Archive for September, 2008

Gardening Facts

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

Gardening can be described as an art in which plants are grown for the purpose of creating an impressive landscape. Gardening can take place at a private home, or it can be used at public buildings. The space that is used for gardening is called the garden. While most gardens will typically be located on the ground, some have been built on top of roofs as well. A large garden is often referred to as being a park, and will often be a tourist attraction. In a large facility a number of workers will be responsible for the maintenance of the garden, and are called gardeners. Gardening falls under three primary categories, and these are outdoor gardening, indoor gardening, and water gardening.

As the name implies, indoor gardening is the art of creating gardens inside buildings and homes. Houseplants will often be used, and the garden may also be used as a natural heating or cooling unit. Water gardening is the art of growing plants near ponds or pools. The most basic water garden will be a small collection of water that will contain plants. While many people compare gardening to farming, there are a number of notable differences. Farming is designed to grow food that can be consumed by individuals, while gardening is done primarily for design purposes.

While food may be grown in a garden, it will generally only be consumed by the gardener and their close relatives. Farming is almost always done on a much large scale than gardening. While very few tools are required for gardening, extensive equipment must be used by those who want to create even moderate sized farms. Despite this, it should be noted that the lines between gardens and farms often become blurred. Despite the fact that most gardens are much smaller than farms, they tend to be much more productive.

The design of the garden is considered to be sacred in many cultures. While gardening is often considered to be the work of women, Samurai warriors in feudal Japan were expected to create elaborate gardens in a process called ikebana. Throughout history, architects have been used to design beautiful gardens, and this process continues today. There are a number of social roles that gardens have played in societies, and this is also the case in the United States. Gardening is not only a form of art, but it can be an important source of food. Many governments have now begin banning the importation of plants to different countries. While some say it is merely to stop the spread of bacteria, others feel that it destroys and important part of gardening.

Gardening is a practice which has existed since antiquity, and it is likely that it has been in existence in some form since humans first discovered agriculture. One of the most impressive historical gardens was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and it was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In addition to this, ancient Rome was famous for having a large number of beautiful gardens as well.

Michael Colucci is a writer for Gardening which is part of the Knowledge Search network: http://www.gardening.knowledgesearch.net/

Gardening as a Hobby

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

Gardening is a year-round hobby, which requires specific tasks at certain times of the year – often planning for several months ahead. In order to be ready to plant in your garden during next spring, you need to start preparing the soil sometime in the fall.

To prepare your garden for planting next spring, one of the most important things is to spread and till compost or peat moss over your garden, especially if it is a new garden. Adding fertilizers and nutrients several months ahead of the actual planting will help to ensure healthier plants.

Apart from preparing the soil, the winter months can also be used for removing of leaves and other debris and disposing of any dead plants. Some gardening experts recommend creating a calendar of planting dates so when spring is here you will know when to plant each variety.

Once spring arrives, your planting timetable will depend on where you live, your soil type and your local climate. Even though spring officially begins around March 20 th , you may have several more weeks of winter weather. Plants and vegetables that thrive in warm weather should not be planted until after the date that you can realistically expect no further frost. After that date, you can also safely remove any protective winter covers from plants

Many varieties of annual flower seeds and vegetable seeds should be planted in March or April for best results. Try to sow seeds on a warm dry day as the soil may still be damp during this time of the year, thus causing the seeds to rot.

One tip for spring planting is to plant different varieties of crops and flowers in different parts of the garden than they were previously planted. Crop rotation helps to improve the health of the soil as well as preventing soil disease from spreading.

And before you even start planting, early spring is also a good time of year to perform basic outdoor maintenance tasks such as repairing fences or trellises, sharpening and cleaning tools. Spring is also the time to cut back unruly growth on most shrubs, before leaves begin to grow again.

About the Author:

Written by Joe Castro for GardenJunkie.com For more articles, auctions, blogs, forums & more visit http://www.gardenjunkie.com

Reasons to Wear Gloves When Gardening

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

Many individuals would rather wear nothing on their hands when performing simple gardening activities. Of course this is fine if these activities are just that – simple. Watering plants in your garden could surely be considered one of these activities and most people would agree that gloves are unnecessary for such a task. However if an individual is heavily into gardening and is much more hands-on than simply watering, gloves may become an essential.

While there are many tools one can use to spread mulch, dig up and transplant flowers, weed and other such gardening activities, most people habitually to use their hands. Protection is then a major issue for many people performing such tasks. Shielding your hands from thorns and prickers and protecting them from getting wet, cold and uncomfortable should be your foremost concern especially if you toil in your garden on a regular basis.

There are a number of gloves on the market ideal for gardening which you can choose from. Be aware that there are just as many types of gloves available that are simply inadequate for the passionate gardener. Such gloves as those made of just cotton or some cotton/leather variant may be cheap, easily obtainable and sufficient for some gardening activities, but are simply not that durable and barely, if at all, protect the hands from getting wet. Protection from such things as poison ivy is also lacking with these gloves. Perhaps the best glove out there for gardening is the spandex/lycra composite, which not only protects against all the aforementioned afflictions, but is also quite convenient.

For those of you who would rather not wear gloves when gardening, recently a product has become available that is simply a silicon spray-on sealant that offers up many of the same benefits as the abovementioned composite gloves. This glove, like the others, also shelters the hands from dirt.

If you need Gardening information or have articles on Gardening issues, visit our Gardening section for more in-depth resources: http://www.reprint-content.com/Category/Gardening/56

Cut Flowers in the Home

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

Having trouble getting a room in your home to have that certain charm you’re looking for? Searching for that perfect painting, sculpture, or table lamp can often be time-consuming, pricey, and/or lead to fights with your spouse. But, one simple and often overlooked way to add harmony to any room is with fresh cut flowers.

Flowers immediately draw attention and come in all sorts of colors, shapes, and prices. Best of all, they offer a way to change the look of a room every week. For example, if you want to liven things up get some bright orange and yellow gerbera daisies. If you want to create a romantic mood, go with traditional red roses. For a more serene setting, purple trachelium or blue hydrangea work well. Soft pastels can help create a caring, nurturing atmosphere.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with more unusual flowers like lisianthus, peonies, or ranunculus and see what works for you. A “garden” bouquet consisting of many types of flowers can add a country-like feel to a room while a “European-style” bouquet of 2-3 types of flowers can add elegance and sophistication. Items from around the house such as water pitchers, teapots, urns, and oil and vinegar containers can serve as eclectic vases.

Americans have traditionally bought flowers only on special occasions, while Europeans have long known that beauty like flowers should be enjoyed regularly, not just when we have guests. Not only do flowers add color and aroma to a living room, kitchen, or dining room, they also lift our spirits and stimulate an emotional response. New schools of thought such as “flower therapy” suggest various color combinations help stimulate memories and generally improve our moods. A study by Rutgers University confirms that flowers do in fact make people happier, even men!

If you don’t have the time to buy fresh flowers from florists, pick some up on your trip to the supermarket. Or get flowers from the grower on websites like http://www.beyondblossoms.com, which ships FedEx so you don’t need to be home for delivery. You’ll be surprised how just a few stems can go a long way towards completing a room.

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About The Author

Josh Grossman

http://www.beyondblossoms.com

Avoid Common Gardening Errors

Monday, September 8th, 2008

Gardening errors are common even amongst the prolific gardeners. Once into a certain habit it’s a bit hard to break that habit. But you can avoid certain common gardening errors with this handy list.

Wrong Type of Plant For Your Area

There are plants for almost all climates including cooler climates. Some plants are more likely to grow in areas than other plants. Choosing the right plant for your area can be tough. But knowing your area’s climate can help.

Ask your local agricultural department for a list of common native plants for your area. You could also ask a local greenhouse or plant nursery for a list too.

Planting Too Early

Sometimes in early spring, the weather might turn warm. This gives gardeners a sense of hope for the start of the gardening season. But this sense of hope can lead to disaster. Some plants do tolerate some cooler weather but some, such as vegetables and some flowers do not tolerate the cooler weather. The cooler weather can severerly limit production and may even outright kill the plant.

Be careful and know what your gardening zone is. Know the last frost and freeze dates of your area. Most departments of agriculture and local greenhouses know these dates and would be more than happy to relay this information on to you if you ask.

Watering: Too Much or Too Little

Watering is a very important chore in the garden. Plants need the water to survive. Too little water and the garden won’t grow.

For most plants, you need about an inch of water a week. Some plants need more, some need less. Usually vegetables need a little more once they start setting fruit. A trick to find out if you need to water the garden is stick your finger about two inches into the soil. If it it damp, then you won’t have to water. If it is dry, then the garden probably needs water.

Plants need water for survival. But too much water is just as problematic. The water causes the plants to droop. It can also cause germination problems. The seeds might not grow, or they will grow severely weak stems.

Too Much Fertilizer

Some gardeners get zealous when they begin to fertilize plants. They put too much fertilizer on plants and that can cause problems with growth especially with vegetables. Most vegetables that have too much fertilizer won’t produce more fruit and produce. They will produce less produce and more foliage.

Read the fertilizer instructions very carefully and do some research on whether the plant you are growing actually needs an extra fertilizer.

Not Enough Sun

Light is a very important ingredient in the plant’s survival. It needs light to make and process the plant’s food. Too little light and the plant can’t produce enough food and thus will die.

Some plants need a full eight hours of sun to have a healthy production. But some plants will tolerate shade. But even most shade tolerant plants need some sort of sun.

Spacing

Spacing problems occur often in gardens. Most of the problems are with too little space between plants. Disease and pests are the main problems with spacing plants too close. Follow the proper spacing guides usually given on the seed packages or plant packages. These are generally carefully researched. Following them can lead to a better, healthier garden.

If you want to space plants closer, try a raised bed garden. A raised bed garden is a garden bed that is raised above the ground. It is much like a container on the ground. With a raised bed garden, you have much more control over weeds, control of pests and control the type of soil that you put into the garden. You can usually plant closer in the raised bed garden because of these controls you have over this type of bed.

Mistakes Can Be Corrected

Most garden mistakes can be corrected. Just be aware of the common mistakes and you can avoid later headaches and heartaches in your garden. Avoiding these mistakes in the first place can give you a healthier and faster producing garden.

Katina Mooneyham is the contributing editor for Little Gardeners (http://www.gardenandhearth.com/LittleGardeners.htm) at Garden and Hearth.com. She has written various articles on gardening mostly about gardening with kids. She maintains a blog on gardening at http://littlegardeners.blogspot.com