November 28, 2008
How To Plan And Layout A Flower Garden
Author: Gregg Hall
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.
About the Author:
Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. Get flowers delivered at http://www.flowers-delivered-plus.com
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/how-to-plan-and-layout-a-flower-garden-27319.html
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November 23, 2008
A Guide To Growing Roses for Beginners
Growing Roses Needn�t be Hard</b>
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<br>Growing roses for beginners doesn�t have to be overly complex or difficult. By following these tips below you can soon have a wonderful rose garden of your own.
Buy Good Plants - The key to a successful rose garden is in the stock. Buy the best rose bushes or shrubs that you can afford. Miniature roses and old garden varieties are grown on their roots but other hybrid teas are grafted onto root stock so be careful when choosing them. Look for plants with at least three good canes from the bud union (the large bulb at the base of rose) and should be 8 to 12 inches long and are at least a 1/4 inch in diameter.
Plant Right - Roses need a minimum of six hours of sunlight a day, preferably morning light. Prepare your rose beds with lots of organic material to keep the soil well drained and loose. Roses require deep holes, at least 6-9 deeper than bottom of the roots. When planting blend a little rose fertilizer in with the soil and water well.
Feed and Water Properly - Roses are heavy feeders. Feed your roses with a minimum of fertilizer as least 3 times a year; once in the spring before buds appear, in summer after the first bloom burst and again in the late fall to help your bushes survive the colder months. Many rose gardeners simply feed them every 4-6 weeks. Roses also require lots of water if rainfall is insufficient. Deep soak from 30 to 60 minutes as needed.
Learn to Prune Correctly - Prune your roses by either thinning them out to increase airflow and sunlight or by selectively heading back the tips until you reach good buds.
Summer Maintenance - Deadhead blooms as they wither. Apply several inches of mulch to prevent weeds and to control moisture in your beds.
Control Bugs and Diseases - Spray for insects and plant diseases as needed. Check weekly for signs of black spot, mildew or blight. Take measures to control aphids, cane borers and other pests. Clean up and remove any damaged or diseased blooms, leaves or canes.
Winter Preservation - It�s not the cold temperatures as much as the heaving of the soil which destroys rose bushes. To prevent this and save your plants, in the late fall after your bushes before the first frost, push back the mulch and clean away any dead leaves, or fallen rose blooms. Remove any diseased stalks or branches and add any fertilizer as required. Now you can mound up soil with a top layer of mulch around the rose canes for protection.
Growing roses for beginners need not become a chore; if you take care to follow the steps outlined above then you can soon become an accomplished rose grower.
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November 20, 2008
The List of Valentine Flowers Does not End With the Roses
Author: Muna wa Wanjiru
As many of us know Valentine’s Day is considered as a special day for lovers. On this day lovers usually give various gifts to express their feelings. The most well known gifts for Valentine’s Day includes chocolates and flowers. While roses are thought of as being one of the Valentine flowers there are others that you can choose.
The other Valentine flowers include carnations, iris, tulips, lilies, daffodils and even daisies. The reason why some people will choose carnations to give as Valentine flowers is because of their rich, heady and spicy scent. The smell of cloves and the many dainty petals of the carnation all seem to convey the idea that these beautiful flowers are ideal to have as a symbol of love.
The Iris is also chosen as one of the many Valentine flowers. Its long stems open to show graceful and colorful flowers. You can place these flowers next to some fragrant baby’s breath flowers to frame the spectacular coloring of the iris flowers.
Of course even with these different flowers many people still prefer sending red roses as Valentine flowers. Red roses are considered to be the symbol of true love and many women love the idea of being presented with a bouquet of long stemmed (no thorns) red roses.
Red roses are not the only roses that are sent for Valentine’s Day. In fact you could send a bouquet of white, pink and red roses as a Valentine flower gift. Roses are sent not just because they are the symbol of true love but also because they have a gorgeous scent as well.
For the person who wants to give different flowers for Valentine’s Day tulips are the ideal choice. These graceful cup shaped flowers come in many beautiful shades so that even a few of these flowers mixed in with other flowers like carnations and daffodils will definite show how you feel.
Besides sending real flowers for Valentine’s Day you can select silk Valentine flowers instead. These flowers have the advantage of looking real without causing you or anyone else allergies.
As a result there are people who buy silk Valentine flowers when they want the flowers to last for a time. In addition to sending silk flowers your Valentine flowers can be in the form of scented and shaped candles.
The next time that you are looking to buy Valentine flowers you should see the many different flowers like daffodils, carnations, iris, tulips, daisies and even lilies that you can buy for that special Valentine bouquet. These flowers, candles, silk flowers and chocolates that are bought for Valentine’s Day are all reminders of what this special day means for lovers.
About the Author:
Muna wa Wanjiru is a web administrator and has been researching and reporting on internet marketing for years. For more information on Valentine flowers, visit his site at VALENTINE FLOWERS
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/the-list-of-valentine-flowers-does-not-end-with-the-roses-300593.html
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November 12, 2008
Why You Need A Compost Tumbler For Your Garden
Author: Anthony Tripodi
If you’re looking to turn your garbage into gardener’s gold and do it in a hurry, then you should try a compost tumbler. If you have a compost bin then you know how great it is to add compost to your flower beds and vegetable garden. But making compost takes time and it’s usually in short supply. A compost tumbler is a great time saver when making compost.
Some gardeners believe that compost is better than fertilizer because it doesn’t just feed your plants, it also improves your soil. Improving your soil keeps your plants healthier so they grow stronger and more capable of fighting off diseases or beating droughts. Compost is decomposed organic matter and is high in nutrients that plants love. Bacteria and other micro organisms help break down that decomposing organic matter and their short life cycles become part of the process itself. When they reproduce their offspring continue the process while the parents bodies break down and add to the organic matter. It’s nature’s way of recycling.
Creating compost will usually take a couple of months. If you get the ratio of browns to greens right, turn the pile to keep it aerated and don’t let it dry out you’ll be rewarded with fresh earthy compost. The more you tend your compost pile, the quicker your garden waste will become compost. Neglect the pile and it will still become compost but it’ll take a lot longer. For an example of this examine the rich soil in a forest. As leaves and tree litter fall to the ground, there isn’t anyone there making sure it’s the same wetness as a wrung out sponge. But by the time the next season rolls around, a lot of those leaves have begun decomposing and in the process, they’re feeding the trees and the cycle continues without any help from man.
The gardening season can be very short depending on where you live. In the Northeast we have about 4 months of time to grow the flowers, fruits and vegetables that we love. So unless you have a huge bin of compost ready to go on the first day of spring you’ll need some more during the growing season. A compost tumbler is perfect for making compost fast. Now you probably won’t make enough compost to fill new beds but the amount you can make is perfect to give your plants and nice top dressing.
Or if you are a composter with a pest problem, the compost tumbler will keep the critters out of your pile. The most popular tumblers are sealed up and only have holes for air. If rodents or snakes have been problems for you in the past then the compost tumbler is the solution that you’ve been looking for.
There’s a few things you’ll need to do a little differently if you’re used to bin composting. First off, you’ll need to add all the raw materials at once. Don’t continue adding or else your compost will never be done. Add what you want and then start turning. Try to turn it everyday. If not everyday then at least a few times a week. The first few batches will take the longest unless you already have some compost that you can toss into the tumbler. Or you can use a compost activator. That’s all activators really are anyway. Just someone’s else’s compost to help get your pile started. The bacteria and micro organisms have to get in there somehow.
Be sure not to over water when using a compost tumbler. Moisture doesn’t escape as easily inside the tumbler as with a regular compost bin. And most likely your ingredients such as grass clippings or coffee grinds were already moist to begin with.
After about 3 weeks the compost should start to look like compost. It should be an even color and you shouldn’t be able to tell what you put in the tumbler. If your waste is still recognizable then let it decompose a while longer. And don’t forget to smell your compost. It should have a nice earthy smell to it.
If you’re looking for a neat
About the Author:
Anthony Tripodi is the webmaster of WatchItRot.com - The Compost Guide. For more information about Compost Tumblers and all of your composting and gardening needs, please visit WatchItRot.com
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/why-you-need-a-compost-tumbler-for-your-garden-18237.html
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