Deadheading and Seed Collection

Deadhead regularly to maintain look, shape and promote flower growth. Save rose hips to make tea or collect seeds.

Your garden has been in full bloom all summer, you've been watering like crazy (it's been a scorcher so far, hasn't it?) and everything (well, almost everything) is looking fabulous. In order to maintain that fantastic floral fiesta, you will need to keep deadheading as flowers bloom and die.

To keep your plants looking healthy and vigorous, first, stand back and take a good look at your plant. Are there flowers that are 'spent'? Are there any broken stems? Discolored leaves?  Is the plant a good shape? Are they even in one piece after the deer have had their four course meal? (we can recommend many things for this, and will tackle this four-legged pesky issue in another Blog).

Once you have identified the parts of the plant you want to tackle, take account of your tools. Do you have perfectly manicured hands? Of course you don't, you're a gardener! Grab your gloves (we love Atlas Gloves Nitrile Touch, which come in a range of great colors and fit like a second skin! We carry them here in the store and we all wear them for tasks around the nursery) and get to it.

Atlas Nitrile Touch Gloves $7.95 per pair - we love!

Annuals & Perennials

Use your fingers to nip off the stem (this is easy to do with plants such as the Geranium), or use scissors or small shears, and cut as closely as you can directly above a leaf. This will avoid leaving stems which will die and go brown, not a good look!

Long-stem flowers such as Day Lillies, Hostas, and Oriental Poppies should be cut back at the base of the stalk where the stalk meets the leaves.

Don't forget the annuals in your hanging baskets. Many plants such as verbena and petunia bloom for longer after 'pinching'.

If you like to keep a wildflower area in your garden, you don't need to do anything...just leave the deadheads on and give the birds a treat. Perennial flowers will reseed themselves for next Spring. Easy!

Roses

Deadheading roses means taking off a small amount of stem to remove the flower. Use small shears to cut at a 45 degree angle after the first pair of leaves. The angled cut helps to promote water run-off and  prevent disease entering the plant.

Whilst you are tidying your plant, take a moment to check for signs of damage or disease, such as blackspot on roses (to avoid, keep your rose beds clean, clean, CLEAN!) and treat accordingly.

Seed Collecting

Seed collecting is a fun and practical. Wait for a dry day, grab a small pair of scissors, some envelopes, a pen and head to the garden.  They key to collecting is being organized. Make sure you label your envelopes as it's easy to forget what you're collecting whilst you're amongst the plants.    


Plants set seed in various ways...some in pods and some in the flower heads.  Others hide the seed in fruits or berries.  It is important to make sure you don't harvest your seeds too soon...if removed too soon, many seeds will not be viable and will be a no-grow! Some seeds may ripen if left to dry in a paper bag (not plastic...plastic just traps the moisture and will rot the seed).

Open the seed pod and remove the seeds carefully. A cocktail stick or toothpick is useful here, and will help to make sure you remove all of the seeds. Lay them out on a sheet of paper, and work on separating the 'wheat from the chaff'...removing dirt, insects and other debris before transferring the seed to a drying area or storage.


Make sure your seeds are absolutely dry before you store them, then keep them cool, dark and dry until you are ready to plant them.


Happy Hunting!

Going viral...can we get a prescription for that?

Bringing the computer to the garden center isn't as easy as it might sound...

With all of the recent online activity at Lovely Manors, there is, as you can imagine, a lot of discussion between staff members about how it all works. Some of us are whizzes on the computer, and others, who shall remain nameless, refuse to give up their typewriter. Yes, a real, tap-tap-*ping!* typewriter. This revelation (perhaps it was a confession) prompted cries of  - "Can you still buy Tippex?!  What?! You mean I actually have to proofread it myself...where's the spellchecker?". We're lucky to have an enjoyable working environment here where we can share a joke.


Although we may tease, there is something rather romantic about the typewriter, isn't there?

A few days ago we were discussing other blogs we enjoyed. This led to some of us hopefully exclaiming that maybe our very own Lovely Manors Blog (in its Newborn Baby Blog stages at present) may one day go viral. Our beloved traditionalist typewriter-toting staff member was aghast at this; very concerned about this 'virus' we were talking about. We explained that 'going viral' when it comes to a blog is generally considered a good thing, and that we certainly wouldn't need to get a prescription for it.

We are very nearly there with our logo redesign - Jo has spent many an hour trying different color and font combinations. So far it's looking great! We are very lucky to have a talented and creative designer who also works for the fabulous Ladew Gardens, which are close to us here in Maryland. If you haven't visited, you should...

Once the logo is done we can progress with our website....so keep holding your breath...(though we can't go as far as to offer to pay your medical bills if you pass out, as anyone who has tried to design and set up a website will know, it takes some time to get it just right)! We're very excited to launch the finished product, we think you're going to love using it.

In the meantime, we are busying ourselves with our Facebook page and feeding our infant Blog. We haven't been doing this all that long, but recently received an email from a customer who is unable to get to the store anymore. She enjoyed seeing our online posts and sent us an email which we though we'd share with you, as it really made us smile. It read as follows:

Dear Miss Jo,

I've heard so many nice things about you and your store from my friends, and I wish I could stop by but I am no longer able. I am pretty much house bound and spend what little strength I have in the garden. My house looks like hell inside. Well, I am old as dirt and my dirt is as tired as me.

Anyway, I want to get more "snap" in my dragons; more "pop" in my poppies, and I wouldn't mind getting more "nasty" with my nasturtiums. I can always get someone to run down to your store for me. I'm just up the Pike in Taylor.

I'm so glad you're in the computer now.

Fritzi Labouche

We loved this letter! We advised the following to Ms Labouche -

• Use a liquid supplement when you water.
• Use a fertilizer directly to the soil. We have a great all natural product called Plant-tone by Espoma which we like to use here.
• When the growing season is over, work on improving your soil by adding more organic matter. We like to use a product such as the organic LeafGro, which we stock here at Lovely Manors. We work this product into the soil and then plant.
• Purchase a soil testing kit so you know what you're dealing with; you can then use supplements which suit your soil type and plant accordingly.

We look forward to hearing from any of our customers and Blog readers...your feedback really keeps us going! On that note, we are setting up an email database list of names of those who wish to receive a weekly email from us. If you want to be added, email us at lovelymanors@gmail.com.

Til next time!

Lovely Manors Fabulous Italian Dipping Sauce, made with Fresh Herbs (from our gardens, of course!)

Now that your herbs are coming in (you do have herbs, don't you? If not, we have a great selection here at Lovely Manors), you can make good use of them in a calorie defying dip that will make you forget all about covering your bread in butter...

Many restaurants offer a dipping sauce/oil with bread at the table; each with its own twist. This is a great one to start with. Remember, food recipes are not a science, you can (and should) adjust them to your liking, and not fear a 'crash and burn'!

1 1/2 Tablespoon Basil
1 Tbs. Oregano
1 Tbs. Thyme
1 Tbs. Rosemary
1/2 Tbs. Marjoram
1/2 Tbs. Sage
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 Crushed Garlic Cloves
Olive Oil
Salt

Roughly chop the ingredients, adding a little oil at a time....keep on stirring....when it tastes the way you want, it's ready.
How much olive oil should you add, you ask... well, if you are going to serve it right away, not so much, as the flavors will not have much time to blend, and you want to pick up the herbs and spices with your bread. If you are making enough to to serve over a period of time, use more oil and let it sit in a jar or bottle.

As you can see, there there are a lot of ingredients here and you can adjust them to your taste. Keep experimenting, make the most of those fresh herbs...after all, you're the cook!

Here at Lovely Manors we all agree that cooking with, and eating products fresh from your garden is just heavenly! Let us know how you like our recipe. If you don't like it...well maybe you could keep it to yourself.