Plant Gardens 101

The brilliant autumn colors have exploded and now the leaves are falling. Pumpkins dressed with frost in the early morning tell you winter is around the corner and preparations should be made. Keeping some annuals and summer bulbs in colorful shape through the winter is possible, relatively easy and saves buying all new plants come spring. Coleus, dahlias, gladiolus, crocosmias, acidanthera, geraniums are all among the plants you can continue to grow or keep safe indoors. It is your choice. You could just leave all of them to die with the deep freeze and start with new plants next year. But the longer the potted plants are left to grow, the larger the plant, and the better the show for next spring when you will place them outdoors again. If you have any of the plants mentioned above and would like to keep them safe and sound through the winter, here are some guidelines to do just that. Some can share your living quarters and others have to be set aside in a cool, dry location. ? After the gladiolus, crocosmias, and acidanthera have finished flowering or when frost kills their leaves, carefully dig the corms of these plants and spread them out in a dry, well-ventilated area at room temperature for about two to three weeks. Remove and throw away the old corms, and in paper bags in a 35° to 40° location, store the new corms collected. Read the rest of this entry →

Since the Victorian Era, rose cuttings have been used to propagate roses, and even pioneers who journeyed west to find a new life would use this art as well. They would take along various cuttings from their gardens in the east, putting them in mason jars and carting them across the land until they found the right place to plant.

If you want a garden project that is easy and fun propagating new roses by using rose cuttings can be done quite simply. This is a great way to start your own rose garden for cheap. While there is not set way you have to prepare your cuttings, just about everyone seems to have their own special way of doing it. However, here are a few things that will help you out as you get started in the art of preparing your cuttings and then planting them. Consider doing some experimenting to find out which method works the best for you.

Mason Jar Method

This is a fairly simple way of using rose cuttings for propagation. You’ll first want to cut a stem from the rose bush of your choice. Then you’ll want to take the stem and take off any leaves there are on it. Once you plant it into the ground, you’ll need to cover it with a mason jar. Make sure that you water the area around the jar, just to be sure that the stem doesn’t get too dry. Usually after a couple months, you’ll see new leaves growing from this cutting. Read the rest of this entry →

The death of a plant’s stems, beginning at the tips, caused by lack of water, nutrient deficiency, disease, frost damage, insect attack, or injury from pruning.

It is always been said that first impressions last, and that is why people do their best to create that long lasting impression especially during first time encounters. The same goes for your garden out in the front or back lawn of your house. Your garden acts as the “welcome area” of your dwelling place, inviting the visitors to come and see the rest of the house.

It is also the best place of your home to relax while pondering about things. A landscaped garden refreshes your mood, driving away all the pressures and fatigue, and soothes your emotions. Staying for a little while in your beautiful landscaped garden will rejuvenate you and help you realize that beauty still exists in a world full of burdens.

Your landscape garden is part of your home and since you might want to have a spectacular garden, one that would be the envy of your neighbors, it is always a good idea to have a landscape design which would be in symmetry with your present location. Even though you just have a small space reserved for a landscaped garden, good planning and design will enable you to have that enchanting garden. Read the rest of this entry →

This plant, of which the species are numerous, never receives the care and attention its beauty merits. Every green-house contains plants of the well-known Daphne odorata, sometimes called D. Indica and vulgarly known as “Daphne odora.” It is to this, plant we intend more particularly to confine our attention.

It is a green-house evergreen shrub, attaining the height of about four feet, remarkable for its long, dark, glossy, green leaves, and its terminal bunches of fragrant, white flowers. It is one of the few old-fashioned plants which the modern rage for novelties has not driven entirely out of cultivation.

It has only been thrust into the corners, and left to make its merits known by its beauty and fragrance. It is one of our most popular flowers, and as a window plant is unsurpassed, flourishing and blooming in situations where most plants would dwindle and die. It looks best when planted near outdoor statues (http://www.garden-fountains.com/Detail.bok?no=1063) or water features. Read the rest of this entry →

Everyone likes to have a beautiful home and garden; however, paying for all the best decorations and extras is not always easy. There are many things you can do to save money on home and garden items; you just have to know where to look and what strategies to use. Consider the following five tips when you are planning your next purchase.

1. Mix It Up – When you are designing your home and garden area, use a variety of colors and patterns. Consider using a theme for the room or garden area and then all you have to do is shop for items along that theme. This is a great way to save money on clearance racks and closeout sales. While you may not find six matching linen napkins, you can probably find six green linen napkins. You can also mix up your plates. Instead of a matching set that costs hundreds, buy individual plates along the same theme.

2. Shop Exclusively – Forgo the department stores and shop at stores that exclusively have what you are looking for. While everyone knows large retail stores are known for cheaper prices, it is often easy to find even better deals at a specialty store. Consider the bedding you need for your home. When you shop at a bedding store, you will have a larger selection and there will be more markdowns and clearance items as well.

3. Compare Prices Online – Use comparison tools online to find the best prices on your must- have items. These sites will crawl through the web and find every site that is offering the item you are looking for. This can save you a lot of time and money in your search. You might even check out online auction sites to look for a specific item; many businesses list their inventory online.

4. Shop Out Of Season – For garden items, you can find great deals if you shop during the winter months. Garden furniture and decorations are often marked down up to 50% off. Buy items that need to be put together and save them for great spring projects. Many plants can be bought in the off season as well. Since these items are less popular in the off season months, you can find great deals.

5. Coupons Are Worth Their Weight in Gold – While it can be a pain to use coupons, you can save hundreds on a project if you will take the time to use them. Look for coupons that are a set amount off of purchases or coupons for free shipping if you are ordering online. There are many great sites online that offer coupons for many different stores. You can download or print coupons for many different stores all in one place.

6. Take Your Time – Impulse buying can cost you a lot more than you will pay if you take your time. If you take the time to shop around, you can often find items at much better prices. You might even be able to find a similar item to the one you saw in the store for a much better price online.

Fixing up your home or garden need not cost an arm and a leg. For the latest in home coupons and garden coupons, simply visit CouponTrunk.com. On this site, the world’s leading home and garden retailers post their latest coupons, discounts, and deals so you can get what you want at the fraction of its retail cost.

View more articles from Joe Deacon

This article is provided by Amazines.com - The ULTIMATE Article Database

Grass family
Gramineae
See-tair’i-a. Chiefly agricultural, warm-country grasses, comprising about 125 species, the one below chiefly a forage or fodder grass.

Description
Leaf blades flat and narrow. Flowers in a large, spikelike panicle, the spikelets having beneath them bristles that persist after the spikelet has fallen. Fruit an edible grain in S. italica .

How to Grow   Read the rest of this entry →

Organic-Gardening-Where it Went Wrong

Organic-Gardening-Part 1 - The Other Side Not so long ago, many people believed that Organic Gardening , meant - chanting, naked under a full moon, with candles and bells. Thankfully, these-days, common-sense and a little less of ‘old wives tales’ and ‘voodoo’ prevails. Organic gardening, is about utilising and observing the laws of nature, in order to produce healthy, strong, pest and disease resistant plants, that look and taste better, too. What it is not, is banning of all chemicals and hugging trees, although this is available to you should you wish. Read the rest of this entry →

If you are a beginner at rose gardening you have probably heard the phrase rose propagation and you are quite sure what it is and how to do it. Propagation is a term used to describe reproduction in the plant world. You can propagate you roses by using seeds or taking a cutting from your existing rose plant.

There is a long and rich history to Rose propagation. Not much has changed as far as the terms used in Rose propagation since the early 19th century. This is when American settlers rose stems with them into the West. Some may even remember their mothers or grandmothers taking a rose stem and putting it in the ground with a plastic jar over top to make it grow.

The use of a cutting from a rose plant is the most common method of rose propagation. They main people who use seeds in rose propagation are commercial growers and horticulturalists. By using a seed you are never guaranteed that you will get the exact replica of the original rose bush. It is possible that the pollen that was used to fertilize the seeds may not be completely pure, you may actually come out with a mix of different plants. Read the rest of this entry →

Those of you who live in Zone 9 planting areas will be happy to know that the high summer temperatures come with an unseen benefit – a long planting season. While most gardeners are tilling up their gardens before the first frost hits in October, most people in Zone 9 will be able to start a winter vegetable garden mid-month and have a harvest a few months later.

Winter Vegetable Garden Preparation
Winter vegetables require a little bit of forethought and extra attention. If you’ve never planted vegetables before it’s probably a good idea to start an easier spring/summer garden. Winter gardening is considered by some to be very advanced, but in the Zone 9 area it’s actually pretty easy because there is no snowfall and the winter temperatures are relatively mild.

The most important thing to do is to keep your plants safe from the cold weather. You can use a cold frame to protect your plants. It’s constructed out of a PVC pipe frame with greenhouse plastic spread over the top. The cold frame can be set out when you know there is going to be a frost overnight. Read the rest of this entry →

England’s annual extravaganza. If not the world’s largest flower show, it is certainly the most famous. Held each spring in London.

Commercial greenhouses in the United States are in speedy growth. In Georgia alone, this great state has over 11 million square feet that holds all of the available commercial greenhouses within the state’s jurisdiction. The apparently ravenous craving for new diversities as far as vegetation and floriculture commerce and trade industry is concerned.

In addition, with the overwhelming growth of the new technology, more and more people are demanding for the most basic and most natural food product. That is why most of the commercial greenhouse growers have realized the potential that this kind of venture can bring.

One of the best things about putting up a business like commercial greenhouse is that you get to enjoy double gratifications. This is because with commercial greenhouses, the grower gets to enjoy the satisfaction that he is able to contribute to the community and the environment at the same time; he gets to earn remarkable income.

However, as much as commercial greenhouses can provide great income opportunities to most people, who wish to have this kind of business, starting out a commercial greenhouse is not that easy. This is because it is relatively significant for the business owner to provide his hothouse with the right commercial greenhouse equipments. Read the rest of this entry →

Succulents are perfect plants for xeriscape gardens or container gardens and are easy to root and grow. Once you learn how easy it is to propagate succulent plants, it’s a great way to expand your plant collection - and it’s free! You can use this planting technique with succulent plants from the Crassula family like Jade (C. ovata), Spoon Jade or Gollum Fingers (C. Portulacea, Rosary Plant (C. Rupestris), and Crassula tetragona. This propagation technique also works on other cactus and succulent plants like Aloe Vera, Echeveria, Aeonium and Baby Jade (Portulacaria afra).

Planting Succulent Cuttings: Start with a cutting about 4 - 6 inches long. Bury about half the stalk in soil. This will give you deep roots and helps the plant withstand drought better. Trim off the last few leaves to make a bare stalk if you need to. The leaves can be planted too; bury about half the leaf, cut side down. Most succulent plants and shrubs will form roots on the joints in their stalks. I have great success rooting succulents without rooting hormone, and don’t recommend bothering with it for succulent plants or cacti. Read the rest of this entry →

Most home owners take lot of pride in caring for their homes both inside and out, and try to make their home the best that it can be. Nice landscaping makes a person feel welcomed to the home.

Having the correct tools and lawn care products is essential to getting your garden and lawn looking its very best. Far too many people believe that the way to achieve this is through the use of pesticides and other chemicals to eliminate weeds and keep bugs under control. People do not realize that they can have a really beautiful lawn and garden using organic gardening methods, and they won’t be harming the environment in the process.

Fertilizers used on today’s lawns are full of chemicals the worst of these being nitrates and phosphates. Since it takes several pounds of fertilizer to treat one lawn, you are exposing your family and pets to a great deal of toxic products. Fertilizers are known to trigger asthma, are a known carcinogen, and cause neurological problems in young children and pets. Worse yet these chemicals get into the soil and into our drinking water supply. Read the rest of this entry →

Plants are no doubt the most important part of environment. They give food, significant stuffs, and fresh air. In addition, plants keep the cycle of environment well-balanced and maintained. However, due to the ignorance of people, the wide vegetation over earth is getting damaged day-by-day. The blind race of modernization and developed civilization is leading the world towards pollution, health problems, natural disasters etc. After a long time now, the people are realizing the significance of plants in their life. Today, they not only protect plants but also prefer to go for various measures by which they can grow healthy plants and too in large numbers. One such measure in light is hydroponics.

The hydroponic technique is getting heights in developed countries. Actually, these developed countries have very less amount of space where plants can grow in the large number. Thus, to make them green, hydroponics helps a lot. It is a technique that assists people to grow the plants indoor.

Hence, with the help of hydroponic technique you can cultivate plants in your house easily. It is hard to believe but it is a fact that with the help of the hydroponics equipments and tools it is now really very easy to grow plants quickly and that too in less space. Read the rest of this entry →