Archive for March, 2010
Its important to the future health of your rose bush to know when to plant roses – you definitely need to watch out for just the right time.
Actually, that’s easier said than done. Determining when to plant roses can be confusing. Ill go over a few pointers to help take the guesswork out of the timing for planting your roses.
First let me mention that if you order online garden supplies it takes the guesswork out. The online companies ship your order at the right time of year for planting in the climate zone you live in.
You can also use the zone finder on their sites to find out what climate zone you live in.
When planting bare-root roses, which are roses that are in their dormant state, youll need to consider your wintertime temperatures. If your minimum temperatures during the winter drop below -10 degrees you should only do your rose planting during spring and only after the danger of a freeze has passed.
If the area you live in has minimum winter temperatures between 10 and -10 degrees, you can plant in spring and fall, again only when there is no danger of a freeze occurring.
If you live in a climate zone where the minimum winter temperatures are above 10 degrees its safe for you to plant roses whenever the bare-root roses are available.
But keep in mind, no matter which zone you live in, do not plant when theres a chance for extreme heat, freeze or excessively windy conditions.
All of these can cause stress that can adversely affect your plants health.
If youre planting a potted plant or transplanting a rose from one location to another the rules are a bit different.
These roses can be planted any time of the year, weather permitting. That is, as long as the ground isnt frozen, theres no possibility of freeze, or no chance extreme heat, cold or wind.
Its best to plant roses in the spring or fall, but as I said, you can plant any time, weather permitting.
Be sure to follow the proper procedures on when to plant roses to ensure you have healthy rose blooms in the summer.
Get our Free Gardening Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
March 22nd, 2010
Usually when people think of gardening, they think they are gardening organically. But unfortunately, there are a lot of things you can do unconsciously that make your garden not so organic. These are the most basic and simple mistakes people make that can distroy the organic qualities of your garden. So if you’re trying to do organic gardening, here’s a few organic gardening tips to guide you to the perfect organic garden.
Don’t use just any compost! You can easily make compost from garden and kitchen waste, this way you know EXACTLY what’s in it. This way is a little more time-consuming than buying prepared chemical pesticides and fertilizers, but it helps in three ways:
- puts garbage to good use
- saves the environment
- you can be certain that you have an organic vegetable garden
The best organic gardening tips tell you NOT to use chemicals that may have an adverse affect on your health. This is especially important when growing vegetables. Chemical companies tell us that the chemicals we use are safe if used according to direction, but research shows that even tiny amounts of poisons absorbed through the skin can cause such things as cancer, especially in children.
On the average, a child ingests four to five times more cancer-causing pesticides from foods than an adult. This can lead to various diseases later on in the child’s life. With organic gardening, these incidents are lessened.
Remember, pesticides contain toxins that have only one purpose – to kill living things.
You are also doing your part to save the environment. Poisons are often washed into our waterways, causing death to the native fish and polluting their habitat. Organic farming practices also help prevent the loss of topsoil through erosion. The Soil Conservation Service says that an estimated 30 – 32 billion tons of soil erodes from United States farmlands every year.
And, of course, there is a cost savings. You will not be buying costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. In fact, many organic recipes for the control of pest and diseases come straight from the kitchen cupboard. Sometimes other plants can be grown as companions to the main crop. An example of this is the marigold, which helps to repel aphids from vegetables.
Mixing 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap and 1 cup of cooking oil can make a cheap garden pest spray. Put 3 tablespoons of this mixture in 1 quart of water and spray on plants.
A simple mulch of pine needles will help to suppress the growth of weeds as well as keeping the moisture in.
These organic gardening tips will help to keep the environment safe for future generations, as well as keeping the organic gardener in the best health possible. Use this tips in any garden, and especially in a square foot garden where plants may be closer together.
If you enjoy organic gardening but need more tips, check out this valuable organic gardening guide today.
—————-
“103 Page Step By Step Gardening Manual
For Beginners To Learn How To Grow Your Own
Healthy, Organic Food – Saving Money & Eating Chemical Free.”
Get our Free Gardening Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
March 16th, 2010
Getting back to nature can be a rejuvenating experience. But nature doesn’t have to mean exploring the forest, you can bring nature into your back yard with a few creative backyard landscape design ideas.
- Jeff was working in a small area in our backyard this weekend and here’s what he came up with. It’s simple, but will grow into something very colorful. He has:
- Two Weeping Willow Trees,
- A pink Camiela (in the back),
- Purple heather for color,
- A bluish green plant (I’ll add the name when I find the stickers),
- spiked ornamental feather grass,
- nice garden statue to look at until everything grows.
Jeff can get pretty creative when he is thinking about backyard landscape designs, even in our small spaces. It’s nice when the landscaping gives you a feeling of peace and comfort.
As you can see, landscape design includes many elements. For example:
- the area (sun or shade)
- design
- weather
The overall look will depend on the owner’s taste. Some people want the effect of water (pools, waterfalls, etc.) and some like rocks, stones, etc.
But to create a very natural feel, you must use plants to create the total effect of the landscape. It should not be just any plant; it should be the most appropriate plant for the area and climate.
Choices for Backyard Landscape Design
1. Groundcovers
These plants are indispensable to a landscape as they can serve as backdrops for trees, shrubs, etc. There are many types of groundcovers to choose from.
Sun-Loving Plants
Sunny areas are considered problematic. Many plants do not like direct sunlight. Juniper groundcovers and hardy perennials are very helpful in resolving this problem.
Shade Plants
These plants cannot stand the heat of direct sunlight. They should be used in areas that are not exposed to the sun except for short periods of time. Most of the shade-loving plants are low-growing or mid-sized.
“Attractive”
Many flowering plants attract birds, butterflies, bees, etc. It is important to choose plants that grow pollens. Plants like Bee Balm, Hollyhock and Red Columbine attract hummingbirds.
Aroma
The garden can be made aromatic by using foliage plants. The lavender perennial plant’s flowers provide therapeutic scent. At the same time, it serves as a beautiful border.
2. Wet Plants
Some landscapes come with wet areas like artificial ponds or waterfalls. To avoid leaving it bare, plants that thrive in wet soils are used to give beauty and natural effect.
3. Repellent Plants
More than coming up with a good landscape, it is also necessary to maintain it and keep it free from intruders. Some plants are able to repel pests like the deer. Some ornamental grasses and flowers are used for deer control. This same area last year was growing Marigolds. Slugs are not supposed to like Marigolds, and neither are mosquitos. It worked like a charm, but Jeff likes to get creative – he comes up with different garden landscaping ideas every year.
4. Grasses
These are also helpful in the garden. There are varying kinds of grasses, the ornamental type and the functional ones.
Functional grasses are those that are used in the background. Lawn grass is an example. It serves as an outdoor carpet.
Ornamental grasses appear more to aesthetics. They are used for decoration and for landscaping just like flowers. These can be mixed with trees and shrubs or can stand alone.
Yes plants are beautiful. Your backyard landscape design should put the appropriate plants in your selected areas. Then they will thrive, and everyone will feel like nature is just a backdoor away.
Find all your Garden products
at Amazon.com.
Get our Free Gardening Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
March 8th, 2010
I went outside to see what Jeff was doing this weekend, and once again, he had devised another contraption to make his gardening work easier - and save some money with a creative idea on how to plant lawn seed.
Most of the time when people buy lawn seed, it comes in a very large bag that includes the lawn seed and the peat moss. You can’t easily just pour this on the lawn because it comes out of the bag in clumps; then you have to walk around and break down the clumps. This is also the most expensive way to plant lawn seed.
Others buy the seed and plant lawn seed using one of those hand crank seed spreaders. This is a fairly good way to go but you still need to add the peat because it helps the seed retain moisture and germinate. And again, if you have to pour it out of the bag, it will go onto the lawn in clumps, adding more work to your day.
So, when Jeff decided to plant lawn seed he devised a plan to make it easier, and much cheaper, than the other methods. And, of course, it involved a newly devised garden power tool! Here’s what he did:
He took a drill and attached a paint mixer thingy to it. Then he added peat moss and lawn seed (both purchased separately) into a five gallon bucket. Then he simply mixed the two together with the newly created lawn garden tool!
Now he had a light, fluffy mixture of peat and lawn seed to spread easily and evenly on the lawn.
By purchasing the peat and seed separately, you will save money, and by mixing them together before you plant the lawn seed you will certainly save time!
Mantis Attachments can replace many garden tools. Better than using a shovel.
Get our Free Gardening Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
March 3rd, 2010