Just want to remind everyone that when the heat is on in the house it tends to dry out the houseplants quite a bit. Most houseplants enjoy a misting from time to time. An easy way to raise the humidity around plants is to place the plant on a tray of pebbles and add water to the pebbles. As the water evaporates it adds moisture to the air around the plant. Great way to reduce the number of times you water to.
   Houseplants don't usually grow much during the winter, so plant food should be limited, if any. I have heard some say you should feed them a couple of times each winter. I choose not to do this, however when the new growth starts in late winter or spring I use a half strength fertilizer eery other watering.
   If your house plants become real dusty, most will tolerate or even enjoy a shower. Place the pot in the sink or if its a large plant, place it in the tub. Spray the leaves with luke warm water. You'll have a happier clean plant.

   With the start of the nursery some of the trees and brush were removed from the back yard. This area offers me a new area to cultivate and grow a new garden. There will be many challenges here because of former tree roots, bulldozing has removed some of the topsoil and the soil appears to be mostly sand and stone. Below is a list of things that i always think about before starting a new garden.
   The best way to start any garden is first select the site. Look to see what kind of sun the area gets. Does it get full sun or is it in the shade. Sun in the morning is not as hot and as intense as sun in the afternoon. What do you plan on planting? Will it grow in the conditions that you have at this site? Think about how hard it will be to access this area. You will probably have to water and carry things to this area, so if its out of the way, be sure there is a path that allows easy access to this area. A path that is wide enough to push a wheelbarrow through is the minimum width it should be. What is the soil like? There are many ways to check this, the easiest being to take a shovel and dig down and see what you find. The more you garden the better you will be able to determine what the soil lacks or needs. A soil sample can be taken and tested to see what the garden lacks. If you have compost available this is by far the best thing you can add to your soil. Compost has a lot of natural bacteria that the soil needs. The texture can help retain moisture. The benefits of compost are huge. If you can plan ahead the fall before you could actually compost some old leaves right in the spot of the new garden. You could simply lay them over the area you intend to garden in and let them break down some over the winter. You could rototill the whole area , mixing the leaves in as you go. A quick rototill in the spring will be easy work after this and the leaves will have broken down quite a bit. This is also a good time to add any compost you have or anything like lime if you have acidic soil.
   So much to think about before actually being able to start that beautiful garden you have imagined in your head. Im still thinking about my plan of action. I have leaves ready for the beds I will create. I used the leaves as a protection around shrubs for the winter. I'll add lots of compost and mulch once the plants are in. With these things and hopefully some rain and a little sun, this garden may be everything I imagined.
   I know this won't happen....a gardener always sees something that needs changing. A plant needs to be moved, or the colors of two plants aren't good next to each other. A bare spot is visible.....its never done. We still dream though.

   This is a link to the website to register online from anywhere in the US for any state so that you can vote. I put this here to make it easier for everyone that I know to go ahead and register and how important it is. Your vote does count.  http://www.usayfoundation.org/
   Now is a good time to do any of those things that you should have done in the fall or need to do before spring. We will start with tools. First remove any soil left on your tools. If some rust is showing, sand it down a bit. Sharpen all blades. Wipe a small amount of oil, machine oil, such as used in your lawn mower, on the exposed metal parts to help protect against rust. Use linseed oil on the handle of all wooden tools to help maintain the wood.
   Trim trees and shrubs. A few shrubs can be trimmed back to a few inches from the ground, but as a rule, most cannot. You will have to check on the individual shrub to see if yours is this type. A good website for tree trimming help is http://www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm. For shrub pruning techniques try here   http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/nursery/430-459/430-459.html

  More and more seeds are coming up now. I have tried a new way of planting seeds this year. My thought is that most seed if left on its own, drops to the ground and then it starts there on top of the soil unless it falls into some kind of crevice. So I poked a shallow hole in all my pots and dropped a seed into the hole and did not cover them. The seeds that said sprinkle on top of the soil and press, I did the way the seed packet said. So far most things appear to be fine with my method of sowing. What is interesting to watch is that you see the root coming out of the seed and pressing itself into the soil. I don't know what the results of this experiment will be but I will keep everyone informed here. 
   We have added a new web search to the home page. There have been problems with our site opening up and it was suggested it may be some of the ads and links on some of the pages. This is an effort to try and correct that problem and so far it appears to be working. If you have problems and eventually do get to us, let us know.

   I have stated in the past that I look at other garden related websites. I can't get enough gardening...what can I say. Today I found an interesting forum on being a dreamer and dreaming of starting a nursery. So I read approximately 30 postings from individuals, some of whom are in the plant business and some who are the average individual that likes gardening. In these forums it always seems to start out nice and gets nastier as they go along. The main reason I don't participate in these forums is for this reason. Today was no exception and I did not contribute my two cents worth, however I do have my own blog (your here now) where I can state my thoughts and feelings on this whole matter.
   First, a blog to me is a place where you can list your thoughts or ideas and have them out there where others can see them if they wish and some people may even send you a comment on them. This allows others to get to know you a little better. The main thing in this statement to me is that these are your own individual thoughts and beliefs, they are what makes you, you. With this in mind I will give you my thoughts and comments on "Why start a Nursery?"
   I know that at the beginning of this website is an "about us" page. This gives a brief introduction to who we are and why we are doing what we are doing. I want to really explain who I am and why I am doing what I am doing.
   I have since I can remember always loved gardening. Whether it is the oneness with nature, just the being of outdoors or the time I was spending doing this with someone I loved, it was what made me happy. At some point in ones life it is good to finally say that I have done enough other things for people that I didn't really like, its time for me to do something I like and I am good at. It is this time in my life. I spent twenty odd years working in a factory. Factory settings are the most non organic things that I can think of. Most factories have no windows. Factory work is usually for to little pay, being expected to produce an unrealistic amount of product with the fewest of errors possible, allowing the plant owners or investors to make the biggest profit allowable. That said, back to the subject at hand. I kind of drift away from time to time. When I garden I forget time, I ignore the pains or bumps or twitches in my body (these are usually brought on by the bending over weeding or whatever in the garden), my mind is clear to dwell on the subject at hand or think about anything that I desire. I don't usually require the company of anyone, be they man or beast, but either are more than welcome to join me and appreciated.
   I say all of this because I am happiest when gardening. I love to grow things, I love to share my knowledge with others, I love others to share their knowledge with me, be it they are talking plants...hehe. I'm not afraid of the physical work, I love to go to bed feeling my muscles have had a good work out. I love to go to different nurseries or websites to search and find things I don't have in my garden.
   What I don't like is being made to buy just a few select things that garden centers are offering. I don't like waiting for someone to ring you out a check out and for them to have no knowledge of what it is you are buying. An example of this is: I went to a do it yourself type store where they were having a season close out sale on plants. I love these sales. I choose several plants, all that had labels except one, a Japanese maple. The sign that was posted everywhere for the sale read " 75% off all plants except Icicle Pansy's, Mums and ornamental cabbage." My unlabeled plant was not recognized by the person who was running the cash register. The cash register person who happened to be next to this person had no idea what this plant was either. I of course informed them it was no way shape or form any of the plants they had listed as not on sale. A manager needs to be called, and he was, and then another manager. Of course all of this time the line behind me was getting longer and longer since the other cash register person had closed and left for home, or where ever. People left what they wanted to purchase and went home also. They did not want to wait. Someone else in line agreed with me that what I was trying to buy was a tree. I left the crowd talking about the plant, picked up the three plants that weren't on sale that had tags and showed them to the staff. The manager agreed to allow the plant to go for the 75% off.
   I want to run a nursery because of the things I love. I love plants, I love to share my knowledge and love when people share theirs also. I believe I am good at teaching since I did it for years in factories, I always trained people. I enjoy people. I spend a great deal of time researching plants, for myself, yes, but also its information that I am willing to share. The forum that started this whole thing also stated that there is little income to be made. If I can pay my bills I am happy. If I have money beyond that it is nice also. Was I getting rich in a factory...nope, enough to pay my bills. I'd rather be happy than rich. The old saying is true...you can't buy happiness.
   This probably turned out more as a rant than I wanted it to. I wanted it to show you that my goal, my desire, is to have the best plants that I can for sale. Have the knowledge of those plants and be willing to share it. To have the time for each and every customer, and yes sometimes you will have to wait while I talk with someone else. Just remember I will give you the same courtesy when its your turn. I want the gardens to be a fun place to visit. I would like to be a destination, not just a on the way to somewhere else place. I have spent up to two hours driving to a nursery because I liked it there. I want to share my love of all plants, even weeds can be pretty. Famous quote " A weed is just a plant in the wrong place." Will I need to supplement my income? Does it matter if I am happy for half the year? I think I'll take my chances. I think I will also hope that come spring I'll see you here, or at least a nursery with the same ideals as I (we) have. Take care!

   I haven't written because my time has been spent trying to update the plant list and planting seeds. Hopefully the plant list looks better. Still a lot to add there but I will keep plugging away.
   Seeds are going good. Somethings are already sprouting....I love to see those little seeds coming up. The greenhouse is staying warm, thank goodness, this weekend will be the real test. In the teens on Sunday...hope all goes well.
   I had to order plants for this spring because I did not get a chance to start enough last fall. Its been interesting and a bit of work also. Trying to figure out when they'll arrive and how much room they'll need and when. They are little plants so there is some transplanting and growing that needs to be  done before May. Its all good though...its what I do best I guess.
   The seed starting at least makes the winter not seem so long. Time spent in the warm greenhouse reminds me of summer. Soon there should be lots of greenery that will really make it  summer like. 
   Just wanted to let everyone know what is going on here. Thanks to the one who caught the date mix up on my part. Sometimes I do that kind of thing. Take care and keep watching the plant list.

  LET ME START BY SAYING THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON TEACHERS.

    I read quite a few blogs and other articles about gardening on the web. I also read gardening magazines and books. I guess if I was asked I would have to say that I am not a formally trained horticultural person, technically.   
    My education, if you will, started in the garden with my grandmother. It was she that started my interest in plants. I spent time with her while my parents worked, and she and I grew vegetables together, planted bulbs, weeded a bit and sometimes went fishing.  We both loved that also.
   I can say that I can't possibly think of a better way to get a child to like something than to show them what you like. My grandmother did this with her love of plants. This love was sparked in me and still continues to grow. I read and or have read probably more garden related information than most students attending college for horticultural studies. My testing has been the real life testing, in the field (pun intended). I have tried a lot of things I have read and have had successes and failures. I have learned a lot and continue to learn more everyday.
   So show a child what you love, spark an interest. That interest can start a desire to continue to seek knowledge. The garden can teach us a lot. Its good for your health and can be good for the environment if the right practises are followed.
   Thanks for reading.

   I realized the other day that all the other greenhouses were starting their seeds. This startled me into reality that I wasn't ready. So I can say today that I now am ready. The main reason I haven't written is because I have been trying to get lights set up for seedlings, should they sprout, and getting the plastic up in the greenhouse.
   Let the seed starting begin. This will be a first for me starting seed so early. I usually start a few seeds but usually not until March or so. This year I am not just planting for myself and I am sure most people would not like the seedlings I have ready in May that I start in March. They usually are still quite small. So a new adventure begins for me and I am looking forward to it. The advantage of two extra months growth I am sure will make a big difference in plant size. 
  

   The real warm weather, 60's for the past two days, is over. The temp now at 6:00 am is 54 with strong winds. Wind gusts up to 50 mph today. Yuck, I enjoyed the nice weather. Temperature to continue to drop today. The rain is a good thing for the plants though. Back to the reality of winter.
   The weather break was nice. I had the chance to take a look at the gardens since the snow had melted. A few things that were planted late and not well mulched had started to heave. I covered them with loose soil and more mulch. I also cleaned up around a few plants that did not get cleaned up in the fall, these were hostas and day lilies. I have stated before that I leave a lot of the clean up till spring. The winter interest of some of these plants and the food and coverage they offer wildlife are the reason I do this. This usually results in getting out there earlier in spring to do the clean up. Something that is welcomed after a long winter.
   The nice weather allowed for the removal of Christmas lights also. This of course gave me a good chance to look at the shrubs and trees around the house. No rodent damage that I could see. It did show me where I need to weed more in the spring or what needs trimming. Remember its the best time to trim dormant shrubs and trees. Be sure to check if the tree or shrub that you are trimming flowers on old wood or new. If you trim plants that flower on old wood you may be trimming the flowers off, these plants are best trimmed right after flowering.
   Its time for me to order plants, getting kind of late for it actually. Hopefully after this year I won't be ordering to much except newly introduced plants. I still get excited thinking of all the new plants. We'll I should get to it. Take care. If any one has any requests for plants in the spring, let me know what they are. Thanks.

   I have been busy the last two days adding to the website. I added some new recipes today, links yesterday and wrote to the blog yesterday. Hopefully some of these things will be of benefit to someone. We also have added a store of items that may be purchased through Amazon. We have chosen some items we feel may be of interest to gardeners, there are also several search boxes on the sight to find things through Amazon if you don't see it offered on our site.
   I think I may add a box to list the updates that I make on the first page near the top. This way everyone would know where and what to look for and when it was last updated. This will be determined but if I continue to spend a lot of time updating it will be implemented.
   The weather forecast for this week is high 50's to 60 this week. Kind of scary in some ways. To be a pessimist "will we pay for it later"? Usually it turns terribly cold after these warm snaps. Time will tell I guess. This is our hint of what spring will be when it finally gets here.
   Working on my light table to start seeds today. Mostly just the planning of it at the moment. This includes a list of what I need material wise and where it will sit when done. I believe the basement may become home to this table. Its always nice to have a place to get seeds started early. Can you tell I am anxious for spring?
   Ok, I need to get back to work here. Drop me a line and let me know what you like or dislike. Go ahead and tell the truth...I can take it. The email addy is info@chamberlainacres.com. Look forward to any and all input. Thanks! 

   I went to buy plastic to put up on the inside of the greenhouse today. My greenhouse is not the traditional greenhouse. My greenhouse is 21' by 12' and made of windows removed from a home. The bottom is plywood 2' high painted white with 5' windows on top of that and then a pitched roof made with additional 5' windows and a small shingled section. It is actually quite nice looking if I may say so myself. The reason for the plastic that I bought is the same reason the windows were replaced. I want to keep the heat in.
   I say all of this because there isn't a day that goes by now where you don't hear of becoming greener ( less harsh on the planet, by being more resourceful or recycling). Greenhouse gases is also a term heard often these days. My greenhouse has allowed me to use windows that would have been sent to the landfill. I must admit it is a good recycle but it was more out of the need for a greenhouse. I admit it!
   Anyway there is any number of ways we can recycle or use less. It really isn't that hard when you think about it. Most areas have recycling for bottles, cans and papers now. You can also compost all kitchen scraps that are plant based...excluding vegetable or olive oil.
   This started me thinking about various websites out there that are auction based, or just selling or trading products or services. We all know ebay by now, but has everyone heard of craigslist.com.
It is a great site that sales most anything, by most anyone. Classifieds for all sorts of things. It may not seem like recyclying to some...but you are saving something from the landfill if you buy it from someone who wants to get rid of it. Give it try.

   Even though the last two mornings have been almost zero F. I still am thinking of what I will be planting and where. So if the idea of low water plants seems a little strange at this time of year, its good to think about them so you know what you want to acquire in the spring.
   Though this is not a complete list, it is a good list to start with that is pretty much full sun, butterfly and hummingbird attracting and works great in a cottage garden or mixed border. Some of these plants are also great ground covers for those difficult areas.
   Salvias - almost all are drought tolerent. They come in reds, yellow, blues and purples. The trumpet shaped flowers work well for hummingbirds. Butterflies love them also.
   Rudbeckias, coneflowers and blanket flowers are also great plants for dry areas. These are all good plants for the wild garden as well. They will all reseed or spread. The seedheads of the purplecone flower are loved by birds. The cone part of the flower makes a great landing pad for butterflies. Coneflowers are purple, white, yellow or orange. Rudbeckia is also know as Brown Eyed Susan, brown center yellow petals. The blanket flower is usually orange or red with a yellow/brown center.
   Sedums are succulents. They hold a large amount of water in their stems and leaves. Easy to propagate, flowers loved by butterflies and great as dried flowers left in the garden for winter interest.
   Agastache - another great low water plant. This also is a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds. They are long flowering and usually red in color.
   Yarrow comes in a multitude of colors and is tolerant of drought like conditions. Butterfly favorite. Spreads quite easily in modest soil.
   Ozark primrose - yellow flowers in the summer on 10 to 12 inch stems. Great groundcover, can be invasive but easily controlled by yanking out any unwanted growth. This is a great plant for bare banks. Leaves turn red in fall to add interest to garden.
   This is a good start but not a complete list, just want to emphasize that. If your not sure about a plant and its drought or low water tolerance, ask where you bought the plant or look it up. Most places will list the best conditions for that plant. Some variation is always possible, you may need to experiment if you really wish to grow a particular plant.
   This list also offers almost all colors. If you have a dry area or two, try a few of these hardy perennials this year.  They are all great plants well worth growing. Plant these plants in fertile soil with adequate moisture to really see them take off. Good luck!