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Gardening Facts and Tips

• The ladybug is a beneficial insect. They consume large numbers of aphids and scale bugs thus keeping them from chewing on your precious plants.

• The best time to water your plants is in the morning or at dusk. This not only protects your plants from burning but watering in the heat of the day also causes an increase in evaporation and thus your plants don’t get as much water as you think. It also saves water!

• When watering your plants try not to water the leaves. Water remaining on the leaves is a great way get and spread disease. To avoid this try placing the hose at the base of the plant.

• Variegated (different colored pieces of leaves, etc) plants are due to a mutation in the plant.

• Picking off flowers and vegetables actually increases the productivity of the plant.

• Thinner leaved plants tend to need more water than plants with thicker leaves.

• Mixing cinnamon in with your soil is a simple and easy fungicide.

• Control mildew buildup by diluting milk with water and spraying it on your plants.

• Less than 2 percent of insects are harmful.

You can read this here. 

 • A sunflower is not just one flower. Both the fuzzy brown center and the classic yellow petals are actually 1,000 – 2,000 individual flowers, held together on a single stalk.

• There are more microorganisms in one teaspoon of soil than there are people on earth. It's aliiiiive! OK, in all seriousness, that fact might make you itchy, but microbes are important for keeping your soil full of nutrients.

• Plants really do respond to sound. Talking to plants to help them grow is a well-known old wives' tale, but studies have shown vibration (like music, or perhaps even the sweet sound of your voice) can affect plant growth. Plus, the Myth Busters (in an admittedly not-so-scientific study), compared a silent greenhouse to one where they piped in a voice soundtrack, and found that plants in the latter grew more.

• Butterflies might be more attracted to your weeds than your flowers. Colorful blooms aren't the chief reason these insects love your garden – it's more about the fragrance and nectar. According to the Smithsonian Institute, new cultivars of popular flowers have been bred for enhanced color and size but have often lost their fragrance in the process. So everyday weeds, like dandelions and clovers, might actually be the most appealing things in your yard to butterflies (they hate pesticides, too). Taking care to choose heirloom flower seeds can get them to also fly your way.

• A little baking soda can help you grow sweeter tomatoes. A regular sprinkling of this kitchen staple into your plant's soil can help reduce acidity, which sweetens up your crop.

• Some of your favorite fruits are actually in the rose family. Apples, pears, peaches, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, and more are rosaceae, making them cousins to the long-stemmed Valentine's Day variety.

• The right orchid combination can smell like your favorite dessert. Did you know that the vanilla bean comes from a orchid varietal? And it's not the only sweet-smelling kind: "An oncidum hyrbrid called Sharry Baby smells like chocolate," says George Hatfield, president of the Santa Barbara Orchid Show. "It's 'baking cookie' aroma has made it a winner." And that's not all: The cymbidium Golden Elf smells lemony, and the phalaenopsis violacea has a cinnamon scent. "Just like you'd combine Jelly Belly beans to create new flavors, you can combine orchids to create a garden that smells like a dessert buffet," says Hatfield.

• You can change a hydrangea's color by altering the pH level of the soil. A more alkaline soil will result in pinker blooms, while more acidity will produce blue blooms. To coax your plant to the blue side, add more organic matter to your soil, like eggshells and coffee grounds (though the acidity in used coffee grounds can vary greatly, so you might try a high-acid fertilizer, too). The change won't happen overnight, but eventually you should succeed in manipulating your soil's pH level.

• Deer can jump eight feet high. They might require a running start to reach such heights, but a tiny fence often isn't enough to keep these garden nibblers away. Try a taller one, plant thorny or pungent plants as a natural barrier, or scare them off with lights or wind chimes.

• You don't need to be a dedicated composter to reap similar benefits. Call it cheating but applying used coffee grounds, eggshells, chopped-up banana peels, and other organic matter directly to your soil (no composting required) can offer plants nutrients as they decompose. For already-growing beds, scatter and bury the items within the first few inches of soil.

The above info came from here. 

 If you would like to read ‘What Your Favorite Flower Says About You’ you can read it here.

Today is Red Nose Day! This special holiday got its start in England in 1988, and today it’s one of the largest fundraisers in the UK. The day is sponsored by Comic Relief, a British charity that raises money for people in need in the United Kingdom and Africa. Red Nose Day happens every two years on the second or third Friday in March. In the past 30 years, the event has raised over £1 billion. The day features a telethon, TV specials, and events around the country. You can read more here.

 Jack Black hosting 'Celebrity Escape Room' for NBC's Red Nose Day charity event

NBC will kick off its annual Red Nose Day, the national fundraising campaign to end child poverty, with the Ben Stiller-produced Celebrity Escape Room, the network has announced. NBC describes it as “sort of a show within a show,” where “all-knowing ‘Game Master'” host Jack Black, will put comedy stars Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and Adam Scott to the test as they “work together under intense pressure to beat the clock, unlocking a series of surprising puzzle rooms to ultimately engineer their great escape.”  

 Celebrity Escape Room airs May 24 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the two-hour Red Nose Day Special. The annual star-studded programming block supports the Campaign to End Child Poverty. This info came from here.

What is Celebrity Escape Room?

Celebrity Escape Room “combines the drama and tension of a real-life video game with the side-splitting allure of the ultimate party game,” says NBC. Stiller, Cox, Kudrow and Scott will work together and channel their inner Sherlocks to decipher clues and solve puzzles, brainstorm for solutions and combine their comedic talents to ultimately gain their freedom before time runs out.

In addition to Stiller, Celebrity Escape Room will be executive produced by Black, Christine Taylor, Nicky Weinstock, Amiira Ruotola and Lee Metzger (The Voice). The show is produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio and Red Hour Productions.

The annual Red Nose Day Special will follow Celebrity Escape Room with an entertainment showcase featuring music, comedy and poignant films. The films will share stories of children and young people who have been affected by poverty and how Red Nose Day funds have helped change their story for good.

“Kicking off with Ben Stiller’s hilarious Celebrity Escape Room, NBC’s Red Nose Day lineup is the perfect vehicle to help drive this year’s fundraising efforts,” said Paul Telegdy, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “We are privileged to continue our support of this incredible cause in partnership with our amazing friends at Comic Relief US as we work together on behalf of children in need around the world.”

“Through the power of laughter and entertainment, Red Nose Day serves as a galvanizing force, rallying Americans to come together to end child poverty,” said Alison Moore, CEO of Comic Relief US. “Together with our incredible partners and celebrity supporters, we are working to change the story for good for millions of children in the U.S. and around the world.”

The multi-week Red Nose Day campaign launches Monday, April 13 when the official Red Noses go on sale exclusively at Walgreens locations nationwide in more than 9,000 stores across the country. All net proceeds of Red Nose sales go to the Red Nose Day Fund. Between April 13-May 30, Walgreens will donate $.50 from each Red Nose sold to Comic Relief.

Funds raised through Red Nose Day are split evenly between domestic and international programs that ensure children in need are safe, healthy and educated. The goal is to address the short-term needs of children living in poverty and also foster long-term change to break the poverty cycle and provide hope for a better future. Children and young people who benefit from Red Nose Day-supported programs span all 50 states, Puerto Rico and some of the poorest communities across Latin America, Africa and Asia. Since launching in the U.S. in 2015, Red Nose Day has raised $200 million and positively impacted the lives of nearly 25 million children.

You can read the entire article here.  You can watch a video on the Celebrity Escape room here.

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. For those of you who celebrate, enjoy the day! If any of you haven’t seen my St. Patrick’s Day story, you can find it here. 

Below please find some riddles for this holiday.

History of National Puppy Day

Founder, Colleen Paige’s mission is to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year. It’s also an excellent opportunity to show off your dog’s supermodel side and give them some extra cuddles for all the joy they bring. So sit back and indulge in the endless stream of adorable puppy photos, but keep in mind that today might be the best excuse to bring home your own fluffy canine as your next best friend!

Colleen Paige first brought adoption awareness to a national level with National Dog Day in 2004, which was later adopted by the New York State Legislature in 2013. This day is celebrated on August 26 and is the day Colleen adopted her first dog, “Sheltie” when she was 10 years old. Since then, Colleen has inspired millions with her compassion and has brought worldwide attention to animals in need. She has shone a light on dogs putting their lives on the line every day for personal protection, for law enforcement, for the disabled, for our freedom, and for our safety. 

The above info came from here. 

If you have puppies please share your pictures with us here.

Each year, March 30th National Pencil Day honors the writing utensil that has done more than just teach millions the alphabet and draw straight lines. It’s also helped win wars and enabled amazing art.

Hymen Lipman received the first patent for attaching an eraser to the end of a pencil on this day in 1858. Before that time, pencils and erasers existed separately. Lipman combined the two making two tools much more convenient to use. The intuitive businessman also manufactured envelopes for his stationery shop and was the first to add adhesive to the flap of envelopes. 

 Pencil Facts

In the United States, most pencils are painted yellow. It is believed this tradition began in 1890 when the L & C Hardtmuth Company of Austria-Hungary introduced their Koh-I-Noor brand, named after the famous diamond. They intended the pencil to be the world’s best and most expensive pencil. However, other companies began to copy the yellow color so that their pencils would be associated with the high-quality brand.

 Notable pencil users (Wikipedia)

• Thomas Edison had pencils specially made by Eagle Pencil. His pencils were three inches long, thicker than standard pencils, and had softer graphite than typically available.

• Vladimir Nabokov rewrote everything he ever published, usually several times, by pencil.

• John Steinbeck was an obsessive pencil user and is said to have used as many as 60 a day. His novel East of Eden took more than 300 pencils to write.

• Vincent van Gogh used only Faber pencils as they were “superior to Carpenters pencils, a capital black and most agreeable.”

• Johnny Carson regularly played with pencils at his Tonight Show desk. These pencils were specially made with erasers at both ends to avoid on-set accidents.

• Roald Dahl used only pencils with yellow casings to write his books. He began each day with six sharpened pencils and only when all six became unusable did he resharpen them.

 You can read more here.

History of the Pencil

On March 30, 1858, Hymen Lipman received a patent for his invention of a pencil with a built-in eraser. U.S. patent 19,783 was awarded to the Philadelphia stationery entrepreneur extraordinaire for what he described as a “combination of the lead and India rubber or other erasing substance [embedded] in the holder of a drawing-pencil.” (Info from here)