Posts Tagged ‘Tips’

From Seeds To Flowers: Some Tips On Growing Plumeria

Plumeria seeds are very easy to grow but they aren’t guaranteed to become true to type. The average time it would take for a seed to bloom into a flowering plant is about three years, and yes, that would seem like a long time to see your flowering Plumeria plants. But when they do, the first flowers of a Plumeria will truly give you utmost satisfaction. To ensure that your Plumeria seeds reach full maturity, here are some tips:

The months between March and October are found to be the best time to be planting those seeds but you can pretty much grow them all year round. You just increase your chances of growing healthy seedlings if you opt for those months.

Plant your seeds just on the surface of a compost that drains well. The combination of perlite and cactus is the best one you can have for growing Plumeria.

To make sure the seedlings have enough room to grow in, leave a space between every seed you plant. Cover with a fine layer or compost, perlite, or vermiculite. Do not bury the seeds too deep!

Ideal temperature for those Plumeria seeds will be warm, ideally between 25 to 32 degrees. If you have a propagator, that would be better for your seeds.

Make sure your compost is always moist, but never pooling with water. Again, you need a good-draining compost.

You can boost the growth rate of your seeds by spraying high phosphorus fertilizer every day.

It will take about 6 to 20 days for the seeds to germinate and once there a pair of true leaves sprout out, it’s time to transplant your Plumeria seedlings so they can grow properly. Take care not to damage the roots.

Plants need the sun but introduce your Plumeria seedling to sunlight gradually.

Be diligent about watering and using fertilizer on your Plumeria seedlings to help them along in producing their first flowers.

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Tips On How To Prepare For A Garden

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Article by qamar mushtaq

You should not just simply start a garden. You will need the proper tools, shrewd planning and knowing what plants to grow. Before you plant anything, you need to carry out these basic tips.

To begin your garden you ought to do some exploration to get the help you need. Based on how and where your garden is set up, you must have the right information. You must also call at your local garden shop to find out what plants are available and ask questions to the staff. Each of the plants will have tags that include their name as well as maintenance information. You can take the info from the labels and carry out more research on the internet or simply consult the garden store staff.

If you set up your garden, you should consider the location of your garden and what is your budget. You will find that you will require money for tools, equipment as well as fertilizer. Are your florals likely to be exposed to both sun and shade, or one more than the other? Do you prefer flowers that blossom solely specific times of the year or year round? Would you want your garden to wind up being organic, and how much time are you willing to put into your garden? Are the flowers that you’re deciding on seem well with the way your house currently looks? When you respond to these questions, you could have an easier time planning your garden.

Developing a garden initially takes a great deal of time and effort. You will need to get down and dirty by putting down some soil, adding compost, fertilizer, and anything else you might need. You are going to need the correct tools to prep the soil, so planting your garden might take longer than a weekend. Even if you might think that planting the seeds is the conclusion of it, it is actually only the beginning. It is advisable to make sure that you don’t see any weeds growing, that the plants are properly watered and the soil is nicely fertilized. To stop your garden drying out over the hot summer season, you find yourself watering the garden every single day.

It is best to have time to maintain your garden in spring, summer and fall, but if you only have a little time, such as during the summer months, you might want to stick with annuals, which only last a season. Having perennials allows you to have your garden last a long time but prepare yourself for harder work. The time and hard work to build a garden is going to be time and effort well spent.

Shade Gardening Tips – Ten Shade Perennials For the Mid South

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All gardens are not created equal. Some gardens have too much shade, and some not enough. You may be thinking that there are not many plants that you can grow in the shade, but there are plenty of shade perennials that are worth trying. Here in the Mid South, even plants that are considered full sun actually appreciate a little afternoon shade. There are a few tips that can make shade gardening with perennials a breeze such as assessing your site, creating the amount of shade you want, and picking plants that do well in your area.

Shade Gardening Tips

The first tip for planting shade perennials is to choose a spot that has little competition from trees that have surface roots such as maples, sweet gums, and dogwoods. The term “surface roots” means just what it says. The roots of the trees grow on the surface of the ground. This causes a problem with competition for water and nutrients if you plant perennials around these roots.

Giving your plants a good growing environment with little competition is the first step to a great garden. The second tip is to assess your site before you plant.

Assessing Your Site

Assessing your site and identifying light and shade levels for that area is important. Simply take a walk around your yard and observe what areas get full sun and which areas are truly shady areas. Remember, light levels change throughout the year as the seasons change and as trees leaf out or grow to maturity. Keep notes in a journal as to what areas receive shade in the morning, midday, and early afternoon. Note whether the area is full shade, partial shade, or full sun. For the beginner gardener, those terms may be a little confusing.

Here’s a quick primer on what those terms mean.

Full shade areas have a dense canopy where no direct sunlight penetrates, or perhaps the plant is in the shadow of an evergreen tree or building all day.

Partial shade means that the garden receives dappled shade throughout the day. This simply means that you can see some portions of the sky through the leaves above you. Another type of partial shade is the garden that is more densely shaded for a part of the day but receives bright sunlight for two to six hours.

The third type of area is full sun which means the area receives at least six hours of direct sunlight during the day. Once you have assessed your site and understand what type of shade you have. Next, you may want to create the amount of shade you want for your garden.

Create the Amount of Shade You Want

The third tip to increase your success with shade gardening, is to try altering the amount of light that enters your shade garden bed to suit your needs and the needs of the plants you want to plant. Prune trees to decrease the amount of shade and to create a high canopy that your plants will love. This also creates more air flow which is healthy for you and your plants since it decreases mold and mildew. To create more shade; plant trees, add walls and fences, build a lath house, or put a shade cloth over a simple plastic pipe structure, build an arbor or gazebo. Using vines on structures is also a quick way to create more shade.

Pick the Right Plants for Your Zone

Once you have assessed your area and created the type of shade you want, you are ready to plant. Go to your local garden center, or to your local extension service website, for a list of plants that do well in your area. You will find both a wealth of information. Below is a list of some top shade loving perennial performers for the Mid South.

Ten Shade Perennials for the Mid South

Italian arum (Arum italicum)
Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
Green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum)
Cardinal flower (Lobelia Cardinalis)
Solomon’s seal (Polyanatum odoratum)
Spiderwort (Tradescantia x Andersoniana)
Lenten rose (Helleborus spp.)
Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum)
Astilbe (Astilbe x Arendsii)
Toad lily (Tricyrtus formosana)

Visiting local public and botanical gardens, attending local garden tours, joining local garden clubs, and visiting your local extension service website, is a great way to learn more about perennials that do well in your area.

Given the right conditions, your plants will thrive. Remember, remove competition, asses your site, create the amount of shade you want and you will be on your way to a gorgeous yard that you will enjoy all season. Keep in mind that there are also ferns, vines, annuals, and shrubs that do well in shade. As a general rule, plants that do well in the shade have large, flat leaves that help them absorb light for photosynthesis and growth. They will generally have fewer flowers and seeds than plants grown in the sun. Think foliage, color, and texture for shady areas in your garden. This list of ten shade perennials is a good place to start for gardeners in the Mid South, but part of the fun of gardening is experimenting with different types of plants so be sure to go out there and find the plants that will be on your own list of “favorites” and enjoy the journey.

Tips On How To Prepare For A Garden

perennial flower seeds

Article by Edua Macker

Creating a garden isn’t something you simply decide to do one day and just start. You will require the proper tools, sensible planning and knowing what plants to grow. Before you decide to plant anything, you need to stick to these basic tips.

You need to do some study to comprehend what you need before you start your garden. You will need to have a good understanding of your area to help you make informed decisions. Make a visit to a nearby garden center, which will probably be well-stocked with quality plants, and a staff of people who can answer your questions. You’ll find the plants are going to be correctly labelled and have the information you need to take care of them. Get guidance from the staff, or take the plant names and return home to research each one on the Internet before deciding on the right plants for your garden location.

Whenever you develop your garden, you should consider the location of your garden and what is your budget. It’ll cost you money to purchase the right tools, equipment, fertilizer, and pesticides if the plants become infected. Will the flowers that you would like to develop be successful in the spot where you want them planted? Do you want flowers that blossom solely certain times of the year or year round? Will you want your garden to wind up being organic, and exactly how much time are you willing to put into your garden? Will the bloom you prefer match your house? Learning the answers to these thoughts will make your garden experience much simpler.

Developing a garden as a beginner takes a great deal of time and effort. Building the soil, compost and fertilizer will be some of the challenges you will experience. You’ll find that it’s going to take longer than a weekend to get your garden all set. Although you might think that planting the seeds is the conclusion of it, it is actually only the beginning. You need to make sure that there aren’t any weeds developing, that the plants are properly watered and the soil is nicely fertilized. To stop your garden drying out during the hot summer time, you find yourself watering the garden every single day.

You must have the ability to take care of your garden for almost the entire year but if you don’t, then growing annuals would be the best option. If you want to put in the hard work, then perennials could last you several seasons. You discover that having a beautiful garden is really worth the effort.

Your August Green Gardening Tips

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Article by Melissa Rubin

Although your planting is done, don’t think your green gardening responsibilities are finished yet! August is the month of pruning, testing, and freshening up your organic gardens. So before you decide to that that family vacation you’ve been dying to take, take these precautions and check to make sure your garden is growing and healthy.

Ignore the Foul MoldWhen you have recently laid mulch on your garden beds, it is normal for certain slime mold to develop. It will have a bright yellow mass that eventually changes to pale gray spores. Although the look of it might be unsavory, the actual mold is not harmful to your plants. In fact, once it hits the gray stage, if disturbed will erupt in a cloud and layer your plants with a layer of dust.

Order Spring BulbsOrdering spring bulbs now shows your true expertise as a green gardener because it will allow you to take your pick on any selection of bulbs you want for fall delivery.

Cut back PerennialsCut them back only if they have already bloomed! This encourages a second flowering, as well as a tidy, compacted re-growth of the leaves. Coneflowers, catmint, early season salvias, daisies and lamb’s ears are all perennials that should be hedged.

Conduct a Lawn Soil TestYou can also test the soil in September, as long as it is before the traditional fall renovations of your green garden. The lawn soil tests will tell you how much fertilizer and liming your lawn needs, as well as gives you the nutrient levels, pH and organic matter.

Freshen the GardenThis is a general to-do that you should do every few months anyway. Specific clean-up tasks to do in August include cutting back the spent perennials, wedding beds, trimming leggy annuals and laying new mulch.

Check Tomato Plants before LeavingIf your plans for a family vacation are finally developing, make sure to check your tomato plants for ripening fruit before you leave. Tomatoes that are just starting to redden can actually ripen in any sunny area; bring them with you in a long car ride and put them on the dashboard! If you aren’t going to be traveling in a sunny place, offer them to friends or family members.

Pull up CrabgrassMake sure you keep an eye out for crabgrass and pull up the clumps before the seeds ripen. For stubborn clumps, dampen the soil around the crabgrass the night before, then use a sharp knife or hoe to dig it out – otherwise pull it up by hand.

Tips for Keeping Your Garden in Color All Season

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Article by Ryan

Sometimes it is difficult to achieve colors for all seasons. There is no iota of doubt that everyone would love to see a garden full of blooms through out a year. You have to plan well for your garden to have colors for all seasons. You have to go into every detail of the flowers. Like when is their bloom time? What kind of soil they need? What is their range of height? Do they require full sun or partial sun and partial shade? When you come to know all the above details you can plan your garden in such a way that they have colors throughout.

Lets us see all the ways which will help us to keep our gardens in color all season:

1. Deadheading

Removing dry blossoms is the easiest and simplest way to keep your plants blooming. Annuals particularly will profit from an occasional deadheading. Flowers actually produce seeds. Once seeds are formed the plants have no reason to bear flowers any more.

Many recurrent flowers will also bloom again if deadheaded. Exclusions are recurrent that bloom on one tall flower stalk. They are the astilbe or iris. Also perennial flowers that require a chilling season to blossom are also exclusions to recurrent reblooming.

2. Shearing

Deadheading cannot be applied to flowers that have multiple buds on their flower stalks. Deadheading becomes a nightmare in that case. In this case they can be sheared unto 1/3 of the plant. This you can do till all the buds fade. This rejuvenates the plant. New fresh leaf and lots of new flower buds will appear. The plants retrieve quickly. Early bloomers seem to be draggled by the middle of the season.

3. Pruning

A cunning way to sustain the perennial blooms is to clip the plants in steps. Try to divide the plant into three sections like the front, center and back. As soon as the plants grow about 6-8″ tall, you can cut the front and center by about 1/3 to 1 / 2. Now let the plant grow again to 6-8″ tall and now you have to prune the front section in the same dimension.

This type of trimming will ensue plants turning into 3 levels and so it can bloom in sequence. The rear part blooms first and as it fades the center portion blooms. Finally the front part will bloom. The front section actually grows very tall and this helps in hiding all the withering plants behind it.

4. Re-Seeding

To extend the bloom of annuals you can re-seed quick growing annuals. This will be about 4 weeks soon after the initial seeding.

5. Feeding

Plants spend a lot of vigor in flowering. The more they blossom, the more food they demand. So take care and keep on adding good soil, water them properly and add fertilizer.

6. Produce colorful foliage

Flowers come and go but the foliage remains. Sprinkle the beds in your garden with a few shrubs and include sprinting annuals. You will have colors through the season.

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July 2010 Gardening Hints & Tips

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Now’s the time to take semi-ripe cuttings from some of your favourite shrubs like Hebe’s, Rosemary, Weigela, Ceanothus and Hydrangeas. Take the cuttings from the current year’s growth just below a leaf, remove the leaves from the lower half of the cutting and dip the end in rooting hormone. Then insert the cuttings in pots of cuttings compost. Cover the pots with a polythene bag or put them in a propagator and place somewhere warm and sheltered but out of strong, direct sunlight. They should be ready to pot on in a few weeks. Don’t forget to pick up everything you need when shopping to ensure perfect cuttings including pots, cuttings compost, dibbers, rooting hormone, labels and propagators.

To get the most from wisteria it’s important to build up a good framework of permanent branches to cover the support, so make sure you tie in stems as they grow. And now’s the time to give your wisteria its summer prune. Cut back all this year’s leafy side shoots to five to seven leaflets. After pruning feed with a potash-rich granular feed such as a rose fertiliser. And if you were jealous of everyone else’s wisterias earlier this year then get buying and planting today, wisterias can take many years to flower so the longer you leave it the longer you are without beautiful wisteria blooms. Remember they need a spot in full sun and a sturdy trellis or similar for support.

Weeds can soon take over the garden and not only do they look unsightly, but they can smother your prized plants, steal valuable water and nutrients from the soil and become hosts to pests and diseases. Now’s the time for an all-out assault on them using a hoe for annuals and small weeds, mulches and planting membranes to keep beds and borders permanently weed free and weedkillers to stop even the most persistent weeds taking over. Use a weedkiller based on Glyphosate for persistent, deep-rooted perennials.

If your family is already getting bored of the summer holidays entertain them in the safety of your own garden. There are a large range of garden games available from trampolines to croquet.

Get the most from all your plants growing in beds and borders by giving them a little care and attention. Plants that have finished flowering should be dead-headed or cut back, and fed with a high potash fertiliser – many will reward you with further flushes of flowers.

Gardens are for enjoying – and the summer is the best time to do it. So make sure you sit back, relax and enjoy your garden this year from the comfort of your own garden furniture. Or entertain friends and family with a slap-up barbecue. And if you plan to stay out late add some easy to install garden lighting such as many of the solar lanterns available

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During periods of hot dry weather the water in ponds can be very short of oxygen which will affect the fish and plants; if your fish are gulping at the surface it’s a sure sign they need more oxygen. Make sure your pond contains plenty of oxygenating plants and add a pump and waterfall or fountain as the constant movement of water is one of the best ways of aerating it. Fish will be very active now, so feed them little and often with a high protein fish food.

If you’re off on holiday soon or want to make the most of long days in the garden, use your time wisely and read a good gardening book or two. You can gen up on your favourite plants, plan next year’s garden, a new area in the garden or a new feature – or just brush up on your gardening techniques.

During the warm, dry days of summer pests like red spider mite, aphids and whitefly and diseases like                                     
Mildew can really take hold and get out of control. Check plants regularly – daily if possible – for signs of trouble and deal with it quickly. One or two pests can soon become a major outbreak during warm weather. Ready-to-use sprayers are the quick and easy answer to your problems. Slugs and snails will also become busy after a cooling summer shower, so make sure you have controls ready to hand. If your plants have a problem ask one of our friendly staff to help you choose a suitable product to deal with it.

If you haven’t already done so, make sure you shade your greenhouse to prevent plants inside getting scorched. Use a shading wash or hang up fleece or shade netting. And keep vents open during warm weather; installing automatic vent openers will do the work for you. Water plants daily – or as and when they need it – and feed every seven to 10 days or so to ensure healthy growth and plenty of flowers and fruit. Damp down paths daily with a few gallons of water to help improve humidity.

Tomatoes are our favourite home-grown vegetable and a little care and attention now will ensure bumper crops throughout the summer. Make sure your plants are well supported – tying them in as they grow, remove sideshoots from upright cordon varieties, remove yellowing or dying leaves and watch out for pests and diseases, then treat accordingly. Feed weekly with a liquid tomato fertiliser and water regularly so that the compost or soil remains evenly moist.

If you love cooking indoors or are spending the long, sunny days and evenings barbecuing, then you’ll appreciate having plenty of herbs. If you don’t have room in the rest of the garden, then plant up a herb pot with all your culinary favourites so they’re easily to hand when you need them. From Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme to Basil and Mint your local garden centre have all the herbs you’ll need for a potpourri of scents and tastes.

If your lawn is looking tired and run down, give it a boost now with a liquid feed. And where weeds or moss are a problem use a liquid feed, weed and moss killer. Keep mowing regularly when the grass is growing to ensure it looks its best. You can leave small clippings on the lawn as they will help conserve soil moisture. But when a good soak is needed – lawns use around 4 gallons of water per square yard per week – use a lawn sprinkler set on a timer to avoid wasting water and making your water bill shoot up.

If you have colour gaps in your beds, borders and containers now is a good time to plug them. Treat you and your garden to an eye-catching tree or specimen plant like a tree fern, Fatsia Japonica, Phormium or grasses. Or if your garden is looking a bit flat put up an arch, pergola or trellis and cover it with colourful climbers. Look out for our instant colour from our wide range of shrubs, herbaceous plants and seasonal bedding. And if your patio is looking tired or colourless pop in some large container plants for instant impact.

Make sure your garden is bursting with colour this summer with our plants of the month. There’s plenty to choose from for long-lasting interest including Fuchsias, Roses, Penstemons, Lavatera, Lavender and Spiraea. And don’t forget our huge range of summer-flowering herbaceous perennials. Bring your garden to life with our plants of the month.

Make sure your plants produce a display to be proud of by giving them just the right amount of water. Well-established plants may not need watering but newly planted ones, bedding plants and plants in containers will all need regular watering. Using a hosepipe with a watering gun is quicker and easier than using a watering can and helps prevent water wastage. If you have a lot of plants in containers, in the greenhouse or large areas of the garden that need watering, consider installing a micro drip watering system. If you use a watering computer too, they will even water your plants while you’re away.

Free Gardening Tips For a Well Maintained and Simple Garden

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Did you ever want to turn your backyard into a garden but then you gave up because you didn’t know anything about gardening? You don’t have to do that anymore: gardening is actually not as hard as people might think it is. If you know a few basic rules, then you can have your own garden without much effort. The time you need to create a garden is not too long, and it is definitely a good way to relax. The beauty and scent of the blooming flowers will repay you for your effort, you can be sure of that. Here are a few basic gardening tips, that will help you gain that beautiful garden you’ve always dreamed of.

Flowers grow and bloom, but so do weeds. There can be a lot of unwanted weed among your plants. This is natural, since most weed seeds are carried by the wind and it is impossible to stop their spreading. Weeds are usually stronger than flowers and much more resistant, so they have a bigger chance of survival even in bad conditions. Get rid of weeds in your garden, because they take away the water and the minerals from your flowers. The best way is to rip them out with their roots to make sure that they won’t grow back again. You can also use weedkiller products, but avoid using sprays, because they can destroy your flowers as well.

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Most of the flowers and plants require certain conditions, otherwise they won’t survive or they will be very weak. Water your garden regularly, at least once a week, and more often if it’s a very dry hot summer. Deep watering is relevant because that way the roots can absorb much more minerals and the flowers will be more fresh looking and beautiful.

At all times try to avoid the use of chemicals in your garden. Most of the chemicals do more harm than good. For instance if you use a pesticide, it kills the bad insects but the beneficial ones as well. This way you will only destroy the natural balance of the garden. Some chemicals are also harmful for the plants and flowers, and they can be dangerous for humans and pets as well. For all problems there are organic, natural products that you can use instead of the chemicals.

If you want to fertilize your garden, choose fertilizers that are organic. Don’t use too much fertilizer, most of the times the soil contains already a lot of minerals that the plants need. The minimal amount of fertilizer is enough to give your flowers extra strength and resistance. Use this regularly, especially if you water your flowers very often. Repeated watering washes away nutrition from the earth and that’s why you should add fertilizer to it.

Cutting of dead flowers and leaves will not only make your garden look more beautiful and organized, but it is also beneficial for the plants. Most of the flowers will bloom more if the dead flowers heads are removed. Some perennials will have new flowers only if the dead flower heads are cut, like dahlias and geraniums. Similarly, there are some plants that require their top to be pinched out. This way they will be more bushy and have more flowers. Some of them will grow too high if you don’t do this, like fuchsias for instance.

Fall Planting Tips

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For many areas of the country, the fall season is considered to be the best time to plant. Indeed even in the wild plants bloom and have the most seed towards fall. In autumn the seeds fall to the earth and are planted naturally. The weather is also cooler and moisture levels are more consistent which creates a good growth environment for both perennials and trees.

Fall planting is often so much better than spring planting, particularly in the south, where droughts and high summer temperatures can contribute to undue stress the first year, while they are still putting down roots. Fall begins in late September; however fall weather can vary quite a bit from one part of the country to the next. The ideal period for fall planting is considered to be roughly six weeks before the first hard frost, usually from August to October.

Your local nursery will often have sales on plants like hardy perennials in the fall. Make sure to place your new plants in the garden bed as soon as possible. Avoid hot sunny fall days; plants have been shown to adjust much better on cooler days with clouds. As you plant, trim off any damaged leaves or stems.

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Don’t forget to care for your existing plants in the fall as well! Make sure to remove all annuals or perennials that have died or are dying. Remove any weeds around your new beds, and around flowering shrubs and shade trees. Fall is also a good time to add a layer of fresh compost and mulch to protect and nourish plants over the winter months.

Plants that have been given time to become well established in the fall are usually healthier than those which are planted in springtime. In autumn the soil is still warm with plenty of moisture. This creates the perfect condition for the establishment of new roots before the cold winter sets in.

Keep in mind not all plants can be planted in the fall. Fall is ideal for planting flowering trees and fast growing shrubs because it allows the roots to establish before the summer heat can dry them out.

Flowers like Chrysanthemums, Daffodils, Pansies, Crocus, Sicilia, and Tulips are other good choices. Even some vegetables can do very well in cooler temperatures. Some examples of good fall vegetables are leafy green vegetables such as, broccoli, carrots, peas, kale, spinach and Brussels sprouts. To protect your vegetables from early frost you can purchase a row cover or even use an old sheet if the need arises.

Many gardeners don’t realize the true value of planting in fall, and so many think that they have to wait until springtime. Of course we gardeners can not just sit around and watch fall colors come and go! These months are filled with harvesting, mulching, planting, and cleanup. So, while the weather is at its most pleasant for outdoor work, let us put on the garden apron and get busy!

Gardening Information – 6 Tips For Herb Gardening

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For as long as human kind has sought ways to inhance the flavor of food, herbs have been used to delight the palet, treat illness and provide aromatherapy.
In the past they were belived to have magical powers and to a certain extent that belief may be well founded. If you iave ever used a little lavender on your pillow or that of your child to help get to sleep, ingested some sparemint to help the tummy ache, or used sage ot add just the right mouthwatering flavor to a dish, you may think of herbs as having magical powers.

Many folks raise herb gardens at home, the freshness and convienience is rewarding. Some tips for herb gardening follow:

1. Plan your garden with annuals as well as perennials in mind. What should you plant? Take a look in your kitchen and see what you’ve used in the past.
Continue your research here on the web and maybe get some ideas for some new herbs you might enjoy growing and using. Perhaps simply growing and enjoying the aroma of a mint or lavender patch would be it’s own reward. You can always put sprig of fresh spearmint in water or other drinks to add wonderful flavor as well as sooth the stomach.

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2. Depending on space limitations you may want to plant annuals away from perennials or you may want to mix them together, the thing is you don’t want to disturb you perennials when pulling up your annuals and replanting them. It’s also a good idea to have perennials on the outer edges so as to allow for annual tilling. Some plants like lavender and mint can overpower others and take over your garden area. Mint and spearmint can be a good ground cover with attractive aromas.

3. Plants grow to different heights and short plants can have the light all but blotted out by taller larger plants so keep shorter plants where they can grow with ample light.

4. A lot of gardeners use containers for herbs, thus keeping them from the main garden area. Herb pots are available with three or more outlets at different levels in the pot. Plant water lovers on the first level add soil and plant the next layer, plants that like it dryer would be planted last.

5. Some herbs will not take up much space and you could make a nice little garden out of an old wooden stepladder, lie the ladder on the ground and plant your spices in between the rungs. Instant herb garden. The small size required also allows for a square bisected so that you can reach all plants from the center walkways. A small circular garden made from an old wagon wheel can be attractive. Plant herbs between the tines.

6. You can give your herbs a head start by germinating the seeds indoors before planting. Take an old cloth or even a paper towel and place it on a cookie sheet or saucer after having soaked it and rung it out. Pour seeds into it and fold it over to cover the seeds. Keep moist till sprouts begin to appear.

May life yield an abundant harvest of joy for you today.