Tag Archives: Spring
October 24, 2011 Prepping for Winter
Today, I finished preparing my perennials and landscaping for winter. I turned off the water to the outdoor water spickets, cut down perennials and put my solar lights in the garage to await next summer’s warmth.
I have purchased all of my perennials at the always-fantastic Bergen’s Nursery. (Check out their Facebook page here.) Not only do they have fabulous plants, but also they have super knowledgeable employees. They advised me to not cut my perennials completely down before winter since the dead foliage and stems are protective coverings for the plants against Minnesota’s harsh winters. In my front flowerbed that faces the southern sun, I have phlox and balloon flowers mixed in with various annuals and low shrubs.
Along my garage on the west, I have some daisies and some hardy gayfeathers. All of these get cut so that only three or so inches remain above ground.
Hostas line the back of the house and just love the shade. I mostly leave these until the spring except that I cut off the tall blooming stems. Not the prettiest, but they will soon be covered with piles of snow until late spring.
In the spring, it is very easy to just pull the crunchy dead foliage away and uncover the tiny green life as it pops to the surface. Of course, it is also vital to plant only perennials and bushes that are appropriate for your weather zone. Most of my perennials are hardy up to 30 or 40 degrees below zero. To find your zone, check out this handy map of hardiness zones from the National Arboretum. This map will even let you see your county.
What’s up with these lilacs though that apparently think it’s spring and time to bud??
Tags: balloon flowers, Bergen's Nursery, gayfeathers, hostas, landscaping, lilacs, perennials, phlox, plants, Spring, winter
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- Posted under Gardening
September 17, 2011 A Simplification Project
I was at our amazing local thrift store with a friend yesterday, and it is just packed with used books. I found one book by Elaine St. James called Simplify Your Life. I flipped through it and decided that for fifty cents, it was worth bringing home. I was interested to see how some people organize and simplify their lives. I have to say that some of the “100 ways to slow down and enjoy the things that really matter” are pretty good and are things that I already do or could start doing. However, I thought that some of them got a bit far-fetched. (I have no plans to eat only fresh fruit one day every week.)
I will be the first to admit that this book was written in the ’90s but most general organizational tips shouldn’t change that drastically even over seventeen years. Of course, nothing about digital organization is mentioned. I noticed that this book was a National Bestseller and was endorsed by Oprah, which to me means that many women must find these ideas helpful.
Here is an excerpt about it from a book review on www.barnesandnoble.com.
“The more complex life becomes, the more people crave simplicity. Whether it’s in your work, relationships, health, finanaces, or leisure time, simplicity expert Elaine St. James can help you learn to unwind and improve the quality of your life. If you’re overpowered, overextended, and overwhelmed by the go-go lifestyle of the past decade, Simplify Your Life is your antidote, providing one hundred proven, practical steps for creating a simple and satisfying way of life. ”
So… who am I to knock it without trying it?!?! I will be doing my best to try these tips in the order that they were written, writing about three or four per week. I’ll let you know how the tips work for me and if I feel that they truly benefit my life. I figure that by the time the Minnesota Spring rolls around in April of 2012, I will have figured out if my life is simpler and therefore more enjoyable or simply more frustrating and choice-less.
Let the simplifying begin!
Tags: book, digital organization, Elaine St. James, Minnesota, Oprah, organize, simplify, Simplify Your Life, Spring, thrift store
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- Posted under Managing Time, Organizing
