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Falling for Potted Sage |
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Ever think about potting some Sage? You may have tried basil, chives, rosemary, thyme but Sage is a wonderful choice for those who like to cook.
Although sage is available both fresh and dried, we recommend using fresh. Dried sage has a stronger more concentrated flavor that can sometimes be bitter. If you are flavoring a soup, stew or pot of beans then dried is acceptable. But, if you really want the sage flavor to shine you have to use fresh leaves.
When looking for foods to pair with sage, think rich, starchy and sweet. Great with pork, potatoes, beans, grains, bread (think stuffing) and is fantastic on turkey, & pumpkin. Try it with roasted apples & pears. Yummy!
When potting sage think of lots of sunshine and well draining soil. Use a garden pot with a drain hole because you don't want standing water on the roots. Place your pots in a kitchen window so they are close at hand while cooking or next to a kitchen back door so you can step out in all weather and clip off a few sprigs.
Harvest individual leaves or springs several inches long. Rinse them to remove dust and gently blot with a kitchen towel. Keep it dry because moisture will deteriorate it quickly. It keeps in the refrigerator wrapped in paper towel for 2 to 3 days.
Lastly, if you haven't had fresh sage in the kitchen you are missing out on some great smells. A small terracotta pot filled with sage is perfect on a center isle or in the window. You don't need much but it's well worth the effort.
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| potted sage, flower pots of sage, sage herbs, potted herbs, planted
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By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 8/24/2023 2:43:23 PM |
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Organic Gardens & Global Warming |
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Your backyard organic garden may hold the keys to preventing global warming. Researchers at the Rodale Institute have learned that organic soils trap atmospheric carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, and convert it to carbon, a key component of healthy soil.
In the longest running study of it's kind, the Rodale Institute's Farming Systems Trial has compared organic and conventional farming side by side for the past 23 years. Important findings have included organic, crops ability to withstand drought year stress much better than crops raised on a diet of chemicals.
What this suggests is that synthetic nitrogen fertilizers speed up the decay process of organic matter so that it is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide rather than stored in the soil as carbon. Both plants and organic soil operate as powerful sinks, capturing the greenhouse gas considered by many scientists to be largely responsible for global warming.
An increase in organic matter in the soil also helps preserve bio-diversity. All organisms depend on biomass - living and dead organic matter. The higher the biomass content, the more the biodiversity. You can see where organic farming and organic gardening fit in there clearly.
When you reject chemicals and choose instead to garden organically you address other issues of critical concern, by embracing a system that is much less reliant on fossil fuels. This has implications for our dependence on imported oil and natural gas as well as the climate change problem. You are preserving the soil and you are reducing the use of chemicals that are directly dependent on fossil energy use.
So, you may ask why here in the blog are we mentioning these findings. Because every time you buy potting soil at your local garden center you have a choice on what type to buy. We recommend you choose Organic. You will know that you are planting in the best soil and giving your plants a great start. Not only will your new plants love you for it but so will the planet. Choose Wisely!
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| organic gardening, organic soil, potting soil, organic potting soil, garden planters, pots, pottery, |
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 8/24/2023 2:44:29 PM |
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A Ton Of Gardening Secrets |
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You can never have enough tips to help out with your garden whether it was potted or not. Hope you can get something from these tips.
Check slugs at night. Because slugs and snails need constant moisture, they avoid direct sunlight and become more active at night, when they feed on hostas and other garden plants. So scout in the dark and use a flashlight. Collect the pests by hand and drop them into a bucket of soapy water.
Shop for bargains on bleeding hearts when they normally go dormant in early summer. Garden centers may lower the price on a plant that appears to be dying - although it isn't. If you are bargain hunting for other perennials, slip the root ball out of the nursery pot, healthy roots will be firm and colored white or tan. If you see dark brown, rotted or withered roots, don't buy them.
Start the entertainment. Butterflies are fascinating to watch and so easy to lure into the garden. Simple include plants in your garden planters that attract female butterflies to lay their eggs where the larvae and caterpillars can feed. Black swallowtails prefer dill, parsley and carrots. Monarchs like milkweed and butterfly weed. Plant some in garden pots, they all work great.
Wipe your hands on it. To distribute soil over seedbeds gently and evenly, rub your hands together to sift the soil. Using your hands helps break up large clods of soil and tops the seeds with just enough soil to help them germinate.
Get new shrubs for free. Take a 6" cutting from an easy to root plant, such as willow, poplar, privet, rose, red twig and dogwood. Dip the cut end into a rooting hormone and push it into a flower pot of moist potting mix. Cover with a plastic bag punched with holes to allow the plant to breathe. Place the garden container in an area where it receives light but no direct sun. Plants should root in about 6 weeks.
Help plants cope in heat. When heat rises for extended periods of time, stop pruning and fertilizing everything but container plants. Plants cope with the heat by going into a virtual state of dormancy. Don't make it harder for them by fertilizing or pruning which encourages growth.
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By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 8/24/2023 2:46:52 PM |
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Winning Window Box Planters |
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It is so easy to take a simple looking home front and turn it into something super special with a window box garden planters. It adds color, beauty & function to the outside of any home.
Window box planters are the easiest way to add some pizzaz to your home exterior where you may have large windows that can use some trim & detail. Window box means just what it says. A box you attach to a window preferably on the front of your home that holds colorful flowers and trailing vines.
Large windows both tall and wide offer the greatest possibilities for climbers scrambling all the way up the sides, tall bushy plants inside these, curving down to even smaller plants. Change it up with the heights and colors of the plants to add the most interest.
Trailing plants are vital, spilling out of the window box planter and cascading downward to add further depth to the display. They add an exotic touch and help to balance the look.
Speaking of climbers and trailers, it's interesting to experiment with mixed plant materials for unusual effects. For example, two different types of climbing vines may be placed close together to scramble up through one another. Perhaps the ivy with handsome glossy foliage, and a sweet pea to twine up through it.
Lastly, ask yourself if you were walking by your house what do you think would look great? Then ask yourself if you were sitting inside the house looking out what would you like to see? Make sure all your hard work can be seen from both view.
Even if you have no yard at all you can still look out your window at stunning flowers blooming and lush greenery.
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| windowbox planters window box pottery window garden planters box shaped window planters pottery |
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 8/24/2023 2:49:15 PM |
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Create A Outdoor Living Space |
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The latest trend if you haven't noticed is to take your indoor living areas and duplicate them outdoors. That way you expand your living space, continue with the things you like only outside instead of inside and stretch your creative juices when it comes to designing a living area.
When you think outside the BOX you can create a space that is both beautiful and functional and not break your bank account in the process!
In today's decorating climate, manufacturers are competing with each other to see who can provide the best products that lend detail and function - all at a reasonable price. From outdoor lighting, furniture, kitchens, fireplaces, and decorative items like garden planters, statuary, garden art and more. The whole idea is to take your entertaining outdoors and make it fun and exciting.
People are cooking in outdoor kitchens, conducting business in outdoor office space, using outdoor showers & entertaining in outdoor living spaces. Homeowners are pushing their exterior spaces to levels unimaginable just a few years ago. Remember when a couple of lawn chairs on a wood deck or concrete patio were the norm? Well those days are long gone.
Will you be cooking outside, do you need a shower by the pool for cleaning off? How about a table for eating or lounge chairs for sun bathing? Will you be outside after dark, then pay attention to the lighting. This includes candles, tiki torches or solar lights tucked into garden planters.
When deciding which direction to go, don't just stand at the back door and look out into the yard. Get out there and move around. Try to make the most of what you have to work with. Once you get the large pieces placed then it's time to move on to the decorating items.
Place large beautiful garden planters around the border of the seating area to add character and function. Plant them with sweet smelling annuals and lush green plants. They help to compartmentalize the area and create a comfortable, cozy feel. Use plants that attract butterflies & humming birds.
Get exotic and add a flat panel TV, lush drapes and a stereo sound system. From James Bond gadgets to the comfiest sofa on which to catch a snooze, products to enhance outdoor living continues to thrive. Why keep waiting to go on a great vacation when you can just walk out into your back yard and recharge in only 5 mins.
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| outdoor entertaining patio pots living area outside garden pottery pots
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By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 8/24/2023 2:51:52 PM |
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Tips To Improve Your Indoor Pottery Skills |
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You are a outdoor gardening genius, so why is indoor gardening such a impossible feat? Use these tips as a guide to keep your home filled with happy, healthy potted houseplants!
Start by purchasing healthy, bug free plants. This is the time to be picky. A houseplant at a garden center should look its very best, not like it's on it's last leg. If you gently thump the side of a container, you might see a white fly cloud rise out of the soil. Avoid buying these plants and introducing their problem into your home.
Keep a holding room. When you bring home a new potted plant, isolate it in a room away from other houseplants for up to a month to make sure it's bug and disease free.
Don't overuse fertilizer. Provide plant food monthly only during spring and summer and use a diluted 20-20-20 fertilizer. Remember fertilizer makes plants bigger, to much of it can make plants quickly outgrow their garden pots.
Update pots judiciously. Only when a plant's roots have outgrown it's pots does it need to be bumped up to a bigger container. Change pots conservatively because many plants, like succulents and cacti, prefer to be a bit root bound.
Don't under water or over water. Potted plants only need water when they are dry - unless the plant tag specifies otherwise. To water, fill the container from the top layer of soil to the brim, until water comes out the the drain hole in the bottom of the planter. Wait about half hour for plant to drink what it needs. Remover excess water from the saucer.
Rejuvenate tropical houseplants with spa days. Most potted houseplants are tropical and enjoy humidity. Treat them to a spa day by relocating them one or two at a time, to a steamy bathroom.
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| houseplants potted clay garden planters pottery pots tips for houseplants garden containers gardening |
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 8/24/2023 2:54:17 PM |
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A Pottery Collector Of Garden Planters |
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Many people find that for one reason (poor clay soil) or another (no space) that they have to become creative when it comes to planting a garden. So many folks tend to take for granted the space and conditions they have when deciding what to plant and where to plant.
Mixing up different types of plant materials is common when limited for space. Having succulents, orchids, calla lilies, cactus all sitting side by side is normal. If you like the color of a certain plant you just tend to bring it home without having any kind of plan. As soon as you run our of room you will become more selective.
Hanging pots as a vertical garden, or wall garden has become very popular with people becoming more creative and creative when it comes to planting a garden with no space to spare. When making a plan try to figure out where the sun or shade hits and plant accordingly.
When it comes to collections of different planters, try grouping them for maximum impact instead of scattering them around, where they may get lost among the leaves etc. Guest can view the entire garden from a deck or patio area which makes it easy and fun when showing off a new pot or garden plant. Use bare walls on the outside of your home to showcase collections of unusual containers like tea-pots or old shoes.
Place potted trees where you may need a privacy screen or a unsightly view. Place roses in garden pots where they add a wonderful scent and color to that garden area.
When it comes to containers - use anything you like. Mix terracotta with ceramic, rectangles with bowls and clay with lightweight poly resin. There is no right or wrong here, just get crazy with it.
Hope we helped give you some ideas so you can become a pottery collector of your own!
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| pottery collecting mixing garden planters clay garden pots ceramic mix it up in the landscaping garden area |
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 8/24/2023 2:55:07 PM |
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Valentine Clay Flowerpot DIY Project |
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With Valentine's Day approaching we thought it would be fun to see a DIY project that turns a plain clay flowerpot into something special.
Make this loving pot from Inspirations By D.
Take a plain clay flower pot in any size you want. Make sure it has a matching saucer. Wash the pot if it has already been used and make sure it's completely dry.
Paint the pot and saucer using a acrylic white paint and a sponge brush. Let dry completely. Take chalkboard paint available at Home Depot and paint a patch on the side of the flowerpot. You can use tape if you want the square to be perfect for you can free style for a more home grown look.
Let the chalkboard paint dry on the side of the clay garden pot. Then write a short message on the chalkboard. Put the receiver's name, or write LOVE like the example shown. Either way this is your time to be personal.
You can drop a nursery pot directly into this painted clay pot so that you don't have to even plant it. That way when the holiday changes you can change the word on the pot and also take out the grow pot, toss it and replace with something new. EASY!!!
Happy Valentine's Day!
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| valentine craft idea valentine clay garden pot valentines day diy project arizona pottery valentine's day idea |
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 8/24/2023 2:56:22 PM |
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Talking Terracotta Garden Pots! |
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The definition of the word terracotta is - FIRED CLAY, brownish red in color when un-glazed, that is used for architectural ornaments, facings, pottery and as a material for sculpture.
Arizona Pottery imports terracotta pottery from Italy, China, Mexico & Thailand. There are few if any American manufacturers left. Each country has it own way of harvesting clay that is used in the forming process. And, each factory has it own way of firing the pots in a kiln.
Our Italian pottery is well known in the pottery industry for having a nice smooth feel to the touch. The sun baked color is even toned and stunning. Each pot is close to identical and the manufacturing process is unsurpassed. These pots are hard packed which makes them less porous and therefore more durable. Because of the compacting process they will absorb less water and no breakdown as fasts as other clay's. They are considered a low fired product.
Terracotta pottery is meant to breathe. This is a definite advantage when ti comes to the health of the plants root system. Since it is porous, any water you apply to the potted soil will be absorbed into the clay. That is why you may end up with lines around the planters body. These are caused from the water applied, any chemicals in the water and calcium build up that comes from the clay.
Once a pot is used it will bread down naturally over time. We sell a pottery sealer that helps to prolong the life of the clay pot. All low fired clay flowerpots & planters will break down over time. This is a good thing!
If you want to keep your garden pottery looking as new as the day it was purchased we suggest you choose a pot made of a more durable product. Concrete, Poly Resin, Metal, Glazed.
Interestingly, many manufacturers are using a powder clay mix to form their planters out of. The Italian pottery we sell does not. It still harvests the clay out of the ground, very real, beautiful & old school. So keep this in mind when comparing Italian garden pottery to other imports.
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| terracotta pottery garden planters garden pottery home and garden clay garden pots clay garden pot |
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 8/24/2023 2:57:32 PM |
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