Our global gardening community

- by Debra Anchors

Giverny, France

When gardeners get together, something wonderful happens. Seeds and cuttings are swapped along with experience and advice. The community spirit for which neighborhood gardens are famous has found its way to another level. Our world has changed more in the past century than in the last thousand years. We live in a time when continents halfway around the globe are instantly within reach via telephone, television and the Internet – an exchange of ideas has never been faster or more inclusive.

One of my favorite places to gather with other gardeners around the world is through Blotanical, a gardening community website with links to thousands of gardening blogs around the world.  I love the English Country Garden style; Blotatnical connects me with gardeners in Europe and makes it easy to communicate and build a more personal relationship with others who share my passion.

While taking pleasure in the influence of lands beyond – whether it be formal French gardens, charming thatched roof forms in the UK or discovering Chinese garden design principles – the dawn of this new era is an ideal time to remember that we are all one big community with so much to share. We have many opportunities to reach out to our neighbors near and far by working on a community garden, swapping seeds with friends or sharing advice via chat through our favorite gardening forum. There are rich rewards to be gained from each other.




Thank you for stopping by and spending a little time with me. If you enjoyed this article, please post a comment so I will know. I will be delighted if you would suggest Gardens Inspired to your friends, follow me or subscribe to my Blog.

Leave a legacy, but garden like you’ll live forever! 
-Debra

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Fragrance for your fire

Create an Herbal Yule Log

- by Debra Anchors

Start a memorable family tradition by inviting the kids to help with this holiday project.

Find a suitable fireplace log and cover it with glued-on moss (available at craft stores). Use white school glue, since the log is to be burned. To decorate, glue on pieces of cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole cloves, juniper berries, pine cones and bits of lichen collected in the woods and sprigs of rosemary and sage.

Drop fragrant oil (balsam, cinnamon, orange or bayberry are ideal) onto the moss-covered log. Add a paper bow and a few holly sprigs.

Display your Yule log in front of the fireplace until Christmas Eve and then gather the family around the hearth for the fragrant burning.

If you enjoy this website, you might like my magazine, Gardening Life.

Thank you for stopping by to spend time in my garden.  If you liked the article, please take a moment to let me know. I will be delighted if you would suggest Gardens Inspired to your friends, follow me or subscribe to my Blog.

Leave a legacy, but garden like you’ll live forever! 

-Debra

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The Magic of Mistletoe

- by Debra Anchors

Mistletoe

Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a sprig of mistletoe hung in the doorway to invite yuletide kisses.

Hanging a sprig of mistletoe in the doorway goes back to the Druids, who called the herb “all-heal” and considered it sacred. At the winter solstice, mistletoe (Viscum album) was cut from the sacred oak with a ritual knife and caught in a white cloth so that it did not touch the ground. Hung in a doorway, it protected the home from evil spirits during the darkest time of the year and created a sanctuary where a kiss of peace could be exchanged.

In Victorian times, every kiss required the plucking of a white berry. When the berries were gone, lovers were out of luck.

Thank you for stopping by and spending a little time with me. If you enjoyed this article, please post a comment so I will know. I will be delighted if you would suggest Gardens Inspired to your friends, follow me or subscribe to my Blog.

Leave a legacy, but garden like you’ll live forever!
-Debra

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Herbs to naturally relieve and treat headaches

- by Debra Anchors

Herbal tea

The Holidays. You’re shopping, traveling, wrapping, cooking and wham! - a headache grabs you. A calming cup of herbal tea may be all you need for relief. Try these tried-and-true herb combinations, brewed with 1 cup of just-boiling water and sweetened with honey:

½ teaspoon each of lavender, lemon balm, meadowsweet - or

½ teaspoon each of sage, rosemary, mint - or

½ to 1 teaspoon of feverfew -or

½ teaspoon each of rosemary, marjoram, peppermint

This video will illustrate how to plant mint in the snow, reaping the benefit in a week or two.

Happy gardening!

Debra

Thank you for stopping by and spending a little time with me. If you enjoyed this article, please post a comment so I will know. I will be delighted if you would suggest Gardens Inspired to your friends, follow me or subscribe to my Blog.

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Make a Butterfly Garden - Larval food plants

-by Debra Anchors

Butterfly life cycle

Butterfly larval food plants include garden perennials, vegetables, wildflowers and weeds; they also include many trees and shrubs. Instead of planning and planting a formal garden for the larva of butterflies, knowing the best larval plants and encouraging their natural growth (wherever they happen to be growing) on your property works best. 

There are four stages to a butterfly’s life:

Egg -> Caterpillar  ->Pupa  ->Butterfly

Briefly, a butterfly starts as an egg, which hatches in 5 to10 days. The tiny caterpillar starts to eat and as it gets bigger, sheds its skin 4 to 6 times. In 2 to 4 weeks, the caterpillar will be full-grown and transforms into a pupa, the stage during which its body structure will change into that of an adult. Ten to fifteen days later, the adult butterfly emerges. Adults mate, the females lay eggs and the cycle begins all over again.


The links below will take you to lists of butterflies and the plants necessary to sustain them. Be sure not to miss the video on each page to gain even more information.

Butterflies and their food plants    A – F

Butterflies and their food plants     G - Q

Butterflies and their food plants    R - Z
How to make a butterfly garden

If you enjoy this website, you might like my magazine, Gardening Life. 

Thank you for stopping by to spend time in my garden.  If you liked the article, please take a moment to let me know. I will be delighted if you would suggest Gardens Inspired to your friends, follow me or subscribe to my Blog.

Leave a legacy, but garden like you’ll live forever! 
-Debra

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Butterfly Gardening A – F: Butterflies and their food plants

- by Debra Anchors

Baltimore checkerspot butterfly

To attract this butterfly:	Provide this food plant:
Alfalfa sulphur	Alfalfa, Clover, Vetch
American copper	Everlasting, Sorrel, Dock
American painted lady	Queen Anne's Lace
Anise swallowtail	Citrus trees, Parsley, Sweet fennel
Baltimore Checkerspot	White Turtlehead
Banded hairstreak	Oak
Black swallowtail	Parsley, Queen Anne's Lace, Sweet fennel
Brown elfin	Blueberry
Buckeye	Snapdragon
Cabbage white	Cabbage, Broccoli, Winter cress
Checkered white	Cabbage, Broccoli
Clouded sulphur	Alfalfa, Clover, Senna
Comma	Elm, False nettle, Hackberry, Hops, Nettle
Common wood nymph	Grasses, Sedges
Dainty sulphur	Marigold, Sneezeweed
Dog face	False Indigo
Eastern tailed blue	Alfalfa, Clover, Vetch
European skipper	Grasses, Sedges
Eyed brown	Grasses, Sedges
Falcate orange tip	Winter cress
Fiery skipper	Grasses, Sedges

                                                      

Enjoy this video of the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly

Butterflies and their food plants G - Q
Butterflies and their food plants R – Z
Butterfly life cycle
How to make a butterfly garden

If you enjoy this website, you might like my magazine, Gardening Life. 

Thank you for stopping by to spend time in my garden.  If you liked the article, please take a moment to let me know. I will be delighted if you would suggest Gardens Inspired to your friends, follow me or subscribe to my Blog.

Leave a legacy, but garden like you’ll live forever! 
-Debra

Did you like this post? Please recommend it to other readers by selecting the g+1 box, below.

Butterfly Gardening G – Q: Butterflies and their food plants

- by Debra Anchors

Orange sulphur butterfly

To attract this butterfly:	Provide this food plant:
Giant swallowtail	Citrus trees
Gray hairstreak	Mallow
Great spangled flitillary	Violet
Gulf fritillary	Passionflower
Hackberry butterfly	Hackberry
Little wood satyr	Grasses, Sedges
Long-tailed skipper	Bean
Lorquin's admiral	Aspen, Willow
Meadow flitillary	Violet
Milbert's tortoiseshell	False nettle, Nettle
Monarch (Queen)	Milkweed
Mourning cloak	Aspen, Birch, Elm, Hackberry, Willow
Orange sulphur	Alfalfa, Clover, Vetch
Painted lady	Thistle
Pearl crescent	Aster
Phoebus parnassian	Stonecrop
Pipevine swallowtail	Pipevine
Purplish copper	Knotweed, Sorrel, Dock
Question mark	Elm, False nettle, Hackberry, Hops, Nettle

Enjoy this video of the Orange sulphur butterfly

Butterflies and their food plants A – F

Butterflies and their food plants R – Z
Butterfly life cycle
How to make a butterfly garden


Thank you for stopping by and spending a little time with me. If you enjoyed this article, please post a comment so I will know. I will be delighted if you would suggest Gardens Inspired to your friends, follow me or subscribe to my Blog.


Leave a legacy, but garden like you’ll live forever!
-Debra

If you 'like' this post, please click the Google +1 box, below.

Butterfly Gardening R – Z: Butterflies and their food plants

- by Debra Anchors

Spicebush swallowtail butterfly

To attract this butterfly:	Provide this food plant:
Red admiral	False nettle, Nettle
Red-spotted purple	Aspen, Cherry
Ringlet	Grasses, Sedges
Sara orange tip	Winter cress
Silver-spotted skipper	False indigo, Locust
Silvery blue	Lupine
Sister	Oak
Snout butterfly	Hackberry
Spicebush swallowtail	Spicebush, Sassafras
Spring azure	Cherry, Dogwood, Meadowsweet
Tawny emperor	Hackberry
Tiger swallowtail	Aspen, Cherry, Spicebush, Sassafras, Tulip poplar
Viceroy	Aspen, Willow
West Coast lady	Mallow
Western admiral	Aspen, Willow
Western tailed blue	Milk vetch, Vetch
Western tiger swallowtail	Aspen, Willow
White admiral	Aspen, Birch
Zebra	Passionflower
Zebra swallowtail	Pawpaw

Enjoy this interesting video of the Spicebush swallowtail butterfly

Butterfly life cycle
How to make a butterfly garden
Butterflies and their food plants A – F
Butterflies and their food plants G - Q
Backyard butterfly guide

If you enjoy this website, you might like my magazine, Gardening Life. 

Thank you for stopping by to spend time in my garden.  If you liked the article, please take a moment to let me know. I will be delighted if you would suggest Gardens Inspired to your friends, follow me or subscribe to my Blog.

Leave a legacy, but garden like you’ll live forever! 
-Debra

Did you like this post? Please recommend it to other readers by selecting the g+1 box, below

Tips for Christmas tree buyers

- by Debra Anchors

• Measure the height and width of your space before driving to the retail lot.
• Check for freshness. Green pine needles should never break when bent.
• Some Christmas tree species last longer and remain fresh longer than others in different climates. Ask your retailer which tree performs best in your climate.
• Store the tree in water in a cool, shady place until ready to bring indoors.
• Cut a quarter inch off of the trunk before placing it in water.
• Use one quart of water for every inch of diameter of the trunk; replenish frequently.
• Keep the tree away from heat sources (radiators, fireplaces, TV sets, computers).
• Test electrical devices (lights and decorations) before placing them on the tree.

If you don't have the means or the space required to enjoy a traditional Christmas tree, consider decorating a tree of Rosemary for Christmas.

Find a list of tree farms in the USA, by visiting the NCTA web site.

Thank you for stopping by and spending a little time with me. If you enjoyed this article, please post a comment so I will know. I will be delighted if you would suggest Gardens Inspired to your friends, follow me or subscribe to my Blog.

If you 'like' this post, please click the Google +1 box, below.

Q & A Saturday - Buying a house with an established garden

- by Debra Anchors

Gardening questions answered by Debra






Q:  "When one buys a house that includes an established garden, how should the new owner deal with this bonus? Should you leave the area untouched for 12 months to see what grows there already? Does a ready-made lush garden influence the choice of a new home buyer? Should the new owner dare destroy that 50-year old azalea planted by the former owner's grandfather? Razing the old garden and starting from scratch should not be an option! How can a new landholder adapt personal ideas to the newly adopted garden?"  ~Bonnie B, New Jersey


This is indeed a dilemma for new homeowners, but a bit of background information is always valuable. Assuming that the buyers looked at the house before the sale, they should have gotten some idea from the current owners, who would no doubt have mentioned the garden as a selling point. Some sellers even include a planting plan of the garden if it is exceptional and this truly raises the value of the property. If potential buyers are gardeners themselves, they will recognize the difference between a property planted up with colorful annuals to enhance a sale, as opposed to a garden that has been nurtured over the years and includes trees, shrubs, bulbs and perennials. I suggest that you leave well enough alone for a full season, perhaps with the addition of annuals for the first summer if the property lacks color. Take photographs frequently and otherwise document the gardens so that you will have base to work from. If the 50-year old azalea isn't to your liking or is diseased or overgrown, the new homeowner should feel free to remove it.


Happy gardening! 
Debra


Thank you for stopping by and spending a little time with me. If you enjoyed this article, please post a comment so I will know. I will be delighted if you would suggest Gardens Inspired to your friends, follow me or subscribe to my Blog. 


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