Potting Places: Creating Ideas for Practical Gardening Workspaces is hands down one of my favorite garden related books. I’ve never had a yard large enough (that I own) for a large garden shed, that won’t take up too much land real estate, but having a killer garden shed is an eventual goal of mine, so I like to look. That said, I thought we’d take a casual, no task Friday and look at some dreamy garden sheds.

The Ultimate Garden Shed – well, ultimate for warmer areas or as a summer gardening spot. NOT too handy in winter sadly.

ShackUp …read more

During the cooler months, basic upkeep is one task that’s on a lot of gardeners minds. There’s a little more free time, so it is a very good time to make sure your garden tools are in tip-top shape. Keeping your tools clean and working correctly saves you time and money. Well-kept tools work better, last longer, and save you a trip to the store for new gear. Following are some basic tips.

Before care comes choosing the correct tools in the first place. A cheap watering can may not hinder your garden much, but bad pruning tools, for example, can …read more

You can easily decorate your home for Thanksgiving or just because it’s fall (the best season ever) with natural goodies you find in your yard, or on a hike. I’m guessing that as a gardener, you’re already interested in using nature to its fullest, and using nature for fall home decor is a great way to accomplish this. Not to mention, you can save loads of cash. A fall wreath can cost you $40 or more, but homemade fall wreaths cost almost nothing. Following are some ideas about how you can use all those leaves in your yard for cool …read more

One excellent holiday gift for the avid gardener are garden stakes – especially cool and unique stakes, because most gardeners I know won’t buy these for themselves (too splurge-like) but as a gift they’ll be appreciated. Check out the cool garden stake sets in the gallery below – perfect for holiday gift giving or for keeping in your own garden. (Links below gallery!)
Garden Stakes Set from Pigeon Toe Ceramics – 4 nice and heavy porcelain garden stakes bearing the stamped name of common herbs and vegetables. Sold as a set of 4, choices include: Lavender, Cilantro, Parsley, Catnip, Rosemary, Sage, …read more

Garden seed exchange clubs can be a fun gardening group activity. Especially since groups tend to expand and discuss other gardening topics – not just seeds, so you’ll learn a lot.
Other benefits include…

Money saved on seeds.
New experiences with plants you may not have grown before, and advice on said seeds from someone who has been there.
Benefit of sharing an excellent variety, or getting one for yourself.
Preservation of a hard to find or heirloom plant.
It’s also a full scope garden experience. While it is nice to buy a lush, ready to go plant, there’s nothing like actually growing your very own …read more

November is no time to rest up while your garden tasks go undone. Many places have seen their first frost, others soon will plus there’s plenty of tasks to consider that have zero to do with frost, so if you’re behind keep up with these general gardening tasks.

If you haven’t protected plants from frost you need to jump on that. Gauzy floating row covers protect plants but allow light, air and moisture in. If you have prized plants bales of hay placed around said plants provide a thicker layer of protection. You’ll also need to mulch more. Mound up mulch …read more

So, my birthday is in November and if I had lots of rich friends, I’d be dropping hints about the Tonfisk Designs Kiikku Living Room Garden. I’ve seen indoor garden stands before but none as cool as this. Of course the price reflects its cool factor – sadly.

The KIIKKU garden system is a walnut wood ladder which is used for hanging four easily removable flower pots on. The ladder can be rested against a wall to create a stepped garden. KIIKKU can be used indoors or outdoors. The garden is made treated walnut wood and ceramic plus treated with …read more

One inexpensive and easy homemade gift for gardeners or garden lovers is a handy homemade garden tote. You can give these to anyone who one, likes garden themes, or two actually needs to tote garden gear around.
How to make your garden totes:

Choose your tote bags – you can usually find nice sturdy totes on great deals during the holiday. Especially if you buy in bulk. Local fabric store and craft stores run great deals on plain totes as well.
Iron the bag if it’s wrinkly, so that it will lay flat – makes it easier to decorate.
Now for decorating your bag …read more

I know we just looked at indoor water gardens yesterday, but I came across another water garden tidbit today – but this piece of news is concerned with outdoor water gardens. The scoop is about this new aquatic weed cutter that’s actually lightweight, easy to use, and requires no chemicals to remove weeds.

According to the press release, Justo Zarazua, a retired tool designer, invented this new weed removal alternative, The Weedgator. This tool is a five-foot long environmentally-friendly weed cutter that weighs just two pounds.
There are actually already manual tools for aquatic weed removal on the market, but most weigh …read more

I have not personally ever had an indoor water garden. One, I’ve had my son around for the last eight years, and as a baby, I’d never want to chance a tot falling into indoor water (kids can drown in under an inch of water and in just minutes) two, it seems like a lot of work, and three I like being outside.

That said, I’ve been seeing a mess of indoor water garden news lately and some of them look pretty fun, and since Blisstree Gardening aims to discuss all things gardening, I thought I’d offer some good links to …read more