There's an app for that!

 We found an app that will help you prepare, plan and be your gardening companion year round.  It's no secret we are waiting impatiently for Spring, but "The Gardening Tool Kit" is making the wait less painful.  You can research, plan and organize your garden ahead of time so you can be first in line with your list in hand the day the garden centre opens (camping out in line the night before is not necessary, but may be fun) 

The app has great reviews, and at $1.99 its a bargain.  Check out what else it can do......

Location based growing advice
Hundreds of beautiful plant pictures
Integrated to do list
Take and keep photos with your plants
Advanced search
Create and edit custom plants
Keep plants in multiple gardens
Massive database of 1000 plants
Share tips and questions (iPad)
Links to growing instructions (iPad)

Month-by-month gardening advice
What to sow now advisor
Veggie harvest tracking
Flower bloom tracking
Beautiful, easy to use interface
Notations with plants
Built-in instructions
Complete gardening glossary
Watering guide (iPhone)
Photo slideshow (iPhone)

 

Now if only they would make a gardening glove for my iphone to keep it dirt and water free while with me in my garden.....

 

 

Pansy Living Wreath

 English Creek Gardens posted an article on how to make these living wreaths.  These are quite simply the best spring/summer wreaths we've seen.  We are so excited to try these as soon as the weather allows.. and even then it's not soon enough!  Pansies are the perfect flower for this project, they bloom from the spring until the fall and they are inexpensive.  Be sure to keep the wreath well watered, we suggest a spray bottle and a really good misting once a day (or twice if its really hot and dry).



Materials Required:

Wire Living Wreath Frame
Green Sheet Moss
Potting soil mix
Slow release fertilizer
Tray of Pansies
Florist pins

For step by step directions visit the English Creek Gardens website

TradeMyFlowers

You've got mail!

I grew up on a farm, we had a mailbox and that is where our mail was delivered to.  It was all the way at the end of the looong laneway.  Now that I am all grown up and live in town, we have a driveway, not a laneway and no mailbox.  I miss mailboxes, I am not a fan of the big ugly metal mail thing down the street that we have to go to get our mail from along with the whole street.  I like the old style mailboxes, I miss them. Needless to say I was thrilled to see these 2 ideas using mailboxes in the garden.  Really creative and handy!

The Mailbox Tool Shed
A weatherproof solution to keep your garden tools nearby. I really like this idea, it keeps everything small in one place, and out of the elements (most importantly rain). I like to keep my gardening stuff away from the garage, if its in the garage, its a free for all and something is always missing, and we don't have a garden shed.  This is a simple, easy and cheap way to keep your smaller garden tools close and in one spot.  

Picture- Hometalk.com

The Mailbox Caddy
  Another great weatherproof storage idea.  This one keeps the tools even closer!  You can attach a mailbox like this to a raised garden or fence and have everything you need right there!  I like this idea because its out of the way and pretty well hidden.. there will be no garden tool thieves taking your stuff!  However, I do like the thought of dressing up the mailbox above with some morning glory vines.  Okay, both are very appealing ideas!

Anymore mailbox ideas for the garden?  Let us know!

A Great Idea For A Terrarium

Terrariums are really popular right now, we have seen lots of different ideas and ways of doing them, but this one over at the "Life in Bridgetown" blog is our favourite by far.

We here at TradeMyFlowers all voted to feature this one.....but personally, as me writing this, I love it the most.  I have a huge love of apothecary jars, I have them all over my house, they hold everything from flour and candy to cotton balls and Qtips.  My dream would be to open a store where everything is sold from apothecary jars.  Perhaps an Apothecary you say??  Maybe not exactly that, but combining all of my passions filled in apothecary jars would look amazing.  Okay, so realistically that may never happen, but I still am going to try one or two of these terrariums.  You can pick up a reasonably priced apothecary jar at Home Sense and the other "ingredients" are easily found at garden centers.  I can't wait to try this, I just have to find the perfect spot for one now.....

Hort Couture for the Garden

We happened upon this website today, Hort Couture  We saw some really neat and different plants on this site, but what really took the top prize was the fashion plate... A great mixed container desiging tool.....

Pictures from hortcoutureplants.com

 

And that is really all that needs to be said about it, cause that is just what it is.  When you are putting together your garden containers in the spring this is a great tool to visualize what your container will look like and to help pick out the perfect plants.  We can't wait to find a retailed near us to get one.... its a really good idea!

 

Pictures from hortcoutureplants.com

 

 

Spring must be in the air.. It has to be

I know there were conflicting reports with our small (and sometimes not so small) Groundhog friends this year... But I do think we are going to see an early Spring.  And I for one can hardly wait!  It hasn't been a long cold winter, and aside from a few major snows, there hasn't been a silly amount of snow to deal with, but I still have this urge to hurry mother nature along and get the Spring show on the road!  I planted some of my rembrant tulip bulbs (lovely Christmas present) in the house a few weeks ago to force some early spring of my own and they have started to come up!  I am excited to have them bloom in the house, but more importantly I take this as a good sign that Spring is right around the corner.  There is really no logic behind this "sign" I forced the little suckers to sprout....but I am taking all I can get! 

Comment if you have seen any signs of Spring!

WIN WIN WIN

Listing our contest was such a great success that we thought maybe we should start listing other garden contests out there... So we are now scouring the internet on your behalf looking for contests to enter!  Just click on our contest tab to take a look!

Contest! Win a $50.00 Gift Certificate to Home Depot



Yes thats right, just think of what you could buy in the spring for your garden with $50 at Home Depot!  You have from Feb 4 2013 to May 1 2013 to enter to win.

Here are a bunch of ways to enter and get extra entries.....

a) Like our facebook page located at http://www.facebook.com/#!/TradeMyFlowers
b) Register on our Website at www.trademyflowers.com
c) Follow us on Twitter at @trademyflowers
d) Post a listing on our Website at www.trademyflowers.com
e) Refer a friend- if they do any of the above you will get an extra entry! Just email us at anything @trademyflowers.com and let us know what friends you refer and if they do any of the above you will get another entry and they will get one too!

So.....like, follow, list and tell your friends about us and get lots of entries to win!

For official Contest rules click here



 

 




I feel like I am moving at a snail's pace this this winter!  Getting the Trademyflowers.com website ready and the blog up is taking longer than I thought, but don't fret, we are so close!  In the meantime enjoy this clip of a snail having a snack at his own happy pace.