Follow Us
Archive for the ‘Bloom Master Products’ Category
Wind Worn Petunias
The wind blew hard the other night and continued into the next day. On top of that the tempurature rose to a warm 95 degrees. After that beating, my hanging baskets that were not protected, looked more like a sticks with a few leaves than a beautiful accumulation of petunia blooms. I watered them well and the next morning they looked like some life had come back into them but the stems seemed to be permanently bent in the direction that the wind blew and they looked very “leggy”.
Since this is not a look that I want to have for the rest of the summer, I began searching for an answer and decided that trimming my petunia plants would be best. This was not a bad idea since some of them were looking a little “leggy” and the flowers in the hanging basket were not growing evenly. I trimmed the plants back, leaving at least two leaf sets on the plant and then fertilized and watered well.
I have seen a similar trimming done by mother nature (a hail storm) and after fertilizing and watering, the petunias came back fuller and with more blooms. With the trimming that I did, I am hoping for the same results.
My Bloommaster Planters Have Bloomed!
We have finally had some warmth move into our area and the plants are loving it. It was hard to watch the plants stand still during the cold weather that we had in May and the first part of June. Summer is here, planting is done and now I just have to water, fertilize and enjoy. I fertilize my container planters with liquid fertilizer once a week and prune periodically to keep an even shape as much as I can.
When I planted my Bloommaster planters at the end of April, I posted a picture of one when it was first planted. It looked so bare-it was hard to believe it would look like it does now. As it continues to grow, I hope to have a colorful trailing planter.
I promised that I would periodically give updates on the progress of my Bloommaster planters. I have put one of the pictures here, but if you search for Cornerstone Yard and Garden on Facebook, I will post a number of pictures for you to look at if you choose.
Official Start of Summer is When?
The other day I heard someone ask the question “When do you feel the official start of summer is? For you, is it Memorial Weekend or the traditional calender day of June 21st?” In our country, that can be a debatable question. School is out by Memorial Weekend and the temperatures finally reach the level that you can comfortably wear shorts during the daytime. Our grandparents used to tell us, as a rule of thumb, not to plant the garden until Memorial Weekend because it is safe by then. But……
I remember freezing tempatures clear into the middle of June. We just had our last snow a couple of weeks ago. I also remember sitting at baseball games with a coat, earmuffs, gloves and a blanket just to stay warm. That is what makes it debatable. I did plant my Bloommaster planters, though. I am so very ready for flowers and summer. I am hanging the planters on railings and setting the pots out on posts to brave our erratic weather. Barring any freezes, hailstorms or windstorms, they will be a joy to look at in a few weeks.
When you you consider summer to start? Is it Memorial Weekend, June 21st or even sooner?
Part I – My Bloommaster Planting
I started to plant my Bloommaster side planter pots this week. The weather is finally starting to show signs of spring, the birds have migrated in and the trees are budding, so I have decided it is time.
It actually takes me more time to decide what I want each pot to look like than it takes me to plant them. Do I want an elegant look, a brilliant flowery look, a full, heavy look or just the basic-one flower will cover the whole pot? One of my pots is going to be planted in different colors of coleus’ and dark potato plants. It will not be a brilliant colored pot, but very interesting in texture and style. I really like pots of petunias, full of body and color-after they have grown and in full bloom. I just have trouble planting them that way when I see all the other plants that would add “this texture” or “that color” to the scheme. That is why this pot is planted with more than just petunias.
Since I am using small plants, the pot doesn’t look very interesting right after planting, but in a few weeks it will explode with growth. On the sides, I have planted trailing petunia plugs. (Plants in plugs and six-packs are small and take more time to grow, but are easier to place in the side holes.) I have supplemented the sides with a few “Midnight Blue” Lobella. The centerpiece of this pot is planted with Dianthus, surrounded by Blue Phlox and Double Floribunda Petunias.
Since I never know if my “concoctions” will turn out as I plan, I will just have to wait and see what the results are. If the results are as I planned, I will post a new update at a later time.
Spring Cleaning – Container Planters
This week we had some beautiful days. Days that make you think that spring is here. With spring, I start thinking of spring cleaning and, being a gardener, that includes cleaning and disinfecting my container planters. Containers, old and new, need to be clean and disinfected to protect your new plants from contaminates such as chemical residues, salts, pests, molds, fungus and other contaminates.
Plastic pots are the easiest to clean, while clay pots can be the most difficult. If the residue on the container is hard, you may need to soak the container for a few hours to loosen up the debris. Wash the container with water and a mild detergent, scrubbing to remove any debris or salts that remain attached to the container. Then rinse the containers with a bleach solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water to disinfect. If it is a porous container, you may need to soak it in the bleach solution for a few minutes to fully disinfect. Lastly, rinse the container in clean water again to remove any bleach residue.
Cleaning your container planters will save some heartache after you have planted your new plants. Plants that come from a nursery or greenhouse can bring hidden contaminates that you don’t want to carryover into the new season. Also, old debris can also harbor such contaminates. Start the season with spring cleaning your container planters.
Flower And Foliage Fragrance
You can add fragrance to you plantings this year by using a variety of flowers or foliage such as leafy plants, herbs or evergreens. The area where you will be planting nay define what type of fragrant plants to use, but the idea is to maximize the ability to enjoy the fragrance. The motto “the closer the better” is a good thought to keep in mind. Fragrant flowers placed at a level closer to the nose and/or near locations that you frequent will maximize the enjoyment of fragrant plants.
When choosing fragrance, plan carefully to avoid choosing fragrances that conflict with each other. Gardeners have created standard categories of fragrances to help differentiate floral scents from one another. They are as follows:
- Balsamic – found in leaves that contain menthol or minty oils-includes mints, sages, rosemary, lavender, wormwood, balsam and eucalyptus.
- Fruity-found in a wide range of plants-includes flowering fruits, fruit-scented geraniums and roses, grape hyacinth and magnolia.
- Heavy-found in flowers with a strong perfume fragrance-includes gardenia, jasmine, roses and orange blossom.
- Honeyed-found in different flowers-includes hawthorn, barberry and hybrid musk roses.
- Rose-the smell of old European garden roses-includes roses, peonies and honeysuckle.
- Spicy-this fragrance is often combined with other scents and is found in leaves and flowers-includes carnations, pinks, azaleas and nasturtium.
- Sweet-found in flowers, grasses and ferns.
- Unique-even more distinct and refined than the heavy scents-includes lily-of-the-valley, sweet pea, some iris, wisteria and common lilac.
- Violet-only in a few plants such as sweet voilet, Siberian crabapple and orris root.
You can use various gardening ideas to promote your fragrant plants such as in containers at a level “closer to the nose”, in combination with an arch, arbor or trellis, along a path where they will brush your leg to spread the fragrance, in a raised garden or as a landscaping point. Ask your gardening center which plants will produce the fragrance that tantalizes your sense of smell and will grow in the situation you desire. Of our five senses, smell can be one of the most rewarding. Enjoy the fragrance of your plants.
Starting Your Seeds Indoors
If you are as anxious as I am to get started, you may be thinking of starting your seeds indoors. (Before doing so, please do not start too early unless you have a greenhouse to maintain the proper tempatures and light levels.) By starting seeds indoor, you can have your garden or flowers ready for that warm weather that is coming.
You will need a clean, disenfected container with excellant drainage, a sterile, freely-draining potting medium, grow lights and a location with the correct tempature and ventilation. To start, you should use pre-moistened potting mix (not soggy) and fill the container to within 1/4″ of the top. Level the soil and make sure there are no air pockets. Follow the instructions on the seed packet for planting. Place the containers in natural light and keep the soil moist until the plants have sprouted. The containers can be placed in a clear, unsealed plastice bag to keep the humidy high while waiting for sprouting. After sprouting, remove the plastic bag and move the container under the grow lights for sixteen to eighteen hours a day. The lights should be six to eight inches from the plants. If they are higher, the plants will become “leggy”. As the seedlings grow, move the lights accordingly. The tempature should be around 70 degrees in the day and close to 60 degrees at night to have strong compact plants. Feed your seedlings with water soluble fertilizer at 1/4 strength every third or fourth watering. Once the seedlings have at least two sets of leaves, transplant them to larger pots if necessary. When the plants have reached the size desired, transplant them to you garden or outdoor planter.
With practice and some trial and error, you will learn when to start your seedlings so that you are ready and going when warm weather arrives. Happy gardening this spring!
What To Plant In Side Planting Planters
Many people have seen the upside down planting tubes to grow tomatoes in. You may have also seen or used the planters that hold coco liners. I prefer to use Bloom Master Planters as a side planter. I like the Bloom Master for its re-usability and for its growth potential qualities. I enjoy side planters for their mounding effect and have also planted some trailing planters.
I have a difficult time, when I go to the greenhouse, deciding which plants to buy for my side planters. Some plants do very well and some look like they should do well, but don’t. Since I have a tendency to get carried away at the greenhouse, I decided to make a list of plants that work well in side planters. I have decided to post this list to help anyone else who has this problem also.
Sides
Wave Petunias, Supertunias, Surfinias, Cascadia Petunias, Super Cascade Petunias, Tidal Wave Petunias, Million Bells, Bacopa, Star Series Zinnias, Ivy Geraniums, Scaevola, Trailing Lobelia, Verbena (Taipan), Superbena, Nerembergia, Black Eyed Susan Vine, Nemesia, Sutera, Impatiens,Begonias, Mums, Coleus, Upright Torenia, Sweet Potato Vines, Ivy, Creeping Jenny, Lamium, Variegated Mint and Trailing Torenia.
Fun Centerpieces
Blue Salvia, Caladiums, Giant Coleus, Grasses, Pentas and Geraniums.
Guaranteed, this is not a complete list, but it will give you a good variety to start with. Once you are comfortable with these choices, you can always experiment with others to add to the list. If you find a great choice that is not listed here, please feel free to let me know and I will add it.
From Hanging Baskets to Side Planters
When I went to the garden nursery, I was always attracted to the beautiful hanging baskets and how much leaf variety and color they displayed. I had tried to duplicate the baskets created by the nursery, but they were never as full or as eye-catching. I was even more enticed by the flower baskets hanging from the lamp posts along the streets in different towns I had visited. Since I don’t have a greenhouse to jump-start the growing process and my past experience was not rewarding, I started looking for an alternative.
My search led me to products called side planters. I found a product called Bloom Master Planters that not only allowed me to create beautiful hanging baskets but also planters to hang from fences or railings and best of all, beautiful flower combinations in pots to set on my patio stands. After searching for plants that do well in side planters, I tried to create a variety of combinations. Many of them became wonderful creations. Some didn’t-more because of my brown thumb than the planters. Because of the success that I had last year, I am already looking for plant combinations to try this year. As I start planting I will try to post my progress and the results.
Why Get a Garden Planter?
Do you want to add some green to your deck, porch, or patio, but are not quite sure how? You love flowers, but are sick of hanging plants and you do not feel like adding any more pots that attach to your outdoor rails. If this is you, do not worry because there is another option to bring some plant life into your space. That option is an outdoor planter, which is a beautiful fixture that is sure to please.
Outdoor planters are available in a number of shapes, styles, and sizes, which is great for you, since you can find something that will fit nicely into your existing outdoor space without having any troubles.
Then, a nice option for you would be ones that are smaller in size that have a triangle design. These would easily fit into any corner in the space. Or, maybe you have a patio area and you want some privacy from those nosey neighbors that keep bother you. To achieve that, all you need to do is buy ones that are long and rectangular. You can put them up all around your patio area, plant some taller trees or shrubs in them, and you not have to worry about the neighbors trying to peek in on you anymore. Or, you might have a front porch area that is kind of boring. One nice option for that space would be tapered planter as a nice way to jazz up the look of the space. Plus, it would serve as a nice ice breaker for starting conversations when guests come over.