Garden Decors

Many times we buy plants on impulse then find there is nowhere in the garden that really suits them. Before buying plants carefully examine your garden to see how much sun and shade it gets, whether the soil is well drained or waterlogged and whether your aspect is sheltered or windswept.

You’ll then be equipped to go and buy the best plants for your situation; shade-loving plants for the sheltered areas, sun-lovers for the warm spots, drought-resistant plants for the parched areas which may be either sunny or shaded, and swamp plants for the poorly-drained parts.

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

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

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

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

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Anyone who loves astrology will adore receiving flowers that relate to their own Sun sign! You may not have even known that starsigns and birthday flowers go together, but if you have an astrology buff on your birthday list, perhaps you should consider sending them birthday flowers this year instead of just another e-card.

Interestingly, there is some degree of variance when looking to find which flower or flowers are most associated to specific Sun signs. Unlike the birthstone, which is associated with the month a person was born, there appears to be a wide array of opinion, and no one authority on the topic of which flowers are associated with which Sun sign.

Just as every birth month is associated to a particular gemstone, each calendar and birth month is also associated with a specific set of flowers. While most astrological experts suggest there is more than one flower associated with each Sun sign, there are also specific meanings behind each type of flower that goes beyond matching flowers to astrology.

When you send a bouquet of flowers as a birthday or anniversary gift, not only can the flower be matched to a specific Sun sign occurring during the recipient’s special date, but the deeper meaning of a flower type can be part of the decision process, if you so desire.

If you know a little more about astrology yourself, you can add a great deal more depth to your floral gift by making your final decision based on the ‘element’ associated with your friend or relative’s Sun sign. A Virgo, for example, is associated with the element of Earth. So while one of the flowers associated with Virgo are thought to be a chrysanthemum, knowing that Virgo is an Earth sign may prompt you to ask your florist if a potted chrysanthemum is available for delivery.

Adding the Sun sign’s element to the floral arrangement can really make a big difference in the overall delivery and meaning of the gift. A practical, earth loving Virgo will not only adore the fact that you were thoughtful enough to send a birthday gift of flowers, but the fact that you sent an everlasting gift of a potted plant that they can transplant will provide a much deeper meaning.

If you have no clue which flowers are associated with which Sun sign, just ask a floral consultant when you place your order over the phone. If placing an order online, you can usually access an easy to understand chart which will help guide you to just the right birthday flowers to send as your gift across town, across Canada or across the world.

Long before the rest of the world became global, the floral industry was importing flowers from all over the world for decades. So even if the person on your birthday list has a birthday in December and lives in Toronto, and their starsigns and birthday flowers are blooming in Chile, your local Toronto florist will be able to access and send flowers all over Canada or all over the world through their vast distribution channels.

Take time to cosider star signs when sending birthday flowers. Flowers can express many different emotions through colour, fragrence, and even origin. Send flowers with confidence.

Growing a breathtakingly inspiring orchid can be an extremely satisfying accomplishment as well as a frustrating one as you need to know a little about orchid care. There are lots of orchid addicts about attempting to grow the flawless orchid, however, many orchid carer has been left agonized in attempting to pull off this goal.

If you do not own your first orchid yet then the best place to purchase your first is the local garden center or a specialized store. The local garden center is great because you can go a long and chat with members of the garden center staff. People who work in garden centers are usually really friendly and helpful. If you do find a memeber of staff that you like remember their name for next time. Specialzed stores are great but I am pretty sure that you won’t have one around the corner from you. Often they operate on the internet and offer a mail order service. Owners tend to have a lot of knowledge of orchid care so they are a good service to use.

Orchid care is more of an art than an exact science. You don’t have to follow all the guidelines by the book but as a starting point do you best to follow them exactly. Then when you become more confident you can experiement a little.

A commom problem that people have with orchid care is knowing how much to water the orchid. Even the most experienced orchid grower can have these problems. Don’t worry though, all you need to remember is not to overwater it. This is where most people go wrong. You only need to water the orchid about once per week. A lot of people are tempted to water them more and that results in them dying. Test the soil with your fingers before you water. Make sure that you get your fingers right under the surface. If the soil is still damp then it is too soon to water.

The best position to place the orchid is in a suitably lit spot as high levels of light are necessary. Avoiding direct sunlight is also a must as excessive amounts of light will lead to leaf scorch. If the leaves start to turn a red like color then this is an indication of excessive light and you have to try and create more shade to force the plant temperature lower.

There is so much for you to learn about orchid care. For more resources and tips go to the ‘Orchid Care How To’ website. You will find lots of valuable guides for caring for orchids.

Growing herbs is a great hobby. They supplement to your cooking, decorate your home plus are easy to grow. Lots of people believe that herbs will not grow properly indoors. This is a long way from the truth. Many herbs will grow quite happily in a home. Though, there are some areas which need a little extra consideration.

Below are the 3 commonest pit falls and how to avoid them.

1. Sunlight. Herbs love sunlight. Try and keep your plants near a bright window that catches lots of sunlight. If the herbs start to get long, weak stems then it is a sign that your indoor herb gardens craving more sunshine. If you are unable to give natural sunlight to your herbs then you should purchase a growlight. These are special lights which imitate sunlight and help your herbs to flourish.

2. Temperature. The majority of us like to be warm in winter. However our heating system dries out the air and can upset your herbs. You may discover that the plants succeed better with additional moisture. To achieve this you would not have to go out and buy costly humidifiers, you can simply place your herb pots next to a larger bowl which you can fill with stones and water. As your home gets warmer then the water will evaporate plus the herbs will perk up almost immediately.

3. Pests. Through the cold winter months many of the eggs laid by pests which attack herb gardens will be killed off by frost. With indoor herb gardens the eggs aren’t killed off and you could unexpectedly find that your plants are infested. If your herbs are in quite small pots they are very easy to get rid off. You must get ready a bowl of tepid water mixed with a small quantity of washing up liquid. Simply turn the herb upside-down, holding the soil and roots in place within the pot and swill the leaves round in the water. This will remove the pest and will not affect the herb. If your indoor herb gardens are in bigger pots then you will need to place the soapy water in a spray and spray the pests. This can take longer and you will need to keep an eye out for re-infestation because you are not likely to get every one of the eggs at once, but it should work just as successfully.

So with plenty of light, moisture to compensate for your central heating and a vigilant eye for pests your indoor herb gardens should soon be flourishing.

If you are unsure which herbs to begin with, try considering which would be the most useful in your kitchen and set up with these. Through growing what you need you will soon see the advantages and enjoyment available from your indoor herb gardens.

Indoor herb gardens are a great way to enhance your cooking and your home.

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Too many of us think that the deeper we sow seed and put our plants, the better they grow. Actually the opposite is true. Roots require air just as we do, and the deeper you plant them, particularly in properly prepared soils, the less air they get. As a result the less root growth you will have, and the less growth at the top of the plant. Roots of most plants should be barely beneath the surface. If you are worrying about the hot sun drying out the surface, then a mulch will correct that.

Gardening like other sports has its terms that we are supposed to know. just as when you play golf there are certain words you learn to use, just so we should try to do it in gardening. Yet I know of one good gardener who still insists on calling labels “sticks.” And its equally important that we try to learn the names of the plants that we have. It isnt necessary to know the scientific or Latin names but you should describe the plant not just as a shrub but as whatever it may be”a spirea or viburnum, cotoneaster and so on. You will learn many of these through reading the articles in Flower G Garden, reading the ads, and sending for the many catalogs offered.

About Viburnums

Viburnums are a fascinating group of shrubs. Many of them are native. Very common in the North is the black haw found growing along the edges of the woods. Somewhat similar, more common in fence rows or fields, is the sheepberry, sometimes called nannyberry. And found quite often on hummocks in bogs is the American cranberry bush, Vibunum trilobum. And from other parts of the world come Viburnum carlesi and its hybrids Chenaulti and juddi. All of these have fragrant snowball-like flowers in the spring.

The Burkwood viburnum has equally fragrant flowers and semi-evergreen foliage. For beautiful blooms and gorgeous autumn color try the Japanese snowball and its parent the doublefile viburnum. Both of these are magnificent shrubs and do not have the lice that curl the twigs and leaves on the common snowball. For fall and winter house plants and fruit, besides the American cranberry bush viburnum, the black haw and the nannyberry, try the linden viburnum (dilatatum) and the native witherod viburnum (cassinoides).

An excellent grower in sun or shade is the wayfaring tree (lantana). And for large foliage and a big shrub up to 25 feet or more we have the Siebold viburnum. One of the loveliest of all with evergreen foliage is the leatherleaf viburnum (rhytidophyllum). Available in a few nurseries is the hybrid between this and the wayfaring tree, Viburnum rhytidophylloides.

Plant dahlia roots about a week before danger of late frosts is past. Make sure the tubers contain eyes or buds at the top of each division. Plant roots horizontally about six inches deep. If plants are used started from cuttings they should not be set out until all danger of late frosts is past. Set potted green plants about three inches deep, removing lower leaves if necessary.

Started plants of tuberous begonias can be set out after all danger of frost is past in the garden. They can be one of the most important flowers for providing color in shaded places. Later blooming plants are obtained by planting the saucer shaped tubers directly out in the garden, Plant the tubers so that they are just under the ground surface.

Fighting Fire Blight

Fire blight is a bacterial disease that attacks pears. apples, (including ornamental varieties, mountain ash and sometimes even cotoneaster. This disease is recognized by the scorched look of flower and fruit clusters, and the ends of new growth. As the disease enters limbs and trunks it appears as a sunken canker. Wet, cool weather favors the spread of the disease.

In areas where the disease is prevalent, it will help to spray the tree at the time about half of its flowers are showing color. The timing of the spray application is important. If trees are not too badly infected, the removal of diseased branches about six to eight inches below the point of visible infection will help control spread of the disease. Disinfect the pruning equipment in corrosive sublimate solution (one part to 500 parts water or alcohol, before making each new cut.

Where the disease is most troublesome, it would pay to use more resistant varieties of apples. Unfortunately, most varieties of pears are extremely susceptible to fire blight. Some other things can be done to reduce injury from this disease. Avoid soft vegetative growth of the trees by not over-fertilizing with nitrogen, and not pruning excessively. Also encourage good maturity of the trees towards the end of the season, by reducing the amount and frequency of watering.

Allow the foliage of spring flowering bulbs to grow as long as possible, This is the only way these plants are able to produce and store up food for bulb growth and future flowers.

Get Good Seed

New lawns can be started at this time of the year. It pays to buy the best quality lawn grass seed. Choosing to plant bargain grass seed is like planting cheap seed”it is likely to contain a large percentage of coarse grass and quick germinating nurse grasses that do not last long.

In the West area, Kentucky bluegrass is a preferred lawn grass. Merion bluegrass does well in many places, although the cost is higher than Kentucky bluegrass. In low rainfall areas where little or no irrigation water is available, such dryland grasses as Fairway crested wheat grass, blue grama, and buffalo grass are desirable.

This is the time of year when dandelions are most active and prominent in lawns. This is also the best time to use sprays on them. Try to select a calm day to avoid spray drifts around valuable ornamental plants. Use a sprayer solely for chemical spraying, if possible. Destroy weeds while they are still small and before they go to seed.