What is the Subject of Your Container Garden?

Container gardening has to be the simplest form of landscaping. It takes very little effort, you don't have to be an expert gardener, the attractive planters can fit in with virtually any decorating scheme, you can move em around, and the best part, weeding is virtually non-existent. If you hook up a drip watering system, you don't even have to water them!

Some basic rules to remember are:

- allow for adequate drainage by putting gravel in the bottom of the pot

- use containers that are large enough to accommodate a mature plant (to save you transplanting)

- know your plants - if they like sun – don't give them shade

Try to be creative by combining a variety of plants in various complimentary color combinations or better yet, combine them to reflect different themes. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Salsa Garden

Get bright yellow or orange planters, or create your own by decorating with a cactus or lizard pattern. Include the following plants: two chile pepper plants, one golden tomato plant, a tomatillo or husked green tomato plant, and cilantro.

Pizza Garden

Include these homegrown treats on your next pizza: oregano, basil, fennel, onions, bell peppers, roma tomatoes, and eggplant.

Stir Fry Garden

The next time you make stir fry, here are your veggies, just add shrimp or chicken: Onions, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, green beans. Add stakes for the climbing beans and let the zucchini trail over the sides of the container.

Pesto Garden

You'll love this pesto garden containing just basil and garlic.

Pasta Sauce Garden

You'll have the freshest sauce in town with this garden that contains: roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, onions, basil, oregano, thyme, garlic.

Herbal Tea Garden

Make a fresh cup of herbal tea by picking a few leaves and allowing them to steep in a tea ball. At the end of the season, you can bring your planter indoors or trim your herbs and dry them. Here is a good selection to begin with, and don't be scared to mix and match: bee balm or bergamot (also used in Earl Grey), lemon balm, mint (choose different types), and relaxing chamomile.

If you're working out in the garden on a hot day, fill a tea pot with water, throw in a few leaves and let it steep to make Sun Tea.

Culinary Herb Garden

There is nothing like using fresh seasonings for your cooking and this selection can be used in hundreds of different dishes: Thyme, lemon thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, marjoram, chives, dill, parsley, sage, and tarragon. You may need two large containers for this one!

Tomato Salad Garden

In your container plant beefsteak tomatoes, green onions, and basil. Just add lots of extra virgin olive oil and some Italian bread and you'll have a salad you'll want over and over again. It's even more decadent if you add mozzarella cheese.

Scented Garden

Nothing is nicer than sitting outside and catching a scent of a fragrant bloom. Just run your hand through these plants to get an extra whiff: lavender, scented geranium, rosemary, and lemon balm.

Houston Texas Garden

We were contacted by the owner of a Houston, Texas home who asked us to design a series of gardens and landscaping features that would compliment and expand the Mediterranean theme of his house into the surrounding landscape. This house sat on a very large lot of several acres in a secluded Memorial Drive neighborhood located near the 610 Loop. The home featured a symmetrical, linear appearance in spite of its two-story build, and our client wanted a landscape and garden design that would follow these same principles of self-contained regularity and subtle linear motion.

Creating a Mediterranean theme in a Houston, Texas garden and landscape is a bit more complex that it might appear at face value. The southern coast of Europe-particularly in Italy and Greece-is a mountanous area where homes and gardens are built on steep angles and sharp vertical rises. Gardens and fields are often built in terraces that climb the mountains due to the limited planting area and rough, rocky terrain. Limestone is the predominant rock type in Italy and Greece and has become iconic of this part of the world in our collective consciousness. Mediterranean homes and gardens are historically famous for their white stucco walls, olive groves, and carefully sculptured greenery embedded in a rugged limestone backdrop.

The challenge lay in taking an essentially three-dimensional landscaping style and transfering it to a Houston property. As we all know, this part of Texas is very flat, so a hillside garden is out of the question in the literal sense. However, using a combination of symmetrical forms and linear progressions, along with some innovative garden materials, we were able to mimic several aspects of seaside European terrain.

The key to doing this was to establish a combination of circular forms and linear patterns in the multiple garden elements we designed. French and Italian gardens place a heavy emphasis on order and symmetry, and both tend to utilize right angles to establish form. We planted a variety of low level growth around the house and rear swimming pool patio to emphasize its walls and corners. We then added three keynote forms to the landscape to create a Houston equivalent of a Mediterranean garden.

The first of these forms was a knot garden centered on the front door, located just in front of the home's motorcourt. We planted boxwoods in three circular rows that looked like terraces on a hillside. In the center of the knot garden we planted Loropatalum, punctuated with a lone Crinum lily as the center piece. The rich purple of the Loropatalum draws catches the eye, and the vertical dimension added by the lily draws it upward to the front entrance of the house.

Moving then to one side of the house, we transformed a substantial portion of the yard into a parterre garden that centered on a large glass room that extended from the west wing of the house. This garden was populated by low-growth rose bushes whose amenability to constant trimming makes them an ideal plant material for parterre gardens, and whose colorful blooms a made them stand out from multiple vantage points throughout this Houston neighborhood. The garden borders were made from of boxwood hedges, and the central pathways were made using European limestone gravel that mimics the color of the limestone cliffs of the Aegean and Adriatic Seas. We then completed the design by adding dwarf yaupon, a small shrub that bears a curious resemblance to clouds, all along the borders of the gravel walkways. This helped create the impression that the garden was located on a hilltop near the sea, and that the clouds were rolling across the shoreline.

One of the most appealing attributes of this Houston, Texas property is its superb location. The back of the yard borders a 50-foot ravine carved out of the earth by a major tributary of Buffalo Bayou. This seemed to us a natural destination spot for garden guests to visit after strolling around the west wing of the home to the pool. To encourage them to do so, we planted an alley of crepe myrtles leading from the pool area all the way back to the woods along the ravine. We then built a walkway out of limestone aggregate blocks that started at the parterre garden, ran alongside the house to the pool, then ran straight out through the alley of trees to the scenic overlook of the forest and stream below.

Add Some Magic With Garden Lighting

Anyone who knows me well knows that there is no place I would rather be at the end of a long day than out in my garden enjoying a cup of tea. In the cool fall and spring months, I prefer a cup of hot peppermint tea in my garden, and in the heat of summer I apt for a cup of iced lemon tea. There is something magical about being in my backyard garden that I just cannot get enough of. I have read more books, journaled more pages, and shared more great conversations with my family in our garden than almost anywhere else. The atmosphere of my garden was recently made even more magical when we strung garden lighting throughout the entire thing.

I have no idea why I hadn't thought of using great garden lighting before, but I was definitely open to the idea when my artistically driven teenage daughter suggested it as we sat on our back porch one night with tea cups. She thought that garden lighting might do something special for the mood of the garden and that it might make us want to spend even more time there.

Before I knew it we had sat our tea cups down and were headed to a local gardening store to see what kinds of garden lighting we could find. We were amazed when we took time to look through the store at how many garden lighting options we had. We choose a few strings of tiny Chinese laterns that we in bright teal and olive colors. We both loved them and knew that they would be the perfect garden lighting for our needs.

We rushed home and decided not to wait until morning to put the garden lighting up. Instead, we went immediately to our backyard garden and began stringing the lights from tree to tree to tree. After checking to see that all of the bulbs worked, we decided not to let ourselves turn the garden lighting on until we had it all up and hanging in place. I'm so glad we waited because when we finally turned on our new garden lighting it was amazing. The small and colorful Chinese laterns did a lot for the look and feel of our garden. The garden lighting only made it more inviting than it was before.

We gathered the rest of our family and brought them outside to see our work. They enjoyed the garden lighting as much as we did and within minutes we were making popcorn and had plans to enjoy the backyard garden together that evening. I love the way my garden lighting looks, but even more than that I love the way our garden has become a gathering place for the people I love most.

Garden Bugs

For as much as I like most bugs, they undoubtedly have a way of ruining a garden in a very timely fashion. As a child, I would run from the garden to the woods, transplanting as many garden bugs as possible before my mother came out to send them to their final resting cloud in the sky. I always thought it was rather unfair to kill garden bugs. After all, they were just bugs who were hungry and had landed in the garden to eat. How are garden bugs supposed to tell the difference between the regular plants and the garden?

As an adult, however I now understand the vast amount of money that can go into a garden, and I understand that garden bugs have a critical mass population and wiping out a few hundred isn't something that is going to send my soul to hell, so down with the garden bugs.

Fortunately there are some very effective methods of dealing with garden bugs that are inexpensive, non-toxic, and safe for everyone except the garden bug. Depending on the particular garden bug you find yourself plagued with you may very well be able to get rid of your pesky garden bugs without ever having to chemically treat your garden.

I know that slugs are not a garden "bug" per se, except that they are in your garden and they definitely bug you as they slowly destroy all you plants. Personally, I like slugs and do make the effort to remove them before killing them. However, once I am outnumbered, my only option is to send them off to a happy garden bug heaven.

Slugs are very attracted to beer. When killing garden bugs with beer, quality actually does matter. They seem to prefer the Corona or Killian's type of beer, bug for a garden bug, they certainly like to swing it back. Tupperware containers that are no more than an inch high with about ¾ of an inch of beer on the bottom placed strategically around the garden will attract this sweet and loveable garden "bug" where he will merrily drink himself into a drunken stupor and fall fast into a permanent sleep. It is my belief that if we have to kill the garden bugs, we should do so with as much kindness and thoughtfulness as humanly possible.

Japanese Beetles, the garden bug that loves to murder the rose bushes, quietly rest in perpetual silence in a small jar of olive oil. These garden bugs are simple to scoop into a small jar where they will ultimately fall into a peaceful permanent sleep.

Of course, there are specific plants that will help minimize garden bugs in your garden. Planting Basil next to your ground cover for instance helps deter tiny gnats once the basil reaches maturity. The list is endless. Next time your garden bugs are snacking heavily, check out the vast array of alternative methods of deterring and destroying garden bugs without causing significant harm to plants, pets, children, or other helpful small creatures.

What Makes Up a Good Mediterranean Garden?

A Mediterranean garden is one of the eye catching gardens that have the look and feel of a European get away even when the garden is located in Southern California. This is a tasteful and colorful type of garden that is found in places like Italy, Spain or Greece with a maraud of colors and old world charm.

The Mediterranean garden also includes things made of stone, concrete or ceramics and can include fountains or ponds that lend a cooling and relaxing atmosphere to the garden. In a true Mediterranean garden there are plants and trees that are of olives, citrus, and vines of grapes, along with Pomegranates. Plants that are found in these gardens are Lavender, Rosemary, Oleanders and even the common Geranium. This garden is usually built upon a mixture of edible herbs and fruits among the color and beauty of flowers to make it an appealing and aromatic place to relax. Relaxation is one of the key features in the Mediterranean garden; this can be from a simple stone bench, a swinging seat or the table located on the stone or brick patio. One thing that is out of place in this garden is wood and metal, this is a garden built on old world charm and not the modern conveniences of today, like the wood that is placed to hold some beds in place or help to raise them.

The most important thing to remember with a garden of this type is to choose the plants that will go into it carefully and be aware of their watering needs. This garden is not located in the climate of Italy, Spain or even the South of France; it is located in a place like Southern California. That means the plants must be able to tolerate the climate in this location successfully to flourish yearly.

These gardens can also include plants like roses that can be found in a huge variety of colors and flower sizes to help compliment the garden in their elegant way. They are a relaxing garden that often have stone or brick pathways winding through them to lend to the Mediterranean feel.

One feature about this type of garden is the aromatic herbs that can be planted such as sage and rosemary that other types of garden might not include, the herbs are ones based on the herbs that can be found in the Mediterranean gardens of Italy or Greece. In the garden it is possible to find a relaxing seat hidden amid the floral and scents of herbs.

While these are lively gardens filled with color and smell they also should include the old world charm that is gained by the use of cement, stone and brick found in these original gardens that are often used to make paths through the garden for a relaxing look of a place to gaze upon the colors and smells.

This is the type of garden that can fit the style of any home and can give the appearance of a warm inviting hideaway.

Find Out About Helpful and Nutritional Information About Olive Oils

Should I begin to use olive oils at home? Read more and a lot of questions related to olive oils will be answered here.

One of the oldest foods known to mankind comes from the olive tree, native to Mediterranean regions. The olive tree is mentioned frequently in the Bible, also in the Garden of Gethsemane and well-known in the Jewish tradition, where the oil miraculously burned for eight days. Olive oils occupy a major place today, a subject of cooking delights, winning praises from nutritionists as a healthy way to avoid cholesterol problems.

A lot of countries where olive trees thrive declare that the olive oils they produce locally is superior. There are different class, with different uses suitable to a given gastronomic application. To the average cook, the subject of olive oils may prove unclear. When do you use cold-pressed, extra virgin oil? To dress your salad perfectly, which kind of oils is suitable? What's best for general cooking? Spanish or Italian? Let's take a quick look at what's offered and try to clarify some of the mystery.

All olive oils are missing one component you can find in almost every other type of oil - cholesterol. As a starting point, you know you're making a healthy diet choice when you opt for olive oils.

Now let's talk about country of origin? Italy, Spain, Greece and France all have prolific olive producing regions, and compete with one another for the top rank in quality and purity.

The truth is that every olive producing region has climate and soil conditions, giving a distinctive character to the oils produced and doesn't have much to do with an inherent level of quality that can be identified as inferior or superior. Climate and soil makeup procure a distinctive flavor, amounting to simple preference or affinity of special oils to foods within the same locale.

The grading of olive oils is another story. The refinement of the product is defined by grading, mostly noticeable in the acidity.

The "extra virgin" label is designated to the first "cold" pressing of the olives. This designation prescribes a maximum of 0.8% acidity, suitable for the finest salad dressing, where the top flavor of the cold pressing is recognised.

Oils called "virgin" are known to be a lower class, but still an acceptable salad dressing quality. Virgin olive oils must not contain more than 2% acidity, and must not contain refined oil. As the delicate flavor will be lost in cooking, virgin oils should not be wasted in cooking.

Products just labelled "olive oil" do not aspire to strong or refined flavours and are best suited to cooking. Likewise, a label that says "100% pure" or "Imported from Italy" could be misleading, implying a degree of quality that is not warranted. Such labels indicate the lower end of quality, composites of oils from many countries, suitable to frying without the fine distinctive essence and low acidity of virgin olive oils.

Among chefs, olive oil is a cult thing. It's important to understand the grades if you want to get the most from your cooking. Anyhow, remember that these oils have no cholesterol and it will do your heart good to understand the fine points. So here you go, I hope you will look at olive oils in a different way from now on. Take care of your health now, do not wait.

How to Cure Olives

You can cure olives at nearly any stage, but the really tiny green ones aren't really worth it. We sell raw green olives that grow from medium to super large. Grown with tender loving care in the sunny Central Valley area of California, USA. The differences between green and black olives are their ripeness and method of preparation. If interested in purchasing some of our raw olives visit our Raw Olive Order Page. You've got several choices, depending on your curiosity and fanaticism.

Every hour on the hour for the next 12 to 14 hours remove lid and plate and mix the olives thoroughly from top to bottom while swirling the stick at a slight angle.  Be sure to use gloves during this process so as to not get lye on your skin.  You will notice that the water will eventually turn to a brownish color.   The dark brown color indicates that the lye solution is removing the bitterness from the olives.

Olive trees, however-which have a very long life-don't stop producing fruit just because they've become mere decorations. Literally tons of olives go to waste in southern California every year! Part of the crop, of course, is consumed by starlings, one of the few birds that will eat the bitter berries. The lush oval fruit also makes super ammunition for the slingshot set (the ripe ones find their target with a satisfying purple splat).

Start tasting olives after about two weeks to check on bitterness. When you are happy with the taste of the olives drain the salt water, rinse, shaking of excess water.

Place the olives in cold water. Completely cover all of the olives, make sure none are poking out. This can be done in a pan. You may need to weigh them down with something. At least once a day, change out the water with fresh, cold water. Make sure you don't forget, otherwise bacteria could build up in the water.

Wash olives. With a sharp knife, make a cut in the meat of the olive (top to bottom) without cutting the pit. In a pan, soak the olives in brine (1 part salt to 10 parts water). Make sure the olives are submerged (use something to weight them down) and cover. Cure the olives for 3 weeks, shaking the pan each day and changing the brine each week, then taste for bitterness (they could take up to 5-6 weeks depending on the olives). When they taste the way you want, place in jars with brine (1 part sea salt to 10 parts water), add 4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and top with a layer of olive oil.

Growth Habits: The olive is an evergreen tree growing to 50 ft. in height with a spread of about 30 ft. The tree can be kept to about 20 ft. with regular pruning. The graceful, billowing appearance of the olive tree can be rather attractive. In an all-green garden its grayish foliage serves as an interesting accent. The attractive, gnarled branching pattern is also quite distinctive. Olives are long-lived with a life expectancy of 500 years. The trees are also tenacious, easily sprouting back even when chopped to the ground.

Pickling. Prepare a vinegar-water solution - equal parts vinegar and water. Add salt to the vinegar-water solution: ½ to 1-cup salt per gallon - do not omit salt as it prevents bacterial growth. Add garlic an spices if desired. Cover tightly and store at room temperature. Good for 4-5 months at room temperature or 10-12 months in the refrigerator.