This is so perfect – a twofer. Yep, two for the price of one. Today’s Favorites on the Fifth covers creativity and About.com. We’ll use About.com as our reference tool for left brain vs. right brain, and for creative garden recycling tips.
Personally, I’m creative. It may take me a while to come up with an idea, but eventually one falls out of my head. According to About.com, that idea would be falling out of the right side of my brain; the side that is intuitive, thoughtful and subjective. So though it took me 3 years to come up with the design and complete the mosaic that graces the banner of this website, it did get finished. We even had to get creative to get the colored tiles I wanted for the border, as in we made them ourselves.
Yet by profession, I’m a Computer Trainer at Law Firms. That requires me to use the left side of my brain; which is logical, analytical and objective.
Which side is dominant? I took the About.com Painter’s Brain Quiz. No, I don’t paint. My garden is my palette. A great compliment was given to be recently when a neighbor visited my garden for the first time and said “I always figured an artist lived here.” I took the quiz and got a 65, which means my right brain is slightly dominant. I think that’s a fair estimation.
Perfect world is when both sides of the brain work together to accomplish a task, like a New Hire Training class that just happens to be creative. Here I am at Aon New Hire Training on Beach Bash Day. Sherry Perkowitz brought in the decorations, while I, of course, provided the flowers.
Perhaps using both sides of my brain helped when it came to putting together my presentation for the Chicago Flower and Garden Show this year. The right side loved the topic of creativity, while the left side had been organized enough to collect creativity pictures all these years.
Garden creativity comes in many shapes and forms. One of my favorites is reusing items in a new capacity, like this bicycle that Patrice Goosetree used for flowers.
Let’s take a look at how some About.com readers are doing creative recycling in their gardens. There are 284 so far, so we’ll just take a sampling.
Dripping Water for Birdbaths
To draw birds to my birdbath, I freeze water in a pint plastic milk carton with the handle and hang it on a feeder pole above my bird bath. Put a small hole in the bottom of container and the water will drip slowly as it melts. This drip will attract many birds for a cool drink or bath.
—Guest ccbloom_rn2
Another Great Use for Coffee Cans
I love watermelon and plant the big Carolina Cross variety. If you place them on coffee cans that are upside down when they are young you can turn them and make sure they fully ripen. Mine always weigh in over 20 pounds. You gotta drink a lot of coffee. LOL
—Guest DruidJo
Deter Deer
Instead of putting up a very tall fence (which is a must because deer jump very high) just put up a fence post at each corner of your garden perimeter and string either thick fishing line or in my case I had a bunch of twine on the top rung of the post and walah the deer will get spooked when the run into in and will stay out, they won’t attempt to jump something they can’t see.
—Guest Tracy
Mulch for Acid Lovers
Pinecones make good mulch for under acid loving plants.
—Guest connie mchugh
Paint Stick Markers
Most paint companies will give you extra paint sticks. They make great row markers and you can label them as well.
—welderwoman
Creative Flower Border
I collect old chipped saucers from odd coffee/tea cups as colorful boders around my flower beds.
—Guest cynthia daniel
Old Carpet Mulch
Iam doing up my neighbours large garden and to stop weeds and grass re growing I used old carpets over the ground that can later be covered in gravel. Great way to recycle old carpets.
—Guest teresa
Recycled Plant Markers
Old plastic mini blinds found at yard sales make great plant markers. Cut to size with scissors and use a permanent black marker. I leave them in the ground for the winter so I can remember what is planted in each location and I won’t dig up perennials in the spring.
—allalalan
Do you want to see the other 276 ideas? Head on over to About.com, and you’ll see why they qualify for Favorites on the Fifth.
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