Garden Tips

By Thomas Baugh

There's nothing worse than not having the space available to achieve your vision for your new garden, but a small garden design can also be seen as an advantage. After all, the less space you have, the less you have to maintain and you can create a really stunning design because you're able to concentrate on every little detail.

Planning is crucial with any design project, but even more so when you're working with limited space. A good starting point is to make a list of all the essential things you want in your garden. You should also get outside with your tape measure and ensure that you know the exactly how much room you have. When you bring these two crucial pieces of information together, you can really get an idea of what is realistic.

Sketch out the dimensions of your garden on a piece of paper and then start adding and positioning all of the various features you want to include. For the first time, you'll get an impression of whether your small garden design is a realistic one. Be warned, you might have to make sacrifices on some of the more frivolous options to make way for the necessities. What you don't want to do is overcrowd your garden, as that will make it seem even smaller.

Using garden design software is always advisable but even more so with a smaller space. You need to get an accurate idea of how everything will look from different angles and viewpoints. A simple sketch won't give you the valuable insight that advanced software can, so take advantage of it. You can download it for free from the internet and go 3D with your design in no time.

A small garden design needn't be a problem, as long as you don't see it as one. Instead, visualise it as an opportunity to create something that is perfectly crafted, with attention paid to every possible detail.

There's more information on small garden design at the Garden Design Site.
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By Roxanne N Kim-Perez

What is Xeriscape? It means water wise or water efficient landscaping. It does not mean Zero scape. The word is a combination of the Greek word for dry xeros and the word landscape. The term Xeriscape was developed in 1981 by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado to describe a water efficient landscape program.

The following 7 Steps of Xeriscape (Water-Wise) Design Garden will help you to re-evaluate our use of water, be more practical and water conserving approach to landscape design and maintenance regardless of the garden style.

1. Planning and design. Planning is the most important step to successful water-wise gardening. Due to and lack of proper planning, large amount of water is wasted in our own gardens. Do not mix water loving plants with drought tolerant plants. If you want water-loving plants, choose an area and have separate zoning.

2. Soil analysis. Soil testing is an important tool in plant health management. Tests can indicate nutrient status, pH, salinity, organic content, and texture. Soil testing kits are available at your local nursery, garden store or home improvement store. Improve the soil prior to planting and installation of any irrigation system. Many drought tolerant plants need good drainage and should not be overlooked.

3. Appropriate plant selection. Try to use drought tolerant and native plants. You can find these plants at your local garden stores with the California Friendly Plant logo. Become environmentally aware and make California more beautiful. California native plants are suited to the state's soil and climate because they have evolved here over millions of years. Native plans also can help save water and attract wildlife.

4. Limit turf area. Remember, your lawn uses the most water in your garden, so try to keep turf area down to 20 - 30% of the total landscape. Avoid small useless lawns, water-loving lawns. The rule of thumb is that if you have small children, keep the lawn area. If you don't have small children, just eliminate the lawn area completely. If you still want to have that turf look, it can be replaced with others, less water-demanding materials such as ground covers.

5. Efficient irrigation. A well-planned irrigation system can save water and money. Separate turf areas from other plantings and use an automatic sprinkler system and make sure they cover well and do not waste water. Trees, shrubs, flowers, ground covers can be watered with low-volume drip irrigation or micro-irrigation system. Irrigate early in the day and under low wind conditions.

6. Use of mulches. Mulches cover and cool the soil, minimize evaporation, reduce weed growth and soil erosion. Organic mulches examples are tree bark, chips, wood grindings, lawn clippings, and garden compost. Inorganic mulches are weed barrier cloth, rock and gravel products.

7. Appropriate maintenance. DO NOT over-water, as it can be a big problem. If you hire maintenance services for your garden make sure they understand the needs of drought tolerant plants.

With the lack of rain and environmental changes the future water source is questionable. If every individual makes a little effort and planning on his or her part then a large amount of water can be saved.

Roxanne (Roxy) Kim-Perez is a professional landscape designer providing landscape design service in and around San Diego. Her design firm http://www.forget-me-notlandscapedesign.com is a landscape design company that specializes in modern residential landscape designs with emphasis on energy efficient, low maintenance and comfortable designs for Southern California home owners.
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By Cliff Hunter

As with any practice, knowledge and insight breeds passion. And the know-how involved in cultivating the beautiful orchid flower can make growing these delicate plants easy and rewarding. The end product, the vibrant orchid and its beautiful sights and scents, are the passion.

It's all about location. And the orchid-grower must first familiarize them with this most important fundamental.

Indoors, outdoors, or in the greenhouse, location is optimal in orchid growing.

Indoors

The natural splendor of the orchid is not reserved for the primacy of nature. The indoor orchid can thrive and sustain like the best of outdoor beauty. Their fragrance can be enjoyed inside, with the right insight, over the difficulties of dry heat from air conditioners or furnaces.

Though you may have a difficult time getting your orchid to bloom indoors, the right information can make the process a clear-cut formula, as rewarding in the process as it is in the outcome.
Orchids thrive indoors under bright light, but not direct sunlight. This condition is often simulated by fluorescent lights, and often creates ideal conditions for the orchid. The plant must be kept above 60° F as well.

In addition to warmth and light, the location housing the orchid requires moisture. A half inch of water, along with a tray of natural gravel or soil will keep your orchid wet and fed with water. The water, as well, must be complimented with a healthy amount of air circulation. In warm weather, windows could be opened to allow a natural air supply in. Or, similarly, a fan could be used to simulate the oxygen needed by the plant.

Moth Orchids, among the most popular indoor orchids, bloom twice a year with enduring and attention-stealing flowers.

Lady's Slippers, another popular variation, last as long as three months, and can flourish as older plants. The exotic nature of the Lady's Slippers, the warts, hair, and striped colors, stimulate not only the physical atmosphere, but the imagination as well.

In the Greenhouse

The magic of the orchid, the survivor skills that allow it to keep from withering in extreme conditions, help it thrive in greenhouses. Adapting to warm and cold temperatures, the greenhouse orchid requires a 15° difference in daytime and nighttime temperatures.
Like indoor orchids, their greenhouse brethren require ample amounts of water and air circulation. During hotter months and prime blooming periods, orchids require watering once - often twice - per week.

Greenhouse orchids growing under artificial lights require different kinds and amounts, which can be decided simply from determining the specific species. Whether the light is shaded or brighter, the orchid will provide an eclectic atmosphere to any good greenhouse.

Outdoor Orchids

The orchid is a survivor indoors and out, and the ability of the flower to attach itself to a tree helps to keep them mature all year long. Thriving in damp and temperate climates, the orchid can be grown outdoors, or moved from a windowsill to a natural spot in the ground.

Common of the tropical paradises around the equator, the orchid might not naturally know many winters. But, if cared for correctly, can out-last the cold season as any well as any snowman in your garden. Their tropical nature was made to last, and simply taking the orchid inside during the most intense cold will see them survive the winter, and make for a beautiful spring.
Cliff Hunter is a Orchid-Care enthusiast. For more great tips and advice on the basics on orchid care, visit http://www.orchidflowerpot.com.
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By Wendy Pan

With "Delicate as a rose" as a popular figure of speech with poets and writers, the common misconception that the care of roses requires high maintenance comes as no surprise. But roses are actually shrubs with a few manageable requirements to ensure healthy plants with bountiful blooms.

Watering: Providing a thorough, slow soaking to roses a few times a week is the most critical chore. Direct the water into the soil to soak the roots, not the leaves. Watering in the morning instead of the evening prevents lingering moisture from causing diseases.

Weeding: Weed out perennials and cultivate the soil around the roses regularly. Spreading a mulch of wood chips, pine needles, or other biodegradable material will inhibit weed growth. Avoid using systemic herbicides, as roses are sensitive to them.

Pest control: In rainy and humid areas, the care of roses involves watching for diseases such as black spot, in which black spots develop on the leaves, and mildew, which causes leaves to turn white. Common fungus diseases include rust, which is characterized by raised orange spots on the undersides of leaves, and rose canker, which leaves brown patches on the stems. A fungicide can be used for any of these diseases; consult a garden center for appropriate products and carefully follow directions for use. Clean pruners with alcohol to avoid spreading disease.

Roses can also harbor insect pests. Aphids secrete a substance that attracts ants, and spider mites construct webs on the undersides of leaves. Wash them away by blasting the leaves with water from the hose. A more serious predator, common in the Eastern United States, is the Japanese beetle, which will feed on the flowers and foliage of roses growing in bright sunlight.

Gardeners who wish to avoid using insecticide granules or sprays can try milky spore disease powder to kill the grubs. A pyrethrum spray can be used to combat thrips and leafhoppers.

Pruning and deadheading: Although pruning is not a critical task in the care of roses, it is highly recommended for ensuring healthy, well-shaped plants and abundant flowering. In the spring, after removing dead branches, prune the plant back by about one third or even one half, until the centers of the stems look white instead of brown. Make slanted cuts above outward facing buds with five leaflets to promote growth in that direction. Pruning rose bushes allows more sunlight and increases air circulation to the plant. In the summer, deadhead roses by cutting off dead flowers to encourage more blooming (depending on the variety).

Winter protection: As the summer winds down, so will the care of roses. Do not fertilize roses in the fall, because promoting new growth will make them more vulnerable to cold. In areas where the temperatures can fall below 20 degrees F, protect the roots by building a mound of soil about 6 to 12 inches high around the plants. When new growth appears at the base in the spring, the mounds may be removed.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about care of roses, please visit How Do I Care For Roses for current articles and discussions.
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By Thomas Fyrd

Bulbs In Bowls

Planting bulbs in a bowl container filled with fiber, makes it possible to have flowers all year long.
The secret of being successful is to plant the bulb as soon as they are obtained in August or September. The fiber, is sold for this purpose, must be wetted prior to being up in the bowl, in which a few chunks of charcoal have been places. After putting the bulbs into position, their tips need to be just above the surface of fiber.

To make sure your roots develop freely, the bowl the bulbs are put in must me placed in the proper position. The best place is outside, under a nine inch mound of peat moss, or even covered with bags and a piece of wood to keep the rain out.

If there are no outside places available, put the bowl in a deep box or bath, cover in the same manner above and stand them in the coolest place possible. At the end of a 4-8 week period, roots should be formed in abundance and shoots should be about 2 inches long. The covering should be taken off and the bulbs should remain until the shoots turn green. Forcing may begin by putting the bowl into a warm location, this is where the shoots can begin to bloom, of the fiber is kept moist.

To take advantage of having a long display, the variety you choose should be taken into consideration.

Hyacinths-The first one of this type of flower that will bloom is the Roman White variety. The blooms look like white bluebells; then will come the hyacinths, which have been specially prepared to make them bloom during Christmas time.

In the springtime is when the ordinary, larger flowered, untreated hyacinths bloom.

Narcissus-The white Narcissus is easily obtained while in full bloom in the month of December.

The success can be maintained by other types, described in the bulb catalog.

Some types can be forced rather easy and are followed by other single tulips.

Holiday Treatment of Houseplants

What do you do with house plants during the holidays? Unless you can make arrangements to have them watered while you are away, you can run into problems. When you are gone for a week or more, it is possible to prevent damage if you take the proper precautions.

The best way is to obtain a large tub and fill it with dampened moss. Then plunge the plants into the pot, with the moss covering the soil to about an inch or more in depth. If moss is not accessible, granulated peat moss or damp sacking can also be substituted. Lastly, the material for plunging needs to be covered with plastic film which will slow the evaporation of moisture.

The plants must also be well watered prior to plunging.

Another way is to put the plants in a group, with a bucket of water close by. A piece of lamp wicking connected to the soil in each plant with the water, will ensure enough water to the compost.

To those who have a garden, plunging pots to their rims in the soil, they need to be put into a shady spot as well.

In any case, the soil must be well watered prior to plunging or before they are connected to lamp wicks.
You can't always get what you want but you can find what you need on the subject of how to care for house plants. Today you too can gain from our years of experience, visit plant-care.com.
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By David Urmann

A roof garden is a type of garden situated on a roof of a building. Ever since, humans have developed a fondness to growing plants on top of structures. Aside from the decorative benefits, these roof plantings actually provide temperature control, food, and habitats for wildlife, along with recreational opportunities and architectural enhancement. In certain cities, due to the lack of gardening areas, many resort to roof gardens.

This type of garden can be on top of building, taking care of its own waste and water supply. With hydroponics, and other methods, you are able to expand the numerous possibilities of gardening on roof tops. A good way to accomplish this is by reducing the tremendous weight or soil needed. This is why planting in containers are prevalent in these gardens. Pots may be too heavy for the roof and cause ceilings to leak.

Living in small-sized apartments should not hinder you from having a garden. You can have vertical gardening or square foot gardening. Vertical gardening is planting with the use of your living walls. It uses lesser space than the traditional square foot gardening method.

Before starting, it is important to till, weed, and eliminate any pests. Also recycle by composting. In fact, for small apartments, having a Bokashi type of compost system is far more practical as compared to conventional composting. The safest type of compost is the manure derived from vegetarian animals.

In this busy world, most people find solace from nature. If you are too tired to take strolls in the park and you cannot go to nature trails all the time, having a garden at home, specifically in your terrace is the best solution to this dilemma. Hence, terrace gardening is a kind of indoor gardening that entails taking care of indoor plants.

Follow some tips in roof gardening. Your roof needs to be strong enough to carry the garden's weight. Also check for an efficient drainage system. And lastly, make sure there are no water leaks.

For terrace gardening, keep proportional the shrubs, lawns, small trees and ground covers. You can also enliven your garden corner with rocks and other naturalistic designs.

After this, you need to choose the kinds of plants you want. Fiber-rooted plants are better than tap-rooted plants. This is because tap-rooted plants can grow into the building and harm the structure.

For the soil, get the type that will not exert pressure onto your building. Peat moss and soil rite are good options. Since these are a bit expensive, you can mix it with manure and garden earth.
To arrange your drainage system, it is imperative that you do your roof garden construction.
You can uniformly lay 2-inch to 4-inch burnt bricks on your terrace. This type of bricks is the best because the normal ones eventually turn into mud and consequently collapse the drainage system. A good alternative are corrugated sheets which needs to be placed on 3 inch distances, making the water freely flow onto the drain.

On top of these bricks, you need to place a net lawn. This prevents your soil from getting into the bricks. If your garden is a bit large, you need to have a drain constructed in several places. You should also place some pipes along several areas that would lead to the main holes. Make sure that these pipes are not visible. Keep in hidden beneath the lawn.

Lastly, place the soil mixture you prepared into the pot or any container. These gardens will beautify your home, and also promote a healthier environment.
For more information on Roof Garden Space Considerations and Exotic Roof Gardens please visit our website.
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By Daniel F Hall

Bonsai trees need soil and compost for a number of reasons and it has been proven that the use of compost can drastically increase the growth rate of plants and bonsai trees. The compost works by adding oxygen and vital nutrients that the bonsai needs to feed on as it grows. Compost is necessary for most plants including bonsai as it is able to provide the required nutrients and plant food that the soil has lost.

Composts Mixtures
Most compost mixtures are made using loam, sphagnum, moss peat and granite and the mixtures should be available from your local nurseries. There are different types of compost for different types of plants, depending on the age and size of your bonsai you will require a specific mixture. Always ask questions and make sure you purchase the right compost mixture for your specific bonsai. The compost mixture will need to be mixed with soil of your bonsai. Some gardeners use good quality soil from gardens or farms instead of purchasing a compost mixture. Be careful when using good garden soil as you run the risk of adding pests or plant diseases into your bonsai container. The garden soil will also contain unwanted extras such as bugs, leaves and in some cases pesticides that can be harmful to your treasured bonsai.

Homemade Composts
Instead of purchasing compost or using garden soil and running a risk, many gardeners including bonsai enthusiasts make their own compost mixtures from home. Making your own compost is easier than you might think and the advantages are plentiful. Besides the obvious financial benefits you will be using a 100% organic compost on your plants. Do a search on the internet and you will be able to find an organic homemade compost recipe that you can use.

Feeding your Bonsai
One of the most important uses of compost is when a bonsai has been potted or repotted. Compost needs to be added the soil, but the right kind of compost is important. By adding compost to the container you will be giving the bonsai an extra amount of plant food. Repotting a bonsai can take a toll on the plant and the compost will boost the plant which is important. Compost helps to decrease the amount of stress and repair any damages after being repotted. If you are repotting or potting a bonsai for the first time you should use compost that contains NO fertilizers. If you use compost that contains fertilizers it will burn the roots of the bonsai.

After a few weeks and when the bonsai has gained its strength you will be able to add compost that contains fertilizer.

Daniel Hall has been growing and maintaining bonsai trees for over six years. You can also master the art of growing bonsai trees and succeed. The most important aspect of the hobby is being able to care for the bonsai and maintain it. Start growing your own bonsai tree today with the expert knowledge and advice available at: http://www.bestbonsaiguide.com.
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