November Gardening Calendar and Gardening Gifts

November Gardening Calendar

Blow or rake fallen leaves from lawn areas. The leaves left on the lawn block the sunlight to your grass and will create bare spots. Don’t forget to compost the leaves. Spray each layer with water. Need a composter? There are several composters on the market today, but deciding which one to buy may be confusing to some. Composters are designed for gardeners and homeowners with several designs to choose from. Some are designed to be mobile and when the compost is ready the gardener can take the composter to the area where it is going to be used. Other composters are deigned to be stationary. When deciding on a composter think about what you want the composter to do for you. For my information on composting Click Here.

Plant spring-flowering bulbs now and add bone meal to the planting hole. Depending on how south you garden in some spring bulbs can be planted in December. The key to planting spring flowering bulbs is the ground needs to be cool enough, so the bulbs remain dormant until spring arrives. For more information on fall bulbs Click Here.

You can save your Elephant Ears, Dahlias, and Caladiums by digging them up now. Let the tubers dry out before storing for the winter. Store tubers in boxes layered with peat moss or vermiculite, then layer tubers on top of your choice of medium. Store boxes in a cool, dry place.

Spring and summer perennials can be pruned back and mulch. After the flowers have faded on Chrysanthemums and Asters prune to 4 inches and mulch. Clean up Hellebores. Trim dead and yellowing leaves. Hellebores grow from the center and by removing the dead and yellowing leaves increases more pups.

To encourage winter songbirds in your garden, get a birdfeeder. It is recommended to use the black oil sunflower seed for most birds. Black oil sunflower seeds make a nutrient-dense snack for birds. The seeds have a higher oil content which translates to more nutrition. The shell is thinner, which makes it easier to break open for the birds. Fill bird feeders with black oil sunflower seeds.

Plant New Shrubs and Trees: Have you been thinking about replacing a few shrubs that just did not quite get established in the landscape, or planting a new shade or flowering tree that you just cannot live without in your landscape? Now, is the time to start thinking about making that purchase? The fall season is an excellent time to add new shrubs and trees to your landscape. This time of year will let your newly planted shrubs and trees get a head start by developing and establishing new root growth in the soil.

You still have time to plant your winter color such as: Chrysanthemums, Pansy, Viola, Snapdragons, Stock, Cyclamen, Dianthus, Sweet Alyssum, Flowering Cabbage and Kale provide winter color through the spring and should be still available at garden centers. For spring blooms plant Bluebonnet and Poppy seeds this fall. For more information on fall and winter annuals click here.

Holiday Plants that you kept last year need to be placed in a dark room during the evening hours for the plants to bloom this holiday season. I remember this gardening ritual when it is time to turn back our clocks; it is time to give my holiday plants total darkness until I see buds or bracts forming. Christmas Cactus and Poinsettias are night dependent plants for them to bloom; these plants need so many hours of darkness to bloom. The cooler weather also helps in the blooming process. If you purchased new holiday plants, try to place them in the coolest area of your home.

Have you ever tried forcing Paperwhites for the holidays and the stems and blooms became leggy? Here is a link to an article about what to do to prevent the legginess from occurring. Click Here To Read More: http://www.hortmag.com/weekly-tips/cultivation/growing-paperwhites?et_mid=525016&rid=2111517

House Plants that were brought indoors need a ¼ turn to prevent leaning towards the light. To prevent this, turn your house plants once a week. House plants do not need as much water during the winter months, water when the top one inch of the soil is dry. Another way to decide to water is if you had several days of cloudy weather check your plants on the normal day you usually check, if the soil feels wet wait a week. Houseplants do not need as much water during cloudy, winter months.

The Blogger, Cheryl Ann Meola, has several Links to share with you featuring her fine art plant photography and merchandise. Click on the links below.

For Gardening Books: Butterfly Gardening Click Here. 

House Plants Click Here.

Landscape Gardening Click Here.

Fine Art America Portfolio for Prints and Household Merchandise.

Society6Portfolio. Society6 has more Household merchandise.

For Cheryl Ann Meola’s Shutterstock Stock Photography.

For Cheryl Ann Meola’s Adobe Stock Photography.

For Live Herbs and Live Plants.

Cheryl Ann Meola © 2023.

All photographs and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this newsletter are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated or copied.

Certified Texas Nursery Professional #1282

Happy Fourth of July Sale

                                                                     Live Plant Sale

HibiscusAndMore is very excited to announce their first plant sale of the season. HibiscusAndMore is back in business offering the beautiful plants such as Live Fresh Herbs and House Plants. All plants are planted in OMRI organic listed soil, and the plants are in 3-inch eco-friendly, biodegradable pots that are ready to be transplanted into your favorite container or directly in the garden. Click Here for Live Plants.

This year our beloved Monarch butterfly is now listed on the endangered species list. As gardener’s we need to help and fast. My book, Gardening for the Butterflies will help get you started. Need more information on Butterfly Gardening? Click Here.

Grow Fresh Air will help you with your HousePlants and inform you on the wonderful benefits of having houseplants. Need more information on HousePlants. Click Here. 

Visit Hibiscus and More for fine art Prints because we have more than just plants. Click Here.

Happy Fourth of July From HibiscusAndMore and I hope you enjoy my blogspot and the Fourth Holiday.

Happy Gardening.

January Gardening Calendar

 

January Gardening Calendar

Start planning for Spring. January is the perfect month to start planning your garden for the current year. As a refresher for last year’s thoughts, ideas or plants you were thinking about purchasing, dust off

Beans and Tomatoes

your gardening journal to see what changes or additions you wanted to make this year. A garden is always evolving.

Start looking at seed and garden catalogs. January is a good time to start planning this year’s design features and plants. Seeds and new introduction plants sell out quickly. Don’t miss out and wait, try to order your seeds or reserve your plants soon. Reserving your plant purchase guarantees the plant will ship at the proper time for planting in your USDA zone.

Seed starting Kits. Growers recommend starting the seeds indoors in a bright location to get a jump start to spring. There are seed starting kits which are advertised as seed starter germination kit or seed starter greenhouse kit. The kits usually feature a tray, growing media disks, and a cover for the tray. The kits are an excellent choice to start growing your seeds before spring. Some kits even include a warming matt to get a faster germination rate. 

Bare Root Roses will be arriving soon at local garden centers. Prepare planting beds by digging an area 3 feet wide by 12 inches deep for each rose. Soak bare root roses in a mixture of SuperThrive and water for 24 to 48 hours before planting. Local nurseries will also have available roses in peat pots. The pots are biodegradable and can be planted where the pot degrades. Before planting cut the pot halfway down and around the pot four times. This action helps the pot degrade faster. For more information on Rose Care Click Here.

Poinsettias water only when the soil is dry to the touch. Start fertilizing in March. Poinsettias need bright light and cool temperatures even indoors.

Deciduous Trees and Shrubs the structure of the trees and shrubs can be easily seen this time of year. Prune all branches that rub or cross each other. Trees and shrubs can be planted now. Plan to plant on a warm day when the ground is not frozen. When the weather warms for a week or longer, and then the temperatures drop into the twenties, cover Camellias and Gardenias nightly until the temperatures are above freezing. The last week in January prune Pear and Apple trees, and Grape vines.

Vegetable Garden till the soil, if the ground is dry. This preventative measure helps to eliminate weeds, insects, and nematodes. Don’t have room for a vegetable garden, but would like to grow your own vegetables? All vegetables can be grown in large planters. The recommended size for vegetables is 16 inches or larger. In fact, that is how I grow my vegetables each season. For more information on Spring VegetableGardening Click Here.

Prune Pampas Grass and all other ornamental grasses down to about 12 inches. Prune Lantana and Cannas to about 2 to 3 inches. Shape Crepe Myrtles and Altheas and remove old seed heads.

Annuals water winter annuals like pansies, violas, ornamental cabbage and kale, after a hard freeze. This helps to rehydrate the annuals faster. Water outside container plants before a hard freeze, too.

Houseplants check for insects. Insects like mealy bugs, scale, spider mites are more likely to infest your plants during the winter months. Spray with a horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, and make sure you spray underneath the leaves. Turn your houseplants a quarter to half turn once a week. This prevents leaning of your houseplants. I turn mine once a week when I water my houseplants.

Need more gardening advice? Follow our BlogSpot for current sales, daily specials, and sound gardening advice. Simply click on Join This Site Link under Followers. Sign Up Is Free.

All photographs maybe purchased as fine art prints at HibiscusandMore.com  

Need floral stock photography? Click here. Need botanical stock photography? Click here

All photographs and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this newsletter are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated or copied.

https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Cheryl+Ann+Meola

©Cheryl Ann Meola

 

Botanical Prints and Florals

 

Bloggers,

I am excited to introduce a beautiful website that features botanical florals and photography. The photographs featured in the blog post can now be purchased in a wide array of household items. From Wall Art to Outdoor Accessories.

Take a look at the beautiful botanical florals at: https://society6.com/s?q=cmeola7&context=cmeola7

 

Enjoy

January Gardening Calendar 2015

January Gardening Calendar

Bare Root Roses will be arriving soon at local garden centers. Prepare planting beds by digging an area 4 feet wide by 12 inches deep for each rose. Soak bare root roses in a mixture of SuperThrive and water for 24 to 48 hours before planting. For more information on Rose Care Click Here.

Poinsettias water only when the soil is dry to the touch. Start fertilizing in March. Poinsettias need bright light and cool temperatures even indoors.

Deciduous Trees and Shrubs the structure of the trees can be easily seen this time of year. Prune all branches that rub or cross each other. Trees and shrubs can be planted now. Plan to plant on a warm day when the ground is not frozen. When the weather warms for a week or longer, and then the temperatures drop into the twenties, cover Camellias and Gardenias nightly until the temperatures are above freezing. The last week in January prune Pear and Apple trees, and Grape vines.

Vegetable Garden till the soil, if the ground is dry. This preventative measure helps to eliminate weeds, insects, and nematodes. Don’t have room for a vegetable garden, but would like to grow your own vegetables? All vegetables can be grown in large planters such as these offered at Hibiscus and More’s. In fact, that is how I grow my vegetables each season. For more information on Spring Vegetable Gardening Click Here. 

Prune Pampas Grass and all other ornamental grasses down to about 12 inches. Prune Lantana and Cannas to about 2 to 3 inches. Shape Crepe Myrtles and Altheas and remove old seed heads.

Annuals water winter annuals like pansies, violas, ornamental cabbage and kale, after a hard freeze. This helps to rehydrate the annuals faster. Water outside container plants before a hard freeze, too.

Houseplants check for insects. Insects like mealy bugs, scale, spider mites are more likely to infest your plants during the winter months. Spray with a horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, and make sure you spray underneath the leaves. Turn your houseplants a quarter to half turn once a week. This prevents leaning of your houseplants. I turn mine once a week when I water my houseplants. 

Need more gardening advice? Follow our BlogSpot for current sales, daily specials, and sound gardening advice. Simply click on Join This Site Link under Followers. Sign Up Is Free. View Current Blog Post Click Here.

©Cheryl Ann Meola

Texas Certified Nursery Professional #1282

August Gardening Calendar 2011

August Gardening Calendar

Prune Tropical Hibiscus you plan to bring indoors for the winter. Plan to place your plant in the sunniest window during the winter months. Trim back enough to fit your location indoors and bring your Hibiscus inside around December or before first frost. After pruning check your Hibiscus for insects and spray with appropriate insecticide. Now is a good time to fertilize your Hibiscus. Hibiscuses are heavy feeders and should be fertilized monthly with a Hibiscus Fertilizer. 

Remove faded blooms and seedpods on your Crepe Myrtles. You may be rewarded with more blooms before first frost. The recommended fertilizer formulation for Crepe Myrtles is 10-15-9 or a similar combination. Don’t forget to fertilize your Crepe Myrtles.

Roses prune out dead canes, and weak, bushy growth. Cut back tall, vigorous bushes by 1/3 the original plant height. Fertilize roses on a monthly basis until October. After pruning you should see new blooms coming in about 6 weeks.

Azaleas Lace bugs on your Azaleas increase rapidly in summer. Check your Azaleas for insects. The damaged caused by these sucking insects looks like tiny white dots and the entire leaf is almost completely white. Spray with appropriate insecticide labeled for Azalea Lace Bugs.

Lawns check your grass for insects, especially for chinch bugs and white grubs. These insects are most active in the summer months. The signs for chinch bugs are irregular circles, and the grass is thin, and then dies. For white grubs, the signs are irregular circles, and the grass is loosely rooted. Check the soil underneath the loosely rooted grass by digging up the soil, the grubs should be about an inch down in the soil, if you have them. Apply the appropriate insecticide and follow the package directions carefully. Lawn Mower Blades should be sharpened once each summer. A sharpened lawn mower blade prevents shredding the grass, and giving your lawn a nice, clean cut.

Mulch check all shrub beds and trees for mulch thickness. We are experiencing extreme heat this summer and shrubs and trees that have 2 to 3 inches of mulch keeps the roots cool and helps the soil retain moisture.

Fruits and Vegetables Start planning your fall vegetable garden this August. Till the soil and add Gypsum and Composted Cottonseed hull. The additives lowers the alkalinity and helps the soil stay loose. Tomatoes, Peppers, and Beans should planted by August 1^st. Starter plants usually are available by August 15^th. Pick the varieties of tomatoes that mature in 65-70 days. Cool season vegetables, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, swiss chard, collards, kale, and snow peas are planted in September. Blackberry and Raspberry plants at this time of year have a tendency to trail along the ground. Take the trailing canes or runners and tie them back to their arbor.

Seeds sow cool season seeds of snapdragons, dianthus, pansies, calendulas, and sweet alyssum to be planted in mid to late fall. Sow seeds of bluebonnets and other Texas spring wildflowers this month to be planted in the garden. The wildflowers will establish a root system during the fall for spring blooms.

Tropical Foliage Plants Check plants that are spending the summer outdoors for insects. Use an insecticidal soap, if needed. Your houseplants can be fertilized biweekly with a water soluble plant food. Hibiscus and More has a wonderful selection of houseplants. Click To Order Houseplants.

Need more gardening advice? Ask the Texas Certified Nursery Professional/Horticulturist. Email cheryl@hibiscusandmore.com 

Cheryl Ann Meola

Certified Texas Nursery Professional #1282

July Gardening Calendar

July Gardening Calendar

Watermelon – Choosing a summer watermelon for ripeness is as simple as slapping or knocking on it. The good ripe ones sound hollow, and the unripe ones sound like solid wood.

Flowering annuals and perennials – Such as Salvia, Zinnia, Coneflower, and Petunia, remove faded flowers to encourage business and more flower production.

Dahlias – The last week in July trim your plants back by half of their height to produce fall blooms. Fertilize with a flowering plant food.

Pink and Blue Hydrangeas – Remove faded flower stems. Trim shorten droopy, flowerless stems by 1/3. New growth that occurs now through winter will produce next summer’s blooms.

Herbs – Now is a good time to trim back Basil, Mint, and Oregano by half to prevent flowering and seed production. This will produce tastier leaves. With every Mint plant purchased at Hibiscus and More comes with an herbal ice mint tea recipe. Click To Order Herbs.

Summer Vegetables – Just one over ripe cucumber, squash, or okra left on the plant will stop flower production. Pick your summer vegetables on a regular basis to prevent this.

Houseplants – Check plants that are spending the summer outdoors for insects. Use an insecticidal soap, if needed. Your houseplants can be fertilized by weekly with a water-soluble plant food. Hibiscus and More has a wonderful selection of houseplants. Click To Order Houseplants.

Trees and Shrubs – Newly spring planted trees and shrubs should be watered 2 gallons of water per foot of plant height.

Figs – Remove the tallest shoots in the middle first, then prune the rest of the fig lightly. The horizontal branches produce the best fruit.

Hibiscus Plants – Should be fertilized monthly with a Hibiscus Fertilizer with a hibiscus fertilizer.