This winter has been brutal! I personally am anxious to start entertaining and enjoying the outdoors again. I for one am a warm weather girl. I like the warm sun and and the pretty flowers that spring and summer bring. I thought I would start sharing with you some outdoor living tips that hopefully you will find interesting and entertaining. I welcome your feedback!
First on my list of to-do’s for this weekend (because the weather will be bearable) is to clean up the landscaping around my patio, front porch and deck. With all the ice and snow this past winter, many of my plants suffered broken branches or were just plain damaged due to the freezing temperatures. While this chore is rather mundane, it has made be begin thinking and planning. I recently learned about cross-planting.
I especially love roses of all sorts. I’ve had some trouble with black spot, mold and pests. This year I’m about to try planting chives under or around my rose bushes. It is reported that the chives will deter aphids from attacking the roses. I like chives so hey I can manage two plants in the space of one. Now that’s a time saver and good for the environment as I won’t be using a pesticide.
Other natural remedies for roses include planting marigolds around your roses to kill nematodes, If you grow tomatoes, make a mix of a gallon of water, a tablespoon of corn starch and tomato leaves, strain and spray it on your roses and it will deter black spot. Or use 3 teaspoons of baking soda per gallon of water to tackle black spot and powdery mildew.
I hope these remedies will work and enhance the beauty of my home. Not only do I think it is important to keep my deck and patio clean and protected from the elements, I need to be just as responsible with my plantings. I hope others will see the difference and maybe I’ll get a compliment along way.
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