Giving your mother flowers on Mothers’ Day and her birthday is a stable practice. A gift of flowers can take several forms with options for indoor and outdoor:
Linda Vadnais of InvisiClimb has created this video to illustrate how you can take a beautiful flowering plant, a new or old ceramic pot, and an InvisiClimbinvisible plant hanger to create a beautiful floral display for your mother’s home and garden.
My personal experience is that mothers most enjoy spending time with their children, especially when the children have their own families and busy lives. What is great about the above video as a gift idea is that it can be done as a project with your mother. You can pickup the supplies and then help your mother or hang the floral display as your mother watches. For the rest of the growing season your mother will look at the beautiful floral display and remember the time you spent together creating the floral display. She will most likely brag about it to her friends and neighbors as well.
InvisiClimb also has a downspout trellis kit option that turns a necessary downspout into a beautiful floral display.
Should I start my morning glory and moonflower downspout trellis seeds indoors or wait and plant them outdoors?
FREE Morning Glory & Moonflower Seeds
The answer is … where do you live? Locate your growing zone at the National Gardening Association. Here, you can locate your growing zone by your zip code. For example, zip code 60030 is in zone 5a. With that information, Find your average frost free date from the local extension service. I searched for ‘local extension zone 5a’, and found the University of Illinois Extension Annual Flower Planting Dates for USDA Hardiness Zone 5. I look at the list of flowers and find Morning Glory which is a Half-Hardy Flower and can go into the garden April 15. You may be given and “In” date for starting seeds indoors and an “Out” date for planting seeds outdoors directly into the garden. If you are not given both dates, simply count backward to the date you should plant your seeds indoors.
For my Moonflower seeds, I will use the seed manufacture instructions….evening soil needs to be 50 degrees and I’ll use the date of May 15 as an estimated date that the evenings will stay above 50 degrees. I will start my seeds indoors to provide a strong transplant to grow more quickly in May.
Remember, Moonflowers are a tropical plant and need a bit warmer conditions, so we will wait until our evenings are a little warmer for transplanting than out Heavenly Blue Morning Glories.
As we approach the official calendar declaration of Summer, gardening is on our minds. Maximizing the garden space we have is always a priority. A little research can be helpful here. This is true for the beginning gardener, and useful for all gardeners to review periodically.
If you have a New Garden you want to match your plants to the space available. Consider the full-grown size of the plant both width and height. This will help you know how many plants to buy and also where to place to plants to optimize the flowering beauty of the space.
If you have a Mature Garden Space, you are probably focused on pruning and thinning plants that have overgrown their space. Knowing which plants can be split effectively, and when is key to a well-pruned mature garden.
We find it is useful to simply Google the type of plant to learn its growing, pruning and thinning requirements and tips.
As you do your research, consider the impact vertical gardening can have on your garden space. Here are three ideas that might prove useful.
(1) If you have a Small Garden Space, consider Vertical Gardening Options to enhance the space. This can be done with a beautiful vine and trellis. We like the InvisiClimb invisible trellis kit for this option. The kit provides all you need to start your climbing plant on its vertical path and the InvisiClimb trellis kit is nearly invisible allowing the beauty of the plant to be seen. You can also check out an earlier blog post on 5 trellis ideas for some other options.
(2) Another Vertical Gardening Option is a hanging plant. A flowering plant seeming to suspend in mid-air adds instant vertical color and brings the eye upward. Such a hanging plant can enhance a porch, a pergola, a deck and a small garden space. Here we like the Invisiclimb invisible plant hanger because it truly let’s the flowering plant have the effect of suspension in mid-air. This hanger option also lets you add the beauty of a ceramic pot to enhance the plant. These hangers will support up to 35 lbs and can be hung at different heights depending upon the product selected.
(3) As you tend to your mature garden, vertical gardening is also an option. Maybe you haven’t used vertical gardening in the past, or perhaps you have a beautiful climbing vine that has outgrown its trellis. So you could prune the plant back to the size of the trellis which will destroy some of the plant’s beauty. You could try to replace the original trellis, which is very tricky giving the climbing vine weaves in and out of the trellis for a sturdy foundation. InvisiClimb has another option. Try the InvisiClimb Invisible Trellis Extender Kit. With this kit you can attach it to the base trellis, regardless of the type of trellis, and provide a foundation for the plant to continue its growth beyond the original trellis. With this Trellis Extender Kit your climbing vine will seem to be crawling up the wall with no support, which will further enhance its beauty.
A special note for our readers – InvisiClimb purchases made online between June 19 and July 31, 2011, will receive one free pair of garden gloves with their purchase.
Also, a quick reminder that all InvisiClimb purchases support people with disabilities and are Made in the USA. Our products are assembled, packaged and distributed by The Pioneer Center for Human Services that trains and employs people with disabilities. Thank you for your support.
Memorial Day weekend is a time for family gatherings, observances honoring Americans who died in service of our country, parades, working in the garden, and visiting cemeteries to place flags and flowers on the graves of loved ones. This post on History.com explains that Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a day set aside to honor Civil War veterans by decorating their graves.The post states:
“It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to honor the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that:
The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.”
It is nice that in that early commemoration of our fallen soldiers that flowers were chosen to decorate the graves. There was no official declaration and no full explanation as to why women in the south chose to use flowers. Perhaps it is because they stand out from a distance and when you look out over a cemetery on Memorial Day you can easily spot the graves of our fallen soldiers. That is what I remember from my childhood. It was a family tradition to go to the cemetery and place flowers on the graves of loved ones who served our country. I remember the day and that image vividly.
This Memorial Day I hope that we also pay special attention to those that have returned from service to our country with debilitating injuries.Today’s soldiers face unique dangers and have access to medical advances that often save lives that would have been lost in the past. It is good that these soldiers lives are saved and they can return home to their families. However, many need help to return to full productive lives where they can feel proud to be a part and contribute to their communities.
Pioneer Center for Human Services in McHenry IL trains and employs people with disabilities, some occurring from military service. InvisiClimb invisibleplant hangers and trellis kits are manufactured, packaged and distributed by people with disabilities at Pioneer Center. InvisiClimb is proud to be associated with this organization and the fine work they do. That is why purchasing anInvisiClimb product helps employ people with disabilities here in the USA.
Please share how you are honoring veteran’s this memorial day.
Clematis vines come in many varieties and colors. They add vertical beauty to a garden. Having the flexibility to add this beauty anywhere around your house and garden is what InvisiClimb trellis kits give you.
These Trellis Kits are made of thin strands of surprisingly sturdy clear polymers. They offer the obvious advantage of putting the focus on your vines, not some rusty old metal or broken down weathered wooden trellis. But they offer another advantage, as well.
They’re flexible. Like the song says,”Bend me, shape me, anyway you want me.” Those lyrics are as true as they come with InvisiClimb trellis kits. You can wrap the trellis around the downspout, across the front of the downspout, or whatever configuration works for you. You can also wrap InvisiClimb trellis kits around lamp and mailbox posts.
As covered in the above video, the perennial trellis kit includes everything that you need to install two 12-foot downspout trellises – just wrap the flexible trellis material around the downspout and anchor with the included nylon cable ties – no holes, no nails. These downspout trellis kits make growing clematis, morning glory and moon flower (bloom at night) vines a breeze.This is the easiest way to create a vertical garden, ever!
Best of all, InvisiClimb products are manufactured, packaged and distributed by people with disabilities at the Pioneer Center for Human Services in McHenry, IL. Purchasing InvisiClimb products, which include virtually invisible plant hangers helps keep these individuals employed and gives them the satisfaction of contributing to their communities to the best of their abilities!
Order your invisible trellis kit today and add a beautiful flowering vine to your downspout or garden. There is still time to plant your vines and enjoy them grow this year!!! Place your order online today!
Vertical gardening is growing in popularity. It makes efficient use of space and enhances your home by adding floral beauty to otherwise empty spaces.
In recent weeks I’ve observed several different blog posts on ways to create a vertical garden. This post will share ways to use InvisiClimbTrellis Kits and Plant Hangers to create a vertical garden and also highlight some other useful vertical garden ideas to consider as you plan for your outdoor spaces this year.
(1) Create your own Invisible Trellis on an outside wall.
In March, Martha Stewart Living published a post at www.marthastewart.comtitled “Invisible Trellis”. This post stated “Vines appear to defy gravity — and let your wall show through — when they climb without supportive woodwork.” The post describes how you can create your own invisible trellis on a wall with eye-hooks and medium gauge wire.
We love the Invisible trellis idea and quote from the Martha Stewart post above, but we think it is easier to use a ready-made invisible trellis kit.InvisiClimb Downspout Trellis Kits are pre-assembled and flexible to be used on walls, posts, fences, mailboxes, etc. The Perennial Trellis Kit includes everything you need to install two 12-foot downspout trellises – just wrap the flexible trellis material around the downspout and anchor with nylon cable ties - no holes, no nails. These downspout trellis kits make growing a clematis or morning glory a breeze. This is the easiest way to create a vertical garden, ever!
(3) Using reclaimed gutters to create a vertical garden
If you have limited space and are craft oriented, we found a post that used reclaimed gutters to plant vegetables and flowers and then display the gutters along a wall, hanging on a wire from a porch or pergola, and other configurations.
Garden centers, big box stores and other stores selling flower and garden products are prominently displaying hanging flower baskets complete with plastic pot and hanging hook. You can purchase these ready made baskets and immediately hang them on a porch, patio or even inside.
(5) Invisible Plant Hanger to display a beautiful ceramic pot with lovely flowers.
Similar to the invisible trellis ideas discussed earlier, InvisiClimb invisible plant hangers provide options to display beautiful flowers in beautiful pots. These invisible plant hangers can also be used to hang your pots at different heights. Check out this video to see how easy it is to add vertical beauty to your home
with a flowering plant, beautiful ceramic pot and InvisiClimb invisible plant hanger.
The “Cajun Contractor” Michael King, from Home Talk USA radio 1350 will be interviewing Linda VadnaisSaturday April 16 from 4:30 – 5:30 PM. Linda Vadnais is the founder of InvisiClimb and the creator of the invisible plant hanger and trellis kits sold by InvisiClimb. The trellis kits are great for Morning Glory, Moonflower and Clematis vines, and can be used on brick, siding, a downspout, mailbox, and fence post. These products help people add beauty to their homes and gardens by clearly displaying hanging plants and growing vines without visible wires, cords and weathered wood. She often says “you have to believe it to see it”.
Last month Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President submitted a post on The White House Blog that focused on the employment of people with disabilities. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) had completed final Rules on the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA). As expressed in her blog post,“millions of Americans with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, will be able to take one step closer to that level playing field we all seek and have the full opportunity to contribute to one of America’s greatest traditions: hard work”.
The blog post states “approximately 1 out of every 6 Americans lives with a disability, and millions more have a family member or friend who lives with a disability.” As we all know the level of capacity or incapacity an individual has varies with the type of disability. Nonetheless every American with a disability needs the opportunity to contribute to their community and their country.
The Pioneer Center for Human Services in McHenry IL provides career training for disabled workers and also provides actual employment for some of these workers. The work performed by these disabled workers, some with severe disabilities is high quality. The Pioneer Center is actually certified to perform medical manufacturing and packaging. They have an on-time record that would make any employer and employee proud.
The Pioneer Center’s disabled workers manufacture, package and shipInvisiClimb products. Some employees count out the Morning Glory and Moonflower seeds that go into our downspout trellis kit. Some employees can place a label on the package, some can assemble the plant hanger, and some can complete the packaging. Linda Vadnais says “everyone can use the ability that they have, so I like to think that all of the InvisiClimb products are produced by people with abilities rather than people with disabilities.”
Linda Vadnais could have had the InvisiClimb products produced overseas, but she believes that we should all make the world a better place each and every day. Going for the cheapest product is not in the InvisiClimb business model. Employing people with disabilities in the USA is a core objective.
Using a coffee filter, sandwich baggie, water and hydrogen peroxide, you can easily begin sprouting your seedlings indoors. Watch the directions on how to put it together and follow the sprouting results of our FREE Morning Glory and Moonflower seeds from our Downspout Trellis Kit.
Linda Vadnais, InvisiClimb designer, likes to say, “You have to believe it to see it!” when describing her virtually invisible plant hangers and trellis kits. With the approach of spring planting, she reminds gardeners not to forget the vines as a versatile addition to the garden. To make the most of your vines, InvisiClimb trellis kits come in two types – for perennials and for annuals. Both are made of clear polymers putting the focus where it belongs – on your vines, not the trellis.
But, there’s another reason to use InvisiClimb products. Not only do they enhance any home and garden, they’re also manufactured, packaged and delivered by disabled adults in McHenry, IL. Pioneer Center provides more than career training for the disabled workers who come to the center at least five days per week. Pioneer Center also provides actual employment.
The magic of InvisiClimb’s near invisibility is mirrored by the magic of the quality work performed at Pioneer Center. The Center is actually certified to perform medical manufacturing and packaging. They have an on-time record that would make any employer and employee proud.
It’s just something to think about while you’re looking at those old macramé plant hangers or the rusty vine trellis in the backyard. A purchase from InvisiClimb offers real employment opportunities for disabled adults and you don’t have to look hard to see that.
For more information about Pioneer Center (http://ping.fm/VNGUE) and how you can help provide additional employment opportunities for their workers, call Craig Adams, a marketing representative with the Pioneer Center, at (815) 823-3604.
To learn more about InvisiClimb plant hangers and trellis kits, visithttp://ping.fm/ua0pQ
Downspouts are necessary. They carry the rainwater from your gutters, water that would otherwise drip directly on your head as you passed, and pass it softly to the ground under your feet. There’s not too much you can do about downspouts when planting your garden though, or is there?
Enter InvisiClimb’s virtually invisible perennial trellis kits. Made of thin strands of surprisingly sturdy clear polymers, InvisiClimb trellis kits offer the obvious advantage of putting the focus on your vines, not some rusty old metal or broken down wooden trellis. But, they offer another advantage, as well.
They’re flexible. Like the song says, “Bend me, shape me, any way you want me.” Those lyrics are as true as they come with InvisiClimb trellis kits. And how does that apply to your downspout? It applies any way you want it to apply.
You can wrap the InvisiClimb trellis around the downspout, across the front of the downspout or whatever configuration works for you. Try doing that with ‘old rusty.’ You can also wrap InvisiClimb trellis kits around lamp and mailbox posts or, even, Uncle Joe, if he stands still too long.
The perennial trellis kit includes everything that you need to install two 12-foot downspout trellises – just wrap the flexible trellis material around the downspout and anchor with nylon cable ties – no holes, no nails. These downspout trellis kits make growing clematis or morning glories a breeze. This is the easiest way to create a vertical garden, ever!
Don’t forget, InvisiClimb products, which also include virtually invisible plant hangers, are manufactured, packaged and distributed by disabled adults with Pioneer Center in McHenry, IL.
For more information about Pioneer Center and how you can help provide additional employment opportunities for their workers, call Craig Adams, a marketing representative with the Pioneer Center, at (815) 823-3604.
To learn more about InvisiClimb plant hangers and trellis kits, visithttp://ping.fm/nYfXh
