Your Garden, Your Heaven

Design your Garden with latest trends

u begin any garden, you have to make sure you have the right supplies. If you start digging up your yard and find out that you need a garden hoe to do this and a trowel to do that and you don’t have those tools, you will be stuck with an ugly yard and nothing to do. Before you start anything, you need to be prepared.

In order to figure out what you need, go through the steps of the gardening process and figure out what is necessary for each step. First, you need to cultivate the plot and prepare the soil. In order to do this, you will need a tiller. A tiller is motorized and easily breaks up the ground before you. They are very efficient and easy to use, but can be expensive.

If you don’t have the budget for a till, you can replace it with several tools. Of course, you will need a shovel for the initial digging. If you have especially tough, rocky land, you may need a pickax to help you with the initial digging. Once you’ve broken up most of the dirt and removed the tough grass on top, a garden hoe will be necessary to further break up the soil.

A hoe is small on the end and can be used to chop any chunks and left-over grass and roots. You should use a cultivator to remove rocks and other large pieces that don’t belong.

When you begin planting, you will need some smaller tools. A trowel will prove invaluable to any gardener. They are used to transplant and help remove weeds. A trowel is simply a small hand shovel. You can also get a cultivator in a hand size.

Once your plants of started growing, you may need to prune them from time to time. For this, you will need some shears. Shears will help keep your bushes from over growing and by clipping back your plants, they will grow healthier and stronger.

Some other tools you may find useful include a hose, wheelbarrow, circle hoe, and fertilizers. You can use a watering can to water, but if you have a large garden, a hose will be much faster and more efficient. A wheelbarrow can help with gardening and any other yard work. A circle hoe is great to help weed your garden without killing your plants. It’s important to keep up your garden by weeding it and keeping it watered on a regular basis. Let these tools help you keep a beautiful healthy garden the whole season.

Wildflower meadows are noted for their easy maintenance and a wide variety of plants resulting in vibrant colors, interesting textures and an increased awareness of seasonal change. They are a welcome change to the traditional lawn and garden. Wildflower meadows are dynamic. Some flowers in the meadow will survive year after year while others may disappear and be replaced with something new. Wildflower meadows are not just beautiful, they are also ecological beneficial. They are only mowed once a year, increase plant diversity, introduce native species of plants and provide a home for wildlife.

Since the meadow landscape is based on the natural environment, they require a clear understanding of a site’s natural conditions. Consider using flowers which are native to your area. Native plants have adapted to the natural environment and can tolerate even the most extreme conditions. They need very little maintenance, no fertilizer and only as much water as is provided by rain. With some careful planning and a bit of labor, wildflower meadows are easily established. Once they are established, they’re low maintenance. Proper site preparation, including the removal of existing vegetation, will limit the ability of unwanted grasses and weeds to establish themselves in the meadow. Weeds are easily identified. They are generally not a member of the natural plant community, grow quickly, produce a great number of seeds, and can be invasive.

Aim to have equal percentages of wildflowers and native grasses in the meadow. Though not as visually striking at any one point in time as traditional garden, the wildflower meadow offers far more diversity in plant variety and floral display. Avoid using the meadow in a can method. They usually contain far to many annuals which will only last one year. Annuals will add color to the meadow but perennials should make up the majority of the plants. The seed heads of native grasses, which are found throughout a wildflower meadow, give it its fall color.

Starting a wildflower meadow from solely seed can work but it takes a while to establish itself. Plant the seeds in the spring and use a mix of seed and established plants for the best results.

Wildflower meadows require mowing only once a year. It’s best to wait until the fall, after the seeds have dropped from the plants. This will allow the plants to get an early start in the spring. Mowing will keep your garden in the meadow state, without mowing saplings from surrounding trees will begin to invade the site.

Though wildflower meadow takes a bit longer to establish, they are worth the wait. Try new plants each season to find what will work best in your area. With a little effort and patience, you will be rewarded with a low maintenance, colorful landscape.

In Today’s throwaway society, there is absolutely no need to go out and purchase mulch material for your garden, unless it is for the particular aesthetic appearance, “The Look”, sake of the mulch material.

Were you aware that there are a number of mulching materials that you can obtain from around your own community that are free, and some of which can even be even delivered to you for nothing as well.

Impossible you might say. Well I mulch my gardens fairly heavily, and I never pay a cent for the mulch material. As a matter of fact, most of the mulch is willingly delivered to my home for nothing. As the former owners are only too glad to see the back of it, as it would cost them money, time and effort to find other ways of getting rid of it.

I also combine these outside sources of mulch with my own compost, weeds and other organic matter mixed through to achieve a great result in my garden, and so all that it costs me is time and effort.

So what am I talking about? While some of the below list is delivered free, other items I pick up myself, depending on time, circumstances, importance etc.

Grass Clippings from other people in the area or from lawn-mowing contractors.

Wood shavings from local wood turners and carvers, ( Do not use shavings from treated timber).

Small amounts of solid fill from friends who are excavating. This is to assist in raising garden beds, in my heavy clay soil.

Light prunings from shrubs which is shredded by me or put whole into garden

Heavier sticks and logs, which are turned into trellis, garden stakes, garden edges, seats, frames, log planters etc. while they slowly decay.

Newspaper, cardboard, non-rubber carpet underlay, and even carpet and carpet squares. Which is put under other mulch to prevent grass and weed regrowth

Animal manures sometimes mixed with straw from places like Racetracks and Showgrounds, Pony Clubs, Stables etc. I contact them well beforehand to see if any is available.

To this I also add my own weeds, throwing away some which can still be a potential problem, or burying them below the bottom most layer of mulch material to stop them regrowing.

Another item I add is any old potting mix from deceased plants or when repotting plants.

Being a fairly lazy gardener, I throw the material around a bit at a time, as they are available, and let nature mix them for me. On a couple of occasions I have received a bit too much wood shavings so these became path material between some of the garden beds, with a heavy underlay of newspapers. People even tell me that it looks and feels good underfoot.

Never put a large amount of fresh animal manure on any garden, as it will burn any plant around it. Be extremely sparing or let it age first for a few months before applying it to the garden.

I have been living in my new house for about fifteen months, and the mulch layer in all my gardens (there were no gardens originally), is about 10 cm or 4 inches deep. None of which I have paid for and little that I have had to even pick up for myself.

People are even starting to comment on how fast the plants in my gardens are growing in the local heavy black clay soils, and they are surprised when I tell them that I have never bothered to fertilise the plants. The reason for this is that the earliest laid mulch material, is now broken down into plant nutrients and is now feeding my plants as a plant nutrient soup aided by the soil life which has suddenly started appearing in my gardens.

Another benefit that has started to appear in the last few months is the arrival of insect eating wildlife into my garden. Predatory insects and birds are now visiting my gardens on a regular basis, where I saw none this time last year. Bees and butterflies are also starting to visit many of the plants, which have come into flower for the first time this year.

So what can you do to start locating your own supplies of free mulch material, well here are a number of suggestions.

Put a little sign near your gate, something along the lines of ‘Organic mulch required’, or ‘Lawn clipping wanted’. There are sure to be a number of local people who are currently throwing theirs away in your community or even local area. Never mulch solely with grass clippings as they form an impenetrable layer that air and water cannot get through. Always mix it with other things to stop it ‘thatching’, just like a roof over the soil.

See if you can get into contact with local people who are into woodturning and carving, or even local sawmills. And come to some arrangement about unpreserved wood shavings.

Check the local phonebook for local showgrounds/racetracks/stables etc, to find out if any have stable or manure waste to give away, for people willing to pick them up

In other words, start talking around the place that you are after mulch materials and they will soon start coming to you.

The only caution with using other peoples waste material is the chance that you might also import other peoples pests and weeds. I have rarely found it a problem because of heavy mulch on mulch routines. But it is possible.

One point being that when you first start applying mulch to your garden you may see some nitrogen deficiencies occur in some plants. This is because the organisms that are breaking down the mulch material are using up all the available resources of it during the initial breakdown. Once you have gotten past this time the old composted material provide more than enough nitrogen for future processes.

Another thing to be careful of is not to bury or mulch up against the stems of wanted plants, as it may cause further problems for your plants in rot problems around the collar of the stems.

So get out there and talk around the community, find the contacts, believe it or not they will be as grateful as you to solve their particular problems of waste reduction. As well as that, you may start making some new friendships out of the deal; I know I have.

Gardening has been converted into one of the most popular hobbies, and you probably know a gardener or two that would love a gardening gift for their upcoming special occasion. There are hundreds of gardening gifts to buy for both the beginner and expert gardener, and the great thing about gardening gifts is they can be bought just about anywhere: online, nursery, feed store, farmer’s market, even your local Wal-Mart or grocery store.

If buying a gardening gift for a beginner, an instructional or informational book is always a good idea. Books like this will give tips on how to eliminate gardening nightmares like disease, insects, and weeds. They will tell gardeners which kind of plants thrive in different climates, for more details visit to www.insomnia-battle.com as well as how much sun, water, and nutrients various types of plants require. Books like this can be purchased at nurseries, online, or at your local bookstore. If your gardening friend is a “computer nerd”, a gardening information CD might be a better gardening gift for them than a book.

Whether giving to a novice or expert professional, a plant is always a great gardening gift. Whether buying the traditional gift, like a poinsettia at Christmas, or just some random plant random, like moss, for more details visit to www.divorce-rebuild-your-life.com a plant is sure to be greatly appreciated and enjoyed. Another idea is to buy seeds or just a bulb for someone to transplant. Giving a perennial would be a gift that keeps on giving.

Theme gardening gifts using plants can also be loads of fun. An herb can come with an attached card including a recipe using that herb. A plant that produces nectar and will attract butterflies can be coupled with a book on butterflies.

Possibly the best and most common, gardening gift is gardening tools. This can be anything as simple as a hoe or rake to something more high-tech like an electric blower or vacuum. These are good for removing debris, leaves, or grass from driveways and side walks. Other favorites are gloves, hedge trimmers, and sprinklers.

An excellent gardening gift that is rarely though of is a calendar. Calendar’s can serve dual purposes; it can be decorative with beautiful gardening themes, or can be used to keep up with the moon phase that affects most all plants. A farmer’s almanac is also a good idea, it is full of information regarding the weather, moon phase, when to plant, when to prune; it is the best guidebook to gardening there is.

The ultimate gardening gift is for any gardener is a gift certificate to a nursery or store where gardening tools or plants are available. This way, your friend can get any tool they do not have in their collection, or any kind of plant their heart desires.

Gift giving is a difficult task at best, but if you have gardeners for friends, a gardening gift is an easy way out and makes your gift buying simple. Gardening gifts can range anywhere from tools to actual plants and with gardening gifts you have a wide range of costs to choose from. You can give a cheap pair of gloves or an expensive power tiller. So the next time you go gift shopping, thing about a gardening gift for your friends with green thumbs!

Even the most seasoned gardeners will have a question about their garden once in a while, and you can bet that beginners will be full of questions. Gardening magazines can help with questions that arise involving nearly every aspect of gardening. Not only will gardening magazines give instructions on gardening, they also provide readers with the latest news in the gardening world. 

Gardening magazine subscribers are privy to all of the latest information regarding things such as new gardening tools, fertilizers, and pesticides that are introduced to the market. For example, there are always new programs and clubs for gardeners to join, or perhaps a local gardening class that is available. When new tools are produced, such as a new kind of blower or vacuum, or new kinds of lawn mowers or tillers that are available, a gardening magazine is the best place to get all of the information. Not only will these magazines tell you about these products, they will also give you options on where to find them and for the lowest costs.    Gardening magazines offer hints and tips on how to rid your garden of those ever pesky insects. They will also discuss the many ways to recognize and fight diseases that may overtake your plants. The information you get from these magazines could be what ends up saving your garden.    Gardening magazines usually come with a gardening maintenance section that will instruct readers on things like how to prune, when to divide, which fertilizers would be better for your plants, and how much to water. They provide simple, easy to understand instructions on everything from how to deal with weeds to planting tulips.    Gardening magazines give ideas about landscaping and, if enforced, could change the entire outlook of your yard or flower garden. Garden designs can be difficult at best, and magazines can supply gardeners with inspiration and ideas on what will look good and suit their area.     Garden magazines also give subscribers the chance to write questions to be published so that they can get a specific answer from a gardening professional. They also provide gardeners with the chance to share their knowledge and expertise with the public by submitting articles of their choice for publication. One of the highest honors in gardening is to have your lawn or garden displayed in a magazine for everyone to see. It is definitely the pinnacle of gardening.    Gardening magazines provide gardeners with inspiration, ideas, instruction, and even entertainment. Many times gardening magazines will also provide readers with coupons that they can use to purchase items that will either improve, enlarge, or enhance their gardens. Gardening magazines are a primary source for both beginner and experienced gardeners everywhere to get all the latest news and age old gardening traditions at the same time.

Gardening and caring for the different rose types

WATERING

Roses are deep rooted and once they are well established are more capable than most plants of surviving mild drought spells. The first spring and summer directly after planting your rose is very important. During this period if the soil around your rose seems to be drying out give your roses a good soaking. Each rose could get about 2 gallons of water. In following years you will only need to water them if drought seems iminent.

FEEDING YOUR ROSES

As with all plants that provide us with beautiful blooms they need plenty of the correct nutrients. Give roses a good helping of blood, bone and fishmeal in early April, about two handfuls to each rose. In June a handful of specially prepared rose fertilizer will give your roses a huge lift. The magnesium and potash gives the rose a great kick. Just work the fertilizer in gently around the soil at the base of the plant.

MULCHING YOUR ROSES.

Mulching is a very simple task with great benefits. Mulching retains moisture, smothers weeds and generally boosts the health of your roses. Well rotted manure is best but garden compost or bark mulch can also be used.

DEADHEADING YOUR ROSES.

Deadheading spent blooms not only tidys up the rose but actually saves the plants energy and thereby encourages more bloom flushes. A light pruning of hybrid teas will encourage a second flush.

WATCH OUT FOR ROSE SUCKERS.

Shoots that emerge from rootstocks are known as suckers. These will be different in coloring and often by the amount of leaves, than what grows from the stems over ground. Gently scrape away the soil until you can see where the sucker is growing from the rootstock, tear the sucker away cleanly.

CONTROL OF WEEDS.

Mulching is the most effective method of controlling weeds and also the less back breaking.

Hoeing is not as effective and you must take care not to damage the stems.

Sowing other plants underneath the rose is also an option. The least favored option is the application of a rose-bed weedkiller. This will eventually damage the soil and thus your rose.

ROSE DISEASES AND PESTS.

This is an area that turns people off growing roses and really it shouldn’t. Roses have diseases and pests particular to them and as such regular treatment is very effective. The main problems are greenfly, mildew and blackspot.

There are plenty of products that treat these main three problems in one treatment. Performing a regular maintenance schedule starting in April will leave you with very few problems. Do make sure to follow exactly the manufacturers recommendations.

Your roses will respond brilliantly to a little regular maintenance and once you have started your routine there will be very little work attached. Issues will only arise once you neglect your routine and this is what often deters people from growing roses.

Landscaping a garden is one way of designing the house. It is an enjoyable way of making the exterior part of the house look beautiful. However, problems may arise in maintaining the landscaped garden.

The following are effective solutions that will help maintain a landscaped garden and provide solutions to problem areas:

1.    If the garden is too rocky, the rocks may be used as a design that will create a beautiful rock garden. Putting the excess rocks together to create a slope will add a natural look in the garden. The slope that was formed with the rocks will keep the garden from looking flat and unattractive

2.    If the problem is too much sunlight in the garden that causes drought, a solution for is to use plants that are low maintenance and can be planted even in direct sunlight. The plants will survive even when there is less water or too much sunlight.

3.    Another maintenance solution if the place has too much sunlight is to plant shade trees at the corners of the garden. This will keep sensitive plants away from direct sunlight and will help keep the soil moist. Regular watering should be continued if needed. 

4.    Sometimes the garden becomes too shady which causes difficulty in growing certain plants. The solution for this is to choose plants that can survive even in the shade.

5.    If there are weeds or unwanted plants growing in the garden, they should be pulled. You must pull the weed and its roots to prevent the weed from growing back. Trimming and cutting the weeds will only give temporary results. It is best to pull everything out to prevent the return of the problem.

These are just common solutions to some problems encountered in maintaining a landscaped garden. To keep the maintenance an easy job, it is recommended that you tend the garden regularly. This will prevent small problems from getting bigger and more difficult to handle. If the landscaped garden is well maintained, the plants and trees will last a long time and will save money as you will not have to buy new plants or accessories.

So you have decided that you want a garden! Well then, you need to start looking for the right kind of gardening tools to help you get started. A local hardware store should provide all that you need. Oh yes, do bear in mind that wintertime is not really the best time to start a garden – it is better to wait for summer to begin. And stores usually set up a sale of goods once winter comes to an end.

There are some gardening tools that can be classified as essential tools, especially for a beginner. What are these?

(1) The first thing you need is a shovel. If it has a round and pointed blade, all the more better because its function is to dig and move the soil around.

(2) For putting in small plants, you would need a smaller tool called the trowel. Since you would have to adopt a kneeling down posture, it is easier to use this tool for digging rather than the bigger shovel. If you get a little dirty in the process, never mind!

(3) The soil will have to be broken up before you begin planting. Use a garden fork which is small and very easy to handle.

(4) All plants need water, especially newly planted ones. So absolutely necessary gardening tools that you cannot do without are hoses! Buy one that need not be moved around and can reach all plants from the same tap.

(5) Your garden may already have some well-grown plants. Pruners, or what are commonly referred to as large scissors, will help in removing the dead parts of the plants. This ensures that the plants stay alive for a longer time and grow well.

(6) Some uninvited guests to any garden are “weeds”! A gardening tool known as hoe (has a flat blade) will get rid of them quickly!

(7) Sometimes, you may find large trees already present in the front yard of the new house you have moved into. The yard gets filled up with fallen leaves in fall season. A rake would be necessary to clean up the place.

(8) A leaf blower could be added to your store, to clear up the extra leaves which have not been picked up by a rake. Actually, the leaf blower can be used by itself as it functions faster.

Now that you have collected all your gardening tools, how do you ensure that they stay ‘in condition’ for a longer time?

(1) Every tool has to be cleaned after use and before it is put back in storage. The tools will remain functional.

(2) The tools have to be put away during wintertime.

(3) Before storing them for the winter season, coat the tools with oil or wax. Moisture will not affect them.

(4) With the return of spring, your gardening tools are ready to be employed again. The screws on the tools have to be tightened before use. This is a practice which should be followed regularly every gardening season.

A few last tips:

(1) Every species of plant has to be treated differently. So do collect information about each one before planting them.

(2) Do not keep too tight a budget when it comes to gardening tools. Have a long-term vision and do not grudge spending just that little bit extra.

(3) Forged tools are longer-lasting than ordinary tools, though they are more expensive.