D&G Gardens and Crafts

Plant Profile - Rugosa Roses

2012-01-22T17:47:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love my rugosa rose and would like to include more in my landscape in the coming years. I currently grow 'Hansa' which is famous for their rose hips.

Easy to care for rugosa roses require no fertilizer or special pruning. All I do is cut out the oldest canes each spring to keep the plant in tip top shape. It usually takes me about 10-15 minutes to get my rugosa rose ready for the growing season.

Rugosa roses are very hardy too and ideal for northern gardeners as they do not require heavy mulching during the winter. Many varieties are hardy to zone 2, that is unheard of in the hybrid tea rose world. Following is a list of the benefits associated with rugosa roses.

Cold Hardy - the hardiest varieties tend to be white, pink and red, while the yellow, peach and bi-colored varieties may not be as hardy.
Many varieties produce gorgeous red rose hips. Some good varieties to look for are 'Hansa', 'Frau Dgmar Hartopp' and Scabrosa'.
Lovely fall foliage colors ranging from yellow, orange to red depending on variety.
They can grow in any kind of soil in areas that get at least 6 hours of sun per day.
They do not half to be sprayed to prevent disease or bug infestations. In fact spraying them with anything usually causes leaf drop.
No fertilizing required. I just add a little compost around each bush in the spring along with a fresh layer of mulch to control weeds and that is all.
They have a remarkable tolerance for road salt, so are ideal for roadside and seaside gardens.
Many rugosas have a spicy fragrance to their blooms that rival many other roses.
Rugosa roses are self cleaning, so deadheading is not necessary unless you want to encourage a second flush of sporadic blooms.

There are two small downsides to the rugosa rose, but not enough to be a deal breaker in my opinon. They do have incredibly prickly stems. The upside to that is you can lay the stems in freshly tilled gardens to keep cats out. And the second downside is that they tend to sucker a little bit, but not enough to be out of control. The suckers are very easy to dig up and give to friends and if creating a wall of beauty is what you want, then planting several rugosa roses would be a nice way to do so.

I hope you too will decide to add an old fashioned rugosa rose to your landscape this year. You'll be glad you did.

Some good places to order online:

New Leaf Castings

2012-01-16T12:00:00.001-05:00

We had such a mild fall I was able to make six new leaf castings. They have fully cured and the first of them is now for sale in our Etsy Shop.

This one was painted with copper metallic first, then dry brushed with two shades of green and an irredescant white paint. It's been sealed with three layers of an outdoor acryllic sealer so it is ready for many years of use.

Use them as a birdbath, feeder, candy dish or just as a piece of sculpture in your home or on your patio.

Buy it here for $29.00 plus shipping.

My Cleaning New Year's Resolution

2012-01-15T15:05:00.000-05:00

My New Year's Resolution this year is to systematically clean our house from top to bottom, room by room, one room a week. I started at one end of the house and am cleaning one room each week from top to bottom. You know the way...getting under the furniture, wiping down the walls and windows, nick knacks and the like. Stuff that I don't do every week when cleaning.

I really hate cleaning. I don't get much help with it around our house, so I tend to put it off and then only do the basics each week; vacuuming, light dusting, bathroom cleaning, dishes and that's about it. I get caught up with my hobbies, reading, the computer, and the housework is at the very bottom of the list. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

My husband and I both have allergies and we have a cat and I was beginning to feel stuffy all the time when I was in our home for more than a few hours at a time. During the week I didn't notice it as much, but on the weekend I'd really start to feel the effects. It had to be all the dust in our house. So I decided to make a change....an important change that will affect the way we feel when in our home.

I started with the master bathroom, then the master bedroom, the dining room and this week is our kitchen. I think the kitchen and the living room will take the most time and once I've gone through all the rooms, it should only get easier as time goes on since the cleaning will be getting done consistently.

Today I cleaned the dingy, sticky feeling cabinets. I've cleaned them before since we moved in 10 years ago, but some of them never really felt truly clean. But today, they look and feel like new after about an hour of scrubbing. Here's how I did it.

Mix one part dawn dish washing detergent with two parts hot water.
Working in small sections of three or four cabinets at a time, scrub each cabinet with the soapy water and a scrubby sponge safe for non-stick cookware.
Allow the cabinets to sit for a couple of minutes and then wipe them down with a clean wet cloth, rinsing the cloth several times to remove all the soapy water.
Allow cabinets to dry and then look for sticky spots that may remain.
Using a paste of water and baking soda, scrub the sticky spots in a circular motion, repeating until sticky spot has been removed. Wipe the baking soda away with a clean wet cloth.
If any dullness remains, spray down cabinet with a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water.
This is optional, but to add a little shine back to the cabinets, you can rub them down with a little Orange Glow.

Craft Paint Storage

2012-01-07T06:00:00.007-05:00

My craft room is pretty small for the amount of stuff I have in it. I use two dressers for storage and counter space. I have a couple of small book cases and a salvaged short metal cabinet in the corner.

Every few months it seems I am tweaking something to try and get more storage for the different interests I have. Stained glass and tiles take up a lot of room, but I am really saving space with the organizers hubby got me for Christmas. And now I'm adding more beads to the mix so that I can do more wire art.

But the one thing that has always been a problem for me is how to store all my craft paint bottles. Years ago, I bought one of those spinning bottle holders. I think it held 180 bottles and believe me, I had it almost full. It's great storage, but my counter space is so limited and narrow that I could never turn the thing around and get to the paints I needed.

Inspiration struck the other day when I was looking at a couple of sturdy boxes that were about to go out with the recyclables. I have a feeling I have seen this idea before, but I didn't really remember it until now.

I cut down the boxes so they were the same depth as the length of the paint bottles (about 4") and just stacked them on their sides. It's easy to see their colors and it's easy to pull out the color you need. It takes up space on top of my bookcases that would otherwise have looked cluttered and messy. I think I'm really going to like it.

Neat and Nifty TECH L.C.

Top 10 Web Pages from D&G Gardens and Crafts

2011-12-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd countdown the top ten pages from our website. If you subscribe to our newsletter, you will get notified of new stories regularly. Sign up for the newsletter here. Now on to the Top 10!

10. Cobblestone Walkway Project - See how we turned an unattractive pea gravel walkway into a lovely cobblestone walkway.

9. Free Printables - A directory of the free printables including garden journals, seed packets, gift tags and more.

8. Leaf Castings - Instructions on how to capture a little bit of nature by using Portland cement and sand to cast leaves for bird baths, bird feeders and more.

7. Landscape Projects - A directory of some of the landscape projects we have done around our yard.

6. Crafts - A directory of craft projects and how-to articles for inside and outside your home.

5. Garden Journal Templates - Dozens of garden journal templates you can print for free.

4. Totems - How to make glass garden totems from found objects.

3. Seed Packet Templates - Hundreds of seed packet templates free to print in two sizes.

2. Bowling Ball Art - How to paint, mosaic and decorate a bowling ball to add to your garden.

1. Tipsy Pots - How to make your own Tipsy Pot plant tower fro clay pots, plastic post, tea pots and more.

Top Ten Lists - Crafty Projects

2011-12-27T22:00:00.003-05:00

This time of year, you always hear about top ten lists. And I guess I'm no different. But I thought I'd bring to your attention some of the lesser known pages on our website. Some are new and some have not been promoted, but I think all have some valuable information that you may find useful.

Today's top 10 list will be for Crafty Projects.

10. Mosaic Trays - Check out these ideas for rejuvenating old trays and wooden bowls.

9. Hummingbird Feeder - Find out how you can take a piece of wire and a shot glass and turn it into a hummingbird or oriole feeder.

8. Salt Dough Ornaments - I know Christmas is over, but think about making salt dough ornaments for next year's tree. They last for years, so if you need a project to do with the kids this week, try it out.

7. Suet Feeder - Woodpeckers and other birds love this style of suet feeder best.

6. Mosaic Frames - Here are some ideas for turning plain mirrors and picture frames into beautiful mosaic works of art.

5. Hypertufa Planter - A hypertufa project that utilizes railroad spikes for feet; a cool recycling project.

4. Bird Seed Ornaments - A new project in the past few weeks; how to make decorative, yet edible ornaments for the tree.

3. Hypertufa Millstone - How to make a millstone out of hypertufa.

2. Earring Holder - Take an old picture frame and turn it into an adorable earring holder.

1. Instant Evergreen Tree - Turn an obelisk or tomato cage into an instant evergreen tree. A great way to display the bird seed ornaments above.

I Love Gardening....

2011-12-26T06:00:00.004-05:00

And my husband knows that I do and he knows what a weird sense of humor I have at times, and I know that he's the same kind of crazy as me....LOL. He gave me the best t-shirt ever and I can't wait to wear it at the spring gardening shows in 2012.

In case you are having trouble reading the shirt, it says, "I ♥ Gardening. It helps when you need to hide the bodies." How funny is that?!? And for the record, NO, I do not hide dead bodies in my yard. It's a joke, plain and simple.

He also gave me a bunch of useful things to help me with my crafts and other creative projects. Six organizers so I can sort my many glass pieces, tiles and beads, a jumbo box of masks for when I work with Portland cement, an awesome work light that winds up, so there are no batteries to worry about, some books for relaxing and a really cool pump to help me get water from our water barrel to the veggie garden beds.

He also found a jig to help me bend wire into all sorts of shapes and connectors. I just hope I can figure out how to use it since there really aren't very good instructions with it. And lately I've been wishing I had one of those immersion blenders and, guess what, he was listening. I also got a corded drill because my cordless drill was always dead, the batteries just wouldn't hold the charge anymore and frankly, I got tired of asking hubby to use his and since I could never find a darn thing in his workshop, I would always have to wait until he was home to use one.

All in all we had a great Christmas weekend; spent time with my family on Saturday night and had a relaxing day at home on Sunday. Monday will be a great day too, looking for after Christmas bargains and catching up on a little housework.

I hope you all had a great weekend too!

Happy Holidays!!!

2011-12-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, and Happy Festivus! Whatever holiday you celebrate, I hope you are able to spend it with the ones you love!

I was playing around on Amazon and found some free mp3 downloads you might like. Some are a little quirky, but since they are free you have nothing to lose by downloading them, right? Not sure how long they will be free on Amazon, so better check them out now.

Quickie Herbal Soap

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for a last minute gift, this soap recipe could be just the ticket. Check it out.

What you will need:

2 cups of chopped glycerin soap bars
double boiler
10-20 drops of essential oils of choice
soap or candy molds
towel
plastic wrap

Directions:

Melt soap chunks in a double boiler over medium-low heat.
Stir in essential oils and remove from heat.
Pour into molds and allow to harden for 30 minutes.
Remove soap from molds and place on towel.
Allow to harden for at least 8 hours.
Wrap soap in plastic wrap to preserve scent.

Types of Essential Oils:

Chamomile
Lavender
Lemon
Grapefruit
Geranium
Rose Attar
Rosemary
Orange
Pine
Peppermint (avoid using on face)
Orange

Awesome Salvage Garden Art

2011-12-18T07:00:00.026-05:00

I was surfing the net and found some really cool garden art ideas. You know how much I love my junk and I think I can make something like this for my own garden. Besides, a girl's gotta have a hobby during the winter months to stay out of trouble, you know.

These first two ideas were discovered at This Old house. I wonder if you could use JBWeld on this project if you don't have a welder?

And this birdhouse is incredibly cute, but not sure if I would use an oil can as the base unless I was very sure there was no oil residue left in the can. I would also make sure it was in the shade so that it didn't get too hot for the baby birds. See more about this project and others here.

There are several rusted junk ideas on favorite garden junk forum here.

If you have never visited my friend the Empress of Dirt, you have got to visit her blog. Check out her awesome wind chime creation below and see more of her projects here.

Quick Christmas Gift Ideas

2011-12-17T07:00:00.025-05:00

Christmas will be here before you know it. But I found some cute quick ideas that you could use as a goft, hostess gift or party favors.

This first one comes from Thriftfun.com. I love there site! It has some great articles contributed by it's readers. This one is a an adorable angel made from a kitchen towel. Find the instructions here.

This next two ideas come from Better Homes & Gardens. You can take any plain glass surface and spruce it up with glass paint. You bake the object to set the paint so that it will hold up to hand washing. View this and other ideas here.

I just love this idea. Transform an inexpensive storage container into a personalized treat box. It's so easy to buy candies in bulk at the grocery store or smaller packages at the dollar store. You could even adapt this idea for craft supplies, school supplies or even cooking spices. Read about this and other ideas here.

Cute Step Ladder Tree?

2011-12-16T07:00:00.015-05:00

I love stepladders in the garden. I have a cute little blue one you may remember seeing. Here's what I did with it this year.

I came across this unique use for a ladder today at JunkMarket Style. I can honestly say that I don't think I've seen this before. I'll have to check out more of Funky Junk Interiors. Check out how she made this tree here.

This tree is so fantastic, isn't it? Definitely check out some of the close-up shots on that link to see the unusual "ornaments" she used. I wish I had more room in my house to have multiple trees at Christmas. I'm currently collecting bird and birdhouse ornaments so that I can eventually have a bird themed tree, but having a junk tree would be a whole lot of fun too.

And here is probably the most elegant junky mantel I've ever seen. You can see more pics here.

Fridge Transformation

2011-12-15T06:00:00.008-05:00

30% off Plus Free 3 Day Shipping on Select Aprons, 12/15 Only, code Holly30

I don't normally talk about hum drum ordinary everyday things on this blog, but I am so excited about this new discovery that I just had to share it with you all.

You see, one of my biggest pet peeves is how messy and unorganized the refrigerator gets. No matter my good intentions, after a week or two, things always get lost in the back and end up being wasted and thrown out. I hate that!

A couple weeks ago, I was thumbing through one of the many catalogs that grace our mailbox this time of year and stumbled upon these cute clear plastic bins...Fridge Binz they are called. I was completely intrigued and, of course, went looking online to find them for less money than the fancy catalog prices I had in front of me. As always, Amazon did not disappoint. I found them all and they even were eligible for free super saver shipping. So I ordered them immediately!

Here is my fridge before the Binz. Ugly, isn't it? Terribly disorganized...Hard to find what you need....

And here is my fridge after. Isn't it beautiful?

After spending nearly an hour and a half cleaning the darn thing, I end up with this nicely organized refrigerator. The size of the bins were perfect. We have an average sized fridge, not too large, not too small, right in the middle, so I think these bins would work for the majority of the refrigerators out there. I do not think they would work for refrigerators that have wire shelves. I think the bins would get caught on them, but I could be wrong.

I purchased two of the 8" x 4" bins, two 12" x 2" bins, three 4" x 2" bins and one split 12" x 4" bins. I used all but two of the 4" x 2" bins, but I can either use them some place else, or possibly switch some bins out of the fridge if our needs change.

I love how I can just slide out the entire bin and reach everything. No more yogurt getting lost in back and stocking the fridge after grocery shopping is a breeze. Everything has it's place. And if something spills I can just take the bin out and wash the bin without having to wash the entire fridge. If the power goes out for a long period of time, I can pull the whole bin out to quickly load them into a cooler. If I'm organizing a camping trip, I can organize what I want to pack ahead of time, bin by bin.

After a week of living with the bins, I did find that I need to figure out where to keep the eggs. And we have a few too many condiments, so once those things are figured out, I'll be golden. All in all I am very glad I bought these bins.

Hopefully, this little post might spark some inspiration for others who may have struggled with similar fridge woes.

Congrats to the Elmer's Prize Pack Winners

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Audrey and Candy from MugWump Designs for winning an Elmer's Prize Pack. They will each receive:

· Black 20x30 Foam Board

· White 20x30 Foam Board

· CraftBond All-Purpose Glue Stick

· CraftBond Repositionable Glue Stick

· CraftBond Extra-Strength Glue Stick

· X-ACTO Designer Series Gripster Knife

· Painters Assorted Colors Set

If they do not get back to me within 3 business days with a mailing address, a new winner will be chosen.

Elmer's Craft Challenge - And Prizes for You!

2011-12-06T20:53:00.001-05:00

Contest is now closed.

It's that time of year again and Elmer's has been gracious enough to ask me to participate in this year's Elmer's Craft Challenge. In doing so, the good people at Elmer's will be sending two of my readers a wonderful prize pack of your own, so you can create your own Look for Less. Check out their Looks for Less Guide here to find your inspiration.

What You'll Need:

Elmer's Black Foam Board 20" x 30" x 1/4" (cut in half)
Elmer's Craftbond Glue Tape Runner - Permanent
Elmer's Craftbond Glue Stick - Permanent
X-ACTO Designer Series 12" x 12" Self Healing Mat
X-ACTO Designer Series Retractable Knife
X-ACTO Designer Series 9" Paper Trimmer
X-ACTO Designer Series 12" Metal Ruler
Elmer's White Glue
6 feet 1" wood trim
18 inches of 20-gauge wire
Paint color of choice
Duct tape
Miter saw
Other embellishments of choice
three 4" x 6" photos of choice

Cut the foam board in half by placing the foam board on the self healing mat, score the foam board using the ruler as your straight edge. Score lightly at first, and then repeat the cut until the board is cut all the way through.
Apply the glue stick along the entire backside of one piece of the foam and press the pieces together to form a 1/2" thick board. Place some heavy books on the board until the glue has dried, about 1 hour.
While glue is drying, cut molding to form three 4" x 6" picture frames. You'll need to set up a 45 degree cutting angle on a miter box or saw to accomplish this. You can use any type of molding you'd like, but with a board this size, a 1" wide panel molding seemed to work the best for me.
Create three picture frames evenly spaced by gluing the molding to the board using the Elmer's white glue. Press molding firmly and wipe any excess that might squeeze out the sides. Use the ruler to help space them.
Paint trim to match foam board. In this case, I used black, but if you are starting with white foam board, by all means use white, or what ever color you like.
At this point, you can embellish the board any way you'd like. I sprayed mine with metallic copper paint and glued on vitreous glass tiles in the color squash and black.
Cut photos of choice to 4" x 6" using the paper trimmer and glue to the inside of each frame using the permanent tape runner. You could use the repositionable tape runner if you'd like to change the photos out over time.
To hang, I found it easiest to duct tape an 18" piece of wire to the back.

This foam board was so easy to work with and it looks great, in my opinion. There are even 1/2" thick pieces available for purchase. There are so many things you can do with it, so make sure you check out the Looks for Less Guide to get some ideas of your own.

Now on to what you can win!

Elmer's will send the following prize pack to two of my readers

· Black 20x30 Foam Board

· White 20x30 Foam Board

· CraftBond All-Purpose Glue Stick

· CraftBond Repositionable Glue Stick

· CraftBond Extra-Strength Glue Stick

· X-ACTO Designer Series Gripster Knife

· Painters Assorted Colors Set

You have until Sunday night, 9pm EST, December 11, 2011 to win. Just leave your comment on this blog post to win and make sure you are logged in or leave an e-mail address so I can get in touch with you. Winners will be announced no later than Monday December 12th.

Earn an additional entry by liking us on Facebook and making a comment on the official contest post found here.

Potato Bust

2011-08-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since my last potato bag update. Things have been going along great. The bags are working beautifully, but something had been eating the foliage on the red potatoes. My husband thought it was slugs, but I never saw any slugs on the plant. He did pick some slugs off of it though.

The above photo was taken in July. You can see the start of the damage. In less than five weeks, the stems were nearly gone. I didn't think to take a photo before we dug up the potatoes.

The white potatoes right next to it were untouched, so I was unsure if it was really the slugs causing all the damage. We haven't seen any potato bugs on them.

We decided to cut our losses and dig up the red potatoes and got a handful of pretty small potatoes. While digging up the potatoes I noticed just how well drained the bags were, yet the soil was moist. The straw layers were decomposing nicely and it will be a good addition to our compost pile.

The Kennebec potatoes are still doing great, and I hope we get a larger crop of them. I'm sure we will since they still have all their leaves.

Potato Bag Progress

2011-06-15T19:44:00.000-05:00

The potatoes I planted are doing fabulously in the grow bags I purchased this past winter. The directions say to add more soil when the foliage gets to be about 6"-8" tall. Instead of soil, I added straw, which I pressed into the bags, all around the plants. I pulled up the cuffs on the bag before adding the straw.

I watered the bag down and then added a mixture of potting soil and compost on top of the straw to help the straw decompose. This is a method that my husband has always used when growing potatoes in the ground, and I am hoping it will work well for the bags as well. I then watered the soil. I'm not really sure just how much I should be watering the bags each week, so if anyone has any advice on that front I'd appreciate it. We've only been getting rain about once a week, after a month long of rain in mid April to mid May.

As you can see, I forgot to take a picture of the bags after I added the soil on top of the straw, but I think you get the idea. I'll take a new picture of the bags in a week or two and post more progress then.

Planting Potato Bags

2011-05-22T19:39:00.072-05:00

During the winter, I posted about some potato bags that I purchased online. I told you that I would report on how they work. This is the first post in the series.

Today, I planted two jumbo bags with 8 small seed potatoes each. I have chosen KENNEBEC and NORLAND RED for this year's crop.

The directions say to choose a lightweight potting mix that will retain water. I didn't want to have to buy anything so I made my own using stuff I already had. To start filling these bags, I mixed two 40 pound bags of 3-in-1 mix, which contains topsoil, peat moss and compost. To that I added a 50 pound bag of play sand. My husband used those to add weight to his pick-up truck this past winter. Instead of using the usual sand bags for that purpose, he used play sand so that I could reuse it later in the garden or for my leaf casting molds. The final ingredient that was added was a 40 pound bag of aged cow manure. I mixed everything well.

The instructions also suggested adding a fertilizer to the soil mix, but since I started with manure and compost, I will wait to add a slow release fertilizer until after the start growing leaves.

The first step is to fold the edge of the bag down about 4" to form a cuff that will help hold the bag's shape while you are filling it with soil. Place the bag in a place that gets full sun and a place where you will not need to move the bags. I don't imagine you will even be able to move them anyway, once full.

Fill the bag with a 3" layer of soil mix and place the seed potatoes on top of the soil, spaced evenly apart. The directions say that the jumbo size bags will hold 6-10 lime sized seed potatoes. I used eight in each bag, which my husband, Gary thinks is too much. But I am hoping that the method we are using will allow me to grow more in a smaller space.

Once you have the seed potatoes in place, fill the bag with another 3" of soil and then let the potatoes grow about 8" before adding more soil. I'll let you know how they do in the coming weeks.

I have two more smaller bags that I think I will try growing zucchini in. They take up so much room in the garden, and I need to free up some space, so we'll see how that goes.

And as a reminder, I have not been compensated for posting on this product, but if you choose to purchase one using the Amazon link above, I will receive a small referral fee from Amazon. This helps to support the hosting fees for our website www.gardensandcrafts.com.

If you have been using the grow bags, I'd love to hear what you have to say about them. Post a comment here, or you are welcome to post pictures on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/GardensAndCrafts .

Spring Colors

2011-04-09T19:16:00.000-05:00

It was a gorgeous day today with temps in the lower 60s. Got a lot of running around done; groceries, a yard sale and stopped at the thrift store where I got a ton of glass for more totems. Came home and got the garden beds ready for planting. I was going to plant some cool season crops today, but we could get some heavy rains on Monday, along with 80 degree temps, so I think I will wait until Tuesday to plant so that the seeds don't get washed away. And another couple of warm days will be good for the soil.

I also picked up some seed potatoes, Kennebec and Red Norland. I bought some grow bags Gardener's Supply and have high hopes they will solve my potato growing problem. Our ground is just too wet for potatoes, but I think the grow bags will work fantastically. I also think the soil will warm up faster since the bags are black. We bought some dollies to sit the bags on (it was cheaper than making them) so that we can move them around and keep them off the ground.

Here's a little sampling of what is blooming in my yard now.

Sustainable Skill Share - Syracuse, NY

2011-04-01T18:39:00.000-05:00

I have been asked to post about this great event called the Sustainable Skill Share, sponsored by the ESF Community Coalition. I hope I can fit in into my schedule and attend.

Save the Date

ESF Community Coalition presents:
Sustainable Skill Share
Sat. April 16th, 11am-4pm
Syracuse Center of Excellence
727 E. Washington Street
Facebook

Sustainable Skill Share Mission: To engage the Syracuse community in sustainable living practices through multiple workshops taught by local experts.

Event Description: This free event will feature up to 15 different skill building workshops that are focused around sustainability. Instructors will teach affordable, eco-friendly skills that families can use at home to better their own lives and the environment. There will be plenty of hands on skills to learn.

Examples of events include gardening, bike fixing, making/using rain barrels, and cooking with local foods.

Skill shares will be held for 45 minutes to 1 hour, with 15 minutes in between each. A list of all workshops will be posted before the event, and people may choose which shares they would like to attend. When not attending a skill share at the event people can take special tours of the Syracuse Center of Excellence building or visit with multiple tables that will highlight local environmental organizations.

This event is designed for every one of all ages. It will feature local donations of food, a kid’s corner with crafts, and entertainment. Special tours of the Syracuse Center of Excellence will be given throughout the day.

Sponsors:
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Syracuse Center of Excellence

For additional questions contact:
Jillian Trunko, Communication Coordinator
Email: ESFCommunityCoalition@gmail.com
Phone: (518)-429-7165

Plant Profile - 'Diablo' Ninebark

2011-03-27T18:47:00.000-05:00

I've decided to start a new series on the blog called "Plant Profiles". There are so many plants that I love and want to share with you. So this seemed to be the best way to do that. I hope you discover a new plant that you had never heard of before to try in your garden.

Today's Plant Profile will focus on the Ninebark shrub, specifically 'Diablo'. Physocarpus opulifolius is a fast growing shrub that usually grows to 8'-10' feet tall and wide. It grows upright with the branches gracefully bending downward from the top.

This shrub is grown and is hardy in zones 3-7. It grows in nearly any kind of soil, but prefers a well drained soil. I have mine in clay soil and it seems to be doing pretty good after 6+ years. It will tolerate some shade, but the color of the leaves will be the most brilliant in full sun.

This shrub is gorgeous all year round in my opinion. The glossy purple/black leaves are a wonderful contrast to all the green that is in the garden. The white flowers show up brilliantly in early summer and then when they are finished blooming, these little red seed heads take the blooms place. The birds love sitting in the shrub and it has really neat exfoliating bark that shows itself off in winter.

This shrub really does have it all. Here's a photo of the flower buds. They are even pretty, don't you think.

This flower cluster above is a little bit past it's prime, but still pretty. And below is the seed head.

Below is an overall picture of the shrub when it was about three years old.

If you would like to do a guest post and profile your own favorite plant, contact me through my profile here or e-mail me on the About Us page on the website. If you have a blog, I will link to your blog or website in your post.

Rock the Garden Part 2

2011-03-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Now for more pictures from the Rochester Garden Show. I took this picture, not because of the hosta but because of the plant tag. How cute to glue a piece of slate to a metal stake and then glue stained glass and rocks to it for decoration. It seems the words are painted on. I love looking for new uses for things I already have around the house. If you didn't have slate, maybe you could use field stones and just lay it in front of the plant.

These fountains are always a wonder to see. They are so gorgeous and they must weight a ton, literally. They have all sizes for every budget. That is if your budget is in the thousands.

Here's another fountain with tons of color. The rhododendrons were really lovely this year. All in perfect full bloom and in a wide range of colors.

This is a great color combination. The tulips in the back are a bright yellow with a reddish orange stripe down the petals and the orange tulips in the front have a trace of yellow. I love yellow in the garden. Especially in the spring when everything is so new and bright green.

Rock the Garden in Rochester

2011-03-20T06:00:00.021-05:00

This year's theme for the 2011 Rochester Flower Show was "Rock the Garden". And as usual, it did not disappoint. I guess that is what's expected when you are the "Flower City". Sometime in the mid 1800's the nickname of the city was changed from "Flour City" to "Flower City". At that time farming had been expanded out into the West and flour milling had declined in Rochester, but there were several seed companies that were thriving, so "Flower City" it became.

The theme of this year's show could be interpreted in a number of ways. The most prevalent, of course, were lots of rocks and stones in the landscaped displays. Another popular interpretation was "Rock 'n Roll". This was evident as you entered the show when you saw this colorful piano they were auctioning off for charity.

Someone turned this drum kit into a water fountain. I thought that was a pretty neat idea. Imagine how cool this would look all rusty against the white of the drums. I love rusty things.

This owl was carved out of wood and the colors were so rich from the stain they used. It had the perfect amount of shading, which really accented the wonderful carving. Whoever made this is very talented.

This was a nice combination, of course I don't think the plants they used would be in their prime at the same time, but a nice combo non the less. I'm always amazed at how well their bulbs hold up at the show after blooming and being in pots for nearly a week.

Well, that's it for now, I'll have some more photos tomorrow.

Hope everyone enjoys their first day of spring!

Totem Teaser

2011-03-17T19:29:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to tell you that I've been working on nine new totems for our Etsy shop. They are all glued up but will need a few weeks to cure, as I use Lexel, which is by far much clearer than silicone and lasts much better in the weather than silicone. The only drawback is the long cure time. But I think it's well worth it.

I'm really pleased with how they turned out. I was lucky enough to find just the right pieces that fit together well. If I can find a few more odd pieces this weekend, I should be able to put a few more together.

As you may or may not be able to tell, I use a lot of lamp parts and sconces along with candle holders, vases, toothpick holders, bowls and plates. Bells and ring holders make great toppers. Some of these will come with painted pvc pipe, but the majority will not. They have smaller openings for rebar or copper pipe and I just thought that it would be easier and cheaper to ship them without any pipe. Most of my totems are on 4' or 5' long pipe in my garden, and that size pipe is impossible to ship. I would be happy to help anyone find appropriate pipe if they'd like to buy their own length. Just e-mail me thru this blog or at www.gardensandcrafts.com.

Just one last reminder that the next D&G Gardens and Crafts Newsletter will be going out to your mailboxes on Saturday morning, so if you haven't signed up yet, you can do so at the link on this sidebar or go directly here. Go here to see a list of past issues to get an idea of what you'll get 6-8 times a year.