I was thrilled to discover TerraCycle's garden fertilizer that features a hose attachment. Now, instead of crawling around on my hands and knees to sprinkle organic fertilizer around the base of each plant, I can simply spray down the garden until the soil is damp and well-saturated. 

These days, with my precious time taken up by unpacking at my new digs, the ability to quickly feed our vegetable patch with a sweep of the hose made me a very happy camper.  And stay tuned, because photos of the new gardens in Port Aransas will be coming shortly!

This is a wonderful time in my life, so full of opportunity. In a few weeks, I will be graduating from Southern Methodist University with a Masters degree in Business Administration. The past two years, I have struggled to find my place among students that are determined to climb the corporate ladder. For me, getting an MBA has never once been about landing the perfect job or securing a big salary. Many classmates talk about dreams of driving fancy cars, owning big mansions, and leading Fortune 500 companies. But my aspirations are far more basic. For me, going to business school was not about getting a prestigious degree. It was about acquiring the tools that will help me create a business that makes a difference and that makes me happy. Perhaps it will be a gardening business. Or maybe a non-profit. Whatever form my entrepreneurial aspirations take, I will always be grounded by my love for gardening and tending the land. When you garden, nothing is more awe-inspiring than the evolution of one tiny seed into a magnificent, blossom-laden plant. No Bentley, or mansion, or corner office will ever satisfy me as much as digging my hands into the earth come springtime. For this, for my love of gardening, I am so very grateful.

So please join me as I embark on a very exciting new adventure. I can't wait to share my coastal gardening experiences with you!

Callie 

If you are like me, you have several bromeliads lying around the house without any dramatic blooms on them. I want to get those suckers blooming, so I did a little research that I would love to share with you. Check out some of these hints:

1. To encourage blooms, an HGTV article suggests placing the plant inside a paper bag with an apple for three or four days. Apparently, the ethylene gas will force the bromeliads to form a flower bud.

2. The same HGTV article also suggests hiking up indoor heat to 75 degrees.

3.  Bromeliad Society International proposes adding Epsom salts to the plant to help promote growth and encourage blooms.

4. BSI also reminds us that 99% of bromeliads only bloom once.

Looking for a good online source for bromeliads? Try Stoke's Tropicals. 

1. DON'T PRUNE! I know that many of you are tempted to cut back your hydrangeas once the flowers and foliage dies back in late fall and winter. Any pruning, however, threatens your plant's ability to create blossoms during the following spring. Most heirloom and classic varieties of hydrangeas only bloom on the previous year's growth. Let me explain: each year hydrangeas develop new branches. These new branches, however, will not create flower buds until the NEXT season.

Here is a photo of one of my hydrangeas. See the new buds? These buds are growing on last year's growth.

If you cut back your hydrangeas, you are cutting off any chance for blossoms the next year. If you feel the need to prune, only snip off dead flowerheads or old, dead canes that do not show signs of budding come spring.

1. Birds eating tomatoes? It's not the tomatoes they're after. Most birds peck at tomatoes because they are thirsty, NOT hungry. Provide a source of water for birds, whether it be a small fountain or a birdbath, and the birds will occupy themselves with the water, not your tomatoes.

2. Tomato seeds like it hot. According to propagation manuals, tomato seeds germinate best at 85 degrees (F). Try starting seeds indoors with a plant heating mat (mats are available at garden centers and at Amazon.com). If you prefer starting seeds in the garden, invest in a soil thermometer and wait to plant seeds until the soil has heated up to at least 60 degrees (F).

3. Companion plant for insect control and better plant health. Famed advocate of biodiversity John Jeavons writes, "Like people in relationships, certain plants like and dislike eachother." Create biodiversity in your own garden and control pests organically by planting your tomatoes alongside chives, onions, parsley, asparagus, marigolds, nasturtiums and carrots. Keep tomatoes away from kohlrabi, potatoes, fennel and cabbage.

Plant swapping rewards go beyond budget 

Garden stools that will knock you off your feet 

Garden Rant

Stop the mulch madness!  

San Francisco Chronicle

Shearing shrubs makes them shapely, at a cost 

Plenty of ideas blooming after garden show

Dirt by Amy Stewart

Sam's Club sells fair trade flowers 

New York Times

In the garden: A sisterly rivalry leads directly to pies 

Garden Q&A: A hibiscus, far from home 

May Dreams Gardens

Notorious Nightshades: A guest post by Susan Whittig Albert 

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Green gardening: Lilac leaves indicate pea planting time

To do list - time is running out to plant tomato seeds 

Austin-American Statesman

Gardening workshops offer expert advice 

March outside and plant tomatoes for a bountiful summer harvest

San Antonio Express News

Neil Sperry: Best garden hose is ultra-flexible 

Garden is seeking the tops in treehouses 

 Previously, I mentioned how much I love the Egglings I received as a Christmas gift this year. This week I stumbled upon a fantastic website that sells Egglings and a host of other fun gardening-related gifts. Appropriately named Perpetual Kid, this web site is addictive! Have fun exploring! My personal favorite is the Grow-Your-Own Body Snatcher kit. Ha!

In spite of all my pre-conceived notions, I planted two rose bushes recently: Elie Beauvillain, a tea climber from Texas-based Antique Rose Emporium, and Tess of the d'Urbervilles, a red, double English rose from David Austin Roses.

Elie Beauvillain (Source: Antique Rose Emporium)

Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Source: David Austin Roses) 

Unfortunately, my Elie Beauvillian is already suffering a bit of blackspot after this week's torrential downpours, but both plants are moving along well. I look forward to sharing photos when the plants start to bloom.

ONLINE ROSE SOURCES

Antique Rose Emporium

David Austin Roses 

Chamblee Rose Nursery 

Jackson and Perkins

Now that spring has arrived, I spend every moment that I can spare wandering throught the backyard checking on the progress of my tulips and my early spring veggie seeds. This morning I was caught off guard by a beautiful bird song that I don't often hear in this part of North Texas.

To get a better view of this flying Figaro, I dusted off my long-range camera lens and tried my best to shoot straight without the help of a tripod.

Referring to my trusty Birds of Texas Field Guide, I first thought this bird was a Bewick's Wren, but after comparing songs, my bird turns out to be a Carolina Wren. This particular wren eats insects, fruit, and a few seeds. Interestingly, the male is known to sing up to 40 different song types, singing one song repeatedly before switching to another. 

Click here to listen to the Carolina Wren's song. Click here and here to listen to other vocalizations.

I'm turning into such an Anglophile... I envy everything about gardening in the UK... Check out this great article in The Times about what's hot in gardening for 2008:

Gardening expert Stephen Anderton wipes the mud from his crystal ball to reveal the hot trends and must-have plants for 2008

Shade-loving variegated plants brighten Dallas gardens

Indoor plants improve winter well-being 

Sustainable Gardening Newsletter January 08 (Takoma Gardener)

Green roses are sterile but seductive flowers 

Edibles: Oh, joy! The Territorial Seed catalog is here!

How to avoid perennial gardening mistakes 

Coming soon from Urban Outfitters - Upscale Garden Centers 

10 rules of eco-gardening 

  When temperatures drop below freezing many hobbyists can simply move indoors. Training for a marathon? Hop on a treadmill. Mad about your automobile? Wax that thing in the garage. For gardeners, however, it's not quite that simple.

  As an active gardener not yet lucky enough to have a greenhouse or an expansive sunroom, I find myself looking longingly out at the garden from my kitchen window for much of the winter season. Enter "The Eggling".

An ingenious product created in Japan, the eggling is a ceramic egg filled with soil, nutrients and plant seeds. Crack open the top, add water, give it some light, and watch it grow! (Think chic and modern Chia pet.)

 My godparent Gail thoughtfully gave me three herb egglings for my birthday. I love the idea of starting thyme, basil, and mint seedlings in the dead of winter. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on their progress.