The great human activity to produce edible fruits and vegetables or growing flower or foliage for beautification of the locality is commonly termed as gardening. It is different from forestry or farming.
‘Gardening’ may sound easy but a lot of hard work and meticulous planning are required to obtain admirable and satisfactory result. Number and types of plants for a garden are never fixed and depend solely upon the purpose and planning of the owner. Herbs, shrubs or trees anything can be planted to cover an area, ranging from orchards to avenues, house yards to lawns of office, factory or residence and many more probable spaces.

Gardening can also be done on terrace, foyer, roof, window box, etc. Plants grown in vivarium or earthen pots meant for indoor or outdoor decoration are also equally popular these days due to crunch of space. Though only one type of plant is sometimes grown for a specific purpose but a manicured garden generally includes a wide array of plants grown in a properly planned manner that can produce a stunning effect and become a prized possession.

Here are a few tips for successful gardening. But remember, the practical experience differs from person to person and place to place depending upon the climate. However, the basic procedure of gardening remains same all over the world.

Tip # 1 Do gardening as a hobby and not out of compulsion. One can feel your love and passion on smelling the freshness of the air around your garden.

Tip # 2 Survey the land carefully and plan before you start planting. A proper blueprint can save both your precious time and money.

Tip # 3 You can design your own garden, else you may take help from the professionals also.

Tip # 4 Do consider various garden elements like horticultural necessities, seasonal variations and other features of landscaping like watering system, provision of electricity, regular maintenance, ready funds, etc.

Tip # 5 Not only the plants, give equal importance on hard landscape namely wall, walking trail, sitting or sunbathing areas, decking, etc.

Tip # 6 Check plant qualities considering their growth and seeding pattern, compatibility with other plants, flowering pattern (annual or perennial), class of plant (deciduous or evergreen), etc.

Tip # 7 Check the type and pH (to assert acidity or alkalinity) of the soil. Your choice of plants should depend on it.

Tip # 8 Consider placing your plants according to the availability of light and shade. Different plants need different intensity of light.

Tip # 9 Grow plants according to the height and flower color to make them visible clearly. Use shrubs and grass lines tactfully to create internal boundaries.

Tip # 10 You can use both organic and inorganic manures/composts. It would be a great idea to recycle your garden and household wastes.

Tip # 11 Your garden design will depend upon the placement. An office garden may not be same as a terrace garden of your home.

Tip # 12 Involvement of your kids can make the task of gardening a delight. Let the kids help you playfully. They can have a small but separate area of their own to do the planting. Get them kid-size tools to use but keep an eye so that they don’t get hurt.

Happy gardening..!!… Keep your stress away!!

The avid gardener and green fingered owner Simon operates the online garden center specialising in ornamental gazing globes and glass gazing globes for the garden.

Organic Gardening Information: Heeling In Your Crops

Sometimes it is hard to sift through all the organic gardening information to find out what to do with your crops when you have had a successful harvest and you do not have space to store them all in the refrigerator. Here we look at the traditional method of ‘heeling in’.

Why Heel In Your Crops?

In the late fall you may find that you have more of many vegetables than you can eat or give away. You would love to store them until spring. Some will survive the winter in the ground, but depending on your climate, you may lose others to frost damage.

Heeling in allows you to store vegetables out in your garden while protecting them from the worst of the weather. It stops them growing while simulating their growing conditions, prevents slugs from feasting on the tops and also makes space in the garden so that you can dig your beds and plant your early spring crops.

How To Heel In

Lift your vegetables and cut off the dry tops or leaves. Dig a V-shaped trench in a sheltered, weed free spot in the garden, breaking down any large clumps of soil that you dig out. You may want to choose a location close to the house where the vegetables will be easy to access. Lay the plants in the trench, close together, with the root in the bottom of the trench and the tops pointing up.

Loosely replace the soil, covering the roots and part of the stem. Press the soil down with your heel to give the vegetables a firm hold. Water them.

Finally, cover the trench with straw to prevent the ground from freezing hard. This way you can easily dig them up as and when you want them.

What To Heel In

Leeks do particularly well if heeled in. In some cases they will keep for up to 3 months this way. If left in the ground, they can be difficult to dig up and they will suffer from damage in frosty or waterlogged ground.

Celery root or celeriac can also benefit from this method. Take them when they are the right size for eating, cut off the tops and store them a trench in the same way.

Parsnips do not need to be heeled in, because they like the frost. In fact, many people believe that parsnips should never be harvested before the first frost because it gives them an added flavor. But you can heel them in if you need the space.

Heeling in also has ecological benefits. The alternative for most people is either to waste the food, or run an extra refrigerator to store it all. Our organic gardening information aims to help you enjoy the best from your garden and benefit the environment too.

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When you purchase a new house or decide to improve your old one, you should focus some of your attention on gardening, which can make your entire property usable and enjoyable. Adding soil, grading, fencing, or terracing can make even hilly land attractive and useful. New hardier bulbs and seeds and hybrids in every color, will make gardens even more beautiful. At the modern home improvement store, you can find new gardening tools which can speed the tedious process.

Large picture windows make a garden view even more important. Beautiful gardens, green grass, and flowers can add a lot to your home. The time you spend on your lawn and garden is well worth it. Many of the principles you can use to design the interior of your home, including proportion, texture, color, line, harmony, and function, can also be used to design the landscaping outside your home.

Those with yards both big and small can benefit from carefully planning the landscape. Garden books can be useful for designing your yard, because they include many example plans. However, you should modify these plans to fit how you plan to use the space. Obviously, issues of cost and space can also impact this plan. Drawing out a scale plan can help you decide exactly what you need to buy and do in order to create the perfect yard.

You probably won’t be able to do things all at once, but you should start with a plan and add things gradually. You can plan it so it never looks unfinished, but has room for later additions. Because most people cannot do everything in their plan at once, leaving room to add things later is very important.

When planning your yard, it is often useful to imagine it as three spaces. First is the public area, which can be seen from the street. Next is the service area, with the garage, driveway, and parking spaces, as well as storage space. Last is the private area, most often located behind the house. This backyard space can be utilized for many uses including games, relaxation, dining, and a garden.

Each space provides different opportunities for landscape design, and should be planned according to its use. For example, the public area should be planned to take the minimum of care. Select plants that will be attractive, but which do not require a lot of attention, so that you can focus on the private space. Design the service spaces, such as your pool and your patio ideas, to be reasonably attractive but designed around their specified purpose. The backyard design will vary based on your family’s needs, but it is usually the space which requires the most effort to keep up.

Clearly, landscaping can be never ending, but it is both gratifying and beautifying. Caring for flowers, trees, and shrubs can be very rewarding, and adds interest and a relaxing space to your home. Planning your space carefully can help you enjoy it to its fullest extent.

Many new organic gardeners are confused about or frustrated with the control of bugs and pests in their gardens. All types of plants, from roses, bushes, or trees, to fruits or vegetables, annuals or perennials, attract bugs which like to eat parts of the plant. Some bugs eat the leaves and stems, while others eat the flowers, and some eat the entire plant. However, there are actually many different natural ways to control these pests.

Although you could simply pick the bugs off your plants as you find them, this can be a very time consuming process, especially in a large garden with many plants. It is not efficient to control pests in this way alone. However, there are many other natural ways you can control bugs in your garden.

The first step you’ll need to take is to effectively control the weeds in your garden. In order to do this, you need to leave enough space between your plants to allow room for pulling up any weeds that you see. Especially in vegetable gardens, you should leave a wide space between the rows, so you can use a hoe, which makes a quick job out of weeding. For best results, be proactive and pull weeds before they become large, because it is much easier to pull them when they are small. They will come out of the dirt easier, and will not have dropped seeds for more weeds, or drawn a lot of bugs into your garden.

Not only can you control pests by removing weeds, but also through planting certain species which help to control pests. Many people do not realize that certain herbs and flowers even repel many common bugs. For example, chives can help prevent scab in apple trees. Also, black spot on roses can be controlled by chives around your rose bushes.

Another plant which can be used to repel pests, Elderberry, is quite effective against garden moles. But is never effective to be one of the indoor houseplants because of its poisonous parts. If you stick branches and leaves of this plant into the mole holes, the moles will leave your garden. A tea or wash made from Elderberry leaves can also help control aphids, carrot root fly, cucumber beetles, or peach tree borers.

Garlic is another plant with many uses in your garden. However, a word of caution when taking care of vegetable gardens: the flavor of garlic can be absorbed by other plants, so be careful when using garlic as a repellant near your vegetable garden, as it should not be used near vegetables which would taste odd with a hint of garlic flavoring.

Yet another all natural garden solution is Lemon Balm. This can be used as a repellant for many bugs and pests. Just sprinkle lemon balm leaves in your garden. Not only this, but crushed lemon balm leaves can also be rubbed directly onto your skin, preventing mosquito bites.

Gardening (believe it or not) is one of the best hobbies which can take complete care of your mind and body. It is a thoughtful amalgamation of science and art to convert a simple piece of land into a heavenly creation. Like a huge canvas, etched and sprayed with multiple colors, your garden can also be a showstopper. Scientific and technical know how for the methods of cultivation as well as an artistic and harmonious selection of plants according to the geographical specificity are the notable factors for a successful gardening.

The habit of gardening sprouted in human being’s mind since long, especially after World War II. Due to the increasing stress and busy life of the present century, people are taking refuge to this plant growing art in search of peace and tranquility.

In a garden, plants are grown away from their natural environment. Hence you have to keep their physiological needs in mind. Though basically the art of gardening is same all over the world, but it surely is the plant type along with its wide adaptability to the local environment that matters.

Be it ornamental or for kitchen supply, armed with your instinct, energy, enthusiasm and artistic genius, you can try your best to craft out and display an attractive piece of art at your doorstep. Your picturesque garden with a riot of colors and myriad hues and shades will always be treasured by you and appreciated by the spectators. Your satisfaction will know no bound while smelling a bunch of beautiful home-grown roses or a basket full of fresh vegetables. The mellowing fragrance and aroma felt from a distance will also prove your attention and sincere look after of these precious possessions.

Before creating a successful and state-of-art garden, work out on a few fine points. Such as:

1.Check the soil quality (loamy, sandy, clayey or humusy) and its pH level.
2.Determine the East, West, North and South of your gardening area to assess the light and wind intensity.
3.Find the ground-slope. It will help in water management.
4.Chalk out your plan of gardening. Include a few interesting themes, Rock-Garden, Water Garden, Shade Garden, Fountains and Water-falls, Children’s play-corner, lounging or sunbathing area, etc.
5.Select plants keeping the soil type and the kind of garden you want to create in mind. Will it be flower, vegetable, herb, or shrub?
6.Think of necessary soil modifications for growth improvement.
7.Make a color-scheme for flower garden. Do not overlook the background and the fence and put stress on easy entrance and exit points.
8.Select the spots for particular types of plants. Creepers need some extra attention.
9.Take preventive measures to resist the herbivores/rodents/birds etc., without hurting them.
10.Consider using organic manure, if possible. House wastes can make excellent composts.
11.Keep a diary and calendar handy. List, buy, and maintain your gardening tools properly.
12.DO CONSIDER the pathways which can allow you and your visitors to enjoy the garden without spoiling the plants.

Now you can start your gardening venture and the first must do is digging the soil (well burn some extra calorie)! You can rent some helping hands too. During the autumn fall, level the ground and start manuring (organic/inorganic). Keep your watering sprinklers in excellent working condition.

By spring you are ready with seeds and seedlings. Go forward confidently to create a heavenly garden at your doorstep!!

Simon owns the online garden center Water Shadow specialising in garden ornaments, statues, gazing globes and stainless steel gazing globes.

Imagine – you are sitting in your dining room around a table filled with platters of food and family members who you have not seen for exactly a year. You look around as though noticing the room for the first time: The tiles still look dingy despite the 2 hours you spent mopping it earlier; the drapes suddenly seem to be filled with black spots as though someone in the house is a chimney sweep; and the upholstered dining room chairs seem to show their age more when everyone was in the room.

It does not have to be that way. You still have time to get your Atlanta home into tip-top shape for your inquisitive and loquacious relatives and friends to gossip about. If you live in Atlanta, you should get in touch with one or more of the following companies that will help you give your home a facelift.

1) Forsyth Fabrics
1190 Foster Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: (404)-351-6050

How They Can Help: They offer the wonderful fabrics that can be used to make drapes and reupholster furniture.

2) Plantation Shutter Repair
Atlanta, GA
Phone: (770)-698-9911

How They Can Help: This team of workers will work to renovate your shutters and dress your windows.

3) Chem Dry Carpet, Drapery & Upholstery Cleaning
Atlanta, GA
Phone: (770)-834-5169

How They Can Help: They clean carpets and upholstery like nobody’s business. They, also, use only environmentally-friendly cleaning solutions and a steam-clean process that enables the carpet to dry quickly.

4) Contemporary Upholstery & Repair
6855 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Atlanta, GA 30360
Phone: (770)-455-1992

How They Can Help: Should you want to throw out the old sofa and dining room chairs and treat yourself to new ones, Contemporary Upholstery & Repair will help you even at short notice.

5) Completely Clean Homes
Atlanta, GA
Phone: (404)-246-8141/1-877-243-8681

How They Can Help: They dust, sweep, mop, and wash. They will leave your home spic ‘n’ span for your family. They will, even, go to the grocery store or dry cleaner for you.

6) Steady Hand Painting, LLC
880 Confederate Avenue, Unit 215
Atlanta, GA 30312
Phone: (404)-745-5008

How They Can Help: They paint your home inside and out. They, also, stain, pressure wash, and repair flaking glaze. They do any kinds of necessary carpentry and they guarantee all their work.

7) Designer Rug Warehouse
2027 Hills Avenue, NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: (404)-350-0881

How They Can Help: They have just the centerpiece throw rug that you need to spruce up your entrance way or living room. There are so many to choose from that your only problem will be leaving the warehouse with only one rug.

Chimney Mischief
321 Nelms Avenue, NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
Phone: (404)-377-1254

How They Can Help: They can get your unused fireplace up and running for a very cozy family gathering should the weather decide not to play fair.

9) Fence-Production Fenceworks Co. Inc.
Atlanta, GA 30319
Phone: (678)-873-3628

How They Can Help: They take care of the outside of your home which is the very first part your family will see. They do fences, driveways, and landscaping.

Now, the current economy may force you to feel like you have to do most of these tasks by yourself; but before you do, give these companies a call and see if you can negotiate with them. They understand the difficult times and I bet they are just as willing to work with you in coming up with a good price for their services. With them hard at work, you can relax and enjoy your weekends knowing that when your family comes to town your embarrassment will be caused by your drunken uncle, Jerry, and not by dirty drapes.

Zander Smith
Site Representative, Kali Network
Internet Yellow Pages

Many gardeners have difficulty deciding how often their plants should be watered. The amount of water plants need varies greatly and depends on the rate at which the plant absorbs water.

Plants which are actively growing require more water than those that are not currently growing. Those which have many roots filling the pot require more water to maintain their growth than ones which are smaller and not as well established.

The time of year also affects the water needs of plants. During the growing season, which usually lasts from April until October, most plants require more water than they use in the rest of the year. However, there are some exceptions, so be sure you understand your plant’s growing season when you’re deciding how much to water them.

You should inspect your plants daily to determine whether it is time for watering. Some plants will need watering every day, while others will only need watering every few days.

One way to tell when your plant needs watering is to feel the soil. Potted plants should be watered when the soil is moderately dry, and should be given enough water to soak through to the drainage hole. Many roots are located far down into the pot, so it is important that the water reaches all the way down to them.

It may be hard to tell when the soil is dry enough to require watering. One test is to tap the pot about halfway down with your knuckles or a wooden hammer. If this results in a light hollow sound, you should water the plant. If it results in a dull noise, the soil is wet enough. However, if the soil is not packed down, this test will not work.

When watering your plant, the water should be room temperature. You can use either rain water or tap water. It is actually quite easy to overwater your plants, so you should be extremely careful when watering them. If you do overwater, the tips of your plants may become yellow or brown. If this happens, stop watering the plant until the soil dries out, and poke the soil all over with a pointed sick to aerate it, helping the soil dry quickly. If the soil grows moss or algae due to overwatering, you need to remove this coating. If you want your plants to be safe for overwatering it is good to use an Automatic plant watering system.

Before you water your houseplants, you should set the pots in saucers or bowls to catch the drainage. Use glazed containers if you plan to set the plants on woodwork or other items which would be damaged by the moisture. You can also set smaller potted plants in hanging baskets or larger plants to catch the excess water.

Many plants need fertilizer in addition to the water. These especially include plants which are in their growing season, generally May to August. Bulb plants may require fertilizer at other times of the year, however. You can use liquid fertilizer, or tablets which are to be mixed with water. This should not be overlooked if you want your plants to thrive.

There is more to the care of indoor and outdoor plants than simply pruning, watering and tending to them. Investing in a plant encyclopedia gives you an valuable resource that will allow you to learn all you need to guarantee that you have the knowledge you need to keep many different types of plants alive, ranging from medicinal herbs, common flowers and exotic plants.

An excellent plant encyclopedia categorizes information on each type of plant it documents. One important aspect is how the plants are named. Depending on region, a plant may have a few different names. A good encyclopedia will include the most common names for each plant, so you can use that book to purchase your plants as seeds from the internet, and ensure that you are buying the correct type of plant.

In addition to that, care data should be available for every plant, as well as whether or not it is suitable for indoor or outdoor growth. Included within plant encyclopedias legends showing the grow zones of plants, the temperature ranges that they survive in, and how the plants react to changes in the temperature. Watering data, required exposure to sunlight, tolerance, scale of hardiness, as well as difficulty of growing should also be included. This is all data that is needed to protect the long life of your plants.

Resourcing a plant encyclopedia will not be enough to guarantee the longevity of your plant. Knowing how to use the data once you have it is key. Many people use these plant encyclopedias after they have received the plant. However, their proper usage is in referencing before you buy. There are plants, like rare varieties orchids, that are only suitable for those who are who are able to tolerate and tend to fickle plants prone to wilting.

More data that is useful in a plant encyclopedia is the history and breeding characteristics of the plants. As there are many hobbyists interested in the breeding of plants, as well as the possible creation of new types, having this information at your fingertips is extremely valuable. This data should include information on what types of plants can be bred against your plant, and the process of breeding.

For those interested in medicinal plants, a plant encyclopedia should include their uses, information on the safe use of the herbs, and any risks that may be associated with improper usage of the herb. If there are plants that are poisonous listed in the plant encyclopedia, data on the toxicity of the plant should be available.

Learn the many advantages of hydroponic gardening. You’ll find out just why those who are involved with the hydroponic movement love it so much!

Being a gardener doesn’t have to be boring. If you want something unusual, carnivorous plants are bound to get attention. From the common Venus Flytrap to the Cobra plant, these interesting plants serve several purposes. In areas that have high populations of pests, it lowers the amount of flies or other insects that annoy you. While the benefit is limited to the size and type of carnivorous plants that you own, these plants can provide a small amount of relief while providing entertainment to adults and children alike.

There are five unique subsets of carnivorous plants. The most known type, the same family that the Venus Flytrap contains, is the snap trap family. Snap traps depend on a mouth that closes in around its pray, where the plant will eat anything it snares.

The second type are pitfall traps. These traps require food tumbling into the plant and being unable to escape. Unique in their triggers for survival, they need to undergo evolution often, as liquid can pool in the heart of the plant as well as the bugs that the plant eats. These plants range from colorful to bland, and do not have moving parts like their snap trap cousins.

Flypaper traps are among some of the most unique carnivorous plants. These plants secrete a glue which ensnares and breaks down insects for nourishment. These carnivorous plants should be approached with caution in the residence, as the secretions can cause agitation to the skin.

Bladder traps are a fascinating subset of carnivorous plants. These plants function through the osmosis of water to create a suction within the body of the plant. Once an insect or aquatic species has been trapped within, escape is difficult. Unlike many carnivorous plants, these are more commonly found underwater than above ground. Some species of bladder traps, such as the Bladderwort, lack roots, which make them a creative addition to any collection.

Finally, the lobster pot traps are among some of the most unusual appearing carnivorous plants that you can acquire. These plants survive by giving bugs a simple way to gain entry, but little chance of departure. In the case of the corkscrew plant, the internal structure of the plant have downward pointing obstructions and a y-shaped leaf structure that stops the escape of its prey. The unusual shapes of lobster pot traps are directly related to their evolution to prevent the escape of bugs.

For those desiring in borderline species, there are several types of plants that do not meet all of the requirements of carnivorous plants, but have some characteristics. These plants include the Brocchinia Roridula and members of the Martyniaceae species. These species do not have one of the three required aspects, which is to attract, kill and digest prey, to be classed as a true carnivorous plant.

Carnivorous plants should be grown where young children and babies cannot reach them. While most of them are mostly non toxic to humans, digestion of these species should be avoided, due to the digestive enzymes that the plant uses to devour prey.

Learn the many advantages of hydroponic gardening. You’ll find out just why those who are involved with the hydroponic movement love it so much!

If you have ever purchased a plant like ivy, you will have undoubtedly noticed plant creepers that have formed from the central body of the specimen and have tried to reach from its pot or location in the garden. These plant creepers are a part of the plant’s natural reproductive phase, an ability that permits them to create new, independent plants. This ability clones the parent plant to guarantee life without the need of a male and female specimen to pollinate one another.

However, plant creepers can cause problems indoors and outdoors. Indoors, they will extend vines anywhere they detect a potential location to clone itself and produce a new plant. If you have plant creepers next to another potted specimen, they will join the nearby plant and cause overcrowding in the pot. If you possess plant creepers, you need to make sure they are trimmed occasionally, or far enough from other plants so that they cannot clone themselves quickly.

Something that will surprise first time plant owners is how quickly plant creepers establish themselves. Some types can clone within several days, effectively breeding in another pot, unknown to you until you see that your pot has a new occupant. If the new plant is left alone, you will find that the specimen may or may not retract the original plant creepers, which can become a problem if you wish to separate the plants.

Should you have products of plant creepers that you want to retain, you should transfer them to their own pot as soon as the plant has divided from the originating plant, or can be parted safely. The specimen needs to have begun setting its own root system before it is okay to transfer. In several cases, only the core is required. Plant creepers that can also duplicate through the planting of leaves are particularly hard to get rid of once they have spread, as they have several methods of forming new plants.

An excellent way to stop a hard to remove plant infestation from your pots is to control the plant creepers as they are growing. Pruning will not cause any harm to your specimen. In quite a few situations, the cutting will actually improve the growth of your specimen, as it will automatically try to regrow what has been cut away.

Many plants with plant creepers are non dangerous. However, several species, such as poison ivy, can quickly take over a yard. These species of organisms should be killed, including the root systems you can find, as the plant will be able to regrow.

Learn the many advantages of hydroponic gardening. You’ll find out just why those who are involved with the hydroponic movement love it so much!