Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Sowing and Growing Biennials

Sowing and Growing Biennials: Biennials, if they are to develop into sizeable plants, need plenty of room for growing, and space usually has to be found outside the flower garden proper. For instance, the seedlings of wall-flowers and forget-me-nots, two of the best spring bedders, need to be set out 9 in or so apart, in rows 12 in apart. The vegetable garden is often the best place for them, sometimes the only place.

They can, for example, in July, go into the ground from which early potatoes have been dug and cleared, occupying it until October.

Biennials are generally sown out in the open when the ground is warm in April, May and June. A small nursery bed needs raking down finely and the seeds go in short V-drills around half an inch deep. Apply a trickle of water all along the bottom of the drill before sowing. Keep a special look-out for slugs and sparrows. Wallflowers, sweet williams, forget-me-nots, Bellis (daisies), foxgloves, Canterbury bells, stocks, pansies, Iceland poppies and hollyhocks are all quite easy to grow.

Polyanthus can be treated as biennials too. In fact, they will give their best flowers in the first year after sowing, and for this reason are often sown afresh every year, and the old plants thrown away after flowering. Grown this way they need a slightly earlier start than most of the others, mainly because they are slow in the early stages. They are best sown in pans or boxes in a warm greenhouse in February or March, pricked out into boxes like half-hardy annuals, and planted out around July in nursery rows to grow on.

It cannot be emphasized too strongly that all plants grown as biennials have to be given plenty of space at this growing-on stage. They must develop into good plants before being set into final positions in the autumn. It cannot be done in any hole or corner of the garden. They must be treated as important plants if good results are wanted, and given a good open position in reasonable ground, with space to expand. A drop of water to each individual plant when transplanted will get them quickly established, and all through the summer they must be kept hoed and free from smothering weeds.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Plan your Patio Garden Furniture

Plan your Patio Garden Furniture: Construction of house now gives much importance to patio and garden. They are the readily available relaxing and recreating place of any home. Patio garden furniture has become as important as that of interior of any house.

Patio garden furniture are available in various types viz. gliders, hangers, settees etc. made of wood, hard plastics and wrought iron. Even designers and consultants are available in plenty for planning patio garden furniture. Pet holes are also considered as part of patio garden furniture. Patio and pool setting are involving various agencies in US. Turn key project type works are undertaken so that the completed patio with furniture is delivered to the clients.

Garden Furniture Sources and Tips

Garden Furniture Sources and Tips: Well-chosen and well-sited garden furniture extends living into the garden in the most comfortable and relaxing way possible. Garden furniture either needs to be tough enough to stay outdoors all year or be fold-up or stackable so that it is easily stored away when not in use. There are two main types of garden furniture - that used for eating outdoors or that which is for periods when you simply want to lounge in the sun or the shade.

Furniture used for eating outside will usually double up as a temporary resting spot, but garden benches spaced around the garden allow the opportunity of moving from sun to shade at any time_ Place a single bench to create a visually attractive element as part of the garden design and where it provides a new and different view of the garden from that of the main sitting area. This type of furniture needs to be robust enough to remain permanently in place.

The most popular chairs for sunbathing, or relaxing in the shade, usually have a light, fold-up plastic or plastic-coated metal frame that can be placed at several angles on a ratchet system, and a long, padded, slip over cushion. These chairs can be moved about with ease so that anyone can follow the sun or shade as required.

Furniture can either be chosen to blend with its surroundings or to make a colorful statement. In most cases permanent furniture looks best if it blends with other materials used in the garden, for example natural timber for a brick patio, or a wooden bench to stand below a tree at the end of the garden. For painted furniture, choose colors to blend with those used in nearby rooms of the house or mimic the colors of nearby garden flowers. White furniture works well where white or bright colors are used and green blends attractively into a leafy background.

Timber furniture may be natural in color, arid in tough hardwood such as oak, teak or less robust stained softwood, or it may be painted. Unless wooden furniture is folded-up, it is better to stay in place around the year. However, wood takes a beating from the stet winters and hot, dry weather in summer, so needs to be regularly maintained with oiling or painting if it is to last when kept outside.

Stone or concrete seats are tough and easy to maintain, requiring no more than a periodic scrub. Curved designs are available, that can be placed around the trunk of a tree.

Cane and wicker, like timber, blend beautifully with the natural surroundings of a garden but they cannot be left outdoors as sun and rain will damage them. Their light weight makes them easy to transport but storage can be a problem. If the patio leads off a conservatory then the furniture can double up for indoor and outdoor use.

Metal furniture may be traditional wrought iron, which is heavy and needs constant maintenance if it is not to rust, or a lighter aluminum copy. Plastic-coated metal is easier to maintain, only needing to be wiped, although a cheaper surface coating can deteriorate.

Moulded plastic furniture, usually in white or green, is now very popular as it is easy to look after, light weight, and weather resistant. Most tables tops and legs come apart for storage and chairs stack to take up a minimum of space over winter. Plastic furniture can be left outdoors throughout the summer. Buy good quality furniture if you want it to last. Cheaper alternatives can crack and discolor on exposure to sunlight.

Canvas director deck chairs are light to move and fold flat for storage. Director chairs are smart enough to use indoors when required. Canvas rots in time but is easy to replace.

Padded fabric loungers with metal or plastic frames can be used in a lounging or upright position, are light 'weight and fold up for storage.

Home-made seating adds an individual look to your garden. Concrete paving slabs can be built 011.E0 the top of a low wall, a plank screwed to a couple of tree stumps could make a temporary stopover spot in a wild garden or, for something very different, use a special metal chair frame shape and plant it with box to make a topiary seat.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Lighting for Your Garden

Lighting for Your Garden: Garden lighting greatly increases the enjoyment of the garden. In winter you can view the plants or decorative features in the frost or snow. On a summer night you can eat outdoors or just sit and admire the surroundings. Lights can show off plants, a pond or statue or simply create a romantic ambience. Most important are those lights which allow safe passage through the garden or provide working light for barbecue chefs, and security lights to illuminate unwelcome visitors.

In a small garden it is usually most effective to pick out only two, or three, features to spotlight. Whether you choose a tree, shrub or special architectural feature, highlighting shape rather than color usually provides the most effective result_ This lighting needs to he professionally installed as there are strict rules governing outdoor cables, which need to be buried, plus the waterproof connectors and fittings that are needed.

Angle the lights to shine away from the viewing position and avoid allowing the source itself to show. The fitting can be concealed behind a low shrub, wall or other fixture or use stones or logs. Before deciding on the final position for a light source move tine fitting around, trying different heights for the best effect.

For a softer light use low- wattage lights which run off a transformer that brings down the power to a safe level. A lighting set of this type usually includes the transformer and cable (which can be run above the ground), connectors that clip into the cable at any point you choose, and the light fittings, which push into the ground on spikes. This makes it comparatively easy to move the lights about, allowing you to highlight different areas when plants look their best.

Solar-powered lights that draw off energy from the stun in tine daytime to give off a soft, diffused light at night conserve energy, cost nothing to run and need no wiring. Gas lighting also provides an attractive, gentle glow.

Walking around with safety Eating and cooking areas need good lighting for safety reasons as well as decorative effect. If the patio is close to the house, undrawn curtains may provide enough light. Alternatively fix lights to the exterior house walls. These are easy to fit as they can be connected to the internal mains power supply illuminating house names and numbers is an aid to newcomers to your home, and lighting beside the front door allows identification of callers before you open the door.

Paths and routes around the garden also need to be well-lit. Arrange fittings to point out any hazards such as steps or water features.

An aid to security Lights that sense body heat, switching on when they are approached, are an excellent security measure but can double up as safety lighting. The alternative is to use timed lighting -which comes on and goes off at a prearranged tune every evening.

If you use oil-filled lamps or candles position them where they cannot be knocked over. Special garden candles and flares add atmosphere, and insect-repellent candles keep the bugs away. Candles need to be placed in open-topped containers, such as jam jars, to keep any breeze from fanning the flame and blowing them out. Safety is important: remember to keep a bucket of water close at hand. In dry weather plants can soon catch fire.

Friday, September 25, 2009

How to Design a Long and Narrow Garden

How to Design a Long and Narrow Garden: A garden that is bordered by long, narrow beds has unattractive views. A new conservatory and terrace of hexagonal paving had to be integrated into the scheme, which was to provide a place for entertaining and a place for two small boys to enjoy and use the garden.

To improve your garden, divide the length into separate sections. The space nearest to the house became an area for family gatherings with a view of a triangular pool. The second section was reserved for the boys' use, and at the end of the garden, which lies in the path of the .morning sun, there would be a place for a relaxed breakfast as well as a screened utility area.

Apart from being long and narrow, the garden was also very flat. Sally added height at the end of the first section by constructing slightly raised beds, edged in railway sleepers, together with a raised pool.

The upper pool, constructed of railway sleepers, has a centrally placed funnel that spills water down into a shallow pool below. The water is recirculated back into the top pond. Tire raised beds and pond divide off the rest section, reached by a gravel path, broken up with stepping stones and partly buried sleepers.

The second section is for the boys with swings, space for football and a bed where they can try out their gardening skills. A pergola and evergreen planting screen of the garden, where shrubs create a den for the boys. There are areas of rough grass, mature shrubs and trees, and a sear. The mature planting and trellis covered with climbers give privacy and screen the virility part of the garden.

Planting bulbs in grass to naturalize

Planting bulbs in grass: Vary bulbs create color and a even natural effect if they are planted in grass. Where bulbs are planted, leave mowing the grass until the foliage has died back completely after flowering.

Slice through the grass with a spade or edging iron around the area to be planted. Then use the spade to slice beneath the turf and fold it back for planting.

Scatter the bulbs randomly for the most natural effect, having forked over the soil first to loosen it and added snore slow-release fertilizer. bust press small bulbs into the loosened surface. Plant larger bulbs with a trowel to a depth twice that of the bulb's size.

Allium 'Purple Sensation'

Height up to 3 ro/3 ft. spread 8 cm/3 in • Plant 5-10 cm/ 2-4 in deep • Full sun Fertile, well-drained soil

A relative of the onion, Allium 'Purple Sensation' has a globe-shaped head made up of 50 or more star-shaped, deep violet flowers on a tall stem in summer

Anemone blanda

Height and spread up to 15 cm/ 6 in • Plant 8-10 cm/3-4 in deep • Full sun - partial shade
• Light, sandy, well-drained soil

Solitary daisy-like flowers. in deep blue, pink or white depending on variety, appear in spring above the decorative and deeply cut green leaves. These ground-hugging plants quickly spread and multiply to form large clumps

Crocus versus.

Height 10-12 cm/4-5 in, spread 5 cm/2 in • Plant 8-10 cm/ 3-4 in deep • Full sun • Gritty: poor to moderately fertile, well- drained soil

This crocus species, of which there are numerous cultivars, looks most at home grown in grass, where it will flower from early to late spring. The flowers are about 3-6 cm/1.25-2.5 in long and come in white and shades of purple and lilac, sometimes decoratively streaked as in Crocus versus 'Pickwick'. There are numerous other varieties of crocus to choose from. including Crocus tommasinianus f. albus

Cyclamen repandum

Height 10-12 cm/4-5 in, spread 5 cm/2 in • Plant 8-10cm/ 3-4in deep • Full sun • Gritty, poor to moderately, fertile, well- drained soil

This cyclamen, with rich red flowers that appear in arid- to late spring, also has pretty, dark green leaves marbled with a pale grey-green. For autumn color there is Cyclamen hederifdium 'Album', which has pure white flowers

Fritillaria imperialis, Crown imperial

Height up to 1.5 m/5 ft, spread 25-30 cm/10-12 in • Plant 8-10 cm/3-4 in deep • Full sun
• Fertile, well-drained soil

This very decorative, tall, lily- like plant flowers in spring. Sterns and leaves grow rapidly. The bud opens to produce a cluster of around 5-7 downward-hanging, bell-shaped flowers that can be deep red, orange or yellow.

Fritillaria meleagris,

Snake's head fritillary Height up to 30 cm/12 in, spread 5-8 cm/2-3 in • Full sun to light shade • Fertile, damp well-drained soil

The small, delicate, bell- shaped flowers of this plant appear in spring in white or a pinkish purple marked with a subtle snake-skin pattern. These fritillaries grow well in grass.

Fritillaria persica

Height 1 m/3 ft, spread 10 cm/ 4 in • Plant 8-10 cm/ 3-4 in deep • Full sun and a hot site
• Fertile, well-drained soil

Up to 30 green-brown to deep purple, hell-shaped flowers make up the long flowering spike on each stem in early spring.

Gaianthus ('S. Arnott', Snowdrop)

Height 20 cm/8 Inn. spread 8 crn/3 in • Plant 3.5 cm/ 1.5 in deep • Full sun • Fertile, well-drained soil

The large, white. honey- scented, hanging flowers of this vigorous and tall snowdrop appear in very early spring.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

How to Grow Half-hardy Annual Plants & Flowers

How to Grow Half-hardy Annuals: If plants are to take the place of spring bedders - bulbs, wallflowers, polyanthus, etc - there is quite a hit to do. The finished plants have to be dug up, the ground must be cleared of the inevitable weeds, forked over - never dug up in large lumps at this time of the year, possibly watered, and some `Growmore' or similar fertilizer raked into the surface at 2-4 oz per square yard (55-110 g per m2). Very wet or very hot dry weather can delay the work, but a big effort has to be made to get planting done, at the latest, by the second week in June.

If plants are going into previously prepared vacant ground, there are about three weeks in May-June when planting can be done, and it need not be rushed in unsuitable weather.

If planting formal beds, work out in advance the numbers required, the patterns and color schemes, so that when conditions are right, there need be no delay.

Distances apart vary from about 9 in to 15 in or even 18 in depending on what can he expected from the plants, and erring by planting on the close side, rather than the other way. Nothing looks worse than fully grown plants that have not met their neighbors and covered intervening ground.

Never tread the ground more than can be helped. Have plants within easy reach, if possible, rather than keep walking backwards and forwards. Pressures in different places on the soil will result in different growth. A plank or small board to tread on is often useful.

If planting near a grass edge that has to be kept mown, try to estimate for the fully grown plants to reach the edge without overflowing and smothering it. Err by leaving more of a gap than not enough. On the other hand, if it is along the edge of a concrete or stone path, plant so that the edge will be disguised as the plants grow.

If planting a bed in the centre of a lawn, put the outside row of edging plants in first. If you do it, as may seem more sensible, by starting in the middle and working outwards, the last row rarely falls just where you want it. Use a trowel for planting, not a dibber, firming each one in with the fingers, and water each one individually, however moist the ground is, because this will bring the soil and the roots into close contact and ensure a good start. A few scattered slug pellet might be a good insurance, and the finishing touch should be added by lightly pushing a dutch hoe between the plants to leave an attractive, fresh-looking surface.

Buying Ready Grown Flower Plants

Buying Ready Grown Flower Plants: Plants can always be bought. Garden centers and other outlets are full of them from around the middle of April until the end of June, and the quality can vary from good to very bad. These plants are often offered for sale too early for them to be taken home and planted outside. Mid-May is the earliest planting-out no time, not before. If boxes of plants are bought before that, the correct thing to do is to keep them as they are, well sheltered against a wall or fence, regularly watered, and possibly covered at night.

Many commercial growers are also guilty of pricking out too many plants per container. The spacing is a clue. If they seem overcrowded, don't buy. If they look pale and drawn, don't buy either, as they will probably have been forced and hurried along in too much heat, and not hardened i properly. Such plants suffer badly when set out.

Look for strong, good-colored, well-spaced plants. The big disadvantage of buying plants, however good they are, is that as far as varieties and colors are concerned, you have to take what is on offer. Of the hundreds of different subjects and varieties, only comparatively few are sold as plants. Commercial growers are not too keen on growing dozens of different varieties. It tends to complicate their operations, so they concentrate on growing a few of the most popular. And they may well be the most popular simply because the buyers and growers aren't aware that anything different exists.

Eco friendly gardening hobby

Eco friendly gardening hobby: Gardening is an activity by which plants are grown in and around the house. Gardening is also done on a large scale like botanical gardens, zoological gardens, theme park etc. which is mostly done as a commercial activity. Gardening may be done purely for time passing purposes.

Some people do serious gardening like growing vegetable plants, flower plants, medicinal plants like herbals and earn income out of it. Lots of web sites are available to help gardening. Plant magazine provide tips on maintaining a garden and places where seeds, gardening tools, fertilizers are available. They also have question answer cession where doubts of the subscribers are cleared.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Gardening Focus

It is not an easy joke to bring about sprouting for which lots of work behind the screen need to be done in order to result in healthy plant. Gardening is considered to be a special art right from the beginning.

Only with lots of care, practice, planning can turn your even small place of garden like heaven. All sorts of materials that are required for developing a healthy garden are available here. Right from hybrid seeds to pesticides all are available at very low cost. Fiscus tree, bonsai are gaining much popularity these days because of its small and cute structure.