Purple coneflower

Gazing Ball Hack! Is Yours Broken Again?

The humid weather is creeping upon us!

And our plants and trees are turning lacey with the invasion of the Japanese beetles and I am seeing them all over my garden. I love it most when I see them on the weeds, but they prefer my flowering plants so much more.  But I am not looking forward to the onset of all the humidity which is coming at us in waves. As of late this evening, it will officially be 75 degrees F overnight. Now that is one miserable night. But I am not looking forward to going back to  frost warnings, so I will just enjoy this weather no matter what. A refreshing rain always makes it feel better anyway.

Garden tools

Make sure your tools are always keep in good condition when you put them away. Do as I say and not as I do. Yeah, rusting tools are my middle name. Dang, I forget to put them away sometimes.  Using some linseed oil will preserve the wooden handles, so rub it into the wood and let in soak in and buff dry. Your tools should last a long time, especially those ones handed down from gardener to gardener.

Are you always needing scissors in the garden?

scissors for the garden

Keep a pair of blunt-end scissors on an elastic cord around your neck, draping into your gardening apron. They are easy to pull out when you need to snip something as you walk around the garden. Am I old fashioned because I still use an apron? Maybe it’s because I get so messy most of the time.

 

Do you have Old Fashioned Gazing Balls?

Do any of you have gazing balls?  I have a small resin statue of two children flying a kite. I went through so many gazing balls because they would always get broken by being knocked over by me, or the dog, or a random animal in my garden. One Christmas a few years ago, as I was putting away decorations, I had an epiphany. These giant ornaments I hang on my deck are just the size of the gazing ball and they are made of unbreakable material! 

Broken Again Gazing Ball Hack

I promptly took one outside and voila! Works perfect. Never had to replace it since. I chose a gold one because it fit the patina of this old piece. But all colors are available. Still shiny after a whole year. Loses a little of its luster in the second year. Be sure to put an extra one back in the after-Christmas sales, OK?

Your Fall Bulbs

We are planning our planting bulbs for the fall now, and as I am a scatterbrain sometimes, I will overlook a bag. But don’t despair. If it is too late to plant them in the garden, or if you just don’t feel like digging again, plant the bulbs in a container.

If you have one already full of dirt, plant them anyway. Just dig out the top 6 inches or whatever amount you need for the size of your leftover bulbs to be planted, and place them in and recover with that soil. Better than them going to waste!  If they don’t grow and bloom, they sure won’t in the compost either, right? ( or maybe they will)

And if they bloom, they will be beautiful in the container since they will be so grateful for the rescue.

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