Blog posts tagged with 'Garden'

With spring rolling in around the corner, there are many things to get in order to prepare for Spring gardening. For those of you out there who are a little more free spirited with your gardening, in the sense that the flowers will “grow where they grow,” this DIY probably won’t hold much interest for you. But for those of you with the obsessive-compulsive, perfectionist’s personalities in the garden stay tuned.

Here is a great way to get all your little seedlings lined up and in order like a well-trained platoon of soldiers. 

What you will need:

1.        1- foot by 1-foot pieces of plywood
2.        Tape Measure or ruler
3.        Pencil and Permanent Marker
4.        30 small objects to make holes in the soil (wine corks, wooden spools)
5.        Wood Glue
6.        4 cabinet handles
7.        Sandpaper
8.        Wood stain (if desired)

Steps:

1. Sand out any rough edges on our 1-foot by 1-foot boards

2. Using your ruler measure out in the cneter of the boards, a grid of 9 equal squares (see image) 

3. Take your small bojects using the wood glue, and attah them at al intersections of your gride. Let dry. (see image) 

4. Once your pieces are dry, flip the board and attach your cabinet handle using wood glue, in the center of the board

5. Finish with wood stain if desired. 

Once spring comes, and it’s time to plant, you can be sure that this DIY Planter Template will have you planting even rows of beautiful flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Happy Gardening Everyone! 

We have all seen those cute, sometimes funny Terra Cotta Pot people on Facebook, Pinterest, or even in a Garden or two.  How in the world are they put together.  This Blog is designed to show you how, step by step to do just that, so you can have one of these unique creations in your garden to astound your neighbors with your ability to create unique garden art.

Step 1: Cut two long ropes for arms, and two longer ropes for legs.

Step 2: Arms – String 4” squat terra cotta pots through holes, knotting between pots for spacing.

Step 3:  Legs – string 4” terra cotta pots through holes, knotting between pots for spacing.

Step 4: Thread both arm ropes through the bottom of a 6” pot for the head.

Step 5: Thread both leg ropes through bottom of a 8” pot for the body.

Step 6: Continue leg ropes though second 8” body pot.

Step 7: Attach two body pots with outdoor-grade glue and let dry. Tie off the leg ropes extending Through the top hole.

Step 8: Glue the head and arms to the body

Step 9: Glue moss between the pots as needed

Step 10: Ad scarf, hat, glasses and or a plant head.

A well manicured landscape is something to be noticed.  Beautiful Trees, shrubs, Flowers, and other types of plants fill the yard space with a combination of balance and design that can adorn the outside of a home much like jewelry on a beautiful woman.
While there are countless examples of wonderful landscape designs available online, something special began to catch my eye. I noticed that some of these landscapes had edible plants used in their layout.  This seemed to me like such a fabulous idea that I wanted to know more, so I began to research this trend and found out that it is becoming quite popular to ad edible plants to landscape designs, or even to completely use edible plants for the landscape.

There are a great many benefits to having edible plants in the yard. The first being, they are edible.  This can save some time, and money by avoiding going to the grocery store, just walk outside and pick your favorite veggie or fruit off your own plant. The Second benefit is that they are healthy.  We always talk about how we want to eat healthier around our house. What better way to do that then to surround our yards with healthy plants that encourage us to consume more fruits and vegetables.  A third benefit, is that growing edible landscapes is a "green" way to landscape a yard because the fruits and veggies that are grown in the yard don't have to be shipped across country or around the world to end up on your table.  And last, but certainly not least, if it is grown in your yard, you know what went into it, and on it, so there is less worry about strong pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and more time to enjoy the fruits of your yard.

This kind of landscaping will continue to gain in popularity as people tire of using water and other resources for large grassy areas that do little more then ornament the yard. Edible landscapes can help feed us and turn our yards into ecosystems. Fruit-bearing trees, bushes and perennial vegetables can be a part of a productive landscape, especially when mixed in with native and drought-resistant ornamentals. Ad to that low flow irrigation products such as micro & drip irrigation and one can create a sustainable landscape with not just color, but flavor as well.

With the prices of food rising in much of the country this is, no doubt, a trend that will continue to grow, leaving many a front and or back yard full of tasty treats.
 

A few years ago, a good friend of mine took the time to plant a wonderful
 small garden in his back yard. He lay down a row of squash and zucchini and
 was looking forward to what it would yield. The plants grew nice and lush.
  He watered and fertilized as required. Then they began to bud, marking the
beginning of the lovely vegetables. Everything was going according to plan.
  My friend was disappointed a few weeks later when the plants never produced
 any vegetables. He scratched his head thinking about what he might have 
forgotten to do. As he went down his checklist, it never once occurred to
him that the solution to his dilemma was as simple as four letters. B E E S!

Later, another friend of his at work told him that more than likely what had
 happened was a lack of our buzzing friends who are responsible for
 pollinating our plants. Quite simply, when the vegetable plants budded,
there were no bees around to spread the pollen. Could it be that simple? The
 answer is yes.


Anyone who has lived in Florida for a considerable amount of time has driven 
by an orange grove. The white stacks of wooden crates in the middle of the 
grove? Those are bee hives. They ensure the trees will produce oranges next 
fall. Amazing, isn't it?


Next time you are in your garden, and you notice a few of our hard working 
friends buzzing around, just let them be. They're doing you a huge
favor--what they were meant to do.
 

Whether we are gardeners, landscapers or just enjoy working in our yard from time to time, we are all busy.  Every now and then it is nice just to take a little breather and relax, keep in mind all of the hard work that has been done, and admire nature for what it is.  This weeks blog encourages everyone to do just that. Stop and smell, or in this case, look at the flowers.  Below you will find some of this springs best flower shots taken by our own pro photographer.  Some have been posted on our Facebook page, some on Twitter, and some will be seen for the first time.

Thank you to all our wonderful Micro and Drip Irrigation customers, and have a great week enjoying all that nature has to offer.

Mr. Landscaper Team

Depending on where you live, you might have already started your vegetable garden or are in the planning stage.

Irrigation is a very important part of any garden, especially vegetables. Too much or too little water can affect not only the quality of your produce but also whether you get any produce.

Mister Landscaper’s Vegetable Garden Drip Kit is perfect for your home vegetable garden. It’s easy, time-efficient, and includes everything you need to water up to 100 linear feet of vegetables. Take a look.

Mister Landscaper’s Vegetable Garden Drip Kit… The right amount of water for all your vegetables.

Join the discussion... Are you growing vegetables? If so, which ones? How is it going?

As I walked into my local garden center with my two-year-old in the basket, we were presented with a beautiful sight.  The place was alive with color, as the fresh spring flowers were on display from front to back of the greenhouse. Not only that, but the place was buzzing with excitement, and it wasn’t the bees. The employees were cleaning and prepping and helping customers pick out the plants that they wanted and find things that were hidden behind huge racks of potted perennials.

I suppose spring is like a garden lover’s Christmas time.  The color, the scent of fresh mulch and deep dark soil could definitely be acquainted to the scent of cinnamon or fresh holly. My daughter loved it so much that she even took some pictures of the flowers with my iPod. 

We are a little spoiled here in Florida, where spring comes early.  I know that half the country is still on the chilly side, but there are many happenings to welcome in spring, including garden shows dotting the country. So, if you are looking to fit a little spring into the tail end of your winter, look one up.  I know I am looking forward to a few.

If you happen to be looking for a way to water all those plants you are going to buy at the garden shows, we recommend Drip Irrigation & Micro Irrigation, of course. It is the best way to save water in your new garden - and give you more time to enjoy it.

Most people who work in the landscape or gardening industry know about Drip Irrigation and Micro Irrigation.  It's been used in some agricultural areas for over 40 years and is increasingly being used by larger and larger farms and groves for everything from grapes to oranges.  This has proven to be a vast improvement on the goals of saving water and wise use of water by the industries that depend on it to survive.

In recent years, large landscape companies have also adopted Micro and Drip Irrigation as a way to water a variety of landscapes, keeping the plants well-nourished and saving 50% or more on water usage.  Everywhere you look you can see it, little black stakes in the ground with Micro Sprays hidden behind bushes, Drip Irrigation tubing stretching through landscaped flower beds. With ever-increasing awareness of conservation of water, and the importance of being wise with resources, this trend will continue to improve as time goes on.

All of these things are incredible on their own, but they are just the beginning.  Where Drip Irrigation is heading now is into the garden and landscape of the average homeowner.  Most homeowners shy away from trying to mess with installing irrigation, for fear that it is too complicated or that they will not do it right and create a disaster that will kill all of their plants. But with droughts at a record high, and the desire of many to establish home gardens, that mentality is quickly changing. 

The benefits of using Drip Irrigation and Micro Irrigation are tremendous.  It's not just about not wasting water.  The plants get what they need rather than too much water, which can lead to fungus growth and premature rot in the root systems.  Also, many areas in the country that are under drought conditions will allow home owners to use low-flow irrigation products in their landscapes and gardens, rather than sprinklers.

Right now, homeowners across the country are realizing the need to use water wisely and are looking to install their own Micro and Drip Irrigation systems .  We applaud that - and encourage others to do the same.  A difference can be made, one garden and landscape at a time!

Drip Irrigaiton Is?

Many people have heard of Drip Irrigation, but not everyone knows what it means, where it came from, or how easy it is to implement into your landscapes and gardens. I wanted to write a quick bit about it and share how awesome this method of irrigation can be for your plants.

What is Drip Irrigation?

Drip irrigation is an irrigation method that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone,  Basically, it means that you can control where the water goes - being extremely efficient, effective and environmentally cautious in your plant development. 

Where did it come from?

Drip methods of watering plants where water was scarce have been around for centuries - from ancient times where clay pots were filled with water and allowed to seep into the soil to modern methods that involve poly and vinyl tubing and pressure compensated drippers for a specific flow rate for plants.  The more modern version of drip was developed after World War II, and it was used in arid climates to grow crops.  That method of drip irrigation is very similar to what is used today. With technology leading the way in water conservation, Drip Irrigation is improving constantly, allowing for more water saving and better irrigation of plants then ever.  Electronic water timers and soil moisture sensors can be added to drip systems to make them extremely effective at using water with little or no waste, making Drip Irrigation the most environmentally friendly way to irrigate, outside of natural rain storms.

Installing Drip Irrigation?

When most people think of installing irrigation, pictures of long hot hours in the sun, digging ditches, laying pipes in the ground, and using tools to cut, manipulate and arrange them, come to mind. All of that is how underground irrigation is installed. Installing drip irrigation is actually really easy by comparison. For home garden and landscape use, many times all that is required is a faucet hook-up somewhere near where the irrigation is to be laid.  This makes installation really fast and efficient for homeowners to set up.  The most simple of Mister Landscaper's Drip Irrigation Kits is set up by attaching it to an outdoor faucet like a hose and running a line of poly to the location where the irrigation is needed.  The only tool really needed is a pair of scissors, and maybe a small hammer if you have hard ground. 

If a homeowner has underground irrigation, it is even easier to install Drip or Micro Irrigation.  For instance, one can easily attach adapters to PVC pipes for existing irrigation and then run lines to the areas where they would like to have drip.  Most set up of Drip or Micro Irrigation can take less then an hour to do and can save over 50% of the water used in traditional irrigation methods.

So, if you want to save time, save money, water your plants the best way possible, and most importantly save water for generations to come, Drip Irrigation and Micro Irrigation is the way to go.

Does Mister Landcaper have the best Drip Irrigation on the planet, Well, we think we do. 

Have an awesome day!