Living Flora - Secrets of Gardening

Container Gardening

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:35:34 -0500

Gardening fanatics, with no space for a garden, like apartmentdwellers and those in shared housing, can be assured gardeningis not inevitably gone from their lives. You can always build acontainer garden on a balcony, patio, deck, or sunny window. Notonly the joy of flowers but vegetables and some fruits can begrown. You can raise perennials, annuals, and even shrubs andsmall trees all in a container.Container gardening can present it's own set of challenges. Itrequires proper planning just like any other kind of gardening.You'll need to find your USDA zone to identify plants suitablefor your zone, see how much daylight you get in your apartmentor balcony, and from there you can select the best plantvariety. When buying plants be prudent and choose ones with a healthyappearance and good natural shape. Trunks should be straight.Stay away from plants with twisted, slanted or deformed stems,which can affect the healthy growth of a plant. Try to buy yourplants from the l...

Hostas - Plantain Lily

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:21:53 -0500

Hostas, commonly known as the plantain lily, own so manydistinctive characteristics that it's difficult to pinpointwhich of them has pushed it ahead of the day lily Hemerocallisas the most sought after herbaceous perennial for the homegarden in the US. A low maintenance plant, shade tolerant, and hardy in zonesthree through nine, there are currently over species ofhostas available. Native to the Orient, hostas were firstimported to Europe in the late 's and made their way acrossthe Atlantic in mid th century. One interesting fact about hostas is that they don't reach fullmaturity until between their fourth and eighth year. Moreover,with each season hostas clumps become larger and wider, colorsbecome more intense and leaf patterns acquire widervariegations, dimples, and other traits like seer suckering. Grown primarily for foliage, hostas leaves may be either solidin color or variegated and are enough to add a rainbow to anygarden with colors that include w...

Vegetable Gardening Tips

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:07:35 -0500

With the costs of living rising all the time, it may be possibleto save money and increase your family's health at the same timeby growing vegetables in your backyard.It's a good idea to choose your favourite vegetables to grow andplan beds for early, middle of the season and late varieties. Most vegetables require at least hours of sunlight per day,some need . Some quick growers like lettuce and radish can begrown between the rows of plants that take longer to mature,like beet or corn, thus making full use of the area available. Throughout dry periods, vegetable gardens need extra watering.Most vegetables benefit from an inch or more of water each week,especially when they are fruiting. During the growing season watch for insect pests. If youdiscover a bug problem early it will be much easier, but becareful to not use pesticides once the vegetable are close tobeing picked unless it becomes an absolute necessity. Organicgardening is one healthy and environment-friend...

What Flowers Can Grow Well in a Rock Filled Flower Bed?

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:23:43 -0500

What Flowers Can Grow Well in a Rock Filled Flower Bed?Rock filled flower beds, or rock flower gardens, have become quite popular in recent years. They make for a lovely decorative feature to the property and they make for a fun hobby. Most plants that do well in a flower rock garden are easy to grow and require very little maintenance. The plants that thrive do so because they tolerate the reflected heat from the rock.Herbs grow well in rock filled flower beds. Some popular herbs grown in these gardens include: Thyme, Rosemary, and Lavender. They require the soil to be well drained or they can wilt and die. Below is a list of a number of popular flowers that grow well in a rock filled flower bed.Rock Rose: The Red Rose is one shrub that grows well in rock bed gardens. This plant is a small shrub and the flowers have a saucer shape and are a deep red color. These flowers bloom in the late spring and summer. The leaves are grayishgreen and are fairly narrow.Aster: Th...

Vegetable Gardening Tips At Your Backyard

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 01:36:36 -0500

Would it be possible for you to grow a vegetable garden at yourbackyard? Consider this option, healthy foods just within yourreach. Even your children can help and cultivate their ownvegetables. Having fun while learning is not a bad idea right?But you have to plan ahead before you start. Which Veggie?Plan which vegetables you would like to grow in your garden.Choose early, middle of the season and late kinds of thesevegetables, which you like best. Against all veggie oddsYou have to know the odd characteristics of certain vegetablesand use them to best advantage. Some vegetables bloom even inpartially shaded positions, while others require lots ofsunshine. Goodie veggiesGood vegetables are of exceptionally slow growth during theseedling stage of development. You have to take advantage ofthis by using space between rows for quick-growing crops. Forexample, propagate beet seed by middle of April and positionyoung lettuce plants between the rows. Don't let the water r...

Benefits Of Gardening For Kids

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:11:04 -0500

Apparently, we can see how nature is treated these days. It is asad thing to know that people do not pay attention so muchanymore to the environmental problems. What can we do aboutthis? It's as simple as starting with the children. It is goodto see the children's involvement with environment-friendlyactivities. One such nature-loving activity that children couldeasily get their hands on is gardening. Why should you considergardening for your children?Here are the benefits that gardening could easily provide thechildren with:. ScienceIn planting, children are indirectly taught the wonders ofscience like the plant's life cycle and how human's interventioncan break or make the environment. They can have a first handexperience on the miracle of life through a seed. This woulddefinitely be a new and enjoyable experience for the kids.. LifeWatching a seed grow into a tree is just as wondrous as theconception to birth and growth of a child. In time, kids willlearn to lov...

How to Attract Butterfly Activity...

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:49:49 -0500

The flittering of the butterfly through your garden is noaccident if you planned your garden carefully. The adultbutterfly flitters from flower to flower - sipping nectar frommany flowers in your gardens, while other adult butterfliessearch for areas to lay their larvae. It is good to take notethat the butterfly garden is going to differ from other areas ofyour garden. Your natural instincts will be to kill off pests,larvae and creatures in the garden, but in the butterfly gardenyour best results are noticed when you use organic gardening:Which means no chemicals at all.In you want to include the use of butterflies in your landscapeyou will need to create a safety zone for your butterflies tofeel safe. Butterflies frequent habitual zones, where they feelsafe and where areas of the landscape meet with the tree lines.Creating your butterfly gardens near or around trees will helpin attracting even more of these graceful creatures to yourgardens.A tip in attracting the Bl...

Benefits Of Gardening For Kids

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:56:56 -0500

Herb Gardening

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 01:12:56 -0500

Herbs have been around since time immemorial and serveddifferent kinds of purposes. They have been used to treatillness and flavour cooking; they were even believed to havemagical powers. Do you want to have your own herb garden? Hereare a few ideas on how to establish an herb garden.Plan your garden.Consider the herbs you want to plant. Think about their types.Would you like annuals, biennials or perennials? How much space will they occupy in your garden? If you want, youcan purchase a book that can give you the right information onwhat specific plants you are planning to grow. List or draw your garden on paper first. Separate the annualsfrom the perennials so when the time comes that you have to pullout the annuals, you won't be disturbing the perennials.Perennials can be planted on the edge of your garden so when itis time to till your garden they won't be in danger of gettingdug up. Another thing to remember is that you have to plant the tallones at the back and t...

In Search of the Best Gardening Tools

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:41:35 -0500

Different kinds of gardens require different kinds of gardentools. Hardware stores mostly cater for a wide range of tools,but there are shops that specialize in the more expensive kindof garden tool that shouts quality. Wherever you decide to shop,here are a few pointers to advise you. Do you have small garden or a large one? A small garden will notrequire the same large equipment that would be of use in anextensive one. A ride-on mower is unnecessary if you only have asmall strip of lawn. Another point to consider is who does mostof the gardening? Some tools are too heavy for use by women.When you buy secateurs make sure the blade always stays sharp toavoid damaging the plant. Look for models that have blades thatcan be sharpened or replaced, models with tension control andwith sizes that best fit your hands. Secateurs usually costaround - .Hedge trimmers or shears are handy - but only if you have ahedge, or plan on growing one. Some hedge trimmers have curved...

Gardening Magazines - Some of the Best

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:30:23 -0500

Various gardening magazines are available in the market. Butwould you like to know which stands out from the rest? Here area selection of gardening magazines that anyone in love with hisor her garden will appreciate.COUNTRY GARDENS often showcases the more unusual gardens aroundthe country. It introduces wonderful new ways to enjoy gardensights and scents. It helps the avid gardener to create aneye-pleasing, fragrance - filled country garden. This magazine has very useful advice on setting up and caringfor your garden. Every issue contains profiles of fascinatingpeople and their gardens, inspiration for gardens and detailedgarden plans. Best of all, it's a trusted source of informationthat's easy to understand. Every season carries a vast harvestof ideas to delight, motivate and guide any gardener. How about a gardening magazine for those who want to become abetter gardener? FINE GARDENING MAGAZINE from The Taunton Pressbrings you amazing design ideas, beneficial techni...

Having It All

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 01:39:42 -0500

I am an s child. My teenage years were spent in the midst ofthe Cold War, punk rock, and hair-sprayed hair. I was luckyenough to have parents who raised me to believe that I couldaccomplish anything I wanted if I worked hard enough. I wasunlucky enough to spend my formative years brainwashed intothinking that I could "have it all."I imagined myself one day adeptly juggling kids who wereperfect, a home that was also perfect, and a career at whichI was perfect. No one told me--or the thousands of girls likeme--that "having it all" often means sacrificing things alongthe way. "Having it all" does not leave room for "perfection"because it means cramming as much into every second of every dayas possible. "Having it all" means cutting corners wheneverpossible because hours does not leave room for everything aworking mother must do in a given day.After years of marriage and years of motherhood, Ihave juggled children, a home, and a career. Notice thedelib...

Breaking away from white wall paint

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:42:27 -0500

Breaking away from white wall paint by: Lisa FrenchPaint is one of the most affordable and easiest ways to change aroom. But choosing the right paint colors for your home can seemlike an overwhelming task.Paint, accessories, fabric, furniture, and flooring should allblend, so take a good look at the room you will be working on,preferably before you choose a paint color, and decide what willstay in the room, and what you may want to move out of the room. The first thing you should do when choosing interior colors foryour home, is look around at colors that make you feel good,happy, and relaxed. These colors are probably already in yourhome. A few examples are the colors you love to look at in yourflower garden, the colors in your jewelry, or pottery, or theycan be found in the colors of the clothes in your closet. The second thing you should do is go to your local paint storeand pick up a color wheel, and or sample cards, pick the samplecards that really catch your eye, ...

Do You Have A Rock Flower Beds!

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 01:17:59 -0500

Rock Flower BedsRock filled flower beds, or rock flower gardens, have become quite popular in recent years. They make for a lovely decorative feature to the property and they make for a fun hobby. Most plants that do well in a flower rock garden are easy to grow and require very little maintenance. The plants that thrive do so because they tolerate the reflected heat from the rock.Herbs grow well in rock filled flower beds. Some popular herbs grown in these gardens include: Thyme, Rosemary, and Lavender. They require the soil to be well drained or they can wilt and die. Below is a list of a number of popular flowers that grow well in a rock filled flower bed.Rock Rose: The Red Rose is one shrub that grows well in rock bed gardens. This plant is a small shrub and the flowers have a saucer shape and are a deep red color. These flowers bloom in the late spring and summer. The leaves are grayishgreen and are fairly narrow.Aster: The Asters, particularly the Alpine Aster...

Organic Flower Gardening - Most Popular Flower in Your Garden

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:14:05 -0500

Having vibrant and colorful blooms in your garden is one of many pleasures of organic flower gardening. There are many varieties of flowers you can choose from depending on your preference of colors, scents and sizes. And the best thing about flower plants is that they are highly compatible with other flower so mix planting is not a problem. In fact, it is encourage to plant diverse variations of flowers if you want to achieve a great-looking flower garden.Some flowers are easier to take care of than the others. But overall, organic flower gardening requires that you give your flower plants their basic needs: soil, water, sun, organic food and a lot of care. And for those who want to have an easier time with gardening but still want to enjoy beautiful blooms, here are some of the most popular flowers that you can easily grow in your organic garden.One: Begonia blooms in cluster whose flowers resemble a rose. They can be grown indoors, hanged in baskets and are great a...

Accessorizing Your Home Garden: 10 Simple Tips

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 01:02:42 -0500

A well-kept garden is a joy to behold. Adding to the curb appeal of your home, carefully chosen garden accessories can match or contrast with the style and color of your house. Whether you are a weekend flowerbed gardener, or whether your garden is planned to feed your family through the winter, lovely and fanciful accessories will add to the enjoyment of the outdoor living space. Surround your garden with fencingFencing for your garden is needed to keep wildlife from eating the nasturtiums but it also provides a quiet oasis to enjoy the beauty of your planned garden. Fencing can be six foot high cedar that blocks traffic noise, or it can be white wicker that is only tall enough to delineate the perimeter of your garden. Don't leave your garden in the darkThink about accent lighting highlighting your prize plantings. Patio lights can be judiciously used to make your gazebo comfortable for a late evening get together with friends. Insect zapper lights get mixed reviews, s...

A Beautiful Garden Is A Masterpiece

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:08:25 -0500

Planting is a term gardeners use when planting out trees, shrubs, bedding plants, perennials, garden bulbs, and of course annuals are lovely for their splash of colour, but will need replacing every year, these plants are great for growing as container plants, or hanging baskets plants and will continue to bloom if dead flowers are removed.The cultivation of garden plants is for everyone, the wealthy and the not so wealthy, and is a wonderful hobby for those who have retired from the busy rat race of life.Claude Monet once quoted 'my garden is my most beautiful masterpiece' and so it can be for those interested in creating perpetual flowering for the gratification of the observer. Garden plants when in bloom please the eye and contain a beauty in their structure.Any keen gardener can create their own masterpiece when planting plug plants for the instant flower garden look, and any extra spaces garden seeds can be sown on the surface of the soil and then gen...

How To Get Started With Container Gardens

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:17:04 -0500

If you really love flowers and plants, but don't have a lot of knowledge on this subject, container gardening may be a good place to start. For a change of scenery to brighten up a room or small patio, but with a limited budget, container gardening could be the perfect solution for you. Containers can be arranged in groups or a single plant used in any area of the house,patio or yard.When buying the flowers, choose different kinds of flowers. Check out colors, shapes and sizes to see how they go together before you buy them. Then look at containers. They will be a vital part of your decorating scheme, so that the flowers and containers go together to form a colorful and bright scene. You might want to start looking for containers first. Go to garden centers and nurseries as they usually carry a large supply of both. You might even stumble onto the perfect item at a junk store or f...