Plant Gardens 101

Garden landscaping is one of the most enjoyable home improvements anyone can make. Layering plants, rearranging existing flowers and shrubs and playing with color, texture and garden layout are fun and exciting techniques to give your home a well-deserved facelift. Here are some garden landscaping ideas to help you get going.

By layering your garden beds, you will can create a whole other level of interest to your landscaping design. Your yard, especially the front area, is the first thing that people will see when they come to your house and giving a grand tour that includes a spectacular garden is always fun and entertaining. You will be the talk of the neighborhood when you utilize good garden landscaping ideas. (more…)

Evening primrose family
Onagraceae
Gau’ra. About 20 species of rather coarse, chiefly perennial North and South American herbs, the one below grown for ornament.

Description
Stout herbs with alternate leaves. Flowers white or pink, in terminal spikes or racemes. Calyx tubular, its 4 lobes separate and bent backward. Petals slightly unequal, separate, the base narrowed into a claw.

How to Grow    (more…)

Tissue made up of fibers.

There are numerous advantages of having your own office in the garden. For one thing : you get to be trapped by a calming view, and you know that you are only a few feet from your home in case an emergency crops up. Secondly : since this is your space, no one will gainsay the sort of interior dcor you need around you. You may have an all ecologically friendly interior or a minimalist space or keep every thing very Old World professional. Finally : there is not any need to stress about gas money, bus change or the long commute to the office. You can simply walk on out the backdoor and be in your office in a few moments. Additionally, if you are setting up a business that does not invite a lot of foot traffic, you can do away with wearing power suits and dresses everyday .

So if you’re thinking about ultimately settling your business down in your own office in the garden, here are some recommendations on how to do that. (more…)

Most people who go in for gardening as an activity are only aware that it is concerned with growing plants! They only have a vague knowledge about the ill-effects of the fertilizers and pesticides that they use to nurture the plants. Fortunately, with spreading knowledge, the same people are going in for a change and moving towards organic gardening.

What exactly is meant by organic gardening? It simply means the reverse of what is done in a normal kind of garden–avoidance of any kind of chemicals or pesticides. The practice is very beneficial where vegetables and flowers are concerned, but also useful for growing other kinds of plants.

Some aspects of organic gardening are listed below–

(1) It should be made clear at the very outset that growing plants the organic way is rather an uphill task. It does require a lot of effort to be put in, more so than what is required for a “normally-grown” garden. But the person who persists with this kind of gardening is never going to feel sorry at the end of it, because the results are so wonderful! (more…)

A garden plant that has spread from cultivation and grows successfully in the wild.

If you’re thinking about starting a garden, the first thing you need to consider is what type of garden you will have. There are many different choices and often it can be hard to pick just one, but hopefully you can narrow it down. But by narrowing it down, you’ll make the gardening experience easier on yourself and the plants. If all your plants are similar, then it shouldn’t be very hard to care for them all. So here are some of the main garden ideas for you to choose from.

If you’re just looking for something to look nice in your yard, you’ll want a flower garden. These are usually filled with perennial flower. Perennial flowers are flowers which stay healthy year-round. They’re basically weeds because of their hardiness, only nice looking. Different areas and climates have different flowers which are considered perennials. If you do a quick internet search for your area, you can probably find a list of flowers that will bring your flower garden to life. These usually only require work in the planting stage – after that, the flower take care of themselves. The only downside to this is that you don’t have any product to show for it. (more…)

All plants need three things to grow and thrive, and they are light, food and water. Light is extremely important, because without appropriate light, the plant will not be able to perform photosynthesis and will not be able to create chemical energy, otherwise known as food, which it uses for growth. With this in mind, bright light is crucial for indoor gardening at all levels, whether for an avid home gardener or a commercial greenhouse grower. Indoor gardeners are enthusiastic about the new grow light called the Supernova LED for many reasons.

The Supernova LED grow light will provide your plants with all of the light they need for excellent growth. Plants need more light from certain spectrums depending on their stage of growth. Plant grow lights come in different color temperatures, ranging from blues at one end of the spectrum and reds on the opposite end. Young plants need light in the blue spectrum for good growth, while mature plants that you want to produce fruit or flowers will thrive with light in the red and orange spectrum. (more…)

If you have a passion for gardening, you’ve presumably heard about the ever useful garden storage boxes. A garden storage box is a multipurpose item that will be really useful when you run into storage and organization problems. They can also be called garden storage seats or deck storage boxes. Aside from the fact it conceals a storage space, it may likewise function as something to sit on in your garden. Nowadays though, there are a lot of fancy-looking garden storage boxes on the market and these include – storage seats, plastic storage boxes, wooden storage boxes, fiberglass and aluminum, so as you can see, you could also use them to lend character to your garden or back-yard also.

If you are intending of buying a garden storage box, it’s best to understand its different functions. The best thing about garden storage boxes is that they may be employed as storage space so that your own garden or back-yard would not seem like it’s cluttered. This is a great way to organize your equipment and garden tools. Even if you have a shed in the garden to keep specific tools, sometimes, you might forget about some garden equipment and leave it lying around. This is unsafe especially if you have children around you’re home. Hence, having a garden storage box is a lot more favorable because you can easily access it. (more…)

Creative outdoor lighting can transform a boring backyard or patio into a private, nighttime oasis. Wall sconces, deck lights and deck step lights provide the perfect illumination for quiet evening conversations or midnight stargazing. The soft glow and stylish designs can make your deck a favorite place to relax and enjoy warm summer breezes.

Landscape lighting is growing in popularity and has become very affordable. In this article, we’ve got some great tips about installing and placing landscape lighting to enhance the beauty of your home.

When choosing the fixtures and accessories for your outdoor lighting, get the highest quality equipment and materials that your budget will allow. The fixtures will last longer and offer more options. However, don’t be afraid to use beautiful ornate pieces that suit your style. (more…)

Carrot family
Umbelliferae
Fee-nick’you-lum. Three species of Old World herbs.

Description
Leaves twice-compound, leaflets arranged feather-fashion. Flowers small, yellow, in compound umbels.

How to Grow
Sow seeds outdoors in spring or start indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost. Easy to grow in full sun and ordinary soil. Prefers cool weather.

Foeniculum vulgare
Common Fennel . Stems 3-5 ft. (0.9-1.5 cm) high, bluish green. Ultimate leaflets numerous, threadlike. Flowers yellow, small, 15-25 in an umbel. The var. azoricum (Florence, or Sweet, Fennel) has an enlarged leaf base and, when blanched, is used as food; widely grown in Calif. The var. dulce (Carosella) is grown for its tender young edible stems. ‘Redform’ has plumelike bronze foliage. Perennial or biennial grown as a hardy annual.

In orchids, the uppermost “petal” of a flower

A grow room is an inside space where plants or flowers can be grown in a highly controlled environment. Grow rooms are widely used because they have several benefits including total control over conditions including lighting, temperature, security, and privacy. Growing inside can make use of natural sunlight, light bulbs, or a combination of the two. Depending on the size and layout of a grow room power used to run and heat generated by the equipment can result in significant issues.

When growing indoors a primary obstacle is soil. Grow rooms can use soil but now are utilizing soilless growing methods including hydroponics and aeroponics. Many growers report that soilless growing provides improved yields and quicker maturation. This is attributed to the nutrient control that soilless methods grant the grower. Growing in soil nutrient concentrations can at best be guessed and fluctuate over time. Hydroponic and aeroponic methods permit the grower to custom create the medium for the crop to grow in. Proportions can be changed at will and with extreme precision allowing growers to provide he best growth conditions for any crop. Some of the more wide used nutrients present in grow mixtures include perlite and rockwool. (more…)

The botanical name for cornflower, mountain bluet, or bachelor’s button.

There are many species of this deciduous shrub to choose to grow in your landscape design. They have many positive aspects and are a pleasant showy splash of color in your garden. Most species of hydrangeas can be grown in either full sun or partial shade. They are resistant to most insects and diseases. They can be grown in a wide range of soil but prefer a rich, moist soil and make sure they are planted where watering will not be a problem. Their large, soft leaves lose water quickly, especially on hot, windy days, causing the foliage to wilt, so avoid dry windy sites. A list of some Hydrangea species you may want to consider follows.

Hydrangea macrophylla — Hortensia or Florist Hydrangea is a widely grown hydrangea with large globe-shaped flowers. The color of its blooms is dependent upon the pH of the soil in which it is grown: blue if acid; pink if alkaline (lime can be added to the soil to force this). There are also several white-flowered cultivars. Pruning can be accomplished at two different times: early spring and late summer (more desirable). Most hortensia types flower only from the end buds of upright or lateral shoots produced during late summer. Prune from the lower parts of the stems and crown as soon as the flowers have faded and strong shoots are developing. Pruning this species too late in the fall (after September) is harmful. Hydrangea macrophylla is a good seashore shrub; flowering is more profuse in an open, sunny location; however, hydrangeas are shade-tolerant. (more…)

Curb appeal, how important is it? Extremely important. A well landscaped yard will draw buyers to your property. Taking time and preparing the outside of a home is just as important as the time you spend to plan and arrange the inside of your home. Put your welcome mat out by keeping your landscape healthy and beautiful. Planning my gardens each spring is something I look forward to. Working in the yard on a beautiful day is therapy to me. Deciding what plants I will put in my garden each year, planning out my strategy according to size, height and color is like painting a picture. Establishing a color theme and sticking to it will bring order to your garden. Complimentary colors such as reds and violets, or yellows and oranges and a variety of different types of flowers while remaining true to the color choices will bring interest and a neatness to your garden. Early in the spring after the last frost I like to see what winter has left me with. I usually have some ferns,(because I try to cover them when it freezes) and my yellow columbine is always faithful and pops up along with my Lantana, Purple Heart, lots of Turks Cap, and lots and lots of ground cover. (more…)

Many people are interested in building an inside garden, and want the ability to use a Hobby Greenhouse Structure to achieve this but most are at a loss as to where to begin planning. This is really easy once the first few questions are answered.

First, what will you want to grow? Will it be for hobby, for profit or for other reasons? This will determine the size and the category. Smaller to large greenhouses would be considered hobby greenhouses. If you are wanting to do more serious gardening you will want to have a commercial greenhouse structure. Talk to your greenhouse provider to determine what size you will need.

Next, in what location will you want your greenhouse? Do you have a small space and need a “lean-to” greenhouse, meaning, the structure leans against one wall of your house? This can prove to be healthy for the plants that may need less light and more warmth. (more…)

Growing with hydroponics grow boxes

A hydroponics grow box makes it very easy to have a year-round garden right in your own home or apartment building. A hydroponics grow box is essentially various pieces of equipment and enclosed inside a machine and they are constructed in different sizes for the purpose of growing plants indoors. For instance you can get very small grow boxes that are as little as a computer tower case, and in some cases even look like a computer tower. You can even get much larger hydroponics grow box machines that are like 4 feet tall, as well as even larger still 8 feet tall if you want a really large grow box for a commercial type yields. A grow box is essentially a bunch of equipment that is preinstalled for you with the purpose of growing plants indoors all year long .

A typical hydroponics grow box will consist of a very powerful lighting system; often a high pressure sodium or metal halide light. The lighting is what simulates the sun in nature and gives your plants the energy to grow indoors. The lighting will also need to be very high wattage to give you the best possible yield therefore it must also be ventilated properly. A prebuilt hydroponics grow box will have properly installed ventilation on the lighting systems to make sure that your grow box cooled properly. (more…)

Any of various grubs or larvae of many beetles or sawflies that eat the heartwood or, more often, the cambium of many trees.

Gentian family
Gentianiaceae
Ecks’a-kum. A genus of 20 species of herbs or subshrubs from the Old World tropics, the species below grown for ornament.

Description
Leaves opposite, mostly stalkless or very short-stalked, without marginal teeth. Flowers mildly fragrant, in forked cymes, the calyx 4- to 5-parted. Corolla more or less twisted, its lobes usually 5 and blunt or pointed. Stamens 4-5, attached to the throat of the corolla.

How to Grow    (more…)