Transplanting Shrubs

Now is a super time to transplant shrubs and other plants in your garden. For shrubs, you want to try and get them right before they start to wake up. You can tell by being an observant gardener and watching for the buds to swell. Once they start to look a bit green, it is probably too late for all but the most aggressive varieties. Some shrubs will sucker making them good candidates for sharing with friends. If you were thinking ahead you took your shovel and separated them from the mother plant this fall. This gives them a chance to establish some of their own root system before transplanting. If not, proceed as follows:
1) If the plant you are digging is connected to another, sever it from the host plant with a shovel.
2) Next your need to go about digging out the plant. The more soil you can capture around the root ball and not disturb, the better. My soil was very sandy and dry this fall so I was not successful in capturing any. It is better to keep soil on because the soil can pull off tiny roots that are vital for survival if you do not keep the soil intact.
3) Transplant your plants directly to a new area or put into pots to root for later planting and sharing with friends. Be sure to not plant them any deeper in the pot than they were in the ground.

4) Lastly, water your plants well. Both those in the ground and in the pot will need to be gently brought along this summer. Water often as the plants have a minimal root system for supporting the water needs of the plant above ground.

Hello Spring!

Hello Spring! It is soooo nice to see you! I look forward to walking in your sun, watching the plants green, smelling the earth warm and delighting in just being outside! The bugs are warming, tree buds are pushing and the spring flowers are well on their way. I can feel the energy of all the activity! This means it is also time for the gardener in you to get busy! This is a good time to start cutting back the dead plants. Some of my grasses were already starting to put on some green. Clip your grasses to about 6-8". Oh yes, and wear gloves! Dried grass tends to give wicked cuts!

Sketchbook

Do you keep a sketchbook? Maybe you don't think of it as a sketchbook. Maybe you use something to keep notes, write lists or keep track of things in general. I would like to suggest you get a sketchbook. I use my book to write journal entries,design sewing projects,

make daily task lists, seasonal task lists, home maintenance lists,

keep track of garden ideas, paste in images that inspire,record things I come across on the internet

design decks, keep measurements from my house so I can use them when I am out. Really the options are endless. I keep a 6x8.5" bound(avoid spiral bound, they don't hold up) book with me all the time. When I am distracted by an idea or something that needs to be done, I write it down and go on. I have done this for many years to organize my life and have over the last five years really started to use it more extensively. When I flip back through these books I find something very interesting has happened. I have in essence recorded my life. Dates, times, projects, events with friends,cool places,ideas, images, planning....it goes on and on. Only recently have I started putting in the occasional journal entry so that I can record those little events in my daughters life that I am sure to forget but want to remember. I think I will keep these volumes of my life and maybe one day my daughter will read them and have a sense of the person I was, and person I became as time moved passed by.

Happy Saint Patricks Day

Nothing like a little inspiration to make sure that your kid has the appropriate wear for that special green day! The dress below is from a pattern I purchased from Little Blue Boo. Made from second hand clothes and custom stamped with Stampin' Up craft ink its sure to be an original in the classroom this year!

And just for that extra touch....a monogram!

I hope you too can avoid getting pinched!

Our New Residents

Wyandotte

Buff Orpington

Bantam

Hard to believe these cute little puff balls will become fertilizing egg laying machines! Oh the fun of spring! Be sure you are checking your new charges daily. You will need to make sure that not only their cage is clean but that they are clean is well. Occasionally feces will get stuck in the fluff and build up on their backside.

Whenever you see this, use a warm rag to gently remove the feces. These build ups can clog the vents of the small birds and prevent them from regular elimination. I hope you are enjoying all the peep peep peeping!

Starting Baby Chicks

The baby chicks have hit the feed stores! I hope you are ready! If you are not, I have just the primer for you! I have used this simple set up numerous times. First you will need a box. The sides need to be about 24-36 inches tall. You want something small that is suitable for the number of chicks you have purchased with out forcing them to walk in their food or water sources. Do not choose a box that is too big as you need to be able to regulate the heat in the box with an incandescent light bulb. I like a rubber tub for ease of cleaning but a cardboard box will do. In this photo we used wood shavings. I actually prefer many layers of newspaper. Once the paper is soiled, about every other day, you can just remove the top two layers with out having to change the whole box.

Food and water dispensers that fit on mason jars can be purchased in plastic or steel. I do not have a preference here.

Regular tap water is fine. You can purchase a medicated powder for the chicks. I have not done so for the past 3 years and prefer not to. In small numbers and clean cages, I don't think it is necessary. If you do, you will need to change the water bottle daily and wash often as the jar will become slimy. For food, you will need to purchase a granulated chick starter.

Your chicks will eat this for the first ten to 15 weeks of age. Once they have most of their feathers, you can begin to mix in some other grains such as ground corn.

Regulating heat in the box is going to be one of the most important things you do. Generally an incandescent bulb in a hooded fixture is suitable. The idea is to create a warm enough space that the chicks do not pile on one another for warmth. In piling up, they will easily suffocate one another when cold. If too warm, they can dehydrate. Be sure to cover the box if you have predators in your house i.e. dogs or cats that might find them to be a tasty treat!

Cheep! Cheep! Your baby chicks will sleep a lot in the beginning so don't be alarmed. Let me know if you have questions!

Tool Storage

Sometimes you just need to be a little creative when it comes to storage. This is my outhouse. It was built during the 1930's by the Works Project Administration (W.P.A.). This program was introduced by Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression as means to put people to work. Well, my outhouse is now over 80 years old and standing strong. I had a friend help me move it from a property that I knew was facing demolition. The owner gave me a strange look and then gladly agreed to let me take it. Sometimes, you just need to ask!

It has a new piece to tin on the roof but otherwise is in its original condition. I fastened it to a concrete base to make sure I didn't get any outhouse tipping during prom week and now I have the perfect place to keep tools close the garden and store hoses for winter! It could probably use a paint job.....sigh. One more thing for the task list.