It Takes A Village....Another Wordy Wednesday Ramble....

Last night, as I was looking for an email someone said they sent me, I wandered into my SPAM folder. There, among the sales pitches, I saw an email from the KCRA A-List Contest. It's been a very busy Spring. I had not even realized that the contest was underway. I followed the links and soon realized that without any fanfare or participation on my part, The Secret Garden was sitting in 11th place out of 32 contestants. Not bad, but not where I wanted to stay. I tend to be a little competitive. I like to be liked. Heck, I'll admit it, I like to win!

So I copied the link to the voting platform and posted a note on our Secret Garden Facebook wall asking for help getting me in the top 3. I watched a few people respond with a "Like" and a few made comments that they had voted. Awesome! When I woke up this morning I was impressed and thankful for my social media followers that they had indeed voted and pushed me up to 2nd PLACE! Wow! Double Awesome!!

All a silly game? Definitely not! Back in 2007 when this A-List Contest started we placed 3rd out of 10 entries. In 2008 and 2009 we placed FIRST with 18 contestants. The most important part of winning wasn't the certificate (although that's fun to have). No, the MOST IMPORTANT thing was how it drove our web site up higher in search engine results. A little mom and pop store like ours doesn't have the big budget to run ads that place you on top of the search engine page and our web site did not have the traffic history to get to page one in a search organically. BUT, by being part of KCRA's page, and being recognized as #1, well that made a HUGE difference.  

Ten years later there are 32 contestants. My original goal yesterday was to end up in the top 3. Today, after looking at the numbers that I'm privy to as a contestant, I see I only need 51 more votes to move into 1st Place....... 
51 votes!.......... I have 3900+ customers that receive emails. I have 2900+ Facebook fans, I have 1200+ Instagram followers........Imagine the possibilities.....Do you remember what I said about being a little competitive? We're not talking about needing 1000's of votes. We're talking about needing maybe 100. Please don't rely on the other customer to vote. I NEED YOUR VOTE!

And so I ask you....Would you be willing to do your part to support a local, small business by spending a few minutes voting for The Secret Garden in this year's KCRA A List Competition? 

And if you do decide to help us out, would you please also leave a comment about what you like about our store as well. It's one thing when I say something in print. It's 100 times more effective when YOU say something about us in print. Maybe you enjoyed taking a class, or attending a special event. Or maybe your daughter was here for a Girl Scout outing or your family found their Christmas tree here. Whatever good memory you have, we'd love for you to share.

I can't thank you enough for your help. Click here to cast your vote:

Remember, it takes a village to support a small business. You're my village!

Jennifer

Plants & People; Perfect Partners - Another Wordy Wednesday Ramble

In ancient times we lived with the plants. Then as we domesticated we moved indoors and plants were left outdoors. For most people through history, homes were too dark and cold to sustain plant life. It is said that the Emperor of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzer, was one of the first to formally domesticate plant life when he built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for his wife.

So while in ancient cultures it was generally only the very wealthy who could have plants indoors, plant lovers today keep them not only for the sheer beauty, but also for their proven health benefits. Recent studies have shown that having plants in your home reduces stress, reduces air pollution, reduces allergens and reduces toxins.

Remember those grade school science classes where you learned about photosynthesis? And I thought I'd never use any of that information!

So quick recap - we take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. During photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Plants and People; Perfect Partners. At night when photosynthesis ceases, most plants then respire like us, taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. However, a few plants, like orchids, SUCCULENTS and epiphytic bromeliads (AIRPLANTS) do the opposite. At night they take in the carbon dioxide you're exhaling and release oxygen. These are excellent plants to place in your bedroom to help refresh the air.

Plants also release 97% of the moisture they take in. They do this by releasing moisture vapor and thereby increasing the humidity around them. Studies show that simply by placing a few plants together in a room you increase humidity and thereby decrease the instances of dry skin, sore throats and dry coughs.

And what about claims that show plants reduce the toxins in your home? Studies show that plants do indeed remove up to 87 percent of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) every 24 hours, according to NASA research. VOCs include substances like formaldehyde (present in rugs, vinyl, cigarette smoke and grocery bags), benzene and trichloroethylene (both found in man-made fibers, inks, solvents and paint). The NASA research discovered that plants purify the air by pulling contaminants into soil, where root zone microorganisms convert VOCs into food for the plant. Plants and people; Perfect Partners!

Do you need some Plant Partners in your life? Visit me at The Secret Garden and I'll help you get started.

Jennifer

Plant Growth Regulators - Another Wordy Wednesday Ramble

You know those tiny perfect 4" potted roses that are sold everywhere for Valentines Day and Mother's Day? Did you ever wonder how those roses got to look so perfect when your roses at home haven't bloomed out yet? And seriously do roses naturally bud and bloom when they are 4" tall? The answer to that question is NO, they don't. There is nothing natural about it.

So here's something you probably didn't know. Growers use an arsenal of Plant Growth Regulators to achieve the 4" blooming rose and others plant wonders. These regulators are synthetic hormones made to mimic the plants natural hormones. These are then administered to the plant for the purposes of rapid growth, or delayed growth, whatever the grower's needs may be.

Let's say you're growing a crop of plants that need to be ready for market in April. You need these plants to be fully leafed out and budding when the buyers need them in April. Relying on nature, even temperature controlled greenhouses, often isn't enough control. They won't be full enough or perfect enough in their 4" pot for the buyer to perceive them as worth the price. So in comes Plant Growth Hormone Regulators. The grower can play with how the plant grows by administering one or more "regulators" to achieve the end result he or she wants. Science controlling nature. Remember, a 4" potted plant needs to look full but not leggy, and be budded and ready to bloom. All with a root system that is approx 3x3".

So what's the big deal? Well, have you ever noticed that you take your 4" pot home and put it in the ground and nothing happens. The plant doesn't grow for a year or more. Then finally, if it makes it through the heat of summer and the next winter, then it starts to take off. This is because the plant has been programmed through these regulators to NOT grow. Remember, the grower wants the plant to stay little, compact and contained in a 4" pot, The plant doesn't know it's been purchased and put outside in the soil and sunlight and you're now ready for it to grow. It's doing what it's been programmed to do. Sit tight and stay cute.

Last summer I had the privilege of helping a customer landscape their front yard. They purchased all their plants from The Secret Garden. Six months after installation, I stopped by the house to take some pictures of the garden all grown in. The homeowner was thrilled with how everything was growing in nicely. All except three of nine guaras that lined a walk way. Hmmm, I wondered, why would those three not be doing as well as the others? Well it turned out that we hadn't had enough to complete the walk way and the homeowner had purchased three from another store. Different grower. Plant Growth Regulators? I'd bet my money on it.

Today I was talking to a grower of houseplants while purchasing for the store. We were talking shop and discussing different fertilizers and lighting conditions and generally geeking out on our passions. He asked me if I used "regulators" to which my replay was NO. Then he showed me some of his plants that were regulated against the same type of plant without use of regulators. The difference was extreme. The unregulated one was actually bigger but not quite as full. Beautiful in its own right, but not "Picture Perfect". And the color of the regulated one was so much more vivid. It looked like it was photo-shopped with a filter. I was momentarily intrigued. But that's where it ended. Because next he told me that if I was going to use it, we had to tent an area so it wouldn't stray where it shouldn't and we'd need to be fully suited up to not breathe the material or have skin contact. It's a known carcinogenic. Nope! Not at our nursery!

I'm happy to report that while we do grow a lot of our own plants, we only use organic fertilizers and no plant growth regulators. I'm ok with slightly less than picture perfect plant specimens because that's how nature intended for them to be. Love us or leave us, but we're choosing the non-carcinogenic growing options thank you.

There, I'll get off my soap box now.

Jennifer

Herbal Remedies from the Farmacy

Our ancestors knew which herbs and plants could cure a fever, settle an upset stomach, help with insomnia. While I'm no expert, I've been passionate about herbal remedies since my eldest had colic 30 years ago and my mother in law prescribed a tea made from sage and anise. I was skeptical, but 5 weeks of screaming baby had me ready to try anything. Her advice worked like a charm and I was hooked.

I do believe that holistic medicine is making a comeback. My own daughters, aged 23-30 are into looking up natural methods of everything from skincare to household cleaning. They're finding that not only does the natural method work, but it is often considerably less expensive and certainly safer to use.I think they're pretty smart lil chicks!

So let's go back to talking about herbal medicine for a minute. Wouldn't it be amazing if the plants that you grew right outside your own door could be dual purpose. What if that beautiful vine covering your arbor could help you fall asleep. What if that drought tolerant bush by the back fence could even cure athlete's foot. Well, they can.

If you know me at all, you know I love a Win/Win situation. Growing your own holistic medicinal cures is the perfect example of this in action.

1) I love dual purpose plants because they offer a WIN/WIN. In other words, I'll water and care for you and in return I'll get something other than just a pretty plant. One of my favorites is Passion Flower Vine. This fast growing, evergreen vine has a gorgeous flower that turns in to a fruit that's high in antioxidants. (Great in yogurt or tossed into a smoothie). The leaves of the vine can be dried and then used to make a tea that is a mild sedative. I like to blend the leaves with lavender and chamomile, also stress reducing sedatives. 

    

 

2) I also love knowing that I grow my plants without harmful synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. I don't have to pay money for the chemicals in the first place and I don't have to pay a premium for organic goods because I grow them myself. That's a WIN/WIN.

3) I'm pretty frugal (ask anyone!) and growing my own natural teas is the cheapest way to enjoy holistic health care. 

So you see it's a Win/Win/Win.

Stop in to The Secret Garden and pick up some plants to start your own FARMACY. Then the next time you're at the grocery store you can just walk past that boxed tea aisle and keep your hard earned money in your pocket.

Jennifer

FOOD FOR THOUGHT or Thinking About Your Food

FOOD FOR THOUGHT or Thinking About Your Food

Growing FOOD and Ornamentals Organically

When I host Girl Scout troops in The Secret Garden for badge work, I almost always ask the question "would you drink or eat anything that had the skull and cross bones symbol for poison on it?" Of course the answer is always a resounding "no". So I ask them, why then would we think it's ok to spray our gardens with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers that contain known poisons? As an adult we might make the decision that it's ok to eat foods sprayed with chemicals because the government has deemed it safe (in a certain use and in a certain amount). However no one can really know the effects of ingesting poisons daily over the long run.

I understand wanting a greener lawn, less bugs, rosier, blemish free apples. But at what cost? Are you old enough to remember the song "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell? "Farmer, farmer put away your DDT. I don't care about spots on my apples, leave me the birds and the bees please!" That song first came out in the early '70's and not long after the EPA issued a cancellation order for DDT. Yet other pesticides for commercial agriculture have taken its place and we are currently still trying to save the bee population from its continual decline, in evidence since the 1990's. What's killing our bees? According to Green Peace, one of the main reasons for the global bee decline is linked to the wide-spread use of bee-killing pesticides.

What about the health of not just the bee population, but of our own? It is no secret that the increase in cancer is wide spread. I don't think it's far fetched to say it's linked to the chemicals we are consuming? Do you?

So what can you do? If you grow your own food, adopt a more ecological gardening practice and stop using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers in your garden. If you buy most of your family's food, then buy regional organic food. And in your food and ornamental gardens, plant bee-friendly organic flowers and use organic fertilizers and safe integrated pest management practices.

At The Secret Garden we are proud to be growing almost half of the plant stock we sell. We grow our plants without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or growth regulators. This might be why our plants aren't as picture perfect as some found in other nurseries. There may even be an ant or two, the odd slug or worm in the soil. Gasp. When we do buy plants in from other nurseries, we make a point to first support commercial growers that follow this same philosophy. Look for the pink pots from Blooms with every tag proudly stating that no Neonicitinoids were used. They are one of our preferred plant providers.

Why is this important? Do we really need to go so far as planting flowers and vegetables that are organic? Well, consider that the beautiful flowering plants you put in your garden may have been sprayed with Neonicitinoids and killing bees.  Or the non-organic vegetable seeds you planted may have been coated in Neonicitinoids. This chemical concoction is known to stay in a plant for up to 10 years - all parts of the plant. Do you want your beautiful home grown herbs and tomatoes laced with pesticides? I know I don't.

If you need help adopting a more ecological gardening practice, visit The Secret Garden and just ask. We're happy to help.

 

Just food for thought...

Jennifer Khal

The Secret Garden

www.secretgarden-online.com

Low Light Plant Guide for the Winter Home

During these shorter days of winter there is nothing better than to have a few houseplants around to remind us that summer and warmer temperatures are indeed just around the corner. Here's a little info to help you choose the right plants for your home.

Houseplants serve multiple purposes, not only do they hold us over until we can get outside and enjoy the lush green of our backyards once again, but they also help to de-toxify the air.

House plants are the ultimate in functional decorating. Some well-placed greenery can not only brighten a space, but also purify the air -- and they're also helpful in creating a more relaxing, restful ambiance in any room.

Top 10 most beautiful houseplants that are easy to take care of and effective at increasing oxygen and clearing out toxins for cleaner breathing air:

1. Aloe Plant

2. Ivy

3. Rubber Tree

4. Peace Lily

5. Mother-in-law tongue (Snake Plant)

6. Bamboo Palm

7. Philodendron

8. Spider Plant

9. Red-Edged Dracaena

10. Golden Pothos

Now if taking care of houseplants has never been your "thing" maybe you just haven't found the ones that can practically survive in a closet. I have several friends (I won't name any names) that have trouble with houseplants because their homes are quite dark. If this is also your issue, then here are a few plants that can survive a darker room and still offer you the benefits mentioned above:

1. Ferns

2. Mother-in-Law tongue (sansevaria)

3. Rex begonia
4. Pothos

5. ZZ plant (zamioculous Zamiifolia) 

A few words of Garden Shop wisdom...there is no such thing as having a "Black Thumb"!  You just haven't found the plants that will work in your environment yet. So stop in to The Secret Garden and we'll help you find the one that will work for you!

Jennifer, The Secret Garden

Got Ants? Are You Ready to Try a More Natural Approach to Control

In our home we do our best to use as few chemicals as possible. I'm not perfect by any means, but we really try. I was put to the test just before Christmas when I saw a few ants in the bathroom. Of course the next day they were in the kitchen, the pantry, the other bathroom! We were no longer talking about just a few! Wow, their timing was perfect! The holidays, loads of extra food prep happening, guests, all of it, and I was dealing with ants!

It had been a while since I'd had to deal with ants so I did a Google search and looked for DIY ant killer. There are lots of recipes for homemade all natural ant spray so I settled in to try a few. The first one I made was a combination of apple cider vinegar, baking soda and dish soap. I got the recipe here 

http://thesoccermomblog.com/2015/05/16/diy-natural-ant-repellent-spray

It killed the ants I sprayed, but more just kept coming!

Next I tried a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, mouthwash and dish soap that I found here 

http://frugalandthrifty4.blogspot.ca/2013/01/ant-killer-spray.html

It also killed the ants on contact and smelled great, but more ants just keep coming!

So I honed my search for a recipe that would work on killing the queen not just the workers you see in your pantry. That's when I came across a recipe that called for just 3 ingredients, two of which I readily had and one I had to go looking for, Sugar, Water and Borax. I found the recipe here http://www.listotic.com/everyday-products-you-can-easily-make-from-home-homemade-products/18/

Borax is a natural mineral found within the ground that has been used for years as a natural laundry booster, multipurpose cleaner, insecticide, disinfectant and more. Its chemical name is sodium borate, or sodium tetraborate and while I wouldn't be feeding it to babies, I feel better about using a mineral from the earth than I do about using a chemical compound created in a lab somewhere.

The process for using this recipe is simple. Mix sugar and warm water and borax and then soak a few cotton balls with the stuff. Leave the wet cotton balls where the ants will find it. The sugar and water will bait the ants into thinking they've hit the mother loads of free snacks, and the borax will deliver the punch, just not immediately. Here's where you have to have a little faith that the Google Guys won't steer you wrong,

So I did as I was told and soaked a few cotton balls. One in the pantry where they were thick as thieves on a bag of unsweetened coconut of all things. One in the downstairs shower where they had developed  a taste for my daughter's shampoo. And one on a window sill in the family room where I had seen a few ants.

Within 20 minutes the one in the pantry and the one in the shower where covered in ants. The message was out that dinner was served and hundreds, no thousands, had answered the call. Here's where my aforementioned faith was being tested. Was I just feeding them or would this work?

Well, here's what happened. The two that had drawn a crowd were rock hard in about 6 hours. I guess the ants were sucking it dry. So I replaced it with another treated cotton ball and they sucked that one dry. This went on for three days. By day two though I noticed a few dead ants near the cotton ball. And by day three there were a lot of dead ants. Dead ants in the kitchen too even though I didn't leave any baited cotton balls in the kitchen. Finally by day 6 the baited cotton balls weren't drawing any ants at all and I couldn't find any ants moving around anywhere. 

I'm calling this a success. It took a week to be completely rid of the little pests, but I did it without laying down toxins in my house or spraying toxins that we could all be breathing in. And I think if borax came from the earth, then our landfill won't mind a few cotton balls laced with the stuff when they finally get there.

So that's my story. How are you making changes to live cleaner, greener and safer?

Jennifer

The Secret Garden