RELATED ARTICLESRock Gardens - A Different Kind of Garden
Planting a Rock Garden is a great alternative to the normal flower and vegetable garden.
Garden Fencing
I made my very first garden when I was six in a small corner at the end of my grandmother's garden. It was a small patch, not more than six rows by 10 plants long, but it was MINE, with the flowers I picked and the dirt that I dug. And I knew that it was mine when Nana helped me put up the sections of wire fencing that set it off from HER garden.
Mint: The Herb of Hospitality
The Mentha species or mints as they are commonly called include many varieties that flavour everything from appetizers to desserts. The best-known species in North American are peppermint (M. x piperita) and spearmint (M. spicata), which are highly valued for commercial use. Mint symbolises "hospitality" and can be grown in pots and containers indoors and out. In the garden, mint should be grown with a barrier around the roots, as it can be extremely invasive. Most mints do not come true from seed so it is best to purchase plants from a nursery or garden centre. Fresh mints are a source of Vitamin C and pro-vitamin A.
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.
What is Compost Tea?
Organic gardeners all know compost is fantastic stuff. But now, there's something even better and that's compost tea. If you start with a good compost you'll have a versatile elixir for all your garden needs.
Compost tea helps prevent foliage diseases and at the same time increase the nutrients to the plant and shutdown the toxins hurting the plants. It will improve the taste/flavor of your vegetables. So why not give this tea a try either by buying it or brewing it yourself. You won't believe the results!
Organic Hydroponics - Simplified
These days, it's easy to get lost in the wealth of knowledge available on hydroponics cultivation. The dizzying collection of fertilizers, additives and supplement doesn't necessarily help the situation. From foliage to root, there's something for everyone and for every kind of situation.
Plan for Winter Plantings
Part four in a series
Tillandsia Airplants - Dont Plant These Plants!
Watch out, it's a tillandsia! Have no fear, I said "Tillandsia," not Tarantula. Although several species of this plant genus have taken on the appearance of the ominous eight-legged spider, you can rest-assured that these plants do not bite. As the largest genus of the Bromeliad family of plants, tillandsia boast of a characteristic that few other plants have, they have the ability to grow and prosper without soil. Nature has provided them with another mechanism for deriving the moisture and nutrients they need to survive. Though many Tillandsia species have a developed root system, its primary purpose is to secure these epiphytic plants to a host. Tillandsia leaves have specially developed cells called scales or trichomes that allow water and nutrients to be taken in from rain, the air, and dust. When opened, these cells give the plants their silvery-gray, somewhat ashy appearance.
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!!
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..
Growing Palms
Everybody recognises palm trees, they are the universal symbol for the tropics but many are hardy enough for our temperate climate gardens. Until recently New Zealand gardeners have had only a very limited range of palms to choose from. In the last five years the range has grown enormously as nurseries have been encouraged by gardeners eager to experiment.
Vegetable Garden Layout
The size of your yard will determine your final vegetable garden layout. What can be fun is the planning of the garden and the decisions surrounding the kind of garden you want. One of the very first decisions is whether it will be a ground level or raised bed garden.
Pond Construction
The location of your pond should be decided. You've picked a good spot in your yard where you can see the pond from different places, and it's near enough to the house so you can see it from a window. This is really part of the fun because you can visualize the landscaping ideas you'll be incorporating into the pond area once the dig is finished.
Outdoor Living Cleanses The Mind, Body, and Spirit
Through the use of various mediums pertaining to the outdoors, like hot tubs and patio furniture, one can relax and enjoy nature. Don't stay confined to four walls and a roof, breathe and inhale the free, fresh air only the beautiful outdoors can provide. Use your outdoor space as an extension of home, with all the added comforts. Suppose you do not have an outdoor space to relax on wicker and eat on a simple yet classy teak table. What do you do?
Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question Right Now
Everybody asks about Easter lilies! Can they go outside; can I plant them in my garden? And to this I reply, "Why not?" Like other bulbs, there are two options if you plant your leftover Easter lily bulbs - either they will live and flower for many years (it is perfectly hardy into zone 4) or they will immediately die. If you don't plant the bulb, it will definitely die. So you have nothing to lose by planting.
No Dig Gardens - How to Build One
The no dig garden is exactly what it describes...a fertile garden bed with no digging at all. It involves layering clean, organic materials that will literally compost around your plants as they grow.
Lawn Care Business Owners - Dont Buy Yourself A Job
Most businesses consist of the owner only or the owner and a few employees. The owner continues to do the same activity whether it is labor or crew management for many years. He gets into the"comfort zone" or "rut" and does the same thing day in and day out.
Choosing the Perfect Landscape Painting
Landscape paintings are a beautiful way to spruce up the decor of your home. Although you can buy cheap reproduced paintings, you may want to consider purchasing an original from an artist to reduce the risk of a friend obtaining the same one. You can even buy one from an undiscovered up-and-coming artist to get a beautiful landscape painting at half the cost.
Turn Your Patio Into A Voluminous Vegetable Garden
My first apartment was a second-story condo in an urban complex, far displaced from the groomed suburban landscapes and sprawling gardens I had grown up with. My only connection to the outdoors was a small porch, surrounded by brown siding and a fading carpet of artificial turf.
Flowering Cherries
Flowering cherries
