Plant Gardens 101

After a hard week in the workplace, many people find gardening therapeutic. It’s good exercise and it gives a feeling of achievement when you see the fruits of your labor. Another consideration for a lot of people is the chance to eat organically. You know exactly what’s gone into your food. You’re in control, whether you’re growing fruit, vegetables, herbs or flowers. Also, there’s no transportation involved in your food reaching the table, and therefore, no pollution. It’s an opportunity to re-connect with nature, and to teach children the value of working to create your own food, instead of pulling another plastic bag off the supermarket shelf. After all, it’s the way it was for hundreds of years, before the human race began to manipulate Mother Nature. Many parents are concerned about their children’s diets, and are turning to growing their own food. Studies have shown children absorb four to five times more pesticides thought to be carcinogenic, from food than adults do. This can build up problems for their health, as they grow older. (more…)

Apparently stemless; actually, with a very short stem that may be below ground.

A very rare type of hybrid formed between plants of two different genera. It is indicated by the symbol × before the genus name. For example, the Leyland cypress, × Cupressocyparis leylandii, is a cross between Cupressus macrocarpa and Chamaecyparis nootkatensis.

This article on miniture roses should be of great interest to anyone with even a passing interest in gardening, especially rose gardening. It lists some simple, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with caring for miniature rose bushes.

Miniature roses have all of the fragrance and beauty of a regular rose, but they have smaller blooms. These particular roses are great for indoor planting.

Miniature roses are one of many varieties of roses available widely. These roses, as their name implies, are smaller versions of the more common roses. They offer the same beauty and fragrances as their larger cousins. The consumer can find a large selection in a variety of colors and shape available to them. (more…)

Originally garden cultivation, this now refers to the intensive production of fruit, vegetables, and ornamental plants.

Behind every scientific equation in composting lies an art form that’s different for everyone. Composting isn’t necessarily a hard thing to do; other than the materials, equipment, waste and space, all it truly needs on your end is patience and commitment. We’re not exactly painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but we’re going to make a healthy, sustainable garden fit for one with just composting alone! Remember, it’s a trial and error method until you find the perfect scientific solution to make your ideal batch of compost.

Let’s begin with an explanation of the carbon/nitrogen ratio, or the C/N ratio. In order for you to have a successful, usable batch of compost you have to have the right balance between the brown stuff and the green stuff. Get your mind out of the gutter! It’s not what you really think it is! The brown stuff, like dried leaves, tree bark, straw and hay have a lot of carbon, and the green stuff like fresh grass clippings, fresh leaves, chicken manure, fruit wastes and food scraps have a lot of nitrogen. This is where the simple scientific equations come in; actually it might be better if you think of it more as a cooking recipe because it really is! (more…)

An organization formed in 1989 for the primary purpose of preserving exceptional American gardens by facilitating their transfer from private to independent, nonprofit, public ownership and management.

Lots of people are making fountains part of their outdoor décor. And why not? Fountains add a touch of class and when chosen carefully, really compliment your landscaping. The sound of the running water alone adds an extra dimension to your garden. Even if you don’t have a water pond in your backyard, you can still enjoy the beauty and tranquility of a fountain.

The most basic fountain that you can use without a pond is what I call the birdbath style. It looks just like a birdbath, but has a little fountain built into the center. The unit is completely self contained, and easy to set up. If you have a birdbath in your yard now, have a look at it. You might be able to add a small fountain to it. The bowl will act as the fountain’s reservoir. But be forewarned, the birds may not like visiting your birdbath anymore. (more…)

The botanical name for fennel.

The minute rudimentary plant contained within a seed.

When is it safe to plant vegetables outdoors?
You log on to the USDA website, find the frost map for the United States, look up your zone and low and behold it is time to plant. But wait there’s more! The dates give for the last frost in your area are only a suggestion and the recommendation from most gardeners I talk to is two weeks after that date to avoid that rare case of cold weather that could wipe all of your indoor growth.

When should you start fertilizing your vegetable plants?
In short, never. Let me explain. Products like miracle grow and others similar to it do work and they work well. But if you really want to build a great garden and one that is chemical free, you need to compost. If you started your seedlings in a potting soil enhanced with products like miracle grow that is fine, but there is really no need to give it anymore than what is required and that is sun and water. Your plants will do fine. (more…)

The sun-shade pattern cast by trees that are open enough to allow sun to penetrate between their leaves.

Backyard ponds and water gardens are great for relaxation and are attractive additions to any yard. Keeping the water clean is often done by filters, but there are natural methods you can use to make your filter more effective at keeping your pond fresh. These methods also help to improve the physical appearance of your pond.

Add Water Lilies – One thing that you can do to help keep your pond looking great without putting all the pressure on your pond filters is to add water lilies to your pond. Although water lilies are well known for being so amazingly beautiful, believe it or not, they also are great for keeping your pond clean as well. Water lilies will easily spread out across your pond, and if you keep at least half of your pond covered with water lilies, or another similar plant, it can help to get rid of that funky green water that is such an eyesore. (more…)

The botanical name for beautyberry.

There is more to the relationship between a bonsai ranking and its pot than how it appears to the naked eye. In bonsai style, the pot is frequently called the physique while the bonsai ranking itself is termed the picture. Obviously, uniting the two together will construct framed perfection.

Tips on Choosing the Right Bonsai Pot

It’s important that you purchase only pots which are specially manufactured to use for bonsai grass because they are pre-planned to have two types of holes: drainage holes as bonsai foliage compel plenty of watering and secondly, holes for passage of schooling chain which is used to hold the profile of bonsai grass when potting.

Size matters especially when you’re still in the manage of charming caution of a mounting bonsai ranking. Nursery or brutish leaves have more stringent requirements when it comes to pot so if it’s your first time to take anxiety of a bonsai ranking, do make positive that you ask professional advise first.   (more…)

On an orchid, an old pseudobulb that may be leafless but is still alive and can be used for propagating a new plant

Back when I was just a young kid, around the age of 5 or 6, I remember being out in the back yard with my dad as he turned over the soil, buried his food waste (which I later learned was a great way to add nutrients to the soil), and got the ground ready for the upcoming gardening season. It was a ritual that compares to professional athletes training for an upcoming season. My dad took it that seriously.

Little did I know then that the lessons he would teach about gardening would stay with me to this day. In fact I have adopted the same getting ready ritual that he had. My dad has since stopped his gardening practice for health related reasons, but I feel that I carry on that tradition that he learned from his father (my grandfather).

By watching my dad, listening to what he had to say, I learned a variety of things about gardening, that you just won’t learn in a high school classroom (at least in NJ anyway). (more…)

Lip. Usually used to refer to the third petal of an orchid flower, modified by evolution into a lip that often serves as an attractive landing platform for pollinators. Also refered to as Labellum