Articles, tips, and ideas on lawn care and gardening practices.
Many times we buy plants on impulse then find there is nowhere in the garden that really suits them. Before buying plants carefully examine your garden to see how much sun and shade it gets, whether the soil is well drained or waterlogged and whether your aspect is sheltered or windswept. You’ll then be equipped to go and buy the best plants for your situation; shade-loving plants for the sheltered areas, sun-lovers for the warm spots, drought-resistant plants for the parched areas which may be either sunny or shaded, and swamp plants for the poorly-drained parts.
But wait! Test your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and what kind of nutrients you need to add, if any. Is the soil acid or alkaline? Most plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic, but there are some that must have alkaline soil to grow. You can alter the soil’s pH level, but it’s much easier to simply plant for the soil you have.
Now you are ready to plant. Well - almost. Will you plant in groups or singly? If you buy ‘one of everything’ your garden may seem rather spotty. Group plantings are organized, harmonious and you can vary the color for interest.
Before planting out, place your chosen plants around the garden bed in their pots to see how they will look. Re-arrange them until you are satisfied. Grouping plants in sets of threes or fives usually looks better than planting in groups of even numbers. Be sure that you have an interesting combination of colors and textures of plants. Tall plants should go to the back, or the center if your garden will be viewed equally from all sides. Try to keep your plants away from trees. The roots of trees are fiercely competitive and will steal all the nutrients and moisture meant for your flowers.
The right color scheme is one way to maintain the harmony in your garden. Imagine the color of the flowers when they are in bloom. Some colors may clash with others, but can still be planted side-by-side if they have a different blooming season. Foliage color is also important. Many flower plants have silver, gray or purplish foliage that is just as attractive as the flower. This means that they are still attractive well past the blooming season and so have added value.
Source: General Articles
Source: Gardening
Gardening is something that many do for a love of nature and for a chance to relax. Some do a little, and are happy with that, but others take it much more seriously. They may come up with amazing spring garden designs that would take your breath away. Those are always a lot of fun to view, and can be even more fun to grow. It might be compared to putting together a very complicated puzzle and hoping everything comes out just right.
If you want to put together your own spring garden designs, you should think a lot about your skill and knowledge of plants. You want to think about color and design, but you also have to think about caring for the various plants that you choose. Some are harder than others to care for, and that can be problematic for those who don’t have a lot of time ..
Source: Gardening
Well, Summer is nearly over and that means lawn repair and reseeding is almost here. I prefer to touch up my lawn in the fall since the rain is normally lighter and the weather is cooler. In the near future I should be posting about some small projects consistent with this post, so keep close and look for them if you’re interested.
I’m not normally one for flower beds but my wife loves them. So, we decided to install a couple of them in the back yard. Because we work 40 hr. a week jobs, this project will be relayed through multiple posts. Because I am not a literary genius, I have no idea how many posts it will take to complete both flower beds. Each post will be called “Flower Power Part x” where x = the segment number.
Site Preparation
When you want to install a flower bed, there are a couple of things you have to decide up front. Knowing these variables will help you to prepare the area for planting your flowers.
One thing you must decide is what kind of edging you want to use for your flower bed. Some choices are flate stones, stackable wall stones, plastic edging that you hammer into the ground, and black landscape edging that you install by digging and spiking and then backfilling. You probably have seen this kind - it has a tube on top of a flat strip that is placed in the ground. I prefer this kind of edging because it is inexpensive, durable, and it is easy to trim around. This is the kind I’ll be using for my project.
Another determination you need to make up front is what shape you want your flower bed to be. My wife and I like to see the shape before we begin to tear up grass, you may wish to as well. So to test out shapes before you start digging, simply take your garden hose and lay it on the ground in different arrangements to see what presentation you prefer. Once you’ve decided on a shape, leave the hose lie and mark the ground with your spade so you will have a guide to help you dig after you remove the hose.
This technique is a good way to help you see what your flower bed will look like once it is complete. In the next post, I’ll discuss how to dig the trench in which the edging is to be placed and I’ll cover some specific methods you may need to employ depending on the condition of your soil.