Mother’s Day Home Depot Gift Card Giveaway

This past Saturday, Little Dude went to the Home Depot Kids Clinic. He made a ’secret’ Mother’s Day present for me! I already know what it is since he can’t keep a secret, but I still can’t wait to open it!

Hubby asked what I wanted for Mother’s Day. I told him I wanted a Nintendo Wii and the Fit Bundle. Well because of our budget, I’m sure that’s not what I’m getting. That’s OK – we will do the usual: trip to the Home Depot Garden Center where I get to pick whatever I want; then we come home and he acts as my hired labor for the day helping  me with the garden.

Each year I’ve picked a nice perennial bush: azelia, scottish broom, butterfly bush. This year I might go for another butterfly bush – Little Dude loves seeing the butterflys and pretty colored birds they attract.

Speaking of Home Depot, I have a giveaway!!

I have one $50 Gift Card to give to a random commenter.

This giveaway is simple! To enter:

• Visit the Home Depot website
• Leave a comment telling me what you’d do with the gift card
• Twitter about the giveaway and come on back and leave a comment with your Tweet
• Share on your blog and again come back and leave your link
• Join my email list (top left on sidebar) and once again come back and leave a comment

Giveaway ends Friday, May 9th at midnight. A random winner will be chosen using http://www.random.org/ and announced Saturday May 10th.

Good Luck!

PS: The lovely people at the Home Depot are sponsoring this giveaway. I am not receiving any form of compensation for this – just your undying gratitude

How Does Your Garden Grow? (Friday Faves)

The weather earlier this week in NJ was amazing! Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were like summer. So I did some gardening. Mostly prep work – nothing planted, just clearing and mulching.

Little Dude and I love to garden. He’s really into it this year. We have a bunch of veggie seedlings in our front windows that he checks on daily. He’s not very patient and wants to plant them in our garden NOW.

So I’ve been in gardening mode all week and though I’d share my faves this Friday Fave:

I’m lovin the info Tiffany is sharing in her quest to Garden For Food Freedom.

How about getting your groceries from your back yard?

Ooh – get yourself a free subscription to Organic Gardening Magazine!

Enter to win Martha’s Spring Gardening DVD Set – yep, that’s Martha Stewart.

If you have a blog post about veggie gardening, please share in the comments! I’d love to pay you a visit and talk about our gardens.

Planning My Garden

The crocuses and lilies are poking through in my front garden! That means to me that it’s time to plan my garden. Whether it’s my flower beds or my veggie containers, I never garden without a plan.

I like to plan with catalogs – I flag the products and ideas that I like and either order them or try to find them at my locak garden center. Luckily, this week the catalog came from Gardener’s Supply Company. And they have a bunch of items I’d like to have.

But the most interesting thing I saw was the link for the Kitchen Garden Planner. It’s so cool! Design your garden based on your wants and needs (like your zone) and get a list of supplies that are needed. Plus it provides step-by-step info on planting and care.

Ooh, and there is 10% off orders of $75 or more on the site!

Here are some March gardening tips:

• You can start your lettuce seeds outside now–really!
• You can add new mulch now.
• It’s time to lime.  Start your lawn care now.
• You can begin to plant any woody plant material as soon as the ground thaws.
• Prune and remove any dead or diseased branches.
• Cut back ornamental grasses & prune roses now.
• Wait to prune early flowering trees and shrubs until after they bloom (Like azaleas).

Are you planning your garden already like me? Let me know if you’ve started!

Join the Home Depot Garden Club

I just got word of this new garden club – I was actually thinking about stopping at my local Home Depot today to pick up my mums. I love to garden just as much in the fall as I do in the spring!

Sign-up for the Home Depot Garden Club will have access to great gardening offers, advice and savings. Join the Club! I’m joining today!

Tell Me Thursday

I’m doing a Tell Me Thursday post without having done a Wordless Wednesday. Oh well – I wanted to. Just didn’t get to it.

Anyway, I’m so excited about this photo. It’s a clematis growing in my back yard. I’ve NEVER had success with clematis but I try every year. I just love them! Well this one is thriving and it’s beautiful!

The secret to my success? I honestly don’t know. The only things I did different this year is 1) hubby dug the hold for me. Maybe he dug deep and wide enough to allow room for the roots. 2) I moved a bird feeder and bird bath to that area (sorry you can’t see them). I wonder if the birds have given it TLC?

For more stories behind the pictures, visit TellMeThursday.com

When to Plant?

I was recently asked by a reader “When is the right time to plant in my garden?” I have three answers to this question, all simple.

1. Follow the lead of your local garden center. I am not referring to the large home improvement store or department store garden departments, they will sell you anything regardless of the time of year. I’m talking about your local garden center – I only get my plants and flowers there. Why? Well number one, they know what they are talking about. They started the business because of their passion for gardening. Number two, they rely more on happy customers returning for business to continue and grow. They will only sell what what can be planted now.

2. Follow the lead of nature. When the Spring bulks sprout through the ground (daffodil, hyacinth, crocus) this is my cue to start cleaning up the beds and preparing for the new growing season. When they begin to fade, it’s a sign that I can start planting the sturdier annuals like pansies and impatients. Another sign is my forsythia bushes. Once they bloom all yellow, I know I can begin planting in earnest. Finally follow the trees. When they begin to bud, that is a good sign that it’s warm enough to start digging!

3. Mail order/Internet order. This is the easiest way to be sure that you are planting at the correct time. Any reputable catalog company (such as Gardener’s Supply Company) will take your order, but ship the plants at the correct time for you to plant based on your zip code and your plant growing zone (aka plant hardiness zone).