Plant Gardens 101

From the Italian for “baked earth,” a clay flowerpot that has been fired to a reddish brown color but is unglazed, so water and air can penetrate through it.

To keep seeds under cool, dark, moist conditions for a period of weeks or months so that they will subsequently germinate.

A large-meshed sieve, often round but sometimes square or oblong, used to screen out rocks and twigs from soil or compost.

One of the great things about organic waste is that with enough time and the right conditions it will decompose. But that should not be construed to mean that you can toss any kind of organic material onto your compost pile.

But recycling your yard waste via composting is a great way to go. You can take your lawn clippings, leaves, hedge trimmings and any plant trimmings that are “non-woody” and add them to your compost heap. You can even add the wood items if you first make sure they are chopped into very small pieces.

In most backyard composting, the largest single contributor is the huge amount of leaves that rain down each autumn season. In addition, grass clippings can be added to it if they are not mulched and left to nurture the lawn itself. When lawn clippings are used in the compost mix they should be used together with other yard waste elements. (more…)

1. The thin dry bracts or scales borne among the small individual flowers in the composite, or daisy, family.
2. The dry bracts enclosing mature grains of wheat and some other cereal plants, removed during threshing.

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about butterfly garden. When you start sharing the fascinating butterfly garden facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

What is butterfly gardening? Simply put butterfly gardening is the art of growing flowers and plants that will attract these colorful and magnificent creatures to our own gardens. A properly planned butterfly garden offers great joy to visitors of the garden by attracting these lovely flitting creatures for our amusement and delight. It also ensures a safe habitat for the butterflies. (more…)

An area in which plants receive doses of full sun alternating with doses of full shade. Also called part shade; half shade.

Looking for an activity the entire family can participate in that is educational, good for the planet and fun? Look no further than composting. Starting a compost pile in your backyard is one of the best ways to make a positive impact on the health of the environment and, on a smaller scale, the health of your plants and garden. Children of all ages can participate in some way and will learn invaluable lessons about how organic matter breaks down and the importance of keeping waste out of your county landfill. And, you’ll be helping to prepare the next generation of composters to continue to do their part for the planet.

We all know recycling is important, and hopefully it has become an engrained part of your family’s daily routine. But once that plastic bottle or paper wrapper ends up in its assigned barrel, your work is finished. And unless you go visit a waste treatment facility or recycling plant, chances are its pretty much a mystery to most what actually becomes of our recycled waste. Composting puts you in charge of the entire process. Your compost bin or tumbler is the recycling facility and you are the head of waste management, at least for a good portion of your food scraps and yard waste. (more…)

A 250-acre institution founded in 1891 by a Columbia University botanist who was inspired by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Located in the northern section of the Bronx, the NYBG comprises dramatic rock outcroppings, wetlands, ponds, a cascading waterfall, and a 40-acre tract of uncut forest typical of that which once covered New York City. It also boasts the nation’s most beautiful Victorian glasshouse, the Enid A. Haupt conservatory.

Having separate male and female flowers but on the same plant.

Someone who makes a business of designing gardens, draws up plans, designs simple hardscape projects, and decides what plants to grow where. Unlike landscape architects, garden designers are often self-taught and are not licensed by states.

Gardening can be described as an art in which plants are grown for the purpose of creating an impressive landscape. Gardening can take place at a private home, or it can be used at public buildings. The space that is used for gardening is called the garden. While most gardens will typically be located on the ground, some have been built on top of roofs as well. A large garden is often referred to as being a park, and will often be a tourist attraction. In a large facility a number of workers will be responsible for the maintenance of the garden, and are called gardeners. Gardening falls under three primary categories, and these are outdoor gardening, indoor gardening, and water gardening.

As the name implies, indoor gardening is the art of creating gardens inside buildings and homes. Houseplants will often be used, and the garden may also be used as a natural heating or cooling unit. Water gardening is the art of growing plants near ponds or pools. The most basic water garden will be a small collection of water that will contain plants. While many people compare gardening to farming, there are a number of notable differences. Farming is designed to grow food that can be consumed by individuals, while gardening is done primarily for design purposes. (more…)

The botanical name for barberry.

There is nothing nicer than receiving a gift relating to one’s passion. If your loved one’s passion is gardening, then show your thoughtfulness by giving a gift that will be truly appreciated. There are so many great gardening gifts that the only constraint is your own budget.If your budget is small, go for things like gloves, kneepads or even a shady hat. A pretty pot (or a watering-can) filled with a small bag of potting mix, a packet of bulbs, some gloves and a small trowel or other tool will be received with delight by most gardeners. There are many hand tools at hardware stores that are reasonably priced.    (more…)

The botanical name for pineapple.

A system of pest control that takes into consideration all aspects of the garden ecosystem, rather than focusing on a pest as an isolated nuisance to be eliminated. It relies on regular monitoring of the pest population to determine if and when to take action. When control is warranted, nontoxic strategies—traps, mulch, beneficial insects—are employed first. Then, if necessary, natural or synthetic pesticides may be employed as a last resort.

When people want to give their gardens a make over they immediately think about massive landscaping designs and firms. While it is possible to make your home and garden look fantastic with the help of landscape firms you can achieve the garden look you want with the clever use of landscape curbing and attractive plants among other items.

To help you make the most out of your garden you have a range of landscape curbing material available to you. These will include concrete, wood, decorative tiles, large stones and bricks. Each of these items has advantages and disadvantages to its use. You can experiment with each of these – excepting the concrete curbing – to find the best one. (more…)

Hydroponics is a great method of gardening indoors that requires no soil whatsoever, yet produces fabulous yields of fruits, vegetables and flowers. There are many types of hydroponics systems that you can try, including static solution, continuous flow solution, aeroponics and deep water culture. Among the most popular methods of hydroponics is the ebb and flow system.

With an ebb and flow style of hydroponics, plants are grown in a flat containing some type of growing medium. It could be peat moss, rockwool, vermiculite, perelite or many other types of media available to gardeners today. Beneath the flat is a container of hydroponic nutrients, which are dissolved in water. At regular intervals, a pump causes the hydroponic nutrients to flow up into the flat, soaking the roots, after which the solution drains, or ebbs, back into the container. The action of the solution rising and then falling in the medium helps to bring both oxygen and food to the plant roots.   (more…)

The botanical name for daylily.

Located in Framingham, Massachusetts, contains the largest landscaped collection of northeastern native plants in the United States.