Gardening Is For Everyone

The following guidelines pertain to plants recently transplanted into the garden. Most plants should have a label listing its intended zone. Before purchasing plants find out exactly which zone you live in and purchase plants hardy enough for your zone.

Pruning is done primarily for the following reasons: Promote flowering Promote higher fruit yield Improve the health of trees, shrubs and plants Improve aesthetics / appearance Control growth Maintain a desired shape Removal of dead, damaged, diseased, and infested limbs. Pinch off spent blossoms as they die to keep the plants looking their best and to help promote more flowers. When winter arrives you will need to prepare your garden, this will minimize the cold damage to the plant and ensure the plants will survive in the spring. It will also give the plants protection from northerly winds. Weather or seasonal changes, may have an effect on plants and they will need to adapt to survive unsympathetic conditions through a progression which is called dormancy. Fertilizing plants is a great way to keep your plants healthy is doesn’t matter if you are in temperate areas you should still fertilize them even though they will grow throughout the fall and winter.

The arrival of warmer temperatures and longer days cause the plants to wake up naturally from their winter dormancy and help insure gardening success. Bare root plants are easy to handle.

The soil should not appear clumpy or clay-like. Fertilizer should also be added to the soil at this point. Make sure the area you are planting has good soil drainage. Do not plant in areas where the soil stays constantly damp.

Many homeowners often find a tree, shrub or plant that just isn't right for a particular location and decide to transplant it to a different location. When you are transplanting shrubs, plants or trees it is very important to realize that great care needs to be taken and understanding on how to care for an established plant of tree when transplanting it to a different location, sometimes the plant or tree might go into “shock”. The art of training the bonsai tree has been enjoyed for ages, and can make for quite the enjoyable and rewarding hobby.

After planting your new plant or transplanting your plant here are some points you should remember.

1. After transplanting a plant make sure you keep the plant watered a lot.
2. If you have planted plants in a pot make sure they have considerable drainage.
3. Don’t over water your plants
4. Don’t underwater your plants
5. It is a good idea to mix fertilizer when watering.
6. Always Place the plant in a protected, shady location and water thoroughly.

Once your plants begin to blossom you will need to check your plants or trees for Japanese Beatles. Japanese Beatles will eat all the leaves from your plants, if this happens the tree or plant will die.

In conclusion, if you take of your plants or trees they will grow and flourish.

Source : Isnare
Author :David Fishman
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Benefits Of Gardening For Kids

Apparently, we can see how nature is treated these days. It is a sad thing to know that people do not pay attention so much anymore to the environmental problems. What can we do about this? It's as simple as starting with the children. It is good to see the children's involvement with environment-friendly activities. One such nature-loving activity that children could easily get their hands on is gardening. Why should you consider gardening for your children?

Here are the benefits that gardening could easily provide the children with:

1. Science

In planting, children are indirectly taught the wonders of science like the plant's life cycle and how human's intervention can break or make the environment. They can have a first hand experience on the miracle of life through a seed. This would definitely be a new and enjoyable experience for the kids.

2. Life

Watching a seed grow into a tree is just as wondrous as the conception to birth and growth of a child. In time, kids will learn to love their plants and appreciate the life in them. Gardening could actually help simulate how life should be treated -- it should be with care. The necessities to live will be emphasized to kids with the help of gardening - water, sunlight, air, soil. Those necessities could easily be corresponded to human necessities, i.e., water, shelter, air, food. By simply weeding out, one could educate how bad influences should be avoided to be able to live life smoothly.

3. Relaxation

Studies show that gardening can reduce stress because of its calming effect. This is applicable to any age group. More so, it stimulates all the five senses. Believe it or not, gardening may be used as therapy to children who have been abused or those who are members of broken homes. It helps build one's self-esteem.

4. Quality Time with the Family

You can forget about your stressful work life for a while be soothed by the lovely ambience in the garden. You can play and spend quality time with your children. You can talk while watering the plants or you can work quietly beside each other. The bottom line is, always do what you have to do, together with your kids. You might discover a lot of new things about your child while mingling with them in your garden.

Let kids become aware of their environment's needs. And one way to jumpstart that environmental education may be through gardening. It's hitting two birds with one stone -- teach them to respect life while you bond with them.

Source : Isnare
Author :J. Brian Keith
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Lilies Can Add Beauty To Any Garden

Do you ever feel like you know just enough for the garden to be dangerous? Let's see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from Lilies for the garden experts.

Lilies are one of the most striking and beautiful plants in the garden, and most gardeners will work with these beautiful plants at least once or twice in their lives.

Lilies can add beauty and drama to any garden, and they are very popular flowers for indoor display as well. Lilies are popular in many contexts, from giving a beautiful contrast to a winter rock garden, to providing a beautiful accent to surrounding shrubs and trees.

No matter how the lily is displayed, and whether it is enjoyed indoors or out, there are some important things to know about these wonderful plants. This article focuses on some of the most frequently asked questions about choosing, planting, caring for and enjoying lilies.

When should I plant my lilies?
The best time to plant lilies is in either the spring or fall of the year. Regardless of the time of year, however, it is important to get the bulbs in the ground as soon as possible after purchasing them. Unlike many other types of bulbs, lily bulbs do not store well.

What is the difference between a daylily and a garden lily?
The plant known to gardeners as the garden lily is grown from a bulb, but the plant known as the daylily actually grows from a corm. In addition, the daylily contains many leaves that grow from the corm, but the garden lily contains only one shoot that contains leaves. That shoot grows directly from the bulb.

It's really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of Lilies for the garden. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.

How deep should lily bulbs be planted?
The general rule of thumb for many types of bulbs, including lily bulbs, is to plant them three times as deep as the bulbs are wide. For instance, a two inch wide lily bulb would be planted to a depth of six inches In addition, lilies should be planted in groups for the best effect when they bloom. It is a good idea to dig a hole to the proper depth, then plant several bulbs together in that hole.

How do I propagate lilies?
Garden lilies are best propagated through breaking off a few of their scales in the spring or fall and planting them approximately one inch deep. Daylilies can be propagated by dividing the corms and planting them. In addition, some lilies will produce bulbils, which may appear to be black or dark green seeds. These bulbils are found at the point at which the lily leaf meets the stem. Even though these bulbils are not really seeds, they can be planted, and they will emerge within two or three years of planting.

Should I cut back my lily after it has finished blooming?
After the lily has bloomed, it is best to remove only the stem itself. That is because garden lilies will continue to feed off their foliage, and lilies that are left to die off naturally tend to grow better the next year. On the other hand, daylilies usually bloom for longer periods of time. The blooming season of daylilies can be extended if the gardener deadheads the blooms and cuts back the stems. After the blooming season is over, the foliage on the daylily should be allowed to die back naturally.

Can Easter lilies be planted outside?

Many people are interested in planting their Easter lilies outside, and it is fine to attempt that. The main problem with Easter lilies is that they do not bloom naturally at Easter time. Easter lilies are actually forced to bloom at that time of year by the florist. This forced blooming can make it harder for the lily to grow properly once it is transplanted.

If you plan to transplant your Easter lily after you have enjoyed it outside, the following steps will help increase your chances of its survival.

1. Plant the lily in a sunny spot using well drained soil
2. Use a good, high quality planting mix
3. Plant the bulbs three inches under the surface of the soil and also place an additional three inches of soil on the top
4. Allow enough space for the lily to spread its roots
5. Water the newly transplanted lily thoroughly

Now you can understand why there's a growing interest in Lilies for the garden. When people start looking for more information about Lilies for the garden, you'll be in a position to meet their needs.

Source : Articlesbase
Author :J. Brian Keith
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How To Improve Garden Soil Naturally

Healthy garden soil is teeming with life: there are earthworms and micro-organisms by the millions, each with a particular function in making soil fertile. Like any living thing, the soil must have food. Without food, the life in soil either leaves or dies. Eventually, the garden itself weakens and dies.

Soil life eats organic matter, decomposing it and creating a crucial soil element called humus. Humus is decayed organic material. The process of decomposition releases nutrients in forms that plants can absorb. In other words, decomposition of organic material has a fertilizing effect.

But fertility is only part of the value of regularly feeding the soil with organic material. Humus also contributes to the sponge-like soil texture that allows air circulation and moisture retention. Loam -- the ideal soil for growing plants -- is a balanced mixture of sand, clay, silt, and organic matter. Humus will bind sandy soil or loosen hard-packed clay.

For these beneficial results (for fertility and texture), the life in soil needs fresh food. Regular doses of organic material will ensure that garden dirt is enhanced rather than depleted over the lifetime of the garden. Every year, a 30 by 40 foot garden needs around 400 pounds (equivalent to 10 bales of hay) of organic material, but it doesn't need to be added all at once.

Additions of organic material take a variety of forms. For starters, chop garden residues into the soil: weeds, mulch, and plants left after harvest. Hauling in compost by the yard from nurseries or hauling animal manures from nearby farms is also an option. But the easiest and most cost effective method of continuous additions of organic material is to grow cover crops, also known as green manures.

Cover crops are grown and tilled into the soil, replenishing rather than removing nutrients. Even in a small garden, this is an effective method when a harvest crop and a green manure are grown in rotation. For instance, plant a late summer green manure after an early crop such as peas or broccoli.

Some suggestions for cover crops include legumes, buckwheat, and ryegrass.

Legumes such as peas and soybeans fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil when inoculated seeds that attract certain micro-organisms are used. In addition, these legumes are vegetables, making a single planting both a harvest crop and a green manure.

For bulk and quick growth, ryegrass or other annual grains are good choices. In colder climates these are especially good cover crops for the end of summer because they die over the winter and are easy to till in the spring. For the poorest soils, buckwheat is most useful.

Green manures can work with or without using powered equipment, but in larger gardens a roto-tiller certainly makes the process easier. In smaller gardens, the question of whether it makes financial sense to invest in renting or buying a roto-tiller has to be weighed against the cost of hauling in compost and animal manures.

Either way -- hauling or tilling -- some form of additional organic material beyond chopping in garden residues must happen in order for the soil to function and for the plants it supports to thrive.

Source : Isnare
Author :Bob Blick
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10 Steps To Creating A Beautiful Backyard Landscape

Create a beautiful backyard landscape that will attract birds, butterflies and wildlife. It's really not that hard and you can make it manageable by breaking the landscaping plan down into sections.

Here are 10 steps that will help you create your own backyard haven.

1) Develop a landscaping plan
Look over your backyard. Where is the area you will most likely be sitting and viewing the backyard? What is the focal point of the landscape? If you are adding a water feature, you will probably want to make that the focus and develop your plan with that in mind.

Don't rush through this phase. It's important to have an idea what you are trying to accomplish, but it's also important to be flexible enough to make changes to the plan along the way.

2) Plan what features you want in your backyard
This goes hand in hand with developing your landscape plan. Some features you might consider are the sound of running water, colorful plants, easy to maintain plants, a gazebo, a section for the kids to play, etc.

3) Break down the plan into sections
Don't try to accomplish everything in one year. Break your yard down into manageable sections and begin working on section 1. A pond and stream or waterfall, if you are adding this, will be your starting point. Do this section first. Remember though, you can and most likely will make changes to each section throughout the years, so don't get too concerned about the final output. The important thing is to get started.

4) When you begin to do planting, till the area thoroughly.
Remove the grass as much as possible, then till the area thoroughly. Mix in compost, maybe some sand, and whatever your local flower shop might recommend to make the soil rich. The richer the soil, the better your plants will grow, and the less weeding and maintenance you will have.

5) Plant according to height.
Taller plants need to go at the back of each section. Low plants and flowers should be at the front. It would be a shame to have beautiful flowers in your garden that you can't see. This seems rather basic but surprisingly, it's often overlooked.

6) Know the best time to plant your plants.
Read the instructions that come with the plants thoroughly. Trees are usually best planted in the fall so they can develop a solid root system before the heat and humidity arrive in the sumer months. Most bulbs are also best planted in the fall and grow in the spring. Many plants need to be planted after the chance of frost is over. Mother's Day or Memorial Day are favorite planting weekends, depending on when the frost danger passes in your area.

7)When choosing plants, look for sun requirement.
Some flowers need full sun for most of the day. Some need partial sun and others grow best in shady areas. Don't overlook this. Know the section you are working on and how much sun you generally have on that area and buy accordingly.

8) Different flowers bloom at different times of the year so plan accordingly. Try as much as possible to have flowers in each section that will be blooming throughout the summer months. Many plants bloom in the spring, some from June to July, some only in August; they vary greatly. There are some that bloom from early summer to early fall and, if possible, it's nice to mix some of these into each section. Having said that, there may be a section where you have bulbs planted that only bloom in the spring. No problem if you plan for this. It is important to keep this in mind, however.

9) Pansies for the winter months.
Consider planting pansies so you can continue to have colorful flowers even throughout the winter months. They thrive in cool weather and will grow throughout the winter with proper care. Plant them in the area where your spring blooming plants are planted. Plant the spring bulbs first, then the pansies above them. The spring flowers will grow right through the pansies and add a very rich colorful area.

10) Don't neglect watering your plants.
The morning is the best time to day to water your plants. The water absorbs into the ground without evaporating. Avoid watering at night as foliage will stay wet all night long, which can lead to disease. Avoid watering during the middle of the day as water droplets sitting on a plant's leaves acts like a magnifying glass and can burn the leaves of your plants in the sun.

Follow these steps and you can have a beautiful backyard landscape that will attract birds and butterflies and wildlife. A place where you can get away from it all


Source : Isnare
Author :Bob Blick
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