As the Garden Grows

What's blooming today?


You are here: Home / Archives for In The Garden

No-Crank Hose reel system

by

How many of you hate rewinding your hose when you’re done watering the lawn and garden? I know that I do.

We have one of those crank systems for our hose. The handle is low to ground which makes it hard on your back if you’ve been out in the garden for hours. Frankly I hate winding up the garden hose when I’m done puttering in the garden.

Good news. I’ve just been to a site that sells No-Crank hose reels. The rewinding of the hose is done using the power of water.

There’s a water-piston engine inside the No-crank hose reel casing and with the simple flip of a lever it begins to rewind the hose for you on it’s own. You don’t need to bend down and manual wind up your hose any more.

The No-Crank hose reel doesn’t use batteries or electricity either. If you’re interested in taking a look at the No-Crank system there are a number of different designs to suit your needs.






Groundcover for sun and shade

by

I’ve been asked what kind of perennial flowering plants would grow well on a slope, and at the base of the slope in an area shaded by trees.
Groundcovers work well on slopes. If the slope is in a full sun area you could try planting St. John’s Wort (Hypericum), Vinca minor, Ajuga, Verbena, and Wintercreeper. In shady areas you might try Vinca, Ajuga, Wintercreeper, Cornus canadensis (Bunch Berry), Bergenia, and Lamium maculatum.

Prepare the planting area well by removing weeds and amending the soil with organic matter. The organic matter will help hold soil moisture, and act as a natural fertilizer for the plants too. You can also add organic mulch around the plants to keep the weeds down until the plants start to grow and spread.

Garden Q & A – Perennial Morning Glories

by

I received a question from a visitor asking if a perennial variety of purple morning glory exists.

Convolvulus mauritanichus or Ground Morning Glory is a perennial. It’s leaves are gray-green and it has lavender blue flowers. This species of perennial morning glory blooms from June through to November.
Ipomoea acuminata, Blue Dawn, is another form of perennial morning glory. It’s a vigorous grower that would be great for banks or walls. This morning glory has dark green leaves and bright lavender blue flowers.

Lavender blue might be too light a purple shade for the reader who posed the question, However both of these plants are easy to care for perennials.

Feel free to leave me garden or plant related questions. I’d be happy to try to find the answers for you.

Meta