garden – The Garden Boss

10 Organic Ways to Rid Your Garden of Slugs

The first thing you can do is switch your watering schedule. Slugs go out at night, and they work best in damp conditions. So if you’re watering in the evening, then you’re creating a perfect environment for slugs. Water in the morning so there’s time for things to dry up.

You could try introducing slug predators to your yard or garden if you really want to deal with the slug problem. Frogs are usually the predator of choice. Of course, you’ll need to provide an environment for the frog to survive, and it also means you’ll have frogs in your yard, so be aware of that trade off.

Slugs like some plants more than others. What you can do is plant a distracter plant so that the slugs stay away from your fruits and veggies and other prized plants. Chamomile is a great example. Plant it near your other plants, and the slugs will eat this instead of the others.

You could also use plants that deter slugs instead of distracting them. For example, fennel and rosemary are highly disliked by slugs. Plant them in your garden, and that should help get rid of the little pests.

Diatomaceous earth is one of the best solutions for lots of insect problems in the garden. The product shreds up the slugs’ underbellies, dehydrating and killing them. Sprinkle this around the edges of the garden and near the bases of the plants.

Lava rocks are another product for your garden that are a natural way to kill slugs. Their rough and scratchy surface also rips up the slugs. It will kill them and also, once they learn, they’ll avoid your garden. Just make sure there aren’t any leaves or dirt on the rocks that will cover the surface.

Break up some egg shells and sprinkle them around your soil. Like the previous ideas, this creates a rough surface that cuts up the slugs’ bellies. However, it also helps add nutrients to the soil as the shells break down, so it’s a win-win.

I bet you didn’t know that seaweed is a great natural slug repellent! Mulch the seaweed around your garden, making sure it doesn’t touch the base of the plants. The seaweed is salty, which slugs hate, and when it dries, it becomes rough and scratchy.

A copper wire can work well to deter slugs. Wrap it around the base of your garden, making sure it’s fully exposed. You can also use a copper mesh to protect your plants. The slugs will avoid crossing over it because they don’t like the copper.

A really drastic solution for getting rid of slugs is the old salt technique. Go out to your garden at night and pour some salt on any slugs you may see. The salt kills them pretty quickly. Just don’t go overboard because you don’t want a bunch of extra salt in your soil.

15 Things that will Make Your Backyard More Welcoming

Pathways, without a doubt, improve any backyard. You can make any size, style, or color you want. Make sure to choose materials that look good and match your home and yard, though.

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9 Incredible Vertical Garden Ideas for Small Spaces

Turn those old shoes into a vertical garden for your small backyard. This is more for flowers (not necessarily fruits and veggies), and it adds lots of color and fun to the yard. If you can, match the color of the flowers to their shoe container.

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13 Different Ways to Make a Rock Pathway

A pallet pathway is a simple and easy solution. Surround the pieces with rocks, and you have a cute rock pathway. I prefer lighter colors, but this also looks good with dark rocks and wood.

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15 Brilliant Tricks Every Gardener Should Know About

Don’t throw your citrus peels away. Instead, use them to start a seedling. The nutrients in the peel will go directly to the soil, meaning your seed grows faster and better.

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8 Brilliant Tips for Growing Strawberries

I didn’t know this, but there are three types of strawberries you can choose from. For beginners, you usually want the Junebearer strawberry. This is the most typical and easiest to care for in a home garden, and the fruit still tastes great. You can try the other strawberries, but that’s if you’re a more experienced gardener.

Make sure to plant your strawberries in a sunny spot. Strawberries taste better when they’re grown in full sun, and we all want the tastiest strawberries possible. Just make sure, especially when the strawberries are young, that they don’t get sun-scorched.

Soil is a vital factor in how well your strawberries grow. The most important rule is that you don’t let them get waterlogged. That means from overwatering or flooded soil. Provide the strawberries with well draining soil to keep them safe and dry. You could also plant the strawberries in a little mound to elevate them.

If you’re really concerned about your soil, then I suggest building a raised garden bed for your strawberries. This gives you much more control over the soil and what goes in it. Also, raised garden beds are easier are your back, which is always a plus.

When planting strawberries, you want to give them plenty of space to grow. Too little, and they’ll fight over nutrients. Most experts suggest a depth of 30 centimeters for the seed and about 40 centimeters between the rows of plants.

After a while, when your strawberry plant begins to bloom flowers, pluck them! I know it may seem wrong, but you want to get rid of the flowers so more energy can be conserved for the fruit. By plucking the flowers, the plant doesn’t need to grow them anymore, meaning it can focus its attention on making the most delicious strawberries possible.

Also when the flowers start blooming, you may want to consider using fertilizer. This isn’t necessary for every garden, but if you feel your strawberries are lacking something, this could be the solution. Choose a fertilizer that is rich in potash.

After all this work, you should be getting some amazing and succulent strawberries. Before you go picking all of them at once, remember: only pick what you’re going to eat right away. Once a strawberry is picked, its sweetness will begin to recede. So, if you eat freshly-picked strawberries, they’ll be much sweeter than strawberries that were picked a few days earlier.

Top 15 Most Colorful Perennials for Your Yard and Garden

Peruvian lily. The combined colors in this flower are absolutely stunning. This flower comes in purple, yellow, and orange, and each type is gorgeous. Make sure to twist the shoot off at the base so the flowers keep on growing.

Mango Punch. I’m not going to lie, this flower makes me want to drink a big bowl of fruit punch. It just has that color that I absolutely love.

Phlox. Not only is the shape great on these perennials, but you also have the choice of multiple colors. So you can always get flowers that match and complement the rest of your garden.

Russian Sage. I really enjoy the deep and rich color that comes from Russian. It can grow really big, though, so be aware of that. Usually it works best in the back of a garden so that it can reach high without blocking other plants.

Gloriosa Daisy. I love how simple yet colorful this flower is. It adds that fantastic pop of yellow that daisies are so well known for. Plant a few in your garden to get a great accent color for your yard!

Blanket Flower. This flower is both gorgeous and it’s incredibly tough. It’s drought- and heat-tolerant, which means it can withstand some pretty brutal temperatures and climates.

Yarrow. Whether you want the simple white or the colorful yellow, yarrow is a great addition to any garden or yard. Both varieties grow well, and both add texture and color to your garden that it can’t be without.

Daffodil. This is a classic flower, but there’s a reason for it. It’s so pretty, and it’s not too hard to care for. Just because it’s a classic doesn’t mean that’s bad. You won’t regret the bright yellow addition they are to the garden.

Veronica. For a stunning addition to you garden, try veronica. These spikes of blue or red will pop out all over your garden, adding some awesome height and color to the yard. Plant them near the front for the best growth.

Purple coneflower. This is, by far, one of my favorite flowers. I just love the color and the shape of this plant. It’s so unique, and that makes me happy. It’s great for drawing attention to your flowerbed.

Penstemon. These plants don’t live for long, but I think they’re still worth it because they’re breath-taking. Their rich color is a must for any serious gardener looking for color, and their trumpet shape isn’t too bad, either.

Pineapple sage. Get that tropical feeling by adding pineapple sage to your garden. This is the best in fall, when the plant grows some astounding red spikes.

Aster. To me, aster is like that friend who is just so sweet and kind. When I look at aster, I just feel at peace. Which is why I love having it in my garden. Plus, the white they add is just so cute and pure!

Forget-me-not. I can’t forget to mention forget-me-nots! They’re so cute, and the colors are amazing. It won’t be the focus of your garden, but it will for sure add that extra boost of color that you’re looking for.

Chrysanthemum. The best part about this flower is that it comes in a handful of colors to choose from, so you have a wide selection. The circular shape and texture of the bloom is also great for adding variety to your garden.

8 Natural Solutions for Repelling and Killing Ants

Many essential oils can kill or deter ants from your home. One of those is peppermint oil. This is one of my favorite solutions because I love how it smells, AND it gets rid of ants. Just put a few drops on a cotton ball and wipe down common ant entry points (windows, holes, doors, etc.). This breaks up the scent the ants leave behind to get to the food.

Another great essential oil is teatree oil. Just like peppermint oil, you can place the teatree oil on a cotton swab and rub it on the places where ants are most likely entering your home from. However, teatree oil is also great as a general household cleaner, so you could just add it to your homemade cleaning solution and help deter ants that way.

If you want to get serious about dealing with ants, then you’ll want clove essential oil. Unlike the other two oils, this one will actually kill ants upon contact. So only use it if that’s what you’re going for.

For another approach, get some food-grade diatomaceous earth. It’s a substance that does no harm to humans but is lethal for ants and other bugs. Simply sprinkle the diatomaceous earth on the ants and where they walk, and it will eventually kill them.

Vinegar is another way to deal with ants. Since it’s so strong, it wipes away the pheromone trail that ants leave for each other, effectively cutting them off from one another. Add ¼ cup of white or apple cider vinegar to ¼ cup of water in a spray bottle. Shake and spray the mixture on the ants and their entry points to get rid of them.

Lemon juice is another fantastic option to repel ants. Add equal parts purified water and lemon juice to a spray bottle and go to town. You can also add some of the aforementioned essential oils to make it even more potent. But it’s up to you.

A really simple yet effective solution for ants is just soap and water. Mix liquid soap with water in a spray bottle and then spray the ants and their entryways. The soap will breakdown their exoskeleton, killing the ants and solving your problem. So easy!

Pepper is also a great natural way to repel ants. You have two options. You can put pure pepper around high-traffic areas for the ants, and that should deter them. You could also mix pepper with some water and spray the ants. It won’t kill them, but they won’t like it, so it will deter them.

13 Garden Mosaic Projects That Will Blow Your Mind

One of the most popular ways to add a mosaic to your yard is by making stepping stones. They’re really easy to make yourself, and it’s a fun project to do with the kids. Each stone can be different, or you can create a uniform pattern.

Pathways are a bit more work than stepping stones, but they’re just as gorgeous. The best part about a path is that the entire thing is covered in the mosaic, creating a work of art on the floor of your yard. You just want to have enough tile pieces!

Decorate your yard with mosaic rocks. You can create fun and creative patterns, or you can do things like a ladybug design! These can go between flowers, in bushes, or on your patio. They can be used to decorate anywhere you need them.

Add some color and gardening space by making a mosaic vertical garden. The best way to do this is by using teacups or halved flower pots, since the material looks best with the mosaic tiles. But you can do whatever your heart desires!

Get creative and make some wall or fence art out of mosaic tiles. It can be as big or as small as you want. As colorful as you feel. Get your kids involved for a fun summer project.

The birds deserve to have a cute place to come hang out. Make a mosaic birdbath that they can enjoy. Whether it’s the whole piece or just the dish part, this is a great DIY project to start.

Add mosaic tiles to cinder blocks and you’ll find a whole new slew of ways to design with them. The blocks can be stacked to make a large mosaic, or you can just place them around the yard or garden for dispersed decorations.

Adding mosaic tiles to flower pots and planters is really fun. There’s something about it that feels almost therapeutic. You can coordinate the color of the flowers to match or complement the color of the tiles you choose!

If you do this idea, I would choose something a bit more classy and sophisticated. A window box will go on your house (or near it), so you don’t want something that is too flashy or will draw too much attention. A nice simple design is just what you need.

Whether it’s for the birds or just as a decoration, these mosaic birdhouses are absolutely gorgeous! They catch the light, brighten up any space, and even attract birds to your yard. There’s really nothing better, I’d say!

Using PVC pipe or some other similarly shaped object, you can create these outstanding mosaic pillars to place all around your yard or garden. They’re simple, elegant, and give you more space to place plants and flowers.

If you have the space, consider making a mosaic bench for decoration or for use. Either one works. A mosaic bench is a great addition to any garden that needs a little more personality.

I think this idea is just so cute and clever. Mosaic tiki torches look beautiful and add to the intimate feel of your yard or patio. Choose simple colors and shapes to get the best results.

10 of the Most Gorgeous Backyard Waterfall DIY Projects

This waterfall is a combination of a small stream and a waterfall, actually. This is nice because you can get both features in one build. It also imitates the downhill aspect of a waterfall and stream, which I really like. It makes the water feature seem more natural and in the right spot.

If you don’t have much space to work with but still want a waterfall, try an isolated pond. There won’t be much room to sit around the waterfall, but it still looks good and gets that nice relaxing sound we all love. This works well on the side of the house or in a small yard.

My favorite part about this is the log that comes over the top. It makes it feel like a really naturally-occurring waterfall. Not all water features have to seem like they’d really be found in nature, but this one does a great job of that. It proves you can make your own waterfall and still have it look natural.

I look at this waterfall and I just think “Zen.” It seems so calm and relaxing to me. I can almost smell the cool air and feel the water lightly splash against my feet. If you need a place to relax and unwind, this is definitely the waterfall to build.

This high-tiered waterfall is very elegant and classy. It takes a bit more know-how to build, but don’t let that intimidate you! The rocky border around the edges of the waterfall really helps complete the whole experience and look.

This lily pond waterfall feature reminds me of the sprawling backyard of an English cottage. It just seems so cute and quaint. This would be my choice if I was going for a water feature I could spend time with my friends around.

Just because you have a small backyard or garden doesn’t mean you can’t have a waterfall. This one is really small, but it still gets the job done. The waterfall may be tiny, but the grass and greenery around it make the who feature perfect.

A central and elevated waterfall is great for a large yard or garden. It can be seen from the entire space, and the water creates a unifying element to the lawn. Not only that, but the sound of the rushing water will be great background noise for fantastic dinner conversation, I’m sure!

Here’s a waterfall idea that’s a bit more modern and fun! It’s a bamboo structure where the water falls out of the top. It’s not a natural-looking waterfall, but I still love it. The bamboo really makes it look nice.

Dryer and browner climates can try this waterfall that builds on a rock foundation. There’s not much greenery required to spruce up the area, so you don’t have to worry about maintenance and upkeep. But the water feature is still astounding.