Free Gardening Tips

Gardens are beautiful places to relax in. They can also provide endless enjoyment if you are a gardener. The idea of having flowers that give off pleasant smells as you pick your garden fresh vegetables and herbs is a pleasing one. The amount of pain that unprotected hands can go through however might make you reluctant to prune those rose bushes.

Gloves, in particular gardening gloves are the most important item that a gardener can possess. The process of choosing the right glove can be a little difficult especially if you are new to gardening. There are a few tips that can make buying your gardening gloves easy.

The best type of gardening gloves should be made from very good quality leather. They must also be gloves that can be used for whatever gardening job that you will embark upon. Buying a pair or two of general purpose gardening gloves that have a cloth backing to them, will let your hands stay cool and comfortable during the time you are gardening.

Many times you might decide to do some gardening after it has finished raining. This will mean muddy and very wet gardening. The idea of working with wet, slippery hands may not appeal to you. Therefore selecting rubber gardening gloves that have a cotton lining will absolutely protect your hands from the mud and dirt of a rainy garden.

To ensure that your plants stay healthy and insect free, many of us will use a pesticide. Wearing gardening gloves made from latex or plastic will not help to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the chemicals in pesticides. Neoprene gloves on the other hand are made for this purpose.

All most every garden has roses bushes planted in them. While a rose bush that is filled with blooms is a gorgeous sight, the many thorns on the plant can make a gardener's heart sink. To prune those very thorny plants you should wear gardening gloves that have long wrist protectors.

When the time comes to transplant your delicate seedlings in the garden you need gardening gloves that will let you handle them with care. However there are many plants that must be planted in the garden during the early winter season. Wearing gloves to protect your hands from the cold is a good idea, but it can impede your ability to feel the process of transplanting. For delicate winter time transplanting fingerless gardening gloves will allow you to do this delicate and detailed work, whilst keeping you as warm as possible.

The only other tip that you need to consider when you choose your gardening gloves is to see that they fit your hands comfortably. So, take heart, take plenty of notes, plan, and buy to your heart's content. Remember that gardening gloves truly are a gardener's most trusted companion. They will not only help to protect your hands from dirt, mud and thorns, they also aid in the prevention of painful blisters. Thus you will need to choose your gardening gloves with care.

Labels: flower, flowerinsf.com, garden, Gardening Gloves, gloves

Millions of people world wide just love their gardens, the universal question is "what to plant, what not to plant". Perennials are favored by many gardeners, not only for their ability to bloom for several seasons, but for the wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes they come in as well.

Whereas annuals must be planted anew every season, perennials can be left in the ground to bloom for several seasons. This makes gardening with perennials less costly and means that the perennial garden can be easier to maintain.

In addition, most perennials are very easy to work with, and the demands they place on their gardeners are usually quite low. Sufficient water, good soil and abundant sunshine are all most perennials need to provide beautiful blooms all season longs.

There are several important considerations with perennials, however, given the nature of their growth. Since perennials remain in the ground year after year instead of being started fresh every season, they are more prone to disease and insect infestation than shorter lived annual plants. This means that the gardener must be on the lookout for any signs of disease or unwanted insects, since an unnoticed infection can quickly spread through the entire garden.

The best way to avoid disease and other problems in the perennial garden is to make sure the plants are as healthy and robust as they can be. Healthier plants are naturally able to withstand disease and insects better than weaker ones, and an infection that would kill a weaker plant will be fought off by one in better condition.

In addition, the gardener should be ready to immediately combat any diseases or infections that are found. Keeping a supply of common fungicides and insecticides on hand is a good insurance policy when trouble strikes. Perennials should regularly be inspected for signs of problems, such as wilting leaves, spots or holes in the leaves. These can all be warning signs of problems with disease or insects.

It is a good idea to get in the habit of checking for such problems every time the garden is weeded, watered or otherwise tended to. When watering perennials, it is generally best to water them deeply once a week instead of spraying them with a hose more often. It is important not to encourage standing water on the leaves, as this can leave the plants vulnerable to fungal infections and other problems. It is also important not to water the plants during the heat of the day, since watering then could cause tender foliage and flowers to suffer burns.

Watering deeply and less often is almost always preferable to watering more often and more shallowly. Investing in a good soaker hose or drip irrigation system is a great idea for any perennial grower.

So, in summary, since the key advantage of working with perennials is their ability to come back year after year, we must remember that it is important to care for the plants properly after the current growing season has ended, we must remember that most perennials should be pruned at least once a year, but be ever mindful and pay attention to the specific requirements of each variety remembering that while some perennials benefit from a radical pruning in the winter, others need less pruning, it is also important to understand the exact requirements of your particular plants. Happy Gardening.

Wherever you look it seems that people are going green. They may try and drive using electric cars, or use natural methods of fertilizer or compost. There are even gardeners who use only organic products and tools in their garden. These organic gardeners will need gardening supplies that are a little different from that of your ordinary gardener. Basically they will need an organic gardening supply to continue with their gardening efforts.

As an organic gardener you will of course need a shovel, a spade and a spading fork to dig the soil in your garden and prepare it for planting. Then to take out the weeds and the rocks that are littering your new bed you need a hoe, a scuffle hoe with its forward pointing blade that you scuffle in front of you as you weed your garden, and cut the weeds at the surface. A pry bar is very good item even for organic gardeners to use in their organic gardening supply. With a pry bar you can dig up those rocks and boulders that sometimes seem to litter the surface of your garden.

There is always some pruning to be done in the garden. Rose bushes need to be cut back, especially if you want lots of big, beautiful flowers. A pair of good quality gardening shears or even a lopping shears can cut those large prickly rose stems cleanly without causing any disease causing breaks.

These however are the conventional gardening supplies that any gardener can use. For an organic gardener there are a few different items that need to be added to their organic gardening supply. Whereas the normal gardener has the choice of using chemical enhanced fertilizers the organic gardener can use bat guano or even worm castings.

With these organic fertilizers all that is needed is a couple of applications per month. Worm castings are the tunnels that are created as worms move through the soil. This movement not only breaks and loosens the soil, it also adds fertilizing nutrients to the soil. Organic fertilizers like these help to increase the growth and health of plants within your garden. Therefore they are an essential organic gardening supply item.

Gardening is said to be like painting. The gardener's canvas is the ground and the paint brushes are the tools that gardeners use. Whether you are a conventional gardener or an organic gardener many of the tools that you will use are the same. However the organic gardener has special items in their organic gardening supply. These items change the looks, taste and smell of the plants that benefit from them.

Organic gardening is 100% all natural and great for the environment. Why don't you switch to organic gardening and see the difference it makes to your life!

When you see a well tended garden, you feel refreshed and at peace. The reason for this contented feeling is the green grass and bright colored flowers. However to achieve that green garden look, some work is required. One of the best ways to help your garden to look healthy and green is giving it a good mulching compound.

Mulches are a layer of protective material that is placed around your plants and shrubs. They can be organic mulches or inorganic mulches. As the gardener you must choose which type of mulching will suit your garden.

Organic mulches are very similar in effect to pine needles and leaves that fall to the ground in forests. As organic mulches are of plant matter, they decompose over a period of time. This decomposed mulch helps to keep the soil moist and the plant roots cool, while keeping nutrients locked in.

There are different types of organic mulching that you can use. Bark, Wood Chips, Sawdust, Straw, Pine Straw, Shredded Leaves and Newspaper are some of the material that is used for mulching. As each of these mulches has different characteristics you should take care where you will lay them in the garden.

Bark, Wood Chips, Sawdust, Straw and Shredded Leaves can cause problems in the garden. These organic mulches can be washed away in the rain, rob the soil of nitrogen and let weeds grow in between their organic matter. However Bark and Wood Chips can give an attractive look to the garden.

Pine Straw and Newspaper mulching are best organic types to put in the garden. Newspaper mulching works best for your vegetable garden as they tend to suppress weeds. Pine Straw mulching works like the natural fallen pine needles. They decompose slowly, resist being washed away, and keep the nutrients in the soil.

Inorganic mulches like crushed stone, gravel and volcanic rock have a tendency to work their way into the soil. When this happens, you will have a bit of trouble getting them out when you need to do some digging. This type of mulching is somewhat permanent.

Plastic mulches should mainly be used for vegetable plots. Irrigation paths can be laid out on the ground beneath the plastic mulching. This will keep the soil moist and the plants well watered. You can also cut holes in the plastic mulching where you want water to go into your vegetable plot.

The other type of inorganic mulch is that of geotextiles. This is fabric mulch made out of polypropylene or polyester. While a closely woven geotextile mulching allows water and fertilizer to enter the soil, it inhibits the growth of weeds. This is probably the best type of inorganic mulching that you can put in your garden.

For a healthy garden then, you should place some mulching compound amongst your plants. You will still need to keep an eye on those pesky weeds though and pull them out, but in the long run, this too should be easier for you.

Labels: The Benefits Of Mulching

Plants, like people, need to be fed regularly, and like people, too much or too little is not a good thing. So, giving advice on fertilizing plants can be challenging. Differences in soil types, existing nutrients, plant type and climate are but a few of the factors that affect proper fertilization. First, let's understand a little bit about fertilizers in general. All plants require at least 17 different nutrients to survive. Some nutrients come from the air, some from water and others from the soil. When we fertilize a plant, we are adding some of the nutrients that come from the soil.

When we fertilize, three nutrients stand out as the ones that are needed in the greatest amount and that need to be supplemented most often. These are called the primary nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium . Every fertilizer will have three numbers on its label to indicate the percentage of each of these three nutrients that it contains. For example, our Bud-N-Bloom Booster is a 15-30-15 formulation. It contains 15% nitrogen, 30% phosphorus, and 15% potassium. Knowing the formulation is important, but there are other factors such as solubility, molecular form, etc. that directly affect nutrient availability. We will leave those details to the plant scientists and others who have a more technical interest, but it is essential to purchase fertilizers from a trusted source so you can have confidence that you are getting what you pay for and what your plants need.

In addition to the primary nutrients, many premium fertilizers (like all Cottage Farms fertilizers) include a group of nutrients know as the micronutrients. These are plant nutrients that are just as essential for healthy plant growth as any of the other nutrients we have discussed, but are needed only in small amounts by the plant. One can think of micronutrients for plants as being analogous with vitamins for people. Selecting fertilizers with a complete micronutrient package is always the best choice.

Young plants and recently transplanted plants often grow more rapidly and have a less developed root system than the more mature established plants, thus more frequent supplemental fertilization is called for. Annuals also require a lot of nutrients to sustain their rapid growth and flowering. For best results fertilize young, fast growing plants and all annuals every one to two weeks with a soluble fertilizer, such as one of our Bud-N-Bloom fertilizers. For established shrubs and trees two or three feeding in the spring to early summer should be sufficient. When applying soluble fertilizers, like those offered by Cottage Farms, the application would be very similar to a "watering" as described in the Basic Garden Watering section.

If you chose to use a "dry" fertilizer, place the fertilizer where it will reach the plant roots, within the area between the trunk and the drip line. Spread the fertilizer evenly over the entire area and be cautious to avoid getting fertilizer on the trunk. The best time for this application is in the spring when you see some new growth emerging. If you have shrubs and trees planted in grassy areas you will want to apply several small amounts to avoid burning the grass. If you use a "slow release" fertilizer, follow the label closely as each formulation varies in content and longevity.

Never fertilize a dry plant . It is a good idea to thoroughly water a plant the day before fertilizing. Be sure you have had rain or you have irrigated between fertilizations. Remember more is not better when it comes to fertilizing. It is very important to read the fertilizers directions on how much to apply. It is better to use less fertilizer more often than too much which can burn the roots and kill the plant.

As a general rule, fast growing plants like annuals need more fertilizer than slower growing plants. For most plants, stop all fertilization with the approach of fall and allow the plants to harden off and enter winter dormancy.

Over fertilization: Too much fertilizer creates a "salty" condition in the soil that can damage roots and inhibit water and nutrient uptake. The symptoms are similar to the signs of under watering (drought).

Under fertilization: Nutrient deficiencies occur when one or more of the essential nutrients are unavailable or in short supply. Nitrogen deficiency is probably the most common deficiency, and its symptoms are yellowing of the lower (older) leaves. Most deficiencies are difficult to diagnose and are usually avoided with adequate fertilization.

Labels: fertilizers, Fertilizing and Plant Nutrition, plant

Many perfectly sensible and sociable adults will confess that they had a secret, private hiding place in some garden of their childhood: a hidden corner in a grandmother's garden, a secret spot in a grove of trees, or even a shrubby nook in a vacant lot. In the rush to ensure that we create environments for socializing and for family activities, we can forget the joy we found in those secret garden hideaways.

Sure, it's great to have "together" spaces: like a pool for the family to splash in... or a swingset and sandbox for the youngsters. But more than one parent with a beautifully groomed yard has listened to their child speak reverently of the "hideout" at a friend's place: a bank of towering, unkempt weeds where a child can hide from the world.

Children have it figured out: the more hectic our lives, the more we need a place for renewal and rejuvenation. Creating your own garden hideaway need not involve major construction projects or expensive plantings. Instead, scan your garden for the three key criteria:

1. Hidden from the world: Look for privacy, or a sense of enclosure or hidden-ness. You'll need space for a comfortable chair for one. Is there a spot where you can grow a screen of morning glories... or maybe moonflowers if you plan to enjoy your oasis in the evening? The perfect kids' hideout allows you to remain hidden while preserving at least a glimpse of the outside world. Use the same principles.

2. The sounds of silence: You're a very lucky homeowner if birdsong and rustling leaves are your natural sound environment. For the rest of us, we need to improvise. Wind chimes are a popular way to create a more peaceful soundscape. But to many, the sound of water is incomparably soothing, and you can achieve the effect with only a babbling fountain in a large ceramic pot. Even a gurgle can help conceal or counteract the noise of traffic or humming air conditioners.

3. Eye-level beauty: Create a focal point that you can enjoy from your chair. Flowering vines - like the morning glory or moonflowers - can be helpful. Or put a pot of pretty annuals on a short pillar or stand. Consider some scented flowers to appeal to the senses. Only a fence to keep you company? Try mounting a framed mirror that reflects a pretty area of the garden.

From daycare to office work, our lives are overwhelmingly communal - and solitude is a quality which easily goes missing in our lives. Each day, try to disappear for a few minutes - with an early morning coffee, a mid-afternoon lemonade or a late-night glass of wine. Bring a favourite book, a summer journal, or happy thoughts... but leave your roam phone in the house.

Kid's Corner

Don't forget that children still love their own little secret spaces. It's not too late to grow a Green Bean Hideout: in a corner of the garden (out of the way but not too shaded) outline a circle about 5' 'in diameter. Build a temporary teepee frame with 8 or more long bamboo poles, nestled firmly into the ground around the circle, and simply secured at the top with twine. At the base of each pole, plant 1 or 2 seeds of Scarlet Runner or other pole beans. Kids will love watching their secret hideout grow to the rafters and beyond. And this hideout has a built-in kitchen!

Living in the desert Southwest can be interesting, exhilarating, and sometimes trying.

Take for example, your Desert Backyard. Sure, you may want to have an emerald green expanse of lawn and trees, offset by a lovely rose garden or expansive beds of petunias and violets. Don't get me wrong, I love a well-kept lawn, but in the desert - it's just somehow wrong.

Most cities in the Southwest have restrictions on water use, or at the very least your neighbors will frown on extravagant use of the precious fluid. So let's take a look at what you can do to make your yard blend in with your surroundings and create interest to passers-by as well as for your own family.

Here are five of my favorite plants for a distinctive desert landscape

1. Soaptree Yucca - This plant has long narrow spiky leaves attached to a main trunk-like body. The leaves are similar in appearance to an aloe, but thin, without the succulent centers. At the top of the main trunk a long stalk shoots up and at the top of the stalk a bunch of white flowers sprouts in the spring.

2. Ocotillo - A member of the cactus family, this plant is characterized by its long spiny "fingers" that grow from a single point at its base. As many as 75 of these canes can grow on one plant. Ocotillo occasionally sprouts tiny leaves all along the canes, especially after a rain. The ends of the canes sprout red flowers in spring to early summer.

3. Verbena - A flowering shrub that makes a good bedding plant or ground cover. Plants normally grow to one or two feet tall and a foot and a half wide. Some varieties grow to a height of four or five feet. Flowers range from yellow and white, to orange, red, and scarlet.

4. Palo Verde - A tree whos name means green stick in Spanish. It is a spiny green multi-trunked deciduous tree. The leaves are tiny, growing in matched pairs on both sides of a main stem. The flowers are yellow and proliferous. They produce a pod that contains six or eight seeds in each one similar to peas or beans.

5. Mexican Bird of Paradise - A perennial evergreen plant that is drought resistant, easy to grow and lovely to look at. The leaves are similar to ferns. The flowers are yellow with orange and red centers.

With a selection of the right desert plants, your backyard can be virtually maintenance free and perpetually beautiful to behold.

The Roses are universally favorite plants. The bright vibrant hues give gardens a splash of color. You can smell the heady perfume of roses during summer as they fill the air. With so many different varieties to choose from rose gardening is a marvelous experience.

While it's true that there many roses that you can choose from, the type is not important. What is important is that you plant them where you can reap the benefits later on. Roses are hardy plants. With so many gardeners breeding new hardy varieties, roses can now grow in any type of condition. Difficult soil and garden problems are no longer a barrier to well grown rose gardens.

The key to rose gardening lies in buying plants that are at least two years old, that have been field grown and are budded. If your young rose plants are pruned then the heavy stems need to be 1/4 inches in diameter at the top. On the other hand if the rose plant is not pruned, then there should be three or more heavy stems that are 18 inches in diameter.

You need to plant your roses in a sunny, well-drained spot. You should trim of all the bruised and broken stems off. In rose gardening roses needed to be eased into the ground. You first dig a hole 6 inches deeper than the rose roots need, then make the hole wide and big all around so that the roots will not grow crowded or bent.

The bottom of the hole should have small rocks or pebbles in it. This rock formation will aid in the drainage for the roses. After the stones have been placed, mix one tablespoon of fertilizer over the stones. Above this lay good fertile soil until the level is where you will plant your rose plant. In the mound of soil make a small hole and carefully plant your rose bush in there. You will need to make sure that the hole has room for the roots. Then cover the roots with soil, firming the soil every so often.

Rose gardening requires that you feed your roses at regular intervals to ensure healthy growth. The first feeding should therefore be given in early spring, before the roses bloom. The second feeding will come after the first heavy blossoming is finished. The third feeding occurs in late summer. If you are lucky there might be roses that will bloom until about November. If this is the case, then feed your plants a fourth time around

While all this care does help in rose gardening, chemical pesticides are needed to prevent sucking and chewing insects from damaging your roses. This pesticide also works to cut down on the fungus that likes to grow on roses.

Rose gardening is a lovely pleasant smelling hobby to do. If you take care of your plant during the initial days, then you will be rewarded with big, vibrant blossoms that are a joy to behold.

If you take pride in your lawn you probably spend a lot of time taking care of it. You provide it with the right fertilizer several times a year. You water it regularly and keep it meticulously manicured. But what do you do when crabgrass enters your lawn? This article will give you some tips on controlling a crabgrass problem.

There are two main ways to control crabgrass. You can use natural ways and chemical methods. The best way to control them would be a combination of both methods.

With chemical methods of crabgrass control you will need to apply a pre-emergent before it germinates. When the temperature reaches a sustained 55 degrees for more than three or four days the crabgrass will begin to grow. The only way to really treat crabgrass is to kill it before it starts to actively grow. After that time it becomes much harder.

To naturally prevent crabgrass all you have to do is maintain a healthy lawn. Crabgrass takes advantage of sick lawns and moves in so you need to keep your lawn strong. Do not cut it too short and apply fertilizer at the correct times of year (when your lawn is actively growing). Finally if you have crabgrass, rinse your mower off after cutting an affected area. This prevents the crabgrass from spreading to unaffected areas.

Crabgrass can be difficult to get rid of but have patience. By using the natural and chemical methods above you will eventually control the problem.

Ever watched a water fountain whether it is man made or natural? Ever took the time to listen to the gentle gurgle of water flowing. It envelopes one in an environment of serenity, contemplation, and reflective thought. It sets the mood for relaxation in any garden or home. Instead of using white noise, it is more therapeutic to use the actual sounds of flowing water as it freely releases oxygen into the air.

Just watching a water fountain in of itself soothes the nerves and revives the senses. All around the world you will find water fountains. It had existed during the time of the Egyptians gardens around 3,000 BC. The Persians had elaborate gardens using water fountains as irrigation. The Greeks and Romans had numerous water fountains in their gardens and baths for all to appreciate. During the 15th century of Spain the Moors introduced beautiful gardens, tiled water fountains and public baths.
In fact, around the world there has been an appreciation for gardens and water fountains from ancient times. In China, India, Japan just to name a few other countries had and still have elaborate watger fountains which always goes well with keeping a beautiful garden in the home or outside.

In modern time, the only thing that has changed is the time we take to appreciate its beauty and allow it to heal our mind and spirit.

Isn't nature wonderful? What better way is there for you to enjoy nature than from the comfort of your own patio. But if you really want to rough it and feel the roughness of the paving stones under your bottom, then you really need to consider investing in some furniture for those warm sultry summer nights. One of the best options now available is teak furniture for outdoors.

Teak furniture is renowned for being sturdy and durable and years ago it was the preferred material in many ship yards around the world for ship building. So if it good enough to be used on the seas and oceans of the world it is good enough for your garden. In fact whatever weather your part of the world can throw at it, it can cope.

You will find that most of teak used these days in this sort of furniture has come from either Indonesia or Thailand. Both these countries have tropical rainforest areas where the trees grow and mature under a number of different environmental conditions, and it is for this reason that they have become so resistant to harsh conditions and why this carries through to any piece of teak furniture.

Also teak furniture is more or less impervious to being attacked by either insects or rot and this is due to the high concentrations of natural oils within the wood that repel the insects, mould and fungus. These oils are not just present in the live trees but also in those that have been cut down to be used and so will definitely be present in any piece of teak furniture that you choose to buy. As you can imagine this is not good news for those homeowners who spent vast amounts of money of other wooden outdoors furniture and only to have it collapse or disintegrate in front them after a while.

So when looking for furniture for your garden or patio then you should definitely consider teak furniture to be the benchmark by with any other wooden furniture is judged. Although it is expensive you will find that there are large number of different variations of the furniture that you will be able to purchase such as teak chairs, teak tables, teak garden benches are just a few.

But there is one thing any owner of teak furniture should remember is the maintenance of it. There is one thing that not just wooden furniture but also teak furniture is susceptible to and that is moss. Not only is it unsightly but is dangerous if it gets wet. But don't worry teak furniture can easily with just soap and water and that is really all you need to do to maintain your teak outdoors furniture.

So all you need to think about now is how great it will look in your garden and just how long it is going to last for you.

Summer is gone. It's time to put our gardens to rest until spring next year. I grew too many tomatoes. I ended up with a lot of green tomatoes. A solution for that is putting the green tomatoes into a grocery bag, close it, and set it aside out of the way for a couple days. After two days, open the bag to see that your tomatoes are starting to change to red. Pull out the ripe ones. Keep checking the bag every day for ripe tomatoes.

I planted too many carrots, also. Keep them in the ground longer (until frost sets in) and cover with 2 inches of mulch to keep ground from freezing. By doing so, one can pull up carrots as needed for a week or so longer.

When garden is all harvested, clean out all weeds and cover with mulch for next spring.