You Take The Vacation - Not Your Garden
Marie K Fisher
If you are planning to go on vacation, there are some important tasks that you really must undertake to ensure that your garden continues to maintain that well cared for condition which you constantly strive for.
After all, because you have spent so much of your time during the rest of the year trying to achieve perfection, it would be a great pity if some of that good work were to be undone.
You do deserve that well earned vacation however, so I put it to you that you will enjoy the break even more, in the knowledge that you will not be returning home to any unpleasant surprises.
Here are a few simple steps that I would advise you to take to help to make sure that all remains well.
Just how much you need to plan in advance depends entirely on how long that you intend to be away from home.
Even if you are only going away for a week or just over it, I strongly recommend that you make the time to attend to those basic garden chores the day before you leave.
For example, I always mow the lawn, deadhead all my flowers, and I make a point of moving any house plants that I might have temporarily placed outdoors to blossom, back indoors.
Naturally I make sure that they are watered thoroughly.
If you intend to be away from home for two consecutive weeks or longer, I suggest that you make some provision well ahead of the time, especially for the care of the lawn.
Perhaps you know a reliable teenager looking for some extra money in your neighborhood. If you do, strike a deal with him to cut the lawn once a week during your absence.
Whether he uses his lawn mower or yours though, do make sure that he knows to cut the lawn at the highest setting on the mower, which will usually be about three inches or so.
If you have an exceptionally large area of lawn however, or you intend to be away from home for a much longer period, you would probably be best to hire a professional Gardener, or a Garden Maintenance Company to attend to this. (funds permitting of course)
The day before you leave, preferably in the late morning, prune just recently opened blossoms, taking long stems with the cut flowers.
I suggest that you also carry a container of water and water thoroughly.
On the same day prune flower buds also, as the blossoms will have most likely have opened and wilted during your absence.
Check your annuals and perennials for blighted foliage, removing any discolored leaves.
Your house plants will also need to be cared for as well during your absence. If you intend a long period away, then you really should arrange for someone to attend to their needs if at all possible.
A good friend or neighbor will most likely be more than willing to oblige, especially if you offer to return the favor.
Your plants should be fine though, if you are only going away for a few days or so.
However if you have a situation where you simply cannot call on anybody to assist, or perhaps you do not want to impose on anybody, then I have outlined a few useful steps that you can take, particularly if you are intending to be away for an extended time.
Move all those plants that are summering outdoors back inside, but place them in a shaded area first. Do this during the week before you leave, so as to let them acclimatize to the change in conditions.
Then bring them indoors, and place them in a spot where they will be most likely to get the benefit of indirect sunshine.
In the morning before you depart, spread sheets of newspaper on the floor of the room where your plants are situated. Water all your plants thoroughly, (whether they need it or not), and then place them on the newspaper sheets.
Place four large bowls of water around the plants, and cover them with a large white sheet. Make sure that the sheet drapes down beyond the plants onto the newspaper.
This will help to keep your plants moist and healthy.
Remember that the first priority is to have a fantastic vacation.
If you are like me however, you will enjoy it all the more, because you know that you have taken the time to make sure that your cherished garden and house plants have been well looked after.
About the author: Marie K Fisher is an avid gardening enthusiast with a passion for exotic flowers and wonderful colors. She is a regular contributor to Garden Center Showplace a leading online Garden Center. For more details of the superb range of products offered, and also more Featured Articles And Tips on Gardening visit http://www.gardencent ershowplace.com
The latest information and news on Gardening:
Yahoo! News Search Results for gardening
Jeff Ball: Ergonomic hand tools are tops when gardening (Detroit News)
It occurred to me this past week, as we were putting our gardens to bed for the winter, that in the past year Nancy and I, unintentionally, set aside virtually all of the hand tools we had in the shed for the relatively new line of gardening tools put out by the Radius Co.
O'Neil: Castle tour in Scotland unearths common gardening bond (Times Herald)
Foulis Castle, in the Highlands of northern Scotland, gave me insight into Scotland's clan history and life today.
Sound Gardening: Put the garden to bed (Greenwich Time)
Time to end the gardening season: The leaves are finally down, so you can decide which ones should stay in your garden, which get mulched to turn into compost, and which -- already composted -- get put back on those beds and borders.
Gardening: Be proactive: Protect your trees this winter (The Star Press)
Do you have young trees planted in your yard or at your business? If so, beware of sunscalding or frost cracking injuries that can affect the health and aesthetics of the trunk of your tree.
Tropicalia: Edison & Ford Estates to host garden market (The News-Press)
If you've tried gardening in Southwest Florida after a lifetime of Northern training, you've probably learned that things are a little - well, a lot...
Spring blossoms for the holidays, thanks to a little gardening magic (New Orl...
For home gardeners, some techniques are well within reach
With These Activities, Gardening Need Not Take a Holiday (Washington Post)
Here are some upcoming holiday and horticultural events for November, December and January. They're free unless otherwise noted. Call ahead to see whether registration is needed.
Garden Notebook Nov. 15 (Journal Inquirer)
For a technophobe like me, it has been astonishing to discover how much I have come to rely on the Internet as a source of gardening information.
What's on Monday's WAVY News 10 Midday (WAVY 10)
-Gardening expert Dabney Morgan will live in our studios to take your questions about winterizing your yard. The phone lines open up at 12:30, and the number is 673-5420.
New varieties for food growers (Bangor Daily News)
According to All-America Selections, an organization devoted to promoting new flower and vegetable varieties with superior garden performance, there is a trend in gardening toward edibles. People are interested in growing their own food.