The Original - The Consummate Gardener

GUEST POST: 5 Landscaping Secrets to Save Your Home’s Foundation

2013-04-25T20:13:00.001-04:00

Water causes more damage to the foundations of our homes than anything else, and unlike natural disasters that happen suddenly, foundation cracks and basement leaks can sneak up on us. If not channeled away from the walls of a house, years of seemingly harmless rainfall can lead to expensive repairs. But what if protecting your home could be as easy as applying some simple landscaping

Pestilence and Ecological Lunacy

2013-03-21T16:08:00.002-04:00

My roommate is insane about not killing ants, even in the house. I'm in the "If I see an ant in my room, it's dead" majority of house dwellers. She's already started on me about all these natural ways to repel the ghost ants that take over this house every spring. I just bought some ant spray. What she doesn't know won't hurt her. The way I figure it, there are plenty more ants where those

South Florida Month-by-Month: What to Plant in March

2013-02-14T03:00:00.000-05:00

There are still seeds you can put in the ground in March. It's also time to plant summer vegetables, while still planting for another crop of your current winter-grown veggies. If you had frozen veggies this winter, you can replant those now and get a crop before the heat hits. It's too late to start many cooler season vegetables, such as broccoli and greens, from seed, but you can buy

South Florida Gardening Month by Month: What to Plant In February

2013-02-01T23:58:00.000-05:00

Photo credit: Michael Wolf CCSA 3.0 / Wikimedia February gardening in South Florida is generally a time of preparation, cleaning and replanting. Temperatures are warming, and there is generally no chance of a hard freeze. Now is the time to plant that vegetable garden you didn't get around to in September, or second vegetable crop can now be planted in order to get in a harvest before the

Moving to My Own Place and PICTURES

2013-01-17T11:59:00.000-05:00

To those of you who read my other blog Maxing the Minimal, this won't be news. I'm moving into a new place of my own (finally) on March 1. I will have a nice yard to work with, albeit not much sun, but mostly pines, so not so bad. I'll finally be getting back to this blog. I should have posted more here, but the gardening situation here has been horrific, so I didn't even want to talk about it.

WGOITG: August 4, 2012

2012-08-04T11:07:00.000-04:00

Double Purple Datura By Meneerke bloem GFDL via Wikimedia Commons It's been an interesting year for me. After I lost my house and garden last year and moved away, I thought I'd never see any of those plants again. Well, the county took its sweet time taking possession of the house, so my roommate and I went over and took a lot of what was left in the yard. Luckily, some of my favorites were

To Buy or Not to Buy Markdown Plants

2012-07-22T11:57:00.001-04:00

I've gotten quite a few bargains from the half-price plant racks at big box stores. If you know what you're doing, you can save big bucks buying markdown plants. Some of them are past redemption and can't be saved, so are just a waste of money. Others can come be brought back to health with just a little time and effort. There are tricks to knowing what plants to take a chance on. READ MORE

Get Your Garden Ready for Fall Vegetables

2012-07-22T11:42:00.000-04:00

Here in Florida, fall is the time we plant what normal people plant in the spring and summer. Not that we aren't normal, but our climate isn't. While we are planting our tomatoes and cucumbers, most of you will be planting your fall/winter vegetables around the end of July or early August. You can't just... READ MORE

What Kind of Gardener Are You?

2012-07-22T08:53:00.001-04:00

I like to say that gardeners are the best people. I've never met a more giving, loving, caring community. But more than the people you'll meet, you'll learn a lot about yourself in a garden. Being responsible for keeping living things alive and healthy can be a humbling experience. I've discovered some of my best -- and worst -- character traits while,,, READ MORE...

Growing Tomatoes Year Around in South Florida

2012-06-16T09:53:00.001-04:00

Credit: HotBlack at Morguefile.com Imagine having fresh-picked, vine-ripened tomatoes from your garden in February when most of the north is covered in snow. Having gardened in Florida for over 15 years, I've learned more about growing tomatoes in a tropical climate than I ever thought I needed to know. One of the best things I learned, mostly through trial and error, was how to keep

God and Weeds

2012-06-04T09:57:00.002-04:00

Spanish Needle with seeds Photo Credit Wie146 / CCSA 2.5 / Wikimedia (For all my Christian readers, this is tongue-in-cheek. I'm not a Christian, but I was for most of my life and respect the Christian religion. Please don't get all bent out of shape about it.) I spent some time weeding the past couple of days, and I have come to two conclusions: 1) Spanish needle is the most noxious weed on

Floridian Zone Denial Disorder

2012-06-03T10:59:00.000-04:00

Everything is a "disorder" now, so I decided that I must suffer from major FZDD, or Floridian Zone Denial Disorder. I plant things that aren't hardy in my area, then get all upset when they freeze.Here are some symptoms of FZDD:1. Inability to accept zone hardiness recommendations. This is characterized by the tendency to "ooh" and "ahh" over catalog items and the inability to keep from ordering

Plants From the Spice Rack

2012-06-03T10:16:00.000-04:00

Did you know that many of the spices you use will grow herbs, veggies or flowers? Yes, they will! Read here, then check out your own spice rack to see what you can find. Tell me if I missed anything.Coriander - This is the seed of cilantro, a popular herb in latino cooking. If you let it go to seed, you have coriander again, which is used in soups, stews and curry. Mustard Seed - While many

Florida Gardening Month by Month: What to do in June

2012-05-15T11:58:00.002-04:00

Coleus is a good choice for summer color. June is the beginning of the rainy season. It's hot, humid, and wet, as there are usually rainstorms every afternoon. Heat indexes can get into the triple digits during midday, and the air can feel like a sauna. There is much to be done in the summer garden in South Florida, even some planting. This is the most important planting month for those

Florida Gardening 101: Where Can I Get Free Compost and Mulch?

2012-03-04T11:15:00.001-05:00

Spring is busting out all over Florida, and minds and turning to gardening. Unfortunately, Florida has some of the worst soil in the world, so you are going to need some amendments. If you're like me, without a compost pile and can't afford to buy bagged compost, there is a free alternative that may be right down the street. Free compost and mulch from Sarasota County has been a real boon for my

South Florida Gardening Month-by-Month: What To Do In February

2012-02-01T03:00:00.004-05:00

Papayas killed by a freeze can be replanted from seed and will bear within a year. February is a very busy month in South Florida gardens. Temperatures are warming in most of the area, and insects are coming back into activity. Insect control in South Florida Check plants for scale and mealybug activity. Hornworms will be appearing on tomatoes, as will various fungal and wilt diseases. Make

Simple Preparation to Avoid Winter Kill in Your Garden

2011-10-24T11:36:00.001-04:00

Credit: jppi at morguefile.com People tend to think it's the cold that kills plants in the winter, but that simply isn't so. Winter kill can easily be avoided by taking the proper steps to protect and care for your garden during the winter months. Plants do not "freeze to death". Most plants die in the winter from dehydration stress. While plants need less moisture in the winter, they still

The Dervaes and the Insanity of the Trademark Office

2011-02-26T20:04:00.002-05:00

Who is running the trademark office these days? First, we hear that Facebook is trying to trademark the word "book", now it's the terms "urban homestead" and "urban homesteading", which they have evidently allowed to be trademarked by the Dervaes family. You'll have to look them up for yourself, because I will not dignify them with a link to their site. Have these people been sniffing manure, or

Gardening Barefoot in South Florida...Just Don't Do It!

2011-01-02T12:06:00.004-05:00

Click on Image to EnlargeI know we live in Florida, and if you want to see feet in FL, all you have to do is look down. I'm going to tell you a story that isn't pleasant, but it's a warning I have to issue.I am infected with Strongyloides stercoralis, commonly known at threadworm. Usually, this infection is easy to knock out with drugs, but there is a chance in immuno-compromised people and those

WBITG - July, 2010

2010-07-25T09:49:00.001-04:00

So I haven't been posting much, because it's so hot here, I haven't really been gardening much. It's all I can do, with the heat sensitivity of the lupus, to even keep up with mowing and weed whacking. I took a few pictures the other day of what is blooming, or was when I took them, so here they are. Enjoy! A Blackberry Lily volunteered itself behind the Jatropha tree last year. I have no

Why are the Leaves on my Hibiscus Turning Yellow?

2010-06-15T09:43:00.015-04:00

Hibiscus are sensitive plants that develop yellow leaves regularly for many reasons. Diagnosing the cause of yellow leaves on hibiscus can be frustrating. Hibiscus, simply put, are temperamental plants. Seasoned growers are used to sudden yellowing or periodic dropping of leaves and tend not to panic, but novice growers can become quite frustrated at trying to diagnose the cause. While the

What's Blooming in the Garden (WBITG) in May

2010-05-06T11:09:00.019-04:00

Everyone knows my yard is a mess, an ongoing work in progress that I can never seem to keep up with. It's already getting out of control, but that's what yards do in Florida, especially when you can't do it, and can't afford to have someone do it. So ignore the weeds (some are actually kinda pretty), and the mess lying around (like bricks and hoses), and just enjoy the flowers. Click pics to

Flying Flowers in the Garden

2010-03-26T17:21:00.001-04:00

I'm always saying nothing is blooming in my yard, and that's hardly ever true. I went out today to see what WAS blooming, and found a friendly Giant Swallowtail on a Hippeastrum. He tried to find something else, but couldn't, so he kept coming back, and I kept snapping. Finally got one with his wings open.

What's Blooming in May

2009-05-23T19:14:00.008-04:00

A little worse for the wear from the winter cold and the heavy rains of late, the garden still manages to put out amazing blooms.

Lessons from Nature: Struggling to Survive

2009-05-20T11:42:00.023-04:00

The Parable of the RainlilyIt's no news to anyone who knows me that I've been struggling with some heavy things lately; financial problems, the possibility of foreclosure, health concerns, and a search for a purpose to my life. Last night was a bad night, and ending my life had become a serious, logical option.It is also no news to anyone that I love nature. My life, my religion, my whole being