Its almost St. Patrick’s day and time to plant potatoes.

My mother always told me that you plant potatoes on st. patricks day. She said thats because the irish love to eat potatoes. She lived in zone 6 in the Appalachian Mountains and by words of wisdom, that is too early for them, but thats what they did and it seemed to work, she ate lots of potatoes growing up.

We live in zone 7 so St. Patrick’s day is just right.

I have a bag of potatoes on my counter and they all have sprouts, maybe they know something I don’t.

Potatoes, are one of my favorite things to grow.

I get small potatoes at the farmer’s market and soak them in water for a little then put them in a warm place in a paper bag to sprout.

After they sprout, I cut them into quarters or plant them whole (if they are tiny) into the place I want to grow them, about 12″ apart, 3-4 inches deep.

Not all soil is equal in Brooklyn and I did read in a NYT article that potatoes grown in soil that may have lead are ok to eat as long as you wash them. That being said though, it is much, much easier to plant potatoes in a container and just empty the contents of the container at the end of the growing season (after the plants turn yellow) and pick out your potatoes. I almost always miss and damage some when I dig them out.

Sometimes, I get antsy and shove my hand under the plant and steal a few during the growing season. The plants don’t seem to mind and I get really tasty new potatoes that are amazing.

Once in awhile I have had problems with Potato Bugs, I have found that planting potatoes with marigolds has kept them away.

Five gallon buckets make great containers for potatoes as do trash cans or a large bag of soil, just cut some slits in the bag and plant your potaoes, isn’t that easy?

Another method is to plant your potatoes in a tire and as the plant grows, keep stacking tires on top of the plants and add more soil, compost, old leaves, hay, shredded newspaper, well you get the idea. At the end of the season, take away the tires and pick out your potatoes.

Potatoes like either a high or low PH soil. Low PH will make a more waxy texture potato and High PH will make a more dry-textured potato. Think pine needles, citrus rinds, eggshells and sulfur, for low ph, think vegetable fats (avocado peels) and lime (the powdered type) for a high ph.

They really are super easy and taste oh so much better than the ones you get at C-Town. I saw a few volunteer plants growing out of my compost bin last year, I can’t wait to see what grew when I turn the compost this week.

Thats, my 2 cents, try them, they are fun to grow.

Kimberly Sevilla

Rose Red & Lavender
Flowers Plants, and Beautiful Things

653 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211

www.roseredandlavender.com

Tire Planter Potatoes

Seeds, seeds, seeds.

I love seeds. I really do. I like looking at the catalogs, reading all the descriptions, trying all the varieties, saving seeds, collecting seeds, trading seeds. I love talking to seed growers and getting all nerdy about all the different cultivators and reminiscing. When we say Brandywine, or Moon and Stars, Even Freckles and Deer Tounge, we smile, because we know what that means an we all have our favorites.

If you haven’t tried it, using seeds to start your garden can be very rewarding. There are so many varieties that just wouldn’t be available to you if you didn’t grow them yourself, even things that (gasp) would not be available at the Farmer’s market. I know, I know, they seem to have everything but there are some bizarro things out there, Purple, Conical Cauliflower?. Lettuce, radishes, and beans and sunflowers are very easy and if you are timid, I suggest you start with those.

We teach a few classes on how to start seeds. I am always proud when my students come back and show me pictures of what they grew. One of my very first students moved on to create his own Roof Top Seed company, I am so proud.

I personally have tried almost every method of seed starting and there are two that I will swear by, ok, three that I swear by. These are; winter sowing, jiffy pellets, and baby beds.

Seeds are a miracle and once water is added, the whole process of life begins. Have you watched your garden in the spring, and notice how bare the earth is, and suddenly, after a warm day, life pops up out of nowhere? Weeds, weeds, weeds and lots of them. No one mollycoddles these plants, no one sets up growlights or painstakingly cares for them and yet they grow. Whaddup with that? Sometimes you will notice that the seedlings look a little familiar and many times, healthier, but smaller versions of ones you started in your home weeks before. Those volunteer tomato plants, sunflowers, and herbs just pop up, all on their own. Get Out! These seeds rest in the ground all winter and when the time is right, for them, POP! I have noticed that the volunteer plants almost always catch up to the ones I started, and even out grow them, not fair.

There is a method called Winter Sowing. Basically, you take your seed starting kit, take out container, milk jug or what have you and you plant your seeds, water them, and place the whole thing outside, in the middle of winter, in the snow. When the time is right for those seeds to grow, they will, with no help from you, and they will thrive and be healthy. Just be sure to water them when the weather warms up. The cold kills any of the damp-off fungi, and also helps striate hard seed coats. This is the only way that I have been able to successfully grow Lupins and Columbine (both native plants) from seed. Funny enough, tomatoes, and peppers also do very well using this method. It may not be as much fun as starting them inside, but you will get good results.When the seedlings are large enough, you just move them to where you would like them to be in the garden.Yes, it is that easy. You don’t need to worry about planting charts, frost dates, grow lights….ect. They will grow when they are ready to, it almost takes all the fun out of it.

Jiffy pellets, I love, love, love them. Before I had a garden in the city, I had one in the country in upstate New York and I would grow my seedlings at home; first in a walkup in Alphabet City, and then in a real grown up’s apartment in Park Slope, even in the hatchback of my Saab, which was a terrific greenhouse, as well as a fun car.

Starting seeds can be messy and the fine seed starting mix can go everywhere. Filling the trays is a hassle and it always makes a mess. One year I discovered Jiffy 7′s and I was hooked. Jiffy’s are little disks of peat-moss that are flat, but when you add water, they pop up into little pots that are surrounded by netting. Storage is easy and they last forever.

Mini Greenhouse

Put three seeds in a little pot, cover with a clear lid and wait for your seeds to sprout. Take off the lid and watch your plants grow. When you transplant, move the pot into the soil, its that easy. Sometimes I rip off the little net, sometimes not. These pellets come in little mini greenhouses with 6, 12, 20 or 72 pellets. 72 will fit into a full tray, and they work great in combination with the plastic 6 packs that come with the 72 cell greenhouses. 72 plants! once you get started, you will want more, and more and more….

Other methods, peat pots, newspaper cups, the paper towel, ect…. never worked out that great for me and I always had watering issues, mold (especially with the newspaper cups) and general poor performance.

The last method that I like is similar to the winter gardening method but uses a cold frame instead of individual containers. You basically set up a small raised bed, about 2′ x 4′ and fill it with a light mixture of vermiculite and peat or coir with some sand. 3 parts peat or coir to one part sand and one part vermiculite. A 15g smartpot would also do well.

Smart Pot

Plant your seeds, well spaced, in little rows, don’t forget to label them. When the plants are big enough, use a transplant trowel (skinny and thin) and move them to where you want them. If you like you can cover the box with plastic hoops or with an old window or piece of glass, creating a cold frame. Don’t forget to prop it open on sunny days or you will have an oven.

The backs of seed packets have lots of great information. Ignore most of the planting instructions, except for if it tells you to direct sow, some seedlings don’t like to be moved around much. Remember to always space your seeds, each seed has the potential of becoming a little plant. A pack of lettuce seed can have up to 400 seeds, so avoid at all costs, making a little furrow and sprinkling all the seeds in that furrow. Thinning is a waste of time, and a waste of seed, and it is damages the plants. Its always best to put 3 seeds in a spot, every few inches. One out of three is bound to grow.

August News, Big Sale!

It has been a long, hot summer. Time to sow your fall crops. These cool nights are reminding me that fall is just around the corner.

Did you know that now is the perfect time to sow seeds for those cold weather vegetables? Every time I go to my favorite restaurant in Greenpoint, the ones with the Knights, who’s name I can never pronounce, I think about fall crops. All those lovely cabbages, carrots, parsnips, beets, and turnips; they love cool weather and now is the time to sow your seeds. If you have a little spot where perhaps a zucchini didn’t make it (damn caterpillars) or a plant that is just limping along, yank it and sow some seed. Didn’t get around to planting a garden this year, don’t worry, you can sow these now. Varieties like dwarf kale, carrots, spinach and lettuce work great in containers, so don’t let a lack of an outdoor space stop you

Twig Terrariums!Crime

It ain't no Crime

It Ain’t no crime to love terrariums, we do for sure. Twig is back in the house and will be teaching a workshop all about Terrariums. Featured at the Museum of Arts and Design, Twig has bought terrariums to a new level, and the girls are super sweet too. Come take their class and learn all about terrariums.

BYOC Terrariums. Have a special container that you love, want to learn a little more about DIY terrariums? Take our BYOC class and bring your own container.

BIG FAT SALE!
Yip-pie, it is our end of summer sale. Now that your sunburns have finally turned into tans, I know its time for a sale. All outdoor plants are 30% off, All gardening supplies, hoses, tools, are 50% off.. WHAAAT? We have to make room for fall plants, so buh-by, summer plants, buh-by, soaker hoses, buh-by and buh-by rakes, spades, and forks.

Give the Gift of Love. Dahlias and Celosia Locally grown flowers

Did you know that Flowers are a natural Aphrodisiac? They are, why do you think they have been gifted since ancient times? We all need a little love, right? So to help we are bringing back HAPPY FLOWER HOUR, so from now until Labor Day, we will be offering 30% off all fresh cut flowers, Thursday-Sunday from 5pm to 7pm. Our Flowers are Locally Grown, so you can skip the crowds at the Farmers Market and save your Weekend for other stuff, bow-chicka-bow-wow. If you want to be even more romantic, you can have one of our stunning bouquets delivered to your sweeties door. Call 718-486-3569 or Order On line for a single bouquet or up to a year’s worth of flowers, delivered to your sweet-heart once a month for up to a year.

Cool Places for your Air plants to Chill.

Air plants need homes too, and we have lots of cool globes, lanterns, and twig wreaths for your little friends to hang on. Don’t have any air plants? Don’t worry, we have plenty of those in stock too.

Great Minds? I like to think so and I was super excited when I saw my favorite pots featured on Design Sponge, My favorite design blog.

Great minds think alike? We have a full selection of beautiful Campo di Fiore pots with luscious live moss come and snag yours. Once planted, Campo de Fiori terracotta pots will begin the natural aging process, creating a varied surface texture of vibrant mosses along with naturally occurring colors that evoke the classic look of antiquity. We are proud to have them at our shop.

Campo di Fiore Moss Pots

NEW HOUSEPLANTS!! We just got in a new shipment of crazy houseplants just for you. Lots of low light plants for that middle room in your railroad apartment, lots of tall plants for that double high window in your duplex. No green thumb? Don’t worry, we have a class just for you.Creeping Fig

Rhipsalis

GETTING MARRIED?

Have a friend who is tying the knot, jumping the broom, taking the plunge, well you get the picture. Our wedding flowers have been featured in New York Magazine, and on Merci Bride Kimberly will teach you the ins and outs of personal flowers, how to make your own corsages, bouquets, and boutonnieres. Look all fancy all the time.

Moss Boutonniere

Hope to see you in the shop soon!

Kimberly, Enrique, Lavender and Sweet William.

Rose Red & Lavender
653 Metropolitan Avenue
www.roseredandlavender.com

We were invited by BMW  to pimp out Roberta’s Garden this week. It was the week before Mother’s day, one of our busiest weekends of the year, but what the heck… whats revamping a garden and turning into a wonderland?

We put a bunch of 15′ Birch trees inside the garage for the after party, little daisies in tin cans for the dinner, and pimped out the outdoor space with more birch trees, and tons (literally) of grass, sod, planters and flowers making sure every line of site was one to behold. I am not shy about getting stuff done, and this project was a lot of fun for us, and a lot of work for me.

The folks at Roberta’s were wowed by the makeover, the folks at BMW were thrilled with the results and fast turnaround, and I got to sod a bathroom, which I have been wanting to do for about 15 years now…..good things come to those who wait. Here are some Before and After shots.

We went a little sod happy, sod heals all wounds.

A few of the plantings are staying at Roberta’s and the garden is great for party’s, events and weddings.

Oh, did I mention that we are available for special events? We are.

Cheers,

Kimberly

Christmas trees grow greener – Crain’s New York Business.

Rose Red & Lavender is now pleased to offer holiday decorating services for private homes, restaurants, and building lobbies.

The holiday season is an extra special time for decorating and recognizing that not everyone has the time to decorate, decided to expand their offerings. Their services can relieve some of the stress of the holiday season. Plants, greens and flowers will be used to create a warm and friendly holiday environment that is both tasteful and sensual.

Rose Red & Lavender is known for its wedding, events and floral design. They use natural, live materials in their décor and believe that flowers and plants are beautiful on their own and strive to present them in a way that represents them naturally and respectfully. Kimberly Sevilla, owner of Rose Red & Lavender, selects her materials daily and uses locally grown products as much as possible.

Prior to opening Rose Red & Lavender, Ms. Sevilla designed and built displays for retail stores. Her work could be seen at Lord & Taylor, Barney’s, Cole Haan, and Mac Cosmetics. While plants and flowers areher passion, creating unique environments is in her blood and she feels comfortable no matter what the scale.

Included in the offerings for holiday décor will be setting up and trimming Christmas trees, hanging wreaths, lights and pine roping and creating vignettes using natural materials such as incense cedar, pine cones and spruce bows with some unexpected twists. Rose Red & Lavender will work hand in hand with their clients to produce stunning and subtle decorations that will feel natural, smell amazing and transform a space.

Rose Red & Lavender is located at 653 Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn, NY. For more information or to schedule holiday decorating, please call 718-486-3569, or contact lavender@roseredandlavender.com

Press inquiries; contact William Sevilla, at 718-486-3569 or email at William@roseredandlavender.com.

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Live Christmas Trees!
Have a Green Christmas with our Blue Spruces.

Now Taking Orders

Blue Spruce

Its that time of year again, and we have been getting a lot of requests for Christmas trees. I addition to our fresh cut trees, we decided to offer something new! You all know how we preach about being green and about being frugal, so we decided to take it one step further

Place your order for living Christmas trees now.
Living trees are a great way to celebrate the holidays. After all the eggnog is finished and the paper is in the recycling bin, you can put your tree outside, either in a planter or in the ground. The smell of a live tree is incredible and you will be doing something great for the environment.

Don’t have an outdoor space, don’t worry, we can take your tree back and give you 30% store credit. We will make sure it finds a good home.

Boxwood Pyramid, something a little different, small green leaves, 5g container, apx 4′ high $150

Baby Blue Spruce, lovely blue color in a 5g container, apx 4′-high $150

Big Blue Spruce, lovely blue color in a 10g container, apx 5-6′ high. $220

Please call us at 718-486-3569 or email at lavender@roseredandlavender.com to reserve your trees now.

Delivery will be between dec 12th and december 17th. Just in time for Christmas.

I am so excited, yesterday I finished taping a how to for Etsy. I love teaching classes.
dreamhost reviews

Twig Terrarium's Graveyard Moss

We have been working a lot with terrariums over the past few years and I have scoured the globe for teeny, tiny plants.

One of the challenges of terrariums is finding plant material that can fit into it. Of course moss, air-plants and mini succulents are always an option, but sometimes you want something a little different.
We just got in a shipment of microscopic plants including, Prayer Plants, Begonias, Baby’s Tears, Wire Vine, Rabbits Foot Fern and Spike Moss. These look like the big guys but are much, much smaller.

Anyhow, the gang at Etsy came by and asked me to show their viewers how to make terrariums in unusual containers.

We managed to keep the power tools in the closet but did need to break out the goggles and gloves.

I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but lets just say that Thomas Edison would be proud.

If you want to make one of your own, we can supply you with all the parts or you can buy one of the handy kits that Twig Terrariums makes. The ladies at Twig make amazing terrariums, each one has a little narrative and they are quite beautiful, and are all works of art please stop by and take a look.

The kits they made up are great because they have everything you need and it is a terrific way to gift a terrarium to a loved one. Terrariums are notorious for not shipping well, and here in Brooklyn, we always hand deliver ours, not an option if your mom lives in the burbs.

Build your own terrarium or send to a loved one

We had a terrarium class last week and it was a lot of fun. Some of the things we discussed were different types of plants that you can use and styles. Two of the styles we made were open with cacti and closed with air plants and ferns. The students in the class brought their own containers and got to choose from a wide selection of plants in the shop. We went into some detail about the types of soil that you can use and why.

Everyone had a great time, we drank tea and decorated our terrariums to add a final touch.

Deer terrarium

Cookie Jar Terrarium

Monkey Terrarium