Spring Gardening Tips
By admin | July 1, 2008
It’s April, the sun is shining, and there is this sudden feeling of panic in your body, its gardening season once again. Many people feel overwhelmed when gardening season hits, and they aren’t sure how best to get things going. Gardens are such complex, intricate plant and flower groups that it becomes a challenge to find the right way to start your spring garden off right. A few tips are below to help the average stressed out part time gardener be ready for the spring season. So take a deep breath, put down the miracle grow, and read on for insight into the wonderful world of gardening.
Make a plan that actually won’t require a greenhouse for this year. Some of us gardeners have a tendency to go over the top with our gardening plans. If you’re garden is to include trees, exotic plants, or science experiments you may want to reconsider. The hardest part of gardening is dedicating the time to plant, nourish, and tend to your garden on a daily basis. By making realistic plans you will save yourself hours of stress. For those over achievers that can’t help themselves, try over simplifying your garden plans for insured success.
Search magazines, and the internet for inspiration. Don’t be afraid to get ideas from others when it comes to gardening. There are many credible sources available online, and in books and magazines that offer many innovative ideas for gardens. Be sure to take advantage of such resources before planting your mixed garden of whatever you could find on sale at the local hardware store.
When in doubt, create a theme for your garden. There are many popular themes for gardens these days, including Asian, desert, and rock themes. Give your garden some personality and come up with a theme. Once a theme is chosen it should become much more clear as to what, and where, and how to plant certain things in your garden.
Plant something you can eat for instant gratification. Don’t be afraid to do it. Plant some mint, grow it, and put it in your ice tea. You’ll feel like a true American living off the land. If you’re daring, try planting some pepper seeds, those never tasted as fresh then from your own garden. When you put them in your kid’s fajita’s they’ll look at you with great admiration, if they don’t just tell them if they don’t save their lunch money everything is coming from the garden.
It’s now spring and gardeners are out of their burrows to plant, and watch their seeds grow. Be sure to follow these tips to allow for a pleasant gardening experience
Clark Covington is a professional writer who provides information on gardening for Home Decor 101 and also contributes to A1 Gourmet.
Tags: flower, garden, gardeners, gardening, home, plant, plantingOrchid Care
By admin | May 28, 2008
Any flower or plant will require a good amount of looking after, none more so then the orchid. The orchid is a tender flower that must be carefully looked after for maximum growth potential. The orchid must be planted correctly, with the right feed, the lights must be correct, and temps must also be accurate. After all that you must know when and how to water the orchid. All of this is worth it for the simple beauty an Orchid can provide.
Low light is necessary for certain orchids to grown and mature. The orchids that will need low light are called warm weather orchids. Typically they should be put in a place in the house that isn’t too sunny. Warm weather orchids are usually the Paphiopedilum or Lady Slipper, Phananelposis, and the Oncidium. These orchids should be behind the curtains, blinds, or even in a corner of the house. The leaves of the orchid should be a bright green color, if the color is different it probably means the orchid is getting either too much, or not enough light.
Another set of Orchids need larger amounts of light, these orchids are called high light orchids. The high light orchids are ones that grow best with plenty of sun light, so you most likely want to place them in direct view of the sun in your house. The high light orchids are also healthy when they have the vivid green color leaves, if the color is off it probably means they need more light. The high light orchids are called the Cattleya, Dendrobium, and Vanda.
Temperatures must fluctuate for each type of orchid in order for it to stay healthy. Static temperatures, like you would find in an incubator will hurt, and eventually kill orchids. Temperatures should range from 80 degrees during the day, to as low as 55 degrees during the evening hours. In order for the orchid to bloom it needs to store carbohydrate energy during the day, to survive the cold nights. If it is able to do this it will blossom into a robust flower full of color.
Make sure to water the orchids early in the day so they are able to dry out by night. Orchids are tender flowers when it comes to watering and must be treated carefully in order to achieve the best results possible. Orchids should be watered as early in the morning as possible to gain the best chance for dry out by evening.
The type of water used with orchids is extremely important. Orchids are best fit for rain water, because tap water typically has chemicals in it such as chlorine. Rain water will help the orchids reach its full growth potential each day, without compromising its colors, and natural beauty.
Clark Covington is a successful author who provides information for Gift of the Month Clubs. Find more on orchids and flowers in our flower of the month club and plant of the month club sections.
Tags: flower, flowers, garden.gardening, gift, gift of the month, gifts, home, orchid, orchids, Plants24 Hints for Gorgeous Gardens
By admin | April 8, 2008
Want your beautiful lawn and garden to be the envy of all your neighbors? Here are a few tricks to use that will “baby” your garden and entice it to do its very best!
1. Make sure you pull up weeds before they go to seed.
2. Remove faded flower blooms to lengthen the plant’s growing season.
3. Turning and dampening your compost often will ensure that flies will not breed in the pile.
4. When preparing for winter, be sure to remove all vegetation, turn over the soil and add any organic materials such as compost. Add fertilizer according to package details and use a
pitchfork to mix in all these elements. Rake your garden to even it out and you’ll have less work
to do in the spring.
5. Free mulch idea: use shredded newspapers (which decompose) held down with grass
clippings.
6. Planting a small flower bed around the base of a tree will keep animals and lawn mowers
away from the trunk.
7. Before buying grass seed, ask a professional at your garden center which grass types are
best for your growing area and type of soil (clay, sand, mix) as well as amount of sun and shade.
8. Wire mesh at the bottom and sides of the holes will keep rodents away from your
bulbs.
9. When you remove your bulbs for storing, make sure your storage area is cool. Keep them in
vermiculite, shredded paper or sand to keep them from drying out and to provide protection and
air circulation.
10. Prune roses just above a 5-leaflet leaf to encourage flowering.
11. Pinch off spent flowers to continue flowering of annuals and perennials. If the plants
are too tall, cut them back a bit farther on the stem if they start to look neglected to produce
new growth.
12. Cleaning up the area around fruit trees and fruit bushes, picking up fallen fruit and
weeds, will help to ward off any diseases before they start.
13. Digging your fingernails into a bar of soft soap before working on the garden will keep
most of the dirt out from accumulating under your nails and will wash out later.
14. Pour beer into a shallow container and position a few of these in your garden. Slugs will
be attracted to the scent and will crawl in to leave your veggies alone!
15. To avoid blossom end rot and cracked tomatoes make sure you water very often and avoid
fluctuations in watering during the first critical 5 to 6 weeks after transplanting your new
tomato plants, and also during the development of the tomatoes.
16. Plant sunflowers and climbing beans. The vines will latch onto the thick sunflower stems.
This old Indian trick was taught to settlers!
17. Use zip lock baggies to enclose your empty seed packets. Attach them to wooden stakes to
identify your rows of veggies and flowers.
18. Pinch the new growth in between two branches of tomato plants to encourage the plant to
grow stronger and bushier instead of tall.
19. Use old pantyhose cut in strips to tie up your tomato plants to avoid cutting into
delicate stems over time.
20. Never water plants from overhead during full sun to avoid burning delicate plant leaves
and flowers. Water droplets resting on leaves and flower petals act as little magnifying
glasses.
21. If you have only a few newly planted tomato plants and you want to make sure they’re
watered regularly, punch small holes in the bottom of a plastic one-gallon container and sink the
container several inches into the earth near the stem of the tomato plant. Keep water in the
container to ensure that the plant gets enough water as it needs it.
22. Mix bulbs, annuals and perennials in your garden to have three seasons of beautiful color.
23. Vary the direction in which you mow your lawn. Grass mowed always in the same direction
is pressed down and stressed the same way. Mow diagonally, then in a circular pattern the next
time and in a square pattern after that.
24. Leave short clippings on your grass to supply nutrients as they decompose. However, if
too thick a layer of clippings is left, this will prevent air and sun from reaching your live
grass and will choke it.
Want more of Heather Diodati’s articles and how-to’s? Visit http://www.whimsies-online.com/freecontent.htm. By the way, you are free to use these articles on your websites and ezines provided you include the author’s bylines. A courtesy copy or an email mentioning where the article was published would be much appreciated!
Tags: annual, compost, flower, garden, grass, home, landscape, landscaping, perennial, tree, vegetable, weed, yard