• For small plants, use a pruner. A pruner, either bypass or anvil, is designed for trimming a large variety of annuals and perrenials in your garden and works great for prunning plants in your home. The Fiskars Power-Lever Anvil Pruner has sharp blades and a comfortable handle to make any small pruning job easy and quick. You will find a variety of prunning jobs to use this pruner. If you take care of plants in your home, keep one handy inside your home and one in your shed or garage.
• For shrubs and hedges, use a lopper. A lopper, like the PowerGear 2 Bypass Lopper by Fiskars, is designed especially for cutting small tree branches or pruning shrubs and hedges. These loppers make pruning branches in tight spaces much easier because of the long handles and small blade. The blades are strong and durable and can make 1.5 inch cuts. This lopper may be used for any small job that an anvil pruner can’t do.
• For trees, use a tree pruner. A tree pruner is ideal for reaching small tree branches that need to be removed. The Nyglass 12 foot Tree Pruner makes trimming your tree easy and convenient. This 12 foot long pruner may be used on any small, young tree or lower, small branches on very tall trees and allows you to trim your trees safely without the use of a latter. It has a sharp, non-stick blade that makes smooth, easy cuts. When trimming your smaller tree branches, make sure that the cuts are close to the branch collar. By regularly maintaining your trees, your trees will be healthier and more attractive.

I saw this Hibiscus for sale outside my local grocery store. At that time, it did not have any flowers blooming. However, it looked pretty durable. And it was cheap- so in the cart it went.

After a few days, my pretty plant started to bloom like gangbusters. Can’t even help itself. Big, red, tropical blossoms right in my front yard. I’m sure my neighbors think this is some kind of miracle plant, given the amount of dead foliage I have displayed in the past. But, alas, I have a tropical hibiscus plant/tree blooming like a maniac on my front walkway. Amazing.

As the summer progressed, my hibiscus continues to thrive. But I will have a problem soon– I want to permanently plant this hibiscus somewhere where it will continue to live. I cannot plant this hibiscus exactly in the spot where it currently is blooming because it is sitting in its original ugly container, on the cement sidewalk leading to my front door. I thought about renting a jack hammer, making a hole in the middle of my sidewalk, plant it there and have everyone walk around it. I am not opposed to doing this, but my husband would have a problem with that. What to do? Time to make a plan.

My plan consisted of researching hibiscus plants and how to care for these delicate plants in zone 5 (Michigan). In my research I find that there are two types of hibiscus plants– The Hardy Hibiscus and The Tropical Hibiscus. I had no clue that there were varieties of this plant. I just thought it was a nice tropical tree that survived in the Michigan summer.

Apparently, many people who live in the frigid 5 zone had the same thinking as me. Summer plant, toss it in the winter. Well, not so. If you are lucky enough to have a Hardy Hibiscus in zone 5, it can survive a winter with a little help from the great indoors. Here is a quick guide to determine if your hibiscus is Hardy or Tropical:

• If the hibiscus has deep green, glossy leaves, and three to six inch flowers of red, pink, orange, yellow, double or single flowers, it is most likely a Tropical hibiscus-
• If the hibiscus flowers are salmon, peach, orange, or yellow, or if it is double flowered, then you most likely own a Tropical hibiscus. Hardy hibiscus do not come in these colors or in doubles

• If your hibiscus has medium green heart shaped leaves, 10-12″ flowers the are (white) white, pink or red with gigantic buds , it is most likely a perennial, hardy hibiscus.

According to these tips, I believe I have a hardy tropical hibiscus!! Oh, wait, it can’t be both. So, I decide that I have a tropical hibiscus and that I can take it and move to a tropical zone like Sanibel Island , Florida. Financially, this is not feasible, or realistic. I am an idealist, not a realist.

Realistically I need to winterize my hibiscus by providing it with a nice, warm sunny spot in my house and letting it grow inside all winter. Realistically, this will not happen either. I do not have a warm, sunny spot in my house during the winter. I do have a nice, cozy dark “family room” with a natural fireplace that could blaze my plant to death during the winter. So I must give my hibiscus away to someone who can care for it during the winter (Mom?????)…

In any case, I learned another lesson in regards to gardening and caring for delicate plants. Here is my experience so far (it’s only August 17- one more month of summer):

1. I killed my beautiful, flowering lobelia basket by deadheading it to the point of extinction. I thought that it needed to be deadheaded, but as I methodically plucked the plant to death, my 4 year old daughter told me that there was a “crack” in the pot. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the side and saw a chunk of the pot missing. That’s why it was dying. No water….
2. I picked a pod off my “Chinese Lantern” plant before it was ready. I thought it was a seed. Good thing I left the other pod on the plant to watch it turn red like the one in the store. I thought the guy at the Farmer’s Market ripped me off.
3. I must have planted my tulip bulbs upside down because I only had mutated looking leafs growing out of the ground.
4. I killed off one Rose of Sharon tree in the back by stepping on it and cracking up the sticks. And they say those things are indispensable…..

However, I did help my daughter plant a garden for her Zebra. We spread some seeds, mixed in a little dirt and sand from the sandbox, and now we wait. I think we planted green peppers. Could be out of season. In the meantime, I think I’ll just enjoy my tropical hardy hibiscus for this summer and then purchase this cute, little plastic hibiscus hummingbird feeder that

will remind me of bright summer days during a zone 5 winter.

When dividing a plant, the first step is to dig up as much of the plant as possible without hurting the plant. The root ball, which goes into the soil about 12 inches deep and is about 3 – 6 inches larger than the diameter of the plant, should be carefully dug up. The Master Gardener D-Handle Garden Spade is great for digging up a variety of plants and makes a clean cut.

Once the plant and root ball has been dug up, the entire plant clump should be divided into two pieces or more depending upon the size of your plant. Divide the plant clump into sections that include the plant and roots. It is a good idea to quickly divide the plant after removing it from the ground and replant the plant sections into the ground. Division of the plant may be accomplished by using a trowel such as the Fiskars Graphite Handle Trowel. This trowel makes dividing your plants easy and quick.

Remove any dead or shriveled pieces from the plant before replanting and make sure to water the plant as soon as possible to prevent the roots from drying out. If you are placing the plant back into the original area, it is a good idea to add some fertilizer and some new soil that is rich in nutrients.

After dividing and transplanting your plant, make sure to thoroughly water the plant to keep the roots hydrated and stimulate new growth. The Swan Soaker Garden Hose is great for helping to keep your newly divided plants hydrated. Just lay the hose along the edge of the flower bed and turn the water on. This will help to hydrate the roots and allow the plant to thrive.

I followed the great advice and kept it out of the afternoon sun. I’ve watered it. I’ve talked to it, telling it how pretty it is. I even hung it on a nice little hooky thing (Shepard’s hook for garden aficionados) specifically away from the afternoon sun. There is no rhyme nor reason why my basket now looks like a piece of hanging ivy. Except for the fact that the sun is not in the same place it was 3 weeks ago. Oops… mistake number one.

So, being the avid researcher that I am, I decide to type in Google “dead lobelia basket”. Up pops 10,000,000 websites on hanging baskets and how to “deadhead” the flowers. Now here was something new to me. Deadheading? I thought that was what they called the people who followed the Grateful Dead band. Now I learn that it is a process by which you can and should “pinch off” dead flowers from plants, especially hanging baskets, so they can develop new growth and bloom even bigger and better than before.

In fact, I think I read somewhere that when you plant new flowers (annuals I think?), you should pluck all the pretty petals off immediately. That is supposed to help them grow nicer and fuller. I suppose this is a form of deadheading also. Seems very silly and costly to me, but I did not get that far into my research. I just went out and started to deadhead my almost dead lobelia basket.

Deadheading sounded pretty easy when I read about it. How bad could it be to trim off a few flowers from the sagging vines? That’s when I found out that lobelia baskets have about 20 zillion flowers on the vines. And to deadhead was not to dice up the whole plant, it was to individually pluck off every tiny dead flower that had dried and shriveled up on the vine.

I went at it like I was on a mission. It turned out to be mission impossible for me. I am not patient, I am not practical and I am a perfectionist. These are not great attributes for someone who has to deadhead a hanging basket. As I sliced and diced my way through this thing, I began to talk to myself. However, my 4 1/2 year old daughter was “helping” me in the yard, and was listening to everything I said.

I was basically complaining about the amount of time it took to pick dead flowers off a plant. Then I found out that some of the vines I was whacking out had new buds on them. So what I really was doing was deadheading live flowers. This was not good. That was when I must have said something out loud about “This is ridiculous. I’m doing more harm than good- I keep killing the good flowers.”

My daughter, who was watching me frantically shaking and killing my plant said “Momma, you need to take a break.” Of course I immediately stopped abusing my plant and said “What did you say?” I was amazed. Where does she get this stuff?

She says “yes, take a break. Stop and smell the flowers.” — Imagine my surprise at her wisdom. Kids say the funniest, and sometimes most wise things. So, I stopped mangling my plant, went inside, grabbed a cup of coffee and took a rest. I realized that there is an art to deadheading plants. I just have not mastered it.

I felt like the “grasshopper” in the Kung Fu movies. A sense of peace enveloped me and I was ready to face the plant once again. This time, more calm, with a sense of purpose. I was going to send the plant love and hopefully it would love me back.

That didn’t happen. I went outside, took one look at the thing and said “Oh, forget it for now.” I had deadheaded most of the dead and live flowers that were once hanging. I sheared off a few of the dried hanging branches. The top is still lovely, and hopefully new flowers will bloom from the hanging basket. But I wasn’t able to stand still long enough to practice any kind of Zen or have the patience required for art of deadheading.

So I did what any other practical deadhead would do, I looked for a prettier basket to put my flower in. And I found one… The CobraCro Elizabethan Bronze Hanging Basket. It is 14″ in diameter and is perfect for planting your flowers, herbs, or trailing vines. The beautiful, dark bronze frame will perfectly contrast your plants and blooms, and the included 15.375 inch long hanging chain allows the item to be placed virtually anywhere.

The CobraCro Elizabethan Hanging Basket has a coconut liner which allows this basket to be used immediately. Hang this basket from a hook or wall bracket indoors or out, and place several baskets at different heights for a truly dramatic garden. The powder coated finish will certainly last for several seasons, and provides rust resistance.

Now it won’t matter what the flower looks like. It’s all about the basket! Hopefully the lobelia will make a comeback. I still have the opportunity to use some Zen and practice the art of deadheading. In the meantime, I’ll have a beautiful container to show hanging from a nice Shepherd’s hook. If that’s as good as it gets, that’s good enough for me.

As you many of you know, BackyardStyle.com caters to both gardeners and lawn and garden shops throughout the US because of our low prices on many lawn and garden products. So we are very proud to offer our readership this wonderful magazine for free. (qualified retailers only .. you must be a lawn and garden retailer to qualify.)

Every page is product-focused, from start to finish.

This unique format — the first of its kind in the market — has served outstanding garden center buyers for more than a decade, leading readers to “find it first, find it fast.” Editor Yale Youngblood makes shopping the fun experience it should be.

Every month brings new ideas and products to help retailers stay ahead of the fast-paced consumer demand for what’s new and different.

GCP&S is distributed free to qualified retailers.

Slug Magic Pellets is our featured lawn and garden product this week.
Make slugs disappear with Bonide Organic Slug Magic Pellets.

This organic bait is a unique blend of iron phosphate with slug and snail bait additives that lure them from their hiding place. In addition to being easy to use, clean to handle, and economical, these pellets can also be used around domestic pets and wildlife and provide you with a decrease in plant damage. Simply shake this product onto outdoor ornamental plants, vegetable or flower gardens, or apply to larger areas, such as a lawn, with a broadcast garden spreader.

Effective against a wide variety of slugs and snails, this product can be used in and around greenhouses, gardens, fruit trees, bushes, or on crop plants, even after rain or sprinkling. Rid your garden or lawn of slugs and snails with Organic Slug Magic Pellets.