​Groovy Green Holidays

 The True Meaning of St. Patrick’s Day

There aren’t too many people walking down the street at any moment of the day that can explain the story and purpose of St. Patrick’s Day. Today’s society has turned this particular holiday into a never-ending party. The only thing people truly celebrate on March 17th is excess.

Wherever did the idea of green beer, green rivers, and corned beef originate? We are all familiar with the many ways in which the world has commercialized St. Patrick’s Day. It is time to take a look at the actual origin of the holiday.

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Take a moment of time to ponder upon some of the most accurate histories behind the celebration of this overtly green day. Next year, there may be more of a connection with this particular square on the calendar.

Saint Patrick was not Irish.

It seems a bit deceiving, but Saint Patrick was not born in Ireland. He was a British native, who was captured and enslaved in Ireland as a sheep herder for six years when he was only a young man.

Once he returned to England, the apostle was instructed by a higher power to venture back to Ireland and spread the word of Christ. Here is where he earned his reputation as a famed apostle to the country.

Liberating Ireland of snakes was only a metaphor.

Another hare-brained belief that some people still maintain is that St. Patrick was responsible for ridding Ireland of snakes. Though there aren’t any snakes in Ireland, this man was certainly not responsible for their absence.

The water surrounding the Emerald Isle is too cold for any snakes to travel to Ireland. This is excellent news for the large chunk of the world’s population that fear the slithering reptiles.

Celebration slowly morphed into something else.

It would be easy to say that commercialism took over St. Patrick’s Day rather quickly, but that would be dreadfully inaccurate. When St. Patrick died, there was little to no remembrance celebration.

Word of mouth spread and exaggerated many stories about the life of the Saint. Eventually, there was a feast brought into a tradition in tribute to the Christian saint. This was only the beginning of the transition.

It is not very surprising to hear that the U.S. was deemed responsible for turning the whole day into a drunken rager. Capitalism can work wonders when there’s any reason for celebration.

A four-leafed clover is not a shamrock. There is also lots of shade perennials with pretty green foliage.

A shamrock is a three-leafed stem section of a clover plant. The four-leafed clover is a genetic mutation in the plant’s chromosome formation. The Guinness Book of World Records recorded the largest clover stem having 56 leaves.

The Shamrock got its reputation from St. Patrick himself. He used to say that the three leaves represented the Holy Trinity, and the four-leafed clover adds the blessing of God. It was simply a tool for his apostolic mission.

Wearing green is a widespread practice. Trumpet vines are great for greenery with color also.

Covering our wardrobe in green for one day of the year has nothing to do with the reason for the holiday. It is just kind of a common denominator. Shamrocks are green. Ireland’s flag sports green as a dominant color. Society took the concept and hit the ground running with the idea.

Our Proud Sponsor – Plant America Nursery

Low Cost Flower Gardens

With sunny weather in full swing, it is
incredibly important that you put your best foot forward. Before grilling out
those delicious hot dogs and enjoying fun in the park, it all starts at home.
You need to get in touch with a flower business that can provide you with a
wide selection of wildflowers and garden perennials that will make your home
look divine. These businesses provide affordable gardening in your area that
will allow you to make the most of your outdoor area and make your home a joy
to live in. Guests will stop by and enjoy the landscape that you offer and will
be taken aback by the level of craftsmanship and experience put in to make your
garden plants great.

Services for all budgets

The best part about taking advantage of these
services is that you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg in the process! These
companies offer affordable gardening and will be able to help you out from
start to finish. You should first, get in touch with a gardening professional
for a consultation so that they can get a look at your exterior area, while
also allowing you to give them an idea of what you are looking for. By doing
your due diligence in this regard, you will get the greatest flower service
that you could possible imagine.

These low cost gardeners take pride in helping
people like you make their outdoor scenery dreams come true. You don’t have to
worry about the cost, because they will tailor a plan that you will be able to
get on board with. You will get your fill of garden perennials, wildflowers,
ferns, and anything else that you can possible imagine. You should take
advantage of the services that these gardeners offer, because they provide work
that is licensed and certified. When you do business with these gardeners, you
can rest assured that you are getting the most bang for your buck. They should
be thought of as a high quality investment into your property, because they
will increase the value of your home and make the appearance look magnificent.

So what are you waiting for?

Get in touch with one of these professionals
today to learn just how they can help you out. They will give you a fair quote
on any kind of work that you need, and will not rest until they finish the job.
Their services are incredibly valuable and will help you take pride in your
home and enjoy every second of the time that you spend outside. These
professionals can provide references to back up their quality of work, and
would love nothing more than to count you among their next flower and gardening
customers. Leave this one to the pros. Get in touch with flower gardeners that
will provide you with work that is both affordable and professional, with keen
attention to detail. 

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​Top Five Indoor Plants Your Cats Won’t Eat

Top Five Indoor Plants Your Cats Won’t Eat

Sometimes it proves to be quite the battle to find house plants that your furry friends won’t see as a succulent treat. Not only do you have to worry about the well-being of the plant, but you have to worry about whether or not the ingestion of the plant will harm your kitty. Here’s the good news. There are plenty of plants that don’t really appeal to the feline palate. You just have to have the right knowledge of your house plants. Try potting some of these unpalatable house plants. Most perennials are not appetizing also.

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Lavender

You’ll love the sweet smell of this gorgeous plant, but your cats will keep their distance. For some reason, they hate the smell. If they do decide that they need to try it out, and ingest this plant, it won’t hurt them. Your kitty may feel a little bit sick to his/her stomach, but it won’t kill them. They’ll learn pretty quickly that Lavender doesn’t really bring forth delightful consequences, and they’ll leave it alone.

Rosemary

This is a great plant that will not only detour your cats, but it will make your dinner taste better too! The strong scent of Rosemary is another foul existence to the olfactory senses of your kitty. Like Lavender, they hate it! It’s also somewhat of a woody, prickly plant, so not the most attractive to your furry friends. Just make sure to keep it warm and dry. Rosemary has quite the distaste for cold, moist soil.

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Scaredy Cat

It’s all in the name, Scaredy Cat. Your cat won’t really be afraid of this plant, but they won’t like it at all. The plant puts off the smell of dog urine to a cat, but don’t worry. The smell isn’t strong enough to bother a human unless the leaves are crushed or rubbed all over you. There is a small margin for error in this plant, as its effect is dependent upon the animal having a proper sense of smell. The effectiveness has been compared to that of catnip. Only about seventy percent (give or take a bit) of cats really react to catnip.

Cactus Plants

For obvious reasons, cats don’t like cactus plants. Your feline friends are most definitely smart enough to realize that they want nothing to do with this prickly plant. Cactus is also a very low maintenance house plant. They’re great at retaining water, so they won’t die if you forget to water them every once in a while. They’re strong.

Mint Plants

Minty plants are quite useful to humans. We can use them for food flavoring, and there are also some medicinal purposes, depending on which minty plant you’re referring to at the time. Luckily, in the feline world, minty flavors are not very palatable. They may try chewing on your mint leaves once, but they will soon find something very unsavory to their tiny taste buds. Mint leaves are usually quite vibrant and green. They’ll bring a refreshing element to your home.  

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​Wonders of the Wetlands

Top Plants to Build Your Own Mini-Wetland

It happens every day. Precious land that provides habitats for many different types of wildlife is being destroyed, but you’re not as powerless as you may feel. It’s entirely possible to create your own mini-wetland area in your own back yard. With a little research, you’ll find that most of your typical wetland plants don’t require a large reservoir of water to thrive. If you can find an area of your land that is naturally damp and equipped with a heavy clay soil, then you’ve got everything you need to get started.

Building your own personal wetland area will not only benefit your immediate environment, but you’ll be providing a nurturing habitat for many different types of creatures. Butterflies, bees, frogs, and several different types of birds will find your creation delightful. Your mini-wetland will also serve to store and filter your lawn’s runoff water when it rains. The bottom line benefit is that you’ll enjoy the true essence and beauty of nature in your own back yard. Here is a quick overview of a few plants you may want to consider integrating into your aquascape.

These trees are wetland soil tolerant.

Cottonwood Tree: You’ll usually find these being used for timber, but they don’t even produce the best of wood. It’s not the best for burning either. It doesn’t produce a high enough level of energy due to its quality and consistency. It does, however, provide a beautiful backdrop for nature and a home for several types of birds.

Swamp White Oak: Just another good addition to bring depth to your landscape. These trees are big, bushy, and strong.

Sycamore Trees: This tree’s distinctive bark coloring will add beauty to any mini-wetland area.

These shrubs are good for your wetlands.

Winterberry: This is a great ornamental shrub. It’s also very durable and easy to grow. Native American’s were known to use the berries from this shrub for medicinal purposes. They nicknamed the shrub a “fever bush”.

Inkberry: These are excellent, full bodied, hedge plants. They grow thick, and don’t take very much maintenance.

Pussy Willow: The look of the Pussy Willow’s furry catkins adds a subtle touch of color to any aquascape.

Herbaceous and flowering plants that thrive in shady, wet soils.

Ironweed: This plant will bloom with tiny purple blooms in the Spring to add unsuspecting color to your setup.

Blue Flag Iris: Everyone knows how beautiful the Iris can be in a pot. How much more beautiful would the blue flag iris plant be in its natural habitat?

Boneset: The Boneset will bring butterflies to your area. They love their clusters of white blossoms early in the spring.

Herbaceous and flowering plants that thrive in sunny, wet soils.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit: The flowers of this plant are something to behold. When they bloom, you’ll see a flower striped with purple and brown. It almost pops out of the stalk of the plant like a Jack-in-the-Box.

Cinnamon Fern: Named for its spore-bearing fronds, the Cinnamon Fern’s fronds look like cinnamon sticks.

Skunk Cabbage: This plant has extensive medicinal uses, but it’s also quite beautiful. With the coloring and shape of a red cabbage, there’s no mistaking how this plant got its name. 

A Couple of New Articles

We’ve added two new offerings from Southern Living Plant Collection. Their information is always good; the articles liberally use photos and/or other media, both to illustrate, and make the subjects more interesting; and you’ll always pick up another gem of knowledge.

Here are Eye=Catching Combinations and Monochromatic Color. Enjoy!

It’s Still Winter – Technically

Well, here we are, about 1½ weeks before Spring, but our Winter here in central Alabama has been mostly Spring-like. Because of that, there has been more than the usual landscape activity for the season. Great for business! But scientists tell us that we need at least three days of 19° F, or colder, to permanently freeze a large segment of the insect and creepy crawler population. That certainly doesn’t happen much in Alabama, and certainly didn’t happen this year. C’est la vie, n’est-ce pas?

Don’t let the end of the seasonal best planting time slip by!