Archive for Landscaping
Options For Building Inexpensive Garden Paths
Posted by: | CommentsBy Scott M. Free and Nickolie Allen Greer
Photo by UGArdener
Creating a walkway or path for your garden, flowerbed or lawn is a superb way of adding a glorious touch to the outdoor environment. There are innumerable options from where you can make a choice. Quite a few options have been mentioned below; let’s take a look at them:
• Basic Brick Pathway: The first thing that comes into our mind before creating walkways or paths is bricks. Using bricks you can give any desired shape to your path. In simple words, using bricks you can create several paths such as winding, meandering as well as narrow.
What’s more interesting is that bricks are available in various patterns and designs. You may even choose whether you desire to set the path in concrete or sand. Almost all people prefer opting for a concrete base!
Read More→
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Ventilation For Indoor Gardens
Posted by: | CommentsVentilation For Indoor Gardens by Susan Slobac
Systems that provide proper ventilation for indoor gardens are key to indoor growing success. Without an abundant supply of fresh air such as your plants would receive in a natural, outdoor environment, your efforts at indoor gardening will soon end in an unpleasant, mini-ecological disaster. In this article, we will discuss some of the reasons why ventilation for indoor gardens is needed, as well as some different options.
Grow Room Ventilation Systems – Overview
As you know, in the natural world, air is virtually always in motion – even on days when the air is “still;” there is almost always a slight breeze due to minor temperature fluctuations over various terrain. When it comes to indoor growing, such grow room ventilation systems are necessary in order to replicated this natural environmental condition. These consists of mechanical devices, such as “squirrel fans” or other air-moving devices, which circulates the air from one side of the indoor growing area to the other.
How Much is Needed?
The amount of ventilation for indoor gardens that you will need is dependent on several factors, including the size of the space in terms of cubic feet, how much of the space is used for indoor gardening, and the time of year. Normally, the rate of air exchange is greater during the summer.
A solitary single-speed fan will usually not be adequate for most indoor growing needs. You can determine this by multiplying the floor area by the height of the room; therefore, an indoor gardening room measuring 10’x 20’ in floor area times 10’ in height will need enough fan and ventilation capacity to completely refresh 2,000 cubic feet of air at least once per minute during the summer, and once every three minutes during the winter.
Fan Options
“Squirrel fans” and “Squirrel cage blowers” are technically known as shaded pole blowers. These are used in many applications in which heat build-up is a potential problem, such as HVAC systems and automotive climate control as well as high-end computers. They are constructed of two large rings, which are connected by as many as fifty diagonal blades; the entire assembly spins on its radius, drawing air in axially and exiting through a side opening. These are some of the most efficient fans available for grow room ventilation systems.
Several companies manufacture what are known as “whisper fans,” which are particularly quiet-running. They tend to cost a bit extra, but if noise is a concern for you, these may provide the best ventilation for indoor gardens.
Susan Slobac covers the basics of hydroponics and indoor gardening including ventilation for growing indoors. Learn about squirrel cage fans, whisper fans and other grow room ventilation systems.
Article Source: http://articlecrux.com
Originally posted 2009-01-07 14:30:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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The Right Plant in the Right Place
Posted by: | CommentsI always hear people say they don’t have a green thumb. This is of course very silly thinking. When you are building and planning a garden you simply need to do a tiny bit of research. A successful garden is about 80 percent choosing the right plant for the right spot. Frankly some spots are like the surface of the moon, nothing will grow there. Find an alternative: try a rock garden. But research first.
If you have a giant Maple and nothing grows under it. You may need to create a raised bed. But some research would tell you not deeper than two inches, as anything more may kill the tree.
Don’t plant Rododendrums in a sunny spot that is solid clay. They just won’t really grow well. They would be happier under some pine trees in some nice acidic and loamy soil.
Got a spot that is smoking hot and dry? Don’t try to plant a rose garden there…unless you want it to look terrible. Try some Sedum, Cone Flower, Oriental Lillies, Butterfly Weed, Ornamental Grass and maybe a double knock-out rose might be O.K. if you get it some water a few times a week. They kind of thrive on neglect.
A little research goes a long ways to creating a successful and thriving garden.
Visit my other blog GartenGrl for some other ideas I have about gardening.
Originally posted 2009-03-29 17:13:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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Vermicomposting – Red Worms and Their Composting Wonders
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Photo by Eva the WeaverBy James W Shaw
Garden farmers nowadays are very fond of using red worms for their organic garden. This is because of the red worms’ ability to convert organic material into compost, a substance that is beneficial to garden farms. While it is important for garden farmers to understand what these red worms need to be healthy and productive, it is also important to understand how their body works and how they digest their food and produce the worm castings that garden farmers use to cultivate their farms.
Red worms are also called red wigglers because of their reaction to being touched. Usually when red wigglers are handled, their natural reaction is to wriggle about, thus the name red wigglers. Red wigglers are manure type worms. This means that they will consume almost any form of organic material. They belong to the family Lumbricidae and they are one of the most popular worms in commercial production today. This is largely due to their popularity among garden farmers. Farmers prefer worms over earthworms for the reason that they are more effective at converting organic material into worm castings than earthworms. Read More→
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Friendly Neighbors-Gardening in Style
Posted by: | Commentsby:
COOPER HILL
Gardeners growing vegetables find that companion planting provides many benefits, one of which is protection from garden pests. A major enemy of the carrot is the carrot fly, whereas the leek suffers from the onion fly and leek moth. Yet when leek and carrot live together in companionship, the strong and strangely different smell of the partner plant repels the insects so much that they do not even attempt to lay their eggs on the neighbor plant. They take off speedily to get away from the smell. This is why mixed plantings give better insect control than mono-culture, where many plants of the same type are planted together in row after row.
Read More→
Originally posted 2009-09-30 14:53:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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Hydrangeas Can Be A Garden Challenge
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Photo by greenhem
One must have some gardening knowledge when it comes to having abundant blooms with hydrangeas. They can be tricky to prune so they bloom abundantly. They are particular about what kind of soil and fertilizer they receive for bloom color. Hydrangeas are also choosy about what kind of light conditions they will do best in-partial shade is just the beginning.The following notes are meant to help guide you with your different Hydrangea plants so you will get the most out of them.
Hydrangeas come in a few different varieties. One type is called Hydrangea Arborescence which usually have big white snow balls on them-these hydrangeas bloom on “new” wood. Because Hydrangea Arborescence varieties bloom on “new” wood they can be pruned in the fall. They will produce new stalks in the spring which will bloom. The tree form hydrangeas you see which are also usually white are called Paniculata hydrangeas and they too should be pruned in the late Fall. Seems simple: white flowers, prune in fall.
It gets more complicated when you realize that there are other kinds of hydrangeas called Hydrangea Macrophyllas-these are the kind of hydrangeas that have pink or blue flowers. These bloom on “old” wood and can ONLY be pruned before July the year before…did I say this was tricky or what?There is also Oakleaf hydrangea which is also an “old” wood bloomer. So when would you prune it??That’s right-summer before….tell me about it…so confusing. Read More→
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Think First: Pest Control In The Garden
Posted by: | CommentsLet’s take a moment to think about garden pests and how we want to tackle them next year. Winter is a good time to think about this because you have time to do some research and plan your strategy. If you have a bit of wisdom in your pocket you can avoid spraying toxic chemicals which are bad for you, your family, your pets and the wildlife which visit your lovely flower decorated garden.
We often attack pests when we first spot them in our flowers and this knee-jerk approach usually involves harsh chemicals. Let’s take a moment to contemplate the unwanted insects that we know will be visiting our garden and the sensible and safe ways we can make them go away so we can spend time this summer feeding the birds and picking the flowers instead of stressing over chemicals and insect damage.
Slugs are certainly an unwanted visitor in the garden. They leave holes in our hostas making them look like a ragged mess and they also leave slimy trails all over the garden. Yuck. Before you break out the most deadly of slug pellets which will also kill all the snakes, toads and bird feeding creatures you can try some other things. Try slug traps using terra cotta pots turned upside down which flip over in the morning and pick off the slugs. You can throw old newspaper bundles around the garden and pick them up in the morning and throw them in the garbage. You can partially fill soda cans with a solution of beer, water and yeast and then let the slugs crawl in and drown. Coffee grinds around your hostas may keep them at bay as well. These are better than the nerve damaging slug killer you buy at the hardware store. Read More→
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Garden & Lawn Pest Control : How to Get Rid of Aphids
Posted by: | CommentsHere is another great video from Yolanda Vanveen! I like the non-toxic approach to pest control in this video clip. Aphids don’t have to be your worst nightmare-just get some dish soap and oil and water in a spray bottle and spray them away!
Just watch the demo right here:
Garden & Lawn Pest Control : How to Get Rid of Aphids
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Landscape Gardening
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by: Joanna Harris
Have you ever stopped and looked at a beautiful building with even more beautiful gardens? Have you ever wondered whether this is a park or a commercial / residential building? And the credit for such eye catching features goes not only to the architecture of the building but also to the surroundings. So what is landscape gardening all about? It is basically a relatively new theory which tries to take care of the Earth’s landscapes in a creative, holistic and sustainable manner. It encompasses arts, sciences and various technical philosophies and practices in order to create a landscape which is in harmony with the surroundings and is appealing to the eye. Landscape gardening is pretty similar to gardening but there lies one major difference between the two of them. Both arts are concerned with the ways in which planting, landform, water, paving and other erecting structures can be done. But whilst gardening deals with private spaces such as parks, private gardens , landscape gardening deals also with unenclosed or public spaces such as town squares, country parks, green-ways, golf courses etc.
Landscape gardening requires knowledge and expertise in various fields such as biology, zoology, soil science and plant symbiosis. It is only then that a dry, unusable piece of land can be transformed into a magnificent garden. It is the hard work of the landscape gardener who makes a designer garden which is unique in its own way, has the creativity of the designer, keeps in mind the requirements of the client and is in sync with the environment and surroundings.
If you thought landscaping is done only on the ground, it is time to think again because nowadays, landscape gardens adorn the city’s roofs too. Apart from the obvious landscaping, it helps reduce pollution, reduce storm water run off, increase thermal insulation and life of the roofs.
Whatever and wherever the landscaping is done, there is definitely an edge over the other areas which are not landscaped. Many landscaped buildings have become major tourist attractions. It should be the endeavor of the builder to landscape the area around the structure being constructed. It will go a long way in providing the much needed greenery to this planet apart from being pleasing to the eye.
Source: Articlecity.com
Originally posted 2009-09-02 13:42:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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Flower Gardens : How to Grow Scarlet Sage (Salvia Splendens)
Posted by: | CommentsEven though I usually only recommend perennials I have to make an exception with this spectacular flower! Talk about attracting hummingbirds! This plant is wonderful and airy and prolific, even if it is not a perennial in the northern states. Just spend a few bucks and get this one in your garden…you won’t regret it!
Here is Yolanda telling it like it is! Enjoy…
–GartenGrl
Scarlet sage, or salvia splendens, is an herb that is a member of the mint family. Discover why the scarlet sage plant cannot handle freezes with help from a sustainable gardener in this free video on flower gardening and plant care.
Originally posted 2009-05-18 07:56:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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