Green Avalon Gardens
Ideas, Info, Tools & Technology to Create Your Dream Garden
Deciding On New “Green” Windows
Feb 21st
You can add glazing to your historical home without ruining its curb appeal.
Today houses are built with double glazed windows standard. However, if you live in an older home, especially one of historic significance, you may still have single pane windows. As today’s energy costs rise, refitting your house with more efficient windows may be on your list of to-dos.
You may be bemoaning the fact that you have beautiful old glass in you current windows, and the look of metal or vinyl windows just doesn’t get you excited. If that’s the case you’ll be glad to know that double glazing More >
Ants Versus Termites
Feb 19th
As spring comes up on us our not so friendly visitors could make their presence known. March is typically the time of year here in the mid-Atlantic that you’ll see swarms of termites or carpenter ants.
Don't let termites or other wood eating pests destroy your "castle."
It pays to know what you’ve got on your hands and how to deal with it. In doing a little research I found that there are several types of carpenter ants, only one of which can actually do damage to your home. There are pictures online of the various pests that can do damage to More >
More For Less
Feb 17th
Nomorerack doesn't need gimmicks for their great sales.
One of the keys to my redecorating and remodeling is making it affordable. I recently walked into an interior design store and looked around a bit. Then a salesperson approached me. I told them that I was working on my bedroom and was stuck on what to do with the walls and could they help me with that. She said sure, that they did complete as well as partial designs. I then asked her how much it would cost. I had to stop myself from letting my jaw drop when she told me More >
Being Comfy In Your Home Office
Feb 16th
Right now I’m in the middle of a dilemma. My work area in my in-home office is downright uncomfortable. I started to notice that my back and neck pain was worse when I had a long day at my computer. Of course some of that is caused by the lack of movement when you’re sitting still for long periods, but I learned a lot when I worked for a physical therapy office about how your equipment can cause problems.
If you're getting calluses on the heel of your hand a wrist rest can help.
I’ve checked to make sure I’ve got everything More >
Planning Your Vegetable Gardens
Feb 13th
This is what the garden area looked like before we started any work.
This year I’m trying to be more organized about my planting. You see, there are certain vegetables that you don’t want to plant in the same place every year, because of soil born disease and pests. The most prominent of these are: tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers.
Last year I experienced early blight with my tomatoes. So, this year I want to be sure to plant them in a different location, so that if any of the blight bacteria lived in the soil over the winter I won’t have to More >
Cold Weather Blues
Feb 9th
Soon I'll have my first little sprouts of 2012!
I was all set to finish getting the foundation for the greenhouse finished this weekend. Now they’re forecasting highs to be in the low 40s. That means that until around three in the afternoon it is probably going to be less than 40 degrees outside. I’m pretty hardy, but that sounds like not a lot of fun, so I’ve decided to move my gardening work inside this weekend.
This week I received my seeds for this season. I still have a pretty good stash from last year, so only needed to buy a More >
Good Deeds in Spring
Feb 6th
Spring cleaning and helping your neighbor can go a long way to making a great weekend.
Thanks to Roman May
The beautiful spring weather was more than welcome after all the cold, dreary weather we have had this winter. And it couldn’t have been timed better for what we ended up doing this weekend. Cleaning out our house and helping our neighbors get moved into their house. While outside working in the garage, my husband saw the U-haul truck pull up in the house next door. He saw several people buzzing around the house and went over to introduce himself. We saw More >
Excitement Dimmed
Feb 2nd
Day before yesterday I finally made arrangements to get a load of clean fill dirt so that we can level the area for the greenhouse. He said if it didn’t rain he’d be able to deliver it on Friday. It rained buckets yesterday!
This is how it goes with people who work outdoors. When you make plans for something you need to allow for the fact that Mother Nature may not cooperate. Even during times of the year when you don’t usually have any problems, a freak storm could cause delays.
Whenever I do an outdoor project I try not to put More >
Harbingers Of Spring
Jan 31st
Not even February 1st and the crocuses are already starting to bloom!
Ack! I was outside yesterday and the first crocuses are already blooming! I’m so far behind. I still have bulbs sitting in the storage room waiting to be put in the ground!
Even the best-laid plans can go haywire when you have to work around weather, work, and other obligations.
It looks like I’m already into the spring madness. Seems every year I get myself into the same pickle. I don’t manage to get all the cleanup and planting done in the fall that I need to, so then in the More >
Early Spring Bloomers
Jan 26th
Right now many of us gardeners are champing at the bit to get back out in the garden. If there is a warm moment, and the ground is clear of snow, we may find ourselves pacing back and forth in front of areas we know contain crocus, daffodil, and tulip bulbs, looking for signs of growth. There are other plants that bloom in very early spring, that you may want to consider including in your landscape.
Everyone knows about Pussy Willows (Salix discolor), the wonderful fuzzy harbingers of spring. Every time I seem them blooming I have to laugh, though. When More >