Dont Jump The Gun

This hit home as I have already planted some early crops only to have big time frost a week later

WiscNews.com : Portage Daily Register Online: "Experts: Don't jump the gun on spring gardening
By Ann Marie Ames

A sunny March day might get the sap running in the veins of some Wisconsin gardeners and yardwork buffs. Local experts caution, however, that gardeners should exercise patience, as the weather is still unpredictable.
'Remember that anything that you plant right now has to be able to take a freeze,' said Rob Gehm, a grower and manager at Portage's Link's Greenhouse. 'We'll definitely get more freezing weather yet, although it's so nice out today.'"more:

Starting Your Seeds Indoors

A great way to jump-start your garden and save cash is to begin your plants indoor before planting time. You will also be certain of the conditions the plants were grown in, unlike plants purchased in garden centers. There are a few tricks to understand to make your seedlings prosper.

To start, you must select suitable containers for your seedlings. The superior ones to use are wood pulp pots or peat pellets. It's less trouble for you and healthier on the seedlings, since you can plant them straight in the earth. But you can use any small containers, like egg boxes or yogurt containers. Just make sure there are holes at the bottom for drainage.
You must also fill the pots with suitable dirt. Any well-drained soil will do, but it is best to use sterilized, store-bought soil instead of soil from outside. This way, you can be sure it doesn't have in it any fungus or illness which could be risky for young plants. And you do not want to bring all the insects and worms from outside into your house!

You can now plant your seeds in the containers. Follow the instructions on the seed packages for depth. You do not need to put many seeds in a pot. Just a few will do.
You should now water your seeds. When you are done, cover the pots to conserve moisture and place them in a hot place. Keep them out of direct sunlight. They do not need any sunlight at this stage anyway, but keep an eye out to make sure they have enough water.

Once the seeds have germinated, they will need more sunlight. Move them to the brightest spot you can find, preferably a south-facing window. You will have to be even more careful now and water them often, since small pots cannot hold a lot of water. Also, the seedlings are fragile at this stage, so do not drown them or cause them to break by watering too fast.

If the seedlings get too big for their pots before planting season, you can move them to bigger pots to make sure they stay healthy and strong.

When you have a week or so to go before moving them to your garden, bring them outside during the day to harden them. Do not put them in direct sunlight at first and bring them back inside during the night.

And finally, when your plants have grown enough (with at least four leaves) and the weather is warm enough, you can move them to your garden.

If you did not plant them in pellets or wood pulp pots, you will need to remove them from their pot with a blunt tool, like a table knife, while you support the plant with your fingers. Dig a hole slightly deeper than the height of the pot; lower the plant in the hole and firm the soil gently around the stem. Water them carefully and your garden is ready to go!

Buggy Garden

Lexington Herald-Leader 03/23/2006 Author's gardening ideal full of bugs
Next time, William Alexander thinks, his book might be more about the food and less about his garden.
But The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden is more about the Hudson Valley garden that threatened to scuttle Alexander's otherwise placid existence. (Sumptuous photos of said garden are available at Alexander's Web site, 64dollartomato.com.)
In the book, he battles a scheming woodchuck, swarms of Japanese beetles, lawn grubs -- and don't even get him started about the deer that saw his fresh veggies as a buffet.
Well, OK, do get him started about the deer, because Alexander is about as entertaining as anyone you're ever going to hear on the subject of those fuzzy, wide-eyed terrors of the gardener's existence.
"An Eastern white-tailed deer in the wild is a beautiful thing. They're graceful, they're strong leapers, they're beautiful things," Alexander says.
What's not to love?
"A deer eating your garden stubble or plastered on the windshield or giving you Lyme."
Alexander thinks the dangers of Lyme disease -- a flulike illness caused by a bacterium and transmitted to humans by the bite of infected black-legged ticks, which are maintained, carried and shed by your friend Mr. Bambi -- are underrated by deer apologists. He blames the rather pleasant name: Lyme, unlike the ominous-sounding "West Nile virus," has a sort of New England-y Olde Towne feel about it. It sounds more like a resort than a disease.
But the experience of shunning deer and declaring war on Japanese beetles has taught more

A Good Looking Garden Resourse

I just found this site today and thought I would share it with you.

Garden Guides Gardening Tips Garden Accessories: "GardenListings.com garden guides, resources & products

Welcome To GardenListings.com. Our mission is to bring you only the best in garden accessories, gardening guides & resources. Our garden guide and landscaping tips section covers all kinds of garden topics. We've just begun adding information to our site and we're hoping to have one of the largest collections of gardening information on the web.
Check out our growing garden guide page with articles being added every day. Whether you need a little advice on rose pruning our just general gardening tips you've come to the right place. "more

Spring Chores

Comment and opinion from the Times and The Sunday Times - Times Online: "Gardening tips for spring consider the beach option; suck a hosepipe
Notebook by Alan Coren



TODAY IS OFFICIALLY the first day of spring, and I see from my attic window that the last of my crocuses has come out. Like all its predecessors, it has come out as a flowerless bulb, in the teeth of a squirrel. It is flowerless because today is unofficially the 198th day of winter: if Wordsworth were wandering today, he would be even lonelier than a cloud, because the only thing fluttering and dancing in the breeze would be his scarf.
Nevertheless, today is still the traditional opening of the gardening year, and even in subzero temperatures, there is work to be done. Why not service the lawnmower? The smartest thing to do is call in an expert, but make sure you phone before April 3, 1993, because they get pretty booked up at this time of year. The alternative is to service it yourself, though this year the cold may make that tricky: not only will the titchy nuts and springs and cogs you must undo and remove drop from your frozen fingers and disappear, those fingers may also, without your even feeling it, undo and drop the titchy nuts and springs and cogs you must not remove. Luckily, there is an old gardeners remedy for this problem, called a credit card. "more

Landscaping your Garden

Landscaping is customarily quite a big undertaking, taking lots of time and drive. But before you employ that professional, here are some tips that could salvage both time and cash.

1. Spend some time reasoning about precisely how you wish the end design to be. You need to take account of the type and purpose of your landscape. Do you desire to include a space for entertaining? A barbeque? Is there to be an area for kids to have fun, a fishpond or a swimming pool? An idea of the plants you want to be there will also help. Focus on the area where you spend most of your time. That's a satisfactory point to begin.

2. Think twice before hiring a pro. An independent designer might cost you hundreds of dollars when you may be able to access free plans on the Internet or at a nursery. But if you have an awkward block such as very steep area, a pro may give you the knowledge to save costly mistakes.

3. The style of your home must be taken into account. If you have a rural cottage, formal gardens surrounding it will look out of place. Think also about your lifestyle. Do you want to spend hours caring for many beds of annuals or pruning beds of roses? If so, go ahead and plant them, but if you'd rather spend your free time at the beach, then go for an easy-care garden and landscape.

Here are the various landscape styles you can choose for your own garden:

a. Formal. This style uses lots of straight lines and perfect geometrical shapes. Orderly arrangement of plants instead of random positioning is employed. Close arrangement and pruning is seen on many landscaped gardens with this style.

b. Informal. This kind of landscaping works well with cozy cottages. Beds with curved edges instead of straight lines and random placement of plants suit this landscape style.

c. English Garden. This style emphasizes the harmony between the house’s architecture and the garden.

d. Formal/Informal Garden. This style often comes with a brick walkway that exudes formality. This walkway leads to the rear with a circle of plants. The arrangement of plants resembles the English garden style but it has no formal borders.

e. Oriental. It is often the kind of garden found in small backyards. It uses rocks, evergreens and water. A wide variety of plants create several interesting angles with this style.

f. Woodland. This landscaping suits a house that has a wooded backyard and sloping ground.

6 HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR PLANTS TIPS

Many men and women agonize a lot when it comes to caring for their plants. When talking about household plants, there is no reason to worry. There are just a few things you need to contemplate.

1. Watering
Over watering kills most houseplants. Looks can be misleading, so to see if your soil is dry enough to water, try the finger test. Insert your index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If the soil is moist, don't water it.

2. Feeding
Foliage plants most often have high nitrogen needs, while flowering plants, K2O is needed. Slow release fertilizers can be mixed with the compost. However, certain plants like cacti and orchids need special fertilizer. Feed plants during their most active growth period.

3. Lighting
Plants like Sanseveria and Aspidistra require no sun. They can be placed away from a window. Spider plants need semi-shade. You can put plants like these near a window that does or does not get sunlight. Check the label to see what your plant needs.

4. Temperature
Houseplants can endure in cool or warm temperatures, but extreme fluctuations of temperature may not be good for them. One thing that most plants cannot endure is gas heating. If you have a plant that likes warm conditions, don't put it close to your air conditioner in the summer.

5. Humidity
Some houseplants require damp surroundings. One tip to increase humidity is to put the pot inside a larger pot and fill in the gaps with rocks or compost to keep in the moisture. Putting plants together often creates a microclimate that they will benefit from. If you want, you can sprinkle them with water once or twice a day depending on the temperature.

6. Re-potting
Some plants require re-potting for best growth but there are others that resent having their roots upset. Or their roots system may be small enough that they don't require re-potting. One way to check if your plant needs re-potting is to turn it upside down. Tap the pot to release the plant and check its roots. If roots are all you see, then re-pot. Sometimes the roots will come out of the pot. You should either cut them off or re-pot the plant.

You just need to have a little care for your plants and in turn, you'll reap the benefits. Indoor plants not only add to the beauty of your home, but also give much enjoyment to the indoor gardener.

Reap What You Sow

Belfast Telegraph: "Gardening: Reap what you sow


John Graydon
18 March 2006
Garden centre owners won't thank me for saying this, but gardening doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. If you have an established garden or know someone who has a mature plot, you can be quids in at this time of year.
The trick is in reproducing plants from current stock or sowing seed.
Greenhouse gardeners will be well ahead of me at this point. Their calendars tell them that there are plenty of plants about to sprout shoots which can be used to create new stock.
Fuchsias, pelargoniums, cultivated geraniums, dahlias and chrysants all fall into that category.
A sharp knife, a keen eye, decent compost, a little knowledge, some heat and a little luck are all that's needed to increase the stock.
Cut off a fresh shoot of around six inches in length just below a leaf node. Trim off the bottom leaves, pinch out the growing tip of the shoot and plant the stalk into some fresh, well watered compost and grow under glass.
Those greenhouse gardeners have no problems on the latter score but even if you don't have room for such a structure, you can grow on young plants in a specialised propagator on a windowsill.
They come in all manner of specifications and prices but even the most basic model will - with a little care on your behalf - create the necessary heat to help you grow on the young plants created from the shoots more:

Dealing with Rose Diseases

To make certain that your prized roses stay in the finest condition, try the following tips.

1. Black Spots on Leaves
This disease is commonly known as black spot. Black spots turn up as round with fringed edges on leaves. They cause the leaves to yellow. Take off the infected foliage and pick up any fallen leaves around the rose. Man-made sprays may be used to prevent or treat this kind of rose disease.

2. Stunted or malformed young canes
Known as powdery mildew, this is a fungal disease that covers leaves, stems and buds with wind spread white powder. It makes the leaves curl and turn purple. Spray with Funginex or Benomyl to treat this fungal disease.

3. Blistered underside of leaves
Known as rust, this disease is characterized by orange-red blisters that turn black in fall. It can endure the winter and will then assault new sprouts in the spring. Gather and dispose of leaves that are infected in fall. A Benomyl or Funginex spray every 7-10 days may help.

4. Malformed or stunted leaves and flowers
This is caused by spider mites. They are small yellow, red or green spiders found on the underside of leaves where they suck juices. The use of Orthene or Isotox may help in treating this infestation.

5. Weak and mottled leaves with tiny white webs under them
Aphids cause this. They are small soft-bodied insects that generally brown, green or red. Often clustered under leaves and flower buds, they suck plant juices from delicate buds. Malathion or diazinon spray may help roses to survive these bugs.

6. Flowers that don't open or are deformed when they open.
Thrips could be the reason behind this problem. They are slender, brown-yellow bugs with fringed wings that also suck juices from flower buds. Cut and discard the infested flowers. Orthene and malathion may also treat this problem. Bear in mind that roses are hungry feeders that demand much fertilizer to become thriving bushes.

Try Gardening For Kids

Clearly, we can see how nature is treated these days. It is a sad thing to understand that men and women do not pay attention so much anymore to the environmental problems. What can we do about this? It's as elementary as starting with the children. It is all right to see the children's involvement with environment-friendly activities. One such nature-loving activity that children could simply get their hands on is gardening. Why should you consider gardening for your children?

Here are the benefits that gardening could comfortably provide the children with:

1. Science
In planting, children are indirectly taught the wonders of science like the plant's life cycle and how human's intervention can break or make the environment. They can have a first hand involvement on the miracle of life through a seed. This would absolutely be a new and enjoyable experience for the kids.

2. Life
Watching a seed develop into a tree is just as wondrous as the conception to birth and growth of a child. In time, kids will learn to love their plants and appreciate the life in them. Gardening could actually help simulate how life should be treated -- it should be with care. The necessities to live will be emphasized to kids with the help of gardening - water, sunlight, air, and soil. Those necessities could easily be corresponded to human necessities, i.e., water, shelter, air, food. By merely weeding out, one could teach how bad influences should be avoided to be able to live life smoothly.

3. Relaxation
Studies show that gardening can reduce stress because of its calming effect. This is suitable to any age group. More so, it stimulates all the five senses. Believe it or not, gardening may be used as therapy to children who have been abused or those who are members of broken homes. It helps build one's self-esteem.

4. Quality Time with the Family
You can forget about your stressful work life for a while is soothed by the pretty ambience in the garden. You can play and spend quality time with your children. You can talk while watering the plants or you can work quietly beside each other. The bottom line is, always do what you have to do, together with your kids. You might discover a lot of new things about your child while mingling with them in your garden.

Let kids become aware of their environment's needs. And one way to jumpstart that environmental education may be through gardening. Its hitting two birds with one stone -- instruct them to respect life while you bond with them.

Get Back Into Gardening Routine

Here are some good tips about gardening as exercise

Star-Telegram 03/13/2006 Ease back in to gardening routine: "Ease back in to gardening routineAkron Beacon JournalGardening, like any form of exercise, taxes muscles that may not have been used in months and requires stamina.So experts recommend gardening in small increments at the start of the season to build your strength and endurance, and stretching before and after to prevent injury.Here are some additional tips:Before you start working in the garden, walk around and take stock of the things you want to do. Then tackle the most important chores first, so you're not tempted to take on too much.Proper lifting is important to protecting your back. Always bend your knees and lift with the thighs while keeping the back straight. Be careful not to twist as you lift.When you're hoeing or shoveling, keep your knees relaxed, stand straight and don't hunch. If you need to use a rotating movement, such as when you're shoveling mulch, take a step in the direction you're headed before you twist your body. That releases tension on the spine.Use a lightweight wagon or wheelbarrow to haul things, and keep the load light. If you're buying materials in bags, choose smaller quantities that are easier to haul.When you're working low to the ground, sit or kneel on a cushion. Kneel on both knees at the same time to avoid injury when you twist.If you have to reach for something that's far away, get as close as possible to the object, sit as straight as you can without hunching, then reach. If possible, use a long tool to do the reaching for you.Use comfortable, lightweight tools, and if you're short, use shorter versions of long-handled tools such as shovels and rakes. Alternate your grip from hand to hand periodically.Choose tools with brightly colored handles. They're easier to see, so you're less likely to trip over them in the grass or r"

Weeds Be Gone

Lifestyle - Huntingdon Today: News, Sport, Jobs, Property, Cars, Entertainments & More: "GARDENING Keep dreaded weeds at bay
There seems to be a lot of activity this week against weeds.
I have been asked many questions at work, and I thought I could make one or two points stemming from them.
Most weed killers work best when weeds are actively growing. Night time temperatures need to be above 4C for this to happen. It's no good having warm days and cold nights. Many plants won't be convinced that conditions are right for growth.

Once they are on the move, the movement of water through plants will take with it the chemical applied and ensure its effectiveness. Applying weed killers too early could bring disappointing results as well as possibly being a waste of hard-earned cash.

Products such as sodium chlorate are a form of salt and will stay in the ground and last for at least a season, so can be put down at any time. Obviously, you need to be sure you won't want the land again for growing anything.

It is a good idea to have a separate watering can to apply weed killers. Perhaps use a red one as a warning that the container has had weed killer in it and should not be used on garden plants."more

Modern Gardening Gear

The types and quality of equipment you use to take care of your plants not only have an effect on your plants' health, but your own as well.

Faulty tools could cause injury to your plants, but it is worse if they are so uncomfortable to use that they give you blisters or a bad back. To escape this, look for the gardening equipment that will do the best job for your kind of gardening. It should have the right amount of power to be energy efficient while also being able to do the job without causing you any more strain than required.

Here is a review of some gardening equipment you may find you could use this summer.

1. Garden Shredders
JCB SS2400 received five stars out of five from the gardening equipment reviewers from recommendedbuys.co.uk. It has a 2400 watt motor and comes with a silent gear crushing system. It is one promising tool to improve and hasten your shredding activity.
Ryobi ESR - 2240 Electric Shredder is an easy to assemble garden shredder suitable for prunings up to 40mm. It comes with built-in wheels and a plunger for increased portability.

2. Hedge Trimmer
Bosch AHS42-16 Electric Hedge Trimmer also received five stars out of five rating from the gardening equipment reviewers from recommendedbuys.co.uk. It has 420 watt output.

3. Cultivators
Mantis Tiller Cultivator comes with patented tines to aid in cutting smoothly through hard, compacted soil. It is perfect for preparing vegetable plots, flower beds, etc. It also helps in thatching, aerating and cleaning moss. It also comes with a free border edger.

4. Lawnmowers
Brill 78370 Luxus Push Reel Mower rated 4.5 out of 5 stars Tools-hills.com customers. It has a large top cover that protects shrubs and overhanging flowers.
American Lawnmower Deluxe Light Reel Mower 1815-16 received 4.5 stars out of 5 from Epinions.com buyers. A push-mower, it does not cause pollution, but is not suitable for tall grass.

5. Leaf SweeperAgri-fab 26 Push Leaf Sweeper is for smaller lawns and is available with 200 litre collector. It also comes with an infinite height

Spring Is coming

Spring is not far off. Here is a nice article to get you thinking of flowers
Spring flower gardening (phillyBurbs.com) Lawn & Garden: "Spring flower gardening


Spring is the time when nature and your garden awakes and comes alive after the long winter. That first spring flower or that first green leave is the sign that winter in coming to an end and that a new growing season has arrived.
Spring and Flower gardening is almost synonymous. Spring is the time to interplant perennials, shrubs, roses and plant or transplant your annuals.
It's time to shape up your soil, loosen the mulch around your plants and prune your early blooming shrubs. Rake and remove leaves and debris from your garden. Without a good planting medium your flower garden will never be at its best.
Perennials will save you a lot of work in your flower garden. So keep perennials high on your list. These hardworking beauties eliminate yearly replanting and will still give you that spring and summer color that you are longing for. It's best to choose varieties that don't need a lot of staking or frequent division. Notorious sun lovers are daylilies, sedium, and speedwell. Plants like hosta, fern, sweet woodruff and columbine feel more at easy in the shadow. "more

Six Gardening By the Yard Tips

If you maintain a small yard and would like a simple but well-maintained garden, you just require two things - determination and know-how. Here are some tips on how to preserve your garden by the yard looking spruced up and attractive.

1. Deadheading
Keep your border free from wilted flowers and dried leaves. Deadheading or removing dead flower heads will stimulate the plants to produce more blooms for longer. Many perennials such as geraniums and dahlias, and some annuals benefit from having spent blooms removed

2. Pinch out tops.
Certain plants - especially foliage plants like Coleus - respond with a spurt of growth when their tops are pinched out. Pinching out makes the plant much bushier and so more blooms are produced. Fuchsias are prone to becoming leggy unless they are pinched out.

3. Fertilize lightly.
A minimal amount of fertilizer will further boost the development of your vegetation. If you water your yard frequently, you have to fertilize it more regularly because of nutrient depletion. A fortnightly application of liquid fertilizer is sometimes more useful than granules as it is more readily absorbed by the leaves. Container plants will be considerably healthier with a half-strength solution of liquid fertilizer applied regularly.

4. Weed out.
This is one of the best ways to preserve the beauty of your garden by the yard. Remember, weeds compete with your plants for both nutrients and moisture. If the weeds are not close to seeding, leave them on the bed to rot down for mulch. If you must use a weedicide, try and get a wick applicator, rather than a spray. This will protect you plants from spray-drift.

5. Water them well
One good tip when it comes to watering your garden by the yard is to give it a thorough soaking once a week, making sure there is no run-off to cause erosion. Deep watering will encourage the growth of deeper roots that will be able to withstand dry spells weather wise

6. Say no to chemicals
Chemicals are hazardous to humans and often kill the natural predators of the pest in your garden, so avoid them if possible. There are many organic alternatives that work almost as well.

With these simple tips, your garden by the yard will soon be the envy of your neighbors

The Gardener's Best Tool

Your hands are your very best tool, without them you cant get much done in the garden.
Here are the principal reasons why one should consider getting a pair of trusty gardening gloves: Gloves guard your hands from blisters, thorns and cuts while doing rough work like digging or pruning in the garden. Investing in one or more pairs of quality gloves is a good decision.

Here are some tips on how to select the pair that will accommodate you best:

1. Look for quality leather gloves with a cloth back; this will let the gloves breathe and keep your hands dry, cool and comfortable.
2. If mud bothers you, choose rubber gloves with cotton lining.
3. When spraying pesticides or chemicals pick gloves that are made from neoprene. Gloves made from latex or any type of plastic may not offer the best protection.
4. When pruning roses, use gloves that reach up to the arms.
5. If you normally run large garden machinery, buy gloves in brown instead of red as the latter may dye your hands.
6. Light cotton or even fingerless gloves may be useful for transplanting seedlings. They will allow more dexterity and so help to prohibit the tiny roots from being crushed.
7. And of course, make sure that the gloves you buy absolutely fit your hands. If you have small hands, try the children's gardening department. There’s not anything worse than trying to garden is gloves that are too big.

Your gloves must be comfortable as well as give protection to best attend your gardening needs.

Vegetable Gardening Tips

With the costs of living rising all the time, it may be possible to save money and enhance your family's health at the same time by growing vegetables in your garden.

It's a good idea to select your favorite vegetables to grow and plan beds for early, middle of the season and late varieties.

Most vegetables require at least 6 hours of sunlight per day, some need 8. Some quick growers like lettuce and radish can be grown between the rows of plants that takes longer to mature, like beet or corn, thus making full use of the area on hand.

Throughout dry periods, vegetable gardens need extra watering. Most vegetables benefit from an inch or more of water each week, especially when they are fruiting.

During the growing season watch for insect pests. If you discover a bug problem early it will be much easier, but be careful to not use pesticides once the vegetable are close to being picked unless it becomes an absolute necessity. Organic gardening is one healthy and environment-friendly option. Once you have reaped your crop, put the vegetable waste into your compost pile so that it can be recycled for next spring.

It is important to protect your vegetable garden from wild animals looking for a tasty treat. Make sure a fence that will keep out dogs, rabbits, and other animal’s surrounds your garden. The harm done by wandering animals during one season can equal the cost of a fence. A fence also can serve as a frame for peas, beans, tomatoes, and other crops that need support.

Security is needed in order for your vegetable garden to yield a plentiful harvest. Hard work will pay off if necessary safety measures have been made.

Gardening For The Butterflies

What is butterfly gardening? Simply put butterfly gardening is the art of growing flowers and plants that will attract these multicolored and dainty creatures to your garden. Delight your family and visitors with gorgeous butterflies, but be sure to create a safe habitat for them. If you own cats rethink your plans, because it would be a shame to attract these lovely insects to their death.

The design of your butterfly garden is a matter of personal choice. Usual points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Pick a style of garden that appeals to you, but make certain it also contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract.

It is essential to find out which plants and flowers will attract the species of butterflies. That lives in your area. This information can be found at the local library or on the Internet.
To produce the kind of surroundings that butterflies find attractive, you will also need water of some kind. A birdbath will look nice and keep the butterflies up off the ground, away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. A shallow dish on a post or hung in a tree will do just as well.

When planting your butterfly garden is careful how you manage the colors you choose for your flowerbeds. Although butterflies do not care about your choice of color, you don't want your garden to be a mixture of unrelated colors and textures. Butterflies are attracted to those flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, like honeysuckle, milkweed, summer lilac, Valerian, daisies, Purple Coneflower, Yellow Sage, day lilies and lavender.

Some people find it useful to draw and color a layout of their butterfly gardening plan to see what the completed product would look like. Keep in mind that warm colors like red and orange are flashy and showy. These colors have a greater impact against a strong green background. Cool colors such as blue and purple are soothing and toned down and would work better with a white contrast to create the look of freshness and brightness.

6 Easy Tips About Caring For Your HousePlants

Some people worry a lot when it comes to caring for their plants. When talking about houseplants, there is no need to worry. There are just a few things you need to think about.

1. Watering
Over watering kills most houseplants. Looks can be deceiving, so to see if your soil is dry enough to water, try the finger test. Insert your index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If the soil is damp, don't water it.

2. Feeding
Foliage plants usually have high nitrogen needs, while flowering plants, K2O is needed. Slow release fertilizers can be mixed with the compost. However, certain plants like cacti and orchids need special fertilizer. Feed plants during their most active growth period.

3. Lighting
Plants like Sanseveria and Aspidistra require no sun. They can be placed away from a window. Spider plants need semi-shade. You can put plants like these near a window that does or does not get sunlight. Check the label to see what your plant needs.

4. Temperature
Houseplants can survive in cool or warm temperatures, but drastic fluctuations of temperature may not be good for them. One thing that most plants cannot survive is gas heating. If you have a plant that likes warm conditions, don't put it near an air conditioner in the summer.

5. Humidity
Some houseplants require a humid environment. One tip to maximize humidity is to put the pot inside a larger pot and fill in the gaps with stones or compost to keep in the moisture. Grouping plants together often creates a microclimate that they will benefit from. If you want, you can spray them with water once or twice a day depending on the temperature.

6. Re-potting
Some plants require re-potting for optimum growth but there are others that resent having their roots disturbed. Or their roots system may be small enough that they don't require re-potting. One way to check if your plant needs re-potting is to turn it upside down. Tap the pot to release the plant and check its roots. If roots are all you see, then re-pot. Sometimes the roots will come out of the pot. You should either cut them off or re-pot the plant.

You just need to have a little care for your plants and in turn, you'll harvest the benefits. Indoor plants not only add to the splendor of your home, but also give much satisfaction to the indoor gardener.

Seedlings

Here is a nice article about Seedlings

Lifestyle - Huntingdon Today: News, Sport, Jobs, Property, Cars, Entertainments & More: "GARDENING: Seedlings are cost effective
It's great to sow your own plants and watch them mature.
The rewards are high, but so are the costs if you are only growing a few. You have to heat an area much larger than you need just to keep a few young plants.
It's great to sow your own plants and watch them mature.
The rewards are high, but so are the costs if you are only growing a few. You have to heat an area much larger than you need just to keep a few young plants.

Enter the specialist young plant growers. Seedlings can be bought, ready germinated, in a 7cm square pot. About 100 Antirrhinums cost �2.99, and can be picked out into seed trays ready for planting outside later.

A packet of seeds alone may well cost the same amount.
These are some of the best plants to start with early in the season because they are tougher than some other summer-flowering plants. They may even over-winter next year if you are lucky.

Geraniums may be tempting. About 20 plants that fill tubs and flower all summer long cost as little as �2.99. In a couple of months' time, these could cost �1.50 or more each when bought in 9cm pots from a garden centre. Sounds too good to be true? There are a few pitfalls.

Buying plants this early still requires attention to detail. They must be kept light. If they are put in gloomy conditions then they will grow towards the light. A leggy, spindly plant will never be healthy or beautiful.

A common tip is to line a planter box on three sides with tin foil, and place it facing a window. It is best if the window is double glazed, so that cold weather won't affect tender young plants. The idea is that the sides of the box will collect all ava"

Gardening Magazines

Different gardening magazines are available in the market. But would you like to know which stands out from the rest? Here are an assortment of gardening magazines that anyone in love with his or her garden will welcome.

COUNTRY GARDENS often showcases the more unusual gardens around the country. It introduces superb new ways to enjoy garden sights and scents. It helps the enthusiastic gardener to create an eye-pleasing, fragrance - filled country garden.

This magazine has very useful advice on setting up and caring for your garden. Every issue contains profiles of captivating people and their gardens, inspiration for gardens and detailed garden plans. Best of all, it's a trusted source of information that's easy to understand. Every season carries a vast harvest of ideas to delight, motivate and guide any gardener.

How about a gardening magazine for those who want to become an improved gardener? FINE GARDENING MAGAZINE from The Taunton Press brings you amazing design ideas, useful techniques, and the know-how to get the best results from your gardening activities.

In each issue you'll find eye-opening bits of advice from the experts, comprehensive information on all types of plants, effective techniques and timesaving tips, clear-cut tool reviews from editors and readers and planting suggestions for specific regions.

But for more thorough information on how to maintain a garden packed with style and color, then you'll want to read GARDEN DESIGN. This gardening magazine brings out eye-popping photos, illustrations and useful recommendations on how to create a picture-perfect garden. It is written and designed for those who are passionate about their homes and gardens. Garden Design is more than just a dig-in-the-dirt gardening magazine; it's for people who enjoy bringing in more visual value for their homes through their gardens.

Garden Design encourages you to create stylish outdoor living spaces and rare gardens through cultivating rare breeds of plants, with updates on the best tools and techniques. It contains magnificent photographs and articles that capture the imaginations of gardeners everywhere.

For passionate gardeners, HOLTICULTURE MAGAZINE is the ultimate guide to gardening. The trustworthy voice of gardeners, Horticulture serves as an important guide and trusted friend, and is a main resource for serious gardeners from every corner of the country.

These magazines aim to instruct, inform, and inspire serious home gardeners. There are gardening magazines for beginners and expert gardeners. Discover or develop your green thumb with their latest gardening techniques and garden design information.

Good Tips For Senior Garderners

I found this today and thought it was a good read

The Messenger Online: "Make garden adjustments for senior citizens to use

HERB & ORGANIC GARDENING
Jean Merrell,
Contributing Columnist

Wednesday, March 01, 2006
For many older people, their gardens have involved years of work and energy with timeless hours spent enriching the soil and caring for specific plants.
However, devoted gardeners say that it is not called work if you enjoy it. Most serious gardeners will tell you that gardening is a hobby that lasts a lifetime. For lifetime gardeners, just tending a garden and getting their hands in the earth makes the connection with nature that is therapeutic to both body and spirit.... "more: