RELATED ARTICLESFlower Meanings
Certain types or colors of flowers mean different things, and you don't want to send the wrong message if you give them as a gift! Of course, not everyone knows what a particular flower means, but you can never be too sure!
Gardening Tips and Tricks for Late Autumn
Preparing for the Winter Months: Gardening in October
Plan Before Buying Rose Bushes
So, you have decided to plant rose bushes in your yard or on your patio, porch or balcony. Now all you have to do is go out and buy some bushes and plant them. Right? Wrong!!
How to Water Your Houseplants Wisely
Over watering ranks first in causes of houseplant demise because
it causes roots to rot. Most plants are tough so they can
recover from under watering with only the loss of a few leaves
-- unless you wait too long and pass the point of no return.
Wild Flower Garden - Yours to Design and Plan
To design a wild flower garden, you do not need to be a specialist or an artist, you just need to be observant and let your creative juices flow. Look around you, what is unique about your surroundings? Do you wish to enhance or compliment these things. Will your new wild flower garden be visible from the house, if so, perhaps you would like to plant your favorite colors so every day is a feast for your eyes. Are you seeking a quiet spot to sit awhile and relax, then your new garden can have a stone bench surrounded by tall plants to create a sense of peace and privacy. As I said, whatever style of wild flower garden you want, it can be yours. You can make this a reality if you plan the work, and work the plan.
Discount Patio Furniture ? An Easy Way to Get the Best
Buying discount patio furniture is an economical way to obtain quality furniture for your patio.
What Is One Flower Benefit That You Know Of?
The biggest flower benefit of all is the fact that flowers make you happy.
Enjoy Creating and Growing a Sustainable Garden While Feeding Your Family
A sustainable garden means one that can be sustained over time, and would necessarily involve I) growing food you want to eat, so you are motivated to continue growing, II) growing economically, so that it is worthwhile doing, as well as III) taking care of environmental issues, so that the ground will continue to support growing.
Fish Health in Hot Summer Heat
Summer is over, but for many of us - the heat remains.
Here a couple of things to do to keep your fish healthy
and your pond clear going into winter. First, remember
to keep your pond well aerated. This is very important
to your fish because the pond water actually holds less
oxygen at higher pond temperatures. So if it's still
hot in your part of the country, keep those waterfalls
and fountains running! This will keep your pond water
full of oxygen, and reduce stress on your fish.
Teak Adirondack Chairs
Outdoor furniture constructed with teak wood is a favorite among consumers due to the beauty and durability of the individual pieces. For this reason, a wide variety of outdoor furniture is made using teak ranging from teak Adirondack chairs to classic, formal furnishings.
Choosing Garden Furniture
No matter how pleasant a garden is, it is not being enjoyed to its full extent if there is no where for visitors to sit and admire the beauty of the garden. Luckily, few gardeners are willing to sacrifice design for comfort and with the wide choice of garden furniture available today, it is rare to find gardens bereft of furniture. Garden furniture will if anything look great with just about any style of garden.
A Quick Overview of Outdoor Hot Tubs
There is nothing quite as relaxing as a leisurely evening soak in the hot tub after a long, hard day's work. Sore muscles can finally relax as the water jets massage aches and pains away. It is no wonder that hot tubs are so popular. However, how do you decide which of the many outdoor hot tubs is right for you?
Good Tools and Hard Work is What Creates EyeCatching and Functional Gardens
"Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade." -Rudyard Kipling
Why You Should Always Have Garden Furniture
You've put a lot of work into your garden, from planning to digging to weeding to all the little tasks that keep it looking beautiful. Sharing your garden with others is the next step, and doing that requires more than pretty rows of plants. You created a garden to enjoy, didn't you? Imagine your garden in use - garden benches and patio furniture to provide places for people to sit and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Choosing garden furniture can be the ultimate expression of your pride in the garden you've grown.
Early Spring Garden Guide: What To Do In The Yard And Garden Now
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.
Feeding the Hummingbirds
Early in May here in west central Wisconsin, I can count on seeing a Ruby Throated Hummingbird hovering in front of my kitchen window, flitting back and forth, as if to say, "there was a hummingbird feeder RIGHT HERE last year. Where is it?"
Basics of Pruning Roses
Pruning your roses does not need to be a dreaded task. Follow these tips and make rose pruning an easy gardening job.
Prune from the ground up. Most people start at the top and this can harm the rose and it uses your valuable time.
The Ultimate Magic Garden
Spring is the season to start planting seeds for the future. For me, the ultimate Magic Garden would be planted using the Feng Shui bagua as a guideline for the boundaries of the plot and incorporate flowers herbs and plants that correspond to each signifigant direction..
Paving Stones
Imagine a beautiful pattern of paving stones as the central focus of your new patio. Stone circle kits are one of the most popular new products offered by suppliers of flagstones and pavers for patios. Stone pavers, such as sandstone paving slabs offer a wide range of beautiful styles and colors and can be the basis of an inviting and classic patio that is one of the most-used areas of your home.
Catch a Leprechaun in Your Garden
There is no mention to be found of female leprechauns in traditional Irish legend, so as to how they came to be .. your guess is as good as mine.
