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October 22, 2005
Composting Tips
An article explains correct and optimal composting.
If properly composted, there should be no odor to aggravate the neighbors, and the finished product should have a sweet, pleasant scent. Composting is especially important in autumn, when we are dealing with fallen leaves, lawn clippings and garden waste. By composting now, you will end up with a finished product for your 2006 garden.
Composting generates heat in gardening circles
Posted by Richard at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)
October 20, 2005
EarthKind Roses
Finally, a rose that can withstand trying conditions and can flourish coast to coast. …
“EarthKind is unique among roses,” explained George. “You don’t have to fertilize, prune or spray pesticides.”
Roses proving to be kind to Earth, and gardeners
Posted by Richard at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)
Fall Fruit Trees
A look at fruit trees for fall:
Medlars, small trees more commonly found in Europe that produce fall ripening, golfball size fruits, also bring an exotic look to the edible landscape. When picked, the fruits are too hard to eat. But you can ripen them for a few weeks in a cool place and they become soft, spicy and rich. Although some swear by them raw, I like them in jelly or cooked down into sauce with cinnamon and sugar.
Take a chance on growing exotic fruits
Posted by Richard at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
You've Already Made Your Own Fertilizer
All the dead leaves and blooms from your summer garden make great fertilizer:
“The single best practice a gardener can do to improve their soil is adding organic matter,” he says. “It increases the water- and nutrient-holding capacity of the soil. It helps make minerals available for plants. And, as it accumulates, it binds clay particles into larger aggregates, improving aeration and drainage. And remember, gardening success always starts from the ground up.”
Put your garden to bed with some organic TLC
Posted by Richard at 10:30 AM | Comments (0)
Indoors for Fall
One of several suggestions made of choices for indoor houseplants during fall and winter:
Oxalisis a charming indoor bulb, flowering in pink, white, yellow, red or purple. Its foliage resembles large clover leaves. These bulbs have long flowering periods and can be induced to bloom any time from autumn through spring. Set oxalis bulbs an inch deep in potting soil with a dusting of ground limestone mixed in.
The whole list: Winter means more time with houseplants
Posted by Richard at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)
California Gardeners
Plants now available at the nurseries are numerous and include colorful and include special colors for all pink, white, blue, etc. garden areas. You can plant Achillea, agapanthus, calendula, campanulas, carnation, clivia, cineraria, columbine, coral bells, cyclamen, daylilies, delphinium, dianthus, dusty miller, English Daisies, foxglove, gazania, gerbera, geum, hellebore, Iceland poppies, lavenders and other herbs, lobelia, margarite, nerembergia, pansy, penstemon, petunias, pinks, phlox, primrose, Shasta daisies, snapdragon, stock, sweet peas, sweet Williams, tulbaghia, viola, violet, and many more annuals and perennials that are waiting to be planted in your prepared garden.
The rest of the advice for the West Coast fall gardener: Journal to fall gardening
Posted by Richard at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2005
Winter : Time to Start Planning
Author: Jean Fritz
It’s winter, and as you gaze out your picture window, all you see is a 50 square foot patch of bare dirt. After a foray through the top 10 plant catalogues armed with a major credit card and your vivid imagination, that space is crowded with shrubs, bedding plants, bulbs and foliage, all competing for light, water and nutrients. You’ve created a plant riot.
Planning is vital to creating a noteworthy garden, and winter is the best time to sit down with pencil, paper and reference books. A good garden plan can save time, money and heartache.
Set Your Sights On Your Site
Where is your future garden located? Is it visible to the entire neighborhood, or to your eyes only? Does it receive full sun, or is it shaded part of the day? What is the soil type? All of these factors need to be considered during your planning phase, and will help you screen out your plant choices.
Do You Have A Purpose In Mind?
Your site may also help determine the garden’s purpose. I have two beds within 5 feet of my kitchen door, so they are dedicated to herbs and salad fixings (I can come home from work, pick dinner, go inside and eat.) If your garden is surrounded by a privacy fence, you could consider installing a wildflower plot, or a garden designed with birds and butterflies in mind. These garden styles tend to be unruly, so cloaking them from potentially offended neighbors or homeowners’ association spies is a good idea.
Deciding on a particular theme or purpose for the garden plot further narrows your plant choices.
How Much Maintenance Is Involved?
If you are a harried homeowner with less than 2 hours a week for yard work, installing an annual bed or vegetable garden is not for you. The time you are willing to devote to maintenance is important in choosing plants; the less you want to work, the more you’ll want to stick with tried, true and dependable plants such as daylilies, hosta, iris, and groundcovers such as ivy or dead nettle.
If, on the other hand, you relish “fussing,” annuals, vegetables, fruit trees or fruiting shrubs (such as raspberries, blackberries or currants), and tea and shrub roses can be added to your landscape. These plants all require routine maintenance including trimming, pruning, weeding, deadheading, and regular pest control.
Size, Proportion And Bloom Time
A plant’s final size – height and width – are also important factors in choosing plant material. Plant size should be in proportion to the size of the bed and the size of any buildings or fixtures. If you’ve ever seen foundation plants that have overshadowed the home they were supposed to compliment, you’ll know what I mean. Those overgrown arborvitae eventually have to be cut down and dug out, which is backbreaking labor, or expensive if you have to hire a Bobcat. Better to plant with the end result in mind.
Bloom time is your final consideration. You may choose to create a mixture of shrubs, bulbs, perennials and annuals in your bed, which will produce a long period of blooming as each group flowers successively. You may decide that one splash of color, followed by a pleasing palate of green, is more to your liking. Knowing when a plant shows its best side (and what it looks like afterward) can help you choose whether that plant belongs in your yard, or if you’ll maliciously suggest it to your crabbiest neighbor.
Take the time to plan before you plant, and you’ll be rewarded with seasons of color, fragrance, and garden health.
About the author: The author operates a small market farm in east-central Indiana. Her ezine, Leaflets, covers a host of gardening and cooking topics. Subscriptions are free via the KittyVista website (http://clik.to/kittyvista)
Posted by Richard at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)
October 09, 2005
Daffodils
Daffodils naturalize, or spread, as the years go by, so it is good to plan ahead and have plenty of space for them to grow. Though the yellow King Alfred is very popular, there are hundreds of new daffodil colors and cultivars.
Most bulbs are more impressive when they are planted in clumps. Twenty bulbs make a pleasing display, but 100 to 200 would make it outstanding. For greater tulip effect, plant only one color, such as a fire engine red, then contrast it with yellow and white varieties. Pastels are beautiful, too, and the deep purple and almost-black are quite stunning.
Read the whole article: Fall offers excellent gardening conditions
Posted by Richard at 07:13 AM | Comments (0)
October 08, 2005
Global Warming & Gardening
From a good article on the issue:
As avid observers of nature, most of us gardeners are probably aware at some level that changes are under way in the clockwork of many of our favorite plants. Spring seems to be arriving a little earlier for a lot of them these days. (In fact, one report says that between 1959 and 1993 the entire biological spring in North America shifted forward six days.)
Global Warming—Tracking the Effects of Climate Change on Plants
Posted by Richard at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)
October 04, 2005
Late Season Vegetables & Flowers
From a good, long article about the garden possibilities available this time of year.
Many of us are cool season gardeners now. Mums, aster, ornamental kale and cabbage are common landscape plants this time of the year. Gardeners are planting more pansies and a few snapdragons. In the food garden, spinach and cole crops (cabbage and cauliflower) are staples. Root crops such as beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips and rutabagas thrive and are tastier having endured frost.
Reap what you sow with late-season gardening
Posted by Richard at 06:59 AM | Comments (0)
Ornamental Peppers
Ornamental peppers recommended for late-year gardens:
Ornamental peppers have changed dramatically over the last few years to become real landscape assets. We now have choices such as the colorful “Medusa,” “Chilly Chili,” “Masquerade” and a new one called “Black Pearl” that will steal your heart for sure.
Ornamental peppers warm garden landscape
Posted by Richard at 06:55 AM | Comments (1)