 |
| A patch of feverfew will harbor beneficial bugs, which are the free alternative to insecticides. |
Garden Equipment
I am going
to assume starting with lawn, so people can adjust accordingly. These items do
not need to be bought all at once, and some will be best bought at the end of
the season, when the clearance prices come out.
Soaker
hose and faucet splitters
Soaker hoses
are the best to use for watering the garden. A faucet can be split three or
four ways, with a valve for each one, for very little. This way the left side
can be soaked for a time, then the right side. Depending on water pressure,
both could be running. I take my hoses out 100 feet, and they do not deliver
water past that point. A slow soak is the best way to use water, but standing
there and spraying the plants is also good. I normally give my roses a good
bath and shower once a week, and the crepe myrtle bush gets the same treatment.
Toad
Pans Under the Soaker Hose
Creation
gardeners plan for all the beneficial effects of their decisions. Toads are harmless
to everything except pests, which they devour by the thousands each summer.
They hydrate by sitting in shallow pools and rest and feed under logs places on
the soil.
Shallow
ceramic pans, often used under flower pots, are ideal as toad pans under the
soaker hoses or any other source of water. No one wants to have mosquito farms,
so the pans should be washed or dumped out regularly.
Bird
and Creature Baths
A bird bath
is going to cost $100 and up, but a children’s swimming pool can cost $10, or as
little as $3 at the end of the season. Birds and other creatures need shallow
water, so I cut down the swimming pool walls to encourage everyone to use the ones
I have in the backyard. A cement bird bath cost me $7 at the end of the season
at Walmart, and I could have used more than one.
Some shallow
bowls are also good bird baths. If possible a source above the bath should drip
into it. Once I used brand new darkroom bottles with the valves slightly open.
Now I am using the roof to feed the birdbath and drip onto it. Birds memorize
water locations and all creatures listen for that enchanting dripping sound.
I imitate
that dripping by elevating the soaker hose on one fence, so it waters the
vines, the plants below, serving as a sprayer for the humming birds, who like
to get sprays and tiny amounts of water.
Basic
Gardening Tools
One plastic leaf rake and one metal tine rake are enough
for most tasks. I have a small digging tool for bulbs and a pointed shovel for
digging roses in.
Some pruning tools are:
· A tree
saw, with large, sharp teeth, for cutting small branches and weedy bushes.
· Pruning
shears with a scissors edge – they are going to cut rose branches and roses
better than the anvil-headed shears.
· Various
cutting tools that seem good on the Net or in the store, but do not become useful until
later. One terrible branch pruner had good reach but weak cutting power – ideal
for reaching young weeds and junk bushes. I bought enormous scissors that also
help accomplish some tasks, such as snipping log grass.
· Fiskars
is a good brand with sharp cutting edges.
A rain barrel costs $50 but an inexpensive waste basket is
only $10. A barrel can be placed under the eaves to catch rainwater, which is
always the best way to hydrate plants.
Wheelbarrow
A new, small wheelbarrow is about $40 at Lowe’s. Hauling
soil is not a good practice, but the wheelbarrow is good for bags of mulch and
mushroom compost. I leave mine out to measure
on how much rain has fallen. Secondlly, several inches of rain in the
wheelbarrow are handy for soaking any plants bought on the Net or at the store.
Watering before planting is always going to be beneficial.
Mushroom compost is leftover after raising mushrooms on
manure. It is a handy way to have bags of soil rather than digging some up and
hauling it a distance over wet ground, uphill. Bags of topsoil also work.
Stores sell mulch in various combinations and colors. I
like shredded cyprus, which looks and smells good. A sale is a good chance to
buy a few dozen bags.
Plants
and Seeds
I buy most roses bare root from various vendors, including
the large companies like Jackson and Perkins, Edmunds. But there are many other
companies selling roses. I have a complete list in the appendices.
Local stores sell potted roses, which is handy for many people.
I would never buy a wrapped rose, because one is betting it will live and
thrive. Roses on sale are a good investment, a great way to try new, overlooked
types, such as Antigua, which we enjoyed for years.
The most desired roses should be ordered early, because
they sell out early. Peace is often sold out, and Double Delight is always sold
out early.
Gurney’s has a great website for seeds and plants, with an
explanation and planting instructions for each one. They also have tempting
sales for early birds, such as 50% off and free shipping for anything bought.
Amazon is good for exotic purchases, such herbs, rare
plants, and beneficial bugs. The bugs, like the praying mantis egg cases, have
to be bought early. Amazon is good for comparing prices.
 |
| Bee balm is a clumping mint that will attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. |
