The role of manure, so beloved by gardeners, is much discussed. Homes quotes the traveller and chronicler the Reverend Arthur Young who, after a six-week tour through the southern counties, praised the farmers of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk: “I have never met with any place around which the farmers had such a spirit of purchasing manures.” A Carthusian monk writing in the early 18th-century recommended dung of wheat-straw, being careful to mix the “excrementitious balls with the straw”. Pliny described a vineyard owner made wealthy through thoroughly “dunging” his vines over an eight-year period.

Dung good

Germinating seeds hydroponically has several advantages over using soil. Many common diseases can be avoided because the hydroponic medium is clean while soil may contain fungus or insects that can harm vulnerable seedlings. Root rot can also be avoided by using a good hydroponic growing system.

Author: Katherine Keleher

Germinating seeds hydroponically has several advantages over using soil. Many common diseases can be avoided because the hydroponic medium is clean while soil may contain fungus or insects that can harm vulnerable seedlings. Root rot can also be avoided by using a good hydroponic growing system.

The area where hydroponic growing really shines over using soil is control of the growing environment. With hydroponics, the gardener is no longer at the mercy of the soil’s nutrient or water content. Every aspect of the plant’s growing conditions can be controlled by the grower, not Mother Nature. This can be a tremendous advantage for young seedlings because they will get the proper nutrients right from the start of their life, leading to much healthier plants in the long run.

Choosing a Growing Medium for Germinating Seeds

While germinating, seeds require both oxygen and water to sprout. This means that your growing medium must provide sufficient amounts of both to the seed or it will not germinate. Porous mediums such as perlite, rockwool, or vermiculite will do this along with having great drainage capabilities. Rockwool cubes can be used for quick set up and easy transplanting as the seeds sprout and grow into full-size plants. Simply place a larger cube around the cube holding the plant. The roots will expand and grow through both rockwool cubes, allowing your medium to easily adapt to the size of your plant.

Perlite makes another good growing medium for germinating seeds because its porosity allows for good drainage and oxygen availability. Just be sure to use the gardening-grade perlite rocks and not the finer grade masonry-quality powder. Plant your seeds about a half to one full inch deep in the perlite medium and recover them with a thin layer of perlite. The easiest way to set up a seedling tray with perlite is to use a plastic tub or similar container covered in black plastic to ensure that no light will penetrate to the roots of your plants. Add a drain hole about an inch from the container’s bottom to cycle your nutrient solution through while keeping a minimum level of solution available to the plants at all times.

Nutrients for Germinating Seeds

Many seeds contain nutrients within their shell to provide initial nourishment to jumpstart the germination process. However, this is not true for all species. Orchid seeds, for example, contain very little nutrients, so be sure to research your particular plant before setting up your garden. To avoid stressing the seed at a vulnerable point, it is best to use a medium that is pre-prepared with a low concentration of nutrients. The first few initial waterings will give your seeds a small dose of nutrients until it is ready to absorb more. After a few days, switch to a regular nutrient solution in your water, but keep it at a lower dose than normal until the seed shows significant growth. Once the plants have developed strong, healthy stalks, you can change them over to your normal feeding and watering program and use your seedling tray for the next batch of germinating seeds.

About the author: This article courtesy of http://www.indoor-ga rdening-guide.com, your best indoor gardening resource on the Net.

The use of shredded wood mulch exists for reasons unknown to many of us. It is true and a good point that the mulch does in fact control erosion in a new planting prior to the roots taking hold of the soil. The wood mulch does retain more moisture and insulate the roots from extreme temperatures. Therefore the addition of a mulch is in deed beneficial for a newly installed shrub and tree landscape. The truth is folks have been successfully growing landscapes and gardens for centuries prior to this modern innovation commonly known as shredded mulch. So the mulch is put down initially to aid the plants in adjusting to their new home with less setbacks and repercussions. But the renewal of mulch is where the problems seem to begin.

Firstly there should never be more than 3 inches of shredded wood mulch applied after the installation of new plants. Some seem to think that more is better, this is not true of mulch. Exceeding 4 inches holds too much moisture and can cause plants to decline from rot and even die because the soil cannot breathe or soak up warmth from the sun to rid itself of excess moisture that may be present at times. Incidentally, the presence of mushrooms in a lawn or planting bed is totally due to decomposing wood matter. Whether mulch mixed with soil or an old tree stump’s roots that reside beneath the current lawn. Rotting wood and moisture have always caused mushrooms to grow. It is best if one is to cultivate mushrooms to plan ahead and cultivate those that are edible and cut down on the grocery bill rather than those that just make a mess in the landscape

What happens to all those additional layers of mulch you add to the beds because you like the “fresh” look it gives you yard? Perhaps first it would be best to ask yourself, what happened to the FIRST layer of mulch. The same thing that happens on the floor of the forest. Over time, every leaf, twig and fallen limb decomposes to replenish the soil available on the forest floor. The very same thing is happening in your planting beds…the mulch becomes soil. When the pretty mulch has disappeared a nice young man in a uniform appears after a phone call and puts a nice thick new layer where you direct him to do so. The lumber company who made money on a waste product is very happy. The mulch company is happy because you paid you bill. The nice young man in the uniform is happy because he got paid. You are happy with the fresh new appearance of your yard. The one soul who is not questioned about this practice, is the one that is effects the most…the plants! Over time, this freshening of the mulch can cause unexplainable health problems.

On the side of a beer bottled we have a warning from the Surgeon General warning us not to operate automotive vehicles or heavy equipment and goes on to say that alcohol could cause health problems. Have you ever seen such a warning on a bag of mulch or the invoice you pay that nice young man from? While there is such a thing as natural death among plants, death without explanation is easily blamed as the trees cannot say:

“Hey! I am dying because I cannot breathe anymore because you have put way too much mulch around my trunk!”

Nope, no tree can scream HELP! They can’t tell you I need water, my toes hurt, its hot out here; they are helpless unless we know instinctively the problem. They can only get your attention if you WANT to hear what they have to say. Selective listening has serves no purpose when one deals with plants.

Where was I? Oh yes, this yearly freshening of the mulch in the beds…if you were a tree, you would see instantly why this is not a good thing. Trees have a natural breathing ring (as well as many types of shrubs and other woody plants) that develops right at the point of their trunk where their “stem” and the soil meet originally upon their sprouting.

When you pull a weed, properly extracting it from the soil, it is going to deposit dirt on top of the mulch. The more soil that is mixed with the wood mulch, the faster it will decompose and return to its’ previous state as soil. Remember what comes from the soil returns to the soil; it is a natural revolution no one can prevent.

About the author: Raised by a highly respected & successful landscape contractor in the metro Detroit area, Clayton wanted a career in anything but landscaping! Now an award-winning landscape designer, Clayton runs Flowerville Farms, a mail-order nursery in Michigan. Read more at LostInTheFlowers.com.

“I don’t want any weeds to have to deal with.”

The infamous statement uttered by millions. That is a pretty tall order to attempt to fill. Over the years, I have discovered that many people believe the fallacy that rock mulch over plastic or landscape cloth will render their planting free of weeds forever and ever. Covering up the soil equals no weeds?

In truth this is an absolutely not possible. After fighting weeds on hundreds of acres over decades of weeks, I can assure you it is just not possible. Nothing is sure in life but weeds and taxes. It is best to Accept the fact that one will have to deal with them after a while.

That plastic will begin to deteriorate and poke up through the mulch looking very unsightly. Don’t try to remove it after a few years either, it will fall all apart and be partly under the dirt and partly stuck in the root systems of the maturing shrubs. You’ll not be able to till up parts of the bed for a new look without angst over the rototiller being all bound up with strips of plastic and rocks wedged tightly between the tines.

Landscape plastic will only delay the weeds and cause another series of problems. It is commonly known that plastic repels water. That little hole left in the plastic sheeting around the base of your shrub or tree is not going to allow enough water to pass through to the roots at all. The fuller the leaf canopy, the less water will drip down through to the center instead the majority of the moisture will run off around the drip line. Plastic does not breathe either and healthy roots need air along with their water for plants to be healthy and flourish.

Stone mulch will either make the roots hotter or colder, depending on the weather as stone radiates heat and cold. The reason for mulch to be applied is to insulate the root system from extremes and help retain moisture longer to promote the health of the plants. Those plants that need air to the roots will not thrive under plastic and stone where insufficient air makes them weak and sickly.

While stone may look good to some — it is very costly and dirt will still collect on the top of the weed barrier. As soon as things start going to seed around the protected area, there will be weeds everywhere in the stone rooting into that thin layer of deposited soil on top of the plastic. It is inevitable that weed roots beneath that plastic will creep around under it searching for an escape from the dark. These undercover and unwanted roots will never be found to eradicate, making them a constant problem to try and get rid of.

Landscape cloth is better in that it allows consistent moisture and some airflow to roots, but it does let weeds pop through the small holes in the weave. Once you have a weed rooted through the fabric, you will never be able to pull the roots. These contrived barriers in the long run will only make the installation more costly and a false belief that you will now be weed-free. Landscape cloth has beneficial applications in some situations and is best left to control erosion and not weeds.

If you simply must have mulch, the best choice for your shrub and tree beds is shredded hardwood or cedar bark mulch. Shredded bark mulches are fuzzy along the edges causing them to mat down and knit together after a good rain to stop erosion of loose soil to a great extent. Wood mulch encourages bugs to take up residence in it as deteriorating wood is their natural habitat. This will add the cost and need to spray chemicals on the mulch to control bugs that would never have moved in plain soil. Many is the horticultural professional who will not apply mulch to their planting beds for several reasons beginning with the insects it attracts. Secondly, they are aware that over time wood mulch decomposes to be soil again, thereby raising the soil level around the plants in the bed (causing future health problems with plants such as trees). Thirdly, because it makes it more difficult to weed the bed.

About the author: Raised by a highly respected & successful landscape contractor in the metro Detroit area, Clayton wanted a career in anything but landscaping! Now an award-winning landscape designer, Clayton runs Flowerville Farms, a mail-order nursery in Michigan. Read more at LostInTheFlowers.com.

As you may have observed from your gardening experiences plants can be fussy things. The right location, amount of sunlight and 101 other factors influence your plant’s growing ability. One factor which is very beneficial in understanding before putting that new plant into the earth is soil pH.

What is Soil pH?

Let’s get all scientific for a moment and learn what pH is. In chemistry pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a solution is. Okay chemistry lesson over. Basically soil pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline your soil is. Soil pH is measured on a scale of 1 to 14. If your soil has a pH value of less than 7 then you have acidic soil. On the other hand if your soil has a pH value of greater than 7 then you have alkaline soil. A pH value of 7 is neutral, meaning you have neither acidic or alkaline soil.

The Effect of Soil pH on Plants

Knowing the pH value of your soil before planting is very important as it has a direct influence on the health of the plant. Each plant has its own recommended soil pH value range. The reason for this is that soil pH effects the availability of nutrients within the soil and plants have different nutrient needs. For example the nutrient nitrogen, a very important plant nutrient, is readily available in soil when the pH value is above 5.5. Similarily the nutrient phosphorous is available when the pH value is between 6 and 7. If a plant is placed into the wrong kind of soil it will be lacking in nutrients that it needs which will promote disease. In general the best pH value range for soil is approximately 6 or 7 as this is the range in which most nutrients can be readily available.

Finding Out pH of Soil

Finding out the pH of soil is usually a trivial matter and the kits to do so should be available at most good garden centres. Usually a pH testing kit will include a small container / test tube, testing solution and a color chart. A sample of soil is taken from your garden, placed into the container / test tube and a few drops of testing solution are added. The container is then shaken and left for a certain period of time. The color of the sample in the container is then compared against the color chart to determine the pH value of the soil. Note that if you want to determine the soil pH of an large area it may be a good idea to take soil samples from many different locations, combine the samples and then perform the test on the combined sample.

A quick way to find out the pH of an area is to look to see if there are any house hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) already growing in the area. If so observe the color of its flowers. A soil pH of 6 or below will produce blue flowers while a soil pH of 6.8 or higher will produce pink flowers.

How to Make Soil More Alkaline (Increase pH)

If your soil is acidic or slightly acidic you can take steps to make it more alkaline to accommodate the plants you want to put there. You can make your soil more alkaline (increase its pH value) by adding a form of lime. Lime is a compound of calcium or calcium and magnesium. It is usually applied in the form of ground agricultural limestone, burnt lime or hydrated lime (slaked lime). The smaller the limestone particles then the quicker your soil will become more alkaline. For this reason hydrated lime will offer the quickest performance because it is slightly soluble in water so it can permeate the soil quicker and reduce acidity faster.

Increasing the pH of your soil is not an overnight process and it is best to allow 2-3 months to allow the lime to neutralize the acidity of the soil acidity.

How to Make Soil More Acidic (Decrease pH)

Some ornamental plants and fruit plants like blueberries require an acidic soil. To make your soil more acidic (decrease its pH value) you can use either aluminium sulphate or sulphur. Aluminium sulphate is the quickest acting as it will increase the acidity as soon as it disolves into the soil. The downsides are though that its effects can be short term and it is possible to over-apply it.

The more recommended but slower way to increase your soil pH is to use sulphur. Sulphur converts to sulphuric acid with the help of bacteria in the soil but this takes time depending on factors like the presence of bacteria, texture of the soil and moisture levels. This could take months if conditions are not ideal.

Conclusion

Remember to always take into account soil pH when deciding what to plant in your soil. If you do not know what the pH of your soil is then test your soil and if needs be take steps mentioned earlier to change the pH value over time. Best of luck!

Original article location: Soil pH and its Effect on Your Garden

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The secret of rooting cuttings can be summed up in two words. “Timing and technique”.

When you do your cuttings is every bit as important as how you do them. So if you do the right thing, at the right time of the year, your efforts are sure to bring success. Through this article you will learn both. “Rooting Hardwood Cuttings of Deciduous Plants”

Of the two hardwood techniques is one better than the other? It depends on exactly what you are rooting, what the soil conditions are at your house, and what Mother Nature has up her sleeve for the coming winter.

I have experienced both success and failure using each method. Only experimentation will determine what works best for you. Try some cuttings using each method. When doing hardwood cuttings of deciduous plants, you should wait until the parent plants are completely dormant. This does not happen until you’ve experienced a good hard freeze where the temperature dips down below 32 degrees F. for a period of several hours. Here in northeastern Ohio this usually occurs around mid November.

Unlike softwood cuttings of deciduous plants, where you only take tip cuttings from the ends of the branches, that rule does not apply to hardwood cuttings of deciduous plants. For instance, a plant such as Forsythia can grow as much as four feet in one season. In that case, you can use all of the current years growth to make hardwood cuttings.

You might be able to get six or eight cuttings from one branch. Grapes are extremely vigorous. A grape vine can grow up to ten feet or more in one season. That entire vine can be used for hardwood cuttings. Of course with grape vines, there is considerable space between the buds, so the cuttings have to be much longer than most other deciduous plants. The average length of a hardwood grape vine cutting is about 12” and still only has 3 or 4 buds. The bud spacing on most other deciduous plants is much closer, so the cuttings only need to be about 6- 8” in length. Making a deciduous hardwood cutting is quite easy. Just collect some branches (known as canes) from the parent plants. Clip these canes into cuttings about 6” long. Of course these canes will not have any leaves on them because the plant is dormant, but if you examine the canes closely you will see little bumps along the cane. These bumps are bud unions. They are next year’s leaf buds or nodes, as they are often called. When making a hardwood cutting of a deciduous plant it is best to make the cut at the bottom, or the butt end of the cutting just below a node, and make the cut at the top of the cutting about 3/4” above a node. This technique serves two purposes. One, it makes it easier for you to distinguish the top of the cutting from the bottom of the cutting as you handle them. It also aids the cutting in two different ways. Any time you cut a plant above a node, the section of stem left above that node will die back to the top node. So if you were to leave 1/2” of stem below the bottom node, it would just die back anyway. Having that section of dead wood underground is not a good idea. It is only a place for insects and disease to hide. It is also helpful to actually injure a plant slightly when trying to force it to develop roots. When a plant is injured, it develops a callous over the wound as protection. This callous build up is necessary before roots will develop. Cutting just below a node on the bottom of a cutting causes the plant to develop callous and eventually, roots.

Making the cut on the top of the cutting 3/4” above the node is done so that the 3/4” section of stem above the node will provide protection for the top node. This keeps the buds from being damaged or knocked off during handling and planting. You can press down on the cutting without harming the buds.

When rooting cuttings this way it helps to make the cut at the top of the cutting at an angle. This sheds water away from the cut end of the cutting and helps to reduce the chance of disease. Once you have all of your cuttings made, dip the bottom of the cutting in a rooting compound. Make sure you have the right strength rooting compound (available at most garden stores) for hardwood cuttings. Line them up so the butt ends are even and tie them into bundles. Select a spot in your garden that is in full sun. Dig a hole about 12” deep and large enough to hold all of the bundles of cuttings. Place the bundles of cuttings in the hole upside down. The butt ends of the cuttings should be up. The butt ends of the cuttings should be about 6” below the surface. Cover the cuttings completely with soil and mark the location with a stake, so you can find them again in the spring.

I know this sounds crazy, but rooting cuttings this way does work. To increase your chances of success you can cover the butt ends of the cuttings with moist peat moss before filling in the hole. Make sure you wet the peat moss thoroughly, then just pack it on the butt ends of the cuttings.

Over the winter the cuttings will develop callous and possibly some roots. Placing them in the hole upside down puts the butt ends closest to the surface, so they can be warmed by the sun, creating favorable conditions for root development. Being upside down also discourages top growth. Leave them alone until about mid spring after the danger of frost has passed.

Over the winter the buds will begin to develop and will be quite tender when you dig them up. Frost could do considerable damage if you dig them and plant them out too early. That’s why it is best to leave them buried until the danger of frost has passed. Dig them up very carefully, so as not to damage them. Cut open the bundles and examine the butt ends. Hopefully, you will see some callous build up. Even if there is no callous, plant them out anyway. You don’t need a bed of sand or anything special when you plant the cuttings out. Just put them in a sunny location in your garden. Of course the area you chose should be well drained, with good rich topsoil. To plant the cuttings, just dig a very narrow trench, or using a spade, make a slice by prying open the ground. Place the cuttings in the trench with the butt ends down. Bury about one half of the cutting leaving a few buds above ground. Back fill around the cuttings with loose soil making sure there are no air pockets. Tamp them in lightly, then water thoroughly to eliminate any air pockets.

Water them on a regular basis, but don’t make the soil so wet that they rot. Within a few weeks the cuttings will start to leaf out. Some will more than likely collapse because there are not enough roots to support the plant. The others will develop roots as they leaf out. By fall, the cuttings that survived should be pretty well rooted. You can transplant them once they are dormant, or you can wait until spring. If you wait until spring, make sure you transplant them before they break dormancy. There really is no exact science when it comes to rooting cuttings, so now I am going to present you with a variation of the above method. This method still applies to hardwood cuttings of deciduous plants. With this variation you do everything exactly the same as you do with the method you just learned, up to the point where you bury them for the winter. With method number two you don’t bury them at all. Instead, you plant the cuttings out as soon as you make them in the late fall, or anytime during the winter when the ground is not frozen. In other words, you just completely skip the step where you bury the cuttings underground for the winter. Plant them exactly the same way as described for method number one. As with all cuttings, treating them with a rooting compound prior to planting will help induce root growth.

Hardwood cuttings work fairly well for most of the deciduous shrubs. However, they are not likely to work for some of the more refined varieties of deciduous ornamentals like Weeping Cherries or other ornamental trees. Rooting cuttings of ornamental trees is possible, but only using softwood cutting techniques. Now let’s discuss rooting cuttings of evergreens, using hardwood techniques.

Hardwood cuttings of evergreens are usually done after you have experienced two heavy frosts in the late fall, around mid November or so. However, I have obtained good results with some plants doing them as early as mid September, taking advantage of the warmth of the fall sun. When doing them this early, they need to be watered every day. Try some cuttings early and if they do poorly, just do some more in November. Hardwood cuttings of many evergreens can be done at home in a simple frame filled with coarse sand.

To make such a frame, just make a square or rectangular frame using 2” by 6” boards. Nail the four corners together as if to make a large picture frame. This frame should sit on top of the ground in an area that is well drained. An area of partial shade is preferred. Once you have the frame constructed remove any weeds or grass inside the frame so this vegetation does not grow up through your propagation bed. Fill this frame with a very coarse grade of sand. The sand used in swimming pool filters usually works. Mason’s sand is a little too fine. If you have a sand and gravel yard in your area visit the site and inspect the sand piles. Find a grade that is a little more coarse than masons sand. But keep in mind that most any sand will work, so just pick one that you think is coarse enough. If water runs through it easily, it’s coarse enough.

Make sure you place your frame in an area where the water can drain through the sand, and out of the frame. In other words, don’t select a soggy area for your cutting bed. Standing water is sure to seriously hamper your results. Making the evergreen cuttings is easy. Just clip a cutting 4-5 inches in length from the parent plant. Make tip cuttings only. (Only one cutting from each branch.) Strip the needles or leaves from the bottom one half to two thirds of the cutting. Wounding evergreen cuttings isn’t usually necessary because removing the leaves or needles causes enough injury for callous build up and root development. Dip the butt ends of the cuttings in a powder or liquid rooting compound and stick them in the sand about 3/4” to 1” apart. Keep them watered throughout the fall until cool temperatures set in. If you have some warm dry days over the winter, make sure you water your cuttings. Keep in mind that sand in a raised bed will dry out very quickly. Don’t worry about snow. Snow covering your cuttings is just fine, it will actually keep them moist, and protect them from harsh winter winds. Start watering again in the spring and throughout the summer. They don’t need a lot of water, but be careful not to let them dry out, and at the same time making sure they are not soaking wet.

This method of rooting cuttings of evergreens actually works very well, but it does take some time. You should leave them in the frame for a period of twelve months. You can leave them longer if you like. Leaving them until the following spring would be just fine. They should develop more roots over the winter. Rooting cuttings of the following plants is very easy using this method. Variegated Euonymus varieties, Taxus, Juniper, Arborvitae, Japanese Holly, Boxwood, and English Holly. Rhododendrons and Azaleas prefer to have their bottoms warmed before they root.

Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit his most interesting website, http://www.freeplants.com and sign up for his excellent gardening newsletter.

About the author: Michael J. McGroarty has more than 30 years experience in the landscape gardening/nursery industry. He’s spent the better part of his life on his hands and knees in the dirt working with plants and his hands-on experience allows Mike to write in a manner than many gardeners find to be helpful and beneficial.

Author: Loring A. Windblad

Common Name: Burdock

Botanical Name: Arctium lappa (LINN.)

Family: N. O. Compositae

Genus: Arctium, derived from the Greek arktos

Other common names: Lappa, Fox’s Clote, Thorny Burr, Beggar’s Buttons, Cockle Buttons, Love Leaves, Philanthropium, Personata, Happy Major, Clot_Bur.

Parts Used: Root, herb and seeds (fruits).

Habitat: It grows freely throughout England (though rarely in Scotland) and throughout North America’s temperate zone on waste ground and about old buildings, by roadsides and in fairly damp places.

The Burdock, the only British member of its genus, belongs to the Thistle group of the great order, Compositae.

Description: A stout handsome plant, with large, wavy leaves and round heads of purple flowers. It is enclosed in a globular involucre of long stiff scales with hooked tips, the scales being also often interwoven with a white, cottony substance.

The whole plant is a dull, pale green, the stem about 3 to 4 feet and branched, rising from a biennial root. The lower leaves are very large, on long, solid footstalks, furrowed above, frequently more than a foot long heart shaped and of a grey colour on their under surfaces from the mass of fine down with which they are covered. The upper leaves are much smaller, more egg shaped in form and not so densely clothed beneath with the grey down.

The plant varies considerably in appearance, and by some botanists various subspecies, or even separate species, have been described, the variations being according to the size of the flower heads and of the whole plant, the abundance of the whitish cotton-like substance that is sometimes found on the involucres, or the absence of it, the length of the flower stalks, etc.

The flower heads are found expanded during the latter part of the summer and well into the autumn: all the florets are tubular, the stamens dark purple and the styles whitish. The plant owes its dissemination greatly to the little hooked prickles of its involucre, which adhere to everything with which they come in contact, and by attaching themselves to coats of animals are often carried to a great distance.

“They are Burs, I can tell you, they’ll stick where they are thrown,” Shakespeare makes Pandarus say in Troilus and Cressida, and in King Lear we have another direct reference to this plant: “Crown’d with rank Fumiter and Furrow-weeds, With Burdocks, Hemlocks, Nettles, Cuckoo-flowers.” Also in As You Like It: “ROSALIND. How full of briers is this working-day world! CELIA. They are but burs, cousin, thrown upon thee in holiday foolery. If we walk not in the trodden paths, our very petticoats will catch them.”

The name of the genus, Arctium, is derived from the Greek arktos, a bear, in allusion to the roughness of the burs, lappa, the specific name, being derived from a word meaning ‘to seize.’

Another source derives the word lappa from the Celtic llap, a hand, on account of its prehensile properties.

The plant gets its name of ‘Dock’ from its large leaves; the ‘Bur’ is supposed to be a contraction of the French bourre, from the Latin burra, a lock of wool, such is often found entangled with it when sheep have passed by the growing plants.

An old English name for the Burdock was ‘Herrif,’ ‘Aireve,’ or ‘Airup,’ from the Anglo Saxon hoeg, a hedge, and reafe, a robber - or from the Anglo Saxon verb reafian, to seize. Culpepper gives as popular names in his time: Personata, Happy Major and Clot-Bur.

Though growing in its wild state hardly any animal except the ass will browse on this plant, the stalks, cut before the flower is open and stripped of their rind, form a delicate vegetable when boiled, similar in flavour to Asparagus, and also make a pleasant salad, eaten raw with oil and vinegar. Formerly they were sometimes candied with sugar, as Angelica is now. They are slightly laxative, but perfectly wholesome.

Cultivation: As the Burdock grows freely in waste places and hedgerows, it can be collected in the wild state, and is seldom worth cultivating.

It will grow in almost any soil, but the roots are formed best in a light well drained soil. The seeds germinate readily and may be sown directly in the field, either in autumn or early spring, in drills 18 inches to 3 feet apart, sowing 1 inch deep in autumn, but less in spring. The young plants when well up are thinned out to 6 inches apart in the row.

Yields at the rate of 1,500 to 2,000 lb. of dry roots per acre have been obtained from plantations of Burdock.

Parts Used Medicinally: The dried root from plants of the first year’s growth forms the official drug, but the leaves and fruits (commonly, though erroneously, called seeds) are also used.

The roots are dug in July, and should be lifted with a beet-lifter or a deep-running plough. As a rule they are 12 inches or more in length and about 1 inch thick, sometimes, however, they extend 2 to 3 feet, making it necessary to dig by hand. They are fleshy, wrinkled, crowned with a tuft of whitish, soft, hairy leaf stalks, grey-brown externally, whitish internally, with a somewhat thick bark, about a quarter of the diameter of the root, and soft wood tissues, with a radiate structure.

Burdock root has a sweetish and mucilaginous taste.

Burdock leaves, which are less used than the root, are collected in July. For drying, follow the drying of Coltsfoot leaves. They have a somewhat bitter taste.

The seeds (or fruits) are collected when ripe. They are brownish-grey, wrinkled, about 1/4 inch long and 1/16 inch in diameter. They are shaken out of the head and dried by spreading them out on paper in the sun.

Constituents: Inulin, mucilage, sugar, a bitter, crystalline glucoside-Lappin, a little resin, fixed and volatile oils, and some tannic acid.

The roots contain starch, and the ashes of the plant, burnt when green, yield carbonate of potash abundantly, and also some nitre.

Medicinal Action and Uses: Alterative, diuretic and diaphoretic. One of the best blood purifiers. In all skin diseases, it is a certain remedy and has effected a cure in many cases of eczema, either taken alone or combined with other remedies, such as Yellow Dock and Sarsaparilla.

The root is principally employed, but the leaves and seeds are equally valuable. Both root and seeds may be taken as a decoction of 1 OZ. to 1 1/2 pint of water, boiled down to a pint, in doses of a wineglassful, three or four times a day.

The anti-scorbutic properties of the root make the decoction very useful for boils, scurvy and rheumatic affections, and by many it is considered superior to Sarsaparilla, on account of its mucilaginous, demulcent nature; it has in addition been recommended for external use as a wash for ulcers and scaly skin disorders.

An infusion of the leaves is useful to impart strength and tone to the stomach, for some forms of longstanding indigestion.

When applied externally as a poultice, the leaves are highly resolvent for tumours and gouty swellings, and relieve bruises and inflamed surfaces generally. The bruised leaves have been applied by the peasantry in many countries as cataplasms to the feet and as a remedy for hysterical disorders.

>From the seeds, both a medicinal tincture and a fluid extract are prepared, of benefit in chronic skin diseases. Americans use the seeds only, considering them more efficacious and prompt in their action than the other parts of the plant. They are relaxant and demulcent, with a limited amount of tonic property. Their influence upon the skin is due largely to their being of such an oily nature: they affect both the sebaceous and sudoriferous glands, and probably owing to their oily nature restore that smoothness to the skin which is a sign of normal healthy action.

The infusion or decoction of the seeds is employed in dropsical complaints, more especially in cases where there is co-existing derangement of the nervous system, and is considered by many to be a specific for all affections of the kidneys, for which it may with advantage be taken several times a day, before meals.

Preparations: Fluid extract, root, 1/2 to 2 drachms. Solid extract, 5 to 15 grains. Fluid extract, seed, 10 to 30 drops.

Mythical Uses:

Culpepper gives the following uses for the Burdock: “The Burdock leaves are cooling and moderately drying, whereby good for old ulcers and sores. The leaves applied to the places troubled with the shrinking in the sinews or arteries give much ease: a juice of the leaves or rather the roots themselves given to drink with old wine, doth wonderfully help the biting of any serpents, the root beaten with a little salt and laid on the place suddenly easeth the pain thereof, and helpeth those that are bit by a mad dog:… the seed being drunk in wine 40 days together doth wonderfully help the sciatica: the leaves bruised with the white of an egg and applied to any place burnt with fire, taketh out the fire, gives sudden ease and heals it up afterwards…. The root may be preserved with sugar for consumption, stone and the lax. The seed is much commended to break the stone, and is often used with other seeds and things for that purpose.”

And from Henslow: It was regarded as a valuable remedy for stone in the Middle Ages, and called Bardona. As a rule, the recipes for stone contained some seeds or ‘fruits’ of a ‘stony’ character, as gromel seed, ivy berries, and nearly always saxifrage, i.e. ‘stone-breaker.’ Even date-stones had to be pounded and taken; the idea being that what is naturally ‘stony’ would cure it; that ‘like cures like’

>From the “Wild Vegetarian Cookbook” by Wildman

This major wild food has long-stalked wedge-shaped leaves reminiscent of elephants’ ears, 2 feet long and 1 foot across. Unlike similar leaves, they’re white and fuzzy underneath.

The basal rosette of leaves stays close to the ground the first year and the beginning of the second.

Look for burdock in disturbed habitats, roadsides, vacant lots, and fields. It grows throughout North America except in the Deep South.

You can harvest the large, deep, beige taproot from the basal rosette form (as soon as the flower stalk appears, the root becomes tough and woody) from early spring to late fall. Its hearty flavor is a little like that of potatoes, although it’s related to artichokes.

Scrub the root with a coarse copper scouring pad, but don’t peel it. Slice it razor thin on a diagonal, oriental style, or use the finest slicing disk of a food processor.

Simmer 20 minutes or until tender. You may also sauté it, but add liquid and cook it in moist heat another 10 minutes afterwards, or it may not get tender.

You may also harvest the immature flower stalk in late spring, before the flowers appear, while it’s still tender and very flexible.

Peeled and parboiled for 1 minute to get rid of the bitterness, it tastes like artichoke hearts, and it will enhance any traditional recipe that calls for the heart of artichokes. Cook this 5_10 minutes.

Burdock is a very important component in an ancient native North American herbal decoction, usually available as either powder to brew a tea from or as a liquid tonic itself. It is known variously by many names, but most commonly as Essiac. The basic Essiac Ingredients are.

1.Burdock Root (Arctium lappa) 2.Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) 3.Slippery Elm (Ulmus fulva) 4. Turkey Rhubarb (Rheum palmatum)

Disclaimer: This article in no way should be taken as “medical advice” on any product, condition or course of action, nor does it constitute in any way “medical advice” endorsing any specific product, specific result, nor any possible cure for any condition or problem. This article is meant as a source of information upon which you may base your decision as to whether or not you should begin using any vitamin, mineral and/or herbal supplement for better health, or begin using a “greens” product as a dietary supplement.

If in doubt, or if you have questions, you should consult your physician and, if possible, consult a second physician for a possible different opinion. The author does not bear any responsibility for your decisions nor for the outcome of your actions based upon those decisions.

About the author: Loring Windblad has studied nutrition and exercise for more than 40 years, is a published author and freelance writer.

This article is Copyright 2005 by http://www.organicgreens.us and Loring Windblad.

HEATHER GARDENS - Mass plantings of heather, either planted with one of each variety or one hundred, can be ideal for a sunny area. Spaced appropriately, the plants will mature into a tapestry with drifts of foliage and flower color.

When planning a garden of heather, begin by making an outline of your area first. If you’re planning a border, start from the back of the bed with the taller plants and work forward; if the bed is to be viewed from all sides, begin sketching your design from the center out. If you have room, planting varieties in odd-numbered groups is most effective. Even numbers of plants often make a new garden look too balanced and unnatural. Draw circles outlining the area that the plants will fill out at maturity (about 3-5 years) growing into a weed smothering mass. Roughly figure 18” spacing when determining how many plants you will need (sq. ft. x .44 is the formula) for a large bed. Choose the taller growing varieties for the back or center of the bed and work your way to the edges, keeping in mind that the plants will grow into a solid mass of foliage leaving little bare ground exposed. Grays and dark greens absorb light; reds, gold and glossy foliage reflect. You want contrasting foliage to define each grouping, so choose a gold or other colored foliage variety, then choose a silver, gray or dark green for the next grouping. Flower color is not as important as you may think but offset the mauves with white or light pinks if the plants are to bloom at the same time. Use the winter blooming Erica’s’ glossy green foliage as a buffer between a lot of Calluna with colored foliage.

This may all sound a bit confusing on the printed page, but don’t let it be because they are all compatible with each other. Arrange them until the placement looks right to you. You may want to plant other types of plants in the heather garden. Dwarf conifers are natural companions with interesting foliage and habit of growth. The vertical forms they achieve are welcome in the heather garden. Other companion plants are: low growing Sedum’s, Iberis, Hypericum, Lavender, Sempervivum, Allium, Arabis, Artemisia, Dianthus, Nepeta, Santolina, and Thyme to name a few perennials. Compact Cotoneaster, Vaccinum, Cytisus and other leafy shrubs can also be interesting companion plants in a garden of heather.

FOUNDATION PLANTINGS - Use heather in a foundation planting to eliminate the straight lines and formality that is often created with more typical plants. In the Northeast, Taxus, Rhododendron and Juniper are commonly used; heather is a natural companion to these evergreens. Use them to hide bare branches at the base of shrubs, to fill voids between larger shrubs, and to bring entire plantings away from the house. A long, curving line is more natural and can be creatively designed with the different heights and foliage colors of heather. The evergreen foliage can be the finishing touch needed to bring a foundation planting together.

PERENNIAL BEDS AND BORDERS - Gardens of perennials often lack visual interest during the winter months when the herbaceous species are dormant, waiting for spring’s call of warmer temperatures. In the late summer months when many perennials are waning, many of the Callunas are flowering heaviest. The structure and foliage color of these evergreens can also be used to an advantage. The winter blooming Ericas are natural selections for winter color. Erica carnea and E. x darlyensis start forming buds in early summer, that open as early as November in shades of pink, rose or white. These long lasting flowers are colorful all winter until the first of May when many of the spring bulbs are in full bloom. The soil requirements are a bit different than those of some perennials but you may be able to provide them with a site that has a well drained soil that has not had a lot of fertilizer and manure added.

NATIVE AND WILD GARDENS - Fifteen plants of Calluna vulgaris were originally planted some 80 years ago at the edge of a pine barren here on Cape Cod. Over the years, seedlings have taken a foothold in the sandy native soil and have naturalized . Little care has been given to this area that is now over 80 feet long and 30 feet wide. The natural succession that has occurred has left this area with 3-4 dominant natural cultivars which bloom in August and is spectacular. The same effect can be achieved by planting some of the taller cultivars we offer, spaced about 2’ apart . Prune heavily the first 3-4 springs to obtain a broad sweep of thick foliage and heavy flowering.

Happy Gardening!

About the author: David and Alissa Dewitt are the owners of Rock Spray Nursery, the largest US grower of the hardy Heath and Heather plants. Visit their informative website at http://rockspray.com

Like most people who grow deciduous fruit trees (apples, peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, etc.) I used to do lots of serious heavy pruning every winter.Each winter I would head back dozens of those long, tall canes that had grown the year before. On some trees, plums in particular, each year I’d often find myself cutting back a huge number of new branches, many of them well over six feet in length. I occasionally wondered: Isn’t this hard pruning cycle putting a big workload on the tree? Each summer the tree pours all its energy into growing those overly long new branches, and then each winter I’d chop them back, trying to keep the tree’s overall height under some semblance of control. And then too, despite my best intentions and hours of work spent pruning, each season the trees still seemed to be a bit taller than the year before. However, each winter for decades I kept up this hard winter pruning, working with the standard conventional wisdom that it was necessary in order to have a decent tree and a good set of fruit. At the time it made perfect sense to me. Because of apical dominance, when a tip is cut off, the next bud back from what is now the tip, this bud will normally sprout next. The topmost bud on any strong branch has high concentrations of the natural growth hormone, indole acetic acid (IAA). When we prune grapes (which unlike most pomes and stone fruits, set fruit only on new wood) we have to prune the last year’s wood hard. We cut back to a few large, strong buds. The lower down on the branch a bud is, the larger and stronger it is. Thus, heavy pruning makes plenty of sense with grapes, or others that bloom on new wood, figs, mulberries, and roses. But does this same sort of hard pruning make sense with most fruit trees, trees that do not set their fruit on the current season’s wood?

About a decade ago I read that in order to save money on high labor costs some orchard owners had resorted to pruning only every other year. Yes, they had to cut off more wood, and the pruning work took a bit longer than normal, but overall they were saving some money. The interesting thing, too, was that this every-other-year-pruning didn’t seem to hurt fruit production all that much. I myself started this every other year dormant pruning and it beat pruning every year, but it still felt wasteful, wasteful of the tree’s stored energy. Let’s go back to apical dominance for a moment: Because of apical dominance, when a branch tip is cut off, the next bud back from the new tip, this bud should sprout next. The lower the branch is, the thicker the branch will be, and these lower placed dormant buds will also be larger and potentially much more vigorous. Thus heavy pruning, chopping back to these fat lower buds insures lots of vigorous new growth and makes plenty of sense with grapes, and of course with roses, which also bloom on new wood. But apples, pears, apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines and cherries don’t set fruit on new wood, they all bloom on wood that is at least a year old. A few years ago I made a major switch and started doing almost exclusively summer pruning, pinching really. Every few weeks from mid-spring on, whenever I noticed a new branch growing rapidly, I pinched off the end of it. If you had to use a pair of pruning shears to do this, we’d call it a “hard pinch,” but what I started doing was a “soft pinch.” I merely pinched off, with my fingers and thumbnail, the last inch or two of each fast growing branch. Most of us gardeners have done some pinching of geraniums, begonias, and especially fuchsias, trying to make them bushier. It works pretty much the same with fruit trees, too. The more often you pinch, the more bud breaks you get and the bushier your tree becomes. I have found with very vigorous branches that in a season of growth, I may have to pinch that same branch three or four times, but it seems well worth the effort. The end result of all this tip pinching is a shorter, more compact fruit tree…and one that won’t need much pruning in winter. The tree benefits too, since it no longer has to pour all that energy into re-growing all that wood each spring. This same energy can then be converted into producing a larger crop of fruit. There is another pleasant benefit, too, from all this constant snipping and pinching…fewer bugs. Aphids in particular can be a problem on apricots and apple trees, and they almost always take hold first on the softest, newest, fastest growing wood. The pinching removes this soft tip, the part most attractive to insects. The pinching also interrupts the natural apical dominance present in the terminal end of any fast sprouting branch and encourages branching. Summer pruning, pinching, isn’t recommended for trees that are growing slowly since it will further slow down growth. It is most desirable with trees that naturally have a tendency to get much tall than we want them to be. Where late spring frosts can be a problem (with apricots in particular) summer pruning can result in a tree of a much more manageable size. Some apricot lovers have now discovered that with enough summer pinching you can get a smaller tree, one that is low enough to throw a plastic cover over on those cold spring evenings when the branches are loaded with white blossoms, but a late frost threatens. But, take note: be sure to remove the frost cover promptly when morning arrives. If a program of summer pinching is undertaken, the following winter’s dormant pruning needs will normally be minimal. However, once every few years it would still be a good idea to make a limited number of large cuts, cuts that remove considerable wood. This would be done to encourage more vigorous new growth. The reason this would be needed now and then is because most deciduous fruit trees fruit on either first or second season’s wood. Dormant pruning would still be used to remove any dead wood, criss-crossing branches, and to shape the tree. If there is a large branch that needs removing, the time to do that is always in the dormant season. One word here about dormant pruning of fruit trees: in mild winter USDA zones 8-10 it is best to do your dormant pruning just after Christmas. In colder winter areas it is safest to delay dormant pruning until the worst of the winter’s cold has passed. Thus in a very cold zone 3, such as in northern Minnesota, the best time to prune fruit trees would be in March or early in April. But summer pruning, pinching, can be done all summer long. The results will please you and the tree both. So get out there, and pinch an inch.

Thomas Leo Ogren is the author of five published books, including Allergy-free Gardening (Ten Speed Press), Safe Sex in the Garden (Ten Speed Press), and, What the Experts May NOT Tell You About: Growing the Perfect Lawn (Time Warner Books). Visit with Tom at his own website at www.allergyfree-gardening.com

About the author: Thomas Leo Ogren is the author of five published books, including Allergy-free Gardening (Ten Speed Press), Safe Sex in the Garden (Ten Speed Press), and, What the Experts May NOT Tell You About: Growing the Perfect Lawn (Time Warner Books). Visit with Tom at his own website at www.allergyfree-gardening.com

This article is dedicated to planning a successful herb garden. If you have planted herb gardens in previous years this will help to revamp and refresh one already have.

Go to your Garden Center and see what herbs are available and suitable for your area. This is important if you are planning an outside herb garden. If you are planning an inside herb garden, since you control the atmosphere, you can choose whatever you like.

My suggestion here would be to select a theme for your herb garden. You can plant them for culinary, cosmetic, medicinal or fragrance use. Be realistic about your plants. Check your whole property to find the right spot. Look for sun or shade, type of soil, and how well the spot drains. These are all very import for picking the best place for your herb garden.

Once you have accomplished the above, pick your sunniest spot because herbs need a lot of sun (a good four top six hours daily). Be sure that the herb garden site is level and sheltered from wind. If your soil is a bit heavy ad lots of compost when preparing your site which will make the soil looser and help with drainage and texture.

Try to keep the herb garden close to the house to facilitate in picking the harvest and checking for troubles. If you can’t find a suitable sunny spot plant them in a garden container that you can move around to follow the sun. (This movement is a bit time consuming but it pay off in the end).

Look at the rest of your gardens. Are they formal or informal? You will want your herb garden to complement your house and garden. Look in books or magazine to get some inspiration. If you are creating a formal herb garden you will need to plant in straight lines and geometric shapes framing them with low hedges and paths. A fountain, bench or topiary shrubs are almost always used as the main focal point. Arrange the layout around a central axis. Then plant one kind of herb in each block, go for bold color and texture. Be warned a formal garden is labor intensive and will be expensive.

In an informal herb garden you can plant more flowing, curved beds and walkways. Add flowers and shrubs for a really exciting look. This type of herb garden requires less initial work and will be easier and cheaper to maintain.

Now it’s time to decide on which herbs to plant. The easy way is to make a list of the ones that follow your theme. Make up your wish list in three columns. Column one is the absolutely must have plants, Column two will be the ones that would be nice to have and Column three is oh well, not necessary. If you’re just starting out do between 5-10 herbs, (depending on your space). This makes the herb gardening more manageable.

Know which herb plants or annual or perennial, and make a note of them so you won’t forget. A small spiral notebook is a good place to make comments on the care of each of your herbs. Situate each plant according to height for maximum enjoyment of your herb garden.

Lastly keep them well feed and give them lots of love and you will a beautiful herb garden that is multi-purpose. You get to plant the herb garden, watch it flourish, and then you get to harvest it for whatever your purpose was: Culinary, Medicinal, Fragrance or Cosmetic.

Happy Planting!

About the author: Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at http://www.gardeninglandscapingtips.com, http://www.gardeningoutside.com, http://www.gardeningherb.com, or contact her at mhanna@gardeninglandscapingtips.com.

All too often, soil composition is neglected. Every season, our plants and gardens rob the soil of it nutrients. All gardeners are to be custodians of the soil, taking the time to replace food and other elements as they are used. Since our soil is so important, we need to treat it, as we want to be treated, not like dirt.

For soil to be healthy, it should contain a balanced mix of air, water, nutrients, and organic matter. There are a couple things we can do to protect this mixture.

Adding organic matter on a regular basis is probably one of the most important things we can do. Adding compost and animal manure can do many things, for instance:

Increases the soil’s capability to hold nutrients. Makes food available to plants over a longer period of time. Lessens the amount of nutrients lost by erosion or leaching. Provides micronutrients that are needed by plants in small amounts. Releases nutrients already in the soil by increasing the action of beneficial microorganisms. Increases the water-holding capacity for sandy soils. Increases the drainage of clay soils. Saves money.

Do not apply fertilizer to lawns until we get a good soaking rain, and for best, safest, long-lasting results use organic fertilizers. The wet soil puts the nutrients into a solution and helps distribute the nutrients to the plant roots to be absorbed.

The ability of soil to drain water is important. However, when you read phrases like “plant in a well-drained soil” or “does not like wet feet”, they are talking about the plant’s need for air. The roots of plants require oxygen and any soil that is waterlogged will be lacking oxygen.

Many plants will put up with high moisture-conditions during the growing season, but when the plants are dormant, the same conditions may kill them. By improving the drainage, the plant will have a better growing environment.

Another problem is soil becoming compacted by tractors and other equipment or just by tilling it year after year. You will find soil compaction in most soils, from gardens to farm fields.

Tilling the soil when it is too wet will clump and ruin the composition of the soil. This condition takes a long period of time to bring it back to health. To tell if the soil is too wet take a handful and squeeze it, if it crumbles in your hand then it is ready to till but if it clumps then it is too wet. Some people now believe that tilling at all is not good for the structure of the soil. It exposes the helpful microorganisms to the environment and they are destroyed.

However, gardeners may wonder if it is best to till the garden in the fall or spring. Tilling the soil in the fall has advantages over springtime. When spring arrives, it allows for earlier planting since the basic soil preparation is done. Tilling in the fall allows a large amount of organic matter to be turned into the soil and start decomposing because the microbes are active currently.

An excellent source of organic matter is the fall leaves. Try tilling a thick layer of leaves into the soil this fall and by spring, it will have decomposed.

Sowing a cover crop, like winter rye, is very beneficial by adding valuable nutrients and organic matter when tilled into the soil the following spring. Fall tilling will disrupt the bad insects, diseases, and weeds, reducing their population.

Fall is a good time to test your soil and should be done every couple of years. In conclusion, doing all the previous steps should be done the organic gardening way. It is back to basics when it comes to gardening.

For more information, visit http://www.gardeninfocenter.com and http://www.gardencenterinfoguide.com

About the author: David Chandler, The Stock Market Genie For your FREE Stock Market Trading Mini Course: “What The Wall Street Hot Shots Won’t Tell You!” go to: http://www.stockmarketgenie.com

Japanese gardens have become popular choices when choosing to landscape a yard. The entire garden concept is designed to create an experience, invoke feelings and provide a haven where one can be relaxed, calm and peruse inner-thoughts. Therefore, it is important that the rocks and plants meld together within the landscape, and that the relationship and placement between rocks, plants and water is well thought out within the design.

Pond and Island Style

With this type of design your goal is to create a central pond which is either large enough to go boating upon and/or one in which you can stroll around the edge of the pond. The ‘Pond and Island’ Japanese garden is designed so that all plants, rocks and other features on the shore are seen from the pond area. The background plantings and elements are placed so that they blend into the natural landscape beyond the garden. Small islands are created within the pond, where a bush or tree is planted surrounded by rocks on the ‘island shore’, as visual focal points. Small bridges can also be built to span the water from a point on the shoreline to one or more of the ‘islands’ and then back to shore again on a different side of the pond. This allows the stroller to view the surrounding area from the pond itself (a good tactic if you don’t have enough room to install a boating pond).

Dry Landscape Zen Garden

The Zen garden was primarily used by Buddhist monks within their temples. The landscaping is comprised of a combination of boulders, large and small rocks, gravel or sand, and on occasion, moss or very sparsely planted trees or shrubs (usually only one or two plants are seen). The rocks symbolize islands and consist of unique shapes and sizes, which are very carefully positioned. The gravel or sand symbolizes water and is raked into various patterns. The idea behind this garden is to help the viewer clear their mind and aid in contemplation and meditation without distractions. The Zen garden is not entered (other than to rake the gravel), but is viewed from a single focal point, such as from a raised deck, balcony or through the windows of a building.

Japanese Tea Garden

The tea garden is actually more of a ceremonial type garden in order to perform a Tea Ceremony. Consisting of two gardens in one (an outer garden and an inner garden), it is a good choice for average size yards or incorporated within a larger Japanese garden style. It is also one of the more popular gardens to create. The outer garden is more informal in plantings and consists of an entry gate to the garden and a stone path leading toward the inner garden. Visitors pass through a second gate where a water basin is located and is used as part of the ceremony. Another stone path flows through the inner garden, whose plants are more formally placed and not flowered, so as not to provide any distractions along the journey. The inner path leads to a small building where the actual tea ceremony is performed. This entire garden concept requires much more information that can be relayed in a short paragraph. If you wish to learn more about building your own Japanese Tea Garden, please see the link at the end of this article.

Stroll Gardens

Japanese stroll gardens are designed to be viewed as a walk-around garden. Paths lead the visitor through the area with each twist and turn revealing a new sight. Most of these gardens focus on a theme of some landscape found in nature and then are recreated in miniature within the garden itself. To properly build such a garden design you would need at least an acre or more of land to work with so you can incorporate hidden vistas and scenes to delight the stroller when they make a new turn in the path, as well as hide the previous scene from view. Often times, a tea garden and or a pond are also integrated within the stroll garden.

Courtyard Garden

This is a perfect solution for a small yard, especially one that is enclosed with a stone or brick wall or wooden fence and is very limited in space. The design of the Japanese courtyard garden is kept simple and is usually built to be observed from inside the house, although you could build it so it is useable outside as well if it is carefully planned out. Consisting of a few plants, perhaps a tree, small water feature, often times a dry stream, or other simple elements, this Japanese garden style allows nature and light to flow into your home via large windows and patio doors.

Research the Best Design for Your Garden

The above is a sampling of the basic Japanese garden styles to give you some ideas on what you may wish to create for your own yard. As noted, you can choose one or a combination of styles to suit your purpose. What is most important though, is to determine what you wish to achieve with your garden. Japanese gardens are intended to create an experience for the visitor. It is suggested that you read garden books, view pictures of the gardens found in Japan, and research the concepts behind the intent of these gardens before you begin your own design. Then you will have the tools to construct a beautiful, serene and amazing landscape that will be enjoyed for years to come.

About the author: (c)2005, Rose Smith owns Gardens From Japan where you can discover how to design and build your own beautiful and peaceful Japanese garden. visit us today at: http://www.gardensfromjapan.com for more information on Japanese garden styles

When I was a child, I loved to pick Dandelions. The pretty yellow flowers were small, colorful, and looked nice tucked behind my ear! However, if one had popped up in the front yard, my hair accessory would have been considered an atrocity! I often feel sorry for weeds. They are plants too. In fact, if you flipped through a botany field guide, you may be surprised at the plants you find classified as weeds! But simply put, a weed is really defined as a plant out of place.

Clover in one persons flowing lawn may be considered fashionable, whereas on another, not. Golf greens are often covered with bentgrass, but if it crept up in some yards, it would be considered a weed. While perhaps pretty on their own, weeds stick out like a sore thumb in yards because they may be of a different color, size or texture. This is distracting from the beauty of the otherwise sprawling green turf. Aside from aesthetic values, weeds can also drain nutrients from grass and other plants, and this competition of resources can thin what should be lush. And what’s worse is that weeds are fighters. They can withstand conditions that your wanted greens cannot, so they are almost inevitable!

Treating weeds begins with correct identification. There are two classifications of weeds: Grassy and Broadleaf. These are further broken down into groups like perennial, biennial, and winter and summer annuals. These, as you may gave guessed, depict their growing patterns. Grassy weeds are, as they sound, like grass. However, they are unwanted grass, or grass that is growing in a different type of lawn. Some examples are annual bluegrass, barnyard grass, crabgrass, creeping bentgrass and foxtail. Broadleaf weeds may appear more to be what most people picture weed-like growth to be. Since they are broad, they are more easily distinguished. Some examples are yarrow, knotweed, chickweed, clover, ground ivy, thistle and my favorite, the dandelion.

Once you understand what is growing in your lawn and decide that it is unwanted, you can treat it and/or control it. Weeds can actually be controlled by your lawn care maintenance. If you maintain a dense and vigorously growing lawn, you are already combating the problem. Weeds can be a sign of underlying problems in the environment beneath. So by just killing them, you are simply putting on a band-aid, not solving the problem. For example, some weeds grow in situations of compacted soil, such as knotweed. You can also control the growth by taking better care of the grass, rather than focus on the weeds. You can raise or lower the mowing height, change the frequency of mowing and changing the amount of time between irrigating. Also, you can increase or decrease application of fertilizer and aerify the soil. This will maintain better grass, thus keeping the growth dense and vigorous, which as discussed above, does not attract weeds.

In addition to culture practices, sometimes the assistance of chemicals is needed to control weed growth. In that case, there are several types of herbicides that can be used. Pre-emergence herbicides will affect seeds that are germinating. Since they are best used two to three weeks before the seeds start to grow, these work best to combat annual weeds. Post-emergence herbicides are used, as their prefix implies, after the weeds have sprouted. Since they must be absorbed through the leaves, this types of herbicide works best with a spray. These can be used at any time, but are most effective when the weed is still young and growing. Selective post-emergence herbicides are usually used to control annual, biennial and perennial broadleaf weeds, as they will not damage grass. But, they can kill trees, shrubs and flowers. These have to be used in proper conditions as well, with no rain in the forecast for two days to follow, air 60-80 degrees and no winds. Finally, non-selective post-emergence herbicides kill all types of weeds, and are best used to spot treat grassy weeds that are not affected by the selective herbicides.

So next time you see a Dandelion plant growing, don’t make a wish and blow the seeds toward in the direction of a lawn fanatic- they may not get the perfectly manicured lawn they wished for!

About the author: Paul is Head of Training for a major UK Charitable Organisation with a wealth of experience in personal development, management development, e-learning and operational management. In addition he owns PK eBooks (http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk) and has just published a Create the Lawn You want! eBook which can be found at http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk/createyourdream_lawn.htm

As you go through the history of Japanese bonsai trees (among others), you will note that this term is used to refer to a ‘plant in a pot’. As per the information provided on Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum site, “the ancient Chinese were the first to miniaturize trees for ornamental purposes, around A.D. 200. Later, the Japanese, who used it to create beautiful gardens, adopted the bonsai technique.

Basically, the bonsai are outdoor plants and they flourish in cool and humid conditions, away from the bright sunlight for most parts of the day. In case you want to keep them indoors, you have to create the same cool and humid environment for them; otherwise they tend to wither away.

Podocarpus, Serissa and dwarf Pomegranate are suitable for bonsai along with some common plants, such as Schefflera, jade plant, Ficus benjamina, Bougainvillea, Citrus and Hibiscus. You can also make bonsai out of several woody herb species like bay, rosemary, myrtle and lavender.

How to care for your Japanese Bonsai Trees

All bonsai need a light and well-draining soil, but the actual soil can vary from plant to plant. So, the soil mixture suitable for growing bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) cannot be considered ideal for cultivating the southern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana).

A typical bonsai soil mixture comprises 1/3 part coarse sand to help the drainage of excess water; 1/3 part organic matter like ground sphagnum moss or pine or fir bark, which are capable to hold moisture and nutrients and 1/3 part a coarse, fired clay like Turface that also has the capacity to hold nutrients and moisture. You can adjust the proportions according to the needs of your trees.

You can select any suitable place, such as the terrace to create your traditional Japanese garden. Planning an outdoor Japanese garden is an intellectual pursuit that also requires artistic visualization and imagination. The key element of its lay out and planning is that you should not let the gardener’s personality influence the garden. In this way, the viewers can visualize the garden in their own distinct ways. Another core element is simplicity in terms of the design and lay out.

Don’t keep anything that competes with the décor of the garden or distracts the attention of the viewers away from the garden. In your bonsai garden, you can plant clumps of Fargesia nitida, a pretty clumping bamboo. Japanese maples are also ideal and they can be transplanted into containers as well. In order to make your bonsai garden look more natural, you can put some moss over the soil beneath your bonsai tree that will look like real grass. To promote the growth of your bonsai, you have to rewire the bonsai every year and trim its center roots after one year.

Things to remember about Japanese Bonsai trees

When you see a bonsai, you must remember that it is a Japanese expression that refers to an artificially miniaturized potted plant or collection of plants, which are cultivated to recreate a natural scene. Generally, a twelve inches tall bonsai having an outcropping of strong roots can give the appearance of a very old tree.

Likewise, a symmetrical crown adorning the top of a straight trunk can provide the impression of a stately and ancient shade tree. The Japanese people possess centuries old dwarf trees and hand it over to the next generation as their living heirlooms.

About the author: About the Author: Christopher Chase is a respected Bonsai enthusiast. He is the author of dozens of articles on the subject of Bonsai, subjects include Shohin Bonsai, Bonsai and Suiseki and Bonsai Art.

Summer is just around the corner, and your lawn could probably use a little maintenance before the summer season of backyard BBQs and swimming in the pool. So what are you doing now to get your lawn ready? Lawn care is often feared as a difficult and time intensive process, but with a few guidelines and tips, you can easily have a healthy green lawn in time for the first backyard party of the season.

First of all, if you can spare a minute of your time, don’t hire a lawn care “specialist” or professional landscaper. Buying your own lawn care products is cheap and easy, with hundreds of vendors offering products online and in Do-It-Yourself stores. A wide variety of products such as weed controllers to fertilizers can be found online, and usually can be found at reasonable prices, especially when you do a little online coupon searching.

Starting off on the right foot is important to reviving your lawn after winter. Fertilizer is the key to ensuring strong healthy growth of the grass in your yard. Fertilizing the grass does more than just make it green. Of course it will make it grow too, but lot’s of things happen when you fertilize. Fertilizer makes the seed germinate faster, and get started out of the ground. After the grass has a good start fertilizer will make the grass get thicker and send off beneficial chemicals like Rhizomes, Stolons, and Tillers all making the grass thicker and healthier.

What most people want to know about fertilizing is - how much and when? Typically, you want to fertilize 4 times each season, spread 60 days apart. Start in early spring approximately 30 days before the growing season begins in your area, continuing through the growing season until fall. Spring fertilizing gets the grass off to a fast start giving you that rich green color everyone wants. A word of warning though, don’t use too much fertilizer, follow the listed guidelines on the bag.

Mowing is the most misunderstood part of lawn care, and the most often incorrectly performed part of lawn care. Far too many people will set their mowers too low or “scalp” the lawn. How many times have you spent time mowing your grass in hopes of a beautiful result only to end up with brown spots? Cutting too much off the top leads to thinned out grass, and shallow root systems.

Now once you have achieved the perfect lawn, you must do regular maintenance to prevent it from going back to being a pasture. Spend a little time and money and keep it watered and you will keep the lush grass you spent your hard earned money and time on. The ideal way to water your lawn is with an Automatic Underground Sprinkler System. This way the watering is done every day that it needs it, you don’t have to drag hoses, you don’t waste water from over watering, and you get all of the lawn watered, not just where you happen to set the sprinkler. If you implement this type of sprinkler system, make sure to water shrubbery and annuals separate from the lawn. If you applied the same amount of water on your landscape as gets put on the lawn you would surely kill some plants from over watering.

Now that you’re ready to care for your lawn, you’ll need to get your supplies. Lawn care products can be found at many local gardening centers, or through many online merchants. Buying gardening supplies online is growing in popularity, and made even more economical by online coupons and discounts. For coupons on everything from fertilizers to lawn tools and equipment, check out www.CouponChief.com and easily save yourself some big bucks. Spend the extra cash on your first big BBQ of the summer and invite all your neighbors over to drool over your well manicured, lush green lawn.

About the author: Josh Gray, President of UC San Diego’s Gardens Club, is a consultant to CouponChief.com. This online coupon website provides free coupons and discount codes to many favorite gardening websites on their home and garden coupons page.