Free Friday better than FREAKY Friday anyday!

Dramm’s classic Rain Wand along with their classic model showing its use. While I do condone using this product, I do NOT condone the white shoes after Labor Day. (Photo – and give-away – courtesy Dramm Corporation.)

Several weeks ago I got a package from Dramm Corporation, a great North American company that started out producing commercial landscaping products but known now primarily for their incredible hose-end watering tools, like the classic Rain Wand.

They asked me to try some of their other products and sent enough for YOU to try them, too.

Dramm’s Compact Pruners are a great stocking stuffer! (Cat not included.)

Want one? For FREE???

Just comment on this post or on my author FaceBook page to get your name in the drawing.

Oh, by the way, according to Captain Hook, their Compact Pruners are pet friendly, but not PAW friendly. c:

Planting seeds straight into the ground

Lately, I’ve gotten several questions about the best way to start seeds in the ground, also called straight sown seeds. (Of course, I don’t DO straight lines, so that is a bit of an oxymoron at my house…..)  I don’t know that my way is the BEST, but it works well for me.  I’m open to suggestions – and welcome royalties from a patent partnership –  if you’ve found one that’s better.

Bottomless, this pot-o-basil is not what it appears.

HIT: starting your own plants from seed is inexpensive and EASY if you protect the seedlings!

First off, be sure you’re planting the seeds at the proper depth. If they’re from a packet, it should tell you how deep to put them in; as a general rule, seeds and bulbs require planting between double – and – triple their height. (Here’s my friend WILLIAM MOSS with Patti Moreno showing you how it’s done with veggies.) If you’ve planted them properly, you’ll start seeing green several days or weeks – or even months – before they are established well-enough to become actual rooted plants. During that time, the underworks are branching out to support the upperworks, making it vital you baby those fragile seedlings. I find the main protection my new seedlings need are actually from ME, though. Forgetting I’ve put seeds down, I mulch over that bare spot. Or I can’t remember what I put there because the tag is missing.  Sometimes a heavy downpour is the culprit and my seeds end up down the street.

We even have a neighborhood pooch whose owner allows him too much roaming space and he did in some cassia seeds with a well placed dump.  Yes, it is organic, but come on!

I used to stack rocks, cairn-like, stick a flag in it with the plant name, and cross my fingers as I walked away.  Either the flag, the rocks, or both ended up missing.

All you need to be a seed superstar is a plastic planting pot, scissors and a marker!

Now I hold on to all those small pots when I buy plants at the nursery and recycle them into seed starting studs.  I use a few the traditional way, but what works even better is making them into a TEXAS-STYLE SEEDLING CORRAL. I cut the bottom out, turn ‘em upside down, and write down the plant’s name and the date I planted it with a silver marker.  Then I bury it partially into the ground, up and over the “lip” that used to be the top of the pot. Then I add a bit of potting soil and push the seeds into place.  I’m always looking for activities to lure in kids to gardening and think this might be a great one for little ones to try.  (As a bonus, this method allows me to know exactly where I need to mist when it dries out, and it holds in the water for longer.  And this isn’t proven, but it seems the black color of the pot absorbs the day’s heat and gets my seedlings going faster in early spring.)

Cut the bottom 1/4 off the small plastic plant pot and turn it on its head for a plant perimeter/marker.

Ignore the label on this one….it’s actually G. aestivalis winklerii ‘Grape Sensation,’ not ‘Purple Passion.’ But I wouldn’t know WHAT or WHERE it was without its seedling corral, would I?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You might want to cut the perimeter away once the seedlings are up….

or just leave it in place so you remember those bulbs are there even when they aren’t in bloom.

WARNING: if a varmint wants those seeds, even an armed guard can’t stop ‘em!  Need proof?

Here’s who came to dinner at my house last week.  Yes, those are carefully dried/saved/planted hibiscus seeds this little guy decided to grab in the run-through at Casa Colburn-a!

Container Gardening = Endless POTS-abilities

It can be overwhelming to start a project, can’t it.  There are just WAY too many possibilities.  But section it out, come up with a theme, and most of the choices are made for you.  If you haven’t started landscaping because you don’t know where to begin, how about putting it into perspective?  Bite off a small portion by beginning with a pot.  Not just any predictable pot, mind you.  Go with a theme, either based on the style of your environment or make an environment with your theme.  Clear as mud?

Fern urn or fern gully....your choice if you like shady characters!

In a couple of weeks, I’ll head to Little Rock to speak at the annual Arkansas Literary Festival.  I’ve been paired with one of the city’s own landscaping legends – author and owner of Botanica Gardens Chris Olsen – to show folks the easy way to DIG A LITTLE DEEPER into gardening.  Chris and I will put together some of our favorite plant combos for a little hands-on show-how for gardens anyone can make just about anywhere.  Whether it’s whimsy or wow you want,  a few simple tools and secret ingredients are all you need to create a barrel – or BUCKET – of fun.

TRADE SECRETS FOR POTTING IT UP!

HIT:sprinkle a few "watering crystals" into your potting soil to HALF the number of times you have to water your pots!

Soil: Scooping up a few handfuls of plain ‘ol dirt from your landscape just won’t cut it.  Why? Mainly because it lacks the ability to drain well, retain moisture and give off nutrients to your new plants.  A good potting soil will keep you steady on the tightrope between too much water and not enough. Don’t forget to feed it appropriately, too.  You wouldn’t give your baby dog food….although my nephew thought dog treats were cookies for some time!

Duel purpose, this container also holds rainwater runoff to irrigate the nearby veggie garden.

Container: Although it might hold plants just fine, your “pot” – in whatever form it comes – will probably need a few tweeks to make it a proper container for healthy plants.  Make sure there are holes of some sort for excess water to drain, or a “false bottom” allowing drainage to go somewhere else besides the root area.  Very few plants like wet feet. Or you can do what I do…put a smaller pot  within a larger, ornamental pot.

Instead of soil, I top the cinder blocks and brick pieces in this ornamental container with a FREE plastic pot from the nursery, insuring good drainage and easy change-ups!

And speaking of larger, teeny tiny pots = LOTS of trips with a watering can, so use the largest container possible to enable enough soil and water to be maintained around the roots of your plants.

Now that you have pot parameters, have some fun. Here are a few ideas you can borrow to explore the POTS-abilities for your landscape…….and I bet you’ll have a hard time containing yourself!

• JUST EAT IT! – no disrespect to Michael Jackson or Weird Al for his parody of Michael’s song, but this is an edible pot you just can’t BEAT; fill with lots of lettuce, garlic, onions and peppers for a salsa pot, or Italian herbs and tomatoes for a pizza pot
• MARGARITAVILLE  - combine some of your favorite adult beverage ingredients
• LEMONADE STAND – citrus won’t grow in your clime? put it in a moveable pot for a moveable feast (bring this inside for harsh winter protection)

• 

  This FAIRYLAND CASTLE pot I found at Blue Moon Gardens in Edom, TX.

• FAIRYLAND  -  a great one for little girls, or little girls at heart
• JURASSIC POT – plants that are as old as dinosaurs
• FERN GULLY – shady lovers
• CLIMBING TO NEW HEIGHTS – rebar, wire coat hangers, just about anything that can be bent to your will gives vines a chance to grow
• FOR THE BIRDS – berries and seeds and nesting, oh my!
• WINGED WONDERS – hummingbird and/or butterfly plants bring beauty to your balcony or patio
• LIGHT IT UP – pair flower bulbs with light bulbs for a night-time knock-out
• EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSES – roses come in all shapes and sizes and most don’t mind be contained, so spill ‘em and stake ‘em and everything in between
• SEASONAL WISDOM – change out a couple of props, or do a make-over for each month’s special day
• CUT IT OUT – enjoy having cut flowers in your kitchen all the time? grow your own!
  

  Cut flowers from my yard in a vase my daughter made. LOVE monochromatic pairings!

• PRETTY IN PINK – monochromatic is NOT monotony (one of my favorite themes)
• UP AGAINST THE WALL – got a boring vertical space with no room below to garden? put a climber in a pot and give it something to hold on to then watch it go!
• LIVING IN A GOLDFISH BOWL- fish for compliments with watery delights in an old goldfish bowl or make it into a terrarium
• REBOOT – repurpose your favorite worn-out boots
• MINT TO DO THAT – plant your favorite add-on for iced tea within arm’s reach of your kitchen sink
• SWEET DREAMS – gather a few night-blooming plants for a dreamy combo

Now that I’ve stirred the pot, bet you come up with something even better.  Love to see what POTS-abilities you discover!

YOU CAN GROW THAT! POTATOES

Don't let taters-gone-native go to waste!

I can be lazy.

While that statement sounds very much like I AM lazy, the distinction is an important one.  For most of my life, it’s been difficult for me to even sit still, much less completely veg out.  Those days are over. Has my personality morphed, choleric gone phlegmatic?  Probably not.  When it comes to continuous, never-ending chores – such as house or yard work – my conscience has simply relaxed at the expense of years.  It seems my friend Brenda Beust Smith, the self-proclaimed LAZY GARDENER, must have arrived at the prescribed age of ease-allowance before I did, robbing me of the title.

Combine my newfound laissez-faire chore blinders, an obnoxious obsession for recycling (stemming more from being cheap AND creative than any environmental crusade), and a desire to buck time-tested gardening rules and what do you get?

The sum is often disaster. Last week’s discovery, however, will be dinner tomorrow night: plenty of yummy new potatoes.

Suppertime spuds? DIG IT!

HIT: sprouted potatoes beg to be planted!

Seed potatoes should be bought and then planted early in spring, according to the rules here in my part of Texas. My version?  Smelled something funny in the pantry after returning from vacation in October, my nose leading me to a bag of organic new potatoes pushed behind a cereal box. They weren’t so new anymore.  Already sprouted, I tucked them – untreated and uncut – into my garden after yanking my frost-bitten tomatoes out.  So here it is, 1st week of March, and my potatoes are faster food than a crowded drive-through at dinner-time.  Just pop them into a few cups of boiling water in my pressure cooker, top with a bit of olive oil, sea salt and rosemary sprigs and serve.  Sounds even lazier than a trip under the golden arches, huh?  Just sit and wait for the timer to go off!

Top 3 House Plants To Improve Indoor Air Quality

Feel free to mix plants with similar needs in one pot. (This one came as a gift and I'll have to remove the beautiful moss covering the soil to help keep mold from hiding.)

When you walk into a beauty salon, do your eyes begin to water?  How about the perfume counter at Macy’s….do you see double for a few minutes after passing by it or a man with a bit too much foo-foo water, as my grandmother used to call scented after-shave?  When you put in new carpet, paint, or exterminate your home, does your spouse/child develop a horrible headache? Chances are pretty good those symptoms signal a chemical bomb attacking your system.  Whether it is the combination of gases or a personal sensitivity to a specific one, a strong reaction might be your body’s way of sending up a white flag in surrender to something it fears.

HIT: Many houseplants are environmentally friendly HOUSECLEANERS!

Sometimes the reaction is too subtle to notice.  Or we blame an exterior source such as ragweed or pollen instead of the actual culprit.  Over time the reaction may become more severe.   If you note a correlation between a PLACE and an allergy related SYMPTOM – like itchy eyes, runny or congested nose or sneezing, skin rash, headache, sore throat – you might want to look into the root cause.  Other reactions that can be a result of poor air quality are nausea, depression and drowsiness.  And while we can’t completely avoid indoor air pollution, it is possible to lessen the impact with houseplants in your home.  Both NASA and the Soviet space program found plants invaluable for cleaning an airtight room. Recent studies from India have isolated the top THREE PLANTS  at mitigating a “sick building” so YOU don’t become the one ill. (Watch this short TED video of the Top 3 Houseplants for Removing Toxic Air in India and which room to put each in for best results or use this website to see how many/where/which plants to use.)

GOLDEN POTHOS/POTHOS IVY/MONEY PLANT: super easy, even under artificial lighting; trails, so either give it support or locate it on top of a bookshelf;

MOTHER-IN-LAW TONGUE: another super easy; great architectural, grass-like form to it for a more contemporary setting;

ARECA/CANE PALM: this one’s a little trickier for me because it needs good sunlight and takes up quite a bit of space, but great tropical feel.

A few more of my favorites are:

CORN PLANT: more tree-ish, but very easy with enough natural light, like an east or west facing window

SPIDER PLANT:  this is another one that does well on a shelf, but it needs a more direct light source than the ivy; also a variegated form

peace lily

PEACE LILY: this the mascot of my office (thanks to my friend Brenda Dickinson!) with southeastern light coming in from the atrium; nice white flower and upright, even when large it stays relatively compact

Moss may look nice, but it can mean a not-so-fun-guy on the soil of houseplants....

Mold is a killer for my allergies and indoor plants in soggy soil can be a huge source.  I try to set my plants into the bathtub once a week or so for a nice long drink, then put them back into their water-proof tray afterwards.  There are specific household products that will curtail mold growth, but I just try not to use anything like that. A periodical bath outside works great, too.  DO NOT cover the plant’s base with moss since it will encourage fungal growth.  Plants like pothos ivy and airplane are quite happy growing in WATER and might be a better choice.

Also be aware that some houseplants are poisonous to pets or when munched on by toddlers.

MYTH: All plants are GOOD for us....beware of plants that might be toxic to toddlers or pets.

If you’d like more info on growing any of these plants, check out this article on Dave’s Garden and this one, too if you send up a white flag because of your brown thumb!

Best Time to (TRANS)Plant Trees…AND KIDS!

When should trees be transplanted? Leslie in Texas

When our girls were young, we found traveling at night while they were asleep was a great way to avoid the not-so-fun ordeal of toddlers/teens (is there a difference other than SIZE?) on road trips.

HIT: trees (and kids) transplant whine-free while dormant!

What does that have to do with TREES?  Our precious little ones seemed in a constant state of need when strapped in and unoccupied, just as baby or even grown plants can be when we mess with their roots.  Plants like change even less than people do.  So moving them when they are asleep, or in botanical terms DORMANT, makes it easier on everyone.  That being said, let’s talk about how you know if a plant is dormant and an exception to the rule.  (Don’t our kids always make liars out us?)

"Root prune" mature trees a few months before transplanting, if possible and trim large plants if needed to handle them easier. (illustration from City of Vancouver, eh?)

Trees and shrubs, called “woody plants,” can be lumped into two categories: evergreen and deciduous.  While this may seem self-explanatory, even THAT can be confusing because evergreen plants lose and gain leaves, too.  They just don’t normally lose their leaves all at one time; they slough continuously, often with a big turnover in spring.  Think of it like our skin cells, dropping with little fanfare.  Deciduous plants suddenly look completely bare – or even dead – sometime in autumn.  (I get lots of “all my plants died when the freeze hit” e-mails every year.  Nope.  That’s just how they hibernate.) THIS is when they should be moved. Like our kids, a road trip while they’re sleeping means you shouldn’t hear a peep out of ‘em.

Okay, so what’s the exception?  Tropicals.  They often ARE dead, or at least the branches are; some will come back from the roots.  DO NOT trim tropicals during cold weather!  The mushy or brittle stuff adds protection from the next cold front moving through town.  And transplanting a tropical in winter is the kiss of death, period.  Spring – or after any chance of frosty temps – keeps tropicals from feeling the cold shoulder.

MYTH: plants don’t have iCal….

Need to see how it should be done? This is a great video on transplanting trees from Growing Wisdom.com‘s Dave Epstein.  Follow these steps and your plants will be less likely to whine about their trip.  Sorry, though.  Couldn’t find a how-to on transplanting the kids to grandma’s for Christmas, but did find THIS one that makes me thankful my own children drive themselves there now!

How To Succeed With Seedling Trees

I have 75 tree saplings coming from the Arbor Day Foundation.   What’s the best way to ensure their survival?

HIT: saplings are the most economical way to add multiple trees to your landscape!

Saplings, arriving bare root – meaning not in a bucket with soil – are especially cost effective but, like a newborn as compared to a toddler, require more intensive care.  At shipping in the fall or winter, saplings are in a dormant state, their frail roots exposed and often flattened.  A few simple steps taken will give your new trees a better chance of survival.

1. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for several hours to re-hydrate after unpacking, keeping them moist till planted.
2.  Make sure the variety of tree you received fits the criteria for that area you’re planning to plant and if it does not, DO NOT PLANT IT THERE!  Calling a foundation repair company to undo the damage of a shade tree planted 8 foot from your home offsets any $$$ you saved in purchasing seedlings. (Look for TREE SELECTION in a later post of GardenDishes.)
   

   diagram courtesy Utah State Extension Service

3. Dig the hole 3′ wide to soften the perimeter area, but dig just deep enough to bury to the root collar, or trunk “flare,” as seen on this diagram.  Return the original soil to the hole.  Adding enriched soil sounds like a great idea, but it can cause the roots to stay in the good stuff, circling around and around until the tree eventually strangles itself, called “girdling“.
4. Build a low dam around the perimeter of the hole creating tree well to hold water.
5. Water well and mulch with shredded bark.  Go back periodically to make sure the soil/mulch are not washed away from the roots, but also do not cover the tree’s trunk, which can cause fungal infection.  And don’t forget to water your tree often during the 1st couple of years since it will take that long for it to develop sufficient feeder roots.
   

   MYTH: a large containered tree grows faster than a small one

For a detailed video of these steps, go to The Arbor Day Foundation’s site.

Feature image courtesy Gunther Home Inspections. 

Tree Trimming for Dummies

MYTH: tis the season for tree trimming....

The Christmas season has everyone talking about trimming trees.  Oh.  Not that kind?  What if you have trees than need pruning, though?  Can that be done NOW?  HOW?

Since Edward Scissorhands wasn’t available (his blades were full), here are my quick tips on pruning trees and shrubs.

WHEN? There are several reasons to trim woody plants and a corresponding season to do it.  My memory sucks, so I’ve come up with ways to remember based on those seasons.

Fall’s for the fallen.  Spring’s sprung anew.

If you have dead branches, autumn is a great time to get them off the plant so it doesn’t have to carry that dead weight into winter.  Literally.  Cold weather means most insects that would harm exposed cuts are gone, too.  Take this opportunity to trim away any obviously lifeless limbs.  (If you don’t know how to tell what’s good wood and what’s not, check out my previous post on trees.)  Wait until spring before pruning trees for shape or size.  Cutting can send a signal to the tree that causes new growth, which is not a good thing going into winter since tender new shoots are susceptible to injury in freezing temps.  The addendum to this rule regards blooming trees and shrubs.  They should usually be trimmed just after they finish blooming so you don’t miss out on seeing the flowers.

HOW? The go-to guy for prunology is plant pathologist Dr. Alex Shigo.  Texas A&M’s website goes into big-time detail for you anal type, but for me, a picture is worth a thousand words so here’s his diagram for where to trim branches depending on whether they’re living or deceased.

HIT: trim your trees for the right reasons in the right seasons by watching a how-to video from The Garden Girl @ http://youtu.be/1vTkaRc-C6M

So while the ladder is still out, channel your inner Edward and whack away those dead branches.  It’s a  gift to your trees that will come full circle by giving you a healthier landscape.

Is My Tree Dead, or Just Playin’ Possum?

Several months ago a friend asked if she should cut down her dead tree or wait to see if the leaves come back out in the spring……  When I repeated her question, as any good therapist would do, she recognized what she’d said was not what she’d really meant.  Her real question: IS MY TREE DEAD, or is it just playin’ possum?

While viewing the change in season is enjoyable, seeing a change in LIFE of a favorite shade tree can be devastating.  The most severe drought our area of Texas has possibly ever experienced has pushed plants to their limit with many dead, dying, or distressed.  Record flooding in other areas of the country can be just as detrimental.  So how do you know if a tree is dead?  Can it be resurrected if it’s had a near-death experience?  Here are a few things to look for if you suspect your tree is on its last…um….trunk and the steps to take if you want to keep it from becoming firewood.

green is good! (photo from blog by April Demes at CandianGardening.com)

TEST IT:  Arborists are trained to help keep your tree alive.  But if it is already dead, no reason to pay them to give you the bad news.  Where the problems appear can tell you a lot.  When there’s thinning on top like a middle-aged guy, the problem could be severe.  However, if just a few lower branches show distress, your patient might still make it.  Try to break one or two twigs off.  When the twig gives way easily with a “crack,” it is dead.  You might do this in several spots in the crown, breaking twigs progressing up to branches until you find a live one.  If you don’t have luck after a number of tries, use a sharp implement to scrape away an area on the trunk.  Don’t cut deep, but gouge till you see greenish tissue.  Brown or tan dry pulp, no matter how far you stab, means the tree’s most likely a goner.

TRIM IT:  Trees don’t do comb-overs.  Never seen a man who can sport one effectively either, for that matter…. If you’ve found signs of life somewhere on your tree, prune away the dead weight.  Branches that are not actively helping are hurting the plant, so relieving your stressed tree will allow it to concentrate on getting well.  Insects should not be a problem if the temperatures stay cool, thus pruning paint is unnecessary.

TREAT IT:  Winter is when tree roots are active, not top growth.  Use this time to pamper the roots so they can better support the rest of the tree when the leaves return in spring.  A good drink in autumn – whether from a soaking rain or a soaker hose – is advised if your gauge or weatherman says you’re still behind in rainfall.   As tempting as it might be, do NOT fertilize unless you are using something for the roots only.  That means anything that puts nitrogen (the 1st number in the 3 digit ratio on the bag) into the soil will put additional stress on the tree.  The best thing we can do for a declining plant is give it a warm blanket.  A mulch blanket, that is.

HIT: blanket your tree with love, and nothing shows love like a blanket of mulch for the winter!

MYTH: trees don't need a human touch.

Trees, like mothers, give us benefits we often do not realize until they are gone.  A little TLC to return the favor is not too much to ask, is it?  Take the time to get your trees healthy and generations to come will thank you for your generosity.

  

“Low-maintenance garden”… an oxymoron?

We just bought a vacation home and need ideas on what types of low-maintenance flowers, bushes, landscaping we can plant. There is no watering system, so the yard and beds must thrive on natural rainfall except for our quarterly visits. Also, how do you prevent ‘stick-tites’ or kill existing ones?  Jeri in Missouri

tools for a low-maintenance landscape

Maintenance problems in the landscape are often the result of lack of planning.  You are ahead of the game spending time looking at how you will use your vacation home before you spend $$$.  Here are some principles that apply to anyone wanting to relax in their garden instead of just making it another entry on the to-do list.

1. MAKE A REAL CHOICE:  How will you use the space?  Think about your property like you do your home, designating areas for specific activities.  Do you need a dining room, or just an eat-in kitchen?   If a playroom’s on your list, do you need a spot for horseshoes or a soft-ball field?  How about a living area?  How many will you need to seat?  Do these spaces connect to one another?  Be realistic and consider your lifestyle, year-round outdoor conditions and how many people will usually be in the spaces.
   

   HIT: create a 1 year, 5 year and forever plan for your landscape

2. MAKE A REAL PLAN:  Using graph paper, lay out the property showing existing plants that will remain.  Note topographic highlights of your yard, including low spots and berms, great views and not-so-great, then add in your wish list of garden rooms and where they’ll best fit into your landscape and your life.  Don’t forget to leave space for utility items, such as trashcans/recycling bins and lawn equipment.  (cherie’s tip: Make spaces convenient to one another and to your home or you won’t use them!)
   

   plan for success in your landscape

3. MAKE YOUR PLAN REAL:  How will you maintain the property?  Even if it’s your primary residence, a busy schedule might require your landscape still be low-maintenance.  If you can’t constantly keep your eye on it, consider hiring someone to do that for you.  If that’s not feasible, maybe “naturalizing” the property with only the designated spaces as maintained areas will better suit your lifestyle.  Add paths to get from one “room” to the next, but pick not only your plant materials but also your hardscape materials intentionally to avoid high maintenance.  A path or patio can be of many different materials, from bark mulch to lawn to pavers to concrete. Mulch and grass will require weekly or monthly maintenance; pavers and concrete will not.  When it comes to plant materials, look around you at what is native.  Contact the local agricultural extension  or state-wide native plant society for a list of appropriate plants, then keep them mulched well.  Use rainwater efficiently by grouping like-minded plants with low-water plants in the high spots and more-water plants in the low spots.  Check to see if a rain-water harvesting system would work in your area, too.
   

   MYTH: NO-maintenance landscapes

As far as getting rid of grass-burs or stick-tights or any other pest plant, organic methods abound with some more effective than others.  Several websites offer proven ways including the old-fashioned way:  hand-pulling.  But weeds are opportunists.   Bare spots, dry spots and wet spots are all accidents waiting to weed.  If this is a turf area, you might look at installing a native grass and allow it to grow to mature height, crowding and shading out warm-season weeds.

Whether part-time, full-time or all-time, your home’s landscape can be a labor and cost intensive proposition.  Even a little cabin in the woods begs for extra planning on the front end to ensure a low-maintenance garden, giving you the time to vacation wherever you are.