#happy season 3 of the test eve!

[killeroos]

THE TEST S01E08 - A NEW LEGACY

[cheynovak]

Last Christmas

Characters: Dean Winchester x Y/N Female character     

Summary: Y/N, a close friend of Sam and Dean, secretly struggles with her feelings for Dean as Christmas approaches, knowing it might be his last due to his demon deal. She convinces Sam to decorate the motel room and celebrate christmas one last time.

Warnings: none

English is not my first language 

Inspiration: season 3 ep. 8: A Very Supernatural Christmas

*Please do not copy my work, reblog/comments/likes are appreciated* 

It had been a long, grueling hunt. Y/N was exhausted, the adrenaline still wearing off as she leaned against the motel wall. Sam and Dean were nearby, packing away their gear with quiet efficiency. Even after years of hunting together, there was a comfort in their silence, a rhythm they’d all fallen into. But tonight, something felt different—heavier, like the weight of the world was pressing harder than usual.

Y/N stole a glance at Dean. His jaw was clenched, eyes focused on the weapons in front of him, but she knew his mind was elsewhere. She couldn’t stop thinking about the demon deal he made—the deal that was hanging over all of their heads like a dark, looming cloud. He’d given up his life to save Sam’s, and now his days were numbered. The thought alone twisted her heart, and she found herself staring longer than she should have.

“Y/N, you okay?” Sam’s voice snapped her back to reality. She quickly looked away from Dean, her cheeks warming.

“Yeah, just… tired,” she mumbled, forcing a smile. But Sam didn’t buy it, his brows furrowing as he studied her. He was always good at seeing right through her, but thankfully, he let it go this time.

Dean, however, didn’t seem to notice. He was already halfway out the door, saying something about grabbing food for the night.

As the door clicked shut behind him, Y/N let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She turned to Sam, trying to shift the mood.

“So… Christmas is in a couple of days,” she started, her voice soft, testing the waters.

Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, not really in the mood this year.”

Y/N had expected that. Dean’s deal hung over everything, making it hard to think about anything happy or festive. Still, she couldn’t help but want to give him something—one last Christmas, maybe, if things didn’t turn around. She had to try.

“Come on, Sam. I know things are… hard right now. But maybe we can do something small. For Dean’s sake, at least. It might be good for him—good for all of us.”

Sam hesitated, his jaw tightening. He stared at the floor, his conflict evident. “Y/N…”

“Please, Sam,” she interrupted, her voice almost pleading. “I just want this Christmas to be special. It might be our last with him.”

The room was quiet for a moment. Y/N saw Sam’s resolve crack, and finally, he nodded, his lips pressing into a thin line.

“Fine. I’ll take care of the eggnog,” he muttered,

--

Christmas eve arrived, Dean was out to get food thinking it would be a normal evening.

While Sam worked on the eggnog, Y/N busied herself with decorating the room. She strung up some old lights she’d found in a thrift store, their colorful glow bringing a little warmth to the cold, drab motel room. She even found a small, plastic Christmas tree earlier in the week, setting it up on the nightstand. It wasn’t much, but it felt a little like home.

As she adjusted the lights, she couldn’t help but think about Dean again. The feelings she’d been hiding for him for so long were bubbling closer to the surface. There was a chance this might be his last Christmas, and that thought sent a sharp pang through her chest. What if she never told him? What if he never knew how much he meant to her?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Dean walked in, his arms full of takeout bags and a couple of poorly wrapped presents.

“Well, look at this,” he said, his voice bright with surprise. “You two went all out. Kinda makes this crap motel room look… festive.”

Y/N grinned, feeling a small wave of relief wash over her. At least Dean seemed to appreciate the effort.

“Got you some food,” he said, setting the bags on the table. “And a couple of things to open, you know, for the hell of it.”

Y/N and Sam exchanged a look, their silent agreement to make this night something good for Dean. Y/N grabbed her own gifts from her bag—a couple of books for Sam (ones she knew he’d devour in no time) and a shirt for Dean with a classic Chevy logo on it.

“Here,” she said, handing them over with a smile.

Sam gave her a grateful nod, flipping through the pages of one of the books before setting it aside. Dean, on the other hand, held up the shirt, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“Chevy, huh? You know me too well, sweetheart.”

Her heart skipped at the nickname, but she covered it with a laugh. “Figured you could use a shirt to work on baby, so you don't get all your good shirt dirty with oil.”

Sam handed her a small, neatly wrapped gift, and she opened it to find a bottle of shampoo—her favorite kind, the one she was always complaining about never finding on the road.

“I… I know it’s not much,” Sam said, scratching the back of his neck. “But I saw it and thought of you.”

Y/N smiled warmly. “It’s perfect, Sam. Thank you.”

Then Dean handed her his gift—a bottle of cheap perfume, the kind you’d find at a gas station. But when she opened it and took a whiff, it wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it smelled pretty nice.

“I know it’s nothing fancy,” Dean said, a little sheepish. “But it smelled good, and I thought…”

Y/N couldn’t help but keep sniffing the bottle, a grin on her face. “Dean, I love it. Really, it’s… nice.”

Sam noticed the atmosphere in the room chance when Y/N kept looking at his brother while smelling her perfume covered wrist.

The second Sam closed the bathroom door Dean shifted in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I really love it Dean, thank you." Y/N said. “Yeah, well… I had another gift in mind. This one was just easier to wrap.”

Y/N looked up, confused. “What do you mean?”

Dean hesitated for just a moment, then took a step closer. His green eyes met hers, and for the first time, she saw a flicker of something in them—something vulnerable, something he usually hid behind jokes and bravado.

Before she could process what was happening, Dean leaned in, his lips brushing softly against hers. Her breath hitched, and for a second, everything else—the looming deal, the darkness of their lives—faded away.

All that mattered was this moment.

Him.

When he finally pulled back, Dean looked a little unsure of himself, but there was a small, crooked smile on his lips.

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” he whispered.

--

Taglist -> Click here to add

@jackles010378 @libby99hb @winchesterwild78 @suckitands33

@mostlymarvelgirl @deans-baby-momma @ancles @tulipsvanilla

@thesilmarillionblog @jays-bonnie-on-the-side @kr804573

@kamisobsessed @hobby27 @globetrotter28

@kindollss @muhahaha303 @shadysoulangel @lyarr24

@spxideyver @impala67rollingthroughtown @panickedbitch

@deadlydivergentgirl @livya99 @deansimpalababy

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

CS Winter Bingo--Square 3 (holiday decorating): A Match Faked for Christmas, ch. 2

Hi there and happy holiday season!  In an attempt to continue procrastinating my season 4 rewatch drabbles–and to not feel guilty about it–I decided to participate in the CS Winter Bingo event.  I received nine winter/holiday related prompts arranged in a square like a bingo card.  My mission is to make a bingo by writing at least three of my prompts before winter is over, but I’m hoping to do better than that!  I’m hoping to finish all nine!  Given the nature of the event, you can expect a lot of fluff (but then what else would you expect from me, after all?)  I’m hoping to keep them short as well, but I’m usually not nearly as successful at that.  And without further ado, let’s play CS Winter Bingo!

Rating: G

Word count: 1391

Today’s prompt: Fake Dating: Holiday Edition

Other chapters: (1) (2) (4) (5) (6)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A Match Faked for Christmas–Chapter 2

Killian had expected to spend a rather lonely and boring holiday season.  His brother, his last remaining family, had passed unexpectedly more than five years ago now, and his former girlfriend, Milah, had left him earlier that summer for another man.  (It was the sting of that rejection, in fact, that had led him to relocate to Storybrooke several months ago.)

The result was that he expected to have no one with which to spend the festive season.  Oh, he’d received an invitation to the Christmas party the Nolan’s were hosting on Christmas Eve, but he wasn’t even sure he planned to accept.  There was something supremely depressing about attending a party with a group of happy people when one was not similarly happy.

What he hadn’t expected was Emma Swan.

He’d noticed his next-door neighbor from the moment he moved in next to her.  She was gorgeous, of course, but it was more than that.  There was an undeniable spark, an undeniable attraction far beyond what he would normally feel for a beautiful woman he was just meeting.  He hadn’t felt anything like this at least since the moment he met Milah–maybe not even then.

Belonging.  He felt like they belonged together, as ridiculous as that sounded.

He’d tested the waters upon first meeting her, flirting, showing interest, making it abundantly clear that should she be amenable, he’d love to explore the connection between the two of them.

But she’d made it equally–and rather frostily–clear that she had no interest in his attentions, and so he’d backed off.

When the first cheesy, homemade Christmas card arrived, at first he’d wondered if he’d misjudged the situation.  Perhaps it wasn’t that she’d summarily rejected him.  Perhaps she was simply reserved or shy.  When the second, third and fourth arrived, he’d become suspicious, and when the fifth arrived just as Mary Margaret Nolan went past on her nightly walk with the Nolan’s dog Wilby, he was certain his suspicions had merit.

“Anything interesting in the mail today?” she asked casually–far too casually–as she stopped beside his home.

Oh yes, his instincts were certainly correct.  The handmade cards were far more the bubbly Mary Margaret’s style than the aloof Emma Swan’s.

When the final card arrived, with its overly sappy, romantic sentiment, he knew it was time to discuss the matter with Emma herself.

He didn’t know what he’d expected from the conversation, but one thing was for certain.  He hadn’t expected to return to his home with the new-found title of Fake Boyfriend.

He couldn’t say he was upset with the arrangement.  Being Emma’s boyfriend–even if the relationship was a sham–would necessitate they spend time together, wouldn’t it?  Perhaps the time together and the shared deception would soften the lovely Miss Swan’s heart.  Stranger things had happened, particularly at this magical time of year.

And so it was the day after their bargain was struck, that Killian found himself ambling over to Emma’s door, two steaming mugs of cocoa in hand.

It took her some time to come to the door–so long, in fact that Killian was on the point of leaving–and when she did, it was abundantly clear, he’d woken her.  Her hair was a riotous tumble around her shoulders, she wore plaid pajamas and big fuzzy slippers.  Her eyes were barely open.

Even just rolling out of bed like this, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“Killian, what the hell are you doing knocking on my door this damn early on a Saturday morning?” she asked, arms crossed angrily in front of her.

“Early?” he asked, breezing past her into her home, “Swan, it’s 10:30 am.”

“On a Saturday,” she reiterated grumpily.

“I apologize for waking you,” he said, holding out one of the styrofoam cups to her. “I come with a peace offering.”

She took the cup without a word, one eyebrow going up as she peered up at him.  Finally she brought it to her lips and took a swig.  “Hot cocoa,” she said appreciatively, cupping her hands around the warm beverage.  “And you added cinnamon! How did you know to add cinnamon?”

He shrugged.  “Took a chance, love,” he said.  “I like it that way, I thought perhaps you might too.”

She took another long sip, humming appreciatively, the sound so primal, it sent a bolt of longing straight through him.  “Well your chance paid off.  Since you plied me with cocoa, I’m feeling significantly less homicidal about you waking me.”

He chuckled. “Glad to hear it.”

“So why are you here,” she asked after a moment.

“Keeping up appearances,” he said cheerfully.  “After all, if we’re to make Mary Margaret Nolan believe that we are in a relationship, we really should spend some time together.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” she said softly, almost under her breath.  “So what exactly did you have in mind for us to do to keep up appearances.  What should we do to convince the nosy neighbors that we’re an item?”

He raised an eyebrow and grinned mischievously in response, and she chuckled.  “Whatever it is you’re thinking, no.”

He put a dramatic hand to his chest.  “You cut me to the heart, Swan.”

Her chuckle turned to a full blown laugh at that and she playfully swatted his arm.  “You are an idiot.”

He merely grinned–like an idiot–in response.

“So let me rephrase,” she said after a moment.  “What do you have in mind that doesn’t put a look like THAT on your face?”

Killian looked around her sparsely furnished apartment.  “Swan, it’s a week until Christmas and you haven’t got a single decoration up, so I propose that be our couple mission for the day.  We must get you a tree and make this place festive!”

For a long moment he thought she was going to refuse, but finally she nodded.  “Fine, as long as you help me take it down when the season’s over.  Give me few minutes to make myself presentable.”

“You look beautiful already,” he said simply, and his grin grew when her cheeks pinkened at the compliment, “but as to your terms I accept.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That evening, David Nolan found his wife standing in front of their front window, peering intently across the street.  He chuckled, as he put an arm around her waist.  “You know Mary Margaret, I suspect our neighbors would be none too pleased to know the extent to which you spy on them.”

She turned and gave him a quick kiss before returning her focus to Emma Swan’s home. “They’ll get over it,” she said.  “David, look how well our plan is working!  They’ve spent the whole day together.  Look how happy they are!”

David dutifully looked in the direction his wife was pointing, and had to admit the couple in question did look like they were enjoying their time together.  They’d put a large, full Christmas tree in front of the picture window and had trimmed it with lights, garland, ornaments, talking and laughing as they did so.  Now nearly finished with their task, Emma stepped up on a ladder to place the star on the top.  The angle was awkward, and she leaned precariously, finally placing the topper just right….before windmilling her arms, losing her balance, and falling directly into Killian’s arms down below.

Mary Margaret actually cackled, clapping her hands in delight at that display.  “Just look at them!” she said triumphantly.  The two across the street stood still for a long moment–Emma in Killian’s arms, both looking into each other’s eyes in surprise and perhaps something more.  “At this rate they’ll be engaged by New Years!”

“I wouldn’t bet against you and your matchmaking skills, honey,” he said with a laugh.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Notes: Well, I didn’t manage to include nearly as many cheesy Hallmark movie tropes as I would have liked into this chapter, but I managed to include hot cocoa and “one character falling and the other catching them before staring into each other’s eyes”, lol.

Something tells me this “fake” relationship might not be shaping up to be quite as fake as Emma thinks it is!

Up next: caroling!

NEXT CHAPTER->

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 54

hello and welcome to fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

all i want for christmas by tusslee

“Listen,” Lance squeezes Keith’s fingers in his hands, “I’m as bad at this as you probably are and this is going to be really cheesy, but that’s the way I was raised and I know I act like an idiot around pretty girls, but I’m an even bigger idiot around you. Go ahead and try to guess why that is. No, actually don't do that."

this one is gonna be an xmas special!! even though im writing this before halloween lol. anyways. this was so cute!! lance being all stressed about what he should get keith bc he's all in love w him any everything. so real.

2. You're Here (Where You Should Be) by @blue-wanderer

"And if you’re worried about the cameras just take care of them.” “Take care—! Take care of them? With what, Keith?” “I don’t know?” Keith asks, busily testing his foothold in the gate and generally ignoring the rising storm cloud of ire behind him. “With a gun?” “A gun? This isn’t some sort of black ops storming an enemy base thing! This is a Christmas tree thing!” “I don’t see a difference? You’re the sharpshooter. Shoot out the cameras.” “Let me just pull a gun out of my ass, Keith!” “OK, problem solved,” Keith agrees, taking another step up the gate. “Nothing is solved you dumb country space redneck!”

Or Keith and Lance may be disasters at decorating, but Christmas still manages to work its magic on them.

i bookmarked this like a year ago and let me tell you all i needed to hear was dumb country space redneck and i was hooked 😭😭 and it lived up to the name fr. hate the canon ending? want lance to not be a farmer while still acknowledging his struggles with homesickness? want some whipped keith and meddlesome kosmo? want some cheesy xmas feels? click ahead!

3. make my wish come true by angelbolt

“A world where one has to fight for custody of one’s boyfriend is a godless one,” Lance muttered, slumping so he was leaning against Hunk. Shiro exchanged some final words with Kolivan before the screen blipped out. Ah yes, the ideal Christmas Eve: long boring talks and war meetings. Wonderful. ❆❅❆ keith comes home for christmas.

fun game idea: take a shot every time you see a klance xmas fic with a mariah carey lyric. lol. ANYWAYS yall know me and established relationship + early season dynamics!! i am obsessed!! and this fic delivers!! grumpy lance pov who just wants the rest of the world to fuck off for a couple days so he can have his bf around. he's such a voice of the people

4. i'll be home for christmas by @thespacenico

A severe bout of winter weather threatens to stop Shiro from making it home for his first Christmas with Keith. Shiro is ready to do whatever it takes to keep his promise.

okay this one is from darcy's i've got you brother, which i am obsessed with and have cried over several times, and which just recently updated! this fic is so cute and a adashi with young keith always fucking gets to me, man. they're just so. shiro being so desperately determined to keep his promise to young keith who has had so many promises broken that he doesnt even expect shiro to try. but is happy that he does. sobbing.

5. the greatest gift of all by dumpsterdiva

Keith’s mouth hung open for a few seconds before he stammered, “D-do you really mean that?” Lance looked a bit sheepish as he said, “I… It’s crazy, right? I mean, it’s way too soon. You know I was kidding.” Keith straightened up. “Well, I’m not. Marry me.” “What?!” “You heard me, you coward. Marry me.” “That’s the worst proposal ever!” “Worse than you threatening me with marriage so I would stop talking about how amazing you are?”

YOU GUYS KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT PROPOSAL FICS. i feel ksjbskdbqjdbqwlwd about them. okay. and throw in a christmas setting??? and banter?? and a MODERN AU?? i am doing my best, people. this fic had me shoving a pillow into my face and screaming.

that’s it for today!! happy holidays! merry christmas!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!

[babyboywinchester]

my thoughts are just filled with ultra religious and pregnant sam.

i was thinking about how as kids and through his whole life, sam always prayed. he was a devoted follower of god. nothing shook his faith. as kids sam would be on his knees and pray every night and dean was so extremely jealous. he wanted to know why god had sam’s undivided attention.

so as they grew up, dean learned that sam wanted to wait for marriage. to find a nice girl to settle down with and start a family. obviously this did not fly with dean. so when sam is fourteen and dean is eighteen, because he wants sam so badly, they sneak into a wedding and as the priest is reading the marriage vows out, they get married. with twig and grass rings and hushed whispers as they hide.

they get back to the motel and dean looks sam in the eyes, and says “now that we’re married, we can finally sleep together.” sam just looks at him and smiles,because he’s happy they are married under the eyes of god and can finally have his brother without sinning.

now a month or two into marriage they are faced with a positive pregnancy test (because they were definitely going at it like rabbits). dean and sam are over the moon about the baby. dean is immediately overprotective even more and sam is annoyed a bit but also extremely grateful and finds it funny. i feel like they would welcome a baby boy first (Adam) and then a girl second (Eve) and then twin boys, named Cain and Abel. They would definitely name their kids as the first man and wife (who were also siblings but literally made for one another) and the brothers who betrayed and killed each other because not that they know it, but reflects their future.

- season 3 anon in my brainrot of supernatural

YOOOOOOOO WRITE THAT SHIT I WOULD EAT IT UP YEEEEEEEES FINALLY SOME GOOD FUCKING FOOD AROUND HERE

[tameblog]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. 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Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

[ramestoryworld]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix - Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor & outdoors across North America. With over 16 varieties and 100,000 wildflower seeds, this mix is the best solution to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies & birds are essential for garden plants health. Our Special Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix Includes White Yarrow, Columbine, New England Aster, Siberian Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Sweet William, Purple Coneflower, Blanketflower, Gayfeather, Blue Flax, Lupine, Dwarf Evening, Primrose, Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan. Easy & Fun Growing Experience with our online guides - Don’t plant disappointment - Add more colors to your wildflower garden! We send only super hearty heirloom flower seeds with the highest germination rate and fast sprout. Our detailed growing guide helps you grow seeds the garden of your dream like a PRO. Colorful Wildflower Garden from Seeds - Grow wildflowers everywhere - Indoor in window garden or Outdoors Flower garden Garden make a beautiful design for your garden borders, pathways, field or meadow and attract pollinators. Made in the USA by Small Family-Owned Business - Quality You Can Trust - Our wildflower bulk seeds variety pack are tested at the highest germination rates before being sealed to last for up to 3 years before you need to plant. Each packet of our flower seeds variety pack is resealable to make it easy to store and has its own label with a QR code for the growing instructions. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

[alexha2210]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix - Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor & outdoors across North America. With over 16 varieties and 100,000 wildflower seeds, this mix is the best solution to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies & birds are essential for garden plants health. Our Special Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix Includes White Yarrow, Columbine, New England Aster, Siberian Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Sweet William, Purple Coneflower, Blanketflower, Gayfeather, Blue Flax, Lupine, Dwarf Evening, Primrose, Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan. Easy & Fun Growing Experience with our online guides - Don’t plant disappointment - Add more colors to your wildflower garden! We send only super hearty heirloom flower seeds with the highest germination rate and fast sprout. Our detailed growing guide helps you grow seeds the garden of your dream like a PRO. Colorful Wildflower Garden from Seeds - Grow wildflowers everywhere - Indoor in window garden or Outdoors Flower garden Garden make a beautiful design for your garden borders, pathways, field or meadow and attract pollinators. Made in the USA by Small Family-Owned Business - Quality You Can Trust - Our wildflower bulk seeds variety pack are tested at the highest germination rates before being sealed to last for up to 3 years before you need to plant. Each packet of our flower seeds variety pack is resealable to make it easy to store and has its own label with a QR code for the growing instructions. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

[angusstory]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix - Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor & outdoors across North America. With over 16 varieties and 100,000 wildflower seeds, this mix is the best solution to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies & birds are essential for garden plants health. Our Special Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix Includes White Yarrow, Columbine, New England Aster, Siberian Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Sweet William, Purple Coneflower, Blanketflower, Gayfeather, Blue Flax, Lupine, Dwarf Evening, Primrose, Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan. Easy & Fun Growing Experience with our online guides - Don’t plant disappointment - Add more colors to your wildflower garden! We send only super hearty heirloom flower seeds with the highest germination rate and fast sprout. Our detailed growing guide helps you grow seeds the garden of your dream like a PRO. Colorful Wildflower Garden from Seeds - Grow wildflowers everywhere - Indoor in window garden or Outdoors Flower garden Garden make a beautiful design for your garden borders, pathways, field or meadow and attract pollinators. Made in the USA by Small Family-Owned Business - Quality You Can Trust - Our wildflower bulk seeds variety pack are tested at the highest germination rates before being sealed to last for up to 3 years before you need to plant. Each packet of our flower seeds variety pack is resealable to make it easy to store and has its own label with a QR code for the growing instructions. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

[tumibaba]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix - Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor & outdoors across North America. With over 16 varieties and 100,000 wildflower seeds, this mix is the best solution to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies & birds are essential for garden plants health. Our Special Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix Includes White Yarrow, Columbine, New England Aster, Siberian Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Sweet William, Purple Coneflower, Blanketflower, Gayfeather, Blue Flax, Lupine, Dwarf Evening, Primrose, Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan. Easy & Fun Growing Experience with our online guides - Don’t plant disappointment - Add more colors to your wildflower garden! We send only super hearty heirloom flower seeds with the highest germination rate and fast sprout. Our detailed growing guide helps you grow seeds the garden of your dream like a PRO. Colorful Wildflower Garden from Seeds - Grow wildflowers everywhere - Indoor in window garden or Outdoors Flower garden Garden make a beautiful design for your garden borders, pathways, field or meadow and attract pollinators. Made in the USA by Small Family-Owned Business - Quality You Can Trust - Our wildflower bulk seeds variety pack are tested at the highest germination rates before being sealed to last for up to 3 years before you need to plant. Each packet of our flower seeds variety pack is resealable to make it easy to store and has its own label with a QR code for the growing instructions. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

[romaleen]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix - Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor & outdoors across North America. With over 16 varieties and 100,000 wildflower seeds, this mix is the best solution to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies & birds are essential for garden plants health. Our Special Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix Includes White Yarrow, Columbine, New England Aster, Siberian Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Sweet William, Purple Coneflower, Blanketflower, Gayfeather, Blue Flax, Lupine, Dwarf Evening, Primrose, Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan. Easy & Fun Growing Experience with our online guides - Don’t plant disappointment - Add more colors to your wildflower garden! We send only super hearty heirloom flower seeds with the highest germination rate and fast sprout. Our detailed growing guide helps you grow seeds the garden of your dream like a PRO. Colorful Wildflower Garden from Seeds - Grow wildflowers everywhere - Indoor in window garden or Outdoors Flower garden Garden make a beautiful design for your garden borders, pathways, field or meadow and attract pollinators. Made in the USA by Small Family-Owned Business - Quality You Can Trust - Our wildflower bulk seeds variety pack are tested at the highest germination rates before being sealed to last for up to 3 years before you need to plant. Each packet of our flower seeds variety pack is resealable to make it easy to store and has its own label with a QR code for the growing instructions. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

[monaleen101]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix - Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor & outdoors across North America. With over 16 varieties and 100,000 wildflower seeds, this mix is the best solution to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies & birds are essential for garden plants health. Our Special Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix Includes White Yarrow, Columbine, New England Aster, Siberian Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Sweet William, Purple Coneflower, Blanketflower, Gayfeather, Blue Flax, Lupine, Dwarf Evening, Primrose, Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan. Easy & Fun Growing Experience with our online guides - Don’t plant disappointment - Add more colors to your wildflower garden! We send only super hearty heirloom flower seeds with the highest germination rate and fast sprout. Our detailed growing guide helps you grow seeds the garden of your dream like a PRO. Colorful Wildflower Garden from Seeds - Grow wildflowers everywhere - Indoor in window garden or Outdoors Flower garden Garden make a beautiful design for your garden borders, pathways, field or meadow and attract pollinators. Made in the USA by Small Family-Owned Business - Quality You Can Trust - Our wildflower bulk seeds variety pack are tested at the highest germination rates before being sealed to last for up to 3 years before you need to plant. Each packet of our flower seeds variety pack is resealable to make it easy to store and has its own label with a QR code for the growing instructions. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

[iamownerofme]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix - Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor & outdoors across North America. With over 16 varieties and 100,000 wildflower seeds, this mix is the best solution to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies & birds are essential for garden plants health. Our Special Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix Includes White Yarrow, Columbine, New England Aster, Siberian Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Sweet William, Purple Coneflower, Blanketflower, Gayfeather, Blue Flax, Lupine, Dwarf Evening, Primrose, Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan. Easy & Fun Growing Experience with our online guides - Don’t plant disappointment - Add more colors to your wildflower garden! We send only super hearty heirloom flower seeds with the highest germination rate and fast sprout. Our detailed growing guide helps you grow seeds the garden of your dream like a PRO. Colorful Wildflower Garden from Seeds - Grow wildflowers everywhere - Indoor in window garden or Outdoors Flower garden Garden make a beautiful design for your garden borders, pathways, field or meadow and attract pollinators. Made in the USA by Small Family-Owned Business - Quality You Can Trust - Our wildflower bulk seeds variety pack are tested at the highest germination rates before being sealed to last for up to 3 years before you need to plant. Each packet of our flower seeds variety pack is resealable to make it easy to store and has its own label with a QR code for the growing instructions. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

[shelyold]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix - Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor & outdoors across North America. With over 16 varieties and 100,000 wildflower seeds, this mix is the best solution to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies & birds are essential for garden plants health. Our Special Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix Includes White Yarrow, Columbine, New England Aster, Siberian Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Sweet William, Purple Coneflower, Blanketflower, Gayfeather, Blue Flax, Lupine, Dwarf Evening, Primrose, Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan. Easy & Fun Growing Experience with our online guides - Don’t plant disappointment - Add more colors to your wildflower garden! We send only super hearty heirloom flower seeds with the highest germination rate and fast sprout. Our detailed growing guide helps you grow seeds the garden of your dream like a PRO. Colorful Wildflower Garden from Seeds - Grow wildflowers everywhere - Indoor in window garden or Outdoors Flower garden Garden make a beautiful design for your garden borders, pathways, field or meadow and attract pollinators. Made in the USA by Small Family-Owned Business - Quality You Can Trust - Our wildflower bulk seeds variety pack are tested at the highest germination rates before being sealed to last for up to 3 years before you need to plant. Each packet of our flower seeds variety pack is resealable to make it easy to store and has its own label with a QR code for the growing instructions. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

[iammeandmy]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix - Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor & outdoors across North America. With over 16 varieties and 100,000 wildflower seeds, this mix is the best solution to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies & birds are essential for garden plants health. Our Special Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix Includes White Yarrow, Columbine, New England Aster, Siberian Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Sweet William, Purple Coneflower, Blanketflower, Gayfeather, Blue Flax, Lupine, Dwarf Evening, Primrose, Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan. Easy & Fun Growing Experience with our online guides - Don’t plant disappointment - Add more colors to your wildflower garden! We send only super hearty heirloom flower seeds with the highest germination rate and fast sprout. Our detailed growing guide helps you grow seeds the garden of your dream like a PRO. Colorful Wildflower Garden from Seeds - Grow wildflowers everywhere - Indoor in window garden or Outdoors Flower garden Garden make a beautiful design for your garden borders, pathways, field or meadow and attract pollinators. Made in the USA by Small Family-Owned Business - Quality You Can Trust - Our wildflower bulk seeds variety pack are tested at the highest germination rates before being sealed to last for up to 3 years before you need to plant. Each packet of our flower seeds variety pack is resealable to make it easy to store and has its own label with a QR code for the growing instructions. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

[januishstory]

Happy New Year’s Eve GPODers! 2024 is officially coming to a close. As we give the final curtain call on this year there will be plenty of celebrating, but this is also an opportune time for reflecting and setting our goals for next year—including our goals and intentions for the next growing season. Whether you’ve been gardening for decades or just digging into your plant passions, it’s always important to take stock of what went well this past year and what needs some more work. Did you finally get blooms on a plant that’s been reluctant to flower in previous years? Did you test a new pruning or fertilizing technique that proved to be something you should have tried ages ago? Or is there a part of your garden that needs a little help next spring? Did you have to say goodbye to a plant after many years of growth, and it’s time to researching the best possible replacement? To help inspire reflection (and potentially persuade some of you to submit your gardening goals for 2025), I’ve decide to share my garden resolutions for next year. And if you haven’t yet, go through some garden photos today and reminisce on what you and your plants have been through this year. 1. Give more attention to my indoor plants. I’ve enjoyed my ever-growing houseplant collection for several years now, but this is the first year I’ve felt a struggle to keep up. With lots of events, traveling, and just general life stresses, I found my indoor plants experiencing extended periods of neglect. Thankfully, as someone inclined to cacti and succulents, most of my plants can sail through this neglect and have survived a year of carer-induced drought. However, many are looking a little worse for wear because of it. Next year I’ll be making a better effort to give my indoor plants the attention they deserve. ‘Baby’s Necklace’ Crassula is one of my absolute favorite plants, my biggest regret this year is letting this beauty get to this sad state! 2. Get a better set up for my indoor plants. For a couple of years now all of my houseplants lived on a table in front of a window in my kitchen. While this certainly worked, it was not an ideal set up for me or my plants. 2025 is the year I’m finally investing some time and money into my growing set up. I’ve actually already made moves on this goal, getting rid of the old table. While they’re currently enjoying a vacation on the dining room table, this inconvenient spot is further encouragement to get my new plant shelves assembled ASAP. 3. Expand on the skills I’ve acquired in my vegetable garden. This year was the very first year I grew vegetables and herbs from seed, and I’m happy to report that it was a smashing success! However, anyone that tends a vegetable garden knows that a smashing success can also come with its own set of challenges. My seed starting was so successful that I found myself with far too many plants and a garden that quickly grew out of control. Paired with a busy year where I didn’t dedicate enough time to maintenance that I would have liked, and my harvests were not as bountiful as my early plant growth would have suggested. But this year of experience has really galvanized me to go in even stronger next year. Taking the knowledge I’ve acquired, I’ll be starting seeds again with more intention, far better planning, and more consistent maintenance. 4. Be more thrifty in my gardening habits. As I invest more and more time into my plant endeavors, it becomes more and more evident that I need to be frugal with my garden practices. Whether your garden is a small plot, a windowsill, or an expansive landscape, you can always find ways to dump a lot of money into this enriching hobby. Like all of you, I’ve spent my fair share on plants, pots, gadgets, etc. While I want to continue to grow and evolve my gardening practices, I need to start utilizing some more free and cheap techniques. I plan on experimenting more with propagating and collecting seeds. I’ve already had some success with propagating. This ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum was grown from a cutting gifted by a friend, and my mother was ready to trash this burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) when I saved the last string and a few fallen leaves to bring it back to life. 5: Say goodbye to plants that just aren’t working. When we make New Years resolutions (inside and outside of the garden) it can be easy to rattle off all of the new things we’re going to get around to doing this year. It can be a little harder to pin-point the things that are no longer serving us and that we need to step away from. In order to accomplish all of the goals I listed above, it’s time to say goodbye to some plants that are taking time away from more fruitful endeavors. This mainly includes some houseplants that I’ve been barely keeping alive or continuously buying replacements of (determined that this is the one that I’m going to have success with). I’ve also decided to scrap starting herbs from seed this year, giving me more time to hone my skills with vegetables. The lithops above are an example of a plant I need to put on the back-burner for now. I had a pretty healthy bunch, and one by one they have either rotten or dried out and died. I know they aren’t getting enough light, evidence by them stretching well beyond the soil, but I also think my soil mix and pot choice were wrong. When I’ve gotten a better handle on my other plants, maybe I’ll get a new bunch and give these a go again. BONUS: Continue to grow the GPOD community and encourage even more gardening discussion and camaraderie. In the additional time I hope to spend with my plants in 2025, I also hope to find some inspiration and ideas for continuing to inject new life into Garden Photo of the Day. I’m endlessly inspired by the gardeners (long-time contributors and new faces) that keep this blog alive. If you’ve been following GPOD for years or just discovered it in 2024, thank you so much for being here. I want even more gardeners to feel encouraged to share their plants in the new year. Thank you for hearing out my 2024 gardening lessons, and the goals I’m taking into 2025. I hope some of these resonated with you, or that you’re feeling inspired to write your own 2025 garden goals. If you feel so inclined, share your goals with GPOD! Click ‘View Comments’ and login to comment your goals below, or follow the directions to submit your goals with photos of your 2024 garden.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor & Outdoors Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix - Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor & outdoors across North America. With over 16 varieties and 100,000 wildflower seeds, this mix is the best solution to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies & birds are essential for garden plants health. Our Special Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix Includes White Yarrow, Columbine, New England Aster, Siberian Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Sweet William, Purple Coneflower, Blanketflower, Gayfeather, Blue Flax, Lupine, Dwarf Evening, Primrose, Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan. Easy & Fun Growing Experience with our online guides - Don’t plant disappointment - Add more colors to your wildflower garden! We send only super hearty heirloom flower seeds with the highest germination rate and fast sprout. Our detailed growing guide helps you grow seeds the garden of your dream like a PRO. Colorful Wildflower Garden from Seeds - Grow wildflowers everywhere - Indoor in window garden or Outdoors Flower garden Garden make a beautiful design for your garden borders, pathways, field or meadow and attract pollinators. Made in the USA by Small Family-Owned Business - Quality You Can Trust - Our wildflower bulk seeds variety pack are tested at the highest germination rates before being sealed to last for up to 3 years before you need to plant. Each packet of our flower seeds variety pack is resealable to make it easy to store and has its own label with a QR code for the growing instructions. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link