RELATED ARTICLESGardening Vertically: Fad, Emerging Frontier or Long-Overlooked Art Form
Sure, it makes sense that there's a buzz about vertical gardening?there are lots more of us to feed these days with much less productive land. "Let's make the best use of our diminishing resources," many are saying. And likely there are also those who dismiss vertical gardening as a fad. Mostly, though, I hear talk about increased yields. However, I suspect there are vertical gardeners like myself who have been surprised by another aspect we hadn't expected.
Buying Teak Wood Furniture Responsibly
Teak has many qualities that make the indoor and outdoor furniture made out of this a coveted high value asset. They last for generations. The durable nature is due to the hard grain nature of the tree. These are a high demand items in many parts of the world. The prices are sky-rocketing and unless you get it from the source you are going to pay a huge price to add this to your Home Collection. The products made out of teak wood have a pleasant smell unlike other untreated wooden furniture. The hard nature of the wood makes it easier to work with by the craftsman creating unique patterns and designs. You could have come across the priced museum collections of old south Asian kingdom there is teak in most of them. This has the ability to create smooth patterns and complex designs because of the properties of the wood. They don't create splinters like other wood and hence the furniture is safe. The smooth finishes created by the craftsmen can be enjoyed by many generations as it is more resistant to rot and other damages.
Fuchsia procumbens
Fuchsia (named after Leonhard Fuchs, a 16th century German botanist) is a genus of over 100 species of shrubs and small trees. Although there are four New Zealand native species (colensoi, excorticata, perscandens and procumbens) and one from Tahiti, the vast bulk of the genus occurs in Central and South America.
A Bit About Bare Root Roses...
Scents from the rose garden filling the air as you walk by... it's a lovely summer scent that you can enjoy every year. Many gardeners know that the rose is referred to as the queen of all flowers, and you can see the history in the rose by traveling back in time to Europe. The rose is a plant whose scent predominates the historical gardens all over the world. Historical gardens in Europe include the use of Roses, Peonies, Honeysuckle, and a few other strongly scented plants. The rose creates the feeling of royalty, color, and elegance all in the same instant
5 Pieces of Equipment Gardeners Cant Live Without
Gardening is fun and rewarding and may be considered a hobby, talent or both and sometimes it's just luck. Gardening is not as easy as it looks and involves dedication, time and consistency and many trials and errors. There are many aspects to maintaining a healthy garden, but some aspects are more important than others. An individual who likes to garden can have the knowledge to produce the best garden in the world, but without the right equipment and materials it just wouldn't be possible.
Planting Roses In Your Garden
Roses are an old standby for any garden and one of the worlds favorite flowers. There are over 5,000 varieties of roses in the United States and they can be used to enhance your garden in many ways - as creepers, shrubs, vines, climbers, hedges or just as beds of pure colour.
16 Lawn Mower Safety Tips
1. Always read the instruction manual before operating your lawnmower. I know it sounds boring but there is a very good reason you are supposed to read it (didn't you ever wonder why you were never able to set the time on your vcr?).
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.
Mix Perennials into Your Garden for Staying Power
Perennial plants and flowers stay around for more than just one gardening season. Some of them bloom again for only about 3 years, while others will continue to bloom for many years to come.
Brilliant Beetroot!
Are you looking for a truly versatile vegetable to grow and serve? Try beetroot! It has the most amazing colour
and texture. Varieties range in colour from gold to deep red/purple and are delicious raw, boiled,
baked, pickled and juiced. Even the leaves are edible! The root is packed with Vitamin C and the
leaves are a great source of Vitamin A and potassium.
The Many Types of Palm Trees
There are thousands of species of Palm Trees. They are considered to be tropical in nature, but most people are not aware that cold hardy palms may be planted outside without any visible damage from temperatures as cold as -20°F. You can see this as far north as Canada and Switzerland
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.
All About Hybrid Tea Roses
Hybrid tea roses and the original tea rose are the worldâ??s favourite roses and are available in many gorgeous colors.
Lawn Edging
How do you make those flowers bloom where they are planted and not go overboard and how do you make your turf stick to its own turf and not edge into your flower beds, borders, and garden spaces? Lawn edging is the answer!
Decorate Your Outdoor Spaces on a Budget!
Many times when the weather becomes sultry, the only place we want to be is in our favorite chair on the porch, sipping ice-cold lemonade! So, if we are to spend our summer months languishing with Mother Nature, why not treat our "outdoor room" to a little freshening up, and make our time outdoors more enjoyable! Here are some great, easy ideas you can use to add your own personal style to a much used "summer home"!
Storm Warnings For Ponds
California has earthquakes; we in the south and east coast have hurricanes. One thing we all share is power outages. Ours are usually caused by storms. Most power outages last only a few hours and only happen a few times a year. A hurricane is always a threat that hopefully will never happen or have only a minimal consequence. Flooding may be more common then a power interruption and both can happen at the same time.
Protecting your Garden Pond from Pesky Predators
Notice any fish disappearing lately? While herons are present
year-round, water gardeners notice the challenges they bring to
the pond in spring and early summer when herons feed their young.
The Truth About Tulips
Roses may be beautiful but Tulips are magnificent. The huge colorful blooms we associate with Holland make stunning bouquets.
Did you know that Tulips did NOT originate from Holland? Actually, most species of wild tulips came from central asia and western asia. Tulips that originated in Europe were mainly from the Mediterranean.
How much would YOU pay for a tulip bulb? Did you know way back in 1635, a single tulip bulb could fetch the equivalent of $35,000 in present day money. No other flower ever generated such an insane following. But why?
Part of it is due to the beauty of the flower and the rarity of the tulip back in those days. It became a status symbol. People wanted to outdo one another with tulips. So the demand for tulips went sky high. The insanity that came next can be compared to the insanity in the stock market prior to stock market crashes. Investors would then buy tulips at ridiculous to sell at even crazier prices. Needless to say, when the inevitable crash came, fortunes were lost.
Lessons learnt from that incident can be applied to the stock market today. Same thing happened in the dot com boom and bust. Same thing is going to happen over and over again. Greed leading to blindness. The only remedy is to keep your eyes open and look at the facts. The important thing is how much something is really worth. Not what others say it would be worth in the future.
Tulips are valued for their beauty. They are treasured across nations. The Dutch crown princess fled to Canada for refuge during the world war. At the end of the war, Tulips became their gift of friendship. The Dutch gave Canada 1 million tulips in gratitude for the friendship displayed in the war. Such is the value of Tulips. Tulips are considered to be a symbol of friendship. Even today, you can see that magnificent display of Tulips in Canada. Reminding one about friendship in times of need.
These days, tulips are no longer as expensive as back then. An entire garden blooming with tulips during spring time is very affordable. All you need are some great tulip bulbs.
Tulips bloom after snow. So if you live where there is snow, then plant them in September. Tulips need the cold before then can bloom. If the winters are harsh, then cover the bulbs with straw or leaves. Uncover them in spring.
What do you do if you live where there is no snow?
Well, if you have a refrigerator, use it. Put the tulip bulbs in a paper bag and refrigerate it for 6 to 8 weeks, but keep them away from the fruit. Then plant the tulips.
Flower 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!
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.
