I spent this past weekend in Highlands, North Carolina.  It was a fun getaway and the weather graciously cooperated giving us unseasonably warm temps.  I’ll share a few pics from the trip including the home where we stayed real soon.

While there, we had to do a little shopping.  That’s pretty much mandatory when you’re visiting Highlands.  There are lots of cute shops, some filled with antiques and others filled with little treasures like this.  It’s called the Plant Nanny.  Have you seen these before?

We’re coming up on vacation season in another couple of months, so I thought this could come in handy.  If you’re planning on taking a vaca and you’re concerned about how to keep all those plants watered, check this out.

Here’s how it works. You stick one of these little clay Plant Nanny stakes down into the plant you wish to keep watered while away.

Then fill up an old wine bottle (that you may have stolen off your bottle tree) with water. Place your finger over the opening of the bottle and turn it upside down, placing it into the clay cylinder/stake. Notice how the stake is starting to get wet.

Make sure your plants are well-watered before leaving home for your trip. While you’re away, as the soil begins to dry out and your plants need water, water will gradually leach out into the soil. Cool, huh? Now I haven’t officially tried this watering method while on vacation, but today I decided to give it a test to see how it works. I’ll report back in a few weeks and let you know how it worked.

In the past, I’ve tried the glass globe thingies you see stuck in these tomato plants. This system didn’t work well for me. The water just ran out all at once within a day or two, even though the soil was still wet.

So, I’m hoping this system will work much better. The owner of the shop where I purchased them said they work great. I’ll keep you posted.

From betweennapsontheporch.net