Landscaping

Using Mulches for Landscaping

Using mulches for landscaping reduces many problems. Group plants together and use a mulch to reduce weed growth, hold in water, protect your plants from heaving in the winter, prevent erosion, and of course, gives your beds a refined look.

Mulches are either organic (wood, bark and you may fine crushed coconut or cotton hulls) or inorganic (stone, rubber, mats, etc.). Whatever you use, apply the mulch to 3 because it will settle. Stone is more expensive, however, it will stay in place better than bark chips or shredded mulch.

I use circular rubber mats around newly planted trees to hold in water and control weeds. Works great!

If you need a lot of mulch, you can find it in bulk sizes at larger garden retail centers. You can buy it in bales, but you will need a pickup or trailer.

Use breathable landscape fabric under the mulch for better weed control, soil gas exchange, and allows water to get into the soil. Do not use a solid plastic barrier. Amend the soil with organic matter before installing landscape fabric and mulch.

I use edging stones to keep the mulch from washing away in thunderstorms. The edging rises 3 to 4 inches above the mulch.

You can create a design using different types and colors of mulches.

Vegetables

Hot Peppers

Why did nature evolve with hot peppers? Nature wants its plants to spread, so if an herbivore eats something, it will spread through its digestive tract. Mammals will not eat hot peppers, so how are they supposed to spread? By birds! Birds do not have heat receptors in their mouth, so they will eat the seeds and fly spreading the plants further than mammals.

What makes a pepper hot? The culprit is called capsaicin which lines the interior of the pepper and the seeds. This compound is odorless and tasteless. The pain released in the human body from the pepper releases endorphins giving the eater a feeling of bliss so that is why some people like hot peppers.

Habanero

In 1912 Wilbur Scoville created a chart listing the “heat” of various peppers. We still use that today adding new varieties every year, called the Scoville Heat Chart. Sweet Bell Peppers rate a 0 to the hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper rating to 2,200,000.

Carolina Reaper (one of the hottest peppers

The heat of the pepper depends on the person. Some can handle Habaneros’ while others think Anaheims are too hot. When handling hot peppers over 100,000 in particular, were disposable rubber gloves and work outside. People in companies that make sauces out of the ghost pepper wear HAZMAT suits and respirators.

Ghost pepper
Shrubs

Doing Stem Cuttings from your Lilacs

If you want to start another hedge of lilacs from your existing hedge, try tip cuttings. This is an easy and cheap way to increase your plants. Do this by selecting stem cuttings from your lilacs between 3 to 5 inches long. Cut with sharp pruners or scissors. Make sure your cuttings come from along a branch that easily breaks. If the branch bends, it is too young if the branch breaks, it is too old.

Place your cuttings in moist sand, however, you can use a potting mix. Water again after the cuttings are placed and keep moist but not over wet. This is why sand works best. Mist a couple of times a day or place a bag over the cuttings loosely (you want some ventilation). Some things to help are a rooting hormone (wet the bottom of the cutting and dip into the powder) and if you can provide bottom heat, this greatly helps. It will take between 4 to 8 weeks to root, then place a rooted cutting in 6-inch pots and gradually bring outside for conditioning.

Removing sucker is an easy way to propagate your lilacs.

Lilac cuttings