Xylem & Phloem

Photo Source: Stoke's Tropicals 

I am hyperfocused on blooms these days... Perhaps all the spring pollen is going to my head!

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. 

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Are you disappointed year after year by your hydrangea's poor blooming? There could be a number of reasons why your hydrangea is covered in green foliage with no blooms in sight. Here are some tips to keep your hydrangeas happy, healthy, and full of magazine-worthy blossoms:

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.

Continue reading "Keep Hydrangeas Blooming Year After Year" »

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Longing for a bumper crop of fresh, juicy tomatoes this summer? Here are a few tips that I have found helpful:

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.

Continue reading "Tomato Tips" »

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P. Allen Smith, the man that makes me think I need to add an initial to my name, gets hip to butterfly gardening on his website this week.

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Branding is everywhere. Period. Look at the shoes that you chose to wear today. Or, maybe the earrings that you put on. In my case, I am wearing 4-inch leopard-print stilettos this morning. Hence, my shoes reinforce “The Callie Brand” that conveys sexy confidence. (NOTE: If you really believe that I am wearing 4-inch leopard-print stiletto heels right now, then don’t let go of that belief. Hold on to it forever, and I will seem ten times more interesting. For the record, I am barefoot and reinforcing “The Callie Brand” that conveys the fact that I am too lazy to put on shoes this morning.)

Why do I need a brand?

You don’t. But good branding is what makes things memorable. Think of a highly recognizable brand. Let’s go with Southwest Airlines. SWA has done such a great job of branding that when you think of the airline you immediately come up with positive images: the distinct colors of the planes, happy and humorous employees, on-time arrivals and departures (for the most part) and low prices.

Sure, branding for a major corporation is hugely important for the bottom-line. But what about personal branding? Before we talk about branding gardens, let’s talk about the importance of the less obvious –
but no less important - personal brand.

Personal Branding: How do you brand yourself?

I will never forget the way that my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Ferrell, smells. Every day, Mrs. Ferrell wore the same perfume to class. Years later, Mrs. Ferrell moved to the middle school and was my teacher for 7th grade English. The first day she walked into the room, I exclaimed, “Mrs. Ferrell! You’re wearing the Indian In The Cupboard perfume!” She was so tickled that I remembered her perfume and instantly associated the scent with the book we studied that year. To this day, I will always think about Mrs. Ferrell when I get a whiff of “Design” perfume. That was my first lesson in personal branding, and I will never forget it.

“What does this have to do with branding my garden?”

Undoubtedly, you have put countless hours into cultivating your garden. Why not create a garden brand that brings back beautiful memories of your garden every time that a friend or family member sees it? A few simple branding techniques can all-at-once convey your pride in your garden, give your garden it’s own unique personality, and bring back memories of that spectacular garden party you threw last fall or the delicious homegrown pepper jelly that you gave as a holiday gift.

Part Two: Creating your garden brand

Part Three: Designing your garden logo

Part Four: Putting your garden brand to work

Part Five: Create a web presence for your garden brand

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Strong brands have strong names. Your first step to garden branding is naming your gardens. Keep it simple by limiting the number of words. A lengthy name is hard to remember and even more hard to fit into a logo design.

Do your friends remember where you live because of a distinct street name? Try various combinations using the name of your street. If I were naming my gardens using a street name, it would be “Saranac Gardens” or “The Gardens of Saranac”.

Are you known for your success in growing one particular plant? If the entrance to your home or garden plot is graced by a cascade of roses, a name like “Rambling Rose Gardens” will take your friends back to the first moment they were awed by your stunning, rose-covered entryway.

The most obvious name brand for your gardens would involve your first or last name. To up the level of creativity, try using a bit of alliteration. Susie Smith might use “Smith’s Sanctuary”. Bob Thomas might use “Bob’s Botanicals”.

Whichever name you chose, stick with it. Even if it is a bit difficult to remember or pronounce (Xylem & Phloem, anyone?), consistency is the key to making it memorable.

Part Three: Designing your garden logo

Part Four: Putting your garden brand to work

Part Five: Create a web presence for your garden brand

Part One: How to brand your garden 

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You don’t need a degree in graphic design or a $400 imaging software program to create a distinct logo for your garden brand.

Using Microsoft Word:

1. Open a new blank document

2. Click on the View menu, and select Toolbars -> Drawing. A drawing toolbar will appear.

3. Click on the icon that looks like a 3-D, blue letter ‘A’. This is WordArt.

4. Now, select any WordArt style, type in your garden brand name, and click ‘Okay’. Using your mouse, you can manipulate the text into different shapes. The Wordart Edit Text toolbar will let you change the text color and rotate. Once you are satisfied, right-click on the text and select ‘Save As Picture’. It is helpful to save the logo in several different file formats.

Or, draw your own logo in black ink on a white sheet of paper. Use a scanner to scan the logo into your computer and save it as a graphics file. Don’t have  a scanner? User a scanner at FedexKinkos.

Logo design resources:

Lettering Delights
Creative fonts available for $3 or less.

My Fonts
Widest selection of fonts, but more expensive to download. Check the ‘Specials’ section for discounts and free downloads.

Simply The Best Fonts
A collection of free fonts.

Microsoft Media Download Center
Free downloads of clipart and stock photography.

Part Four: Putting your garden brand to work
Part Five: Create a web presence for your garden brand

Part One: How to brand your garden
Part Two: Creating your garden brand
Part Three: Designing your garden logo

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Once you have a solid logo for your garden brand, put it EVERYWHERE.
 
• Create an e-mail signature with your garden logo. Most e-mail programs can automatically add a block of text or graphic to the end of e-mail messages. Now, every e-mail you send will have your garden logo attached.

• Order a custom rubber stamp. Nothing is more personal than adding an ink stamp to your snail-mail correspondence. Turn your garden logo into a rubber stamp and put the stamp on greeting cards, envelopes, and mailing labels.

• Personalize seed packets. Share seeds in beautiful paper envelopes personalized with your garden logo. Create a second rubber stamp especially for seed packets that includes your logo and spaces for filling in the plant variety, date of collection, or name of the recipient.

• Customize jar labels. Purchase glossy, printable labels from an office supply store to create garden-branded labels for your  homegrown vegetables and preserves. (Matte labels will bleed more easily when exposed to condensation or spills.)

• Wear your brand. Websites like Cafepress.com will print your logo on just about anything for a relatively small amount of money. Design a t-shirt or hat and wear them often. Your logo will be a great conversation starter and a fun way to break the ice at garden club gatherings or local gardening classes.

Resources 

Simon Stamp 
Custom rubber stamps.  

Paper Source 
One of my favorite Web destinations. Gorgeous papers, envelopes and labels for all of our stationery needs. Check out the glassine envelopes. These are perfect for sharing seeds. 

Rachel's Supply
Web retailer that specializes in labels for crafts; a wide selection of waterproof and non-waterproof labels.

Cafe Press
Use Cafe Press to create custom products. Put your logo on just about anything: t-shirts, hats, mugs, etc.  

Part Five: Create a web presence for your garden brand

Part One: How to brand your garden
Part Two: Creating your garden brand
Part Three: Designing your garden logo
Part Four: Putting your garden brand to work

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• Share garden photos in a web album. My favorite Web-based photo sharing program is Google Picasa Web Albums. This is the only web service that allows full-resolution downloads. Create a public gallery for your garden and display your latest garden photos that would make National Geographic green with envy. Your gallery has it’s own unique web link, and photo slideshows are easily embedded into a blog or website.

• Start a garden blog. Services like Blogger, Word Press, and LiveJournal allow you to create your own weblog for free. While the free blog services are limited in their features and capabilities, it’s a great place to start. Share your daily adventures in the garden. Track the progress of your favorite plants.

• Join a social networking site. MySpace, Facebook and several other websites offer free social networking services. Connect with other gardeners across the globe. After setting up a MySpace page for XylemandPhloem.com, I started corresponding with a garden penpal from the United Kingdom. We share plant advice and express our envy at the plants that just won’t grow in our respective climates.

Do you have a garden brand? Are you using creative techniques for brand exposure? E-mail your garden brands and branding ideas to info@xylemandphloem.com. The most creative ideas will receive a free XylemandPhloem.com t-shirt and a chance to get your ideas published on our website.