Christmas at my Favorite Resturant

Today the economy is getting tight for many people, look for opportunity all all around you. One of the thing I like to do is grow Bonsai trees. This hobby has led to a small business of displaying my trees in restaurants and offices. This is my latest creation A christmas Bonsai.

Getting Ready For Winter

Wow where does the time go? One day we are busy controlling weeds in our gardens and now it seems we are wondering where all the colors have gone.Ah Old Man Winter is on his way.But,if you are like me you are already planning the changes you will make in your garden for next year,when Mother Nature renews the backyard world with Spring.
Presently between frosts I am reworking the corner garden where the bird's bath has been for many years. In my town they pick up the leaves and lawn debris at the curb,what a waste of great organic matter.As was often said someone garbage is another's treasure,so I use all of the clean (Weed Free)organics I can get my hands on to fortify my organic garden. First I go through the bags of leaves and remove any stones or large branches. Making sure there is nothing there that can hurt my chipper shredder. Then I get to it and shred it all up. Once shredded I recommend composting all of this wonderful organic matter, if you don't have a compost pile or system then it is time to start one.
With my corner garden I took an unorthodox approach to adding organic into the garden, after shredding I used a small Little Giant rototiller top work it into the soil. This will all become worm food and the worms will help create rich garden soil.

This is also a great time of year to get ahead of the weeds for next season, a daily walk through the garden and pulling the last weeds will prevent an attack of the weeds next year. Once you have all the debris cleared away and the last of the weed removed, then it is time to add a nice mulch to keep the ground frozen and prevent sunny day thaws. A early thaw will make the plants to start to grow, just to be killed by the next freeze.
The next thing I do after a health mulching is wind protection. Using burlap, old window and other wind breaks will help prevent the cold dry winds of winter form stealing the vitality from your shrubs and tender perennials.

Looking Forward to Winter! Spring is never far away.

Garden Clean up

This is the time of year that a good garden clean up will help you to have a successful garden next year. My garden is going through a transformation and while I am cleaning up the leaves and other organic matter, I am working it into the soil. Adding organic matter to your garden beds will be very beneficial.
So what to do? It is best if you have a compost pile or system for breaking down the organic matter before you put it into your garden beds, but even just working it into the soil will help.
Presantly I am redoing the corner garden and I am adding all the leaves and grass clipping I can get. This stuff will break down over winter and feed the new garden.

So when in doubt dig it into the soil.

Summer in the garden.

Hibiscus a summertime delight. Summertime is a very active time in the garden with butterfly bushes and hibiscus overflowing everywhere. In my small garden yesterday I counted over 40 butterflies. Growing the right plants to attract wildlife is easier than you may think. Provide water and food and watch your garden attract all kinds of insects and birds. This summer we had more nesting birds than ever before. The usual robins and cardinals have a new neighbor, a family of orioles. So far too fast to sit for a picture.

Bonsai Japanese Larch

Wow Long Time

Oh well I have been busy onj other projects but here is a little update. A family of Orioles has moved in and set up a nest. This is unusual as we don't see any orioles in the past, except for the passing migrant. Garden is over flowing and I have a lot of supply for those that are looking to fill up their garden or maybe just get started . So check it out and holler back!

First Day of Summer

"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses."
– Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

Have a Laugh Today

"I live by this credo: Have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. Laughter has always brought me out of unhappy situations. Even in your darkest moment, you usually can find something to laugh about if you try hard enough."
Red Skelton
1913-1997, Comedian

Bats, Birds, Insects and Poppies?

Bats, Birds and Bugs. Set up the very things that beneficial animals and insects need to come to your garden. Bats will eat hundreds of mosquitoes every night and Birds and beneficial insect will help keep your garden pest free.

Making a small garden seem Big

Creating distance in a small garden can be a challenge, but by creating a view that focuses your eye will help. I often take pictures at odd angles to promote different views. The more layer that you can see creates more and more depth.

Spring time, Looking a little Blue

Wow what a wonderful plant for your garden. Forget-me-nots, they keep on coming back giving a wonderful blue glow to the early spring garden. Making a look of water with the blues white and an occasional pink. They will be showing off their color for about two weeks. If you don't have some in your garden make the decision to get some. They will self sow and give you years of service.
In my garden I DO NOT use chemicals or weed controls other than pulling out the one I don't want. Weeds are easy to control when you have lots of the [plants that you want to fill the spaces.

Bonsai

Bonsai, the ancient art of miniaturizing nature, Growing natural trees in a small way. Tree in pot. Sounds easy but when practiced one finds it much more difficult than usually thought. To grow healthy Bonsai trees all of its needs have to be met, from water, sun light, and fertilizers and pruning. Learning all this takes time and research, this time and effort will be well rewarded if implemented.

When starting out to grow your own bonsai trees it is highly recommended to use local native species. You can make a lot of educational mistakes that won't cost you an arm and a leg. Many people start with tropical trees that can be grown inside in the winter in areas too cold for their survival. Tropical bonsai tend to be faster growing than the non tropical trees that usually need a cool or even a cold winter to mature.

Patience is the first and most important attribute that someone needs to grow bonsai. Many of the best trees can actually out live the grower. When the proper care and environment is created a Bonsai tree can live over one hundred years. Many of these specimen trees are handed down through generations. These trees can fetch thousands of dollars if they are ever sold.

Selecting the plant material that you want to use can vary from the tropical to the local trees, but can also include perennial plants like herbs and chrysanthemums. As these plants are not as long lived and also grow much faster will help you on your educational path.

Yes, Using herbs as bonsai has been done for centuries. Small leaves and a mature looking growth in one season can help in the learning process. When I was in Japan I was there for the chrysanthemum festival and on display were a number of different herbs as bonsai. The chrysanthemum on display had feature as intricate as full grown forests. The great thing about Bonsai as an art is to mimic nature in a smaller form. Have fun with what ever plant materials you want to use. Most of the original bonsai art was done with local and native plants.

Today the most sought after Bonsai trees are from Japan, China and Asia, as these trees have the images that people are looking for in the Art of Bonsai. If You seek out these trees be prepared to spend good money to get them. Most important is that as a Bonsai enthusiast getting started is the first step.

The great thing about using herbs and other perennials is that you will get faster growth and you will learn more. The more you try to do, the better skills you will develop. And if you make a mistake with a perennial you have not lost a long lived tree. Bonsai can be very rewarding and may teach you a few things in the process. Seek out the help you will need from the many that have gone before you, their knowledge is priceless. http://www.jerseygardener.com/
 Don't Kill Your Bonsai

"Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you."
– Nathaniel Hawthorne