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Planting moonflowers

If your back yard is used for entertaining and lacking a little beauty, then adding moonflowers can be the perfect touch! The appealing fragrance of moonflowers in the garden come from large white or purple blooms on a climbing vine offering an amazing evening. Moonflower plants (Ipomoea alba) are perennial vines in sub-tropical areas, but gardeners with cold winters can successfully grow moonflower plants as annuals. Moonflower plants are related to the sweet potato vine and the morning glory, with flowers that open in the late afternoon into the night. These large, heart-shaped leaves further enhance the attractive moonflower vine.

How to Grow a Moonflower Vine

These do not need much ground space, as they readily climb upward. Provide a trellis or other support for the vigorous vines. Growing moonflowers can reach up to 20 feet (6 m.), happily weaving around anything within their reach. You can pinch back growing moonflowers at the top of the vine, as a part of your care for moonflowers, to force flowering downward. Moonflower vines can grow in large containers or you can plant them in the ground. More moonflowers can be started from root division of existing plants or from seeds. You can find these flowering seeds at our shop. Printhousedesign.com Sow Moonflower seeds early in the season after all danger of frost. Cover seeds with 1/4″ soil. They can also be started indoors 3-4 weeks before the last frost to get a jump start on the season.

Care for Moonflowers

Water small plants regularly and provide additional water as moonflower vines grow. Moonflower plants like full to partial sun during the daylight hours. You will like the fact that Moonflower thrive in poor, dry soils. That makes them useful in areas where many other popular plants just won’t grow. It also makes them easy to grow with little care or attention. Just plant them, and away they grow!

Add mulch around the plants for appearance and to keep weeds down. Fertilizer can be applied, but is usually not needed. Moonflowers are susceptible to frost. They may survive the first light frost with only a little damage.

Why do moonflowers bloom at night?

They do this because night-flying insects mostly pollinate them. … One such insect is the hawk moth. The flowers are sensitive to small changes in light so that they are open when these insects are out in the evening.

****** WARNING*******

Every part of a moon vine is poisonous to dogs, cats and animals including the seeds, blooms, leaves and stems. … It can cause your pet to stagger, or move as though he is drunk. Tropane alkaloids contained in the plant causing all of this symptoms.IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE that these plants should be kept away from small pets and children as all parts of the plant are toxic. The presence of tropane alkaloids in large and wildly variable quantities can cause a multitude of effects including but not limited to, severe anxiety, tachycardia, blurred vision, and nausea.

Rebranding Our Etsy Shop

This year, 2021, we wanted to start out by rebranding our Etsy shop & social media accounts. The switch has occurred and now Flymeawaycreations on Etsy is now known as Printhousedesign1. Our previous name was great, but created back in 2011 and really didn’t focus on what we are creating and selling today. We felt that we needed to take a step into a new direction by creating a name that one day could be a little store front. Printhousedesign.com is now listed and goes directly to our Etsy shop, where you can find 3D printed planters & home office supplies and newer items that have been laser engraved. Rebranding, is not hard, but it does take time and definitely lots of social posts and reminders to your customers that your name is changing. We started thinking about the switch in December and now it is February, I wanted to do it slow to make sure we checked off all the right places that we wanted our name to be new. As for our Blog, we have decided to keep it as Flymeawaycreations.blog and later in the year we will be switching it over. Our social media sites; such as: Tiktok, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook have all been switched over to Printhousedesign1. We are growing more each day on Etsy and on our social media, with the help of new followers, customers, and our dedicated customers/followers sharing our brand. Thank you!

Find us & follow our journey!

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Edible Flowers in your Garden

Taking a look at the plantings that already exist on your property, you can learn that many of them are, in fact, tasty edibles, they’re just not the same ones you’d find in the grocery store. For instance, Hostas and peonies, for example, are both considered delicacies in Japan. Knowing that several plants in your existing perennial beds are edible is also handy to bring them into kitchen and in your daily meals.

When I was a small child, I loved going to the back of our property and pick berries from the bushes. I also helped my mom collect dandelions to make certain desserts and use in our salads.

Below is the list of different flowers that are edible and that you might find in your own flower garden.

ANISE HYSSOP

A favorite of the bees, Anise Hyssop has a wonderful scent that fills the garden in midsummer. The flowers and leaves have a delicate black licorice flavor that’s pleasant but not overwhelming. They’re tasty fresh, or you can add anise hyssop blossoms to baked goods

BEGONIA

With a bright citrus taste and a hint of sour, begonias are a flavorful edible flower that’s quite versatile. They can be eaten alongside savory or sweet dishes equally well. Note that begonia blossoms and leaves are tasty raw, and that the stalks can be cooked like rhubarb.

CARNATIONS

While they are a high spray crop commonly used in floral arrangements, they can be grown without any chemicals in an organic manner…and that’s the best place to try eating them.Carnations can be used in many of the same ways as roses, and they impart a sweet/spicy flavor, along with their perfumed aroma.

CLOVER

Red clover and white clover are both sweet edible flowers that can be harvested in huge quantities in the summer months. The flowers themselves can be dried and ground to make clover flour, which adds nutrition and helps extend flour supplies during tough times.

The base of each clover flower produces a bit of sweet nectar, and many country kids know how to harvest clover flowers, peel back the leaves and get a drop of sweet honeydew from each flower.

DAYLILIES

Most foragers know those wild daylilies are a special summertime treat, but that same treat that they hunt over hill and dale for in the countryside is likely growing in your suburban backyard. The unopened flower buds are commonly fried into fritters or added to stir-fries.

There are so many edible flowers, this is just a few from my favorite flowers!

What’s your favorite edible flower? Did I miss any? Leave me a note in the comments.

Planting Succulents

Are you adding new succulent plants to your indoor collection and are curious about when is the best succulent planting time. We’ll answer your question of “when do I plant succulents” and add some tips on keeping your new plantings healthy and happy!

Nevertheless of the suitable planting time for your area, never leave a just purchased succulent in a pot of soggy soil. Home improvement and big box stores often soak containers to this point, and it can be deadly for the succulent plant. If this happens to you, un pot and gently remove all the wet soil you can and then let the roots dry out for a few days. Repot the plant into dry cactus soil and wait a week or two before watering.

Never plant succulents on hot, sunny days. Do it in the evening and, when possible, wait for a cool overcast day to do your outdoor planting. Even though succulents can live in the hot sun and extreme heat, they prefer being planted in gentler weather. If you’re in an area with warm temperatures year round and sizzling heat in the summer, plant succulents in late winter to early spring. Make sure you plant into soil with modified drainage. If you will be growing succulents in different climates, such as those with below freezing winters, make sure nighttime temps are above the 45 degrees F. (7 C.) range before planting outside. Many of these plants are cold hardy, such as sempervivums and sedums, (types of succulents) and can exist in much lower temperatures. However, they will establish a good, healthy root system more quickly when planted in warmer temps.

Definitely look at the plant tag that is usually provided with your succulent to see what your succulent needs. Also by researching your plants and pay attention to the area where you plant your succulent or cactus, making sure it is close to what your plant needs.

Succulents can thrive indoors year-round and can live outdoors in most climates. The easiest way to grow and propagate these plants isn’t through planting seeds, but by taking cuttings from established plants. Planting them yourself gives you better creative control over how your arrangement looks, and is an inexpensive introduction to gardening. You can also start your new succulent from Succulent cuttings or leaves. If you don’t have them from a cutting you took, you can get them from Amazon and several sellers on Etsy. Preparing your succulents is the most important part of this process. You want to make sure that you have enough of the stem to plant beneath the soil to support the plant. Remove any extra leaves from the bottom of the stem. For larger cuttings, about an inch of bare stem is fine, and you can use less for smaller cuttings.

Next, look at the bottom of your cutting. The plants should have a “callous” on them, meaning that the bottom of the plant has dried out. This forms a few days after cutting the succulent, so you should wait a few days before planting freshly cut succulents. You can speed up this process by leaving the cutting on a paper towel or paper bag for the end to dry faster. The great thing about succulents is that you can plant their leaves, too, so save the leaves you removed from the stem. Make a small hole in the soil, about an inch deep. Place your cutting into the depression, and cover with soil. Succulents don’t usually need a lot of water, but while they are establishing their roots, you’ll need to water them every 2-4 days, depending on how dry the soil gets. Don’t be surprised if you see the leaves start to look a little dried out at first, this is the plant using it’s stored energy resources while it builds new roots. In about four weeks you’ll start to see new growth. Once the plants have established their roots and begin to grow, switch to weekly watering or only when the soil is dry!

From Garden to Kitchen.. Edible Flowers

There are many garden flowers you can eat. However, before you consume just any flower, take heed of these guidelines: Eat flowers only when you are positive that they are edible. Some flowers look VERY similar. Be sure to have a positive ID first.

Only eat flowers that were grown organically. Many plants you purchase from retailers have been sprayed with pesticides.

Thoroughly wash all flowers before you consume them.

For most flowers, only consume the petals.

If in doubt that the flower is edible, skip it.

I am sharing a few edible flowers that are growing in my flower garden right that work great in the kitchen!

Nasturtiums

This is a popular edible flower that takes well to containers. Nasturtiums are available in trailing or upright varieties and their color range is reminiscent of a brilliant sunset (think oranges, reds, and yellows). All parts of a nasturtium are edible: petals, leaves, and seeds. They have a peppery, spicy flavor; a cross between watercress and a radish.

Roses

The ideal flower of love, roses offers a sweet flavor with a slight spice. The intensity of flavor will depend on type, color, and soil conditions. The darker the petals, the more pronounced the flavor. All roses are edible, but before consuming, remove the bitter white portion of the petals and definitely stay away from the thorny stems!

Lavender

I’m sure you are familiar with the soothing properties of lavender’s scent. The flowers of this popular herb are used for a multitude of beauty products. Like all herb flowers, lavender blooms are edible. They have a distinctive floral taste with a hint of rosemary/mint combo. Use sparingly in sweet dishes; a little goes a long way. I love making Lavender lemonade in the summer!

Squash Blossoms

The blooms of all types of squash are edible, but the most popular ones come from the male flower of the zucchini and crookneck squash. The blooms have a mild squash taste and can be eaten raw in a salad or stuffed with ricotta and batter fried.

Pansy

These cool-weather colorful flower can add brightness to planters, lollipops, ice cubes, AND cupcakes! They have a sweet, grassy/green flavor. They come in a plethora of color ranges, which makes them a fun flower to use to decorate cakes and as garnishes.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg of edible flowers. Remember to do your research before you eat any flower. Also, just because you can eat them doesn’t mean you should. Sometimes consuming vast amounts of blooms will not sit too kindly in your digestive tract.