RELATED ARTICLESHow to Grow Bamboo
Bamboo is a mysterious and elusive plant that baffles taxonomists who try to contain it within a botanical class and gardeners who try to contain it within a limited garden space as they learn how to grow bamboo. For many years, bamboo was thought to be a primitive grass but recent DNA testing has shown it to be one of the most highly evolved forest grasses. There are over 1200 forms of bamboo that grow in a broad spectrum of color including the familiar green and gold as well as burgundy, blue and even black grasses. Some varieties of bamboo can grow up to a foot a day and ultimately reach 130 feet tall while the smallest bamboo cultivar attains only six inches of growth.
A Compost Primer
Most gardeners and landscapers will agree almost unanimously that the single best thing you can do for your lawn is to add compost. Good, organic compost can remedy almost any problem you have with your soil. If you soil is too acidic, adding compost will help neutralize it and bring it back to a proper pH level. If your soil is too alkaline, ditto! Adding compost will help balance the alkalinity in the soil. If you live in an area with a lot of heavy clay, adding compost will help loosen and aerate the soil. If you live in a coastal or southern area with a lot of sand, adding compost will help bind it together. Soil lacking nutrients? Add compost to add new life to overworked soil.
Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (Part 5) Plant Growth
PLANT GROWTH & PHYSIOLOGY. (Part 5)
Homemade Hydroponics System Plan
Building your own water works system is quite simple and can be fun, if you know how to follow instructions. This particular type of system is best suited for water loving plants such as lettuce.
Only a few items are required to get you up and running in no time. The things you will need to build a water works hydroponics system are listed below.
Manage Algae
There are several different ways to manage algae in your backyard pond. The best way however is when you have several different things all working together in harmony that will best take care of any algae problems you may have.
Maintaining Oxygen Levels in Fish and KOI Ponds
Severe environmental stressors are the most frequent causes of sudden fish death in garden ponds or other fish habitats, and the lack of oxygen in the water is the number 1 stressor of all.
Good Tools and Hard Work is What Creates EyeCatching and Functional Gardens
"Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade." -Rudyard Kipling
Orchids Plus More Newsletter - December, 2004
Newsletter Name Change?
Rosemary: The Herb of Remembrance and Friendship
Rosmarinus officinalis, commonly called rosemary is an aromatic herb indigenous to the Mediterranean area. Rosemary is traditionally known as the herb of remembrance and friendship. Also known as Mary's mantle and compass weed, rosemary is a lovely, sweet scented, shrubby perennial in Mediterranean countries that can be grown as an annual in Northern climates or as an indoor potted plant. Rosemary has needlelike leaves and delicate light blue flowers. Mature plants can live for over 30 years.
Laying Out Your New Landscape
When planning your new landscape, the first place to start is by driving around your neighborhood and seeing what other people have done with their landscapes. Bring a sketch pad or digital camera to record things you like. Your next stop is your local nursery or garden center. Look at what plants do well in your area. Look at any displays they have setup to get an idea of which plants work well together. And don't be afraid to ask questions.
Mustard: The Greatest Among The Herbs
Mustard plants have been used for thousands of years for their pungent flavour in condiments, spicy greens for side dishes and salads, and in traditional folk medicine and Chinese herbal medicine to treat a variety of ailments. The name mustard comes from the Latin mustum ardens, or "burning must." It was so named because as the seeds were pounded with unfermented grape juice, or must, their pungent qualities developed, hence "burning." Mustards seeds are mentioned in ancient Sanskrit writings dating back about 5,000 years ago and the Bible calls mustard "the greatest among the herbs." Valued for their intense flavours and healing properties, mustard seed and the plant itself have been grown for its beautiful yellow flowers and spicy seedling leaves. Members of the Brassicaceae family, mustard is a cruciferous vegetable related to cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, rutabagas, turnips, radishes, horseradish, cress, and broccoli with the attendant phytochemicals properties.
Basic Lawn Care - Mowing, Scarifiers, Aeration, and Watering Tips
The arrival of summer heralds a time of increased wear and tear for the average garden lawn. Children's yard games, barbecue parties, outdoor sports and generally more activity in the garden means your lawn is set to come in for something of a beating and without a little TLC is likely to start showing more than a little worse for wear. Stomp all over any living thing and it doesn't respond too kindly but with a little help, your lawn can remain looking great all through summer and beyond!
Dream Yard
Do you ever dream about what your yard could look like some day? As you look through garden catalogs filled with beautiful trees, shrubs, flowers and pictures of beautifully landscaped yards--complete with ponds and garden sculptures--the choices seem endless. Before ordering hundreds of plants or giving up because you cannot decide what you really want, here are a few things to consider.
Beauty With Indigenous Species
A garden a serves a man's every day need for s refreshing and pleasent experience.We have to appreciate that the garden serves as a home not only to the trees and plants that appear, but is a home to lots of small and big creatures of animal kingdom. Thus a garden is a conservatotory in these modern times of fast industrialization and increasing threat to ecological balance.
Canopy Swings - Escape the Weather with One
Do you love to sit outdoors and swing for hours but have to cut your relaxing excursions short due to the intense sun or brief summer showers? Do you get tired of having to wipe down your outdoor furniture before you can actually sit in it and enjoy it without fear of soiling your clothes? If so, maybe you should think about getting a canopy swing or purchasing canopies for your existing swings.
Daphnes for Scent and Colour
Anyone with even a passing knowledge of plants knows that daphnes have wonderfully fragrant flowers. And because some of them - usually the most scented - flower in winter, they're the sort of must-have plants that are usually among the first planted in any new garden.
Backyard Ponds
Backyard ponds are a great source of fun and enjoyment. With them come all kinds of different nature. From the fish and all of the other wildlife, to all the different pond plants and flowers. It truly is a relaxing hobby, once you get it all set up.
Garden Room Boundaries...
The areas of your landscape can be divided into several sections and areas, which are also known as garden rooms. Garden rooms are spaces where you plant, grow, and display different ideas in gardening in various creative methods. One garden room could be a rose garden, while another could include the use of a water garden, while still another garden room in your landscape could include the use of just purple flowers. Garden rooms are your creation, and only limited to your imagination.
To create the rooms in your landscape where you can be both different and creative you need to actually create some type of walls in your gardens. The walls in your gardens are going to be grown from other larger types of plants. Living fences are one 'way' that you can create garden rooms.
Want a Garden but Not Enough Room or Soil? Then Hydroponics Gardening could be for You
Hydroponics gardening is a great idea for anyone who wants a garden but doesn't have enough land or soil. Hydroponics gardening is, essentially, a way to cultivate plants using a nutrient solution instead of soil. With hydroponics gardening, it's easy to grow lovely flowers and succulent vegetables virtually anywhere you want! It's true that hydroponics gardening needs much less time than an ordinary garden. In fact, you might spend only five minutes a day maintaining you're hydroponics garden.
Once a month the nutrient solution will have to be changed but this will only take a few minutes. Big fruiting vegetables like peppers and tomatoes may not be able to thrive but most other vegetables and flowers will do great.
Easy Care Of Phalaenopsis
Do you have a knack for being with moths? Most people would say, "no way". Yet, the moth orchids that I am talking about are the ones that sway nicely in the breeze and some of the newer hybrids have a nice fragrance. These moths are easy to care for, especially a beginner. These moths are found very frequently in gardens. These are the phalaenopsis orchids.
