Caring for plants
Even though there are many plants that can grow without much maintenance, some energy and effort is required to make the landscape beautiful. Most people want a beautiful landscape and always think of planting roses. While roses do make the land look pretty, they do require a lot of work. Roses need to be sprayed, pruned, trimmed, watered, and dead foliage needs to be regularly removed if you want to continue having colorful roses.
Most people want instant success with roses but are not willing to put in the time. Therefore, if you do not have the time or you do not want to spend time in the garden, then roses should not be on the list of plants you want on your landscape.
So what plant does one buy?
Plants are easily available at most garden centers and nurseries in most towns and cities in North America. Most plants are sold in 1-2 gallon pots or plastic containers. Most people seem to forget that these small plants will grow large once they are planted in the ground.
By thoroughly bearing in mind how huge a mature plant will become prior to planting it, you will save you a lot of effort, heartache, time, and money.
If you are a novice getting into landscaping, the best advice is to speak to an expert at a nursery. For more on landscaping, please visit www.tnnursery.net
Sunday, September 13, 2009
What should one know prior to developing a good landscape? Part 2
Planning Ahead
Prior to purchasing plants, look at where you want to place our plant. Study the location to determine whether it is sunny, dark, wet, dry and what type of soil you have. Some plants prefer acidic soil and yet other prefers alkaline soil.
This planning does not take long but yet most majority of consumers have absolutely no clue about their landscape.
When these factors are not taken into account, the results are always predictable- disaster. Individuals who assess their landscape before buying a plant almost always have a 100% success. Further, when preplanning is done, the majority of plants selected will thrive without a great deal of maintenance.
Prior to purchasing plants, look at where you want to place our plant. Study the location to determine whether it is sunny, dark, wet, dry and what type of soil you have. Some plants prefer acidic soil and yet other prefers alkaline soil.
This planning does not take long but yet most majority of consumers have absolutely no clue about their landscape.
When these factors are not taken into account, the results are always predictable- disaster. Individuals who assess their landscape before buying a plant almost always have a 100% success. Further, when preplanning is done, the majority of plants selected will thrive without a great deal of maintenance.
What should one know prior to developing a good landscape? part 1
The majority of individuals who start out in landscaping or gardening have very little idea about the different plants and growth requirements. The average consumer simply walks into a store or goes online and buys the most colorful plant. And the result in most cases is an inevitable failure. For successful gardening or landscaping, one should start to read or ask questions about plants before buying them. Good plant selection is the chief requirement for successful landscaping. The landscape can only look as good as the plants you select. If you select poor plants, you will get an awful scene and vice versa.
The other criteria when choosing plants is to know where you will place them. Many consumers buy a plant, then find it is too big for the house, and then place it somewhere in the back yard. This is considered poor planning. Secondly, if you do not want to work hard, buy plants that require low maintenance. Plants can grow wild and make your landscape look very messy if you do not maintain them. Other things one should know before buying a plant is what size it will grow to, what season it blooms and whether is it susceptible to insects.
The other criteria when choosing plants is to know where you will place them. Many consumers buy a plant, then find it is too big for the house, and then place it somewhere in the back yard. This is considered poor planning. Secondly, if you do not want to work hard, buy plants that require low maintenance. Plants can grow wild and make your landscape look very messy if you do not maintain them. Other things one should know before buying a plant is what size it will grow to, what season it blooms and whether is it susceptible to insects.
All about watering your landscape 101: Part 2
If you are not sure how much water to give to your plants, place a small marked container at the bottom of soil. When you water, check the time when the water reaches to a certain mark. Sometimes water runs off before it has time to penetrate the soil and you have accomplished nothing. To avoid run off, decrease the amount of water you use or water for a short time. Allow the water to sink and soak the plant, and irrigate again.
Everyone has their own personal time to water their plants. In general, watering of plants is best done early in the morning. At this of the day, one uses less water because there is no evaporation. One should avoid watering after dusk because foliage will stay wet all night and become prone to disease.
Watering anytime in the afternoon is also not recommended. When drops of water sit on leaves, they act as a hot spot (magnifying glass) and burn holes in leave due to sun’s energy. Further, when irrigating is done in the afternoon, it uses up much more water because the majority evaporates before it even reaches the deep soil. Thus, always water first thing in the morning because it conserves water, allows deeper penetration and decreases the risk of spreading plant disease.
To make watering more effective, place a decent layer of mulch around the garden and trees. The mulch significantly reduces evaporation from soil and also helps to keep the soil cool and moist. Further, mulch also acts as a great obstacle to weeds that contend with your plants for water. Mulch can be made of tree bark, wood chips, pine needles, mowed grass clipping, or desiccated leaves.
For more on your landscape needs, please visit www.tnnursery.net
Everyone has their own personal time to water their plants. In general, watering of plants is best done early in the morning. At this of the day, one uses less water because there is no evaporation. One should avoid watering after dusk because foliage will stay wet all night and become prone to disease.
Watering anytime in the afternoon is also not recommended. When drops of water sit on leaves, they act as a hot spot (magnifying glass) and burn holes in leave due to sun’s energy. Further, when irrigating is done in the afternoon, it uses up much more water because the majority evaporates before it even reaches the deep soil. Thus, always water first thing in the morning because it conserves water, allows deeper penetration and decreases the risk of spreading plant disease.
To make watering more effective, place a decent layer of mulch around the garden and trees. The mulch significantly reduces evaporation from soil and also helps to keep the soil cool and moist. Further, mulch also acts as a great obstacle to weeds that contend with your plants for water. Mulch can be made of tree bark, wood chips, pine needles, mowed grass clipping, or desiccated leaves.
For more on your landscape needs, please visit www.tnnursery.net
All about watering your landscape 101 Part 1
When it comes to watering the landscape, everyone has his or her own ideas and beliefs. Some people water their plants once a week, others water plants 2-3 times a week, and yet others never water their plants- living everything to nature. If you want to enjoy your landscape or garden at its best, especially throughout the summer, then in most cases you need to water them frequently. To most people watering simply means holding a hosepipe over the plant for a few minutes or let the sprinkler do the watering automatically. However, there are a few tricks about watering that can help your plants become stronger and more durable.
The majority of pants growing around homes, in the vegetable garden, lawns and flowerbeds require about 2-3 cm of water or rainfall each week during the developing season. If you have had a decent rainfall during the week, then watering can be avoided. If the rainfall has been minuscule, then one must water.
Superficial watering does not do much for plant growth. Watering is best done deep and can be done infrequently. Watering more than twice a week is not recommended because shallow watering encourages shallow rooting. Deep watering allows roots to embed deeper in soil, making plants better able to tolerate stress.
If you are not sure how much water to give to your plants, place a small marked container at the bottom of soil. When you water, check the time when the water reaches to a certain mark. Sometimes water runs off before it has time to penetrate the soil and you have accomplished nothing. To avoid run off, decrease the amount of water you use or water for a short time. Allow the water to sink and soak the plant, and irrigate again.
The majority of pants growing around homes, in the vegetable garden, lawns and flowerbeds require about 2-3 cm of water or rainfall each week during the developing season. If you have had a decent rainfall during the week, then watering can be avoided. If the rainfall has been minuscule, then one must water.
Superficial watering does not do much for plant growth. Watering is best done deep and can be done infrequently. Watering more than twice a week is not recommended because shallow watering encourages shallow rooting. Deep watering allows roots to embed deeper in soil, making plants better able to tolerate stress.
If you are not sure how much water to give to your plants, place a small marked container at the bottom of soil. When you water, check the time when the water reaches to a certain mark. Sometimes water runs off before it has time to penetrate the soil and you have accomplished nothing. To avoid run off, decrease the amount of water you use or water for a short time. Allow the water to sink and soak the plant, and irrigate again.
Everlastings: Part 3
The majority of herbs sold also are everlastings, although not all have attractive flowers.
The most commonly used everlasting herbs include:
Lavender.
Mints
Oregano
Rosemary
Finally there are many varieties of grasses whose seed heads also develop colorful everlastings. To have a great indoor plant show, flowers are not the only segment of the plant for decorations. Plants like the Gaillardia makes furry circular seed heads that make nice decorations for the home. Other everlastings include the leaves of Artemisia and dusty miller. Shrubbery is often the background for garlands/wreaths, with blooms and seedpods as decorations.
The majority of everlastings have a long flowering season, usually from June to October, depending on the season. The plants are easy to grow and there is usually a nearly 100 percent germination rate. One can use everlastings as a feature in the garden, along driveways, or as cut or dried flowers or as an unusual gift or keepsake.
For more on everlastings, please visit www.tnnursery.net
The most commonly used everlasting herbs include:
Lavender.
Mints
Oregano
Rosemary
Finally there are many varieties of grasses whose seed heads also develop colorful everlastings. To have a great indoor plant show, flowers are not the only segment of the plant for decorations. Plants like the Gaillardia makes furry circular seed heads that make nice decorations for the home. Other everlastings include the leaves of Artemisia and dusty miller. Shrubbery is often the background for garlands/wreaths, with blooms and seedpods as decorations.
The majority of everlastings have a long flowering season, usually from June to October, depending on the season. The plants are easy to grow and there is usually a nearly 100 percent germination rate. One can use everlastings as a feature in the garden, along driveways, or as cut or dried flowers or as an unusual gift or keepsake.
For more on everlastings, please visit www.tnnursery.net
Everlastings: Part 2
Everlastings Types
Everlastings are easy to grow and often flourish in the garden without one knowing.
Annual everlasting flowers include the following:
Ageratum
Bachelor’s buttons (Centaurea),
Basil flowers
Calendula
Celosia (cockscomb)
Dusty miller
Gomphrena (globe amaranth)
Larkspur
Scabiosa
Statice
Strawflower (Helichrysum)
Both salvia and marigold also are everlastings but since these flowers do hold on to a lot of ordinary moisture, they are trickier to manage when picked. These flowers are best picked just prior to ripeness and should be immediately dried in a warm environment, which is dry. Once they are dried, the flowers will reduce in size to half their original size.
Perennial plants used as everlastings include:
Allium flowers (both chives and garlic)
Armeria (true thrift),
Artemisia
Astilbe
Baby’s breath
Butterfly weed
Gaillardia
Hydrangea
Lavender
Liatris
Monarda
Perennial salvias
Roses
Santolina
Sedum.
Thistles
Yarrow
Everlastings are easy to grow and often flourish in the garden without one knowing.
Annual everlasting flowers include the following:
Ageratum
Bachelor’s buttons (Centaurea),
Basil flowers
Calendula
Celosia (cockscomb)
Dusty miller
Gomphrena (globe amaranth)
Larkspur
Scabiosa
Statice
Strawflower (Helichrysum)
Both salvia and marigold also are everlastings but since these flowers do hold on to a lot of ordinary moisture, they are trickier to manage when picked. These flowers are best picked just prior to ripeness and should be immediately dried in a warm environment, which is dry. Once they are dried, the flowers will reduce in size to half their original size.
Perennial plants used as everlastings include:
Allium flowers (both chives and garlic)
Armeria (true thrift),
Artemisia
Astilbe
Baby’s breath
Butterfly weed
Gaillardia
Hydrangea
Lavender
Liatris
Monarda
Perennial salvias
Roses
Santolina
Sedum.
Thistles
Yarrow
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