Hand Pruner Story

Buying Teak Wood Furniture Responsibly

2009-07-02T22:40:00.001+07:00

Teak has many qualities that make the indoor and outdoor furniture made out of this a coveted high value asset. They last for generations. The durable nature is due to the hard grain nature of the tree. These are a high demand items in many parts of the world. The prices are sky-rocketing and unless you get it from the source you are going to pay a huge price to add this to your Home Collection. The products made out of teak wood have a pleasant smell unlike other untreated wooden furniture. The hard nature of the wood makes it easier to work with by the craftsman creating unique patterns and designs. You could have come across the priced museum collections of old south Asian kingdom there is teak in most of them. This has the ability to create smooth patterns and complex designs because of the properties of the wood. They don?t create splinters like other wood and hence the furniture is safe. The smooth finishes created by the craftsmen can be enjoyed by many generations as it is more resistant to rot and other damages.

A quick look at the Teak industry shows that the majority of the plantations are from south Asia. Unlike the rain forests these tress are from the dry regions making it more environmentally friendly to use. The Timber industry also claims that the amount of wastage out of the teak usage is minimal in comparison to other wood. Every aspect of the teak wood right till the saw dust finds use in one way or the other. The main problem like other wooden furniture use is you have contributed to the chopping of a tree at a minimum. But this can be made right when you understand the following factors. The first is the farm raised trees are better as they were done just for this purpose. This also ensures the trees in the wild are not used and hence are less damaging to the natural habitats. There are a few folks who argue that wooden furniture should never be used. Hmmm, the simple counter argument is what else to use. The softer nature of wood is preferred against iron or other metals. And such we have to end in plastic. Plastic causes a lot more harm to the environment in the long run than the lack of a farm raised tree in the face of the earth.

There are a few manufacturers that even go on to guarantee that the trees that are farm raised are once again replanted. This makes sure the tree that was raised finds a replacement in the face of the earth. This is unlike the trees in the wild, where there is no guarantee a chopped tree will be replaced by another sapling. Some of the common furniture made out of teak is:

1.Teak Patio Sets
2.Teak dining Sets
3.Teak Benches
4.Teak Chairs
5.Teak Tables
6.Teak Loungers

The next time you buy one of these make sure you ask where the wood comes from and the re-plantation policy of the wood?s source.

You can find one wholesale company which can guarantee this at Teak Select. Make sure you replace your plastic furniture with the teak furniture, teak patio furniture and teak garden furniture.

Author is a freelancer accessible through the no fee free freelance website freelancefree.com

Good Tools and Hard Work is What Creates EyeCatching and Functional Gardens

2009-06-30T22:40:00.001+07:00

Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade. -Rudyard Kipling

Sweat and toil along with gentle showers guarantee ? pleasant flowers and pleasing fruits and consoling shade. As Rudyard Kipling says, Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade. It involves getting into the dust without hesitation. Long gone were the days when human beings consumed just what the earth produced. Now we have learnt to produce what we like to consume. It must have been an interesting episode for human beings to make the first association of plants and trees with water and rain. It must have been a tough lesson to grasp for our forerunners that there are seasons for everything, to sow and to reap. It must have been an even tougher lesson to calculate about season and off season. Along with these realizations, came the need for gardening tools. Because, when they consumed just what the earth produced, they did not have to do much other than gathering, but when they started producing what they wanted, they had to take control of the natural processes. In this newly learnt venture of gardening and cultivation they started utilizing simple tools to dig, to weed and to reap. The world of horticulture has now evolved a whole new generation of horticultural tools.

Though it is not the ideal way to classify gardening tools, I classify them under two categories - useful and nice but not necessary!!! Some of the useful traditional tools are, Garden shovel, Spade, Spading Fork, Hoe, Rake, Trowel, Digger, Pruning Shears, Lopping Shears, and Hedge shears. These are the basic tools of gardening. You can see gardening stores and gardening catalogs crammed with a huge number of other so called sophisticated, fancy, power tools that are ?Dollar Driers?. These equipments keep you busy in maintaining them rather than helping you maintain the garden you are tending!!! However, carefully selected garden tools though basic they are, will certainly make life easy.

Another factor that enhances your garden and gardening is Liquid fertilizers. Not many who realize that rain water in itself is one of the effective liquid fertilizers. Besides this natural liquid fertilizer, there are a variety of artificial liquid fertilizers that give your plants a quick nutrient boost because plants assimilate liquid fertilizers through their roots and as well as their foliage pores. Liquid fertilizers in the form of foliar sprays are found to be most effective during the flowering and fruiting stage of plants. However, one has to be extra cautious in following the instructions carefully especially in conforming to the dilution formula and to the application method, lest you may spoil your crop. Liquid fertilizers sprayed in the early hours of the mornings and in the early evening hours prove to be safe as they will be absorbed most quickly saving the plant from foliage burn.

A good gardener always knows it is just not tools and fertilizers that make a successful garden but patience and consistent care are the essentials of effective gardening. Effectively used gardening tools and moderately used liquid fertilizers blended with tender care will make you a happy gardener.

For some great resources on gardening tools and liquid fertilizers please visit the following website seramishydroponics.com. This article was coauthored by CC. The author does freelancing for some the best websites in the world.

You are granted permission to reprint if you keep all links intact without changes in content and no additional links within the article content itself.

Low Maintenance Teak Furniture

2009-06-28T22:40:00.001+07:00

In all likelihood you have heard of teak furniture and have wanted to know why it's such a big deal. This article contains some simple info regarding the building material that seems a little mysterious, even has a weird sound to it, but dominates the market of outdoor furniture.

Teakwood furniture is especially suited to use outside the home because of its super high oil content and resistance to insects and warping. Teak is a hardwood tree indigenous to the east and south of Southern Asia and much of Southeast Asia. Teak is nowadays frequently planted in tropical environments and is exported around the world to furnish gardens and patios as well as for shipbuilding materials. Teakwood furniture ages in the weather and gains a silvery color without requiring any shelter or care at all. Just leave your teak furniture on the patio during all four seasons and you will end up with furniture that looks elegant in a natural environment and also affords comfort and durability. Look for teak furniture built with mortise and tenon joints for the utmost quality build.

Teak furniture typically has a distinctively simple style of design. Clean lines take advantage of the beautiful texture of the wood. When you start looking for outdoor furniture, you'll discover a very large selection of teak chairs, tables, and accessories to choose from. Because teakwood furniture can be left outside without being sheltered or cared for 365 days a year, the majority of teak tables and chairs are heavy, causing them to be super durable. Teakwood furniture is commonly made to increase comfort and style since there is no need for storing it away!

The focal point of your collection will be your table. Teak tables typically come in a slat style, offering texture and interest to the eating surface. Pick from round, square, rectangular and expandable teak tables to fit your outdoor dining setup.

What could be more critical than a comfortable chair when you're looking for furniture to purchase? Teak chairs come in a wide variety of styles, some folding, some armchairs, and lots of attractively simple side chairs to accommodate a crowd. Go all out and try a teak steamer or Adirondack chair. You will not want to get up!

If your style is a more upbeat outdoor party, bar-height teak table and chairs are the best selection. Add proportion to your teak furniture collection by owning these bar height teak tables and chairs and get your guests mingling. In the garden or by the pool, teak bar furniture is compact and practical no matter how many people you have invited over.

The simple truth is, teak furniture is the best choice for your garden, deck or patio. It will last a lifetime. You will be happy in your teak bar chair and dozing in your steamer chair with no fears about care.

Virginia Bryson writes for Belle Abode about home furnishings and design, and consults on interior design in the Atlanta, GA area. For more information about teak furniture and patio furniture, visit http://www.belleabode.com/

Synthetic Lawns: The New Choice For Lawn Care

2009-06-26T22:40:00.001+07:00

It?s very important for homeowners to maintain and keep beautiful lawns. Today, most houses are located in communities managed by associations that require regular lawn maintenance. If lawns are not maintained, homeowners are charged additional fees.

However, the task of caring for a lawn can be very difficult. This especially true for the average working adult, who does have the time to water, fertilize, and cut the grass. Landscapers are equipped to manage lawns, but their fees are increasing every year with the price of gas.

To save money in the long run and keep a well-maintained lawn, homeowners are replacing sod with synthetic grass. Synthetic grass, also referred to as artificial grass, is made of plastic fibers. These fibers are made to look like grass blades found in real grass such as Bermuda, St. Augustine, Kentucky Blue, and Fescue. Synthetic lawns are virtually maintenance free and only require an occasional dusting with a stiff broom. There is no need to water, mow, seed, or fertilize synthetic lawns, which is the perfect solution for busy homeowners.

Installing a synthetic lawn is a wise investment that typically increases the value of a home. Synthetic grass is also a huge selling point when homeowners choose to put their house on the market. Although this alternative may cost a little more initially, the benefits and long term savings are ideal.

Vondre? Whaley is a marketing director with www.mysyntheticgrass.com, a company that offers free information kits to consumers looking to purchase synthetic grass. Are you looking to have a great looking lawn all year long without doing much work or paying high landscaping fees? If so, get our free information kit at www.mysyntheticgrass.com

Garden Furniture

2009-06-24T22:40:00.001+07:00

Gardens now serve as an integral part of a home?s living space, so it only makes sense to invest in garden furniture. When shopping for pieces, remember to look past the aesthetics and go for functionality, too. Here are some tips:

Remember: safety first. You don?t have to be living in a windy city to know that as a precaution, garden furniture (together with outdoor play furniture such as swings) should be properly assembled, and if possible, anchored to the ground. This is especially true for bigger garden furniture, such as arches or tents. When major weather changes (such as storms or light hurricanes) suddenly occur, bring garden chairs and smaller garden furniture inside the house to keep them from being blown away by the wind and causing harm to people or damage to property.

If your garden furniture is made of wood, make it a habit to regularly check for splintered wood or cracks. They can wound you if left un-repaired. If your garden furniture is made of metal, regularly check for rust. It is easier to treat smaller corrosion spots, so don?t wait for them to become bigger and obvious. You may have to replace the whole set if this happens.

Be environmentally friendly. Make sure that the garden furniture you are buying is made from renewable resources. Be extra careful when buying wooden furniture. Make sure that the manufacturer uses only sustainable sourced timber.

Invest in maintenance. Garden furniture does not come cheap, and to keep it looking new, it?s a good idea to purchase tools that can protect it from outdoor elements. For as low as $30, you can buy garden set covers (for patio furniture, etc). These covers are usually made of woven polyethylene. Get those that are washable and do not tear easily. Also be sure to check the stitching ? it should be firm and long-lasting. Buy only garden furniture covers with big eyelets so that you can secure them to the ground during windy or stormy conditions.

Garden Furniture provides detailed information on Garden Furniture, Teak Garden Furniture, Outdoor Garden Furniture, Patio and Garden Furniture and more. Garden Furniture is affiliated with Stone Garden Bench.

Planting a Tree

2009-06-22T22:40:00.000+07:00

The principles of tree planting are similar whatever the size of tree. The idea is to try to disturb the tree as little as possible, place it in an appropriate hole and in a situation to which it is suited. An acid loving tree should not be planted in chalky soil, nor a sensitve tree in an exposed location. Some trees need good drainage or are less tolerant of frost or sea spray. Aftercare and staking are then designed to help it settle in. Larger trees of course will need more expert handling and those in pots over about 70litres in size may need moving and planting using machunery.

To prepare for planting, a hole a little larger than the pot needs to be prepared. In heavy clay this would need to be broken up around the edges and bottom to prevent it from turning into a sump filled with water which would suffocate the tree roots. In other soils this is not necessary. Neither is it necessary to feed the tree at planting or provide rich compost as it is useful to encourage the tree's roots to search for nutrients by growing into the surrounding soil. The tree should be planted so that the ground level is close to the level of the surface of the compost in the pot.

STAKING. Most trees will need some staking to prevent the wind from rocking the tree loose. It's necessary to take into account both the size of the tree and how exposed it will be to strong winds. Tree sizes are usually measured by their girth (which is their circumference in cms at 1m above the ground) if they have a single stem or by their height and pot size. For most trees up to around 16cm girth in a normal garden situation staking is by using a single stake driven in at around 45degrees and facing into the predominant wind which is often from the south west. The stake must be driven firmly into the ground avoiding the rootball as far as possible. It will usually cross the stem of the tree about 60cm above the ground. A well cushioned adjustable tree tie is attached and it should be loosened as the tree grows. Generally it can be removed after 2 or 3 years. For larger trees double staking is used (and occasionally guying and ground anchoring for larger trees or difficult situations) which consists of using two tall vertical stakes.These would be either side of the stem and outside the tree's rootball. The stakes are joined by a cross-piece which is attached to the tree by a cushion and tree tie. For very flexible young trees it may be necessary to use a taller single stake which can be reduced in height as the tree establishes. The general principle is that trees get stronger by flexing and adapting to adverse circumstances just as the muscles of an animal do. Over-staking therefore tends to produce weaker trees in the long run.

AFTERCARE It is surprising the extent to which weeds and grasses can compete with tree roots for nutrients and water. For trees planted into lawns or meadows therefore it is important to leave a clear circle about 1m in diameter until the tree is well established.. Mulching with a mulch mat or with about 50mm of bark can help both to keep weeds down and to maintain moisture levels in the soil. It is of course essential not to let the rootball dry out for at least the first year (see below). Pruning of laterals (small side branches coming from the main stems) and of dead or diseased branches can be carried out at planting.

WATERING. It is always important to remember that a large percentage of the losses in the first year or two are caused by allowing the roots of the tree to dry out. Periods of drought are especially dangerous. However watering little and often can encourage the roots of the tree to stay near the surface instead of spreading to seek new sources of water. The spreading of the roots will also, of course, stabilise the tree long after the stakes have been removed. For these reasons it is sometimes better to water trees through tubes sunk at the time of planting which provide water to the roots a foot or two below the surface. Failing this, surface watering systems such as leaky hoses can be useful especially when combined with mulches (although there are also trees, even species such as yew native to our better drained soils, which do not thrive if the soil is damp and mulched around their roots).

The author has been a gardener, landscaper and designer for more than 25 years. He now sells large trees, plants and hedging throughout the UK from his company site www.impactplants.co.uk. This allows both professionals and interested enthusiasts to source large plants and trees which are often not generally available. Larger nurseries, providing excellent plants, often do not deal with smaller customers except through companies like mine. I also offer professional garden advice from my page at www.impactplants.co.uk/advice.html. This might involve site visits, drawing up designs and plant lists, sourcing plants and supervising contracts. It might also just be a chat to help simplify problems which might seem insurmountable to a beginner.

Your Step By Step Guide To Planting The Perfect Lawn

2009-06-20T22:40:00.000+07:00

Starting a lawn from scratch can be an intimidating prospect for the average homeowner. But if you take the time to do it right, it will pay you back many times over with a lawn that is much easier to care for then it would be if you cut corners along the way. Of course, the very first place to start is with the soil that you plan to use for your new lawn.

If you're creating a lawn for a newly constructed home, you may want to pay particular attention to the kind of soil that has been left behind after construction is finished. Sometimes the topsoil has almost been completely removed, and in that case you'll need to bring in a good layer of topsoil for the entire yard first.

For most homeowners though, you'll be using the same soil that you've had for a while. So the very first thing that you want to do is to test that soil. There are a couple of ways to go here, one being that you can buy soil testing kits at your local lawn and garden store to test the soil yourself. Another alternative is that many nurseries and garden stores will test your soil for free or for a very small fee, and often that solution will provide the overall best results.

One of the most important soil tests is the PH level of your soil. If your soil turns out to be too acidic, then you need to add lime, and on the other hand, if the soil is too alkaline, then you need to spread sulfur on the soil. One advantage of using a local nursery or garden shop as your soil tester is that they will often be able to tell you exactly what product you need to add, how much of it needs to be added, and then how often you need to continue to add more in order to make sure the lawn grows like it should.

Once you have your soil prepared, it's time to decide on what kind of grass seed you're going to use for your new yard. Often you can ask your local garden store for advice on what seems to grow best locally, or you may even wish to ask a few people you know that already has a nice lawn to see what kind of grass they use. Of course you need to keep in mind that how much sun or shade your particular yard receives will affect what kind of seed you need to choose as well.

The next consideration is when you should plant your seed. For those in warmer southern climates, you'll probably be planting a warm season grass seed which can be put down in the spring. For those in northern climates, you'll probably be using a cool season grass seed, and these should be planted in the fall for the best results.

Spreading the seed can be done either by hand, a broadcast spreader, or a drop spreader. If your yard is small to medium sized, perhaps the broadcast spreader will work best for you. If you have a very big yard, you may want to use the drop spreader instead. After this seed has been planted, be sure to water the yard at least a couple of times every day to help the seeds germinate quickly.

Other alternatives to seeding a lawn is to use either grass plugs or sod to start a new yard. There are some advantages to using these methods too, but keep in mind that they are usually much more expensive than grass seeding.

So in review, the steps for planting the perfect lawn are to test your soil, get the PH where it needs to be, make the choice of which seed you wish to use, spread the seed, and then water and care for the area as it germinates. If you follow these simple procedures you should wind up with a thick, beautiful new lawn that you can be proud of.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including home improvement. You can find lawn mower reviews and lawn tractor reviews by visiting our Home Improvement website.

Southern Flowers

2009-06-18T22:40:00.000+07:00

I?m a Southern girl by birth. I live in Colorado now, but you know what they say: ?You can take the girl out of the South, but you can?t take the South out of the girl!? I recently spent a couple of months in Georgia with a friend this past spring. I definitely do not want to live there. Humidity and mosquitoes are enough to drive me away, but oh those southern flowers!

I grew up with two huge gardenia bushes outside my bedroom window. Gardenias are my very favorites. Southern flower, bar none. I love them. Yes, they can grow in Colorado some, but I hear it?s a bit hard to keep them healthy here. They require a lot of care and I?m not so good with high maintenance plants and bushes, so I haven?t really tried it. I miss them.

So, while I was in Georgia, I took a lot of walks for the sole purpose of smelling the flowers. The magnolias were in bloom when I arrived. Delicious! When I lived in Dallas, I had a magnolia tree in my front yard. Those are grand, as well. Second only to gardenias, you know. Magnolias, of course, are a much larger flower. Their scent smells a bit more like lemon, and not quite as sweet as the gardenias.

Both flowers must be handled with care. They will turn brown where you touch them. So, pick them and hold them by the stem only. You can place them in bowls of water indoors to bring those wonderful sweet scents into the house. They?ll actually last a few days that way.

Yes, there are lots of other flowers in the South: hydrangeas, azaleas, irises, etc. But to me, there is nothing to compare to the sweet scent of the gardenia and the magnolia! Maybe one of these days, I?ll try to grow one in Colorado.

Wanda Mettarod is a housewife who writes romance novels under a pseudonym in her spare time. She loves to do the research to make the settings of her books a little more real. You can read more articles about flowers at Flower

Theme Gardens

2009-06-16T22:41:00.000+07:00

Flower gardens are for enjoyment. They provide you with visual beauty, the joy of working with soil and plants, and the pride of showing others what you have created. As a gardener, one is always experimenting and learning anew what delights a flower garden may bring forth. This enjoyment can be intensified by creating your garden, or a room within the garden, with a theme.

Think of the old formal gardens with their hedges uniquely designed to provide a visual appeal that has survived the ages. Think of the Japanese Garden with its calm Zen-like quality. Theme gardens can be based upon a historical time or place or special types or colors of plants. They can be created for the wild creatures we hope to draw to our garden such as butterflies or hummingbirds.

Each type of garden has an unique appeal and some even more pleasing gardens can be had by using combinations. We Americans are famous for being the Melting Pot, for combining things we have brought from the rest of the world. Imagine having a butterfly garden surrounded by old rose varieties. Imagine a vegetable garden with a Zen garden in the middle. The combinations are endless.

The book Theme Gardens by Barbara Damrosch is a great starting place. She has several types of theme gardens with pictures and layouts. Use these plans to create your own just like her suggestions. Or lay out a garden that is uniquely yours using these plans as a starting point. There is no real right or wrong way to lay your garden out, so learn as you go and have fun.

? 2005, Sandra Dinkins-Wilson.

Find more articles for Flower Garden Lovers at our informative website, http://flowergardenlovers.com.

Zoysia Grass Instead Of St Augustine

2009-06-14T22:41:00.000+07:00

Zoysia grass has always appealed to me. I saw it many times before I actually realized it. Zoysia is commonly used on many golf courses and more recently on baseball fields. Well, through happenstance one summer afternoon, I came across the real thing- Zoysia grass.

My wife and I were at a local grass farm looking to buy some St. Augustine sod grass for our new home. Unfortunately, many home builders these days in an effort to keep their costs down do not sod the backyard. New home builders- now that is a subject that I can write about all day long and I don't mean just sod grass. Let me keep moving on with my grass buying experience.

Our first exposure to Zoysia grass was when we were shown the pallets of St. Augustine and Bermuda grass. We were not interested in Bermuda, but the person showing us the facilities of their grass farm thought we might consider it as an alternative. Next to the Bermuda sod was a single pallet of Zoysia Emerald sod cut in 18 inch by 24 inch rectangles. As he was giving us the prices and delivery options, I could not help but notice how beautiful the Zoysia was.

From that point forward, all questions were on Zoysia. A few basics about the type we were looking at which was Zoysia Emerald were:

1. the price was almost double that of St. Augustine
2. it grows much slower than St. Augustine and even slower than Bermuda
3. it does not recover quickly
4. it is best mowed with a reel mower rather than a rotary mower

Noting three out of the four on the list were negatives I felt we should rethink buying Zoysia.

The hesitation was short lived. It was just to pretty. I couldn't help but think of how nice the whole yad would look covered in a carpet like grass. Family gatherings often mean barbeque in the backyard.I know young and old alike would enjoy the soft cushion feel from the short Zoysia grass during a leisure outing. Envisioning a few moments like that was all it took to convince myself that whatever the negatives were the outcome would be worth it.

So, we placed our order for four pallets of Zoysia Emerald that day before we left the grass farm. It arrived the following day and two days later we had our new golf course like lawn. Four years later, we are still receiving compliments from friends as well as strangers passing by. With all the trials and tribulations of the related lawn maintenance, I can say we are still very happy that we made the decision of laying Zoysia Emerald grass instead of St. Augustine.

Loman has been an online author since 1999. He began writing for a small group of 20 health related websites and now contributes articles like Zoysia Grass Instead of St. Augustine Grass regularly to more than 200 sites of mixed categories including HowToLawnCare.com.

Garden Decor

2009-06-12T22:40:00.000+07:00

Garden decor refers to the decoration of a garden area using different accessories, bird feeders, ornaments, yard benches and chairs, artificial fountains and vases as well as plants that can help make gardens look beautiful and attractive. The more unusual and unique these knick knacks, the more appealing the garden turns out to be. Tasteful knick knacks arranged thoughtfully in a garden accentuate the beauty of the plants and flowers. As a result, there are many garden accessories that can bring out different decorating styles and provide a reflection of the owner?s personality. Just about any accessory can be added to give a garden a unique identity. Antique compotes, garden thermometers, table top urns, French wire decor, sun catchers, indoor plant holders, decorative weathervanes, unusual pottery, ethnic objects, and outdoor antiques--the choices available are endless. Whether using a professional gardener?s know-how or a beginner?s enthusiasm, accessories for the garden can result in an immensely pleasing garden.

While small plots can be do-it-yourself projects, larger gardens may call for more professional attention. Experienced gardeners can be hired professionals to administer to a larger plot that could use a little bit of landscaping. Landscaping adds levels to a garden making it more interesting. Depending on the available space, choosing and planting certain plants is important so that the garden always has some blooms. Large gardens need more physical labor in the form of soil additives for maintenance, lawn mowing, pruning of plants, spraying of pesticides, etc. Making use of professional services in such instances can ensure a healthy and neat garden all year.

Gardens provides detailed information on Gardens, Flower Gardens, Garden D?cor, Garden Furniture and more. Gardens is affiliated with Flower Gardening.

How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden

2009-06-10T22:40:00.000+07:00

There are numerous things a home owner can do to make his or her garden humming-bird friendly. Comparatively easy adjustments can soon be rewarded by the presence of feeding humming birds as well as nesting females and their young ones.

Hummingbirds feed from nectar filled flowers and are important pollinators for many species. Planting a lot of suitable flower species in your garden is therefore a great way of attracting hummingbirds. Ideally include a lot of colourful blossoms, especially red ones since hummingbirds are known to be fascinated by the colour red. This is way a majority of the humming bird feeders are red. The recommended species flower will naturally depend on your geographical location, soil type, gardening skills etcetera.

Hummingbirds are preyed upon by many types of predatory birds and tree climbing snakes, and they can also fall prey to cats and other mammals. The Hummingbirds will therefore appreciate densely grown shrubs and bushes where they can stay hidden from above. There should preferably be a lot of twigs strong enough to support the tiny hummingbird, but weak enough to carry snakes and cats. By including such environments in your garden design, you may very well turn your garden into hummingbird territory. The hummingbirds might not only visit your garden to drink from a feeder; chances are that they will spend a lot of their time resting there too, especially if the surrounding gardens contains few suitable hiding spots for hummingbirds.

Offer the hummingbirds one or several feeders to drink from is naturally also an excellent way of making sure that you receive plenty of hummingbird visits. If the hummingbirds have trouble locating the feeder, you can hang the feeder next to some showy and colourful plants that can be easily seen from above. Using a red feeder is also a good idea, since the hummingbirds are known to investigate red objects. Once your hummingbirds have learned to associate hummingbird feeders with food, it is usually easy to make them understand that feeders of any colour contain food.

Using red dye in the hummingbird food is not necessary. Red food dye has been suspected of promoting tumour development in hummingbirds. The jury is still out on the subject, but until red food dye have been proven safe for hummingbirds, it is a good idea to stay clear of it. If your feeder is not red, you can instead place some red stickers on it to make the hummingbirds notice it.

You can often find hummingbird feeders for sale in garden depots, birding shops and department stores. If you fail to locate a vendor in your area, you can always order a hummingbird feeder from one of the many Internet shops that offer hummingbird feeders and food for sale online.

When you choose hummingbird feeder, it is important to pick one that is easy to clean. Hummingbirds are sensitive to mould and can be really sick if the ingest it. Hummingbird food will also ferment quite rapidly, especially in high temperatures. The feeder should therefore be cleaned frequently.

More information about humming birds and humming bird feeders.

Handcrafted Garden Bridges Builds Traditional Arched Span Bridges with Modern Flair

2009-06-09T00:29:00.000+07:00

Though handcrafted wooden bridges have been used for many centuries for things such as draw bridges, spanning crevices, creeks, ponds, gulleys and anything from dips to depressions, a California-based custom bridge maker is currently receiving international recognition for spanning the divide between traditional to modern bridge making.

Japan started making wooden arch bridges many decades ago to beautify and maintain Koi ponds and water gardens and now, in part due to the efforts of Handcrafted Garden Bridges and its unique use of California Redwood or Western Red Cedar, other parts of the world are catching on. Typically made of cedar, pine, douglas fir, Handcrafted Garden Bridges uses the more durable, weather, insect and water resistant California Redwood. By using these materials, Handcrafted Garden Bridges last for many years. In addition to using weather and water resistant wood or sealed and stained, Handcrafted Garden Bridges uses stainless steel hardware such as bolts, washer, nuts and screws.

As an added bonus, Handcrafted Garden Bridges are very easily assembled, taking an average of only 30 minutes to assemble, and require only a few tools. Each board is numbered and labeled, and each post and rail easily matches the numbering system. All that is required, is to put in the screws and tighten, said owner and founder Joe Guraro. Down through the ages, wooden arch bridges have brought joy, beauty and comfort to pond owners, homeowners, farmers, and landscapers, said owner Joe Guraro, I'd like to think that my bridges do the same. He also points out, that besides being an attractive addition to any garden, it also has an added useful function of opening up an area that needs to be easily accessed.

Wood craftsman, Bridge Designer, Written By Joe Guraro @ http://www.Redwoodgardenbridges.com

Tulips and Their Role in Different Cultures

2009-06-06T22:40:00.000+07:00

Tulips have been, and are still, being admired by people in many different regions and cultures. Wild Tulips are found in Europe, Africa and Asia. Their native area stretches from southern Europe to northern Africa, and proceeds eastward into Asia from Anatolia and Iran. The most prominent Tulip habitats are found on the steppes of Kazakhstan and among the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains, but wild Tulips can be found all the way into the very eastern parts of China and Japan.

The Tulip has always been held in high esteem by the Middle East cultures and the European name ?Tulip? is actually derived from the Persian word for turban. Some etymologists claim that the name was selected since a budding Tulip resembles a traditional turban, while other etymologists suggests that the term is instead the result of a misunderstanding ? Tulip flowers were commonly used to decorate the folds of the turban. If you study traditional folk art from Persia and Turkey you will

Today, the Tulip is the national flower of Iran as well as of Turkey and the tulip is even suggested on the Iran flag. If you look at traditional Persian and Turkish folk art you will clearly see how important the Tulip motif is and have been. The Netherlands in Europe is another country strongly linked to the Tulip, and the Netherlands will for instance send Tulips to the Canadian capital Ottawa each year. During World War II, Canada aided in liberating the Netherlands from the German invasion and also served as a refuge for the Dutch Crown Princess who was later to become Queen Juliana.

In the Europe as well as in the Ottoman Empire, episodes of so called ?Tulip Mania? when tulips have been used for speculation have occurred. Historians still debate exactly how severe these waves of speculation was and how damaging the Tulip booms and subsequent crashes was to the respective economies. Some even claim that Tulip Mania strongly contributed to the final financial decline of the Ottoman Empire.

Historians do not now exactly when and how the Tulip was introduced to Western Europe for the first time, and perhaps Tulips were brought to this part of the world several times before the flower really became appreciated and famous. One story claims that ambassador Oghier Ghislain de Busbecq brought Tulips to German attention as early as 1554. Oghier Ghislain de Busbecq had been sent from Ferdinand I of Germany to Suleyman the Magnificent and in one of his letters he write about seeing an abundance of flowers everywhere; narcissus, hyacinths, and those which the Turks call tulipam, much to our astonishment, because it was almost midwinter, a season unfriendly to flowers. Botanists are however a bit sceptic to this letter, since Tulips do not bloom in midwinter, not even in the warm Middle East. Perhaps Oghier Ghislain de Busbecq confused the winter journey with an expedition that he participated in during a warmer part of the year of 1558. We know that Oghier Ghislain de Busbecq wrote and dated all his letters after his journeys, not while he was actually travelling.

Tulips are just one of many flowers that have an important cultural significance in numerous religions. Others include the cherry tree and the Bamboo plant

Do You Know How to Repot a RootBound Houseplant?

2009-05-31T22:40:00.000+07:00

It is actually quite easy if you know the basics. It only takes a few minutes to give your houseplants a new lease on life. This article provides a few do's and don'ts.

A Larger Container is not Always Necessary (or Better)

The mistake that many people make when they see roots migrating from the bottom of a pot is to buy a slightly larger container and place the overcrowded plant, root ball and all, in its new quarters.

This may be a mistake! The roots may have wandered out in search of more oxygen due to overwatering or hard-packed earth. Analyze the situation. If soil is of poor quality and you suspect overwatering, your plant may simply need more drainage and a change of dirt. A larger pot is unnecessary.

Poor Care Diagnosis?

If your verdict is 'poor care', make sure that the root ball of the plant is slightly moist, and then carefully remove it from the old pot. Hold your hand over the top of the soil, supporting the plant between your fingers as you tip it over. Usually a plant will dislodge easily. However, you may need to pass a sharp knife between the outside of the root ball and the pot if it is stubborn.

If the roots smell bad or appear to be rotting or discolored, you have an ailing patient!

Care and Cure

Add a 1-inch layer of gravel, broken pottery, or very small pebbles to the bottom of the pot for drainage. Very carefully loosen the roots, removing as much soil as possible with gentle shaking. A spray bottle filled with lukewarm water can be used to spray away even more soil. Cut off any roots that appear unhealthy. Make a small mound of good quality potting soil in the bottom of the pot. Position the plant gently to see how high it sits. You may need to add or subtract soil to place it at the correct level.

Next, gently fill the area around the plant with more soil, packing lightly with your fingertips or the handle of a wooden spoon to ensure that there are no large air pockets. Carefully tap the pot a few times to settle contents. Finally, water very lightly, add more soil if necessary, and place the plant in an area away from drafts and direct sunlight until it has had a chance to recover from its trauma.

Does it Just Need More Room to Grow?

If you are sure that your plant has received the best of soil, light, and watering conditions, but it definitely needs repotting, try this approach instead.

Remove the slightly moistened plant as previously mentioned. DO NOT LOOSEN THE ROOTS - you want the root ball to retain its shape. Use a very sharp butcher knife (not a serrated bread knife) - gently sawing about one inch off the bottom of the root ball. Gently loosen as much dirt as possible from the roots. Form a mound of soil in the pot and position as above, adding more soil and protecting from extremes of light and temperature for a week or so.

Spider Plants

Do not be in too big a rush to repot spider plants. 'Spidering' is triggered by overcrowding.

Establish a Routine

Some home gardeners repot their plants once every year, using the same treasured pots. Plants treated in this way do very well. Every potting cycle provides them with fresh nutrients. The old soil and roots can be composted and recycled.

Make Greenery a Part of your Life

Plants magically transform our homes, malls, and offices. They provide us with oxygen and filter impurities from the air. Even occupants of the tiniest apartments can protect the environment and their own health by carefully cultivating some indoor greenery.

Kathy is a webmaster and author with a green thumb who writes for several sites, including 1st Rate Articles, 111 Travel Directory, Adult Escapes, and others.

Setting Up A Goldfish Pond

2009-05-29T22:40:00.000+07:00

Goldfish ponds are a beautiful addition to any garden and a stunning focal point. Goldfish ponds have been admired in Asia for centuries, especially in China and Japan. Today, you will find goldfish ponds all over the world, including Europe and North America. Since the Goldfish hails from a wild carp that can live in cold water, the Goldfish will survive outdoors during the winter even in colder parts of the world. In some regions it is however advisable to house your fish indoors during the roughest months since it can suffocate in a pond if the ice freezes across the entire surface.

Goldfish can be kept in ponds as well as in aboveground pools. It is recommended to plant your pond/pool since goldfish will feel much safer in a planted environment. It will also be able to hide among the plants in order to avoid predators. A lot of animals like to chase and eat goldfish, including cats, birds and raccoons. Sometimes plants are not enough to guard your fish and you will be forced to cover the pond with netting during the night. In an above ground pool with straight sides, the predators will be unable to wade in and must instead perch themselves at the edge of the pool when looking for prey. This will usually be noticed by your Goldfish and it can seek shelter deep down in the pool.

A planted goldfish pond is easier to maintain since the plants will aid you in keeping up the water quality. Live plants can use organic compounds excreted by fish as nutrition. This means that the organic waste will be absorbed by the plant instead of staying in the water and polluting it. Live plants will also inhibit algae growth since plants and algae compete for the same nutrients. If you still experience excess algae growth, you might be feeding your Goldfish too much. If you feed your fish a lot of food, they will subsequently produce a lot of waste and there will be plenty of nutrients for plants as well as algae in the water. Some algae are a natural part of any pond or aquarium, but excessive algae growth should be counteracted since it is unhealthy for the fish. Keep in mind that if you use a chemical to kill the algae, or if an algaecide is involuntary introduced to the pond, the dead and decaying algae will use up a lot of oxygen and your Goldfish might suffocate and die. Using natural methods to combat algae, such as plants, is therefore recommended.

When you have filled your Goldfish pond you should treat the water with a water conditioner if you use tap water containing chlorine and/or ammonia to fill your pond. Check that the water temperature in the pond is at least 60 o F before you add any fish. A common beginner mistake is to add all the Goldfish simultaneously to their new home. This will cause a rapid change in water quality since the bacterial colonies that inhabit the pond are too small to process the sudden increase in organic waste. Instead, you should ideally add one or two fish and allow the bacterial colonies to grow larger before you add any new fish. This will naturally also depend on the size of your pond and if you are using any type of filtration. In a large pond, excess waste will be dilute by a very large amount of water and therefore less likely to reach concentrations high enough to harm you fish. Good filtration will also help removing organic waste and other toxins from the water.

So, how much Goldfish can I fill my pond with? As a rule of thumb, one Goldfish per 30 gallons is recommended, but this is naturally a very imprecise ratio. As mentioned earlier, the water quality is one of the limiting factors. Plenty of water, developed bacterial colonies and good filtration will make it possible for you to house a larger number of Goldfish. There are three basic types of filtration: biological, mechanical and chemical. Biological filtration will be taken care of by the mentioned bacterial colonies. A mechanical filter will filter the water through some form of filtering media where larger debris will get caught. The most common form of chemical filtration is the addition of carbon to the mechanical filter, where the carbon will bind various types of toxins.

Another important factor to keep in mind when you decide how much fish you wish to add to your pond is aeration. Fish require air to breath and will suffocate in a poorly aerated pond, especially if decaying plant matter consumes a lot of the dissolved oxygen. In an open pond, there will however be a considerable gas exchange between the water and the surrounding air. The larger the surface area of your pond, the more oxygen will be brought to the water. A large surface area will also make it easier for the water to release carbon dioxide. Plants in the pond will also produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide. In some ponds, this will however not be enough and if you want to be able to house a large number of Goldfish some type of aeration is recommended.

Read more about garden ponds or Goldfish and types of Goldfish.

What Are The Best Types of Outdoor Lights For Your Home?

2009-05-27T23:00:00.000+07:00

Always read the manufacturer?s instructions and labels to make sure that the product is weatherproof and safe for outdoor use. Types of outdoor lights that are the safest have an approved transformer which converts 240 volts to a very low voltage supply. The most extra-low types of outdoor lights are light sculptures, fairy, rope and bud lighting.

If you are placing lights on either side of your front door, you can choose traditional lantern styles or a more contemporary look. For just one side of the door, place the wall light about one-third the height of the door. For two on either side, you can put them at a quarter of the door?s height. Keep in mind that a well-lit entrance to your home both increases safety and convenience as well as enhancing your property value.

For types of outdoor lights that light up more of your yard, the effect should mimic moonlight. Especially for uplighting (similar to a small spotlight form the ground) conceal the fixture behind shrubs, tree branches and other foliage, unless the light fixture itself is a decorative element. Enjoy the cozy and welcoming feel that your home possesses with the right types of outdoor lights. You can put umbrella lights on your patio umbrellas, post lights in the darker corners of your yard, and lantern lights along the deck. Whichever types of outdoor lights suit your personal preference and landscaping d?cor, know that the effort to research and install them will be well worth it!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, recreation, education and d?cor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles about holiday d?cor, please visit Outdoor Lights.

Ficus Tree

2009-05-25T22:40:00.000+07:00

Ficus is a genus in the Moraceae family. The genus contain around 800 species; from vines and shrubs to woody trees. A majority of the fucus species originates from the tropical regions, but some also grow wild in subtropical and temperate zones.

One of the most well known ficus species is the Ficus carica, a plant known as the Common Ficus. This ficus produce a fruit called a fig that is an appreciated fruit in many parts of the world. The Ficus carica is therefore commercially grown and the figs harvested and exported. Many other ficus species will also produce edible fruits, but they are less popular and rarely grown commercially.

The fruits of the fig trees develop from a specially adapted flower. The fig fruits are so called accessory fruits; syconiums. The fruit is globular and has a small opening located in one end. This opening is named ostiole. Inside the fruit your will find a hollow area that is outlined by small edible seeds. The colour of the seeds is red.

Ficus plants come in two sexes: female plants and hermaphrodite plants. They relay on wasps to pollinate them, and the small ostiole is an opening developed especially for the wasp to crawl through. The hermaphrodite plants are sometimes called caprifigs, since they are less tasty and ?only goats will eat them?. It is inside these caprifigs that the pollinating wasps grow up, sheltered by the fruit.

Another popular ficus species is the Sacred Fig, Ficus religiosa. The Sacred Fig is found in many parts of the world and it therefore known by many names. In regions were Sinhalese is spoken, the tree is named Bo. In other regions, commonly used names are Pipal, Peepul and Ashwattha. The Ficus religiosa originates from the region from India to southwest China, and from Indochina to Vietnam. The Sacred Fig grows very large; up to 30 meters. The trunk can reach a size of 3 meters in diameter. It is a semi-evergreen or dry season deciduous species.

The Sacred Fig is considered sacred in many parts of Asia since it is hallowed by followers of the Buddhist, Hindu and Jainism religions. Some Muslims will also consider certain Ficus trees sacred. According to legend, Siddhartha Gautama sat under a Sacred Fig when he became enlightened and turned into Buddha. Ascetics and yoga practitioners still like to meditate under Sacred Figs. Two of the most famous Sacred Figs are the Bodhi tree and the Sri Maha Bodhi.

The Bodhi tree is probably a clone descendant of the tree under which Siddhartha Gautama is believed to have received enlightenment. It is growing at the Mahabodhi Temple in the state of Bihar in India. Today, it is a very large and ancient tree. Pilgrims flock around the Bodhi tree and it is one of the most important holy sites for Buddhists.

Sri Maha Bodhi is another famous Sacred Fig. Just like the Bodhi tree in India, this tree is believed to originate from the Sacred Fig under which Siddhartha Gautama sat. Sri Maha Bodh grows in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka and was planted there in 288 B.C. This makes it one of the oldest living trees that we know have been planted by humans, and also one of the oldest with a known planting date.

Read more info about Ficus trees and Ficus tree care

Iris Species and Care

2009-05-23T22:40:00.000+07:00

Iris is the name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Iridaceae. The various Iris species have showy and beautiful flowers which make them popular in gardens and in floral arrangements. The name Iris is derived from the Latin name for rainbow, since Iris flowers exists in an abundance of color variations. The term Iris in not only used to describe the genus, it is also the common name for the comprised species. Sometimes similarly looking showy flowering species from related genera is also called Iris flowers.

If you care for your planted Iris, you can enjoy it for many years to come since it is a perennial flower. Iris flowers growing in warm regions can grow throughout the year, while Iris flowers in colder regions will grow and flower only during the summer. If the climate is very dry and water is scarce, the will Iris will form bulbs. When water is more abundant, the Iris will instead spread via rhizomes. Since Iris can survive even in dry regions, they are very popular in California and Florida. Many Iris species appreciate regions where the nights are cool and the days hot. Ideally, you should plant your Iris in the shade since it can be harmed by strong direct sunlight.

As mentioned above, the Iris flower is showy and very beautiful. It can be obtained in a wide range of color variations. The flower is typically shaped like a fan with six petals. The three inner petals are named ?standards?, while the three other petals are named ?falls?. The standards will rise above the rest of the flower and try to attract pollinators. Some Iris types have a ?beard?, i.e. the upper surface of the outer petals has a beard like feature. This beard is a service for pollinators; since they can land and grab hold of to the beard when they consume nectar.

The Iris smells nice, but the fragrance is not particularly strong. The flower is located on a tall stem and an Iris will typically form a lot of flowers on one single stem. The Iris stems vary between the different Irises and can be hollow as well as solid, and simple and well as branched. The Iris leaves are shaped like small swords.

Delicately blossomed Iris plants are called ?Freesisas?. The first Freesias were white and yellow, but today you can purchase hybrids in many different colors. You can for instance select blue, lilac, violet, pink and salmon colored Freesias. Freesisas have a delightful scent.

They are more delicate than the other Iris flowers and you should not plant them in a region where the temperature can drop below 26 degrees. Freesisas are therefore popular indoor plants in the colder regions of the world. If you want to have an Iris that is similar to a Freesia, but with more vivid flowers, you should take a look at the Sparaxis plants. Sparaxis flowers are related to the Freesias, but form even more flamboyant flowers.

More information about types of the Iris flower such as the Bearded Iris flower

Free Landscape Designs

2009-05-21T22:40:00.000+07:00

Free landscape designs can serve as a good reference to gather ideas for your land. Especially if you do not have much time to invest in thinking of a design and layout for your landscape, it is preferable to find ideas from other landscape designs. The pictures and information is available either on the Internet or in catalogs and magazines.

The Internet is full of advice and tips on designing your landscape. After you have chalked out the area to be landscaped, you can plan how you want it to look. While having a look at free designs, ensure that they suit the architecture of your building and merge with its backdrop. If you like the landscape design, check that its size is similar to your land size. Otherwise, the design and layout may not look nice on your land. Check what accessories are used in the landscape design. It would be better to shortlist what types of plants, trees, water bodies, pathways and lighting you require, and then find matching designs. This way you need not look at irrelevant or unsuitable plans.

There are even some free landscape design software programs also available, like Smartdraw, that let you design your land from scratch. All information related to landscape designs, like shapes, styles, methodology and plants, is also available in abundance. So if you can invest some time, you can gain access to this information for free. Otherwise you can get these inputs from landscape design books, but they will cost money. In case you only want to pick an idea from other landscape designs, there are lots of photos you can find on sites like About.com. So it is better to go through these designs and analyze their pros and cons so you can pick up the best-suited design for your landscape. It can be quick and cost-effective for you.

Landscape Design provides detailed information on Landscape Design, Landscape Design Software, Free Landscape Designs, Landscape Design Plans and more. Landscape Design is affiliated with Landscaping Ideas.

Separating Pups of Bromeliad Reblooming Bromeliads

2009-05-19T22:40:00.000+07:00

Bromeliads are a popular house plant and many people wonder how they can make them reflower and enjoy the long lasting colors again to brighten their home. Does this sound like you?

For instance take the variety Guzmania Rana. After the flower has said goodbye the plant will just sit in the pot for years. Will it reflower? Does the plant need re-potting? What are those little pups coming from the base of the mother plant?

The Rana Guzmania variety is a hybrid in the Bromeliad family which consist of a wide variety of monocarpic plants. From edible pineapples to Spanish moss hanging in the southern states. What exactly a monocarpic plant? The easy description - the plant dies after it flowers. This death may occur very slowly, but during it's downward slide the Guzmania should produce between 1 to 3 pups or offsets which you can separate and grow into a new mature, ready to bloom plant.

To get stared the plant needs to have some pups. Does the plant have little offsets or pups? The pups can live on the mother plant for a long time but it's usually best to remove them once the new plants reach about one-third to one-half the original plants size.

Once removed pot each plant individually in it's own pot. Of course the next question is - how do you do that?

For starters, the plant needs to be separated from the main plant. Where the pup attaches to the mother plant remove the soil, if the pup is about one-third the size of the original plant give a gentle pull or tug to separate the two plants. If this does not work and the plant does not pull away it's time for some quick surgery to easily cut the pup away from where it attaches to the mother plant.

Before potting your new plant let it sit exposed to the open air but not the sun for a day. This allows the cut area to dry.

Using a good potting soil like a 60/40 mixture of peat moss and perlite pot up the bromeliad cutting into a small pot. Keep the soil mix damp but not wet and place the plant in bright light - again no full sun or direct light. If possible try to keep the temperature over 65 degrees.

Do not expect flowers to burst out into flower right away. The bromeliad can take a few years to reach a mature blooming size. Once the plant reaches a mature size you can force flowers by placing the plant in a clear plastic bag and adding a ripe apple for 7 to 10 days. The ripe apple gives off ethylene gas and helps force the plant to flower. As a side note - this is great little plant science experiment for students.

Do not over pot and give the plant lots of bright light and water regularly.

If all the potting stuff sounds too much to work. Do nothing and enjoy the plant as is.

Thomas Fryd writes for http://www.plant-care.com where you can learn more Indoor House Plant Secrets and receive a free weekly newsletter on house plants.

Tulip Trees The King of the Magnolias

2009-05-17T22:40:00.000+07:00

The Tulip Tree has got its name from its tulip shaped flowers. The flowers of a Tulip Tree are located at great heights and typically reach a size of 2.5 inches. The Tulip Tree produces monoecious flowers with yellow-green petals. The corolla has a beautiful vivid orange shade. Some people find the leaves of the Tulip Tree similar to tulips too, at least with a little imagination. The leaves are four lobed and have a notch at the tip. A Tulip Tree leaf will typically reach a length of 4-6 inches in diameter. The leaf colour is bright green and will turn yellow in autumn.

The Tulip Tree is sometimes called ?The King of the Magnolias?. It is called Liriodendron tulipifera in Latin, and it belongs to the Family Magnoliaceae. The Tulip Tree is related to the Chinese Tulip Tree (Liriodendron Chinese).

The Tulip Tree is utilized as timber and is very appreciated among carpenters since the wood is easy to work with. Tulip Tree wood has a pale yellow color and is particularly popular in furniture, wood carvings, cabinetry, veneer, jewelry boxes and musical instruments. Earlier, the Tulip Tree was frequently used in canoes created by Native Americans. The Tulip Tree bark has been used as a substitute for cinchona in traditional remedies.

The popular Tulip Tree is known by many names in English, including Canoewood, Saddletree, Tulipwood, Whitewood, Canary Whitewood and American Whitewood. The Tulip Tree is not a poplar, but it is still commonly referred to as Tulip poplar, Hickory poplar, White poplar and Yellow poplar.

Apart from being an appreciated timber tree, the Tulip tree is also planted as a shade tree and ornamental tree. It is a remarkably fast growing tree and can grow 50 feet tall in eleven years.

During spring and early summer it will blossom with beautiful flowers. The twigs of a Tulip Tree will turn red and become shiny during the winter, which will add colour to the garden.

The fruits of the Tulip Tree are also very beautiful. Immature fruits are green and will gradually turn brown as they mature. In fall, they will be ripe and have the shape of small cones. Tulip Tree fruits are popular among squirrels, rodents, rabbits, birds and other wild animals. Bees and butterflies will instead eat the nectar from the flowers, and the deer will happily browse the new twigs.

The Tulip Tree is though, adaptable and will withstand most tree diseases and pests. Plant your Tulip Tree in moist and nutritious soil, ideally close to water. Tulip Trees are very found of moist soil and will often grow near marshlands, streams and rivers. Acid soil should be avoided. The Tulip Tree requires direct sunlight, but this is usually not a problem since the Tulip Tree grows fast and becomes very tall. The oldest known Tulip Trees are older than 15 years.

In North America, Tulip Trees are found from the Great Lakes to Florida in the south. Forest growing Tulip Trees will typically reach a height of 100 feet and form a tall limb-free bole. If a Tulip Tree is planted in a more open area, it will instead grow a pyramid shaped crown that eventually turns oval with age.

Read more about tulip trees and African tulip trees

Calla Lilies Flowers for All Occasions

2009-05-15T22:40:00.000+07:00

The Calla Lilies are plants belonging to the Zantedeschia genus in the Araceae family. The genus contains seven plant species and they are all commonly referred to as Calla Lillies. Some of them have other common names as well. Zantedeschia aethiopica is also known as giant white arum lily and common arum lily. Zantedeschia albomaculata is sometimes sold as spotted arum lily, and Zantedeschia rehmannii is known as the pink arum lily. Zantedeschia elliottiana has a yellow shade and is therefore called yellow or golden arum lily. The other three species, Zantedeschia odorata, Zantedeschia jucunda and Zantedeschia pentlandii, are usually called just Calla Lilies.

All the Calla Lilies originate from the African continent and are found wild between north Malawi and South Africa. They are often referred to as Arum Lilies. The Calla Lilies should not be confused with the flowers found in the genus named Calla that can be found in the Araceae family. This genus contains only one species, the Calla palustris, and unlike the Calla Lilies, this plant is native to cool regions in the temperate zoon and grows wild in Europe, North America and northern Asia. Another source of confusion regarding the Calla Lilies is that they actually do not belong to the family of the lilies.

The Calla Lilies are all rhizomatous plants that can reach a height of 1-2.5 meters. The leaves will grow up to 45 centimetres. The name Calla is derived from the Greek language and means ?beautiful? and this is a very appropriate name since the Calla Lilies are appreciated world wide for their exquisite beauty. In regions too cold for these flowers, they are cultivated indoors in homes and greenhouses. When you plant your Calla Lily, it is important that the soil is free from salt since Calla Lilies are very sensitive to salt. As long as you provide your Calla Lily with appropriate soil, plenty of water and lot of sunlight it is actually a though and durable plant that grows fast. Use a nutritious soil that drains easily. Place your Calla Lily in direct sunlight or light shade. Calla Lilies will do best when the temperatures are kept over 70 degrees F.

An outdoor living Calla Lily will usually require no fertilization as long as it has been planted in rich soil. Indoor Calla Lilies, or outdoor Calla Lilies that are planted in pots, should be given liquid plant food regularly. You can either mix a very weak plant food solution and use every time you water your Calla Lily, or mix a little stronger ? but still quite mild ? solution and feed your plant every three weeks.

When the blossoming period is over, you should allow the foliage of the plant to mature. Remove the flowers as the start to fade and wither. Slowly decrease the amount of water until the leaves have turned black. The tubers need at least 3 months to rest before they can bloom again. Since the Calla Lily grows fast it will eventually require repotting, and this is the ideal time to do so.

Read More information about Calla lilies and their use as in everything from gardens to Calla lily bouquet

Hibiscus Tropical Beauty

2009-05-13T22:40:00.000+07:00

The Hibiscus genus comprises more than 200 different species. Hibiscus species are found in tropical and subtropical regions, as well as in temperate climates. It is a broad genus that contains herbaceous plants, shrubs and even small trees.

Hibiscus plants are popular in gardens and flower arrangements, since the plants produce astonishingly beautiful flowers on a tall stem. You can choose between wide range of different Hibiscus colours, including the popular red, pink, orange, violet, lavender, yellow and white variants. A Hibiscus flower can reach a size of 4-15 centimetres across and is equipped with five petals. Hibiscus leaves are toothed or lobed and have a deep green shade.

Hibiscus plants will require quite a lot of light, and a majority of the Hibiscus species origins from warm regions of the world. Most Hibiscus species will prefer to be planted where the temperature ranges from 60 to 90 degrees F during most parts of the day. These plants are tougher than many other tropical and subtropical species and will usually survive quite low temperatures as long as they are not prolonged. A cold night can for instance make the plant shed its leaves and buds, but it will survive and eventually begin to form new leaves and buds. You can keep a Hibiscus plant in areas where the temperatures drop below 50 degrees F, but these Hibiscuses will rarely flower. When it does flower, the blossoms will typically be very small and sometimes look a little weird. In a cold climate, you should not give your Hibiscus too much water since this will increase the risk of fungal infections. Temperatures below the freezing point should always be avoided.

If you take care of your Hibiscus, it will begin to produce buds. Hibiscus buds are typically big and tight. Unfortunately, Hibiscus buds are often attacked by worms and insects that can kill the entire bud. When the buds open up and begin to blossom, you can protect them from parasite attacks by regularly spraying them with water.

You can make the Hibiscus flowers last longer by providing them with water and protect them from severe heat. Heavy downpour can harm Hibiscus flowers. If the Hibiscus plant is exposed to temperatures above 95 degrees F, it can begin to drop its buds. This can sometimes be prevented by giving your Hibiscus plant a lot of water and creating some type of shade for it. The plant itself will have no problem surviving temperatures above 100 degrees F as long as it does not become dehydrated.

Pruning your Hibiscus is recommended since Hibiscus plants tend to produce flowers on their new shoots. You can cut off shoots and use in flower arrangements, but they will usually last no longer than 24 hours. If you cut off an almost opened bud you can protect it in the refrigerator until its time to use it.

Hibiscus plants needs a lot of minerals to do well, including manganese, iron and copper. Giving them some form of flower nutrition or fertilizer is therefore a good idea. Ask your florist for more specified instructions regarding your particular soil and Hibiscus species.

Read more about different types of Hibiscus flower such as the Hawaiian Hibiscus flowers

Conversion Tables (U.S.)

2009-05-11T22:40:00.000+07:00

These are the conversion tables that are needed in a landscaper?s routine day. Some are hard to recall when needed. Hope they will help you in your landscaping duties. Use for calculation so you don?t over order your landscape supplies. There is nothing worst than to order a big load of material dump it on your driveway and find out you order the wrong amount. I have not experienced that for some time. You learn to double check your figures. You might need to go my other article on TABLE OF CONVERSION FACTORS will help you to convert from to what you need and multiply by. Example is to (convert cubic feet) to (gallons) X multiply by 7.48 Rule of thumb in landscaping (measure twice order once)

Linear Measure
?1 foot ? 12 inches
?1 yard ? 3 feet
?1 mile ? 1760 yards ? 5280 feet

Square Measure
?1 square foot ? 144 square inches
?1 square yard ? 9 square feet
?1 acre ? 43560 square feet ? 4840 square yards
?1 square mile ? 640 acres

Cubic Measure
?1 cubic foot ? 1728 cubic inches 29.922 liquid quarts = 7.48 gallons
?1 cubic yard ? 27 cubit feet

Liquid Capacity Measure
?1 tablespoon ? 3 teaspoons
?1 fluid ounce ? 2 tablespoons
?1 cup ? 8 fluid ounces
?1 pint ? 2 cups ? 16 fluid ounces
?1 quart ? 2 pints ? 32 fluid ounces
?1 gallon ? 4 quarts ? 8 pints ? 128 fluid ounces

Weight Measure
?1 pound (lb.) ? 16 ounces
?1 ton ? 2000 pounds

William Dittman owner of Custom Landscape and Irrigation. Contact bill @ http://www.customlandscapeandirrigation.com Bill is the see it before you buy landscaper.

Flower Crabapples: A Baker's Dozen

2009-05-09T22:40:00.000+07:00

Plant ?em if you?ve got ?em. If you don?t have ?em, get ?em. They are not referred to as ?Jewel of the Landscape? by accident. Those wonderful ornamental flowering crabapples offer a distinct landscape feature for every single season, are easy to grow, generally require little maintenance and somewhere at a local nursery or garden center there is one with your name on it.

First, let?s chat a bit about crabapples. Both apples and crabapples are in the rose family (Rosaceae) and the genus, Malus. This is where size really matters. Trees that produce fruit in excess of two inches in diameter are considered to be apples. Trees that produce fruit two inches or less in size are considered crabapples.

There are several wonderful varieties of crabapples such as Dolgo and Hopa that do produce fruit large enough for nibbling on and which are more frequently used for making jelly. What we will be sharing in this article, however, is information about a baker?s dozen of my favorite ornamental crabapples. Here we go.

1. Malus ?Adams? (Adams Crabapple) has a rounded shape with a mature height of approximately 25? and spread of 20?. It is adorned with pink flowers, orange to red fall color and ?? to 5/8? red fruit which holds well into the winter. Considered hardy in zones 4-7, it also has good disease resistance.

2. Malus ?Indian Magic? (Indian Magic Crabapple) is somewhat vase shaped in form, with a height of 18? and spread that is similar. It has red buds that open to deep pink flowers, and has glossy orange to red ?? fruit that persists all winter. The foliage is dark green, turning orange to reddish in the fall. This one is disease resistant and considered hardy in zones 4-7.

3. Malus ?Donald Wyman? (Donald Wyman Crabapple) exhibits a rounded form at maturity with a height and spread of approximately 20? each. It has large white flowers, 3/8? red fruit which persists well into the winter, and glossy green summer foliage. Hardy in zones 4-7 it has excellent disease resistance.

4. Malus ?Liset? (Liset Crabapple) is an 18? high by 15? wide spread and has a dense rounded form. Its flowers are a deep red color, the foliage is shiny purplish, and the fruit is ?? red to maroon in color. It is very disease resistant and rated for zones 4-7.

5. Malus ?Pink Spires? (Pink Spires Crabapple) is one of my favorites where space is limited, because it is upright in form and only has a 12? spread. It can even be used in boulevards for this very reason. It ultimately attains a height of 20?, has profuse pink flowers and small, dark red fruit. The foliage is reddish in the spring, becoming green to bronze during the summer. This crab has great hardiness, being rated for zones 2-7.

6. Malus ?Profusion? (Profusion Crabapple) becomes a 20? high tree with a 25? spread at maturity. It exhibits bronze foliage in the spring, becoming more green over time. The flowers are reddish with a pink center and the fruit is a deep red. It has shown good disease resistance and is rated for zones 4-7.

7. Malus ?Red Jade? (Red Jade Crabapple) is my favorite of all the crabs. It reaches a maximum height of 10? with a spread of 12?, has a distinctive weeping form and extremely interesting branching habit. Although a zone 4-7 tree, I have one that is doing famously here in the northern reaches of zone 3. With a little protection from the winter winds and rabbits, it has been a real success story for us. In addition to its branching characteristics it exhibits white to pale pink flowers and nice green summer foliage. As I now look out my window on this mid-January morning, I observe the small red fruit contrasting with the fresh snow. This crab really makes a statement along the edge of an ornamental pond or waterway or in a secluded courtyard.

8. Malus ?Red Splendor? (Red Splendor Crabapple) has an upright spreading form with a height and spread both of 20?. It is adorned with single pink flowers, small red fruit persisting through the winter and foliage that turns reddish purple in the fall. A zone 3-7 tree, it has shown excellent disease resistance.

9. Malus ?Royal Gem? (Royal Gem Crabapple) has a very small and compact form with a height and width both being 5? ? 8?. This zone 3-7 variety has red flowers, yellow fall color and great disease resistance. Because of its small stature it makes a great accent or specimen plant.

10. Malus ?Royalty? (Royalty Crabapple) displays a height and spread each of 20? and an upright rounded form. Its flowers are dark red, the fruit deep red and up to ?? and it has glossy red to purplish foliage all summer. This zone 3-7 tree is very hardy and also blight resistant.

11. Malus sargentii (Sargent Crab) is a very small spreading crabapple with dark green foliage, fragrant ?? flowers with red buds opening to white. The small red fruits hold on until the birds get them. It achieves a height of up to 8? and a spread of 15? or more. A zone 4-7 plant it is one of the very best specimen crabapples available.

12. Malus ?Snowdrift? (Snowdrift Crabapple) is one extremely hardy hombre that will brighten any yard. It has been a favorite of mine for many years, displaying pink buds opening to masses of white flowers, has glossy green summer foliage and small orange to red fruit which holds well into the winter. Its zone 3-7 hardiness makes it very useful in the north country.

13. Malus ?Spring Snow? (Spring Snow Crabapple) is an unusual variety in that it does not fruit. It attains a mature height of 20? with a spread of 15?, is somewhat upright in form, has pink buds opening to white flowers and has glossy green summer foliage. Although a zone 4-7 tree, I have used it with good results in zone 3. It displays good heat tolerance as well as disease resistance.

While there are many other nice crabapples to select from, this is a pretty good list to start with. Grace your yard in the spring with those beautiful blooms, in the summer with the developing fruit and lovely foliage, in the fall with the changing colors and mature fruit, and winter brings a wonderful view of the branching structure, the persistent fruit and if you are lucky a visit by the Bohemian or Cedar Waxwings. If you don?t already have a flowering crabapple, by all means bring home one of these orphans from your local garden center. You will be glad you did.

William Henry is a co-owner of Gizmo Creations LLC, a landscape and website design company, located in the Brainerd Minnesota Lakes Area. Henry is a licensed landscape architect and has over 20 years of landscape design experience. For more articles on landscape design and a forum where you can post your questions on landscape design and plants go to Gizmo's website at http://www.gizmocreations.com

Gardening and Flowers

2009-05-07T22:40:00.000+07:00

Gardening is one of life?s pleasures whether you grow flowers, vegetables or herbs; we look forward to the planting season. But whether you are new or seasoned gardener, it?s important to remember a few basic things.

If you want to improve your landscaping then start with the basics. Your soil. Is your soil sandy, a rich black or dense with clay? The type of soil you have will determine what kind of plants you will purchase. Of course you can buy rich soil to supplement a soil deficient in nutrients and oxygen. You can also purchase or make your own beneficial mulch. If you are unsure about your soil, ask a local nursery. They can guide you in making the right choice for your garden.

Once you you?ve determined what type of soil you are dealing with then you can get down to designing your landscape. Step back and have a look at your yard and home. You need to look at several factors: Do you have children who will be playing in the yard? If so then keep that in mind when you are designing. You?ll want to a lot a playing space for them that doesn?t interfere with your design structure. Look at the color and line structure of your home. You?ll want to accent it with greens and flowers. You can take a sterile looking house and transform it to a warm and inviting place. A house is an inanimate object and it?s the live plants, flowers and trees gently swaying in the wind that breath life into an otherwise still object.

As you are looking at your home and yard, entertain the idea of combining plants, shrubs and flowers of different sizes, shades, shapes and colors. For example, you may want to plant a dark green border shrub that can be easily squared off with trimming and then plant in front of that a lighter green or variegated green broad leaf plant or a bed of begonias or marigolds. If you can?t visualize what you want then I suggest getting some home and garden magazines or pictures of model homes to get an idea. Or you can even drive around the neibourhood to get your ideas. It pays to do your homework.

Another thing to consider when you are planning your garden is combining herbs with your flowers or shrubs. Not only do they have varied colors and shapes that can compliment your garden, you also have the benefit fresh herbs in your kitchen when you need it.

Part of the appeal for gardening is designing it and then making it happen. It is a rewarding and relaxing experience that continues throughout the years as you add to or change your garden as you please.

Enjoy!

Willie Jones

Willie is a freelance writer, researcher, floral designer, and artist. Thanks very much for reading this far. Please come and visit us at: http://www.artinspires.com/for an inspirational poster or two

?Make sure you enroll in the free motivational poster drawing. All winners receive a free framed print.?

Make Your Fresh Cut Roses Last Longer!

2009-05-05T22:40:00.000+07:00

Women adore getting flowers, most especially roses, as it is a symbol of love and affection. Price of roses vary from state to state and flower shop to flower shop. Regardless, it is an investment that you want to have last as long as possible. So here are some steps you can take to ensure they last

1)If you have roses and greens wrapped and you want to arrange them in a vase, the first step is to get a bowl of warm water, and with a sharp knife slice the ends slantwise under water. You do it this way for two reasons. 1) Cutting slantwise ensures that the opening is big enough to draw water, as they drink a lot, and 2) cutting under water ensures that the cut end doesn?t get an air pocket blocking them from drinking.

2)For best results put them in a vase of warm water and a package of flower food and if possible refrigerate for 2 hours. You?ll want them to drink well. Note, if you don?t have flower food, you can use a spoon of sugar and a few drops of bleach. The bleach will kill bacteria in the water.

3)Before you place your roses in a vase, Take each rose stem and take off the leaves that may be below the water line, but don?t take them all off because the greens contribute to the overall look of the arrangement.

4)Now the next step goes against what most florists will tell you. If at all possible, if the thorns are not too big, I suggest you do not take them off. The reason for this is that it causes the rose stem to be wounded. This leaves them open to bacteria and they?ll wilt quicker. If you have to take some of them off then take your thumb, put it on the side of the thorn and pop it off. This is the least invasive way to get them off.

5)Change the water daily.

6)If an arrangement has arrived to you already made, then you need to change the water daily, feed them and do a fresh cut on the bottom. Check to see if any leaves are below the water line and remove.

Follow these simple steps and you?ll enjoy your roses much longer.

On another note; if you are allergic to flowers (or even if your not) it is nice to give yourself a floral motivational poster. You?ll still have a visual of flowers.

I hope this helps. Enjoy!

Willie Jones

?Make sure you enroll in the free motivational poster drawing. All winners receive a free framed print.?

New York Flowers

2009-05-03T22:40:00.000+07:00

Flowers in New York have a wide range of selection and variety. Rose is the popular flower variety, which you can see in a huge selection. It also happens to be the state flower of New York. Florists in New York provide an interactive way to buy and to send the flowers of your own preferences. New York flowers have various florists who provide you with a wide range of floral arrangements. It offers you different arrangements of floral selections for any different occasion. The teams in New York flowers help you to send your message quickly.

New York flowers have a wide range of floral arrangements with huge selection. It varies from a dozen long stem roses, intricate flower arrangements, large bunch of balloons ? the list goes on. New York flower providers make it all for you. It gives the maximum enjoyment and satisfaction by providing you the freshest blossom flowers.

New York flowers can really make a big impact on the one who receives it. The most popular varieties of New York flowers are Natural, Romantic, Traditional, Contemporary, and Expressive. It offers you the New York State flower in large selections, the various shops that you can buy and send, the flower markets, the New York flower districts, the New York flower delivery and the New York Wholesale flowers.

There are many New York Florists that are available in your city. Factors like increasing competitiveness and high reliability in delivery make most of the florists strive to offer you the best in the market. Few of the major florists like the Rochester New York Flowers provide you exquisitely handcrafted floral presentations. New York flowers provide you only farm fresh flowers directly from the grower.

New York flowers enclose a floral preservative with each bouquet, providing your flowers extra life. New York flowers help you to save yourself from holiday stress, by consulting with you about your floral needs for occasions like Valentine?s Day, Mother?s Day, the holiday season, anniversaries, and birthdays. New York flowers make every day extra special, just by showing loved ones how truly they are appreciated.

New York Flowers provides detailed information on New York Flower Delivery, New York Flower District, New York Flower Market, New York Flower Shops and more. New York Flowers is affiliated with Thanksgiving Flower Gifts.

Flower Gift Baskets

2009-05-01T22:40:00.000+07:00

Flowers are symbolic of love, thoughtfulness and devotion. Hence, giving flowers as gifts has always been popular, and continues to be so. Now it?s easier than ever to buy different flower varieties and even flower baskets from flower shops.

Flower gift baskets have advantages over regular flower gifts, because they are generally more elegantly designed, more prestigious, and often more personalized. For this reason, flower gift baskets tend to be more expensive. But the money you will spend on them is money well-spent. You have a wide array of choices, and can even have customized arrangements, styles, and basket designs made. You are also free to choose which flower cuts, varieties, colors and sizes you want.

Looking for great offers on baskets of flowers need not be daunting at all. All you need is to do a little research. Browsing and reading about flowers may help you. Magazines offer information that you need, such as lifespans of specific flower species, what flowers are best for basket arrangements, and where you can find them.

But your personal instinct also counts. Ask yourself?what will your recipient like best? You also need to be patient and resourceful. If you do not find the flowers you want from one shop, go the extra mile and look for another. Remember to buy only from flower shops with a good reputation.

The Internet is home to many flower shops that carry flower gift baskets for different purposes and occasions. You can either email them or pick up the phone and call their toll-free numbers to inquire about offerings. Remember that different flower shops each have different payment and delivery policies. Most accept major credit and debit cards. Flower gift baskets are usually deliverable within three days, but you can order ?express? for next-day delivery if you pay extra.

Flower Gifts provides detailed information on Flower Gifts, Flower Gift Baskets, Thanksgiving Flower Gifts, Birthday Flower Gifts and more. Flower Gifts is affiliated with New York Flower District.

Why Do Flowers Inspire Me So Much?

2009-04-29T22:40:00.000+07:00

I grew up in a very cold climate where winter seemed go on for 6 months and ice, snow and barren trees is what you saw on a daily basis. Plus the bone chilling cold and cloudy skies all made for a long dreary winter.

I can remember as a child sitting by the living room window looking out at the snow, trying to remember what the grass looked like. I would sit there longing for spring and summer.

Spring to me was a promise of warm sunny days to come and I always felt my spirits lift as the snow melted and trees would start to bud. It was also the time when the lilacs bloomed and the fragrance was heavenly.

This was the time we would plant our flower gardens and the annuals would start to bloom. My mother had a thing for petunias and tiger lilies so we planted them every year. For me they were a source of fascination. I loved the colors and shapes and I would closely scrutinize them. Even as a child if I felt a bit down, I would go outside and look at the flowers and insects until I felt better. It worked every time.

One day as I was looking at the flowers I decided that when I grew up I was going to be a florist. Time went on and I forgot about it. I married and raised a family. After the kids grew up and moved away I was looking for a change of direction in my life and suddenly remembered wanting to be a florist and that is what I did.

I still find beauty in all kinds of flowers. I also developed an appreciation for trees and shrubs. I have based my floral designs on how things naturally grow. A huge old magnificent tree can be an inspiration for a floral design.

The next time you are feeling down or just need to be relieved from daily stress, try taking a walk and really look at nature. You may be surprised at the calming affect it may have on you.

Enjoy!

Willie Jones is a freelance writer, researcher, floral designer, and artist, for Art Inspires, Inc. Make sure you enroll in the free motivational poster drawing at http://www.artinspires.com

Bored With Basic Bonsai? Try These Advanced Bonsai Styles

2009-04-27T22:40:00.000+07:00

Once you have mastered the basic bonsai styles such as the formal upright style of chokkan, the informal upright style of shakan and the cascade style of kengai, you may want to try some more advanced bonsai styles for a better challenge.

Intermediate Bonsai artists may try some of the more common advanced styles such as the Bankan (Twisted), the Fukinagashi (Windswept), or the Bunjin (Literati). Here?s a brief explanation of each.

Bankan (Twisted)

Thought to have originated in China, this style features trunks that are twisted and gnarled. Some expert artists can even form them Into animal shapes, the dragon being the most popular in Japan.

There are some styles to the Bankan which include the Nejikan with a trunk is only partially turned. Another style, the Takzukuri, is also called the octopus and in this style the trunk is quite twisted with the branches following it in the shape of a vortex. This style emulates the natural wind which shapes the full-size species of the tree.

Fukinagashi (Windswept)

This style is an attempt to emulate nature?s effects on the tree but in miniature.

In the Fukinagashi style, the trunk is slanted as if it has been blown by a strong wind coming from one direction. The branches follow suit in that direction as a result of the bent growth.

This can be seen in areas near a class or a hill such as coastal regions. In these areas Fukinagashi is formed by nature.

of course, the bonsai artist cannot emulate a forceful wind and must use different means to cause the plant to grow in one direction. One could use wire, although this is most often used for the branches, and use a cord tied to a stake to force the tree to grow in the direction you want.

Oftentimes, the bonsai artist who makes sure the foliage is sparse to emulate the natural conditions where leaves would?ve been blown away by the strong winds.

Bunjin (Literati)

This is one of the most popular bonsai styles and no it is simple, it is deceptively difficult. The style consists of a thin trunk with very few branches and is inspired by Chinese paintings that show trees growing in a harsh climate. While this might sound sparse it produces rather dramatic results.

The trunk has frequent twists and branches come out at sharp upward angles giving the tree a different view from every angle. A popular species for the Bunjin style is the Japanese red Pine but it can be done using many other types of trees.

these advanced styles require a lot of skill and patience so they would be quite frustrating for the novice bonsai artists. However, once you are bored with the basics you might want to try your hand at these styles which will reward your skill and patience with beauty.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://bonsai.garden-corner.com where you can learn more about the art of bonsai and different types of bonsai trees.

Tips On How To Care For Fresh Cut Tropicals

2009-04-25T22:40:00.000+07:00

You can do your own tropical flower arrangements and add life to your office or home. Tropical flowers are generally much hardier than their softer cousins. They are brilliantly colored and have a longer shelf life especially if you care for them properly.

Here are some things you can do to maximize their life:

1)Every type of fresh cut flower will produce a certain amount of ethylene gas during shipping but this can be taken care of by immediately unwrapping them and submersing them completely in a room temperature bath or large tub of water for 10 to 20 minutes. This applies to almost all the tropicals except for the fuzzy protease and most orchids.

2)Cut the stem of your tropicals about an inch from the bottom at about a 45-degree angle. The slant ensures that the stem will draw the maximum amount of water. Do this several times during the week and you will extend their life.

3)Tropicals grow in warm rainy climates and they enjoy being wet. For this reason keep your tropicals away from drafts and cool places and direct sunlight. Spray mist them daily to keep the moisture content up. In nature tropical blooms have pods facing upward, as they like to pool water in them. You can also do this with your fresh cuts.

4)If you find that the water gets cloudy then put a few drops of bleach in the water. This helps to prevent bacteria from growing and this will not hurt the flowers.

5)Make sure that when you design your flowers in a vase that you do not have any greens below the water line. This will rapidly decay the rest of the arrangement.

6)If you have purchased bird of paradise for your arrangement and they are not open, you can gently ease them apart by taking your index finger or thumb and slowly push your way at the base of the flower and force the blooms up.

Most tropicals will last between 7 to 14 days if properly taken care of. I have seen cymbidium orchids last as long as 3 weeks. So enjoy these vibrant exotic flowers in your home or office.

Willie Jones is a freelance writer, researcher, floral designer, and artist, for Art Inspires, Inc. Make sure you enroll in the free motivational poster drawing at http://www.artinspires.com

Choosing a Greenhouse Design

2009-04-23T22:40:00.000+07:00

When you are choosing a greenhouse design, you need to look for one that is the most energy efficient. This will enable you to grow plants and flowers all throughout the year. You need to choose a design that will allow for growing both tropical and hardy flowers. A typical design would be a dome structure that features a unique combination of seven different features. These features are:

* Vents that automatically open and close depending on the temperature inside
* A polyvoltaic solar panel
* A water tank to provide heat during the night
* A solar ventilation fan
* An insulated door
* An insulated stud wall
* A horizontal undersoil insulation
* Heat pipes running underground

In this greenhouse the polycarbonate wall panels can be double or triple glazed. These panels are strong and will last a long time. 99% of the light will shine through for optimal growing conditions. The insulation in the wall will help to provide shade as well as keep the heat in for night time use. In combination with the water tank, it will keep the humidity at the right level and keep the greenhouse from overheating.

With the heating system running under the soil, a solar panel produces the electricity needed to power a fan. The fan blows hot air through the pipes that are buried in the soil beds. Thus the plants get the heat they need to grow. The insulation around the perimeter of the greenhouse prevents the frost from getting through the wall. This enables the soil to maintain an even temperature.

For lots of helpful information on greenhouse misting systems and related topics, visit The Greenhouses Guide at http://www.thegreenhousesguide.com

Bring the Smell of Nature into Your Home with These Fragrant Flowers

2009-04-21T22:40:00.000+07:00

A lot of money is spent in this country to reproduce fragrances for perfumes and air fresheners. The majority of these manufactured fragrances have alcohol and other additives that can actually irritate the membranes in your nose. Nature has done it the best and these are some of the most heavenly fragrances you?ll ever smell.

1)Hyacinth! This highly fragrant flower is actually a member of the lily family. Lily?s tend to grow much larger than the hyacinth but if you look closely at this flower you will see that the clusters of these blooms are tubular in shape just like the lily. Hyacinths have been a popular garden flower since the 17 hundreds because of the brilliance of there color (of every shade) and because of the incredible fragrance they have.

Whether you have them planted out doors or in a pot in your home, this beautiful flower will brighten up any space and give off a constant heavenly fragrance, but, it is not overpowering. I just can?t imagine a perfume that smells any better than this. And men, instead of giving her some fresh cut flowers, try giving her a hyacinth plant. It will last longer and she can replant it again next year if she wants to put it in a garden.

2)The most fragrant flowers are the pure white Casa Blanca and the dark pink Stargazer lily. They are absolutely beautiful, but beware; the fragrance they give off is so strong, that, one bouquet of lilies can fill up an entire room. Don?t place them where you are going to sit for any length of time unless, that is what you want. They don?t do well in direct sunlight or drafts so place them in a more diffused lit area. If you replace the water every couple of days and add flower food plus a new snip of the ends, you?ll have a long lasting, beautiful fragrant arrangement.

3)Tuber roses are not actually roses. Like the hyacinth, a tuber rose has a stem with clusters of flowers that are all white. Once again, the smell is fantastic. I once picked off one little petal from the cluster and put it in my car. A few hours later I return to my vehicle and was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful it smelled. My children noticed it as well. It was the perfect natural air freshener.

4)Gardenias! These flowers that bloom on trees have a very short life after they are cut, but for the little time you have them in your home is worth it. Generally gardenias are made into a corsage for special occasions, but if you don?t want to do that, you can place the flower in a low dish of water and then just leave them alone to do their work.

5)There are some roses that have been bred for their fragrance such as the peach colored Oceana rose or the Sterling Silver rose (which is actually purple). Each of these have a light perfume to them. Any of the purple roses have a wonderful smell.

You can order any of these flowers from your local florist. If they don?t have them on hand you can ask them to order some for you. In most cases, if you place an order before noon, you should be able to pick them up later in the afternoon.

Rather than putting chemicals in the air, you may want to get some flowers now and again and enjoy nature?s perfume.

Enjoy!

Willie is a freelance writer and researcher and is dedicated in bringing information on health related issues and other topics. http://www.gardeningandflowers.com

New York Flower Delivery

2009-04-19T22:40:00.000+07:00

Flower delivery in New York City is known for its skill and quality. It can be done only by a few experienced florists. New York flower delivery consists of different shops in which you can order the flowers to be delivered. The flowers can be sent by ordering in various ranges of prices.

New York flower delivery can be done by simply ordering the flowers from the florists. Many florists in New York City provide you interactive service for your convenience. It is done online just by entering their respective websites and comparing the different price ranges for the different floral arrangements. The price depends on the flower and the arrangement. In general, the price range starts from as low as $20 to $25 for a well made bouquet for your loved ones.

Florists see to your satisfaction from the quality of the flowers, any accompanying gift, where the package needs to go, and an appearance that is just the way you imagine. New York flower delivery offers you reliable and the quick service. The florists provide you fresh floral arrangements in a wide range of choices.

New York flower delivery companies also provide international delivery. Albany, Binghamton, Bronx, Rochester, and Elmira are few of the major New York flower delivery areas. Studio Arts Florist is a company that has been delivering flowers for the past 50 years, with floral arrangements done by the top designers in the industry. Floral arrangements are delivered with reasonable price categories, to maximize effective service and delivery.

Most of the leading florists come with many attractive choices, like free delivery services and same day delivery. One can afford these floral arrangements and can order flower delivery for many different occasions. New York Flower delivery offers you various assurances for price, freshness, and service.

The 5 Factors That Affect How Much Water Your Lawn Needs

2009-04-17T22:40:00.000+07:00

There are a few factors that affect how much water your lawn needs. Being familiar with these factors can help you adjust your watering practice so that you can give your lawn the optimum amount of water it needs.

1. The soil condition

Different soil has different water holding capacities. The different soil types also absorb water and dry out at different rate.

For sandy soil, it is not able to retain much water but water can penetrate the soil quickly to reach the roots. As such, you have to water your lawn more frequently.

On the other hand, clay soil holds tightly to water but it is poorly aerated. In this case, the water takes a long time to reach the roots. Therefore you have to apply more water slowly and evenly so that the soil has time to absorb it and let the water reach the roots. In general, lawns growing in clay soil do not need to be water frequently.

Loamy soil falls between very sandy and heavy clay soils. It is adequately aerated and has reasonable water holding capacity. Water can reach the roots fairly quickly too.

Most lawns are made up of more than one type of soil and thus it is advisable to pay attention to how your lawn soil is absorbing water and adjust accordingly.

2. The weather and climate

In general, the hotter the weather, the more water your lawn needs. Thus you may have to water your lawn more often in the summer seasons than the spring seasons. The same rule applies if you live in an area that is windy and low in humidity.

You can cut down the frequency of water if you live in an area with cooler temperatures and low wind. If the humidity is high or the sky is cloudy most of the time, you also do not have to water your lawn too often.

If you live in an area with a lot of rain, you probably can get away without watering your lawn.

3. Amount of shade available

A flat lawn that is fully exposed to sunlight will require more water. If there are trees in your lawn, you may water the lawn less often. However, the areas near the trees may require more water, as the tree roots will suck the ground dry very quickly.

4. The type of grass in your lawn

There are two broad classifications of grasses ? warm-season and cool-season. Warm-season grasses can adapt to hot weather very well and generally require less water. An example will be Bermuda grass. Cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass usually require less water.

However, there are some cool-season grasses can look bad from less than optimum watering and there are warm-season grass which can survive on little water. Thus it is advisable to find out the exact type of grass that your lawn has and gain a deeper understanding of its characteristics.

5. Cultural practice

If your lawn is mowed short, then you need to water it more often.If you apply more fertilizers to your lawn, the grasses will also grow faster. This means that more water is required to facilitate the growth.

The amount of water that your lawn need is usually affected by a combination of two or more of the factors mentioned above. You need to observe how your lawn reacts to your watering practice. By understanding the different factors that affect your lawn and observing your lawn?s reaction, you will be able to find out the optimum amount of water that your lawn needs to grow healthily.

Jack Greenwood is the webmaster of GreenLawnCareTips.com where he provides more information on lawn care and simple watering tips. Sign up for a free 7-part lawn care mini course at this site today!

Green Thumb Gifts: Beyond Gardening Gloves

2009-04-15T22:40:00.000+07:00

Ahh, spring! It has sprung! Gardeners (and budding gardeners - no pun intended) have begun the quest for a weedless lawn, or a bountiful garden. But if you're looking for gifts for someone with a green thumb (or someone with green thumb envy), consider the situation first.

Some people think of gardening as a chore. Others see it as relaxing. Some will see it as exercise, and still others consider it art. Some people have the magic touch in the garden, while others couldn't grow mold if they tried! This is important when considering gardening gifts. You need to know if you should give something to make gardening easier, more fulfilling, more challenging, or more fun.

For those people who see it as a chore, gardening just adds more items onto the never-ending to-do list. In this case, you need to consider gardening gifts that will make these outdoor chores easier, faster, and less of a hassle.

Power tools and storage & organization aids usually fall into this category, along with the ever popular lawn tractor. A leaf blower/vacuum can make clean-up a breeze (again - no pun intended). The same can be said for a pressure washer. Heavy jobs are made easier with a wheelbarrow or yard cart. And organizing a collection of garden tools is simple with a storage bench or shed. Other ideas include a convenient watering timer.

If your gift recipient enjoys gardening as a hobby, you'll want to take a look at gardening gifts that can bring more fulfillment or enjoyment to the outdoors. They would benefit from a magazine subscription like Garden Design, or a gardening book (Front Yard Gardens: Growing More Than Grass) to help cultivate their ideas. Garden enthusiasts like to sit back and enjoy their hard work, so patio furniture and accessories would also be a great gift.

And let's not forget the gardener wanna-be: those whom we love that just can't seem to keep that plant alive - whose thumb isn't really green at all! Start off with a how-to book like Lawn Care For Dummies or Taylor's Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, and complement that with some basic gardening tools or accessories. These types of gifts would also be great for first-time home buyers.

For the gardener who already has it all, you might want to consider something a little more unique, like an indoor grow light, solar stepping stones, or a cascading fountain. And if you're just not sure what to get, there's always a gift certificate or gift card.

A Heath is a gift researcher for http://www.the-gift-wizard.com

Creative Landscaping With Plants Yes Green Is A Color

2009-04-13T22:40:00.000+07:00

Colors are probably the most powerful design factor in garden design. And plants are generally the easiest and most dominant element where color and contrast can be achieved and manipulated.

However, for many gardeners and landscapers in their quest for the perfect color combinations, there is another side to plants that is often overlooked. And that would be the contrast of the many wonderful and varied textures of plants. Specifically and for the sake of this article, green plants. And yes, green is a color.

Green plants not only serve as a color element just as any other color, but can also be used as a neutral transitional color that ties other elements and colors together. Or in other words, as a filler or where one area of the garden transitions to the next. Natural transition is very important in garden design.

I was reminded the other day as I spoke with a client of how so many people actually overlook green as actually being a color design element in garden and landscape design.

As we talked about her project I pointed out that we now had four colors in her plan and that we needed to repeat them throughout the design to create some balance. Remember, balance and repetition are principles of landscaping. She questionably stated that we only had three colors in her design.

At first I was puzzled but soon understood what she meant. Green isn?t really a color. It?s just the medium that holds the real colored parts in place.

Now if we looked at green as just being a neutral medium, I might be able to go along with this. However, as a designer, I see it in a much different way. There are many shades of green that hold many different textures that can create such wonderful contrasts that can de designed with.

Some of the most vibrant and lush gardens I?ve ever seen have simply displayed this one color in many variations. Light greens, dark greens, yellow greens, etc. And I haven?t even touched on texture here. Even the same shade of green in different textures creates a wonderful contrast for designing purposes.

Try and picture the lushness and beauty of a dark jungle. Their beauty and contrast are generally created by the variations of shade and texture and not bright colors. Shady gardens that resemble a deep forest or jungle are absolutely beautiful in their own right.

Keep this in mind when planning your next garden. Just as one example, a mixture of Hostas, Ferns, and Ornamental Grasses can create a very memorable and eye catching display using the color green.

Yes? green is a color.

Written by Steve Boulden. Steve is the creator of The Landscape Design Site which offers free landscaping ideas, pictures, and advice to do it yourselfers. Check out his free landscaping pictures gallery at http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com/gardenstyles

Home Garden

2009-04-11T22:40:00.000+07:00

It is difficult to determine a criterion, according to which a cultivated plant can be called fashionable. A new discovery of stock-breeders? A bright hybrid? An exotic, which settled in our latitudes recently? And may be this is a strange flower, which seeds you have been dreaming to find since you saw it in someone?s garden for the first time? Let?s hope a beginner will blend with your garden?s palette in harmony, and, very soon, it will attract delighted glances of neighbors and guests, who will definitely ask you: what is this?

A wonderful Aquilegia

Aquilegia (?quilegia canadencia) presents her wonderful flowers with long spurs on thin graceful legs. Purple flowers (and in other sorts ? violet, white and pink) appear in the beginning of summer. This flower spreads out in any garden, if it is not only too dry there, feels great in shadow or penumbra. A lot of various double forms are often met. Aquilegia propagates with seeds, sowed in spring and autumn.

Many-sided Clematis

Liana with goldish flowers (Niamatis Tangutica Golden Tiara) ? is a great rarity among clematises and a real find for a flower-lover. Golden Tiara blooms in the middle of summer and makes its owners glad with long blossoming. Two-colored clematises (Clematis Roguchi) are met too, they turn their heads to a midday sun, like they are watching it. One of the oldest hybrids of clematis ? is a light-pink Nelly Iiser, known to gardeners since 1897 and fashionable till now.

Arum nicknamed ?Aaron's rod?

When you imagine this plant, remember a well-known calla, a greenhouse plant with large flowers. A flower consists of one large white petal (veil), wrapping up an oblong ear. Arum?s (?risaema triphyllum) inflorescence is the same. An ear of yellow flowers is covered with a veil, not white, but multicolored ? light-green, mahogany or striped. A plant?s height is about 40 cm, it is blossoming in May-June, and by autumn a veil fades and falls off, opening an ear with a bright-red, toxic berries. Arum needs a wet fertile soil in a shady place. It looks great on a bank of a small reservoir.

Pumpkin and co.

They are such heavy-weights! However, figures of various builds can be found among a nice gourd family. With a slender waist and in rich shapes, very long, like cucumber, and hanging on props, like pears. The most impressive specimens grow on super fertile compost storage barrows in the corners of garden-plots, wherefrom they are rolled, not even brought, home in autumn. Every year ? we meet new styles: turban, beret, skull-cap. A natural, quaint ornamental pattern also impresses: one half is green, and another - yellow. All pumpkins are light- and heat-loving. Seedlings are prick off in a house and brought to a garden in the end of May-beginning of July. The best places for decorative pumpkins ? are lattice fences, columns, arbors.

Morning-glory ? a flower for ?larks?

Jolly small gramophones of this wonderful convolvulus can be seen in many gardens. Its time is morning. It opens its charming flowers with the first sun beams, and by 10 am they are already faded. Lots of sorts of morning-glory are replenished by new colors every year. On a picture you can see really a ?fashionable doings? ? a stripped flower (Ipomoea Tie Dye). Stripped carnations have always been in fashion at all tames, and now strips on irises, marigolds, tulips, petunias and bluebells are fashionable. You can arrange an effective union of creepers in your garden, for example, morning-glory and pumpkin, since they both have the same requirements for growing (both plants are Southern ones).

Begonia

We are used to see begonia on our window, not in a garden. Various sorts of this flower have been decorating our houses at all tames, surprising us with a variety of colors and quaint cuts of leaves. In a garden, begonia is a summer guest. It can live the whole summer in a flower-bed, and in autumn it will return to its ?winter apartment? - window-sill. In a garden begonia prefers shady places. Due to exotic coloring, it looks good on a small pedestal ? on a small stump, stone or low whatnot. (??gonia Chocolate Creme)

A thorny giant

This original biennial plant, called dipsacus (Dipsacus fullonum) reaches 1,5 in height. During the fist year of life it forms a large rosette of leaves with thorns at sides. And the following summer a stalk grows from the midst of leaves, and it begins twining, forming a candelabrum-like plant. On the edge of each stalk an original flower appears, which strikes with the fact that a bud in the form of oval cone is covered with a corbel of delicate lilac flowers. Dipsacus fades slowly, leaving a beautiful thorny cone, which can serve as an excellent material for winter bunches.

Ornamental cabbage

It appeared on our flower beds quite recently. Anyway, this unusual plant has become fashionable not so long ago, when lots of its sorts appeared. Sometimes passers-by stop at a fence at a loss ? is this lacy creature just a cabbage? Yes, cabbage, but not usual, but ornamental one. There are specimens, resembling huge flowers, like they are in lacy jabots. Small rosettes are also met, 10 cm in diameter. And there are also real ?large fans? of feather-like leaves, forming mighty plants of 1 m height. All ornamental cabbages are hybrids. So, do not try to get seeds: hybrids do not transmit their qualities by right of succession. (Osaka Pink u White Peacock)

Yana Mikheeva is the creator of the WomansPassions site for women and about women at http://www.womanspassions.com , it is an on-line resource for women and about women. Here you can find articles on various subjects, such as: diets, receipts, health, cellulite, figure, aromatherapy, wholesome food, psychology of relationships, pregnancy, parenting, fashion and many others. She also has a blog for women at http://www.womanspassions.com/blog/

You Can't Beat Perennials For Glorious Color All Season Long

2009-04-09T22:40:00.000+07:00

When you start gardening with perennials, it's easy to think that all you have to do is get your plants into the ground, and with the exception of weeding, watering and cutting back, your garden will be done.

But here's what really happens: in the first year your new plants are underwhelming ? the clumps small, the flowers sparse. By the second year, your perennials have grown fuller and have more flowers, but in the third season ? watch out ? your plants look like they're on steroids, and you look like an accomplished gardener.

After that, many plants get bigger each season, while the odd one confounds you by doing a disappearing act. Responding to the inevitable change is your challenge as a flower gardener.

Veteran gardeners say that no flower garden is ever truly finished. When I was starting out about 15 years ago, my husband used to joke that my plants should have been on wheels because I moved them so much.

Perennial plants are the backbone of the flower garden because they're the plants with staying power. Their leaves die back as winter approaches, but with luck, the following spring, they come back. Some plants are short-lived, but old favorites like daylilies, hostas and peonies can last for decades.

The right perennials for your garden

When you're planning your flower garden, there are many choices to make ? some purely aesthetic, such as match-making with winning perennial combinations, and some purely horticultural - what grows best in your conditons.

The more closely you base your decisions on meeting the needs of your plants (in terms of light requirements, soil, moisture levels and so on) and on which plants look good together, the more likely you are to be successful with your perennial gardening.

Yvonne Cunnington is an avid perennial gardener and the author of Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless. For lots more perennial gardening tips, visit her website http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/perennials.html

8 MustHave Gardening Tools for the Rose Gardener

2009-04-07T22:40:00.000+07:00

While roses are the centerpiece of any garden landscape, these special flowers do require some specialized care and the right rose gardening tools will help you to do the job. It is important for all landscapers and rose gardeners to be aware of the special needs of roses, and to take the steps needed to help them thrive. Among the most important gardening tools for the rose gardener to gather are...

Gardening gloves

One of the chief components of any rose plant are the thorns, so a strong pair of gardening gloves is an essential part of any rose gardening kit. It is a good idea to invest in a quality pair of leather gardening gloves, as these will be more protective, and more long lasting.

Shovels

When choosing shovels for the garden, it is important to choose models that are lightweight and easy to work with. Shovels with fiberglass shafts and strong handles work well in the garden. You may also want to invest some extra money into a shovel with a padded handle.

Rakes

Like shovels, rakes are an important part of any gardening project, and it is important to choose quality rakes to get the job done. Look for a strong rake with steel tines for smoothing the garden, and a high quality leaf rake for removing leaves and other debris. It is a good idea to buy both a large rake and a smaller one for getting into those tighter places.

Pruning shears

These are perhaps the most important of all gardening tools, and rose growers will use their pruners on an almost daily basis. There are in fact two different kinds of pruners ? the bypass pruner and the anvil pruner. For most types of roses the bypass pruner will work best. This type of pruning shear will not crush the delicate stems of the roses the way an anvil pruner could.

Wheelbarrow

Purchasing a simple wheelbarrow is an important part of gardening. There is simply no substitute for a strong and sturdy wheelbarrow to move things from one part of the garden to another.

Gardening fork

A gardening fork is a must have for the rose gardener. It is important to choose a quality steel gardening fork with a solid padded handle. The gardening fork will make it much easier to loosen and turn the soil.

Watering wand

When choosing a watering wand, it is important to look for one with brass fittings. These brass wands will last much longer than plastic, and that long life will more than make up for the higher initial cost. It is also a good idea to choose a wand with a shut off valve. You will find this valve very convenient when working in the garden.

Kneeling pads

Working in the garden means spending lots of time kneeling, and it is important to have a quality kneeling pad to make the work more comfortable. There are several different sizes and varieties of kneeling pads, including kneeling blocks with attached handles. It is important to shop carefully and to choose a kneeling pad that works for you.

Did you like this article? Valerie T offers other great rose gardening tips and advice at her website abc-of-rose-gardening.com

Early Spring Garden Guide: What To Do In The Yard And Garden Now

2009-04-05T22:40:00.000+07:00

Can't wait to get back to the garden? Use this handy spring garden guide to get started. Believe it or not, the key is avoid getting too impatient and doing certain jobs too soon.

Early spring jobs: in the yard

Start winter cleanup of the lawn when the grass is no longer sopping wet and planting beds stop being a sea of mud. Rake your lawn to get rid of dead growth, stray leaves, twigs and winter debris and let light and air to the soil level, encouraging the grass to grow.
Re-seed bare or damaged patches of lawn. Scratch up the soil with a rake first. Mix a shovel of soil with a couple of scoops of grass seed and spread in the patch you're fixing. Rake level and keep well-watered until seeds germinate and the new grass establishes.
Remove tree guards or burlap winter protection from any young trees or shrubs. Try not to leave tree guards in place over the summer. They keep rabbits and mice from nibbling on tender bark over the winter, but trees don't need them in summer. They don't allow enough air movement around the base of the trunk and that can promote rot of the bark.
Transplant any existing shrubs you want to move before they begin to leaf out.
Weeds start growing vigorously early, so when you spot them, go to it. Getting on top of the weeding now means a lot less work later. Weeds are easier to pull out while their roots are still shallow in early spring.
Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees, magnolias, crabapples and shrubs such as euonymous to control scale insects and other overwintering pests. Use this organic pest control method when the buds are swelling but the leaves haven't opened yet. Apply when temperatures are between 40 and 70 degrees F (4-21 degrees C).
Get your lawn mower checked and its blades sharpened if you didn't get the job done in late winter. Sharp blades cut better and leave your lawn grass healthier.

Early spring garden jobs: In the flower garden

Don't be in a rush to remove winter mulch or to cut back evergreen plants such as lavender until temperatures are reliably warm.
Freeze and thaw cycles over the winter may given some of your plants the heave-ho. Replant any perennials that the frost has heaved out of the ground as soon as you can.
Cut back any remaining dead perennial foliage from last season (trimmings can go into the compost).
Cut back ornamental grasses to about 10 inches from the ground.
Remove winter protection of mounded earth from roses. Prune rose bushes before they start to leaf out.
Resist the urge to start digging in your flower beds too early. You can damage the soil's structure. If you pick up a handful of soil, it should fall apart, not stick together like glue. When it's dry enough, you can start to dig beds and add compost or manure in preparation for planting.
Grass growth is vigorous in the early spring garden, so edge your flower beds with a sharp trench between them and the grass to keep it in bounds. Repeat this job a couple of times through the season, or installing permanent edging goes a long way towards having a lower maintenance flower garden.

Yvonne Cunnington is an avid gardener and the author of Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless (Toronto: Key Porter, 2003).

Visit her website http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com for more flower gardening tips.

Fall is the Time to Get Your Garden Trees and Shrubs Ready for Winter: Here's What to Do

2009-04-03T22:40:00.000+07:00

Tips for winter care of trees and shrubs

With the garden season drawing to a close, it's awfully tempting to forget about your plants. But you should continue to water all woody plants - especially newly planted trees and shrubs and all evergreens. Helping your valuable garden trees and shrubs sail through winter starts with thorough watering in the fall.

Water your plants well until the ground freezes, and make sure you water enough through a dry fall. Your plants will need the equivalent of one inch of rain per week. (In a wet fall, you can relax.)

Evergreens and broadleaf evergreens (shrubs such as rhododendron and boxwood) don't lose their leaves, so they need a good store of moisture going into winter because they continue to transpire (give off water vapor) through the cold months.

Most winter damage to evergreens doesn't actually come from cold, but from the drying effects of late winter sun and wind. With the soil frozen hard, plant roots can't take up water to make up for moisture losses from transpiration and, as a result, dehydration can cause browning or burning of foliage.

Winterizing trees and shrubs: To wrap or not to wrap?

When considering winter care of trees and shrubs, don't go crazy with burlap wrap. It's extra work and doesn't look great.

After all, the whole point of evergreens is to give you something green to look at in the winter! Contrary to popular belief, most established evergreens hardy in your region don't need to be wrapped.

However, as with many things in gardening, there are exceptions. Some evergreens, such as dwarf Alberta spruce, are prone to winter-burn, so they should be covered, as should newly planted evergreens. (New plants haven't had time grow extensive roots that help them take up enough moisture to prevent excessive water losses.)

To make a windbreak around vulnerable plants, hammer four stakes into the ground and staple on a burlap covering. Never use plastic, or your plants could cook on sunny days. (Remember the greenhouse effect?)

More tips for winter care of woody plants:

If your plants get salt spray from the road, burlap may help, but wrap them with a double layer, not a single layer. To avoid having to cover your evergreens, don't plant them near a road that gets salted, or plant salt-tolerant species such as junipers.
Protect broadleaf evergreens such as rhododendron, pieris and laurel from the drying effects of winter sun and wind with an anti-desiccant spray such as Wilt-Pruf, which coats foliage with a protective waxy film. You can also wrap with burlap, if you must.
To help preserve moisture, cover the root area of evergreens and broadleaf evergreens with a three-inch thick layer of leaf or bark mulch.
Protect upright evergreen junipers and cedars from breakage due to ice and snow by wrapping branches with heavy string or mesh covers sold for this purpose. Once fastened into place, you'll hardly see the string or mesh.
Protect young trees by putting plastic tree guards around the bottom of their trunks to prevent damage from gnawers such as rabbits and mice. Make sure the tree guards go high enough - over the snow line. (Remove them in the spring because it looks better and avoids the problem of the guards trapping moisture against the bark in the summer and attracting insects.)
If rabbits are a big problem in your area, put chicken wire cages around the plants they find most tasty.
Prevent rabbit and rodent damage with a repellent spray that you apply on lower trunks, branches and stems. Such products generally have to be reapplied after wet weather.

Yvonne Cunnington is a garden writer and photographer and author of a how-to book for novice gardeners, Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless. For more infomation, visit her website http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/

Timely Tips for Getting Your Garden Ready for Winter

2009-04-01T22:40:00.000+07:00

It's fall ? time to forget about the garden, right? Not so fast ? getting your garden ready for winter can make a big difference next spring.

Instead of playing catch-up and fixing winter's damage, you'll be out gardening and enjoying your yard as soon as the first spring bulbs come up. A final garden cleanup is the first priority, so here's a checklist for the fall jobs to do around the yard and flower garden.

To do: Around the yard and flowerbeds

Until the ground freezes hard, continue to water woody plants, especially trees and shrubs just planted this season and all evergreens. Evergreens especially need a good store of moisture going into winter because they don't lose their leaves, which means they continue to transpire (give off water vapor) through the cold months.
This is a good time to transplant shrubs or small trees that you have earmarked for relocation. Do this job when the leaves turn color and begin to fall.
In most regions, autumn is also an ideal time to plant new trees and shrubs, as there's still time for woody plants to make good root growth.
Put plastic or wire mesh tree guards around the slender trunks of any new trees and shrubs to protect them from gnawing animals such as rabbits and mice. Make sure tree guards reach high enough, over the snow line.
Don't cut roses back now ? wait until early spring. Hill up hybrid tea roses with soil for winter protection if necessary.
Pull out frost-killed annuals, and plant remains from the vegetable garden, and add spent plant material to your compost heap or home compost unit.
Whether you cut down dying perennial foliage or not when you're getting the garden ready for winter is up to you. Some gardeners like to leave seed heads and dried foliage for winter interest and to feed birds, while others prefer to leave neat beds ready for a show of spring-flowering bulbs. But remember: whatever you clean up now, you don't have to worry about in the spring.
Do one last weeding of your flowerbeds, and discard any weeds with seeds in the garbage instead of the compost. You don't want those pesky seeds sprouting in your garden next spring.
Consider shredding leaves and using them as winter mulch on flowerbeds. You can also add shredded leaves to the compost pile. In a season or so, they'll make compost, the best organic treat your garden soil can get. (Use a chipper shredder, if you have one, or just run your lawn mower over leaves.)

To do: Last-minute lawn care

Rake fall leaves off your lawn. Leaving them on will smother the grass.
If you spray your lawn to kill weeds, the month of October is about the most effective time for this job.
Apply winterizing lawn fertilizer.
Do a final grass cutting. Long grass encourages low-temperature fungi.
Why not get your mower serviced and its blade sharpened in late fall so it will be ready for you in the spring?

Now you can put your feet up and relax, sure in the knowledge that your garden is all snug for its winter nap.

Garden writer, photographer and lecturer Yvonne Cunnington gardens on a country acreage, where she has plenty of space to try out the new plants and garden design ideas that she writes about. She is the author of a book for beginner gardeners, Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless. For more gardening tips, visit her website, http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com

Maintaining Lawns And Gardens With Natural Greener Insecticides

2009-03-30T22:40:00.000+07:00

Insecticide runoff is an increasing problem that is having an unwelcome effect on our birds and wildlife that live in and around our waterways. Something that everyone who has a lawn or garden should be aware of is that every time you spray a commercial insecticide on your lawn or garden, a percentage of that insecticide ends up in our drains, which carries it to our precious waterways.

Already some cities are banning commercial insecticides, and over time more and more cities will only allow the home owner to use natural insecticides.

Another consideration is the damage commercial insecticides can have on your health after handling them, or being exposed to them, and also the damage it can cause your children or your pets.

In this day and age when more and more people are becoming environmentally aware, they are turning to natural insecticides. A lot of natural insecticides can be made from ingredients that you already have in your kitchen or bathroom and are completely safe for you, your children, pets and the environment.

Some of the benefits of natural insecticides include:

Will not kill plants and wildlife when it gets into the waterways.

Longer lasting than commercial products.

Does not damage flowers and plants in your garden.

Is safe for you, your children and pets.

Will not burn your lawn.

Significant cost savings ? commercial insecticides are not cheap.

One significant benefit of natural insecticides is the knowledge that you are doing something for the environment. By not using commercial insecticides and making your own natural insecticides quickly and easily at home, you are doing your bit to save the lives of birds, frogs, fish and lots of other wildlife in your area.

It makes a lot of sense to explore the benefits of natural insecticides. Unlike a lot of ?green? products, it is actually significantly cheaper to make you own, and they work very effectively.

A really neat little eBook is available here that reveals the recipes for making natural insecticides.

http://greenerinsecticides.blogspot.com

Landscaping Ideas

2009-03-28T22:40:00.000+07:00

Distinguishing qualities of a landscape design come from the idea behind it. After years of practice, what still makes landscaping a popular art is the regular evolution of novel ideas. There are infinite untouched landscaping ideas even today that continue to inspire landscape designers. And this inspiration leads them to pursue heights of excellence in this age-old art.

A very famous and age old landscaping idea is the ?circular drive design?, based on the principle of unity, which involves the use of various bed levels to create an effect. A good example of an asymmetrical design, the ?Odd Shaped Lot?, idea is based on the principle of a Japanese garden. Derived from the Santa Fe style landscape is the ?free Southwest landscape design idea?, which exhibits lots of free curves, thereby giving an illusion of even more space. Another Southwest landscaping idea is the ?small xeriscape garden design?, a method to stylishly fill up an unused space, paying special importance to the texture. Elegance can come in the form of simplicity, which is illustrated by the old idea used in ?rustic style old-time landscapes?. Transforming unwanted space, such as a swimming pool, into a sunken brick patio garden is a very practical and popular idea used when there is a shortage of land.

Using a variety of flowers in landscaping can keep the area beautiful and fragrant. The idea of including a small waterfall to enjoy the sound of water can be very relaxing. Placing the flowers in a clump rather than rows makes the garden look more individualistic and attractive.

A landscaping idea generation is indeed a thought provoking one and involves a lot of understanding of the art. And the end result can be truly satisfying and delightful.

Landscaping provides detailed information on Landscaping, Landscaping Contractors, Landscaping Ideas, Landscaping Design and more. Landscaping is affiliated with Free Landscape Designs.

Dogs and Gardens: 10 Tips for Enjoying Your Dog and Your Garden Too

2009-03-26T22:40:00.000+07:00

For as long as I've been gardening, I have shared my love of the outdoors with one-of-a-kind dogs (mutts to most people). I certainly can't imagine gardening without a dog keeping me company. Here are some tips to help you make this work for you too.

Set the ground rules first

Be clear about how you want your dog to behave in the garden. Set the ground rules for your dog from the start. As with people, pet habits, once established, can be a challenge to change.
Remember that bored dogs are most likely to get into trouble, so use walks and games to use up excess energy that might otherwise go into destructive garden behavior. (Your dog burns calories this way, and so do you!)
Decide where your dog is allowed to go and where you don't want him to go.
Be consistent. It doesn't help if you let the dog do what he wants when the flowerbed is weedy, but then expect him to respect the garden when it's all tidied up.

Dogs and gardens - training tips

Dogs like to be where people are, so when you're in the garden, take your dog with you for at least part of the time, and when you're not, keep your dog with you indoors.

When you're with your dog, you have lots of opportunities to encourage and train behavior you like and discourage actvities that are destructive to the garden.
To keep dogs out of flowerbeds, use a verbal cue such as out of the garden. This works best if you're actually in the garden with your dog.
It may be expensive, but a fenced yard is a godsend for dogs and gardens.
Some people use invisible fencing ? a system that delivers an electronic shock via a receiver in a special dog collar. Actual fences are more effective because they both keep your dog in the yard and other animals out. As well, your dog can't escape, ignoring the electrical shock when chasing a squirrel, for example, and then getting shocked when trying to get back into the yard.

Garden safety and your dog

When you have dogs or other pets spending time in the garden, choose alternatives to chemical lawn and garden care.

If you use pest control products, even organic ones, keep pets out of the garden when you're applying them.
Keep your dog away from treated areas for as long as recommended, usually until the treated area is dry or 24 hours.

Yvonne Cunnington is an avid gardener and dog lover. For more information about which garden chemicals you must keep away from your pet dog, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Dogs-and-gardens.html If you have problems with dogs and lawns, visit http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/dogs-and-lawns.html For pet-friendly garden design ideas, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Pet-friendly-garden.html

Watering Your Garden How to Make Each Drop Count

2009-03-24T22:40:00.000+07:00

Water-wise gardening or xeriscaping ? the practice of gardening in dry conditions - is becoming much more important to gardeners, especially those in dry areas.

If you have sandy soil, steep slopes where water runs off quickly, a country garden you visit only on weekends, high water bills or watering restrictions during the growing season, read on to find out how to save money, use water resources more responsibly and stop lugging all those hoses around unnecessarily.

Ten ways to make each drop count

Group especially thirsty plants together, so you can water them without having to do the entire garden; take advantage of low moist spots for such plants.

Investigate drought-tolerant plants - they often have taproots, or grey, fuzzy, waxy or finely divided leaves.

Avoid frequent, shallow waterings; water needs to penetrate about four inches into soil for it to do any good.

Encourage plants to develop extensive root systems by infrequent, but deep, generous watering ? about one inch of water every week if rainfall is inadequate (buy a rain gauge to measure precipitation, so you don't water unnecessarily).

Mulch bare soil to a depth of two to four inches to prevent evaporation and maintain soil moisture; use organic materials such as shredded wood or bark, straw, shredded leaves, compost or cocoa bean hulls; (inorganic mulch such as gravel or stone chips also retains moisture, but won't break down to help improve soil).

Don't water between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. when hot sun evaporates a lot of water.

Water plants at soil level to get moisture straight to roots, rather than on leaves.

Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation, rather than sprinklers (much of the water thrown into the air by sprinklers evaporates); these systems also avoid wasting water on walkways, patios and driveways.

Install a barrel to collect rainwater from roof; a modest rain of one quarter of an inch on a 1000 ft square roof yields 150 gallons; rain barrels come with a shut-off valve and hose connection so you can fill your watering can for hand-watering.

During drought, water large trees by allowing your hose to dribble a small amount of water around the drip-line for several hours to ensure that water is absorbed instead running off quickly. Newly planted trees need supplemental water for the first two seasons, especially in hot, dry summers.

Garden writer Yvonne Cunnington dispenses gardening tips at her website http://flower-gardening-made-easy.com/

Subscribe to the Flower Gardening Made Easy RRS feed at http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Flower-gardening.xml

For more garden care tips, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/garden-care.html

Want To Know More About Gas Patio Heaters?

2009-03-22T22:40:00.000+07:00

Some wonderful about gas patio heaters have been created specifically for outdoor use in places such as coffee shops, restaurants, private clubs, and more. The about gas patio heaters you will find can be very luxurious, rustic, simplistic, and everything in between.

Examples:

-Environment:

You can purchase about gas patio heaters for your workplace that will simply do wonders for you. Many people enjoy being outdoors during his or her breaks from their work?and there are countless office facilities, call centers, etc. Because of these about gas patio heaters, many employees and employers can still relax and unwind outside?even in the cold weather.

-Smokers in the cold:

-You want the very best about gas patio heaters possible on the market today they will be like a gift this season: a wonderful surprise that emits warmth and comfort for you. In addition, a company usually prefers that its employees and patrons do not smoke in or near the building, making it virtually freezing to smoke in the winter. However, if simple gas heaters are set up away from the building?everyone can be happy.

-Public dining and other businesses:

Many public dining and other business places have nice patios set up for the warmer season?but it won?t have to be just a warm-weather patio if you choose. About gas patio heaters will provide you with high quality dependability and effectiveness.

-YOUR HOME!

It is amazing what about gas patio heaters can do! It is wonderful to have impressive, beautiful and pleasing to the eye about gas patio heatersfor outdoor happy times through the entire year.

Stepping Stones

2009-03-20T22:41:00.000+07:00

Stepping stones are something every one can use to upgrade the house look, it is not only practical but is also a great opportunity of every member of the family to contribute and help, and even the one of us who are not that creative can still try and think about a stepping stone concept, create and design a unique and creating set of stepping stones for your family house.

A stepping stone in your garden or backyard will give an elegant look to it, can lead from one place to the other in the garden itself, or lead from the front of the house to the rear and garden. These stones can be almost any durable strong material you choose, you will need to think about the material carefully and make some decisions about what kind of care and maintenance you will need to put in, how much effort in placing the stepping stones you are willing to spend, and very basically how much are you thinking of putting into this home improvement task.

With a nice set of stepping stones you will definitely feel the difference in your garden, this is a work that might take about 2 of 3 weekends, and you can use it for good fun with the whole family, assigning tasks to each family member and making your family work as a team on the stepping stones project. Some research is always good, from the internet to the hardware stores, or if you are thinking of getting someone to do this for you looking over the designs and material available or patterns that you would like to design.

One idea that almost never fails is the consideration of the landscape of the garden in which you want to place the stepping stones into, if you think about your garden while planning your stepping stone you will surely have a result that focuses on the whole look and relates and communicates with the garden itself, a lot of people get so excited about the stepping stones they detach them from the garden, and if the stepping stones do not match the environment they will simply look bad and disturb the flow of your garden ? even if these are unique and wonderful stepping stones.

The nice thing about this task is that you really do not need to spend a lot of money, you can experiment with many relatively cheap materials and you can find a stepping stone kit to help you out, sometimes just going over your garage results in great things to make stepping stones of, pieces of tile or broken tile are very good to use for this purpose, the same goes for china or ceramics ? very easy things to find.

If you are looking for something with a special look and maybe for a unique pattern and some kind of effect you should start looking for the material that will give you this feeling. Stepping stones are lovely to have, and great to plan and make, have fun.

Daniel Roshard is an interior designer fascinated by outdoor architecture, he is currently studying public parks and outdoor design. Daniel is writing articles about home improvement and landscaping issues. You can read his latest work on Stepping Stones here.

Amaryllis A Perfect Flower For the Festive Season

2009-03-18T22:40:00.000+07:00

There's nothing more festive than several amaryllis plants contributing their rich burst of bloom to your house during the holiday season.

Amaryllis may look exotic, but the bulbs are easy to grow. The flowers are large and trumpet-shaped and come in lovely shades ranging from white and apple-blossom pink to scarlet. Some cultivars, such as 'Nymph', even have attractive striped petals.

An amaryllis bulb kit, complete with planting container and potting soil, makes a lovely hostess gift.

Amaryllis care - step-by-step:

When you buy an amaryllis bulb, look for a large, plump one with some roots attached. Using a pot that's slightly larger in diameter than the bulb, plant it in potting soil, leaving the shoulders ? the top third of the bulb ? exposed.

Keep the soil moist but not wet, and the temperatures above 64?F (18?C) - optimal temperatures are between 68 to 77?F (20 to 25?C).

Place the bulb in bright light and watch for growth to start. You should see a flower bud appear after a couple of weeks. Turn the pot regularly so the flower stalk won't lean in one direction.

Sometimes you'll need to support the stalk with a slim bamboo stake and raffia ties.

Once the flower is finished, cut off the stem just above the bulb nose. Give amaryllis bright light on a sunny windowsill or under plant lights.

Continue to feed and water. Apply a standard water-soluble houseplant fertilizer at half the recommended strength every two weeks.

To learn how garden writer Yvonne Cunnington encourages her amaryllis to rebloom next year, see: http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/amaryllis.html - Visit Yvonne's website at http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/ for more gardening tips.

How Do Different Types of Fertilizers Affect Your Lawn Grasses

2009-03-16T22:40:00.000+07:00

There are four major types of lawn fertilizers available in the market today. They are granular, liquid, synthetic and organic. Let's take a quick look at each of them.

The most popular type of lawn fertilizer is the granular type as it is easy to use and last longer. There are two forms: quick release and slow release. A slow release form will provide fertilization over two to six months. The advantage is that there is no need to apply fertilizers for the next few months. The downside is that the result will take a longer time to show. On the other hand, the quick release form will show result in a shorter period of time but it is necessary to apply them on a more frequent basis. Quick release form tends to work better in cold weather and thus is the preferred choice during winter seasons.

Liquid fertilizers usually come in concentrated form and are applied by attaching a hose and nozzle to a spray bottle. This method of fertilizing the lawn is easy and required less effort. Being in liquid form also means that the nutrients are absorbed by the grass roots almost immediately. In addition to fertilizers, herbicides can also be added during this treatment. You can see the result in a very short time using this method. The downside to this method is that frequent application is necessary due to quick absorption of the nutrients.

Synthetic fertilizers are not natural fertilizers as they are chemically engineered. This type of fertilizers offers immediate release of nutrients that penetrate the soil very quickly. The application of this type of fertilizers needs to be repeated often as the result doesn't last long. They can also damage the lawn if not applied in the correct manner.

For totally natural fertilizers, try organic fertilizers. They are made from once living organisms and their by-products. These types of fertilizers are applied to the lawn by spreaders, rakes or even hands. Due to its organic nature, the nutrients are released slowly. The nitrogen level in this type of soil also tends to be higher.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the type of fertilizers. They include the condition of your lawn, the amount of effort you are willing to put in, the climate, cost as well as your personal preference. No matter which type of fertilizers, you choose you can be sure that your lawn will be strong and green as you consistently fertilize it.

Jack Greenwood is the webmaster of GreenLawnCareTips.com where he provides more information on lawn care and fertilizing tips. Sign up for a free 7-part lawn care mini course at this site today!

Bamboo Big Is Beautiful Or Is A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?!

2009-03-14T22:40:00.000+07:00

Purchasing Your Bamboo

It is important to purchase a young seedling or bamboo plant that is say 12 months old EVERY TIME. When purchasing a bamboo for your garden it is important not to become carried away with buying the biggest and best bamboo that you can find. This can be difficult however especially as the bamboo plant is ideal for screening and fencing large areas within your garden. It is necessary then to detach yourself from emmotion then to pay attention to the bamboo plant and how it has been cultivated.

BUYING A YOUNG BAMBOO - Bamboo plants need time to allow for growth and maturity, this is because of their complex rhizome and root structures, if the plant is rushed or potted on too early and not allowed to grow at its own pace then it may be of poor quality, it may well be prone to disease and ultimately die.

LARGE IS NOT ALWAYS BEST - It is easy to become carried away with how large your bamboo plant is but the most important part of the bamboo is not the amount of leaf foliage above the pot or the number of culms (remember quality not quantity), it is what is within the pot, that is the Bamboo's rhizomes and roots.

GREEN LEAVES ARE GOOD - A healthy bamboo will have healthy moist leaves and fresh culms which show new growth at its nodes. The culms should be undamaged and free from disease. Bamboo with pale or yellow leaves or a high percentage of old, woody culms should be avoided as this plant will probably have been split from an older bamboo through division.

LOOK AT THE RHIZOMES and the ROOTS - The pot must be in similar poportion to the amount of leaf foliage above the pot. Take a look at the roots within the pots as these should show a healthy white root and rhizome structure. If there are a large amount of white new roots, then there will be a good strong bamboo that will emerge, at this stage you will also be able to identify whether the bamboo plant has been container grown or containerized.

Take a look around the top of the bamboo container as there should also be visible signs of fresh new growth at the edge or around the top of the bamboo pot, which again indicates a good strong plant

CONTAINER or CONTAINERISED? There are various methods of growing bamboo for your garden, this can be from bamboo seed (which is hard to come by given the long flowering periods of bamboo), vegetative, division , tissue culture, however which ever method is used each has their own advantages and disadvantages.

Bamboos grown and potted on in containers is a bamboo plant that has been allowed to grow at its own pace and mature throughout its life, it is a bamboo that will have been potted on when it was ready for the next stage in its growing cycle. This will provide a healthy balanced bamboo plant, that when positioned in the garden will be healthy and able to adapt to the change in conditions easier than a containerised bamboo.

Let us then take a look at a containerised bamboo plant, this is one which has been split from a large stock plant through the splitting of the root and rhizome structure. If great care is not taken the rhizome and root system can be severed when the division took place, so whilst the bamboo may have fantastic foliage and be of a good size, checks must be taken as previously discussed.

Look at the culms/ canes - is there a mixture of young and old, with visible signs of new leaf growth? Leaves - these should be healthy, moist and green in colour Roots and Rhizomes - do these look white and healthy and have new growth, are they intact Pests and Diseases- look for visible signs of damage and establish if chemicals have been used when treating these (chemicals can damage the immune system) Gain as much information from the supplier as possible.

Again DON'T BE FOOLED with what is above the pot, Look To The ROOTS!

Killing Your Bamboo With Love? For Top Gardening Tips and Information see http://www.bamboosuccess.com.

Need Landscape Design Help? This is The Time to Plan for Spring

2009-03-12T22:40:00.000+07:00

The great thing about landscape designers is that they help expand your horizons and present you with exciting possibilities. Professional designers spend every working day solving problems most of us only face once or twice a lifetime - no wonder they have better landscape design ideas than we do!

A landscape or garden designer has knowledge and training on plants and landscape construction and can provide you with drawings, construction details and lists of suppliers and plants. Landscape architects have a degree and belong to a licensed professional association; they generally do higher-end residential or larger commercial projects. Be sure to check credentials, references and ask to see a portfolio.

Designers and landscape architects can help the process of finding a contractor, getting permits and overseeing your project to completion.

Landscape design costs

It's difficult to generalize about fees, as they vary quite a bit, depending on where you live, the experience and training of the person you hire, and the scope of your project. A full landscape design (drawings showing landscape features and planting plan) can range from a couple of hundred dollars to over $1,000 or more, depending on the complexity of the design and the overall budget of the project.

Landscape designs for free? Too good to be true?

Be careful when garden centers or contractors offer free design services. They may be more interested in selling their plant inventory than creating a design that meets your needs. And the people hired to do these designs are generally not as experienced as someone who has invested time and training to become a professional landscape designer. Nothing is really free: design costs are built into the mark-up on plants and materials.

You say formal, I say casual

Be as clear as you can about what you want ? a good reason to have pictures on hand. Garden magazines are full of inspiring ideas. Be upfront too about how much you have to spend. Professional landscaping usually costs a little more than you think it will.

Think ahead, way ahead

Every spring, landscape madness grips every neighborhood in the country. Let's do that project we've been thinking about, everybody says, all at the same time.

Spring fever means that landscape designers and contractors are run off their feet. If you want your work done early in the season, contact landscape pros the previous fall or in early winter ? they'll love you for it ? and you'll have their full attention.

Fall can be a much less hectic time to have a landscape project done ? and it's still warm enough for construction and planting in many parts of the country. Of course, if you're lucky enough to live where winters are warm, landscape projects can be spread over more months of the year, but even so, spring is still a busy time.

Landscaping Tips Hiring The Right Landscaper

2009-03-10T22:40:00.000+07:00

Although we live in a do-it-yourself culture, there are sometimes when it pays to hire a professional. Landscaping can be a perfect example of this. A quality landscaper will have equipment, know how, design skills, and talents to transform your property into a living show piece.

Landscaping can be complicated and labor intensive. It can require specialized tools and equipment. Landscaping is also an art, and the experts have a strong understanding of good design, composition and aesthetics that allows them to make the most of any piece of land. Professional landscapers also possess voluminous knowledge about various plants, grasses and trees that assists them in making the best possible decisions for any given job.

Try as we might, we can't, as amateurs, produce the breathtaking results that a professional landscaper can. Thus, if we need serious landscaping help, it makes sense to call in the expert. That part of the decision calculus is relatively easy. Once we decide to hire a pro, however, another question emerges: how can we choose the right landscaper. Let's look at a few helpful hints that can point those in need of professional landscaping assistance in the right direction.

First, don't let cost make your decision. We have a natural inclination toward bargain hunting, but the old maxim you get what you pay for is often true. A cut-rate provider may keep your wallet thick, but the grass could turn out thin and brown. Cost is always a consideration, but one should not compromise the integrity of their landscaping project in order to save a few dollars.

Second, ask for reference and then take a look. Get references from prospective landscapers and then take the time to actually follow up on them. Take a personal look at their handiwork and see what you think about the quality of their efforts. Talk to former customers about the landscaper's ability to get work done on time and other important considerations. Your landscaper will be making potentially permanent changes to your property. Take the extra effort required to make sure those changes will be positive.

Third, call appropriate agencies. Check with the Better Business Bureau and other consumer watch dogs and find out whether the landscaper in question has been the subject of any complaints or valid criticisms. This is not a foolproof way to weed out sub par options, but if you find that a prospective contractor is a magnet for consumer complaints, it only makes sense to think twice before hiring them.

Fourth, talk about the project. Before making a decision, spend time on the property discussing the project with the landscaper. Get a feel for his or her vision of the project and find out whether or not he or she is receptive to your ideas and capable of meeting your specific needs. The fact that a landscaper did a wonderful job on a modern commercial property doesn't necessarily demonstrate an ability to handle the yard of your restored Victorian home, after all. Make sure you have found the right person for the job.

Following these recommendations won't necessarily guarantee landscaping success, but doing so will improve your odds of hiring the right landscaper considerably. Remember not to cut corners, to check references, to consult with consumer agencies, and to have a meaningful discussion or two about the project in order to assess whether a specific landscaper is the right person for the job.

Landscaping may not always be a do-it-yourself project, but that doesn't mean you have to rely on the first professional you find in the Yellow Pages. Take the time to find the right landscaper for you!

Free landscaping ideas & 2,183 landscaping pictures be sure to visit http://www.landscapingideasonline.com . It's the website landscaping contractors & homeowners use to get landscape design ideas - by Brad Palmer.

Tips for Buying Plants Online

2009-03-08T22:40:00.000+07:00

If you have considered buying plants online, this is one of the best ways to find desirable perennials and shrubs that are hard to source locally. But as with any mail order shopping, it's up to you to ensure that you're dealing with quality businesses.

Good mail order and online garden suppliers should be able to provide the following:

Ordering and shipping dates and deadlines. Since plants are live material, they are usually shipped in the spring or the fall when planting conditions are ideal.

An order form that's easy to navigate. Be especially careful to fill the correct quantities and sizes when you buy plants online.

Common and botanical names, so you can compare price and shipping size with other suppliers when you buy plants online. Some less than ideal companies promote ordinary everyday plants available everywhere with colorful names they've made up. Ever heard of a Blue Twinkle?

Hardiness zone and growing information, so you can tell if a plant can handle your climate. Growing requirements ? whether the plant is happier in sun or shade or needs special soil conditions ? and how big it will get.

Contact information, including a phone number and address and a returns policy. If you have questions about buying plants online, the seller should be happy to answer them. If call them and they say they can only take orders, hang up.

Upfront shipping quotes and shipping dates appropriate to your climate. If your plants don't come within the time you specify, let the supplier know so that they can send out the plants before it's too late.

Note whether the web site displays a padlock icon in the lower right-hand border of your browser window. This indicates secure encryption to protect your customer information.

Print out a copy of your online receipts. It's a good idea to check these against your credit card bill, and to print and keep a copy of guarantees and return or replacement policies.

Garden writer, photographer and lecturer Yvonne Cunnington is the author of a book for beginner gardeners, Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless. For more tips on buying plants online, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/buy-plants-online.html Visit her website, http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com for more gardening tips.

Gardening Grows On You

2009-03-06T22:40:00.000+07:00

Gardening is good for you, good for your neighbors, good for your kids and good for your dog. Especially if you do it the right way. Gardening has been around for ages, and it's almost so ingrained into our genes, it's like an instinct. In the sense that gardening feels good to do, to dig, and plant a seed and watch it grow. It's kind of an analogy for what it means to being human. It just plain feels good to see something you've planted, mature and come to fruition as a living thing. Something mystical almost about gardening. Not to mention, there are the additional benefits of the after effect of all your gardening accomplishments. Astetically, there really is nothing more pleasing, warming and comforting to look upon then a bountiful garden. Whether it is rose garden, a vegetable garden,or just a garden of plants, bushes and flowers of all varieties. It touches a human feeling at pretty much an unconscious level. I feels just right. Even a little planting or gardening in an otherwise artifical environment makes the whole environment feel more natural.

Organic Nirvana

While there is plenty of artificial stimulants, preservatives, and preventatives to aid in the gardening process, there is something to be said for the whole organic gardening process. Not only is it a healthier choice for us, but it's one less thing to fret about with all the misinformation these days about what things you need to avoid. That in itself is a mental health reason to choose organic gardening. Not to mention, for those of use who like a challenge and are constantly trying to stay off the tried and true approach, organic gardening provides many possibilities. Finding new and and inventive natural ways to keep the pests away, and help the garden grow can be fascinating. Again another mind satisfying result.

Neighborly Abundance

As anyone who knows a gardener can attest to, gardeners are the worst estimators around. They always seem to plant far more than they can eat, cook, or can. So as a result all their friends, families, and neighbors end up with baskets and baskets of tomatoes, peppers and whatever cornucopia the harvest has brought. And of course, this whole giving aspect of gardening is bound to make both the gardener and gardeners friends a much happier lot. The whole idea of giving is better than receiving really sprouts up here. And since receiving is not so bad either, all the rest of us enjoy the benefits of our backyard farmers exploits. Of course if organic gardening was employed, then it's better for everyone involved. Helps keep us all away from those nasty store bought vegetables, with enough growth hormones to visit the giants castle at the end of the bean stalks. So, get gardening all you green thumbs, I've got an empty cupboard.

For more on gardening visit gardeningfunonline.com or read other gardening articles at foolishmumbles.com/category/gardening

The 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year

2009-03-04T22:40:00.000+07:00

The Perennial Plant Association has picked Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Firewitch' as its 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year. The cultivar name is English for 'Feuerhexe' - the original German cultivar name. The common name for this easy-to-grow, sun-loving perennial is 'Firewitch' Cheddar Pink.

This dianthus cultivar, like other members of the carnation genus, has flowers with an appealing fragrance of spicy clove.

'Firewitch' has low-growing, bluish-gray leaves that stay evergreen in most climates. Its flowers are purple to magenta pink and bloom for weeks in mid-spring.

2006 Perennial Plant of the Year: How to grow

Dianthus or Cheddar Pink 'Firewitch' has a mat-forming growth habit. Its leaves grow about three to four inches tall, and the flower stems, which cover the entire plant when in bloom, grow about eight inches tall.

This Cheddar Pink is hardy from USDA Zones 3 to 9, and easy to grow in full sun and well-drained soil.

You can encourage more flowers by shearing off the finished blooms right after flowering in mid-spring. This promotes a second flush of color in summer ? and if you shear them again, you will even get flowers in early autumn. Remember: As with most perennials that rebloom, the first flush of color will always be the strongest.

The 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year - How to use in the garden

A low-growing perennial like Dianthus 'Firewitch' makes a great edging plant for flower beds or the herb garden. It also grows beautifully in the rock garden or between stones in dry stone walls, or when used as a ground cover in a sunny area.

Yvonne Cunnington is a garden writer and the author of Clueless in the Garden, a guide for beginner gardeners. For more information and to view a picture of this plant, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/2006-perennial-plant-of-the-year.html - For more gardening tips, visit Yvonne's site at http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com

A Guide for Servicing Your Chainsaw

2009-03-02T22:40:00.000+07:00

Chainsaws provide many years of service for very little upkeep. Taking the time to service your chainsaw will help ensure that your equipment will not let you down. For safety reasons, make sure you only service your chainsaw when it is fully cooled, with the spark plug disconnected. If you are working with an electric chainsaw make sure it is unplugged first of all. You should also wear gloves and protection for your eyes.

For safe and effective operation having correct chain tension is necessary. As the chain wears, significant stretching will occur. After five to ten cuts a new chain may need to be readjusted. Separation from the guide bar or binding into the wood can occur if the chain is loose. Premature chain and guide bar wear will be caused by a tight chain. A chain that is well adjusted will move easily and smoothly when pulled by a gloved hand. Binding or sagging by the chain should not occur. The chain tension should be checked and adjusted if needed before every use.

A manual or automatic chain oiling system is used in most chainsaws. Friction and heat builds between the chain and guide bar without oil. The oil also helps the individual links in the chain operate smoothly at high speeds. Check the oiling system prior to every use.

Tighten all of the screws and fasteners. This process should be done before every use. Before using your chainsaw each time you need to inspect the fuel system.

After every 10 hours of use you need to clean or replace the air filter. Byreplacing the air filter on a regular basis your chainsaw will be able to run cooler and use less fuel.

The sprocket tip should be lubricated after every 10 hours of use. You will know that lubrication is complete when a small amount of grease appears at the edge of the guide bar near the sprocket.

For every 10 hours of use the guide bar should be turned. Flip the guide bar over to promote an even wear pattern on the bottom and top of the bar. Inspect the spark plug after every 10 hours of use and cleaned or replaced as necessary.

For every 10 hours of use the spark arrester screen should be inspected and cleaned and replaced when necessary. The spark arrester screen prevents sparks from leaving the exhaust port and hurting the operator or falling on flammable materials.

The fuel filter should be replaced after every 20 hours of use. Poor

performance can result if the filter becomes clogged.

To ensure the maximum performance perform the following procedures as needed to prolong the life of your chainsaw. Take your chainsaw to an authorized dealer if the carburetor needs adjustment. The chain blades should be sharpened periodically as they become dull.

Keith Kingston is a professional web publisher, offering information on chainsaws

The Benefits Of Outdoor Patio Heaters?What A Luxury!

2009-02-28T22:40:00.000+07:00

There are outdoor patio heaters for designed for different kinds of environments. The best patio heaters are all around on the market today ? and you can find out about outdoor patio heaters and the quality of the merchandise ? as well as find good prices when you look around online right here.

Depending on the environment in which you want to use your outdoor patio heaters for?there are different designs for different purposes.

For example:

?Your home:

These wonderful outdoor patio heaters will provide warmth and comfort as the sun goes down and as the days get shorter. There are elegant, stunning, rustic, simplistic and even spectacular outdoor patio heaters for you to choose from. Yes, there is a vast selection of outdoor patio heaters especially for your home. These beautiful outdoor patio heaters will always be a treasure.

Another example:

? In a work environment:

You can purchase outdoor patio heaters for your workplace that will simply do wonders for your employees. Many people enjoy being outdoors during his or her breaks from their work, and there are already very many offices and other facilities already equipped with their very own outdoor patio heaters.

Because of these outdoor patio heaters, many employees and employers can still relax outside, have their lunch, or just lounge in the fresh air ? even in the coldest weather.

?Pleasing smokers and non-smokers:

Another concern is smokers in the cold. Come on, let?s stop hating smokers when several of them are trying to stop and desperately wish they never began. Nonetheless, there needs to be a place for them to light up. Many coffee shops and workplaces have designed areas especially for this unfortunate yet necessary purpose.

Many places have designated areas with outdoor patio heaters about twenty-five feet away from the building so that non-smokers are not exposed to second-hand smoke.

Outdoor patio heaters are the very best kinds of heaters because they will work so quickly and will last and last when you purchase high quality patio heaters. Enjoy them outside your home and even in other places?check out the top-of-the-line outdoor patio merchandise from the very best, top-of-the-line manufacturers in the business.

Outdoor Heaters Pros Cons and Tips

2009-02-26T22:40:00.000+07:00

Outdoor heaters are becoming more and more popular in residential settings. Once, generally found only in restaurant settings, outdoor heaters are now big hits in middle class neighborhoods, as well.

Are you considering purchasing outdoor heaters for your own home? Before you do so, learn more about the pros and cons associated with outdoor heaters, as well as some tips.

?Compared to outdoor fire pits and chimneas, outdoor heaters release fewer emissions. Also, after sitting around an outdoor heater all night, neither you nor your guests will smell like a campfire!

?Also compared to outdoor fire pits, outdoor fireplaces, and chimneas, there are more ongoing costs associated with outdoor heaters.

-- If you have a gas outdoor heater, you must pay for refills of gas.

-- Electric heaters require the quartz to replaced about every 7 years (and your electricity bill will go up).

-- Also, there are more maintenance fees associated with both outdoor heaters and electric heaters. Although they are durable, it is still much easier to break a patio heater than an outdoor fireplace!

?Mushroom or umbrella outdoor heaters are most effective if there is no wind. A little bit of wind can make a big difference on how warm the area surrounding the heater is. Also, with gas heaters, wind can make flame move toward and damage internal components.

?To avoid problems with wind, it is best to set up your outdoor heater near walls, fences, and overhangs (making sure to still keep it at least 2 feet from walls and ceilings ? read the warning and instructions before setting up the heater.)

?Mushroom heaters are good because they reflect the heat down and out, where you want it to be. But moisture (especially salt air or chlorine air) can be hard on them. Buts can also be a problem, climbing into the burner orifices and the pilot light. Fingerprints can burn into the mushroom reflector surface. When not using your mushroom outdoor heater, be sure to store it away and/or place a heater cover over it.

?Mushroom/umbrella outdoor heaters put out more heat than directional outdoor heaters, but directional outdoor heaters can easily be mounted to many different surfaces, making them easy to set up and use. They are not affected by wind. They cost less, and bugs are not so much of a problem with them.

?An outdoor heater with wheels is much easier to move around than one without wheels!

?If you already have a natural gas line in your home, you may consider setting up a natural gas outdoor heater directly to it. Of course, if you do so, you will have fewer options as to which area of your patio you can heat up.

?When deciding what type of outdoor heater to get ? butane, propane, natural gas, etc. ? consider first where the closest suppliers are to you. Choose whatever type will be most convenient.

?You will find multiple uses for any outdoor heater you choose to buy:

-- Set one up outside so that smokers do not feel too shunned or cold when they must step outside for a smoke.

-- Make sure that outside barbecues and parties can last longer, with guests feeling comfortable.

-- Extend the length of seasons that you can use your porch ? start using your porch earlier in the spring and later in the fall. Be sure that cool summer evenings are heated as well.

-- Use your outdoor heater in the morning when you want to sit outside, breath in the fresh morning air, and drink your coffee.

-- Turn on your outdoor heater when you are completing outdoor projects ? you do not want to accidentally pound your hand with a hammer because your fingers were too numb to grip it properly!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and sports. Her background includes home decor and gardening. For more of her articles on patio heaters and patio decor, please visit Outdoor Patio Heaters.

Tips for Growing a Beautiful Vegetable Garden

2009-02-24T22:40:00.000+07:00

Gardening, Gardening Tips, Vegetable Garden

A vegetable garden is becoming a long lost art as land continues to diminish in the wake of growing and connecting communities. But it still remains true that a purchased vegetable never tastes the same as one grown in man's own soil with man?s own hands, the culmination of your sweat and tears to provide a healthy harvest.

To ensure the most satisfaction in vegetable-growing make sure that the soil be rich and thoroughly subdued and fined. Arrange your plantation rows so that the tilling can be done with wheel tools which will help you greatly in maintaining your crops. If you?re really into going bigger, keep some planned room just in case you get into using horse tools. Keep in mind that this could be a big undertaking as the old-time garden bed consumes a lot of time and labor, and can be more trouble and expense than what most would consider, worth the effort. Make sure you?re up for the gardening challenge.

Try and make the garden vegetables rows as long and continuous as possible, to allow you to work easier with tillage and wheel tools. You can keep each row to one kind of vegetable but if you don?t have the room, consider adding several different species, one following the other. Some care should be taken to plant vegetables with similar requirements together in one row. One long row, for example, might contain all the parsnips, carrots, and celery. One or two long rows containing a dozen kinds of vegetables are usually preferable to a dozen short rows, each with one kind of vegetable. See what fits your situation best and work from there.

It is a good idea to plant the permanent vegetables, such as rhubarb and asparagus, at one side of the garden, where they will not interfere with the plowing or tilling. Try and ensure that the annual vegetables are grown on different parts of the garden in the following years; this is basically a crop rotation and can be a healthy stimulant for your garden. Crop rotation can also be used to unsure you?re not growing on an infested plantation. For instance, if radish or cabbage maggots or club-root take over and fully established in the plantation, don?t plant anything in that area of the garden for a year or more to rejuvenate the plot.

Many gardeners when building a vegetable garden only use the space for simple kitchen garden products and leave areas of bare earth. Flowers can be planted in these spaces, wherever you have a vacant corner or a plant dies. Gardens with such informal and impromptu mixed gardens usually take on their own distinct personal character that adds greatly to the garden?s interest and value. Most are generally impressed with this informal character of the home-garden in many European countries, due to their planting history that arises from the necessity of making the most of every inch of soil available. It?s not uncommon to stroll the European country side and look over the fence of a Bavarian peasant's garden and to see, on a space about 40 feet by 100 feet in area, a delightful medley of onions, pole beans, peonies, celery, balsams, gooseberries, coleus, cabbages, sunflowers, beets, poppies, cucumbers, morning-glories, kohl-rabi, verbenas, bush beans, pinks, stocks, currants, wormwood, parsley, carrots, kale, perennial phlox, nasturtiums, feverfew, lettuce, lilies! It certainly is a beautiful sight.

Learn all about Gardening. Gardening and Insider Tips from our experts.

www.home-and-leisure-guide.com/gardening

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2009-02-22T22:33:00.000+07:00

Outdoor Natural Gas Patio Heaters Gassy and Lovin' It?

2009-02-20T22:40:00.000+07:00

When shopping for an outdoor natural gas patio heater, there are many things that you should first consider before selecting one for you home patio. After all, you want to make sure that by buying an outdoor natural gas patio heater, you have bought the easiest, most economical, and most efficient heater for you home.

Here are some of the things that you should consider before purchasing an outdoor natural gas patio heater:

?Which bottled fuel is most available and economical in your area ? butane, propane, kerosene, or natural gas? Perhaps it would make more sense for you to purchase an outdoor heater that uses a gas other than natural gas, depending on the availability.

?Do you already have a natural gas line in your home? Some outdoor natural gas patio heaters can be connected to an existing line

-- You must decide if you want your heater to be permanent or not. Bottled fuels make it easier to place the heat right where you need it because your outdoor heater will be mobile.

-- If you use an existing natural gas line (connected to an installed outdoor gas grill, etc.), make sure that it does not limit where the heat will be. It may not make much sense to have an outdoor natural gas patio heater if it must remain where no one will be seated.

?Make sure that you thoroughly read all information related to any outdoor natural gas patio heater that you are thinking of buying. Just because one heater is more expensive than another does not meant that the former will heat a larger area better.

?No matter which outdoor natural gas patio heater you choose, you want to make sure that you choose a safe one. Check for safety features like: safety tilt switches, flame controls, emergency cut-off valves, sealed burners, electronic ignitions, and sealed burners.

?Look for ?umbrella? outdoor natural gas patio heaters. These are good because they have reflectors that direct the heat down and out ? more of the heat is directed to the area you need to be heated. These are also known as ?mushroom? outdoor heaters.

?Decide whether you want a small, portable, ?table top? unit or a standing outdoor natural gas patio heater.

?A heater with hidden wheels is much easier to move around than one without!

?For optimal performance, consider placing any outdoor natural gas patio heater that you get near a wall or fence or even under an overhead structure. Doing so will help you heat your space more effectively ? the heat will be contained better. Of course, do not place your heater too close to any structure ? be sure to read all warning and instructions, first.

?Price compare before purchasing. It easy to compare the prices of different natural gas patio heaters when shopping online. Make sure that you get the very best deal.

Overall, you are more likely than not to be satisfied with the outdoor natural gas patio heater that you buy, as long as you shop wisely. After all, who does not want to add a little more warmth to his or her patio?

How To Grow Your Own Hot Peppers

2009-02-18T22:40:00.000+07:00

Have you ever seen recipes for homemade salsa? They certainly do look fresh and tasty. More and more people are discovering how easy it is to make their own tasty condiments, right at home!

Another option would be to get into the habit of preparing your own hot sauces, of which there are many varieties ranging from Asian to Louisiana and Mexican. Before on embarking on this particular culinary adventure, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the method of measuring hotness, known as the scoville scale. And no hot sauce would be the same without the addition of jalapenos, as many as you can stand.

If you are going to take the plunge into growing your own hot peppers, you might well want to consider including other ingredients you will need for salsas and sauces, including tomatoes, onions, and sweet peppers.

A good gardening guide (check out the offerings at your local public library before you purchase one) will give you an idea of what types of vegetables would grow well in your geographic region. You will also need to consider how large a garden you will plant, which will depend in part on how much time you have to devote to your hobby.

Another factor in deciding what and how much to plant is the amount of space you need to leave between the different types of vegetables. The Internet is a great source of information about gardening, and you may have some friends or relatives who are avid gardeners who may be able to give you some assistance in this matter. A garden center will be able to provide you with the necessary gardening tools and fertilizer.

One thing you will also want to take into consideration is how many vegetables your garden is likely to yield. You might end up with a lot more vegetables than you were originally planning on. Not to worry, though: your friends, family, and co workers will have reap the benefits of your gardening efforts when you share your bounty with them. Another option is to donate extra vegetables to a food bank, shelter, or church organization.

Once you get to the point where you are ready to harvest your veggies, you can check out some yummy salsa recipes to try. If you find one that you particularly like, don't be shy about making some changes to the recipe to really make it your own. A slight change in the combination of seasonings and types of peppers will make the basic salsa recipe into your own creation. Some people have even taken the additional step of starting their own business selling their wares at flea markets, fairs, and to local grocers. If you were to market your foodstuffs online, you could well end up having customers from any place in the world!

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as a hot sauce at http://www.hotsaucesonline.com

When and How Often Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

2009-02-16T22:40:00.000+07:00

Aerating your lawn is important as it allows an easier movement of nutrients, water and air in your lawn. By aerating, you are allowing the nutrients to move further into soil to reach the roots. It also helps your soil to keep water for a longer period of time.

Under normal conditions, aerating your lawn once a year is good enough to keep in it in good state of health. If you live in a warmer climate area, the recommendation is to aerate in the late spring. On the other hand, it is advisable to aerate in the fall if you live in an area with cooler climate. Summer is a bad time to do aeration, as your lawn will be stressed under the summer heat.

However, you may need to aerate as soon as you can if you notice your lawn is not behaving correctly. Some signs of problems included fertilized grasses not turning green and certain parts of your lawn remained flat after you have applied water and fertilizers. This usually indicated that your soil is compacted and prevents water and nutrients from reaching the grass roots.

If you have kids and pets playing in your lawn on a daily basis, you may have to aerate more than once a year, as frequent movement on the lawn will cause the soil to compact at a faster pace.

If your lawn is prone to rapid thatch buildup, you will need to aerate your lawn more than once a year. Thatches make it difficult for water, air and nutrients to reach the grass roots. This in turn will cause the grasses to die off and make your lawn look like a vacant lot.

If you have a sloppy lawn, water tends to run off quickly before it can soak into the soil. By aerating it more often, more water can reach the grass roots and help your lawn grow.

If your lawn soil is heavy in clay, you will also need to aerate more often as clay soil has poor air circulation and is slow to absorb water. In this case, frequent aeration will allow more water, nutrients and air to the reach the grass roots.

By aerating at least once or twice a year, you will help your lawn to remain greener, fuller and healthier throughout the seasons.

Jack Greenwood is the webmaster of GreenLawnCareTips.com where he provides more information on lawn care and maintenance. Sign up for a free 7-part lawn care mini course at this site today!

History Of Mulberry Trees: Morus Alba Morus Rubrum And Morus Nigra

2009-02-14T22:40:00.000+07:00

Mulberry trees were well known in the ancient civilizations of the world. They were famous fruit trees, because of the delicious berry fruits that were abundantly produced by fast growing trees-loaded with huge green leaves that were eaten by livestock, along with the berries, and the leaves were used in the Orient to fatten silkworms for the silk trade. General Oglethorpe, in 1733, imported 500 white mulberry trees to Fort Frederica in Georgia to encourage silk production at the English colony of Georgia.

William Bartram, the famous early American explorer and botanist, described his encounter with mulberry trees near Mobile, Alabama, in his book, Travels, in the year 1773.

Prince's Nursery in 1774 offered for sale 500 white mulberry trees, ?Morus alba' and 1000 black mulberry trees, ?Morus nigra,' at Flushing, New York. Documents show that America's first President, George Washington, bought fruit from this nursery.

Mulberry trees were planted in the landscape of President Thomas Jefferson 20 feet apart, and the fruit trees lined both sides of the road that extended around the house at Monticello, Virginia.

The silk trade was extremely important in the ancient civilizations in exchanges of fabrics, rugs, etc. The caravans of camels that traveled the Silk Road from Turkey to China brought world civilizations in contact with many valuable products back and forth to be traded, one of the most desirable and important products was silk. The mulberry trees, ?Morus alba,' were most desirable for silk production and gradually were filtered from Oriental societies to European fields. Many of these mulberry trees are grown today in Turkey, from where the famous Turkish silk carpets are distributed throughout the world.

Early Americans such as General Oglethorpe hoped to establish the silk industry in the American debtor colonies, but the project was destined for failure for many reasons. The mulberry trees are very fast growing fruit trees, and many farmers in the United States and other countries are hoping to profitably grow the trees for the production of human and livestock food. The wood of mulberry trees is very soft and is used for many purposes in many nations, but not extensively in the United States.

The white mulberry, ?Morus alba,' with the extremely large crop production of these trees has been observed growing as a fruit tree in North Carolina according to researcher, Russell Smith, in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture that: white mulberry trees planted by a farmer who kept pigs and claimed that one-third their weight was due to the mulberries falling from the trees-about 625 pounds of pork to an acre on rather thin, sandy land with little care and no cultivation. James A. Duke in Handbook of Energy Crops sees the mulberry fruit as a source of energy, in South Korea on producing high yields of ethanol from mulberry trees.

Mulberry trees are considered to be a very important fruit tree in gardens of the Orient, Europe and the Mideast, and since new hybrid cultivars have been developed recently, the demand for these trees has surged in the U.S., where the grafted trees are rare, expensive and difficult to obtain. New cultivars are adaptable throughout the U.S. except Southern Florida, California and Arizona, and some trees offer stainless fruit, early bearing, rapid growth and delicious berry quality on berries that dangle from the stems, some tasting sweet as honey. These syrupy sweet mulberries are used in Ice Cream, jams, jellies, beverages, pies, and as stuffing mixtures for game birds.

The fast growing mulberry tree can grow as much as 10ft in one year, and as a rule will bear a few berries the first year, some with the richness of sweet cherries. The berries ripen to a brilliant black color, or red, pink, or white and are delectably fragrantly sweet and about two inches long, like a cooling blend and taste of raspberry and strawberry. The mulberry is excellent for fresh eating and for cooking pies. Some mulberries when dead ripe are so soft that just picking them breaks the fragile skin, staining your fingers purple with juice. This means that as a commercial berry available from grocery shelves, forget it, but nevertheless: the mulberries only need to travel as far as your mouth.

This choice mulberry fruit is practically seedless with a crisp, sweet flavor when eaten directly from the tree. Every child in your neighborhood will learn when the berries from this outstanding tree are ripening in early May. Most cultivars of hybrid mulberry trees are well adapted in most areas of the United States.

The dessert quality berries are excellent and honey sweet for picking directly off the tree and contain high concentrations of fruity sugar that makes the berries useful to process for jams, jellies and pies. The mature height of mulberry trees is 30 feet.

New grafted cultivars of mulberry trees are gaining lots of attention from the backyard gardener. Some of the recommended new cultivars of mulberry fruit trees are White Mulberry, ?Morus alba' ?Whitey;' Superberry Mulberry, ?Morus nigra' ?Superberry;' Black Beauty Mulberry, ?Morus nigra' ?Black Beauty' plant patent 4913; Pakistan Mulberry, ?Morus rubra' ?Pakistan;' Persian Mulberry, ?Morus nigra' ?Shah;' Bachuus Noir Mulberry, ?Morus nigra' ?Bachuus Noir;' and the Red Gelato Mulberry, ?Morus rubrum' ?Red Gelato.'

Learn more about various plants, or purchase ones mentioned in this article by visiting the author's website: http://www.tytyga.com

Substitute For Popular Bonsai Species In Cold Climate

2009-02-12T22:40:00.000+07:00

Bonsai culture offers the greatest and most beautiful tree species on this planet. Since bonsai originate from asia, most likely from China and Japan, the most popular tree?s are originating from this region.

Doing bonsai elsewhere in the world can be tricky. If your climate doesn?t match the climate in Japan, you may not be able to grow successfully some of the most popular species. Your temperature range could be too cold in winter or too hot in summer. The best examples are the tropical species that cannot be grown year long in the northern climate unless you have the proper setup indoor or the winter could be too cold for hardy species.

Rest assure, nothing is lost. Many tree species originating from certain region or growing locally can be great substitute for a bonsai candidate. The most praised maple is without a doubt the trident maple. (Acer buergerianum) This specie is cold hardy to USDA zone 5 which is around minus 27 celsius. In Canada, the winters are getting harsher temperature. A great substitute would be the Amur maple (Acer Ginnala) which is cold hardy to USDA zone 2, minus 45 celsius. This species is a great replacement since it is very cold hardy, possesses small trilobed leaves and is a fast grower.

Other species liked from bonsai enthusiast are the Japanese pines. But, once again, cold can be a disadvantage. To the rescue comes the mugho pine. This pine will tolerate some very cold temperature plus it is a very tough plant tolerating many bonsai mistake. The mugho pine needles can be reduced much like the Japanese counterpart plus it displays a textured bark.

Another popular specie is the Chinese elm (ulmus parvifolia) but once again, cold is hard on this specie. For a replacement, the less known Siberian elm (ulmus pumila) can be as beautiful as the chinese one. Much like the Chinese elm, the Siberian elm as twiggy branching, grows fast and leaves are reducing well with proper technique.

Some others tree species are the American or tamarack larch (Larix Laricina) for an evergreen, the sargeant crabapple (malus sargentii) for a flowering and fruit producing tree or the European birch (betula pendula) for a broadleaf tree. These all displays beautiful characteristics. For instance, the American larch is the only evergreen to loose it?s needles when fall show itself, the needles will turn from green to yellow for a few weeks before shedding. The sargeant crabapple will give you some nice white to pink flowers in spring and produce red fruit in autumn. The European birch as a nice white paperish bark that peel itself easily. Plus all these are moderate to fast growing tree that would yield a nice bonsai in a few years.

Avid full time hobby bonsai grower. As been practicing bonsai and gardening for more then 8 years. Owner of http://www.mishobonsai.com, a website with ressource for bonsai seeds and tree seeds.

Zucchini: A Power House of Nutrition

2009-02-10T22:40:00.000+07:00

Dating back to 7000 B. C., zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) is native to Central and South America. Sometimes called by the nickname ?Italian Squash,? zucchini was brought to North America by its southern neighbours. Early European explorers introduced zucchini to Italy and other countries in Europe. Italians initially grew zucchini for their sweet, edible blossoms, later the hearty fruits were experimented with producing the delectable dishes that resulted in zucchini being dubbed Italian squash. Up until the 20th Century, most Americans considered zucchini a treat reserved for eating on special occasions and were store-bought instead of grown in gardens.

Part of the summer squash family, zucchini is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C, a very good source of magnesium, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, iron, folate, copper, riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorous. Many of the nutrients have been shown to be helpful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Summer squash?s magnesium has been shown to be helpful for reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Together with the potassium in summer squash, magnesium is also helpful for reducing high blood pressure. All summer squash are perfect diet foods - low in calories, sodium, fat-free, and provide a source of fiber. All parts of the zucchini are edible.

How To Grow

Zucchini is probably the best known of the summer squashes. It is a type of narrow squash that resembles a cucumber in size and shape. It has smooth, thin skin that is either yellow or green in colour and can be striped or speckled. Its tender flesh is creamy white in colour and features numerous seeds. Its edible flowers are often used in French and Italian cooking.

Zucchini can be planted by direct seeding or by transplanting young plants that have been started indoors. Seed directly into the ground as soon as the soil reaches temperatures of 60?F/16?C. for vines. Fill the holes with compost and mound slightly. Plant seeds 1in/2.5cm deep.

Zucchini is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family that includes cucumbers, melons, gourds, and squash, all particularly sensitive to frost. Select a sheltered spot, and prepare holes about 12in/30cm in diameter and 12in/30cm deep. Measuring from the centre, space the holes 36in/90cm apart for bush types, 6ft/1.8m apart for vines. To conserve space, squash can be trained over a sturdy trellis, in which case 2ft/60cm between plants is enough.

Zucchini grows best when exposed to 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day. Regular watering is essential for summer squash. Feed the plants with a high-potassium organic liquid feed to produce a higher yield. Thick mulch added after planting will preserve moisture and keep the fruits from touching the ground where they will become soiled and be exposed to insects and diseases.

Harvesting

The flavor of zucchini is best when it is less than six inches long. They should be firm, but not hard. Zucchini are prolific producers and regular harvesting will promote continued yield throughout the growing season. Harvest by cutting the stems from the plants gently with a paring knife. As they are composed mainly of water, summer squashes dehydrate rapidly. Harvest just before cooking and keep in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag until cooking. Don?t forget that squash blossoms are delicious to eat.

Small summer squashes are used skin and all. Larger squash need their skin and seeds removed: slice lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Wash summer squash under cool running water and then cut off both ends. You can then proceed to cut it into the desired size and shape for the particular recipe.

In the kitchen, zucchini can be steamed, saut?ed, boiled, baked, fried, grilled, and stuffed. Some ideas include: serve raw as an appetiser with a vegetable dip or salad dressing, grate and saut? with thinly sliced garlic, add to breads, muffins, cakes, stews, casseroles, soups, sprinkle grated zucchini or other summer squash on salads or sandwiches. It can be preserved by canning, freezing, and drying.

In the garden, some gardeners let the squashes ramble through the corn patch, where their sandpapery leaves deter raccoons. Good companion plants for zucchini are: corn, marjoram, and nasturtium. Don?t grow zucchini and Irish potatoes together as they are incompatible.

Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace ? Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul and booklet Non-toxic Alternatives For Everyday Cleaning And Gardening Chores. She owns the website Gwen?s Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the book and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit http://www.gwenshealinggarden.ca. Gwen Nyhus Stewart ? 2004 ? 2006. All rights reserved.

Seed Starting Tips

2009-02-08T22:40:00.000+07:00

Starting your own plants from seed is a very satisfying project if you're itching for spring. Growing flowers and vegetables from seed isn't all that difficult if you follow these simple guidelines:

Enjoy browsing and ordering from the seed catalogues and web sites, but don't start your actual sowing too early. It's tempting to get started as soon as seeds arrive, but don't sow too soon or your plants will be leggy and overgrown long before it's safe to transplant them outside. If the seed packet recommends sowing four to six weeks before the last frost date, it's better to go with the four-week, rather than the six-week date.
Another pitfall is sowing more than you need. By all means, sow a little extra to make sure you get enough plants, but thin your seedlings to a manageable number. Many leftover seeds are viable for several years if stored in a dry, cool, dark place.
Always use a sterile seed-starting mixture, available from garden centers. Don't use garden soil, which contains fungi and bacteria that can kill fragile seedlings and do not reuse old potting soil for seed-starting.
Follow directions on the seed packet with regard to light and soil temperature. Some seeds sprout in light, others in darkness. Some seeds do best in warm conditions, so invest in a heat mat for seed starting, or put your seed-starting flat in a warm spot, such as on top of the refrigerator. Most young plants grow best at day-time temperatures between 70 to 75?F (21 to 24?C) and night-time temperatures between 55 to 65?F (13 to 18?C).
Don't over water new seedlings. Over watering can lead to fungal diseases that kill off tiny new plants. Water sparingly, but frequently.
Give newly sprouted seeds enough light. A bright window will do, but grow lights are better.
When seedlings have two sets of true leaves (the first leaves are called seed leaves or cotyledons), start fertilizing once a week with half-strength liquid plant starter or fish emulsion fertilizer.
Harden off young plants before you plant them out into the garden. Cool-season annuals such as pansies and snapdragons should be hardened off several weeks before tender, heat-loving ones such as impatiens or tomatoes. Set your plants outside in a shady, sheltered spot for at least a week or two before transplanting into the garden. Give them half a day outdoors at first, and gradually leave them out longer, slowly moving them into sunnier and windier areas to get them used to life in the real world.

Yvonne Cunnington is a garden writer and the author of Clueless in the Garden, a guide for beginner gardeners. For more information on seed-starting see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Seeds.html and http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/seedlings.html For more gardening tips, visit Yvonne's website at http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com.

Time for a Flower Garden TuneUp

2009-02-06T22:40:00.000+07:00

Creating a lush flower garden from scratch takes time - many perennial plants need a couple of years to grow to showy sizes. So don't worry if it takes several seasons to get your flower garden looking the way you'd want it to. That's perfectly normal.

This is a good time of year to take stock of your garden design. Ask yourself the following questions - the answers should give you some ideas on which projects to do this spring:

Are the flower beds too narrow? A narrow bed isn't wide enough to show off layers of plants. If you have a skinny bed that can't be widened, between a hedge and a walkway, for instance, fill it with low-growing ground cover plants of one or two kinds.

Are the planting areas all over the place? Look at the entire yard, not just the individual planting beds. Try to link beds, rather than having one here and another over there.

Have you crammed in too many types of plants? You'll get more impact from perennials if you put three of one type in a clump, rather than three different plants or three of the same plant in different locations. Repetition of key plant groups or a key color creates harmony and coherence. Add contrasts in texture and form - for example, bigger leaves next to fine ones, or spiky flowers next to rounded and mounded ones.

Have you screened eyesores? Treat the space around your house as a garden, not a yard. Your backdrop should complement your plants. Make storage sheds or garage walls into garden features (vine-covered trellises can hide ugly ones). Be sure to screen utilitarian necessities like the compost pile, air-conditioning units, heat pumps, and so on with attractive fences or evergreen shrubs.

Do the garden and house complement each other? Look out the windows to make sure the picture is pleasing from inside the house too.

Do you have a focal point? You could be asking plants to do all the work. Perhaps the missing element is what garden designers call a focal point. Try adding a bird bath, a sundial, an arbor, or a trellis. And of course no garden is complete without an inviting bench, or two.

Hot New Sunflowers to Grow

2009-02-04T22:40:00.000+07:00

In recent years, sunflowers have come into their own as cutting flowers. There are many exciting new cultivars in a variety of shapes - from standard ray flowers to pompoms or fuzzy disks.

The plant sizes too range from dwarf to giant. As for colors, these too go well beyond the standard sunny yellow into white, lemon, bicolors, and even dusky burgundy.

Cut sunflowers are expensive to buy, so if you have the space, it's well worth the effort to grow your own.

Unique sunflower cultivars to grow:

Many of the newer sunflower cultivars are pollenless, which makes them perfect for cutting and bringing into the house.

Here are some of my favorites:

'Ring of Fire': An AAS (All-America-Selections) winner with striking 5-inch wide pollenless flowers; bi-coloured petals in dark red around a chocolate brown center taper off to golden yellow tips. Grows 4 to 5 feet tall; late-blooming.

Sunflower 'Claret': An excellent cutting sunflower that keeps its intense velvet burgundy color in the summer sun. Main stem grows 6 feet tall; produces side-shoots with lots of blooms.

'Eversun': A deep yellow, early-blooming pollenless type with big 10- to 12-inch ray flowers around a dark brown disk; flowers produced on one main stem.

Sunflower 'Teddy Bear': I'm generally not a fan of overbred flowers, but I've fallen in love with the sheer zaniness of this one. Has soft, fluffy, pompom heads that make handsome cut flowers; 2 to 3 feet tall with lots of flowers per plant. A perfect plant for a children's garden (and anyone who is young at heart). Does well in containers too.

'Giant Sungold' Sunflower: At 5 feet in height with lots of flower-bearing branches, this is a taller version of 'Teddy Bear'.

For more information, visit garden writer Yvonne Cunnington's sunflower page at http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/growing-sunflowers.html For more information on growing sunflower from seed, go to http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/sunflowers-from-seed.html Yvonne is the author of the book Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless.

6 Ways to a Lawn with Greener Grass

2009-02-02T22:40:00.000+07:00

Greener grasses mean greener lawn. This is a fact. A lawn with bright green grasses will beautify the environment and add value to your home property. Here are 6 ways to turn your lawn grasses greener and let your neighbors envy you instead.

1. Sun tanning your grasses

Sunlight is important to any plants including grasses as it assists in the photosynthesis process. Let a look at your current lawn landscape. Is a significant portion of it being shaded by trees? In that case, trim the branches so that more of your lawn is exposed to sunlight. Wherever possible, get rid of the obstacles that prevent sunlight from reaching your lawn.

2. Water your lawn properly

Watering your lawn is essential but you have to do it at the right time and with the right amount. The best time to water your lawn is in the early morning when the sunlight is soft. Try to water your lawn evenly instead of patches by patches. If you have the budget, install a sprinkler system to automate the task for you.

3. Know your soil

The type of soil used in your lawn will affect how your grasses grow. Send a sample of soil to a lab for testing if you have not done so. The test result will tell you what type of soil you have (sandy, loamy or clay) as well as the pH level. Knowing the properties of your soil will help you determine the course of action necessary to improve the health of your lawn.

4. Mow your lawn regularly

Mowing on a regular basis will ensure that water and nutrients are able to reach the grass roots easily. At the same time, you do not want to cut too short such that the grasses do not have enough surface area for absorbing sunlight. You will have to experiment with the mowing height and clipping used to find the right combination that give the best results.

5. Control the thatches

It is inevitable that every lawn will have thatches growing in them. The important thing is to prevent them from taking over the grass. Remove any thatches that are more than half an inch high. Rake your lawn to clear any debris regularly, which can discourage the growth of thatches.

6. Curb the traffic on your lawn

If your lawn is in front of your house and facing the main source of traffic, make sure to designate a walking path to your doorstep. You do not want your visitors to walk all over your lawn whenever they visit you. If you have kids or pets that frequently play in your lawn, your lawn soil will become compacted over times and will prevent water and nutrients from reaching the roots. You can solve this by aerating the soil at least once a year.

To ensure your lawn produce greener grass than your neighbors, you have to put in the efforts to maintain your lawn and constantly seek ways to improve it. Try drafting a monthly maintenance schedule so that you can maintain your lawn with more efficiency. Consider allocating a lawn care budget to outsource some of the lawn care tasks to lawn care professionals and use the extra free time to relax in your lawn.

Jack Greenwood is the webmaster of GreenLawnCareTips.com which provide information on lawn care and simple fertilizing tips. Sign up for a free 7-part Green Lawn Care mini course at http://greenlawncaretips.com today.

How to Prune Lilac Shrubs

2009-01-31T22:40:00.000+07:00

Today's lilac varieties offer larger flowers and more variety in color and scent, as well as flower and shrub form. Fragrance too is variable. French hybrids are sweetly scented, while oriental varieties and their hybrids have spicy overtones. Single flowering lilacs tend to be more strongly scented than doubles.

For best results, plant lilacs in full sun in a well-drained location, away roots of mature trees and follow proper pruning practices. Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers (such as lawn fertilizer), which encourage leafy growth at the expense of flowers.

Once young shrubs are four to five years old, annual pruning is essential to ensure that you get flowers all over the shrub - not just at the top.

Lilacs: when and how to prune

Pruning encourages growth of healthy young stems, which produce better blooms than thick old ones. Because of their suckering tendencies, many lilacs will outgrow their space if you don't prune them.

Prune lilacs immediately after flowering. Next spring's flowering buds are produced in June and July, so avoid removing them with late pruning. By cutting off spent flowers right after blooming, you ensure that the shrub's energy goes into producing flower buds for next year, not seeds.

Each season, cut out a quarter of the oldest branches and take out any crossing stems.

To rejuvenate old, overgrown lilacs, cut one-third of thickest, oldest stems to the ground and remove thin suckers each season. Over three to four years, all old stems will be replaced by new growth. Do this job in late winter or early spring before leaves emerge. (You won't lose too many flowers because overgrown plants don't bloom well anyway.)

Young lilacs should start flowering two years after planting, but it can take about five years. Depending on weather conditions, lilacs can produce heavy blooms one year and few the next. Spring bloom is influenced by the previous season's weather. The best bloom tends to follow cool, sunny summers.

For more information about lilacs, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/lilacs.html Garden writer Yvonne Cunnington is the author of a book for beginner gardeners called Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless. For more gardening tips, visit her website at http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com.

Why Cotoneaster Makes a Good Bonsai Candidate

2009-01-29T22:40:00.000+07:00

One of the popular broadleaf species for bonsai is the cotoneaster. This specie is praised for it?s small leaves, fruits and ramification which makes it a mame candidate. These preferred characteristics can also be accentuated by choosing a species of cotoneaster.

The cotoneaster multi-florus is by it?s name liked for having many flowers, from white to pink, but it is producing larger leaves then other cotoneaster.

The cotoneaster microphyllus, by it?s common name small leave cotoneaster, this one shows incredibly small leaves, which makes it the perfect tree for really small bonsai.

The most preferred bonsai candidate of cotoneaster is the cotoneaster horizontalis or commonly called rockspray cotoneaster. In all proportion this is the best choice, because it is a fast grower, small leaves, produce flowers early, and bear fruits at a young age.

Aesthetically, this one is a show stopper. In spring it displays wonderful colors with a mix of light and dark green for the foliage, white, pink and red for the flowers. As the growing season progress, leaves turn from a light green to a dark glossy green. In the meantime, the tree is preparing itself to support bright red fruit. In the colder climate, the cotoneaster loose it?s leaves but keep it?s fruit till early winter. The denuded tree with bright red fruit and white snow makes it a good subject for picture.

Cotoneaster can be propagated in many ways. The more common are by cuttings or by seeds. Growing a cotoneaster bonsai from seeds is easy compare to other species, because it is a fast growing tree and it?s ramifying itself at an early age. I prefer to grow from seeds rather then cuttings, because in a growing season, a sprouted seeds can attain the same girth as a cutting. Germinating a cotoneaster seeds can be tricky.

Fortunately, the most common used cotoneaster as bonsai, are producing seeds that necessitate boiling water to scarify the seeds, before germination, compare to some cotoneaster species that requires an acidic treatment to remove the protective coating. In nature, this treatment is accomplished in the stomach of the fruit eating animal that ingested a cotoneaster berrie.

Avid full time hobby bonsai grower. As been practicing bonsai and gardening for more then 8 years. Owner of http://www.mishobonsai.com, a website with ressource for Bonsai seeds and tree seeds.

Tough Perennials for Dry Shade

2009-01-27T22:40:00.000+07:00

Most shade plants prefer moist soil, so dry shade is a special challenge for gardeners. Many shade trees have root systems that spread beyond the crown, and their roots are strong competitors for soil nutrients and moisture.

You're most likely to find dry shade under trees with wide-spreading, shallow roots, such as Norway maple, beech, and willow, and, of course, evergreen trees. So what can you plant in dry shade?

The following plants will perk up a dry, shady spot in your garden - which is not to say that they prefer dryness, just that they'll do better in dryer conditions than other shade plants. I find that small-sized plants sold in four-inch pots are easier to tuck in between tree roots than larger ones. The smaller the planting holes, the less you have to chop away at roots.

Be sure to water your new plants well in the first couple of months while they're getting established. After that, to give your plants the best possible chance in dry shade conditions, continue to water deeply and fertilize them once a month throughout the growing season.

Survivor perennials for dry shade

If these plants don't work, or you want to do the least amount of work possible, you can just take the path of least resistance and put a layer of mulch under your trees.

Barren strawberry (Waldsteinia): A low-growing, dense mat of leaves that slightly resemble those of strawberries.
Big-root geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum): Attractive and aromatic leaves, flowers in late spring in colors ranging from white to pink and magenta, depending on cultivar. Not to be confused with the common annual geraniums of the genus Pelargonium.
Bishop's hat, or barrenwort (Epimedium x versicolor ): Attractive heart-shaped leaves. With its delicate yellow flowers, 'Sulphureum' is the most popular cultivar.
Dead nettle (Lamium maculatum): Look for cultivars such as 'Beacon Silver' with rosy pink flowers and silver leaves edged in green or the white-blooming 'White Nancy'.
Heart-leaved bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia): Large, leathery leaves and rose-pink flowers in early spring-looks great in a big grouping.
Sweet woodruff (Gallium odoratum): Finely textured leaves and white flowers in spring-top-flight ground cover in dry shade.
Ground cover plants: To make it really easy, consider the big three ground covers - English ivy, pachysandra, and periwinkle - which are all tough evergreen perennial plants. However, be cautious with the ivy, as it has become invasive in some regions.

Garden writer Yvonne Cunnington is the author of a book for beginner gardeners called Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless. For more information about shade gardening, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Shade-gardening.html For more expert gardening tips, visit her website at http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com

Adjusting Soil pH for Optimal Grass Growth

2009-01-25T22:40:00.000+07:00

The pH of your lawn soil is an important factor that affects how your lawn grasses will grow. The pH value is an indicator that tells you whether your soil is acidic or alkaline. A balanced soil pH will ensure that your grasses are growing optimally.

First of all, you need to do a soil test to find out the pH value. You can do this in two ways. The first is to buy a do-it-yourself soil pH test kit at any nursery near you and follow the instructions provided by the kit. The result is not highly reliable but it is enough to give you an approximate pH value.

The other way is to let a soil test lab do the test for you. Obviously this is more expensive than the first option but the result is much more complete and reliable. Moreover, the lab result often contains much more information about your soil and not just the pH value. A good lab report will also advise you the remedial action to take if the test reveal any potential problems with your lawn.

The pH scale range from 1 to 14 with a pH of 1 being most acidic and a pH of 14 being the most alkaline. A neutral pH value is 7.0 but most lawn grass will thrive in slightly acidic soil which has a pH value of 6.5 to 7.0.

If your soil has a pH value under 6.5, it is too acidic and you have to add ground limestone to bring it back into balance. If it is over 7.5, it is alkaline and you have to add soil sulfur.

To find out how much sulfur or limestone you need to add to your soil, obtain a soil chart from any soil laboratory, lawn and gardening centers or cooperative extension offices. The scale is usually based on pounds of material to add per 1,000 square feet. Thus it is imperative that you know the size of your lawn. If you have not done so, measure your lawn's length and width with a measuring tape. Multiply the two figures to get the square footage of your lawn.

Once you know the amount of sulfur or limestone required, use a drop spreader to apply these materials. A drop spreader is not expensive and will help your spread the materials evenly on your lawn. It can also be used to spread fertilizers. So invest in one if you have not done so.

You may have to apply sulfur or limestone on a regular basis in order to keep your soil pH in balance. Sometimes, applying both sulfur and limestone may be necessary. However, do exercise caution when applying sulfur as too much of it can burn your lawn. Break up the sulfur application over a few parts and apply them evenly will ensure that you have a pH balanced lawn for your grasses to thrive.

Jack Greenwood is the webmaster of GreenLawnCareTips.com which provide information on lawn care and easy soil maintenance tips. Sign up for a free 7-part Green Lawn Care mini course at http://greenlawncaretips.com today.

Basic Gardening Planting Bare Roots

2009-01-23T22:40:00.000+07:00

Bare root plants are easy to handle. They are usually dormant perennials, shrubs, or trees that have been harvested from the field, have had the soil washed from their roots and then have been stored in refrigeration for later shipment. Bare rooting a plant is a safe, proven, and much used means of storing and shipping many garden plants. At Cottage Farms we always recommend that you plant bare root plants as soon as possible, but you can hold them in a refrigerator, unheated garage, or cellar for a short period if necessary. The best time of year for planting bare root plants in the garden is during the winter (if the soil is not frozen) or spring. The arrival of warmer temperatures and longer days cause the plants to wake up naturally from their winter dormancy and help insure gardening success.

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Daylilies: Cottage Farms suggests choosing a garden area that will receive at least four hours of direct sun each day. Spade or roto-till the intended flower bed to a depth of at least 8-10 inches. If you do not have good garden soil, you may want to blend in a generous portion of dehydrated manure, compost, peat moss, or shredded leaves, but daylilies are one of the easiest to grow and most forgiving plants in any garden.

Dig holes at least twice as wide and deep as the bare root divisions. Fashion a small cone-shaped mound of dirt in the center of the hole below ground level. Spread the roots over the mound with no more than 1 of soil covering the crown (where the leaves and roots meet). For daylilies with emerging green growth plant any new growth above ground level. Firm the soil around the crown of the plant. Cottage Farms always recommends mulching immediately since mulch shades and cools the soil, helps prevent weeds and provides organic matter for the soil. Water your plants thoroughly after mulching. Daylilies grow best with at least 1-inch of rain (or equivalent watering) each week, but are quite drought tolerant. As soon as new growth emerges begin fertilizing every two weeks with Cottage Farms Carefree Bud-N-Bloom Booster throughout the growing season. This will help ensure maximum flowering and root development.

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Trees and Shrubs: First, look the plant over and remove (prune) any broken or damaged limbs or roots. Cottage Farms recommends soaking the roots of the tree or shrub in a bucket of water for 2 to 3 hours prior to planting. When ready for planting, select a site suitable for the plant and dig a hole larger than the roots are wide when they are spread out. If you are planting in poor or clay soils, you may want to mix compost, dehydrated manure, peat moss or shredded leaves with you excavated soil (if you do so, you may have extra soil when you complete the planting - remove excess soil, never pile it against the stem or plant too deep) . In the bottom of the hole form a cone shaped mound of soil. Place the plant's roots over the mound of soil and spread them evenly around the mound. Before filling the hole with soil make sure the trees existing soil line will be even with the new ground level. Begin filling the hole with soil, carefully firming the soil around the roots, leaving no air pockets. When the hole is approximately ? full of soil fill the hole with water and let it soak in. Once the water has soaked in make sure the tree is standing straight and finish filling the hole with soil. Form a saucer shaped rim around the outside of the hole. This will allow water to stay within the planting area. To assist a tree or tall shrub in getting anchored, you may want to stake it. As always, Cottage Farms suggests a 2-4-inch layer of mulch around the planting area to promote moisture retention, maintain even soil temperatures, and to discourage weed growth. Water the new transplant generously once every week throughout its first growing season. In later years, at least 1-inch of rain or watering equivalent per week is recommended for most soils. As soon as new growth emerges begin fertilizing every two weeks with Cottage Farms Carefree Bud-N-Bloom Booster throughout the growing season. This will help ensure maximum flowering and root development.

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Roses: Prior to planting remove (prune off) any broken roots or canes. Cottage Farms suggests soaking the entire rose plant (roots and canes) for at least 1-2 hours in luke-warm water. Select a location that receives at least four hours of sun each day. Spade or roto-till the intended rose bed to a depth of 12-15 inches. Unless you have good garden soil, Cottage Farms suggest you blend in a generous portion of dehydrated manure, compost, peat moss, or shredded leaves. This will help improve drainage and aeration.

Dig a hole at least twice as wide and deep as the bare roots. Partially fill the hole with the soil mix, making a cone shaped mound in the center of the hole over which to drape the roots. Adjust the height of the mound so the graft union is at the correct level. In warmer climates a rose should be planted so the bud union (a bulge on the stem of the rose plant indicating where the rose plant has been grafted onto the roots) is at or slightly above ground level. In colder climates, the union may be planted up to 2 below ground level to help reduce the chance for winter die-back. Spread the roots out evenly over the cone shaped mound. Holding the rose at the correct planting depth, fill the hole with soil, working it carefully around the roots. When the hole is approximately ? full of soil, fill the hole with water and let it soak in. Once the water has soaked into the soil, make sure the rose is standing straight up and finish filling the hole. Form a saucer shaped rim around the outside of the hole. This will allow water to stay within the planting area. Cottage Farms always suggests a 2-4-inch layer of mulch around the planting area to promote moisture retention, maintain even soil temperatures, and to discourage weed growth. Roses require at least 1-inch of rain (or equivalent watering) each week. As soon as new growth emerges begin fertilizing every two weeks with Cottage Farms Carefree Bud-N-Bloom Rose Booster throughout the growing season. This will help ensure maximum flowering and root development.

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Irises and other Rhizomes: Select a good location for the plants being planted in your garden. Irises do well in full sun or partial shade. Spade or roto-till the intended flower bed to a depth of 8-10-inches. If your garden soil poor or is a heavy clay, Cottage Farms suggest you blend in a generous portion of dehydrated manure, compost, peat moss, or shredded leaves into the soil. Dig holes at least twice as wide and deep as the rhizome. Fashion a cone shaped mound of soil in the center of the hole below ground level. Spread the roots over the mound with the top of the rhizome at ground level or slightly exposed. A common mistake is planting Iris rhizomes to deep. Firm in the soil around the rhizome with your fingers and water thoroughly. Cottage Farms always suggests a 2-4-inch layer of mulch around the planting area to promote moisture retention, maintain even soil temperatures, and to discourage weed growth. Iris perform best with at least 1-inch of rain (or equivalent watering) each week. As soon as new growth emerges begin fertilizing every two weeks with Cottage Farms Carefree Bud-N-Bloom Booster throughout the growing season. This will ensure maximum flowering and root development.

Cottage Farms Direct
Check us out at http://www.cottagefarmsdirect.com
Click here to determine your hardiness zone: http://www.cottagefarmsdirect.com/hardiness.asp

Problems With Peonies?

2009-01-21T22:40:00.000+07:00

My peony buds start to grow in spring, but they stay very tiny and die. What's wrong?

This is a condition called bud blast that can occur in newly planted peonies. The flower buds grow about the size of a small pea but then stop growing and fail to open. Peony plants form their buds in the fall. A clump that's been divided has a much-reduced root system, and it sometimes doesn't have the strength to develop all its buds. This problem goes away as the plant matures.

In more mature plants, possible causes include poor soil fertility, too much shade, dry spells or cold injury after an extreme winter. Winters that are colder than normal and late spring frosts can abort the buds of mature as well as new plants. The best remedy is to protect peony clumps with winter mulch (fall leaves or Christmas tree boughs work well) applied in late fall or early winter after you have cut down the previous season's foliage.

Some stems on my peony suddenly wilted, turned brown and dried up. What's wrong?

In cool wet springs, peonies can be affected by botrytis blight. A number of stems in a clump can be affected in older plants, while young plants can have all stems affected.

You should remove any wilted stems, cutting below the affected area. Be careful not to allow diseased material come into contact with healthy stems. Discard in the garbage (not the compost), and disinfect your pruners with rubbing alcohol or bleach. Your peonies should recover when conditions get drier and warmer.

To prevent problems, always plant your peonies in a sunny spot, spacing them to allow for good air circulation, and do a good clean-up of old leaves each fall.

My plants have been in the same spot for years, but now they aren't blooming as well as they used to.

Generally, peonies grow well for many seasons, as long as they have humus-rich soil, adequate moisture and full sun. However, if your plants have been in the same spot for years, the soil may be depleted. Mulching them each spring and fall with a couple of shovels full of well-rotted manure or garden compost can help.

If your plants are getting crowded or are now shaded by surrounding trees and shrubs, consider dividing or moving them. The best time to do this is in late summer or early fall. Cut into the fleshy roots to make divisions that have at least four or five eyes (the little buds you see on the roots). Replant into enriched soil and make sure the eyes are set no deeper than two inches.

Yvonne Cunnington is an avid gardener, garden writer and photographer. She contributes regularly to gardening magazines and is the author of Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless For more gardening tips, visit her website at http://flower-gardening-made-easy.com - For more peony planting and care tips, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/peony-care.html - See her Country Gardener blog at http://countrygardener.blogspot.com

Mandalas A Restful Retreat a Healing Symbol

2009-01-19T22:40:00.000+07:00

Have you ever wanted to see inside yourself? I?m not talking about an X-ray of your internal organs but an up close and personal view of who you are in spiritual terms. Mandala art can bring forth information from within you that lets you know you?ve contacted a Higher Power.

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning circle. This sacred diagram or meditation symbol is usually circular and is a symbol of the Universe and its energy. It is used in Eastern and Native American medicine for healing body, soul, and spirit. Meditative contemplation of the mandala can bring the inner light of the soul to consciousness, activate hidden powers of the mind and open the heart chakra to the healing power of unconditional love.

When my husband and I were taking courses at American Institute of Holistic Theology, I took an elective class on Mandala art and he took Feng Shui. While I was shading and tinting on black paper creating designs that reflected my inner soul, Randy was arranging furniture, moving knickknacks and making sure each room had the proper color and placement of the five elements: earth, fire, water, wood and metal. One spring morning Randy came in from working in the yard and said that he wanted to start a Feng Shui mandala in our backyard. I could see in my mind a maze-like labyrinth with tall hedges and sacred coves to meditate, but he had a totally different idea. He wanted a flower garden that allowed energy to flow by following the Chinese art of color pattern and cardinal direction.

Randy took an iron pole and drove it into the ground at the center of our backyard. He tied a string to it and walked outward from the center pulling the string tightly and using it as a guide to mark a large circle where he intended to start our garden. He blessed the ground as a sacred place and then made a rough drawing of a design for the garden. Each quadrant features a color, a cardinal direction, and component of life associated with it. There is a goldfish pond in the north, a fire pit in the south, metal ornaments in the east and a wooden bench in the east. We've placed an altar in the middle where we leave gifts such as herbs, gem stones, coins and seeds to thank the gnomes and faeries who help our garden grow!

Our mandala garden progressed over the months and has become not only a restful place to meditate but a work of art that our neighbors and family enjoy with us. There's nothing quite like having a sip of tea and reading abook in a mandala garden!

Yvonne Perry is a metaphysical freelance writer and the owner of Write On! Creative Writing Services based in Nashville, Tennessee. She and her team of ghostwriters service clients all over the globe by offering quality writing on a variety of topics at an affordable price. If you need a brochure, web text, business document, resume, bio, article or book, visit http://www.yvonneperry.net.

Comparing Fresh & Silk flowers

2009-01-17T22:40:00.000+07:00

The journey of life is full of special moments, celebrations and jubilations. Sending fresh and silk flowers at such times make these moments more beautiful and special. Often buying fresh lilies or buying silk flowers involves great emotions, as it is for a special person. Not every time you need to buy flowers to celebrate a moment, but at times just by sending or giving flowers to your loved ones, can be the icing on the cake, that makes it more memorable. Sending flowers is an internationally popular way of expressing love and care. In fact every flower and every color has a special significance and connotes a special emotion. Giving flowers is an old trend that will never loose its charm.

Flowers for events

Flowers of different types and colors are used for different events. Fresh flowers produce terrific fragrance, that can fill a room. Where as, artificial flowers can be kept as mementos and preserved as memories. Orchids, fresh cut lilies, tulips and roses of pink shades, if combined together, make the most stunning bouquet of wedding flowers. Lighter shades of pink flowers, which stand for happiness and joy, are most used for as wedding flowers. Similarly there are special fresh and artificial flowers, which are arranged together as birthday flowers and anniversary flowers. Flowers do not only make beautiful gifts, but can be customized almost any way you want. In some cases artificial flowers are more preferred, as they can be stored. They also come in many varieties and colors. In fact artificial flowers, such as the ones made from silks and latex look amazingly beautiful, almost exactly like the natural ones and are also very cheap. Latex flowers have extra soft petals giving the flower a natural feel. As these flowers come with a long stem they can also be used in vases. Moreover when it comes to sending flowers you basically have two options. Fresh cut flowers, or artificial ones. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Fresh Flowers vs. Silk Flowers

Fresh flowers have their own beauty and fragrance, which, cannot be copied. The diversity that fresh flowers offer is really amazing. In fact no two red roses, or any other flowers for that matter, can ever look the same. The natural beauty can never be duplicated. Every flower is a masterpiece and a combination of such masterpieces surely makes up an enchanting arrangement or bouquet. However natural flowers are often seasonal and not all varieties are available through out the year. Further more fresh flowers don?t remain fresh for a long time and perish easily. On the other hand Silk flowers last for years. Silks come in a wide variety of quality. The better ones are hard to distinguish from the natural ones. Silk flowers of all varieties are available through- out the year and are definitely cheaper than the natural ones. These flowers just need to be dusted off and washed from time to time.

Where to buy

To buy silk flowers there are various online sellers who offer these flowers at discount rates. Higher discounts can be available if flowers are purchased in bulk. Silk flowers can also be purchased from crafts shops. Similarly there are florists who can deliver these flowers on demand. Florists today along with the fresh ones have also started keeping silk flowers. Buying fresh flowers is more recommended from local florists. In fact go personally to shop for them. When you need large quantities of fresh flowers, go to flower markets, where you can get fresh flowers at wholesale rates.

Chad Harris is the founder of Flower-Guide.net. At www.flower-guide.net we have information about growing orchids, caring for tulips, buying silk flowers, and much more.

Brighten your Yard with Summer Bulbs

2009-01-15T22:40:00.000+07:00

Beauty. Vibrancy. Durability. From stunning lilies to exotic gladiolus, summer bulbs are as gorgeous as they are resilient, which makes them popular among beginners and green thumbs alike. By properly selecting and planting healthy summer bulbs, you?ll be rewarded by an abundance of bright flowers through early fall.

What are Bulbs? Before you learn about selecting and planting bulbs, it?s necessary to explain what bulbs are. The term ?bulbs? refers to a large group of plants that store nutrients underground, but is often used to include plants such as corms, tubers and rhizomes. However, for purposes of simplicity, in this article the term ?bulbs? refers to bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes.

Wait for Warm Soil The most important rule to remember is that summer bulbs must be planted in warm soil. For many areas in the U.S., this ranges from mid to late spring. However, since soil temperature greatly varies by location, ask employees at a local nursery when you should plant your bulbs. Next, after you know when you?ll plant them, walk around your yard to discover the perfect spot for your bulbs. The spot must receive at least five hours of sunlight per day, and must be moist and well-drained.

Pick the Perfect Flower Now that you know when and where to plant summer bulbs, the fun of selecting flowers begins! Although there are many varieties of summer bulbs, here?s some information about the most popular types:

Gladiolus This plant gets its name from the Latin word ?gladius,? or sword, because of its sword-like stems. These plants have flower spikes that grow from corms, and boast a wide variety of colors.

Dahlias These sturdy, cheerful flowers grow from tubers. Dahlias are popular because they?re available in many shapes, colors and sizes. Begonias These bushy plants grow from rhizomes or tubers, and bloom rose-shaped, boldly-colored flowers. Begonias are hardy plants, and thrive in shady areas.

Lilies Lilies are the showstopper in any garden for their fragrance, brilliant color and large blooms. They are available in lots of colors, and are beloved by many gardeners.

Select & Plant the Best Bulbs At your local nursery, carefully examine plants before you buy them. Make sure that the summer bulbs are solid, and not lightweight. Lift the plants and only purchase those that seem heavy for their size. Do not buy plants that have moldy bulbs. Although it?s recommended that you plant your bulbs almost immediately, they can also be stored in a cool, dry area. The following tips can help you plant some of the most common summer bulbs, but you need to follow specific instructions for other varieties.

Gladiolus

Begin by picking a spot with well-drained, rich soil that receives lots of sunshine.
Plant the corms about six inches below the soil surface.
These plants can reach two to six feet in height, so you might need to carefully tie their stems to stakes or posts.

Dahlias

A spot with lots of sun and well-drained soil is perfect for dahlias.
Start planting by covering their tubers with soil, and allowing the old flower stalk to stick out of the ground.
Are you planting taller dahlias? Then leave about two feet in between each plant.
For shorter dahlias, plant them about a half of a foot apart from each other.

Begonias

Begonias thrive in the shade, so plant them out of direct sunlight.
Begonia tubers thrive in rich soil, and should be
Plant the tubers about one half inch below the soil surface.
Make sure to plant the tubers with the hollow side facing up.

Lilies

Lilies flourish well-drained soil.
Plant these bulbs with their roots in the shade, and their flowers facing the sun.
Allow four to six inches of soil to cover their bulbs.
Make sure to leave six to ten inches in between bulbs.
Throughout the summer, water the lilies so that their soil is moist.

TLC for Summer Bulbs Although they?re easy to take care of, a few pointers can help ensure your bulbs? health and beauty. In late spring and throughout summer, water these plants often, prune their dead flowers and remove nearby weeds. These simple tips can dramatically increase your plants? appearance and resilience.This spring, figure out what summer bulb varieties you?d like to grow. Visit a local nursery to ask about planting time, and purchase varieties that will flourish in your soil and sunlight conditions. Even if you?re not an avid gardener, you can easily grow and maintain summer bulbs. If you follow these suggestions, summer bulbs will brighten your yard from midsummer through early fall.

Jeff Hansen is a certified arborist and is president of Hansen?s Tree Service, a full-service tree and lawn care company near St. Louis, MO. Fully accredited by TCIA and ISA, Hansen?s strives to educate the public on the values of proper tree and lawn care. For more information about tree care or Hansen?s, visit http://www.hansenstree.com

Growing and Caring for Your Bamboo

2009-01-13T22:40:00.000+07:00

Bamboos are some of the most versatile and resilient grasses. They are easy to grow and maintain because these plants demand little care and fuss. They grow up fast like lawn grass and they benefit from simple watering and fertilizer applications. Once the bamboo has achieved its top mature size, which takes about ten years, it then becomes even easier to grow.

Bamboos do not require much fertilizer and watering when mature enough. Some species are even drought tolerant. They also benefit from a wind screen and some light shade when first planted as well. This is especially true of the smaller variety, though some species like the Fargesias, Thamnocalamus and Sasas can grow well with a lot more sun. In fact, the Fargesias and most Thamnocalamus are grown better with some shade during the middle of the day when it is hottest.

Aside from watering and fertilizer, bamboos greatly benefit from pruning, which most owners forget to do. Bamboo plants grow by producing new canes every year, usually in the spring. Some tropical species of clumping bamboos produce new canes later in the summer. These canes grow very fast in just a month or two. On the third month, the canes will start branching and leafing out like asparagus shoots. Each cane grows as much as it can in a short period of time and then the growth abruptly stops. In the next few years, each cane will only continue to branch and leaf out at a slower rate. As the canes grow even bigger, they can now begin to produce new and larger canes each year, after which the mother cane will age and finally die.

Placement is also important when determining where to position your bamboo shoots. You should always remember that most large bamboos grow faster and healthier in full sun. Fargesia and Thamnocalamus are the hardiest kinds and can be planted without the fear of uncontrollable spreading. Other bamboos spread by their underground rhizomes, so barriers need to be set up to limit their growth. A barrier 40 mil in thickness by 30 inches deep of HDPE (high density polyethylene) to control their spread usually does the trick.

Most bamboos grow extremely well in a moderately loamy soil that is slightly acidic. If your soil is quite heavy, you will have to add some organic materials. These materials can be dug well into the soil where the bamboo is to be planted. It is also recommended that you mulch the area well and let some earthworms do the work for you before you plant your bamboo. You don't need to spend for mulch. Any organic material makes good mulch and grass preferred because of its high nitrogen and silica content. Hay is good also but it is often a source of weed seeds, which can be a future problem. Any kind of manure is good as long as it's not hot. Limit the use of chicken manure for bamboos. Chipped trees are also good for bamboo growth.

Bamboo is a forest plant and it grows better if mulch is maintained over the roots and rhizomes. Do not rake or sweep up bamboo leaves that fall off the plant. These can keep the soil soft and moist. The leaves also recycle silica and other natural chemicals that are necessary for bamboo growth.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Bamboo.

Watering and Tending to Your Bamboo Plant Correctly

2009-01-11T22:40:00.000+07:00

The big advantage that bamboos have over other garden plants is that they can be planted at any time of the year in areas with mild to warm climates. In the colder parts of the world, they are usually planted outdoors so they can harden off sufficiently before they face their first winter.

If you plant bamboo planted late in the year, you should mulch the plant heavily. You should also provide the plant with protection from cold and drying winds. Successful growers in colder countries usually protect their bamboo plants with a heavy mulch through the winter. In extremely cold climates, a mature bamboo grove with an efficient layer of bamboo leaves covering their base will yield soft soil even when the surrounding soils are frozen hard.

If your bamboo species spreads underground, you must install a barrier to control the spread of running bamboo before it gets out of hand. For most situations a barrier of 30 inches deep is recommended. In other than very light soils the bamboo rhizomes are usually in the top few inches of soil. However, when the bamboo rhizome bumps into an barrier, it will turn and sometimes it will go down. So it is very important to keep the soil tight and compact on the base of the bamboo, as well as eliminate air pockets next to the barrier so the bamboo does not creep any deeper than you want. If you need to add more soil, simply add soil on the top. You must prevent deep rhizome growth to contain the bamboo effectively. It's also good to surround the plant with a shallow trench 8 to 10 inches deep--this is a cheaper and easier method. You will simply need to check a couple of times in the summer and autumn if any rhizomes have tried to reach across the trench. These can then be cut off easily and extra bamboo growth can be contained.

Freshly planted bamboos do need frequent and generous watering. You should water the bamboo twice a week during mild weather and daily during hot and windy weather. It is recommended that each plant under 5 gallon pot size gets a gallon of water and for bigger bamboos, more than 1 gallon will be necessary. Once your bamboo plant has reached the mature size, it will survive with much less water, but until then, a lot of water and fertilizer is necessary to achieve the best possible growth. It is actually the lack of water, especially in the summer that is the leading cause of death or poor growth of new bamboo plants. The reverse is also true: if you give too much water to newly planted bamboos daily, or for longer than a few minutes, the leaves will drop. Older and more mature bamboos can take a lot of water but freshly planted ones can suffer from too much as well as too little water.

When spring arrives, you will notice that there will be a significant yellowing of the leaves, after which the leaves shed off. Don't panic, leaf shedding is natural and should not cause concern because bamboos remain evergreen and renew their leaves in the spring. They have to lose their leaves gradually so they can be replaced by fresh new ones. If you care for your bamboo well, a healthy bamboo plant will have green leaves most of the year and yellow leaves in the spring.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Bamboo.

Ellepots/Paper Pots

2009-01-09T22:40:00.000+07:00

The most exciting product to come along in a while...ellepots. This simple, basic technology can profoundly reduce the amount of plastic waste generated by plant growers.

The Danish company Ellegaard a/s has introduced to the U.S. it?s ellepot paper plant pots. The ellepot is a biodegradable paper fiber tube filled with potting soil. How many times have you finished gardening, only to throw away a stack of plastic pots? Nobody really wants old pots and recyclers will not take most. Ellepots are your solution as they are to be planted directly in the ground or container.

If you compare different brands of pots, you will see many different plastic recycling numbers. There are no industry standards to accomodate recycling old plastic pots. Ellepots overcome all these environmental problems associated with plastic pots by using no plastic in the end product. Single use consumer packages (nursery pots in gardeners case) end up as solid waste in a landfill; this left over trash from each and every plant has always seemed contrary to gardening principles. In our nursery we haven't been able to totally get away from plastic as we grow our ellepot crop in plastic flats. We are, however, able to reuse the flats many times, minimizing our waste.

Ellepots, being made from paper fiber, are a truly renewable resource, unlike oil. The drawbacks seen so far with using ellepots are all aesthetic; the roots are growing through the paper and the root ball is wet, sometimes algae grows on the sides of the ellepot. A finicky person might have a hard time keeping their hands clean when handling ellepots. To a gardener it is exciting to see the whole plant you are buying; gardeners get their hands dirty, therefore they should like using ellepots. The absence of plastic pots saves labor at planting and clean up.

In addition, the paper allows the roots of the plant to breath and develop in a way similar to being in the ground. This oxygen makes for healthier, stronger roots leading to healthier, stronger plants. You will be happy to know that you are not only helping your environment, you are also helping your garden!

In 1985, Briscoe White opened The Growers Exchange in an abandoned Texaco station on a busy urban street corner in Richmond, Virginia. The facility has grown over the years, and is now 5 distinct growing environments with 5 acres under cover. Briscoe has over 25 years of gardening experience. For further information on indoor and outdoor gardening plants or gardening tips please contact Briscoe White at bwhite@thegrowersexchange.com.

Choosing A Landscaping Firm

2009-01-09T00:00:00.000+07:00

Finding a good landscaping firm that will put one's needs and preferences on paper is a common need when engaging in a home improvement endeavor. A person who is engaged in such a task should not only look at the projected results that are promised by the landscape firm but he should also look at the process by which they plan to achieve the results.

Assuming that a homeowner has already made an assessment of what he wants to do with his garden or yard and has a set budget for it, he then needs to look for a landscaping firm. What does he need to look for when choosing a landscaping firm? Here are some of the pertinent things that you should remember in making your selection:

1. Ask for referrals

The best way to find a good landscaping firm is to ask friends, neighbors and family members. One can get more information in an hour talking with his neighbor or others who have had experience in hiring a landscaping firm than a whole day trying to search the Internet for information. Although the Internet is a good way to look for prospective landscaping firms, it would not be able answer many of the most important questions that one might have.

2. Check the services that are offered by the firm

Different landscape firms offer different services. Check if the landscaping firm has all the services that you will be needing to complete your project. It makes no sense to hire a landscaping firm only to find out later that it cannot complete the project because it is does not offer a specific service that is needed.

3. Contact the Firm

Try contacting them by telephone and ask some basic questions. One would also want to set up a personal meeting with the landscapers. An initial assessment of the firm's customer service should be made by the inquiring party. Small things usually reflect the general attitude of a firm toward its clients.

4. Investigate

If personal referrals won't give you security, you may want to check the firm's authorization and licenses. Don't forget to ask if they are offering liability insurance since you might be needing that information in the future.

Finding a good landscaping firm is not that hard if one takes the necessary steps to do so. In the end, it's a matter of assessing the over-all package that is offered by the firm against your needs.

Bill McRea is the publisher of Garden Facts and the Article Directory. Landscaping and Gardening with information on thousands of topics.

Landscaping Using Native Plants Saves Water

2009-01-08T23:50:00.000+07:00

Using native plants in landscaping in an urban setting exudes a certain character and at the same time requires fewer resources; such as water, etc... Here are some things that you should know when planning to embark on this endeavor.

Why use native plants?

Using native plants for landscaping is a way of celebrating natural heritage and a way of returning back to a land ethic established 50 years before by Aldo Leopold. Looking closely at native plants, it can be ascertained that these plants have many traits that make them very appealing in terms of aesthetic value, ecological value, and practicality. They can also present some health benefits when used properly.

Native Plants

So what are native plants? Native plants are plants that have evolved naturally in the United States. In particular, native plants in a certain area are those that were thriving in the particular area long before humans brought plants from faraway places. Both in Central and Eastern North America, the native plants grow in areas that have other species which have adapted to similar weather, moisture, and soil conditions. Some of the more prevalent types include tallgrass prairies, beech and maple forests, freshwater marshes, bogs, and savannahs among others.

Native plants are energy savers

Since native plants have been present in their respective areas for thousands of years, they have adapted and toughened against local conditions. They are resilient and can withstand the cruel winter cold or the sizzling summer heat. After getting a firm hold on the land, these types of plants will need no fertilizers or irrigation and are less prone to pests. Because of these reasons, native plants are very ideal for a low-maintenance type of landscaping and gardening.

Native plants are fascinating

Due to their diversity, native plants include wonderful flowers and interesting foliage. Trees and shrubs native to an area present a multitude of shapes, textures, and sizes to the landscape. Besides this, native plants have very interesting cultural as well as historical dimensions. A lot of the species are considered to be of value both as food and medicine. Some types have been used for textiles, dyeing, and cordage to name a few of their uses... It also serves as a reminder, a link to yesterday and its memories.

These are some of the reasons why native plants are used for landscaping. If you think that these are well grounded reasons and that you concur with it, then there is no reason why you should not delve into native plant landscaping.

Bill McRea is the publisher of Garden Facts also Garden Decor and Landscape Trees Landscaping and Gardening with information and products.

Lawn Tractors Buying the Right One

2009-01-08T23:40:00.000+07:00

So you have a huge yard or many acres of property on which to mow grass. It looks as if you will need a lawn tractor to get the job done quickly and in the easiest way possible. The only problem is that you have no experience purchasing lawn tractors. Where do you begin?

Follow our simple guide to buying lawn tractors, and you will be mowing your way to a perfect lawn in no time.

Buy a lawn tractor that is the proper size for the amount of land you have.

Oftentimes, people purchasing lawn tractors get carried away, and but more mower than they actually need. They do not take into consideration where they would store a large lawn tractor, or the fact that they could have bought a smaller one at a smaller price, and it would have got the job done just as well. It is a rule of thumb that lawn tractors are only needed for properties that are a quarter of an acre of more.

Determine how much horsepower you actually need.

Having a lawn tractor with a great deal of horsepower doesn?t always mean that you will get the mowing done faster. Experts agree that there is not much difference between lawn tractors with 15, 16, or 17 horsepower. However, if you will be adding attachments such as plows and tillers to your lawn tractor, more horsepower will make a difference.

Do you have the need for speed?

The speed of lawn tractors depends not upon horsepower, but rather upon ground speed, turning radius, cutting blade rotation rate, and the mowing deck width. For example, lawn tractors with a small turning radius can cut faster around trees and plants, thus making mowing faster.

Will you use attachments?

When researching lawn tractors, find out what models will take what attachments. Keep in mind that not all models will be able to use attachments, and some attachments may be too outdated for the lawn tractor model. Bagging and mulching kits are available for almost all lawn tractors. However, more heavy-duty attachments such as snow plows and tillers are not.

What drive type are you looking for?

There are four types of drive type: hydrostatic transmission, gear-drives, pedal-drives, and manual-drives.

Hydrostatic transmissions are smooth-running, and are operated by foot pedal. Lawn tractors with hydrostatic transmission need a good amount of horsepower.

Gear-drives are operated by a clutch which requires you to shift between gears. Therefore, you need to know how to drive a vehicle with manual transmission in order to drive this type of lawn tractor.

Pedal-drives also require shifting, but they use a foot pedal as well. And manual-drives use a lever instead of a foot pedal. Manual-drive lawn tractors are often the most challenging to drive.

With a reasonable amount of research, and the ability to compare the features that matter to you, you will have an easy time picking out the perfect lawn tractor for your yard.

Timothy Anderson writes for PowerfulChecklists.com. Before you spend any money, check out your next lawn tractor carefully using the free Lawn Tractor Checklist at PowerfulChecklists.com

Leylandii Pruning the Law and You

2009-01-08T23:30:00.000+07:00

Who of you out there has a fast growing Leylandii hedge (golden or green)? Maybe you call it by its Latin name x Cupressocyparis Leylandii or maybe you call it ?that damned high maintenance, sunlight blocking hedging?. Please try not to be so hard on this conifer, as evergreen hedges with thick foliage such as Leylandii, can filter out up to 30% of atmospheric pollution. Now, I have called it a hedge but maybe I should have called it a line of trees, because your Leylandii is in fact a tree not a hedging shrub. You will have realised this, if you have been fighting a losing battle to keep a Leylandii hedge to a height that will still allow sunlight to enter your property.

When to prune, side and top

This crazy growth conifer tree is always trying to get to its ultimate height of 20 metres (60 ft) and ultimate spread of 5 metres (15 ft). So for most people this means pruning their hedge religiously each year, missing a years pruning will result in excessive labour at dangerous height the following year. Anytime during the month of May is a good time to trim and tidy up a formal Leylandii hedge. Many people choose to trim in late autumn when giving the garden a late tidy, I would always avoid this. The reason being that if you leave a buffer of straggly growth over winter this will offer protection against frosty or cold wind damage, any browned or burnt foliage can be trimmed off during the month of May. If you had trimmed in late autumn and subsequently received some cold wind damage, you would now have to trim a second time, leaving a rather bare and see through hedge.

How often and how hard can I prune?

Ideally, you should trim a formal Leylandii hedge every season trimming no deeper than 15 cm or 6 inches on each side, this will encourage the hedge to fill out and thicken. Beware, trimming or should I say cutting back into older wood on Leylandii?s is best avoided. This is because most conifers including Junipers, Chamaecyparis and Yew will not grow new shoots or leaves on old wood. You will see examples of this exhibited on the many brown patched Leylandii?s that litter our countryside and towns.

Leylandii and the law

In Britain, x Cupressocyparis Leylandii is estimated to be the cause of over 20,000 ongoing neighbour disputes. The disputes usually centre on encroachment or the exclusion of sunlight; many of these problems end up in court or worse still, the local accident and emergency room. Here is the law as it stands in Britain?

- If Leylandii or another form of hedge is encroaching on a neighbour's garden, the neighbours is entitled to trim back the hedge to the boundary themselves, but must return the trimmings to the owner. That solves the sideways growth of the tree, but a neighbour is not entitled to reduce its height. This is where your people skills will be put to the test as you try to convince your neighbour to top his trees.

- If the neighbour digs his heels in and stubbornly refuses to reduce the height of the hedge, then you can contact you local council. A complainant must prove they have tried to resolve matters privately first before approaching their local council. If the council deems the hedge excessive, they can then order it to be reduced in height to two metres.

- Failure to comply with this order could mean a fine of ?1,000.

James Kilkelly runs a professional garden design service in Galway, Ireland. He has a regular gardening column in an Irish regional newspaper. Visit his website at http://www.gardenplansireland.com/ He also regularly posts his expert advice to a gardening community at http://www.gardenstew.com/

Article's original location: Leylandii, Pruning, the Law and You

Ezine Article Submission Submit Your Best Articles For Massive Exposure Ezine Publishers Get 25 Free Article Reprints

2009-01-08T23:26:00.000+07:00

Natural Gardens

2009-01-08T23:20:00.000+07:00

Natural gardens utilize native species of plants which are often quite easy to grow.? These plants have adapted to certain site conditions and are generally self sustaining.? They'll need little, if any, fertilizer and no more water than is provided by rain.? Natural gardens consist of a rich and varied mix of plants.? They introduce a diversity of trees, shrubs and perennials not found in some gardens.? Natural gardens also provide a garden with a sense of place.? It?s often difficult to distinguish a garden in New York from one in Washington even though their landscapes and climates are completely different.

Lawns are one the most common garden features in the landscape but turf grasses are rarely a natural occurrence.? While some lawn is preferable, consider introducing wildflowers into a portion of your existing lawn.? Wildflower meadows are noted for their stability, low maintenance and wide diversity of plants resulting in vibrant colors, textures and an increased awareness of seasonal change.? The meadow approach to the landscape requires a clear understanding of a site's natural conditions, more so than say a formal perennial garden bed.? Wildflower meadows are a constantly changing landscape with some species surviving year after year while others may disappear and be replaced with something new.? Along with these aesthetic benefits there are ecological benefits as well, including the reduced need for mowing, the creation of a habitat for native species of animals and the fact that wildflower meadows are very effective at trapping airborne pollutants.

In woodland settings, gardens which emphasize the natural conditions of the forest are easy to maintain and provide the landscape with a variety of plants.? In the spring, perennials and bulbs bloom profusely in the dappled shade beneath deciduous trees which have yet to develop leaves.? In the shadier conditions of summer, the spring floral display gives way to perennials and shrubs with rich varied foliage.? In the fall, after the colorful leaves drop to the ground, a second bloom will often brighten up the garden.? Many native species of trees have winter characteristics which are often overlooked.? The form of some trees, such as the birch or ironwood, is quite striking.? Woodland gardens also provide a shady respite from the hot afternoon sun of summer.

Natural gardens are not limited to country settings, they can be established in urban environments as well.? A small urban lot can be transformed in to a garden which resembles the natural environment of the surrounding countryside.? Planting a tree which creates dappled shade will allow a gardener to plant many native species of woodland perennials or, in sunnier spots, summer blooming wildflowers.? Small native shrubs can also be used.? The soft lines and lushness of a natural garden can be a welcome contrast to the consistent geometry of the city.? In suburban areas, potions of vast lawns can be transformed into meadows.

If you?re not ready to give up your more traditional garden complete just yet but would like to add variety to your landscape, consider incorporating native perennials or native shrub species into your existing flower and shrub borders.?

Gardens which mimic the existing landscape or incorporate native plants are successful because they?re easy to maintain and will thrive even in the most extreme conditions.? They?ve adapted to do so.? Planting a natural garden can help restore the landscape, attract a variety of bird species and provide the garden with a wonderful mix of under utilized, interesting plants.

T Hallinan is a landscape designer and builder in Massachusetts. Visit his garden resource website http://www.gardenlistings.com for all kind of helpful information. For more garden guides visit http://www.gardenlistings.com/resources.htm

Your Step By Step Guide To Planting The Perfect Lawn

2009-01-08T23:10:00.000+07:00

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including home improvement. You can find lawn mower reviews and lawn tractor reviews by visiting our Home Improvement website.

Theme Gardens

2009-01-08T23:07:00.000+07:00

? 2005, Sandra Dinkins-Wilson.

Find more articles for Flower Garden Lovers at our informative website, http://flowergardenlovers.com.

You Can't Beat Perennials For Glorious Color All Season Long

2008-12-23T11:40:00.000+07:00

How To Plan A Garden

2008-12-20T23:00:00.000+07:00

All great gardens have one thing in common, they were thoughtfully planned before they were built. To plant a successful garden you must have a clear understanding of your site?s conditions. A thorough site analysis enables the gardener to make informed decisions regarding design and plant selection. Determined in this site analysis are the following factors; climate & micro-climate, sun & shade conditions, wind exposure, soil composition & chemistry and existing vegetation.

Plant hardiness zone maps divide the country into zones based on the lowest average winter temperature. A plant that is adapted to your hardiness zone is one that can tolerate the lowest winter temperature your zone typically experiences. Find out the zone in which you live and use it as guide during your plant selection process.

Along with the overall climate conditions of your area, micro-climates within your specific site also determine what is appropriate for your garden. Micro-climates are conditions, such as temperatures, which can vary from spot to in spot the garden. A sunny spot against a brick wall with a southern exposure, for example, will be warmer than its surrounding environment, even during the coldest winter days. In a space such as this, plants which are borderline hardy have a better chance at survival than if planted elsewhere in the garden. Also, however, a warm full sun location can encourage premature new growth on some plants which could damage new shoots if there?s a sudden drop in temperature.

The canopy of the existing trees can protect plants by reducing their radiant heat loss. In winter, the micro-climate beneath a tree may be several degrees warmer than the surrounding air, this slight difference in temperature can be beneficial to some plants. Furthermore, the tree?s shade during the early morning slows the rate of thaw in spring delaying the emergence of spring bulbs.

Being aware of the sun and shade conditions in your garden is critical to proper plant placement and, in turn, to the long term health of your plants. Improperly placed plants are a main reason for unnecessary transplants. Most plants prefer at least some shade during the day. Observe the light condition of your garden over the course of a few days to determine how much sun it gets. Be aware of the time of day as well. Many plants that thrive in part sun welcome shade during the heat of the afternoon, when the sun is strongest.

Plants which demand full sun should be placed where they get at least 6 hours of each day. Shady conditions can vary. There are three types of shade; dappled, part shade & deep shade.

Dappled shade perhaps is the easiest type of shade in which to garden. It occurs beneath deciduous trees where there are drastic changes in the amount of sunlight reaching the ground throughout the year alternating between a patchwork of shade and sun in the summer and full sun during winter after the trees drop their leaves. Many shave-loving plants will adapt to these conditions. Many shade tolerant plants, such as trillium, epimedium, anemone and various bulbs have adapted to these conditions by flowering in the spring while there is still quite a bit of light entering the garden.

Part shade occurs as the sun moves across the sky. It creates situations such as full sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Only the most sun loving plants will fail to survive in part shade conditions. It?s perfect for those plants which tolerate sun but little shade. Afternoon shade in this situation is quite beneficial to plants as the shade will protect them from the sun during the hottest part of the day. If the opposite is true, shade in the morning and sun in the afternoon, some plants will tend to look stressed as the coolness of morning shade gives way to full sun during the hottest part of the day.

Deep shade occurs beneath evergreens or in narrow spaces between tall buildings and can be a challenging environment in which to garden. Soil beneath evergreens is usually poor due to the lack of an annual leaf fall which in deciduous forests provides layers of organic mulch. Plants selected for deep shade gardens need to be shade demanding not just shade tolerant. These plants may tolerate some morning sun but not more than an hour or so of afternoon sun.

Before you plant your new shrubs, perform a soil test to determine its pH level. Soil test kits are readily available at most greenhouses and nurseries. Most plants prefer a pH level somewhere between 5.8 and 6.5. Outside of this range it becomes difficult for plants to get the nutrients they need. To adjust a pH level which is too high, meaning the soil is alkaline, add aluminum sulfate. Soils which are acidic have low pH levels; adding lime will create more favorable planting conditions.

Soil composition is also critical to the growth of healthy root systems. Most plants will not do well in exceedingly sandy soil or in poorly drained clay soil. Grading and conditioning the site to provide adequate drainage should be done before you begin planting. If you?re planning a garden in clay soil composted bark or other course textured organic material will improve drainage. It may also be necessary to build up the garden, creating raised beds. This will allow oxygen to reach the roots and cause excess water to drain away from the plant rather than collecting beneath it.

Because they are so well drained, sandy soils don?t hold water or nutrients well. Sandy soils, as opposed to clay soils, require the addition of water retentive organic matter such as manure, compost and peat moss. When adding your soil amendments avoid uncomposted bark or wood chips as they tend to rob plants of nitrogen

Compacted and poorly drained soils contain little oxygen, which plant need in order to grow. Though some plants tolerate soils with low oxygen, most grow poorly or die. Although most types of soil can become compacted, clay presents plants the most difficult challenge.

Other conditions such as existing vegetation should be considered carefully. Most of the time existing trees can add character to a garden so think about how you may use them to your advantage. By pruning some lower branches you may be able to let enough dappled light in beneath the tree to plant a woodland garden. If there?s a tree on the property which seems to stand out from the rest use it as a focal point in your garden.

Getting to know the conditions of your site before you begin planning and planting can be the difference between success and disappointment. Properly planned gardens ensure the time you invest in you garden is worth it, as each properly placed plant thrives.

Wind Chimes You Can Live With

2008-12-18T22:40:00.000+07:00

Not all wind chimes are created equal and selecting the proper wind chime is important for the long term sanity of you, your family, and your guests.

A quality wind chime will have a precise musical pitch and the chime elements will harmonize with one another. This will create a soothing effect on the listener. A chime that is not properly tuned will create a dissonance that will be a long term irritation to those forced to listen to it. Tuning problems are common with many of the cheap imports from China. Many of these chimes are pretty to look at but the sound will likely drive you nuts in the long run.

Another factor one must consider is the volume that will be produced by the chime when the wind blows. Generally, the larger the chime is the louder the chime will be. Many people prefer the quiet tinkle of a smaller chime and may not be able to tolerate the loud sounds generated by a larger chime. If you prefer a low volume chime you may want to select a smaller chime.

There are many different types of wind chimes available on the market. Your selection will include chimes made from bamboo, aluminum, glass, pewter, steel, and other exotic materials such as sliced thunder eggs or obsidian. All of these materials can make a fine wind chime if the design and construction of the chime is done properly. Of the choices commonly available, chimes manufactured from aluminum or pewter are generally the best choice because these materials will not rust and keep their beauty for many years. Steel chimes tend to rust in a few years and bamboo chimes often will crack within a year when exposed to the elements. Glass chimes are fragile and will break relatively easily.

American manufacturers tend to produce the finest chimes you will find. The most popular American manufacturers are Woodstock Percussion, Whispering Winds, Music of the Spheres, Spirit Winds, QMT, Gracenotes, and J. W. Stannard.

Woodstock Percussion is the largest American manufacturer of wind chimes and offers a huge selection in many different styles and sizes. Most of their chimes are actually manufactured in China but under strict quality control guidelines from Woodstock. As a result, you can expect all Woodstock chimes to be top quality.

Whispering Winds specializes in pewter chimes with themed designs. These chimes will not rust and come is a multitude of themes and sizes. The chime tubes are made of aluminum and the artsy portion of the chime is manufactured from pewter. These chimes are rugged and will withstand sever weather. The only drawback to this design is that it requires a significant amount of wind to make the chime perform at its best.

Music of the Spheres specializes in thick walled aluminum chimes. These chime will resonate much longer than competing chimes of similar size and tend to be loud. Because these chimes are precisely tuned the loud volume is well tolerated by most people. In fact, many will purchase this chime specifically because it is loud. Music of the Spheres manufactures some of the nicest sounding chimes you will find anywhere. These are truly beautiful chimes.

Spirit Winds is probably the most important manufacture of bamboo chimes in America. Actually, the chimes are manufactured in Asia but the quality is strictly controlled by Spirit Winds in America. Spirit Winds offers a large variety of sizes and designs. Some chimes are all bamboo and some are composed of aluminum chime rods with remaining parts being bamboo. Initial quality is good for these chimes but the dark finish on the bamboo tends to bleach out within a year when the chime is left out in the rain. There is also a tendency for the bamboo to crack over time. None the less, if your choice for a chime is bamboo then Spirit Winds is an excellent choice.

QMT manufactures several different lines of chimes such as Gentle Spirits, Bells of Vienna, Majesty Bells, Arias, and Weatherland. All of these lines have distinct design elements. That is to say, each design is different. Gentle Spirits are a thick walled aluminum chime with a beautiful finish of green, gold, or black. Majesty bells have a wooden windcatcher and top with aluminum tubes and look much like your classic wind chime. Weatherland and Arias chimes have a similar design using a wooden windcatcher and wood top. All chimes manufactured by QMT are top quality.

J. W. Stannard produces chimes in a variety of sizes and styles. All their designs tend to have the classic wind chime look with wooden windchatcher and top and aluminum chime tubes. All Stannard chimes are precision tuned and produce excellent tone.

The best chimes are tuned so that each chime tube will harmonize with the other chime tubes on the wind chime. If the tubes aren?t tuned properly the joy of the chime will soon be lost. Popular tunings are derived from Pentatonic, Gregorian and other melodic musical scales. Some chimes play the notes of a popular song such as Amazing Grace or the music of Bach. The key to a good sounding chime is that all chime tubes must harmonize with all other chime tubes on the chime.

When purchasing your next wind chime keep in mind that your long term satisfaction will depend on the proper selection of chime size, tuning and chime material. Actually, it?s not at all complicated, just audition the chime in your favorite store. If it sounds good to you then the chime will, no doubt, be your friend for many years to come.

Jim Spolerich is President and CEO of Wind Chimes Pavilion, Inc. and has committed himself to providing the most reliable and accurate information on wind chimes available anywhere. You are welcome to visit their website at http://www.windchimespavilion.com

Early Spring Garden Guide: What To Do In The Yard And Garden Now

2008-12-16T22:40:00.000+07:00

Start winter cleanup of the lawn when the grass is no longer sopping wet and planting beds stop being a sea of mud. Rake your lawn to get rid of dead growth, stray leaves, twigs and winter debris and let light and air to the soil level, encouraging the grass to grow.
Re-seed bare or damaged patches of lawn. Scratch up the soil with a rake first. Mix a shovel of soil with a couple of scoops of grass seed and spread in the patch you're fixing. Rake level and keep well-watered until seeds germinate and the new grass establishes.
Remove tree guards or burlap winter protection from any young trees or shrubs. Try not to leave tree guards in place over the summer. They keep rabbits and mice from nibbling on tender bark over the winter, but trees don't need them in summer. They don't allow enough air movement around the base of the trunk and that can promote rot of the bark.
Transplant any existing shrubs you want to move before they begin to leaf out.
Weeds start growing vigorously early, so when you spot them, go to it. Getting on top of the weeding now means a lot less work later. Weeds are easier to pull out while their roots are still shallow in early spring.
Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees, magnolias, crabapples and shrubs such as euonymous to control scale insects and other overwintering pests. Use this organic pest control method when the buds are swelling but the leaves haven't opened yet. Apply when temperatures are between 40 and 70 degrees F (4-21 degrees C).
Get your lawn mower checked and its blades sharpened if you didn't get the job done in late winter. Sharp blades cut better and leave your lawn grass healthier.

Early spring garden jobs: In the flower garden

Don't be in a rush to remove winter mulch or to cut back evergreen plants such as lavender until temperatures are reliably warm.
Freeze and thaw cycles over the winter may given some of your plants the heave-ho. Replant any perennials that the frost has heaved out of the ground as soon as you can.
Cut back any remaining dead perennial foliage from last season (trimmings can go into the compost).
Cut back ornamental grasses to about 10 inches from the ground.
Remove winter protection of mounded earth from roses. Prune rose bushes before they start to leaf out.
Resist the urge to start digging in your flower beds too early. You can damage the soil's structure. If you pick up a handful of soil, it should fall apart, not stick together like glue. When it's dry enough, you can start to dig beds and add compost or manure in preparation for planting.
Grass growth is vigorous in the early spring garden, so edge your flower beds with a sharp trench between them and the grass to keep it in bounds. Repeat this job a couple of times through the season, or installing permanent edging goes a long way towards having a lower maintenance flower garden.

Yvonne Cunnington is an avid gardener and the author of Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless (Toronto: Key Porter, 2003).

Visit her website http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com for more flower gardening tips.

Fall is the Time to Get Your Garden Trees and Shrubs Ready for Winter: Here's What to Do

2008-12-14T22:40:00.000+07:00

Tips for winter care of trees and shrubs

Water your plants well until the ground freezes, and make sure you water enough through a dry fall. Your plants will need the equivalent of one inch of rain per week. (In a wet fall, you can relax.)

Winterizing trees and shrubs: To wrap or not to wrap?

When considering winter care of trees and shrubs, don't go crazy with burlap wrap. It's extra work and doesn't look great.

More tips for winter care of woody plants:

If your plants get salt spray from the road, burlap may help, but wrap them with a double layer, not a single layer. To avoid having to cover your evergreens, don't plant them near a road that gets salted, or plant salt-tolerant species such as junipers.
Protect broadleaf evergreens such as rhododendron, pieris and laurel from the drying effects of winter sun and wind with an anti-desiccant spray such as Wilt-Pruf, which coats foliage with a protective waxy film. You can also wrap with burlap, if you must.
To help preserve moisture, cover the root area of evergreens and broadleaf evergreens with a three-inch thick layer of leaf or bark mulch.
Protect upright evergreen junipers and cedars from breakage due to ice and snow by wrapping branches with heavy string or mesh covers sold for this purpose. Once fastened into place, you'll hardly see the string or mesh.
Protect young trees by putting plastic tree guards around the bottom of their trunks to prevent damage from gnawers such as rabbits and mice. Make sure the tree guards go high enough - over the snow line. (Remove them in the spring because it looks better and avoids the problem of the guards trapping moisture against the bark in the summer and attracting insects.)
If rabbits are a big problem in your area, put chicken wire cages around the plants they find most tasty.
Prevent rabbit and rodent damage with a repellent spray that you apply on lower trunks, branches and stems. Such products generally have to be reapplied after wet weather.

Timely Tips for Getting Your Garden Ready for Winter

2008-12-12T22:41:00.000+07:00

It's fall ? time to forget about the garden, right? Not so fast ? getting your garden ready for winter can make a big difference next spring.

To do: Around the yard and flowerbeds

Until the ground freezes hard, continue to water woody plants, especially trees and shrubs just planted this season and all evergreens. Evergreens especially need a good store of moisture going into winter because they don't lose their leaves, which means they continue to transpire (give off water vapor) through the cold months.
This is a good time to transplant shrubs or small trees that you have earmarked for relocation. Do this job when the leaves turn color and begin to fall.
In most regions, autumn is also an ideal time to plant new trees and shrubs, as there's still time for woody plants to make good root growth.
Put plastic or wire mesh tree guards around the slender trunks of any new trees and shrubs to protect them from gnawing animals such as rabbits and mice. Make sure tree guards reach high enough, over the snow line.
Don't cut roses back now ? wait until early spring. Hill up hybrid tea roses with soil for winter protection if necessary.
Pull out frost-killed annuals, and plant remains from the vegetable garden, and add spent plant material to your compost heap or home compost unit.
Whether you cut down dying perennial foliage or not when you're getting the garden ready for winter is up to you. Some gardeners like to leave seed heads and dried foliage for winter interest and to feed birds, while others prefer to leave neat beds ready for a show of spring-flowering bulbs. But remember: whatever you clean up now, you don't have to worry about in the spring.
Do one last weeding of your flowerbeds, and discard any weeds with seeds in the garbage instead of the compost. You don't want those pesky seeds sprouting in your garden next spring.
Consider shredding leaves and using them as winter mulch on flowerbeds. You can also add shredded leaves to the compost pile. In a season or so, they'll make compost, the best organic treat your garden soil can get. (Use a chipper shredder, if you have one, or just run your lawn mower over leaves.)

To do: Last-minute lawn care

Rake fall leaves off your lawn. Leaving them on will smother the grass.
If you spray your lawn to kill weeds, the month of October is about the most effective time for this job.
Apply winterizing lawn fertilizer.
Do a final grass cutting. Long grass encourages low-temperature fungi.
Why not get your mower serviced and its blade sharpened in late fall so it will be ready for you in the spring?

Now you can put your feet up and relax, sure in the knowledge that your garden is all snug for its winter nap.