What is the best indoor garden- veggie and herb?

October 28, 2011 by  
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garden
by knitting iris

sweetsurf3 asks: What is the best indoor garden- veggie and herb?
I’m going to school still and live in an apt. I want to grow my own organic herbs and vegetabesl. I just moved to SLC, Utah and actually plan to move back to Oregon in a year. I’d like to get things started though. What is your advice? I’d like to keep them potted for a while because I won’t have my own house to plant them in the ground at, for years. Thanks :)

The answer voted best is:

Answer by ArtsyGirl
Below is a great website that has a lot of info. Also, grow bulbs are a godsend!! Hope this helps :O)

You can grow herbs indoors this winter and add that just-picked taste to your meals, even when snow is drifting up against the kitchen window. You don’t even need special lights—herbs fare just fine in a bright window. Here are the best herbs for growing on windowsills and the smart techniques you need to keep them happy and healthy until you can plant outside again.

Basil: Start basil from seeds and place the pots in a south-facing window—it likes lots of sun and warmth.

Bay: A perennial that grows well in containers all year long. Place the pot in an east, or west, facing window, but be sure it does not get crowded—bay needs air circulation to remain healthy.

Chervil: Start chervil seeds in late summer. It grows well in low light but needs 65 to 70 degrees F temperatures to thrive.

Chives: Dig up a clump from your garden at the end of the growing season and pot it up. Leave the pot outside until the leaves die back. In early winter, move the pot to your coolest indoor spot (such as a basement) for a few days, then finally to your brightest window.

Oregano: Your best bet is to start with a tip cutting from an outdoor plant. Place the pot in a south-facing window.

Parsley: You can start this herb from seeds or dig up a clump from your garden at the end of the season. Parsley likes full sun, but will grow slowly in an east, or west, facing window.

Rosemary: Start with a cutting of rosemary, and keep it in moist soilless mix until it roots. It grows best in a south-facing window.

Sage: Take a tip cutting from an outdoor plant to start an indoor sage. It tolerates dry, indoor air well, but it needs the strong sun it will get in a south-facing window.

Tarragon: A dormant period in late fall or early winter is essential for tarragon to grow indoors. Pot up a mature plant from your outdoor garden and leave it outside until the leaves die back. Bring it to your coolest indoor spot for a few days, then place it in a south-facing window for as much sun as possible. Feed well with an organic liquid fertilizer.

Thyme: You can start thyme indoors either by rooting a soft tip cutting or by digging up and potting an outdoor plant. Thyme likes full sun but will grow in an east, or west, facing window.

Rooting a cutting
Many herbs—including oregano, thyme, rosemary, and sage—are best propagated for indoor growing by taking a cutting from an existing outdoor plant. To do it, snip off a 4-inch section, measured back from the tip. Strip off the lower leaves and stick the stem into moist, soilless mix, such as perlite and/or vermiculite. To ensure good humidity, cover with glass or clear plastic, and keep the growing medium-moist.

Transition to indoors
Before the first fall frost (while the weather is still on the mild side), start moving your potted herb plants toward their winter home. Instead of bringing them directly inside, put them in a bright, cool “transitional zone,” such as a garage, entryway, or enclosed porch, for a few weeks.

Once they’ve acclimated, move them to an area with lots of sun (south-facing windows are brightest, followed by east or west views). But protect them from heat and dryness. Most herbs prefer daytime temperatures of about 65 to 70 degrees F, although they can withstand climbs into the 70s. It’s especially important that night temperatures drop at least 10 degrees—down into the 50s would be better—to simulate outdoor conditions.

With the exception of basil, they’ll even do well with occasional dips into the 40s. (So turn that thermostat down when you go to bed.) Place them outside on mild days, and give them regular baths to wash off dust.

Water, light, and temperature
Most herbs like to be well watered but don’t like wet feet. That’s why good drainage is important. Water when the top of the container feels dry, or learn to judge the moisture in the soil by the weight of the pot. Add sand or vermiculite to the potting soil to ensure good drainage.

Learn to juggle water, light, and temperature. An herb in a clay pot in a south-facing window will need more water than one in a plastic pot in an east, or west, facing window. If the light is low, keep the temperature low.

Pest prevention
Choose the soil for your indoor herbs carefully. A good commercial potting soil is fine, or for a deluxe mix, blend one part potting soil with one part compost and one part vermiculite, perlite, or sand (or a mixture of all three).

Resist the temptation to use disease- and pest-prone garden soil. And when you pot up garden-grown plants, remove as much of the garden soil as possible without damaging the roots.

Keep such transplants separate from your other houseplants while you’re gradually acclimating them to the indoors. If you see insects on a plant during this “quarantine,” leave it outside.

If, despite such defenses, your indoor plants do come under insect attack, help the herbs stay healthy by providing the correct mix of light and temperature, and give them regular baths. A plant weakened by hot, dry indoor conditions is even more susceptible to spider mite, whitefly, or aphid damage than a healthy one.

If you choose to use soap sprays to control these pests, remember that the wet spray must come in contact with the insect to be effective. Spray in the evening (and never in bright sunlight) to prevent rapid drying, and wash off residues the next day (or before eating the leaves). Don’t spray very young seedlings with soap!

Hold back on the water and fertilizer through December, but when the days start getting longer in mid-January, feed them with liquid seaweed or compost. Even potted soil gets compacted as you water it, so cultivate it with a little fork, then top-dress it with compost.

February is usually a great month for indoor plants because of all the bright light. By March, they are starting to get buds, and in April, be sure to put them outside on a warm day. Then it won’t be long before the herbs—and you—are ready to move back to the garden.

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Tea Roses – Tips To Help You Make The Best Choice

October 23, 2011 by  
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garden tips
by Ambrose Little

Tea Roses – Tips To Help You Make The Best Choice

When many people think of rose beauty, they think of tea roses. They usually come with fragrant large blooms that are simply elegant, vibrant in color, and with velvet petals. If you want to add tea roses to your rose garden, you’ll probably be overwhelmed with all the different varieties to choose from. In fact, there are actually hundreds of tea roses to choose from. You’ll find them in various colors, sizes, and shapes. So, here are a few tips that will help make your choice a bit simpler for you as you pick the perfect tea rose for your garden.

Tip #1 – Make Sure it Will Do Well in Your Climate – One of the most important things to keep in mind when picking out tea roses is to make sure the one you pick will do well in the climate that you live in. If you live in an area that is quite warm, make sure that your tea rose can stand the heat. Live in a humid area? Then make sure the tea rose can resist various fungal diseases. Also, make sure that your rose is hardy during the cold as well.

Tip #2 – Read the Labels – Usually you’ll find that the tea roses come with a description or label. Even if you look at it and love it, make sure that you read the label information on it. The last thing you want is a rose that won’t thrive well for you, so read it first, even if you love it right away.

Tip #3 – Do You Want Fragrance – Are you looking for a tea rose that has a nice fragrance or do they cause you to sneeze and have a runny nose? There are some tear roses that smell wonderful and others that barely smell at all. Decide whether or not you really want a rose that has fragrance and this will help you make your choice.


Tip #4 – Know the Growth Habits – Make sure that you are aware of the growth habits of the tea rose when making your choice as well. Does it spread out, climb, ramble, or does it do well as a ground cover. Think about where you want to plant it in your garden and in what direction you want it to grow. Also, know how high it will grown and how wide. You don’t want to plant a rose that ends up too big for the location you have for it.

Tip #5 – Is it Disease Resistant? – You’ll find that every tea rose can get disease, but there are some that are more disease resistant than other ones. If you don’t want to deal with diseases, make sure that you go with tea roses that are known as disease resistant

Tip #6 – Consider the Care – You’ll also need to think about the amount of care that you can give your tea roses as well. There are some tea roses that take more attention than others do in order to survive. If you don’t think you have plenty of time to give a certain tea rose the amount of attention that it will need, then consider going with one that only needs minimal attention from time to time.

Tip #7 – Are You Going to Produce Cut Flowers – It is important that you consider whether or not you want to use your tea roses to produce cut flowers. There are some types of tea roses that are better for cutting and displaying, but others can be quite fragile if they are cut.

Tip #8 – Go with Healthy Plants – If you go out to a nursery to pick out your tea roses, make sure you pick out ones that look healthy. Look for plants that have three canes that look strong. Also, avoid going with ones that have branches that are damages, roots that are brown, or foliage that is shriveled. Make sure the roots are b right white and that they have buds on the stems as well.

Tip #9 – Take Color into Consideration – You’ll also want to consider the different colors available as well. Think about how different colors will go with the rest of your rose garden. Think about how the tea rose in full bloom will go with the rest of the flowers and the area around it as well.

Tip #10 – Reputable Companies – When purchasing your tea roses, you should make sure that you only purchase them from reputable companies. You don’t want to try to save money by buying from cheap companies. The last thing you need is a sick plant, especially since disease can spread, so make sure you get it from a great company.

What soil is best for a natural, organic vegetable garden?

October 16, 2011 by  
Filed under Articles, Question Corner

garden
by ~suchitra~

Peter H asks: What soil is best for a natural, organic vegetable garden?
What soil mixture is best for a natural, organic vegetable garden?
I want to grow:
-carrots
-radishes
-tomatoes
-cucumber
-peas
-lettuce

Should I use a mixture of peat moss and composted sheep manure?

The answer voted best is:

Answer by thisbrit
Do you plan to put the peat moss and sheep manure in a bucket and plant the veggies in there? Or did you wish to mix in the p.m. and sh. manure INTO YOUR EXISTING soil??

Big difference.

If you will be doing the latter, I suggest that you use a rather small amount first off – manure is HOT STUFF and too strong for a garden in its infancy. Peat moss is not toxic to plants.

Depending on where you live, you may be too late for peas. Get a gardening book and find out what “Garden Zone” you are in and follow the advice they give. The books are SO helpful.

And start a compost pile. I have four compost piles that are in different stages of decomposition and over the years i have amended my soil with compost, until I tell people you could EAT my garden’s soil, it is so good and rich.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

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Organic Gardening – How You Can Make The Best Out Of It

October 12, 2011 by  
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garden tips
by girlinredshoes

Organic Gardening – How You Can Make The Best Out Of It

Ecological gardening : what essentially is it? It is plantation of fruits, veggies, flowers, etc. Without using any chemical ridden pesticides, fertilizers but by using Organic-home made fertilizer.

Following are benefits of organic gardening :

One ) Completely chemical free garden

2 ) Save the environment from dangerous chemicals

3 ) No major drawbacks or dangerous effects of it

Four ) Better health- foods are grown naturally and removed naturally from the soils so many of the nutriments of the plant are not lost

Five ) Conserving cash by growing your own plants

Six ) Organic Veg are way more tastier, juicer and healthier than fruits grown though chemical based gardening

To make it more engaging and effective you can develop organic gardening as your hobby and get the delicious fruits out of it for your patience and efforts put into it .Creating an organic garden is simple and easy to do but need a lot of patience and work with a tiny know-how you can make your own Eden.

Organic gardening Tips for Newbs

The entire gardening has been divided into 3 phases :

1.Before

2.During

3.After

Before planting

Selection of location :

Choose a location that receives the proper quantity of sunlight for the plant you would like in your ecological garden. As an example, don’t choose a site which hasn’t got daylight exposure for plant which needs regular sunlight. You also have to decide on the dimensions of your garden so that there’s sufficient room for each plant

Choosing the right plant

Dependent on your location and size and kind of soil select your plants which you want in your garden

During planting

Make your own Natural Manure

Ecological gardening is all about doing away with chemical fertilizers and making your own natural manure. So it is best to make your own natural fertilizes like composts to dung you garden. Preparing compost is really easy and cheap. All you have to do is dig an enormous hole and dispose in it all of the biodegradable waste. For instance you can use kitchen waste products like remains of veg, dried leaves of trees, rotten vegetables and fruit etc. Into and then mix in a tiny water. And leave it for some days. When the entire waste degrades you may use it as manure.

Use of Mulch

Mulching help in protecting flowerbeds and trees of garden. Mulch is any material placed over soil in the garden. It’s engineered to retain soil moisture, supply nutrient elements and food to plants, deter weeds and forestalls erosion and water conservation. So a Gardner should use it as an important tip to make his / her garden more stunning

After Planting

After you have planted your seeds maintenance is the next step. Water your ecological garden each day which helps to prevents fungus and provides it nutrient and moisture. The other problems are of pests , such as slugs and beetles, so use natural and organic pesticides for your garden. Also remember to weed your garden.

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The Best Looking Spring Flower Garden

October 9, 2011 by  
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garden tips
by davidsilver

The Best Looking Spring Flower Garden

The Best Looking Spring Flower Garden

The spring is the season after winter and before summer. This is the time when the vegetation begins. It is the best season for blossoming of flowers. When you are planting a flower garden in spring, you should take special care of the garden plants. You should grow the plants that blossom and dwell well in spring conditions. For making your flower garden beautiful and attractive, you must know the flower gardening tips and utilize them in your garden.

Flower gardening is a wonderful experience and a good activity in your rest time. You don’t have to hire a professional gardener for taking care of your garden. You can follow the gardening tips and take proper care of your garden.

Spring Flower Garden

If you wish to plant a best looking spring flower garden, you should plant the flowers that bloom well in spring season. Out of the four seasons, spring is the best season for gardening. As the light intensity increases, the garden becomes hotter and the flower buds will come back to life and grow vigorously. Some of the flowers that are suitable for growing in spring are listed below:

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The Crocus

The petals of crocus are rich in color. These petals appear to be shining due to the reflection of the Sun. Crocus can be best for borders of the garden. It is the ideal flower for growing in spring. Crocus flower is available in blue, white, yellow, cream and lilac color with stripes on it. Some of the crocus flowers are aromatic.

The Cyclamen

Cyclamen has the appearance like a wild flower. It grows perfectly under shrubs and trees. It is also found in rock gardens. It is basically planted in pots to use for display purpose in spring. It has attractive leaves. It blooms pink, red, purple and white colored flowers. The flowers of cyclamen are sometimes aromatic.

The Iris

Iris is the beautiful flower for any flower garden. It is available in variety of colors that adds to the garden design. They can be used as the border flowers and can be blended with other flower plants. You can plant iris with other flower plants to enhance the beauty of your garden. You can plant it in the pots for display purpose.

When you are thinking of planting a flower garden in spring, you should prepare the soil bed in proper manner for your plants. Here are some tips for preparing the soil for spring gardens.

Soil Preparation

Clean the garden site by removing all the weeds, dead leaves and plants, sticks, rocks, etc. After cleaning, use a tiller and turn the soil to promote drainage. Mix the natural mulch and organic compost into the soil. If you have some problems related to drainage, mix some gypsum to soil. Adding gypsum to soil will flush out the salt from your soil. When your soil is ready, buy the plants for your flower garden and plant them with proper technique.

Follow all the flower gardening tips while planting the flower plants. Spring is the best season for planting the gardens as the plants thrive well in spring conditions.

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Garden Tips On Buying The Best, Cold Hardy Flower Bulbs For Outdoor Planting

October 5, 2011 by  
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garden tips
by WohinAuswandern

Garden Tips On Buying The Best, Cold Hardy Flower Bulbs For Outdoor Planting

Buying flower bulbs to plant and grow is an exciting experience that begins in the fall and continues through the spring. Dutch flowering bulbs are usually delivered to American ports by the month of September for fall planting. Major Dutch bulbs offerings include Dutch Amaryllis and African Amaryllis; daffodil bulbs and the famous, Tulip bulbs.

Amaryllis flower bulbs grow the showiest blooms and are pre-cooled to force fast flowering in 3 weeks after containerizing. Dutch bulb importers of Amaryllis offer a larger variety of selections and more bulbs to tempt the buyers. The African growers of Amaryllis bulbs appear to be enslaved to the Dutch Amaryllis importers distribution network, however, the African flowers that emerge on the Amaryllis stems are superior in many respects to the Dutch Amaryllis. The African Amaryllis blooms appear to offer clearer colors, more compact flower stalks, leaves that grow as the flowers appear, and more numerous flower stalks and grow from smaller bulbs. The large array of bloom colors from amaryllis includes red, pink, lavender, orange, yellow, white, green, maroon, red stripe, white stripe, pink stripe, and bi-color. Double numbers of petals on Amaryllis flowers are fast growing to be very popular choices to buy, since the petal count is increased to 12, instead of 6 that grow on most Amaryllis bulb flower stems, looking very similar to a huge carnation flower.

Daffodil flower bulbs are important Dutch bulbs for fall planting, because of their reasonable market cost, the ease of planting, and the growing of flower stalks in the Spring in various colors of yellow, white, orange, and the rare pink daffodil. Daffodil bulbs are easy to naturalize to bloom again every year.

Tulip bulbs are a native flowering plant of Turkey, but long ago tulips were hybridized on a large commercial scale by Dutch bulb growers. The cost of Dutch tulips has not always been inexpensive to buy, but tulip buyers today still love the spring flower colors of red, pink, orange, yellow, blue, purple, white, and bi-color. Cities and government organizations anxiously buy tulip bulbs in huge numbers during winter seasons to grow in beautiful landscape displays for the Spring.

Agapanthus bulbs are often called ‘Lily of the Nile’, and Agapanthus grows profusely along the Nile River in Egypt, and the blooms captivated the ancient African plant explorers who dug the bulbs for shipping back to European gardens. Blue and white colors of Agapanthus rhizomes have been hybridized in recent years to intensify colors, and some Agapanthus plants are cold hardy down to zero degrees F., whereas, the older clones of native Agapanthus were considered to be tropical in nature and not very cold hardy, so they were not introduced for planting in more Northern locations until recently, when gardeners from more Northern States experimented with new Agapanthus hybrids and determined their cold hardy tolerance.

The Canna lily rhizome has been long considered to be tropical in nature, with very little cold hardy resistance. The early American botanist and explorer, William Bartram, wrote in his book, Travels, in 1773, the discovery of Canna indica in Alabama near Mobile, “Canna indica is surprising in luxuriance, presenting a glorious show, the stem rises six, seven, and nine feet high, terminating upwards with spikes of scarlet flowers.” Bartram also discovered the native Canna flaccida, growing near Fort Frederica, Georgia, located on the Island of St Simon’s. Canna lily colors are broad, red, white, pink, lavender, orange, yellow, speckled, bi-color and others. Some Canna flower growers plant cannas with variegated leaf forms that are striped with red, green, yellow, white, and pink. Dutch distributors of canna rhizomes still flood retail box store, garden centers with “Victorian-age” canna bulbs of poor quality; varieties that had declined, “run out”, 50 years ago, and they should have been discontinued and not presented to buyers at a garden center nursery.

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Ginger lily rhizomes grow flowers with fragile, delicate blossoms – many looking like miniature orchid flowers. The foliage of Ginger lilies is interestingly variable, growing in colors of green, yellow, maroon, and stripes of yellow or white. Interest in planting ginger lilies has surged in 20 years, because of the realization that many ginger lilies are cold hardy, surviving temperatures as cold as zero degrees F. The foliage and the flowers are pleasantly aromatic.

Daylilies are actually not bulbs but rhizomes, but are sold extensively as daylily bulbs. Thousands of named varieties of Daylily bulbs have been easily hybridized by legions of backyard gardeners and the selection improvement and flower quality is absolutely astonishing. The improvement has resulted in growing double flower daylily, miniature daylily, cold hardy daylilies, and compact clumping or large clumping daylily plants. It is staggering to realize all these many colors – red, white, yellow, orange, purple, pink, and bi-color originated from an original native plant -a seedy, yellow daylily growing wild on the forest edge.

Elephant Ear bulbs are very variable, some growing into bulbs and others into rhizomes. Gardeners have always been fascinated that the Elephant Ear plants grow large in the landscape into huge clumps with that unforgetable tropical appearance. Great interest in Elephant Ear bulbs has resulted in recent years by a nationally tested demonstration that Elephant Ear bulbs are cold hardy enough to survive temperatures of zero degrees. Curious leaf patterns appear on hybrid Elephant Ear plants, and the extensive variegated patterns that appear on the leaves add a stunning, mysterious attraction from their random markings and splashes of yellow, white, and maroon on the surfaces of various leaf sizes, some large enough to hide the body of a mature man or small enough leaf to place in the palm of the hand. Elephant Ear bulbs can grow as large as the human head or the size of a quarter. Offset bulbs are abundant from Elephant Ear bulbs in the fall as the plants grow dormant to regrow when replanted in the spring. In the wholesale trade of Elephant Ear bulbs, it is a common practice to divide them into two major commercial categories, the Alocasia, and the Colocasia, based on many taxonomical growth characteristics.

Crinum Lily bulbs offer to an adventurous hobbiest or gardener an antique garden bulb selection that has been reintroduced as improved crinum clones by the brilliant inductiveness of chemist, Lester Hannibal of Fair Oaks, California. Lester Hannibal back crossed and intercrossed many native crinum lily species to offer the gardener an excellent, cold hardy crinum, an “interspecific hybrid”, that can be grown as far North as Philadelphia, PA, zone 6, and to survive intense freezes of below zero temperatures. Many of Lester Hannibal’s crinum flower hybrids were a re-creation of obsolete but popular commercial crosses that were made by Cecil Houdyshel in the 1930′s, but largely improved upon from the original “Powellii” forms with clear, white and pink colors, an increase in the number of flowers in the umbel, extended flowering periods, an eliminatio of drooping flowers, an intensification of fragrance and early flowering after sprouting from the germination of the seed. The “milk and wine” crinum lilies were named, because the flowers were white (milk) and wine striped colors. Crinum colors are burgundy, red, pink, white, greenish-yellow, and orange. Crinum bulbs increase by growing into clumps of multiple offsets from the central mother bulb, or by planting the seed of some cultivars or species.

-Rare, Hard-To-Find Flower Bulbs of Merit-
Many rare minor flower bulbs are unavailable to buy anywhere, except by possibly exchanging plants with collectors and hobbiest. The Amazon lily, Encharist grandiflora, blooms with six white, daffodil like petals, and a green or glowing yellow cup radiating from the center. This delicate flower can be remembered from days past for its wonderful charming fragrance. The Bird of Paradise is known for the two tropical forms, the Strelizia reginae, the most common: brilliantly colored flowers with orange, red, and blue glaring blossoms; and the Strelizia nicholae that grows large, showy, white flowers. The Blood Lily, Scadoxus mutliflorus, forms baby-head sized globular flowers with red filamented petals and radiate fragile threads of red that are affixed to the to the center of the bloom, great for container culture. The Red Butterfly lily, Odontonema strictum, won the perennial plant award of the year in Florida in the year 2000, and butterflies and hummingbirds flock to visit the fiery red spikes, beginning in mid-August and continuing until the first hard freeze. The Calla lily, Calla palustrus, has been hybridized with many other Calla lily species to grow into many splendid colors, but the new hybrids are not as popular as the white, fragrant, winter-blooming, Calla aethiopica; and the yellow calla, Calla aethiopica. Clivia lilies, Clivia minata, are choice heavy shade-requiring plants that produce gigantic clusters of orange flowers, cup shaped, with a yellow throat, and often will re-bloom two or three times from large bulbs. The Gloriosa lilies, Gloriosa rothschildiana, a climbing vine that clothes itself with recurved, star-like flowers that are favored and admired by florists and flower arrangers, because the blooms last so well. The Inca Lily, Alstomeria aurantiaca, has become naturalized in America, as an escaped bulb from the tropical jungles of Peru. The Alstromeria flowers last well as a cut-flower, and waxy, greenish-red funnels begin blooming vigorously in the spring. Lycoris are a charming group of flower bulbs that called “Spider Lily”, and they bloom in floral colors of pink, yellow, white, and red, Lycoris radiata, which is the most widely grown. The Pineapple Lily, Eucomis bicolor, grows into flowers that are shaped like miniature pineapple fruits in colors of white and rusty-red. Scilla flower bulbs are grown in large numbers as bedding plants, many Dutch varieties are small and make good cut flowers, but the best cold hardy Scilla is the Scilla peruviana that forms and grows into glowing, purplish-blue flowers that either grow as well as bedding plants, or containerized plants. Voodoo lilies, Amorphophallus bulbifer, are strange and bazaar leafy bulbous plants, both in leaf and flower, with a suggestive look of snakes, cobras, and other vermin that may be lurking beneath the leopard-spotted menacing leaves. Zephyranthes are called “rain lilies”, and softly bloom in colors of pink, Zephyranthes grandiflora; yellow, Zephyranthes citrina; white, Zephyranthes atamasco; and a mind-numbing number of Zephyranthes bulb mongrels that are distributed by a retired breeder in San Antonia, Texas, who apparently has nothing better to do, than paralyze all the worlds earnest taxonomists into the task of assembling the records of his Mexican-American bulb-children lineage into a staggering Encyclopedia publication.

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Deciding Which Kind of Garden Is Best For Your Landscape

October 3, 2011 by  
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gardening
by Maia C

Deciding Which Kind of Garden Is Best For Your Landscape

Gardens are as old as civilization. They always provide hours of pleasure to gardeners and garden enthusiasts alike. Preparing the landscape properly for your garden beds, will allow you to enjoy the additional colors and plants your garden will provide you for years to come.

Gardens with an abundance of flowering plants that bloom over a long period can increase the quantities and types of pollinating and native insects. Insects are usually attracted to plants that provide an abundant harvest of nectar and pollen. The sugars in nectar give insects their energy while the pollen is abundant in protein and fats, which is what bee babies need to grow. Certain gardens are for decorative purpose only, and others produce food crops. Flower gardens blend plants of varying heights, colors, textures, and fragrances to enchant interest and overwhelm the senses.

Usually, rain gardens are planted with an assortment of perennial native plants, that are designed to slow, capture, and infiltrate rain. Native plants are a solid choice for their drought resistance, and they are best adapted to soil and temperature conditions in a particular area. They also will attract butterflies and birds. Which are always a delight to watch.

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French gardens are always formal and are usually the type of gardens found at large homes, hotels, theatres, and other attractions. French gardens are laid out in specific geometrical and symmetrical patterns that usually follow a grid. And many of these gardens have mazes of hedge and topiaries, or plants and bushes cut to resemble animals, people, or shapes. More formal French gardens were very popular landscape designs used frequently by the English nobility to dress up their country homes. It was not at all uncommon to see a specific and ornate French garden in the middle of the English countryside.

Chinese gardens are wonderful places for peace, study, meditation and relaxation, but they can also be great spots to just enjoy a conversation with a friend, spend time with the family or get some exercise. Be sure to explore one when visiting a city lucky enough to possess a Chinese garden.

Japanese gardens are becoming more and more popular although they can be difficult to do if you don’t have enough space in which to work with. Japanese gardens will have a tiny structure at the center of the garden, either a home or a teahouse which looks out over the rest of the garden. Japanese gardens utilize elemental designs that mostly feature rocks, water in the form of a brook or a lake, and a lantern or lighted feature is used in the garden, as well as a bridge or stepping stones.

Tropical gardens are popular because they are often full of exotic plants with beautiful rich colors and thick heavy foliage. These gardens are amazing and will be a difficult kind of garden to create due to the delicate tropical plants that only thrive in very precise conditions. Maintaining a tropical garden is a bit like having a salt water fish tank — both are exploding with color, they are exotic and mysterious, and both require a lot of time, knowledge, and effort to keep alive.

Victorian gardens are also very popular, particularly with more seasoned gardeners. These gardens can incorporate many types of plants and flowers and may also have stone statues, cherubs or gargoyles, an abundance of old style era roses, colored and glitzy balls and benches of stone or footpaths.

For more information on gardens and gardening check out http://thegardenerszone.com

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Anyone know about the best gardening strategies if you have severe back pain/strength issues?

October 3, 2011 by  
Filed under Articles, Question Corner

garden
by bluekdesign

mississippilady asks: Anyone know about the best gardening strategies if you have severe back pain/strength issues?
I love to garden but have not been able to lift even 5 lb. garden soil bags since last season, or enjoy gardening as just pulling up soil with the shovel can put me in pain for days, due to a congenital back defect which is deteriorating. I have a very limited budget. Any suggestions? Thanks!

The answer voted best is:

Answer by vhines200
try bonsai

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Garden Furniture from the best stock

October 2, 2011 by  
Filed under Articles

gardening
by lenjerie intima

Garden Furniture from the best stock

Glossop Garden Centres online shopping site offers an excellent delivery service; we are proud to stock a range of Garden Furniture, from Leisuregrow, Europa and Alexander Rose who all supply high quality products. Glossop Garden Centres collection of Garden Furniture offers an extensive range allowing you to bring the comfort of the inside to your outdoor living space with a choice of stunning looks. The high-quality materials used in the manufacturing of all our Garden Furniture: Garden Tables, Garden Benches, Garden Chairs is present across the entire range including the Garden Parasols, ensuring an all weather performance, longevity and durability in your choice of Garden Furniture. From the comprehensive Leisuregrow catalogue of Garden Furniture, Glossop Garden Centre is pleased to offer a selection for you to enjoy from some of their most successful and popular garden sets. Choosing the perfect set of Garden Furniture has never been easier. The timeless West Virginia range of Garden Furniture is considered by many to be Leisuregrows signature collection. The round or rectangular Garden Tables are manufactured from rust-resistant aluminium and both Garden Tables are enhanced by their natural coffee tones and have standard safety glass. The West Virginia Garden Tables come complete with either: The West Virginia armchair or The West Virginia recliner. Both have frames produced from rust-resistant aluminium and a highly durable, yet comfortable textaline. Again the natural hue of this modern day material not only provides a comfortable dining experience, but the all weather performance of the textaline gives you a worry free set of Garden Furniture. In addition to the four and the six seated Garden Furniture sets, Glossop Garden Centre can also offer the stylish West Virginia Two Seat Swing; The West Virginia Two Seat Glider; the much desired West Virginia Swivel Lounge Chair and for those long summer days The West Virginia Lounger. All of these additions to your set of Garden Furniture can be beautifully housed in the 3m x 3m West Virginia Gazebo. A complete living space outdoors – simply relax and enjoy. Glossop Garden Centre can also offer you a selection from Leisuregrows stunning Madrid range of Garden Furniture. Completely maintenance free, the easy-wipe synthetic flat-weave and glass surfaces give the Madrid collection of Garden Furniture longevity, durability whilst at the same time remaining a stylish set for that ultimate dining and relaxing experience outdoors. All of the Leisuregrow Garden Furniture weave is made from man-made polyethylene, a strong and highly flexible material. The all weather performance of the weave makes it resistance to rain, salt water and chlorine; each has been stringently tested to have the highest resistance to UV light. Also it can structurally withstand temperatures from -15°c to +60°c. Not considering the environment, important to us all today the polyethylene used in the Garden Furniture is non-toxic and can be 100% recycled. By maintenance free Garden Furniture it simply means just wipe with mild scap/ detergent to remove any dirt or grime from your Garden Table or Garden Chairs as required. It can be left outside all year round. Glossop Garden Centre stocks the Six Seated Madrid Round Garden Table which has a 60cm Granite Lazy Susan, and luxurious Madrid Brown Armchairs. This Garden Furniture set comes complete with cream Garden Parasol and base. The Round Four Seated Madrid Garden Table with modern Madrid Bistro Garden Chairs, would not look out place in any outdoor living space, and why not relax on the Madrid Sun lounger. Elements of this range of Garden Furniture would not look out of place inside your home as well as on the patio. The Madrid Two Sea Seat Sofa, with cushions and matching coffee table is a perfect example. To make your outdoor experience more comfortable, Garden Parasols accompany many sets of Garden Furniture; the size of the Garden Parasol relating to the size of the Garden Table chosen. Leisuregrow Garden Parasols are manufactured out of anti-rust aluminium or stainless steel with olefin canopies. Garden Parasols made out of these materials can protect you from UV Rays and are both rain resistant and breathable. The crank and tilt feature on the Garden Parasol allows you to position the parasol in your desired direction, providing shade or sun whilst you sit at your Garden Table. Choose an accompanying Garden Parasol base to safely secure your parasol to the ground, beneath your Garden Table. So for the ultimate dining and relaxing experience choose a Garden Furniture Set, Garden Table and Garden Parasol from one of the many that Glossop Garden Centre online shopping site has to offer.

Help your garden grow with

Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)

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The decline of cheap oil is inspiring increasing numbers of North Americans to achieve some measure of backyard food self-sufficiency. In hard times, the family can be greatly helped by growing a highly productive food garden, requiring little cash outlay or watering. Currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods are largely inappropriate to this new circumstance. Crowded raised beds require high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter, and demand large amounts of human time and

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What vegetable is best for container gardening?

September 30, 2011 by  
Filed under Articles, Question Corner

garden
by Xpectro

Sierra asks: What vegetable is best for container gardening?
Two years ago I tried tomatoes, and they turned out well. Last year I tried tomatoes again, and all three of them died.

The answer voted best is:

Answer by simmran1
pepper plants. bell or hot take up little room and have compact roots.

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