Poison Ivy, is it thriving undetected in your backyard?

Oh Poison Ivy You Are My Nemesis!!!

It seems like it goes without saying that you don't want poison ivy in your backyard (or any part of your yard for that matter) yet I have been surprised by the number of other parents I've met who don't know how to identify it. Shame on them! Kidding! Actually it took accidentally coming in contact with it myself to motivate me to learn to spot this devil vine and take steps towards eradicating it from our yard. Here's a fun picture from my mom hall of shame:

*Turns out I am highly allergic to poison ivy - ouch!

Let's have a quick lesson on identifying poison ivy because if you are hoping to increase your backyard time it would be awesome to not get a souvenir like mine. ;)

Poison ivy is pretty much EVERYWHERE in TN so if you are a local reader and have even one tree in your yard I suggest that you take a closer look at it. Most of us have heard that old saying, "Leaves of three, leave it be!" but oddly enough it is the vine itself that gives the plant away for those of us who are not skilled in plant identification. It is covered in little gripper tentacles (giving it a hairy appearance) which the plant uses to grip the tree or fence for climbing. So the first thing I did was scout out my yard for hairy vines. We have a big yard, with lots of trees, that even includes a creek and small wooded area. It was no surprise really that we found it all over the place. The most common places it turns up is along fence lines so be sure to walk the perimiter of your property and check out all the trees and wooden fences you share with your neighbor.  Here are some of our photos to help you in your scavenger hunt:

Hairy roots and waxy leaves of three, these are the tell-tale identification markers of this plant.

 

 

Here is the grand prize winner we found in our own yard, reaching a whopping 50ft up into a giant tree right where my children could access it.  Not only did it have the usual vine up the tree but it also had large branches comming out from the vine! I didn't even know it could do that! 

 

Notice in the picture on the right that the base root was almost as big around as my husband's wrist:



 

There is nothing to do in this situation except to remove the plant. You must remove it by hand-pulling it out of the tree because all parts of the plant are poisonous (even in the winter when it is dormant!) So if you put chemicals on it and killed it before trying to take it down you would not only poison the tree (and yard) but also you'd be left with brittle crumbly poisonous leaves that might get all over the place when you pulled the vine down, what a mess! The best approach is to pull it out either in the dead of winter before the new leaves come in or in mid-summer when it is green. IN this way you can minimize the number of leaves that spread around your yard in the process. Be sure to wear clothing that covers you and avoid touching your face. Bag it up and put it in the trash can. I have heard reports of people trying to burn it, then getting a poison ivy reaction in their lungs because they accidentally inhaled the ashes! This sucker is no joke! Once you have removed all the vines try to pull out as much of the root at the base as possible. In the situation pictured here my husband had to use a hand saw to cut the root and getting underneath the concrete was not an option. So we carefully sprayed the center of the exposed root with a chemical made for poison ivy. Normally we are very anti-lawn chemicals but in this case we made an exception. Here are some fun photos of my dear husband doing the dirty work:

 

 

 

Bless him!!!

 

 

If you do happen to get a rash from handling the plant you can go to your local drug store and purchase something called "tech-nu" which is especially designed to remove the oil from your skin. In fact, you should have this onhand anyway because you will want to use it to clean off any cutting tools you might employ.

 



 

 

Also, I wanted to take a moment to point out another plant that thrives here in TN which is often mistaken for poison ivy. The common name for this plant is Virginia Creeper. It climbs in a similar manner (though upon close examination you would see that it does not have a hairy root vine) and imitates poison ivy by creating very waxy leaves. Unlike poison ivy, whose leaves grow in clusters of three, Virginia Creeper's leaves grow in clusters of five. While it is nowhere as vicious as poison ivy you would do well to leave it be as it can also cause a rash in some people. Here's a photo of the one that overtakes our retaining wall every year.

 

 

Well, that's it! Now it is up to you to seek and destroy this plant for the good of all those who might enter the amazing space you are creating in your yard! Happy hunting!

The Bird-Theme on a Budget Party

Our youngest has a July 30th birthday - can you say mosquito infested HOT yard? An outdoor party was out of the question but I still wanted to have it at home. She was turning two, which meant mostly toddlers and their older siblings over to the house for a short morning play-date type party. I wanted to celebrate her in the theme so I asked myself what does little Jaycie Lynn love? Birds! She's always been fascinated with birds and loves to go in the aviary at the zoo. So I put together this simple bird-themed party for my baby:

First I googled for bird templates, selected one, then printed a bunch on card stock to cut out and make this fun mobile out of:

*We liked this so much it stayed in our living room until we put up the Christmas decorations!

 

 

Then I got some cute little birdhouses at the craft store for $1 each and painted them for decorations:

 

 

On pinterest I found this awesome owl softie and decided to make them as the take-home gift for the kids. They have a rice pack inside them. Pop them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds or so and the are all toasty warm for bedtime cuddling!

I lined them all up on the mantel for extra decorations and then surprised everyone by passing them out as gifts at the end. Fun!

 

I'm no baker but, with some encouragement from my mother-in-law, I decided to try my hand at a homemade birthday cake. It came out WAY more pink than I planned but we rolled with it and baby loved it.

 

 

 

 

A talented friend knitted these up as her gift to Jaycie. Aren't they cute?! If you had knitting talent I reckon you could make up something like this for a bird-theme party to add that hand-made touch.





Simple backyard birthday for age two

We did our first at-home backyard party when my daughter turned two. Simple is really good. We made cupcakes, invited a bunch of toddlers, and pulled toys out into the yard to occupy them all. My husband and his father worked together to build her a sandbox, a really good one. 5x5ft and 12 inches deep, this sucker was no tiny turtle box. So the toddlers played in the yard, played in the sandbox, and played with toys in the house too when the heat became too much for us (her birthday is in late June and we live in the south.) It was really easy and a perfect fit for the age. I'm all about keeping it age-appropriate. At two, you don't need much more than a handful of friends and a sandbox. :)

Daddy gave the littles rides in the wheelbarrow.

 

Here's the birthday girl in a giant inflatable yard toy.

The amazing sandbox that was the hit of the party!

And here is the same girl and same box 3 years later. Of every toy or plaything we have EVER gotten her, this one thing has provided the most hours of creative play and has had the most longevity. In the background to the left you can see the makeshift cover we have for it (hubby's solution for a wife that can't life a heavy cover.) On the right in the background you can see the double sided compost bin Jon made for me (more on that in a future post!)

Backyard Birthday - The Fairy and Gnome Party

Birthdays are supposed to celebrate the child right? So the child in question is my starting point when developing a theme for a birthday celebration. This year my oldest was really into fairies. We'd built all kinds of little fairy houses in the yard with tree blossoms all spring and she had been on countless make believe fairy adventures with little sister in the yard. It seemed only fitting to have a fairy-themed party. I envisioned tutus, glitter, and all things delightfully girly - a perfect reflection of this girly girl. There was one problem though: she wanted to invite boys from her class at school. I had to come up with a way to incorporate the boys, which took some creativity. So, after some thought, our fairy theme became a "fairy-gnome" theme and we came up with some fun for both genders to have.

I admit that this one was the most expensive party we've ever hosted, though it was still way more thrifty than you might imagine. Pulling it off on a small budget (less than $200) with so many details meant a lot of my personal time devoted to crafting, making lots of compromises on my "vision", and using repurposed materials or natural elements obtained for free wherever I could instead of buying stuff. In order to prevent being too overwhelmed I started on it in January, six months before the party. Yes, I said six months. That is a result of being realistic about myself and my other time commitments. I am a stay-at-home mom to a toddler and also go to school full time, so I gave myself PLENTY of time to get the crafting done. I set a goal to complete one or two party elements per month and just boxed them up and set them aside as I went. I borrowed ideas from pinterest left and right, tweaked them, and made them my own creations according to the supplies I had on hand or could afford. The best part of all this crafting was that the birthday girl, who was turning five, was able to do a lot of it with me -and she loved it! We had so much fun making all the stuff and even setting up the party together on the day of. She even said that she wants to set up her birthday parties from now on - awesome! :)

There were bunches of kids (20 maybe?) because many of my daughter's friends had younger siblings, which doubles the guest count automatically. So, to save a little more mullah, we held the party in the mid-morning and provided only punch, water, and cake. I had to let go of feeling like people "expect" a full buffet of snacks and juice boxes for kids and bank on the kids having a lot of fun to make up for it. But you know what? It was fine! I spent significantly less than most people spend for their kid and 10 friends to do the jumpy-place thing and every kid went home with an armful of great favors:

• a costume (tutu, wings, and wand for girls...gnome hat & beard for boys)
• a bag full of "treasures" from the fairy hunt (little glass gems and fairies I made)
• a bag of candy from the pinata
• a set of handmade gnomes with a little mushroom in a bag made from spare fabric I already had
• a fairy house which they decorated themselves
• a little container of "fairy dust" (though most of that was emptied in our yard lol!

Best of all we all had a LOT of fun, the kids got to run wild outside while breathing fresh air and exploring nature, and parents had plenty of opportunity to converse while kids played. So here are some pictures, I hope you like them!

I made wands using this tutorial. Then we tied them around a big tree to create a "wand tree". As our young guests arrived my daughter (pictured) led them to the tree so that they could select one for keeps.

The tutus were simple and added lots of flair for really very little cost. Tulle is cheap and I waited until it was on sale for half price, so it was really cheap. There are tutorials all over the web, you can take your pick, so I'll just say that I tied the tulle to a long ribbon instead of elastic so that they could  be size adjustable. Children chose their own upon arrival and each had a matching set of "wings" which were just a bit of elastic with some coordinating ribbon which could be worn on the arms for free movement. As with the wands, these were for keeps. *In the background you can see also the gnome hats and beards for the boys.

 

I made a bunch of little gnomes and hand-painted little mushrooms to give as the 'official favor' but had extras out for the kids to play with during the party as they wished. It was a BIG hit - especially with the boys, who had fun wedging the gnomes into the bark of the tree haha.

Here is the birthday girl's little sister (age 2) playing with the gnome village. I tried to create a balance between structured play and free play opportunities, since children have varying attention spans.

 

Here I am with birthday girl decorating her fairy house. My husband build 3 of these little tables and benches out of scrap wood and reclaimed lumber (pallets anyone?) and I preset them with the craft before the party so that kids could just engage when they were ready to. The houses were made of inexpensive poster board (you could use cardboard), twigs from the yard, and a bit of paint. I set out straw, moss, leaves, and other bits I gathered up from the yard for the kids to decorate them with.

 

On the left is one of the little fairies I made. They are nothing more than some little wooden bits from the craft store, craft feathers, pipe cleaners, some embroidery thread, and a bit of tulle (scraps from the tutus, waste not want not!) We stuck them to low branches in a little wooded area we have on the other side of our creek, scattered little 'gems' (glass floral beads) all over the place, and sent the kids on a "fairy hunt" to gather up as many as they could. They got to keep whatever they found. On the right is Miss Thang modeling one of the party hats I made using a tutorial I found here.

 

 

Pennant banners are so worth the investment in time. A couple of years ago I made two for my girls' room and we have used them over and over for birthdays, for Easter parties, even for stuff at her school. They are super easy to make and provide a lot of wow factor. This gift table was nothing more than a simple garden work table covered with a sheer drapery that I snagged at goodwill for less than $3. Inexpensive, repurposed, and beautiful - a great combo.

 

Aside from this there were a few details more that made this work. We cut the lawn really short a few days before to reduce mosquitos and we had a supply of repellants onhand with the costumes for arriving guests. We also combed our little wooded area to make sure it was free of poison ivy (if you live in TN and have even a few trees in your yard it is worth your time to learn to identify this plant!) We also dredged the creek for any debris (trash) that might have washed down to our part on the off chance that the kids would get adventurous and desire to go down and explore it. Twelve years in Girl Scouts as a youngster taught me to be prepared :) Also, since the big back yard is kinda far removed from our house we brought a supply of hand sanitizer and wipes down with us for cleaning up at cake time. We had a small first aid kit stashed under the table too - just in case. Taking time to think through the phases of the party and list out items you will need, then having them on-hand, really will serve you well and reduce your hostess stress.

 

Anyway, so that is how we turned our average Nashville backyard into a magical fairy land and made memories for all involved!

  

The Raised Garden Bed Tutorial

Sweet and simple, based on Lasagna Gardening, here it is:

Step one: pick a spot
Be sure to consider what you want to plant in the bed and its light requirements.  For example, tomatoes like it hot and sunny so a garden box in a shady corner won't do the trick.

Step two: build a frame
This can be as simple or fancy as you like.  The simple (cheap construction) seen in the picture below lasted about 2 seasons before the wood decayed.  It was untreated lumber though so, now that they have non-leaching types on the market, I suspect the same frame built with treated lumber would have lasted longer.

Step 3: Fill it up!

Cover the grass with cardboard.  Then lay down 1-2 inches of wet newspaper print (you can soak it in tote while you gather other supplies.)  The paper layers will kill off any grass/weeds and also make an enviting buffet for earth worms, who will migrate from other parts of the yard to feast and (as a result) till the soil under your bed for you!

Then begin layering your organic materials.  I used what was available to me for free:



 Multched leaves (from our two big maple trees)

Coffee grounds (free from your local Starbucks)

manure - the first year I purchased this product, which is really nice stuff, but in subsequent years I have been able to locate good citizens in the area who have horses.  They are kind enough to let me come and (without getting in the way of their work) gather up some barn litter which works really well.  If you are using barn litter try to get the stuff that has aged awhile as it can be quite acidic.

I also put in peat moss, lime, and wood ashes.  I always use leaf multch in between each of the other ingredients because we have so much of that material on hand.  Here's the finished beds:

There are several benefits to doing your gardening this way. 

• The mixture is very loose, light, and aerated - allowing plants to spread out their roots with ease and spend more energy on food production.
• You can plant in it the same day you build it - horray for a complete garden in about an hour!
• The layers will naturally decompose throughout the season, releasing valuable nutrients to your plants all summer long.
• You can easily control the soil pH and tailor it to the plants you desire to grow.
• Because you are essentially creating soil from scratch it is "clean", meaning there are no weed or grass seeds in it!  That means very little time spent weeding and more time spent enjoying your beautiful garden!
• Tilling destroys the topsoil and the habitats of many beneficial insects that will work hard for you if you let them.  Building on top of the ground preserves that resource and actually enhances it by providing shelter.  It's very eco-friendly :)

Don't be limited by rectangle frames - experiment!  With some creativity you will soon see opportunities for layered gardening everywhere.  Here are some other layered beds we made:

Mint in a narrow strip along the wall.
We planted this primarily as a shelter for frogs
in the hopes that they would come and help remove unwanted bugs.



my favorite: a teepee for the kids - healthy snacks always in reach!

How Lasagna Changed My Life

When we moved into our home 3 years ago I met Lois, our neighbor.  Her daddy built the house she lives in (back in the 1950's).  They had a lot of kids (7 or 8 I think) and were country folk moving into the big city.  He created an aqueduct to pull water out of a natural spring at the back of the property and used it to irrigate his "garden" which stretched from the creek to the road (about 1/2 acres worth of land) and included an orchard as well as pecan trees that are now towering giants.

Lois is a wonderful person.  She's also, no surprise, a garden enthusiast.  She's a member of the Nashville Master Gardeners Society and volunteers at the organic gardens for a local historical site: The Hermitage (former home of the late President Andrew Jackson.)  When she asked if I might plant a small garden for my daughter to explore I laughed and quickly said, "no, that's not for me.  I can't keep anything alive and I HATE garden work!" 

You see, I have memories of my own mother's garden seared deep in my heart.  It was not quite a quarter of an acre, in North Texas, and I remember it being the bane of my summers.  The ground was so dry that cracks big enough to loose your whole foot in would open up.  There were no trees and the summer sun would beat down on you mercilessly, sucking the very breath out of your chest as you labored against Bermuda grass, weeds, grasshoppers, fire ants, and red wasps.  She would spend hours behind the tiller and then be laid up in bed for days with back pains from the strain it caused.  I remember her saying, "Someday you will want to do this for your family and you will be glad I made you come out here and help me" and I would shout back, "No way! I WILL NEVER EVER HAVE A GARDEN!!!! That is what produce aisles are for mom."

But Lois was determined to change my mind about what gardening could be like and what she showed me changed my life and has blessed my family beyond belief.  It is a no-till system of gardening that was made popular by a book called "Lasagna Gardening".  The concept is simple: build a frame, kill off the existing grass by laying cardboard and newspapers over it (which also acts as cover and food for earth worms, the heroes of garden work), and then create your own nutrient rich soil by layering ingredients (like a lasagna).  The result is an easy to work in bed with a soil climate you can completely control and best of all, it is grass and weed free! 

Lois helped me build my first one that year and I planted tomatoes in it for my little girl who loves tomatoes.  It was super easy.  We built it in about an hour, planted the plants in it the same day, and they grew like crazy all summer!  I now have a backyard full of raised beds and it is probably my favorite place on the property to spend time.  If you think you might like to try this you can check out my tutorial (once I get it up and posted.) 

Being at home in your own backyard

The quintessential 'backyard' is a sacred space that invokes images of cookouts, playtime, fresh air, and a sense of having your own little slice of this huge planet we share to do with whatever you like.  Sadly, these havens of nature in our hands have for many become a relatively forgotten and unused space.  I hope that I'll be able to inspire some of you to get out there and remember the smell of dirt and to peer down into the grass to look for nature's wonderland beneath our feet.  The backyard is waiting to become your very own paradise.  It's a place to host memories for a lifetime, a place for rest, a place for play, and a place you should love to be! 

If you don't already spend much time in your backyard then the first step would be to go outside and have a look around.  What do you have to work with back there?  Big trees? (hammocks for resting perhaps)  Lots of open sunny space? (prime gardening real estate!)  A creek perhaps? (lucky you, your own private water supply and wildlife habitat!)  Poison ivy maybe? (let's hope not!)  Think about how you would like your backyard to function.  Do you have kids and need a safe and intriguing place for them to play and explore their world?  Are you single and interested in entertaining?  Newly married and hoping to enjoy some romantic dinners outside late this summer and early fall? 

Once you answer some of these questions you can begin to form a vision for what your backyard can be like.  If it is full of debris start by clearing all that away - it is always best to have a clean slate.  Then designate zones for the space such as: play, pet, gardening, and rest/relaxation.  Soon you'll start to see what can and will be in each of these areas when you look out the window.  Be patient and unafraid to spend some of your free time doing some manual labor to invest in your haven.  Nothing worth having comes without effort you know.  Sketch up your plan and tape it to the refrigerator so that you see it often.  Don't try to tackle it all at once would be my best advice, along with not underestimating the power of you!  Dream big and enjoy the adventure of getting to know your yard.