GARDEN

Landscape Gardeners

2008-09-03T23:33:00.000-07:00

Landscaper :

A person that alters the appearance of a landscape by means of moving soil or rock from one position to another. This can include completely removing matter from the area or bringing new material to the site.

A landscaper usually works in an area not exceeding 5000 square metres. Anything greater than this size would usually include the need for heavy plant and be termed as groundwork, with some projects requiring groundworks and landscaping.

Landscapers often work to a plan or spec produced by a third party.

Landscape gardener = The contractor here needs to be jack of all trades (but hopefully NOT master of none!) An individual who has the qualities of the garden designer, landscaper and for realising the full potential, that important one, the gardener.

You can find some good landscape gardners to handle your Garden Landscaping in your area.

Harlequin landscapes are specialist Landscape Gardener based in London specialising in Roof Gardens and Contemporary Gardens.

They have been designing and creating beautiful landscapes for a number of years. They have specialist garden designers in and around London. Have completed projects including roof gardens in London and other contemporary gardens in and around London. If you would like a drawing or sketch/ quote for roof gardens in London or contemporary gardens in around London then there are landscape gardeners available for you.

The company has an excellent reputation for landscape gardens.
The landscape designs created are simple, elegant and most importantly functional and this approach is further enhanced by the highly skilled craftsmanship of David Barnes.

Harlequin Landscapes aims to deliver a quality service to enhance your outdoor space and complement your home, because as a company HL is one of the highly rated garden designers in London.

The company undertakes a project from initial client meeting and survey through design development and construction to the planting design and soft landscaping. The result is a bespoke project for every client.

Liaising with a client and involving them as much as desired enables Harlequin Landscapes to create unique designs, developed to suit an individual's exterior space, their surrounding property and most importantly their lifestyle.

Harlequin Landscape materials

Every landscaping project is undertaken with passion and the overall emphasis of any Harlequin Landscape's development is placed on attention to detail. All materials and work undertaken are guaranteed for a 12-month period and testimonials are available on request, so if you need an Landscape Gardener in London, then check this out: Landscape links

Landscapers really are expected to provide an extensive service. When you think about it, they often cover garden consultation, design, the construction and aftercare gardening maintenance. Sure, you get companies specializing in one particular element but when it comes down to it, landscape gardeners do it all. With this in mind, choosing the right business to carry out your garden project is paramount. Go with who you are most comfortable with and this choice will not necessarily be the cheapest option, however it will almost certainly bring the best results!

landscape gardeners in Kent

Introducing landscape gardeners in Kent who enjoy building high quality gardens, provide standard and custom spec fencing, supply and fit entrance gates, cover tree surgery works, planting services, deck building and the construction of garden walls.

Rob McGee & Son offer bespoke landscape garden design and construction solutions throughout the South East of England, with original ideas for new contemporary gardens and the increasingly popular request for garden makeovers. Ideal for those with a busy lifestyle seeking a green oasis, an outdoor space to relax in.

If you require a quotation for a job that relates to the type of work undertaken by experienced garden designers, garden landscaping contractors, fencing contractors or tree maintenance services staff, then please read detailed information on the wide range of landscape gardening services available from this Company of Southeast landscapers providing hard and soft landscaping works for small, medium and large gardens in the Counties of Kent, London, Essex, Surrey and East Sussex, as the majority of enquiries can be accommodated.

Water features, border and lawn irrigation systems plus garden lighting units are supplied and installed by this group of landscape gardeners. Find out about practical garden planting ideas, suggestions for hardy evergreen shrubs suitable to grow successfully in most UK gardens. For patios and natural garden paving, information on the sandstone option. Browse links to industry related resources including landscape gardening directories and Companies. See:

www.gardeners.co.uk
www.gardenforum.co.uk
www.thelandscapegardeners.co.uk
www.mylandscapes.co.uk
www.garden-links.co.uk
http://www.thegardeningwebsite.co.uk/

Customer satisfaction plays a key role in the long term success of any home and garden business, with this element acknowledged by garden landscapes company Rob McGee & Son.
Garden quotes: From planning initial concepts to finishing the actual works, start your garden landscaping, fencing or tree project by calling 01233 740 389 for service.

Rob McGee & Son, Corner Cottage, Challock, Ashford, Kent, TN25 4BS, England, UK

September Garden Tips

2008-09-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

September Garden Tips:

*Plant peonies now, but make sure the crowns are buried only one and a half to two inches below ground level. Planting them deeper than two inches may keep them from blooming.

*Root cuttings from annual bedding plants such as begonias, coleus, geraniums and impatiens. These plants can be overwintered in a sunny window and provide plants for next year's garden.

*Before the first frost dig up caladiums. Allow them to dry and store them in a dry place for the winter.

*Perennial phlox can be divided about every third or fourth year. Divide big clumps of perennial phlox into thirds. Early fall or early spring are the best times to plant or transplant them.

*Divide lily-of-the-valley.

*Select accent plants for your landscape that will provide autumn colors. Trees that have red fall color are flowering dogwood, red maple, sugar maple, Norway maple, red oak and scarlet oak. Shrubs with red fall foliage include sumac, viburnum, winged euonymus and barberry."

September Gardening Q&A, Questions and Answers page. Hints and Tips, Advice, Help.

2008-09-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

GARDEN Q&A FOR September.

SEPTEMBER GARDENING QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Autumn fruitfullness

Question.

Dear Sir or Madam: I would be most grateful if you could help me with an extremely bothersome problem. We have some wisteria plants growing on trellises around our cottage (planted some dozen years ago). It is a summer cottage with no basement. The wisteria blooms and grows moderately well, but the problem is, that because we have no basement, they send out dozens and dozens of runners under the house which not only grow up between the slats on the deck, but actually poke up in weak spots INSIDE THE HOUSE.

They come right up between the baseboard and wallboard. Wherever there is a weakness in this old cottage, they come bursting through, and grow at an alarming rate. Of course we cut them off as soon as they appear, but that doesn't stop them. We can't easily get under the cottage to cut them, although I'm sure even if we could, they would just continuing growing, probably more rapidly than before.

Is there anything that we can do to stop this before our cottage is completely taken over? Could one spray something under the cottage? Any suggestions would be most gratefully received.

Answer.

You can spray with a product usually branded as a brushwood killer. Your local landscape operator can spray with Paraquat, which will kill all the shoots. Paraquat is available only to licensed operators. You can spray with Roundup, which will be absorbed by the shoots and will kill roots underground. The only snag with this is that you could kill all of the plants if you overdose.

Q. We have some winter pansies in pots in the garden, they have only been planted a few weeks, but some of them have gone droopy. I don't know whether we are giving them too much water or not enough. The confusing thing is, that in some of the pots, there is a healthy plant that is stood tall and a very sad looking on that has collapsed. What can I do to bring them back to life?

A. Your pansies are suffering from greenfly or grey aphids, both of which suck the moisture out of the plant. Spray with a suitable product. Diluted washing up liquid will wash them off the plants.

Q. We have two apricot trees to plant: a moongold and a sungold. How close should they be planted to cross-pollinate? Thank you for any help you can give.

A. Plant your apricot trees about two tree widths apart. Apricot trees will grow nearly as wide as high; consult the label for predicted height and width.

Q. Hello, I am planning a garden design in which the backbone of the beds will be 4 yews (Taxus X Hicksii). I'm wondering when the best time to plant these would be. Can I put them in the ground now? Should I wait until mid-fall, or next spring?

A. Beginning of October would be best, and then the sun is less strong and less likely to dry out the evergreen leaves, which will be short of moisture until the roots have established themselves. Water on a regular basis next spring and summer until the trees are really established. If the plants have been container grown and are now growing in large containers with a firm root formation, you can plant in spring. Again the plants will need regular watering.

Q. I planted a miniature apple tree 3/4 years ago said to be self-pollinating? So far I have not even had any blossom on it nor fruit though the tree appears healthy advise please dose it need pruning as it has lots of foliage thanks

A. Your tree is probably being attacked by the caterpillar of the apple brown Tortix moth which spins a web round the flower bud and then consumes the bud as it is about to flower. Keeping the area around the tree clear of vegetation will help natural predators find the caterpillar before damage occurs, but if you have other trees around in yours and other peoples gardens, you are fighting a losing battle.

Q. Hi,Since I have little gardening experience and am learning as I go, I have 3 questions that I need answers too.

1. Would you tell me when the best time to transplant a butterfly bush would be? I have one that is located by the front entrance to my house and has grown outward instead of upward. It takes away from the appearance of my house and garden in front, yet I love it and want to transplant it on the side of my house.

2. I also have a HUGE mum that is just starting to bloom. I would like to split & divide it since it is so big. When should this be done?

3. I have the same question for a day lily. It has gotten too overgrown for its current location and I would like to split & divide it. Is there a website that would be helpful to me to gain more insight to my questions as they come up? I would appreciate any help you can give.

A. Transplant your butterfly bush once leaf drop is completed. Trim the bush down to about one third of its present size. Try to save as many roots as possible. Cow manure, horse manure, or similar, in the bottom of the planting hole will be of benefit.

Your chrysanthemum is best divided in the spring just as new shoots appear.

Day lily, wait until the first frost has initiated winter dormancy, then divide and replant.

There are hundreds of thousands of web sites giving gardening advice, best to find one giving monthly tips.

Q. I planted football mums in the spring and they are gigantic. I am wondering just how tall they usually get since I will have to replant them - they are way too tall for where I have them now.

A. There are many different varieties of football mums, each with its own height and characteristics, so I cannot quote a maximum height for your plants. Your best action is to refer to the plant label or growers catalogue.

Q. When is the best time to cut back the dead leaves of irises and lily's?

A. Wait until after the first frost, when winter dormancy sets in and the bulb has gained the maximum amount of feed from the leaves.

Q. What is a good slow release organic fertilizer to apply during the fall? And are there good sources on the Internet to purchase these types of fertilizers?

A. Your best organic fertiliser for your job is cow manure or horse manure, spread around amongst your plants.There are several sites on the internet selling organic fertiliser and other organic products, both though agents and direct to your door. Just search for organic fertiliser.

Q. Hi I live in Southern California and have recently moved into a new house. We have started to landscape the garden and have planted many local plants. Two of the plants that we have put in are a lemon tree and a Thompson grape vine, but I have a problem with them both.

Firstly the grape vine. It has grown really quickly and looks very healthy, but unfortunately it hasn't produced one flower or a single grape. I am wondering if it needs some sort of fertilizer and if so what will it require, failing that, do you have any ideas why it isn't flowering?

Secondly is my lemon tree. Earlier in the year it was covered in blossom and we were really hopeful that we would get some fruit, as the trees around us seem to grow like weeds. Unfortunately the entire blossom fell off and it was detaching itself at the point where it attaches to the branch. Is this tree in need of feeding too? If so, what type of food does it require? I am really hopeful that you can help me with my problems.

A. Your grape vine sounds as if it has received too much nitrogen, always feed with a high potash, low nitrogen, fertiliser. Cut the growing spurs back to about five buds in the early spring. There are Mycorrhizal funguses for grapes, which are planted into the soil around the grape and establishes the correct chemical conditions for grape growing.

Lemon trees are notorious for dropping their fruit at blossom time. If the tree dislikes the conditions at the time, fruit drop occurs. Again feed with a high potash fertiliser. Also feed with a generous amount of Epsom salts, this releases trace elements in the soil, which are vital to the plants good health.

Q. Besides tulip bulbs, what perennials are best to plant now before the first frost?

A. Do you mean bulbs or herbaceous perennials? Most perennial plants are best planted at this time of year, traditionally plants grown in the field and dug up for planting needed the cool of winter to give time to establish new roots. Now that most perennial plants are grown totally in their containers, you can plant in the spring, so avoiding any winter losses.

Q. Hi, When is the best time to plant a cedar hedge? Can it be planted at this time of year? Your answer is appreciated.

A. Now is the perfect time to plant a cedar hedge. You will need to water on a regular basis until the plants have rooted into the surrounding soil. Cedars being evergreen are constantly losing water through the leaves. It would be wise to erect some form of windbreak to keep the worst of the winter winds away from your hedge during this first winter.

Q. Dear Sir, I live in Illinois and have two questions:

1.I inherited a red Japanese maple with this house (we've lived here for 7 years). This beautiful tree has done fine so far except this summer. All the leaves, but on two branches, are curling up, turning brown and falling off. The leaves on the intact branches are not as vibrant as in previous years. Could you tell me what's wrong and can it be fixed? The tree is about 5' tall.

2. I have a two-year-old fig tree. Last winter I took it indoors and the tree did fine. This summer I've planted it in a sheltered spot close to the house and the air conditioner/heater. The tree has flourished and has quite a lot of fruit on it. But, not one fig has ripened as yet. Is that unusual? Also, is there a way to leave the tree in the ground this winter? Thank you; your help is much appreciated.

A. Your maple leaves are most likely being attacked by a small moth caterpillar that weaves a silk web and pulls the leaf around itself for protection. The leaves will soon be falling, so little you can do this year, but be on the lookout next year and use a suitable spray. These caterpillars can kill the tree.

Fig trees need full sun to ripen the fruit; sometimes it is necessary to remove leaves that are shading the fruit. The fig tree also likes a well-drained soil. As to hardiness, this depends on the variety, some being hardier than others, see your plant label.

Q. I live in northeast Colorado and have a quick question. I have grown a small, 2 plants, pumpkin patch and a few days ago, my wonderful garden helpers, my 3-year-old twins, managed to pull off a mature orange pumpkin from its vine. How might I preserve it for the next 40 days so I may use it at Halloween time so that it doesn't get rotten or mushy? At this point, I put it in a dark room in the basement, covered.

A. Your pumpkin needs to be stored in a dry well-ventilated area. Do not cover or mould will form and the pumpkin will rot.

Q. Hi there, I have made a new garden in my backyard and would like to transfer my perennial from the front yard to the back. I would like to know when is a good time of year to do this? And should I be pruning any of my shrubs? The shrubs interested in moving are: Heather; Azaleas; Ice Dance Carex; Skimmia; Escallonia.

A. October is the perfect time to move your shrubs and perennials. Heathers; trim now if summer type, trim in spring if winter flowering. Azaleas; trim after flowering in late spring, if you trim now you will cut off the flower buds. Carex; pull any rotting stems off. Skimmia; as azaleas. Escallonia; just give a light trimming.

Q. Could you please advise on how I should prune my flowering cherry tree so as to make it bush outwards and not get any taller.

A. You can cut out the centre growing point of your tree. This will encourage the tree to bush out, but the side branches will then start to grow skywards until the tree reaches its natural height for that particular variety.

Q. I have two Echium pininana, they have reached the height of about 5 feet but have not flowered, and they look healthy with good leaves and a thick stem. I live in mid Kent. How do I over winter them? Should I wrap the whole plant in fleece or cut them down and protect the roots with straw etc Hope you can help.

A. Echium pininana are reckoned to be the most hardy of the Canary Echium and the new hybrids are becoming widely grown in the southern part of England. If you suffer cold winds in your area, wrapping with fleece would be appropriate in cold periods. But remove in warm periods or mould will set in and rot the plant.

Q. Hello, I hope you can help me. Magpies are destroying my lawn. They pick at the lawn, pulling up clumps of grass seemingly to get to the soil. I've tried covering the affected areas with plastic sheeting but they then started picking at the lawn bordering the sheet. They really are destroying it, similar to the divots left by a golfer! Why are they doing this and how do I stop them so that I can get my lawn back? Any advice would be gratefully accepted.

A. Your magpies are almost certainly digging out cutworms, a large moth caterpillar which eats the roots of the grass. Cutworms are also called armyworms because the parent moths appear in a large army and lay thousands of eggs overnight in one small area.The caterpillars will in time turn in to moth's overnight and leave the area in a large army, but when they go, is up to atmospheric conditions. There are sprays available but they will not be very effective this late on in the year. Spray in the spring.

Summer Gardening, August. Help. Advice. tips, hints, answers, a seasonal guide to summer gardening

2008-08-08T07:08:00.001-07:00

August: The last days of Summer, guide.

Now is the time to pinch out the centre shoot of your tomato plants, in order to concentrate the plants growing energy on filling out the existing tomatoes, rather than producing more growth and more flowers.

Bedding plants should be covered in flowers at the moment and to maintain this show they must be fed with a liquid feed. Read the directions as to application because overfeeding can encourage too much leaf growth, rather than flowers. Hanging baskets and tubs need a weekly feed, the feed in the compost will now be exhausted and being confined to a container the plant is unable too send out roots to gather nutrients from the surrounding area.

Always remove the dead flowers on your bedding plants and other decorative plants, if they are left to go to seed the plants will stop flower production before the summer is over.

Daffodils and other spring bulbs are best planted this month, give the ground a good deep digging and try to mix some form of food into the soil, farm yard manure is best but failing that a good general fertiliser will give you flowers to be proud of in the spring.

Winter flowering pansies can be sown in the greenhouse, but be warned, do not keep the young plants inside any longer than is absolutely necessary or they will develop long lush growth in the summer heat. The winter pansy plants that you buy from the garden centre are treated with special dwarfing compounds to restrict early growth.

Finally, to give a bumper crop, it is essential that you give your runner beans plenty of water at this time of year.

AUGUST GARDENING ANSWERS

Question.

I was wondering if you might have some advice on how I should prepare my soil for planting a lawn. I live in an area with fairly hard clay and many of my neighbors have planted grass after bringing in some good topsoil. The problem is that the roots grow down about 2 inches through the imported topsoil and then fan out horizontally on top of the clay Obviously the lawn burns up every summer no matter how much they water it. I have received advice that I should mix something in with my clay, but the question is what? People have suggested sand, a sand-top soil mixture, saw dust, and sawdust with manure (from a feed lot). Do you have any suggestion as to which one would be better if any? I have busted the clay up down about 4-6 inches. If I put something on top of it now I'm sure it will just pack down again. Do I mix something into the clay and then put additional topsoil on top? Thanks Jeremy.

Answer.

Mix very coarse sand into the clay, you can get a deep red coarse sand that is almost gravel. Try your building depot. You are then best to apply a heavy dosage of garden lime (calcium carbonate) and dig in well. By chemical action, the lime will coagulate the clay and allow the grass roots to penetrate. Farmyard manure, or horse manure, or chicken manure, well dug in, would also help.

Q. I have some tomatoes and they are growing good, I wont to know if I can keep them for more then one year through the winter and if so the cheapest way, or for free.

A. I am sorry but tomatoes are for one year only.

Q. I have three large blue delphinium plants that have flowered for years. The past three summers they get 5 feet tall, start to bloom and then turn brown and die. They then start to grow again from the bottom. They never fully bloom. Any reasons known why this would happen? Also my raspberry plants are two years old. They gave me a few raspberries last summer and none this year, just lots of beautiful green leaves. Is my soil too rich? My cousin gave me 3 year old rotted cow manure that has turned into black dirt and this is what I planted them in. Thank You Colleen

A. This sounds as if your soil is too acid. Add a generous amount of garden lime to correct this.

Q. My lime conifer has gone all yellowy and dry does this mean it is dead

A. This sounds like the conifer is dead, conifers do this when stressed, i.e. lack of water, windburn, cats and dogs urinating on them, etc.

Q. Hi there,I am new in gardening. What ever I lack in experience I make up for with enthusiasm!!! 1) I am getting incredible number of ants either on or next to my plants, e.g., potato vine, honey suckle, etc. Are ants bad for my plants? If yes, how do I get rid of them? 2) I have a container and planted (end of May this year) broccoli, Brussels sprouts, basil, and melon. The only thing I have been able to get out it has been basil (what a great feeling to mix them with tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and olive oil). The other 3 have just been giving me very long stems and no vegetable/fruit. When would the broccoli come out and from which end? How about melon? Or Brussels sprouts? I really appreciate your help. Guilty

A. Ants are not usually a problem to plants, if you don't like them around there are various products on the market, some organic, designed to make them go away. But do not attempt to kill them. Brussels sprouts and broccoli are open ground plants not for containers. Melons can be grown in containers, but must be grown alone to give them space to develop. The melon fruit is just behind the flower on the same stem. Brussels sprouts grow all the way up the stem. Broccoli comes from the centre of the plant.

Q. Several years ago, my neighbor planted a peach tree and a magnolia tree within a foot or 2 of my home on his property. Will the roots cause damage to my foundation? Thank-you.

A. You could well suffer damage to your foundations; the peach tree with its spreading roots is more likely to cause damage than the magnolia. If you do have damage and a dispute arises, it is now possible to identify which tree the roots belong too by DNA testing.

Q. I have a beautiful pink jasmine in a pot. Is it possible to bring it in for the winter? I live In SW Pennsylvania, which I believe is zone 6. Thanks for your help in advance. Pat

A. You can bring your jasmine in for the winter, the plant must be placed in a position to give plenty of light, water sparingly or rot may set in.

Q. Hi, one of my Rhodos is beginning to bloom, I'm in Kelowna B C, can I do anything to stop it or should I just let it bloom? Thank you Tom

A. This could be water table level in the subsoil or some form of plant virus attack. It is best to leave until next year, and then if the same happens it could be a virus, then remove the plant.

Q. Every year I plant geraniums in two large pots in front of my home. At first the flowers kept getting smaller with each new bloom. I was advised to fertilize twice a week with tomato fertilizer. This solved the problem of small blooms, but now the problem is that before the blooms have completely developed to their full bloom the centre of the bloom starts to die so that when the large bloom is completely out it has dead parts in the centre of the bloom. Can you help? I live in Mi and the pots have full sun.

A. This could be botrytis mould, damage is caused by damp in the flower cluster. It could be that you are contributing to the problem by watering the plants from above rather than below, and then the warmth causes the botrytis in the damp buds to multiply.

Q. Hello,I used lava rocks for my landscaping about a year ago and they are now turning black and green with what looks like mould or moss. Is there anything I can do to them or do I just have to replace them. I spent a lot of money and hate to replace them but have to do something. Please help!! Mike

A. Unfortunately as atmospheric pollution is brought under control mosses and lichens have benefited. There are moss killers available at local garden outlets, which you spray on the moss. Read the instructions.

Q. I have an Italian grafted yellow plum tree that every 5 years or so has so many plums I have to prop up the branches. This year there are 3 on the whole tree and for the last 2yrs. Can you tell me what is going on and how to correct the problem please? Shirley, Washington State

A. Your plums are most likely being attacked by the plum curculio moth larvae, or the codling moth larvae. Levels of infestation vary from year to year hence your report of big crops and no crop. Commercial growers use many sophisticated controls, not always with success in years of heavy infestation. The cost of sprays and other controls would be prohibitive for one tree and infestation can still come in from other people's trees over which you have no control. Best to enjoy the good years.

Q. Hi! I've just found your forum, and find it very informing. There isn't much information out there on Privet Hedge, and my entire property is surrounded with it, with the exception of the back property line. My hedge is very thick in spots, and I am hoping to transplant some of it to the back of the property. When is the best time to do this? I'd like to do it this fall, if possible. Could you give me some instruction on transplanting?

A. Fall time is perfect to transplant your privet. First trim down the plants to make a neat shape that will not rock about in the winter winds. When digging out the plants try not to damage the fine roots too much, these are important to the health of the privet. Dig a good trench and try to obtain some cattle or horse manure or similar to put in the bottom of the trench before planting. Privet is a heavy feeder. Water well the first year. If you are in a windy area it may be worth putting up a windbreak fence to stop windburn until the plant is established. Go to our dedicated Hedge page for more information.

Q. I have some baby crape myrtles sprouting up. I have narrowed them down to one tree I think, it's kind of hard to tell. How long will it take to grow to a mature tree and do you have any advice on how to care for it. Thank You, Regina

A. Your Crape Myrtle could be one of many varieties. Some varieties grow to 5 ft in height some grow in excess of 30 ft, so I cannot advise you on how long they will take to mature. Powdery mildew on the leaves has become a big problem. You can spray with a suitable anti mildew spray. Best time to prune is late winter. Feed with a high nitrogen fertiliser spring and fall.

Q. Last year I planted Trumpet vines. The vine looks great but no trumpets. They're in a sunny location and I put down mulch. What should I do so I have flowers next year? Thanks, Beatrice, Central New Jersey

A. Trumpet vines often take a while to settle in. Feed with a low nitrogen fertiliser, too much nitrogen encourages leaf growth instead of flowers.

Q. I'm having a problem with black leaves on my black-eyed Susans. The leaves are turning completely black and have lumps on them. They eventually curl. It showed up last year and my local nursery told me it was an insect problem and to spray for insects. It has reappeared this year (much worse) and this time I was told it was a fungus. I've sprayed for fungus and it is getting worse. It's not affecting any surrounding plants - only the Susan's. They have bloomed but not well. Any ideas?

A. You are probably suffering some form of leaf miner attack, a grub that burrows inside the leaf's outer layers. Try squeezing the lumps and see what comes out. If they are there, you can obtain sprays too deal with them.

Q. Corkscrew hazel, Could you please help me?I have one of the above in my garden and I am concerned about the leaves, they always look scrunched up and not very happy. It is getting water etc. It has had a number of caterpillars but I have sprayed them, but the leaves were curled up before they arrived, have you got any advice?

A. The leaves of corkscrew hazel always look tatty. Some very small moth caterpillars like to wrap themselves up in hazel leaves and are hard to spot until the leaf is damaged. Corkscrew hazel like poor conditions so do not overfeed.

Q. We have some winter pansies in pots in the garden, they have only been planted a few weeks, but some of them have gone droopy. I don't know whether we are giving them too much water or not enough. The confusing thing is, that in some of the pots, there is a healthy plant that is stood tall and a very sad looking on that has collapsed. What can I do to bring them back to life? Regards Anne

A. Your pansies are suffering from greenfly or grey aphids, both of which suck the moisture out of the plant. Spray with a suitable product. Diluted washing up liquid will wash them off the plants.

Q. We have two cherry blossom trees in our back yard, which are approx four years old. We would like to transplant them this fall. They have never being pruned and we are wondering when and how to prune them i.e. before or after we transplant them. When we do decide to move them what is the easiest way to get them out of the ground. Waiting for your appreciated reply Janet

A. Prune before moving. Fall is the perfect time to move your trees. Cherry trees are grafted on to a wild rootstock and you have to be careful not to break this graft, so do not use the tree trunk as a lever when digging out the tree.

Always retain as much root as is physically possible when moving your tree. The more roots the tree has, the more able it is to adapt to its new home.

VALECROFT NURSERIES

Summer Gardening, June, July, August. Help. Advice. tips, hints, answers, a seasonal guide to summer gardening

2008-08-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

August is still holiday month for many people and while you are away your plants may need some attention, if you have a neighbour or friend who can give your plants some water in hot weather all the better. Failing this, wood chippings or peat spread around the plant roots, then soaked with water will help prevent too much moisture evaporating during a hot summer day.

If you have plants in the greenhouse, they must have regular attention. Tomatoes especially must be watered on a regular basis, in fact irregular watering will cause the fruit to split.

Now is the time to pinch out the centre shoot of your tomato plants, in order to concentrate the plants growing energy on filling out the existing tomatoes, rather than producing more growth and more flowers.

Bedding plants should be covered in flowers at the moment and to maintain this show they must be fed with a liquid feed. Read the directions as to application because overfeeding can encourage too much leaf growth, rather than flowers. Hanging baskets and tubs need a weekly feed, the feed in the compost will now be exhausted and being confined to a container the plant is unable too send out roots to gather nutrients from the surrounding area.

Always remove the dead flowers on your bedding plants and other decorative plants, if they are left to go to seed the plants will stop flower production before the summer is over.

Daffodils and other spring bulbs are best planted this month, give the ground a good deep digging and try to mix some form of food into the soil, farm yard manure is best but failing that a good general fertiliser will give you flowers to be proud of in the spring.

Winter flowering pansies can be sown in the greenhouse, but be warned, do not keep the young plants inside any longer than is absolutely necessary or they will develop long lush growth in the summer heat. The winter pansy plants that you buy from the garden centre are treated with special dwarfing compounds to restrict early growth.

Finally, to give a bumper crop, it is essential that you give your runner beans plenty of water at this time of year.

Summer Gardening, . Help. Advice. tips, hints, answers, a seasonal guide to summer gardening

2008-08-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

July:

At this time of year lawns take heavy punishment, and a little time spent on maintenance will pay big dividends. If there is any moss in the lawn this can be removed with a lawn rake also pull out any perennial weeds. Then apply any of the proprietary brands of lawn fertiliser; carefully follow the directions on the box with regard to application. This will then give you a lawn to be proud of right into the autumn.

Rock plants (Alpines) and herbaceous perennials can be grown from seed at this time of year, most types are relativly easy to grow and seeds are cheap. You can also root cuttings, taken from established plants, but this is perhaps best left to the more experienced.

Soft fruit is much in vogue at this time of the year; unfortunately the birds seem to think that the fruit is there for their consumption. A readily available bird-scarer, which can be hung in surrounding trees, are the CD disks which daily pop through our letter box. These reflect the light and flash in the breeze. I even use one as a shaving mirror.

Early July is the time to plant out your late cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprout plants. Prepare the ground well, remember that vegetable plants are gross feeders, so mix plenty of feed into the soil. Also remember to dust the stems with an anti cabbage root fly preparation soon after planting. Cabbage root fly lay their eggs in the stem, then the hatching maggots eat their way down to the roots and by eating the roots destroy the plant.

There are several brands of cabbage root fly killers on the market for gardeners, widely available at garden centres and other such retail outlets. See application help guide on the box.
Roses, remove all flowers that are finished, if you allow them to produce seed pods the plant will not be able to produce more flowers, instead using all its energy to produce seeds. Also remove any flower buds that are failing to open and rotting, these buds can harbour disease.

In the greenhouse, temperatures can reach great heights at this time of the year, so shading must be introduced. There are many types of shading materials available at retail outlets, and are easy to fit. You can also buy automatic devices to open the the glasshouse windows, thermostatically controlled fans are also available. These devices are of great value where the owner is away at work in the middle of the day.

JULY GARDENING QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Question.

I have recently moved to Oklahoma and bought a home with beautiful flowerbeds. One in particular has many different types of flowering plants, but also has a lot of grass and weeds.I have had 2 back surgeries making it hard to weed by hand. Is there any product out there that will kill the grass and weeds but not the flowering plants (roses, mums, lilies, marigolds etc.)? If not, want would be the easiest way to get the flowerbed cleaned up without harming the plants?

Answer.

You can make up a weak mixture of Glyphosate systemic weed killer and paint it on to the weeds with a paintbrush, still hard work I'm afraid. Glyphosate and certain other systemic weed killers are available in small hand sprays, if there is room too spray. Cover any chosen plants before spraying. Your best bet is to wait until fall, then get a landscaping man to dig up everything, destroy all the weeds and then replant your chosen plants.

Q. Potted maple.... ends of leaves drying out. Am I using the wrong fertilizer... What is a slow release Fungi for Maples?Barbara

A. This could be wind damage, greenfly damage, or mineral deficiency, feed with a fertiliser with added minerals and trace elements. Slow release fungi for maples. Many trees have a symbiotic relationship with certain fungi; truffles are a prime example, growing amongst tree roots. This will be what you are referring to.

Q. Drying Hydrangeas.How is this done? Thanks, Spec

A. To dry naturally, let the flowers dry on the plant until the end of summer. Cut the blooms, with as much stem length as desired, just before the first frost time. Remove leaves and place the stems in a vase or bucket without water. Keep in a dry place, damp can encourage mould. At one time it was believed that it was necessary to hang bunches of flowers upside down, but this idea is now defunct. You can dry the flowers in silica gel. More expensive and time-consuming, but gives perfect flowers. Obtainable at craft shops etc., instructions on the box.

Q. I planted an Annabelle hydrangea two years ago and it has never produced any flowers. The plant gets large and looks healthy, but does not bloom. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can do to make this plant bloom?

A. Feed with iron in tablet or liquid form, whatever is available in your area, there are fertilisers for hydrangea containing iron. Hydrangeas need iron too produce the flower. Also feed with Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) this will release trace elements in the soil needed by the plant.

Q. When is the best time to transplant Liatris? I live in south central Kansas.

A. Wait until the plant has died down for winter, and then move any time that the soil is frost-free.

Q. I have some lythrium (loosestrife?) plants, which I love. They have a problem with an insect that makes tiny wholes in the leaves (every year) and I have put out bait, dust, sprayed etc. I am lucky if I get a few blooms that aren't eaten. Thank you, Jo Ann

A. This is most likely flea beetle a shiny insect ranging from very dark green to orange in colour and fast moving. There are treatments available at garden outlets.

Q. I am a new gardener how do you get rid of weeds from your flowerbed. I pull them and they always come back within a week, HELP PLEASE!!

A. You need a systemic weed killer; widely available, systemic weed killers are absorbed by the plant and kill the roots. Be careful not to spray your chosen plants, read the instructions on the box.

Q. I have a yellow jasmine vine that is not blooming. Is it because it may not be getting enough sun?

A. Yellow jasmine likes the early morning sun and should be planted on a South- Easterly aspect.

Q. We have just started building an area of garden that is going to belong to our 2year 4month little boy. The only thing is we have found a tree named after Peter Pan the Disney character, and we were wondering if there are any more trees, flowers etc named after any more Walt Disney characters. Please could you possibly help as this would make my son very happy knowing as he grows older he will have a garden that he knows every name of every tree, flower etc in his little area. Please, please help, Chris

A. I am afraid that I cannot recall any plants named after Disney characters. In the case of the tree you mention the name Peter Pan is linked to the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital charity and has nothing to do with Walt Disney.

Q. We purchased a home two years ago. It has an evergreen magnolia in the front yard that is about three years old. The tree faces north, but with lots of sun. It has not bloomed at all for us, but continues to produce more leaves, while other leaves turn copper and drop off. Is there something we can do to encourage blooms? Thank you, Sandra

A. It is recommended that evergreen magnolia be always planted against a wall to give some winter protection for the flower buds, which can be damaged by frost.

Q. I live in Pennsylvania and I planted two hydrangeas about 6 weeks ago. At that time we had a lot of rain and the plants were doing well. We just came back from being away for 10 days when it was hot, and now the plants look like they are going to die.I moved them to an area that is not directly in the sun. However, I do not know what else to do. The bottom portion of the stems is dying if not already dead, and the leaves and flowers are now dying off. I originally tried using miracle grow and then was told that the plants do not flower well if you use it.I do not know what else to do to try and save these gorgeous plants. They are well watered but will not come back to life. Please help. Jeanine.

A. Hydrangeas need to grow fine roots near to the surface, to encourage these roots you must cover the area around the plants with a mulch of garden compost, wood chipping's, lawn cuttings or anything similar. The idea to keep the roots damp.Cut off the dead flowers and mix them in with the mulch, there are vital chemicals in the flower heads that the plant needs for flower production.Feed the plant with a fertiliser containing iron, hydrangea needs iron. You can also buy an iron additive especially for hydrangea. If they manage to survive the plants should shoot out new shoots in the leaf joints.

Q. Is it safe to use mothballs in my vegetable garden to prevent rabbits from eating my plants? I was told to do this in my flowerbeds as well. Anne Marie

A. If your plants are well established mothballs should do little harm. There are many branded products on the market to deter rabbits if the mothballs don't work.

Q. I have a question. In the morning I find round piles of a brownish substance, which is dry and powdery about 3 inches in diameter and piles of a yellow substance, which is wet and gooey about 2 inches in diameter. Could you please tell me what these are and how to get rid
of what is putting them there?

A. This sounds like the toadstools of certain fungi, which live on rotting wood deep in the soil. This often happens where the houses are of fairly recent build and tree roots have been buried by the builder or landscaping man. Not really a problem, just the time of year.

Q. I'm trying to grow roses and flowering plants (namely Jacob's Ladder and bleeding hearts) for the first time. They were all doing really well until just recently. I am finding yellow leaves underneath on the Jacob's ladder and the ferns on the bleeding heart plants are starting to turn. Today I found yellow leaves on one rose plant. What does the yellow leaves indicate? I water the plants once a day unless it rains. I've given the appropriate food and planting locations.Thank you for your help.

A. You could be over watering, if you water too much the plant does not grow any new roots into the surrounding area and the plants are totally dependant on you instead of becoming self sufficient. Apply a feed of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) good for the green in the leaves.

Q. I have something wrong with my sunflowers this year. I've never seen it before and hoping someone can help. At the base of the flower heads, there has come to be a white, creamy substance. It looks almost like someone has taken a bottle of lotion and squirted them. It's gooey and drips, is very thick. Can anyone help? Thanks a lot, Desiree.

A. This could be Sclerotinaor white mould, a common disease of sunflowers that causes rot in the stalk and head. Try spraying with a systemic anti fungi spray to try and limit the damage. Disease spores can live for many years in the soil. Moving to another area of your garden next year, is advised.

Q. Hi. I transplanted a climbing hydrangea in the early spring, it seemed to flourish quite well at first but now the leaves are turning brown and rusty and there is no new growth. It is a young plant only 2 feet high, it faces south so gets the mid morning sun. Also a chestnut tree, approx. 18 yrs. old and approx. 30ft. high seems to have the same colour on the edges of the leaves, kind of rusty brown. We had a very wet spring but recently dry, hot and humid so I have watered the hydrangea each evening after the sun has gone down. Any idea what the problem is? I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

A. This sounds like botrytis mould or mildew; both thrive in wet seasons and damage the edges of the leaf. Spray with a systemic fungicide, a systemic spray is absorbed by the plant and works from within.

Q. Do rocks migrate? It seems the good topsoil we put in to redo our beds now has lots of small rocks over the surface. I terminated the landscape company from last year partially because when I was planting I found fist size rocks in the topsoil. Was I unfair about the larger rocks? Do small animals bring the surface rocks late at night? I didn't finish the front planting as early as I expected, therefore the mulch hasn't been put down (now due to the recent wet weather?) so I have a continuing curiosity about where the pebbles and small
rocks originate.

A. Moles, rabbits and all the burrowing rodents all push soil upwards when burrowing, including small rocks from lower down than your top soil level. The larger the burrowing animal the larger the rocks from below. All soil is part organic matter and part ground up rocks and these small rocks will split up in time with the action of frost and hot sun.

Q. Hello, hope you can help,We have a bay hedge around part of the perimeter of our front lawn. A white powdery substance has appeared on many of the leaves this summer. Is this a disease of some kind? Is there anything we can apply to the hedge to rectify this? Thank you.

A. This is most probably mildew or botrytis, spray with a systemic fungicide. A systemic fungicide is absorbed by the plant and works from within.

Q. I believe I have a pest problem with pinch bugs; I have not used any type of pesticides on any of my flowers. Some sort of bugs is munching away on all my outdoors flowers. My son suggested that I go out at night time with a flashlight and look at all the flowers to see what's eating them and sure enough I did this tonight and saw pinch bugs on my plants also ants. Some of my plants, Hostas, petunias, roses; mum leaves have little holes in them too. Thanks for any suggestions you can offer. Vickie, Round Lake Beach, Ill.

A. Spray your pinch bugs with a systemic insecticide, a systemic insecticide is absorbed by the plant and works from within. The small holes in your plants are caused by tiny white snails, which live in the soil surface during the day. Treat with slug/snail pellets.

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Q & A for summer; June.

2008-08-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

JUNE GARDENING QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Advice Tips Hints Help Info. Problems solved.

Question. Hello, I'm hoping you can help us determine what has gotten into our cherry tree. We are seeing a glob of pitch approximately 6 inches to a foot from the new growth, creating dead leaves. The cherries are seemingly fine. This tree is approximately 6 years old and about 12 feet tall. What can be the cause and what is the cure?

Answer. This is almost certainly cherry canker. It is very difficult to eradicate. The best course of action is to feed with high nitrogen fertiliser and irrigate during dry spells, the tree will often outgrow the disease. If you can obtain it, soot from a domestic chimney is high in nitrogen and excellent for counteracting canker.

Q. Can you tell me if there is anything that I can do to prevent any moles coming up in my garden, they are getting me down and I don't know what to do for the best? Melissa

A. A heavy roller to solidify the ground and keeping the grass on the dry side so as not to encourage worms will make conditions difficult for the moles and they may go away. If they don't go away, there are many types of mole trap available at garden outlets, plus many branded products, which are scented to discourage moles.

Q. Help: I cannot seem to stop grass from growing in my juniper beds. I pull and pull but the grass continues to return. Is there some substance that will eradicate the grass but not harm the junipers? (The bed is full and therefore not possible to mulch.) Also, could you provide some tips on trimming and shaping my Japanese Maple (i.e., best season to trim, how much and the generally acceptable shape)?? Thank You

A. Using Glyphosate can kill the grass in your juniper bed, but you must shield the junipers when applying the compound. Japanese maples, you are best just trimming any branches that are obviously growing away from the general shape of the bush, just before winter to avoid wind damage, otherwise they are best left alone.

Q. Could you please advise me as to what you think would be best? We have a 40ft. wall (approx 3ft high), which is used continually by the public as a seating area whilst waiting for a bus. We would like to plant hedging, preferably evergreen and flowering, that will deter these people, but we don't know which plants have thorns (great deterrent). Also something that will grow quickly. Thank you,

A. The perfect plant for you is Berberis Stenophylla. Evergreen, lovely yellow flowers in summer, nasty little thorns all the year round and fast growing. For further information on hedging see my hedging page.

Q. Dear garden helper.I was given a Monkey Puzzle Tree in February it is about 6 feet high and the man told me it was in the garden when he moved there 8 years ago. He said it hadn't grown any since he has been there I thought that it cannot be a happy tree if it has been there all that time and not grown, I put it straight in my clay type soil with lots of grit and course sand, a little chemical to help the root and crossed my fingers. It had looked ok until the last month or so when the bottom branches are going brown. Please can I save it

A. With monkey puzzle trees you are talking about a life span of 150 years or more, so growth is rather slow. Monkey-puzzle trees are a forest tree from southern Chile and are used to a damp climate. Your conditions are too dry. I would suggest applying a heavy mulch of garden compost, or tree bark, or grass cuttings, etc. too keep the roots moist and encourage new root growth. Recovery may be a long job.

Q. I planted two lupins this spring - one did not do well, the stems bent over to the ground - some died off, some didn't Some new shoots withered and died. No flowers at all. The other one did flower (one flower) but now the stems and leaves are looking droopy and the new shoots underneath seem to be too shaded by the larger leaves and are withering on the vine - no new buds appear to be growing either. I am in Connecticut and it has been awfully rainy. Thanks A. This could be grey aphids, aphids suck out the sap from the plant and the plant withers. They leave a grey dust around the plant. Lupins are particularly susceptible to aphids. Try spraying with an aphid spray, widely available at garden outlets. You can also wash them off with a weak mixture of washing up liquid and water, insecticidal soap is also effective.

Q. What is the best procedure to divide peonies? When and How Thanks! Charlene R

A. September, October, is the best time to divide peonies, but they are best left alone and not divided unless absolutely necessary. To divide dig up as large a root ball as possible to avoid cutting too many roots. Wash out the dirt from around the roots, and then when you can see what you are doing, carefully pull the roots apart into separate plants with top growth. Put some organic matter in the bottom of the planting hole e.g. farmyard manure, garden compost, etc., but keep the roots separate from the organic matter with a shallow layer of soil. Do not plant any deeper than the existing depth. Feed with a low nitrogen fertiliser.

Q. HELP!I am a new organic gardener (2nd year). I have heard about how beneficial and time saving mulching can be... so this year I decided to put straw down in my pathways to help control the weeds. Four (4) bales of straw later my garden looked beautiful...a few weeks later my garden paths had more growth in them than my raised garden beds! To my dismay, there were seeds in the baled straw I had purchased.Now, a very frustrated gardener; I am in the process of removing all the straw and weeding as I go. My once beautiful garden is now a mess with piles of straw all around the perimeter. OK, here are my questions: Is there anyway I can use the straw or am I going to need to get rid of it all? I know I am going to be weeding all summer long because as I was pulling up the straw I noticed just how many seeds there are.... and there are tons!Do you have any time saving advice? Can I do anything with the straw? Also, is straw an annual or am I in for a LONG haul with the battle of the straw seeds? If I leave the straw where it is at, will the winter kill the seeds in the pathways? I have removed half of the straw already and I am wondering if should remove the rest or if the winter will kill the seeds? Any suggestions would be very appreciated Thank you for your time, Lynn

A. Your straw can be piled into a heap and rotted down into compost. Your weeds could be sprayed with Glyphosate, but if you are organic I am afraid hard work is the only answer. What plant seeds are in your straw is anybody's guess; it all depends on the area the straw originated from and the weed control regime practised by the farmer. Valecroft Nurseries.

Q. Thanks for the site! I have a 5 x 5 lilac bush and need to move it. Is it too late to do this? What would happen if I had to move it anyway? Thanks for the advice! Wondering in Wilmette

A. October is the time to move your lilac bush, if you move now in the height of summer the damaged roots will be unable too provide enough water for the plant. The plant will shed its leaves in order to cope and then probably die.

Q. My sister and I love to garden but we would love to know how to propagate hibiscus. We live in West Texas and there is a hibiscus that is for our dry area but the garden centres get the plants so late in the year. We are always sharing plants and seeds and would like to share our different colored hibiscus and both not have to buy all the variety of colors. Can you give us some advice? Thank you, Diane

A. Hibiscus is now propagated by a system called tissue culture. Propagating hibiscus is a highly specialised craft and I personally have no knowledge of it, so I am afraid I cannot help you.

Q. Is it possible to get a rash on your arms after cutting down pampas grass? Thank you. Irene

A. I don't know about a rash but it is possible to scratch and severely cut yourself when handling pampas.

Q. I found your site while searching for advice on three topics: I haven't been successful so far, so I hope you can help: 1, I have been given a bay tree, which I've always wanted. It's in a small-ish pot. I've had it 3 months and it has grown about 6ins and put out new leaves on the branches. It is now about 3 4 ft tall. Ought I to pot up, and if so when is the best time. 2. Similarly, when is the best time to prune or cut back a photinia? And, how much should I cut off? Mine is three years old now and about 4ft tall and very bushy and is beginning to intrude on its neighbours. Also, I've heard that if you prune them it helps promote the red leaves. 3. Where have all my blackcurrants gone? Last year the bush was loaded, and I followed instructions found in various gardening books to cut back the branches, which had fruited: nearly all of them all. This year, although the bush is large and very green there is not a single current to be found! Hope you can help me - I'm a keen but very amateur gardener! Mary

A. Bay trees like a tight pot, do not re-pot until the pot is threatening to split. September October is the best time to trim photinia, do not trim to heavily; the new growth is a better red, especially the variety Red Robin. You have over pruned your black currants.

Q. I have a beautiful gardenia plant in a hanging basket. It looks very healthy with shiny green foliage and a lot of buds. But before the buds bloom, they turn brown and fall off. Can you tell me what's wrong? Thank you, Diane

A. Your compost is too alkaline, you can replace with acid compost as used for heathers.

Q. I am interested in planting a few crepe myrtles next to my driveway ‹ in a bed made with raised landscape timbers. The crepe myrtles would be about 3.5 feet from the retaining walls of the beds (the bed is about 7 feet wide) and the driveway itself (the bed is right next to the driveway). Are the roots from this tree going to pose a problem to the walls or the driveway? Can I prune/shape it every year in order to keep the overall height about 6-10 feet? Thanks for your help! Larry

A. CREPE MYRTLES can grow to over 35 ft in height and over 20 ft spread; the roots will have the same spread. There are many varieties available, many of them dwarf versions. The label will tell you which to buy, buy one marked Dwarf, 5 ft to 6 ft. Buying a larger variety and trying to trim, will do nothing for the beauty of the tree and will provide you with a constant problem in the future. Valecroft Nurseries.

Q. Black insects eating leaves on ornamental lilies Could you tell me what to use for this problem. (Type of insect spray) Thank you. Jean

A. You have flea beetles; suitable sprays are available at garden outlets.

Q. We have 2 lovely flowering maples, both of which are getting very "leggy"---How aggressive can we get in pruning back to make bushier plants and how would you go about it? Thank you in advance. Kathie

A. Only take off a small amount at a time, try to trim the trees to give a neat shape that will not be damaged by winter winds.

Q. I planted around 10 yellow squash plants. When the squash is about 2 inches long, they look good. By the time they get 5 inches long, they get all knobbly and weird looking. When I cut one open it is hollow. What is wrong with them? I live in Texas City-north of Galveston. Some say it could be a fungus. If it is, then what can I do to help solve the problem?

A. This sounds like very poor pollination and only a few seeds, instead of hundreds, have been produced in each fruit. Have you had a cold wet spell at flowering time, keeping the insects inactive? Try hand pollinating next year with a soft feather.

Q. Hi We will be beginning to landscape a new bungalow in the fall... my first question... how big should the beds be... I have a vague idea of what I want to plant but want the beds scale wise to be correct. Thanks. Laurie

A. The current fashion in landscaping is to divide the garden into rooms as in your house, each of a different size and decor and each self-contained.

Q. Hi I have in my garden pampas grass and red-hot pokers, the birds strip them as soon as they flower and yet the gardens around me never get touched. Is there something I can do to stop this or is there something I am doing wrong. Regards David

A. I am afraid I cannot help you much on this one. The birds could be short of water; sometimes providing a bowl of water will prevent bird damage of this kind.

Q. Hi. My beautiful fuchsia seems to have stopped blooming. I have it in a nice shaded area of my yard. It was doing so well and now it presently has two blooms on it. Can you tell me more about this plant? I bought it specifically to attract hummingbirds. I was hoping that it would bloom throughout the summer. Thanks for any help you can offer. Jayne

A. Your fuchsia has run out of food, feed with a high nitrogen fertiliser, fuchsia also need lots of water.

Q. Dear Sir/Madam I would like to plant some hedges in my front garden for privacy purposes. I wonder if I can cut some stem pieces with no roots from friend's hedges and plant them in my garden. Will it grow? I know we can grow rose plant by cutting small pieces of stems but I don't know whether this method will work for planting hedges. Please can you advise in this regard? Thank you in advance Farid

A. You can root cuttings of most common hedge plants. The best time is the end of September. Dig out a trench of suitable size in a shaded area, fill with sharp sand and plant the cuttings in the sand, firm down well. Nothing will happen until next spring, and then growth should appear.

Q. Golden honesuckle. We have 4 huge plants that just finished blooming and now the leaves are turning yellow and falling off. Don't remember this happening last year. Is this a deficiency? Thanks, kit

A. Feed with blood and bone fertiliser if you can obtain it, high in nitrogen, this will promote new leaf growth. Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) will help with trace elements, which may be missing, and the production of chlorophyll, the green in the leaves.

Q. My rhoddie has just finished blooming and I have just deadheaded the old blooms for the new growth to fully develop. I noticed that the old blooms were very sticky and had white flecks on them and the new growth. I suspect white flies or mites. There are spiders everywhere on the area of new growth where this is happening. Should I do anything or will the spiders take care of the white bugs? If I need to treat the Rhoddie, what should I use? Thanks again Shirley

A. This sounds like grey aphids. You can wash down the plants with a weak mixture of water and washing up detergent. This will wash off the aphids and the deposits and shouldn't kill the spiders.

Summer Gardening, June. Help. Advice. tips, hints, answers, a seasonal guide to summer gardening

2008-08-08T03:07:00.000-07:00

June Tips:

With the arrival of official summer, things can become a little hectic in the garden with weeds growing in the borders and grass that seems to grow over night. My advice at this time of year is to pace yourself and not take on any big projects, you will enjoy your garden much more if you can sit by that new pool occasionally and contemplate the greater meaning of life. Having said that there is plenty to do, both in the green house and in the garden itself. Now is the time to plant out the summer bedding plants, that will give a riot of colour all through the summer and often into the autumn. Before planting you must prepare the soil in the planting area. Dig over the bed and remove any weeds, then apply either artificial fertiliser or if you can obtain it good farmyard manure or horse manure.

See: Your June Q & A

June:

Question.

Hi, A question about AUCUBA.I understand that it is necessary to have both a female and male plant in order to have the red fruit berries in the Fall & Winter. My question is, how close do they have to be. Do they have to be in the same location or can one plant be located else where in the yard? Hope you can help.

Answer. Your Aucuba don't have to be side by side, anywhere in the yard will do, but best still in sight of each other. Not one each side of the house for instance.

Q. Hi,I hope you can answer my question, as I have not been able to find it in any of my gardening books, I have an ACER PALMATUM "Bloodgood" which has been growing in a pot for nearly three years. It is now in need of re-potting and I have just bought a very nice pot. The question is: Do I need ericaceous compost, or just ordinary multi-purpose compost? I also understand that I have to wait until the tree is dormant before re-potting, is that right? I look forward to your reply (so does the Acer)

A. Acer Palmatum are very sensitive to stress and re-potting now would most likely cause leaf drop and possible death of the plant. Due to water being diverted to new root development, rather than leaf growth. Re-pot October November, ordinary multipurpose compost is ideal. If you can obtain it, some well-rotted cow manure mixed with the compost in the bottom of the pot would also be beneficial.

Q. I live in Southern California and I have three HYDRANGEA plants in my front yard. They are on the north side of my house. One of them blooms beautifully every year. The other two get similar light and water but develop huge leaves and very few flowers (3 or 4 if I'm lucky). I prune them all at the same time in early November. Is there something that I can do to help them develop more flowers? Thanks for any advice you can give. Jan

A. Your soil may be too acid, try applying garden lime to correct this. Also feed with a high potash fertiliser containing iron. When pruning chop up the dead flowers and spread around the roots, the flower heads contain chemicals vital for good flower production. Also try pruning the two that are flower shy a couple of weeks earlier.

Q. I use a lot of BACOPA and NEPETA plants for my hanging baskets. I buy the plants but wish to know whether they can be grown from seed or whether cuttings need to be taken. I would welcome any advice that you may give.

A. Bacopa can be grown from seed but the results are often disappointing. Cuttings are better. Nepeta has to be from cuttings; one snag is that you have to carefully select the plants for cuttings because nepeta will regress to plain green over a few generations.

Q. Hello, I have a DWARF APRICOT TREE and the fruit that it is producing has very rough skin...it looks as if there is bark growing on the skin. Also, and I have seeds hanging from the branches where the fruit has not grown at all. Can you help me out? I have no idea what is going on.

A. This sounds like a coctail of troubles. Apricots are extremely susceptible to late frost injury, insects and diseases. Frost, you can't do much about. Insect pests include plum curculio, borers, aphids and mites. Diseases including brown rot, root rot and bacterial leaf spot. You can pre-emtively spray for insects and diseases in the winter when the plant is dormant. Your bigger local garden outlet will have the relevant sprays. Read the label carefully.

Q. Hi, I am having problems with my TULIPS; over the years, I've been having less and less flowers. In fact, the only thing that grew out of my bulbs this year is leaves. I got all my tulip bulbs out of the dirt, but I don't know what to do with them. Is they a way that I can get them to flower again? Thanks so much for your advice. (By the way, I live in Montreal, where the weather is fairly cold.)

A. This could be shortage of food in the soil. Feed with a high potash fertiliser in the early spring and let the leaves all die down naturally after flowering, also give a dressing of garden lime. Do not dig up the bulbs until they have completely died down. Tulips can also be affected by soil borne disease, planting marigolds where you intend to plant your tulips for next year seems to drive away these diseases.

Q. I had three DWARF BURNING BUSHES that budded and leafed out beautifully in the spring, and then within only a period of about 3 weeks, the leaves turned brown and the bushes dried up and died. They were on the north side of the house, getting partial sun, which is what is recommended in our desert climate in Utah. The soil was not dried out or waterlogged. What may have caused this to happen?

A. This could be rabbits or mice eating away the bark at ground level. If this is not the case your trouble is probably spider mite, these microscopic mites suck all the sap out of the bush and death results. These mites can be sprayed against with a proprietary insecterside or washed off with a weak mixture of detergent washing up liquid. Next time to find these mites place a white sheet under the bush and shake the branches, the mites if present will be found on the sheet.

Q. BLUE DELPHINIUM is one of my favorite perennials, but I can't seem to keep it healthy. I keep buying it and trying new spots, but few seem to work. It usually does OK the first season, but only about half the plants I buy come back the next year. What soil amendments and feeding does it require?

A. You are most probably suffering from snails and slugs; new delphinium shoots are very tasty in the spring and will be eaten off before you see them. Mark your plants with a stick and keep an eye on them. Delphinium like lime in the soil and high potash fertiliser.

Q. HELP, I am having a BBQ and lawn party, I do not want people dancing on my new grass. I would like to put a cover over my virgin grass. What would you suggest? Thanks. Lawn novice

A. You can rent Astro turf, or similar, plastic grass from outdoor lesure hire vendors, but do not leave on too long. Or you can put a large sign on the grass saying; Warning this grass has been sprayed. Remembering that it could have been sprayed with just plain water.

Q. Hi! I hope you can help me! I am in the third year here for gardening. My delphinium got these green worms all over them that curled the leaves. It was too late by the time I got them...I had to use BTK. The delphiniums are about 3 feet tall...looking better but still no buds and the bottom leaves are turning yellow...what should I do and will I get flowers? My painted daisy's are also getting yellowish leaves...I am about to cry over these Delphiniums...They are my favorite! Help me please!

A. Apply some garden lime and some magnesium sulphate (Epsom Salts) this will encourage the production of chlorophyll, the green pigment in the leaves.
Q. Is it possible to regenerate annual plants for the next year at home? Specifically, can you dry the bloom and plant it, or do you have to begin with the root base?

A. Annual plants live for just one year and cannot be revived.

Q. We purchased a Japanese Hydrangea two summers ago. It immediately took beautifully and has been growing well. However, it has never yet produced any flowers, just leaves. Does it take a few years before growing flowers? Is this normal? Please advise. Thank you kindly! Karen

A. Japanese hydrangeas do take a while to settle in. They seem to like to produce a mass of fine roots before flowering; a mulch of garden compost or rotted leaves around the plant will help root production.

Q. Hi!I live in England, but very new to it. I read about" Hardy spray chrysanthemums" in Geoff Hamilton's gardening book. I liked the flowers in the photo. How can I have it in my garden? And are they costly to have? Next, how can I have "Camellia x Williamsii hybrids"? Thirdly, what is the best vegetable I can grow with very less maintenance, because I do not know much about gardening? Thank you so much in advance, Bye.

A. Hardy spray chrysanthemums are planted in spring; plants are available at garden outlets.
You must protect the plants in the winter against frost by covering with straw or similar. Camellia Williamsii, the best for the beginner is called Donation. Do not plant facing East to South, in winter the early morning sun will melt the frozen buds too quickly after a frost and damage them. Potatoes are a low maintenance crop, but it is really too late this year (June) for any veg crop.

Q. I have a very large Cordylines in my garden in a pot which is doing extremely well except that a long flower has just started to grow out the middle of it. I have never seen this before in Cordylines and wonder if I should cut it off or just leave it. Can you help? Thanks very much A. The flower on the Cordylines is a rare bonus. Cut the stem off in a couple of month's time after the birds have had a meal from any seeds produced.

Q. I have a ficus tree for three years, I have never transplanted it but it has always done well, I live in Florida, and it stays out on the porch it gets morning sun and I water when needed. But now all of a sudden the leaves are turning yellow and they are falling off.

A. This could be over watering or moving the plant around to different locations, neither of which actions are liked by the ficus family. Failing this the compost in the pot may be exhausted, feed with a general-purpose fertiliser and add a spoonful of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate). This will release vital elements in the soil and encourage the production of chlorophyll necessary for green leaves. If the plant recovers re-pot next spring into a slightly larger pot with fresh compost.

Q. When is a good time to divide iris? Thanks Christene

A. Iris, best too divide August September.

Q. Dear Gardening guru,I have a number of hanging baskets all of which include fuchsias. The fuchsias in one basket only appear to have what I would describe as black spot on the leaves. They start off with a black spot and the leaf eventually turns yellow and drops off. I have encountered black spot on my roses before but never with fuchsias - could you please advise.

A. This is almost certainly black spot, the same as on your roses. Spray all your fuchsias with a systemic fungicide, systemic sprays are absorbed by the plant and provide a longer lasting protection.

Q. Now that the tulips are done, should I trim them down, or leave them? Also, what could I plant between the tulips for the rest of the season that won't affect the tulip bulbs?

A. You must leave the leaves too die down; the energy from the leaves is used by the bulb to produce next years flower bud. French marigolds are recommended for planting among tulips, the marigolds appear to kill various virus diseases, which affect tulips. You can dig up the tulips and replant in a deep box full of soil, there they can die down in their own time without being in the way of your summer planting.

Q. I seem to have nearly killed my Rosemary plant with compost tea. I used the same strength as on my other plants, but the needles on most of the branches have now turned black and dropped off. Is compost tea not suitable for this type of plant?

A. This is simply a matter of you over feeding your rosemary plant. In common with many herbs, rosemary likes poor conditions.

Q. What is the correct way to trim a Rhododendron? I don't want mine to get huge and out of hand.

A. Pruning rhododendron. The job must be done now; June. leave any longer and you will destroy next year's flowers. If you want a rhododendron or azalea to be shorter next year or stay the same height, don't preserve the tip growth on the tallest branches. Clip into the old wood, eight or 12 inches shorter than you want that branch to be next year. Then water well and fertilize. New branches will pop out from the leafless wood.

If you came straight to this page please visit the Home Page to learn a little more about this gardening web site.

Gardens - Individual Gardens

2008-08-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

"Individual Gardens

British Columbia Native Plant Garden

The British Columbia Native Plant Garden can be found on the centre island of the parking lot adjacent to the Cary Castle Mews. This garden features plants of British Columbia from the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. The planting of this garden was a project by the Horticultural Class of Camosun College in Victoria.
Cottage Garden

In 1994, the Garden Cottage became the headquarters of the Friends of the Government House Gardens Society. A contest was held among the Friends to design the garden. The Cottage Garden is in front of the cottage on Rockland Avenue, adjacent to the Rotary Garden of International Friendship. The garden is small and sheltered, enclosed by hedges and fencing.

Cut Flower Garden

The Cut Flower Garden is dominated by a magnificent London Plane Tree which provides shade for hostas, hellebores, primulas and other shade-loving plants. Sunny areas are planted with herbaceous perennials and foliage plants including hardy geraniums, crambe cordifolia, artemisia “Powis Castle” and South African phygelius species. Rocky areas are home to euphorbia species and potentilla “Abbotswood Silver.”"

Dorothy Lam Orchard

This small orchard on the east side of the property is dedicated to former chatelaine, the late Mrs. Dorothy Lam. Each year the fruit is donated to local charities.
English Country Garden
The English Country Garden is located just inside the main entry gate of Government House. Like the garden of an English country house, it is intended to be a splendid show of flowers for the summer months. In spring there is a colourful display of flowering bulbs including primulas, pulmonarias and hellebores. There are also many traditional cottage garden plants such as campanulas, forget-me-nots and foxgloves. Herbaceous perennials, flowering shrubs and trees provide interest year round.

Fountain Pond

The Fountain Pond, near the front of the property, is surrounded by bamboo, a weeping willow and a laburnum tree. Large groups of Iris pseudacorus, Acorus calamus are planted in the water and the pond is home to a variety of ducks, turtles and many forms of birdlife.

Heather Garden

Located at the base of the Rock and Alpine Garden is the Heather Garden. Heathers can provide flowers and a variety of foliage colours and textures year round. The plants were donated by the Heather Society of Victoria.

Herb Garden

Adjacent to the Sunken Rose Garden lies the Herb Garden. Many of the herbs are grown for use in the Government House kitchen. A Medlar tree and a Quince tree, popular in traditional herb gardens, are also found. Andrew Yeoman and Noel Richardson of Ravenhill Herb Farms designed the garden, donated plants and advise the Friends of the Government House Gardens Society on maintenance. The late Major General and Mrs. George Kitching of Victoria gave a generous donation towards the establishment of this garden.

Gardens

2008-08-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Gardens: "Gardens
The Government House grounds embrace 14.6 hectares (36 acres), including 8.9 hectares (22 acres) of a rare Garry Oak ecosystem, and 5.7 hectares (14 acres) of formal gardens. All formal garden areas are wheelchair accessible thanks to the efforts of the Government House Foundation, the Province of British Columbia and private donations. For information on the individual gardens, visit the Government House Gardens page.
The site is a popular attraction for Victoria residents, visitors, and tourists alike. Thanks to the time and expertise of dedicated volunteers, The Friends of Government House Gardens Society, the grounds are a well-utilized, much-treasured greenbelt for the community. With occasional exceptions, the grounds are open daily to the public from dawn to dusk, free of charge."

GUANO The 100% Natural Organic Soil Amendment

2007-10-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

The word guano originated from the Quichua language of the Inca civilization and means "the droppings of sea birds". It is a misnomer to refer to bat dung as guano. As the word is used today, guano describes both bat and sea bird manure. The most famous guano was that used by the Inca. The guano would collect on the rainless islands and coast of Peru. Atmospheric conditions insured a minimal loss of nutrients. There is very little leaching of valuable material, nor is there a considerable loss of nitrogenous matter. For this the Inca would guard and regulate the treasured soil enricher. Access to the guano deposits were restricted to chosen caretakers. Disrupting the rookeries could result in punishment by death.

Guano became a very important part of the development of agriculture in these United States. During the peak of the guano era, drastic steps were taken to maintain a supply for the U.S. farmer. "On August 18, 1856, Congress passed an act to authorize protection to be given to citizens of the United States who may discover guano, under which any citizen of the United States was authorized to take possession of and occupy any unclaimed island, rock or key containing guano. The discoverers of such islands were entitled to exclusive rights to the deposits thereon, but the guano could only be removed for the use of the citizens of the United States."Nutrients in guano are as different as there are a variety of producers, food sources and environmental constraints. Sea birds eat strictly small fish and are not scavengers. Bat guano is available from one species that thrives on fruit, while another feasts on insects. Guano can be fresh, semi-fossilized or fossilized and will be a factor, among others, on the nutrient content when used.

Guano is provided in the ready to use condition, thoroughly aged to the vintage state of a good natural fertilizer. Guano can be used inside or outdoors for all living plants. Guano supplies fast and slow release nutrients to the biological system. Apply the pure guano in smaller amounts than ordinary barnyard or poultry manure. Applied as a top dressing and worked into the soil or mixed with water and applied, guano will have a dramatic influence. Hydroponic growers, in contrast to normal fertilization, are finding that guano and water are a natural alternative to chemical solutions. Use nitrogen guano for growth, phosphorus guano for budding and all guano for your plants general health and well being. Guano can be blended with topsoil before laying sod or grass seed and while planting trees and shrubs. Add guano to your container growing mix for a supercharged potting soil.

2007-08-12T13:46:00.001-07:00

Gardening for Leisure

Are you retired or a home maker and have extra time on your hands? Looking for a great hobby or project to fill that time? Well, you should consider gardening. Gardening is extremely stress relieving, will give you plenty to think about (all those beatiful plants, shrubs, flowers and trees to pick out!) and will be very rewarding in the long run. There is nothing quite as satisfying as seeing the end results of a great fruit and vegetable garden, a flower garden, or beautifying your lawn with trees, shrubs and decor. Your neighbors will love it as well as the wildlife! So I say, while the weather is still nice outside, it's time to plant!

More To This Than I Thought!

I've done a little research and apparently there is more to gardening and astrology than I thought. In fact there is an ancient tradition of assigning plants to planets. In the 17the century English herbalist and astrologer, Nicoloas Culpeper applied his knowledge of this to English plants.

On the site www.starwaves.co.uk/astrologygardens.html astrologer Jean Elliot will help you design a permanent astrology garden. There are large and small designs and you can have your own birth chart on the ground. There are even joint birth charts for couples in the shape of a chart wheel.

If you want to create something interesting, meaningful and a conversation piece in your yard you should give it a try!

Vegetable, Fruit & Herb Gardens

Are you looking to enrich the taste and vitamin source of your foods? Nothing is better than home grown produce and with a little know how and attentive gardening you can produce your very own tomatoes, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, strawberries and more. Enjoy the rich flavor and wide variety of homegrown vegetables and then you can spice up your life and your health with your own herb garden as well. Grow herbs in pots or in the garden for cooking, drying and more. Reap the tastes of angelica, thyme and others. You will love the tasty meals and deserts you will create from the rich products of your very own vegetable, fruit and herb garden!

2007-08-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Gardening Workshops

Do you want to grow healthy, organic vegetables, fruits and herbs for you and your family to eat but do not know where to begin? Then check out a gardening workshop to help you fix up your green thumb and learn some great tips on organic gardening. There are gardening workshops all over for beginners or advanced gardeners that cover everything form rain barrels to pest control. Learn how to collect your own rainwater for your yard, garden or flowers and also to chase those unwanted bugs and pests away healthy and naturally. Check the Internet or call your local nurseries to find out about gardening workshops in your area.

How To Pick Gardening Sheers

Regardless of where you live, how big or small the job or if you are a do-it-yourself gardener or a professional gardener, there are always specific gardening tools you will need for those jobs in the yard.

Pick wisely as you will need garden sprayers, hedge sheers, lopping sheers, pruning sheers and tree pruners.

For your top quality gardening needs you will want durability that ensures these cutting tools will remain sharp use after use. This may mean not always looking for the most inexpensive deals on gardening tools and supplies as a few more dollars spent may be well worth it.

Gardening Tips For Summer

Regardless of what types of plants or trees you have in your gardening area there are some tips you should follow for summer. For example, citrus trees should not be pruned for fruit to produce. These trees are susceptible to both frost damage in winter and sunburn in the summer so keep those low lying branches in tack. Gardening advice for modern roses is major pruning should be done in January or February, old garden roses flower on old wood so you should prune after spring around May. Conifers should be pruned when dormant in winter months. If you have ornamental grass cut back 4-6 inches in winter and leave alone in the summer. If you have barrel cactus in your gardening area that have bloomed in the spring there is no need to remove those dried, spent flowers in summer as they will fall off naturally.

Your Kids and Gardening

2007-08-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

Get your kids outdoors with you to help out with planting and gardening. They will really love the whole experience!

And here's why...most kids love digging in the dirt and getting dirty, planting seeds is easy and watering the soil is something that would be a great 'chore' for them to do, especially when they can watch their creations come to life. It is an educational experience for them that could also turn out to be a lifetime hobby.

There are some great children's kits you can buy to provide them with their very own sized tools. Some include a mini trowel, hoe, rake, pots and saucers, spray bottle, seeds, gloves and more! It will definately be worth it for them and you!

Little kay in his Garden

April Shower's Bring Colorful Life, You Know!

Hopefully you live in an area where spring weather is here and you are not still suffering through the aftermath of winter storms. But if you live where signs of spring are starting to pop up all around you, you are in luck!

If you started planting your flowers, plants or trees in March you might already be benefitting from Spring's April Showers which can make your hard efforts already blossom into wonderful bouquets of beauty. If you still need to dig those flowerbeds and give your lawn a good dose of weed and feed it's not too late to benefit from the seasons great moist weather.

Break out your gardening gloves, shovel, rake, hoe and mulch and get started. Whatever you decide to plant you will soon reap the rewards of a gorgeous garden that will last all summer and into the fall and longer!

Garden Tools 2

2007-08-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

Radius Grip™ Garden Tools

Available Individually Or As A Set Of Four.

These ultra-light garden tools are tougher than iron.

The ergonomic design of Radius Grip™ Garden Tools maximizes power and comfort and minimizes hand and wrist stress. These ultra-light, one-piece aluminum/magnesium garden utensils are built to tackle tough jobs year after year. Comfort-cushion grips on each; spade has depth indicators on blade. Buy them individually or as a complete set of four.

Available Tools
Trowel
Cultivator
Weeder
Spade

Garden Gloves

Know That Gardening Dirt Is Sometimes More Than Dirty

Here are some more advice and gardening tips for you to be aware of. First off, know that bacteria causes tetanus and is commonly found in soil and manure. These bacteria can easily find its way into your system through a cut on your body while gardening. Make sure your tetanus vaccine is up to date. A more dangerous hazard of gardening however is the chance of a deadly pathogen entering your body from a consumer-grade fertilizer. Although rare, you can get E. coli contamination from your home gardening through manure. Avoid this by wearing gloves, cleaning your tools after gardening, washing thoroughly everything you are going to eat as well as washing your hands very well.

This tool is made Of Breathable, 100% Nylon.

Wrap your hands in a soft, impenetrable shield.

These hand-hugging Garden Gloves are flexible enough to pick up a dime, yet rugged enough to pry out roots and rocks. Water- and tho rn-resistant, they're made of breathable 100% nylon that's machine washable and dries quickly. No-slip, waterproof nitrile palms keep a tight grip on tools and add an extra layer of protection. Imported.

Available Colors
Light Blue
Black

Sizes
Unisex sizes small, medium or large

Easy-Roll Cart And Hose Reel

Makes hose winding effortless and easy on your back.

No-Hassle Hose Management Systems

These commercial-grade tools are your best defense against the kinks, tangles and lifting of routine watering. Heavy-duty Hose Cart holds up to 250' of hose with a smooth-turning spool that makes winding effortless. Four 8" pneumatic tires keep it rolling over the rough spots. 5' leader hose included. Solid brass fittings and top-quality construction.

Mount our Hose Reel on the side of your house for easy access and storage. Made of 13-gauge steel with sturdy brass and galvanized fittings, it holds up to 100' of hose. 7' leader hose. Both have 90° brass swivels that prevent hose damage. Easy assembly. It is a relyable garden tool to keep.

Garden Tools

2007-08-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Growing urban health: Community gardening in South-East Toronto

Abstract

This article describes results from an investigation of thehealth impacts of community gardening, using Toronto, Ontarioas a case study. According to community members and local service organizations, these gardens have a number of positive healthbenefits. However, few studies have explicitly focused on thehealth impacts of community gardens, and many of those did notask community gardeners directly about their experiences incommunity gardening. This article sets out to fill this gapby describing the results of a community-based research projectthat collected data on the perceived health impacts of communitygardening through participant observation, focus groups andin-depth interviews. Results suggest that community gardenswere perceived by gardeners to provide numerous health benefits,including improved access to food, improved nutrition, increasedphysical activity and improved mental health. Community gardenswere also seen to promote social health and community cohesion.These benefits were set against a backdrop of insecure landtenure and access, bureaucratic resistance, concerns about soilcontamination and a lack of awareness and understanding by communitymembers and decision-makers. Results also highlight the needfor ongoing resources to support gardens in these many roles.

However, as you consider gardening as an option to a good health,

Bellow are some of the garden tools you may need. Just a few, anyway.

(Curtesy: Plow & Heart)

Landscaper Bag

The right tools make yard cleanup easy!

This garden tool is one of the simple to use materials you need in your garden.

Fill the Yard Cleanup Bag with loads of yard waste – even rocks and dirt – it’s freestanding to make filling easy. A triple-layer bottom gives it strength; handles at the rim and base make dragging and dumping a breeze. Durable, contractor-grade polypropylene with sturdy webbing handles. It makes your clean up easier and stress free.

Holds 6.8 cu. ft.

Garden Tarp

Heavy-Duty, Contractor-Grade Materials It's as easy as this:

Pile leaves, grass clippings, hedge trimming and weeds on the Garden Tarp, grab the corner handles and drag it to your compost heap. Durable, contractor-grade polypropylene with sturdy webbing handles. With this tool you will feel the excitment of working happylly in your garden.

Size
Garden Tarp 78" x 78"

Double Rake

No more stooping to pick up leaves - just grab and lift!

This garden tool is specially Designed For Easy Leaf Cleanup

The Leaf Glutton makes leaf cleanup easy for just about anyone, with no bending or stooping. Just grab a pile of leaves and lift! Rakes can be separated so two people can rake at once. Use the specially designed top to tamp leaves down into bags. Solid wood handles with comfort grips.
Size
72"H

Perm-A-Mulch

Reduce Yard Work With Maintenance-Free Mulch

It looks like ordinary wood-chip mulch, but it’s actually bonded recycled tire rubber.

With this exciting garden tool, this American-made Perm-A-Mulch® looks remarkably like natural bark mulch, and eliminates trimming, weeding and re-mulching for years. Made of recycled tires, so it will last for years, the rubber Tree Rings and flexible Border prevent weeds from growing while allowing water, air and nutrients to pass right through. Cut center hole to fit tree trunk.

It is a usefull tool for your garden.

Kneeler/Seat

Now With A Thicker, Weatherproof Pad On Both Sides

The sturdy steel frame and locking spring-loaded catches offer a comfortable seat and a safe, secure kneeler. This garden tool makes it easier to privent stains on your garden wears especially the ones picked from kneelings. Now a thicker, weatherproof foam pad on both sides makes the job much easier. Folds for easy portability and storage. Imported.

Size
19-1/4" x 24-1/2"H

Kneeler/Seat Folded

Kneeler/Seat

Our Kneeler/Seat Lends A Helping Hand Up and Down

Move through gardening and household chores with ease. Sturdy steel frame and locking spring-loaded catches offer a comfortable seat and a safe, secure kneeler. Thick foam padding on both sides makes the job much easier. Folds for easy portability and storage. Imported.

Size
19-1/2" x 22-1/2"H
Folds to 5" thick
Foam padding is 3/4" thick

Kneeler in Seated and Folded Positions

Scoot-N-Do

Now With A Handy Metal Mesh Tray For Tools

With its soft pneumatic tires and swiveling tractor seat, the Scoot-N-Do Caddy lets you garden with fewer ups and downs and less strain on your back. Plus, it now has a handy metal mesh tray to keep tools close at hand. Rugged one-inch steel tubing frame has a powder-coat finish.

Size
32" x 15" x 19"H

See more of these garden tools

Scoot-N-Do Features

Vegetable

2007-08-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A plate of vegetables

Vegetable is a culinary term which generally refers to an edible part of a plant. The definition is traditional rather than scientific and is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. All parts of herbaceous plants eaten as food by humans, whole or in part, are normally considered vegetables. Mushrooms, though belonging to the biological kingdom fungi, are also commonly considered vegetables. In general, vegetables are thought of as being savory, and not sweet, although there are many exceptions. Nuts, grains, herbs, spices and culinary fruits (see below) are normally not considered vegetables.

Vegetables sold on street at Guntur, India

Fruit, vegetable

Venn diagram representing the relationship between (botanical) fruits and vegetables. Botanical fruits that are not vegetables are culinary fruits.

Since “vegetable” is not a botanical term, there is no contradiction in referring to a plant part as a fruit while also being considered a vegetable (see diagram). Given this general rule of thumb, vegetables can also include leaves (lettuce), stems (asparagus), roots (carrots), flowers (broccoli), bulbs (garlic), seeds (peas and beans) and botanical fruits such as cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and capsicums. Botanically, fruits are reproductive organs (ripened ovaries containing one or many seeds), while vegetables are vegetative organs which sustain the plant.

The question "is it a fruit, or is it a vegetable?" has even found its way into the United States Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in Nix v. Hedden, 1893, that a tomato is a vegetable for the purposes of 1883 Tariff Act, although botanically, a tomato is a fruit.

The distinction between fruits and vegetables is not just semantic. In Judaism, where religious Jewish people recite a blessing before eating food, and each food group has a separate blessing, defining a food as a fruit or vegetable will affect which blessing is chosen.

Commercial production of vegetables is a branch of horticulture called olericulture.

Etymology

Vegetable is also used as a literary term for any plant: vegetable matter, vegetable kingdom.^[1] It comes from Latin vegetabilis (animated) and from vegetare (enliven), which is derived from vegetus (active), in reference to the process of a plant growing. This in turn derives from the Proto-Indo-European base *weg- or *wog-, which is also the source of the English wake, meaning "not sleep". The word vegetable was first recorded in print in English in the 14th century. The meaning of "plant grown for food" was not established until the 18th century. ^[2]

In the diet

Vegetables are eaten in a variety of ways as part of main meals and as snacks. The nutrient content of different types varies considerably. With the exception of pulses, vegetables provide little protein and fat.^[3]^[4] Vegetables contain water soluble vitamins like vitamin B and vitamin C, fat-soluble vitamins including vitamin A and vitamin D, and also contain carbohydrates and minerals.

Color

The green color of leafy vegetables is due to the presence of the green pigment chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is affected by pH and changes to olive green in acid conditions, and bright green in alkaline conditions. Some of the acids are released in steam during cooking, particularly if cooked without a cover.

The yellow/orange colors of fruits and vegetables are due to the presence of carotenoids, which are also affected by normal cooking processes or changes in pH.

The red/blue coloring of some fruits and vegetables (e.g. blackberries and red cabbage) are due to anthocyanins, which are sensitive to changes in pH. When pH is neutral, the pigments are purple, when acidic, red, and when alkaline, blue. These pigments are very water soluble.

Storage

Many root and non-root vegetables that grow underground can be stored through winter in a root cellar or other similarly cool, dark and dry place to prevent mold, greening and sprouting. Care should be taken in understanding the properties and vulnerabilities of the particular roots to be stored. These vegetables can last through to early spring and be nearly as nutritious as when fresh.

During storage, leafy vegetables lose moisture and vitamin C degrades rapidly. They should be stored for as short a time as possible in a cool place, in a container or plastic bag.

Vegetable garden

2007-08-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vegetable plots at Collingwood Children's Farm in Melbourne, Australia.

A small vegetable garden in May outside of Austin, Texas

A vegetable garden (also known as a vegetable patch or vegetable plot) is a garden that exists to grow vegetables and other plants useful for human consumption, in contrast to a flower garden that exists for aesthetic purposes. It is a small-scale form of vegetable growing. A vegetable garden typically includes a compost heap and several plots or divided areas of land, intended to grow one or two types of plant in each plot. Many families have home kitchen and vegetable gardens that they use to make food. In World War II, people had gardens called 'Victory Gardens' which provided food to families and thus freed up resources for the war effort.

With the increased interest in organic and sustainable living, many people are turning to vegetable gardening as a supplement to their family's diet. Food is grown in your own backyard, uses up little if any fuel for shipping, and the grower can be sure of what exactly was used to grow it.

There are many types of vegetable gardens. Potagers, a garden in which vegetables, herbs and flowers are grown together, has become more popular than the more traditional rows or blocks.

Seed catalogs are a major resource of home gardeners, with Pine Tree, Territorial and Burpee being among the countless options. There are also specialty seed catalogs available, such as Totally Tomatoes and The Vermont Bean and Seed Company. A very diverse range of Asian vegetable seed can be obtained from Evergreen Seeds through their website.

Vegetable growing

Vegetable farming is the growing of vegetables for human consumption. Traditionally it was done in the soil in small rows or blocks, often primarily for consumption on the farm, with the excess sold in nearby towns. Later, farms on the edge of large communities could specialize in vegetable production, with the short distance allowing the farmer to get his produce to market while still fresh. The three sisters method used by Native Americans grew squash, beans and corn together so that the plants enhanced each other's growth. Planting in long rows allows machinery to cultivate the fields, increasing efficiency and output; however, the diversity of vegetables crops require a number of techniques to be used to optimize the growth of each type of plant. Some farms, therefore, specialize in one vegetable; but, others grow a large variety. Due to the needs to market vegetables while fresh, vegetable gardening has high labor demands. Some farms avoid this by running u-pick operations where the customers pick their own produce. The development of ripening technologies and refrigeration has reduced the problems with getting produce to market in good condition.

Over the past 100 years a new technique has emerged--raised bed gardening, which has increased yields from small plots of soil without the need for commercial, energy intensive fertilizers. Modern hydroponic farming produces very high yields in greenhouses without using any soil, but expends much more energy.

Several economic models exist for vegetable farms: farms may grow large quantites of a few vegetables and sell them in bulk to major markets or middlemen, which requires large growing operations; farms may produce for local customers, which requires a larger distribution effort; farms may produce a variety of vegetables for sale through on-farm stalls, local farmer's markets, u-pick operations. This is quite different from commoditity farm products like wheat and maize which do not have the ripeness problems and are sold off in bulk to the local granary. Large cities often have a central produce market which handles vegetables in a commodity-like manner, and manages distribution to most supermarkets and restaurants.

In America, vegetable farms are in some regions known as truck farms; "truck" is a noun for which its more common meaning overshadows its historically separate use as a term for "vegetables grown for market". Such farms are sometimes called muck farms, after the dark black soil in which vegetables grow well.

Gardener

2007-07-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A gardener is any person involved in the growing and maintenance of plants, notably in a garden. The term encompasses persons from different walks of life involved in gardening, arguably the oldest profession, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the homeowner supplementing the family food with a small vegetable garden or orchard, to a worker engaged in maintaining greenery for money or the head gardener in a large estate.

The term gardener is also used to describe garden designers and landscape gardeners, who are involved chiefly in the design of gardens, rather than the practical aspects of gardening.

Gardening has a long history, and there have been many pioneering gardeners of note, from the great landscape gardeners of the 18th Century, to those who created or expanded the idea of the "no-dig" garden. In addition, television lifestyle programs have spawned a number of celebrity gardeners.

Garden design

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Garden design is the art and process of designing the layout and planting of domestic gardens and landscapes. Garden owners showed an increasing interest in garden design during the late twentieth century and there was also a significant expansion in the use of professional garden designers. Some garden owners have enough skill and experience to design their own gardens, but this is comparatively rare. Sissinghurst, one of the most admired gardens made in the twentieth century, was designed by its owners: Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden

Garden designers usually are trained in both design and in horticulture, and have an expert knowledge and experience of using plants. Garden designers are also concerned with the layout of hard landscape, such as paths, walls, water features, sitting areas and decking.

Garden opens new tropical house

2007-07-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

In pictures: Tropical glasshouse

A tropical glasshouse is opening to visitors for the first time at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire. Read on.

The building is the garden's largest new attraction since it opened in 2000 and it is already home to thousands of palms, orchids and giant leaves.

Guest of honour is the New York-based architect, Welsh-born John Belle.

His projects include make-overs for the Rockefeller Centre and Grand Central Terminal in New York.

Garden director Kevin Lamb said the official opening marked a new chapter in the garden's history.

Four years ago the £43m tourist attraction, which had been opened by Prince Charles in 2000, was within hours of having to call in the administrators.

But at the last minute, a rescue package was put together and the garden has slowly seen its fortunes blossom.

Mr Lamb said: "Not only is this a fabulous and important moment in the garden's short history - it is also a proud moment for Wales.

WELSHMAN CHANGING NEW YORK

Born in 1932 in Pontcanna, Cardiff, John Belle moved to New York in 1959 to launch his career in architecture

Three of his projects - Ellis Island, Grand Central Terminal and the Delaware Aqueduct - received the Presidential Design Award, the USA's highest prize for public architecture

Other projects include refurbishments to the Chrysler Building and Rockefeller Centre in New York

In 2003 he was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales

"This further enhances the garden's worldwide reputation as a millennium project of global significance."

The glasshouse was Mr Belle's first project in Wales and he provided his services free.

He said: "Designing the tropical house - a building that is all about the connection between the world of plants and the realm of architecture - provided a wonderful opportunity for me to reconnect with my roots.

"I don't think there could have been a more appropriate project for me at this stage in my career."

Horticulturists from the garden have visited colleagues and collectors across the UK to source plants for the glasshouse.

Laura Davies said: "We have visited colleagues at Kew, Edinburgh and Glasgow botanic gardens and never came away empty handed.

"We will be growing an amazing range of plants from throughout the tropics - majestic palms, beautiful orchids, giant leaves and unusual flowers.

"I hope visitors will be as excited as we are."

England's gardens 'under threat'

2007-07-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Paving front gardens 'reduces havens for wildlife'

England's traditional front gardens are under threat, with a third already paved over in some regions, according to Natural England.

The conservation body is urging businesses, councils and the public to help by leaving areas unpaved.

In London alone front gardens covering an area 22 times the size of Hyde Park are covered up reducing havens for wildlife, it says.

A manifesto is being signed by wildlife organisations later in London.

Research by MORI found that in north-east England 47% of front gardens were paved, 31% in south-west England, 30% in eastern England and 25% in the East Midlands and in north-west England.

The gardens of England are under threat

Sir Martin Doughty, chairman of Natural England

The manifesto follows an ICM poll, commissioned by Natural England, in which 45% of 18-34 year olds said they were not well-informed about wildlife gardening.

The poll also found that 37% of 18-24 year-olds said they would like to do more but do not know how.

Sir Martin Doughty, chairman of Natural England, said: "The gardens of England are under threat.

"In London, front gardens with a total area 22 times the size of Hyde Park [12 square miles] are now paved over and lost, reducing havens for wildlife, increasing the impact of flash flooding and contributing to climate change.

'Declining species'

"Through this manifesto, Natural England is calling on businesses, the public sector and the public to play their part and give gardens a future, for the benefit of our own health and the survival of declining species that live on our doorsteps."

Natural England said gardens acted as a "supermarket" for visiting and breeding animals and were the places where most children had their first contact with the natural world.

Joan Ruddock, minister for biodiversity, said: "This manifesto will help to improve gardening advice to encourage people to manage gardens in a way that benefits wildlife."

The manifesto is being signed at Roots and Shoots, in Lambeth, south London, a global community programme for young people interested in making a positive change in communities, for animals and the environment.

Bonsai collections open for public viewing around the world

2007-07-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bonsai collections are open for public viewing in many cities around the world. For example:

Australia: Admission is free at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, where the Bonsai House displays hundreds of trees, some 80 years old. [1].
Belgium: The Belgian Bonsai Museum hosted by the Bonsai Centre Gingko at Laarne organizes international competitions and workshops [2].
Canada: The Montreal Botanical Garden has an amazing indoor bonsai facility that can be viewed year round [3].
China: View the bonsai at the Botanical Gardens in Beijing [4], Shanghai [5] and Suzhou [6].
Germany: The Grugapark in Essen has a permanent bonsai exhibition [7].
Indonesia: Pluit Bonsai Centre in Jakarta is an enormous sales and trading centre for growers and collectors [8].
Italy: The firm Crespi Bonsai hosts an international competition, the Crespi Cup, every year at the Bonsai Museum in Milan [9].
Japan: Near Tokyo, the city of Omiya has an artisanal village of bonsai growers and stylists grow and maintain their stock. In Omiya Bonsai Village, more than a half dozen large bonsai nurseries allow visitors to view trees most days during growing season. By one estimate, more than 10,000 trees of world-class quality can be seen in a single day [10].
Singapore: Thousands on bonsai are on display at the Chinese and Japanese Gardens on two islands in Jurong Lake [11].
Spain: Visitors to Marbella can enjoy the collection at the Museo de Bonsai [12].
Taiwan:Taiwan is part of the Chinese culture. And yet, bonsai from Taiwan look different from the ones we see in Chinese penjing books.[13] [14] [15]
United Kingdom: The Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses hosts a rotating collection of about 25 trees at a time, and occasionally gives bonsai care workshops [16]. Heron's Bonsai Nursery in Surrey amasses 7 acres of a wide range of bonsai trees. Also on show are examples from the owners personal collection alongside Japanese gardens. Regular bonsai classes are available, with a bonsai clinic on the first Sunday of every month [17]. Kew Gardens has small collection of around 60 Trees, and there is also a lovely Japanese Garden.
United States: The National Arboretum in Washington, DC contains the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, an impressive collection of trees, some of them gifts from the Nation of Japan or foreign heads of state [18]. The Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts is home to the Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection. On the West Coast the Weyerhaeuser Corporation [19] maintains a collection open to the public at its headquarters near Seattle. In California, the Golden State Bonsai Federation [20] has two collections: the Collection North in Oakland, and the Collection South Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino. Lastly, the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, NC also has an excellent display of Bonsai[21]. The C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden houses a famous collection of indoor and temperate or outdoor bonsai plants and are exhibited in a Japanese-style architectural setting. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's bonsai collection is considered one of the finest in the world and is the second largest on public display outside Japan, featuring as many as 100 specimens at any given time. Some of the trees in the collection are well over a century old. A stylized verandah complete with tokonoma, or alcove, looks out onto the entire exhibit. Text panels introduce the history of bonsai and explain culture and care.

Bonsai or mini garden ... (4)

2007-07-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tools

A set of bonsai tools, from left to right: leaf trimmer; rake with spatula; root hook; coir brush; concave cutter; knob cutter; wire cutter; small, medium, and large shears

Special tools are available for the maintenance of bonsai. The most common tool is the concave cutter, a tool designed to prune flush, without leaving a stub. Other tools include branch bending jacks, wire pliers and shears of different proportions for performing detail and rough shaping. Anodized aluminum or copper wire is used to shape branches and hold them until they take a set.

Akadama

Fertilization and soil

Opinions about soil mixes and fertilization vary widely among practitioners. Some promote the use of organic fertilizers to augment an essentially inorganic soil mix, while others will use chemical fertilizers freely. Bonsai soils are constructed to optimize drainage. Bonsai soil is primarily a loose, fast-draining mix of components, often a base mixture of coarse sand or gravel, fired clay pellets or expanded shale combined with an organic component such as peat or bark. In Japan, volcanic soils based on clay (akadama, or "red ball" soil, and kanuma, a type of yellow pumice) are preferred.

Containers

Every bonsai pot is equipped with drainage holes to enable the excess water to drain out. Each hole is typically covered with a plastic screen or mesh to prevent soil from escaping. Containers come in a variety of shapes and colors (glazed or unglazed). The ones with straight sides and sharp corners are generally better suited to formally presented plants, while oval or round containers might be used for plants with informal shapes. Most evergreen bonsai are placed in unglazed pots while decidous trees are planted in glazed pots. It is important that the color of the pot compliments the tree. Bonsai pots are produced all over the world, some are higher quality than others and some are highly collectable such as ancient Chinese or Japanese pots made in highly touted regions with experienced pot makers such as Tokoname, Japan. However, highly collectable pots are not just confined to Asia, European Artists such as Byran Albright and Gordon Duffett produce unique pots which Bonsai artists collect.

Pre-Bonsai material are often placed in "growing boxes" which are made from scraps of fenceboard or wood slats. These large boxes allow the roots to grow more freely and increase the vigor of the tree. The second stage after using a grow box is to plant the tree in a "training box" this is often smaller and helps to create a smaller dense root mass which can be more easily moved into a final presentation pot.

Location

Contrary to popular belief, bonsai are not suited for indoor culture, and if kept indoors will most likely die. While certain tropical plants (Ficus, Schefflera, etc.) may flourish indoors, most bonsai are developed from species of shrubs or trees that are adapted to temperate climates (conifers, maples, larch, etc) and require a period of dormancy. Most trees require several hours of direct or slightly filtered sun every day.

Overwintering

Some trees require protection from the elements in winter and the techniques used will depend on how well the tree is adapted to the climate. During overwintering, temperate species are allowed to enter dormancy but care must be taken with deciduous plants to prevent them from breaking dormancy too early. In-ground cold frames, unheated garages, porches, and the like are commonly used, or by mulching the plant in its container up to the depth of the first branch or burying them with the root system below the frost line.

Mallsai

Inexpensive bonsai trees often sold in chain stores and gift shops are derisively referred to as "mallsai" by experienced bonsai growers, and are usually weak or dead trees by the time they are sold. Often these bonsai are mass produced and are rooted in thick clay from a field in China. This clay is very detrimental to the bonsai, as it literally suffocates the roots and promotes root-rot. Very little if any shaping is done on mallsai, and often the foliage is crudely pruned with little finesse to resemble a tree. Due to the conditions under which they are transported and sold, they are often inadequately watered and are kept in poor soil, usually a clump of sphagnum moss or the aforementioned clay with a layer of gravel glued to the top, which leaves them susceptible to both drying and fungal infections. Some "mallsai" can be resuscitated with proper care and immediate repotting, although this is reportedly rare. This top layer of glued-on gravel should be immediately removed once the bonsai is purchased, and the plant should be repotted in a good bonsai soil such as akadama.

Collecting

Bonsai may be developed from material obtained at the local garden center, or from suitable materials collected from the wild or urban landscape. Some regions have plant material that is known for its suitability in form - for example the California Juniper and Sierra Juniper found in the American West, and Bald Cypress found in the swamps of Louisiana and Florida.

Collected trees are highly prized and often exhibit the characteristics of age when they are first harvested from nature. Great care must be taken when collecting, as it is very easy to damage the tree's root system (often irreparably) by digging it up. Potential material must be analyzed carefully to determine whether it can be removed safely. Trees with a shallow or partially exposed root system are ideal candidates for extraction. There is a legal aspect to removing trees, so the enthusiast should take all steps necessary to ensure permission from the owner of the land before attempting to harvest. If not, consider the right of the plant to stay where it is undisturbed..

Bonsai tourism

A collection of bonsai at Florida's Melbourne Zoo.

Bonsai or mini garden ... (3)

2007-07-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Techniques

Bonsai at the "Foire du Valais" (Martigny, Switzerland, oct 2005)

Shaping and dwarfing are accomplished through a few basic but precise techniques. The small size of the tree and the dwarfing of foliage are maintained through a consistent regimen of pruning of both the leaves and the roots. Various methods must be employed, as each species of tree exhibits different budding behavior. Additionally, some pruning must be done seasonally, as most trees require a dormancy period and do not grow roots or leaves at that time; improper pruning can weaken or kill the tree.^[2]

Most species suitable for bonsai can be shaped by wiring. Copper or aluminum wire is wrapped around branches and trunks, holding the branch in place until it eventually lignifies and maintains the desired shape (at which point the wire should be removed). Some species do not lignify strongly, or are already too stiff/brittle to be shaped and are not conducive to wiring, in which case shaping must be accomplished primarily through pruning.^[2]

To simulate age and maturity in a bonsai, deadwood features called "jin" and "shari" can be used to good effect with coniferous bonsai, especially: "jin" are created by removing the bark from an entire branch to create a snag of deadwood, while "shari" involves stripping bark from areas of the trunk, simulating natural scarring by limbs being torn free. Care must be taken when employing these techniques, because these areas are prone to infection, and removal of too much bark will result in losing all growth above that area. Also bark must never be removed in a complete ring around the trunk as it contains the phloem and will cut off all nutrient flow above that ring.

Bonsai care

Watering

Because of limited space in the confines of a bonsai pot, bonsai care can be quite difficult. The shallow containers limit the expanse of the root system and make proper watering practically an art in itself. Watering techniques vary, with some growers preferring to water with a fine rose on a watering can or hose, while others immerse their trees in a water-filled basin to the height of the container lip. While some species can handle periods of relative dryness, others require near-constant moisture. Watering too frequently, or allowing the soil to remain soggy can promote fungal infections and "root rot". Sun, heat and wind exposure can quickly dry a bonsai tree to the point of drought, so the soil moisture should be monitored daily and water given copiously when needed. The soil should not be allowed to become "bone dry" even for brief periods. The foliage of some plants cultivated for bonsai, including the common Juniper, do not display signs of drying and damage until long after the damage is done, and may even appear green and healthy despite having an entirely dead root system.

Repotting

An uprooted bonsai, ready for repotting

Bonsai are generally repotted and root-pruned around springtime just before they break dormancy. Bonsai are generally repotted every two years while in development, and less often as they become more mature. This prevents them from becoming pot-bound and encourages the growth of new feeder roots, allowing the tree to absorb moisture more efficiently.

Wiring

Bonsai wiring is one of the most powerful tools to control the shape of the tree. The best time to wire a tree is in spring or fall when there is not as much foliage and the tree will not be too stiff. (Trees become stiff in winter while dormant because the sap pressure of the trunk and branches is much lower.)

To wire the tree, wrap the trunk. Then wrap each branch in spirals of bonsai wire so that the branch may be bent. The tree will then train the branch to grow in the desired direction. Another method of wiring involves attaching weights to the branches, causing them to sag and creating the impression of age.

Generally, wire is left on for one growing season. The tree should not be allowed to outgrow the wire, since this could cause the bark to become bound to the wire, making removal traumatic. When the time comes to remove the wire, it should be cut away in small pieces (rather than winding it off) as this will cause less damage to the foliage.

The thickness of the wire used should be in proportion to the size of the branch— larger branches will require lower gauge wire. Two pieces of thinner wire paired together can be used in lieu of heavier wire. It is bad form to let any wires cross; this is most readily accomplished by starting from the base of trunk and working up.

When bending the branches, one should listen and feel for any sign of splitting. When bending a branch near the trunk extra caution should be used, as the branch is generally most brittle near the trunk. It is possible to gradually bend a branch little by little over the course of several months.

When working with the branches, consideration should be given to the style desired.

Bonsai or mini garden ... (2)

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...

Common styles

Bonsai Garden at the pagoda Yunyan Ta (Cloud Rock Pagoda; Suzhou, China)

Bonsai Trees showing a variety of different styles in Sydney, Australia.

A Pine bonsai in the informal upright style. This tree is more than 30 years old, in the Hidden Lake Gardens Collection

There are many different styles of bonsai, but some are more common than others. These include formal upright, slant, informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade, raft, literati, and group / forest.

The formal upright style, or Chokkan, is just as the name suggests, and is characterized by a straight, upright, tapering trunk. The trunk and branches of the informal upright, or Moyogi, may incorporate pronounced bends and curves, but the apex of the informal upright is always located directly over the roots.

Slant style, or Shakan bonsai are similar to the straight trunks of formal upright trees, but the trunk emerges from the soil at an angle, and the apex of the bonsai will extend to the left or right of the root base.

Cascade style, or Kengai bonsai are modeled after some trees that grow over water or on the sides of mountains. The apex, or tip, of Semi-cascade style, or Han Kengai bonsai extend just beneath the lip of the bonsai pot, whereas the apex of a (full) cascade style will fall below the base of the pot.

Raft style, or Netsunari bonsai mimic a natural phenomenon that occurs when a tree that has been toppled (typically due to erosion or another natural force) and branches along the exposed side of the trunk form a group of new trunks. Sometimes, roots will develop from buried portions of the trunk. Raft style bonsai can incorporate other treatments, such as sinuous, straight-line, slanting styles. These all give the illusion of a group of trees, but are actually the branches of a tree planted on its side.

The literati style is characterized by an emphasis on the bare trunk line, with branches reduced to a minimum, typically placed higher up on a long, contorted trunk. Their style is inspired by the Chinese brush paintings, like those found in the ancient text,The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, depicting pine trees that grew in harsh climates, struggling to reach sunlight. In Japan, the literati style is known as bunjin-gi (文人木, bunjin-gi^?). (Bunjin is a translation of the Chinese word wenren meaning "scholars practiced in the arts" and gi is a derivative of the Japanese word, ki, for "tree").

The group or forest style, or Yose Uye, comprises a number of trees (typically an odd number if there are three or more trees) planted together in a pot. The trees are usually the same species, but a variety of heights are employed to add visual interest and to reflect the age differences encountered in mature forests.

The Root over rock style, or Sekijoju, is a style in which the roots of a tree (typically a fig tree) are wrapped around a rock. The rock is at the base of the trunk, with the roots exposed to a certain extent.

The Broom style, or Hokidachi is suited for trees with extensive, fine branching. The trunk is straight and upright. It branches out in all directions about 1/3 of the way up the entire height of the tree. In this manner the branches and leaves form a ball-shaped crown which can also be very beautiful during the winter months.

The Multi Trunk style, or Ikadabuki. All the trunks grow out of one root system, and it truly is one single tree. All the trunks form one crown of leaves, in which the thickest and most developed trunk forms the top.

The Growing in a Rock, or Ishizuke In this style the roots of the tree are growing in the cracks and holes of the rock. This means that there is just not much room for the roots to develop and take up nutrients. Trees which grow in rocks will never look really healthy, thus it should be visible that the tree has to struggle to survive.

Size Classifications

Additionally, bonsai are classed by size. Sizes of Bonsai include:

Mame - tiny bonsai
- Keshi-tsubu, up to 2.5cm
- Shito, 2.5-7.5 cm tall.

Shohin - small bonsai
- Gafu, 13cm-20cm
- Komono, up to 18cm
- Myabi, 15cm-25cm

Kifu - medium bonsai
- Katade-mochi, up to 40cm

Chu/Chuhin - medium to large, 40-60 cm tall

Dai/Daiza - large bonsai
- Omono, up to 120cm
- Bonju, over 100cm tall

Note that sources disagree on the exact range of sizes given for a category.

There are a number of specific techniques and styles associated with mame and shito sizes, the smallest bonsai. These are often small enough to be grown in thimble-sized pots,^{[citation needed]} and due to their minuscule size require special care and adhere to different design conventions.

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Bonsai or mini garden

2007-07-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Bonsai (disambiguation).

A bonsai trident maple growing in the root over rock style.

Bonsai displayed at a garden show in Tatton Park in Cheshire in England

Maple Bonsai in Heidelberg (Germany)

Bonsai listen (help·info) (Japanese: 盆栽, literally "potted plant". Chinese: 盆景; Pinyin: pén jǐng; literally "tray scenery"), is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees by growing them in containers. While mostly associated with the Japanese form, "bonsai" originated in China and was originally developed from Chinese penjing. In Western culture, the word "bonsai" is used as an umbrella term for both Japanese bonsai, Chinese penjing (盆景), and Korean bunjae (분재).

History

A bonsai tree

Chinese were the first to miniaturize container-grown trees in Penjing around CE 200.^[1] The art form may have been derived from the practice of transporting medicinal plants in containers by healers. Its early focus was on the display of stylistic trunks in the shape of animals and mystic figures.

From China, the practice spread to Japan around the Heian period. During the Tokugawa period, landscape gardening attained new importance. Cultivation plants such as azalea and maples became a pastime of the wealthy. Growing dwarf plants in containers was also popular, but by modern bonsai standards the container plants of this period were inappropriately large.^[1]

The period term for dwarf potted trees was "a tree in a pot" (鉢の木, hachi-no-ki^?). The term "bonsai" probably didn't come into use until the late 19th century during the Meiji period.^[1]

Cultivation

A bonsai is not a genetically dwarfed plant. It is any tree or shrub species actively growing but kept small through a combination of pot confinement, and crown and root pruning. Any tree or shrub with the right training and care could become a Bonsai with time, but some plants are more sought-after for use as bonsai material because they have several characteristics that make them appropriate for the smaller design arrangements of bonsai. There are many different ways to cultivate and grow Bonsai, the most common are:

Rock garden/

2007-07-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A rock garden, also known as a rockery or an alpine garden, is a type of garden that features extensive use of rocks or stones, along with plants native to rocky or alpine environments.

Rock garden plants tend to be small, both because many of the species are naturally small, and so as not to cover up the rocks. They may be grown in troughs (containers), or in the ground. The plants will usually be types that prefer well-drained soil and less water.

The usual form of a rock garden is a pile of rocks, large and small, esthetically arranged, and with small gaps between, where the plants will be rooted. Some rock gardens incorporate bonsai.

A naturalistic rockery in England

Some rock gardens are designed and built to look like natural outcrops of bedrock. Stones are aligned to suggest a bedding plane and plants are often used to conceal the joints between the stones. This type of rockery was popular in Victorian times, often designed and built by professional landscape architects. The same approach is sometimes used in modern campus or commercial landscaping, but can also be applied in smaller private gardens.

The Japanese rock garden, in the west often referred to as Zen garden, is a special kind of rock garden with hardly any plants.

Wildflower gardens/Winter garden

2007-07-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

Wildflower is a term used in some countries to describe the numerous showy flowers from some drier climates, most notably southwest Western Australia, Southern Africa and North America.

Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of plants, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, grasses and wildflowers, which are indigenous to the geographical area in which the garden is located, as well as rocks and boulders in place of groomed lawns and planned planting beds to blend residential or commercial property into the natural surroundings of the particular area.

In theory, natural landscaping is adapted to the climate, geography and hydrology and should require no pesticides, fertilizers and watering to maintain, given that native plants have adapted and evolved to local conditions over thousands of years. However, these applications may be necessary for some preventative care of trees and other vegetation.

Native plants suit today's interest in "low-maintenance" gardening and landscaping, with many species vigorous and hardy and able to survive winter cold and summer heat. Once established, they can flourish without irrigation or fertilization, and are resistant to most pests and diseases.

Many municipalities have quickly recognized the benefits of natural landscaping due to municipal budget constraints and reductions and the general public is now benefiting from the implementation of natural landscaping techniques to save water and create more personal time.

Bush regeneration shares many similarities, though it targets preexisting patches of (often heavily degraded) original bushland and has removal of weeds as a high (sometimes higher) priority than replanting of native plants.

Native plants provide suitable habitat for native species of butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. They provide more variety in gardens by offering myriad alternatives to the over-planted cultivars and aliens. These plants have co-evolved with animals, fungi and microbes, to form a complex network of relationships. They are the foundation of their native ecosystems, or natural communities.

Winter garden

This article is regarding the kind of garden maintained in wintertime; for other meanings, see Winter Garden

A winter garden is, as the name implies, a garden planted either to produce food, or at least to remain visibly planted and slowly develop, throughout the winter, or else a garden whose plants will serve as living decoration all winter.

Vegetables that are typically, or can be, used in a winter garden include:

Several breeds of winter hardy cabbage
Certain winter-hardy breeds of broccoli
Winter rye is even grown where a summer garden will be, in order to protect the ground from weeds, and provide soil amendment when tilled directly into the soil the following spring
beets
carrots
alliums -- onions, chives, and their relatives are evergreen, though some may die back during the winter and recover in the spring.
oregano (including marjoram) -- known to hardily survive the winter up to Zone 5

One basic premise, in temperate or colder regions, to the winter garden is that the plants may indeed become dormant when snow covers the ground, but will grow each time the sun heats at least part of the plant to above freezing (snow or not), especially in regions where snow cover and below-freezing temps are not constant for months at a time. Perhaps the most famous "winter garden" is at the Biltmore Estate near Ashville, North Carolina.

White garden

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A White Garden is a feature garden comprised of plants that produce white flowers and spathes as well as plants with a white or silvery cast to their foliage. The white garden is a variant of the color garden. The most essential feature of the white garden is its unity of colour.

The white garden is an informal gardening style that is similar in design to the English cottage garden. The open and informal design creates associations with romance, peace, and elegance. The white flowers are not usually placed in clusters, but spread throughout the garden's green areas, creating a natural look and feel. The mildly dense placement of white flowers creates a luminescent sight that is especially powerful in the twilight.

Symbolism

The colour white, and white flowers in particular, carry a vast amount of symbolism. Some florists contend certain white flowers also have defined meanings.

Flowers used in white gardens

White Camellia
Shasta daisy
White Lilac
Madonna lily
White Periwinkle
White Rose

Vegetable garden

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vegetable plots at Collingwood Children's Farm in Melbourne, Australia.

A small vegetable garden in May outside of Austin, Texas

There are many types of vegetable gardens. Potagers, a garden in which vegetables, herbs and flowers are grown together, has become more popular than the more traditional rows or blocks.

Rose Garden

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White House Rose Garden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spring in the Rose Garden. Catherine crabapple trees in bloom, bordered by tulips, primrose and grape hyacinth. The West Colonnade, designed by Thomas Jefferson, can be seen in the background.

The White House Rose Garden is a garden bordering the Oval Office and the West Wing of the White House. The garden is approximately 125 feet long and 60 feet wide (38 meters by 18 meters). The garden balances the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden on the east side of the White House Complex.

Design and horticulture

The first rose garden was established in 1913 by Ellen Louise Wilson, wife of Woodrow Wilson, on the site of a previous colonial garden. In 1961, during the John F. Kennedy administration, the garden was redesigned by Rachel Lambert Mellon. Mellon created a space with a more defined central lawn, bordered by flower beds planted in a French style, but largely using American botanical specimens. The present garden follows a layout established by Mellon. Each flower bed is planted with a series of 'Katherine' crabapples and Littleleaf lindens bordered by a low diamond shaped hedges of thyme. The outer edge of the flower bed facing the central lawn are edged with boxwood. The four corners of the garden are punctuated by Magnolia soulangeana, these specimens were found growing along the Tidal Basin by Mellon. Roses, are the primary flowering plants in the garden and include large numbers of "Queen Elizabeth" grandiflora roses, and the tea roses "Pascale," "Pat Nixon," and "King's Ransom." A shrub rose, "Nevada Rose" adds a cool note of white. Many seasonal flowers are interspersed to add nearly year round color. Spring blooming bulbs planted in the rose garden include jonquil, daffodil, fritillaria, grape hyacinth, tulips, chinodoxa and squill. Summer blooming annuals change yearly. In the fall chrystanthemum and flowering kale bring color until early winter.

Rose Garden ceremony honoring the National Teacher of the Year Jason Kamras, April 20, 2005.

Official and informal use

Beginning with the establishment of the garden in the early twentieth century the Rose Garden has been used for events. President Wilson met there with the press for informal questions. President Hoover began a tradition of welcoming and being photographed with prominent citizens there. Calvin Coolidge used the garden for making public announcements about policy and staffing decisions. President John F. Kennedy welcomed Project Mercury astronauts in the garden. Many presidential news conferences take place in the garden, as well as occasional White House dinners and ceremonies. The marriage of President Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia to Edward F. Cox took place in the Rose Garden in 1971. In recent years joint news conference with the president and a visiting head of state take place in the Rose Garden. Presidents frequently host American olympic and major league athletes in the Rose Garden after winning in their respective sport. George W. Bush welcomed the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes to the Rose Garden after they won it in 2006.

The phrase "Rose Garden strategy" (such as a re-election strategy) refers to staying inside or on the grounds of the White House as opposed to traveling throughout the country. For example, Jimmy Carter's initial efforts to end the Iran hostage crisis (1979-1981) were a Rose Garden strategy because he mostly held discussions with his close advisers in the White House. On July 25, 1994 a declaration of peace between Israel and Jordan was signed in the Rose Garden.

Rose Garden (International Rose Test Garden)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

One of several gardens within the International Rose Test Garden

The International Rose Test Garden is a rose garden in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon. There are over 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550 varieties. The roses bloom from April through October with the peak coming in June, depending on the weather. New rose cultivars are continually sent to the garden from many parts of the world and are tested for color, fragrance, disease resistance and other attributes. It is the oldest continuously operating public rose test garden in the United States and exemplifies Portland's nickname of the "City of Roses".

Features

The International Rose Test Garden has 4.5 acres (18k m²) in several tiers facing downtown Portland, the Willamette River and East Portland. On clear days there are views of the Cascade Mountains, with Mount Hood featured prominently.

An amphitheater hosts many events throughout the year, predominantly classical music concerts and a few plays. During good weather the amphitheater is popular with picnickers and people throwing the disc around. The Queens Walk is a brick walkway at the side of the garden with a bronze star honoring each Rose Festival queen since 1907.

The Shakespeare Garden originally contained botanicals mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. This was later modified to include fewer sun-loving plants due to the copious shade provided by the surrounding trees. There is a formal walkway, raised sitting area, and immaculately tended flora. The rose varieties are named after characters in his plays. It is popular for special occasions, particularly small weddings.

The Gold Medal Garden is a formal garden with award winning roses, walkways, a central fountain, and a gazebo. It is also a frequent site for weddings.

The Royal Rosarian Garden has paid tribute since 1924 to the goodwill ambassadors and official greeters who serve in the many Rose Festival events. As each rosarian is knighted, they adopt a rose variety as their namesake. A rose is planted in this garden for each of the highest ranking Rosarian Prime Ministers. This garden-within-a-garden contains many roses which are no longer commercially available.

The Miniature Rose Garden is one of only six such testing grounds for the American Rose Society. The elevated beds at the entrance are popular for their unique varieties.

A panoramic view of the International Rose Test Garden

The Rose Garden Store opened May 1, 2000 to provide guest services.

An abstract stainless steel sculpture and reflection pool and several fountains mix classical and modern styles. Each area of the rose garden has unique character: rose varieties, trees, terrain, lawn.

The roses and other plantings are tended by one year-round gardener—two during the summer—and many volunteers. Approximately 500 hours are volunteered yearly by local enthusiasts

History

In 1917 a group of Portland nurserymen came up with the idea for an American rose test garden. Portland had an enthusiastic group of volunteers and 20 miles of rose bordered streets, largely from the 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition. Portland was already dubbed "The City of Roses" so this was leveraged to enhance the reputation. Between Portland Parks and Recreation and the American Rose Society, the garden soon became a reality.

Jessie Currey, president of Portland's Rose Society at the time, petitioned for the city to serve as a safe haven for hybrid roses grown in Europe during World War I. Rose lovers feared that these unique plants could be destroyed as a result of the war. Foreign hybridists sent roses for test from many countries and the garden was an immediate success. Today, Portland is the only North American city that can issue its awards to roses of merit throughout the world.

Photo gallery

The amphitheatre at the Rose Test Garden	One view of the many rose beds in the garden	Winter in the Shakespeare Garden	A pink rose at the Rose Test Garden, unknown cultivar
An open red rose and rosebud at the Rose Test Garden, unknown cultivar	Roses abound throughout the garden	Another view of the garden	A rose with dew on the petals, from the International Rose Test Garden

Orchard

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the planting of trees in agriculture. For other uses, see Orchard (disambiguation).

A community apple orchard originally planted for productive use during the 1920's, in Westcliff on Sea (Essex, England)

Sour cherry orchard on Lake Erie shoreline (Leamington, Ontario)

A persimmon orchard in northern Kansai region, Japan

An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs maintained for food production. Most orchards comprise either fruit or nut-producing trees (see fruit trees), for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive purpose.^[1]

Most temperate-zone orchards are laid out in a regular grid, with a grazed or mown grass or bare soil base that makes maintenance and fruit gathering easy.

Orchards are often concentrated near bodies of water, where climatic extremes are moderated and blossom time is retarded until frost danger is past.

The forest garden is a food production system that is closely related to the orchard. A move towards more ecologically-friendly coffee production has led to forest-garden production of coffee. Brazil Nuts and rubber are being produced in such a method in some areas.

Often, mixed orchards are planted. In Europe Quince is sometimes planted along with apples.

Orangeries in the UK / US

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The Orangery at Kew Gardens. It is now used as a restaurant

The orangery at Kew (1761) is the earliest surviving work there by Sir William Chambers. At 28 m (92 ft) long, it was the largest glasshouse in Britain when it was built. Though it was designed as an arcade with end pavilions to winter oranges, the light levels under its solid roof were too low for it to be successful.

Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew: The Orangery

The Orangery at Margam Park, Wales, was built between 1787 and 1793 to house a large collection of orange, lemon and citron trees inherited by Thomas Mansel Talbot. The original house has been razed, but the surviving orangery, at 327 feet, is the longest one in Wales.

Margam Park: Orangery

Sir Christopher Wren designed the orangery at Kensington Palace for Queen Anne in 1702.

There is an orangery dating from about 1700 at Kenwood House in London.

Orangeries in the US

In the United States the earliest surviving orangery is at the Tayloe house in Mount Airy, Virginia, but today it is an overgrown ruin. A ruined orangery can also be seen at the gardens Eyre Hall in North Hampton County, Virginia.

A more interesting, and extant, early 18th century orangery can be seen at the Wye Plantation, near Tunis Mills (Easton), Maryland. This orangery sits behind the main house and consists of a large open room with two smaller wings added at some point after the initial construction. The south-facing wall consists of large triple-hung windows. A second story was added as a billiards room, according to the current resident, Ms. Tilghman, a descendent of the Lloyd family. This plantation is also notable as having been the home of Frederick Douglas as a young slave boy. The orangery is described in the book Glass Houses, as is the orangery at the Tayloe house.

Ms. Tilghman notes that plants are still stored inside the building in winter, but a frame has been constructed to hold the houseplants, and the whole of the frame is covered with plastic to keep in moisture. In this way, the plants do not have to be watered through the entire winter.

A new orangery, loosely modeled on the Wye orangery, was built on private property in 2006 near Royal Oak, Maryland. This orangery is approximately 29' x 17' of frame construction on stab, with a 20 foot ceiling, and glass on both front and back.

Herb garden/Orangery

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For the Celtic folk band of the same name, see Herb_Garden.

Borage is commonly grown in herb gardens; its attractive flowers can be used as a garnish.

A herb garden is a garden specifically designed and used for the cultivation of cooking , magical, and/or medicinal herbs.

Herb gardens developed from the general gardens of the ancient classical worlds, used for growing vegetables, flowers, fruits and medicines. During the medieval period, monks and nuns acquired specialist medical knowledge and grew the necessary herbs in specialist gardens. Typical plants were rosemary, parsley, sage, marjoram, thyme, mint, rue, angelica, bay, oregano, dill and basil. With the advance of medical and botanical sciences in Renaissance Europe, monastic herb gardens developed into botanical gardens. The section in which herbs was grown became known as a Garden of Simples.

Herb gardens experienced a revival with the work of the British garden historian and horticultural, writer Eleanour Sinclair Rohde (1882–1950). Modern herb gardens may be purely functional or may be ornamental, sometimes as part of a design and containing boxes and raised beds. The development of alternative medicine is also encouraging people to grow and use fresh herbs (e.g., for the treatment of acne).

Orangery

Orangery in Kuskovo, Moscow (1760s).

An Orangery was a building frequently found in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th century. Similar to a greenhouse or conservatory. The name is derived from the original use of the building as a place where citrus trees were often grown in tubs and wintered under cover. The orangery originated from the Renaissance gardens of Italy, when glass-making technology enabled sufficient expanses of clear glass to be produced.

The Orangerie at the Palace of the Louvre, 1617, inspired imitations that were not eclipsed until the development of the modern greenhouse in the 1840s, which was quickly overshadowed by the architecture in glass of Joseph Paxton. Notable for his design of the Crystal Palace, his "great conservatory" at Chatsworth House was an orangery and glass house of monumental proportions.

The orangery, however, was not just a greenhouse but a symbol of prestige and wealth and a feature of the garden, in the same way as a summerhouse, folly or "Grecian temple".

Orangerieschloss built by Frederick William IV of Prussia in Potsdam in the mid-19th century, in imitation of the Italian Renaissance style

Owners would The conduct their guests there on tours of the garden to admire not only the fruits within but the architecture without. Often the orangery would contain fountains, grottos, and an area in which to entertain in inclement weather.

Fernery/ Flower Garden

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A fernery is a specialized garden for the cultivation and display of ferns.

A fernery at the Geelong Botanic Gardens, (1892-1902).

In many countries ferneries are indoors or at least sheltered or kept in a shadehouse to provide a moist environment and filtered light.

Flower garden

A flower garden is a form of garden usually grown for decorative purposes, centering primarily on the kinds of flowers produced by the plants involved. Because flowers bloom at varying times of the year, and some plants are annual, dying each winter, the design of flower gardens can be sophisticated, taking such matters into consideration to keep blooms, even of specific color combinations, consistent or present through varying seasons.

Flower gardens combine plants of different heights, colors, textures, and fragances to create interest and delight the senses. Photo by Ashley Sheets, provided courtesy of Park Seed Company.

These have grown in complexity over the years, and are sometimes tied in function to other kinds of gardens, like knot gardens or herb gardens, many herbs also having decorative function, and some decorative flowers being edible.

One simpler solution to flower garden design, growing in popularity, is the pre-planned "wildflower" seed mix. Assortments of seeds are created which will create a bed that contains flowers of various blooming seasons, so that some portion of them should always be in bloom. The best mixtures even include combinations of perennial and biennials, which may not bloom until the following year, and also annuals that are "self-seeding", so they will return, creating a permanent flowerbed.

Another, even more recent trend is the "flower garden in a box", where the entire design of a flower garden is pre-packaged, with separate packets of each kind of flower, and a careful layout to be followed to create the proposed pattern of color in the garden-to-be.

History

Many, if not most, plants considered decorative flowers originated as weeds, which if attractive enough would sometimes be tolerated by farmers because of their appeal. This led to an artificial selection process, producing ever-prettier (to humans) flowers. This is thought to have occurred for the entire history of agriculture, perhaps even slightly earlier, when people tended to favored, naturally-occurring food-gathering spots. This may also explain why many flowers function as companion plants to more useful agricultural plants; they had evolved that symbiotic relationship with the food plants before either was domesticated, and therefore was found in the same area, convenient to be selected as an attractive plant.

Once domesticated, though, most flowers were grown either separately or as part of gardens having some other primary function. In the West, the idea of gardens dedicated to flowers did not become common until the 19th century, though in fact many modern gardens are indeed flower gardens.

Flower gardens can enhance almost any home or business. Photo by Christa Hanson, provided courtesy of Park Seed Company

Flower gardens are, indeed, a key factor in modern landscape design and even architecture, especially for large businesses, some of which pay to have large flower gardens torn out and replaced entirely each season, in order to keep the color patterns consistent.

Cactus Garden

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Arizona Cactus Garden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arizona Cactus Garden, partial view.

The Arizona Cactus Garden (30,000 square feet), also known as the Stanford Cactus Garden, is a botanical garden specializing in cactus and succulents. It is located on the campus of Stanford University (within the Stanford University Arboretum, and near the Stanford Family Mausoleum and the Angel of Grief), Palo Alto, California, USA, and open to the public daily without charge

The garden was first planted between 1880 and 1883 for Jane and Leland Stanford to a design by landscape architect Rudolph Ulrich. It was planned to be adjacent to their new residence, and part of the larger gardens for the Stanford estate. However, the home was never built. The garden was regularly maintained until the 1920s after which it fell into great disrepair.

Volunteer restoration work began in 1997 and is ongoing. Notwithstanding decades of neglect, some of the original plants remain. The garden now contains approximately 500 cacti and succulents in 58 beds, broadly divided into two major sections. The Eastern Hemisphere section is planted with aloes, jade plants and other succulents from Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the Western Hemisphere section holds cacti native to the Americas. Historic plants, comprising some 10-15% of the plantings, have been left in their original locations. As of July 2006, the plants were not labeled.

Types of gardens

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Gardens may feature a particular plant or plant type(s);

Cactus garden
Fernery
Flower garden
Herb garden
Orangery
Orchard
Rose garden
Vegetable garden
White garden
Wildflower garden
Winter garden

Gardens may feature a particular style or aesthetic:

Alpine or rock garden
Bonsai or miniature garden
Children's Garden
Chinese garden
Dutch garden
English landscape garden
French formal garden
Geometric garden
Informal garden
Italian garden
Japanese garden
Naturalistic garden
Persian garden
Trial garden
Tropical garden
Water garden
Wild garden
Xeriscaping
Zen garden

Gardens may function in a particular manner:

Botanical garden
Community garden
Cottage garden
Cutting garden
Forest garden
Hydroponic garden
Raised bed gardening
Residential garden
Roof garden
Sacred garden
Sensory garden
Square foot garden
Vertical garden
Walled garden
Windowbox
Zoological garden

Read articles on the types of gardens from the topics available on blog. Visit here regularly and you will get ALL you need.

Gardening compared to farming

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In respect to its food producing purpose, gardening is distinguished from farming chiefly by scale and intent. Farming occurs on a larger scale, and with the production of saleable goods as a major motivation. Gardening is done on a smaller scale, primarily for pleasure and to produce goods for the gardener's own family or community. There is some overlap between the terms, particularly in that some moderate-sized vegetable growing concerns, often called market gardening, can fit in either category.

The key distinction between gardening and farming is essentially one of scale: gardening can be a hobby or an income supplement, but farming is generally understood as a full-time or commercial activity, usually involving more land and quite different practices. One distinction is that gardening is labor-intensive and employs very little infrastructural capital, typically no more than a few tools, e.g. a spade, hoe, basket and watering can. By contrast, larger-scale farming often involves irrigation systems, chemical fertilizers and harvesters or at least ladders, e.g. to reach up into fruit trees. However, this distinction is becoming blurred with the increasing use of power tools in even small gardens.

In part because of labor intensity and aesthetic motivations, gardening is very often much more productive per unit of land than farming. In the Soviet Union, half the food supply came from small peasants' garden plots on the huge government-run collective farms, although they were tiny patches of land. Some argue this as evidence of superiority of capitalism, since the peasants were generally able to sell their produce. Others consider it to be evidence of a tragedy of the commons, since the large collective plots were often neglected, or fertilizers or water redirected to the private gardens.

The term precision agriculture is sometimes used to describe gardening using intermediate technology (more than tools, less than harvesters), especially of organic varieties. Gardening is effectively scaled up to feed entire villages of over 100 people from specialized plots. A variant is the community garden which offers plots to urban dwellers; see further in allotment (gardening).

Gardening

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Gardening is the activity of growing and maintaining the garden. This work is done by an amateur or professional gardener. A gardener might also work in a non-garden setting, such as a park, a roadside embankment, or other public space. Landscape architecture is a related professional activity with landscape architects tending to specialise in design for public and corporate clients.

Gardening is the practice of growing flowering plants, vegetables, and fruits. Residential gardening most often takes place in or about a residence, in a space referred to as the garden. Although a garden typically is located on the land near a residence, it may also be located in a roof, in an atrium, on a balcony, in a windowbox, or on a patio or vivarium.

Gardening also takes place in non-residential green areas, such as parks, public or semi-public gardens (botanical gardens or zoological gardens), amusement and theme parks, along transportation corridors, and around tourist attractions and hotels. In these situations, a staff of gardeners or groundskeepers maintains the gardens.

Indoor gardening is concerned with the growing of houseplants within a residence or building, in a conservatory, or in a greenhouse. Indoor gardens are sometimes incorporated as part of air conditioning or heating systems.

Water gardening is concerned with growing plants adapted to pools and ponds. Bog gardens are also considered a type of water garden. These all require special conditions and considerations. A simple water garden may consist solely of a tub containing the water and plant(s).

Container gardening is concerned with growing plants in any type of container either indoors or outdoors. Common containers are pots, hanging baskets, and planters. Container gardening is usually used in atriums and on balconies, patios, and roof tops.

Garden

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From Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia, a garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form is known as a residential garden. Western gardens are almost universally based around plants. Zoos, which display wild animals in simulated natural habitats, were formerly called zoological gardens. Some traditional types of eastern gardens, such as Zen gardens, use plants sparsely or not at all. Food-producing gardens are distinguished from farms by their smaller scale, more labor-intensive methods, and their purpose (enjoyment of a hobby rather than produce for sale). The gardening article discusses the differences and similarities between gardens and farms in greater detail.

The term garden in British English refers to an enclosed area of land, usually adjoining a building.^[1] This would be referred to as a yard in American English.