January Gardening Plans and Tasks (REVISED)

Plans and Tasks

We think “first things first” is in order. Meaning what tasks did you want to accomplish last year, but you just didn’t get to them. Perhaps doing those things first is a good place to begin. Such as finishing up mulching around the trees in the yard or trimming back the Lori-ape or Vinca Vines that are under a tree or bordering a bed or sidewalk. It’s not too late. Both can be completed in January. You alone will know what those tasks are, but it might be good to finish those tasks now. Surely we will have a couple warmer days before we end our month. The outcome will make you very happy once we get closer to spring? as you will reap “new fresh growth.”

Winter Bedding Plants

Next on your January agenda could be planting a few “winter bedding plants.” We are pretty sure the nursery will have a few things you can fill in with, for a little garden appeal. Such as hardy cold climate Ivy, Pansies, Violas, ornamental Cabbage, Cyclamen, Camellia and evergreen grasses. You will glean some great satisfaction from planting something on a chilly….but sunny day. And then as we get closer to spring you will have a few ready made starters. Shortly Primrose will be available. Three of these Primrose will cheer  you and they prefer the cold, so let them entertain you. Best part is they will bloom again for you next year. Doing these few things will ebb your cravings for spring to come sooner.  After all,  we have at least two more months of “real winter.”

Seeds

And now is also a great time to begin sorting your seed packets. And be sure at the same time to make a list of seeds you want to purchase. Sort seeds in the order by which you need to plant them. If you do this now you will be ready once the nurseries start displaying new seed packets. In our area they arrive and sell out quickly, so if you have your list made, you can begin asking your local nursery when the seeds might begin to arrive. It’s best to be ready. Divide your list into what you have on hand; and what you need to buy. Now is a great time to Oder seed catalogs. Our Prairie Moon Nursery “winter” Catalog just arrived. Please do txt us if you would like to view it. We are happy to drop it by your house. It’s very inspirational.  

Seed Catalog

Pot and Planter Cleaning  

Another great task is cleaning up you pots. Discard all old dirt outdoors in a large container but reserve for use later. Wipe out your pots with old newspaper. Every day you can bring one in to clean it thoroughly. Make it a daily project and then it seems less overwhelming. You can wash them with sudsy water and use a brush to clean off any moss buildup or mildew. Rinse thoroughly and set aside to dry  While you are at it take inventory, if you are missing saucers; make a list of the sizes you might need. Measure and take notes. Again all these tasks help you when spring arrives. And your winter “duldrums” will disappear as you see the progress you are making. It becomes a fun project.

Tool Preservation

In a previous post we  provided a sure and perfect way to care for your hand tools (see our post entitled: Protecting Your Gardening Tools , JanWe have a goid task list started. We will list again tomorrow with additional winter preparation jobs that will keep you busy and focused on being engaged. It’s fun and inspiring.

We think we have a good start on our winter January preparation projects. Do stay tuned and tomorrow we will continue. Again , please txt us if you wish to add tasks,

….my gardening friends,

Good Afternoon!

“CONTESSA”

REVISED POST – January 23rd

We began this post with plans and tasks. We left off with caring for our hand tools. This treatment applies to our watering cans and our large garden tools as well. And if you have a shed or storage area it’s best to store your hoses, sprinklers and wooden handled gardens tools inside. Do your best as they are costly, but more importantly, one becomes accustomed to the performance and the “feel in the hand” of our very own tools. Our tools are like our right hand. A comfort to bring them out in the spring. Familiar…..

Please remember to care for your Watering Can. This vessel takes some neglect once the season closes. Often you will find it tucked away in a corner so the fall winds don’t carry it away. Very often it’s filled with dead leaves and dirt/muck. And you might even find a tiny animal buried down inside. Please try to remember at the end if the fall season fur careful washing out. Bring it indoors and rinse it throughly with soap and water. Dry carefully. Use some baking soda mixed with water to give it a thorough cleaning and remove odor. Again rinse and dry. Do let it dry for a few days. Surely you will have a little mineral oil left over from preparing your tools for their “tub” storage. With a soft cloth rub the entire outside and inside with some of the mineral oil. A light coating is all it takes. It will soak into the crevices and prevent any rust buildup. It it is a safe and great way to keep you watering can in great shape and you should be able to then use the same watering can for years to come. Most of us have vintage metal watering cans and as they are becoming more rare, do take care of yours.

Lastly, if you have hanging baskets with annuals that have died back, now is the best time to clean them out. If some of the soil is moist and soft reserve it in a large container.  It can be added to new soil and it often contains  dead leaf material and is great for a compost starter.  Even if your hanging planters are plastic it’s best to clean them out and January is a great time. Wash out an save them until you see what you need in the spring. Most hanging pots have removable hanging handles. Just give them a hard “push out” near the  rim and they will come off; so much easier for  storage purposes.

Again we invite your comments and helpful additions to our gardening posts.  Every gardener has their own tips and tricks, and it’s so fun to share.

Please continue to follow our blog.  We will cover bed cleanup, soil amendment, as well as edging beds in our next post.

Great to share…..and be with you.

”CONTESSA”

 

Gardening in January

We are preparing a list now, of gardening tasks for January. If you have your own ideas, please forward them to us. We will revise our list as your suggestions come in. We are looking forward to hearing from you. Planning now and brainstorming for our 2022 gardening season is essential, so do send us a note with topics you have special interest in. Thank you so much. Stay tuned……

THE GARDEN CONTESSA

Winterberry Holly

This Winterberry Holly Bush is such an eye catcher. We discovered it on our walk. I finally ran into its owner yesterday. This particular bush is about five years old. The first three years it did not have the red berries. Like many plants it takes some time for them to establish. During the spring/summer and early fall it has a lovely green foliage, that is compact and thick.

Right now, it is blazing with red berries. In the autumn and winter, this deciduous female Winterberry Holly is very ornamental and beautiful. It’s perfect for bird lovers and makes for beautiful cut arrangements indoors. It prefers damp and wet soil habitats. It is highly attractive to bird lovers and cut-flower arrangers. It is full of branches and they are very compact and close – making for a beautiful bushy specimen. It thrives best when heavily pruned back in late winter. The idea being, it lives to produce berries on new wood branch growth. In fact each time it is pruned it “branches and berries” even more. It is a sturdy bush and very visible. A terrific border plant for along a driveway or in a partly shaded woodland garden. Very pretty near a white fence or house background

Prior to the berries blooming, comes a tiny white flower that is highly profuse in aroma. If you can purchase a male and female starter bush you will be very-successful with good pollination. One caution: the red berries can be toxic to pets.

We are lovers of this bush. It is a very easy plant to care for  and you will enjoy many an “admiring passerby.”

”Contessa”

Trimming and Caring for Hedges, Bushes and Garden Beds

 

These two bushes have been trimmed at our customers request. Prior to our visit, they had grown way outside the bed border, and on the sides they were overhanging the sidewalk entry and the natural breezeway between the property and an opening to the side and back of the building. And we have found that lower hanging trimming makes for such a tidy lower look. And it helps with cleaning leaves and debris from underneath. We also climbed behind the two bushes and trimmed them very carefully back and away from the brick wall, approximately 12 inches. This  easement allows for cleaning behind and under the bushes, making it easy fir the grounds crews to clean up. And then we created a 3 to 4 inch deep edging on the beds. This  allows for rain to roll off and helps keep the mulch inside the beds. Fresh new hardwood bark mulch about 1.5 inches thick was hand placed and spread. It’s our standard bed treatment. We refer to it as dressing your beds. If the soil under the bushes looks particularly dry, old and lacking a healthy color we generally recommend a soil abatement. Good garden soil added at your cost, does wonders for your bushes, your flowers and and your flowering bulbs and plants. In the case of this homeowner, we added new soil and new mulch and we raked the whole yard. This bed treatment raises the beds up about three inches and it looks like a showcase. It’s a very finished touch.  

A common comment from our homeowners is: “this is  common ground area.”  Of course it may be, but if you have invested in dressing up your beds, it’s very wise to “rake” the main part of your front lawn. When this  is done with a high quality rake, a large amount of dead grass comes out  along with the rake. What this does is bring new “air circulation” to  the grass, stimulating new fresh grass growth. You will be amazed to see new grass fill in within a weeks time. Your grass simply wanted some attention. It has been matted down by mowing and this smuthers any new grass growth. Makes good sense –  right?

At Contessa’s we call this entire process “dressing your lawn” to include bushes, edges, beds and grassy areas.  It’s tidy and looks fantastic

As residents pass by they always say….. Wow! It’s looking fantastic!  We agree and our homeowner is thrilled. They lived there twenty years and never cleared it cleaned their beds or grass lawn area. This  was a total of five hours work. They were embarrassed that they had let it go for so long without attention. And now Contessa has a repeat yearly customer. We love “helping and teaching” and we do both when we meet and work for our new clients,

invest some time in your yard and don’t forget to include at least some of your common ground area.  If everyone in Parkfairfax put in thus small amount of extra care – imagine how gorgeous our neighborhood would look.

Our Parkfairfax Condominium Community is one of the best kept secrets in Alexandria. Our trees and walking paths, large sidewalks, and beautiful variety of large and small trees, and the hidden wildlife here is truly amazing when you think that we live only 25 minutes from our nations capital building. We are so privileged to live in this wonderful neighborhood.

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Pictured above is a grouping/privacy hedge called Photinia. These bushes have been left to their own devices. Poor soil. Lack of proper trimming and left to grow only from the top. And they are diseased. When this  occurs do report your concerns in “Buildium,”. Thus tool was created for your use. It works and it’s so worth letting our crews know about what you need. Be patient but please report. You and your neighbors will benefit. It’s all of our duty to care for our great community.

The lessons learned here are to trim your bushes, and if you need our help call us during April to put your name on our schedule. Because every year – you all call at the same time and to be fair to everyone we cannot just squeeze you in.  Please plan ahead and at the very least book an early appointment.  Our spring is our busiest season, so let us get you on the schedule, You will be glad you did! And if we happen to get an earlier than normal spring we can certainly adjust your time and date,  We thank you!

“CONTESSA”

Txt  or iPhone  703-548-1883

 

Protecting Your Gardening Tools

Hello Gardening Friends:

I have offered this helpful post prior, but now that we are all indoors it’s a great time to think about what kinds of indoor projects we can work on while we are all in for the next three months

So today I will begin posting some helpful reminders of projects I work on and perhaps they will inspire you to do the same,  After all…. a gardener is perpetually thinking about “spring” so keep your mind focused and satisfy your own indoor boredom with your spring ideas. It can’t hurt and it gives you a head start on things you want to accomplish for your new gardening season – 2022.

Check in with me each each day this week I’ll post my ideas for spring gardening prep.  Feel free to call or txt me if you have ideas you’d like to share. And with your permission I can post them here. I often get in conversations with my gardening folk and comparing notes is so fun. Love to hear from you.  Txt 793-548-1882

“CONTESSA”

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What You’ll Need

• 10″ Terra Cotta Pot (weve used an aluminum tub)
• Clean Sand
• Mineral Oil

Begin with  a simple terra cotta pot. The aluminum one I used is about 14 inches in diameter.

Paint it a pretty color if you’re feeling fancy.

Next, working in a large bowl or bucket, mix together enough sand to fill your pot with some mineral oil. You want to use enough oil so that your sand is fairly evenly coated. It should stick together but still have a “crumbly-ish” texture. Place your favourite hand tools down into the sand when you’re done with them.  Each time  they’ll get a little sharper (kind of like when you use sand paper to sharpen kitchen scissors) and they’ll be coated in just enough oil to keep them rust free! It’s magic.

Thx….I’ll be back tomorrow with more ideas ……

 

COLD Day…but our SUN is glorious!

Is this not the cutest photo. I’m a fan of old wheelbarrows. I discovered this photo and it brightened my soul on this beautiful but very chilly winter day. It’s my anticipation of warmer days. But isn’t it charming.  Alyssum is the pretty white flower. It’s a very old fashioned, low crawling bloomer and the contrast of the white mixed with the rusty wheelbarrow is just perfect. Alyssum is super fast growing and very thrifty. The best part is – you just keep cutting it back and it comes round and round again. I absolutely love it. It’s a very early spring bloomer. It can be found in white, pink, and two shades or blue/purple. We LOVE the white variety.

I’m dreaming I know, but spring is on my “planting” mind. Ha!

“Contessa” says…..it’s a good thing.”

 

Brick and Paver Patios – Weed Removal TIPS

To …..my gardening friends who really dislike the process of weed removal. I’ve been using this way of getting the job done for a long time but I have yet to convey it out to all of you. 

This  is a post you should keep – so you can refresh your memory as we approach spring, 2022.  It’s a life saver and so easy. BUT…..so worthy of remembering. Funny thing…. It’s very cold this morning so this “Contessa tip” seems out of context, but trust me, it’s a post worthy of remembering and I cannot tell you how often we help our clients with “weeds.” 

We actually have our own recipe for a very effective and very low cost weed eradicator. 

You will need: (1) Gallon white Vinegar, (2) Tbsps Dawn Detergent,
1 Cup Table Salt, a 2 gallon bucket, and a narrow mouthed pouring container.

Mix all the ingredients. Make sure the salt is completely dissolved.
Complete this process on a full Sun day and try to make sure it won’t rain for two days. The hot sun and the treatment together, will kill your weeds, and they will dry out completely. You will be able to just sweep they away with a broom or pull them out very easily. A miracle worker weed killer.

If you will use the baking soda around the edges of you patio as described above –  you will be likely “good to go” for the summer and the following year, you might even make it without reapplying the treatment. This method is totally non-toxic, very low cost and very easy to apply.

Stay tuned as we will pass along additional “tips” during the winter months. So make notes if you wish.

It is our joy to be in touch and to share. Encouragement in the garden is so helpful,  and we want you to be informed and encouraged.

”Its a good thing.”

”CONTESSA”

Planting Bulbs….and blessings.

It occurred to us that we have not mentioned planting bulbs for spring blooms. Frankly, because our winters are more mild than years gone by, we think it’s still safe to plant. Just dig your holes deep enough and make sure you add some fresh soil to the dig. And be sure to water. We have no water source right now, as PFX has turned off the spigots, but certainly you have a bucket. This is your fix. And we recommend you sprinkle the mound with “blood meal.”  It’s a miracle worker that keeps the squirrels from digging them up and eating them. Today is already sunny and beautiful. A perfect day to still plant bulbs. Have fun.

Note:  As you are planting your bulbs, pause and look up to the sky and the heavens. Our Savior God is watching over you, our earth and your bulbs. Think about the promise of new growth. Growth in you…and in the beautiful flowers that will emerge come April/May. It’s a miracle to be sure. And it encourages us to know that the process of “new growth”  and “blessings”  continue to grow every day. How wonderful and encouraging.

Blessings from “Contessa.”

Geranium ……..Tips

Geraniums had a tough start this year. We had so much rain that many of them in the garden centers looked so poorly.  But as the season went along and we dried out finally…..they did revive. This one photographed here didn’t really show its true colors until late summer. This bloom was an October bloom. But it finally pulled itself through and in fact is still blooming

For years we have saved our Geraniums. And so we will with this one.
Our technique is to continue to let it grow in its pot from now until the first frost. They often will give you some very special blooms up through all of the fall season. Their last show !!

Once you feel like it has given you its all, pull it out of the dirt. Lay it on some newspaper in the sun. As it dries out shake the dirt loose. Just let it dry out. Roots and all. The leaves will wither away. You will end up with a stalk and roots. Make sure you let it completely dry out. If we get a rainy day bring it in. Then put it out in the sun again. The real key is completely let it dry out.

When our first cold frost arrives place your Dead Geranium in a dry paper bag. Close up at the top. Put it in the back of an area in your house that is dark and chilly. Done…..

In late April, have a look. It’s probably already grown at least one new green leaf. It’s dormant phase is finished. Plant it in your favorite planter with new soil. Place in a sunny window. Water from the bottom once a week. You will see it will drink the water. It may only grow green until it’s warm enough to place it outside. Before you know it, your plant will revive itself. It’s a miracle. It will bloom and thrive all over again for you.
Try it. It’s simply amazing. We do it every year. It’s a challenge and so very rewarding. Usually it’s an even better specimen.

One year we forgot to bring it out. When we went to the bag, low and behold it not only had leaves, but it also had a bloom.

…..so very amazing.

“Contessa”

Tips – Preserving your gardening hand tools

 

What You’ll Need

• 10″ Terra Cotta Pot (weve used an aluminum tub)
• Clean Sand
• Mineral Oil

Begin with  a simple terra cotta pot. The aluminum one I used is about 14 inches in diameter.

Paint it a pretty color if you’re feeling fancy.

Next, working in a large bowl or bucket, mix together enough sand to fill your pot with some mineral oil. You want to use enough oil so that your sand is fairly evenly coated. It should stick together but still have a “crumbly-ish” texture. Place your favourite hand tools down into the sand when you’re done with them.  Each time  they’ll get a little sharper (kind of like when you use sand paper to sharpen kitchen scissors) and they’ll be coated in just enough oil to keep them rust free! It’s magic.

“Contessa” says….. it’s easy – peezy!!