BotPower

The beautiful flowers, plants and trees in a garden increase the look and feel of the surroundings. But remember that all the plants want different care in different seasons and the need of all the plants is different. To increase the beauty of a garden we should be careful about them.

There is a difference between indoor plants and outdoor plants. So, one should know that the indoor houseplants and hanging baskets won’t need as much water in winters as they require in summers as compared to the outdoor plants, so only water when the soil is dry three inches under the surface. To prevent plants from becoming huge, limit them to one light feeding of fertilizer a month.

Watch your houseplants for insects. Check plants regularly for yellowing or discolored leaves. This condition is usually caused by over watering, but it could also indicate insects. Deformed plants and sticky deposits on leaves and stems could also be caused by insects. If you find insects, remove the plant to another area and treat the problem. There are numerous types of insects and other animals that can spell disaster for your plants. However, there are others that are essential for them to keep them healthy. Bees are vital for pollinating flowers and you should not kill them all.

A garden will look beautiful if it is clean, so we have to be very careful about the cleanliness. Keeping your gardens clean and free of debris and dead plants will help prevent insects and diseases in your garden. Pull up summer annuals and remove dead foliage from perennials. Keep the leaves raked and chop them up to add to the compost pile. Continue to water and turn your compost pile regularly when possible. Turn the soil in beds that don’t contain plants to expose weed seeds and soil-borne insects to weather and birds.

It is also essential to clean up your garden tools. Clean, sharp tools make you work easier Remove dirt and debris and oil wooden handles to help preserve them. Sharpen blades so your tools will be ready in the spring. If you take care of your plants and pay them the attention they deserve then your garden will give you many years of happiness. The hard work and effort you put in will be rewarded by the beauty of the plants in your garden.

D. Goldberg is the owner of Gardening
Advisor. Get gardening design tips and advice, garden supplies, gardening tools, ideas on composting, and a lot more.

Here are the major reasons why one should consider getting a
pair of trusty gardening gloves:

Gloves protect your hands from blisters, thorns and cuts while
doing rough work like digging or pruning in the garden.
Investing in one or more pairs of quality gloves is a good
decision.

Here are some tips on how to choose the pair that will suit you
best: 1. Look for quality leather gloves with a cloth back; this
will let the gloves breathe and keep your hands dry, cool and
comfortable.

2. If mud bothers you, select rubber gloves with cotton lining.

3. When spraying pesticides or chemicals choose gloves that are
made from neoprene. Gloves made from latex or any type of
plastic may not offer the best protection.

4. When pruning roses, use gloves that reach up to the arms.

5. If you usually operate large garden machinery, buy gloves in
brown instead of red as the latter may dye your hands.

6. Light cotton or even fingerless gloves may be useful for
transplanting seedlings. They will allow more dexterity and so
help to prevent the tiny roots from being crushed.

7. And of course, make sure that the gloves you buy actually fit
your hands. If you have small hands, try the children’s
gardening section. there’s nothing worse than trying to garden
is gloves that are too big.

Your gloves must be comfortable as well as give protection to
best serve your gardening needs.

Even with water restrictions in place, it is still possible to create an attractive garden without using copious amounts of water.

Soil Preparation

Soil preparation and mulch are essential in a waterwise garden. A good mulch has many advantages, including;
- adding valuable nutrients and humus to the soil as it breaks down,

- keeping the soil temperature uniform,
- reducing surface evaporation by 70-80 per cent,
- allowing for deep and infrequent watering,
- encouraging earthworm activity, which creates channels for the passage of water and roots, and
- eliminating stress in shallow rooted plants and suppressing weeds.

Compost and horse, sheep and cow manures are excellent for improving soil quality. Pea straw, lucerne, compost, leaf litter and chopped bark all make superb mulches.

Watering Methods

The method used to deliver water to plants is very important in getting the most benefit out of the water used. Conventional sprinklers deliver large amounts of water to large areas and can be extremely wasteful if not positioned thoughtfully. The most effective waterwise watering systems use in-line drippers, weeping hoses and drip tubes. These products are designed for placing under mulch and work best at low pressure, where water is delivered over a period of several hours, directly to the plant’s roots. In-line drippers are also suitable for lawns.

Grouping plants with similar water requirements will assist in preventing over and under watering. Computerised watering systems allow for the delivery of a set amount of water at specified times, to various sections of the garden. Tap timers are a useful and cheap alternative. Using phosphate and petrochemical free, biodegradable laundry powders allows you to safely reuse the laundry water on the garden.

Plant Selection

There are 100s of water wise plants. You can select from Australian natives or exotic plants that come from areas of the world with Mediterranean climate conditions (these are areas that experience hot, dry summers with the majority of rain falling in winter). Plant labels often state how much water a plant needs. If you are not sure, look for plant characteristics such as thick leathery, hairy, wax-coated, succulent, silvery grey or fine needle-like leaves. Other sources of information for suitable water wise plant material are old neglected gardens, holiday homes and streetscapes.

Top Summer Performers

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Correa alba, Escallonia varieties, Hardenbergia violacea, Hibiscus (evergreen) & H. syriacus (deciduous), Lagerstroemia indica hybrids, Lomandra longifolia, Plectranthus argentatus, Santolina varieties, Westringia fruticosa & varieties.

With a bit of planning and some basic knowledge you too can have a water wise garden.

Lyn Phillips
Copyright © Lyn Phillips 2006

http://www.thewaterwisegarden.com

Do you scour your seed catalogs or look at all the new varieties that have come out in your gardening magazines? You can’t wait to go to your local greenhouse and purchase them for your garden or flower bed. But when you get there, you find they don’t carry that variety.

Why not start them yourself?

So how do you start? First of all make a list of the varieties that look interesting to you. If you are a newbie at seed starting, try and pick some plants that would be easy to grow. There is no use getting discouraged with finicky plants your first time at it. Also keep your list to a minimum. You don’t want to overload yourself in the beginning.

Purchase seeds early enough in the season so that you can give them a good start if they need extra time. If seed companies haven’t been sending you catalogs, then go on the internet and search for seed catalogs and I’m sure you can find some sites that will be happy to send you a catalog.

Some plants need a long growing season, so you will need to start them early in the house if you live in the northern areas of the country. Vegetable plants like tomatoes and peppers or flowers such as impatiens and pansies.

What do you need if you are going to start your own seeds? Clean containers, good soilless seed starting mix, fertilizer, warmth, and plenty of light. You can buy special containers, re-use some from plants you have purchased, or some type of container you have around the house. I use empty milk cartons plenty of times. You can also use the milk cartons for making labels so you remember what seeds are in the container.

Do you happen to have some old seeds from past projects that were never used? See if they are still viable by pre-sprouting. Dampen paper towels, spread out the seeds, and put the folded towel in a bag. Place in a warm area and check every few days. If they haven’t sprouted in 10-14 days, I would give up and throw them out. You can also do this to speed up the germination of new seeds before you plant. Just handle very carefully when planting so you don’t damage the root. This is not good to do with very small seeds.

You are now ready to plant. If you are re-using cell packs or flats, wash first with a mild dish detergent and then dip in a mix of 1 part bleach to 9 parts hot water, let dry. In cell packs, place 2 seeds in each cell to be sure of getting at least one sprouted seed. If two sprout, snip out the weaker of the two with scissors. Very fine seeds could be spread onto a flat filled to the brim for good air flow.

Start at the right time. If started too early, seedlings will get weak and spindly without good lighting. If you don’t have a really good sunny windowsill you will need a special grow light to be sure of good growth.

When it is time to put your plants in the ground, you will want to harden them off for a few days to prepare them for the outdoor environment. One way is to hold off on the water a little and also place them outside for just a few hours a day, increasing the time gradually. In a week they should be able to handle the outside world without transplant shock.

Do you have a little experience starting your own seeds? Maybe you want to try something a little more challenging. How about tree, shrubs, or wildflower seeds? Generally, these seeds need stratification to germinate. That is, they need to go through some cold and moist temperatures plus warmth to break dormancy. Some will want darkness and some light. You need to know the specifics of the plant you want to start.

To stratify your seeds try this method. Sow seeds in moist soilless mix in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid or plastic wrap to hold the moisture and prevent spills. You don’t need a large amount of mix to get them to sprout. Place in the refrigerator for one week and then remove to let them warm up for a day or two. Place in the freezer for one week and then remove to let them warm up again. Alternate this method at least twice before keeping them in a warm environment to allow them to germinate.

If you have some really hard seeds, then you can try scarification by rubbing the seed with sandpaper or an emery board. You can also nick the seed with a knife but be sure not to damage the embryo.

Learning to start seeds can be fun and rewarding but it can also be frustrating if you don’t take time to learn the basics before moving on to the harder to start varieties.

Martha Bloom, owner of Bloom’s Nursery in Clearfield, PA. loves to garden and grow a variety of plants. Martha took correspondance courses in plants and landscape, provided by the Pennsylvania State University.

She also took the Master Gardeners course with Clearfield County’s cooperative extension program and has studied numerous books and magazines on gardening. As the years have gone by, practical knowledge has been accumulated along with the book learning.
http://bloomsnurserypa.com

Lawn tractors are probably the most powerful tool you might offer to any garden. They are the best solution for advanced landscapers. Lawn tractors will help those people who don’t have much time to take care of their large lawns. Among many other features, they are reliable, efficient, extremely fast as well as really easy to drive, getting a lot of fun while working, what else do you need?. Nevertheless, not everything is gold what it shines; they can be double-edge weapons for those who don’t respect the safety requirements. A lawn tractor is a dangerous equipment, so use it consciously and following the manual’s operator.

Every gardener driving a lawn tractor is concerned about safety. But, most homeowners don’t take enough time to notice how risky might be a lawn tractor. It is obvious the indestructible feelings that you feel when driving a large lawn tractor. You are there, sitting on top of a extremely powerful machine which responds to your orders instantly. However, there are many things, not desired, that can happen very quickly, putting you as operator and others in a terrible danger. Statistics out there say that year after year, many people experience lawn tractors accidents due to either an incorrect or unsafely use.

Here you have some important points to have in mind when driving a lawn tractor:

Clear the mowing area from objects that could avoid a fluent work. This is a very important premise that most homeowners forget. It might happen to run over a small piece of metal or hardwood. This will risk you to send the piece in question out the side of the lawn tractor, and therefore injure anyone within hundred feet around the operator.

Wear always safety wear when operating power tools. Thick shoes can save your feet, if they get close to the lawn tractor’s sharpen blades. And wearing goggles is as simple as protect your eyes from flying insects direct impacts.

No matter what they say, you must keep safety shields in place on the tractor. You never know when these guards will be required.

Influence Of Lawn Tractors Driving Experience

You, as an experienced lawn tractor driver, might be thinking on the years of experience you’ve got over the years. Despite your great driver skills and how conscientious you feel on the tractor, you never must trust on machines and should be aware all the time. At lawn mowers and garden tractors, we try to become aware of all gardening tools, because we know how important is the safety throughout your garden for you and your family.

What are the most typical mistakes when operating a lawn tractor? As we have said above, not cleaning the mowing area can be quite dangerous, but there is no choice when the lawn tractor blades are exposed. Try to use blades guards in order to decrease the cutting risk when operating those tractors designs, whose mowing blades are totally exposed. Landscapers always think that anything can happen to them, because they know everything relating to lawn mowers and garden tractors. Please, be as careful as you can, especially when riding a tractor on an incline. It might tip over and therefore creating the chance of blades falling down over you., it could happen, why not? Most mower and tractor manufacturers are designing currently machines with the weight evenly distributed. This will avoid the tipping over easily.

One sentence we want to insert into gardeners’ minds is : The more prepared you are for any kind of circumstance concerning accidents and safety, the better off you will be. Just remember to wear lawn tractors safety equipment, including goggles, thick shoes and gloves if necessary. If you ignore one of the small safety details when riding these machines, you could end up reproaching yourself why did not you do it. Gardening injuries are as typical as many others and lawn tractors are not a child’s game.

John Ewing contributes adding reviews and special articles regularly to www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com. A gardening website that carries interesting readings on lawn tractors (www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/lawn-tractors.html) and lawn mower parts.