Plant Gardens 101

For people who are fond of plants, flowers, vegetations, and other ornamental plants, having their own greenhouse may be a dream come true.

A greenhouse or conservatory is a type of structure where plants are developed and grown. Usually, greenhouses are made of plastic or glass. This is to allow the natural light coming from the outside environment to permeate inside.

Because of its special condition, many people are wondering why do plants have to be cultivated inside this super special structure, wherein fact, it can be grown outside with the natural forces readily made available anytime, anywhere. (more…)

Compost piles must hold a minimum of organic material before they will maintain rapid decomposition. So the pile should be at least 3-feet-by-3-feet and 4-feet tall. Naturally piles can be larger. Moving leaves to the pile, then chopping them up with a lawn mower or leaf shredder before they go on the pile aids composting considerably, as small particles decompose faster than large ones.

There are other things we can do to accelerate composting and make it more efficient. As slightly wet leaves decompose quicker than dry ones and rain may not penetrate the pile center, I’d dampen dry leaves before adding them. Ground limestone may also be scattered in if we add a bunch of oak leaves and we’re concerned about the acidity they may generate in our pile. Scatter about a pound of lime for every five leaf layers. But do not use lime if your compost will be given to acid loving plants such as mountain laurel, blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons and potatoes. Adding lime to compost is an option rather than mandatory. (more…)

A disease caused by certain fungi (and not to be confused with powdery mildew or sooty mildew) and spread by windblown spores. It produces spots or fuzzy patches on the leaves of susceptible plants. Downy mildew is most troublesome in hot humid weather.

Potato family
Solanaceae
Pe-too’ni-a. An important group of garden flowers, comprising about 30 species of herbs, nearly all from Argentina.

Description
Leaves soft, without marginal teeth, alternate below but the upper ones opposite. Flowers variously colored, the corolla funnel-shaped. Stamens 5, 4 in pairs, the odd one smaller, rudimentary, and sterile.

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The botanical name for hackberry.

You certainly have a feeling of great abundance with you see plant-packed containers on your deck, patio or in your garden. There is nothing like container gardens to link the indoors and outdoors between home and garden. Today, we all want to see out outdoor space turned into a wonderful new addition to our homes.

After choosing the right planters, pots and containers from a wide range of materials, styles, colors and sizes, the time is right to think about what you are going to put in the planters and where to place them.

You can use your planters, urns and pots in many areas. Think about where they would be best – to set off your doorway or deck entrance, to hide unsightly utility areas or storage spaces, or to show off the best views on your deck, garden or patio. (more…)

The botanical name for borage.

Anyone involved in the actual process of growing plants or working with the soil. The term had more relevance in the days when gardening might mean supervising a staff rather than doing the actual work oneself.

William Shakespeare penned the words, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.”

From the days of Romeo and Juliet to modern times, a red rose has been synonymous with love. Today, roses are popular all around the world. However, in its initial stages, roses grew abundantly only in Central Asia. The Persians and Egyptians, who later developed a cultivated variety, discovered the wild roses.

A red rose held in a person’s hand is figurative to socialism and social democracy by the United Kingdom Labor Party. Later, several other European and South American socialist parties also accepted this icon. In Greek and Polish languages the word rose itself denotes the color red.

There are a number of famous red rose varieties. These include Lancaster’s red rose, which is perhaps the first cultured rose variety and the hybrid tea rose, called ‘Mister Lincoln’. Red roses are a frequent selection for romantic dates and valentine day bouquets. If a person wishes to gift a unique item, a red rose plant in itself is distinct. (more…)

Evening primrose family
Onagraceae
Ee-no-thee’ra or ee-noth’er-ra. The evening primroses and their day-blooming relatives, the sundrops. Eighty species of American herbs. Formerly included in Hartmannia .

Description
Leaves alternate, simple, with smooth edge. Flowers showy, prevailingly yellow, but also white or rose-color in some species, generally 1 or 2 in the leaf axils. Calyx tubular, usually 4-sided, its 4 lobes often bent backward and usually soon falling. Petals 4, mostly very broad.

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A soilborne fungal disease that affects a wide variety of herbaceous and woody plants, causing leaf spots, leaf drop, wilting, and sometimes death.

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A group of plants above the category of genus, defined by characteristics of flowers and fruits. Important examples are the grass, lily, mint, and daisy families (respectively, Gramineae, Liliaceae, Labiatae, and Compositae).

You have a brand new site – a blank canvas – and it’s decision-making time. What will you plant? Of all the landscape changes you can make, adding plants is possibly the most important. When you are at the choosing stage, there are three major considerations: the sort of site you are planting, what function the plants will perform, and the conditions your plants will encounter on the site.

The sort of site you have – its “character”– is determined by its position and its size. Is it a large acreage in the country, a tiny spot in the city, or something between in the suburbs? Large plantings, especially trees, which look magnificent in a country setting, may be out of place or a downright nuisance in an urban setting. Plants that thrive in mountainous regions may not do so well at sea level (although they can be grown there if suitable conditions are provided) and so on.
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Bear one thing in psyche when potting orchids: Don’t use smooth or painted earthenware pots! Though decorative, they are injurious to stand expansion. They keep the droppings overwatered and underaired – both lethal to orchids. Otherwise, potting orchids – excepting for the prank of packing osmunda – is no different from potting azaleas or begonias.

Select an untainted pot some inches wider than the broadest basal width of a terrestrial orchid. Soak it for a few report in lukewarm water, then drain. Place coarse irritate, small rocks, or crocks (bits of ruined pots) in the source third of the pot.

Add several large handfuls of manure and influence to a funnel, the top of which is on a equal with the lesser rim of the pot. Spread the roots of the terrestrial orchid tenderly and evenly around the conduit, and permeate with additional droppings. Firm the dung lightly to relax it – never gang it – and water thoroughly. Later, water scarcely until swelling is established. (more…)

Potato family
Solanaceae
Ni-ko-she-a’na. Seventy herbaceous species, occasionally shrubby or treelike, mostly tropical, all American except for one found in Australia. Prized for their long flowering period.

Description
Whole plant more or less covered with short, sticky hairs. Stems branching, sometimes joined. Leaves large, soft, alternate, simple, the juice having narcotic or poisonous properties. Flowers in clusters at ends of branches, sweet-scented, originally opening at night and remaining open on sunless days; white, greenish yellow, or purple. Calyx of 5 partly united green sepals. Corolla tubular or funnel-shaped. Stamens 5.

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Gardening is a most satisfying hobby and skill. And, as with most hobbies and skills, there is always something to learn and something to improve. Perhaps one of the most overlooked, yet one of the most beneficial things you can do for your backyard vegetable garden is to mulch. Is the extra labor of mulching necessary? What is “mulch” exactly? And, what are the overall advantages of adding mulch to your garden? Follow along in this article, for there is “mulch” to learn and glean!

Basically, mulch is a layer of organic matter that is used as a soil cover to preserve soil moisture, control weeds, and improve soil fertility. You can create rich and fertile soil in your garden from unwanted plant materials, such as grass clippings, straw, leaves, etc., mixed with aged manure. It is very important to used aged manure, as fresh manure may be too “hot” and literally “burn” your young plants. (more…)

As a species name, means “scarlet.” For example, the wild red mallow, Hibiscus coccineus, has large, bright red flowers.

Garden tools are very helpful in getting the work done efficiently; it makes the work easier to be completed. Without the garden tools you have to use some other method of how you want the job done. Garden tools are inseparable from gardens, and yet, while the history of gardens has been exhaustively explored, the story of garden tools has been virtually ignored Garden tools are a gardener’s best friend (besides his garden, of course). Garden tools can do more than just help a gardener weed his garden.

Garden tools are needed by a gardener for his practice of growing and maintaining plants and trees. A gardener needs a wide variety of tools. Garden tools are any tool that can be used in the practice of gardening such as a shovel, hoe, pruner, and trowel even something as big as a tractor or a combine for farming fields. Which is related to the practices of agriculture and horticulture? Garden tools are as necessary for a gardener as hammers and nails are for a carpenter. Make sure that you have the right garden tools. (more…)

Daisy family
Compositae
Ma-tri-cay’ri-a. An Old World genus of about 35 species, closely related to Chrysanthemum , with which it is often confused.

Description
Leaves finely cut, often strong-scented. Flowers in heads, the disk flowers yellow, the rays white or lacking.

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