Affordable design trends

We spend more time relaxing, playing and entertaining outdoors at this time of year. Your wish list might include a state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen and a pool with built-in spa but with todays gas and food prices those additions may be on hold for the time being. So what landscape design features can you implement on a budget to make your time outdoors really count?

Affordable design trends

  1. Water features – relaxing self-contained fountains are easy to set up. Some styles incorporate child-safe pond-less fountains. What about a simple outdoor shower with a Mexican pebble floor and vine covered lattice for privacy?
  2. Fire pits – you can warm your family and guests around a simple fire pit while you wait to install the pizza oven and outdoor fire place next year. Fire pits can be purchased ready-made or you can construct you own with fieldstone or concrete blocks. Either way they’re a fun addition to your patio or sitting area.
  3. Outdoor lighting – you’ll be amazed at how beautiful your garden looks when you add some lighting and how much you’ll want to stay outdoors after dark. Light a path or uplight the trunk of one of your trees. Back light a plant with interesting foliage or wash a wall with light. Todays solar lights are getting better and better and low voltage lights are more affordable, too.
  4. Stone in the garden – whether you want a seat wall to surround your patio or a permeable flagstone patio, stone lends a sense of permanence and elegance to your property.

Consider adding some new elements to your garden so that you can spend more time outdoors both in the evening and throughout the year.

Tips for growing beans, melons, squash and corn

You know the saying:  corn should be knee-high by the Fourth of July.  if yours is stunted or yellowish, one of the following factors may be the cause. Sweet corn is exacting in its growth requirements. Corn plants have extensive root systems and are very competitive. Thin plants to 12"-16" apart. Because corn is a heavy feeder, especially needing nitrogen, feed at planting time, then side dress when the plants are 8" tall and again when they are 18" tall. Corn needs abundant water throughout the season but especially from tasselling to picking time. Lastly, plants need deep healthy roots that develop in soils rich in organic matter, Heavy, poorly drained soils will produce dismal crops.

If you grow melons and squash, the hot weather recently may have inhibited fruit set. Use a small brush to transfer pollen from newly opened male flowers to the female flower which has a slightly enlarged base. Dust pollen onto the stigma in the center of the flower. You can also take a male flower, remove the petals and gently shake it directly over the female flowers.

High temps may also be affecting your beans. If your plants look healthy but only have a few fully formed pods, hot weather may be to blame. Flowers can drop before setting pods or even deteriorate right on the plants. Beans prefer temperatures between 70-80 degrees. Plants growing in soil that is either too wet or too dry are stressed by lack of oxygen. Irregular watering contributes to this problem. Weakened plants produce few pods. When you get your beans producing, be sure to harvest regularly so energy goes to forming new pods not seed production in mature pods.

Many plants, both vegetable and ornamental, are bothered by aphids and other sucking insects as well as foliage and flower eating bugs. From cucumber beetles, fleas beetles, stink bugs, weevils, curculios to borers , the list of trouble makers is endless. . To help deter them mix up some pepper spray in your kitchen.

  • 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 6 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 quart warm tap water

Let stand I hour, strain and spray plants either in the morning or evening.