Plant Gardens 101

As a child, I remember many sunny summer afternoons sitting on the porch shelling more than my fair share of peas and butter beans in the deep dark heart of the old south. There were other vegetables we grew in our summer gardens that had to be picked and stored for winter but the peas and butter beans always seemed to take the most time and attention and are one of the things I sorely miss having left my home in the south for much cooler climes. One thing though, has never gotten away from me and that is the deep and abiding love I have for the smell of freshly plowed soil and the taste of vegetables fresh from the garden.

I point out the fact that my childhood favorite summer garden vegetables only seem to flourish in the south to drive home the fact that you really will need to research the vegetables you plant in your summer garden as they relate to the specific area in which you live. Not all vegetable plants are created equal in their tolerance for temperature or rainfall (or lack thereof), which could greatly impact their suitability for your particular vegetable summer garden depending of course, on where you are located.

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Daisy family
Compositae
Sil-ly’bum. Annual or biennial herbs, comprising only 2 species, natives of the Mediterranean region. The species below grown as an ornamental plant for its silvery leaves. Also grown as a vegetable, since its roots, leaves, and flowerheads are edible.

Description
Leaves alternate, with white spots and veins on the upper side, the margins lobed and spiny. Flowerheads purplish, solitary and nodding. Many bracts surround the head, forming a globe-shaped receptacle.

How to Grow   (more…)

A plant upon which a plant disease lives for only part of its life cycle, depending upon some other, and usually unrelated, plant for completing it. Common examples are juniper or eastern red cedar and apple, which cohost cedar-apple rust. The remedy is to remove one of the hosts and so break the life cycle.

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The gardening method of growing of plants without the use of soil is hydroponics. This process is commonly used to develop fertile, healthy indoor plants as well as good quality vegetables, fruits and herbs. The plants in hydroponics grow systems absorb the needed nutrients as ions in water or in the case of aeroponics through the air. If a plant is getting the adequate amount of nutrients, then soil is no longer needed for it to thrive. This is the whole theory behind hydroponic kits. (more…)

Starting Seeds for Hydroponics Use
This is a quick and simple tutorial for germinating seeds. Most people growing with hydroponics will start from either seeds or clones. But at one point or another you will always start with seeds as they are easier to obtain in most cases for clones. Starting seeds with the intent of moving them into a hydroponics system is a bit different than starting them in soil. this guide will cover starting seedlings and moving them into a hydroponics grow box.

Germinating seeds:

1. Place a moist paper towel on a ceramic dish.

2. Fold the paper towel up and around the seeds.

3. Place another ceramic dish upside down on top of the bottom dish. (more…)

Nebari are the surface roots of your tree.

When they are thick and spreading in an even radial fashion [Typical for an upright tree.] they really do help to give your bonsai that ‘Aged Big Tree’ look.

As John Y. Naka said: “Don’t make your tree look like a bonsai, Make your bonsai look like a tree.”

Here is a Ficus b. cutting that I recently pruned back hard.

A better shot of a soil ingredient to show the particle size, This is a handful of {mostly} pine bark, [The organic component of my soil. Yes, It is wet.] (more…)

Growing onions from seed can be hard and frustrating for those new to growing their own vegetables, particularly in the cooler areas of the United Kingdom, which is why so many of the shop bought one come from Spain.

The alternative solution is to grow them from what are know as “sets”. Basically “sets” are small immature onions already partially grown by a specialist wholesaler from seed one year, and available for sale to be planted by gardeners the next year to grow into mature plants with out the need to grow from seen.

Whilst all plants require good quality, well drained soil, sets are nowhere near as demanding to grow ideal for those new to gardening and growing their own vegetables.

They are well suited to growing in raised beds and like soil with a lot of well-rotted manure in it. Once the manure is dug in then you need to rake the top soil into a fine a tilth as possible. Then you need to firm down the bed by walking all over it or standing on a plank to firm up the soil.

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(1716–1783)

One of England’s most famous garden designers. He got his nickname from his conviction that all gardens had “capabilities” within them (awaiting his redesign). Before him, most English estate gardens were laid out in geometrical symmetry. Brown, applying the principles of “naturalism,” emphasized asymmetry, using serpentine curves and trees planted in loosely scattered groups. His gardens gave the estates a parklike look.

There is one thing that almost all homeowners have in common and that is that we are all looking for some kind of storage space from time to time. We have closets in our houses to keep track of stuff, but finding places to stores garden equipment is another matter. Consequently, some homeowners factor into their garden shed design a storage unit that will comfortably manage not only their current gardening and outdoor equipment but will also accommodate any future landscaping tool purchases. It is as easy as picking up the phone, anywhere in the UK, if you want one of these garden sheds.

Garden shed UK strives for complete customer satisfaction when you purchase any storage device or outdoor shed. With several models to choose from, they are certain to have what you need. The garden sheds UK are built with a special form of pressure treatment that is made to with stand weather and moisture. Moisture in the UK can be a problem, so by taking care of moisture before installing a garden shed UK will avoid any future issues. (more…)

How many times when you were a child, did you bite into an apple or other fruit and there would be some insect or other chomping away with you! Unfortunately these days there are a lot of harmful chemical insecticides used on the foods that we eat.
This article outlines some natural plant insecticides which are a safer alternative for our general health and wellbeing. You will, perhaps, be surprised that all natural insecticide products can be made from the most unlikely compounds.

The first two we will look at are called Rotenone and Pyrethrum. Rotenone is derived from the root of a sub-tropical plant called Derris and acts like a broad-spectrum completely natural insecticide that will poison via ingestion and contact. It is most often used as a dust or a spray and although it is completely non-toxic to plants, it is deadly to fish and reasonably toxic to warm blooded mammals, so that includes dogs, cats and humans. (more…)

Gabriel Ash planthouses and glasshouses can be used as greenhouses, but they can be so much more! A glasshouse is essentially like a larger version of a standard planthouse, but with many more possible variations in design and uses. You can use your glasshouse to house and display exquisite exotic plants the same way you can in a planthouse, but glasshouses can be designed much larger so that they can accommodate seating or even hot tubs or swimming pools. Imagine relaxing in your hot tub on a cold winter’s day or swimming amid a tropical paradise! You could use your glasshouse as an outdoor dining area where you could entertain guests while basking in the splendour of a brilliant sunset. A glasshouse from Gabriel Ash is the perfect setting for an artist’s studio, or simply a place to sit and reflect amongst your beautiful plants. It will allow you to get the most out of your garden by enabling you to spend more time outside during spring and fall when the weather is not always pleasant. Glasshouses can serve the same purposes as greenhouses or planthouses, but they can be built with ample space so that you can use them for so much more!
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The botanical name for goatsbeard.

{Storage sheds|All about storage sheds|Things to remember when looking to buy storage sheds|Looking for storage sheds? wait!|Why You need storage sheds|storage sheds will provide the solution for you} {These days, people are looking to economize. Times are tough, people have to make do with less, and they have to find a way to get by with a home smaller than they might want.|Now days people are looking to save money, maybe downsize from their {previous|old} home or just {change|switch} as times are getting harder} {This is where {different|unique|another|various} kinds of storage sheds come into play.|This is when you should be thinking of storage sheds.|That’s why storage sheds become more popular now days.|} When your {home|household|house} runs out of {closet|wardrobe} space, when you don’t have a {basement|cellar} or attic to {stuff|squeeze} your stuff in, one of a {variety|mixture} of {outside|outdoor|outdoors} storage sheds are ideal for {tucking|gathering} away some of your more durable possessions. After all, {fragile|delicate|exquisite} and {delicate|sensitive} items need to stay {indoors|inside}.

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A spreading or stoloniferous grass, as opposed to a tufted ornamental grass. A turfgrass endures, and typically requires, regular mowing.

Austin residents can visit one of the most beautiful butterfly gardens in the world at the Zilker Botanical Garden. The Doug Blachly Butterfly Trail and Garden features native plants and special feeders that attract many species of butterflies, including Red Admiral, Hackberry, Silver Emperor, Eastern Black Swallowtail, Question Mark, and, of course, the familiar black and orange Monarch butterflies. Homeowners can recapture that natural beauty at home by creating a private butterfly garden. Austin is home to over eighty different species of butterflies, so a butterfly garden is a simple project that will provide hours of enjoyment for you and your family. A bit of research and a green thumb will allow you to provide a garden that will attract butterflies and caterpillars all summer long.
While each species of butterfly has specific preferences, generally milkweed, pipevine, dill, cabbage, fennel and parsley are good choices to start your butterfly garden, since a variety of butterfly species use these plants as sites for depositing their eggs and as food during their caterpillar stage. Certain trees are attractive to caterpillars as well, including sycamore, willow, aspen, and elm trees; incorporating these into your butterfly garden plan will attract a wider variety of species to your yard. (more…)

A closely spaced row of one species of shrubs or trees that make a continuous border or barrier around a property or part of a garden. Hedges can be sheared or not.

Grass family
Gramineae
Pan’i-kum. Panic Grass . A large genus of over 500 species of grasses found in all parts of the world, but mostly in the tropics.

Description
Creeping or erect, varying considerably in height and leaf size. Leaves usually flat. Flowers usually in light feathery clusters, in which the upper flowers are fertile and the lower ones rarely so.

How to Grow   (more…)

Over the last fifteen years, solar energy has become a highly flexible power source. One of the best ways to use it and cut costs is go with solar lighting for your walkways.

A common misconception among many people is that solar energy requires large, bulky panels to work. While this is true if you want to produce large amounts of electricity for a structure, it leaves out a large segment of cheaper solar users.

The solar industry has made major advancements in creating one piece solar platforms that are cheap and can be used for practical purposes. Using solar lights for pathways around your home is one area. (more…)

If you are new to gardening, this article will give you a few tips to help you make your first garden as good as any seasoned gardener. The first thing you should consider for many reasons are what you are going to plant, and where are you going to plant? For obvious reasons, location is important when growing plants that need sun, as is shade when it is required for survival. Try not to plant to close to trees, as trees will compete for water. However, if your plants require little water, than planting around a tree is encouraged. (more…)