Some plants look beautiful, but should be avoided at all costs. And some plants are more trouble than they’re worth, when it comes to arbor plantings.

Take, for example, wisteria.  It’s a lovely plant, a favorite in the South, but, like the Southern kudzu, it grows just a little “too” well. This is one of those that you want to avoid on a garden arbor; for that matter, on decks, porches, and any other structural objects. The tiny, fragile-looking tendrils of new growth will insinuate themselves into the smallest cracks, say, between planks, or between posts and joists. As the plant grows, those innocent- and delicate-looking tendrils grow into thick, ropey vines that push your structure apart until it literally falls down.

Another good example of a tempting plant that should really be avoided is the rose. Nothing can be more romantic than a garden arbor draped with roses–and nothing can be more unfriendly. Only plant climbing roses on your garden arbor if you want it to become a glorified trellis, something everyone admires and no-one uses.

So what are some examples of plants that are good for a garden arbor? Well, I’m glad you asked. Any climbing vine that doesn’t have thorns and doesn’t have a penchant for taking over can be included; it’s just a matter of choosing the one that’s right for you.

Clematis, for example, are always a good choice, but will they match the rest of your garden as well as, say, honeysuckle might? (Be warned, honeysuckle is a vigorous grower; it won’t destroy structures the way wisteria will, but you will be forever pulling it out of your garden.) If you absolutely must have roses, try one of the new thornless varieties.

And, of course, never forget the more exotic plants. Consider growing kiwi or passion fruit, and you’ll not only have a lovely, friendly vine for your garden arbor, you’ll also have delicious edible fruit in season. And what could be better than that?

After fall has come and gone, the leaves will be off your trees and you can see the rotten branches. Trimming off the unwanted branches from your trees isn’t necessary to your gardens health, but may help later on by not dropping branches on your plants and not blocking too much of the sun.

If you have younger trees you should consider wrapping them and supporting them with stakes to help them survive the winter wind and cold.

Putting mulch over your garden for the winter can be a helpful way to protect plants from sudden temperature changes and heavy snow. For mulch you can use about five inches of shredded bark, pine needles, or a variety of other materials. You have to be careful not to mulch too early, because some insects may still be alive and able to take shelter in it for the winter.

Once you are finished with your gardening tools you should clean them and make sure they are in a safe place where they won’t rust and you know where they’ll be for next year.

Before winter comes you should always set out slug repellent, as slugs are one of the worst bugs to have in your garden.

If you have a pool or fountain in your garden, be sure to take out any fish that you have in them and bring them inside. There’s nothing sadder than a fish frozen in a block of ice.

When the nighttime temperatures drop to less than forty-five degrees Fahrenheit for more than four days in a row, or frost is forecasted for your area (usually around late October or November) you know its time to begin preparing your garden. You should begin by evaluating your garden design, check which plants grew well in the past season, and which plants did not do well. Fall is a good time to decide which plants will remain in you garden next year, and which ones should go.

It is also a good time to decide which new plants you want to grow. To make your garden more colorful and healthy, be sure only to plant the more hardy plants during the fall so that they can withstand the winter. Some plants that will do fine being planted in fall are: rudbeckia, Aster Novi-belgii, Anemone Japonica, panicle hyandea, endive, escarole, and Brussels sprouts. You can find all of these and more in gardening magazines or your local nursery.

If you don’t have a lot of yard space you may want to consider adding a hanging planter to your landscape design. A hanging planter can contain any combination of flowers or plants that you choose. Many people incorporate the beauty of vines in their hanging planter.

When it comes to choosing a hanging planter the first consideration is the material used to build it. Wood has long been the favorite in all types of planters, mainly because it gives a rustic look to whatever environment you place it in.

For convenience plastic is also a very good choice in a planter. Plastic is very lightweight and also holds the water well so it can be used anywhere.

There are a few things to remember when you have a planter. One is to remove it if you are going away for an extended period of time. This is a good idea for several reasons one being that during inclement weather, the planter can become detached and fall. This can result in not only the planter being damaged but the flowers and plants as well.

The plastic types of hanging planters can also crack during very cold weather. Once autumn begins it’s a wise idea to remove the flowers as they die and then store the planter for the season. If you do this you greatly reduce the risk of the planter cracking. 

You can purchase all types of planters at most home improvement stores in the garden section. You’ll also want to purchase a fastener that is sturdy. If you aren’t sure of a good choice ask a sales associate what they recommend and ask them to demonstrate how to install it. You don’t want to get your hanging basket home only to discover that you didn’t attach it properly. 

One of the most daunting tasks you face in organic gardening is pest control. You realize these little bugs and certain worms can destroy your whole garden or at least damage it so badly, you might just as well have not planted it. Actually it doesn’t have to be a daunting task at all. As you continue to read you will discover tips on how to control pest while doing organic gardening.  

It is important for you to determine the types of insects which are normally found in your environment. If you don?t want to go to the hassle of collecting the bugs yourself, a quick search on the World Wide Web will provide you the information you need. Better yet a call or visit to your local nursery will quickly zero you in on what bugs and worms are dominate in your environment.

Since ..

Source: gardening

Pest in organic gardening? No need to worry

The basics of organic gardening

Well, you?ll need to identify your most troublesome weed, and then deal with it in the way that best gets rid of that particular type of weed. We?re going to look at a few of the most common weeds, and how to get rid of those weeds.

Dandelion is one of the worst offenders. Although some people choose to grow dandelions for their greens, most gardeners just want to get rid of them. To get rid of dandelions, you need to dig out the entire taproot.

You should always pull them up with a hoe before they flower. And you can spread corn ..

Source: Organic Gardening

Gardening Advice

Organic Vegetable Gardening

If you are an avid vegetable gardener, then you already realize that you need to rotate where you plant crops each year in order to maximize growth. 

Keeping a gardening journal is a good way to remember where you planted each item in previous years. Be sure to consult it when you are planning for this year and future years.

Turn over your ground as soon as possible.

It’s important to prepare for your garden for planting as early as possible in the spring. Keep in mind though that your soil should be mostly dry when you turn it over.

Otherwise, if the ground is wet you may not be able to turn over a full 12 inches of dirt. Twelve inches is optimal whether you are using a spade or a garden hoe.

Tomato container gardening is the alternative to the traditional types of tomato garden. Tomatoes are a fruit, even though it is commonly mistaken for a vegetable. Tomatoes are extremely popular worldwide because of its never ending usefulness. Tomatoes can be used for a variety of ways. It can be used to make soups, or sauces. It can be used to add color and flavor to salads. It can also be used for in puree and also within ketchup which is a popular condiment used on various amounts of foods. It?s sad to note though that tomatoes are being priced at extremely high rates. Many can be found for two fifty and up per pound on a good day.

However, the good news is, is that anyone no matter where they live (even in an apartment) can grow their very own tomato garden. It can be ..

Source: tomatoes

You need to pay careful attention to the package if you?re going to purchase a pre-made organic fertilizer. Some of them are high in one of the major plant nutrients, but low in the other two. Plants generally need nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash. You should research which of these nutrients your particular plants need, so you can purchase the correct type.

Some common types of organic fertilizers include blood meal, fish emulsion, cottonseed meal, compost, manure, and seaweed fertilizer. Many of these can be purchased, but a lot of them can also be made at home.

You must be careful to fertilize when the ground is warm enough. Organic fertilizers need organisms in the soil to break them down and release the nutrients they contain. So the soil needs to be warm and moist so the organisms in the soil will be active.

Cottonseed meal is one common organic fertilizer. It?s a byproduct of the cotton manufacturing process. It is great for acid-loving plants, because it has an acidic reaction in the soil. It generally contains about 7% nitrogen, 3% phosphorous, and 2% potash. Cottonseed meal is usually used for flowering plants like azaleas and rhododendrons.

Fish emulsion is a very popular organic fertilizer. It is made of a blend of decomposed fish. It is a high-nitrogen fertilizer, and also contains a lot of trace elements than can be very beneficial for plants. Fish emulsion is a nice, balanced fertilizer.

Blood meal is the blood of cattle that is collected from slaughterhouses and then dried and powdered. It is high in nitrogen, and care must be taken to ensure it doesn?t burn plants. You should be very careful not to exceed the recommended dose, because this could really harm your plants. Blood meal is also high in several trace elements like iron.

Manure is a well-balanced fertilizer, but it is relatively low in the nutrients it contains. It?s a very popular fertilizer, but it just isn?t high enough in these important nutrients to make it a viable choice for home gardeners.

Seaweed fertilizer in the form of a seaweed tea is often used by organic gardeners. Dried seaweed is added to water and steeped like tea, then applied to plants like other liquid fertilizers. This can be a very good fertilizer, and won?t burn plants. It is very high in nutrients. Use a dried seaweed, and be sure it?s not roasted or seasoned.

Some people use sewer sludge for their fertilizer. It?s made from recycled material from sewage treatment plants. You can purchase activated sludge, which is higher in nutrients, and you can buy composted sludge, which isn?t quite as good.

It is generally found in a granular form. There is some concern over the safety of sewage sludge, because it can contain buildups of heavy metals like cadmium. This can build up in the soil in potentially harmful levels.

Source: Organic Gardening

This is easy to do if you’re planning to design your own garden, and there are just a few important tips that you should try to follow if you want a Tuscan garden design. One thing that is very helpful is if you can design or add a wall fountain to the garden. The wall fountain (as opposed to a free-standing fountain) adds an air of older elegance, and definitely gives the impression that you’re in a Mediterranean garden.

Iron wrought benches can also help you achieve a Tuscan garden design, as well as a lot of terra cotta planters. In fact, one of the cheapest and easiest ways to get a Tuscan garden design is to use terra cotta plant containers instead of containers made out of other materials. If the shape is like older vases, then that is even better.

Garden design landscaping can also go a long way toward helping you make a Tuscan garden design. One important thing to remember is that a lot of Tuscan gardens have flagstone pathways leading in between patches of different flowers. If at all possible, you should try to design your garden so that you can put in pathways.

The final, and most important part of any Tuscan garden design is that you use the right types of plants. By using plants, herbs and flowers that grow primarily in the Mediterranean, you can make your garden appear to be a real Tuscan garden.

Hans is author of the Garden Design section of Gardening Guides.com

Source: Landscape & Gardening

When an individual sets off to build their organic garden, a lot of time the individual think about planting their favorite fruits or vegetables, which is fine but you shouldn?t be that closed minded! When an individual is having a garden they should also thinking about the many health and nutritional benefits that organic vegetables could provide them with. As we know, many of the most nutrient beneficial foods come straight from the earth, so it a good idea to implement some of these foods within your organic garden.

Super organic food number one: Blueberries are fruits that are extremely high in antioxidants and many other vitamins an minerals as well, such as vitamin C and E. It is also extremely low in calories, and even though it tastes very sweet, it is extremely low in sugars as well. These are one of the most nutritional foods that an individual can grow within their garden, so it?s a good idea to make sure to include some of these within your garden.

Super organic food number two: Walnuts are also a very powerful super food that individuals can grow in their garden as well, and these types of foods are known for their high levels of omega three fatty acids which is known to help fight and protect against heart disease. They are also high in micronutrients and have been studied to help reduce levels of cholesterol in the body. However, make sure to eat these within moderation because these are very high in calories.

Super organic food number three: Tomatoes are not only very useful, but they are also extremely high in nutrients. They contain a cancer fighting potent also known as lycopene. Tomatoes are very handy because they can be made to be used in many other different forms, such as for sauce, can be chopped up to be used in salads, and can also be used as condiments for items such as on ketchup.

Super organic food number four: Super food number four is organic beans. Beans are extremely high in fiber and other vitamins and minerals such as the B vitamins and potassium as well. It has been reported that beans can possibly have more potassium then blueberries. Beans have also been reported to help aid in digestion for individuals and to also help clean an individuals internal organ from substances that the body has a hard time ridding itself of.

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To allow for easy reach you need to build your bed to about 2 feet high and 3 feet wide, this is easily done with a timber frame. This eliminates any kneeling and decreases bending for us as we get older, more importantly it also gives anyone confined to a wheelchair the opportunity to enjoy doing some of the light maintenance work in their garden.

What other benefits do you get from this form of gardening? Let’s see… there’s the removal of soil problems, greatly improved pest and weed control, the above mentioned ease of access and the increase in your crop harvest.

Any plants that love well-drained soil can benefit from being grown in raised beds.  You don’t have to raise just vegetables.  You can also easily grow herbs, fruits, and flowers in raised beds and make your job easier.

The plants in raised bed gardening are planted much closer together than the plants in a traditional garden.  This allows the plants to conserve moisture and also help block the sun from allowing weeds to germinate and grow.

You’re also going to be able to extend the growing season, because you can start sowing seeds earlier. This together with better yield, will have you harvesting for longer and enjoying a bigger crop from a smaller area.

If you have soil problems in your garden, you can use raised beds and just bypass your own soil completely.  If you start with completely fresh soil, it doesn’t matter what type of soil you had in your garden to begin with.

Another great benefit of raised bed gardening is the fact that the gardener doesn’t walk on the soil in which the plants are growing.  This helps prevent the soil from being packed down, so the roots can grow through the soil more readily.

A lot of pests and diseases will become a thing of the past because of your ability to select good quality soil for your garden beds. Another advantage that will lead to an increase in your harvest and superior quality of your crops.

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Source: gardening

Whether you consider yourself an avid gardener, or if you have ever thought to try your hand at cultivating the soil, starting a small garden that is primarily your child’s can be a wonderful way to spend quality time together and teach your child a lifelong respect and passion for all things living and growing. Digging side by side in the soil will lead your child’s thoughts and imagination in many directions. You will have a chance to answer questions and share exploration and discovery together in a way that isn’t possible with other activities.

Never Talk about Gardening as Work

If you enjoy the hours spent tending your garden, you want your child to feel the same way. Don’t let them think of taking care of the garden as work. You want them to feel pleasure and think of gardening as a form of recreation and not a chore. Depending upon your child’s age, you can also present gardening as learning about science, as a way to express their creativity and a way to play. Your child will love discovering treasures beneath the dirt and sharing their findings with you.

Start Off Slowly

“The younger the child, the shorter the attention span” is the first thing you need to realize when you are ready to explore the world of flora and fauna with your child. Find age appropriate tasks for them to accomplish with some measure of success. This will make them eager to learn more and take on more responsibility as they grow older. If your child wants to take a break and follow a bug along his way, let them and encourage them to report their findings to you. Your child’s self esteem will soar as they help you in the garden. If your child knows how much you love taking care of your tender shoots, they will be more than happy to join you in your happy pursuits.

Giving them their own patch of soil to work in is a wonderful way to deepen your bond. You can start off with simple plantings that are hardy and can take a bit of abuse and neglect so they will flourish under your child’s care and give them a true sense of accomplishment.

Get the health benefits of fresh fruits and veggies with phytonutrients.

Source: gardener

It?s important to try to prevent infestations, rather than just treating them once they occur. You can do this by spraying your plants with solutions that deter many of the most common garden pests.

There are many organic solutions available, but you can make your own by using recipes that can be found in most organic gardening books. Most of them will be sort of like a tea, made with things like hot pepper sauce and garlic.

When you can, you should try to plant species that are native to the area in which you live. These plants have natural immunity to many common diseases in the area. There are also plants that are pest-resistant, and won?t have as many problems with pests as other varieties.

If you plant early enough, you may be able to avoid the worst part of the bug season. Insects have just a short period of each year in which they will be active and eating your plants. If you plant early, you may be able to harvest before those insects terrorize your plants.

You should do everything you can to encourage natural insect predators like ladybugs, praying mantis, ground beetles, and birds. Some types of plants like mint and rosemary can attract many beneficial bugs that can help you keep other insects under control.

You should keep a close eye on your plants to spot potential problems before they get out of control. If you see a hornworm on your tomato plants, pluck it off quickly and drown it in soapy water. By watching your plants daily, you have a chance to stop these problems before they become too difficult to handle.

If you?re having trouble with a particular pest, you can take pictures and then try to identify the pest. Go online and try to search for it. If you can?t identify it, you can take your pictures to your local county extension office or library and ask for help identifying it.

Once you?ve identified the pest, you can ask your extension office for advice with regards to controlling it. Just be sure to tell them you?re an organic gardener, and ask them if they have any ideas for you.
You may be able to prevent some pests by installing netting over your plants. Although this is probably a last resort, you may be able to save your plants from utter devastation if you have a particularly bad season of beetles or other such bugs.
Just remember, netting will also prevent beneficial insects from reaching your plants, so if some pests make it through, it may be harder to detect them and for predator insects to control them.
Pest control is a very difficult part of organic gardening.
If you lose a crop to insects, you may be tempted to abandon organic gardening and rush out to buy a chemical spray. A lot of organic gardeners experience this! Don?t feel bad. It can certainly be very frustrating to deal with pests, especially when you?ve worked very hard to take care of your plants all season.
But just remember, organic gardening has so many benefits that it?s really worth it to go through all of the extra work. Your family will be rewarded with healthy food that is safe to eat!

Source: Organic Gardening

Many times we buy plants on impulse then find there is nowhere in the garden that really suits them. Before buying plants carefully examine your garden to see how much sun and shade it gets, whether the soil is well drained or waterlogged and whether your aspect is sheltered or windswept. You’ll then be equipped to go and buy the best plants for your situation; shade-loving plants for the sheltered areas, sun-lovers for the warm spots, drought-resistant plants for the parched areas which may be either sunny or shaded, and swamp plants for the poorly-drained parts.

But wait! Test your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and what kind of nutrients you need to add, if any. Is the soil acid or alkaline? Most plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic, but there are some that must have alkaline soil to grow. You can alter the soil’s pH level, but it’s much easier to simply plant for the soil you have.

Now you are ready to plant. Well - almost. Will you plant in groups or singly? If you buy ‘one of everything’ your garden may seem rather spotty. Group plantings are organized, harmonious and you can vary the color for interest.

Before planting out, place your chosen plants around the garden bed in their pots to see how they will look. Re-arrange them until you are satisfied. Grouping plants in sets of threes or fives usually looks better than planting in groups of even numbers. Be sure that you have an interesting combination of colors and textures of plants. Tall plants should go to the back, or the center if your garden will be viewed equally from all sides. Try to keep your plants away from trees. The roots of trees are fiercely competitive and will steal all the nutrients and moisture meant for your flowers.

The right color scheme is one way to maintain the harmony in your garden. Imagine the color of the flowers when they are in bloom. Some colors may clash with others, but can still be planted side-by-side if they have a different blooming season. Foliage color is also important. Many flower plants have silver, gray or purplish foliage that is just as attractive as the flower. This means that they are still attractive well past the blooming season and so have added value.

Source: General Articles

Source: Gardening

So not only is gardening becoming popular by itself, but “green” gardening - or environmentally friendly gardening - is one of the primary goals for most hobby and home gardeners.

Now of course the most obvious first step involved with environmentally friendly gardening is to stop using dangerous chemicals for controlling pests, reducing weeds, and fertilizing grass, trees, bushes, food, and flowers. Since many people have grown up with these methods for gardening though, they’re not quite sure how to go about doing these standard chores in a more natural, earth and people friendly way. So here we’ll look at several basics:

1. Composting. Composting is an all natural way to get rich, fertile soil for your flowers, trees, bushes, vegetables and fruits, lawn grass, and anything else you might want to grow naturally. Compost is basically what nature makes on it’s own, when no human interferance is involved. Leaves fall to the ground and slowly decompose. Animal droppings are left where they fall and these decompose too. The wind, rain, heat, and cold all work to mix these decomposing natural items together, and this eventually creates a rich, fertile soil base for new plants to grow in.

People create compost themselves, by simply recycling any organic materials from their home. These include fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen, used tea and coffee grounds, shredded paper, wood chips and fireplace ash, grass clippings, dead leaves, and any other natural organic material that is regularly found around the house.

2. Companion Planting. Companion planting is a natural way to control many diseases, pests and bugs in your yard and garden. There are natural combinations of plants which, when planted in close proximity to each other, will naturally help repel standard pests or other common problems. Sometimes companion plants are used to simply improve the flavors of one or both vegetables when they’re planted close together, but companion planting is quite useful as a natural pest control method too, so it’s well worth learning as much as you can about.

3. Gray Water. Using gray water is an environmentally friendly gardening method, because it allows you to conserve the amount of water you’re using for your gardens and yard areas, instead of simply wasting it. Gray water is a form of recycling: You simply reroute certain drainage areas of your home into the yard and garden areas, so each time you shower for instance, or wash a load of cloths, instead of the water going into the sewer system it will instead be routed to your plants.

Regardless of whether your preference is for a formal rose garden, an English cottage garden, a raised bed vegetable garden, a woodland garden, a cactus garden, French formal garden or Japanese landscape, garden accents can help you express your landscaping preferences with style and class.

Benches, tables, statues, birdbaths, sundials, birdfeeders and other garden “hardscape” elements provide you with seating and additional visuals that complement the plants you have chosen to grow. When considering which elements will best complement your garden, answer the following questions to help determine the best accessories for you:

Are you formal or informal? People who prefer formal settings naturally gravitate to plants that can be shaped into topiary or kept neatly trimmed to good advantage. Those who prefer informality go more for plants that climb and branch out.

Are you country or city?  Folks who love a country look like cottage and naturalized woodland landscapes, while city types are more likely to choose dramatic ornamentals such as bird of paradise. Log cabin birdhouses would be a fun addition, as well as country furniture made of bent willow. For the city, stick to the refinement of teak and tall, sleek fountains and statuary.

Do you like classical music or country best? Classical music lovers are more likely to prefer classical garden statuary, while pop and country music lovers go more for rustic accessories such as iron birdfeeders, wooden trellises and Adirondack chairs.

Is an English cottage garden packed with flowers of all sixes and colors your dream landscape? Then consider adding a sundial to count the hours and a wooden bench with wrought iron supports, perhaps a classic iron table with traditional floral patterns and a couple of matching chairs.

Is formal French your bag? Go for a classical statue, the older looking the better; hang a copper birdhouse and add pairs of curving stone benches to set off your neatly trimmed hedges and stylishly balanced perennial beds. 

Do you love roses more than any other plants? You’ll love a sundial or armillary set smack in the middle of your roses, and a wooden bench with a high back where you can sit and enjoy the glorious sight and scent of your favorite flowers.

Really, what choosing the best garden accessories comes down to is choosing what you like best from the hundreds of benches, statuary, planters, bird feeders and other garden accessories on the market today.  After all, it’s your garden—so always buy what makes you happy!

I know, it sounds weird and there are a number of theories about why this works and why you might want to do this. Other than the novelty, I don’t know whether it works all that well. Though as I said, my neighbor swears by it - it should be noted that he also plants most of his tomatoes using the conventional in the ground method.

I may try it this year. I found a Do-It-Yourself article here - http://www.curbly.com/DIY-Maven/posts/1620-How-To-Make-An-Upside-Down-Tomato-Planter - that looks easy and cheap.

I also found this over at Amazon if you want everything in one place or if you aren’t the DIY type. I may just try them both to see which works best.

Roses of course are possibly one of the most favorite flowers to grow in shades of red or pink, and they can of course be grown as bushes and shrubs, or you can choose to grow climbing rose vines or wild roses and miniature roses too.

Tulips are probably the second most favorite garden flowers to grow, and like roses, these too come in a variety of shades of both red and pink. There are many other types of red and pink flowers to choose from though, so we’ll take a look at several of those here…

Amaryllis - Like tulips and roses, these flowers are often grown in cutting gardens, so the beautiful flowers can be put on display inside the house as often as possible. They can be grown indoors or out, and they’re resistant to deers outside too. Various species of the Amaryllis bloom in deep, bright red colors too. Try out the Red Peacock, Red Lion, and Ferrari varieties for the deepest splashes of red blooms.

Astilbe - These are another type of plant which can be found in various shades of deep red. Other related colors include peaches and pinks too. These feathery flowers stand up tall on stalks above the plants which produce them. The flower stalks tend to attract hummingbirds, and the foilage is quite interesting in the winter time too.

The Jacobean Lily, or Aztec Lily, produces amazing blood red flowers which bloom very well in the spring time. This flower can be grown outdoors in the garden bed, in containers on the patio, or as an indoor house plant.

Spiraea ‘Magic Carpet’ - This plant will grow to about one and one half feet tall, and spread about two feet wide. It produces a deep pink to red colored flower cluster in early summer. By fall, the leaves start turning a reddish color of their own, and often this plant will stay colorful through November.

Miniature roses grow much smaller than standard sized rose bushes do, so they’re able to be grown in smaller spaces. The blooms are much smaller too, but they come in a wide variety of colors just as regular roses do, so they’ll fit into any garden design or theme you’d like.

Miniature roses do tend to be much hardier than standard size rose bushes, and they can survive even in very cold weather conditions as long as they have some mulch around the base. Miniature roses also tend to bloom for much longer periods of time, which is one of the reasons they’re so popular in modern gardens.

There are a few different types of miniature roses you can choose from:

- Climbing miniature roses. Like vines and other types of climbing flowers or plants, a climbing miniature rose vine can be trained to climb support structures such as an arbor or trellis.

- Miniflora. This is a classification created by the American Rose Society, to signify roses which are a bit larger than miniatures, yet still much smaller than standard size roses. Miniflora roses grow a little larger than standard miniature rose bushes do, and the flower blooms are a little larger as well.

- Trailing miniature roses. As the name implies, this type of miniature rose has vines which hang down in trails, and they’re ideal for planting in hanging pots or window flower boxes.

Miniature roses are planted, grown, and cared for in very much the same way standard roses are. They need plenty of water of course, depending on how much natural rainfall your area gets normally. They also need a good layer of mulch. Since miniature roses tend to grow year round in many parts of the country, you’ll need to replenish their mulch and fertilize them regularly to keep them healthy and beautiful throughout all seasons.

Even though miniature roses are hardier than standard sized ones, they can still have problems with the same types of diseases and pests though. So take the same preventative measures as you would with standard rose bushes.

Miniature roses can be grown as indoor houseplants, but they usually do best when grown outside. The roses need humidity to grow well, and most homes become very dry in some seasons, due to the use of heaters blowing warm air throughout the home.

To help you get started, here are 10 ways to get your children interested in taking up gardening, getting them actively involved and help them to become true little gardeners:

1. Buy them their own gardening tools. The more colorful, smaller tools make it easier for youngsters to spend quality time gardening with parents, grandparents or older siblings. Be sure to buy a small wheelbarrow and a good pair of gardening gloves for little hands as well. Wal-Mart carries kiddy sized gardening tools in complete sets for under $20.
2. Take them along when you shop for seeds and plants at nurseries and garden centers. Use the time to explain the different kinds of plants and involve them in making the final selections for your garden.
3. Once home, give them their own small garden patch to care for. Help them get started in cultivating it and oversee planting.  Explain how often their gardens will need to be weeded, watered, fertilized and so on and schedule times when you can be present or nearby for performing these chores.
4. Buy them an age-appropriate illustrated book about gardening so that they can learn about plants when they need something to do indoors. Barnes and Noble carry a few awesome popup books that your kids may love.
5. Set specific times for family gardening—perhaps early evening and a weekend morning—and adhere to this schedule religiously to promote garden togetherness. Children will enjoy gardening more when it becomes part of their routines, and having specific times gives them something to look forward to on a regular basis.
6. Let the kids make picture stakes to place beside each row of vegetable or flowering plants so they’ll know what to expect as plants mature.
7. Buy a blank calendar and have children decorate it with pictures of plants in their gardens. Add notes about when their plants were planted, when they need to be watered, fertilized and weeded and when they should mature on the appropriate days.
8. Suggest ways that children can turn plant harvests into gifts for friends and other family members, such as drying fruits and vegetables for winter use.
9. Think of games you can play while gardening such as who can pull the most weeds in the least amount of time, and give small prizes for winning.
10. Finally, make certain to give plenty of praise and encouragement to young gardeners. Make gardening an activity to be enjoyed, not one to dread!

And that’s where a garden journal comes in. Keeping a garden journal can help you to learn from past experiences. It can also help you keep track of various plants, trees or bushes you have. It can be used to keep notes about common diseases or pests, watering and soil requirements, and so much more.

A garden journal can be used for so much more than just simple record keeping and maintenance though. In fact, it can become a treasured scrapbook and historical journal of your personal gardening adventures.

When you come across a beautiful young plant at the store for instance, and buy it on impulse, you can take a quick picture of it and place that into your garden journal. Then you can add the required growth information of course, because these details will help you three months down the road when you can’t quite remember that particular plant’s name. So record the latin and common names in your journal. Note what the soil, sunlight and water requirements are, and if you can find more information such as diseases and pests to watch for then put that into your garden journal too.

Now the fun part is the regular updates. How often you do these will of course depend on you, but once a month is usually nice. Take a new picture of the plant every month or two. Make additional notes about how it seems to be doing in it’s present location. If you prune it, then get before and after pictures then note down how well (or badly) it seems to respond to trimming.

Write in your garden journal how you feel about the plant too. Do you absolutely adore it? Is it driving you nuts because it tries to spread out too fast? Do you think in restrospect that it would have been better off planted in another location? All of these thoughts occur to every gardener as they’re tending their flowers and bushes, but many of us tend to forget them. By keeping a garden journal though, we can note down these thoughts along with any others as needed.

Garden journals can be used to sketch out ideas for new garden bed designs too, or hold pictures of other gardens and plants we like too. You can clip pictures from magazines, or insert pictures you’ve taken while on vacation or exploring someone else’s garden too.

And one of the best things about keeping a garden journal is the winter time. If you live in an area which gets quite cold and dreary during the winter months, and you long for the beauty of your gardens, you can open the journal and revisit your ideas, plans, and how far your various plants, flowers, and specific gardens have come since the beginning.

Flowering hosta plants usually need a little more sunlight than non flowering ones though, and this is particularly true for hostas which produce flowers that have a nice scent to them. How much sunlight these plants need will depend on the strength of sun in your own garden zone though, and there may be a bit of trial and error involved before you discover just the right location for them.

In most cases, it’s safe to plant flowering hostas in a location which receives morning sunlight, and shade in the afternoon. The morning sun is not as strong as the afternoon sun is, and the light doesn’t last as long either.

For the most part though, hosta plants are generally grown for their gorgeous colorful foilage instead of their flowers. And a basic rule of thumb is: The darker the foilage, the more shade the plant can handle. Sometimes however, the best planting location will depend more on the color of the hosta’s foilage than the darkness of that color.

Hosta plants which have golden colored leaves for instance, tend to do better with a bit more sun. The sun actually helps bring out the color of the foilage in all it’s glory. A hosta plant which has blue colored leaves though, will do much better in shady areas. It can live in mostly shaded locations, or fully shaded locations.

Many hosta plants actually have variagated foilage though, and a general rule of thumb is that they should be grown in partial to full shade. You’ll find some have lighter colors in the center of their leaves, while others have the lightest colors at the outer edges.

If you live in a climate which has a fairly hot or strong sunlight, then partial shade might still be a bit too much sun for many types of hosta plants. What you’ll want to look for is a location that has heavily filtered sunlight, or light shade all day long.

Hostas are fairly easy to care for too, because their growth habits tend to choke out weeds. They’re also quite useful as lawn or garden border plants, and they can even be used as all purpose ground covers in some areas too. Hosta plants do need plenty of water and good drainage though, and this can make growing them in hot climates a bit difficult.

Greenhouses are simply structures of varying sizes which are designed specifically for growing plants. They’re often designed with many windows, or using side and roof materials which are primarily see through (such as plastic, fiberglass, or regular glass) so that plenty of sun is able to continuously pour in throughout the day.

Greenhouses can have heating and cooling systems installed, so that the temperature is kept even all year round. This allows plants of any type to be grown at will, despite what the weather outside might be like.

Greenhouses also tend to have a dedicated water system installed, which will constantly irrigate or sprinkle the growing plants and ensure they maintain even water levels at all times.

Greenhouses can be built from scratch using your own designs, or you can purchase building plans and supplies to build them from instead. Greenhouse kits can also be purchased though, and these usually include all materials and instructions needed for creating your very own greenhouse.

The size of greenhouse you build or buy is completely up to you, however many gardeners often wish they had more space available in their existing greenhouse. So try to build or buy one as big as you can afford, and as big as your existing space will allow.

Be sure to research the various design options available before getting started on your own greenhouse too. You can for instance, build a greenhouse or buy a kit which is designed to use solar power for heating the greenhouse. In other words, instead of installing a heating system in your greenhouse, you would use the existing power of the sun for keeping the greenhouse from getting too cold in the winter. This is much more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, but it does require some specialized planning and design to put into place.

If you buy a greenhouse kit, you’ll be able to select from a wide variety of sizes, styles, and designs. Some for instance, are designed to be attached to an existing building such as your house. This would be excellent for creating an herb garden off your kitchen, and depending on how the kit is designed you might even be able to use that herb garden as your morning sun room or patio too.

1. Climbing Vines - If you like plants and flowers which climb, these are ideal to use with garden trellis. You can simply attach your trellis to the wall of your home for instance, then plant Morning Glory or Clematis vines at the base of the trellis. In time - sometimes quite quickly - you’ll have flowering vines climbing up the side of your home.

There are of course many types of flowering vines to choose from, so select those you particularly like and those which are suited for the sun and soil conditions where you plan to place your wall trellis. Depending on the types of vines you plant, you may need to use a bit of string or twine to tie the vines to the trellis as they’re growing, so they can learn to climb it properly. Sometimes all you need to do is wrap the around the trellis though, instead of tieing it in place.

Not only will this make the exterior of your home more lush and beautiful, but you’ll also discover it helps to insulate your home from the summer heat too. If you prefer not to have vines climbing a wall of your home however, you can instead attach your trellis to a carport and plant the vines there. This will serve to partially enclose an open carport, and as the vines grow they will provide additional shade and coolness for your vehicles.

2. Privacy Fencing - Garden trellis can also be used to help make your front or back yard area more private too. Alternatively, it can be used to create a private garden space, and to enclose a gazebo or patio area as well.

There is a specific type of garden trellis which is designed for creating more privacy too, and it simply has smaller holes between the wooden slats. This privacy trellis is quite useful for beautifying and shading specific areas of your yard and garden, even if you don’t want vines or plants climbing the trellis.

3. Enhance Your Container Gardens - Another way to use trellis for beautifying your garden is specifically useful for container gardens. If for instance, you have a nice large container garden sitting on the front porch or patio that seems to be missing some final finishing touch, you can add that extra something by simply attaching a piece of garden trellis to it. The trellis piece can be as tall or short as you’d like of course, to fit with the particular look and design you’d like.

And of course if you’re growing something that needs a bit of support - such as tomato plants or flowering vines - the trellis will become a functional part of your container garden too.

If you’re anything like me, you always find something new that you want to try or maybe you’ll find one of the old-timey plants that your Dad or Grandmother planted.

The best place to start is with a gardening catalog. And why stop with just one, order four or five.

Here are some really good places where you can order FREE gardening catalogs.

Arbico-Organics

Burgess Seed & Plant Co.

Gardeners Choice

Gardener’s Supply Company

Park Seed

Wayside Garden’s Gardening Guide

Don’t waste any more time! Order your gardening catalog today. It won’t be long until it’s time to get those seeds and plants in the ground.

Gardening time is almost here!

The only thing predictable about March - as a few million people have already noted - is its complete unpredictability. Here in Connecticut we can be pretty sure of snow during the month.

But through all the weather’s vagaries we had the surprise and joy of a lovely little winter flower garden beside the front door. The gap between winter and spring was gaily bridged by this garden’s rainbow of color. While on our place we have a minimum of cultivated areas and flower beds, I wouldn’t be without this one little garden spot even if it demanded a lot of care - which it doesn’t.

The L-shaped area, five by seven and about two feet wide, is protected on the west and north by the house wall, and exposed to south and east. Daily from 3:00 P.M. on the house shades the area—and some shade is desirable. The crocuses here bloom sometimes two months ahead of those out in the meadow.

Surely you have a similar, sheltered area somewhere near your front or back door. At least eight kinds of early-blooming bulbs and perennials are ready, willing and able to create for you a sensational March display. Planting is done in late August and early September.

There is an advantage in having such a garden near the front door. Each time you go in or out your heart skips a beat at the courage of these diminutive shoots. And, with an icy wind howling down your neck you are rarely tempted to wander far afield in search of early bloom. Dinner guests are equally enchanted as the front door light shines out on the flowers emerging in all weather and offering them a cordial welcome.

Every day during March - almost every hour, it seems - something happens in our tiny area, something new invites a brief pause and glance at the unfolding blossoms. Such a garden is simple to care for - small and well within the supply of time and energy of everyone. When the early flowers are gone you can fill in with zinnias and marigolds for a summer-long blaze of color lasting until heavy autumn frosts.

Right now why not select a possible site? Either prepare with hay, if planting time is some months ahead, or start right in and dig down a foot or so. Remove all old roots and rocks; add plenty of compost and manure, perhaps a bushel or two of each. You will do well to raise this garden a little above the surrounding earth level. We edged our with bricks to separate it from the gravel walk.

Eight Of Success

The first of the eight “little giants” to put in an appearance is winter aconite (eranthis). One March day you’ll observe small yellow buttercups resting on the snow, each with an Elizabethan ruff of greenery around its neck. (Eranthis is a member of the buttercup family). This tuberous rooted hardy perennial produces little blooms on 4-inch stems that last many days in chilly weather, and seem to be a tangible and visible sign that spring is somewhere near. Even in northern New England, eranthis may open in February if it is an early season. Once in our snow garden a blossom was encased in a diminutive bubble of ice. That day, time slipped by while I just stood there in wonder and admiration.

The important rule for eranthis is not to wait until autumn to order and plant. Send for the tuberous roots in August and get them underground in a hurry so they have time to grow a fine root system before winter. The flowers will be extra large and handsome if bulbs are planted this early. When the package arrives don’t be discouraged if it appears you have invested in a mere bundle of small dead roots. In spite of appearances, there is a golden promise in each wizened little corm. Plant immediately upon arrival, for they are ready to grow. Set 2 inches deep, 3 inches apart, and eighteen bulbs to a square foot. In full sun or semi shade they will reseed and naturalize in a rewarding manner.

Vines can also help provide shade, cooler temperatures for your home, and reduce wind or dust blowing around your home too. They can also help reduce noise from close neighbors or a busy street, and they can help give you much more privacy too.

Many vines produce beautiful flowers, and some produce fruit too, so you can have healthy fresh food whenever you want, as well as beauty, privacy, and all the other benefits that come from growing vines too.

One of the most important aspects of growing any kind of vines though, is to be sure they have a strong enough supports to climb on. Some vines grow very agressively, and they can actually damage structures and become quite dangerous as they mature, if they’re not properly supported.

Full grown vines can also be quite heavy, depending on the type of vine you’re growing. Some will climb as high as twenty feet or more while others will climb just six feet or so. The larger the vine climbs of course, the heavier it will be. If the vine also bears fruit, the weight will be even more.

Some of the best structures to let vines climb on are solid wood arbors or pergolas. Any solidly built structure will usually work well though, such as a storage shed, carport, or part of your home. Be aware of what type of vine you allow to climb along the walls of your home though, because some can completely destroy the structure over time.

Some types of vines you might want to try growing include grape vines, passionfruit vines, and rose vines. There are also Morning Glory vines and wisteria, which are both favorites across the country. Another popular vine is honeysuckle, because it grows quickly and puts out a wonderful sweet scent too.

If you love growing roses, you might try planting some climbing rose vines too. Most grow quite quickly and will attach themselves to a structure fairly easily too. Other types of vines which are wonderful to grow include clematis, diplodenia, black-eyed susan, bougainvillea, and jasmine.

Some people don’t know this, but not all tomatoes taste great in a salad or eaten alone. In fact, some tomatoes are grown specifically for use in making tomatoe sauces or pastes, ketchup and salsa, or spaghetti sauces and marinaras. And it’s these tomatoes which don’t always taste quite “right” to most people, when they’re eaten alone or in salads.

So while knowing how to grow tomatoes is an important step in having success with your tomato or salad garden, also knowing which kind of tomatoes you’re growing is important too.

Now there are many different varieties of tomatoes so we can’t cover all of them in this one article, but we’ll look at several types which have differing uses:

Cherry Tomatoes - In most cases, any type of cherry tomato is excellent for eating. Either alone, in a salad, or with other meals in your home, cherry tomatoes tend to be juicy and delicious at any time.

Beefsteak Tomatoes - These are usually the large round tomatoes you find for sale in grocery stores. They are red in color, but it’s not usually a strong, deep color of red. These are tasty enough, and they are excellent to use in slices on sandwiches. Some varieties of this type of tomato have a much milder taste than others, and this is more noticible to anyone who has had home grown tomatoes and then buys them at the store. Those grown at home are able to fully mature and ripen before being picked and eaten, while the store bought tomatoes are usually picked before they’re ripe, so they won’t go bad during transport.

Cluster or Vine Ripened - Tomatoes which fall into the clusters category are often also referred to as vine ripened. These tend to be a deeper red color and are smaller than the beefsteak slicing varieties. These are usually quite juicy and more flavorful, so they make wonderful additions to salads and other types of meals.

Roma - Roma tomatoes are most often used for creating sauces, salsas and pastes. These are sometimes called plum tomatoes because they’re about the size of a plum and they’re not actually round. Instead they’re slightly elongated. If you’ve never eaten a roma tomato, you may not like the texture and taste. They’re not overly juicy, and they have thicker flesh than the other types of tomatoes. Some people feel they also have a much stronger taste to them too, and this can be either good or bad depending upon who you ask.

So if you decide to try growing tomatoes in your own garden this year, first decide which purpose you’d like to grow them for. If you love plucking them off the vine and eating them as a fruit, then you may choose a cluster variety. If you want them mainly for putting on your hamburgers each time you have a barbecue, then try growing some beefsteak varieties instead. And if you plan to make your own salsas and other condiments, definitely plant some Roma or other cooking varieties. If you can’t quite decide of course, or you want to try different ones, then plant several types and enjoy taste testing at harvest time!

So the first step in creating a beautiful shade garden which will flourish with amazing colors and flower blooms, is to know as much as you can about the area you plan to create your garden in.

Although rare, deep and dark shady areas can be present in a residential yard and garden. If you have an area of yard like this, you may want to consider putting a statue, bird house, or water fountain into this area and turning it into a woodland garden area which is friendly to local wildlife.

There are many various types of plants you can try growing here too: If the deep shade area is moist for instance, you might try creating a mushroom or moss garden. Both of these plants do quite well in deep shade, and there are some interesting and unusual species you might enjoy growing. You’ll also find that many types of Hosta plants grow well in deep shade, as do most ferns. The lady fern for instance, and the Japanese painted fern are two which tend to grow just fine in deep shade gardens.

Other plants you might want to try in your deep shade garden include Blue Cohosh, Wild Violets, Bleeding Hearts, and Primroses.

An important aspect of any shade gardening though, is knowing what the soil is like in the area you intend to plant. If for instance, you have deep shade in your garden that is caused by large trees and bushes, you may find that the surrounding soil area is on the dry side, because those larger plantings take most of the water for themselves. If this is the case, choosing plants for a shade garden in that area might be a little more complicated.

You can help give your new plants a fighting chance in such dry areas by making sure they’re not too small and fragile when you plant them. If you grow the plants in easier areas first and allow them to mature a bit and get a decent sized rootball on them, they’ll be strong enough to establish themselves in the drier shade area after you transplant them.

Unfortunately for most amateur gardeners, flowering plants are both a blessing and a curse as they provide unsurpassed beauty and style but generally require lots of care and maintenance if you want them to look spectacular throughout the year.

While this is true for most flowering plants, there are a variety of more durable flowers which have been shown to survive just about anything with their beautiful flowers still intact. These amazing plants are commonly known as sedum, and one variety in particular – autumn fire sedum is an incredibly durable plant which produces flowers the colors of which you could have only dreamed of.

One of the reasons that autumn fire sedum plants are so incredibly durable is because they are constructed like