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How Does Your Garden Grow: Tips For Hiring A Landscaper

Another great how-to article for improving your landscaping. Just when you're done with shoveling snow, you can set your sights toward spring (and summer) and mowing the lawn. But, for many the grass would be a lot greener if they could just get someone else to do it (the mowing that is). But, weeding out a reputable landscaper, one who not only knows what he is doing, but also one you can trust and can afford can be quite challenging and tricky, especially if your not sure of what to ask about or look for.

With that said, professionals offer the following advice for homeowners who are a bit "green" in the gardening arena.

1. Put Your Money Where Your Word Of Mouth Is: If you're going to invest in any professional, your best bet is to chose among those that come highly referred by those you know and trust. After all there's no better advertising, than a content client. And, by all means don't be afraid to ask strangers and neighbors (with lovely lawns) for their recommendation.

2. Dig A Little Deeper: Go beneath the surface and unearth some solid references. Not only should you ask for client approval but ask to take a look at their yards. You'll also want to ask your potential service provider to see a sample of his work, including photo albums and any work featured in magazines.

3. Refrain From Planting A Financial Seed: Sometimes service professionals will charge you based on what they think you can afford, or a "comfortable" number you've revealed to them. Instead experts suggest giving the prospective landscaper a detailed wish list and allowing him to generate an estimate.

4. Sign On The Dotted Line: Although many (service) professionals may insist that their word and their handshake is as good as a written contract, experts suggest "getting it in writing" It's likely your chosen landscaper will request a 50 percent down payment (up front) with the balance due upon completion of the job/services. However professionals point out that a landscaper worth his weight in soil will honor the contract even if you hold back 10 percent of the payment until 30 days after completion (or sooner if you're happy with the work). And, they suggest asking for a specific guarantee for the services agreed upon.

5. Get An Education: Get informed by brushing up via the latest gardening books and magazines, you that you learn the lingo and can properly ask for what you want, and maybe even have some pictures to show making your expectations more concrete and clear.

6. Insta-Garden Alternatives: If you've got the time, energy, and ambition about doing much of the the work yourself, experts suggest hiring a landscaper or landscape architect to draw up the plans and a planning schedule (preferably starting in the spring). And they note that some nurseries offer this service either for free or for a nominal fee.

 

How To Use Annuals In Landscaping Your Garden

An annual, from the point of view of the amateur gardener, is any
plant which must be replaced each year and which flowers only
once in its life. Annuals generally are grown from seed. The
chief advantage of annuals over perennials is their low cost.
Thousands of plants can be grown from a single packet of seeds.

Annuals are also very decorative, and provide the best source of
flowers for cutting. Their season of bloom is relatively long, as
well. Their chief disadvantage is the late date at which they
bloom. If annuals are used alone in a bed or border, a good part
of the season will pass with little to show in the way of color.

Annuals are also of use as a filler between shrubs set some
distance apart. This permits the shrub to grow, yet prevents too
stark an appearance. The sowing of annuals, of course, depends
upon the class to which they belong. The hardier flowers, such as
larkspur, poppies and cornflowers, can be profitably planted in
late fall. The ground preparation must be just as careful as for
spring planting.

Planting in fall is advantageous since it per mits the flowers to
get an early start the following spring. Certain other hardy
annuals can be planted early in spring as soon as the ground is
workable. It is a good idea to start some of the less hardy
annuals in seed pots, or in coldframes, as early as March.
Otherwise, these plants cannot be set out until all danger of
frost is gone. Outdoor planting of annuals in the spring follows
thorough soil preparation.

The seedbed must be carefully pulverized with a rake after it has
been prepared and prior to planting. Eliminate all lumps. The
seeds are sown broadcast in the patch selected, and then are
lightly covered with soil. The soil may be gently tamped after
the covering is completed. The patch should be identified with a
stake and some sort of sign. Flower seeds are best planted near
the surface.

In no case should they be sown more than 1 inch deep. The seeds
of larger plants which have a strong growth, such as sunflowers,
can be planted in hills spaced from 2 to 4 feet apart. Often,
annuals are planted in rows. This method is used when a cutting
garden is being grown. To do this, dig a shallow trench not more
than 1 inch deep with a trowel, or your fingers, and then place
the seed in the trench.

Sow more seed than appears necessary, and then trim out after the
plants appear above ground. Thinning is required, in any event,
for a good crop of annuals, if only to insure sufficient room for
each plant. Transplanting is a considerable shock in the life of
a plant, and unless it is carefully done, the plant will die. It
is a good idea to expose coldframes and potted seeds to the
outside air for a time before transplanting, in order to prevent
shock.

All the soil in the frame or pot should be used when
transplanting. Transplanting should be done on a cloudy, damp
day, if possible. If the soil is dry, it should be watered before
transplanting, and then thoroughly after the plants are in the
ground. If the day is sunny, some sort of shade should be
provided for the newly transferred plants. As soon as the plants
are established, these protective coverings can be removed.

How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden

The flittering of the butterfly through your garden is no accident if you planned your garden carefully. The adult butterfly flitters from flower to flower - sipping nectar from many flowers in your gardens, while other adult butterflies search for areas to lay their larvae. It is good to take note that the butterfly garden is going to differ from other areas of your garden. Your natural instincts will be to kill off pests, larvae and creatures in the garden, but in the butterfly garden your best results are noticed when you use organic gardening: Which means no chemicals at all.

In you want to include the use of butterflies in your landscape you will need to create a safety zone for your butterflies to feel safe. Butterflies frequent habitual zones, where they feel safe and where areas of the landscape meet with the tree lines. Creating your butterfly gardens near or around trees will help in attracting even more of these graceful creatures to your gardens.

Learn what plants best attract butterflies.

A tip in attracting the Black Swallowtail or the Anise Swallowtail is this: Plant parsley, dill or fennel in your gardens, these plants attract this certain butterfly. If these herbs are not your favorites, you can attract other types of butterflies using other flowers. To attract the Fritillary butterfly for instance, plant Lupine flowers your garden. Or you may want to consider planting Snapdragons to attract butterflies that are native in your own area. Your early butterfly gardens are going to attract butterflies only in passing, but creating and growing the gardens that offer a safe haven for the butterfly will urge them to stay in your garden.

Butterflies are attracted to areas of your gardens where they can gather food for their offspring. The caterpillar will eat from the plants while the adult butterflies will sip on the nectar of the flowers. As your plants, shrubs, and flowers mature, the amount of butterflies to your gardens will also increase. The plants and flowers that you put in your garden this year will attract only a few, but in the years to come the natural instinct of the butterfly will lead them to your garden.

What is the adult butterfly searching for in your gardens? The butterfly searches for areas to take shelter from the high winds, the rains, and the summer storms. This is where the trees and shrubs in your gardens become important in protecting the butterfly and offering shelter. During the normal, warm sunny summer day the butterfly wants the wide-open areas of your lawn and garden.

Butterflies will seek soft soil that is sandy-like to find water. The sand-like soil that allows water to puddle up after a rainstorm is a butterflies delight. The developing stages of the caterpillar to the butterfly are observed often in the established butterfly garden.

By creating the atmosphere in the garden that offers the shelter, food, water and the fragrance the butterfly is searching for you will have Butterfly Garden success.

How to Use Color in Your Perennial Garden

Just like most things in life, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If purple blooms put a smile on your face, then you should most definitely use plants with purple blooms. The same is true for any color you find pleasing. There are different disciplines to pull from when trying to decide on color choices, but those disciplines speak in generalities; your own personal experiences mold your tastes into something unique, something your own, something a text or curriculum can’t possibly pinpoint.

That being said, one of the disciplines I like to pull from often, especially when it comes to color choices, is Feng Shui. While I’m not part of the Feng Shui orthodoxy, the design and layout lessons I’ve taken from Feng Shui are fundamentally grounded in sound design. They can be used inside and outside the home, no matter if you have each and every room aligned to maximize it’s chi (energy), or you just want to make a garden space more appealing.

For example, a ‘room’ (defined by either an indoor or outdoor space) with metal energy tends to be very clean and structured. Some colors that are considered to have metal energy are white, silver and gold. And in my opinion, some lighter blues, when considering plant blooms, could be grouped with those colors as well. Metal energy tends to allow for clear and concise thinking and the carrying out and completion of tasks.

On a much smaller scale, when I finish a landscape design and want to begin the next design, I need some of the cleansing effects of metal energy. I remove every template, pencil, eraser bag and architect's scale from my drafting table and I wipe down the table. I’m left with a stark white table, and with that I am able to lay down a new piece of vellum and wash the previous design from my mind and begin to get involved with the next space I’ll design. I find that structure and the absence of color leaves my imagination open to consider new design possibilities.

The very same can be true for a garden space. An organized, mass planting of white Tulip bulbs can provide a space in your yard to give you clarity of thought or purpose. Add some yellows and earthy tones to blend a nurturing feeling into that planting. It’ll give you the same feeling as you get with an early morning cup of coffee, watching the sun rise to greet a new day; full of warmth, potential and purpose.

You’ve heard of the power tie or the power dress, right? Take that flame red color to the blooms in your yard and you may be filled with those same feelings of power and confidence. Are you more the strong, silent type? Blues and violets can lend a feeling of inner strength and serenity.

I believe the first decision you should make when planning your color scheme for your yard is to decide how you want to feel when you’re taking in the beauty of that space. Once you have a sense for that, I recommend finding a book or two to help you make your selections. ‘Feng Shui in 10 Simple Lessons’ by Janet Butler-Briggs, is a wonderful beginning to learning that approach to using color. ‘Color Harmony’ by Bride M. Whelan, shows you hundreds of different color combinations with real-life examples of their use, to help you create the perfect space, indoors or out.

How to start an herbal garden

When planning an herbal garden it is important to decide what herbs you want to grow. Then decide where you're going to plant them. Will it be indoors or outdoors? Is there enough sunlight? Is the soil loose with good drainage or very firm and rocky? And so on; these are just a few things you will want to consider in the planning stage. Once you have decided what herbs you want, it's a good idea to seperate them into groups. Seperate the perennials from the annuals, and seperate the herbs that will need full sun from the ones that grow well in partial shade. It's a good idea to plant the taller herbs in back and the shorter ones in front of the garden so that all may benefit from good sunlight. Be sure to make space between the rows. This is important so that you can reach all the plants for watering and upkeep. I place stepping stones in my garden. They not only look very nice, but I find it easier for upkeep and harvesting.

THE RIGHT SOIL When I decided to start my herb bed, I walked out to the yard and looked at the area I wanted to plant my herbs in. I dug up a small portion of the soil. To say it was slightly less than perfect would be a masterpiece of understatement. It was too firm and rocky, with a mild to moderate amount of clay. This a common soil problem in many areas. A good remedy for this is to till up the soil and add equal parts of peat,fertilizer, and compost. I also added some perlite and a small amount of sawdust. Peat is made up of old plant material and it is on the acidic side and it comes from bogs. Perlite is a volcanic mineral. You have seen it as those little white beads in potting soil. Compost is made up of old clippings and food material mixed together and left to combine over several months. Fertilizer is usually made up of manure, and can be obtained at any nursery. Mix all of these well with the outdoor soil. This combination is also good for using in raised beds along! with the usual top soil or potting soil.

Another good idea for planting in poor soil is to plant in clay pots and bury them 2/3 into the ground. An advantage to this is in the fall you can always dig them up and bring them indoors for maintenance through the winter months. A word of caution if you choose to use clay pots. You'll want to make sure that they are very clean and free of bacteria before you use them. You can clean them by submerging them in a mix of 1 part bleach and 9 parts very hot but not boiling water. Let them soak for several hours then rinse well and allow them to air dry.You can clean your garden tools in much the same way. Or you can wipe them off with rubbing alcohol and let them air dry.

Grow your own herbs and spices.

After cleaning the pots, paint the insides with lead free cement paint. This will prevent the water from being absorbed into the soil around the pots. There is no need to paint the pots if you're keeping them indoors.

PLANTING If you are growing from seeds, it's best to start in early March, so the seedlings will be ready for planting in early May. Follow the package instructions as to how deep to plant the seeds. Another way to start from seeds is called presprouting. Wet a paper towel and place the seeds on it then cover it with another wet paper towel. Place it in a sealed plastic bag. If kept in a warm spot the seeds should begin to sprout within a couple of days. Then place them into the soil. Be sure the seed plants have at least 12 to 14 hours of good sunlight each day. If you live in a cooler area and it's not possiable to leave the plants outside then a good plant light will do just as well. If you plan to keep your herb garden indoors in pots, then a plant light would be a very good investment, unless you have a large window with alot of warmth and sunlight. I almost always plant under the cancer moon. This is generally a good moon for planting almost anything.

BUG PROBLEMS? One very important point to be aware of if you're planting hebs for comsumption, never never use a chemical pesticide on them. You don't want to eat that stuff. I always use an insecticidal soap in my herb garden and in the pots I keep outside. You can find them at most nurseries and they are environmentally friendly.

Another problem you might come across is mildew. It looks like a white powder on the leaves. If you see this starting you will have to pull the whole plant and some of the surrounding soil as well. Whatever you do, don't throw any diseased plants into your compost heap. It will infect the whole thing. Be sure to keep the plants well trimmed for good air circulation. Sunlight is also important for keeping them dry. Another problem is called "Damping Off" I didn't know what this was when I first saw it in the garden. It looked awful. It's a fungus infection on the plants that kills them just after they are planted. Like mildew it is caused by too much moisture. Again you will have to pull up the plant along with some of the surrounding soil. If the plant is in a pot make sure that you clean the pot as stated earlier. The person I spoke with at the local nursery here, who is also an herbalist, told me to water the new plants with a combination of chamomile and nett! le tea. It helps to kill the fungus until they are ready to be planted outside.

HARVESTING When harvesting your herbs it's best to harvest them when they are dry. For flower harvesting, take them only after they have bloomed. The only exception that I know of is with lavender. Harvest lavender before the buds open if possiable. For harvesting leaves be sure to take them before the flowers start to bloom if you can. When harvesting roots, dig them up in the fall, making sure you leave some to regrow next year. When harvesting seeds wait until the seeds are just starting to fall off the plants. For drying your herbs just snip off a few sprigs from the plant and tie them into small bundles and hang them to dry in a cool dry area. You can also dry them by laying them on a flat rack made out of window screening. This way air will circulate on all sides of the plants. I recommend the rack method for drying the roots. It works much better for them.

STORING YOUR HERBS Once the herbs are dried you can store them in clean dark glass jars with tight fitting lids. If you don't have dark glass jars just use the regular canning jars. Sometimes they are called Mason Jars. Another way of storing them is in a clean tin can with a tight fitting lid. Then you can enjoy your home grown herbs for months to come. Good luck and happy gardening.

How To Plan A Garden Right

Gardening is a hobby that brings joy, entertainment, and a better quality of life. It is a creative activity, the result of which is a more aesthetically appealing home.

Thoughtful planning of a garden starts with the type of garden you would like to have. Deciding on a type of garden is essential defore choosing which design elements to include. Will your garden be just a place to plant a bunch of flowers, which will blossom only during the growing season? Or would you rather have a thoughtfully-chosen herb garden? Or maybe just a vegetable plot?

Another issue to consider is the climate in your location.
It can be surprising how little we know about the facts, figures and statistics of the weather where we live. You may want to consult an online map to get statistical data regarding climate elements like rainfall per month or average temperatures.

Try to match plants to your climate.

The next step, after having decided about the type of garden and after investigating the local climate, is to figure out the plants that you would like to grow in your garden. Think of plants that are suitable for the duration of the growing season in your location and that will survive the changes in temperature, typical for your location.

The thoughtful planning of a garden involves one more factor to consider – how much shade is necessary for each of the plants. You need to make sure that there is enough light all over the places you plan to plant your garden.

When you have finished with planning in theory, it is time to start planning the plots in your garden. Again, think for a good plan – one that brings joy, is easy to keep to, and at the same time efficiently uses the available space.

Think about where to place plants that require a lot of sunlight. The best place for such plants is away from buildings and taller trees because these block the light at daytime.

Deciding which plants to grow near the house, and which should be in the open also requires some thought. If you prefer the sunshine streaming through your windows, then you are best not to have bulky trees or bushes near the house, where they will block the sunlight.

If you have decided that you will be growing herbs and vegetables, the best place for them is near the house. When they are near the house, it is more likely that you will be using them for cooking. Besides convenience, you should also think about the location of vegetables as far as their needs for sunlight are concerned. This is especially true if yours is mainly a vegetable garden.

Last, but not least, take into account your personal preferences, when designing a garden. If there are particular extras you would like to have, for instance winding pathways or gazebos, include them in the initial design of the garden. Your outdoor garden is constrained only by the limits of your creativity and the growing season in your location.

Ten Simple Steps to Taking Cuttings

There are several different types of cuttings that you can take from plants – the most common are softwood, semi-ripe and hardwood. These refer to how woody and therefore how old the plant stem is.

Softwood cuttings are taken from the youngest part of the stem, and are the easiest and quickest to take root. This makes them ideal for anyone trying this for the first time.

Softwood cuttings are taken in May and June from the new growth of the plant. They root easily – between 4 and 8 weeks – but can wilt and die if they lose too much moisture, so they have to be kept warm and moist. And the best way to do this, if you don’t have a propagator, is to put the pot inside a polythene bag.

Some experts recommend using hormone rooting powder to encourage rooting, others say it is not necessary. I have taken cuttings both using rooting powder and without using it and I have had successes and failures with both. So give it a try and see what happens.

The most suitable and easiest plants for taking cuttings include: fuchsias, pelargoniums, hebes, lupins, hydrangeas and chrysanthemums.

So here’s how you do it:

1. Cut about half a dozen growing tips from the plant – about 4” using a sharp knife or secateurs and pop straight into a polythene bag to keep the cutting moist
2. Use either special cuttings compost, or make up a half and half mix of multi-purpose compost and vermiculite or sharp sand
3. You can use small 3” pots for individual cuttings, or a larger 5” pot and place up to 5 cuttings around the edge
4. Trim each cutting so that the bottom is just below a leaf joint (node) – make the cut a slanted one if you can
5. Take off all the bottom leaves, leaving just 3-4 at the top, and pinch out the growing tip
6. If you are using hormone rooting powder, dip the bottom end of the cutting in water, then into the powder and shake off any excess
7. Push the cutting into the compost in the pot up to about a third of its length, and water
8. Cover the pot with a clear polythene bag making sure the bag does not press against the leaves, and place on a bright, sunny window ledge or in a greenhouse
9. Check every few days, but they should not need much watering
10. When you see new leaves appearing, you will know that the cutting has rooted – you can then re-pot the new plant into normal potting compost

And because softwood cuttings are so easy to root, it is also possible just to pop the cut stem into a glass of water, take off the bottom leaves, pinch out the growing tip, and within a couple of weeks you will see the roots starting to grow.

And that’s all there is to it – your family and friends will be so impressed when you give them plants for free!