Recent content by Green Girl

We had an early actic blast---temperatures in the single digits, and a foot of snow. I know this is tough on the birds. Is suet OK to supplement their natural food sources??

Last year we planted some ornamental grasses and young shrubs. It looks like when the ground froze, it pushed some of the plants out of the ground a bit and some of the roots are showing. What is the best way to deal with this?

I have long wanted a green house so I could winter over different plants and get some plant starts going earlier in the spring-----the growing season in the northern Rockies tends to be short. This winter I'm going to research the options. Any design suggestions??

Does anyone own a yard chipper?? We live on treed property. We leave it pretty natural, but there is some routine grooming and maintenance required. I'm thinking a chipper would be a good thing for turning the debris into usable material. Any recommendations?

This year I had some container plantings I really liked. If I had a green house I could easily "winter them over". They're perrenials, but not deer resistant, so I didn't transplant them into the ground. Do you think they would make it if I put them in a corner of the shed? How much to water?

I use the "put it all on a pile back behind the trees" composting method, which is not very quick. I'm much less disciplined about getting my kitchen waste out onto the pile in the winter as well. How do you make compost through the winter so it's ready to use in the spring?

I have a garden hose that is beat up, but still has some life in it. You know how you get that feeling that as soon as you get rid of something like this, you will find a good use for it? For the life of me, I have yet to come up with any ideas yet. Thoughts on the matter?

What techniques, timing and materials do you like to use to winter over your perennials and young shrubs?? I want to avoid smothering the plants or the encouragement of disease taking hold.

I have never had good luck planting new shrubs in the fall. They do much better when I plant them in the spring. Are there any ways to help them survive the winter better??

I've been behind the eight ball on getting all my winterization chores done this fall and I have not planted my spring bulbs yet. I'm wondering if it's too late. The ground hasn't frozen yet even though we live in the northern Rockies. Worth a shot?

Over the last three years I have been cultivating a wild flower garden. It has been so satisfying and so EASY. I wanted to attract butterflies, so I just bought seed for plants they like, tossed it out there and let nature do its thing! Any other attempts out there?

I think I'm finally going to bite the bullet, hang up my rake and invest in a leaf blower for the sake of my back. What are the pros and cons for gas versus electric models?

Does anyone ever use one of those old fashioned push mowers? I think they are great if you don't have a huge area to maintain. What I really like is no noise!