RELATED ARTICLESHow to Control Deer in Your Garden
Deer are the most difficult of all pests to deter from a
garden. They love many different plants. Flowers,
vegetables, trees and shrubs are all on their menu.
Bonsai Trees - Our Own Little Forest
Bonsai trees have been grown in China and Japan for centuries. Buddhist priests were the ones that created them and, in some centuries time, everyone could enjoy the little trees. And, by little we mean little: a bonsai tree can live up to hundreds of years without being more than 1m high. By regularly cutting down the branches and by shortening the roots, the growing is stopped. More, by not providing the full required elements to grow, the trees remain little. Those really interested in Bonsai trees should know that this is a hobby that requires a lot of responsibility and time, because they are living trees, not some dead wood.
How to Grow a Pineapple
The first thing you need to grow a pineapple is a pineapple. The pineapple (ananas comosus) is a bromeliad; in fact, one of the few in its family that is edible. However, the fruit of an unripe pineapple is poisonous and will irritate both your mouth and throat. Even the ripe fruit of the houseplant pineapple is not nearly as luscious and sweet as that grown in the sands of the tropics; still, the pineapple is a striking, interesting, and unusual plant to add to your collection.
My Spring Bulbs Wont Bloom - Why?
You can hear the wailing from here. "Why aren't my bulbs blooming?" "There are a lot of leaves on them but not a single flower."
The Exotic Rose of Sharon
Perhaps you were browsing the pages of a catalog and found a beautiful picture of the Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus Sriacus)? Or maybe you were lucky enough to see a Rose of Sharon in person at a local garden center?
22 Fun Things To Do With Your Dozen Rose Gift
Your dozen rose gift doesn't only have to decorate your favorite room. Roses are about romance and enjoying the moment they are given and received. I've discovered some fun ways to use roses to create a stimulating day or night.
Are You Being Taken Advantage of when Ordering Flowers Online?
Did you know that you can send flowers many different ways on the internet? With a few different options of delivering and ordering flowers online, you must be aware of security and safety of your personal information. Not only that, but you could be left with disappointing flowers for your event if you choose the wrong online florist. Many florists online have created websites that lead consumers to believe that they are "local florists." Although you believe they are located in your area, many of them work in call centers far away from you or your flower recipient. With the following tips to sending your flowers online, you can be sure your flowers will get to your destination from a reliable and real professional florist group.
Cast Aluminum Furniture
In days gone by, outdoor furniture was cast from iron. Today, cast aluminum furniture is used more often. Cast aluminum carries all of the grace and charm of cast furniture, but avoids the blight of rust and peeling paint.
How to Care for Long Stem Roses 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.
Parsley: A Cooks Best Friend
A cook's best friend, Petroselinum crispum, commonly known as curly parsley, is used in myriad ways in the kitchen. Often discarded by diners as 'just a garnish,' parsley has many valuable nutrients including bet-carotene, calcium, iron, and Vitamins A and C in easily assimilated form. Parsley has a pleasant flavour and is often used as a breath freshener particularly after eating raw garlic and onions.
How to Find and Work With a Porch Swing Contractor To Install the Porch Swing of Your Dreams
You've found a great Porch Swing and you know exactly where you want to put it, and it's not on the Porch. If you're a Do-it-Yourselfer, no problem. All you have to do now is build a Porch Swing support on your chosen spot and hang the swing. But what if you don't have the first idea how to build a Porch Swing support or couldn't build one if you did. Then you'll need to hire a Porch Swing contractor.
Tips On Caring For Your Cut Flowers
Imagine it's a special occasion and you've just received a glorious bunch of roses. You put them in your best vase and you stand back to admire them. You'd love to make them last as long as you possibly can, but other than keeping them out of direct sunlight, you're not sure what to do.
Keeping the Balance of Nature: Pond Water Maintenance
You might be tempted to let Mother Nature, tend to your backyard
pond, and who could blame you? After all, she does a pretty good
job of taking care of really big ponds, so why would your
backyard ecosystem pose much of a challenge to her?
7 Factors Needed for a Compost Pile
Compost, made from decomposed grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and branches, becomes a dark, crumbly mixture of organic matter.
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?"
Avoiding Unsightly Algae
Excessive organic matter in the pond provides nutrients for
algae, contributing to its growth. Algae can obscure the view of
colorful fish, and more dangerously, it robs the water of
valuable oxygen and releases harmful pollutants.
Landscaping of Hindu Religious Places
Traditionally Hindu tepmples were located either on hills or forests or river banks.In ancient times, the temples were constructed in such locations faraway from human habitations for providing a calm, peaceful and pleasant environment and also for ensuring a close bond between man and nature.Hindu temples are generally associated with trees such as Ficus benghalensis, Ficus Religiosa, Aegle marmelos,Azardirachta indica, Temple tree, Bauhinia spp, etc, Herbs such as Vinca rosea, Nerium spp etc.The gigantic trees like ficus spp and some other trees are closely associated with temples since time immemorial.The mixed fragrance, the flowers and the leaf litter on the ground gives a pleasent experience to a pilgrim or tourist.
Halfway Through Summer - Are We Having Fun Yet
Today is Thursday the 23rd of June and we're almost halfway through the summer can you believe it. It seem to me that you wait and wait to get past the winter (at least here in the Northeast) then some years a wet soggy spring and finally your rewarded with sunny warm weather.
Plant Hardiness Zones
When selecting plants for the landscape, is important to select plants that will grow in your climate. The United States has 10 of growing or climate zones. These zones range from the zone 1 in the extreme northern part of United States, to his own 10, which covers the southernmost part. Zone 1, is for the most hardiest of cold weather plants. Temperatures in zone 1 can reach 50 degrees below 0. Zone 10 on the other hand, is is a more tropical climate. Zone 10 plants only need to worry about cold temperatures of 30 to 40 degrees.
