Freezing Outside Temperature

Our neighbor covered their swimming pool for few weeks now and look at ours, it's still open and so inviting. I seldom go out the backyard anymore. My husband turns on and off the pump manually so at least twice a day he would go out and brave the freezing outside temperature. I would love to clean the yard but, the cold weather is just so intense for me. The pile of leaves are not that ridiculous though. Last November, we hired a tree-trimming company to cut the hazardous trunks and limbs close to our house. They really did a good job.

For now, I am just waiting for a warm day and clean one section of the backyard each time if I get the chance. How was your New Year celebration by the way?

Splurging the Patio with Solar Lanterns

When you own a big space either front or back yard, all you could think about is splurging it into a functional area right? How would you like to have a backyard oasis? I bet you dreamed about it! To have a beautiful lawn that has the curb appeal in the neighborhood is what we always wanted to have. Like you, I wanted to have a manicured lawn too with booming flowers. A good size garden space and a gazebo in the backyard where I can enjoy my garden oasis would be nice. To have a beautiful garden needs time, planning and love of gardening. It should be well taken care off and it needs someone who has the passion to make it an awesome yard. If you have that passion then, start splurging your patio project now.

I am heading to midnight Black Friday shopping in an hour to buy home accessories and garden decors. I am done checking and comparing prices of solar lanterns online and I found a favorite solar lantern. All I hope is to find it in store. I wanted to buy a solar lantern because it is very cost effective and safe to leave in the garden.

My husband and I spent time in the patio especially when the weather is nice and cool. The scented wax candles add the ambiance but, when it is too breezy, the flame will be off before we could cover it good. To avoid the hassle, a friend told me that I should check on flameless candles. The product is battery operated and I think it is a perfect garden accessory.

I found a Website that has all these gorgeous and elegant outdoor accessories. You should check out batteryoperatedcandles.net to see their battery operated candles and lanterns. The picture above is an elegant hanging lantern which I really like to have in the patio. If you are looking for home and garden accessories, Christmas decors as well as ornaments, this company has it all. Go and check it out. I am sure you will love their products as much as I did.

Yard Work and Gardening

We were so glad that the lawn guy cut the grass the other day. The grass grows so fast these past few days because of the rain. I like it though. The only down side is we can't keep up. Hubby told the guy not to include the backyard because we will do it ourselves. We were so busy so; gardening and yard work will be scheduled on the weekend. It will be a fun day for us. You can relate if you love yard work. Thanks for stopping by.

Gardenia Bonsai from the Soothing Company

One of the household chores that I enjoyed doing is gardening. I love waking up in the morning and check if my flower plants are blooming with flowers. I don't mind touching the dirt with my bare hands and I just love hanging out in the backyard. While I was visiting few blogs, I read some positive reviews about Soothing Company products. I immediately email the company requesting for product review opportunity and they replied to send me either a water fountain or a bonsai and I choose the latter.

About The Soothing Company

From the name itself, one can already guess that this company is all about products that are soothing for everyone. If you are looking for water fountains either indoor or outdoor, Soothing Company has it. For whatever type it maybe such as wall, floor, and tabletop water fountains as well as large water walls, you will find it here. The Soothing Company has Wall fountains for the home and outdoor canvas art. They also have bean bag chairs, fireplace, massage chairs, and bonsai. All these products are contributing factors to create a relaxing, peaceful and soothing sanctuary in your home.

Gardenia Bonsai

Bonsai means little trees in pots. According to the Soothing Company, the art of bonsai is originated in China and later refined in Japan. Bonsai is recognized as an international art form and I was lucky that Soothing Company sent me a bonsai for free. I love that the bonsai they sent me is a Gardenia about 4 years old. It arrived in good condition. The package was neat, perfect and the plant is very healthy. You can visit the Soothing Company and purchase a 6" - 8" gardenia at $40. It is very pretty and I can assure you that it is worth buying for. Gardenia blooms from March to June. My gardenia bonsai is showing buds. I can't wait to see them in full bloom and smell its sweet fragrance.

UPDATE: AFTER ONE WEEK

I was truly amazed to see the buds in bloom and these Gardenia flowers are so fragrant. I suggest that you do not dehydrate the plant and keep it away from direct sunlight. Would I recommend this product? Yes, definitely! Go and check it out.

I received the Bonsai plant for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I used personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am not compensated with this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

5 Gardening Basics that You Should Remember

This post brought to you by Scotts Miracle-Gro. All opinions are 100% mine.

For the past days, I have been prepping my backyard to create a relaxing outdoor ambiance. I was also in-and-out to a garden store buying stepping stones for DIY garden project that I have in mind. I bought gardening supplies such as top soil, flowering plants and pavers for one area that I plan to make a flower garden. I love gardening and to show you how I was doing last year, check out my vegetable garden and the produce as well as my flowering plants in bloom. It was amazing that my activity last year includes sustainable gardening for we did not buy calamondin, okra and tomatoes since I planted a vegetable garden.

If you are new to gardening, here are few basic tips that you should remember:

1. Select the right area for planting - When you buy plants in the garden store, you will definitely find comprehensive information on how to grow a specific plant. Some plants thrive in shady area, some needed 8 hours of sunlight so; select the plants that is more likely grow on that condition.

2. Gather your gardening tools - Good and durable gloves are necessary tool in gardening for it protects your hand from blisters and calluses as well as reduces fatigue. It also keeps your hand from getting dirty. A trowel is also important for digging small holes and breaking up earth.

3. Clean and cultivate - Weeds will take over rapidly if you don't clean the area properly. Make sure that you pull the weeds to the roots. Cultivate the soil for it helps control the weeds from thriving and it is a better way to prepare the area for planting.

4. Add top Soil - If you have a sandy type of soil like what we have here in Florida, you need to add a top soil and make sure that you mixed it well.  The growth of a healthy plant depends on the type of soil you have so; make sure that you buy the good soil.

5, Planting - After selecting the plants in the garden store and the area in your yard is ready for planting, it is time to take the plants out from the container and transfer it to the ground.  Don't dig too deep and make sure that you loosen it before you cover with dirt.

Finally, after planting all your favorite plants, it is time to add Scotts Florida Select Natural Eucalyptus Mulch which I truly recommend.  This product will prevent weeds from thriving in your garden and helps conserved soil moisture and moderate the soil temperature. This garden essential is 100% Florida grown Eucalyptus. It is sustainable cypress alternative and grown in Florida.

If you are not living in Florida, check out Scotts Nature Scapes mulch for your landscaping needs. This product comes in 3 varieties of colors, the Classic Black and Sierra Red and my personal choice the Deep Forest Brown. Scotts Nature Scapes mulch is a natural forest product and comes in different textures. You should add this product in your garden to maintain moisture and prevent weeds so you can enjoy a beautiful garden oasis.

Early Spring and Beautiful Blooms

There is indeed beauty in weeds. This is called Virginia Spiderwort or Tradescantia Virginiana which is commonly grown in gardens. It can grow from 1 to 3 feet tall and mostly has purple, blue and white flowers. According to some experts in Horticulture, this is not a weed but, a native plant.

As for the rest of these beautiful flowers below, I have no idea what their names are.

I am no expert in flowers but, when I saw these plants in my yard today, though they are beautiful, I still consider them as weeds.

 
Check out the photo below, I even caught a bee trying to sipped a nectar out of it ... just my wild guess :-) or helping for pollination (wink).
 
This plant is really pretty, check out the flowers, I might cultivate it because the leaves are pretty.
 
Now, this for sure is my least favorite occupant in my garden, the flowers withered easily.
 
This is the only variety in the entire yard, looks like a tiny sunflower.
 
That's all for now friends. I will be posting some of my favorite flowers in my garden next time. I have few in blooms. Thanks for stopping by. Oh, if you know the names of the above plants/weeds/flowers, feel free to share it with us. Thanks and hope to see you again.

My DIY Patio Project

As what I promised few days ago that I will share my DIY project, here it is. I was inspired to do a DIY project while watching an HGTV show. I bought a garden fabric, select an affordable pavers, imagine a plan, and make it happen. For few days, hubby and I had our dinner right here. We were grillin' so; this is the right place for feasting our grillin' foodies and we love our outdoor area.We bought the gazebo at Home Depot while the pavers, we bought it from Lowe's. The white and the red pavers were bought from Home Depot too.Next project? Fix the fence! Just kidding (*;*) Oh my, I can't do that without the help of an expert. We will hire a good carpenter to splurge the fence anytime soon.

Front Yard

We lived in our new place for almost three months now and so far, we love it each day. There are days that we love to sit at the front porch and watch the sunset. The people in the neighborhood are friendly and it is always peaceful and quite here. Hubby and I are always busy doing something at the backyard and trying to make it functional for us. We wanted to splurge the landscape of the front yard but, we have no budget at the moment...maybe in the future.

I planted "low maintenance" plants to give colors at the front yard and hubby maintain the cut of the grass. Good thing that both of us share the same passion in gardening. See the bird bath on the left picture? There was a bird on top of it. Some birds found a new place to hang out and cool down now and we welcome them.