Plant Gardens 101

Constructing a garden shed can be an enjoyable project if you know what you are doing. As soon as the project is complete, you will wonder what you have been doing all this time without a shed. It is extremely handy for having all of those tools and gardening supplies in one place.

There really are three things you have to take into consideration when building your shed. The first thing is what types of materials you are going to use. With so many types of material to choose from, there are several factors you want to bring in. Cost, living area, space and whatever you prefer should be looked at.

A few of the materials to look at include wood, metal and brick. Wooden sheds have the natural look that fits perfectly with a garden. The downside to a wooden shed is the continuous maintenance you have to be cautious of with rotting and splitting wood. (more…)

Daisy family
Compositae
Lo’nas. Anthemis Tube. A single herb from the Mediterranean region.

Description
Leaves alternate, coarsely toothed, divided feather-fashion, with the segments linear. Flowerheads small, tubular, without rays, in dense corymbs.

How to Grow   (more…)

Liner ponds leak, concrete ponds leach. Fish get diseases if they are not eaten first. Algae are a constant problem. And what about mosquitoes and West or East Nile Virus?

Ponds are high maintenance, so do I get a pressurized bead bio-filter? Do I get an up-flow filter or down-flow filter? Or a side-flow? How about a waterfall? Bio-falls? Pondless falls? Liner fall? Concrete fall?

I had a pond once, and you could not see the fish for the algae. Someone said to use algaecide, and somebody else said to get a U.V. Someone said to get more plants, and someone else said I had too many fish for the size of my pond. No problem…a crane ate half of them and last month a raccoon ate the rest.

Someone said I need a scarecrow sprinkler or a pond net. I asked, What for? I don’t have any fish, only lots of mosquitoes. So someone else said, buy some mosquito fish, you can get them free from the Department of Fish and Game. I got the mosquito fish, and my sump pump that the liner guy installed in my liner pond ate all my mosquito fish. (more…)

Planter boxes give you the benefit of raising organic vegetables right outside your door or window. Rising costs of produce have caused some budget-conscious people to reconsider the money they spend on fresh fruits and vegetables. But at what cost to their health? And the price of organic produce is even higher. You can grow your own vegetables, even without much space. Roots, leafy vegetables, and fleshy vegetables can all grow well in planter boxes, if you choose the right varieties and provide the attention they need.

Root vegetables are edible roots of plants. Vegetables which fall in this category include carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, radishes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Root vegetables can work well in planter boxes, as long as the planters are deep enough. Try carrots and radishes. (more…)

The botanical name for columbine.

What plants, other than ferns and cut-leaf maples, would you recommend to be included in a japanese garden? There is a great variety of plants that could be used in a japanese garden. It depends on what type of garden you have in mind. Japanese gardens have evolved from primitive “Tei” gardens, to gardens that were influenced by the Sung and Tang Dinasties.

These gardens were very sumptuous and depicted dramatic landscape features. There were also Buddhist gardens that depicted paradise on earth. Influenced by the tea cerimony and its aesthetics, the military lords of feudal Japan, comissioned some very interesting gardens that still exist. My favorites are the Zen gardens and their simplicity. As you can see, there are many different types of japanese gardens, and they could use many different types of plants and materials.

Most all japanese gardens are use as a place of peace and quite. A way for the gardener to get out of the world and just enjoy sometime to themselves and there family. A lot of gardeners take a lot of pride in there garden. There garden reflects the way the gardener sees or feels like when they go out into there garden. A lot of monks and buddhist spend a lot of time in there gardens cleaning and just enjoying the great gifts that they were given. They even belive that if you listen hard enough you can hear the plants talking to you. (more…)

Creating your own container garden can be so much fun, especially if you think of using themes. Consider showing off your style with a small kitchen garden, or create an outdoor pot designed to attract hummingbirds or to welcome butterflies. Our beings are drawn to beautiful scents, what about a container giving off wonderful fragrances.

Culinary containers or kitchen gardens are especially handy as a source of herbs, leafy lettuce or parsley, or even edible flowers. You may wish to combine many edibles to create your own miniature garden at the door. Combining edibles with your flowering or ornamental plants can be so attractive – imagine Beefsteak Tomatoes surrounded by basil or oregano. For foliage color, use green and purple leaved basils, leaf lettuce and Swiss chard. Parsley is especially great, goes anywhere, and adds attractive texture and rich green color to any container combination. Nasturtiums are grown for their showy, spurred flowers and trailing ones are sensational in your planters – they are edible and give a finished look to the container. (more…)

A laboratory technique of propagating new plants from tiny portions of the parent plant.

Container Gardening and Garden planters are a warm and inviting way to add interest to your outdoor decorating spaces. You can spruce up your outdoor living spaces by adding decorative planters that give your plants “pop”! Let’s face it, outdoor decorating is “in” right now – it is the hottest design trend going. There are diverse ways you can add your own personality to your outdoor design space. One of the easiest is to use decorative planters for your garden.

With more and more people spending time indoors working, the desire to return to the outdoors has really hit big. Even if you live in the city, you can bring the outdoors to your home with garden planters or may be a nice trellis or a set of wind chimes! Yesterday’s plastic industrial flower pots have given way to the beautiful and practical decorative planters of today. So thinking big, is not out of line when you think outdoor decorating. You can have style and functionality in something as practical as outdoor flower, plants, herb and vegetable pots! (more…)

Daisy family
Compositae
Thell-e-sper’ma. Coreopsis-like herbs comprising about 12 species of w. North America and s. South America.

Description
Leaves alternate and opposite, much divided into threadlike segments. Flowerheads solitary on long stems. The species below differing only in technical characters from Coreopsis .

How to Grow    (more…)

Summer is coming and there’s nothing more beautiful than a rose bush covered with lush blossoms and healthy green leaves. How to grow roses without a lot of strain and effort? Follow these 4 tips and you can grow healthy roses.

Prepare the soil
If you’re planting a rose bush dig a hole about 1 and half times as deep as the rose bush container and twice as wide. Add slow release fertilizer per package directions to the bottom of the hole, then a shovel full of compost, a shovel of the soil you removed and a bit more fertilizer. Remove the rose bush gently from the container and set in the hole. The soil line on the rose bush from the container should be the same as in your garden. If it’s too high remove a bit more soil from the planting hole. If it’s a bit too low add another shovel of soil. When it’s just right, gently scratch the roots from the bottom of the root ball and around the sides. That will encourage the roots to start branching out into the new hole. (more…)

A dry winged seed, either single, like that of the elm, or double, like that of the maple. Also called key.

hose reel and landscaping.”>Keeping your lawn its greenest and continuously growing at its peak potential doesn’t happen overnight. Diligent waterings from your hose reel are excellent, but your lawn may demand more, depending on the quality and type of soil that’s underneath the surface. Composting is an excellent and environmentally friendly option, but you must remember, your compost need its own attention as well, so that it can generate all the growth-giving properties that you desire.

The location of your compost pile or bin is something that should be considered. It should be placed appropriately in your lawn so that any runoff that may occur can be beneficial in and of itself. If your lawn is sloping, make sure to place your compost pile or bin at or near the top of the slope so its runoff can be utilized advantageously. A bin to store your compost is not necessary, but is helpful in keeping it contained, though a simple pile will do the job as well. (more…)

Air is one of the three essential requirements needed by the decomposer organisms in your compost pile.

Because air penetrates only the first few inches of the pile, it needs help to reach the composting pile’s center. Therefore if you suddenly get that nasty rotten egg smell around the compost, it means that anaerobic bacteria are moving in, and it’s time to give your composting pile more air.

In hot composting, plenty of air is essential to develop the high temperatures needed to kill harmful bacteria and speed the process of decomposition. Here are a few ways you can add air to your compost pile:

1. Turning:
The most effective method of introducing air is to turn the pile with a garden fork. Lift the material from the top and sides, toss it into the more active center of the new pile; then add the partially decomposed center to the outside. In other words, take the composting material from the outside and the top of your pile and exchange it with the composting material in the middle of your pile. (more…)

Perennials are a favorite type of garden plant for many gardens as they will bloom for several seasons without replanting. Perhaps one of the best qualities of perennials is that you can divide them and make more plants for free! Dividing your perennials periodically is important as it will keep them from getting overcrowded and help insure healthy lush plants.

Many perennials can be divided easily, but this does not hold try for every variety. In general, division is easiest with perennials that grow in clumps or ones with an expanding root mass. Perennials which stem from single taproot typically cannot be divided but can be duplicated by using root cuttings or seeds.

It is important to divide the plant at a time when the plant is most likely to be receptive to this procedure. Fr plants that come up in spring and summer, the best time to divide them is in the fall Perennials that bloom in the fall or late summer should be divided in the spring. (more…)

The botanical name for elderberry.

Living in the city does have a lot of perks – perhaps even too many to mention. However, one of the downsides of living in the metropolitan is that yards or gardens are hard to come by. Unless one lives in a house located in a high-end neighborhood, chances are there isn’t any room in or around the house for a garden. Most folks end up renting an apartment and are not given the opportunity to unleash their artistic side through the creation and cultivation of a garden. Well, there’s no need to fret as container gardens have now become a very popular form of indoor gardening. Below are a few tips on how to come up with an indoor container garden that will surely put that green thumb to use.

Brighten Things Up

One of the main reasons why gardens are situated outdoors is because of the fact that they need sunlight to grow. This is why folks who intend to grow gardens inside their homes need to come up with ways to compensate for the lack of light exposure of their plants. Ideally, indoor gardens should be positioned in such a way that they are still exposed to sunlight. If one has a sunny windowsill that can provide direct sun exposure for around 4 or 5 hours a day, it would be best to place the container garden near it. However, it is still essential to install some sort of sheer curtain on the window to prevent the plants from getting sunburned. (more…)

An offset or individual rootstock of a plant used for propagation purposes, especially of lily-of-the-valley.

There are two primary benefits you can enjoy if you choose to build a bonsai nursery of your own and grow your bonsai trees from seed. Firstly, bonsai seeds are cheaper to procure than live bonsai trees. Whereas rare bonsai trees can cost you a considerable amount of money, a packet of seeds of the same bonsai tree species may just cost you $5.

Secondly, nursing bonsai trees from seed will give you God-like powers over every aspect of your plants. You can fully control all aspects of your bonsai tree to ensure that it grows according to your plans.

Tips on Nurturing Your Bonsai Nursery (more…)

Quality gardening equipment is exactly what any dedicated gardener could use. However, it is not always possible to rush right out and spend hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of dollars on the latest and greatest gardening equipment. That is where improvisation comes in. A good gardener definitely knows how to improvise. The following paragraphs will discuss gardening equipment in general, as well as touch on the basic gardening equipment a good gardener will need.

As a gardener, there are some basic pieces of gardening equipment you will likely need at one time or another. This equipment includes, a hoe, a shovel, a rake, and maybe even a small hand shovel. It is not enough just to have these you must make sure they are good quality.

If you have these basic pieces of equipment, you are good to go. However, if you have bushes, hedges, or vine style ground cover, a good pair of pruning scissors could prove extremely helpful. While only the basic gardening equipment is necessary, some garden equipment can make the hard work of gardening much easier. If you have been gardening for years, chances are you have accumulated so much garden equipment that your shed is overflowing with it. (more…)