Flowers & Garden

'Black Eyed Susans' - Favorite Summer Flowers

2008-07-06T21:00:00.003-04:00

The Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan’, Rudbeckia fulgida, is an easy to grow perennial with large flower heads of golden yellow and black to brown centers. The flower heads are 3½ to 5 inches across, with a plant spread of 18-24” and a height of 24”. The dark green foliage sits at the bottom on the tall daisy-like flowers and bloom from July to September. Rudbeckia ‘Goldstrum Black Eyed-Susan’ was selected Perennial of the Year in 1999, and one can see why.

‘Black-Eyed Susans’ need to be grown in full sun in somewhat moist soil conditions in a well-drained area. It is great in borders, for cut flowers or for naturalized areas. Rudbeckia attracts butterflies, provides food for birds in the winter and is mildew-resistant.

Coneflowers | Echinacea

2008-02-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

Echinacea or coneflower cultivars have undergone many changes in the past few years. New colors, sizes and flower shapes keep coming, but each new cultivar has to be compared to the original, Magnus. This classic echinacea has large, deep-pink flowers that are long lasting and are produced all summer. If there’s any problem it’s that it grows to a height of about 4 feet.

About 20 years ago a dwarf form was found and named Kim’s Knee High. It is the same as Magnus but grows about a foot shorter.

Since then, the echinacea family has exploded with new cultivars.

For years White Swan has been the best of the white echinacea. This year, new dwarf plant Avalanche looks like a winner. The large white flowers have a dark gold cone and are on stems that are only 15 to 18 inches tall. Avalanche will blossom from July to September.

Elton Knight grows into a bushy plant that produces pink flowers reaching up to 6 inches in diameter. The stems are strong enough not to need staking.

If your garden doesn’t include echinacea and you have a sunny spot, try one or more -you will not regret it.

Coneflowers (Echinacea) works with bugs

2007-07-31T23:19:00.000-04:00

Coneflowers Good To Grow

Everyone is getting excited about echinacea these days – and not just because it's a pretty flower. Recent scientific studies have proven that taking echinacea daily does help us resist the common cold.

The usual method is to buy a bottle of a tincture made from the roots, then put a few drops in a glass of water every day. This is said to strengthen the immune system. However, don't do it you have an immune system disease like Lupus.

Medicinal properties aside, echinacea is a delight in the garden, easy to grow and tolerant of poor soil. It reaches about a metre high, with flowers that have curious droopy petals. The seedheads, which keep getting bigger and bigger as the summer wears on, look like beehives.

(Leave them on the plant all winter, as some birds love the seeds.)

The most common kind is Echinacea angustifolia, which has pale pink flowers. However, since echinacea is regarded as a "hottie" plant, growers keep coming out with new varieties – some good, some less so. A couple of years ago, I tried one with orangey flowers called MeadowBrite and it promptly died. This year, though, I picked up a variety called PixieMeadowBrite at Sheridan's. It's a real charmer, and is producing a non-stop parade of peachy orange flowers.

Grow echinacea in a sunny spot. It looks best in clumps of at least three. Although often touted as drought-tolerant, I find this plant tends to droop in dry weather, but it recovers nicely after rain. It's also – a big plus in my book – rarely bothered by bugs.

IN YOUR GARDEN: Glorious gladioli

2007-04-28T19:54:00.000-04:00

Written by Jenny Watts

Gladiolus has long been a favorite flower in the florist trade for its stately beauty in arrangements. But it also lends an air of dramatic beauty to the garden.

These magnificent flowers originated in South Africa and are members of the iris family. They come in almost every color, except true blue, and stand tall on 3- to 6-foot stems.

They grow from a corm, like a bulb, that needs to be planted in the spring for flowers this summer. The funnel-shaped flowers flare out and usually are ruffled at the edges. They open from the bottom up, and all face in one direction. The leaves are shaped like swords and arranged in narrow, upright fans.

Glads make excellent cut flowers. Cut the stems when the bottom flower is fully opened. Most of the remaining buds will open, a few at a time, almost to the tip. Pick off the faded flowers and they will last for about 10 days in the vase.

Read the full article

A little neglect is best for begonias

2006-12-16T18:22:00.000-05:00

I've never thought of houseplants as being in or out of fashion, because I grew up with them: angel-wing begonias with silver dots on their dark green leaves, fragrant geraniums that filled the air with lemon or mint, orchids and cacti that obediently bloomed, under my grandmother's fierce green thumb.

Like dogs, they accompanied me through my childhood, on through college and to every apartment or house I ever occupied.
Through the years, the role of houseplants changed. Remember the 1970s, when living rooms were full of avocado trees planted from pits, shower curtain rods were for ferns, and orchids and marijuana grew under lights in the attic? It was actually a relief, in the 1990s, to walk into one of those minimalist rooms with no plants, except for say, one long tropical leaf set in a tall vase.
Some of us, though, held onto our potted friends, oblivious to which exotic species was in or out. But now, it's fashionable to be nesting again, especially with begonias.

Read the full article here

Garden workshops like Tupperware parties for the green-thumb set

2006-10-06T16:15:00.000-04:00

Lisa Ziegler stands in front of them to explain and demonstrate the efficient and easy use of several little-known gardening tools and products. For instance, there's the dibber, a T-shaped aluminum planting hand tool that's perfect for small bulbs such as crocus, she says. There's also a multi-use trowel that digs planting holes, removes weeds and smoothes soil.

She also peppers her program with educational tidbits. She advises the women to consult their local Virginia Cooperative Extension office when they have plant questions, and encourages them to adopt gardening habits that benefit the environment and health of the Chesapeake Bay.

"This is `edu-tainment,'" she tells the women at Bly's gathering. "Whether you buy or not, you take something away from this workshop."

She started The Gardener's Workshop home parties in 2005, and conducts them with the help of trained "garden steward consultants" who earn commission, bonuses and rebates based on sales. Hostesses earn free and discounted products according to workshop sales. Family members Sara Mason and Suzanne Frye help Ziegler with business needs, such as product photography and catalog layout.

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Fast-food take on landscapes appetizing

2006-08-13T04:26:00.000-04:00

In the past two weeks I have traveled from the Deep South to northern Michigan, and from West Texas through New Mexico and Colorado to South Dakota. Believe me, the natural gardening climate is vastly different in every place.

Still, there are plants that each place holds in common - oft-used, dependable "garden backbone" plants such as junipers, iris, daylilies, shrub roses, pines, hollies, dwarf arborvitae, zinnias and ornamental grasses. In the South there are lots of nandina, crape myrtles and lantana. All grow well regardless of the care they receive.

OLD FOUNDATIONS

For decades, the general landscape design has hugged the foundation of the house. It started with garden club ladies working with Extension horticulturists and nurserymen, giving nongardeners some easy landscaping ideas that looked good and were fairly low maintenance.

Although these "cookie cutter" designs did neaten and provide uniformity to neighborhoods, they became to be seen as the only acceptable styles.

But as the fast food generation settles down, more of us are puttering in the garden. We need updated tips on what works and what doesn't.

And guess where the major patterns for flower and shrub arrangement are most visible?

Fast food restaurants.

Believe it or not, the most visible, nationally uniform new landscape style - called New American by the American Horticulture Society - is more likely to show up in places where year-round, nonstop good looks and low maintenance are most needed.

This style is neither new nor entirely American. But it was not mainstream here until fairly recently. Back in 1986, when Terryl and I attended the opening of the AHS New American Style demonstration garden in Washington, D.C., it was not mainstream; now it is on every commercial street corner, constantly providing visual cues that flower gardening is here to stay.

TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT

What are the elements? Start with carving a nice-size bed in the front yard, perhaps along one side of the yard and extending partways across the front of the property along the street. Add one or two hardy small trees, coupled with a mix of boldly shaped evergreen shrubs. Tie them all together with mulch or groundcover, then plop in a few groups of perennials and an ornamental grass. Add annuals seasonally, and keep it edged neatly.

This can be done in a weekend. One gardener at a time, the country is changing to year-round good looks without the maintenance - or the rules - of our parents' generation.

If you want a list of dependable "front yard" landscape plants, shoot me an e-mail and I'll paste it right back.

GARDEN TIPS

It's not the "last call" for planting summer-loving veggies (tomatoes, peppers and the like), but those set out now still have time to produce before fall without your having to cover them up.

Yellow jacket wasps make paper nests in underground chambers, and get very busy in late summer and fall. If you have a nest entry hidden in monkey grass or rocks, control them now before they really get bad.

Annual flowers that go to seed do not flower as well. Occasionally cut off faded flowers to keep them productive. Leggy zinnias and overgrown lantana can be pruned to make them busy again.

Author:Felder Rushing

Primer on plant problems, how to treat them! Part TWO

2006-08-11T12:40:00.000-04:00

-BACTERIAL BLIGHT

Symptoms: Small, water-soaked spots appear on vegetable leaves. The spots eventually get bigger and turn brown. The leaves either turn tallow and die slowly, or turn brown and rapidly fall off. In cool weather yellow halos may border the infected spots. Sometimes lone, reddish lesions show up on the stems as well.

Cause: Xanthomonas and pseudomonas bacteria.

Remedy: Like so many of the diseases we've talked about so far, this one also thrives (and spreads) in wet conditions, so minimize overhead watering and never work in a wet garden patch. Buy certified disease-free seed and use blight resistant varieties when available. Rotating crops also helps, and by rotating I mean keeping the same crops out of the soil where they grew previously for at least two years. Be sure and clean up plant debris at the end of the season. Unfortunately, there are no chemical controls for bacterial blight.

-CLUBROOT

Symptoms: Abnormal enlargement and distortion of roots of plants in the crucifer family. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts are most susceptible, followed by broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Lowest leaves may turn yellow and drop off. Yield is usually greatly reduced, but in very favorable soil conditions the symptoms may not even be noticed until the plants are pulled up and the roots examined after harvest.

Cause: Soil borne Plasmodiophora brassicae fungus.

Remedy: Keep soil beds well drained by adding lots of organic matter since clubroot thrives in soils that are cool, wet, and heavy. I always make sure that the soil pH is above 7.2 for these crops as well, since a high pH has been shown to inhibit clubroot. Long crop rotations (up to seven years) works well, though it is often not practical nor possible.

-BLACKSPOT

Symptoms: Rose leaves develop circular black spots up to a half-inch in diameter. Leaves turn yellow and drop off. The flowers themselves are usually not affected.

Cause: Diplocarpon rosae fungus.

Remedy: Blackspot is usually not a fatal disease, but affected plants often try to grow replacement foliage late in the season and that new growth may suffer cold damage when frost hits. The best way to minimize blackspot is to plant resistant varieties and avoid overhead watering because the disease thrives on wet foliage. Cut the bushes back hard in the spring to remove any canes that may have blackspot fungus on them and to improve air circulation. Remove old mulches and apply a thick new mulch around each bush after you give the roses their first feeding this will serve as a barrier between any blackspot fungus on the ground and the newly developing rose leaves. I've had excellent results with controlling and curing blackspot (seemingly overnight) with the "Fermented Salmon" liquid foliar spray. No one seems to be able to explain to me how or why it works so well in controlling this disease, but have my own theory as to why that I'm currently experimenting with (results to be published later!). Otherwise, there are many reliable, commercially available rose sprays that contain various fungicide ingredients if you don't mind using these products in your garden. The key is vigilant spraying throughout the growing season.

-GRAY MOLD

Symptoms: Fruit, vegetables and flowers are all affected. Leaves, flowers and fruit (green or ripe) especially near the soil in the densest area of the leaf canopy turn light brown and develop a gray fuzzy covering. Gray mold will often sprout on soft ripe fruits like strawberries and raspberries after they have been picked.

Cause: Botrytis cinerea fungus.

Remedy: Sanitation is more important than anything in reducing the chances of gray mold from developing. As you walk around the flower garden, the vegetable patch, the fruit trees, pick and destroy all fading flowers and blighted foliage, remove and destroy and diseased leaves, blossoms or fallen fruits. It is also important to space your plants far enough apart so that sunshine and air can penetrate the entire plant. Harvest fruits in advance of rainy, humid and cool conditions whenever possible. Use mulches like pine needles in strawberry beds to keep the fruit off the ground. Fungicides like Captan or chlorothalonil work well to eliminate gray mold.

There are many more possible plant disease that can affect your garden such as Fusarium and Verticillium wilt, early and late blights, scab, leaf curl, brown rot, apple scab, fire blight, cucumber mosaic and so on. A good deal of plant diseases can be avoided by simply using good cultural practices, that is, avoiding over-head watering, providing plenty of air circulation between plants (that means dividing perennials on a regular basis!), maintaining a good healthy soil structure with lots of organic matter, regular weeding and keeping a spotless sanitary garden by quickly removing any spent or diseased plant tissue.

July's hot tips on maintaining flower garden

2006-07-01T07:33:00.000-04:00

Planting

* If you are lacking summer color, it's not too late to set out these plants: ageratum, begonias, celosia, chrysanthemums, coreopsis, gazanias, gloriosa daisies, impatiens, marigolds, petunias, portulaca, sea lavender, sweet alyssum, zinnias.

* Start seeds of campanulas, columbine, coreopsis, delphiniums, forget-me-nots, and foxgloves to plant out in September.

* July is the month to start new plants from herbaceous perennials. Cut five-inch stems and remove flowers of carnations, geraniums, marguerites, Shasta daisies, penstemons and verbenas. Root them in damp perlite.

* At the end of the month divide overcrowded clumps of iris and spring-flowering bulbs. Replant into beds prepared by deeply digging in organic amendments.

Soil management

* July and August are the best months to solarize your garden soil to get rid of weed seeds, insect pests, and diseases. For information on soil solarization, visit the Master Gardener Web site at: http://groups.ucanr.org/mgnapa/index.cfm.

* Renew the mulch around plants to keep them cool and conserve moisture.

* Continue to monitor the soil moisture and check the drip system for clogged sprinklers and emitters.

Maintenance

* Stop pruning these spring-blooming plants now: vines and trees such as azaleas, dogwood, redbud, spirea, forsythia, flowering quince, wisteria and some roses shouldn't be heavily pruned unless they are dormant. Excessive pruning from midsummer into fall will reduce next year's blooms. However, trimming a gangly shoot here and there to maintain the proper shape is fine.

* Encourage more blooms by deadheading (snapping off spent flowers) the annuals and pinching back the tips of chrysanthemums, fuchsias and geraniums.

Primer on plant problems, how to treat them! Part One

2006-06-24T03:35:00.000-04:00

Your garden is off to a great start this season and everything's looking great, you don't have a care in the world and then: Whack. All of a sudden your prize tomato plants are turning wicked colors of yellow or brown, perhaps dropping their leaves as we

- DAMPING OFF

Symptoms: Very young (newly seeded) flower and vegetable seedlings either fail to come up or rot off at soil level soon after the emerge.

Cause: A variety of bad fungi (rhizoctona, fusarium, Phytophthora and a few others) that live in the upper layers of seed-starting (or garden soil) bed.

Remedy: I think most gardeners know that using a sterilized potting mixture when planting seeds indoors is a fail-proof method in avoiding this type of disease problem, but what about outside in the open soil? There are a few things you can do, such as building raised beds to ensure good drainage (since these disease fungi are activated by damp soil). Also, compost has scientifically proven disease-fighting power that, when used as a seedbed material, drastically eliminates any chance of seedlings damping off. Just be sure to lay down about a one-inch layer over the bed and don't mix it into the soil. Plant your seed right on top of the mix. I also use sterilized soil-less mixtures to cover the seeds after planting to insure that they will sprout in a near-sterile environment.

-POWDERY MILDEW

Symptoms: Whitish-gray powdery coating on leaves, buds, and often blossoms of vegetables (cucumbers are notorious), and flowers (roses, lilacs and phlox). In severe cases, leaves may turn yellow and become deformed and buds may fail to open.

Cause: Spores of bad fungi (erysiphe, sphaerotheca to name a few) that are spread by wind and encouraged by hot, dry days and cool nights .

Remedy: You can save yourself plenty of headaches by choosing plant varieties that are resistant to powdery mildew if they are available. That not always being the case, you'll need to take other action. It actually thrives in dry conitions. A neat and easy trick is to actually spray the plants with a strong spray of water during the early stages of powdery mildew. This tactic alone might be enough to thwart an infection, as you will literally knock the disease spores off the plant. If that doesn't work, a great homemade solution to combat powdery mildew can be made by mixing one tablespoon of baking soda, one tablespoon of vegetable oil, and a single drop of dishwashing soap in one-gallon of water. Shake the mixture well and apply with a pump sprayer on the plants until they are saturated and dripping. This is a mixture that I'll use on vegetable crops, but often flowers and shrubs need stronger fungicide. Products like Immunox and Daconil work very well.

- ANTHRACNOSE

Symptoms: Sunken spots (up to a half-inch in diameter) appear on the skin of ripe tomatoes affected by this disease. The center of the spots usually darkens and forms concentric rings.

Cause: Colletotrichum coccodes fungus.

Remedy: Anthracnose thrives in warm, wet conditions, so try and avoid overhead irrigation where possible. To prevent spreading the disease, do not work in the garden when plants are wet. Be sure to stake, trellis, or cage your tomato plants so that the fruit is kept away from the soil surface. Make sure to harvest tomatoes as soon as they are ripe and when you find an anthracnose-infected tomato (it's inedible by the way), be sure they are tossed into the garbage pail (do not compost).

-RUST

Symptoms: Orange-yellow, brown, or purple pustules appear on the underside of leaves. Affects many types of plants, but beans, roses, geraniums, hollyhocks and snapdragons seem to catch the worst cases of rust. Eventually, the upper leaf surface becomes mottled with yellow patches, and the leaves shrivel and fall off. Severely infected plants become stunted and may die.

Cause: Many species of fungi that belong to the Uredinales order.

Remedy: This is a fungus that thrives in warm, wet conditions, so again, avoid overhead irrigation in favor of drip irrigation wherever you can. Water in the morning rather then sending the plants into the evening with wet foliage. Allow plenty of room for air to circulate and pluck any infected leaves as soon as you see them. Strict garden sanitation is important in controlling this disease. There are several chemical fungicide products to use in controlling rust, depending on the type of plant.

What do those numbers on fertilizer bags actually mean?

2006-04-05T15:26:00.000-04:00

Whenever you see a fertilizer product, it will have three numbers prominently listed on the package, usually on the front. These numbers are very important and tell a great deal about what this fertilizer will do.

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N, P, K) are what the numbers refer to. They are always listed in this order. It is the percentage within that package of each component.

For example, a common type of all-purpose fertilizer is referred to as 10-10-10. This is a balanced blend of equal portions of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. If you purchased a 50-pound bag, five pounds (or 10 percent) would be nitrogen, five pounds would be phosphorus and five pounds would be potassium. The remaining 70 percent is simply filler, or inert ingredients, which are there mostly to help disperse the chemicals.

A common way of describing the purpose behind each chemical is to think "up, down and all around."

Applying this simple phrase will help you remember that nitrogen, the first chemical listed, helps with plant growth above ground. Nitrogen promotes the green leafy growth of foliage and provides the necessary ingredients to produce lush green lawns. Lawn fertilizers frequently have a high first number for this purpose.

Phosphorus, the middle number, is very effective at establishing growth below ground, in the form of healthy root systems. It is also the component most responsible for flower blooms and fruit production. You'll notice that fertilizers designed for flower production, or starter-type fertilizers for your lawn, have a high middle number.

Potassium, the last number listed, is considered important for overall plant health. This is primarily due to its ability to help build strong cells within the plant tissue. In turn, the plants withstand various stresses, such as heat, cold, pests and diseases. For example, winterizer fertilizers will have a high component of potassium.

When shopping for fertilizers, be mindful of their intended use. Fertilizers that have equal numbers can generally be used as an all-purpose fertilizer. If you had only one product to work with, 10-10-10 would be my recommendation.

To promote good fruit or flower production, look for a middle number that is higher than the first. Otherwise, your plants will be stimulated to put out lots of nice green foliage, often at the expense of fruit or flower production. Instead, you want the energy and nutrition of the plant to go towards the desired result _ flowers or fruit _ so a higher middle number is a more appropriate choice.

To toughen up your plants or lawn for environmental stresses, then you'll want a fertilizer that promotes the last number, possibly as well as a high middle number. A high first number in this case may not be appropriate because you are not likely to be promoting new lush foliage when at the same time putting plants or turf to bed for the winter. Instead, your goal should be to promote cell structure and strong roots which continue to grow through winter.

Finally, whenever you apply fertilizers, don't assume that more is better. You can burn plants by over fertilizing, and damage the surrounding soil as well. Instead, err on the side of less is better. If your soil is rich in organic matter, it should have all the nutrition plants need.

Get ready for gardening

2006-03-25T01:22:00.000-05:00

During the winter months, hours of dreaming over garden catalogues are interspersed with pruning and making sure mulch is spread to nourish the plants.

Now, at the end of March, with rain and windy days transformed to warmth and sunshine, we are back at the start of another gardening year.

Where to begin?
Here are some tips on what needs to be done to get your garden off to a good start:

Perennial beds

Perennials flowers such as poppies, delphinium, hostas, astilbes and peonies are all well out of the ground. These are the staples of many flower gardens. They come back year after year and the initial investment is small compared to their contribution to the garden.

If you are starting a perennial bed, remember that the soil should be well prepared to a depth of one foot with lots of well rotted manure or organic matter added.
Be sure all the weed material is removed from the ground before you plant.
Divide perennials that have overgrown their places. Generally, after four years a perennial may need dividing.

If you are replanting a part of a divided plant in the same spot, be sure to add some compost to the soil. It will need the nourishment.
Swap some of your divided perennials with gardening friends - this is a time-honoured tradition among gardeners.
Read up on your plants before you divide them. Peonies, for example, dislike being moved and may not bloom for a year or two after being divided.
If you have a recently established perennial bed and your plants don't need dividing, just remove weeds carefully and add compost or mulch.

Vegetable beds
Dig over your vegetable garden now. The weeds haven't had a chance to take hold and the soil is moist. Add well rotted manure or composted organic matter to your garden.

Dig over the ground so that compost is mixed to a depth of one foot. If it is left on the surface, root vegetables don't get nutrients where they need them most.
Dolomite lime can be added lightly.
Build raised garden beds if you want to enhance your vegetable garden. These offer warmer soil and earlier crops - and they are also easier to work with.

Planning and Laying Out a Flower Garden

2006-02-25T05:59:00.000-05:00

A flower garden adds a great deal of variety and beauty to the landscape. Many people find that laying out flower gardens is a very rewarding task. And, while it is possible to create a very attractive flower garden without planning it out first, it is much more efficient, in the way of saving time and money, to make a plan for what you would like in your flower garden, and to have an idea of where you might like some of the different flowers. Then when you are ready to lay the garden out, you have a pretty good idea of what to do, and you are not bothered with having to re-arrange things to account for something that you may not have realized before.

The first order of business to determine when planning out your flower garden is how many annuals and how many perennials you want. Annuals last only one growing season, and therefore have to be replanted each year. Perennials appear yearly on their own. If you have all annuals, you can change your garden layout as you wish every year, and with perennials you have the same layout (unless you wish to transplant all of your flowers). However, it is possible to have a combination of the two, keeping the perennials where they are each year and varying the charm of the flower garden with a few different annuals in different placement.

Next, you should determine where you will likely place your flowers, taking into consideration the comparative heights of the plants, what time of the year they bloom, and what colors you will use. These things all contribute to an aesthetically pleasing look to your flower garden — one that implies order and beauty rather than looking ill-planned with some plants looking wildly out of place. Also to take into consideration when planning your flower garden: climate and sun exposure. Make sure that all of the plant you choose for your garden will flourish in your region, and that your garden is placed in a location that will allow the flowers to receive a proper amount of light.

After you have determined what will go in your garden, it is time to prepare the flowerbed. You should mark of the dimensions of your proposed garden carefully. Using a garden hose to mark the boundaries is advisable, as it is heavy and will stay in place, but it also provides the flexibility needed to tweak the proposed shape of your garden. After you have determined on your boundaries, you need to strip the enclosed area down to the topsoil. This can be done using a shovel for smaller gardens and a sod cutter for the larger sections.

After getting down to the topsoil, you should loosen the dirt by prying up a section with a shovel and then turning over the dirt. This loosens the soil and provides a good place for flower roots to establish themselves. You can make improvements to the soil but adding organic materials such as peat moss, mulch, compost, or manure. You should probably also roto-till the area to better mix the soil amendments in with the original soil. Next, use a rake to smooth out the soil without packing it down. Create your border with plastic edging, concrete, stones, or by digging around the edges, angling the soil down and creating a gap between flower garden and lawn.

After you have prepared the bed for the garden, acquire the flowers you would like to use. Seeds are less expensive, but you will not be able to see the final result until they spring up. If you purchase flowers in containers, set the containers, with their plants, in the places in the garden that they will inhabit. Then you can get an idea of what the garden will look like. If you need to move the flowers around for greater attractiveness, it is simply a matter of moving the pot around until the garden looks as you wish it to. After you have settled that everything is in place, begin removing the flowers from their containers and placing them in the ground, beginning from the back and working up toward the front.

A GARDEN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

2006-02-25T05:47:00.000-05:00

You can have the most elaborated back yard from the entire neighborhood, but if it isn't functional you have built it in vain. We all want to have beautiful and flourishing gardens, but when we have a family, we must also take into consideration the needs of the other members of it. Divide the space of your yard in two or three visual spaces, one for play and relaxation, one for gardening and maybe one for pets.

An open space, covered by lawn is ideal for your children. Here you can install a table for open air lunches or for a romantic summer evening dinner.
Do you have a fireplace? Keep a portion of your garden especially for depositing fire woods, but make sure it is at a considerable distance from the house or animals that can cause damage.

How about pets? You can build for these little members of your family special spaces, in which they can play and exercise. Before you plant bushes and ornamental plants, surround the pet space. Cats and dogs tend to be attracted exactly by the things we try to keep them away from.
Keep the by-passers' eyes away from your personal life. Before planning the scenery, you must have in sight a place for the garbage cans. It wouldn't be very nice to have a wonderful garden right next to the garbage cans. These can be efficiently hidden in some kind of surrounded space, decorated on the sides with life fence.

Functionality is an important factor in your garden, so you have to think about children, little pets and family assets before you plant anything. Save a portion of the yard especially for you, in which you can plant whatever you want and leave for the others some space to breathe freely.

You will find it more satisfying this way, once the whole family is happy with your garden and they might even bring their personal ideas for it. It is important that personal space is respected and that is why the garden must not be very wide, taking up all available space. Build from time to time a pathway or some benches where you can just relax and admire your work.

Lilies for the garden

2006-02-15T05:49:00.000-05:00

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.

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

Using fungicides to prevent and treat common plant and flower diseases

2006-02-08T11:26:00.000-05:00

Gardening is a wonderful, relaxing hobby for many people, and it continues to top surveys of favorite leisure activities. Most of the time a garden provides a soothing, relaxing environment, and healthy, attractive plants. As with any living thing, however, flowers and plants are prone to a number of diseases and pest infestations. It is important to use commercial fungicides properly to banish disease from your garden.

Simply paying attention to the condition of the plants in your garden may be the best way to keep disease outbreaks at bay. After you have been gardening for awhile, you will develop a feel for what is normal, and that will make it much easier to spot any outbreaks before they spread throughout the garden.

In addition, simply keeping the plants in top condition is a great way to prevent disease. Just as healthier people are better able to fight off infection, so too are healthier plants. The better the condition of your plants, the more they will be able to fight off disease.

Even the healthiest plants, however, sometimes succumb to disease, so it is important to be on the lookout for the first signs of problems so that they can be treated promptly. Symptoms like holes in the leaves, black spots, white spots and wounded stems can be signs of trouble. If you notice any of these conditions, it is important to diagnose and treat the affected plants as quickly as possible. This is because an outbreak of disease, or a pest infestation, can quickly spread throughout the garden.

Many of the most common diseases of flowers and plants are fungal diseases, and these diseases are best treated with a high quality synthetic fungicide. There are a great many fungicides on the market, and we are providing a list of some of the most popular and well known fungicides. If you are unsure of the nature of your plant disease, it is important to seek the help of the staff at your local garden center, or consult with a more experienced gardener.

It is important to note that the fungicide Chlorothalonil slowly dissipates with time, but the other fungicides on this list are systemic. Their systemic nature means that once they are applied to the plant, they are absorbed into the foliage and the root system. A systemic fungicide works to prevent and cure infection from within the plant itself. Because of this property, it is important never to use a systemic fungicide on plants intended for food.

Some of the most commonly used fungicides are:

Chlorothalonil (Daconil) – Chlorothalonil is a multipurpose fungicide with is used to prevent and treat common fungal diseases which affect lawns, fruits, vegetables as well as many ornamental and flowering plants.

Theiophanate-methyl – Thelophanate-methyl is a systemic fungicide that is effective in treating many common plant diseases, including powdery mildew and black spot.

Triadiemefon (Bayleton) – Triadiemefon is a systemic fungicide which is usually used to prevent and treat powdery mildew and rust. It is also effective against some lawn diseases.

Triforine (Funginex) – Triforine is a systemic fungicide used to treat and prevent common fungal diseases such as rust, black spot and powdery mildew. It has also proven effective against some other diseases of both flowering and non-flowering plants.

When working with any chemical, including systemic and non-systemic fungicides, it is vital to follow the direction carefully and to use the minimum effective amount. Pay particular attention to any warnings on the label, and dispose of any unused product carefully. It is important to wear protective clothing, such as a breathing mask, goggles and gloves for protection while applying any fungicide.

The importance of proper soil chemistry to a healthy garden

2006-02-04T09:11:00.000-05:00

Trying to grow healthy, vibrant flowers without proper soil chemistry is definitely a case of putting the cart before the horse. Good soil is the cornerstone of successful gardening, and it is important to make sure that your soil will meet the needs of your plants before the first seed is planted.

While soil chemistry is important no matter what types of plants or flowers you grow, it is particularly critical when it comes to working with bulbs, perennials or other plants that remain in the ground for more than one season. The reason is that the chemistry of the soil can change from year to year.

Therefore, if a formerly well blooming patch of the garden is looking a bit haggard, the first place to look is at the condition of the soil. Erosion, overuse of pesticides and fertilizers and a number of other factors can impact the quality of the soil, so it is important to test the soil if you suspect a problem.

Of course the soil should be tested anytime a new flower bed is prepared as well. It would be a mistake to assume that the soil chemistry is the same everywhere on your property, since the makeup of different patches of soil can be markedly different, due to past use, chemicals or residue in the ground, etc.

It is a good idea to have a thorough soil analysis done prior to planting a bed of flowers. Most major cities have several laboratories that do soil testing, so be sure to contact such a lab to have the soil analyzed for pH level, and for levels of important plant nutrients. If you are unsure where to get the soil tested, be sure to ask the staff at your local nursery or garden center for a recommendation.

After the present condition of the soil is known, you will be in a much better position to know how to amend the soil and make the changes that are needed. Once you know the pH level, the level of organic material in the soil, the amount of clay, amount of sand, etc., you will be able to choose the right additives to provide your plants with what they need to thrive.

The pH level of the soil can be a particularly critical factor when deciding what types of plants will work best. Most varieties of annuals, perennials and bulbs will grow well in a wide range of soil pH, but some plants have specific needs, and prefer soils that are either very alkaline or very acidic. If your pH range is outside the norm, or if it needs to be amended, there are a number of ways to accomplish this goal. For instance, limestone can be used to make acidic soil more alkaline, while sulfur is often used to make very alkaline soil more acidic. A pH level that is out of balance can also be helped by adding humus. This rich soil can be created at home by using a compost bin, or it can be purchased ready made from a garden center or nursery.

After you know the baseline content of your flower bed, it will be easier to track chemistry changes from year to year, and to make amendments as needed. The more you know about the quality of your soil, the more confident you can be that the plants you buy will thrive in your home garden.

The first flowers of spring

2006-02-04T05:58:00.000-05:00

One of the most thrilling sights for any gardener, from the newest to the most experienced, is the first spring flowers peeking up through the last snow of winter. Spring flowers have long been seen as a sign of new life, and gardeners certainly enjoy seeing these beautiful harbingers of warmer weather.

Whether it is the tiny, delicate blossoms of the snowdrop, the delicate petals of the econite or the subtle beauty of the Irish reticulate, it is hard to beat the beauty of spring flowers. These first delicate blossoms of spring are a sign that the long days of winter are finally over, and that it is time to look forward to warmer weather. Even the most jaded gardeners continue to be excited by the sight of the earliest blossoms making their way through the last snow of winter.

The well named snowdrop is one of the most beloved, and most popular types of flowers for early spring. These delicate blossoms are breathtaking to behold. The common snowdrop, scientific name Galanthus nivalis, features small, delicate blossoms, while the giant snowdrop, known to scientists as the Galanthus elwesil, features striking large early spring blooms.

The Iris reticulate is another favorite early spring bloom. This bulb is one of the most striking flowers in the world of gardening, and it is highly prized for its beauty. The Iris reticulate originally came from the high mountain areas of Western Asia, and it does well in cold climates. The Iris reticulate does best in a well drained bed containing coarse sand or grit.

When caring for an Iris reticulate, it is important not to over water the plant, since this can cause severe damage to the bulb. This plant comes in a wide variety of colors, ranging from a pale amethyst to a deep, dark purple. In addition, the Iris reticulate has been thoroughly hybridized, and a wide variety of hybrid colors, including solids, speckles, stripes and splotches are available as well.

In addition to these somewhat common early spring blooms, there are rarer varieties as well. One of the rarest of late winter and early spring bulbs is the Adonis vernalis. The Adonis appears to be a delicate plant, but it is able to make its way through the snows of late winter to provide a beautiful bloom in March. The Adonis has a beautiful yellow bloom, and it makes a wonderful companion to any landscape. The Adonis can be used anywhere, but it makes a particularly good addition to a winter rock garden.

No matter which types of late winter or early spring blooming flowers you choose, you will be rewarded with beautiful color in your garden as the last days of winter give way to the first days of spring.

Choosing roses for your landscape

2006-01-29T02:32:00.000-05:00

Easy tips for how to learn rose gardening

Roses have long been a favorite among all types of gardeners, and roses continue to enjoy great popularity today. In addition to their beauty as cut flowers and in bouquets, roses are among the most useful and attractive flowers to grace the landscape of any home.

As a matter of fact, the exterior of any home can be made more graceful and more inviting through the use of wonderful landscape roses. Choosing the right ones, and ensuring that they compliment the overall style of the home, is very important to the overall success of the landscape.

Fortunately, the number of ornamental landscape roses make finding them an easy task. The difficulty consists of choosing the right ones from this variety. There are a number of classes of roses whose characteristics make them great for use as landscape ornamentals. For instance, the gardener who wants to grow roses up and over an archway or a trellis may want to use tall growing tea roses. Tea roses are renowned for their nodding blooms, therefore all who pass under the arch would be treated to the beautiful sight of roses in full bloom.

To accent a wall or other permanent structure, a true climbing rose is often the best choice. True climbing roses can be trained to many different effects, including climbing up the length of the structure, or accenting the tops and sides of a wall or building.

The Polyantha or modern day Floribunda rose is a great choice for gardeners looking for a vibrant splash of color for the background. These popular varieties of roses have large sprays of blooms, and they are popular choices for providing color in the landscape.

If roses are to be planted in front of other plants in the landscape, miniature or low growing China roses are a perfect choice. Roses can even be used as hedges, with modern Shrub roses and Rugosa roses being excellent choices.

Of course, as with any aspect of gardening, color is an important consideration. After all, every gardener’s goal is a garden full of colorful, vibrant and healthy plants. Fortunately, roses come in so many shapes, sizes, textures and colors that there truly is a rose for every gardener.

The goal of choosing the best color roses for the landscape should be to compliment the color of the surrounding landscape. For instance, a spray of plain white tea roses can be striking against a dark red brick home, or an arrangement of pink roses can be the perfect compliment to a stone or marble entranceway. With so many colors of roses to choose from, it should be easy to find colors that compliment and enhance any decorating scheme.

One popular trend in the world of landscaping is to use a variety of different plants and flowers in the landscape. Whereas single species landscaping was in vogue a few years ago, most of today's gardeners like to use a mix of different colors, species and styles of plants. Doing so not only makes for a vibrant garden, but it is thought to enhance the health of the soil as well.

Fortunately, roses lend themselves well to this mixture, and roses can be a beautiful part of an overall landscape of plants and flowers. In addition, there are roses suitable for a variety of climates. Choosing the best rose varieties for your specific climate should mean fewer pesticides, few disease issues and an overall healthier garden.

How to Decipher Zone Rules when Planting Roses

2006-01-28T07:54:00.000-05:00

You're thinking about planting roses for your garden or to decorate outside around your house. If you want to spruce things up a bit, but are not too sure how to go about it, and then read about a few tips that will guide you on your journey of rose planting. It's not that hard to do, you just need to be aware of how to use a map and a few other tips to grow beautiful roses.

The map is meant to be used as a general guideline that you'll need to seriously consider before planting any roses outside in your garden or around the yard. However, don’t be confused or fooled, some roses do well in many different kinds of climate. The best knowledge for learning how to locally grow roses in your area is to talk with others in your hometown, such as your plant and gardening center or a florist. A good reading of any quality book on how to grow roses can be found at the library or a bookstore.

A little history about how maps came into use for roses is necessary to be a fully informed Rosarian!

The first map ever created for information on plantings was the USDA Hardiness Zone Map, and it came from the combined effort of Henry Skinner in the 1800s when he worked with the US National Arboretum, and the American Horticultural Society which produced the valuable map of information on the climates in the US. It was a generalized map of meteorological information broken into zones of large areas for the US. It was the first time people had some type of guideline to go by for planting and growing, not only decorative plantings, but crop information as well. This was necessary because many people were on the move throughout the country, and many didn’t know the local areas growing capabilities.

Later in 1960 the map was revised and was named the Plant Hardiness Zone Map with more detailed information, and included all of North America. A few reasons for changing the map were that there was more technological ability to map weather trends, as well as data. Also, the weather patterns were changing too. More detailed information such as the names of plants and their cold climate zones, along with an alphabetized listing of plant names were included.

Here is how the map is broken out into zones for the US.

South West - AZ, CA, NV, UT

South Mid-West - AR, KS, CO, IL, LA, MS, MO, NM, OK, TX

South East - AL, FL, GA, MA, NC, SC, CO, TN

North West - OR, ID, MT, WA, WY

North Mid-West - IA, MN, NE, ND, SD, WI, WY

North East - CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, VA, WV

Alaska - Listed separately but in the North Mid-West

Hawaii - Hawaii Is not listed in any category of the US geographic regions

The major areas are further broken out into sub areas of temperatures. Starting with zone 1 which is the coldest area of -50 degrees F and graduating up to 11 which are the warmer areas of the US. Areas of the regional zone is further broken out into sub zones of temperatures represented by a combination of numerical and alphabetized designations such as 2a, 2b, and 3a, 3b, and continuing on. Zone 11 is the area where annual local temperature is continually over 40 degrees F.

Like the unfamiliar settlers before, you’ll need to know the map. There are places on the internet where you can order one and print it out to use as a guideline for growing your roses. Remember to stay updated on any changes to the map.

With your handy map in hand, go and speak to people in the know about growing roses in your area. The map is helpful, but it’s only a general guideline. Different things concerning your local climate can affect how roses grow in your garden or around your house. Professional horticulturists use them and they are termed micro climates. Situations such as how much smog or pollution conditions, soil feasibility, or even any catastrophic conditions such as the eruption of a volcano, or a man made problems of pesticides can affect how or if your roses grow.

Take the time and understand the map, and use any information you can find in books, or from a gardening or floral provider. Also, use the advice of locals for growing your healthy beautiful roses. Most of all enjoy the adventure; it’s a sweet smelling one.

The 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year

2006-01-22T02:30:00.000-05:00

'Firewitch' brings beauty, fragrance to your garden

'Firewitch' (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) gets the recognition because of its long-lasting, fragrant, magenta flowers and the blue-green foliage, which is evergreen.

Dianthus is a large group of plants, which can be annuals (such as the Parfait series or 'Corona Cherry'), biennials (sweet William) and perennials. Probably the most well-known dianthus is the carnation, a weak-stemmed perennial.

If there's a common trait across the species, it's fragrance. Another attractive trait for many dianthus is blue-green foliage that is very cold-tolerant or evergreen.

'Firewitch' is in the "pinks" category of dianthus, which is sometimes called Cheddar pinks. Cheddar is an area of England where this dianthus comes from, and pinks refers to the flowers, which look like they've been trimmed with pinking shears.

'Firewitch' blooms for six to eight weeks in spring and early summer, making it a good companion for late-blooming spring bulbs. After each flush of flowers, cut off dead blooms and the plant will likely rebloom throughout summer. The plant looks good through winter with its beautiful, blue-green, mat foliage.

Dianthus does best in full sun and loose, well-drained soil. It can go more on the dry side; wet soil may cause the plant to rot. 'Firewitch' gets about 8 inches tall with a 12- to 15-inch spread. Be prepared, though, because it may spread even wider.

'Bath's Pink', which is similar to 'Firewitch', easily spreads to 30 inches.
Once established, fertilizer usually isn't necessary. Dusting the soil or ringing the plants with compost in fall or spring is about all that's needed.
'Firewitch' is easy to divide. Just chop off a clump and transplant. Although it's always recommended to prepare the soil for transplants, I've had dianthus take hold when just placed on the soil.

Dianthus shines in the front of the bed, in rock gardens and in troubling spots. It can take a footstep or two, but not high traffic. Source of the article.

How to save plants from salt

2006-01-21T09:37:00.000-05:00

Some de-icers aren't so harsh and may work as well. Try to apply them before the storm.

In this season, when ice and snow are likely, pause to think of the flowers of spring. Plants that live near streets and curbs, even turf grass, are in jeopardy from ice-melting chemicals that have become the other "white stuff" of the winter landscape.

Plants are damaged in two ways by the chemicals: Salt-laced slush burns evergreen foliage and latent buds. Moreover, salt in the soil can prevent roots from absorbing water and nutrients and affects the long-term health of both evergreen and deciduous plants, including ground covers, spring bulbs, and lawns.

Symptoms include distorted and stunted growth, branch dieback, lack of flowering, and leaves with browned margins. Salt contamination also can cause stress that invites diseases and pests - assuming the afflicted plants live.

David Yost, a plant specialist at Merrifield Garden Center in Virginia, remembers seeing a hedge of yews killed outright by a salt-contaminated snow pile in the corner of a parking lot.

"Roots and all," he said.

Fortunately, paths can be cleared without maiming your landscape, using alternative products and some care. More than your plants are at stake: Excessive salting poses a risk to pets, damages masonry and vehicles, and pollutes water.
The most damaging thawing agent - rock salt, or sodium chloride - is also the cheapest and most readily available. Protecting your landscape may mean having to shop around to find something else. Read the full article...

When to Perform Rose Propagation

2006-01-12T03:42:00.000-05:00

As a novice rose gardener, you might have heard the term rose propagation, but not really known what was meant by the term. Propagation is the term used for reproduction in the plant world and you can propagate roses by either seed or by taking a cutting from your current rose plant.

Rose propagation has a long and rich history. Little has changed in terms of rose propagation since the early 1800’s when American settlers carried stems with them into the west. You might even remember your mother or grandmother sticking a cane from a rose in the ground and covering it with a plastic jar to make it grow.

Using a cutting is a much more common method. Commercial growers and horticulturalists do grow new rose's bushes from seeds, but with a seed you are not guaranteed an exact replica of your original rose bush. The pollen that was used to fertilize the flower might not actually come from that flower so the seeds may be a mix of two plants. With a cutting taken right from your rose bush, you are guaranteed an exact copy of the original.

Rose propagation is quite simple really. All you need to do is ensure that you give the new cuttings a safe, moist and humid environment so the roots have time to develop. It is natural for any part of the plant to try to establish its own root system so it can stay alive, but it is only through your help that this can happen at all.

The best time to propagate is in the spring. At this point in the year the weather is cool and the plants are particularly vigorous after a long winter's slumber.

When selecting a shoot, you should aim for a young one. Older stems will not grow as well as young, tender ones. You want to select a cane that does not have a bud on it yet. With a sharp knife, you want to cut off a piece of the shoot that is approximately half a foot long. You want to remove the leaves at the bottom of the cane, but leave the ones near the top. These leaves will provide the necessary food and hormones while the roots establish themselves. Clear an area of your garden free of weeds and other plants and then plant the shoot in a couple of inches of soil. It is best to plant the shoot in the area that you want your new rose bush to be to save the stress of transplanting. Before you place the cutting in the hole, you can lightly score one side and dip it in compost. This will encourage root growth.

Be sure to water the shoot and then cover it with some kind of plastic or glass container – this will keep the temperature high and retain moisture so that the shoots will grow better. You do need to think about which container will work best. You want your new cutting to be exposed to sunlight, but you need to make sure that there is not too much sun shining directly on the new cutting because it can become overheated. You might plant your cutting in an area where there is partial shade to avoid this kind of problem.

You should check your shoot often, ensuring that it is moist enough. If the ground is dry, then you need to water. You can remove the glass or plastic container if temperatures reach at least 75 degrees, but be sure to re-cover the plant at night when the temperature drops back down.

Don't expect to see results right away. On the surface the plant may appear dormant, but all of the activity is happening below the surface at this point. Your new rose bush needs time to develop roots to support it. You should see some growth after two or three weeks.

It's important that you’re not discouraged if at first you don't succeed – just try again. Many inexperienced growers can have difficulty propagating. Though the success rate for new cuttings is very low, you can improve your odds by planting several cuttings at a time. If by chance they all develop, you can transplant the some of the clippings or offer them to some other garden enthusiasts you know.

And just keep this in mind: though many gardeners practice propagation, it is against the law to reproduce a hybrid plant that has been patented.

What's in, what's out in gardens and yards for 2006

2006-01-09T07:17:00.000-05:00

Higher fuel costs are expected to drive these 2006 trends, as more of us stay closer to home on weekends and for vacations, according to industry experts. Also, laptop computers let us work wherever we choose, even while we catch a few rays of sunshine.

"Our back yards and patios now serve as playgrounds, living rooms, kitchens, home offices and havens," says Susan McCoy, president of the Garden Media Group, which annually tracks gardening trends.

"The walls of the home seem to have come tumbling down and now the homeowner's focus is on decorating the outside of the home on the deck, the patio and all around their property."

Now, before you say, "I don't want to take care of a big yard and a lot of flowers," you should read on and realize that getting outdoors isn't about pushing the lawn mower all morning and weeding the flower beds all afternoon.

Gardening is about getting smarter with your choices and chores. Shop for "self-cleaning" plants that don't need fading flowers removed, and think twice about maintaining a lot of grass.

"The trend is toward less square footage in lawns and more mixed beds that are easier to maintain," says Les Parks, nursery manager at Smithfield Gardens in Suffolk, Va.

And, if big trees are not your thing because you have a small yard or worry about a hurricane toppling them, take comfort in knowing that shrubs are replacing trees in space-challenged yards.

"We are definitely seeing gardening trends leaning toward small spaces, including vertical gardening," says Bruce Barton at The Flower Pot in Yorktown, Va. "Lots of climbers, vines and trellis shapes."

So, sit back and daydream about spring, sketch out some ideas for an easy-do look in your yard and take note of what's in, what's out for living the good life:

Create a lived-in garden. Showplace gardens are fine for picture books, but not for real-life living. To kick back at home, put up an entertainment tent or gazebo, fire up the grill and pipe the music outdoors. You may even want to hook up your flat-screen TV outdoors in some location where it's protected from the weather. "I know a man who takes his flat-screen TV outside, plugs it in and watches football in the hot tub," says McCoy.

You'll also read more about "outdoor bedrooms" joining the likes of outdoor kitchens and living rooms, letting you stay past dark and watch the stars twinkle overhead.

Realize less is still more. Minimalism continues to be trendy indoors and outdoors. Skip buying every knickknack you see, and, instead, concentrate on a few quality eye-catching items. In other words, resist the plastic and look for fashionable materials in pots and sculpture, including ceramic, terracotta, finished concrete, marble and even bronze. In the end, you have simple elegance without the fussy look of clutter.

Get boom without bloom. If your lot is the size of a postage stamp, you can still pack a lot of power into your garden. Avoid using just flowers to give you pizzazz. Look for double-duty plants, meaning shrubs, perennials and groundcovers that feature variegated, puckered and fine-textured foliage before and after the bloom time, says Parks. One example is PeeDee Gold Ingot liriope, a groundcover that emerges yellow in spring and matures to a deep gold and produces the traditional purple-spiked flowers. Sun Goddess hydrangea with its golden foliage and pink flowers is a wonderful double-duty shrub.

Try "pot-scaping." The one-dimensional look of containers lined or clustered along the deck or patio moves into "pot-scaping" for the entire landscape. Pots of plants are showing up in beds and borders, or standing alone like an eye-catching exclamation point. Busy homeowners find decorating their yard with "spots of pots" is an easy way to splash color throughout the yard. Try tucking a few pots of colorful annuals and tropicals among evergreens and you'll love the look. Small trees and shrubs, as well as annuals and perennials, thrive in pots as long as the containers are suitable in size and offer good drainage.

But, take care when creating your pots. "Plants in too many colors and textures look as tasteless as wearing plaids, stripes and prints together," says Elvin McDonald, garden editor at Better Homes & Gardens. Plant several of one variety per container, or several different varieties, all in one color family, per pot. Then, group the colorful containers together for an avalanche of color.

... read the full article

Garden resolutions: Start the growing year right

2006-01-08T03:12:00.000-05:00

By Kathy Jentz

It's a new year and a brand-new start, not just for yourself, but for your garden as well. A new growing season is on the horizon and now is the best time possible to take a good luck at improving your garden.

Here are 10 resolutions you can make to give a boost to your gardening skills, increase your enjoyment of this wonderful hobby and make less work for yourself in the coming year.

1. Take a class. Whether you are an overzealous pruner or a negligent fertilizer, there is a class to help you reform your ways. There are a number of free and inexpensive garden seminars being offered in the D.C. area. Check with your local garden center, botanic gardens and historic homes for their upcoming session listings. Some of my favorites are offered by Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington and Green Spring Gardens in Fairfax.

2. Join a local garden club or plant society. The key is learning from other's experiences. Local garden clubs are full of veteran gardeners who love to share their plant knowledge with fellow members. Many host expert speakers and have a wide range of other activities from plant exchanges to tours of historic gardens. Plant societies are clubs that specialize in one plant variety such as orchids or dahlias. If you are crazy about one particular plant type, then this is the place for you to find fellow enthusiasts. Garden clubs and plant societies are easily found through a Google search and list their events in local newspaper calendars. Most meetings are free to the general public and all welcome newcomers.

3. Read. Visit your local library and bookstore for beautiful gardening books filled with photographs and diagrams. Every avid gardener spends their winter months reading about and dreaming of spring gardens. A home library full of garden resources will inspire you. Also, subscribe to a few garden magazines that are chock full of timely articles. Washington Gardener magazine is the publication for the greater D.C. region, but other excellent magazines include Horticulture, Gardening How-To and Fine Gardening.

4. Journal. You know that pile of plant tags, seed packs and clipped articles from garden magazine that just kept growing larger all last spring through fall? Now is the time to get it organized in your garden journal. Take an evening or two to staple them to pages and pop in a three-ring binder. Make notes as to what was planted where, what worked, what didn't and what something new you would like to try.

5. Take photos. Did you get a digital camera for Christmas? Pull it out of the box and put it to great use this year by taking photos of your yard from various vantage points. Repeat this monthly. Print out and store in your journal. Or just buy a disposable film camera each month and put the developed photos in a "garden album." You'll be amazed at the differences as you flip back through each month and be able to clearly see next winter what seasons are lacking color and interest in your garden.

6. Plan. Get out a pencil and paper and start sketching ideas for a new front border, additional flower beds or a water feature. Think about the kinds of gardens you've visited. Which ones have made you sigh with envy? What styles have you've always admired? Dream big!

7. Get organized. Just as your basement, closets and attic could use a spring cleaning, your garden shed could use the same. Start by taking inventory of your tools, pots, seed packs, etc. What are you missing? What do you have too much of? Maybe you can trade items with fellow garden club members. I recently did a major shed clean-out and was surprised to find I had more than 200 plastic starter pots accumulated from plant purchases! Those will be donated to a grower at my local farmer's market.

8. Share. Make it a point to introduce at least one other person to gardening this year. Surely you have a neighbor, relative, co-worker or friend who has admired your garden. Let them in on a few of your "secrets." Share seeds, tools and maybe even some of your vegetable plot to get them started. A few years from now they may come back with a bounty to share with you.

9. Bring the garden indoors and the comforts of the indoors out. Look at ways to enjoy your garden year-round. Even in the D.C. climate, you can garden in the depths of winter by forcing bulbs or starting seedlings. In the height of the growing season, don't just use the outdoors as a workplace. Set up spaces for you to stop, relax and enjoy the fruits of your hard labors.

10. Expand your garden interests. Go outside your comfort zone and widen your garden universe this year. If you always plant edibles, add some flowers. If you only do flowers, add in some edibles. Are you too afraid to grow "fussy" orchids or roses? Give one a try this year. I've personally never been taken with rock or alpine gardens, but I'm going to give one a try this spring. You never know what doors you may open when you go into new areas. Discover your next garden passion.

Kathy is editor of Washington Gardener magazine (www.WashingtonGardener.com) and a longtime D.C.-area gardening enthusiast. E-mail editor@washingtongardener.com.

What is companion gardening?

2006-01-05T05:05:00.000-05:00

There are certain plants, flowering, herbs and vegetables that help each other out in the garden. Some plants help others to grow while others help keep away certain pests. Plants, much like people, have friends they prefer to be around.

Some plants harbor insects, both good and bad. A plant known to be the home of a certain pest is helpful in keeping that pest away from other plants. You’ll find your gardening less a chore if you plan for a companionable garden, both in the landscape and the vegetable garden.

Flowers and Their Friends

Roses: Plant garlic among your roses to help repel aphids. Parsley also helps repel pests common to roses. Folklore says to plant banana skins around the base of roses since they are rich in silica and phosphorus, two minerals roses love.

Aster: Most pests will stay away because they don’t like the taste or the smell

Nasturtium: Plant plenty around cabbage, squash, zucchini, radishes, lettuce and fruit trees. Nasturtium helps repel cucumber beetles, aphids and whiteflies. It supposedly gives radishes a good hot taste. It is a good “trap crop”, luring snails and slugs away from other plants.

Carnations: Don’t plant hyacinth before or after, they don’t like each other.

Gladiolus: Keep at least 75 feet away from peas, beans and strawberries.

Marigold: Marigolds help control nematodes and are very beneficial to roses, bulbs, root vegetables and strawberries. They also help protect beans from the Mexican beetle and help reduce whiteflies from attacking with your tomatoes.

Petunia: These perky bloomers help keep away squash, potato and bean beetles.

Sunflower: These tall beauties are a great help in attracting birds and bees to the garden. In turn, the birds and bees help regulate the number of pests in the garden. You can also use sunflower stalks as a climbing pole for climbing plants that don’t mind a bit of shade.

Source

Happy Gardening.

Top 7 Varieties of Pink Roses for a Gorgeous Garden

2006-01-04T03:44:00.000-05:00

Pink roses are very beautiful and can add a sort of unique touch to any garden. They come in many varieties, ranging from pale to dark to almost electric. There are varieties that bloom only once per season and those that bloom continuously in cycles from early spring to late fall (until the frost of winter forces them into dormancy). There are also quite a few varieties that are well suited for a variety of hardiness zones.

For this list of seven beautiful pink roses, the requirements are at least repeated blooms and suitableness for a range of hardiness zones. (You can find your hardiness zone by consulting the Internet or a local Master Gardener.) These roses range from slightly fragrant to very fragrant, but one thing is sure: no matter which varieties you choose for your garden, they are sure to make a gorgeous garden.

Dark Pink Roses:

Country Dancer

This rose was first introduced in 1973. It is a lovely dark pink variety that comes on a shrub. This makes it an excellent choice as an accent plant or as a hedge. Country Dancer blooms continuously, ensuring that your plant will always have flowers, and never look barren from spring to autumn. It is a fragrant flower that smells very nice but that is not so pungent that it is overwhelming. This rose if perfect for zones four through nine.

American Beauty

American beauty is a classic dark pink rose that has been around since 1875. It is very fragrant and blooms repeatedly. It is in the class of hybrid perpetual and has such a large, classic look to it that it is almost impossible not to love this flower. It grows in zones five through nine.

Martha's Vineyard

A fairly recent flower, developed in 1995, Martha’s Vineyard offers a beautiful shrub that is well adapted for hardiness zones five through nine. Additionally, its fragrance makes it ideal for people who enjoy surrounding their home with sensual plants. Repeat blooms ensure that you will see the flowers more than once during the growing season.

Robin Hood

This is a slightly fragrant hybrid musk variety that blooms continuously. While not as adaptable as the others (zones six through nine), it still provides good range and can be grafted onto the roots of plants suited for other growing conditions.

Light Pink Roses:

Bloomfield Abundance

Bloomfield Abundance is a rather nice floribunda class rose that blooms continuously. It was developed in 1920, and it is very fragrant. Its name comes from the fact that it has abundant blossoms that grow well in a variety of settings. Its hardiness zones are five through nine.

Audrey Hepburn

Exquisite Rose introduced in 1991 has very fragrant 4" blooms of apple blossom pink, set off by glossy foliage with a thread of scarlet bordering each leaf. Audrey Hepburn Hybrid Tea Rose grows 4-5' tall. Enhance your garden- or plant a new one- with colorful, fragrant roses. These have all vigorous, disease-resistant plants that are easy to grow and guaranteed to flower this summer.

Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier is a Portland class rose that has been in existence for nearly 150 years. It is a fine choice for nearly any garden. It gives a heady, sensual, very fragrant smell that provides the garden with continuous fragrance (the blooms cycle continuously spring through fall). Any garden in zones four through nine can enjoy this light pink rose.

Prune when spring flowering is over!

2006-01-02T17:57:00.000-05:00

Question: I think my gardenia needs to be pruned. How do you know when to trim these plants and how much?

Answer: Make your pruning decisions after the plants have produced their midspring display of flowers. The buds are forming now, and it would be a shame to miss their fragrant white blossoms.

You could remove any branch that's in the way of traffic or appears to be declining at any time. Major pruning usually occurs around May or June when spring flowering is over. Then the plants might get a light trimming to encourage additional shoots and reduce the height and width just a bit.

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Gardenias can be large plants, and most gardeners place them where they can grow with minimal pruning.

Grab for grapefruit

Q: We moved to a home with a grapefruit tree, and it's loaded with fruits. How will we know when they are ready to eat?

A: Lucky you. Grapefruits are expensive at the stores. Deciding when the fruits are ready to eat is quite simple. When they taste good, they are ready to pick.

Some Floridians wouldn't consider eating a grapefruit until March when they get super sweet, but not all residents are so particular. Most start sampling the fruits around November and add a little sugar, if needed, to take away the tart taste. As the season progresses, less sugar is needed because the fruits only improve in flavor.

Grapefruit can be left on the tree for many months, and if any remain as late as May or June, they are still sweet, juicy and edible.

Bonus from corn plant

Q: I have a healthy corn plant that is getting ready to bloom. Is this a sign it could be dying?

A: Some plants do decline after flowering but not the corn plant, a tropical foliage plant, also known as a dracaena. The blooms are a bonus for the good care you have been giving the plant. Corn plants flower only if growing in bright locations but out of direct sun. Most likely, you also have been keeping the soil moist, and feeding the plants every month or two, which also makes them happy.

Now, when the flowers open, you might get a surprise. They are fragrant, resembling a super-sweet gardenia, but some gardeners find the blooms objectionable. If needed, the flowering stalk can be cut from the corn plant or the plant can be moved to a more airy location.

More Types Of Shrub To Use In Your Garden

2005-12-31T05:48:00.000-05:00

By: Paul Curran

Buddleia, the butterfly bush, is 16 feet or more if not killed back by winter, and gets its name from the fact that in the summer, butterflies are always seen around it. The buddleia takes many forms: as a small - leaved shrub with small purple flowers; as fascinating, a cattleya-pink bush; as flaming violet, a brilliant purple, and as white profusion, a dwarf variety with pure white flowers. Also the Empire blue shrub, the dubonnet, the red glory and white cloud.

Flowering quince (Cydonia) has roselike flowers and a scarlet bloom in spring. Japanese quince grows to 6 feet; has orange-scarlet flowers.

Deutzia is an easily grown shrub, pleasing for the many small flowers in spring. Types include the 2- to 3-foot pink deutzia, with its delicate flowers; the pride of Rochester, with large double white flowers, and Deutzia Lemoinei, which has large, pure white flowers.

Other shrubs are the dwarf buckeye, which blossoms in July with 12-inch spikes; the chokeberry bush, liked for its decorative fruit; broom, which grows in sandy places and blooms in June and July, and witch hazel, a shrub that grows to 20 feet and has spidery yellow flowers.

Forsythia is a welcome shrub because it needs little care; with its drooping sprays of yellow flowers, it is useful for softening the lines of walls.

Hibiscus blooms in August, a rarity, with flowers that are large and purple, or rose-pink or white. It grows to 12 feet if unpruned.

Beautiful hibiscus. Martinsburg, WV, USA captured July, 17th. 2005

Hydrangea, another shrub with large blossoms blooming in July and August, is a showy bush, with big blue globe-shaped clusters.

Honeysuckle bushes are useful for mass planting. Some varieties are especially enjoyable because they blossom in February and March. Several spirea varieties are found to be useful as screen plantings, particularly because of their dense growth and abundant flowering. Anthony Waterer spirea is a 2-foot bush with white or rose-pink clusters.

Bridal wreath has profuse white clusters in May. Spirea Thunbergii also has white flowers, and Spirea Vanhouttei, 8 feet high with dense white flowers, is used as a living fence.

Viburnum (the popular snowball) is 10 to 12 feet high at maturity and is used for high foundation, screening and hedges. It has white snowball-shaped flowers and foliage turns crimson in fall.

Weigela is popular, too, in many varieties, including the variegated weigela, a dwarf shrub with rose flowers and variegated silvery leaf. There is also Weigela rosea, with rosy trumpet-shaped flowers, and the new brilliant cardinal shrub.

About The Author...
Paul Curran is CEO of Cuzcom Internet Publishing Group and webmaster at Trees-and-Bushes.com, providing a range of quality plants, trees, bushes, shrubs, seeds and outdoor garden products. Website: www.trees-and-bushes.com

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More Landscaping Ideas

2005-12-30T11:59:00.000-05:00

Making the Most of a Small Yard

A small yard does not have to be devoid of landscaping elements. There are plenty of things that can be done with a small yard to help it look nice, while not encroaching too much on usable space. The key is to plan well, and to choose plants and designs that are not too over powering. But, even though you may not be able to have large boulders or a sweeping flower garden, or a large pond, it is still possible to have a beautiful landscape that surrounds your home and helps you feel more comfortable in it. One of the things to remember when you have a small space is that you can build up rather than building out. You can do this by building raised beds for ... read more

Landscaping Ideas for Energy Efficiency

When you carefully position your trees, you can save money in both summer and winter. Large deciduous trees are great additions to any home for this purpose. These trees have large leaves and create shade during the summer. They block the sun, and this reduces how much money is needed to cool the home. Vines growing on the house and shrubs near the home (protecting basement windows) only help further. Now, here is the great thing about deciduous trees: they lose their leaves in the fall. This means that as the leaves fall of during autumn, they let more sunlight in. This means that natural light and even some warmth from the sun will filter into your house during the winter, lowering heating costs. And the best part ... read more

Tips for Planning Your Landscape

Another tool that can be very helpful as you plan your landscape is the use of landscape design software. Much of this software can be used to figure out which plants may look nice in your yard, and which plants would go with your house. Some programs even allow you to scan in an image of your own house in order to better get an idea of the possibilities. Most programs cost less than $70, and can even be used as references to determine which plants are best suited to survive in your climate.

With careful planning, and the use of a few tips, it is possible for you to plan out your landscape in such a way that you use your available space and your money much more efficiently. Read the whole article about planning your landscape...

Start a garden journal in January, and you'll garden better for years

2005-12-29T01:42:00.000-05:00

By Mary Robson

When and how gardeners honor the New Year depends on personal tendencies — for some of us, the equinoxes of March and September seem more "new" than Jan. 1.

But by social habit and conditioning, we toss our old calendars and start afresh when the year's numerals turn over. Does this mean we revive our garden journaling? Perhaps someone gave you a crisp, clean garden notebook, or a new batch of colored pencils ... or a digital camera. How can we efficiently gather gardening information with a new year and new tools?

If we gardened briefly — an intense spell in summer, then an end — garden journals would be no help at all. A quick gardening experience resembles a fad, like taking up crossword puzzles or gin rummy and then tiring of the adventure. Garden records exist to carry us across the flow of time, considering change and growth over years and even decades.

What's useful to keep?

Weather records. If I falter on other elements, I'm faithful about weather, especially extreme events. Weather gives us clues about plant behavior; the below-freezing week this month might reduce shrub buds and flowers when spring comes. Looking back, you can sleuth out the cause.

These quick observations aren't intended to add up to climate conclusions, but rather to link plant growth or problems to specific hot, cold, damp or dry days. (Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, "Some of us are weatherwise, some are otherwise!")

The plant morgue. I also record plants that expire. That's how I discovered that my newly planted pines on slopes weren't receiving enough water. One of them turned into a crispy critter practically overnight last July.

Garden maps. Freehand illustrations of what went where, and when. These can get pretty impressionistic, but they are more help than my muddle of plant tags in a drawer.

I like to indicate location for plants that emerge late. This recollection keeps me from planting on top of an Oriental lily or elegant hosta. They stay underground longer and appear to be creating new planting space. But alas, forking up half an expensive lily does not improve the gardening day.

When did the plant flower or fruit? I use a simple grid calendar to indicate "sarcococca blooming" or "harvested first Stupice tomato." If you do record events for more than one year, patterns will begin to fascinate. My snowdrops bloomed for Jan. 1, 2005, but now show bare nubs only, with no bloom for this New Year's Day. Cold spells retard bulbs. But the opposite is that a cool spring prolongs our daffodil and tulip show.

Bird visitors. My birding log overlaps with the garden journal. Thanksgiving Day 2005 found one Anna's hummingbird working over the rosemary flowers. I refreshed the feeder, but that bird has flown.

Specific activities. When did I mulch the lower terrace last? When did I lime the vegetable area? Since I have trouble remembering my only son's cellphone number, I know that writing it all down will give me information rather than vague ponderings.

No doubt you'll find your own personal necessities; some gardeners enjoy keeping purchase and cost records. Not me, boy oh boy. Sketches or photos add to the fun and keep our memories green. Two years of garden records will help; five years fills with treasures.

Garden expert Mary Robson is a retired area horticulture agent for Washington State University/King County Cooperative Extension. Her e-mail is marysophia@olympus.net.

Fine Gardening Secrets Revealed

2005-12-27T06:18:00.000-05:00

by Sally Summers

I hope you don't think I'm a bad person for admitting this to you. I was feeling a little bit jealous of my sister. Let me explain...

Every year, I visit my sister Joan in Houston -- and every year, her garden just keeps getting even more beautiful. On my last visit, she had a dazzling display of fabulous cutting flowers that absolutely took my breath away.

When she saw how impressed I was -- and how inquisitive I was about how she had created such a magnificent garden -- Joan finally let me in on her secret. It's a secret that just a small number of avid gardeners had kept to themselves for years.

But the secret isn't a secret anymore.

It's Fine Gardening magazine!

Fine Gardening is the magazine dedicated to gardening enthusiasts like you and me who want to surround ourselves with beauty, but need some guidance to achieve our dream gardens! With the inspiration and information found only in Fine Gardening, your garden will thrive like never before with colorful, abundant spreads of your favorite flowers!

I want to share the secret and also tell you about Fine Gardening because it's the perfect companion for every gardener -- no matter where you live, no matter if your available gardening space is a window box or an acre of fertile ground! Here's why:

The expert advice and techniques you get exclusively in Fine Gardening are brought to you by botanists, entomologists, nursery specialists, commercial growers, curators, landscape architects and groundskeepers, so you can be assured that you're getting accurate, tested, reliable information that you can use to cultivate everything from the simple to the spectacular.

As you can see, Fine Gardening knows what's important to gardeners like you and me!

With well wishes for your own fabulous flowers.

About the Author
Sally Summers is Editorial Director at www.BlueDolphin-Magazines.com and www.Magazine-Supermarket.com. You can read her weekly blog at http://sallysummers.blogspot.com where she talks about today's most popular magazines and how they can enrich your daily life.

December Garden Calendar

2005-12-24T03:42:00.000-05:00

Spread wood ashes evenly on vegetable garden. Use no more than 1.5 pounds per 100 square feet a year. Do not use if the soil pH is higher than 7.0 or if potassium levels are excessive.

Use dormant sprays of lime sulfur or copper fungicide on fruit trees and roses for general disease control.

Protect new landscape plants from wind with staking, guy wires, windbreaks and site selection.

Make sure that landscape plants in protected sites receive water regularly during the winter.

Monitor landscape plants for problems. Do not treat unless a problem is identified.

Take care of yard sanitation: Rake leaves, cut and remove withered stalks of perennial flowers, mulch flowerbeds, hoe or pull winter weeds.

Check for rodent damage around base of trees and large shrubs.

Spray peach trees with lime sulfur or approved fungicides to protect against peach leaf curl. Choose resistant varieties if possible.

There’s still time to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses. Don’t delay. This is a good time of year to plant trees and landscape shrubs.

Avoid mounding mulching materials around the base of trees and shrubs. They might provide cover for rodents.

During heavy rains, watch for drainage problems in the yard. Tiling, ditching and French drains are possible solutions.

Protect poinsettias from cold, place in sunlight, don’t let leaves touch cold windows; fertilize with houseplant fertilizers to maintain leaf color.

Monitor houseplants for adequate water, fertilizer and humidity. Water and fertilizer requirements generally are less in winter.

Check stored flower bulbs, fresh vegetables and fruits for rot and fungus problems. Discard any showing signs of rot.

Make holiday decorations from trees and shrubs in the yard.

Monitor spruce trees for spruce aphids. Treat if present in large numbers. Read and follow label directions.

Tie limbs of columnar evergreens to prevent snow or ice breakage.

If the lawn is frozen, stay off it.

Use paper tree wraps on lower trunks of newly planted fruit and nut trees to avoid sun damage.

Turn the compost pile.

Humus Happens - What the Heck is Humus Anyway?

2005-12-23T10:59:00.000-05:00

If you do not know what Humus is, join the club. No, it's not the tasty Mediterranean treat spread on pita bread. It is a term used to describe a process that is vital to life on earth. You may be wondering, why then was it not a major item on your high school biology exam? Well, that could be because Humus is such a tough word to define. It is a process that has been playing hide and seek with scientists, gardeners and biologists for centuries.

Humus is to plants what drawing breath is to us. We take it for granted and no one really talks about it, but if it stops, we stop. And that would mean for good. The difference is that we can explain and understand respiration. Humus is not so easy to clear up. There are parts of the process that have been revealed but eventually, we have to admit that Humus is still something we just don't fully get.

A great example of this is the plentiful descriptions of Humus that can be found. Some are lengthy explanations that seem to go in circles. While others are relatively clear, but really hard for us that don't hold any Biology degrees, to understand. So here is a little bit about Humus. It will not get you into graduate school, but it will help you understand why your garden is working or why it isn't.

Humus is one of those scientific terms that often are defined by using itself. That is because it is easier to through a term out there then trying to dissect the scientific meaning behind it. Humus is also used as a label for an intense process that is difficult to explain.

With all that said, there are still a couple of things that gardeners and just ordinary people might want to know about Humus. It is, after all essential to life on earth, making this tricky term very important. Let's begin with a small piece of the pie. Humus is the result of decomposed organic materials in soil. It is a mixture of animal, plant and other organic materials from manure and decomposition. The process that leads to Humus production is called humification. Humification naturally takes place in soil or when compost is made. It is essential in increasing the fertility of soil. Humus holds moisture in the soil and makes plant growth possible.

Humification is an intense process that combines water soil, sun and decomposing materials of living things to provide nutrients for plants. How it is extracted from soil is still a mystery. People have been trying to pinpoint a clear concise definition of Humus since the days of the Romans. In the late eighteenth century J.G Wallenis narrowed Humus down to the decomposition of organic materials. He was headed in the right direction but it wasn't until 1840 that it was discovered that plants can not get minerals directly from the soil.

Plants can only get nutrients from the soil in an inorganic state. Plant food is transformed first into mineral salts. Theses mineral salts are the result of the humification of decomposing matter which is the most efficient environment for Aerobic microorganism. The amount of free oxygen present in soil is a major contributor in managing good or bad conditions under which Humus is created. Soil temperature and moisture combine with the decomposing residue and make Humus. If there is too much oxygen and organic matter decomposing swiftly Humus won't occur. This is common in tropical areas. Another determiner is soil temperature. If coil temperature rises, microbial activity increases. In very aerated soil Humus does not build up.

There are different types of Humus. There is peat Humus and it can also be formed in water or soil. The better the Humus, the better your garden will be. You will have healthier plants due to the soil balance that Humus maintains.

Of course, as a gardener it would be nice to have a clear definition of Humus. But let's face it, we can't explain everything. Just be glad that it is here to help you in you gardening endeavors. Humus Happens! And that is the most important thing for you to know about it.

Cute Ideas That Can Save You Money on Your Planting

2005-12-23T10:54:00.000-05:00

There are many interesting ideas that can help you save money on your planting and landscaping. Most of these ideas involve a little creativity, but you end up with an attractive and distinctive yard. And some of the ideas look nice and can save you money in other areas of your life, like food. At any rate, there are quite a few easy ways to stretch your dollar and still make plants an attractive part of the landscape.

Use vegetables. Plant vegetable seeds in your flower garden. Seeds cost much less than plants, especially many flowering plants that have already started growing. Choose attractive varieties that mix well with flowers and are attractive in their own right. Peppers look nice among flowers, with their attractive leaves and colorful issue as they ripen. Pumpkins and bushy-plant squashes actually look very nice planted in the same way one would plant an island of flowers. Squashes and pumpkin’s flower so they are pretty when they bloom, and their leaves grow big and beautiful. Tomatoes make great accent plants on the edges of flower gardens, and peas can be set up to grow on small edge fences. Their curly vines are appealing, and they are among the least expensive of vegetable. Not only can vegetables save you money in enhancing the look of your landscape, but they also save you money when it comes to eat.

Herbs for ground cover. Instead of spending money to buy plants designed for ground cover, invest in an herb garden. Buy seeds for the herbs you commonly use in your cooking: parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage are all very attractive plants. They grow close to the ground, and can grow thickly, creating ideal ground cover. Chives and green onions can be planted behind for an even more ornamental look. Herbs also grow fast, and you can use them in your cooking, saving you money at the grocery store. You can still have your flowers throughout your garden, as these herbs go with any color scheme. Additionally, they will add a pleasing aroma to your home environs, making it inviting in smell as well as in looks.

Container gardens. Container gardens are among the cutest and more inexpensive landscaping ideas. Rather than trying to treat your soil and dealing with the constant hassles of upkeep, make a container garden. Your garden can hold a variety of plants, although annuals are among the best for this type of garden, as you can easily replace them as they dies out. It is possible to use perennials in a container garden, however, as long as you use a larger container so that they have room to create their extra bulbs. Buy potting soil on sale (if you buy at the end of the season, you can get it for sometimes as little as one or two dollars a bag), and then you can plant seeds in the soil. By the time winter is over, you should have flowers fit to be set outside.

You can use almost anything for containers. Old washtubs and tin cans make quaint containers. Clay pots are a little more elegant and can also be very decorative and attractive. It is even possible to use milk cartons (with the tops cut off) as containers. Whatever strikes your fancy and is deep enough to let the roots grow (which really is not too terribly deep) can be used in container gardening. Large urns and hanging baskets can also add to the look of your home. Much of the time you can get these items on clearance at the end of the season for just a few dollars.

After arranging your plants in their containers, you can then set your urns, pots, and old washtubs wherever you wish to in your yard. Hanging baskets need not hang only above your porch. If you have large enough trees that can support them, you can hang them from the branches. When planting your baskets, use starts or seeds. They cost less than more mature plants. It is even possible to start a herb garden and you can even grow most vegetables in containers.

With a little creativity, it is possible for you to turn a commonplace landscape into something really attractive without a lot of back breaking work and without having to spend a great deal of money to make improvements to the soil.

© 2005, Flowers&Garden.com

This article is provided courtesy of Flowers&Garden.com - You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

Tree and Shrub Care Programs

2005-12-22T14:13:00.000-05:00

In many communities there are companies that offer tree and shrub care programs. These programs are the health care plans of the plant world. They are designed to help you monitor and care for your plants, as well as treat problems that come up. It is even possible for you to design your own tree and shrub care program that can aid you as you take care of the plants yourself, with minimal help from the care specialist.

But one thing is certain: in order to keep your landscape looking healthy and attractive, you do need to take an active interest in some sort of care regimen for your trees and shrubs.

There are many benefits associated with having a care program for trees and shrubs. Benefits include catching infestations early and identifying diseases while they are treatable and before they do too much damage. A caterpillar infestation can cause defoliation, and if you move quickly to avoid this, your trees will look much better for longer. Additionally, if plants have good care, they are more resistant to disease and will flourish, giving your landscape a more attractive look. A proper program of care can prevent these problems and save you money on down the road. The old saying "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is certainly true, especially as it relates to plants.

Other problems that a tree and shrub care program can help with are less detrimental to the health of the plants and more practical in nature. Proper monitoring can unsure that weak branches are removed before they fall on and damage your house. Additionally, proper care and pruning of branches ensures abundant flowering and a thicker, fuller look in evergreens. While better flowering and fuller plants may not directly affect the health of the plant or your wallet, they do add substantially to the attractiveness of a landscape and can contribute to the better enjoyment of your home.

Most tree and shrub care programs are developed and administered by specialized companies that provide care. They can also be arranged through an arborist or a master gardener. These programs do cost money, however. There are comprehensive programs that cover all costs related to monitoring your landscape plants and treating any problems or providing specific care. There are also programs that provide monitoring services and then charge treatments separately. The idea is to use a program that fits into your budget, and then reap the benefits of a landscape that is well cared for.

Another approach to the tree and shrub care program is developing and following one yourself. It may cost a little money up front, as you will have to consult with a master gardener or an arborist, but in the long run it is worth it if you take good care of your trees. In some localities, an extension office may have a horticulturist on hand to answer your questions at no charge. The key is to figure out a care program that you can carry out yourself, or that you can carry out mostly on your own, with back up help from professionals when needed.

Developing your own plan can be very rewarding. It helps you get closer to your landscape, and it can also help you spot problems quickly. You should have a regular schedule for inspection of trees and shrubs, as well as other plants, and a regular schedule of care and maintenance. To learn how to properly prune trees and shrubs, keep an eye out for community classes. You can even pay for a session with a professional. Paying for a two or three hour lesson in pruning can save you hundreds of dollars in having to pay a yard service to do the work. Make sure you know the best times to prune, and do your pruning on a schedule as well as the rest of the landscape maintenance.

No matter whether you pay for a professional tree and shrub care program, or whether you carry out such a regimen yourself, it is important to have a plan for the proper care of the plants on your landscape. This way you will find that you have a more attractive landscape and save money in trying to fix large problems that arise through neglect.

© 2005, Flowers&Garden.com

This article is provided courtesy of Flowers&Garden.com - You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

5 Ways to Take Care of your Roses in Winter Months

2005-12-18T09:35:00.000-05:00

Ways of winter - Five Ways to Take Care of your Roses in Winter Months

If you are a Rosarian, no matter where you live, you will want to winterize your roses. There is a school of thought that says winterizing is not necessary for some roses in some colder climates. But, while some climates permit minimal winter preparation and some rose varieties require little work for the winter, all roses need some type of treatment for any type of winter.

Roses are delicate plants that not only benefit from, but need, special attention. Of course, the return that roses give growers is ample to the efforts put into their care. Worldwide they are one of the most beloved plants and have come to be recognized as a sign of beauty and love. So why risk losing your precious roses because you did not winterize them correctly? A little time and effort can greatly improve the survival rate of your roses. Preserve your roses. Five easy steps can help your roses through the toughest of winters.

Don’t let the winter month’s sweep in and steal them away from you. Roses are resilient little troopers if you give them a jumpstart. If you set your roses up properly for the long, dark, snowy months ahead, they will be waiting for you in the spring. In climates that produce temperatures that remain below 20-degrees F (7-degrees C) for long stretches without snow cover apply cover to your roses. If winters in your climate bring temperatures below 10 degrees F (12 degrees C) protective covering is necessary. In climates where winter is cool but low temperatures are rare, leave roses out in the open.

Just before September hits stop feeding and pruning your roses. This will stop the growth of delicate new blossoms that can not survive the winter from forming. After the first frost give your roses a good watering session. This will give the roses a good start as they head into a long stretch of independent care. Take the time to give your rose bed a thorough cleaning. Get rid of any diseases and insects. Remove fallen petals and leaves in the rose bed. Don’t attempt to reuse the rose bed debris in compost. Those unwanted pests may be lying in wait. Get rid of any old leaves so no insects hitch a ride on your roses into winter.

The time to begin preparing your roses for winter depends largely on your climate. In some climates you will want to begin protection after the first frost. In others you don’t need to bundle your roses up until after the second frost. Apply protection as late as possible without compromising your roses and remove it as early as you can. Late November is a good time to get the protection on, but if your climate affords it, wait until Christmas.

Hybrid teas are the most popular roses grown in America. They are partially derived from plants that grow in moderate regions where winters are extremely mild. That means they are especially sensitive to the cold weather. Pile a six to eight inch pile of dirt along the base of the bush before the ground completely freezes.

While there are a few Rosarians that support protecting more than the bud union, most believe that covering the buds will suffice, unless you are growing climbing roses. Then you want to cover as much as you can. Wrap a heat conducting material around the bud union of the rose.

If you are dealing with climbing roses, these same basic steps will help you to winterize. Gently remove the canes from the arbors and bind them to one another. Remove the foliage and bend the canes to the ground before placing a wood and wire frame above the plant. Then the bush, without any major pruning, is encased entirely in a thermal blanket.

It is good to get your roses back into the open as soon as possible. Late April is a great time to set your roses free. New growth will have been stifled long enough to prevent damage from late season frosts. What destroys roses in the winter is debatable. Some believe it is the dehydrated soil. Other think it’s the first strong frost, winterizing itself is also up for debate. This is a case of better safe than sorry.

Down with Deadheads - What's it and how to do it?

2005-12-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

There is nothing like a rose. The sweet smelling scent they produce might just be enough to get your nose stung by a pollinating bee, or another type of insect when sticking your nose into one! It doesn't matter if it's a wild garden rose, old rose, or a modern breed; they are beautiful to look at, and a delight to your smelling senses. If you're wondering now that you've planted your new rosebush, how do you get more roses to bloom for a couple of years, then take this rose advice to heart – by deadheading them.

What is deadheading a rosebush? The simple answer is that by deadheading you're cutting off the older dried up roses that are dead. Deadheading encourages new flower growth for its next growing season. Using the deadhead method is typical for the new modern breed of roses that are genetically engineered. Older roses are usually pruned, which is a different type of care for roses, and wild roses are left most of the time for a look of wildness in form. Also, for the older type rose varieties at the end of their season they will form hips or seeds that will need to be left, this will help them grow again in the next years season. Always be sure on the type of rose plant, whether you need to let hip, prune, or deadhead. It makes all the difference.

By carefully deadheading your rose bush next year you'll have great looking roses because you've helped the rose bush save some energy. The formation of hips on them requires the bush to spend a lot energy that it shouldn't have to. Most bushes of any type are finicky, and require maintenance. So expect to care for your roses by cutting, or deadheading, for a couple of years.

How do you deadhead?

Read these 2 tips on how to deadhead them for the first 2 seasons of growth, but remember to always consider your zone areas, and if in question consult a good book, talk to your local florist, or ask around for some local help from a qualified rose grower. It might be necessary to do all three for the sake of your rosebush.

Cut at a 45 degree angel with a sharp pruning tool, back 3 – 5 leaf branches downward from top of bloom. This cut will be off the main branch.

Cut the leaf set of stem that is facing the outward direction. This will be the high side of a cut, on the side that the leaf set is on.

The optimum leaf set removal for the first years trimming is a 3 bunch, but 5 are ok too. The goal is to try to remove as little as possible for the first year's season. Also, it's vitally important that you start looking to deadhead your rose bushes at least 3 – 4 weeks before it starts to approach the end of its growing season.

No matter what zone you live in because it's now the end of the growing season for your rosebush, take some time to get it ready for the winter. It's vital that you do. After all why go to all of the time and expense of buying, planting, watering and caring for your plant from the beginning, and then deadheading it, and letting it languish in the winter and die? Remember bushes require loving care and attention.

Here are a few more tips for caring for your roses.

Clean away debris such as paper, old sticks, or any other garbage that's not supposed to be under the plant.

Use a good spray on it to kill any nasty bugs or bacteria that could kill your rose bush when it's lying dormant in the winter.

Apply a good type of fertilizer to the base of it, but make sure to reduce the Nitrogen in whatever fertilizer you use. It will burn the plant and cause other types of bacteria. Leaves from your yard will work nicely as mulch for your bush. Check leaf types that are okay to use.

Cover with a heavy burlap sack to protect the top of it.

It does sound like a lot of work to have a breath taking rosebush, but next year when you walk out and uncover your roses, you'll find that the effort you put into it will have been well worth it. You’ll see the wonderful site of a new leaf branch growing gracefully out of the old from last year. Have fun being a dead header to your new rosebush.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Designing a Landscape

2005-12-05T15:50:00.000-05:00

There are quite a few things to take into consideration as you design your landscape. While creating your own design for your yard can be a very rewarding experience, it is important to carefully consider your plans before putting them in action. Additionally, asking yourself a few questions and thoughtfully addressing the answers can help you make improvements to your design and can help you better plan to use the space around your home. When you think about what you are doing and make a plan, you are much more likely to enjoy a successful landscape experience as you design an improved environment to surround your house.

The first question you need to ask yourself has to do with budget. Can you afford to make all of your planned improvements at once? Or do you need to create a plan of phases that can help you reach your goals one at a time. You should know how much money you can spend on each phase of your project, and you might even consider what you will do if you come in under budget. Will you buy a couple more plants? Add a more decorative retaining wall? But you need to set a total amount that can be used for your landscape and then stick to the budget.

A budget rule of thumb is as follows: costs of landscaping should be about 10 percent of the value of the home. This cost includes things like irrigation, fencing, decks, patios, ponds, and any other element you wish to include in the yard. There is no need to pay this all at once, however; it is much more reasonable to improve over the years with ready money in order to leave yourself less encumbered by debt.

Another thing that you need to ask yourself is what the space will be used for. You need to think about what activities will be taking place, and how you would like to use the space. Figure out how you and your family move through the landscape. This will help you determine where you walk most often, and allow you to accommodate for that. You do not want to create a design that suddenly makes it more difficult to get to the mailbox or to get groceries from the car. Consider where you would like children to play, and think about how you will incorporate trees, fences, flower beds, and other elements into the space without damaging its utility.

How does sunlight cover your property? This is a very important question, as it will help you determine where to plant certain vegetation. You need to know whether certain sites receive full light (at least six hours a day of sunlight), partial shade (four to six hours — this is also called partial light) or full shade (less than four hours). Figure out which plants will go where according to how much light they will need.

Ask yourself what kinds of plants grow well in your area. You might really like how some succulents look, but if you live in a very wet area, they might drown in all the extra water. Make sure that you know what plants are native to your area, and what plants are native to areas with a similar climate. Along with this, you should be sure to find out your soil composition. It is very important that you know what plants will survive in the soil in which you plant them, or whether you will need to improve your soil with amendments such as crushed shells or organic compost.

Finally, ask yourself what you think would be attractive. You can do this by take a picture of your yard and then mentally adding plants. You can also sketch out what you think would work well, and decide whether it really does accomplish the look that you want. You also want to ensure that the new landscape design is convenient and doable, especially if you will be creating it yourself.

By taking care to ask yourself a few simple questions and honestly answer them, you will find that your landscape design plan can be carried out more efficiently, with regard to effort, time, and cost.

© 2005, Flowers&Garden.com

This article is provided courtesy of Flowers&Garden.com - You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

Hybrid Happenings – What is a Hybrid Tea Rose

2005-12-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

Hybrids, Teas, Floribundas, Grandifloras—the world of roses are so vast and confused that even the most experienced gardener may find himself or herself confused. So what exactly are hybrid tea roses? Hybrid tea roses are the result of crossing the Hybrid Perpetual (a European rose) with the Tea rose from China.

Simply stated, hybrid tea roses are the roses you see in the florist’s window in the days following up to Valentine’s Day. Hybrid tea roses are the classic image of rose beauty. They have large blooms (typically 6 inches in diameter), and usually only produce one bloom per stem. The bloom unfolds elegantly, with large velvet petals that spiral out from the center in mesmerizing layers. Hybrid tea roses are a favorite of gardener’s who love to cut long-stemmed flowers to put on display. They are also a favorite of photographers who love to capture the explosion of petals and colors that hybrid tea roses offer. Because they are known to flower continuously, hybrid tea roses are often referred to as ever blooming or monthly roses.

Hybrid tea roses became wildly popular in the middle of the nineteenth century, when they became “the” rose to have in the garden. The Victorian Era saw a flurry of experimentation with cross pollinization among plant breeders, eventually resulting in the culmination of hybridized tea roses. Victorian Era plant breeders sought to balance elegance and beauty with perpetual flowering, and they seemed to achieve this in the propagation of hybrid tea roses. The Tea rose, admired for its repeated blooms, was the perfect complement for the Hybrid Perpetual.

The ‘La France’ is generally considered to be the first official hybrid tea rose, although breeders did not keep accurate records in those days. A Frenchman popularly referred to as Giullot, in 1867, discovered it. It is said that his discovery of the La France was an accident. He was attempting to produce a large bright yellow rose, but instead produced a rose with silvery-pink blooms that turned bright pink at the tip of the petals. The flower was fragrant and very large (nearly 5 inches in diameter) for its time. The large bloom and dramatic colors of the La France made it the star of its day.

Hybrid Tea roses continued to grow in popularity. Their long ‘lollipop’ stems allowed for clear visibility of the bloom and easy cutting. With their vivid color designs and the elegance of their unfurling buds, they were perceived as much more dramatic than previous roses. Perhaps most importantly, hybrid tea roses produced larger and more frequent blooms.

Today, hybrid tea roses are much more commonly grown for cut flowers. They are no longer as prominent in landscape settings as they were during the Victorian Era. However, if you’d like to add the classic beauty of the hybrid tea rose to your garden, here are a few tips on choosing the right hybrid tea rose for you.

Do you want big blooms on long stems that you can arrange and put on display? Hybrid tea roses are probably for you. If you’re looking for roses to landscape your home, consider Grandifloras or climbing roses, instead.

Do you want a rose that emits a strong fragrance? If this is the case, hybrid tea roses may not be for you. Hybrid tea roses usually only give off a faint scent.

Do you want a relatively low-maintenance rose, or are you willing to water every day in during the hot summer months? In general, hybrid tea roses require a lot of water, especially during hot weather. If you’re not prepared to do a lot of watering, hybrid tea roses may not be your best choice. Also, hybrid tea roses do not enjoy the company of weeds, so be prepared to provide proper maintenance.

Can you deal with thorns? Hybrid tea roses are notorious for their thorns. If you don’t think you’ll have the patience to deal with this thorny issue, you might want to reconsider hybrid tea roses. However, breeders have been able to produce several thornless varieties of hybrid tea roses. These thornless roses might be a little more expensive and difficult to find, but the trouble is most definitely offset by their beauty.

© 2005, Flowers-and-Garden.com

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A Thorny Subject - How to Properly Remove Rose Thorns

2005-12-04T01:33:00.000-05:00

You've probably heard the phrase: every rose has its thorn. Too many, thorns symbolize the danger that lurks behind the beauty of the roses, and all sorts of myths try to explain the presence of these dangerous little daggers on rose stems. Greek myth suggests that Cupid shot arrows into the roses accidentally after being stung by a bee and it was the sting from his arrow that caused the thorns to take root.

Don't despair if these little daggers are a thorn in your side. With a little care and some patience, you can remove those pesky thorns for a nice smooth stem on your rose.

Thorns do actually help the plant drink water, so it is important that you remove them properly and do not inflict excessive damage on the stem. You need to take your time and practice a proper dethorning technique – otherwise you and the rose will be injured in the process.

Carelessly removing thorns will damage your roses in the long run. They will not last as long as they should and any peeled or torn skin will hinder the amount of water that makes its way up to the petals. Proper dethorning takes practice and patience.

You can remove thorns right on the plant, or you can wait until the stem is cut and do it then. It is best to try and remove thorns on the cane when it is quite young and before the rose blooms if you know that the stem will be cut at some point in the future for display or for the creation of a bouquet. You can remove thorns by applying slight pressure to the sides to simply push them off the stem. You can use this same procedure with cut stems.

Removing thorns by hand is a tedious task, and with some roses, the thorns grow so close together that it is almost impossible to push one off without stabbing yourself on another one. That's where a dethorning tool can come in handy.

You can purchase a specialty product like a thorn stripper. This type of tool strips the stem of leaves and thorns. You can also fashion your own with some metal strapping from your local hardware store. If you do make your own, be sure to file the edges that touch the flower so the stem is not torn excessively in the dethorning process.

To use a dethroning tool, you simply hold it just below the flower and close the jaws together around the stem. Be sure that you don’t use too much pressure when closing the jaws of the stripper because you could damage or even severe the stem. Lightly drag the dethorner down the stem. The thorns should pop right off. It may take a bit of practice to get the hand of a thorn stripper, but after a few tries you should have a good idea of how much pressure is needed to remove the thorns.

You can also remove thorns with a knife. All you need to do is scrape the stem of the rose with a sharp floral or small pairing knife. If you are removing thorns from the cut stem, then you might consider only removing the thorns and leaves that lie below the water level.

You want to think carefully about whether or not you need to remove all the thorns from your roses. It is important to remove rose thorns when the flowers will be in a hand held bouquet or worn on the lapel. When placing cut stems in a vase for display, you should remove the thorns that will be below the surface of the water, but you don't need to take off those that will be above water level. Removing thorns can shorten the life of your roses so be sure that you aren't over dethorning your blooms.

An important time to do some dethorning, though, is when you are preparing plant litter for your compost pile. After pruning off any dead or decaying canes from your rose bush, you should consider removing the thorns before tossing the old stems into your compost pile. Removing the thorns will make it safer for you to work and exposing the stem in this way will also help sped up the decomposition process.

© 2005, Flowers&Garden.com

This article is provided courtesy of Flowers&Garden.com - You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

Driveway Landscaping

2005-12-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Landscaping driveways does not necessarily mean the driveway itself, although the design of your driveway can impact the look and feel of your landscape. Rather, many people neglect to landscape their driveways to look attractive. This includes adding landscaping elements to the sides of the driveway, as well as at the bottom and the top of the driveway.

There are many softscape and hardscape elements that can be added to make the area surrounding the driveway more attractive. Your driveway landscape is the entrance to your property. If you ignore it, the driveway can look more like an ugly scar than a part of your landscape. If properly incorporated, however, it is possible to
create a nice looking element in your landscape, tying it in to the rest of your design and looking as though it truly belongs. It is very worth your while to make an attempt at landscaping around your driveway.

You need not spend a great deal of money to landscape your driveway, but if you carefully choose features and elements that are attractive and creative, you can have a fairly low-cost driveway landscape that is inviting to visitors as well as to those who live inside the house.

Before landscaping the driveway, however, there are a few things to take into account. First of all, you need to make sure that what you are doing will not be so much wasted work. Take into account your neighborhood. If there are a great deal of children, a flower bed at the entrance, near the street, may not be a wise decision. It may be trampled careless children, or the flowers may be picked.

While these actions do not usually the products malice, they can result in a ragged and disheveled looking driveway entrance. In such a neighborhood one might consider accenting the entrance with an attractive fence, rock wall, or even a small rock garden. Also determine the footpaths traveled by those who live in the house.

Make sure that any elements you add to the sides or ends of the driveway are not interfering in established walkways. Some of the common hardscape options are walls and fences. These are projects that can add distinction and accent to your driveway area. A rock wall can be especially interesting if you use different colored rocks. It is also possible to plant grasses and small, hardy flowers in the cracks between the stones used to construct the wall. This can be decorative and it can add a more interesting aspect to your rock wall.

Short, attractive fences, and even some of higher height, can also accent the driveway and give it a little more color and character. Small hanging baskets or lanterns can be used with either a fence or a wall to add more beauty.

There are plenty of softscape options for dressing up the area around the driveway. The first thing you need to decide (and this goes for hardscape accents as well) is whether you plan to use the landscape elements to run the length of the driveway or to simply accent the entrance to the driveway. If you are working with a very
small budget, simply accenting either side of the driveway, near the bottom, is a good idea. It will cost much less, but add a great deal to the look of your over all landscape. Some of the softscape ideas that work well either to follow the driveway up or simply to add character to the entrance, include beds of colorful annuals, groundcover along the drive to create a natural and interesting border with the lawn, ornamental trees, and shrubs.

The shrubs can even be cut to be topiary and have interesting designs. A curved driveway is interesting of itself, and can be made even more so if a focal point is added to nestle in the curve. This focal point should be something of beauty. It can be as simple as a stately oak, or a specially designed flowerbed or rock garden. Or, instead of being something simple, the focal point can be something else entirely. Landscape bridges, wishing wells, garden arbors, and water gardens all make excellent focal points that can be exceptionally attractive.

Looking for more landscaping ideas. Please visit our landscaping ideas article section.

The Art to Preparing Proper Rose Cuttings

2005-12-03T07:17:00.000-05:00

The art of propagating roses through rose cuttings has been used since the Victorian Era, and was popular with the pioneers who journeyed across the United States looking for a new life. They brought along cuttings from their gardens, tucking them into mason jars and looking for new land to plant them in.

Using rose cuttings to propagate new plants is still one of the simplest and most fun garden projects that any gardener can undertake with relative ease. And what better way to start off a beautiful rose garden on the cheap? There is no right way for preparing rose cuttings. In fact, everyone seems to have their own special recipe propagating roses. Here a few suggestions to get you started in the ancient art of preparing and planting rose cuttings. You may want to experiment with different methods to find what works best in your garden.

The Stick in the Ground Method

This is the easiest and most basic way to get started in rose propagation. The first step in preparing rose cuttings for planting is to find a good stem. Most gardeners interested in rose propagation already have a plant in mind. Maybe you have access to a rose bush that you love, but which is not commercially available. In this case, look for a healthy green stem that measures about one foot in length. The best cuttings usually come from rose bushes that have recently bloomed, but whose buds have not yet swelled (indicating that active growth has not started). Also, it is best to remove a stem from a plant that has been recently watered, so it will still be relatively hydrated when you plant it.

If you have the option, choose a stem with smaller, rather than larger, buds. Ideally, the stem you pick should have at least three buds. It should be completely disease free. Once you have found a suitable stem, use a pair of sharp pruning shears to cut it from the plant. Remove any remaining bloom parts and foliage.

Once removed from the rose bush, prepare to trim the stem to a workable size. Make sure you are holding the stem so that the buds point up and outwards. Hold your pruning shears at a 45 degree angle, position the shears just above the top bud and make a clean cut. Now, position your shears just below the bottom bud of the stem and make a similarly angled cut.

Once your stem has been trimmed, it is ready to plant. Select a location in your garden where the cutting will be protected from winter weather and interference from animals or foot traffic. Ideally, the spot you select will have relatively fertile soil, receives an adequate amount of sunlight, and have good drainage. Make a small hole with a trowel, and plant the root cutting. Push the root cutting about halfway down, and pat the soil around it to ensure it will not fall over easily. Keep the rose cuttings moist at all times. Note its proper name and location with a garden marker—you don’t want someone to come along and accidentally remove it!

The Mason jar Method

For this method, cut a stem from your favorite rose as described in the Stick in the Ground method. Remove any leaves from the stem, and plant it in the ground. Cover it with a mason jar. Water the soil around the jar periodically so the stem does not dry out. If you’re lucky, after approximately two months you should begin to see new leaf growth from your rose cutting.

The Potting Method

For this method, prepare small two-inch plastic garden pots for planting. Fill them with potting soil. One popular planting mix combines one part potting soil with one part perlite. This light medium helps encourage new root growth.

Push the rose cutting into the planting mix, and place the pot in a sunny location. Water the rose cutting regularly. The potting method is favored by many root cutting enthusiasts because it allows you to place the cutting in a spot where you can keep a watchful eye on its progress. Also, if you’re rose cutting grows; it is easy to transplant it later on if it is already in a pot.

Tips On Taking Care of Your Tulips

2005-11-08T12:01:00.000-05:00

When people think of tulips, it is not uncommon for them to think of Holland. But the name actually originates in Turkey and a literal translation of the term in Turkish means turban. No matter who named the tulip, the flowers are some of the most recognizable in the world and remain a favorite of people today.

Although tulips are technically considered to be perennials by the experts, it is perhaps best to think of them as annuals given the year around nature of their care and blooming cycle. It is in late October or perhaps even early November when green thumbers should plan on planting their bulbs into the soil.

When thinking of what kind of soil to plant tulips in, try to aim towards sandy soil. The reason for this is because tulips require great drainage and sand tends to do best in this regard. This is also why people using planters for their tulips need to make sure that they drain properly as tulip bulbs are prone to rotting in wetter soil.

If you do not have naturally sandy soil in the area where you live, it is fine to just add some sand and a little compost to your soil. Whatever you do, make sure that the soil is fairly dry when digging and planting bulbs.

When you are ready to plant bulbs you might be confused as to how deep you should plant them. Experts don't have a specific depth in mind because tulip bulbs come in many different sizes. Therefore, you can get an estimate of the proper depth by figuring out the length of the bulb. Take this length and multiply it by three. This number is the depth at which you should plant your tulip bulbs. It may not be the best method, but it is much better then using a generic depth for all your tulip bulbs.

Tulips are generally not known as disease prone flowers but they are vulnerable just like any other. "Tulip Fire" is a condition that afflicts tulips more often than anything else. When this occurs, you will notice that the stems and leaves appear stunted and somewhat deformed. As the season progresses, you will notices that brown patches will appear on these same stunted and deformed leaves and stems. The only solution when this occurs is to destroy the tulips completely and start over.

Now you don't want to constantly have to go out and buy new bulbs every year so you want to dig up the bulbs at the end of the season. Then, store them in a cool yet dry place until it is time to replant them in the fall. They are susceptible to rotting even when they are not in the soil so storage is extremely important. The time to dig up tulip bulbs is after the foliage has completely died out.

Of course the reason anyone plants to tulips is to enjoy their spectacular colors and aroma. After cutting tulips for display, try adding a little sugar to the water so that they last longer in the vase. They will look good for about a week that way. But, even if you just enjoy their beauty in their natural setting, tulips are great flowers to brighten up our yards, homes, and lives.

Hugo Bolzonello is the chief writer for, and editor of US Tulips,it's one of the webs most up to date Tulips sites, why not sign up for the free Tulips newsletter.
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What is a Japanese garden?

2005-10-18T18:39:00.000-04:00

Rock or stone bridge with angle or zigzag shape. Designed to slow down visitors and encourage viewing from multiple perspectives. Monochromatic color palette, dominated by greens, grays and browns. "Flowers draw attention to themselves and disturb the harmony of the whole," said Japanese gardening enthusiast Larry Cipolla.

Rocks and boulders, often moss-covered. "One type of rock should dominate," to suggest natural outcroppings said Betty Ann Addison, owner of Rice Creek Gardens.

Dry streambeds. Smaller rocks arranged to evoke flowing water.

All-season interest, often created with different shapes and textures of evergreens.

Focal points, such as a stone lantern, a rock formation or an intriguing specimen tree.

Sound, created by flowing water, wind chimes or a bell. "Be aware of all the senses, not just sight," said Scott Endres, owner of Tangletown Gardens.

Open spaces, simplicity. "The No. 1 mistake we see is adding too much," Endres said.

Water features. Natural-looking ponds or waterfalls, surrounded by rocks.

Granite basins, often with dripping water feature.

Stone pathways leading to "rooms." A Japanese garden is not visible all at once but requires gradual discovery.

Bonsai? Not necessary. The ancient Japanese art of dwarfing trees and plants is a separate art form, according to Cipolla. "If you see that in a Japanese garden, they don't know what they're doing."

Planting Tulips Helps the Fight Against Cancer...

2005-10-10T16:58:00.000-04:00

Planting Tulips Helps the Fight Against Cancer

We all know the health benefits we derive from working in our gardens. The mail order company, Dutch Gardens, is joining the fight against breast cancer by selling 'Survivor Tulips', to raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The Komen Foundation is involved in all aspects of breast cancer eradication: research, education screening and treatment.

The rich pink 'Survivor Tulips' are hardy in Zones 3 - 7. Five dollars from each order of 25 tulips ($24.95) will go to the foundation. (They've made a guaranteed minimum pledge of $5,000.) Go to the Dutch Gardens website for more information or to place an order. A ribbon of pink tulips might be just the thing for your spring garden.

Larkspur is a cool-weather flower

2005-10-05T17:25:00.000-04:00

Larkspur is an annual form of delphinium, much prized as a cut flower and used extensively in bouquets from the florist. It's a good garden variety too, in some ways better than delphinium, since it blooms more quickly and for a longer period of time and really looks more graceful. Of course, as an annual it won't come back again after blooming the first year.

It's a cool-weather flower, and must be planted in early fall to late fall, and will come into bloom early December to January-February, and will continue to bloom well until hot weather causes it to start to go to seed. For many years there weren't many different varieties. Giant Imperial and Regal strains were about all you could find, and while both were good and still are, there are some newer ones worth trying from seed.

"Earl Grey" is somewhat unique in that the flower color is sort of slate gray or blue. The flowers are double, the spikes are long, and the plant gets about three feet tall. A more appealing one in my view is a new selection out of Giant Imperial called "Sublime Mixed". It has double blooms on strong spikes in pink, blue, white, mauve and rose and a silvery blue. There is also a dwarf strain of larkspur, sometimes preferred gardeners where wind is problem.

Plant larkspur in a spot where it can be seen against a wall or fence for best results, but in full sun, in good soil. The earlier this fall you start from seed, the longer you'll have blooming plants in winter and spring. Plants need adequate water to germinate, then only when rains fail. Don't fertilize since this can cause too much foliar growth at the expense of bloom spikes. Keep the spikes cut when in bloom, since this can promote more spikes from base branching plants.

LARKSPUR FACTS

Best features: Good cut flower, unique blooms, good colors

Degree of difficulty: Easy to grow

When to plant: Early fall to December

Where to plant: Full sun

Soil specifications: Good soil

Fertilizer and water: Don't fertilize, water well to start

Happy Gardening!

Mistflower ~ favorite fall wildflower, long-lasting blooms

2005-10-04T18:47:00.000-04:00

You can't fool the flowers. The day and night time temperatures remain those of a Southern summer but the native plants that are programmed to bloom and to set berries announce that autumn has arrived. One of the showiest that blooms in fall is the narrow-leaved swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius).

Dramatic it is, with its daisy-like golden flowers on plants that can grow to be 7-feet high. Given sun, water and room to grow, swamp sunflower will spread, making it a good choice for an area that can be left natural and require little care. When the flowering has finished, the seedpods, if left in place, will provide food for seed-eating birds.

As the autumn leaves fall from the trees, those gardeners whose yards with some natural landscaping find that clean up chores are less. Leaves can be left where they land to provide all of the nourishment that native plants need to grow and to form colonies. And wildflowers and vines that quickly spread make a thick barrier against weeds and other undesirable plants. ...read more

"Where did the tulips go?"

2005-09-29T05:11:00.000-04:00

A common springtime complaint among gardeners is, "Where did the tulips go?" The lavish display you planted one year looked great, but it might be turning from glory to gloom as the seasons pass.

Many of the largest fluffy parrots and double-flowering May bloomers look their best in the first year, so if you want tulips to come back year after year, select bulbs with that characteristic.

To create an interesting tulip garden, plant a few bulbs for the "wow" effect, then add bulbs that will give you five or six or even more years of pleasure.

The two keys to consistently returning tulips are...[ read more ]

Flower bulbs can bring fall blooms, too!

2005-09-25T19:10:00.000-04:00

As we approach fall in the garden, we often think about planting bulbs such as tulips and daffodils for the coming spring. Less well known, however, are a few bulbs that, when planted in late summer or early fall, will bloom in the autumn, brightening the garden when summer’s bloom is just about over.

Four different fall-blooming bulbs — we will call them bulbs although technically they are either corms or tubers — are most commonly planted in the fall. They are hardy in our area, and if planted in a place where they are happy, they will live for years and even multiply.

The first of these bulbs is the autumn-flowering crocus. These flowers are related closely to the spring-flowering crocus. Blooming in the fall, they send up their foliage in the spring that then withers and dies during the summer. The fall crocuses most commonly come in shades of blue, purple or lavender. The flowers are about 4 inches high and goblet shaped like their spring-flowering cousins.

The most famous of these crocuses is Crocus sativus, the saffron crocus that supplies saffron, the expensive ingredient used in cooking. Saffron comes from the orange-red stigma found in the center of the light bluish-purple flower. To harvest your own saffron, pick the stigma as soon as the flower opens and quickly dry the stigma. Save it in an air-tight container.

There are a number of other crocus species that also may be grown if you can find them at a garden center or in a bulb catalog. One that is often available is Crocus speciosus that varies in color from light violet to lavender and is an unusual color in the fall garden.

To plant fall crocuses, pick a place in the sun with fertile, well-drained soil. Plant the bulbs 2 or 3 inches deep and a few inches apart. To increase the number of plants, dig up and separate the bulbs every three or four years. This may be done in late summer after the bulb’s foliage has died down.

A second flower that looks like a crocus and is even called a golden fall crocus is not a crocus at all but is Sternbergia lutea. This flower is a bright golden-yellow and may be planted in the same manner as the fall crocus. It has two disadvantages for area gardeners, however. It may flower in August or early September and be lost among the summer flowers still in bloom, and it is of marginal hardiness in our area. This means that it should be planted in a sheltered area and covered with mulch for winter protection.

The most spectacular fall bulb is the colchicum. These flowers are much like the crocus in shape, but they are much larger. The colchicums are natives of the Mediterranean climate in Europe and the Middle East, but they are hardy here as long as they are planted in well-drained soil. These bulbs are relatively large and eager to bloom when purchased in late summer or early fall. They are sometimes sold as “miracle bulbs” because they will bloom sitting on a table or window sill without being planted. They are best planted outside, however, where they will flourish for years.

The bulbs should be planted in full sun and work well in front of shrubs or at the front of a flower border. They do well wherever they do not need to be disturbed for several years. If you have a meadow-type lawn where the grass is not cut frequently giving the spring foliage an opportunity to grow, the bulbs do well planted in the grass.

Wherever they are planted, the bulbs should be planted 3 or 4 inches deep. Allow the foliage to die naturally. The leaves of the colchicums are produced in the spring. They are broad, strap-shaped leaves up to a foot long. These leaves die by mid-summer, and there is no evidence of the plant until the flowers suddenly appear in the form of clusters of goblet-shaped flowers about 6 inches high. Different varieties come in shades of pink, lavender and white.

There are a fair number of species and varieties from which to choose. We will mention a few that have special merit. “The Giant” is the colchicum with the largest flower and is perhaps the most common. It has a bluish-pink blossom. The species Colchicum bormmueller is also large and has rose-colored flowers. The most striking colchicums are the double-flowered varieties, often called “water lily colchicums” because they indeed look like water lilies floating on the ground. They come in both white and pink colors. In the right spot, the colchicums grow not only by the bulbs’ dividing but also by seeding themselves over time.

The fourth flowering bulb is quite different from those mentioned so far. It is the hardy cyclamen that grows from underground tubers. These flowers are members of the primrose family and smaller relatives of the cyclamen we often purchase as potted flowers.

There are many species of cyclamen that bloom at various times of the year. They include several species that bloom in the fall and are hardy in our area. All of these plants are small and seldom exceed 6 inches in height and can be used in a rock garden or corner of the garden where they will not be overwhelmed by larger plants. The plants like shade or semishade, and if the soil has some humus in it, they will be happy in the relatively dry shade of a tree. Over time, the tubers spread and form a colony of flowers.

The tubers are planted rather shallowly with only about an inch of soil over the bulb. This means that care must be taken when cultivating the soil or mulching so as to neither dig up the bulb nor smother it.

Mention may be made of two species that are hardy to our area. Cyclamen cilicium has dainty pink flowers on stems up to 6 inches high. Cyclamen hederifolium has leaves that look like those of English ivy and rose-colored flowers. These flowers are not dramatic or showy in the fall garden but planted in the right spot can be a very interesting, unusual addition to your fall plantings.

Prepare Your Lawn And Flowers For A Beautiful Yard This Fall

2005-09-23T13:47:00.000-04:00

Let’s face it, before you turn around it will be fall. To make sure your yard looks as good throughout that season as it does in the summer, here are some tips from professional gardeners:

Special lawn care is particularly important for the fall, to prepare it for the upcoming winter and ensure that it looks good next spring. Start by seeding bare spots on your lawn. Fall is an excellent time to plant grass seed. Make sure to water regularly until the grass sprouts.

Experts say lawns need to be fertilized twice in the fall. The first application of a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer (3-1-2 ratio) should be done in October. The second application should be applied just prior to winter.

Ask your local garden center to recommend the best fertilizer for your grass. There are even special fall or winter varieties. Local professional gardeners also recommend applying agricultural lime to your yard in the fall. This will help correct the pH balance of the soil and help prevent moss and mushrooms from growing.

Mow the lawn up to November. Be sure to rake the clippings. Once that task is completed, don’t forget to keep raking leaves that accumulate on the grass. Experts say they offer no protection to the lawn during the winter months. Excessive leaves in the winter can actually smother the lawn and ruin it for the spring.

There’s plenty to do in the flower beds as well. If you want your garden to shine this fall, plant colorful seasonal flowers such as chrysanthemums (better known as mums), fall pansies and asters, as well as ornamental pepper plants, decorative kale and cabbage, shrubs and bushes.

Check with your online nursery for new varieties available for the fall. While there, check out decorative plant containers to display on front steps, stoops or porches.

New hybrids of pansies make them hearty and are bred to withstand moderate cold. Their varied colors make them perfect for window boxes and beddings. Mums, which come in a wide variety of fall colors, and decorative kale and cabbage look great in the garden or potted on the front stoop.

Don’t overlook shrubs and evergreens. Planting them in the fall allows their roots to become established before winter and will add another dimension to the yard. Make sure they get plenty of water so that the roots will be moist enough to make it through the winter.

Colorful bushes such as hollys, pyracanthas and cotoneasters are good choices and offer decorative berries for your fall or winter table. They also look good in sprays for your front door.

Fall is also the time to plant bulbs that will bloom next spring. Many, like daffodils, irises and crocuses, are usually the first to bloom and provide pretty pastel colors for your garden.

Bulbs must be planted before the first big freeze, so that gives you a lot of time. They should be planted in an area that drains well at least 12 to 14 inches deep. Add organic material. Like all fall plantings, make sure they are watered regularly.

Summer bulbs, such as dahlias and caladium, must be dug up in the fall and stored in peat moss for the winter. Keep them in a cool, dry place.
To prepare your garden for next year, it is important to clean up this year’s flowers. Remove dead flowers and vines. Cut back perennials such as lilies and peonies and put mulch around them.
Fallen leaves should also be removed from the flower beds and your roses should be fertilized and watered well. Remove dead branches from bushes and thin hedges.

Now is also the time to think about starting a compost heap. You can make compost in a simple wire cage or in a special container available at garden centers and the Queens Botanical Garden. Use fallen leaves, grass clippings and fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen. Keep the mixture consistently moist. Turn it every two weeks. It takes about six months for the compost to be ready. So if you start this fall, it will be done in time to enrich the soil in the spring.

Winter Rose Gardening

2005-09-22T08:11:00.000-04:00

Winter is a time of rest and purification for your rose garden, but it can be a time of disaster as well if you fail to take the proper precautions.

While "old garden roses" and own-root species are generally hardy enough to make it through the winter unscathed, the more fragile varieties, such as hybrid teas and budded roses, can have a rough time if they aren't well protected.

Preparing for the ravages of winter should start way back during the rose selection process. When you're browsing online and printed catalogs, or admiring the selection in your local home and garden store, be sure to select varieties that are capable of withstanding the coldest winter temperatures that your geographic region is capable of dishing out. If possible, refer to your area "hardiness zone maps" before you buy.

The key to having your roses survive the cold of winter is to force them into total dormancy. Stop applying fertilizer by mid August, and stop dead heading and cutting flowers after the beginning of October. Allow hips to form to further promote dormancy.

In extreme cold areas, your goal is to keep the plant frozen throughout the winter and to prevent them from entering freeze/thaw/freeze cycles repeatedly. With that in mind, don't cover your plants too early. Wait until the first hard frost has struck and the leaves begin to wither and fall. This is a good time to remove ground foliage and other garden debris from around the plants that may contain diseases and insects that will hibernate during the winter and return to feed on your roses in the spring.

Take a few minutes to prune back the taller roses before you begin covering the plants for the winter. Avoid doing a thorough pruning as you'll want to cut back the dead and diseased canes come spring. This is also a good time to tie the canes together to protect them from being damaged by the howling winds of winter.

"Hilling" is a very common winter protection method. You simply pile a loose and well-drained soil or compost around and over the rose bush until you reach a depth of approximately 10-12 inches. Be sure that whatever soil or compost material you use has no excess moisture in it. You want to have only cold and dry soil for a winter covering.

Once the soil mound has frozen completely, you can cover it with leaves or hay, or evergreen branches.

Healthy roses, protected by clean and well-drained soli or compost, have a very good chance of surviving the winter season if you take the time to properly prepare them.

Once you have put your garden to bed for the winter, take some time to clean and sharpen your tools and put your shed or garage back in order so you'll be ready for spring.

As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, you'll be ready to sit back in front of the roaring fire and start ordering next year's roses from your favorite catalogs and web sites.

SEPTEMBER TO-DO LIST

2005-08-30T13:39:00.000-04:00

Divide perennials every two to four years.

Plant spring flowering bulbs.

Clean up and move houseplants indoors when night temperatures fall below 50 degrees.

Compost weeds, leaves and old garden crops. Unless you are certain of a hot pile, add weeds that have set seeds.

Plant trees, shrubs and perennials.

Pot up chives, oregano and thyme for indoor use.

Prepare garden beds for early spring planting.

Prune daisy bush any time with care

2005-08-21T08:29:00.000-04:00

Q. When should I cut back my daisy bush? It's one of the "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" daisies. How far back can I trim it without damaging the plant? I'd like to keep it at its current height of about 3 feet.

A. There is no perfect time to prune a daisy plant as they always seem to be in bloom or have lots of buds. Trim them when the majority of the flowers are spent, realizing that you'll be sacrificing some of the next flush of flowers.

You trim the growth with a pair of hand pruners or use electric hedge shears. I'd cut back the herbaceous or green stems avoiding the old woody portions of the plant. Plants trimmed back to the older, light tan/brown color stems and branches are unattractive looking, as pruning doesn't encourage the lateral shoots.

In order to keep the plant at 3 feet, you'll need to prune it several times each year. Another option is not to prune it at all. Instead, enjoy the endless flowers and when the plant outgrows the space you have designated for it simply remove it and replace it with a new plant. Daisy plants are not that expensive and grow back quickly.

The Marguerite daisy is sometimes referred to as the "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" daisy. It gets its name from a story of a daydreaming young girl's method of determining whether the boy in her dream is the love of her life. She would pick a flower and remove each petal, one by one, saying "he loves me, he loves me not" as each petal fell, until only one was left to give her the answer.

Pineapple Sage

2005-08-18T16:59:00.000-04:00

***Star of the late summer and fall flower garden!***

As the weather heats up and sends us indoors to a cooler environment, salvias really start to show their beauty in the landscape. One that every gardener needs is the pineapple sage.

The pineapple sage is known botanically as Salvia elegans. Despite being native to tropical Mexico and Guatemala, it does very well as an annual and is a perennial in zones 7 and warmer. The one requirement for a spring return, however, is good winter drainage.

The attributes of the pineapple sage are many. It is useful from spring through frost, wherever it is grown. The flowers appear in late summer, which means you can still get yours planted to enjoy its peak performance. The leaves, however, are always a treat, yielding the aroma and flavor of a just-opened can of crushed pineapple.

The ruby-throated hummingbird relishes the nectar in the scarlet flowers as much as the culinary artist will enjoy using the leaves to flavor drinks and cream cheese spreads.

Though I have seen the pineapple sage in full sun, I think it is a happier plant in morning sun and afternoon shade. As I mentioned earlier, the soil must be well drained. Remember that the key to the green thumb is how brown it gets first in soil preparation.

Plant on raised beds or amend heavy, tight soils with the addition of compost or humus. Well-drained soil will encourage a spring return farther north than expected.

While preparing the soil, incorporate 2 pounds of a slow-release, 12-6-6 fertilizer per 100 square feet of bed space. Space the plants 24 inches apart, and plant at the same depth they are growing in the container.

This is one of the salvias that starts to bloom as the days are getting shorter in late summer and fall, so do not plant under street lights or floodlights because you will end up with only foliage.

The pineapple sage is a tough plant known for drought tolerance. Do, however, give supplemental water during prolonged dry periods. In the fall, once the plant has received significant frost damage, prune to the ground and give an added layer of mulch for protection. You might want to take a few cuttings in the fall before the frost damage has occurred.

Pineapple Sage Facts

Mature Height 30-36"
Soil Type widely adaptable
Foliage Color green
Growth Rate Fast Moisture Requirements widely adaptable
Sun Exposure Full Sun Zones 7 - 10
The delicious flowers add color and flavor to salads and deserts. Pineapple sages make a stunning center piece or border plant.

In the spring, feed your salvias with a light application of fertilizer with the emergence of growth and every six to eight weeks through September. You may wish to pinch a couple of times to maintain bushiness. Harvest the young, tender foliage early in the morning to use for flavoring.

Like most mints, pineapple sage has square stems.The bruised foliage of Pineapple sage really does smell like fresh pineapple. The red tubular flowers emerge in August. Use pineapple sage in the center of beds and borders, where its open, airy structure will not hide other plantings. It will grow to shrub size in a single season. Pineapple sage is often grown as an annual and often grown in containers. Northern gardeners can cut pineapple sage back and dig it up in autumn to overwinter indoors.

The sages are tough and easy to grow and many attract butterflies and hummingbirds. The fresh leaves of pineapple sage are used in fruit salads and drinks. Crush a few fragrant leaves into hot or iced tea for a flavorful treat. The delicious flowers add color and flavor to salads and deserts. Pineapple sages make a stunning center piece or border plant.

Enjoying Old Fashioned "Old Roses" In Your Flower Garden

2005-08-17T00:02:00.000-04:00

In the 18th Century, the practice of tending rose bushes was
popular and a handy source for young men to offer as gifts during courtship. These roses were not only beautiful to admire and richly fragrant but also highly symbolic of an unwritten and often unspoken language between admirers. In ancient times, some even believed that these roses contained medicinal properties. Most of these "old roses" came from hardy shrubs that required moderate tending. Today's "old rose" varieties are also for the most part hardy but require consistent attention before you'll achieve a seasoned gardener's level of perfection.

"Old roses" are mostly hardy bushes or climbers that were very popular in the Victorian age. First introduced from areas of Greece and Persia, these Victorian roses are still enjoyed in the modern day garden. Some experts speculate that "old roses" were reportedly in gardens as far back as the 15th Century. Since "old roses" grow well in many climate zones, they don't require the close attention of many hybrid roses.

The first step in selecting an "old rose" for your garden is to study each plant's requirements and then design your garden plan accordingly. "Old roses" sometimes grow as low shrubs for bed covers; others are bushy and work well as medium height hedges. The climber "old roses" typically resemble a small bush at first and then start to climb along the sides of homes, fences or patios. The right "old rose" for your garden area depends on several factors: sunlight,shading, drainage and insects.

Many "old roses" require at least five hours of sunlight each day. Some low mossy-like "old roses" need a lot of shade. Since all roses require a lot of water - a minimum of 2 to 3 times every week during the summer - but don't take well to standing water, great drainage is a must in the garden area. Insects and nearby debris - like leaves, rose petals and weeds - are often the
main reason many roses look pretty ragged or mildew. To prevent insect damage and disease, use great soil - like manure or organic fertilizer - and prune to remove deadhead or hold back some stems. Never leave "deadhead" (dead rose blooms) on the plant since this causes the bush to waste energy to that spot.

Did you know that the rose is the most popular garden plant and the tea rose is the most popular among the "old roses"? Other well-liked "old roses" are below, along with some common features:

~ Tea roses are climbers or shrubs that come in a large variety of colors (light pink to multi-color). They convey "I'll remember you always".

~ Damask roses are low to the ground shrubs with big fragrant flowers that are usually deep red and found in clusters. Color also varies from white to deep pink. They convey "beauty ever new".

~ Mosses roses are usually low bed shrubs or climbers (like Centrifolia) with tiny roses that leave behind a scent on your hand. Color is usually deep crimson to light pink. They convey "confession of love".

To adhere to 18th Century traditions, "old roses" should be offered in bundle to convey the meaning of gratitude. Also, "old roses" are best presented if trimmed in full bloom. To read up on "old rose" varieties and growing tips, turn to the American Rose Society.

Copyright 2005 Simonetta Jensen. All rights reserved.
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Simonetta Jensen is the webmaster of Roses ABC which is a principal resource for information on roses and other flowers on the internet. For more info visit her archive of articles: http://www.rosesabc.com/
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Hydrangeas - the shady stars of summer

2005-07-20T11:48:00.000-04:00

In the world of plants, as in show business, everything old is eventually new again. Our grandmother's old-fashioned hydrangeas, those shrubby mainstays of gardens past, have made a comeback. And with good reason, for few plants are so easy to care for, plus bloom so long in such a lovely array of colors.

Breeders have been busy creating a wonderland of whites, blues, pinks, reds, violets and deep purples and not just in the familiar mop-head clusters.

Hydrangea flowers come in cones, lace-caps, varying in color on a single plant, and even variegated. Plant them along the north side of the house, beneath trees (as long as it isn't too dry and rooty), or in any shady or partially shady spot. Just remember that the word hydrangea comes from the Greek "hydro," meaning water. Hydrangeas need to be watered regularly. And they appreciate a dose of compost and manure every spring to look their best.

Just leave the old flowers on in the fall (except for the ones you cut for bouquets and to dry) to protect the new buds from harsh weather. New buds form beneath the old flower heads, so cut back carefully in March, which is also the time to cut out maybe a quarter to a third of the older stems on the plants.
That's all the care hydrangeas need, and they'll reward you with luscious flowers in the garden, and to cut for the house, for many years.

There are lots of new types of hydrangeas as well as old favorites
available in the nurseries. Here are some of the prettiest:

"Buttons 'n' Bows" has big, fat flowers in rosy pink, each petal cunningly outlined with white.

"Preziosa" has black stems and flowers that come on cream and turn to every shade of pink through wine as the season progresses. As the weather cools, the leaves turn red as well as the flowers.

"Little Honey" is an oakleaf hydrangea with golden-colored leaves. The handsome, toothed foliage is topped off with cones of creamy-white flowers all summer. It's the perfect little plant for containers or at the front of the border, for it grows only about 3 feet high and wide.

"Blue Deckle" brings a blast of sea and sky to the garden, with electric blue, lacy flowers that age to violet.

"Annabelle" is my favorite of all the hydrangeas, with near-basketball sized round flowerheads that start out creamy and turn soft green. It's the essence of old-fashioned hydrangea splendor, as big and blowsy as they come.

Cutting and drying hydrangea flowers:

Right after you pick, dip stems in boiling water for five seconds and they'll stay fresh in water for a couple of weeks. For drying, wait until the flowers turn a bit leathery and dull slightly.

Flowers picked too soon will wither no matter what drying technique you use. When picked at the right moment, all you need to do is stand each stem separately (don't crush together in bouquets) in vases or bottles to dry, and they should last for several years.

Get your hydrangeas from NatureHills.com!

Bleeding hearts add romance to garden

2005-07-17T01:03:00.000-04:00

They are ephemeral, blooming for a time in spring before the onset of summer heat. Their foliage is fern-like, wispy and fragile. With the dog days of summer they may die back entirely to wait out the dry season before winter.

Delicates hide amid the ferns. They are found in little-used corners under trees. Such gems are surprises in the garden. They persist year after year to create more fairy blooms each season.

The bleeding heart of gardens is "Dicentra spectabilis," but there are others closely related that are native to our soil. These wild bleeding hearts can be found across America. They prefer to grow where there is even moisture with many dying back at midsummer.

Among them is Dicentra cucullaria, known as Dutchman's breeches and found throughout most of the eastern states. Rather than heart-shaped blossoms they resemble pantaloons.

The more commonly grown wild species includes Dicentra eximia from the middle Atlantic states.

On the opposite coast grows the western bleeding heart, Dicentra formosa. The species is found in forests of the Pacific Coast states from Canada south into California. In its southern, drier range it can be found sprouting out of cliff bases above river canyons, where it thrives off water running deep in fissures of the rock. Plants may all but disappear as this seasonal runoff dries up in the summer.

European breeders have crossed our two native species to produce excellent garden varieties for light shade. Luxuriant is among the most famous and widely grown. Super cold-hardy, it survives to Zone 3. It was one of the first plants ever patented. It can be relied on to bloom from mid-spring to mid-summer if you keep them adequately moist and pick spent flowers promptly after they fade.

Other cultivars from this line include a half dozen white varieties to add diversity to these plantings.

Coldham features burgundy blossoms. A ruby red version is named Adrian Bloom, and a highly floriferous purple pink is called Bountiful. Plant these in the shade under tree canopies where they thrive in the acidic soils with plenty of organic matter and good drainage.

Don't waste your bleeding hearts in beds and borders far from outdoor living spaces. Plant these fairy flowers up close and personal - around patios, decks and in foundation plantings.

Let them carpet the ground under dogwoods, Japanese maples and saucer magnolia for an extraordinary spring show. And don't forget to press the blossoms in books to add kind hearts and flowers to your most beloved correspondence all year around.

How to plan a Perennial Cutting Garden

2005-06-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Bring your perennials indoors to make pretty arrangements that last through the winter.

Lush flowerbeds overflowing with colorful blooms make you want to snip a few stems and take them inside. But you may be reluctant to plunder your garden, afraid you'll leave bare spots. Hesitate no more. Here are two strategies for producing plenty of cuttable flowers without destroying the look and style of your garden.

Top 15 Perennials for Cutting

Campanula (bellflower)
Carnation
Coreopsis
purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Gaillardia (blanketflower)
Hibiscus moscheutos (rose mallow)
Anemone japonica (Japanese anemone)
Iris
Liatris (gay-feather)
Monarda (bee balm)
Peonies (Paeonia)
Phlox
Rosa (rose)
Salvia
black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

1. Plant a cutting garden. With a designated cutting bed, you can plant and cut without worry. Select an inconspicuous location -- along a garage or in a back corner of your yard -- and be sure your cutting bed benefits from lots of sun and rich, well-drained soil -- just like your other beds. A cutting bed offers plenty of planting freedom. Its sole purpose is to produce flowers for you to cut, so don't worry about how it will look. You can mix and match colors, textures, heights, and varieties. Plant all your favorites.

2. Keep it simple. Make the bed simple to weed, feed, and cut by planting the flowers in rows. You might even make your cutting garden part of an existing vegetable or herb garden. The crop-style planting will blend right in, and your "production" gardens will be in one location. If you don't have gardening space to spare, spread cutting flowers throughout your existing beds; don't cluster them.

3. Plan ahead. Planning will help you avoid creating gaps if your scissors do get too much exercise. Draw your existing beds on paper, noting varieties, bloom times, and heights. Then pencil in the flowers you want to cut. Use bloom cycles as your guide to create a mix.

4. Mix and match. Plant a balanced mix of perennials and annuals. Your favorite perennials will come back year after year, while annuals will let you experiment. Both types make excellent cut flowers. The more colors, heights, and textures you grow, the more fun you can have creating indoor arrangements.

5. Don't limit yourself. Use aromatic herbs, flowering hedges, and plants with interesting foliage to add pizzazz to your arrangements

'Deadheading' flowers helps prolong... part 2

2005-06-14T03:42:00.000-04:00

written by Deborah Benge Frost

...Some plants have individual stalks with flowers opening at the bottom first and finishing at the top. They lend themselves to pruning individual flower stems. As the plant has just a few flowers at the tip, they should be deadheaded. Salvia darcyii, Salvia coccinea, lady in red, white nymph and coral nymph, Mexican bush sage, larkspur, indigo spires salvia, and yellow bells are good candidates for this deadheading.

Plants can be deadheaded with your fingernails, scissors, hand pruners, snippers, lawn shears, hedge shears or a weed eater. There are some cordless, mini-hedge trimmers that are great for deadheading autumn sage and other heavily blooming plants.

Keep your flowering color blooming with some additional nitrogen to promote healthy growth and continued blooming.

There are a variety of fertilizers you can use, but make sure you are adding some nitrogen which is represented by the first number on a bag or bottle of fertilizer. Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0), urea (41-0-0), a slow release 24-0-0, and blood meal are good sources of nitrogen. These are all quickly available except the slow-release 24-0-0, which will slowly release nitrogen over many weeks. If your nitrogen source is quickly available, apply it in small amounts every few weeks for maintenance.

If you are getting some pretty good lightening along with some rain, your garden is getting a free liquid application of nitrogen. Lightening fixes atmospheric nitrogen, so when it rains it is carried down to your plants and soil.

There are many other organic and inorganic fertilizers that will provide nitrogen to your plants. Cottonseed meal is organic fertilizer that is slow-release and adds some nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Fish emulsion, sewage sludge and many others exist.

If plants are growing in soils that are highly amended with compost and soil- enriching mulches, you may not need any or very much fertilizer. Compost and organic mulches decompose slowly and act as a slow release fertilizer. If you are consistent in adding mulch and compost to your soil, you may have eliminated the need for additional commercial fertilizers.

If you find your garden void of color this time of year there are several plants for some quick summer color.

Look for blue plumbago, yellow bells, Lantana, hardy hibiscus, Pentas, annual vinca, fire bush, dwarf zinnias and Salvia coccinea, of which there are several cultivars on the market. Even though it's hot as blue blazes, these plants can tolerate being planted in summer-like conditions. Remember, you'll need to baby new plants until they are well-rooted and flourishing. Once they are established they can get by with average treatment.

You can also get some great summer color from seed. Some plants that are easy from seed during hot weather includes zinnia, cosmos, gomphrena or globe amaranth, red salvia, cypress vine, and ornamental sunflowers.

Caladium bulbs do very well when planted during hot weather. They won't even peek out of the ground until it's hot, so they are a good option right now.

'Deadheading' flowers helps prolong color in the flower garden!

2005-06-12T18:45:00.000-04:00

written by Deborah Benge Frost

There's nothing as pleasing and cheering as landscape color. It's important to us and garden visitors so you'll want to keep it going as much of the year as you can.

Here are a few pointers for promoting and prolonging summer color.

Flowering annuals, perennials and roses that have been bursting with color sometimes hit a lull in the bloom count category.

After a plant flowers it produces seed if the flower is pollinated. Once the flower is pollinated, seed will begin to develop. This seed-making process requires lots of energy and it can cause plants to stop flowering. Seed development requires so much energy that it will even pull nitrogen from the lowest leaves to move it to where it is needed the most. So, unless you want seed you need to short circuit this process by deadheading, the removal of the fading flower.

Some plant, such as roses, can be deadheaded by removing individual flowers. To deadhead fading roses or clusters of roses, make the cut just above a five-leaflet leaf attachment. This will initiate new growth from the bud between the stem and leaf attachment. Yarrow, butterfly bush, and gaillardia are good examples of plants to be deadheaded this way. Cut the stem just above a good healthy leaf instead of leaving flowerless stalks standing.

Many other flowers send up flowers on tall, slender stems. But they bloom in such mass quantities that deadheading individual stems is a time-consuming job. Instead, trim all the stalks after most flowers have faded. In a couple of weeks the plants will be back in full bloom. This works well on coreopsis, plains black foot daisy, Dalhberg daisy, four nerve daisy and pin cushion flower.

Some plants bloom heavily and have many short flower stalks with several flowers on each stalk that bloom starting at the bottom and finish at the extending tip. Because there are so many these could be sheared when there are just a few flowers at the tips. This may take a few leaves off too, but it should promote branching and more flowering. Autumn sage or Salvia greggii, May night and blue hill salvia fit into this type of deadheading. End of part one!

Gardening and Flowers...

2005-06-09T03:38:00.000-04:00

written by Willie Jones http://www.gardeningandflowers.com

If you want to improve your landscaping then start with the basics. Your soil. Is your soil sandy, a rich black or dense with clay? The type of soil you have will determine what kind of plants you will purchase. Of course you can buy rich soil to supplement a soil deficient in nutrients and oxygen. You can also purchase or make your own beneficial mulch. If you are unsure about your soil, ask a local nursery. They can guide you in making the right choice for your garden.

Once you you’ve determined what type of soil you are dealing with then you can get down to designing your landscape. Step back and have a look at your yard and home. You need to look at several factors: Do you have children who will be playing in the yard? If so then keep that in mind when you are designing. You’ll want to a lot a playing space for them that doesn’t interfere with your design structure. Look at the color and line structure of your home. You’ll want to accent it with greens and flowers. You can take a sterile looking house and transform it to a warm and inviting place. A house is an inanimate object and it’s the live plants, flowers and trees gently swaying in the wind that breath life into an otherwise still object.

As you are looking at your home and yard, entertain the idea of combining plants, shrubs and flowers of different sizes, shades, shapes and colors. For example, you may want to plant a dark green border shrub that can be easily squared off with trimming and then plant in front of that a lighter green or variegated green broad leaf plant or a bed of begonias or marigolds. If you can’t visualize what you want then I suggest getting some home and garden magazines or pictures of model homes to get an idea. Or you can even drive around the neibourhood to get your ideas. It pays to do your homework.

Another thing to consider when you are planning your garden is combining herbs with your flowers or shrubs. Not only do they have varied colors and shapes that can compliment your garden, you also have the benefit fresh herbs in your kitchen when you need it.

Part of the appeal for gardening is designing it and then making it happen. It is a rewarding and relaxing experience that continues throughout the years as you add to or change your garden as you please.

Enjoy!

About the Author:

Willie has been a designer for many years and flowers and greens are her passion. She also is a freelance writer and researcher and enjoys sharing her ideas with others. Gardening and Flowers.com

Add Massive Color To Your Flower Garden

2005-06-01T12:59:00.000-04:00

Annuals are beautiful flowers that last just one season, but they provide tons of color at affordable prices.Some advice for planting annuals:

Annuals should be planted in blocks for the most effective look. Always consider the height, with the tallest at the back, mediums in the middle and the shortest at the front. In a round garden plot, put the tallest plants in the middle, and work the shorter ones to the edge. If you must put a taller one in front, ensure that it is a transparent and lacy plant.

Look for strong contrasts in one area, or more subtle groupings in another.

Annuals require sunlight (though some do OK in shade) and rich moisture-retentive soil, with organic matter dug into it. They are half-hardy, and will need to be protected if there is a chance of frost. They can be covered with a fleece or individual plastic bottles.

Annuals need to be fed every two weeks, deadheaded regularly and watered frequently. They should last through the entire growing season, provided you continue to look after them.

Here are the annuals which are perfect to plant in pots, baskets or in garden beds:

Half-hardy summer annuals:
ageratum, impatiens (busy lizzie), cosmos, morning glory, lobelia, nicotiana.

Hardy annuals: marigolds, nasturtians, sweet peas, and sunflowers.

Annuals that thrive in the shade are impatiens, fuschia and lobelia.

10 Free Gardening Products

2005-06-01T09:13:00.000-04:00

By Linda Gray

One of the pleasurable spin-offs in organic gardening is finding alternative ways of coming up with the same, if not better, end result... Household throw aways can be valuable to the alternate enthusiast. Here are ten recyclable ideas to make gardening a little less hard on the pocket!

1. Hedge clippings: Instead of burning or direct composting, beg, borrow or even buy, if the quantity justifies the price, an electric garden muncher.

Branches up to an inch in diameter are posted into a slot and the machine munches them up into small chips. Spread these chips thickly around shrubs or fruit trees to help keep moisture in, and control the temperature of the soil.

2. Food Waste: All food waste must be composted. Composting is becoming quite an art form, and special composting bins can be bought, or very simply made.

There are many different theories and each gardener will find his or her preferred way. Keeping the compost fairly warm is the overall key to a good result. Or, if you’re in no hurry, simply keep adding to a heap, and dig out the bottom when required. Sieve before using and the compost will be ready for planting small plants and even seeds.

3. Old carpets, large damaged cardboard boxes; and similar materials can be laid over the vegetable plot in autumn to help prevent those early spring weeds appearing. Spread over a whole patch and weigh down with stones or logs. Lift off on a sunny day in early spring a few days before digging.

4. Paint trays: Keep old roller painting trays and similar containers for seed trays. Punch a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Add a little fine gravel before filling with seed compost. Seed trays shouldn’t be deeper than 15cm.

5. Yoghurt pots: All plastic yoghurt or dessert pots can be washed and saved for re-potting seedlings. Make a hole in the bottom of each and add a little fine gravel before filling with compost or soil..

6. Glass jars: Glass jars with sealable lids are excellent for storing seeds, beans and peas for planting next year. (Safe from mice as well) After washing the jars, dry in the oven to remove all traces of moisture before storing your seeds. Collect dark glass jars, or wrap paper round clear jars to prevent seeds being damaged by light.

7. Ice Lolly sticks: Make perfect row markers in your seed trays or greenhouse beds. The wooden ones won’t last for ever but you can at least write on them with pen, pencil or crayons!

8. Wire coat hangers: Make mini-cloches with discarded or broken wire coat hangers. Pull into a square shape. Place the hook in the soil and push down gently until the natural bend in the wire rests on top of the soil. Place another a short distance away in your seed bed to create two ends of a cloche. Now throw over a sheet of plastic and hold down with logs or stones.

Note: this will work only when creating very small cloches.

9. Clear plastic: Keep any clear plastic containers that could be placed upside down over a plant. Cut a mineral water bottle in half to make two handy individual cloches. Large sheets of clear plastic from packaged household items are fine for throwing over mini coat hanger cloches.

10. Aluminium bottle tops: Keep aluminium tops from milk or juice bottles, and also coloured foil around beer or wine bottles. Thread together to maka bird scarer. Simply thread with thick cotton and hang on your fruit bushes before the birds find the new fruits.

Look out for other tools for the garden from kitchen throwaways such as: old kitchen spoons and forks for transplanting tiny plants in the greenhouse. Leaky buckets for harvesting small quantities of potatoes, carrots etc; light wooden boxes for harvesting salads through the summer, and transporting pots etc;

Keep an eye on that rubbish bag and turn today’s throwaways into tomorrow’s tools!

Linda Gray is a freelance writer and, with her partner, has spent ten years renovating an acre of neglected woodland. With a growing family to feed ‘off the land’, frugal gardening has become second nature! Drop in at www.flower-and-garden-tips.com for pots of gardening inspiration!

Orange Perennials For Your Flower Garden

2005-05-29T13:54:00.000-04:00

By Lee Dobbins

Perennials are wonderful because, they bloom year after year. Sometimes, I forget that I even have them planted and then they spring up to my surprise and delight! I like to add some zip to my garden with flowers that are orange in color. They add a vibrant touch and the brilliant colors attract birds and insects.

Here’s some of my favorite orange perennials:

Butterfly Weed – This flowers in summer and can get as high as three feet. It has compact clusters of flowers and as the name implies, it does attract butterflies!

Day Lily – I see this beautiful flower growing wild all over the place here in New Hampshire. It blooms in summer and sits on 30” tall stalks. These perennials are virtually care free and will grow in most locations. Since 1 stalk can have over fourty flowers, you can have a bed of these that blooms for a month or more in the summer.

Gaillardia – This comes in a regular size that has 4” daisy like flowers and a dwarf size. The plant is short growing to about 2 feet and blooms in summer. These like to be planted in the full sun but are quite hardy and you can extend the bloom time if you cut off the fading flowers. And the best thing is that they also attract butterflies!

Helianthemum - Blooms This is a good ground cover that blooms in summer It is easy to grow on rocky slopes and creates a border of color. If you are lucky it will bloom twice, once in early summer and then again in late summer.

Oriental Poppy – Beautiful orange flowers that bloom in spring and grow to 24”. These beautiful perennials like a sunny spot with well drained soil.

Torch lily - This interesting perennial blooms in summer and produces spikes of orange cone shaped flowers that can grow to 6 feet. It likes to be planted in a sunny location and is great for zones 5 – 10. This plant attracts hummingbirds!

Trumpet Creeper – I had one of these beautiful vines growing wild up my chimney. It blooms in mid to late summer and has trumpet shaped flowers that hang from it’s lush vines. It will cling to anything and can grow up to 30 feet. It can also grow as a shrub when it has nothing to cling to. It grows quickly and also attracts hummingbirds.

About the Author

Lee Dobbins is owner and editor of Backyard Garden And Patio where you can learn how to turn your backyard into an oasis and find out more about garden flowers.

Instant Roll Out Flower Gardens

2005-05-28T03:12:00.000-04:00

Question: We recently purchased a home and for the first time in our lives my husband and I will have to create and maintain a garden. We want our garden to be as maintance free as possible. A friend told me about a product she'd seen on TV called the Instant Roll Out Flower Garden. Have you heard of this product? If so, would you suggest this for novice gardeners?

Answer: The instant flower mat you describe is a quick and easy way to fill a garden bed because the seeds are already "planted" and all you have to do is roll it out and keep it watered.

The material in which the seeds are encased will act as a mulch once the plants begin to grow and it will help suppress weeds and hold in soil moisture. But, as the organic mat decomposes, weeds will sprout in bare areas. So, it won't be maintenance free, but it will be quick.

You'll still need to prepare the planting bed prior to rolling out your garden, so the new plants will have rich, loose soil. Dig the bed to a depth of 8"-10", add some organic matter in the form of aged compost or aged manure, rake the area smooth, then roll out the mat. Keep the area moist until the seedlings appear, then apply water as the top of the soil begins to dry out. Once the plants are established they can probably get by on one thorough soaking per week. Enjoy your new landscape!

How to Transplant Lilacs

2005-05-26T12:22:00.000-04:00

by LeAnn R. Ralph

Lilacs are exceptionally easy to transplant. I have transplanted many lilac bushes from the original bushes that my
grandmother planted on our Wisconsin dairy farm 70 years ago.

Early spring until late spring, from when the lilacs
develop buds until they actually have small leaves, is the best time to transplant. If you have lilacs growing in
your yard -- or if you have a friend who has lilacs -- and you would like to start some new lilac bushes, here's how:

. Decide where you want to transplant the lilac bush or bushes.

. Dig a hole that's about one foot deep by one foot across for
each bush you want to transplant.

. Dig up a lilac shoot from somewhere around the main bush.
Lilacs spread by runners.

Use a shovel to dig up the shoot because you are going to have to cut off the runner, and a trowel will not be tough enough to do the job. Choose a shoot that is approximately 8 to 14 inches high. Smaller shoots that are only a few inches high will take a very long time to mature to the point where they will have flowers.

Larger shoots seem to take a longer time to recover from being transplanted before they start to grow well. Do not worry about how much root you are getting with the shoot. You will not be able to take all of the root since the roots are all connected.

. Put the shoot in a bucket of water if you are not going to
transplant it immediately so that it will not dry out. If you are
going to transplant it immediately, carry it to the hole you have
dug and set it in the hole.

. Center the shoot in the hole and fill in with dirt. Leave a three
or four inch depression around the shoot so you will have a reservoir for water.

. Water your new lilac bush with a couple of gallons of water. Continue
watering the bush several times a week for the rest of the season to ensure
that it has a good start. From what I have observed, lilacs seem to be quite
drought resistant, although like any plant, tree or bush, they will grow
more if they have plenty of water. In subsequent years, water your new lilac
bush from time to time, especially if rain is in short supply.

Note: I have noticed that it takes 4 or 5 years for the new bushes to grow
enough to start producing flowers, although bushes that I transplanted from
small shoots only a few inches high are taking longer than that.

About the Author
LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books "Christmas in Dairyland
(True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm" (trade paperback 2003); "Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam" (trade paperback 2004); "Preserve Your Family History" (e-book 2004). Sign up for the free monthly newsletter, Rural Route 2 News --
http://ruralroute2.com

The Hosta – A Shade Loving Perennial

2005-05-24T11:54:00.000-04:00

The Hosta – A Shade Loving Perennial written by Bonnie Carrier

Another way to use Hostas is by mixing them with other shade plants, which can include Perennials such as Astilbe, Bleeding Heart and Japanese Painted Ferns also, Shrubs like Azalea, Hydrangea or Sweet Pepperbush. You’re not limited to using shade plants just within wooded areas or around trees. For instance, a partly shaded walk way along side your home would make a perfect candidate for this combination, plant the shrubs or tall perennials along the back next to the house with the Hostas placed in front can look quite stunning.

A large shade tree in our front yard looked like a good candidate for dressing up and because of the success of the birdbath Hostas of course I decided to try more around the tree. Using a tiller we formed a circle around the base and mixed good topsoil into the existing dirt, edged the circle with bricks, all that was need now were the plants.

I spent several days’ scouring local nurseries looking for Hostas in different colors and leaf textures. Armed with six new plants of moderate size – I’m one of those impatient gardeners – I staggered them around the tree, put down a thick layer of cedar mulch then for decorative accent added several groups of unusual looking rocks found in the woods, a family of resin squirrels also found a home sitting around the plants.

It really looked great and I just knew by the following year with regular watering and feeding those six plants would be larger, fuller and gorgeous.

Several days later while doing my daily walk around to look for anything new, I noticed something strange around the tree in the front yard. Getting closer things really looked funny.

It took a moment to realize there were no longer leafy plants growing there, just a bunch of green stems. This was how I learned that Hostas happen to be a favorite before dinner snack for deer.

Therefore my advice is if you live in an area populated with those brown eyed beauties and your going to give Hosta growing a go make sure to spray them with a safe repellant periodically from their emergence in the spring until the first frost in the fall.

So for those shady areas think about planting Hostas, after all they are a whole lot more than scraggly looking lettuce.

Copyright © 2005 bonnie carrier http://www.savvy-home-decorating.com +http://www.savvyoutdoordecorating.com

Bare Root Roses...

2005-05-23T03:57:00.000-04:00

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.

The rose bush is a perennial that will fill your garden space without much added work.

In planning a rose garden, you might have the option to plant roses that are bare root. What are bare root roses? Bare root roses are plants that you will dig up from your family or friend's house and bring back to your own garden. The plant that you dig up without bringing the soil that the plant lived in to your garden is a bare root plant. Here, we are going to discuss more about bare root roses, and how to plant them for your rose garden success.

Bringing the bare root plant back from the store, your friends or from your supplier, you should soak your bare root plants in a bucket of water overnight before planting. In planning your rose garden, you can dig your hole for your new plant, loosing the soil where you will place your new rose bush. Using the soil that you loosen in the hole, pile or mound it in the middle of the hole to support the plant during and after planting.

Placing your bare root plant in the hole, center it on the mound of dirt and back fill around the plant. Do not pack in the soil, but loosely back fill the soil around the plant to an inch above where planted in the soil before. You can tell how far the plant was in the soil earlier by the green on the stalk of the plant. Water the rose bush once again with ample amounts of water.

After watering your rose bush well, cover the soil with mulch to hold moisture. The mulch around the rose should not actually touch the thick stalk of the plant, but instead be a half-inch to an inch from the stalk. Watering your rose bush at least once a week, for the first month after planting, will bring the first breath of success in your new rose garden.

Annual Flowers for full sun

2005-05-20T05:27:00.000-04:00

Annuals are the work horse of the flower garden. They bloom from Spring through Fall. Here are some annuals for full sun.

Growing Marigolds Pure color for your flower beds:

The Marigold Inca II Orange, 'Tagetes erecta', is an African Marigold that grows to 12 to 14 inches in height. It can bloom up to 7 days earlier than other types with large 4 to 5 inch blooms on strong stems. The Inca II marigolds are sure to stand out and be a major attraction of your flower beds. This Marigold produces enormous double flowers in vibrant shades of gold and orange. They begin to bloom early and continue all summer long until frost. Marigold flowers are abslutely great for massing in sunny beds and borders.

Lantana flowers are an excellent choice for beds or containers. The "Petticoats Lantana" has attractive foliage and the foliage is topped with vividly colored flowers. The brightly colored flowers of Lantana are excellent for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.

Plant Lantanas in full sun and well drained soil in either beds or containers. Lantana prefers moist soil, but is drought tolerant. Pinch off spent flowers to promote new flower growth. All Lantana plants contain a toxin that if ingested may cause stomach discomfort. Some contact with foliage may irritate sensitive skin. The Lantana is also commonly called a Shrub Verbena. All Lantana's are tough, resilient plants that thrive in hot weather and bloom profusely from spring until frost.

Snapdragons are hardy plants, branched stalks with flowers on spikes in very showy bright colors. These sweet smelling old-fashioned favorites make excellent cut flowers. Growing snapdragons is an easy task. Snapdragon(Antirrhinum majus) flowers are growing best in full sun or light shade and should be planted in rich well drained soil.

More annuals for sunny locations:

. Geranium

. Petunias

. Zinnias

. Verbena

. Daisy

. Cosmos

In Assocciation with NatureHills.com

Preplanned Gardens - In the Shade

2005-05-19T04:35:00.000-04:00

Is most of your property in shade? Are you frustrated because you can't get anything else to grow? Are your beautiful big shade trees that look so wonderful in the summer starting to feel like a curse? You want a solution, right? Your answer is to discover which plants and flowers will thrive in the environment referred to as "shade gardens". Finding the right flowers for shade gardens is easier than you might think. Look at these preplanned gardens for shade:

For this pre-planned shade garden, Spring Hill has combined 39 special plants which can transform any shady area of approx. 60 sq. ft. into an island of serene beauty - a blend of textures with inspiring touches of color.

Included in this preplanned garden are three different varieties of hosta, which are delightful in combination with the arching fronds of hardy Ostrich Plume Fern. And for color, there are shade-loving plants which will be in bloom from spring well into late summer. All are easy to plant, and like a true naturalized garden, require only a minimum of care to provide years of charm and beauty. These coordinated plants can be arranged as a border, bed or to bring beauty to a north-facing corner or foundation - a place where you thought nothing except weeds would ever grow!

With this preplanned shade garden you will receive:

Bring color and charm to a shady area! This Pre-Planned Shade Garden for Beginners includes three each of the following:

. Poker Primrose

. Mixed Hardy Primrose

. Lady's Mantle

. Forget-Me-Nots

. Yellow Perfection Viola

Always Happy Gardening!

Give your garden a lift with trellises

2005-05-18T06:19:00.000-04:00

Trellises and arbours give the garden a lift, and give the gardener a beautiful structure on which to nurture roses, clematis or even Jack's beanstalk.

Clematis, Double Multi Blue

A thing of beauty should be cherished forever. Like the timeless beauty of the double clematis - some say this breathtaking perennial has been around since the days of Michelangelo and da Vinci! It's easy to see why - they like to climb on trellies or arbours and produce dark, enchanting blue-violet 2-1/2" blooms midsummer through fall.

Gardeners are always running out of space, and trellises and arbours (or pergolas) artfully add extra square feet for climbing and clambering plants. Flowering vines put a new dimension in a garden by bringing it up to eye level.

Various forms and interpretations of trellises have been at home in gardens for centuries. Elaborate trelliage, or trellis work, was a gardener's art by the 16th century when material like willow canes and sturdy shoots from nut trees were used. The same material can be used today to make trelliage of nearly any size or style.

In Renaissance gardens, trelliage was often inspired by classic architecture, and was built with great attention to detail. These grand structures still suggest ideas appropriate for modern gardens, but trellises need not be overbearing or formal. Depending on your style, rustic twig trellises, arbours made with cedar posts, and perfectly modern plant supports of gleaming copper or steel may be appropriate for your garden.

A GATEWAY OF FLOWERS

Trellises and other such supports for climbing plants can be used to define boundaries, to screen private seating areas, or to cast shade. An arbour, like a gateway of flowers and foliage, may mark a garden entrance, or frame a view across an expanse of lawn. Free-standing pergolas are usually large enough to shelter a table and chairs in the dappled light under a roof of greenery. The style you choose could echo details of your home's design, extending the architecture visually into the garden, or it might be something completely different, sending a subtle signal that the garden is a place apart.

The material you choose should suit the plants you intend to grow. For permanent plantings, such as wisteria, climbing hydrangea, grapes or trumpet vine, a sturdy structure with substantial posts and crosspieces is necessary. More delicate climbers can make their way up lightweight trellises, but remember that a trellis covered with plants must also withstand wind, so anchor it securely in the ground. One way to do this is to bolt the legs of a trellis or arbour to wooden posts sunk several feet into the ground.Source

Rose Garden | Flower Gardening

2005-05-17T04:24:00.000-04:00

Give Your Roses a Springtime Boost

Every spring people get a boost of energy. It is like the very air in the spring time is rejuvenating in itself. Natural passions and new loves are often born in the spring, and old loves get a nice spark between them. Spring is definitely the best time of year. The same goes for roses. It is in the spring that people begin planting or replenishing their rose gardens. For those bushes that are already established, spring is the time to see new buds and blooms trying to be born.

If you are interested in helping your roses get an even bigger boost in the spring, you may want to try this special tonic that is used to give your roses a strong boost of all of the nutrients that your roses need in order for them to grow strong, healthy and produce a lot of buds.

Try this recipe for the greatest spring start to your roses.

Be certain to apply in the early spring after you have removed any of the necessary winter protection that you put up.
Here is a list of the ingredients that you will need to make this mixture. You should mix them in a 5 gallon tub or bucket.

• 2 cups of alfalfa meal

• 2 cups of Epsom salt

• 2 cups of fish meal

• 2 cups of gypsum

• 2 cups of greensand

• l cup of bone meal

. You will first have to pull back the mulch that has been placed around your rose bush.

. You will next, want to work one cup of this tonic into the top inch of soil if you have a smaller bush.

. You will do best to use a trowel or a hand cultivator for larger bushes. (that would be bushes that are 6 feet or taller) For these sizes, you will need to use three or four cups.

. Now you will have to replace the mulch and water your roses very well.

Tip #1: You can do this again in the middle of June if you want to keep your roses blooming. Just scratch 2 cups of the mixture into the soll.
Tip #2: You should wear a dust mask while you are mixing your ingredients for the tonic.

Nothing can compare with a professional Rose Garden to provide your home with the ultimate in floral beauty. Buy a
preplanned Rose Garden from SpringHillNursery.com

The Magic of Cut Flowers

2005-05-16T12:48:00.000-04:00

As a result of the mounting global market and technological advances, an abundance of flower arrangement varieties are available throughout the year. Some of the most
beautiful and diverse arrangements contain a mixture of fresh cut and other types of flowers or plants. Contained within this section are some of the more common varieties that are available through most local florists.

One of the more classic flowers – the rose – is available in a variety of genres, including the tea rose, the sweetheart rose and the spray rose. The nearly 120 arrays of roses that retailers commonly carry contain all shades of the spectrum, such as those of the red, pink, purple, orange, coral, peach and white families. The style of growth, as well as color, may differ from type to type. For example, tea roses will open from three to four inches, with stems spanning 12 to 30 inches in length; whereas the stems of spray roses may contain several flowers each.

The variety and type of rose will determine its life span, but most will typically live between four and seven days after cutting. Due to their delicate nature, stems should be placed in the vase very gingerly. In order to reduce the build-up of bacteria, any foliage that is apparent immediately above the water line should be removed. For maximum life expectancy, stems should be re-cut every two to three days.

Lilies may also be referred to by variety, such as in the case of the Asiatic Lily or Oriental Lily. These flower types can be recognized by their trumpet-shaped petals and can reach six inches in diameter. The height of their stems can reach up to three feet and may sport four to eight blossoms. Their color varieties include white, yellow, pink, red and orange.

Tulips – known by no specific variety names – grow as single blossoms, containing six petals each. Variations include those of the lily-flowering, double flowering,
fringe-petaled and ruffled parrot genres. The color array includes white, yellow, pink, peach, orange, red, lavender and purple, as well as a bi-color variety.

The orchid, also known as cymbidium, dendrobium, oncidium, cattleya and phalaenopsis, are available in a variety of shapes and sizes – the largest of these being cymbidiums. Including all varieties, there are currently over 17,000
species which span the globe.

Personal preference will dictate which flower, color and/or flower bouquet is most suitable for that special someone in your life, as well as which room of the house in which to display the flower arrangement.

Ornamental Grasses in Garden Design

2005-05-16T09:31:00.000-04:00

Landscaping Ideas - Ornamental Grasses

Among the big pluses of ornamental grasses in the home garden is that they bend rather than break, which is certainly an important consideration in windy environments--such as along a coastline or in the Great Plain states. And if your garden is geared as much to attracting songbirds as it is to color and fragrance, grasses play an important role in providing diversity of texture.

Ornamental grasses do well as a backdrop to the brightly colored blooms--such as red Columbine, butterfly bush, and hollyhocks, for example--that attract hummingbirds and others. Arranged with hosta in a shady rock garden, they serve admirably as points of interest, and as hedges and screens. Lower species such as yellow sedge do well as groundcover, as does ribbon grass, sometimes in poor soil, or in places where even Japanese yew refuses to grow.

Maiden grass, which clumps and grows to about five feet in ideal conditions, does well in a number of circumstances. A warm season grass, it does especially well around ponds or swimming pools. For fall color, Korean feather reed grass (also known as achy heart grass) is a medium clump-growth plant with refined pink plumes that gives way to bronze. Golden oats (Stipa gigantea), which grows in full sun and can reach eight feet, adds a lovely shimmer and softness to a fence line with its bristly spikes that turn gold when ripe in high summer.

Zen Gardens - Landscaping Ideas

2005-05-15T04:37:00.000-04:00

When you hear the term "Zen Garden" the picture conjured up is of a dry landscape with rocks surrounded by carefully raked gravel which invites you to withdraw from the noise of the world outside and to enter into silent meditation. Some say that zen priests adopted the dry landscape style in the eleventh century as an aid to create a deeper understanding of the zen concepts, but others hold that the Japanese Zen Garden is a myth. They claim that it is a late 20th Century western creation that has nothing to do with the Japanese Garden Tradition and that the dry garden style is not unique to zen temples but can be found associated with many other buildings.

Whatever your view it is undeniable that there is something rather special about this dry landscape style which is generally known as a Zen garden. The main elements consist of rocks representing mountains or islands surrounded by flowing water in the form of sand or gravel.

Recently scientists used computer analysis to study one of the most famous Zen gardens in the world, at the Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, to discover why it has a calming effect on the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come every year. The researchers found that the seemingly random collection of rocks and moss on this simple gravel rectangle, when viewed from the right position, created the image of a tree in the subconscious mind.

Not all Zen gardens are restricted to dry stones and gravel, but often include plants and mosses as well as shrine lanterns, bridges and water features. A Zen garden should be equally attractive and inviting throughout the year, which is why evergreens play such an important role in their design. Black pines and bamboo, moss and other evergreen ground covers provide seasonal continuity which is always green and alive.

Construction of a Zen garden starts with the selection of suitable rocks. It is important that you find rocks in shapes that appeal to you since these will form the backbone of the design. It may take some time for you to find the right stones and gravels to blend together to form a harmonious picture, but taking time and making careful choices is an important part of transforming simple gardening into an act of "meditation". Zen gardening means that design, construction, planting and cultivation is all part of the garden itself. A Zen garden is a continuing process in which the creation and maintenance of the design is as much a part of the meditation as contemplation of the completed garden. Read more...
Article Source

Garden Flowers - Annual Asters

2005-05-12T12:36:00.000-04:00

Do you agree that annual asters are one of the prettiest summer flowers we can plant? On the other hand they take a while to bloom when planted from seed, and that turns a good many gardeners off. But there is still time to plant from seed this month if you get started right away.

There are both tall asters and dwarf asters, the latter being best for containers and borders. The tall asters are more spectacular, with big three to four inch flowers on plants that get anywhere from 2 feet to 3 feet tall. And the color range of asters is broad from shades and tints of pink through purple, blue, white, lavender and scarlet.

Alma Potschke Aster

The Aster ‘Alma Potschke’, Aster novae-angliae, displays a beautiful bright neon rose pink daisy-like flower that are about quarter-sized. The flowers blooms in early fall to frost. ‘Alma Potschke’ is very attractive with a plant width of 34-40” and a height of 18-24”. It is a major attractor to butterflies and bees. ‘Alma Potschke’ is best planted in masses, borders and natural areas. Aster ‘Alma Potschke’ makes an excellent container plant or front of the garden feature and looks great with ornamental grasses.

Professer Kippenburg Aster

The Aster ‘Professor Kippenburg’, Aster novae-angliae, has beautiful vivid purple daisy-like flowers that cover the plant. The flowers are 1-2” wide with a plant width of 12-18” and a height of 18-20”. Aster ‘Professor Kippenburg’ does require full sun, but can take some afternoon shade, in a moderate soil range with good drainage that does not become extremely dry during the summer. Aster ‘Professor Kippenburgs’ make an excellent container plant or front of the garden feature and looks great with ornamental grasses.

Purple Dome Aster

The Aster ‘Purple Dome’, Aster novae-angliae, has beautiful vivid purple daisy-like flowers that cover the plant. The flowers are 1-2” wide with a plant width of 18-24” and a height of 18”. Aster ‘Purple Dome’ does require full sun, but can take some afternoon shade, in a moderate soil range with good drainage that does not become extremely dry during the summer. Aster ‘Purple Dome’ makes an excellent container plant or front of the garden feature and looks great with ornamental grasses.

Tall aster seed takes a couple of weeks to germinate, more quickly in warm weather, and then needs another six weeks to eight weeks or so to come into bloom. Once in bloom, they'll continue to flower profusely until late fall, providing color in the garden and plenty of flowers for cutting. And it does help to cut flowers often, since that will make them continue to bloom, and spent and faded blooms should be removed.

Asters do well in full sun, best with a little afternoon shade in the high and low desert, and need good soil and an application of fertilizer once or twice during the growing season before they bloom. They need adequate water, especially when first starting out, and in hot weather. Insects aren't too much of a problem, although they sometimes attract aphids, but disease, a type of wilt, can be a problem. Most present day varieties of annual asters say they are wilt tolerant or resistant, but you shouldn't plant asters in the same place two years in a row.

Garden Flowers ~ spring-flowering bleeding heart!

2005-05-10T13:29:00.000-04:00

Heart-shaped flowers brighten your flower garden!

The spring-flowering bleeding heart, Dicentra spectabilis, is an old- fashioned garden favorite. It is noted for its beautiful heart-shaped flowers that hang from flowering stalks like pendants.

The flowers also resemble a double winged lyre. Thus, another common name is the lyre flower. The bleeding heart has been referred to as "the living valentine." There are white varieties, which are not as vigorous as the pink. The plants are 18 to 24 inches high.

The bleeding heart belongs in a shade garden with rich, well-drained soil that has lots of humus. Partial shade is ideal. Typically, when the weather turns hot in early summer, this plant goes dormant unless adequate water is provided. Usually bleeding hearts are gone by the middle of July.

The wild bleeding heart, Dicentra eximia, also known as fern-leaf bleeding heart and fringed bleeding heart, will hang around throughout the growing season. It has smaller heart-shaped flowers than the common bleeding heart. The compact 12- to 18-inch bushy plants continue to bloom off and on all summer. This plant self-seeds freely.

In comparison, the bleeding heart has much larger flowers than the wild bleeding heart. The foliage of the wild bleeding heart is fine-textured and more attractive than the bleeding heart.

The bleeding heart goes dormant in early summer, while the wild bleeding heart continues to grow until fall.

The bleeding heart probably grows best in a shady, wildflower garden. The wild bleeding heart will do well in a shady perennial border. Just looking at the names, it would seem like the bleeding heart would be more at home in the perennial border and the wild bleeding heart more suited for the wildflower garden.

Plant a butterfly garden in a container...

2005-05-08T03:50:00.000-04:00

You'll need a good-size pot that you can put in a sunny spot protected from wind. Butterflies are attracted to nectar-producing flowers, but each kind of butterfly has its own preference, so plant a variety of nectar-rich plants to increase your chances of attracting many butterfly species.

Here are a few good choices:

Scabiosa pincushion flower

Echinacea cone flower

Rudbeckia black-eyed Susan

Coreopsis tickseed

Hibiscus

Lavender

Rosemary

Verbena

Butterflies also like to drink out of puddles. Bury a cup up to its rim in the planter, fill it with sand and then keep it full of liquids. Butterfly favorites include stale beer, fruit juice and water. Now and then, stick a chunk of overripe fruit among the plants as a special treat. A potted butterfly garden would make a great Mother's Day gift. For an extra surprise, give Mom a butterfly identification guide.

Kids love container gardening too

Make gardening fun for kids by giving them their own container to plant. Container gardening is a great way to teach kids to garden because they can achieve a fabulous composition in a limited space without having to weed or do lots of maintenance.

Get the kids started with a little lesson in planting and caring for the plants, then let them loose at your favorite nursery. At first you'll probably have to help the little ones pick out the plants, but before long you can give them a budget and let them have at it Kids love designing and caring for their own container gardens, and they learn fast. The only problem is that it's a bit embarrassing when the kids' containers look way better than yours!

Herb garden...

2005-05-04T18:31:00.000-04:00

a tasteful gift for a practical mom!

The ephemeral beauty of a bunch of cut flowers is a traditional Mother's Day gift, but to an ever-practical mom, it may smack of wastefulness. Always frugal, she culls out shriveling flowers one by one, day after day, making the bouquet last as long as possible. Finally, all that's left is a vase and a bare spot on the table.

This year, create a gift with better symbolism and lasting value. A potted herb garden improves over summer, offering flavor, convenience and beauty.

A sunny start: Most homes don't have a handy garden site directly outside the kitchen. Container gardens, on the other hand, can be placed almost anywhere, as long as there are at least six hours of full sun. Plus, potting mix is easier to work in than native soils, and containers can be more accessible to moms in wheelchairs or walkers. At the end of the season, containers can be brought into a sheltered space, so non-hardy herbs like rosemary and scented geraniums can survive winter. Set in full sun during spring, herbs grow quickly. As hot summer begins, move containers to a site with afternoon shade, so herbs stay productive.

Picking a planter: First, find a fairly large container and buy good quality potting mix. Be sure the pot will drain. Newer plastic pots are lightweight but sturdy with hollow or foam-filled walls that help insulate roots. Unglazed ceramic pots will keep root systems cool as water evaporates through the porous walls, but the potting mix will dry quickly. Glazed ceramics and thin-walled plastic pots should be light in color to prevent roots from overheating on the sunny side of the pot.

How to plant: Most herbs grow well in containers, as long as there is enough potting media in the pot.

Generally, each herb plant requires 1 gallon of potting media. A typical 12-inch diameter pot holds about 3 1/2 gallons of potting mix, so it can carry three or four herb plants. A 16-inch pot holds about 5 1/2 gallons mix, so you can plant five or six herbs in it. Cool-season annuals like lettuce or pansies may be included in the initial planting, but they should be removed or harvested as summer heat builds and the herbs' root systems grow larger.

What to plant: Choose herbs that will fit nicely in containers. Many varieties of thyme, basil, oregano, chives, lemon grass, and mints look nice together. Edible flowers such as nasturtium and calendula can add color accent. Avoid toxic plants in edible gardens.

Prepare for winter: At the end of the season, make sure no pests are in the pot or on the plants and then put the container in the basement near a south- facing window. Keep the temperature low so growth is slow. Water infrequently but don't let the plants dry up.

Gerbera Daisies | colorful blooms | Flowers for Bouquets

2005-04-29T16:27:00.000-04:00

Gerbera Daisies used to be called Transvaal Daisy, and you may see that name from time to time in catalogs or on labels. It's another of the flowers we've acquired from South Africa and it's well-suited to our Southern California climate, whether in the hot inland valleys or along the coast.

The wild form, before plant breeders started working on it, was an orange red color, and today we have white, pink, red, orange, ivory and shades and tints of all these colors. Many of these are hybrids from the old original and have more colors, are stronger growers, and produce bigger flowers.

The plants have long, lobed leaves, and the flowers are borne on top of long stems making them suitable for cutting. We always see them in bouquets the florist prepares, but we can grow ones that easily rival what the florist has.

Gerbera likes well drained soil, and the crown should never stand in water. It helps to fertilize two to three times a year, and disease and insects aren't usually a problem. The big flowers have a daisy-like form, and many can be 2 to 4 inches across. Some of the newer hybrids have duplex petals, and there are some strains that are double.

One of the best is called California Duplex, or simply California Mixture, and another, a dwarf variety used mostly in containers, is called Happipot. The oldest hybrid is called Jamesonii, and it's still around.

You can grow gerbera from seed, but it's a slow process and care must be taken in getting good germination. Nurseries and garden centers usually have gerbera in gallon sizes, sometimes in 4-inch pots. Mature plants can be divided after the main bloom period, early spring through summer, to make additional plantings. In mild climates such as ours, most gerbera will produce a few blooms all year long.

Gerbera likes to be crowded, and performs best when the crown is kept well above the soil and kept dry. Good soil and frequent feeding helps to promote growth and better blooms.

When cutting flowers for a bouquet, take the longest stems you can find and slit the stem at the bottom, up about an inch, to hold them longer in water.

FLOWER POWER FACTS

Plant: Gerbera
Best features: Big, colorful daisy-like blooms
Degree of difficulty: Easy to grow from started plant or divisions
When to plant: Start seed early in spring, set plants in anytime
Where to plant: Full sun, will tolerate a little shade
Soil specifications: Good soil
Fertilizer and water: Fertilize at regular intervals, water when they dry out

Strawflowers make good bouquets!

2005-04-24T16:08:00.000-04:00

Strawflowers make good bouquets both fresh and dried, and the papery blooms are unusual.

Some flowers last well when cut fresh and placed in water, and there's a group of flowers called flowers for drying that can be cut and used almost forever when properly dried. One of these is the strawflower, Helichrysum bracteatum, often seen as a dried flower.

One of the seed companies I worked for had a bouquet of dried strawflowers in a secretary's office which she said had been there for years, and they still looked pretty good.

But strawflower can look good in the garden too, and there's one variety that's a good grower and very colorful. It's called Bright Bikinis and is listed in most seed catalogs, and sometimes found on the seed rack.

It's a dwarf version of the much taller old strawflower, which often got nearly 3 feet tall. Bright Bikinis gets around 15 inches tall and has semi-double blooms on sturdy plants in bright red, gold, pink and shades of those colors.

The older tall mixture has some additional colors, including maroon, salmon, white, bronze and yellow. Thompson and Morgan's catalog lists one called Summer Solstice, and it may simply be the old tall variety judging from its description.

There are many flowers that can be used for drying, but strawflower is one of the easiest to grow and very easy to dry.

Pick the flowers just as the buds are beginning to open, remove any leaves and then hang the flowers upside down in a dry, but airy location, out of direct sunlight. It usually takes a few weeks to get them dry enough to bring in for use as a dried bouquet.

Meantime, you can continue to enjoy the beauty of the strawflowers in the garden or as a fresh flower indoors. Most blooms are fairly large, 2 to 3 inches across, and the colors don't fade quickly. In the garden it helps to pick off the spent blooms to help continuous blooming.

Strawflowers are easy to start from seed and the seed germinates well. Plant in a warm location from March through July, cover the seed lightly, and water well to start. After the plants are about 2 to 3 inches tall you can thin them out to about a foot apart. Continue to keep well watered until the plants are growing well, then water only as needed. Fertilizer helps a little as the plants start to grow but hold off on fertilizer after the plants start to bud.

Disease and insects aren't usually a problem, but sometimes snails chew on the small plants. Plants will bloom all summer long and well into the fall in most inland areas.

FLOWER POWER FACTS

Plant: Strawflower

Best features: Good as cut flower and dried flower

Degree of difficulty: Easy to grow

When to plant: Sow seed early spring to mid-summer, plants up until August

Where to plant: Full sun

Soil specifications: Good soil

Fertilizer and water: Fertilize sparingly, water well to start

Test Your Weed IQ

2005-04-11T18:24:00.000-04:00

Mankind has been battling weeds ever since we first began cultivating the land. Over the years, a number of myths, thoughts and opinions have been formulated about these common menaces -- some true and some not so true. By learning some simple facts about weeds, you can put yourself in a much better position to rid your garden of these unwanted guests.

Test your knowledge with this basic weed IQ test to see if this year's gardening will be an uphill battle or a walk in the park.

True or false?

A weed is a weed.
False. Believe it or not, there are actually thousands of weeds. However, only about 25-30 are common in maintained turf, depending on where you live.

While the majority of weeds have broad leaves, some may have narrow leaves similar to blades of grass. Weeds also have varying life spans. Most common weeds are classified as annuals because they are produced from a seed and only live for a single growing season. They die soon after flowering. However, some varieties of weeds are long-lived and don't die after flowering. This group, which can reproduce by seed or by vegetative means such as rooting, are called perennials and continue to thrive as long as conditions permit.

Pulling a weed is the most effective way of killing it.
False. While it's the most common method of weeding, manually pulling weeds does not guarantee a solution. Since perennial weeds can reproduce from rooting, even if part of a taproot lives after a weed is pulled, the plant can regenerate itself. If you do pull weeds, the only way to ensure the plant won't come back is to make certain the entire root system is removed.

A more simple solution is to eliminate the hassle of killing weeds altogether by preventing them before they even start to germinate. By using a pre-emergent herbicide, you can effectively prevent weeds for up to three months. Easy to apply, this herbicide may be sprinkled on the soil surface of garden beds or on top of mulch any time of the day throughout the growing season. Simply water in.

Weeds die naturally at the end of the season.
Now here's a test to see if you've been paying attention, because the answer is both true and false, depending on the weed. The answer is true in regards to annual weeds. They will die at the end of their season. But realize that different weeds thrive in different weather conditions, so you can still have annual weeds year-round.

In terms of perennials, the answer is false. Perennials can survive for years. In fact, seeds can live for seven years or more, waiting until conditions are right to germinate. Perennial weeds also store reserve "food" in their root systems and continue to sprout again and again, even after their tops are destroyed.

Weeds are just a natural part of gardening.
This is true, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it. The reality is weeds are everywhere. Their seeds are airborne, which means they can be easily carried from one yard to the next. They can be transported by humans, animals, insects and even water. Your own trusted lawnmower could be a carrier! Weed seeds can also be unintentionally introduced through straw or hay, mulch or even inferior grass seeds, which are not weed free.

No matter how many times you apply a weed killer, seeds are bound to be reintroduced to your garden. Here again, the only way to remain weed-free is to apply a weed preventer. That way, regardless of how or when new seeds are introduced, they'll never have a chance to germinate.

Weeds are ugly, but at least they're harmless.
This is false on many fronts. First let's consider the statement "weeds are ugly." A weed is defined as a plant that is not intentionally sown. Therefore a weed can actually be somewhat attractive, just unwanted where it is.

Secondly, certain weeds, such as poison ivy, can actually cause severe skin irritation. Other weeds, including sand bur and thistle, can also scratch and irritate your skin.

Another point to consider is that, if left unchecked, weeds will deprive your flowers of needed water, light and soil nutrients. Weeds can also produce substances that are toxic to your plants. Eventually, they will squeeze out what you actually want in your garden.

All weed-control products are essentially the same.
This statement is false. There are many different types of herbicides available. If you're not achieving the results you desire, you're likely using the wrong type of product.

First it's important to understand the difference between a pre-emergent and a post-emergent herbicide. Pre-emergent implies controlling the weed or weed seed before it "emerges" or germinates. It does not kill existing weeds. A post-emergent herbicide only works on weeds that have already begun to grow. They kill existing weeds, but won't prevent new ones.

Herbicides can also be selective or nonselective. Selective herbicides are those types that only kill selected or target weeds. Nonselective herbicides can kill any plant they touch without being at all selective. These require careful handling so as not to damage wanted garden plants.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Red Perennial Pre-Planned Garden

2005-04-06T11:40:00.000-04:00

It is just red and beautiful!

"Pre-planned gardens allow you to put on a colorful show even
if you’ve never planted one flower before. The gardens come with
plans and plants. All you have to do is dig the holes."

Create excitement in your landscape throughout the growing season with this dashing garden. All five perennials are easy to grow and are a fascinating combination of shapes and hues - a veritable rainbow of reds.

This pre-planned garden includes:

1 Autumn Red Daylily
A profusion of large, non-fading red blooms with golden
bars adorn the 36" stems in mid-summer.

3 Jacob Cline Monarda
Mint-scented foliage, extra-large deep red flowers make
this a bold accent for a border - or butterfly or herb garden.

1 Tenor Tall Phlox
Enjoy brilliant scarlet red color and spicy fragrance for weeks beginning in mid-summer.

1 Red Fanal Astilbe
Mound-shaped perennials with fernlike foliage produce dozens of
soft feathery flowers on 20-40" tall spikes in late spring to early summer.

3 Desmond Hardy Carnation
Vivid scarlet blooms-among the most beautiful of all carnations.

Plan your flower garden around perennials!

2005-03-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

Perennial plants reward us with an appearance year after year while their cousins, the annuals, make a one-time show and then they're goners. For your home landscape, the perennial is a winner, with its wide range of size, flower and foliage.

Planning for perennials in the garden is well worth the time, since you'll enjoy the plants for years. That doesn't mean you can't correct poor placement. That's another thing about these plants: Most of them are easy to move and many keep spreading and even need thinning every few years.

Gardens can be designed to combine "islands" of perennials with gaps to accommodate different annuals each year for contrast. Perennial plantings can also be established in back corners or in shady areas as long-range "leave alone" plots.

Listed below are some of these plants suitable for our area. Many can be started from seed indoors right now, or later from bedding plants ready to go in the garden. Some of them, like iris and peonies, can be purchased as roots or clumps ready to go.

• Delphinium: Likes sun and good drainage and stands tall at the back of other plantings. Some varieties are so tall (4-6 feet) they need to be staked. Flowers in late July. If promptly removed as they fade, there's a chance of a second flush of similar, smaller blooms. Colors range from white to pink to royal blue.

• Viola: At the other end of the size scale are the old favorites, also known as Johnny-jump-ups. Violas are smaller than pansies and will keep blooming if old flowers are picked off through early spring and in the fall. They serve as ground cover, edgings or as eye-catchers in rock gardens. They thrive in the moist, shadowy backs of patios.

• Iris: The range of this strong, easy- to-grow wonder is enormous. Huge Japanese types sport exotic blooms of dinner-plate size in June and July. The smallest mature at only 4 inches in height and pop out in May. The common variety for our area is the bearded iris, with a color range from white and gold to sky blue, purple and burgundy.

• Herbs: Tucked into your perennial garden may be numbers of plants you can eat. Chives offer pleasant, spike- like, mild onion-flavored leaves and balls of lavender blooms. Sage provides blue-flowering stems and silver gray fuzzy leaves. Sage can be dried for fresh fragrance in poultry dressing or a sprinkling on breakfast eggs. Peppermint, pineapple and a dozen other scented types of mint can join lemon balm for a fragrant garden. Be careful, as the mints and balms will spread. Each variety can be held to a container.

• Peonies: Big blooms with a fantastic color range. Once you've seen these golf ball-sized buds burst, it's impossible not to have them in your garden.

• Phlox: Colors like magenta, lavender and white are but a few of the choices for this great flower, which sports dozens of blooms in a grapefruit-sized blossom ball. Don't crowd them or powdery mildew will be an annual visitor.

Other great choices include bee balm, coneflowers, blue Veronica, coralbells, lupines and daylilies. Plan color combinations, height placement and range of bloom before going wild at the bedding plant displays this spring. Check catalogs for pictures or go to online nurseries like

Spring Hill Nursery

Nature Hills.com

Dutch Gardens.com

White Flower Farm

etc.

Visit Flowers and Garden.com for more flower gardening related information.

Complete Preplanned Rose Garden

2005-03-20T03:43:00.000-05:00

Flowers & Garden.com

Nothing can compare with a professional Rose Garden to provide your home with the ultimate in floral beauty. For this collection we have blended together eight distinctive Hybrid Tea Roses with three outstanding Climbing Roses. By planting them where they will be on display all through the summer, you'll add instant charm to your landscape and have a host of gorgeous roses to fill your home with elegant bouquets day after day.

Each of the varieties in this exceptional Rose Garden is a delight in itself, but when planted together they create a display of special grandeur. The three Climbing Roses create an especially clever color harmony--crimson red, pink-red and a bright yellow, double flowering rose. Planted together, the canes intertwine to create what appears to be a tricolored Rose--the delightful illusion of three colors on a single plant.

The Complete Preplanned Rose Garden Includes:

Climbing Rose Zéphirine Drouhin

Enjoy masses of delightful pinkish-red roses all season long.
Extremely fragrant, 3 1/2 to 4" semi-double blooms on nearly thornless stems.

Climbing Rose Improved Blaze

Most popular of all Climbing Roses. Has hundreds of huge, scarlet, non-fading flowers and is easy to grow.

Climbing Rose Golden Showers

The finest yellow climbing rose. Covered with 4" double blooms from spring to fall.

Hybrid Tea Rose John F. Kennedy

Magnificent blooms become increasingly white as they unfold. In the garden, pristine petals resist wind and rain.

Hybrid Tea Rose Chrysler Imperial

Deep red, fragrant flowers with 45-50 lush petals borne on long, straight stems.

Sub-Zero Rose Maria Stern

Lush, salmon-orange blooms with scalloped edges. A magnificent display of color that lasts for months and never fades in the sun.

Hybrid Tea Rose Golden Eagle

Spring Hill Exclusive Glorious, non-fading, deep gold blooms are produced in abundant clusters on long stems.

Hybrid Tea Rose Audrey Hepburn

Exquisite rose introduced in 1991 has very fragrant 4" blooms of apple blossom pink.

Hybrid Tea Rose Caribia®

Fiesta excitement all season long! Captivating 5" flowers feature red and pink markings on glistening yellow petals.

Hybrid Tea Rose Royal Amethyst®

Spring Hill Exclusive Regal beauty boasts fragrant, double blooms in a rare blend of lavender and purple.

Hybrid Tea Rose Double Delight

Unusual blossoms start out creamy white and turn cherry red. Spicy-scented 5 1/2" flowers throughout the season.

What makes garden design so challenging?

2005-03-16T19:03:00.000-05:00

I think it's the fact that you're working with living things (plants) and other factors (the weather!) that you can't control - green thumb, or not.

A flower garden may be a living work of art, but unlike a painting that's actually finished when the artist packs the brushes away, a garden is always changing.

Plants don't always do what you expect: Many perennial clumps get bigger each year, but there's the odd one that will just disappear. Then there are plants that outgrow their spaces, turn out to be the wrong color or don't thrive no matter where you plant them - you get the picture.

Remember: nobody creates a prize-winning flower garden the first year — but you weren't going to invite the garden club over for coffee — not just yet anyway? ;-)

Planting your garden will be easier if you plan its design, layout and color scheme before you buy plants.

Easy-to-grow perennials ~ Pre-planned Garden

2005-03-12T07:09:00.000-05:00

Pre-planned gardens spare you the endless decisions involved in choosing plants, and the time and trouble of meeting with a garden designer. You'll still have the satisfaction of preparing the soil, planting, nurturing the young plants, and watching the garden grow and develop. The catalog garden designs get you started right away, so you can get mud on your boots and dirt under your fingernails without doing a lot of homework first.

The most basic garden plans are usually rectangles and nothing to be afraid of. The plans are easy to follow, and they fit into almost any landscape. You can always make simple changes to the layout, adapting the design to wrap around a corner or dividing it in two and planting it on either side of a garden path.

Here's a chance to plant a spectacular garden that will brighten your landscape with constant color from spring to fall. Spring Hill Nursery's professionals have selected a total of nine easy-to-grow perennials ideal for any garden.

Easy to grow Perennials Garden includes the following:

3 Belladonna Delphiniums

3 Lemon Fluffs

3 Alaska Shasta Daisies

1 Bright Eyes Tall Phlox

3 Pink Coneflowers

3 Cloths of Golds

1 Peach Blossom Astilbe

3 Achilleas 'The Pearl'

3 Clustered Bellflowers

Planning A Cut Flower Garden

2005-03-11T04:22:00.000-05:00

There are numerous possibilities for a cut flower garden, and much depends on your own preferences. Some easy-to-grow annuals for cut flowers include

sunflowers

tithonia

zinnias

coreposis

cosmos

gaillardia

bachelor buttons

larkspur

snapdragons

asters

as well as pansies and Johnny-jump-ups for tiny bouquets.

You might want to consider a wildflower mix, many of which provide a natural, "airy" feel to bouquets. Keep deadheading, or trimming off, spent blossoms to encourage the plant to continue producing flowers, rather than expending its energy on seed production. Consider planting some bulbs for spring bouquets, and remember that you can force some fruit trees branches to flower indoors in early spring. Many flowers also have attractive seedheads, which can be harvested throughout the fall and even into winter.

Flowers for shade gardens ~ Begonia 'Double Yellow'

2005-03-10T04:44:00.000-05:00

The Begonia Double Yellow, a spring planted tuber, displays big yellow flowers with petals that look like roses and they perform in the shade. They have an elegant robust look and the plants are filled with blooms. They are ideal for shady areas in need of color, under trees, and on decks. They look stunning when planted alone in large containers. They provide nonstop color when planted in containers or beds. These tuberous begonias feature double, vividly colored, 6 inch flowers. Tuberous Begonias perform best in a partly shaded outdoor location away from strong winds. Fertilize regularly and keep the containers moist.

Flowering Period: June-October

Soil Type: Widely Adaptable

Growth Rate: Medium

Sun Exposure: Shade to Partial Sun

Mature Height: 12 - 18 inch

Moisture Requirements: Average - well drained

How to attract hummingbirds to your garden!

2005-03-09T05:28:00.000-05:00

Attracting hummingbirds to your garden made easy!

From their private perch these tiny birds keep a constant eye on their surroundings. With grace, agility and speed hummingbirds launch at any intruder, whether that is another hummingbird or a larger bird wandering into their territory.

After a quick battle, the victor returns to his (or her) perch, preens and is on the lookout once again. A hummingbird’s blazing speed, agility, amusing squeaky chatter, and tractor like sound of wings as they buzz by, makes them a truly unique and amazing creature. Best of all, there are simple things you can do in you yard to create an environment that is inviting to hummingbirds.

Get your preplanned Hummingbird/Butterfly Garden from Spring Hill Nursery NOW!

How to begin a new flower bed!

2005-03-08T08:11:00.000-05:00

Before you begin a new flower bed, it’s a good idea to map out your ideas. Use a garden hose to mark the outlines of the new bed or border, or set potted plants on the ground where you’d like to plant them. Then stand back and take a look. Make adjustments now before you start digging.

Once you know how you want your new bed to look, you’re ready to remove the sod. Cut along the outline of your bed with a spade, then slip the spade just under the grass roots and cut a small strip of sod, rolling it up as you go.

After you’ve removed the sod, you’re ready to dig the new bed. Begin at one end of the bed and shovel away one blade-depth of soil, piling it on the opposite end of the bed. Next, loosen the subsoil below about 1 foot deep, and add compost, sand or other soil improvements.

Now move to the next section of the bed and remove the topsoil, piling it on top of the loosened subsoil in the first section. Continue in this manner until you come to the end of the bed and cover the subsoil in this section with the topsoil from the first section. The loosened, enriched soil will work wonders for your plants!

Flower Bed Ideas ~ The Perennial Border Garden

2005-03-06T07:21:00.000-05:00

PRE-PLANNED GARDENS take some of the guesswork out of gardening. Even if you don't know a delphinium from a day lily, garden plans and the plants that come with them are package deals designed for success. All you have to do is dig a few holes and prepare to accept the compliments.

Here's the crowning touch of Spring Hill's special Pre Planned Gardens -- a well planned Flower Bed Idea --a Complete NeverEnding Perennial Border Garden designed by gardening experts to provide beauty for your landscape from spring through fall. The garden has been created to fill a 18'x8' border, combining spring-, summer- and autumn-flowering perennials in an "everblooming" ribbon of color. An ideal mixture with something always coming into bloom, it has plenty of tall accents and enough "flower power" for both border display and cutting. And it comes back faithfully every year. Each of the 63 prime quality plants will provide increased beauty year after year, with a minimum of care, and is fully protected by the Lifetime Guarantee of Satisfaction. Detailed planting instructions and diagram will be included with your shipment.

This wonderful preplanned garden includes 63 of the prime quality plants listed below:

1 Zebra Grass

3 Blue Fringed Daisies

3 Cranberry Apple Fantasia Mum

3 Moonbeam Coreopsis

3 Red Coral Bells

6 Dragon's Blood Sedum

6 Lily-of-the-Valley

3 Double Hollyhocks

3 Mixed Lupines

3 Super Shasta Daisy

1 Jungle Princess Daylily

3 Laced Romeo Carnation

3 Moorheim Beauty Phlox

3 Blue Chip Campanulas

3 Mixed Hardy Primrose

3 Mixed Monarda

3 Tall Hybrid Phlox

3 Black Eyed Susan

3 Achillea 'The Pearl'

3 Pink Dragonflowers

1 Royal Standard Hosta

Click here for $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery!

Preplanned Gardens ~ Fast Growing Sun Garden

2005-03-05T04:49:00.000-05:00

You can capture the charm of a wonderful English cottage garden around your home with this collection of 16 easy-care perennials. In creating the Fast-Growing Sun Garden, Spring Hill's experts were inspired by the traditional gardens of England's countryside and the cheerful flowers they produce with only a minimum of attention summer after summer.

Though selected for fast growth, this pre-planned garden will produce an attractive "old-fashioned" appearance. The hardy and prolific Wonder of Staffa Aster is a splendid cultivar of England's traditional Michaelmas Daisy. Stella de Oro Daylily adds fragrant yellow blooms throughout the summer. Double Hollyhocks are a popular feature of English cottage gardens, as are the white Ballerina Carnations, Mixed Monarda and Pink Coreopsis.

These showy plants-all proven performers in American gardens-will turn any sunny area of approximately 60 sq. ft. into a riot of color the very first year, and will continue to bloom brightly for years to come.

View Spring Hill Nursery's Step-by-Step Garden Plans Here!

Kiss Gazanias ~ Flower of the Year 2005

2005-03-04T08:21:00.000-05:00

You'll find the Kiss Gazania Mix to be ideal for sunny flower beds and borders. But why stop there? These tidy gazanias are ideal for edging walkways or planting in pots and window boxes, where their cheery blooms will attract plenty of butterflies. Or, tuck them into your rock garden-the drought tolerant plants will feel right at home. Wherever you grow your Kiss Gazanias, be sure to plant plenty! They're so easy to grow that you'll want to fill your entire landscape with them.

Click here for $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery!

New clematis varieties come ready to enjoy in containers

2005-03-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

Clematis is one of the most spectacular and versatile of all flowering vines. Its beautiful flowers demand immediate attention wherever this “queen of vines” is grown.

This is especially true when you grow the large-flowered hybrids, which have brilliantly colored blooms that can range up to 8 inches or more in diameter and have as many as 100 blooms in a single season. But don’t overlook the smaller-flowered types, with equally distinctive flowers that range in size from 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.

As is the case with many horticultural plants, the pronunciation of the name clematis is controversial. Botanists say KLEM-a-tis; most local gardeners prefer to use the colloquial, klah-MAT-is, for this beautiful climbing vine.

The traditional method of displaying clematis is to plant it at the base of a wall or fence and use latticework or a trellis for support. However, some types are more effective when allowed to trail over rocks or downward from the top of stone walls, and larger ones can be used to cover an arbor or pergola.

Good news! This spring, Hines Horticulture, a wholesale nursery based in California, will introduce a new type, which has been developed specifically for containers by Raymond Evison, a clematis breeder in England.

The plants are said to be hardy in our area, free-flowering and reach a height of 3 to 4 feet when grown in containers. They will be perfect for a small garden, patio, deck, front porch or balcony, or used as a ground cover. A single plant should be charming on a willow teepee, iron obelisk or small trellis.

Three cultivars will be offered: Cezanne, with violet flowers; Picardy, with pinkish-red flowers and contrasting yellow sepals; and Versailles, with wine-red flowers. Their flower sizes range from 4 to 7 inches wide, and plants bloom from early to late summer.

These new plants will be available in patio-ready containers, which can be wintered over or planted in the garden at the end of summer. For details on these new clematis and nearby dealer locations, visit www.hinesvines.com on the Internet.

Bold Colors for Your Flower Garden

2005-02-22T12:09:00.000-05:00

Plan your garden's bold color range for the intensity of light in its
peak season. For instance, if plantings look their best in high
summer, select the brightest colors possible so they won't fade in
harsh sunlight. Tone down the color later by editing out plants or
adding cooling white or silver plants as fillers among the brighter
flowers.

The flower combinations listed below offer a starting point for
creating your own bold color garden.

Bold and Beautiful
Use bold colors to enliven a scene, but remember to practice a
modicum of restraint. Consider these outstanding color matches:

Pair 'Royal Purple' smokebush with copper tulips or
red Oriental poppies.

Combine pink 'Silver Cup' lavatera with orange California poppies

Mingle red and gold daylilies, dahlias, and marigolds

Pair Rudbeckia "Goldsturm' and Aster x frikartii "Monch".
Include lamb's ears as a calming device for the glowing duo.

Mix summer bulbs: purple alliums and orange foxtail lilies.

The Magic of Magenta

Daring gardeners savor magenta's good vibrations and discover
endless ways to contrast one of the boldest of the bold colors
for stunning combinations, such as:

Magenta coneflower with silver artemisia

Hot pink English primrose with chocolate-leaf bergenia

Magenta cosmos with purplish bronze fennel

Lime green euphorbia with magenta-flower zinnia

Deep pink roses with cinnamon-hue plume poppy

Magenta sweet William with burgundy astilbe

Magenta 'Ann Folkard' geranium with golden orange daylily

Plan room in your garden for summer bulbs

2005-02-21T11:22:00.000-05:00

Here are some summer-blooming bulbs to consider:

• Dahlias: With blooms that range from simply daisylike to cushiony pompons, in sizes from 1 inch to 6 or 10 inches, on plants from 1 to 7 feet tall and colors from white to fire-engine red, the wide-ranging dahlias are the secret weapons of the fall garden. They start blooming when the weather begins to cool off and continue blooming until frost. Dahlias need full sun.

• Elephant ears: Another plant that has enjoyed a revival in recent years, these huge-leaved taro plants, often 5 feet tall and just as wide, can make a garden look "like another country," says Holmberg. Black Magic, a moderate-size cultivar with dark, velvety leaves, is popular, but Kunst likes Colocasia esculenta Fontanesii, with green leaves held on bright violet stems. Elephant ears need light shade, shelter from the wind and lots of moisture, so Kunst often grows them in containers that sit in saucers full of water.

• Tuberous begonias: Not the bedding plants bought in flats, these lovelies, grown from tubers, have luxurious rosettes of bloom that brighten shade in beds or pots. The colors are incredibly lush and velvety.

• Gladioli: Some people still associate tall, stately gladiolus with stiff funeral arrangements, Holmberg says. But Kunst thinks the tide has turned, especially for smaller-flowering varieties such as Atom. They seem to be more disease-resistant, he says. Ferguson likes to spot gladioli in clumps of five to nine among perennials, such as Flower Carpet Pink shrub roses, Autumn Joy sedum and perennial mums, which she says will hold them so they don't need staking.

• Gladiolus callianthus: Recently reclassified as a member of the gladiolus family, it looks very unlike its cousins, with sharp, bright white petals around deep purple centers, held on slender stems that sway in the wind.

• Cannas: Once derided as old-fashioned, cannas, with their often striped leaves and spikes of tropical-style bloom that add height to beds or containers, are red-hot in gardening circles. Maybe too hot. Kunst thinks some gardeners are turned off by "that hard edge that comes with a blazing red or blazing yellow flower." He points out the many more subtle cannas, such as the delicate pink Madame Paul Caseneuve, that bloom in much softer shades. Cannas do best in full sun, though they can tolerate a bit of filtered light.

• Gloriosa vines: Ferguson loves these because "they look like alien intruders from another world," with far-reaching tendrils and "flowers like orange and yellow butterflies." Grow in sun on a support such as a trellis.

• Caladiums: Grown for their heart-shaped leaves that range from green to silver, often touched with pink, caladiums brighten shady spots.

• Lilies: Don't forget: The hardy lilies -- early summer Asiatics, midsummer LA hybrids, late-summer Orientals and later Orienpets -- can be planted in spring as well as fall. Don't lift their bulbs; they are hardy and will thrive for years.

Arbors & Trellises

2005-02-19T22:12:00.000-05:00

From rustic to elegant, White Flower Farm has arbors and trellises that will suit every garden setting. My favorite is the "classic arched arbor"; I can imagine stepping through the rose adorned opening and stepping into my very own "secret garden". Arbors can frame a passageway or add height to your garden to make the overall appearance more visually appealing.

Roses

2005-02-18T21:25:00.000-05:00

The world is a rose, smell it and pass it to your friends.
~Persian Proverb