Plant Gardens 101

If you have pets or small children and like to keep a garden or indoor houseplants, it’s important that you know which varieties of plants are dangerous to have around. While there are some well known toxic plants such as Poinsettias and Deadly Nightshade, there are also many common household plants that are potentially deadly to both pets and humans.

Daffodils, Hyacinths, and Narcissus plants can all cause serious stomach upset, high blood pressure, tremors, and irregular heartbeats if the bulbs are eaten. In some cases, digestion of the bulbs can even be fatal.
Ingesting Lily of the Valley shrubs, Rhododendrons, and Azaleas will cause nausea and vomiting, and can go on to trigger cardiovascular collapse, coma, and death.

Oleander is well known for its toxic properties, as is Foxglove. These plants cause gastrointestinal upset, affect the heart, and are deadly. Just handling these plants can cause dermatitis in sensitive individuals, so it’s best to avoid direct contact with these plants. Foxglove is especially dangerous because their bell shaped buds are very attractive to children. Ingesting just a small amount can be deadly, and prior to death, the toxin can cause severe abdominal pain, hallucinations, and tremors. (more…)

The lawn and garden industry nets approximately $36 billion a year, and with the trend towards home grown vegetables and organic gardening, this number is only going to increase. Gardens do, however, take time and work, and most households have busy, hectic schedules. The Plant Institute of America claims that “one third of all plants die within their first year of purchase”. These new products promise to make the gardener’s life easier by cutting down on regular chores like watering, or by identifying common problems. Are they worth it? You be the judge.

Garden Environmental Sensors

These products promise to take the guess work out of gardening. A sensor placed in the ground near your plants proceeds to analyze the soil and growing conditions, and providing results such as the amount of moisture in the soil, sunlight, temperature, humidity and drainage. Hook up the sensor to your computer using a USB port and receive a list of recommendations to enhance your garden and create ideal growing conditions. Many of these products such as EasyBloom, have huge product databases that you can search by various plant characteristics, such as desired bloom, color, season, plant height, and drought tolerance. (more…)

Some people are under the impression that once they’ve planted their gardens, apart from watering and weeding, the work is done until next spring. That couldn’t be further from the truth. There are so many things you can do to ensure a successful lawn and garden for the following year. Besides, it’s just plain fun to get back digging in those beds again.

Clean-Up

Now is the time to rake up any leaves or mulch them with your mower. Your grass requires sunlight to thrive, even when it appears dormant. Collect up all your old planters, wash them out well and stack them in a wooden crate or similar container. Set them safely on a shelf until next spring. (more…)