Gardening Improvements For New Houses Or Works in Progress

When you purchase a new home or make the decision to improve your current one, you will obviously be concerned with each and every foot of space that goes along with it, for contemporary living and current gardening techniques can make every foot of your property relevant and pleasing. New techniques of soil improvement, grading, fencing and terracing make even areas with a lot of hills or slopes that would previously be considered a hindrance, now something to be desired and sought after.

Current chemistry has brought improved nutrients to the soil and has created a defense against the age-old enemies of the landscaping and gardening arena--disease and insects. Tougher bulbs and seeds make gardens thrive and look more vibrant and vivid. Beautiful hybrids have made the list of flowering trees and shrubs much longer, introducing specimens for countless design and color themes to every kind of home and garden.

New gardening equipment and materials speed the time-consuming garden tasks. New ways of living bring us into the outdoors, and barbecue meals and comfortable lawn furnishings make a small suburban back yard as luxuriously enjoyable as was previously possible only on a large estate. Aesthetically pleasing as well, is the introduction of wall waterfalls and other beautiful outdoor water features.

From an architectural standpoint, the modern home is more a part of the landscape than it was in the past. Sprawling picture windows, glass windows from floor to ceiling, glassed-in sun porches, and wrap around terraces all come together to a produce a garden that is mutually exclusive with the home itself.

As a direct outcome of this development, the view of the garden has become much more critical. A gorgeous garden, thriving turf, and vibrant, blossoming flowers, shrubs, and trees all add as much to the inside appeal of your dwelling as your curtains, wall colors, and home accessories.

The amount of hard work and time you put into your greenery and gardens will be worth it, both inside your home and outside. When you plan your landscaping you will follow similar guidelines you use in interior decoration. The lines, colors, textures, and general themes will be lessons learned that you can use in your outdoor improvement efforts as well as in your continued indoor home improvement.

If you happen to have large, sprawling grounds you will particularly benefit from meticulous planning. Gardening and landscaping literature will be full of formal plans for the immaculate garden but it will be more important to consider what would best fit with your particular property, the plan that will most appease you and your family!

Think carefully about your family's necessities and usual activities and then make your plans from there. Perhaps have a discussion with your family members to figure out what the most important elements of the garden should be.

Consider your budget, available space, and draw up a plan to determine what can fit in the area. Make a list of items you would like to include, whether its a barbecue set, play house, swing set, rock garden, walkways, wall mounted fountains, a tennis or basketball court, swimming pool, or simply an area to relax in.

If you are very lucky and have very large grounds, you may be able to fit every element you desire into your grounds but this is generally not the case. Attempt to gradually fit everything in until all of your room has been taken up. Ongoing projects also make for fun family activities.

An example of this would be an area where children can play with chalk, jump rope, play four square, or basketball. This would serve multiple purposes and give the family the opportunity to be able to renovate these areas. A vegetable garden would be a great way to have fresh summer salads and teach children about different ways to grow them.

Typically most large yards are split up into three areas; the public area (an area that can be seen from the road) the garage/parking area (where the trash and laundry facilities are as well as storage), and the private area (the backyard). The private area is your personal refuge, where you can relax with your family and feel comfortable and safe.

Consider a rock-lined terrace, patio furniture for outdoor meals, and a garden with beautiful flowers, shrubbery, patio statuary, wall fountains, outdoor waterfalls, or a birdbath.

In each of these three areas there are certain elements to attempt and some to definitely avoid. In your public area a minimal amount of concern and care should be applied. Present an attractive front but do not include elements that will require an excessive amount of care to upkeep. Try to keep your garage as free of clutter as possible and encourage guests to park in the street to keep the garage clear.

For the backyard, plan to spend the most amount of time, care, and upkeep; take advantage of existing greenery and the shade supplied by your home and garage area for relaxation areas. Set up seats in comfortable corners in the garden away from any areas designated for child's play.

Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in landscaping, home improvement, and enjoys collecting wall fountains for her home. For an amazing selection of water wall fountains and other water features, please visit http://www.garden-fountains.com/.

Oriental Poppy Flowers Will Pop in Your Garden

When Oriental poppy flowers are in full bloom, they definitely can be the focal point of your garden display in late spring to early summer. The Oriental poppy is the most striking of the perennial poppies. Their blooms are huge - some may reach up to six inches across and are on the top of stems as tall as four feet. These huge, cup-shaped flowers are delicate and paper-like in texture coming in a wonderful warm palette of color including red, salmon, orange, crimson, and white. Even though the plants' pedals seem to indicate it to be fragile, the perennial is actually known for its hardiness and durability. It is a favorite subject for artists because of its special beauty and color.

After blooming the plant goes dormant. Their beauty does not last long, but if enough varieties are planted they will bloom at slightly different times. Oriental poppies perform poorly in regions with hot summers. If the flowers are big they tend to flop over so the plant might need staking. However, generally poppies are easy to care for and require little maintenance. A special feature: deer do not like them.

Depending on the variety, plan to plant your poppies in the spring spacing each plant two to three feet apart. Using a garden fork or tiller, loosen the soil. Prepare the garden bed to a depth of twelve to fifteen inches. After this is done, thoroughly mix in a layer of rich compost about two to four inches deep. Then dig a hole for your poppy twice the diameter of the pot the plant is in. Remove the plant carefully from its container and place it in the hole. Make sure the top of the root ball is level with surface of the soil. Carefully filling in dirt around the root ball, gently firm the soil around it. Then, as you do with any newcomer to your garden, water the soil thoroughly around where you have just planted.

The care for this showy perennial is easy and simple. Each spring apply a thin layer of compost. To retain moisture and control the weeds, also apply about two inches of mulch on top of the compost. Watering is needed only during periods of drought in the summer months after the plants have bloomed and are dormant. In autumn, poppies will resume foliage growth until frost, and these green leaves will remain over the winter. To protect them over the winter months, after the soil has frozen, apply a four to six inch layer of mulch. This will prevent heaving during periods of temperature fluctuation. When the weather warms up in spring, gradually remove the winter mulch. The time to divide poppy plants is in the spring or early summer.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Tips For Wiring Bonsai Trees

If you want to shape your bonsai tree, then you will have to wire it at some point in its life. There are many things you need to know about wiring bonsai trees. This article will give you a few tips to get you started.

Type

There are two types of wire used on bonsais, namely copper and aluminum. If you're a beginner, it will probably be easier for you to use aluminum wire. It can also be used again after being set into position. The advantage of copper wire is that it has more holding power, but you can't reuse it after setting it into position.

Thickness

You also need to think about thickness when wiring bonsai trees. Copper wire is measured in gauge or mm, while aluminum is measured in mm. It's best to have wire available of various thicknesses if you want to fully wire the tree.

It's also important to note that copper has more holding power, so you can use thinner wire. If you chose to use aluminum instead, you would need a thicker wire. The appropriate thickness is largely determined by your specific tree's pliability and strength.

Damage

It is quite easy to cause damage when wiring bonsai trees. You should never try to wire a branch that appears to be too weak to sustain the pressure caused by the wire. Also, you should monitor the tree to ensure the wire isn't digging into the bark as it can cause unsightly scars that take a very long time to heal. This is more commonly a problem during the spring and summer months.

These are a few tips for wiring bonsai trees. However, there are many other things you need to learn about bonsai tree care. So, click here now to learn everything else you need to know about growing bonsai trees.

10 Ways to Conserve Soil - Preventing Soil Erosion

With pollution, threat of global warming and the newfound green kick, people are looking into ways of keeping our planet sound. One good way to do this is soil conservation.

Soil conservation is the prevention of soil eroding from the earth's surface, or otherwise becoming altered by overuse, acidification or contamination.

So how do we begin? Well, here are 10 ways to conserve soil:

1. Gardening. Grow plants that are indigenous to your area. It can be interesting to make something grow outside of its usual domain, but the local flora have been there for a very long time and aid in conservation. Another thing to do is to plant trees and shrubs. These can provide shelter for your soil, while the roots will help to prevent excess water from washing it away.

2. Keep your soil moist, but do not drown it. This can be especially difficult during dry months. But over-watering can not only wash away soil, but cause it to degrade. Should your soil dry up, though, it should be easy to fix by lightly covering with damp piles of mulch.

3. Of all the 10 ways to conserve soil, this may be one of the more enjoyable. It may be tricky at times, but keeping enough vegetation strong, healthy and growing will bind the soil together and protect its surface.

4.Find a suitable tillage method for your location, amount of rainfall and variety of plant life. Tillage will optimize the biological and physical condition of soil. Make sure that you use a method that does not make the soil overly fine.

5. Physical structures made of earth, stone or other organic materials can aid in protecting soil against uncontrolled runoff and erosion. With a little bit of design, it can also retain and direct water to where it is needed most. The best structure will depend on climate and the need to either discharge or retain runoff; the size of your garden or farm; and the texture and depth of your soil.

6. Another good piece of construction is a wind barrier. Built at the boundaries of a farm, this will help stop the wind from blowing soil away.

7. Plant patches of high grass. Allowing your grass to grow to at least three inches will promote retention of water in the soil. This is especially useful for runoff of your physical structures.

8. Create an organic mulch for your plants. This will maintain soil temperature and minimize erosion.

9. Plant vegetation that will assist in the protection of your soil, like rye or clover. They will protect by thickly covering the ground and they will restrict weed growth and reduce runoff.

10. The best time of day to water your plants is early in the morning, when evaporation is low. Watering in harsh sunlight can dry out your soil. In the late evening, watering can cause the growth of fungus.

By trying out these 10 ways to conserve soil, not only can you plant a beautiful garden, but you can also help protect the planet.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about 10 ways to conserve soil, please visit My Gardening Blog for current articles and discussions.

Making Indoor Herb Gardening Simple

It can be a fun hobby or it just be functional, indoor herb gardening definitely has many uses. If you have no idea what indoor herb gardening is, well it's simply the cultivating and growing of herbs for either medicinal, culinary or ornate purposes inside the home. Indoor herb gardens are for the majority grown in containers which are placed near windows or areas where there is exposure to the sun. Indoor herb gardening has a multitude of benefits and these can include the convenience of having fresh herbs readily available for your kitchen or for your medicinal needs. As a cooking need, the availability of an indoor herb garden in your own kitchen is sometimes indispensable especially if you need herbs all the time.

Guides For Planting Herbs In Containers

In today's age of instant everything, an indoor herb container garden sometimes becomes a necessity and the good news is that it is actually quite easy to have one. Pots with pre-measured soil, seeds and nutrients are being sold in many stores and this makes it easy to have an indoor herb container garden in your own kitchen.

There are a few simple tips you should be aware of when planting herbs and one of these is being careful when you place the herb seeds in the soil. Placing them too deep could translate to the them not growing well whilst too shallow could mean that the roots would not get a firm grip on the soil and easily be toppled over. When you start off your indoor herb gardening project, you will need to ensure that a thin layer of sandy soil or even gravel is placed at the bottom of the container pot. Doing this will allow for proper drainage so that the pot will not be water logged. Many of the common herbs really do not want too much water being maintained in the pot so this point should be taken seriously. At the bottom of the pot, it is of course necessary to have holes to facilitate the proper drainage needs. For some, they may even prefer to place additional pieces of chips or tree bark as part of the potting mix. This technique does the job of not only providing excellent drainage for the pot, it also gives additional organic matter into the pot which provides added nutrients as it decomposes and thus improving the chances of a successful indoor herb gardening project.

A few other things you may want to do is to ensure that your pot's soil is ever so slightly moist at least until the herb seeds have germinated. This can be done by misting the soil around two or three times each day. Like most plants, indoor herb gardens need sunlight and as such the herb plants should be exposed to sunlight for a few hours a day. By providing exposure to sunlight the plants are coax out of their seeds. As a matter of fact most herbs enjoy sunlight so ensure that they get an abundant amount everyday, and for many reasons this is why the window sill is an ideal place to put the indoor herb garden.

These simple tips for indoor herb gardening would be useful for many especially for the novice gardeners who would want to try out indoor herb gardening at home. By following the steps above, you will ensure that your efforts in having your very own indoor herb garden will be beneficial to you and ease a lot of your stress.

You can get more information and find relevant guides on Herb Gardening from http://www.gardengrowth.com

Herbs in Containers - Five Herbs to Consider

Growing herbs in containers is an excellent way of saving space. They are transportable so can be brought inside for winter and easily maintained. You will also have much more control over their growth and boundaries. Container herbs are available for use for cooking if they are situated close to your kitchen door. Not all herbs take to containers, but many will absolutely thrive. Some herbs, like mint, it actually make more sense to use them.

The best herbs to use are probably the one you use most often so I have taken five different herbs that would be ideal in containers.

* Thyme just loves a container environment and will absolutely when planted in one. It needs hardly any watering and a very small amount of maintenance.
* Sage needs to be pinched and cut to keep it from turning woody too soon and replanted after 3-4 years as the quantity and quality of the leaves will not be as good.
* Rosemary doesn't like too much water and occasionally likes to 'dry out' a little, again ideal when in a container controlled environment. I personally have been growing rosemary successfully in containers for years.
* Mint needs its growth to be controlled so this is the biggest advantage for growing mint in containers making. It can be used more often if it is handy. It has to be the first choice for container systems.
* Basil likes lots of water to feed its stems and tender leaves, but can be infected with mildew it too much is given. In a container, you can avoid mildew by giving it an airy position.

There are many other herbs you can grow in containers, in fact some people I know love this way of gardening and have all their herbs in containers. I can clearly see the appeal, but I still like to see a mix of 'free range herbs' in borders and on the main vegetable growing areas.

Growing herb in containers is ideal for kids to start off their lifetime of gardening. Being so manageable is it a great way to educate and on top of this, the containers can be decorated to the children's own personal design including giving the plant a name, like 'Sammy the Sage' or 'Mandy the Mint'. What a fantastic pastime you will be giving them.

Whatever methods you use to grow herbs, they will benefit your health, your environment and your cooking efforts with fresh and home dried herbs all year round.

Martin Miller-Yianni
http://www.bulgarianslivatree.com
http://www.herbsways.com

Gardening to Inspire

I live on a street that historically has been known to be the place to hide from the police, buy drugs, and create all sorts of havoc. I live at the top of a hill with a stop sign about eight feet or so from my front door. The sign might as well not even be there. There is a sidewalk across the street that is used to heavy foot traffic. My street is a busy, little street. The house I live in is a four family house and I live in the basement apartment. The back of the house is a wall of rocks that lead into the woods. On both sides of the house, there are two small yards, both with a massive Pine tree square in the middle. Needless to say, it was not necessarily the best place to cultivate and grow a prize winning pumpkin.

As one travels down my street, do not be surprised to find dilapidated old Mill homes that have been unattended to for years. If you need to collect recyclables while in your morning jaunt, wait until a Sunday morning comes by and take that walk. You could put a down payment on a new car once done combing. Sure, you will find cans, and who knows what, perhaps even a yard with beautiful plastic flowers carelessly staked to the ground, but gardens are sorely lacking.

I am a Libra aesthetics are my thing. I love art, color, balance. Luckily, for me I am the type that can go with the wind. My point? Thanks for asking. I decided I was going to add, art, color and balance to my neighborhood. I wanted to lift moods as the pedestrian tramped down the hill past my house. There was going to be gardens, fruit, flower, herbs. You name it; I was going to grow it! Moreover, in turn I would stop the casting of beer cans into my small yards, traded instead for oohhs's and aahh's at the beauty that I had bestowed upon my neighborhood. Well, with a little help from photosynthesis, and a bee here and there.

My plan in hand, well o.k., admittedly, it was more a list that said, "Get garden stuff, and gas" I went to my local garden store and to the Dollar Store (hey soil is cheaper). I purchased a spade, and a hoe. In hindsight, I would of picked up a shovel, rake etc. but that's why it's hindsight. I was prepared. I bought seeds, oh, boy did I! I will not bore you with the list; it was well over sixty packets of whatever you could imagine. The odds were in my favor as far as growing zones. I live in Connecticut, and just about, everything grows here as far as summer crops, and fall crops. From pumpkins to eggplant, I had it all.

The question was what was I going to do with all of my newly acquired master gardening equipment? Where, where was I going to do all of this planting? Where is the sun again? Yes, I asked that question. What side is best to plant, there are so many trees here, and the sun filters through them. I was incredibly limited by my lack of sunlight, and the fact that I had just purchased those sixty packets of sun loving seeds was not helping. However, I had a goal. I was going to beautify my neighborhood if it killed me. My secret hope was that the beautiful, well-designed gardens that I intended to have would spread the popular, "Pass it forward" mentality. It was inspiration and the folks on my street needed it. Maybe criminals would not want to hide here anymore. The power of Lavender would save us all, and if not we would at least smell better!

I had no plan, no well-designed plan for my master gardens. I read the directions on the back of the seed packets, ignored most of the information, and dug holes. I knew what an inch was, so I asked myself, how hard could it be to get the seed to the right depth? No problem! It is no big deal that half of what I planted never came up. It was fate; my pumpkins unbeknownst to me would take its allotted space as well as others. Therefore, it worked out in the end, well sort of. I will get to the pumpkins demise in a bit.

I found a spot that got direct sun most of the day and planted snow peas. With no thought to it's future height. I then planted seventeen tomato plants in containers, with five to six plants in each. Remember, I did not have a handy gardening manual. I planted squash next to the eggplant and the pumpkins. I would not recommend doing this. Before I knew it both sides of the house had small gardens of vegetables that had no business neighboring up to the nearest plant. At the time, I figured fait accompli! Voila, I would be eating fresh salads forever. No tainted tomatoes for my friends and neighbors.

My next mission was to plant as many flowers as humanly possible to lighten us all up. I purchased so many containers, ceramic pots, goofy canisters for herbs, and yes, more soil. I picked out flower seeds, I bought flats of petunias, pansies, alyssum, you name it I bought it. My favorite purchase of course was my Munstead Lavender plants. I had visions of lavender fields with me dancing through the beautiful purple flowers. I had a plan, albeit a bit misguided of course! I also remember that I had some bulbs, and honestly, I have no idea what they were. It just seemed to me everyone else in Connecticut (except my street, remember the plastic flowers?) had bulbs. I knew those trusty bulbs would come back each year. I believe this was my first encounter with acknowledging that I did not know the difference between perennial and annual. Do not feel bad for me I learned my lesson.

The funny thing is during my planting mania, friends started giving me starter plants. I received Cherry Peppers, Cayenne, more varieties of eggplant as well as tomatoes. Let us just say I was beginning to get overwhelmed. I know that most of what I had planted was not going to get the sun that they needed. However, I decided to be hopeful. That is what this neighborhood needed a big dose of hope.

Miraculously, hope arrived with blossoms. Sunflowers were becoming as promised, giant! Geraniums were red and thriving, Morning Glories started spreading through everything. That most certainly was unintentional. I am not sure to this day exactly how I feel about Morning Glories they have control issues.

As each blossom was pollinated, so was the delight of my neighbors. My cynical, unhappy neighbors were smiling. I would sit out on my front steps and hear words of praise. The admiration for the gardens was being demonstrated by children coming across the street to figure out, "what's that smell?" It was an art exhibit for all the senses. Touch, smell, taste (edible pansies), sound, and sight. The sounds were incredible, bees buzzing, butterflies flapping, the wind whipping through the Sunflowers. My creation, albeit wildly disorganized had created a sense of community. I have spent many conversations with the folks on my street about how they can turn their little yards into dreamy, productive places.

Now, I am not saying it was all Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms here; I had my crosses to bear. The insects, the aphids especially gave me a run for my money. I just went to my friendly, local garden store, closed my eyes, and pointed to the organic bug killer that would solve all my pests' problems. It worked, with patience and persistence and timing, I got rid of those pests. I would like to say this story ends with a happy ending for the pumpkins but alas, it was not to be. I was unaware that I was starting to have a white mold problem. I was out one day transplanting some small squash plants from one garden to another for room issues. I did not realize that what I had just done was ruin my yellow squash garden. The white mold transplanted itself as well. The result was that simply I killed two gardens. No Halloween pumpkins at this house. Unless I can bring myself to go to the store and buy one. I am not sure what the rules are on the length of mourning over the loss of your beloved pumpkin patch.

I suppose the morale to my story is regardless of the struggle and pain mastering gardening can be, one smile from one neighbor makes it all worth it. My neighborhood is slowly "Passing it forward". There are container gardens as I walk my street. The courageous that are growing squash. The plastic flowers are still there, but I have come to terms with this.

Roxanne Tracy is a freelance writer covering many different topics. She is a Social Worker who runs a donation program for a foster care agency.