Ever take a walk through a dense forest and think to yourself “this is so neat, I’d love to have something like this at home”. Well, with a little work, and a little imagination, you can.
One of the most popular ways to quickly change a shady area into that “woodsy” feel is through the use of ferns, and there are some great choices to be had for differing heights, textures, and colors. Here’s a couple of our favorites.
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If you read our newsletter, you no doubt have arrived here after reading all about the pros and cons of synthetic chemicals over organic ones (if you didn’t get here via the newsletter there’s a sign up box over there to your right ).
Well, for the sake of clarity, we do think there are some situations that demand a synthetic chemical, but in many instances there is no reason not to use a more earth friendly alternative.
Here’s a short list of some of our favorites:
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Have you heard Jean talking about our new outdoor canvasses on the radio?
It’s a great idea. A way to add even more of that “living room” feeling that we are all seeking when sitting on our patio, deck, or porch.
The pictures have been treated to protect them from the outdoor elements, making them able to withstand sun and rain.
Here’s a little sampling:
A beautifully serene.....scene
Awesome sunset in our smaller canvas
A nice large waterfall image.
All the canvasses have incredible detail.
When it comes to your grass there are several steps needed to produce a truly beautiful and lush lawn.
These would include aerating, seeding, fertilizing, mowing at the right height. Unfortunately, the one step many people choose not to do is to add lime to the soil.
What lime does, basically, is raise the pH of your soil. Ideally, pH levels in your lawn should be between 6 and 6.5.
Around the Piedmont Triad area our soil tends to be naturally acidic, mainly due to the heavy red clay we’re all oh so accustomed to. It tends to range from 4.25-5.5 if left untreated. That range of pH is actually a great range for a lot of plants, such as Azaleas, Camellias, and most evergreens. It is not, however, ideal for lawns!
When the soil that grass is growing on is in the correct pH range, it is better able to absorb nutrients that are locked within the ground, and will generally be much healthier.
To increase the pH by one level we recommend using 40lbs of lime per 1000 square feet. In other words, if you have a pH of 5, adding 40lbs of lime per 1000sf will raise your pH to 6.
It should be noted that when you use pelletized lime it will take 6 months to take full effect.
One other choice is to use a product known as fast-acting lime, which works in the same season you spread it, and will also cover a larger area.
Whichever choice you go with, just keep in mind that adding lime is going to make everything else you add to your lawn work better!
So if you have been keeping up with us here, or over on our facebook or twitter accounts then you’ll no doubt know that we recorded our Spring ad for this year.
Well, we figured it only fair that those of you who follow along with all these updates get a wee preview before it hits the airwaves.
Enjoy!
Guilford Garden Center Spring ad 2011