Friday, October 24, 2008

Pumpkin Carving

I’ll be carving pumpkins this weekend. Here are a few random tips:

Carve the bottom out first. It’s easier to pull out all the seeds since they are at the bottom of the pumpkin.

It is also easier to light a candle inside. Once the candle is lit, you can set the pumpkin right on top of it.

Dust the inside of your pumpkin with ground cinnamon. When the candle is lit, it will give off a fragrance much like pumpkin pie.

Here are some links to websites that have some great stencils you can use when carving pumpkins.

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm

http://www.celebrating-halloween.com/pumpkincarving/index.shtml

Friday, October 17, 2008

Final Yard Cleanup

For me this will be my big final yard cleanup weekend…other then raking leaves and pulling the plants out of planters once it freezes.
My weekend checklist includes:

 · Fertilizing the lawn.

 · Taking the pump out of the water fountain. You should store the pump in your basement in a bucket of water, which prevents the gaskets from drying out.

 · Plant daffodil bulbs. Daffodils should be planted by the end of October. Tulips can be planted well into November.

 · Rake some of the leaves.

 · Put the outdoor furniture in the garage for the winter.

 · Transplant a few perennials. I planted Coral Bells in some container gardens. I need to dig them out and get them into the garden.

 · Add cypress mulch to some gardens so I don’t have to do it in the spring.

Here are some links on planting bulbs:
Spring Bulb Panting Depths

Success with Tulips

Success with Daffodils