Plant Gardens 101

Carrot family
Umbelliferae
Tra-kee-mee’ne. Chiefly Australian annual or perennial herbs comprising over 12 species. Often offered as Didiscus. The species below, a very popular garden and greenhouse annual, is grown for its beautiful flowers, which strongly suggest a pale blue or lavender edition of the common Wild Carrot or Queen Anne’s-Lace.

Description
Erect, weak-stemmed plants. Leaves twice- or thrice-compound, the ultimate segments narrow and cut into 3 narrow lobes. Flowers minute but numerous and borne in a flat umbel.

How to Grow   (more…)

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People who enjoy indoor gardening are looking for good, bright light for their plants. In addition, they want light fixtures that are light in weight, yet offer excellent light coverage. All of these great features are available in the UFO LED. Although it looks small and round, rather like an unidentified flying object, nevertheless the UFO LED grow light provides amazing light at a cost-effective price.

Roughly the same size as a bread plate, the UFO LED light runs on only eighty watts of electricity yet puts out more bright light than a four-hundred watt high pressure sodium or metal halide lamp. HID, or high intensity discharge, lights, on the other hand, require seventy to eighty percent more electricity to run them at the same light capacity as the UFO LED.

Not only does it use a fraction of the energy that other grow lamps use, but it also runs very cool. This is because the LED grow lights comes with three fans built in, so you will not need to purchase air-cooled ducting or reflectors and will dramatically reduce your air conditioning costs as well. A cooler running UFO LED light also ensures that you will not burn your tender plant foliage, a common problem with other types of grow lights.

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Have you ever wanted fresh fruits, vegetables and/or flowers in the middle of winter? Greenhouses know no seasons. With a heater to provide warmth in the winter, and air circulation ot provide cool air in the summer, even delicate orchids are only a few steps away. Cozily protected from winter’s frost, the beauty and fragrance of out of season bulbs can be enjoyed with a greenhouse. If you have ever wanted that plant that doesn’t grow in your hardiness zone because of the cold, you could grow it in a greenhouse. Flowers not your cup of tea? Grow vegetables! Think of the joy to be experienced by picking fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers, or radishes in January by growing them in a greenhouse. When you grow your own vegetables and flowers, you can start them from seed. This enables you to grow more for the dollar than what you can buy in the store. Imagine growning vegetables that are not normally grown in your local area, like zucchini, that are organically grown in your own greenhouse. Can you smell the zucchini bread that you can bake to share with your neighbors?

If you are a vegetable gardener, you can start seeds in a controlled environment in February for growth in May. You know the inconvenience of starting all those plants in the house in February. You have to find a “sunny” spot, and containers for all the starter pots so the water does not leak on the floor. With a greenhouse, you can plant them on a shelf that will afford easy access, and the sun will come through the roof. The tender plants that usually result from growing seeds in the house will become strong and tall for planting in the garden when the frost is over, and you have the assurance that they are healthy plants because you grew them yourself. (more…)

(1902–1978)

A California landscape designer known for the innovative gardens he designed for homes on steep hillsides. He used raised beds, wide wooden decks, and broad paved areas to create outdoor “rooms.” His book Gardens Are for People propounded his view that gardens are an extension of the house and a place for people to entertain and to relax. He also advocated using native plants that would be easy to maintain.