The Garden Gate

Ikebana: The Japanese Art Form of Floral Arrangement

"The Japanese art of floral arrangement known as ikebana, or "making flowers alive," has been around for centuries, but its minimal aesthetic easily fits into any modern-day setting. More than just an art form, there is a meditative aspect to the process, as it's meant to be done in silence, allowing the flower arranger to connect with the beauty in nature. Using only a few stems, one must be deliberate and thoughtful in the placement of each floral to create harmony and balance."- Trisha Sprouse, Hunker article, dated 1/7/20

Read Hunker article & tutorial HERE

Some more example of ikebana

Read more information about ikebana from these top-rated publications:

Ikebana: The Art of Arranging Flowers by Shozo Sato

$18.49 at Amazon

Kindle version also available

Japanese Ikebana for Every Season by Yugi Ueno

$21.55 (hardcover) on Amazon

Kindle version also available

There is an Ikebana Society in America. Their website can viewed HERE.

Their Facebook page can be found HERE

There is an Ohio chapter of the society and this is their LINK

Happy floral arranging!

Video: The Do's & Don'ts of Composting

Here is an article on creating your own composting system

Click HERE for article

Top-Rated Composters for Sale

Tumbling Composter by Yimby at Gardeners.com

$99.95

Envirocycle Composter + Compost tea maker available in two sizes at Amazon

17 gallon $189.99 Available in pink or black

35 gallon $259.99 Available in pink or black

Sunwood Life Bokahsi Compost Kit at Amazon

$64.95

Happy Composting!

How to Grow & Enjoy Lavender

Before diving into the care guide, here are some interesting facts about lavender:

The name "lavender" comes from the latin verb "lavare," which means "to wash."
Mature lavender plants do not require water. They can survive a drought.
Ancient Egyptians used the plant during the mummification process.
Lavender comes from the same family as mint.
Lavender plants don't produce seeds. Propagation is done by cutting or root divisions.

Get Busy Gardening takes you through the steps to insure healthy, thriving lavender plants. Learn which type is best suited for our zone. Once you start growing your lavender plants, there's a homemade soap craft to enjoy those flowers.

Read the care guide HERE

The website It All Started with Paint has an easy lavender soap tutorial and has a list with links on where to buy the supplies. Makes a lovely gift for the gardener.

Read the soap tutorial HERE

Not into soap? Here's a recipe for lavender & lemon shortbread cookies from The Beach House Kitchen.

Get recipe HERE

Stop and smell(or eat) the flowers!

Free Little Seed Libraries

Most of us have heard of Free Little Libraries, we even have one in front of our city's fitness center. A great twist on this concept is the Free Little Seed Library. Based on the concept of Free Little Libraries, you can take seeds and drop off seeds. What a wonderful idea, especially one located in a community garden. Gardening enthusiasts always like to share their bounty and what a clever way to try something new. Below are some pictures of free seed libraries and a video tutorial on making one at home. The website littlefreelibrary.org has a listing of different free libraries, where you can find one in your community, purchasing libraries, and registering your library (*note- this is for books, not seeds, but the libraries they sell can easily be used for seed swapping).

Learn more at Seattle Urban Farm Company

Located in Arlington, VA

Learn more HERE

Learn more about this one in Duluth

This gentleman shows how he created one at home with clear and easy directions.

Check out the free seed library in Kent (once the library is open to the public).

"Now in its fourth year, the Kent seed library has grown to include 1,700 packets of seeds spanning 25 different kinds of plants and even more variety within those plant families. Novice and experienced gardeners can take up to 20 packets of seeds, donated by community members, for free and without a library card, and can return dried seeds from the resulting crops in the fall."- Record-Courier article dated April 4, 2019

Learn more HERE

There are also many online seed swapping sites and groups on Facebook.

Happy seed swapping!

How to Start a Cut Flower Garden

This article from Lovely Greens covers the basics of growing a garden dedicated to cut flowers. The author lives on the Isle of Mann and is an organic gardener. She lists must-have varieties and with our club's plant sale, you are able to purchase a flat with some of the flowers she mentions, such as cosmos and zinnias. Win-win! If you are short on space, great opportunity to explore a community garden plot.

Read the article HERE