Plant Gardens 101

To produce a realistic illusion of a mature tree, look for plants with the following characteristics:

· Small leaves or needles.
· Short inter-nodes, or distances between leaves.
· Attractive bark or roots.
· Branching characteristics for good twig forms.

All parts of the ideal bonsai — trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruits, buds, roots — should be in perfect scale with the size of the tree. Plants used for bonsai should have small leaves, or leaves that become small under bonsai culture. Plants with overly large leaves will look out of proportion if chosen for bonsai. Sycamores and avocados develop leaves that are too large. Certain species of both maple and oak trees usually respond well to bonsai culture and develop leaves that are in proportion.

Plants with small leaves and needles are spruce, pine, zelkova, pomegranate, and certain oaks and maples. Plants chosen for bonsai should have attractive bark, and the trunk must give the illusion of maturity. The trunk must remain in proportion to the entire tree. The trunk should taper gradually toward the top of the tree. Sometimes one or two of the main branches must be shortened to emphasize the vertical line of the trunk and give the trunk a balanced appearance. Read the rest of this entry →

If you are like me, I absolutely love the smell of fresh herbs. However, buying fresh herbs at the grocery store would often make my wallet cry, so I would pass them up. Often times I didn’t buy enough or they would spoil before I used them all. So like me, Container Herb Gardening can give you an abundant, readily available supply of fresh herbs. It doesn’t matter if your living quarters are small because you can put the containers inside in the kitchen within reach. Even next to the coffee pot.Growing herbs in containers is the perfect gift for gardening friends, as well as for cooking. Take into account these 3 tips for the successful container herb garden, for some flavorful and or smelly results.

Tip #1. Select the herbs you want to grow. Choose from basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, mints and dill. All are easy to grow in containers, require very little maintenance, and are adaptable for a wide variety of dishes. Plants such as lavender and yarrow spread quickly and can take up all your space, so these are ideal for container herb gardening in small batches. Read the rest of this entry →

The orchid family is not only the largest but one of the most diverse plant flowering families in the world. The orchid was one of the first plants to evolve on earth, it was around in the time of the dinosaur, over 120 million years ago. Given the length of time they have been around it shouldn’t be surprising that there are over 35,000 species with hundreds of thousands of hybrids.

The most famous orchid in the world is the vanilla orchid (planifolia). Coca Cola is the largest customer of vanilla as they use the seed for flavouring. Madagascar is the world’s largest producer. Orchids are very beautiful plants and that is why so much time and care is put into growing them. Vanilla on the other hand is grown for its commercial value rather than for its appearance but it is labour intensive. The vanilla crop is the main source of income for many independent farmers in less developed countries.

Reproduction
One of the ways in which the orchid is so diverse is its ability to reproduce. Some orchids rely on flying insects, others rely on crawling insects and finally there are orchids that rely on the wind for pollination.

The Bee Orchid attracts bees to its flower by its appearance. It looks like a receptive bee which entices the male bee towards its pollinia. Other orchids have long stems which look as they are butterflies when dancing in the wind.

Some orchids have evolved so that they act as a good platform which attracts a weary insect to land. The nectar brought by the visiting insect brushes against the pollinia. Orchids sometimes have very slippery flowers which often results in the visiting insect falling into the interior of the flower leaving only one exit point. This escape route forces the welcome intruder into brushing nectar against the pollina.

Darwin
Charles Darwin wrote about orchids when demonstrating his theory of evolution by natural selection. He made a prediction about the pollination method of one particular orchid, the Angreacum Sesquipidales. He predicted that given this particular species emitted a strong scent at night and was white, the insect that pollinated it would be a moth. Darwin was proved right and it is in fact a moth that pollinates the Angreacum Sesquipidales.

Popularity of Orchids
Orchids have become immensely popular recently but they have been written about and cultivated for a very long time. Orchids were first written about in 700 B.C. by the Chinese and Japanese. They weren’t, however, first cultivated until around 300 years ago when seeds were bought by traders from around the globe. It was only the wealthy that could cultivate them initially but luckily this pleasure is available to many more people these days. Even with our 300 year cultivating experience, many a gardener has been frustrated by the care needed to grow beautiful orchids but this only adds to their popularity.

Nigel owns OrchidCareExpert, a website which contains lots of useful information if you wish to know more about orchid care

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Any of several moths whose larvae make nests of rolled leaves and silk.

I would like to share with you some tips on gardening which have worked for me. Surely these would help you when you start your own. There is a wide range of information available on the internet, gardening clubs, books, magazines and the local nursery which could provide you with valuable guidance on your first attempt at gardening. You will need to figure out how much sun your plot will be getting during the day and get tips on fertilizers, mulch and the type of soil. The tools necessary along with the type of tiller and watering system that would make your gardening job more convenient are things which you ought to know.

Tip #1: There is nothing as great as writing down the entire gardening plan on a piece of paper. It also helps you save time. You need to brainstorm with a friend if you so desire. Keeping the plan in front of you helps. You have to ensure its appearance and calculate the distance of the hose from it. Also if there are any sprinklers needed. This is over and above other points you may think of.

Gardening Tip #2: The garden is a success if the soil is prepared well. Plants have varying needs when it is a matter of the type of soil that they grow on. For the natural flavor to remain in your food, use organic fertilizers in your vegetable or herb garden. A good compost or even wood chip mulch is preferred over the ordinary fertilizer. Read the rest of this entry →

Many do-it-yourselfers find building a greenhouse to be a fun and rewarding project. While many gardeners build a greenhouse successfully, over the years, we have also witnessed other do-it-yourself greenhouse building projects that would have benefited from better planning before they started building a greenhouse. Before beginning construction, you should do plenty of research on how to build a greenhouse. Be sure to speak with other greenhouse gardeners to get their input and suggestions, but also consult many of the relevant greenhouse construction and planning books available. You need to consider your regional climate, the best location to build a greenhouse, as well as the greenhouse constrution materials and the general greenhouse design you want. Read the rest of this entry →

Waterleaf family
Hydrophyllaceae
Nem-off’i-la. A North American genus comprising 11 species of annual herbs, only a few of garden interest.

Description
Some species are climbing, others are dwarf or trailing plants. All are hairy. Leaves usually much cut, alternate or opposite. Flowers showy, growing at the tips of the branches in clusters. Corolla bell-shaped, blue, white, purple, or spotted. Calyx of 5 spreading sepals alternating with additional leafy growths.

How to Grow   Read the rest of this entry →

Cooler evenings and shorter days—everything points to summer’s end. It’s time to move plants indoors. Here are a few things to consider before you do.

Realistically assess your indoor space. Whether you plan to begin spring seedlings or grow winter crops, remember to allow room for these activities. Most plants you move in grow larger over the winter, not smaller, so factor this in.
Examine your candidates. To justify the valuable space they’ll occupy, these plants should be of value to you. Are they healthy? Are they likely to stay within bounds for several months? Are they difficult to replace? Of course, winter-blooming plants make a special claim to indoor space.

Check for signs of insects. Some are difficult to detect with the unaided eye, but plants themselves often signal when something is wrong. Are the plant’s leaves unusually pale, puckered or spotted? Aphids–probably the biggest problem in greenhouse settings– are large enough to see, but very clever about locating themselves. Check under leaves, particularly young ones, and at the tips of growing stems; often these tiny insects are colored to match their host plant. Read the rest of this entry →

Congratulations! At last you have decided to have a nice garden for your biggest house. Now the big question is how to choose gardening supplies, which are useful for your garden at nominal price but with good quality. Identifying proper gardening supplies is an important thing for a garden lover like you.

Do you know gardening is an art, which requires tender care and deep passion for growing plants? But the part of the art knows how to choose gardening supplies. Just like that of pet care, you pat them on the head, you take them for walks and you talk to them. Your plant also requires same care from you. You should clearly know how to choose gardening supplies- the gardening trade tools.

As you care your plants, you can visually see how they grow? It can be both fulfilling and gratifying and also teach how to choose gardening supplies is a step towards that goal. You should also know that different kinds of garden require different kinds of garden supplies. Read the rest of this entry →

Have you adored orchids for your whole life, always giving them as gifts instead of regular flowers, or perhaps even had your own potted orchids? Since you’re so passionate, and have the know-how, you should start your own home business as an orchid cultivator by starting your own orchid greenhouse!

Let’s not get carried away, though. Before you can sell all those gorgeous orchids, you need to build a greenhouse for them to grow. Not only that, but you’ll have to make sure you can afford the financial investment involved in your growing operation. It is not just a matter of putting them in the soil, then harvesting them, you have to take special care of the plants like they were your own children. You need the right type of soil, specific growth ingredients that orchids need to thrive, and so on. So, before you jump run out and start buying tons of stuff, ask yourself this: “Am I ready to grow my own orchids? Do I have the money needed, the will power required and the special knowledge required?” If you answered “yes,” then read on. If not, you might want to wait for a while before building your own orchid greenhouse, or just keep dreaming.

Assuming you have what it takes, then it’s time to build! Here are five critical steps towards making this dream a reality: Read the rest of this entry →

Any one of a number of long-handled tools used to loosen the soil or to cut out weeds.

Sunflowers have been cultivated and harvested by many cultures for at least 4,500 years. They’ve been used for a variety of purposes that range from culinary to medicinal. While most people can immediately envision a crop of sunflowers, few realize the important role they’ve played in history. In this article, we’ll provide a brief overview of sunflowers in an historical context. We’ll explain their origin and describe how they’ve been used for generations. You’ll also learn how the sunflower was discovered by those who traveled from other countries.

The Origin Of The Sunflower

The sunflower is considered native to the United States. Many enthusiasts claim that it was first cultivated by Native Americans over 8,000 years ago (though others contend that the plant wasn’t cultivated until 2,600 BC). As early as 2,000 BC, sunflowers were being grown using methods that encouraged bigger seeds and a more bountiful crop. It had already become a major staple in the diet of Native Americans by the time European explorers first visited America. Read the rest of this entry →

Garden gloves are essential for anyone who works in the garden. The positive aspects about garden gloves is that they can help protect your hands from getting dirty, and from getting irritations or skin conditions from plants, insects or dirt. When you are working outside in your garden, you want to make sure that your hands are protected while you successfully plant your seedlings. Sure you want to have your garden look great, but why not keep your hands looking the same while also protecting them from anything hazardous that nature has to offer?

The Nitrile Touch Garden Glove from Ozbo is great for any gardener. These gloves are comfortable and also breathable with a nylon back. These gloves can fit to any hand and are also resistant to any abrasion and puncture. These gloves come in all sorts of colors and sizes and fit normally easily and comfortably. When you need a glove to keep your hands looking great while out in the garden and keeping them safe and protected, then these may be the best option for you. Read the rest of this entry →

A stem, especially of grasses, that is usually hollow except at the nodes. Bamboo is a good example.

All of us know that garden sheds are structures in the garden, generally made of wood, used for the storage of mowers and other gardening equipment. But this scenario is fast changing. Garden sheds are evolving in a lot of respects, from the kind of material used to build them, to their usage. This article will tell you all you need to know about garden sheds - from their construction and to the new trends that are setting in.

There are four major styles of garden sheds, classified on the basis of their roofs: the Gable; the Salt Box; the Cottage-Style Shed; and the Gambrel. The Gable has a triangular shape, while the Salt Box has a short gable-like roof in the front and a deep slope in the back portion. The Cottage-Style Shed is also called the Hip Roof-Style Shed and is characterized by four sides, all of which are sloped. The Gambrel has a roof that resembles that of a barn. The look of garden sheds is fast changing from a traditional, subtle structure to a modern, stylish one.

Traditionally, garden sheds have been constructed of wood. However, in today’s times, a number of materials are being used. Metal garden sheds as well as those made from heavy-moulded plastics like PVC and polyethylene are all the rage now because wooden garden sheds need to be maintained to protect them from wear and tear and the effects of harsh weather. Metal sheds are more resilient and durable but they need to be protected from the formation of rust. Whereas PVC or polyethylene sheds are sturdy, rust-proof and are less affected by weather. Read the rest of this entry →