Planting a Seedling

Have you resolved to make your garden the envy of your neighborhood this year?  Are you determined to have a garden you don’t need to apologize for? If so, now is the time to start. The first step to having a beautiful garden is good planning. If you’ve kept a log or diagrams of your garden beds over the years to help track what was planted where, and notes about what worked and what didn’t now is the time to break it out so that you can start planning. If you haven’t kept a log or journal promise yourself that you will keep one from now on! You’ll be amazed at the wealth of information you build up over time.

Now is the time to select what new plants your going to plant this spring. As you make your selections ensure that your garden has the right environmental conditions for the new plants. It’s no good growing a plant that requires full sunlight in an area that’s always in the shade and vice-versa. If you have any doubts ask your local gardening supplier.

An often-overlooked aspect of Spring garden preparation is your gardening tools. If you didn’t get around to it as winter closed in, now is a good time to prepare them for the oncoming gardening season. If any of them need cleaning, clean them and remove any rust. If you have any tools that require sharpening get them sharpened. There’s nothing more frustrating than using blunt tools and they can be even more dangerous than sharp ones. If you need to replace a tool that’s worn out replace them now, don’t wait until you go to use it.

Remember, a lot of us get really excited as spring gets closer, and the closer it gets the more impatient we become. If we start too early the results can be a disaster. Keep in mind that spring weather can take surprisingly chilly turns so you need to plan your gardening activities accordingly. The most important date when it comes to planning for spring is the average date of the last frost. Once again, if you’ve kept a journal this will certainly help you work this out. If not, you may be able to get the information from other sources such as a [amazon-product text="farmers almanac" tracking_id="spring prep" type="text"]1571984844[/amazon-product]. Once you know the average date of the last frost you can begin to plan your sowing, hardening off dates and transplanting tasks.

A final word on spring garden preparation has nothing to do with plants and everything to do with you. Don’t just jump straight into your garden, medical clinics experience major surges in gardening related injuries as spring begins. The most common are lower back pain and strains to ligaments and joints. What happens is that we tend to forget, that like our plants we need to be coaxed gently back from dormancy. It’s no good getting all gung-ho without preparing your body first by limbering up and preparing it for the gardening ahead.

The bottom line is that if you want to have a great garden you need to plan ahead. Look at what has and hasn’t worked in the past, decide what you want to plant and where. Don’t jump in too early, make sure that the chance for frost are past and finally make sure you’re ready to start in your garden. After all, if you injure yourself, what’s going to happen to the garden?

Black Samson or Echinacea angustifolia - One of the many perennial wildflowers available

Many gardeners cherish perennials because they flower, spread and multiply year after year and as such they can form the backbone of your flower garden. This in itself sets them aside from annuals as it eliminates the need to buy and plant new flowers every spring. Perennials are simple to grow, require little maintenance, and as a group are adapted to a wide variety of conditions, including a tolerance for sun and shade and moist or dry locations. In fact, many shade tolerant perennials are planted more for their eye-catching foliage than their flowers.

Perennials have a life cycle of 3 plus years, whereas annuals have a 1-year lifecycle, and biennials a 2-year life cycle.  In many respects perennials are probably the most versatile of all plants. They are also resilient, usually free from pests and disease and will survive up to 10-12 years with the proper love and attention. The bottom line is that if you’re looking for a low-maintenance, eye-catching garden, perennials are unquestionably the way to go.

Because perennials provide a charming way to maintain a green, flowering garden throughout the year they are popular for many different landscape purposes including; borders, boundaries, ground cover, as well as in containers, on trellises, arbors, or pergolas.  They will also thrive in raised flowerbeds.

Perennials can be propagated by seed, division, and various cuttings, and while they can stand on their own in a landscape they may be complimented by a few well placed annuals.  Perennials can even make an excellent addition to a vegetable garden by providing a colorful border.

Planting perennials from seed is an inexpensive and easy way to start your garden. As a rule late-summer or fall-flowering perennials are planted in the spring, whereas spring-flowering perennials are planted in the late summer or early fall.  Just make sure that if you plant in the spring you hold off until after the heavy frost season. Regardless of when you plant, perennials require adequate time to establish themselves prior to flowering and before the arrival of either cold or hot, dry weather.

While most perennials are not regarded as heavy feeders, it’s essential they be provided with an adequate supply of nutrients. Using a general slow release garden fertilizer and adding lime to the garden early in the season will help give your plants a healthy start and feed them through the whole season. Likewise, each spring you should spread compost throughout your perennial garden to improve soil consistency. If you do apply fertilizer throughout the growing season ensure that you stop after mid-July. This allows the plants to slow down their growth and concentrate on building up much needed reserves for winter.

Perennials that bloom in the spring and early summer should be divided in mid-late September to ensure that the following seasons blooms won’t be interrupted.

Perennials are available in an almost endless number of colors, sizes, shapes and textures. In fact, there are perennials available to please just about any gardener.  They are also a great choice if you don’t have a passion for digging in the dirt. In addition, perennials are an excellent choice for the shade garden and when they’re not in flower, perennials they can be enjoyed simply for their foliage, and isn’t this equally as important as their blooms? So, why not start a love affair by planting perennials? Remember, just like an old friend they’ll love you by flowering again at the same time year after year.

Butterfly Pic

What is butterfly gardening? Butterfly gardening is the art of growing flowers and plants that will attract these colorful and dainty creatures to your garden while also enhancing your landscape. Bring smiles to the faces of your family and visitors with beautiful butterflies, but be sure to create a safe habitat for them.

The design of your butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference and is only limited by your imagination. Below typical points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Pick a style of garden that appeals to you, but ensure it also contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract.

It is important to find out which plants and flowers will attract butterflies that are native to your area. This information can be found at the local library or by observing them for yourself. To create the kind of environment that they find attractive, you will also need a water source. A birdbath will look attractive and keep the butterflies up off the ground, away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. A shallow dish on a post or hung in a tree will do just as well.

When planting your butterfly garden be careful how you coordinate the colors you choose for your flowerbeds. Although butterflies do not care about your choice of color, you don’t want your garden to be a hodgepodge of unrelated colors and textures. Butterflies are attracted to those flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, like honeysuckle, milkweed, summer lilac, Valerian, daisies, Purple Coneflower, Yellow Sage, day lilies and lavender.

Some people find it helpful to draw and color a layout of their butterfly gardening plan to see what the finished product would look like. Keep in mind that warm colors like red and orange are flashy and showy. These colors have a greater impact against a strong green background. Cool colors such as blue and purple are soothing and toned down and would work better with a white contrast to create the look of freshness and brightness.

Butterfly Beauty

When creating a butterfly garden, the possibilities of what to include are endless. Below are just a few suggestions to help get you started. These ideas are designed to spark your creative process.

Before you begin your butterfly garden, find out which species of butterflies are in your area. You can do this by taking an exploratory hike around your location with a butterfly identification book. While this may take a little time and effort, the results will be well worth it. After you have compiled your list of local butterfly species, be sure to note in your butterfly garden plan what plants these particular species of butterflies are attracted to.

Be sure that your garden is in a location that provides at least six hours of sunlight per day. Butterflies are cold-blooded creatures and therefore do better where they are warm and sheltered.

Also, wind can be a butterfly’s worst enemy so be sure to have plenty of wind protection in your design. You can plant tall shrubs and other plants in order to create a wind break, but a location that avoids heavy winds is even better.

The best of all would be a butterfly garden placed on the sunny side of your home with windbreaks on both the west and east sides, or wherever the prevailing winds come from in your area. Try locating your garden close to a window so you can view the butterflies from indoors. Also, seating outside is a great way to admire these beautiful creatures.

If possible, you could excavate an area and put up a stone wall around it. This would create the ideal windbreak. Add gravel pathways around your garden to save walking in mud.

There are many creative ways for constructing a butterfly garden. Take your time to design a garden that you will enjoy and be proud of.

Preparing your garden for winter

With the approaching onset of winter many gardeners believe it’s time to hang up the tools for the year and wait for the following spring before they have to work on their garden again. This is far from the truth. It’s very important to ensure that your garden is going to be healthy and ready to produce a great crop next year.

The good news is that this winter preparedness can take less than a day to complete.

When the nighttime temperatures drop below forty-five degrees F for more than four days in a row, or if the chance of frost is in your local weather forecast (usually around late October or November) it’s time to begin preparing your garden.

Start by evaluating your gardens design. While you probably know this you need to determine which plants grew well in the past season, and those that didn’t. Fall is the perfect time to decide which plants will remain in you garden next year, and which ones should go. This is also an ideal time to decide which new plants, if any, you may want to grow next spring.

Once you’ve completed the above, your next action should be to clean up your garden plot. Remove any weeds that have cropped up and rake up any leaves that are scattered over the plot. Weeds and rotting leaves can harbor insects and diseases that could harm your garden. At the same time you should also remove any spent annuals and harvest any vegetables and other plants that can’t withstand winter weather.

If there are any trees that overhang your garden area take note of any dead or dying limbs and remove these. This will stop them from dropping onto your plot and creating additional potential for disease and insects as well as saving you from having to pick them up before you begin gardening again next spring.

Don't forget to clean and prepare your gardening tools!

Any young trees you may have planted should be wrapped and supported by stakes to help them survive harsh winter conditions. Putting mulch over your garden can also help protect plants from sudden drops in temperature and/or heavy snow falls. A covering of around 5 inches should suffice but its’ not a bad idea to check with your local nursery to determine what you need for your local conditions. If you do apply mulch, don’t do it too early as insects may take shelter in it for the winter. You should also set out some slug pellets so they don’t invade your garden.

If you have a water garden or pool with fish don’t forget to remove them and place them in an inside aquarium. There’s nothing sadder than fish frozen in a block of ice.

The final things you need to take care of are your tools. Clean them thoroughly, dry them and cover any metal parts with a light coating of oil. If your tools have any rust on them this should be removed by a light sanding, brushing with a wire brush or, in extreme cases, using a drill with a wire brush attachment. Also make sure you sharpen any tools that need a good edge and put them in a safe and dry place for the winter. This way they’ll be ready for next spring.

If you follow these simple tips, you’ll find that when the following season comes around your garden bed and tools should be ready to go.

A Fairy Garden can be created simply by including a couple of statues. Let your kids paint them

It’s pretty apparent these days that a lot of kids seem to have little regard for the environment. They’d much rather spend time watching television, interacting with their friends through social networking on their computers or playing on-line video games. Who can blame them; some of this stuff can be a lot of fun and in some cases a learning experience. And as adults, aren’t we just as guilty. There’s not too many of us that don’t indulge in at least one of these pastimes, if not more.

The problem is that while we’re engaged in these types of activities were not paying much attention to environmental issues. One way to help teach your kids, and perhaps even yourself a little bit more about nature is to get your kids involved in some type of activity that’s related to the environment. A garden is a pretty good place to start.

If you are going to introduce your kids to gardening there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First of all keep things simple, don’t try to grow everything. Involve your kids in the planning stage; ask them what type of garden they’d like to have. You could even have a theme if they’re keen on the idea. Perhaps a fairy garden, a space garden or even a pizza garden where you grow plants like, tomatoes, garlic, onions, wheat and green peppers and arrange them in wedge shaped areas so that combined they form a rather large pizza.

Make sure the plants you choose grow quickly otherwise your children might loose interest. Choose plants with brilliant colors, different textures and unique fragrances. In her book Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children Sharon Lovejoy states that if she could only choose one plant to introduce kids to gardening with it would be pumpkins, simply because they come in so many different sizes, colors and shapes.

Kids love to observe butterflies and a garden give them an ideal opportunity.

While many adults might consider gardening a chore, kids won’t. All children have an instinctive interest in the wonders of the natural world. They love to catch and watch butterflies and grasshoppers, they love playing in the mud and this can be channeled into gardening by simply making it an adventure.

For example, if you grow carrots, potatoes and similar root vegetables you can turn the harvest of these into a hunt for buried treasure.  Teach them about the damage slugs and other insects can cause to their garden and let them develop ways of combating these using methods that don’t rely on chemicals.

Believe me, if you can get your kids interested in gardening their enthusiasm and imagination will soon take over and with this will come questions, all types of questions, and thus learning. In this way your kids will develop a real appreciation for the environment and how humans can have both positive and negative impacts. The chances are that you’ll learn new stuff yourself and enjoy it because your children’s enthusiasm will carry over to you.

Keep in mind that you don’t need a large garden to get your kids involved. Why not have a container garden. You could even start with something like an old boot. If it’s the wrong time of the year to begin growing things, why not get some containers and let your kids decorate them?

And once your garden has produced it’s veggies or flowers or herbs don’t let things stop there. If you grow veggies or herbs why not teach your kids how to cook with them? And why stop there. You can also teach them how to preserve their vegetables and herbs so they can use them to cook with during the winter months. If you grow flowers why not let your kids learn how to dry the flowers and make dried arrangements from them. These could be used as gifts for grandparents or favorite aunts and uncles.

There’s just so much you and your kids can get out of gardening. You’ll be able to enjoy each others company as well as being outdoors instead of cooped up inside watching television or playing on computers. Just make sure you make it an enjoyable experience and not a chore or work and your kids will have a relaxing and enjoyable hobby they can take into adulthood and pass on to their own kids.

If you’re looking for more ideas on gardening with your kids there’s a number of good books available. Below are some recommendations.

Kids Gardening Books

Planting a Seedling

Are you thinking about starting a garden? Maybe you’ve tried gardening before and ended up having a bad experience. Well don’t worry you’re not alone and hopefully this little guide will give you some ideas and help you in the initial planning stages so that your next experience will be a resounding result.

The first thing you need to consider is what type of garden you want. Whatever you do don’t try to cover every base from the start. There’s plenty of choices and it’s often difficult to choose just one, but you should be able to narrow it down. By achieving this you’ll make your gardening experience not only easier for you but also for your plants. Moreover, if you choose similar types of plants, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to care for them all.
So let’s look at a couple of ideas.

Flower Gardens

If you’re looking to add a spectacular blaze of color to your yard, you’ll want a flower garden and your best choice is perennial flowers. Perennials  come in an extremely wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors and more often than not form the foundation of  a gardens design because they add blocks of brilliant color. Because perennials return year after year you can count on having bursts of color in your garden at about the same time year in and year out. Perennials also tend to be more robust than their fragile annual cousins. You will need to be sure to choose perennials that are adapted to your climate area though. You can download a wildflower growing guide from Lorenz’s OK Seeds here. And remember, Lorenz’s carry a wide variety of perennial wildflower seeds that are ideal for your new flower garden.

Keep in mind that like any garden those containing perennials require regular maintenance to ensures your plants are always healthy and thus always look striking.  Staking, pruning, deadheading, dividing, fertilizing and pest control are some of the maintenance tasks  you’ll enjoy when growing perennials.

Grow, Harvest and Enjoy Your Own Veggies

Vegetable Gardens

If you don’t think flowers are your cup of tea then perhaps you’d like to try a vegetable garden? While vegetable gardens usually require a little more work and research than  flower gardens, they can be much more rewarding.  This is because you can enjoy preparing delicious meals with your own, home grown, fresh produce  almost every day of the year! When starting a vegetable garden, keep in mind that you you may want to add more variety later on. Planning simple things like this will make future expansions much easier. Once all your current crops are out of season, you will have plenty of space for new crops. A vegetable garden is ideal for someone who wants fresh produce, but doesn’t want the hassle of perfecting their garden. If you’d like to explore veggie gardening a little further don’t forget to see our article on fall vegetable gardening.

Water Gardens

Water gardens are becoming very popular and perhaps you might like to try your hand at one of these. Water gardens can add a whole new dimension to your yard by adding the relaxing element of burbling and gurgling water. A water garden doesn’t have to be elaborate, it’s simple enough to make one using nothing more than a couple of containers. There’s a wide variety of plants you can grow in a water garden including submerged, floating and marginal or bog plants some of which are attractive in their own unusual ways. The bottom line is that water gardening can be a lot of fun and generally take about the same effort as a normal garden to maintain. Moreover, imagine how relaxing it is to sit by your garden listening to the relaxing sounds of a gurgling and bubbling stream right in your own yard. Don’t forget to see our Introduction to Water Gardens article.

Fruit Gardens

Enjoy Delicious Strawberries from Your Own Fruit Garden

Another type of garden you might consider is a fruit garden. There’s nothing like home grown fruit. However, be warned it’s definitely a high-maintenance garden. Keep in mind that some fruits will not grow in just any location so it’s a good idea to become familiar with the types of fruit growing in your local area.  When it comes to choosing what fruits to grow it’s a good ides to grow what you know your family enjoys, you can always expand later on. One thing you can be sure of is that pest control will be a major issue due to the sweetness of the fruit you’re growing. As such, you need to  choose a pesticide that won’t harm the fruits or leave nasty residues . You also have to take into careful consideration soil types and conditions climatic conditions and potential issues with fertilizers.   Putting in another crop during its off-season could be disastrous to your fruit gardens growth process so make sure you look into this before making any decisions.  If you’re willing to put lots of work into maintaining a garden, then a fruit garden could be a good choice for you.

Herb Gardens

A final type of garden you might consider is a herb garden. As with the veggie and fruit gardens there’s nothing better than preparing meals with your own home grown herbs. If you decide to plant a herb garden it’s critical that your

Maintenance is Important but doesn't have to be a Chore

plants get at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. This is regardless of whether your herbs are growing in pots/containers or in  a traditional garden bed. Soil types are also important as herbs generally prefer soils that drain well. Herbs also enjoy being watered regularly, pinched, groomed and natural fertilizers. They are also less prone to disease and pest infestations than many other plants. Apart from using your herbs fresh from the garden you can also freeze and dry your home grown herbs to ensure a year round supply of your favorites.

So now that we’ve outlined some of the main garden types that can be grown. The decisions now up to you. Just make sure you don’t get into something you can’t handle, the ultimate aim of any gardening project should be enjoyment for you, your family and your friends.