Plants For Containers

Since very early times gardeners have had the idea of growing plants in containers. The practice may have begun as a way of nurturing treasured rarities or plants charged with a special religious or mystical Significance. Old frescoes and paintings give ample evidence, though, that the decorative value of container grown plants has been appreciated for a very long time.

Much in container gardening has remained unchanged over many centuries. We still grow plants that were loved by gardeners hundreds of years ago and containers of traditional designs and materials continue to be widely used. There have been changes, however, particularly with the extraordinary expansion of gardening as a leisure activity over the last 5O years. New materials, such as fibreglass and plastics, have been used in the manufacture of a greatly increased range of containers. The hanging basket already known to the Victorians, has come into its own. Furthermore, the transformation of the retail trade means that it is easy to buy all the supplies needed for the container garden - from the pots and hanging baskets to plants suitable for growing in them - at garden centres and other outlets.

Colourful half-hardy plants give a long summer display and do well in all kinds of containers. The hanging basket contains petunias, Lobelia, Fuchsias, Pelargoniums and a grey-leaved foliage plant which cools the hotter tones. In the window boxes are Petunias and Lobelia.

Roses are an important group of shrubs that has been developed by plant breeders. There are so many cultivars that roses are generally treated as a category of ornamentals on their own.

Herbaceous perennials are generally thought of as long-term plants for the open garden. However, many adapt well to life in containers, including good foliage and flowering plants. More tender ones, such as begonias, can be grown as annuals but can be kept through the winter if pro­tected from frost, such as in a greenhouse.

Bulbs (the term is here used loosely to include corms and tubers) are a special group of perennials that deserve separate treatment. They are indispensable for spring and include many star performers for other seasons.

Three main groups of short-lived ornamentals are the mainstay of many container gardens. The first are biennials, plants that flower and then die the year after they have been sown. Wallflowers (Cheiranthus cheiri),which are representative of this group, are generally bought as plants in autumn, although the gardener can sow his own seeds in summer for flowers the following spring. Annuals, plants that complete their life cycle in a season, fall into two categories. Hardy annuals, such as cosmos and pot marigolds (Calendula) are easily grown from seed sown in spring. Half-hardy annuals, like French marigolds (Tagetes), are best started in heat in spring and many gardeners prefer to buy commercially raised stock of these.

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Fertilizing Saint Augustine Lawns Correctly

Fertilizing our lawns is one of those most often overlooked aspects of good lawn care. As busy homeowners we try to keep our lawns tidy with regular lawn mowing, try to keep up with good lawn watering, and then when we remember at the shop - we sometimes pick up an occasional bag of fertilizer. Sadly this is the case with many home lawns, where the actual feeding of the turf is so often an afterthought.

Apart from the regular lawn mowing and good lawn watering practices mentioned, we must remember that good lawn fertilizing is equally as important as any other aspect of having a great looking Saint Augustine lawn. But the benefits of an annual round fertilizing program goes far deeper than just a nice looking lawn and yard, because a lawn which is fertilized regularly and properly will be maintained in its greatest possible health. And it's when our lawns are in their best health that they are more resistant to weeds, pests and diseases. A strong healthy Saint Augustine lawn will also be able to withstand greater wear and tear and damage when they are played on by our kids. We can begin to see the importance of a properly fertilized lawn, so with this information, lets begin to work out a good annual feeding program for our turf.

Choose A Good Fertilizer First

Lets first choose a good quality fertilizer, we want to find one which is not too high in nitrogen as so many fertilizers are these days. While Nitrogen is vital to good lawn health, if we put too much onto our lawns we'll only be creating excessive growth and thatch rates, without actually making our lawns any healthier.

With this in mind we must look for a lower Nitrogen lawn fertilizer, which has a more balanced profile with the other major nutrients of Potassium and Phosphate. We should then look for a fertilizer which includes some minor nutrients as well. Minor Nutrients are many, but in lawn fertilizers will usually be things like Iron, Manganese, Copper and Zinc, just to name a few.

So be sure to choose a good, well balanced lawn fertilizer to obtain the healthiest St Augustine lawn possible.

We also want to choose a second fertiliser for use in the colder months of the year. This fertiliser will be very similar to the first fertiliser, but will have even lower Nitrogen and a higher rate of Iron.

An Annual Fertilizing Program For St Augustine Lawns

We begin our annual fertilizing program one month before the beginning of Winter.

One month prior to Winter, we apply our Winter Fertilizer at manufacturers recommendations.

One month into Winter (two months after the first fertilizing) we apply another application of Winter Fertilizer.

Just be aware that the application of Winter Fertilizers are not to increase growth rates of the turf during these times, but will instead keep the lawn at its healthiest and greenest during the colder months. Feeding the lawn prior to, and during winter will also massively increase the green up and health of the lawn once Spring arrives.

From this mid winter fertilizing, we then fertilize every two months from that time onwards using our standard mix fertilizer that we chose earlier, always ensuring we are only ever applying the nutrients at manufacturers recommendations. Excessive lawn fertilizing will not help the health of the turf, but can instead cause damage to the sod, as well as to the environment as the excess nutrients being applied will only ever wash away from the lawn.

In conclusion, we can now see that a good annual fertilizing program for Saint Augustine grass lawns will not only massively improve the health and appearance of our lawns throughout the entire year, but will also greatly aid in the reduction of many other common lawn problems, knowing that a healthy lawn will naturally and easily resist such problems as disease, pests and weeds. With this in mind, lets not just grab a bag of fertilizer whenever we're in the gardening aisle at the store as a possible afterthought, but instead let's make sure we always have a quality brand of lawn fertilizer on hand throughout the year so that we can maintain our turf at the highest possible health, with the least amount of effort and cost.

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Creating a Cottage Garden From Scratch

As someone who grew up with a love of the outdoors and gardening it was no great surprise that when I was "grown up" and house hunting a good sized garden was high on my list. However, what the estate agent thought was large I thought was tiny.

I wanted a good outdoor space to create my ideal cottage garden. I have been gardening and interested in plants for as long as I can remember. A very early memory is being given a packet of polyanthus seeds by my grand mother who helped me sow and nurture them. They grew to a massive size and the story is often recounted by my also garden loving father.

As a child I was allocated an area of my fathers garden to look after and grow whatever I wanted. I remember growing a wide range of flowers and having a herb garden. Many of the plants are still thriving today.

My father is still a keen gardener although his area of expertise is the lawn. In fact it is an obsession. Being a golfer each blade of grass stands to attention and is manicured throughout the year. Personally I see lawns as wasted planting space.

Having graduated from this area in my fathers garden to my own, I was excited rather daunted at the prospect of a blank canvas. I expect there are many gardeners out there who would relish the opportunity to start from scratch.

As someone who usually rushes into things, I planned, researched, re planned and mulled many ideas over. What was really essential to me was that the garden had year round interest and the boundaries were hidden. I wanted to create my perfect cottage garden.

I have a strong aversion to structure, routine and straight lines in a garden. This aversion also includes soil and boundaries. I like to hide all evidence of garden boundaries so the garden can look as natural as possible. Covering the soil also has the benefit of suppressing weeds. Order, a place for everything and everything in its place is so unnatural and is not my gardening philosophy. Lots of billowing flowers, verticals, garden rooms and year round interest are order of the day.

I aim to mimic or imitate nature as far as possible. I simply adore the sight of plants mingling into each other, jostling for position like fans at a rock concert. This way the garden has texture, colour and form throughout the seasons.

Evergreen shrubs form the structural back bone of the garden with trees and arches providing height. All shrubs and trees are under planted with spring and summer bulbs and many have clematis growing through them, timed to flower before the leaves unfurl. The snowdrops are the first brave little flowers to emerge about February. I welcome the sight of their delicate flowers which have a delicate honey fragrance. So heart warming in those bitter winter months where little else is brave enough to flower.

I am a strong believer that a plant needs to provide interest for more than just one season. This is vital in a small garden. One of my favourite trees the Coral Bark acer, acer sangokaku, has wonderful red stems as its name suggests. This superb tree has the most delicate green leaves in early spring maturing to dark green. Finally in the autumn it erupts into vibrant yellow as it sings autumns finale. For me this tree gets better with age.

I must confess that I am a bit of a plantaholic. Buying, planting and sowing are all gardening pleasures. In my garden I have four distinct areas but they are all connected by arches,small paths and subtle nooks between plants. The garden was planned to appear unplanned, a garden to wander and explore. Each are has a slightly different feel but there is year round interest be that from frost on the remnants of last years sunflowers and perennial flowers,spiders webs glinting with dew in autumn with the fireworks of Rudbeckia, Sedum, Echinacea and acer foliage.

Spring is glowing with a wide variety of Daffodils,Tulips, Fritillaries and of course the cherry blossom. I adore cherry blossom especially when viewed against a clear blue spring sky.

Summer is my favourite time of year. My favourite flowers Sweetpeas are in full bloom. Vases of their sweet fragrance fill most rooms in my house. My other weakness are Roses. My garden is full of Roses, from ramblers to hybrid teas. I use Roses to climb walls,fences,shrubs and trees. I adore fragrant Roses especially if they are climbers or ramblers. There is nothing better in the summer than sitting under an arch of Roses with a glass of wine in the evening soaking up the scent. I also love the shape and form of Roses. From the tight bud to the full open bloom I find them exquisitely beautiful. Roses also fill my home. They also fill a large border outside my house which is planted with spring and summer bulbs. The border billows in high summer with fragrant Aquilegia, Penstemons and Lavender, an essential plant for me in the garden and romance. To me its perfect.

My large border is cottage garden heaven. It has no rules, plants are allowed to self seed freely, plants are divided, if something is not working or thriving it is removed as there are so many plants I love its like a games of swapsies. This border has trees for the vertical, evergreen shrubs, lots of bulbs and carpets of flowers from Forget-me-nots in Spring, Aquilegia, Peonies, Sweet Peas, Larkspur, Calendula, Poppies in a variety of colour, Alliums, Nemesia, Lavender, Scabious, Verbascum and Verbena. These flowers are allowed to self seed and thus follow the seasons. I leave the seed heads for birds and insects, the rest germinate and I enjoy the following year. I simply adore my flower borders as its all about feminine pastel shades and whites which simply glow in the evening light.

I adore flowers and growing them for the house is such a pleasure. There is no secret to successful growing.

Trees are something that I feel are essential in the garden. I have two fruit trees and the rest are ornamental. I have trees for the colour of their bark and trees for Autumn colour. The great thing about trees is that the add instant height and interest. Trees are also fantastic for growing Clematis, Wisteria or Roses through the branches.

This year I decided to enter Warminster in Bloom. I entered for fun and won first prize! I was so thrilled that my cottage garden had won despite being only three years old. Lets hope next year the weather doesn't wreak such havoc on the garden.

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Vermiculture - Worm Composting

There are a number of good reasons to consider giving indoor worm composting, also known as vermiculture, a try this year:

1. Worm composting is relatively easy; while it may appear to be somewhat mysterious, it's really quite simple. (If you already have an outdoor compost pile or bin that is built directly on the ground, you probably have benefitted from the great work that worms can do in converting food scraps to compost.)

2. It's very inexpensive - in fact, you might be able to get started with what you already have around you. More on this later.

3. It's ecologically sound - you can significantly reduce, or perhaps eliminate, the amount of kitchen waste that you'd put into the trash stream. And, you might eliminate the need to make trips to the outdoor compost pile during the winter.

4. You'll make more great compost for your gardens.

Getting Started - Here's what you'll need: 1. A container, tray, and a cover You'll need a good container for your industrious little worms. You can easily build a wood container or two, or you can purchase stackable plastic containers from many garden catalogs and web sites. (See GardensAlive for one example of a stackable plastic worm composting kit. Search for "worm composting".) Wood is somewhat preferable, as it will absorb some moisture; but, plastic containers can work quite well, also.

You worm farm container should be 8 inches to 12 inches deep; the size of the container should be based on how comfortably you will be able to lift it when it is filled with worms and compost. For most of us, a container with two square feet of surface (1 foot wide by 2 feet long, or a square measuring about 1 ft. 5 inches on each side) area will work well.

If the bottom of the container is completely solid, drill about 12 holes (one quarter to one-half inch in diameter) to allow for draining and aeration. If you're building your container with 1" by 4" or 1" by 6" lumber, leave a small space between the floor boards for drainage and aeration.

Assuming that your worm container is indoors (in the basement or a heated garage) you should set your container on bricks or blocks to that any excess moisture can drain into a tray. This prevents the container from becoming too wet and mucky, which is not a good environment for worm composting.

Of course, the tray should be slightly larger than the outside dimensions of the box that house your worms. If you're going to build your own box or boxes, you may want to start your project by procuring a tray or two, and then building the boxes to fit the trays.

Plastic trays will last a lot longer, weigh less, and are easier to clean. Trays can be obtained from catalogs, web sites, hardware stores, pet stores, or home supply stores. You can also buy or use and old metal cooking tray, so long as it has sides that are about an inch high. Or, a kitty litter tray could get you started.

You'll also need a cover for each container, which will provide the dark environment that worms like and also help the bedding retain moisture. The cover can be a solid piece of wood or plastic, a piece of thick burlap, or a dark plastic sheet. If you choose to do worm composting outside, a solid wood or plastic cover is necessary to keep the bedding from becoming too wet when it rains.

2. Bedding for your little buddies The best bedding for your worms is a mixture of ground-up dry leaves, straw, and either a small amount of compost from your outdoor compost pile, or a little bit of garden soil. Adding compost or garden soil will add microorganisms that will also help the compost production. The bedding should be very loose, so that you can easily move it by hand when adding your kitchen scraps.

While a lot of people recommend using shredded newspaper for bedding, we suggest that you should only use that as a last resort, as some of the chemicals in newsprint may not be the best things to add to your compost pile or garden. The bedding should be moist, but not saturated. If the bedding becomes too moist, add a little bit of sawdust to absorb excess water.

3. Worms Worm composting requires red wigglers - not dew worms or earth worms. You can find these smaller worms in fist-size clumps in an active compost pile or in decomposing manure (if you live on or near a farm), or you can buy them from a number of mail order sources, which typically sell them in lots of 1,000. For each pound of food scraps that you add per day, you should have about two pounds (or 2,000) of worms. Red wigglers will quickly reproduce in the right environment, and you may soon want to add an additional container.

4. Food The best foods for worm composting are vegetable and fruit scraps, pulverized egg shells, and coffee grounds. Don't add meat or fish scraps, dairy products, or oily foods to your worm composter because they will create unpleasant odors and, if your worm composting is done outside, those foods will be more likely to attract flies and other pests.

Bury the food in the bedding and cover it. Scoop a hole in the bedding with your hand, insert the food scraps, and cover the food with clean bedding. The worms and microorganisms will find it and quickly convert it to nutrient rich worm castings and compost.

If you're concerned that you don't have enough food for your worm population, you can supplement their feeding with bread crumbs.

5. The Right Environment Your composter should be in an area where the temperature is between 40 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If your worm composter is in a basement or unheated garage, you can provide heat with an inexpensive heating cable if the air temperature drops below 40 degrees. Place the cable in the bottom of the box and cover it with a thin piece of Styrofoam. The heating cable should have a built-in thermostat that maintains a setting of about 70 degrees.

Is it working? Your worm composter is working if the worm population looks healthy and the bedding gradually disappears and is replaced with sweet smelling compost.

Maintenance When most or all of the original bedding has been converted to compost, move the compost to one side of the container and add new bedding and food to the other side of the container. The worms will gradually migrate to the new bedding and food, allowing you to remove the finished compost without removing any or many of the worms. Your worm compost can be stored in plastic buckets or trash containers for later use, added to your outdoor compost, or added directly to the garden.

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Friendly Tips in Growing and Training Best Climbing Roses

One of the best reasons why you should opt for growing the best climbing roses out there is because of the popular notion that says: when you put on some height in your garden, you offer and bring more life to it in the process. This is especially true for gardens that are relatively smaller in diameter and size in the ground level. If this is the case, the only option you will have is going upward. And the nice thing about going upward is that there is virtually no limit.

When it comes to climbers, you conveniently have so many options you can pick from so as to be able to come up with a good and attractive effect. However, keep in mind as well that if you have a small plot, you must carefully see it that you're not overshadowing the rest of the garden. If such is the case therefore, opting for rambling rose wouldn't be practical. Instead, a well-grown modern climbing rose would obviously be a better fit.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you should cautiously look at the wall space or frame or anything that's going to support the rose climber since in the process of becoming overwhelmed and excited, you will realize later on that you actually don't need as much roses to fill in the space as you previously thought. Remember as well that most flowers will bloom once in summer but others can also provide a late summer or even early autumn showcase. The best climbing roses will have long shoots and don flowers either in single batches or in small clusters.

Always bear in mind that regardless of where and when you decide to plant and grow the best climbing roses you've contemplated on, there is one important thing to do, and that is providing the best possible supporting structure. Obviously, it can be very disappointing to see a practically well-grown and trained rose die out and collapse simply because it has become so strong and heavy for the support to withstand. Hence, you should be able to put in enough effort in providing a sturdy and durable support.

Consequently, if you are planting against a wall or a structure similar to it, you must train the rose along horizontal wires that have a distance of about 18 inches from each other, and it must be secured in place using vine eyes or something similar. Additionally, be sure that the wires have a distance of at least three inches from the wall. This is to make sure that air is properly and evenly circulated. Put in mind that without the benefit of good and enough supply of air, roses can incur diseases and die out.

Another important reminder in growing best climbing roses is that they need a place that gets a lot of sun, just like any other plant. Hence, you cannot place them under thick bushes and trees. And in relation to this, you cannot as well place them in a waterlogged soil. However, it's a proven fact that climbing roses actually grows in practically all types of soil. Nonetheless, be sure that there is no plot of weeds.

In the end, the hope and endeavor of growing climbing roses is a good thing. One of the greatest luxuries in this kind of hobby is the fact that there are so many rose plants out there that can be considered as best climbing roses. You can practically choose different colors and perhaps pick between scented climbing rose varieties or thorn-less ones.

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Diseases - Take Care of Your House Plants From Various Troubles (Part 2)

Deformed growth

The plants grow lopsided in the pots and the stately little indoor three forms a crick in its stem. Set this right by regularly tuning the plant, remembering it will turn naturally towards the light source, although it must be said that some plants, namely Azalea, Camellia, Clivia, and Hibiscus, will not tolerate this at all. Leaf and phyllo cacti are also very sensitive when the flower buds are developing, and if these plants are turned, their buds will fall off. So let the plants stay exactly where they are and if they do start to grow crooked, support them with a stick.

Root-rot

Roots will rot if the compost in which they grow becomes waterlogged. Improper watering and/or bad drainage can cause stagnation. The soggy roots will then turn dark brown or even black. The plant's new shoots droop, die off and the entire plants wilt. Severe root-rot is usually fatal but sometimes an infected plant can be saved by removing it from the pot, cleaning all soil from the roots, washing them in warm water, and then repotting the plants in fresh compost. Water very sparingly for a while, until signs of recovery to normal growth are clearly apparent.

Mildew

A fungus disease that can be particularly harmful to plants during the summer which shows itself in the form of a white, powdery mould on leaves. The infection occurs if plants are placed too close together and suffer from lack of air and light, but get too much moisture. The mould can be carefully rubbed of or affected plants can be pruned back, but if the mildew is particularly persistent, the plants should be sprayed with a fungicide. When spraying, do not overlook the undersides of the leaves, but on no account allow the fungicide to touch any flowers.

Green sickness

Deficiency disease, better known as green sickness or chlorosis, is caused because the plant is suffering from a lack of one or more of the essential nourishing elements. The leaves take up insufficient chlorophyll and become light green, yellow, and sometimes bleached in color. Feeding needs to be correctly adjusted if the plant is to survive.

Frost danger

Plants standing on the windowsill need to be protected with newspaper during the night when frost is about, especially in rooms where a stove is burning. During a period of sharp frost it is best to remove all plants from the windowsill before you close the curtains, though this is not necessary if your plants are situated above a radiator. Plants standing in an unheated room should not be watered during frost period, since a wet soil-ball will freeze much sooner than a dry one. If you have to be away for a few days, the plants can be wrapped in an insulating material, such as and old blanket, corrugated cardboard or newspaper and then placed on the floor in the warmest room in the house as far as possible from the window.

How you can tell when a plant has been affected by frost?. Leaves and stem become translucent and limp, and also change color from green to dull grey. It is sometimes possible to save a plant by moving it to a dark, cool room and then spraying it thoroughly with cold water. It needs to thaw out very slowly, and if you transfer a frost-bitten plant immediately to a warm room it will have no chance of survival. If a few days after having given it a cold shower there are still no signs of improvement, repeat the process once or twice. Should the plant perk up again, you can begin to adjust it very gradually to a higher temperature.

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