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It's Time for Daffodils!

All across the country, spring is coming, and for some, it’s coming fast. Those delicate little green blades of daffodil flowers are sprouting up, and the beautiful heralds of spring are starting to open their delicate yellow heads. This is my favorite time of year, when new life begins and hope blossoms anew.

Nothing is quite so welcome a sight as the first flowers of spring, and daffodils, for me, have long been the favorite springtime blossom. We have little clumps of the hardy flowers scattered all throughout our yard, and I just love to walk around and see them in various stages of bloom.

Once the daffodils appear, it is the signal that life outside can begin again, that the days will soon be filled with sunshine and activity and the cold dreariness of winter is on its way out.

Now is the time to start getting those flowerbeds cleaned up and repaired from the harshness of winter, applying mulch and fertilizer to get things growing and blossoming once again.

The arrival of the daffodils is a time for celebration, anticipation, and a welcoming of the life that stirs in each of us and the world around us every year this time. As life awakens outside, so too does the life inside us that longs for the beauty of summer, sun and blossoming nature.

What about you? Which flower is the one that tells you it is time for spring? Which do you look forward to seeing most each year?

Elderberries: Privacy Hedge with a Purpose

Drive down most suburban streets, and you will probably encounter the ubiquitous privacy hedge, made of the same evergreen shrubs that every other privacy hedge is made of. While they are pretty to look at and easy to maintain, they are also very ordinary and do not produce anything except more branches to trim.

A privacy hedge does not have to be made up of shrubs like that, however. Instead, you can make a beautiful, leafy hedge that has a very practical dual purpose – providing fruit for wine, syrups and jellies. Elderberries, a plant native to the entire United States and much of Canada, grow thick and bushy and reach heights of thirteen feet, making them an ideal privacy screen.

You can use elderberries for so many things: dyes, food, basket weaving, medicine and more. They also have beautiful flowers that can attract beneficial insects to your yard, and the berries, though small and somewhat time consuming to harvest, are pretty too, in clusters about the size of your hand.

While not overly tasty to eat straight from the bush, elderberries make delicious syrup, wine, jellies, pie and as an addition to pancakes. Since they are native plants, they grow well just about anywhere, and thrive in moist conditions, which is typical of a suburban backyard with sprinkler systems.

So if you want something that is practical for both privacy and providing food, consider the elderberry. It requires little to no maintenance, and with water and room to grow, can provide you with extra food for no extra cost.

aNeMonE Handmade Paper Flowers

Fresh cut flowers are a sight to behold, and they brighten up any room, filling our homes with joy and beauty. Unfortunately, they don’t last long and require a lot of maintenance in the short time they grace our homes. They are also more difficult to find in the winter months, and more costly too. Another option that you may not have heard of is paper flowers. Professional handmade paper flowers can look almost identical to the real thing, and they last a lot longer.

One shop that specializes in handmade flowers is aNeMonE. Based in Spokane, Washington, aNeMonE creates beautiful flowers that are individually handcrafted. The quality and attention to detail is obvious, even at first glance.

Buying paper flowers may seem expensive at first, but when you consider that they will last indefinitely, they are worth it for the beauty and color they can bring to your home any time of year. Unlike fresh flowers, paper flowers require no special care and will not wilt and fade away.

Another great thing about paper flowers is the ability to create any type of flower you can imagine. If you want a rose in a color that doesn’t occur in nature, no problem! Simply ask the folks at aNeMonE, and they can probably create it for you, no matter what you envision.

If you are looking for a gift of flowers that will last a lifetime, consider a gift of handmade paper flowers. They make a unique gift that almost anyone can appreciate.

Healing Herbs: Comfrey

For thousands of years before the advent of modern medicine, healers used herbs and natural concoctions to not only heal, but also prevent common maladies. With more and concern about drug resistance, side effects and unnatural results, a more natural approach is beginning to look a whole lot better. Starting with nature, in the form of herbs known for their healing properties, seems to make perfect sense if your goal is to avoid processed and chemical fixes.

Comfrey is a very effective herb for treating a variety of conditions, including wounds, broken bones, and arthritis, to name a few. Applied topically in a poultice, comfrey is fantastic for relieving the pain associated with mastitis and breast engorgement in nursing mothers, be they human or animal.

The leaf of the plant is used for healing applications, and is best harvested before the plant blooms, which is a shame since the flowers are so delicate and beautiful.

Comfrey can be used as an ointment, poultice, tincture or paste. Traditionally used internally as well as externally, some concerns have been raised about its safety when used internally, causing some herbalists to suggest only using it externally.

Comfrey, like most herbs, is easy to grow, but unlike most herbs, is not overly invasive. This makes it great to grow in a garden, and helps you free up your containers for other, more invasive herbs.

Comfrey is easy to grow and great to have on hand for treating external wounds, so make a point to add it to your medicinal garden.

Extending the Life of Cut Flowers

This is the time of year where many sweethearts give their special person a flower arrangement. Those cut flowers are beautiful, but their beauty fades all too fast. Real Simple tested out various ways to keep flowers fresh, and while aspirin and pennies didn’t make it, there are some ways to extend the life of your cut flowers.

The first thing to do, of course, is put your flower arrangement in water right away. Water keeps the flowers hydrated and fresh looking. They will wilt very quickly without it. In fresh water, they will look good for up to four days.

Sugar can help prolong the life of flowers, but may lead to uneven blooming.

The only clear choice in the Real Simple test was commercial flower food, which is formulated to prevent bacteria, provide nourishment from sugar and help the stems get the water they need with an acidifier.

In theory, you could mix up a concoction on your own that contained the necessary ingredients. A drop of bleach with a little lemon juice and some sugar might just do the trick, but this is not something I have tried personally, so I suggest you try it on a test flower first.

Other things you can do to keep your flowers fresher longer is to cut the stem again to ensure it is open and able to take on water, keep the flowers away from drafts and sun, and make sure you maintain the level of water so they don’t dry out.

Once you have enjoyed looking at them for a day or two, you can always dry them to preserve them forever.

Use Ornamental Corn as a Seasonal Privacy Hedge

The standard types of corn that are good for eating make beautiful, tall plants that fill in thick and can create a very nice looking, uniform hedge. Better still, you can buy ornamental corn varieties that have beautiful, colorful stalks and ears. Ornamental corn is still edible, and is much closer in type to the traditional Indian corn of ages past.

Corn plants grow fast and straight, branching out into beautiful leaves and being topped off by a tassel. They can be planted close together to form a solid wall, which is great for a seasonal privacy hedge. For an outdoors wedding on land you can control, imagine planting brilliantly colored ornamental corn stalks to create a border for the celebrations.

You can create fun mazes with corn too, and since it matures around the end of the season, playing the corn maze can be a fun Halloween activity for the family.

The ears from ornamental corn can be dried for decorative displays, such as a fall centerpiece. Donate them to your church to decorate all the tables in a church function with colorful, natural décor.

You can also eat the corn, though it is not as plumped up and flavorful as the corn we are used to eating today. This type of corn is typically dried and ground up to be used in meal or flours. A colorful corn bread would be especially fun to eat!

The nice thing about corn is that it is not permanent. You can create privacy hedges and landscaping borders, knowing that they will be gone by winter, though in some areas, corn can grow year round. Landscaping with ornamental corn gives your yard a unique, colorful look.

Recycled Planter Ideas

Some of the most attractive planters for indoor and outdoor plants come from items that cost absolutely nothing. You can create beautiful arrangements with recycled planters, allowing your indoor plants to complement your home décor and your outdoor plants to offer a style all their own.

Outdoor Planter Ideas
Some traditional recycled planters include old wheelbarrows, claw-foot tubs and whiskey barrel halves. Those are all ideal for larger plants. We grew a lilac in a whiskey barrel planter, and it was a beautiful sight to behold outside our back door. Other ideas for outdoor plants include old rain gutters attached to the wall of the house, shipping crates or pots made from stacked rocks.

Indoor Planter Ideas
Recycling items to make indoor planters can be a little more difficult, since you need a foolproof way to catch the water, but you can use items such as a milk pail, antique bucket, old pots and pans (we had hens and chicks in pots and they looked fantastic) and other dishes that are no longer being used.

The main requirement for a suitable candidate is that it hold the soil, and for indoor pots, also the water. You are free to use your imagination to recycle just about anything into a unique holder for plants and arrangements.

Recycled planters will save you money and allow something old and used up to have new life again in the form of a creative, beautiful work of art. What are some unique items you have used to create a planter?

Violet: February's Birth Flower

Those lucky folks who are born in February get the pleasure of having one of the most beautiful, dainty flowers out there. Violets are delicate, small flowers that blossom in the spring and are available in several hundred different species. Contrary to their name, violets are found in blue, yellow, white, cream and bi-colored, in addition to the beautiful violet.

Violets are surprisingly hardy considering their small stature, and do very well in the dappled shade of a deciduous tree. They can be propagated from root cuttings or planted from seeds, and can be in the ground as soon as six weeks before the last frost date.

Violets like cooler conditions and need relatively little water, so take care not to overwater them. They can, however, become susceptible to spider mite infestations if allowed to become too dry, so water frequently and in small amounts to strike the right balance of moisture. If you deadhead the spent flowers, you can help prolong the blooming season.

Violets also make excellent potted plants in the house, if allowed adequate light and fertilizer. They go very well with other plants in a combined pot, so you can make all kinds of beautiful arrangements using violets as a centerpiece.

Delicate but hardy, small but with big personalities, violets are a beautiful flower that can flourish indoors and out. A small potted violet would make a perfect gift for someone born in February, and since they are available in a wide range of colors, you can find one your gift recipient will love.

Carnation: January's Birth Flower

Carnations are “Flowers of God,” as their genus Dianthus translates. Whether or not this is true, they surely are among the most beautiful and versatile flowers in domestication. They last for a long time as cut flowers, and their neat, compact appearance provides texture, color and beauty to many bouquets. Carnations also stand alone well, and look very dapper indeed when tucked away in a button hole.

As it happens, the carnation is also the birth flower for the month of January. I like that, because in January, things tend to be rather dark and gloomy while we wait for spring’s returning embrace, so the brilliant colors of carnations are a great way to brighten the days.

If your one and only was born in January, you might surprise them with bouquets of carnations. One fun idea would be to give them a single carnation for every day in January leading up to their birthday, or some other romantic notion. Since in December you can usually purchase fireworks in some places to celebrate New Year’s, you could even buy a few carnation fireworks to celebrate their birthday. If you haven’t seen those fireworks, you should check them out. They spin in tight circles on the ground, giving off a brilliant array of colors. They spin so fast that they look like little carnations floating off the ground.

When grown outdoors, carnations are very easy to care for, requiring relatively little attention. They perk up any perennial flowerbed, adding splashes of color low to the ground and accenting larger plant groupings. Combined with their winning traits as a cut flower, it is no wonder that carnations are among the most popular flowers.

Spring is Around the Corner. What are You Planting This Year?

Each winter is a time of reflection for gardeners. Winter is when we have time to think about the previous year’s successes and failures in the garden, and begin to formulate plans to correct any issues or expand on our successes in the coming year.

For me, this year will be like a blank canvas. We did not have time last year to plant new flowers or vegetables. All we managed to create was a single raised garden bed for strawberries, and they will do well enough without much intervention from us this year.

I look forward to beginning anew in beds that have rested over the past year. Most of my plans for the year involve flowering plants, but I would like to create more spaces for vegetables to grow and expand the raspberry patch to account for our growing family.

Each year gives us an opportunity to do better than we did the year before; to stretch farther and push ourselves harder to achieve the perfection we all strive for every year. Whether it be simply planting more of a flower that thrives in our garden or something more complicated, such as removing a row of bushes we no longer want and replacing them with a new plant, now is the time to make plans for the coming season.

What about you? What plans do you have for your garden this year? If you haven’t gardened before, this could be the year you try out container gardening and enjoy fresh salad greens throughout the summer. If you are a veteran gardener, this year might see you adding new rows or trying a completely different gardening method. Whatever those plans are, I hope you see great success and the energy to see them through.

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