RELATED ARTICLESThe Protea Family (Proteaceae)
The protea family (Proteaceae) includes a wide range of ground covers, trees and shrubs that often make superb garden plants. While some of the species are frost-tender, they are in all other respects remarkably resilient plants that often thrive in situations where others would rapidly succumb. Poor soils and hot dry positions that scarcely seem capable of supporting life are often ideal for Proteaceae. If any plants could be said to thrive on neglect the proteas can.
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.
How to Grow Blueberries
Along with lip-smacking sweetness, flower and foliage are also worthy reasons to grow blueberries. White, bell-shaped blossoms make a lovely addition to a spring garden and fiery scarlet foliage adds drama to a fading autumn landscape. In addition to taste and appearance, blueberries are ripe with medical advantages; they help lower cholesterol and studies suggest that blueberries also reduce the risk of some cancers.
How 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.
The String Algae Blues
Now that Spring is upon us and things are coming back to life in your pond with the warmer weather, many of us are battling with string algae. String algae is caused primarily by a combination of the buildup of organic nutrients in the water, and sunlight.
A Few Simple Facts About Purple Martins
Purple Martins are the largest member of the swallow family.
However, in flight their wings are more triangular than other swallows.
How To Brighten Up Your Home With These Flower Arrangement Ideas
A beautiful flower arrangement piece can become the focal point of the room you choose to decorate. It's truly fascinating how we can combine different flowers to create a mesmerizing bouquet. With the vast selection of colors, fragrances and shapes, you can create or readily buy a flower arrangement piece that will speak to you and others walking in the room what you want to communicate.
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!
Green Thumb Gifts: Beyond Gardening Gloves
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.
Teak Furniture - How to Care for it Properly
Many finer homes and businesses feature beautiful indoor and outdoor furniture made from teak. Although the obvious reason is the beauty that comes from teak, there are many benefits to choosing this type of wood. Saturated with natural oils required to survive the rainforest where teak grows, this wood is naturally resistant to rot, insects, and outdoor elements. Therefore, while the price of teak furniture is generally a little more than you would pay for cedar, redwood, or oak, the fact that teak furniture is strong and durable, it is money well spent.
Theme Gardens
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.
Backyard Bird--The Catbird
It's quiet now.
Cozy Nooks: Creating a Secret Outdoor Place
Everyone seems to love a secret -- and when the secret is a nook in your outdoor space, all the better. A nook is defined as a private or secluded quiet inner place. Any outside space, from a balcony to an acre estate can benefit from including a nook. Here are points to consider:
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.
Easy to Grow Roses
There are many different types of roses. If you are new to rose gardening, then it is wise to choose varieties of easy to grow roses to begin your rose garden. Some roses require constant attention and caring for while others require none. Roses come in varieties of high maintenance to no maintenance. Most roses, though, do require a certain amount of time to get started and to care for adequately. Minimal care roses that produce maximum results are ideal for beginners or those still somewhat new to rose gardening. Not only will it teach you the basics without working you to death, it will also encourage your gardening experience, perhaps leading you to take on other rose types that are a little more challenging to care for.
Hummingbirds
Many individuals are fascinated by hummingbirds. So much so, that they will do anything in their power to attract these petite creatures to their yards. So what is the best way to attract these wee feathered friends?
Starting a Shade Garden...
The shade garden can be exploding with color and texture. No matter how much shade is in your landscape, the right flowers, plants, bushes and bulbs will grow in this area when given a chance. As there are various types of shade, you will need to choose the plants that are 'right' for the type of shade you have: partial, dense, full, or filtered shade.
In starting a shade garden, one of the easiest shade gardens will be the filtered shade garden. What you need to do first is look at the trees or bushes that are making this area a filtered shade garden. Pruning off the lower branches on taller bushes and on the tree will allow additional light into your garden. Because you are planning a filtered shade garden, you do want some amount of sunlight in that garden below the tree.
Italian Vegetable Seeds
Some might ask, "Why grow Italian vegetable seeds?" Why bother with going international when there are already plenty of seed companies in the U.S.?
Gardening with Bamboo
Myths and facts
A misconception about bamboo is that they spread like wildfire. This is not entirely true as only a some species of bamboo will be invasive. Spreading, however, can easily be controlled if it becomes a problem. Many people also think that bamboos will die when the temperature falls below freezing. This myth is also false.
Moss on Lawns
Just about right now, we start to see moss on lawns and the plaintive cry goes up, "How do we stop it?"
