Time to Fert & Lime

Tinkerbelle Lilac, Syringa 'Bailbelle' image by Ann Bilowz (Not the average Lilac) 

While you tinker in your garden this coming weekend, don’t overlook this one simple step: fertilize and lime. It’s a no-brainer to keep your perennials and woody plant materials healthy. As the growing season kicks into gear, your plants, especially perennials, flush out and use a lot of energy in the process. It’s important to provide your plants additional nutrients during this growth push. With organic, slow-release fertilizers it takes time for these nutrients to become soluble and plant available. So giving a little magic to your perennials and woody plants now pays off during the rest of the growing season. The lime adjusts the pH. The pH of your soil determines what nutrients are available to your plants, keeping the soil balanced and in check.

With the wrap on the fert and lime, it’s time to segue into today’s quote, which fits nicely with the Tinkerbelle Lilac, Syringa 'Bailbelle' image (not the average Lilac). It’s a line straight from the movie, TinkerBell and the Lost Treasure. “The greatest treasures are not gold, nor jewels, nor works of art. They cannot be held in your hands; they’re held within your heart. For worldly things will fade away, as seasons come and go, but the treasure of true friendship will never lose its glow.” Enjoy this season of spring and keep your plants glowing during the growing season, leaving plenty of time to entertain and enjoy your true treasures – your family and friends.

Tinkerbelle Lilac, Syringa 'Bailbelle' image by Ann Bilowz

 

If you like this blog, check in for your daily share's worth of garden inspiration, landscape architecture and design tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! We invite you to contact Bilowz Associates, Inc., or to browse our portfolios. Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too.  And you can also find us back on our Google+ Business Page. (Landscape architects/Landscape Design/serving Massachusetts and New England.)

Pinkshells for the Garden

Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s insight of her days at the sea naturally spill over into our own gardens.  “One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.” So it is with the shells of our garden. Collect a few of these Pinkshells for more beauty, especially when the raindrops dance on its blossoms.

Rhododendron vaseyi (Pinkshell azalea) image by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Not Just for Meadows

If you love deep colors for a perennial border and want pretty eye candy for your cut flower displays, don’t overlook Lupines. You can try mixing the colors up a bit with the hybridized varieties, though it seems the native species, Lupinus perennis and its stunning blue flower spikes remain the frontrunner. Lupines do self-seed with deep taproots. In other words, this perennial knows how to make itself at home. If you give Lupines the right conditions, (sun and sandy soil) these tall, beautiful blossoms add a meadow-like feel even to a small border. Why shy away from wildflower mixes, specifically Lupines? They’re not just for meadows. And if that doesn’t convince you, maybe the words of words of Florence Nightingale might resonate.  “I attribute my success to this:  I never gave or took an excuse.” Looking for some dynamite spring color in your garden? Try Lupines – no excuses.

Image of Lupines in a meadow by Greg Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/