strawberry pie

Easy Strawberry Pie

As strawberries are ripe for the picking, this is a timely and delicious recipe! Easy and refreshing! This would be a beautiful dessert on any table – especially at your next family gathering. Ingredients: 3T cornstarch 1 c sugar 1 ½ c. water 3 oz box strawberry jello 2 c sliced strawberries 1 10” pre baked pie shell Combine cornstartch, sugar, and water. Brint to boil and then simmer til thickened.  Add jello and stir until dissolved.  Pour over berries then chill …

Larry’s Rose Care Product Recommendations

Learn All About Roses from Larry Hill. Larry loves talking about roses and sharing his knowledge and love of roses with others. Sometimes it seems there are as many kinds of rose care products as there are roses! Choosing between them can be a daunting task, especially for those who are new to rose gardening. To help ensure your success with roses, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite rose care products: Composted cow manure: It’s cost effective and won’t burn the roots of …

Using Rose Petals to Make Potpourri

The next time your roses start to wilt, instead of tossing those pretty petals in the trash, make potpourri. It’s so easy andwill make your home smell amazing. Potpourri also makes a memorable homemade gift. After dead heading your roses, you can use them to make potpourri: Pull the petals off the roses. Spread the petals out on a screen and let them dry in a warm and dry place (approximately 2 – 3 days). Separately, dry some whole rose …

Want to inspire children to eat healthy, exercise and become aware of the environment?

Get them involved in the garden. Mixing plants, soil, water and sunshine with a bunch of kids is a winning combination. And, who knows, you may be even able to get them to eat their vegetables too! A garden is a hands-on, living classroom. Gardening will teach them responsibility and patience; it helps improve life skills and helps form a positive relationship between the child and the environment. Gardening can also increase self-confidence, creativity and a love of nature all …

Looking for a new plant for your shade garden?

Then you need to check out all the amazing varieties of heucheras! Heuchera foliage has been bred to produce a wide burst of colors, from amber, gold and orange to lime-yellow, red, purple, brown and even black. Heuchera is now 30% off along with all other perennials. The little stalks of flowers that give the plant its common name of coral bells are still there, but it’s the leaves that are prized. Although traditional coral bells had only green leaves …

Toasted Parmesan Tomato Bread

Soon it will be THAT time of year…the time of year when I have an abundance of tomatoes from my garden. I LOVE tomatoes and this Tomato and Parmesan Toasted Bread is the perfect way to use them up. 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 large sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt Ground black pepper 4 large, thick slices sourdough bread 4 large tomatoes 3 ounces Parmesan cheese   Heat the oven to broil. …

Don’t touch this plant! Giant Hogweed

Do Not Touch This Plant: If you come in contact with this plant, you could experience severe burns to your skin, and risk temporary or permanent blindness. Giant Hogweed is an invasive, non-native plant that poses a serious threat to human health and natural ecosystems. If you haven’t already heard, Giant Hogweed has now been detected in many counties across Michigan. The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development states on its website, “Giant Hogweed is a public health hazard …

Fresh Corn and Tomato Salad

This simple salad of fresh tomatoes and sweet corn will breathe new life into a summer dinner or backyard barbecue.  What You’ll Need: 6 ears corn, husked and cleaned 3 large tomatoes, diced 1 large onion, diced 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons white vinegar salt and pepper to taste Step by Step: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook corn in boiling water for 7 to 10 minutes, or …

What’s in a Name? How Roses Get Their Names

Have you ever wondered how roses get their names? The process of having a rose named is actually very simple. The real difficulty is in hybridizing a rose that’s worthy of naming! A very popular older Hybrid tea, the ‘Peace’ rose was introduced right after the end of World War 2. It was actually sheer coincidence that Berlin fell and a truce was declared on the same day as the naming of the ‘Peace’ rose. In naming the rose, this …

Steps for Cleaning a Bird House

Cleaning your bird houses is essential for good bird health and safety. Dirty bird houses can harbor rodents, insects, feather mites, fungus and bacteria that can spread disease to the birds. Ideally, a bird house should be cleaned after all babies have grown and left the home. Remove all old nesting material and scrape out any feces or clumped matter. This material should be disposed of in a plastic bag to prevent spreading any parasites it might harbor. Scrub the …