Tag Archives

18 Articles

Grow Grass! By Cynthia Brian

Posted by Editor on
0
Empowerment
Grow Grass! By Cynthia Brian

“Now every field is clothed with grass, and every tree with leaves; now the woods put forth their blossoms, and the year assumes its gay attire.” ~Virgil


Yes, California passed Proposition 64 last November, however, this column is not about cultivating marijuana, although I am writing about the glories of grass.

Spring is spectacular with its wardrobe of rainbow blooms. Trees are covered with blossoms, the fragrance of freesia engages our nostrils, and the ubiquitous beauty surrounding us is awe-inspiring. We are so blessed that Mother Nature celebrates the re-birth of the seasons with a grand April entrance.

Because of the warmer soil, fall is the best time to plant or re-seed a lawn, yet spring runs a close second in popularity. If you haven’t torn out your swath of grass in the past few years during our dreadful drought, no doubt you are now looking at a runway of green in your yard thanks to the months of rain. To manage your efforts maintaining the health, beauty, and benefits of your lawn for the remainder of the year, get started this month with simple best practices.

Tips to Growing a Lush, Green, Sustainable Turf

⎫ Decide if you want to seed, sod, or re-seed. Seeding for the first time is best done in autumn when the soil is warm as germination is swifter. You can successfully re-seed, over-seed, and sod in spring, including those irksome bare patches.

⎫ Whichever you choose, your first consideration is to properly prepare your soil.  Check the PH level. Ideally lawns should be in the 6-7 range. If lower than six, add lime, if higher than seven, add sulfur to bring the PH down.

⎫ Pull the weeds. If you have lots of weeds, keep in mind that weeds mean that the soil conditions are imbalanced. Weeds provide homes and food for microbes but your soil must be improved before your new sod or grass seeds will thrive. Many “weeds” are actually gourmet dinner or tea ingredients including plantain, dandelion, creeping Charlie, mint, mustard, lambs quarter, and more.

⎫ Order several yards of enriched soil and compost to be delivered.  Ask the yard experts what is their best soil for improving your lawn. Soil is the foundation.

⎫ Add organic fertilizer to accelerate deeper rooting.

⎫ Aerate to loosen the soil. A core aerator will punch holes in the ground to bring air and water to the roots.  The finger plugs are to be left on the surface to naturally decompose.  Less compaction equals better drainage and absorption.

⎫ Consult your favorite nursery professional for a recommendation on the best seed combinations for you. I’m a huge fan of mixed growth lawns for year around enjoyment. I re-seed with Pearl’s Premium (www.PearlsPremium.com) interspersed with plugs of isotoma (blue star creeper) and white and red clover. Together they make a very attractive natural rug and the clover is a natural nitrogen supplier. Some people enjoy lawns laced with wild strawberry, violets, mint, or even planted with bulbs.

⎫ You may have to cover re-seeded areas with netting to keep the birds away. For small areas, discarded window or door screens work well.

⎫ Let the rainfall do the watering to get your grass established. If it’s later in the season when the rain has stopped, water deeply in the morning twice a week or as needed.

⎫ Mow your lawns with a sharp blade on a high setting without the bag allowing the cut grass to remain on the lawn. This is called grasscycling and is the most beneficial component of cultivating a lush, deep green, thick healthy lawn. If you are buying a new mower, buy a mulch mower, which will chop the grass. Grasscycling allows the clippings to be the fertilizer that provides nutrients to your grass. Scientific research indicates that the content of typical grass clippings by weight is Nitrogen (N) 4%, Potassium (P) 2%, and Phosphorous (K) .5%.  By recycling your grass clippings back to your lawn, you use 25% less additional fertilizer.

⎫ Mulch the re-seeded areas to create a strong turf.

⎫ Stay off the grass while it’s growing!

⎫ For those of you who are “Ex Lawn Rangers”, you can create an inviting mosaic with massed groundcovers and low growers including dicondra, ajuga, creeping thyme, golden creeping Jenny, dwarf cinquefoil, or even sedum.  You’ll need to clip, snip, and maintain.  Most groundcovers are not foot-traffic friendly.

Benefits of Maintaining a Lawn

Although many people tend to discourage lawns in landscapes as a water conservation method, I am a firm believer that the humble grass shoot offers benefits to our health and wellbeing.  Besides the fact that children and animals enjoy a safe, comfortable place to tumble and toss, lawns contribute to better air quality by trapping dust and smoke particles while cooling the air from the ground up. Our environments are made more habitable by the generation of oxygen absorbing the pollutants of carbon and sulfur dioxide. Lawns clean the air we breathe. Erosion is controlled because water can’t carve deep recesses in a thickly planted lawn. Water filters through turf grass making our ground waters safer and cleaner for the environment. A patch of green soothes the eye when viewing a landscape, offering a resting space between the color explosions of flowers and shrubs. Lawns offer a buffer zone in fire prevention. Several years ago when one of the biggest wild fires in our national history hit the forests of Northern California, our family cabin’s grassy meadow became the safe zone for dozens of firefighters from around the country. That lawn literally saved lives and the forest from the raging blaze.

Prepare your grass for healthy growing this spring, and get ready for the fun-filled days of croquet, ball games, picnics, sprinkler baths, or just staring up at the clouds.

Remember that maintaining your lawn enhances the environment, improves your health, and optimizes your enjoyment of the great outdoors. And that’s great grass!

Cynthia Brian’s Goddess Gardener Tips for April

BEWARE of ticks.  Check your body, hair, and clothing after gardening. On a rainy day in mid March when I was covered head to toe in clothing, a tick bit me on my neck. The golf ball size lump is still painful.

TURN houseplants a quarter round every week to give adequate amount of sunlight to all parts.

BAIT for snails and slugs.

VISIT the Wagner Ranch Wildlife Festival on Sunday, April 23 for FREE family fun. Honeybees, goats, turtles, birds, garden activities, food, music, nature tours, arts, and crafts.  350 Camino Pablo Rd at Bear Creek Road in Orinda.  https://fwrna.org/wildlifefest/

Peruse Flower Photography: Award winning photographer Anne Morrison Rabe’s Spring Flowers exhibit is showcased now at Homemade Kitchen, 337 Rheem Boulevard, in Moraga.  Almost all of Anne’s photographs were shot with an iphone. Eat, drink, and enjoy the art.www.Amr-Photogrpahy.com

PRE-ORDER my forthcoming garden book, Growing with the Goddess Gardener, Book I in the Garden Shorts Series. All pre-orders will receive extra goodies such as heirloom seeds, bookmarks, and more. Email me for details, Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com. 25% of the proceeds benefit the 501c3 Be the Star You Are!® charity.

Win $50,000 for your Garden:  As a judge in America’s Best Gardener Contest. I encourage you to enter to win $50,000.  Show the world that your thumb is the greenest by showing the world pictures of your garden today! http://www.americasbestgardener.com

Happy Gardening! Happy Growing!

Read More

©2017
Cynthia Brian, The Goddess Gardener, is a New York Times best selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are1® 501 c3.
Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show at www.StarStyleRadio.com
Available for hire for any project.
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
925-377-STAR

Fresh Ideas in the Garden

Posted by Editor on
0
Empowerment
Fresh Ideas in the Garden

Wild Mediterranean Garden

Cynthia Brian’s Gardening Guide for May
Spring Forward with Fresh Ideas
By Cynthia Brian

“Now every field is clothed with grass, and every tree with leaves; now the woods put forth their blossoms, and the year assumes its gay attire.” ~Virgil
peony in vase
With all the rain we’ve enjoyed this season, spring has birthed the most spectacular garden displays experienced in years.  The air is fragrant with the scent of jasmine, emerald green hills are decorated with golden poppies, and pretty peonies populate our plots.  Songbirds chirp as they feather their nests, butterflies flit from blossom to bloom, lady beetles and bees are busy with their business. A lovely turkey feather poked out from under my fig bush by my living room window. When I went to grab it, I realized it was attached to a wild hen sitting on eggs! She wasn’t even startled and I’ve continued to enjoy watching her daily.

Our natural world has found its equilibrium.

My Pearl’s Premium lawn is finally looking lush and full. The secret was constant re-seeding, daily moisture, and netting to keep the birds at bay. This summer will tell how drought resistant the grass is. One thing is for certain, it has definitely forced out weeds and dandelions. Whereas I used to pick at least a hundred dandelions a day to feed the quail, I am now down to half a dozen or even less. Thus far I am impressed with this grass seed and will keep you posted as the dry weather sets in. (www.pearlspremium.com)
azalea close up
I’ve been busy planting seeds one by one, a very tedious task, as I’m not one to start my seedlings indoors. Instead I use an egg carton and pour the various seeds I want to plant into the egg holders, then, I meticulously plunge each tiny seed into its own hole. Some seeds, like Echinacea, are smaller than a pinpoint. One has to have serious dedication to growing a variety of specimens when sowing. My preferred method is to scatter a big bucket of seeds mixed with sand and see what thrives. Cinda McKinnon of Orinda has used this method successfully on her wild Mediterranean hillside.
Turkey hen
My March 23, 2016 article about cultivating a wildflower meadow sparked immense interest from across the country.  One of my favorite descriptive notes arrived from Ron in Texas who wrote:
“What a wonderful article on growing wildflowers. I’ve always loved wildflowers, remembering the trillium that carpeted the Wisconsin forests in the spring and the daisies, black-eyed Susans, and other wildflowers that covered any open field all summer long. Later, finding wild azalea in the Georgian woods and now, in Texas, going to see the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush, as well as finding every vacant lot here in Houston filled with 7 foot tall sunflowers. Thanks to Lady Bird Johnson, planes seed most Texas highways with beautiful wildflowers largely in the spring before the heat and drought of summer and their beauty. I always let my yard grow wild in spring so that many wildflowers there can bloom and reseed.”

And that is the secret to spring wildflowers-allow them to bloom and reseed.

The simple pleasures of spring are available to all of us to savor. Get moving and get into your garden.
lilies-pearl's premium grass
CYNTHIA BRIAN’S FRESH IDEAS:

REFRESH your dirt with a few yards of new, enriched top soil and compost. Good soil is the foundation for a healthy, happy landscape.

TILL your cover crops of vetch, mustard, clover, or fava beans into your soil. If they have grown to large to till, pull them out, run them over with a lawnmower, then return them to the soil for all of the nutrients they will provide your produce.

SEPARATE seeds in an egg carton for ease in sowing.

POKE holes in the soil with a pencil or stick to plant a variety of small seeds including sunflowers, hollyhock, cathedral bells, purple hyacinth beans, and perennial sweet peas.

SOAK morning glory seeds for 8 hours before planting or nick with a fingernail clipper to assist in rooting.

DISCOVER spring by scattering wildflower seeds. Allow them to bloom and reseed themselves for another display next season.

GATHER a bouquet of peonies or even a single stem to create a stunning and long lasting floral arrangement.

BUILD simple raised beds to grow your bounty of vegetables. Even a small 3 x 3 foot redwood box will provide space for plenty.

SHOP for vegetables and herbs at your favorite nursery or garden center. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant, watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini, beans, and cucumbers are available in four-inch pots and six packs at reasonable prices.

PULL weeds on a continuous basis. Weeds zap the moisture from the plants we want. Don’t let them form seed heads.

EMPTY standing water from pots, tires, neglected ponds, pools, or any place where mosquito larvae will breed. With all the rain we’ve had this year, mosquitoes could spread West Nile virus. If you have a pond, the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control will provide free mosquito fish by calling 925-771-6196. California authorities are monitoring the activity of West Nile virus and request that any dead birds or squirrels be reported to 877-968-2473.

SEED and reseed your lawns specifically when it’s raining. Make sure to keep the seed moist until it sprouts. Pearl’s Premium may be the answer for a lush, green, drought resistant lawn. www.PearlsPremiumc.com

DANCE the snail stomp, a dance my children and I invented one very wet winter years ago. Go out at night with gloves on, flashlight in hand, and a bucket to pick up slugs and snails. Find an area to dump and dance. (If you don’t like to dance, fill the bucket with soapy water and the dirty deed is done.)

TOUR gardens when you are not enjoying your personal backyard. Check the newspaper for garden tours around the Bay Area. You’ll find inspiration in what others have designed and accomplished.
cherry blossoms
Enjoy the splendors of spring while you dream of a personal journey through nature. Salutations for a fresh start!

Happy gardening. Happy growing!
Read More

©2016
Cynthia Brian
The Goddess Gardener
Starstyle® Productions, llc
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
925-377-STAR
Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show at www.StarStyleRadio.com
LIVE Wednesdays 4-5pmPT on VoiceAmerica Network, Empowerment Channel
Garden and plant consultations by appointment.

Peony-bowl of beauty

April Garden Guide by Cynthia Brian

Posted by Editor on
0
Empowerment
April Garden Guide by Cynthia Brian

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” William Shakespeare

cynthia brian -wisteria
The siren song of spring calls my soul to the outdoors as swiftly as the mermaid lures the sailor to the depths of the sea. The fragrance of the blossoms, the colors of blooms, the chirping of the birds, the croaking of the frogs, and the scent of green grasses speak to my deepest being. Our precious earth is in the process of re-birth and no matter how many years I’ve witnessed this evolution, I am always in awe. My camera captures thousands of photos, most of which looked so much better with the naked eye, yet I want to record the beauty. I am obsessed with the lilacs, wisteria, iris, freesia, fruit trees, wildflowers, and, especially the soothing sounds of the cascading creeks.

Spring-how I love thee!
frog fountain
As wild turkeys gobble gobble along the hillsides and into our streets unaware that turkey season is open for those who seek to bag a bird for a barbecue and as the deer begin to nibble our budding roses, it’s wise to consider protecting our delicate plants from our indigenous predators.  Wire, netting, and fences are our most effective armor.  El Nino has been a blessing in quenching our thirsty gardens, especially our lawns, yet the prodigious weeds, if left unattended will compete with our flowers for moisture in summer. Now is the time to take action.

Every morning as I walk my property, I tell myself I’ll spend only an hour in the garden after work. However, the hour quietly melts into three or four and soon I’m weeding by flashlight. This is love. It’s springtime in our gardens and fun is pending! Go out and dig.
Oriental poppies
⎫ ADD edible flowers to your dining experience. Plant seeds of hyssop, nasturtium, violet, leaf fennel, daisy, and calendula.
⎫ SCATTER seeds of zinnia, cosmos, and marigold seeds for summer blooms.
⎫ WEED, weed, weed. Don’t let seed heads develop or you’ll have more invasive plants next season.
⎫ SOW onions not only for eating but also as a natural pest control in your garden, especially for brassicas including cabbage, broccoli, collards, and kale.
⎫ MIX flowers with edibles to attract pollinators to your spring garden. Make sure to plant in groups so that the birds, bees, and butterflies see the dinner you are serving.
⎫ BUILD hugels while the soil is moist. You will find them invaluable this summer when water is scarce. (See October 7, 2015 issue for instructions)
⎫ CHECK trees for damage. Many trees are suffering or have died during the drought. Ivy growing up the trunks, mushrooms at the base, and mistletoe are signs of trouble. Call a certified arborist.
⎫ PLANT purple! Compounds called anthocyanins in purple produce have anti-inflammatory effects would could help lower the risk of cancer and heart disease. Think purple kale, purple potatoes, purple carrots, purple cauliflower, purple anything.
⎫ NATURALIZE aquilegia, commonly called columbine. These delicate star shaped petals will self sow if planted by others to cross-pollinate. They come a range of bold colors including blues, rose, yellow, white, pink, crimson, fuchsia, and many bicolors.
⎫ SHADE gardens lend themselves to the lush green to bronze foliage of astilbe. Spires of pink, red, scarlet, and white add summer grace.
⎫ CUT bouquets of Oriental poppies mixed with lilacs for a stunning indoor offering with a heady scent.
⎫ PHOTOGRAPH your garden. If you have a stellar masterpiece, send me a jpeg with a description. Who knows, we may publish it! Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
⎫ WELCOME home the migrating birds with fresh water in the fountain and new seed in the feeder.
⎫ REPLACE woody lavender bushes. After six years or so, lavender is ready for the compost pile.
⎫ BE friendly to native bees by incorporating native wildflowers into your landscape. (See March 23, 2015 Digging Deep-Cultivate a Wildflower Meadow)
⎫ CARE for your lawns. The continued rains provide an opportunity to re-seed. I am sowing Pearl’s Premium on rainy days then making sure the seed is watered daily until it sprouts. To protect the germinating seeds from hungry birds, our publisher, Andy Scheck suggests putting old screen doors on the patches. I’ve used old window screens. By summer the roots will be fourteen to twenty inches deep and drought resistant. I’ll keep you posted on my success or failure.
⎫ RAISE your mower to a higher setting and forget the bag this month allowing the grass clippings to add nitrogen back into the lawn.
⎫ CLEAN the patio. Sweep and wash furniture. Enjoy the sunny days.
⎫ START tomatoes if your soil is warm. You may get a jumpstart on summer juiciness.
⎫ PICK tangerines, Meyer lemons, and tangelos as they ripen.
⎫ COMPOST, compost, compost. The more nutrients you put into your garden, the more spectacular your scenery.
⎫ MARK your calendars for wine and books event benefiting Be the Star You Are!® charity on Saturday, April 9th from 1pm until 4pm at Dawn’s Dream Winery Tasting room, NW Corner of 7th & San Carlos, Carmel-by-the-Sea.http://www.bethestaryouare.org/#!events/kgh2e
⎫ PROGRAM your DVR’s to record Wheel of Fortune on Monday, April 11 at 7:30pm on ABC for a fun local experience. Make sure to watch to the final wave goodbye!
apple blossoms
A PostScript
Have you followed my December 15, 2015 advice about making hard copies of your garden photos as well as other collectibles? My Digging Digitally article hit a chord with so many people, including those in other countries. This note arrived from Ireland.

“As regards your article about Digging Digitally and making hard copies of precious visual memories, and I so agree with everything you write. Last night I spent an agreeable evening perusing 100-year old photo albums from my husband Per’s family, and it was so lovely to see the photos and read the handwritten comments. Those long-dead grandparents, aunts and uncles and their lives and interests came to life again.
chickens, geese, goat
I am obsessive about making paper copies of everything that comes my way digitally – photos, even interesting emails.(And before emails, I have saved almost every letter I ever got!) Technology changes rapidly, and the visual records are so much more readily accessible,–no waiting for your computer to boot itself up and install a million updates, while all you wanted was a quick look at a particular photo. So keep on preaching the message to the younger generation.” N. Daly

It’s never too late to start a garden journal or actually print out our photographs. (If you missed the article, find it here)
Pictures of your most beautiful specimens make terrific art pieces when framed appropriately.

Let’s pray for April showers to bring more May flowers. Put a bounce in your step, sing, dance, and be young.
goose eggs
Happy Gardening and Happy Growing!

Read more

©2016
Cynthia Brian
The Goddess Gardener
Starstyle® Productions, llc
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
925-377-STAR
Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show at www.StarStyleRadio.com
LIVE Wednesdays 4-5pmPT on Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel.

Garden and plant consultations by appointment.

Digital Digging

Posted by Editor on
0
Empowerment
Digital Digging

Merry Xmas from the farm

By Cynthia Brian

“With our thoughts, we make the world.”
~ Buddha

My first gardening calendar was published in the year 1993. I had worked with a renown photographer for over eighteen months shooting fabulous photos from my garden throughout the seasons, taking copious notes of what to do and when to do it, traveling to numerous zones to note the monthly cycles.  I wrote my copy on an Apple desktop, the photographs were transparencies, and the finished product was a beautiful, printed, shrink-wrapped gift of beautiful flowers with monthly tips worth saving. Over the years, people have shown me the tablemats, collages, and other creative things that were made with that calendar. Since the back up to all of my work was on floppy disks, I no longer have access to my unedited insights. Thankfully, I have the photos and the published calendar as a souvenir of my efforts.  This loss of my creative writings caused me to ponder the digital mania that has descended upon humanity in our yearning to eliminate paper archiving. We tend to keep everything on our computers, designating Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest as our memory banks.
Gardner's Guide Calendar
My fear is that our history will be relegated to oral rememberings as technology rapidly changes. Since computers became a household necessity, we’ve stored our data on floppies, CD’s, DVD’s, flash drives, portable hard drives, and now the cloud, but will future generations be ever able to access any of this as equipment evolves and changes? My iphoto folder has now surpassed 20,000 jpegs. Digital photos from 2009 and earlier that were not printed are no longer accessible since I’ve upgraded computers multiple times and those earlier back up disks are not compatible.
cork birdhouse - 2
Earlier this year, I made a book of my favorite garden photographs throughout the seasons accompanied by my favorite garden quotes. The book was a gift to myself as a reminder of my years of dedication, hard work, and love of nature. As I perused snapshots from a quarter century of gardening bliss, I was able to see how much I had accomplished with the help of Mother Nature.  How happy I am that I had not only digitized photos, but also printed them for posterity. When we first moved to this area, our lot was a hillside of wild grasses, poison oak, and blackberry bushes. It is now an oasis filled with lush landscaping, orchards, vines, trees, fruits, herbs, flowers, birds, bees, butterflies, and wildlife.  One of the mottos I have always lived by is “what you think about and talk about comes about!” For me, I’m always thinking about gardening. Today, all I have to do is look around to see that my personal world was created in my thoughts.
CU magenta primrose - 1
As the end of the year approaches, I encourage you to invest in archiving your precious memories of family, friends, pets, plants, and places you love not only on your apps and gadgets, but in the old fashioned way, printing. Don’t allow your legacy of a life well lived become obsolete as technology races forward. Do some digital digging and store a hard copy of your treasures. Plant and grow your memoirs.

May you shine with happiness for the holidays. Thank you for a fabulous year of Digging Deep and Gardening with Cynthia Brian. I appreciate you.
purple Xmas
Cynthia Brian’s Mid Month Reminders and Tips
⎫ REFRAIN from collecting and eating mushrooms unless you are absolutely certain they are edible. A good friend recently collected a variety of mushrooms based on information she perused in a foraging guidebook. Fortunately she took them to a mycological expert for positive identification. Eighty-four of the eighty-five fungi she had in her basket were poisonous!
⎫ CLEAN storm drains, gutters, and anywhere where water could clog or cause problems when the rains come.
⎫ DECORATE for the holidays with branches, leaves, berries, twigs, pinecones, and natural cuttings from your back yard. Utilize surprising colors, like purple, not just red, greens, and blues.
⎫ COVER tender plants from frost and cold temperatures with burlap. Patio furniture can be protected from the elements with plastic, but use burlap or fabric on plants and shrubs. Citrus is especially susceptible to frost bite.
⎫ CREATE a charming birdhouse with corks! With the festivities of the holidays, collect corks to make a home for your feathered friends.
⎫ SPRAY paint the un-carved pumpkins and gourds silver, gold, or bronze to add pizzazz to a front porch or entrance. For recycling at its best, after the holidays, add to the compost pile
⎫ BAIT for snails and slugs during this wet season.
⎫ HARVEST cabbages, Swiss Chard, and kale. Massage your kale to tenderize and eliminate bitterness.
⎫ TUNE in to StarStyle® Radio on December 30 for a full hour of LIVE garden talk with Britain’s rose expert from David Austin Roses. 4-5pm PT.  Bare-root plantings start in January and this show will give you lots of information!
⎫ MAKE a photo album of your garden pictures throughout the years as a gift to yourself and future family gardeners.
Burlap
It’s too late to seed or re-seed your lawns. My new grass is coming in slowly because of the extreme changes in weather. In spring, we will revisit planting a waterless turf when soil temperatures rise to 50-70 degrees.

Happy Gardening and Happy Growing.
Read More

mushrooms-mums
©2015
Cynthia Brian
The Goddess Gardener
Starstyle® Productions, llc
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
925-377-STAR
Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show at www.StarStyleRadio.net
I am available as a speaker, designer, and consultant.

silver pumpkins

Cynthia Brian’s Garden Guide for December

Posted by Editor on
0
Empowerment
Cynthia Brian’s Garden Guide for December

poinsettias-ferns.jpg - 1

By Cynthia Brian

“I look upon the pleasure we take in a garden as one of the most innocent delights in human life.” Cicero

It is hard to believe that the holidays are already here. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was taking down Christmas decorations?

What would the holidays be without the high voltage displays of thousands of twinkling lights illuminating our landscapes? We drive around neighborhoods “oohing” and “aahing” at the inflatable snowmen waving to us, Santa’s sleigh on the rooftops tethered to his blinking reindeer, and flickering candy canes hanging from tree branches. My mom’s house is lit up like Disneyland to make sure that Santa can find his way to our ranch.
winter garden
My last few columns have initiated numerous emails and comments. It appears that gardeners are very interested in hugelkultur as well as growing grass that is not water thirsty.

Regarding the hugels, from Washington I received this very astute email:
“I just read your gardening guide and immediately thought about how the trees where we go camping do this naturally.  Frequently, trees have started by growing from a stump or downed tree trunk.  Then, over time, everything mounds up at the base of the new tree.  The spaces underneath provide habitat for a multitude of creatures, and the rotting logs, needles, and leaves are material for insects to do terra-forming.  They combine the organic with rock that continually slides down from the mountains and into the streams and eventually becomes sand, to form rich soil.
Magnolia cones-green
Another thing all this debris on the ground does is to shade the soil, keeping it cooler and protected from evaporation.  We use rocks in favor of bark or mulch in many places in our yard.  I have thought for years about the practice in Southwest of keeping all the undergrowth cleared out of forests to help with the wildfire problem – how it sterilizes the forest, taking away opportunities for habitat and soil protection.

We certainly had more than our share of wildfires in Washington State the last couple of years, and I will admit the forest is quite different in those regions.  The trees, until you get up really far into the mountains, are very spaced out with no green undergrowth. They traditionally have very cold winters with a lot of snow that lingers, then long, very hot and dry summers.
The mounding practice is something we see nature doing all the time in the mountains near us.” KC
moss on wall
KC hit the nail on the head! I was really thrilled to receive this correspondence because hugelkultur derived from exactly this natural forest procedure. In my own yard I have now built two hugels and am planning to continue to build them, especially on my hillsides to prevent erosion, maintain water, and allow plants to grow deeper roots.

On the subject of lawns, I have installed three different areas of Pearl’s Premium grass-sun, shade, and sun/shade. It’s still too early to report results to you but I do promise to keep you posted on how this miracle turf flourishes. Many of you are very interested in growing a low maintenance grass.  With just one or two weeks left of optimum weather buy new top soil and start sowing. The seed may be carried at your local garden centers or big box stores, but if not, go on-line to www.PearlsPremium.com. Don’t forget to type in “Blue Moon” at check out to receive a 20% discount and free shipping.

The festival of lights is upon us as we hark the heralded angels and remember the reason for the season. Light a fire in your heart and shine brightly with love. Tidy your garden, then, enjoy the merriment.
nonie's decor 2011 - 3
Cynthia Brian’s Garden Guide for December

⎫ POT an amaryllis for mid-winter blooms happening eight-twelve weeks after first watering. All you need is a small pot not much bigger than the bulb, soil, and water.
⎫ ADD alliums to your planting schedule for spring lollipop blooms.  Voles, rabbits, deer, and squirrels will not eat these onion family bulbs.
⎫ COVER azaleas and tender shrubs with burlap, sheets, or blankets (any fabric will do) to prevent damage from drastic drops in temperature.
⎫ HARVEST prickly pear when the skins are red. Wear gloves and use tongs to peel before adding to salads.
⎫ CUT branches from redwoods, cedars, pines, and other evergreens to use indoors for your yuletide décor.
⎫ HANG a spray of magnolia leaves tied in a colorful ribbon on your mailbox. Magnolias with the coned seedpods stimulate a festive welcome.
⎫ GATHER pinecones. Sprinkle with a cinnamon oil for a lovely holiday fragrance.
⎫ CHANGE out your current houseplants with colorful seasonal plants including cyclamen, paperwhites, and poinsettia. Beautiful long blooming cymbidium orchids are currently available in stores. Orchids contribute an elegance and beauty to every room.
⎫ RAKE the fallen leaves to add to your compost pile.
⎫ PRUNE roses for the final burst of December blooms before the January pruning begins.
⎫ BE eco-friendly and wrap gifts in used newspaper with twine. You’ll save money while saving the earth. And while you are at, repurpose Christmas cards into gift tags!
⎫ PLANT cover crops to enrich the soil over winter. Good choices include fava beans, alfalfa, clover, and mustard.
⎫ PURCHASE a living tree for your Hannukah Bush or Christmas tree.
⎫ ALLOW winter’s coat of bright berries, rosehips, moss, and boughs to be the inspiration for your decorating.
⎫ CARE for the birds by keeping feeders clean and filled. Make sure to provide a water source and shelter.
⎫ HOLIDAY FAVOR: Help local charity Be the Star You Are!® without spending a penny. If you’ve ever purchased a TV or computer screen, just 2-3 minutes of your time is needed. Fill out a simple form, click submit and every unit you checked will provide a $20 donation to Be the Star You Are!®. You will receive a tax receipt once the donations have been dispersed. PLEASE do this today. It costs you NOTHING. Thanks from Be the Star You Are!®
Read more
yew berries
As we prepare for the holidays, let’s offer thoughts and actions of faith, hope, and love with the expectation that peace can prevail on our beautiful planet. Take pleasure in nature. Our gardens are a precious refuge. Happy Holidays!

Happy Gardening, Happy Growing!
Read More

©2015
Cynthia Brian
The Goddess Gardener
Starstyle® Productions, llc
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
925-377-STAR
Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show at www.StarStyleRadio.net
I am available as a speaker, designer, and consultant.
Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best selling author, speaker, coach, and host of the radio show, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® broadcasting live every Wednesday from 4-5pm PT on the Voice America Network.. She also is the creator and producer of Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501c3 charity.

Pollinator Paradise

Posted by Editor on
0
Empowerment
Pollinator Paradise

Cyn-rock garden

Digging Deep-Gardening with Cynthia Brian

By Cynthia Brian

“I have no special talents.
I am only passionately curious.” ~ Albert Einstein

Everyone seems to love the birds. After reading my previous month’s column, For the Birds, many people contacted me with stories of the birds in their gardens including hardwood floor installer and refinisher, Tom Gieryng.  He sent me photos and asked me to come see the numerous avian amenities he had installed in his garden. Birdhouses, bird feeders, fountains, and perches occupy every tree, wall, and crevice. Most were built by Tom, many were someone else’s trash turned into Tom’s treasure, and all of them have been embellished, hand painted, or given a touch of whimsy. Tom gave new life to tossed out items including wrought iron gates, hanging baskets, pots, tricycles, and even stained glass windows with his garden ingenuity.
Nonie's birdhouse night
Growing up in Poland, Tom was like most teens across the world. He looked forward to making enough money to buy nice clothes and go out with friends to party. His job was with a wood flooring company and at the time he didn’t realize this teenage occupation would become his life long career when he immigrated to America. After a few years of working for a flooring business in San Francisco, Tom wanted more creativity and control and opened his own company, TG Hardwood, where he was able to implement his own designs. Curiosity and a desire to reclaim discarded objects fuels his inventive nature both in his woodwork and outdoor spaces. After a hard day’s work, he finds inspiration, entertainment, and relaxation in his garden.

Gardens offer each of us a place to chill out, relax, and be inventive. In today’s high tech environment, the garden presents an instant environment to unplug, unwind, and be imaginative. When I’m in my garden, I lose track of time. Although pulling weeds, turning the soil, planting, pruning, watering, and paying attention to potential pests is work, it is invigorating, offering me precious time to think without the distraction of phones, emails, and pinging calendar appointments. Our gardens can be an extension of our artistic selves when we allow ourselves to be inquisitive. In my mother’s garden, an ancient walnut tree has become Nonie’s Bird Tree. She hangs feeders of all shapes and sizes attracting a variety of birds and hummingbirds. Vines twine around a rusted chicken chair in my front yard next to an antiquated tin birdhouse. Butterflies flit amongst the blooms and bees pollinate the various fruit trees.
stained glass-pots
Strolling with Tom through his garden, his obvious enthusiasm for his creations was contagious. Clients have given him cuttings of various species that he has transplanted and tended, many of them becoming prize possessions. Fuchsias, hydrangeas, roses, pelargoniums, geraniums, lavender, agapanthus, and numerous grasses found homes in his yard.  A waterfall cascades down the hill adding the sound of trickling water and a place for the frogs to congregate and the hummingbirds to drink and dip. It’s a haven for birds, butterflies, and bees…a true pollinator garden.

After my For the Birds publication, many readers asked how to attract other pollinators. To have a truly healthy garden, create a pollinator paradise. It’s easy to do.
You won’t need any special talents, just lots of curiosity, and this simple tip sheet.
hanging baskets
What you need to know and do to succeed at pollinator gardening
1. Use plants that provide pollen and nectar. Cosmos, salvia, oregano, penstemon, coneflowers, buddleia, marigold, gaillardia, phlox, milkweed, bee balm, zinnia, Black-eyed Susan, cilantro, sunflower, sweet alyssum, and wild flowers are excellent choices.
2. Provide a water source, such as a small water garden or birdbath.
3. Situate your pollinator garden in a sunny site with a windbreak.

4. Provide shelter from the elements with grasses, standing stalks, shrubs, and bushes.

5. Have plants that bloom continuously throughout the season including bulbs like crocus. Make sure the garden has blooms from spring to early winter.

6. Do not use pesticides near your pollinator plants.

Be passionately curious, then relax, rejuvenate, and re-invent, while attracting the pollinators-birds, bees, butterflies, bats, and more.

Cynthia Brian’s Mid Month Gardening Tips for September
birdhouses-baths

PLACE bird feeders in a natural area, specifically hanging from trees, and away from the house to deter rodents from establishing residence in your home.

PICK tomatoes to enjoy in these last two weeks of summer brilliance. According to the USDA, there are over 25,000 varieties of tomatoes.

GOT CLOVER? Clover is a positive plant in the garden and lawn because it grabs oxygen from the air and stores it in the soil. Birds pecking at your lawn are not eating it. They are dining on insects that could be harmful to your lawn. The birds are your friends indicating that your lawn has an invader.

EAT watermelon when it’s warm. Watermelon is actually a vegetable, not a fruit filled with 92% water. Time to make a watermelon popsicle. (The popsicle was invented in 1905…quite tasty history.)

DOWNLOAD a free pollinator guide for the United States and Canada at http://www.pollinator.org/guides.htm. For the Lamorinda area, click on “California Dry Steppe”.

MARK your calendars for September 26th Pear and Wine Festival in Moraga. Stop by the Be the Star You Are! booth for free seeds and other give aways including a COMPLIMENTARY brand new book as part of the literacy outreach project, “Read, Lead, Succeed!” Infohttp://starstyleradio.net/Events/Entries/2015/9/26_Pear_%26_Wine_Festival_2015.html

BUY tulips, hyacinths, and crocus to refrigerate for six weeks before planting.

REGISTER your pollinator garden, large or small or even a container that provides pollen and nectar to bees, butterflies, bats, flies, etc at www.millionpollinatorgardens.org

RAKE fallen leaves to add to your compost pile along with your lawn clippings.

I’m off to speak at the National Gardening Symposium. Can’t wait to bring you the latest and greatest gardening tips from the harvests of horticulture professionals.
frog
Happy Gardening and Happy Growing!
Read more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue0914/Digging-Deep-Gardening-with-Cynthia-Brian-Pollinator-Paradise.html
Read September Garden Guide:  https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue0913/Cynthia-Brians-Gardening-Guide-for-September.html

Press Pass: https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2015/08/31/cynthia-brians-september-gardening-guide/

©2015
Cynthia Brian
The Goddess Gardener
Starstyle® Productions, llc
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
925-377-STAR
I am available as a speaker, designer, and consultant.
Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show at www.StarStyleRadio.net

For the Birds!

Posted by Editor on
0
Empowerment
For the Birds!

Australian kookaburra bird

“I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.” Joseph Addison, essayist and poet (1672-1719)
birdhouses - 6
Are you attracting birds to your backyard? In the past few months, I have received numerous emails and calls from readers literally around the world asking questions about our flying friends. Many people have indicated that the bird population has increased in their landscaping, with some gardeners enjoying first time visitors.
Robins, sparrows, hummingbirds, crows, red tailed hawks, quail, mourning doves, jays, owls, chickadees, wrens, bushtits, mockingbirds, thrashers, robins, yellow warblers, finches, larks, wrens, orioles, blackbirds, tanagers, and many other species are calling Lamorinda home.
cyn-parrot-florida.jpg – Version 2
This past week I adopted a one winged cockatiel named Spunky. He and I immediately bonded as he spawned the impetus to write about the benefits of birds.  Although I’m a novice at identifying many of these wonderful creatures, birds have always fascinated and entertained me as I’ve watched quail with their newly hatched covey convening on my lawn, or the robins annually lay eggs in the wreath on my back door. This year the airspace around my home is particularly jammed with crows cawing. I thought I was experiencing a remake of “The Birds” recently when a convention of turkey vultures and crows assembled on my rooftop. I snapped a photo of two before jumping into my car for safety as twenty other buzzards landed.
buzzards on rooftop - birds-vultures
How long have birds been on the planet? In 1859 Bavaria fossils were found dating to 140 million years ago that suggested that modern birds evolved from a feathered ancestor, Archaeopteryx, similar to a dinosaur. The size of a crow, Archaeopteryx is the probable ancestor of over 9,000 species of birds.
Bartlett Mountains-Nov. - 09
The appeal of birds in our backyards is numerous. While watching their antics and enjoying their beautiful plumage as well as their melodious song is intriguing, the grand dividend for gardeners is their free assistance as garden helpers. Birds are constantly turning over leaves, scratching in mulch, or flitting from bush to tree finding their meal of insects we never see. Birds such as flycatchers and swallows decimate flying pests. Seed-eating birds will glean 95% of the weed seed that grows every season.  When we welcome birds to our backyards, we are creating a home landscape that will naturally ward off diseases and pests. Bacteria and spores struggle to survive as our gardens become more organic creating a natural balance between pests and plants.
birdhouses - 5
Here are ways to maintain flocks flying as your personal aerial garden rescue crew.
1. WATER: A water feature is a magnet for birds, especially in the hot summer months when water is scarce. Add birdbaths, ponds, and fountains for them to bathe, drink, and even forage. Birds can hear the sound of running water from great distances.
2. SHELTER: Birds need to be protected from the whims of Mother Nature. Many birds love brush piles that offer cover. They search for nest building areas and will find your birdhouses, especially those placed in sites that mimic natural surroundings. Some birds, like wrens, will reside nightly in a birdhouse to keep warm and safe. Install roosting boxes and shelves.  If you already have birdhouse, keep them clean. As Miguel de Cervantes wrote “Never look for this year’s birds in last year’s nests.”
3. FOOD: Birdfeeders offer a birds-eye view of their acrobatic displays. Plus, supplementing their meals could be the difference between life and death. Include seed, suet, fruit, nuts, and nectar for the hummingbirds. In the winter, make sure to continue feeding. If you plan to stop feeding your birds, slowly wean them so as not to cut off their food supply.
4. PLANTS: Plant evergreens, vines, shrubs, annuals, and perennials. Birds especially enjoy fruit bearing trees like peach, plum, apricot, and elderberry as well as seed bearing plants like Blackeyed Susan, cosmos, and sunflowers. Hummingbirds are attracted to red, deep-throated flowers with nectar. Include scarlet trumpet vine in your yard. Native species including mustard, wild pea, poppy, shooting star, milkweed, larkspur, lupine, columbine, anemone, bleeding heart, and verbena will draw hummingbirds, butterflies, and seed and insect eating birds to your backyard.
Birdbath-zinnias
Take care of your birds and they will take care of your garden. Life is for the birds!

Cynthia Brian’s Mid Month Garden Tips
birdhouses - 4
GRILL your fresh-picked eggplant, corn, watermelon, and peppers on the barbecue. Brush with olive oil and garlic, sprinkle with salt and sage or cilantro.
PICK pears and Asian pears. Slice up into salads or eat then fresh off the tree.
DIVIDE bearded iris. When iris rhizomes are crowded, they will not bloom. Use a sharp shovel to slice through the rhizomes, then re-plant in other areas or share with friends. Even small pieces will grow into plants.
SUCCESSION plant arugula, lettuce, carrots, beans, and beets for crops that will continue to feed you through fall.
ENJOY the birds. They are favorite friends of our landscapes providing entertainment, pest control, and nature nurture.

Happy Gardening and Happy Growing!
marigolds
• Read more with photos
• Read August Garden Guide

©2015
Cynthia Brian
The Goddess Gardener
Starstyle® Productions, llc
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
925-377-STAR
I am available as a speaker, designer, and consultant.

Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best selling author, speaker, coach, and host of the radio show, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® broadcasting live every Wednesday from 4-5pm PT on the Voice America Network.. She also is the creator and producer of Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501c3 charity.

Cynthia Brian’s Gardening Guide for April

Posted by Editor on
0
Empowerment
Cynthia Brian’s Gardening Guide for April

“Nothing is so beautiful as spring-when weeds, in wheels, shoot long, and lovely, and lush…” Gerard Manley Hopkins

cover crop - 1

Poppies and lupines dot the green hillsides and roadways. The skies are azure blue, the weather is wickedly warm, turkeys hobble and gobble in neighborhoods. Spring is in full swing.

As it always is every April, my orchards and hills are carpeted with weeds. This year I sprinkled seeds of mustard throughout my landscape as a cover crop to heighten the nitrogen levels in the soil. A sea of yellow waves in the wind greeting me on my morning walks. Large black crows call my casa their casa. The “Birds” are back splashing in the fountain outside my office alongside the occasional red-tail hawk popping in for a drink. A covey of quail with their baby chicks darting behind them, munch insects and dandelions around my lawn. The re-birth of nature recharges my energy and makes me grateful to be alive in our bucolic rural locale.

lantana, purple

This week I received my EBMUD home water report with my water score and this congratulatory note: “Way to go, WaterSaver! You ranked in the top 20%”! While the American average usage according to the Environmental Protection Agency is 400 gallons per day, we used only 147 gallons per day versus the average EBMUD household of 362 gallons per day. Households in the top 20% used an average of 213 gallons per day. I’m using 29% less water than the previous 12 months, perhaps putting me in the top 10% of water savers. But I’m scared of what will happen when summer comes. The drought is real and it will affect each of us. I plan on watering by hand with a hose as much as possible as this will save approximately 33% more than turning on the sprinklers. Soaker hoses will be great assets for water conservation in my vegetable and herb gardens. I will only be planting a smattering of color spots with specimens I am certain can withstand less moisture. Any extra water used for washing or rinsing dishes and bodies is collected and used in my patio pots. What are your plans to keep your garden alive through the forthcoming hot weather while conserving H20?

65 year old pink peony - 5

CHECK your irrigation system and consider investing in newer drip or weather based controllers.

START seeds in any recycled container from plastic cups to coconut hulls. Drill a hole in the bottom, add good potting soil, and you are ready to roll. If you plant in orange rind halves, you can plant the entire “container” in the ground.

SAVE water by placing a bowl under your colander when washing greens and vegetables in the sink. Dump the water in the garden.

SCRUB your outdoor furniture and organize your patio. Spring is here and it’s time to start the party planning.

FRESHEN your curb appeal with fragrant flowering plants such as star jasmine that will welcome guests with their heady spring perfume.

EMPTY any standing water in saucers, old tires, buckets, gutters, or barrels. Mosquitoes are already on the prey. If you have a pond and want free mosquito fish, contact Vector Control at 925-685-9301. Vector Control is also your resource for problems with skunks or yellow jackets.

WATCH for holes of voles in your lawn and garden. Voles are extremely destructive and non-discriminating when it comes to eating everything and anything growing. For major infestations, call in the professional eradicators.

BRIGHTEN your garden with drought tolerant succulents. With so many shapes, sizes, textures, and colors, you’ll be able to create a palette of striking performance that require minimal moisture.

CUT and turn into the soil any cover crops you planted last fall to add nitrogen and nutrients. Clover, mustard, fava beans are ready to be tilled.

CASCADE lantana from retaining walls and containers for long lasting color that attracts beneficial bees and butterflies.

TRELLIS thornless lady banksia roses or purple wisteria for a glorious spring mix that will continue to delight year after year.

VISIT the Moraga Gardens plant sale Saturdays and Sundays through April 19 for a wide variety of home grown from seed vegetables, herbs, and other plants. Each four-inch pot is only $3. Address is 1370 Moraga Way, Moraga from 9am-4pm.

SHEAR and shape conifers and junipers, removing any dead or diseased branches.

FERTILIZE roses, lawns, and all perennials.

DIVIDE, transplant or share with friends iris, delphinium, daylily, and chrysanthemum.

RE-SEED lawns with clover or high quality grass seed for a thicker, lush mat.

TAKE any moveable houseplants outdoors to give them a good shower and thorough drink. Put them on your lawn when you wash and water them, giving your grass a bath as well.
THANKS for all the wonderful comments about my last Digging Deep column, Paradise Found. Special thanks to Lamorinda Weekly reader, Sydney, who shares this tip about growing her 65-year-old spectacular peony: When winters are mild, put ice cubes around the base of your peonies. Prune stems low to a bud in January. Fertilize with fish emulsion and deadhead after blooms are spent in April.

COME to the Be the Star You Are!® charity Book Bash Blow Out on April 25th at 5 A Rent A Space in Moraga to buy brand new books at discount prices. Pick up your FREE seed packets and complimentary potpourri when you say you read The Lamorinda Weekly!

PRAY for April showers!

Enjoy the beauty and scents of springtime. May all your weeds be flowers. Continue being water savvy and garden smart.

Happy Gardening, Happy Growing.

Read Garden Guide

Read about Paradise Found

Suuculent flower
Mark your calendars for the BTSYA BOOK BASH BLOW OUT on Sat. April 25th from 11-4pm at 5 A Rent a Space in Moraga.
Meet authors and get autographed copies. Get FREE Potpourri.

©2015
Cynthia Brian
The Goddess Gardener
Starstyle® Productions, llc
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
925-377-STAR
I am available as a speaker, designer, and consultant.

Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best selling author, speaker, coach, and host of the radio show, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® broadcasting live every Wednesday from 4-5pm PT on the Voice America Network.. She also is the creator and producer of Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501c3 charity.

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)

RSS
Follow by Email
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Tweet