by Stan Logan | Aug 28, 2021 | Garden tools
Well, if you don’t have a supply of clips, I certainly do! I have come into possession (trying to be vague here) of probably 100 stationery clips. I thought they would be useful for attaching photo labels at the upcoming Fall sale. Since Rise has been able to find some classy card holders for us to use, I have plenty of clips to share with everyone who can use them. You can see by the photo below how the clips could be used to seal a bag of garden fertilizer (remember my recent blog about fertilizer lumps?). They could also be used to attach plants to a structure—the clip would not have to pinch the plant. I am currently using clips to attach shade cloth to wire lines. Heck, you could use a clip to secure outgoing mail to your mailbox. Although these clips have a touch of rust on them, they have all been through the dishwasher, so they are clean enough to use in the kitchen to seal food bags. Right now, next to me, is a cupboard where I keep a huge bag of oatmeal that I get from Costco—sealed with a clip.
So, what I would like you to do in the next few days, is consider how you could use these clips. Then, when you grab and handful, let me know what you have come up with, and I can add an addendum to this blog. Help me out here—my editor says clips are boring.
Stan, The Blog Man
Stationery Clips repurposed to keep fertilizer from clumping
How many ways can you use stationery clips in your garden?
by Stan Logan | Aug 28, 2021 | Garden tools, Safe Gardening
Armed Conflict
As the person who sharpened the tool shown, I feel it is my duty to warn you of a particular situation that may result in a wound like the one in the photo. It is important to remember that when yanking on plant material, that when that material comes loose, the grasping arm may suddenly fly backwards. If your other hand is holding a sharp object, that object may come into contact with said arm, resulting in skin penetration and a leaking of bodily fluids. To that end, please use extra caution when using one of the tools I have so thoroughly honed. It would ease my mind if you would create a first aide station in your back yard that would include a lot of bandages and perhaps a tourniquet.
Stan, The Concerned Man
by Stan Logan | Aug 14, 2021 | Weeds
I recently drove to the Shepard to leave a set-up map of Iris Society rhizome sale for Lisa. (By the way, she is a wonderful person to work with. We are lucky to have her.) As I walked around the building to the mail slot in the front, I noticed how great a club-planted area appeared. The landscape display created by the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society is absolutely outstanding. They have set a really high bar. The garden out front that the Perennial Plant Club maintains is impressive too. But . . . the garden created by the Iris Club looked terrible. Magnolia leaves covered the ground, weeds were growing, and the irises needed cleaning up. You know, the money spent by the Shepard making the club signs was well worth it as there was no denying who was responsible for the mess. Whether you call it pride or peer pressure, I was embarrassed. So, several days later we gathered a work crew and cleaned up our assigned area and planted more irises. Then we spread a yard of mini bark to spruce things up. Hopefully our garden will still look good so you can appreciate it the next time you visit the Center.
Stan, The No Longer Embarrassed Man
Succulent Society Garden |
 Iris Society spruced up garden |
by Stan Logan | Aug 8, 2021 | Fertilizer, Garden tools
As I have mentioned before, one of the most common finds at estate sales is gardening chemicals. Just today, for instance, we picked up a big bag of E.B. Stones’ Sure Start. You can frequently pick up different fertilizers really cheaply. Often times when you come around to using this fertilizer, you will find them with numerous lumps that have hardened because the bag wasn’t securely sealed. These lumps are dangerous to use because they concentrate too much fertilizer in a small soil area and “burned” plants can result. If you save one of the plant nursery trays that are in a fine grid, you can use it to screen off those lumps. Then if you put those lumps on pavement, you can give them a good stomping to reduce them to a granular form. Sweep up the remains and you have perfectly good fertilizer.
We also keep a good supply of these small grid trays to shade new plantings. It seems that the new planting of irises always occurs during the hottest weather of the year.
By the way, I have heard that plants growers are shifting over to rectangular trays. So you might hop to it in your quest for an old square one that you can use as a sifter.
Stan, The Lumpless Man
Nursery flat used to sift fertilizer clumps
by Stan Logan | Aug 6, 2021 | Garden tools
Have you ever lost one of your favorite gardening tools? If so, you know how upsetting that is. That was the state of my wife recently when she couldn’t find her favorite trowel. She had used it at the Rock Garden and then we remembered also at the Shepard on the same day. And now, it was nowhere to be seen. Which is exactly my point—the best insurance on your keeping a valued tool is that it can be seen. After days of fretting and searching where do buy another of the same kind of trowel, (the company Ultra Pro Garden Tools is apparently out of business) LaVille found her trowel amongst the mess on her potting bench. It was painted green and blended in with the litter.
So, for the second time, I am imploring you to take the time to brighten the appearance of your favorite garden tools. I’ve spoken to several gardeners who are using red spray paint—whatever suits your taste. The pain of losing a valued tool is severe, and possibly unavoidable with a little effort . . now! You know what they say, “Happy gardener—happy . . . “ What rhymes with “gardener”? . . . How ‘bout “pardoner”?
Yellow Trowel
Stan, The Happy Pardoner (LaVille says that “partner” would be more appropriate, even though it doesn’t rhyme as well)
