Jordan Independent - Gardening with Stephanie - Comments

Hi Mathias. Absolutely! The

Stephanie Stevens — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 12:02:14 -0600

Hi Mathias. Absolutely! The language of flowers started in Persia in the 15th century and was brought to Europe in the 18th century. In the 19th century, floral communication became the rage and people sent messages in bouquets to each other. Roses have long been a symbol of beauty to humans but they also have been used to depict love, war and religious and political factions. In the 15th century, roses became the political symbol of the York (white rose) and the Tudor (red rose) in the famous War of the Roses in England. In early Christianity, the white rose symbolized the Virgin Mary. In Victorian times, roses were used for communication between Ladies to Ladies and Gentlemen to Ladies. For example, a gentlemen would present a lady with a red rose (commonly used to convey love) and the lady would respond with either a white rose (which meant she was to young) or a yellow rose (which meant she was not interested) or a single red rose (which meant she returned the love). If a person was given the wrong rose color, they could have been socially ostracized because of that. Knowing the meanings behind the colors was very important.

Question: Do rose colors

Mathias Baden — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 15:38:05 -0600

Question: Do rose colors really mean anything?

(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)

Yes, I have- a long time

Stephanie Stevens — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 06:33:42 -0600

Yes, I have- a long time ago. I could do another one, though. Decorating them for the holidays is always fun. Maybe I should do one before Christmas?

Did you ever do a column

Mathias Baden — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 15:34:10 -0600

Did you ever do a column about window boxes, Stephanie? I think it'd be a good one.

(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)

Hi Mathias. Planting

Stephanie Stevens — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:56:21 -0600

Hi Mathias. Planting windowboxes is so much fun. It provides a mini garden right outside your window. If you include some scented flowers, wafts of fragrance will fill the room. Planting the windowbox requires broken pots or clay chards, multipurpose soil mix, plants and a watering can. First, windowboxes need good drainage if they are to do well; place a layer of broken pots (or even small rocks) in the base of the windowbox. This prevents the soil mix from becoming waterlogged. Half-fill the box with moistened soil mix and firm it down. Remove the plants from their containers. Loosen the root balls of the plants without damaging the roots. Plant them closely, but leave some space between each plant. Continue to plant, putting them where ever you want. Usually tall ones in the middle, shorter ones on the outside. Fill in holes with planting soil, especially between the plants. Water thoroughly when done, letting the excess water run out the bottom. Fill in any sunken areas with soil mix. Remember to water, fertilize and deadhead regularly. Some fun ideas are:
Christmas boxes: fill boxes with fake holly, mini trees, and garlands for the holiday season.
Shade boxes: fill with impatiens, lobelia, coleus, or begonias.
Sunny boxes: any bright annuals that catch your eye making sure to add hanging plants.
Herb boxes: plant oregano, parsley, thyme, lemon grass and any other herbs you like.
Have fun!
Stephanie

My window boxes are set up

Mathias Baden — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 13:45:49 -0600

My window boxes are set up half in sun and half in shade. That's made it difficult for me to get started -- or maybe that's just an excuse. (There's nothing in them.)

I could probably move them so they are all in the sun for most of the day, on the south side of the house. What do you think?

(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)

Hi Mathias. First of all,

Stephanie Stevens — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:52:44 -0600

Hi Mathias. First of all, tell me if you want it in the sun or the shade. The sun will create more watering, the shade will create less of a colorful effect. Let me know and we'll go from there.
Stephanie

Window boxes would be a

Mathias Baden — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 09:03:16 -0600

Window boxes would be a great addition to my little Bungalow-style house. Sometime during the winter, I want to plan them out, but I don't know what kind of plants to plant, what kind of container will look best, or the best side of the house to put them on.

I'm really a novice gardener, so I need a lot of detailed direction. Will I need to water every day? Is a certain depth of dirt best?

Is this a good, small, low-maintenance garden to start for someone without much experience?

(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)

Gardening with Stephanie

Stephanie Stevens — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 17:11:34 -0600

Hi everyone. I am here to help you with any gardening questions you might have. Please feel free to ask me your questions and share your concerns. Happy Gardening!