A Garden Life: Frog Went A Courting

Garden Coach

I am a garden coach which simply means if you want to learn how to garden -- I will advise you on getting started!
I will come visit your yard with you to understand the sun and the soil and your vision of your garden. I will create drafts of some easy-to-begin gardenscapes for you.

If you want to continue working with me, I have some helpful offerings for nurturing your garden and your own skills as a gardener. As you begin your garden life, I have advise on where to order or purchase healthy plants, how to enrich your soil, determine an initial garden budget for your plants and your pocket book! I am available to go with you to purchase healthy plants your first year. I can also show you some planting magic when you are ready to put in your first garden plants.

Information on plant care and maintenance, wintering over, cutting back, and dividing plants might also be something you would like to learn. At the end of your first garden season I can come and do a "health check" for you and offer advice for the fall plantings and for the coming spring. At this point I can also draft a plan for your second year garden.

I am also delighted and expert in working with you to design gardenscapes which will attract a variety of wild life. I have expertise in gardens for hummingbirds, butterflies, toads - yes, toads are a wonderful addition to any garden - and bees! I have a certified Bee Keeper on staff who advises on how to help increase the population of bees. Bees are essential to our ecology and the bee population has been declining rapidly. This is a critical concern for pollination and continual renewal of our green resources.

Finally, I have artists who create unique and delightful outdoor gardenscapes. They use glass, stone, iron, and other weather resistant materials to add an intimate piece of art which blends in with the personality of your garden.

I am good at assisting gardeners-to-be of all ages. I love working with children and starting them on their life long, colorful garden path!

A few words about what I do and do not work with.
First of all, I will not work with any chemicals or toxic substances. We can enrich our soil and nurture our plants in safe, nutritious ways. We can also work with plant diseases or pests without resorting to chemistry.

I do offer my garden coach experience working with Perennial Flowers, Herbs, Wild Flowers, Ornamental Grass, and Spring Bulbs. I do not advise on Trees, Large Shrubs, Lawn care, or Landscaping. I also do not assist with vegetable gardens.
What I do work with, the flowers, I treat with love and respect.

The earth is our home and our flower gardens are the blooming smiles on its face!

Gardenscape Offerings

Here is a list of my earth-friendly services:

Detail plan(s) of garden spaces for your yard
Helping you to pick out healthy plants
Advice on actual planting of your selections
Mid-season maintenance check of your garden space
End of season advice on readying your garden space for winter
Advice on what, how, and when to put in spring-flowering bulbs
Creating a hummingbird garden
Creating a butterfly garden
Creating a bee-friendly garden scape
Creating a garden scape for toads
Gardening with containers
Garden art

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Frog Went A Courting

Did you know that toads and frogs are far superior to toxic chemicals or propane lures when it comes to to ridding your garden of the less than desirable insects? Such as slugs, earwigs, tent caterpillars, millipedes and others. Well, it is true!
In a 90 day time period, just one humble toad can eat 10,000 of these pesky insects! In fact these unwanted garden "guests" make up 90 percent of an adult toad's diet.

According to the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection:
"There are two species of toads in our area, the most common being the American Toad (Bufo americanus), and Fowler's Toad (Bufo fowleri)."
And the state of Maryland is home to 19 species of frogs. They sing beautiful songs filled with melodic trills and choral harmonizing.

Among other things, 2008 is the Year of the Frog (amphibian ark). The goal of this ambitious project is to educate the public about the value these creatures add to our earth, and to preserve amphibian habitats which are in danger of extinction.

It is fun and easy to create a habitat in your garden that would provide a comfortable home for some one or two frogs or toads. And who know, try kissing one - it may be your prince or princess!