Green Gardener Tips: SoyCandleLover-Maker

The first, and most important, Organic or Green Gardening tip is to work WITH Mother Nature.

Plant for appropriate conditions called for by the specific plant to ensure less or no watering. Native plants appropriate for your area are now available at most green houses or big-box home improvement stores.
Mulch or use perennial ground covers to preserve garden bed soil moisture, and covering will naturally retard weed growth.

Clematis will bloom all summer if you plant 2 or 3 varieties together that mature at different times.

Like the Trellis? Click the Picture to find out how I made it. Cheap and easy, too. You might even have all the materials already. Gotta love Recycle, Re-purpose, and Reuse.

Pretty good looking if I don't say so myself.

In 2006 a friend of mine, knowing about my outdoor green thumb, hired me as a plant merchandiser. I was paid to salivate over gorgeous plants of all types, stock plants, and trim and deadhead (remove) faded blooms. I also kept my eye out for tired stock to be discounted, some which ended up on sale racks, and some ended up going home with me. Oh... that is where I obtained the 40 plants mentioned above.

My friend/former boss/mentor hired me to help winterize the gardens of a large corporate park. We had a good time and made some really nice money. The owner of the park wants us back next year, so we are now talking about working together permanently, and sharing several of her well paid residential jobs for her well-off clients. Whoo-hoo! I love it when I get paid for my favorite hobbies.
Hhhmm, what other hobby earns me money?
Oh yeah. It's Squidoo!

Although I didn't grow up in a home with lavish gardens, I learned by trial and error about planting my own extensive gardens effectively for 3 successive homes. My plans usually involve using every inch around my house. All 4 sides with at least 1 large peninsula. With my current home I also outlined the outside of the front sidewalk, the entire backyard fence, and devoted a large corner to approximately 40 perennial plants and shrubs, which I then accessorized with a discarded bench, an old milk can, and a old, discarded cast iron chair. I also have planted smaller garden beds at our permanent site at Gravel Ponds where we spend a great deal of the summer. Sound familiar?

So the long and short of it is...
I plop the plants in the ground and basically leave them to their own devices.
Like Father, like Daughter.
Funny how that worked out.