How to plant your wedding bouquet:

1. Clip each rose stem from your bouquet about four to six inches long. Create enough clippings so that if some fail to sprout you’re still ok.
2. Place the stems into a vase of clean water. Make sure to change the water each day to avoid grunge.
3. In about six weeks you should see little sprouts of root at the base of each clipping.
4. When the roots around four inches long, plant each in a separate pot full of organic nutrient rich soil. Place outside and water daily.
5. As the plants get larger move them to larger pots.
6. By your 1st anniversary, you should have some nice little rose bushes ready to be placed in your garden.

This is an excellent project for your own wedding and also makes a killer 1st anniversary gift for a sister or best friend. The only downside is how to get the bouquet. If it’s your own wedding, you won’t be able to toss it, or you’ll have to steal it back. If it’s your friend’s wedding, you’ll have to practice your catching skills so that you for sure catch the bouquet. IF you really want to toss that bouquet, or your sports skills aren’t up to par, a second option is to use the roses from the table arrangements.

[Images via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Plant your wedding bouquet roses!

Water check: Make sure you adjust your watering to fit the needs of climate changes for your area. The best way to check is with a moisture meter so you’re sure that the roots are getting enough water as the days heat up. Especially pay attention to container plants – mine have needed watering twice daily, and it’s not even that hot here.

Rose check: Mid summer is a good time to deadhead roses, remove suckers, and spray them down lightly with water to clear out any accumulated ants, mites, and other creepy crawlies.

Got peas?: Peas tend to start getting heat stress about now, but you can add a heavy mulch which should help keep your sweet peas cooler and extend their season.

Shrub care: For shrubs with spring and early summer blooms, clear out dead blooms and remove any dead branches. Trim to keep them looking good.

Plant clover: For spots in your garden that are done (i.e. summer veggies that are done for the season), clear out the dead plants, and plant clover to keep weeds at bay until you can plant your fall and winter veggies.

Mosquito control: Change your bird bath more often or it’ll become a raging mosquito habitat – ick.

Check for any national gardening events you may want to attend or check out tips for your specific region.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

July Gardening Tasks

So here was the project that I wanted to tackle…simple really. I had a vase of white roses on the table that looked like they were on their way out…but maybe had a day or so left in them.

A Ha! Martha moment! I will remove the long stemmed roses from the vase, trim them and place them in the base of my white English teapot. Had the potential to appear in a Town and Country photo spread.

Here’s what actually happened: First of all, I didn’t have the right pruning tool, so I used a pair of kitchen scissors. don’t.

I brought the vase of flowers over to the sink…began to cut the stems, many of the petals immediately floated down into the sink like white tissues…a few of the stems fell into the drain, I didn’t cut the stems short enough, so had to cut more, then the rest of the petals fell off, then I noticed the teapot was filthy, started to wash it, then I just stopped, threw the, now emaciated flowers away, left the teapot in the sink and took a nap.

I don’t know how she does it. Yes I do, for pity’s sake, shes Martha!

Image: condenasteart.com

Post from: Blisstree

You Don’t Have To Be Martha Stewart But It Sure Helps.

I am not a mom — but I am the care-taker of a Chocolate Labrador — does that count? Is there a gift for that? Is there a gift for giving birth to a business, while nurturing a marriage?

Eventhough, I am not a mom, I would like to raise a glass to those moms out there who get up everyday, get the kids ready for school, do the ghastly commuting thing, come home to attend the recitals, cook dinner, prepare the baths, do the tucking in…and then start all over the next day — and have somehow figured out how to keep everything balanced.

My mother worked everyday of her life, sometimes two jobs at a time, to pay the bills and to put clothes on our backs; I don’t know how she did it. There was no “life/work” balance philosophy in those days, so we spent a lot of time without her. She would always say, “You have to pull yourself up by the boot straps and do what you’ve got to do…”

I’m sure Dr. Phil could tell you more about why my background has something to do with not having had children, but certainly I inherited my mom’s work ethic.

A mountain of flowers, to you mom and all moms (working or not), everywhere. Photo from: Flowers.com

Post from: Blisstree

Moms Working.