Works for Me Wednesday!

In an effort to join my other bloggers, I'm supposed to share with you some little hints, tricks or shortcuts that make my days easier. However, I couldn't think of anything inside my house that I've done to make my day any easier. In fact, some people (my husband and my mom) say I make more work for myself. However, I did just learn a couple of tricks for the yard.

Lately, I've been working a lot outside in our flower beds. I began talking with our friend's mom who just happens to be a landscape designer. I wanted to redo all of our beds and add a little color. In doing so, I learned a couple of "tricks of the trade" that I thought I'd pass along:

1) Mushroom compost (as opposed to cow manure) works well for mixing in your bed with the dirt. It is relatively inexpensive and you can get it by the truckload. I've added some to a pot of dying mint and the mint has taken off!

2) After mixing the mushroom compost and dirt, plant the potted flowers so that you leave about 1 inch of the existing soil from the pot above ground. By doing this, you allow the water to get to the roots quicker and the flower/plant is able to establish it's root system in the new environment.

3) Want to avoid weeds? Line the flower bed with newspaper. The newspaper is a cheap, eco-friendly way to keep out weeds.

4) Lastly, don't over mulch. We were told that our mulch should be no more than 1.5 inches thick. Just enough to keep the moisture in.



I hope that that these tips might help! For anyone who really knows me . . . you know that it's a miracle in itself that I've grown to love working in the yard. (Previously, not one to want dirt under her nails.)



Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that these are tips that have worked for me -- not proven gardening methods for everyone. By reading this, you are in agreement that I will not be held liable for any death or dismemberment of any plants. As always, seek advice from your local nursery before instituting anything I've suggested ;-)