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Grow Your Own Garnishes

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Herb Garnish

From Left: parsley, basil, cilantro

One of the easiest and most fun ways to dress up your party platters is with edible garnishes. Flowers like nasturtium, marigold and chamomile make good garnishes.  Herbs are great, too. You can buy the garnishes at your local farmer’s market or grocery store, but many of them are so easy to grow, and expensive to buy, that it makes sense to grow your own.  It isn’t too late in the growing season to start growing your own garnishes. aHa! Modern Living has seeds for many of these, and we’re having a seed sale!  Save 15% OFF all Botanical Interests Seeds – many organic and heirloom varieties.

Here are some of our favorite edible garnishes, and their suggested food pairings:

Photo Credits from left: Earth Spirit Organics, LeeAnn Smith, Smithsonian Blog

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Posted in Entertaining, Garden, Grow, Shopping | 1 Comment »

Is it Time To Plant an Eco-friendly, No-Mow Lawn?

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

There is nothing quite like kicking off your sandals during the summertime to stroll barefoot across your soft, verdant lawn. But unfortunately, maintaining a finely manicured lawn is an activity that can be extremely straining on both your wallet and the environment.

Buy now for $34.95

Maintaining a Turf Lawn = Not Eco-Friendly

Running a lawn mower for just one hour emits the same amount of pollutive gases in the air as running 40 new cars for the same amount of time! Not to mention, every year, over 13 million gallons of gas are spilled by homeowners as they fill up their lawnmowers, trimmers, edgers, and other landscaping power tools.

This year, we are encouraging all of our family and friends to try a wonderful product called Eco-Lawn, which allows you to mow your lawn only about once a month. Let’s face it, mowing is not only bad for the environment, but can’t you imagine about 100 other ways you would rather spend your time when your outside in your yard? Pushing along a noisy, sputtering machine that burps out stinky fumes is not our idea of ideal.

The Benefits of Using Eco-Lawn:

  • Once you have planted your Eco-Lawn, you only need to mow it about once a month. This will help you minimize the time you spend behind a gas guzzling lawn mower.
  • There is very little watering necessary with an Eco-Lawn. Therefore, you’ll save both money on your water bill and the Earth’s valuable resources. Plus, with a less swampy yard, you are less likely to attract grubs.
  • Eco-Lawn requires no application of dangerous chemical pesticides or fertilizers, so it is safe to use around your children and your pets. There is no chemical runnoff that will end up in your groundwater or in nearby streams.
  • Eco-Lawn contains a type of grass that has very deep-reaching roots. These roots make the lawn particularly drought resistant. They are able to reach deep into the soil in order to naturally reach the nutrients that they need.

Eco-Lawn

From left: unmowed, mowed

How to Use Eco-Lawn

Depending on the region in which you live, the time at which you should plant your Eco-Lawn will vary. If you live in a warm, southern state such as Georgia, you can plant it as early as March or April. In you live in a cooler state, such as Idaho, you’ll probably want to wait til May.  Planting in the spring means watering during the summer to get your new Eco-Lawn established.  If you can wait, why not take advantage of the rainy season, and plant your new Eco-Lawn in the fall.  If you are going to be planting your Eco-Lawn over your existing lawn, there are just a few easy steps for you to follow.

  1. Mow your existing lawn as short as possible. If you are able, mow it to less than one inch in height. If you have a dull lawnmower blade, this is actually good in this instance. It will help to damage the existing grass that you want to plant over.
  2. Rake the surface of the yard to get it all nice and even. If you’re planting in the spring, be careful not to raise any weed roots to the surface. Rake thoroughly to remove sticks, grass clippings, rocks, and other debris.
  3. Spread 1/4 inch of organic compost in order to create a nice, fertile base for your seeds.
  4. Sow your Eco-Lawn seeds using 15 seeds per square inch. A 5 pound bag of Eco-Lawn covers 1,000 square feet.
  5. Rake the area gently so that the seeds are just barely covered with soil.
  6. Roll the area with a lawn roller in order to help prevent soil erosion.
  7. Water every day for 3 weeks after planting. It is best to water early in the morning when the water will not evaporate in the mid-day heat.

This 7-step method is the most natural way to replace your current lawn with an Eco-Lawn. Now, until your Eco-Lawn fully takes root, your “traditional” lawn will continue to grow. You’ll have a full grown Eco-Lawn within about 4 years. If you wish to replace your traditional lawn more quickly, you do have the option of getting rid of your current lawn with an organic herbicide before planting your Eco-Lawn. You will, however, then have a lot of dirt til your new lawn grows in. The above method is gradual, but it allows you to make a smooth transition without ever being without grass in your yard.

Watch Patty Moreno of Garden Girl TV install Eco-Lawn

Other Alternatives to a Traditional Turf Lawn

Yarrow- Yarrow, or Achillea millefolium, doesn’t make much of a play surface, but it can handle a bit of foot traffic. You can also find it in a variety of colors such as white as pictured here, gold, and red.
Clustered Field Sedge, or Carex praegracilus, grows to resemble a traditional turf lawn. However, the good thing is that it tends to be thicker, fuller, and greener. You can occasionally mow it if you’d like, or just let it go to create a lush meadow-like lawn.
Hard materials such as flagstone, oyster shells, recycled concrete, and decomposed granite make great turf substitutes. Here we have pictured flagstone with moss. Pretty cool, isn’t it? And hard substances such as this can stand up to wear and tear, and take plenty of foot traffic.

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Posted in Garden, Grow, How-to Videos | 2 Comments »

Get Creative When Gardening in Small Spaces

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Photo source: chron.com

For a moment, close your eyes and use your imagination. What do you see when we ask you to picture your ideal vegetable garden? Perhaps you see a vast, open space buzzing with bees and teaming with veggies, fruits, and blooms in countless varieties and colors. Or, maybe you are envisioning a beautiful wooden pergola, crawling with sweet peas, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

Now when you open your eyes and see that your reality is actually a small 15′ by 15′ square of turf, or perhaps even just a tiny cement balcony, it’s easy to be disheartened. We’d like to remind you to make the most of what you have! For millions of people, urban dwelling makes a sprawling country garden an impossibility. It can be discouraging when this is all you see in gardening magazines and manuals. This doesn’t mean that you can’t plant a garden that you will love. And it definitely doesn’t mean that you can’t grow your own food!

The Benefits of Gardening in a Small Space

Yup, that’s right. You read that correctly. Gardening in a small space totally does have its benefits. And here are just a few of them:

  1. In a huge space, it takes an awful lot of plants to create a dramatic effect. In a small space, it is just the opposite. Your small garden can really pack a visual punch.
  2. In a mini garden, it is easier to detect and remove any plants that may be unhealthy or infested by bugs.
  3. Planting a small garden is friendly on both your budget and your time constraints.
  4. Designing a small garden is an easier task because you are able to take in “the big picture” and consider the whole space at once.
  5. A small garden is more likely to look lush and full, not spotty. Just make sure you leave about a 16 inch wide path to walk through and tend to your plants.

Container Gardening

Nearly any fruit or vegetable can be grown in a container. So if your garden space consists of a balcony or patio, this is an excellent option for you. The most important things to consider for your container garden are the plants’ water and sunlight needs. You’ll also want to select containers that drain well, and make sure you use a good quality organic potting soil to nourish your plants.

For everything you need to start your own container garden, check out the Modern Container Garden Kit. It’s totally perfect for starting your own fabulous garden on a porch or front door step. Once you receive your Modern Container Garden Kit, all you have left to do is choose your seeds. Some vegetables that are ideally suited for container growing are tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, beans, lettuce, squash, and parsley.

And don’t think you need to use ceramic flower pots for your container garden. You can garden in whatever you want! Try a plastic garbage can, a clay pot, a large bushel basket, or even an old boot! (Reused and recycled containers are awesome.) Just make sure you choose containers that will allow for a depth of one foot of soil for your plants. If you want to plant root crops, such as beets, carrots, or potatoes, you’ll need a soil depth of 2 feet.

Vertical Gardening

Photo source: Apartment Therapy

If you’ve ever been to the city of Tokyo, you’ve witnessed just exactly how humankind has mastered the art of utilizing vertical space. The city is so crowded that its architects all build upwards instead of outwards. If your garden space has a super small perimeter, you should definitely consider employing this tactic.

There are many vegetables that will climb, climb, climb if you let them. Here at aHa! we’ve given seeds for climbing veggies their own home in the Vertical Garden section. Check it out- you may be surprised by the variety!

Another good thing to keep in mind is that things that grow upwards vertically will also grow downwards. So, this means that your vertical garden may consist of hanging planters. Small varieties of tomatoes really flourish in hanging planters.

Succession Planting

Photo source: A Sonoma Garden

Succession planting is a great technique for any garden, large or small. But when it comes to mini gardens, this is an excellent way to maximize a small space because the space is really put to its most efficient use. With this method, there is never an unplanted area in the vegetable plot. As soon as one crop is harvested, the space is immediately replanted with a different crop.

One method of succession planting is to plant the same vegetable, but to space out the plantings to every 2 to 4 weeks. Bush beans, for example, can be planted every 2 weeks from mid-May to the beginning of August. So, rather than planting your entire row of beans all at once, you can plant part of the row at the beginning of the season, harvest, and then plant more in about 2-4 weeks. This is a great way to have a new crop of beans continually coming in.

Another method of succession planting is to plant different vegetables in succession. For example, some plants have a short growing season, and can be replaced with a different crop after they have been harvested.

Vegetable Recommendations for Succession Planting

  • Spinach in the spring, bush beans in the summer, kale in the fall.
  • Mesclun greens in the spring, cucumbers in the summer, lettuce in the fall.
  • Peas in the spring, sweet corn in the summer, collard greens in the fall.
  • Radishes in the spring, eggplant in the summer, Chinese cabbage in the fall.

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Posted in Garden, Grow, Healthy Livng | 4 Comments »

Growing Food When You Don’t Have the Space for a Garden

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Photo from apartmenttherapy.com

It is easy to feel dismayed when you would like to plant a fruit, vegetable, or herb garden of your own, and you simply don’t have a yard in which to do it. Don’t feel like you’re alone here; there are literally millions of people who are urban dwellers and in the same situation as you!

All is not lost when it comes to growing your own food. In fact, far from it. You have several terrific options for planting food in a barely-there space, whatever that space may be!

Gutter Gardening

We just adore the idea of sowing, tending and harvesting a gutter garden. Gutters mounted on the side of your house maximize the heat from your home, help to keep your crops out of the reach of wildlife, and are inexpensive as well as practical. We think they look really cool, too! Check out the one that is pictured to the left. We found this photo at Apartment Therapy, and learned that this particular garden was planted by Suzanne Forsling of Juneau, Alaska. Another great gutter garden discovery can be found on Fern Richardson’s Life on the Balcony blog. Awesome!

Here are some tips to remember when planting your gutter garden:

  1. Mount the gutters on the side of your house that receives sunlight.
  2. Drill holes in the bottom of the gutters in order to allow water drainage.
  3. Each time you water, water with a discerning hand. You do not want excessive moisture to get trapped between gutter and your siding.
  4. If you can’t drill into your siding to mount the gutters, try hanging them from chains. In this photo, the gutters have been painted copper and hung at various heights to create a sort of privacy screen, such as this one this is pictured on the left below.
Gutter Gardening

Photos from left: MarthaStewart.com & LifeontheBalcony.com

Recycled Objects Garden

Photo: Real Simple

If you are all about going green, then a garden planted in objects from around your house is the perfect option for you. And using recycled objects isn’t just about being trendy. It’s about saving money, and showing that you care enough about the environment to re-use things instead of pitching them into a landfill.

To the right is one of our very favorite ideas, and we found it in Real Simple, where they used some old Crocs as hanging planters. We think this is the perfect idea- they already have holes for drainage and the sturdy plastic will hold up well when filled with soil.

Don’t have any old Crocs collecting dust in your closet? Try out some of these other planting ideas using objects from around your house:

  1. Try turning an old spaghetti colander and a wire hanger into a hanging basket. These create an especially cool impact when hung in groups of 3 or more. For a hanging colander, try planting strawberries, cherry tomatoes, peas, or beans. Any plant that usually grows vertically and needs to be staked up can also grow hanging down.
  2. An old shoe holder makes a terrific herb planter, with each herb in a different shoe pocket. You may also wish to try planting leaf lettuce in a shoe pocket. Before you plant, pour water into a pocket to check the drainage. You can find other helpful tips for a vertical garden in a shoe holder here at Instructables.
  3. Try using objects from your kitchen to create a container garden. Old Tupperware, mugs, mixing bowls, and coffee cans all make great planters. Just make sure to either drill holes in the bottom, or add a layer of gravel at the bottom of each planter to allow for water drainage. Check out this Do It Yourself article for 5 household objects you can re-use to create a container garden for your balcony, porch, or deck.

Window Boxes

windowbox garden

Flickr photo: stephadamo

There are many types of vegetables and herbs that lend themselves well to window box gardens. Consider crops that take up a relatively small amount of space, such as radishes and herbs such as cilantro, basil and dill. Browse through more Botanical Interests’ organic and heirloom seed varieties to find the herbs and veggies that make your mouth water.

You don’t have to go out and drop a pretty penny on window boxes, either. You can do it yourself! Take a look at this article from Marigold Lane on how to construct your own window boxes.

Here are a few tips for maintaining a successful window box garden:

  1. Plant vegetables together that have the same sun requirements. For example, tomato, cucumber, and chives will all grow well together since they all are warm season crops and have similar sun requirements. Chives grow exceptionally well on a sunny windowsill!
  2. Before you paint your windowboxes, consider that dark colors tend to attract and absorb more heat. You may therefore wish to stick with light colored paint.
  3. Again, you’ll need to make sure that the planter has adequate water drainage. Consider this before deciding where to place your windowboxes. You probably do not want to let your plants drain out onto the balcony of the person who lives on the floor below you!

 

 

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Anyone Can Arrange Flowers in a Bud Vase

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

From left: Jax Vase, Bird Vases, Cube Tube Vases

Creating your own floral arrangements can be quite overwhelming at first. So why not start small?  Bud vases let you bring nature into your home in little, easy-to-manage pieces. They fit smaller spaces that a larger vase would overwhelm, or can be used in a grouping to create a centerpiece.

Look to local farmer’s markets for fresh, cut flowers to create your own budding arrangements throughout your home.  Gardeners, of course, have access to their own plants for flower arrangements.  Restrain yourself from wanting to overfill bud vases with too many flower stems.  In our opinion, a single bold flower, like a Gerbera daisy, makes more of a statement than a stuffy vase full of red roses.

How to Select a Fresh Cut Flower

Trust your senses when it comes to selecting flowers at the market.  If the buds or blooms are browning, and the leaves are turning yellow, then keep looking.  You’ll want to avoid flowers sold in stinky water, chance are they are old.

Buy flowers when they are closed or just partially open. Many flower varieties, such as lilies, have multiple blooms on one stem.  Try to select a single stem with one bloom open and the others closed. That way, you will be able to watch the additional blossoms open and enjoy the flower longer.

Keep Cut Flowers Alive Longer:

  1. Fill the container with water containing floral food.
  2. Cut the flower stem to about twice the height of the vase. Strip the flower’s stem so that none of the leaves will be covered by water. Place the flower in the bud vase.
  3. To give added support and beauty, add stems of linear bear grass or other linear foliage. Cut the foliage so that they are just slightly taller than the flower.
  4. To give the bud vase an elegant, balanced look, insert greenery at the rim of the bud vase.

Tabletop Bud Vases

While large single-vase arrangements are the usual way to go at the dining table, Don Vanderbrook, a floral designer in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, likes to do a grouping of bud vases. “It’s an airier arrangement, and easier for guests to see and talk over,” he said.

Single Stems that Stand Out:

  • Gerbera daisies
  • Calla lilies
  • Gladioluses
  • Sweet peas
  • Daffodils
  • Tulips
  • Irises
  • Chrysanthemum
  • Roses
  • Spring blooming branches like forsythia

Keep Scale in Mind

Make sure the stem of the flower is at least as tall as the vase. Vanderbrook said the rule of thumb is that the flower should be 1½ times the height of the vase. So if the vase is 6 inches tall, the flower should be 9 inches high. Don’t go much taller than that scale, Vanderbrook said, because bud vases tip over more easily than conventional vases.

Also consider the scale of the space. A single bud vase won’t work on a 60-inch dining room table, Vanderbrook said. A grouping would work, though (see photo above).

Sources: www.nj.com & www.flowerpossibilities.com

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Posted in Garden, Grow, Home Decor | 6 Comments »

Garden Starter Kits Make Great Mother’s Day Gifts

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Basil Container Garden

For first time gardeners, getting started can be quite intimidating. Many people would love to experience America’s #1 most popular outdoor hobby, but simply don’t know where to begin. A trip to the local Big Box gardening store is less than helpful. There are so many mass-produced products from which to choose, how could one possibly sort through them all?

Well, we at aHa! Modern Living have a terrific solution for the aspiring or novice gardener. We have assembled a wonderful little collection of Garden Starter Kits to take the guesswork out of beginning a home garden. With three different kits from which to choose, we’ve designed one to fit any green thumb’s needs.

Don’t forget that Mother’s Day will be here before you know it! Mom is sure to love a gift that will allow her to spend time outside in the lovely, warm May weather. Check out all of the Garden Starter Kits for the one that will best suit Mom:

The Urban Seed Starting Kit – $46.43

If you want to take the guesswork out of gardening for your mom, then the Urban Seed Starting Kit is the perfect Mother’s Day gift. We’ve designed it to accommodate the first-time gardener who’s just starting to get her handy dirty, but also for the more experienced gardener who just loves convenience and efficiency.

Each Urban Seed Starting Kit includes:

  • One 8 quart bag of Black Gold Seedling Mix- a mix of Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, perlite and Dolomite lime, and yucca extract, which creates the perfect medium for starting seeds.
  • One 12 pack of 3-inch Cow Pots- made of biodegradable, re-purposed cow manure, these pots are perfect for starting seeds because you can stick them right in the ground.
  • Three bags of Annie Haven’s Cow Manure Tea- each bag makes 5 gallons of all natural soil conditioning tea.
  • One pair of Eco Bamboo Garden Gloves- super soft and stretchy gloves made of bamboo.
  • One 16-ounce Garden Spray Bottle- serves a wide variety of uses, from mixing up fertilizer concentrates, to blasting off insects, to watering seedlings.
  • One Grow Your Own Food Made Easy Handbook- packed with tips and information on how to grow more veggies in less space.

The Stylish Girl Gift Set – $54.50

The Stylish Girl Gift Set is perfect for gardening within a small space, such as an apartment or retirement home. All of the items are compact, easy to store, and designed to bring a little bit of colorful life into a city dwelling.

The Stylish Girl Gift Set includes:

  • One Chrysanthemum Eggling- just crack open the white ceramic shell and water the peat and seed mixture to easily grow your own little chrysanthemum garden.
  • One Daub & Bauble Hand Wash & Lotion Set- both the hand wash and lotion are luxuriously formulated with moisturizing ingredients such as Aloe Vera and Vitamin E. Read more about why to use Daub and Bauble’s natural ingredients.
  • One Elephant Watering Can- Adorable! Need we say more?
  • One Matchstick Wildflower Garden- all you need to do is tear off a little matchstick, which is already packed with seeds, and pop it in a pot. Storing and planting seeds couldn’t be simpler.

Modern Container Garden Kit – $65.99

If mom loves to garden, but doesn’t have a backyard in which to do it, no problem! The Modern Container Garden Kit has everything she needs to turn a small space, such as a window ledge, front step, or back patio into a lovely container garden:

The Modern Container Garden Kit includes:

  • One 8 quart bag of Black Gold’s Organic Potting Soil- the ideal mix of Canadian sphagnum peat moss, perlite, worm castings, which is perfect for indoor and outdoor potted plants.
  • One Aqua Genie Watering Can- this this sleek watering can’s mini size helps prevent over watering and makes it easy to store.
  • One Write + Erase Plant Stakes (Herb or Botanical)- these pretty tags can be used again and again. All you have to do is wipe off the name and re-write!
  • One All-Purpose Fertilizer Concentrate- contains all the nutrients needed to grow healthy vegetables, herbs, flowers, trees, and container gardens.
  • One Roost Wood Dibber Hand Tool- No, it’s not a stake for vampire hunting. A wood dibber allows you to plant bulbs and seeds at the correct depth. It makes planting a snap.
  • One 4-pack Pot Pads (green, brown, blue or red)- an essential little addition for any successful container garden. Pot pads lift the pot in order to provide water drainage and air circulation, and also prevent ugly pot stains on your patio or deck.
  • One set of Herb & Floral Clippers- these non-rust clippers make trimming and pruning a breeze.

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Posted in Garden, Garden tools, Gifts, Grow, Shopping | 2 Comments »

Starting Your Garden from Botanical Interests Organic Seeds

Monday, March 8th, 2010
Botanical Interest Lettuce seeds

From left: Botanical Interest Seeds, lettuce seedlings by Talitha Purdy

By now you’ve probably noticed that we have an awesome new category to shop here at aHa! Modern Living. Starting From Seed contains a selection of vegetable and herb seeds to get you started with growing your own colorful, nutritious, and scrumptious produce.  We recommend that you check back frequently in the coming weeks. We are working diligently so that we can soon make even more types of seeds available!

Why Start From Seed?

So, when you can go to the grocery store and pick out an entire basket of tomatoes, why should you take the time to grow your own? Well, basically put, starting from seed is the best, if not the only, way to know exactly what you are getting in your food. When you buy a tomato at the store, it may be genetically engineered. For example, a cold water fish gene may have been crossed with the tomato in order to make the product more resilient to frost. It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but it’s not! It’s real life!

Why should I buy my seeds from aHa Modern Living?

We think it is super important to buy and consume locally grown produce. And what’s more local than your own backyard? You also earn aHa! Reward Points for buying your seeds from us.  Most of the seeds that we sell in our Starting From Seed category are:

  • Certified organic, meaning that they do not contain any nasty chemicals or pesticides.
  • Heirloom variety, meaning that they have not been genetically engineered.

How do I begin my own home garden?

Once you have received your organic heirloom seeds, you will use a simple process called seed starting. This is an essential step to allow your plants to root before introducing them to the harsh conditions of the outside world. If you are nervous about trying to grow your own herbs and vegetables, there is nothing wrong with starting slowly. Try beginning with basil. This herb lends itself well to home germination and is pretty much a surefire bet.CowPots

  1. Gather containers. To start your seeds, you will need small containers that are just 2-3 inches deep. Last year’s nursery flats will work well, or plastic egg cartons, or dixie cups. Save time by planting and transplanting in CowPots (learn more about the benefits of CowPots). If you’re re-using containers, wash them out well using a hot water and couple tablespoons of bleach or white vinegar. Make sure each container has a small hole in the bottom, and set each container on a tray to accommodate water drainage.
  2. Create a nourishing growing medium. We recommend purchasing a bag of seedling starting mix, then blending in some well-aged compost to give your seeds a healthy beginning.
  3. Carefully sow your seeds. Make sure your soil is evenly moist, but not swampy, before dropping in your seeds. Cover each seed to a depth that is only about 3 times the thickness of the seed itself. Or, if the seed needs light to germinate, do not cover it at all. Some examples of seeds that need light to germinate are snapdragons and petunias.
  4. Protect your seeds. Lightly sprinkle milled sphagnum moss, a natural fungicide, over the containers to protect them from damping-off, a fungal disease that rots seeds. In the case of seeds that need light to germinate, sprinkle the moss first and then drop the seeds onto the moss. Next, create a mini greenhouse by covering your containers with a plastic bag to keep the environment humid, and place them near a heat vent. If you’d like, you can even purchase a heat mat that is specifically made for seed starting. Most seeds germinate well at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
  5. Keep the seeds damp. You can put a little bit of water in your trays so that the seeds absorb moisture from below, or mist the containers with a spray bottle of water.
  6. Transfer the seedlings to a light source. At the first signs of sprouting, uncover your seedlings and move the trays to a light source, such as a sunny window, a greenhouse, or underneath some fluorescent shop lights. Your seedlings need 12 to 16 hours of light a day. They do not need as much heat at this point, so you can move them away from the heating vent or heat mat. Make sure, however, that they do receive the amount of concentrated light that is necessary.
  7. Fertilize your seedlings. As soon as they get their first true leaves, your seedlings are ready for food. Water them with a half-strength solution of organic liquid fish emulsion/seaweed fertilizer once a week. Use either a spray bottle, or add the fertilizer to the water you place in the trays, (in the method that is described in step 5).
  8. “Harden them off.” This process means that you will prepare your plants for the harshness of the outside world. It is important to gently acclimate them so as not to shock them.  On a warm day, move the containers to a shaded, protected place outdoors for a few hours. Each day for one week, gradually increase the plants’ exposure to the sun and outdoor conditions. At the end of the week leave them out overnight. Then, they are ready to transplant into the garden.

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How to Force Branches to Bloom Indoors

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

February and March are excellent months to try forcing branches to bloom inside your home. Why? Well, because by this time, outdoor temperatures have probably risen just above freezing. We all have a major case of spring fever, but all of our trees and shrubs are not yet blossoming. So with a little bit of gentle prompting, we can “force” them to bloom indoors.

How to Properly Force Branches

1. Cut the Branches

When temperatures have risen above freezing, carefully cut some branches off of a tree or shrub in your yard. Select a branch with several plump buds. Cut a couple extra branches, since not all of them will successfully bloom indoors. Make sure to use a sharp blade when cutting branches, and make a smooth, clean cut so as not to disfigure your tree. The Spear & Jackson Bypass Pruners are an excellent tool for this task.
2. Bring the Branches Indoors

Once you have brought the cut branches indoors, use your Hori Hori Garden Knife to carefully create a slit in the cut end of your branches. The slit should be between one and four inches long on each branch. This is so that your branches may absorb the water in which you are going to place them.
3. Trim the Branches

Fill your sink or a large container with warm water. Using either your pruners or your garden knife, cut a one-inch segment off of the bottom of each of your branches. This will help to prevent air from entering the stem through the cut end, which would then block water intake. Another tool that is great for this trimming task is the Gardener’s Multi-Tool.
4. Place Branches in a Vase

Place your branches in a tall pitcher or vase filled with warm water. Depending on the size of your branches, you may wish to tie them into a small bundle with a piece of twine. You may also wish to add a floral preserve, or just a teaspoon of bleach to the water to help control bacteria. We recommend the beautifully sleek and versatile Ivy Pitcher and Vase for your branches. Remove any buds that will be underneath the water level.

5. Place the Vase in a Warm Room
Place your vase(s) of branches in a warm room that is maintained between 60 and 70 degrees F. Do not place them in direct sunlight. Make sure you check the water every day to make sure it is clear. You will need to replace it with fresh, clean water every 2-3 days. Your branches may begin to bloom within one week, or they may take as long as 8 weeks, (depending on how close they were to their natural bloom time when you cut them.)

Great Plant Picks for Forcing Indoor Blooms

According to Susan Grupp, a Horticulture Professor for the University of Illinois Extension in DuPage County, the following plants will respond well to forcing. You can cut these branches from your own yard, or purchase branches from your local florist:

  • Redbud
  • Japanese or Flowering Quince
  • Flowering Dogwood
  • Vernal Witch Hazel
  • Hawthorn
  • Forsythia
  • Honeysuckle
  • Saucer Magnolia
  • Star Magnolia
  • Apple and Crabapple
  • Flowering Almond, Cherry, and Plum
  • European Pussy Willow
  • Spirea
  • Lilac
  • Viburnum

We will be “growing” our Grow Category this February, so check back soon for new products! Or why not make it easier on yourself? You can receive updates on new products, special promotions, earn aHa! Customer Rewards, and unique content you won’t find on the blog, by subscribing to our new aHa! Modern Living E-letter. Take a peek at our December issue.

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Posted in Garden, Grow, Home Decor | 3 Comments »

Bring Some GREEN Indoors this Winter

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
When it looks like this outside, it's definitely time to bring some green into your home. Image source: Andrew Prokos Photography.

When it looks like this outside, it's definitely time to bring some green into your home. Image source: Andrew Prokos Landscape Photography (http://andrewprokos.com)

With the frigid months of winter upon us, it’s all too easy to find ourselves sitting around and twiddling our green thumbs. We can’t wait to dig our hands into some spring soil, but alas, months of frozen earth lay ahead. And our mood is starting to reflect the gray, black, and brown shades of our frozen gardens.

What’s the perfect cure for the winter blahs? Bring some green indoors! After all, nothing brightens up a room like a cheerful indoor plant. As a bonus, houseplants also help to clean the air by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, which is a definite plus when it is too darn cold to open the windows and get some fresh air in your home.  There are numerous  Benefits of Decorating with Houseplants; click here to learn all about them.

When the weather prevents you from gardening outside, some friendly and perky houseplants can come to the rescue. They also make the perfect hostess gifts, as they are considerably more creative than the obligatory bottle of wine. Our favorite houseplants here at aHa! Modern Living are cheery, low maintenance, and easily portable.

Check out the Perch! Campy Planters

Ceramic Campy PlantersThese simple yet stylish handmade planters come in three different vibrant color combinations: green and turquoise, gray and green, or white and yellow. We absolutely love their mini size; each planter stands just 6 1/2 inches tall. They can fit even on a small space such a bathroom sink or nightstand.We love the idea of planting a succulent in a Campy, which is pictured on the left. This is super low maintenance, since succulents can survive for long periods of time without water. Perch! Campy Planters also have a perforated bottom for water drainage, which is integral for healthy plants.

Another great indoor option: Eggling Seed Starters

Basil Eggling Seed StarterAt just 10 bucks a pop, you can afford one as a gift for each of your friends and still treat yourself. Check out both varieties: basil and chrysanthemum.Eggling Seed Starters are simple as pie to use. All you have to do is crack open the top, and water the soil within, which is already filled with peat mixture and seeds. One thing that we really love is how easily the Eggling may be transferred from the indoors to the outside. After 5 months, the whole egg can be planted outdoors. This way, your Eggling can brighten up your home all winter, and come spring it will be ready to take root.

Looking for something a little bit quirky and fun?

iGrobot Desktop PlanterThen you will love the iGrobot Planter.  Again, we just can’t help but love how fool-proof this planter is. It comes with instructions, two measures of peat, and a packet of rye grass seeds. Once your grass sprouts, you can trim it into a mohawk, or any other shape you may desire. We are sure that it will make a fun addition to your home or office space, not to mention a great gift for any techie.

New aHa! Monthly Newsletter

We will be “growing” our Grow Category this February, so check back soon for new products!  Or why not make it easier on yourself?  You can receive updates on new products, special promotions, earn aHa! Customer Rewards, and unique content you won’t find on the blog, by subscribing to our new aHa! Modern Living E-letter.  Take a peek at our December issue.

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Posted in Garden, Gifts, Grow, Home Decor | No Comments »

Gifts for the Gardener Who Already has it All

Monday, December 7th, 2009
Photo source: Happy Mundane

photo by Happy Mundane

Every year, the Christmas season starts a little earlier. This year, stores were filled with plastic evergreen trees and stacked boxes of greeting cards even before the Halloween costume aisle was cleared out.

The holidaze begins months in advance. Yet every year, regardless of how early you start your Christmas shopping, there is someone who remains on your list. This is the someone for whom you need to find a gift that is unusual; not just another trinket from a big-box store. aHa! Modern Living is here for the rescue with a selection of gifts for that tricky person on your list who already seems to have it all.

Gifts for the Un-green Thumb

We all have that friend who claims to kill every plant she lays hands on. Here is the perfect solution for the aspiring gardener or apprentice who is still learning the trade. The Matchstick Garden totally makes planting as easy as pie. All you have to do is tear off a little matchstick, which is already brimming with seeds, stick it in the ground, and give it a little sprinkle of water. That’s it! They come in both wildflower and herb varieties, and at the price of only $2.50 per packet, you can afford to give both!

matchstick

Matchstick Garden

One of the most common reasons that houseplants are killed is over watering. The pretty and sleek Aqua Genie Watering Can aims to prevent over watering. It’s made of lightweight plastic so that it’s easy to lift and won’t rust. This is a super error-proof and user-friendly watering can.

aquagenie-general

Aqua Genie Watering Can

 
 
Gifts for the Novice Gardener
 
Your friend who is just starting to dabble in tilling and cultivating will love to receive some new tools to help her along the way. Chances are, she’s using some old rusted hand-me-downs. She’ll really be inspired to plant a fabulous garden when she receives the Garden Tool Hand Set. This is everything she needs to dig, transplant, and weed.
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Posted in Garden, Garden tools, Gifts, Grow, Holiday Stuff, Home Decor, Shopping | 2 Comments »

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