Stop | South Eastern Connecticut Landscaping

18 Jan

A Winter Oasis is On Its Way!

Author: admin // Category: landscaping ideas

Each year, as winter charges through, every commercial break on television chimes in with the daydream of a tropical paradise–swimsuits, warmth, and salsa music. Suddenly a car horn blares and the vision fades, leaving a woman with a headcold shivering at an icy New York bus stop. It’s as predictable as the sun rising. But while we can’t just let you hop through the visitor gates in your neon two-piece, The New York Botanical Garden brings more than a mirage to the table; the daydream becomes reality this month. Starting January 21, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory brings the tropics to the city with Caribbean Garden.

News anchors keep telling us how this winter is so mild and balmy, but who are they trying to fool? I still had to step out of the house in two layers and a scarf this morning.

At the NYBG, you can dance off the chill during one of our Saturday salsa lessons–you’ll feel like you’re in old Havana among the palm trees. Bring your camera and better your craft with a few keen pointers from an expert photographer, or test your skill with a lens through our International Garden Photographer of the Year partnership. And new this year, we’re pointing the kids’ wild energy toward a tropical scavenger hunt! When they’re finished exploring the Conservatory with their field notebooks, checking off exotic species and rare flowers, follow them to the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden to help pot up Caribbean plants of their very own. (You can’t take your kids anywhere without bringing home a souvenir. I think it’s a rule.)

RR is most definitely on the agenda if that’s more your speed.

There’s escape from the miserable cold, so take advantage of it! Make the trip to our oasis in the city. Because even if you can’t find your way to the Virgin Islands this winter, we can still bring the heat of the tropics to New York.

Our Caribbean Garden runs from January 21 through February 26, but you’ll need a ticket to enjoy the Conservatory’s color and warmth. Stop by our online reservation page before you head out to ensure you don’t miss it!

Tags: Caribbean Garden, Conservatory, Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, New York Botanical Garden, NYBG

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on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Exhibitions.
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Article source: http://www.nybg.org/plant-talk/2012/01/exhibit-news/a-winter-oasis-is-on-its-way/

Ubi Badak, getting out of purple world.

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

It must be the exciting purple colour that prompted me to grow ubi badak, apart from the ever growing curiosity about local plants. Now there are four of them growing, two with trellis, the other two by the fence. The shoots of ubi badak is everything about freshness.

Arief came over the weekend and made a tour around the compound. He recognised ubi badak at a glance. Six months he said, before ubi badak can be harvested. A few days later Nik, Heim and the rest made a stop here. Nik added another point on ubi badak. Gardeners tale over here mentioned about using ashes to speed ubi badak rooting.

How do I treat ubi badak at this stage?… Ubi badak is like any other climbers. Watering and fertilising is standard for any plant. I will give what they need, I am pretty sure they will reciprocate with big a- few- kilos sized- tubers by the end of the year.

ubi badak

(March 2011)

climbing to the top and crawl along trellis.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Here in Illinois, we are having a banner day of nearly 60 degrees. It would appear mother nature has taken a temporary hiatus and left us with a few days of bliss before returning to let Old Man Winter go wild. I hear he gets a T-shirt.

I am reminded that spring is coming and that despite harsh winds and snowfalls, winter’s days are numbered. I admit that I get a little bit of cabin fever and my thoughts turn to the things I can do outside when spring finally arrives. Do I want to plant some new grass? Try a new vegetable in the garden? Wash the siding this year?

But my goal for today is to spend as much time outside as possible. Me and the kids will get muddy and slimy, but its worth it to enjoy the one good day in February. We spend so much time trying to improve what we have through little projects and renovations that we forget to actually enjoy what we have.

I have spent many hours thinking about the things I would like to change about this house, but not much time on appreciating what I like about it. We are bombarded with messages telling us that what we have isn’t enough and we need the latest and greatest thing in order to be happy, and that’s just not true.

Believe it or not, there was a time before television, the Internet and Facebook. People had real conversations in their living rooms and parlors. Homes were more than just a habitat for living; they were social places. They joined clubs like the Jaycees and Knights of Columbus.

So why is the home and garden guy telling me to stop and smell the roses? Someone needs to say it every now and then. Someone needs to remind us that time passes whether we like it or not and while your home may not change much in 20 or 30 years, your children, family and community will. Be a part of that change and not just a bystander looking in.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/55948751@N00/3545478170

Learning From Your Mistakes: When Home Projects Go Bad

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

If you are reading this, then you are someone who loves the idea of fixing up your own home or making home repairs and saving money on hiring a professional. There is an awesome feeling you get when the drip on your faucet stops or the washing machine leak goes away and it is all because of you.

Then there are the other times. You know the ones I am talking about. The times when you get in over your head, screw it up or can’t even put it back together. These are going to happen, and when it does, there are do’s and don’ts you should follow, so you don’t end up making it worse. Instead, learn for the future.

1. Can you do a do-over. Certain repairs and remodeling can be done again without much issue. If the room you painted didn’t quite turn out or if after the pipes are all put back together but the sink still leaks, then it’s simple to just re-paint or work on the pipes again. This is not the case if you tore down a wall or disassembled a complex machine and can’t remember how to put it back together.

2. Ask some friends. So, you wanted to wallpaper the room, but by the time you finished, it had more wrinkles than an octogenarian. You have no idea what to do next. Then you remember that Phil wallpapered his den a few months ago, so why not give him a call? Friends are great for asking advice, especially if you know they have done a similar project before. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice if something goes wrong.

3. Stop where you are. If the time comes to actually call a repairman, then you might be tempted to put things back together again and save a little face. If you started taking apart the furnace to figure out why it’s knocking and just ended up littering your basement with furnace parts, then putting it back together again might actually make things worse for you and harder for the repairman. The last thing you want is the repairman asking, “How’d that get here?”

4. Watch the repairman. He may not like having someone over his shoulder all the time, but you’re paying, so he’ll get over it. Just because you couldn’t figure it out doesn’t mean you can’t watch how he does it and learn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions so you understand everything that’s going on. Then, next time something like this happens you can go, “Oh, I need a 3/4-inch Pinckney flange for this to work.”

A repair mistake or getting in over your head on a project isn’t the end of the world. Remember, we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes. Next time, you will do something different, and it will all come out OK in the end.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/juhansonin/3162532430/

Hope Springs Eternal For Blooms

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Any blooms, some blooms, one bloom!

I searched the far corners of Clay and Limestone and found these lone Violas blooming in the sun~I love their tissue paper petals and the variety of colors offered. This year it’s purple to compliment the colchicums that grew up and through them. Next spring when the kales bloom

they’ll look fantastic together~For now, I am happy that

The sun is shining, the snow is melting and the days are getting longer. (Minute By Minute). Hope springs eternal in the hearts of gardeners.

I wish you all a marvelous weekend and a delightful Bloom Day. Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day is brought to you by the Carol, of May Dreams Gardens. Stop by her blog for links to blogs and blooms all over the blogasphere. xxoogail

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Berries for Fall Color! (Fall Color Project 2010)

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Fall color is still around but you may have to look beyond the foliage. The berries presently on display are like a natural nod to the holiday season. Check out the berry good post below! (Sorry, I just had to make the pun!)

Chris over at Garden Sense has really enjoyed the fall color this year! This week’s fall color post is all about the berries. In many ways the berries are even better than the foliage. They last beyond the color change, they create food for the birds, and the brightly colored berries are extremely festive this time of year! Stop over to Chris’s blog and check out the hollies, the beatyberry, the chokeberries, and others!

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Christmas Humor: Proper Chimney Etiquette

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

For those of us who have fireplaces and chimneys in our homes, we are left with an interesting conundrum every holiday season. What is proper chimney etiquette for when Santa comes climbing down? The last thing we want to do is make Old Saint Nick angry by leaving a few hot coals overnight and lighting Santa’s pants on fire. He’s no liar, after all.

Here is the proper chimney etiquette for when Saint Nick comes calling on Christmas Eve:

Needless to say, no fires. It might be nice to sit next to the fire and cuddle with the kids over hot cocoa with those little marshmallows. Unfortunately, it’s not so good for the jolly fat man. Santa Claus likes the natural fibers like cotton and reindeer fur and hasn’t quite gotten the concept fire-retardant clothing. If Santa comes down a chimney that is fully engulfed in fireplace flam age, then he’s going to go up like tinder, and you will have officially ruined Christmas for millions by roasting Santa Claus. Hopefully, he’ll notice the smoke and not even try.

Keep the chimney open. With no fire, it’s tempting to close the flue to keep the cold air out. Santa’s a big guy, and no amount of Christmas magic short of Weight Watchers is going to make it easy for him to slip down that chimney in the first place. But if you close the flue, then Santa’s going to come to a complete stop, and then what? It’s embarrassing, but the reindeer will have to throw down a rope and pull him out. Santa won’t hear the end of it for years, especially from that jerk Prancer. Pretty soon, the whole North Pole will be brimming with the gossip that Santa had to be pulled out of a chimney.

Keep the chimney free of rodents and other animals. If you don’t use your chimney regularly, then animals such as mice, bats and raccoons can make their homes in it, and that could spell disaster for Santa. Imagine this scenario: Santa goes down the chimney and meets a family of raccoons, and being the jolly man that he is, he smiles and tries to pet the little baby raccoon. (He’s Santa! It’s what he does.) Next thing you know, Santa Claus is screaming in pain because raccoons are trying to scratch his eyes out. One bite and Santa’s got hepatitis, and imagine trying to explain that one to Mrs. Claus.

Keep the little things in mind this Christmas to make it safe, not only for you and your loved ones, but also for Kris Kringle.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/caveman_92223/4212560970