Gardening Basics

Gardening Using Trees and Shrubs with Scent in Mind

Posted by anne.kirrin

Trees and shrubs can have many different forms, for example many conifers are conical, pyramidal, or powerfully vertical. Some are prostrate and spreading. To some degree these are scented and everyone is familiar with the scent of pine, but it is only if you rub or brush against the tree, which can be a prickly experience! Weeping trees have a very attractive romantic form and scented varieties include weeping Cercidiphyllum (Katsura Tree) Pendulum, which is quite spectacular. It has thrilling color in the fall and is scented like caramel. Also the weeping Silver Lime is an attractive choice for scented gardening. A shrub that looks like a small tree is Buddleja Alternifolia, and it has lovely flowers with the scent of honey in early summer.

Trees can affect the character of a garden and all gardens, however small, should have at least one. They make such a strong outline against the background and the sky. A number of conifers Read the rest of this entry »

What Organic Really Means

Posted by anne.kirrin

The word “organic” may appear on packages of meat, cartons of milk or eggs, cheese and other single-ingredient foods. Certified organic requires the rejection of synthetic agrochemicals, irradiation and genetically engineered foods or ingredients. Literally, of course, the term is a redundancy: all food is composed of organic chemicals (complex chemicals containing carbon). Any materials used in the production or processing of organic food must be proven safe. Awareness is growing about the value of organic foods. But, whether organic chicken or pesticide-free lettuce represents “healthier” alternatives has long been a subject for debate.

Organic farming is one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. Gardening organically is much more than what you don’t do. In fact, Read the rest of this entry »

Dream Home Gardening

Posted by anne.kirrin

Home gardending is tricky business. Do you wonder how can you get your garden to look like. Gardening information could easily help you to plan for gardening in front of your house.

Getting your plant respond well is in with your ability. Several general steps are involved, some of that you have been already doing can get the result you want.

The gradening is not and easy job and to maintian it is an another tricky subject. If you are planning to have to good flower and plant in front of your house, you have to plan the area, frist draw the diagram of your lot. This map of hardscape will be backbone of your plan.

Now Read the rest of this entry »

Container Gardening-Ornamental Grasses

Posted by anne.kirrin

Ornamental Grasses can add a beautiful arrangement to your container garden. These grasses have fine leaves that blow in the smallest of winds and will certainly add an extra aesthetic flavor to your garden. These grasses come in many wonderful textures and colors. Some of these great colors are red, purple, tan, pink and white. With very little research, you are sure to find the right grass that will fit will into your container garden arrangement.

Ornamental grasses will bloom in midsummer. They Read the rest of this entry »

Cleaning Out Your Container Garden? Don’t Throw those Weeds Away!

Posted by anne.kirrin

Some of those weeds from your container garden that you are throwing out could be quite tasty!

For years, people have been making dandelion wine, which is made from the blossoms of the dandelion plant. Dandelions are also wonderful when eaten raw, mixed with a salad. The dadelion leaves are very good when steamed too. If you have any allergies that come from the aster family, don’t eat dandelions, daisies, ragweed, or their relatives, like burdock and chicory. When you are weeding your container garden, you might be throwing out some tasty food!

Burdocks can be found in area Read the rest of this entry »

Plants in English Tudor Gardens

Posted by anne.kirrin

The intermingling of ornamental with useful plants continued to be common in Tudor gardens. As an innovation, Andrew Borde recommended that there be two divisions separated by a broad-hedged alley. One of these sections was to be devoted to pot-herbs, the other to “quarters and pulse together with a place for bee-hives.” Sometimes, too, fruit trees were placed in a special enclosure. Generally, in the smaller gardens, all sorts of vegetation were included, and herbs grown for medicinal purposes were side by side with those cultivated principally for their beauty.

Among the more ornamental plants grown Read the rest of this entry »

Grow Your Own Organic Vegetable Garden

Posted by anne.kirrin

Here are some of the main features of organic growing:

• Organic growing severely restricts the use of artificial chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
• Instead, organic growers rely on developing a healthy, fertile soil and growing a mixture of crops.
• Genetically modified (GM) crops and ingredients are not allowed under organic standards.

Going organic may mean that you have to make a trade-off between glossy, same same supermarket looks with better tasting crops that aren’t perfect in shape or size, but many gardeners think this is a price worth paying. You’ll be able to grow different Read the rest of this entry »

Daylilies in your container garden

Posted by anne.kirrin

Daylilies are a wonderful flower that you can enjoy everyday. The Daylily is a very strong flower that can withstand temperature changes and heavy rains. The Daylily is also free from many insects that usually infest other plants and flowers.

Be careful on where you place the Daylily in your container garden, because this flower can grow very large and might put excess shade on some of your smaller plants and will definately crowd them out. Daylilies are best when they are used for beds Read the rest of this entry »