here, where I chose a BEAUTIFUL orange. Then place at a random pattern on the fence by attaching each piece with wood screws. Before you know it, you will have an awesome display and our old wood fence will be a forgotten memory of the past.

Caring For Container Gardens

Water Keep soil evenly moist. That generally means daily watering in hot, dry weather. Stick a finger into the soil. If it feels dry, water. A moisture meter is ideal.

Pinch Encourage branching and bushy habit growth by pinching out stem tips once or twice early in the season.

Deadhead To encourage a steady stream of flowers, remove spent ones regularly.

Feed Container plants need frequent small feedings. Water weekly with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half the recommended strength. Note that some bagged container mixes contain fertilizer. Read the bag, please, to see when you will need to begin feeding.

Prune If plants get leggy and if blooming slows, cut them back hard, then water and feed. They'll bounce back and bloom quickly.

Bountiful Vegetables and Savory Herbs

Nothing tastes better than garden-fresh produce or newly picked herbs, especially when they're home grown. Use the three secrets presented here, and you are sure to be producing your own in no time!

Start Small: A 4 by 4 foot garden will produce a lot of vegetables, yet is still easy to maintain. You can always enlarge it once you have a bit of experience.

Work on Your Soil: Concentrate on improving the soil and ensuring good drainage. Also, don't forget to keep weeds under control.

Grow Easy Crops: Start with radishes, leaf lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.

Plant in wide rows: This uses space efficiently. Traditional gardens, with paths between rows, use 50 percent of the space available. Wide rows devote 80 percent of the available space to crops.

Plant crop after crop: Plant a new crop as soon as one is finished.

Give your soil TLC: Intensive gardening takes nutrients from your soil. Amend it with compost or other organic matter after every harvest.

A Living Easter Basket

Easter baskets are not just for candy. Create your own beautiful living Easter basket. Just line the basket with a plastic liner or plastic bag and then place an assortment of wonderful spring flowers and houseplants. Remember to get plants that not only have color but texture. Pick various sizes and heights and then squish their root balls together and create a lush and full arrangement. Complement the look with custom painted (in Easter hues) ceramic or fiberglass bunnies.

The Scoop on Shrubs

The simple shrub---it can work wonders in your yard. Whether it's structure, privacy, color or wildlife you seek, there's a shrub to fill every need.

Growing on a smaller scale than trees, shrubs are easier to manage and more admirable at eye level. Their size also means it's easier to find spots for them in a existing landscape, and they won't create large areas of unwanted shade. An added bonus, you get to enjoy their appearance year-round. Follow these steps and put shrubs to work for you.

1. Savvy Shopping--Find out which shrubs meet your needs.
2. Find the Right Spot--Take a walk around your property and determine where shrubs may fit in.
3. Planting-Planting shrubs isn't as hard as you would think.
4. Finishing Touches--Frequent watering and fertilizing will do wonders.