Over the years garden pots being used in the garden have been on the rise. There have been a number of reasons for this.
Havingyour plants in garden pots make them extremely portable. You can movethem around your garden or patio. At certain times of the year youmight want to limit the amount of shade or sun the plant receives forthe best growing conditions. Or if you are moving to another locationall together you don’t have to rip the plant out of the ground, justthrow the pot and plant in the car and off you go.
Garden potsgive more control of the conditions in which you are attempting to growyour plants. You can control the water – it is contained, thefertilizer – it is contained, you can see if the roots are about tomake their way under your new concrete driveway.
Clay pots cangive your plants root system more chance to “breathe”, as the clayabsorbs water keeping the pot cool. You can also put a saucerunderneath the garden pot to catch excess water, this water sits therekeeping the pot cool and allowing the roots to draw upon more waterwhen it is required.
Choice in garden pots has never been better.You can have clay pots, glazed pots in a wide range of colors, terrazzopots, fibre glass pots in all sorts of colours, finishes, shapes andsizes. For mine planting in pots is as good as in the ground and insome cases – better.
A good garden design is not about succumbing tothe latest trend and throwing something together – It is about makingthe most of what you have and creating a stunning space you can’t waitto get back to at the end of the day. Not sure if you can achieve that?Knowing the basics and incorporating them in your design can certainlyhelp.
Mystery within boundary:
Imagine, if you walked into a garden big or small and could clearlysee the periphery or the boundaries and everything in between, wouldyou then walk to the other side to find out more? Probably not…yourmind has already processed the impression that you have seen everythingthere is to see and that there is nothing more to explore.
Createa mystery about the boundary or the periphery of you garden. Tease theviewer into taking a stroll to explore more. To achieve this, you needto break up the space and create a visual division. You can achievethis in several ways like hedges of differing heights, using an arch, apergola, a trellis or wall like structure.
With a small gardendesign, the challenge will be to incorporate the existing structuresinto the space. Work with the walls, balcony of your apartment or theperiphery and create a journey towards it.
Anchors and focal points:
Howdo we decide which way to go? We humans are naturally curious and ananchor or a focal point greatly influences our choice of direction tohelp satisfy our curiosity. You can place focal points to draw the eyeand attention.
There are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ places to put yourfocal points key garden features. Just ensure that they form anintegral part of the your garden design.
Small garden designsthat have focal points to take you on a visually pleasant journeythrough the garden, and yet, keep it simple and uncluttered, can be achallenge. Try to create a garden that looks like the “completepicture” rather than unrelated plants, textures and elements puttogether randomly. Most of all, a good design must be practical andright for the people who live there, so feel free to make the gardenand extension of your home and your self.
Make sure it reflects your personality and you will enjoy it for ever more.
MitraD has lived in apartments and townhouses for the better part of herlife. With a background in design, Mitra D is enthusiastic abo
The water sprinkler system was a great invention.Being able to make sure plants and lawns are watered without having tostand over and take care of each individual area was a bonus. The factthey were imprecise is an issue. The sprinkler can waste a lot ofwater. Take advantage of the opportunity to turn that wasted water intosomething useful.
A common type of lawn watering method is theoscillating sprinkler works by spraying an arc of water back and forthover a certain amount of land. The expanse of land an oscillatingsprinkler covers is quite large. They are easily portable and this isfine, but water is not easily dispersed. Water can be lost toevaporation and some areas may be over watered.
Whirlingsprinklers cover a circular amount of land. With most lawns beingangular, this can mean a large area is left unattended. They arehowever, power modifiable. This makes it easy to adjust the type ofstream, going from a fine mist to a rainstorm. Depending on the size ofthe lawn, it often has to be moved around to make sure it covers allareas necessary.
Water runoff is what makes a sprinkler systeminefficient. Water is valued extensively and there are ways to preventits loss to runoff and still take care of a lawn. In drier areas,rainfall is low enough so that lawns and gardens suffer. There areusually water restrictions that prevent regular watering. Waste waterirrigation is shown to be needed most in these arid lands.
Wastewater irrigation is a popular way of reusing water that is wasted byfaulty sprinkler systems, but also any rain and snow that can be betterput to use. Harvesting rainwater and using it in a more efficient wayis a great conservation method. It not only keeps lawns emerald green,but saves money. Rainwater is free.
Gray water use has becomewell known more recently as a conserving way to maintain lawns. Waterthat comes from showers and washing machines is turned into somethinguseful. This water is not the same as water that comes from when peopleuse the toilet. Not everyone will be able to use this kind of water, soit is necessary that regional laws are followed when it comes to use.
Forthose that are unable or unwilling to move a sprinkler from one area toanother, an automatic sprinkler can handle the task. It may cost morethan a regular sprinkler system, but long-term savings and a betterlooking lawn and garden are a worthy investment. Many companies havesprinklers that can be used with reclaimed water. It is a responsibleway of taking care of your lawn and the world around you.
It’s not hard to prune your indoor orchids. Takea couple of minutes to get rid of old leaves and you will have ahealthy, happy and beautiful plant.
1) You can prune yourorchid’s leaves throughout the year or you can do it once a year,usually during the winter and fall. Orchids do not normally bloom inthe late fall and winter so it’s a good time to prune leaves but notsuch a good time to prune back dead blossoms and stalks. For that, seenumber 3. If you think that there are diseased leaves on your orchidyou will need to go to number 2.
2) Leaves that are yellow orhave yellow spots surrounded by black rings should be removed. They arediseased, and have either a bacterial infection, or in the case of theleaves with the black rings, a fungal infection. You should remove themwhenever you see them, not waiting until your normal pruning time. Ifyou have too many leaves on an orchid that are too close together, youmight want to remove a couple to give the orchid better air circulation.
3)Remove the ends of bloom stalks. There are a couple of different pointsof view on where on the stalk to do this but the bottom line is that itneeds to be done. If the stalk is brown and dead and you want to getrid of it, cut it back to about a 1/4 inch above its bottom. If you arehoping for a keiki, or another blossom on the same stalk, cut the stalkjust below the old blossom and right above a node. Remove dead bloomswhen they wither by snipping them off at their bases.
4) Alwaysuse sterilized tools. Whether you use a pruning shears, a householdscissors, a knife or a razor blade, it is necessary to make sure thatthe tool is not infected with either a bacteria or a fungus. All plantscan get these but orchids are particularly susceptible to infection. Amixture of bleach and water or holding the blade over a flame will killany unwanted cells on the blade. It’s also a good idea to use latexgloves when you prune your orchid. Change the gloves between plants andre-sterilize your cutting tools between plants.
5) Every coupleof years, after you’ve pruned away dead blooms, flower stalks anddiseased leaves, take a look at the roots of the orchid. Carefullyremove the orchid from its pot, disturbing the roots as little aspossible and remove as much potting medium as possible. If any of theroots look brown or mushy, remove them with your sterilized tool. Thenrepot the orchid in new potting material in a pot that is slightlylarger than the pot it was removed from.
This type of flower is becoming increasinglypopular with customers. This is an ideal plant to give as a gift or buyfor your own home. When seeing the Dutch auctions figures, consumersseem to appreciate the new variety.
Even if the Anthurium BabyBoomer was introduced in August 2006 it was in April 2007 that was onthe market for sale. Throughout the 2007 over 40,000 specimens weresold. In 2008 the number was doubled to reach 100,000 units. So far theplant has not yet managed to occupy a place in the top ten most popularvarieties, but it is expected in a few years to reach the peak due tothe rapid growth, to the beautiful flowers and for its long lastingflowers.
The Anthurium belongs to the family, Araceae. Anthuriumis also known as the “Flamingo Flower”, referring to the structure ofthe spadix.
Varieties
There are two important species: Anthurium andreanum and Anthurium scherzerianum.
Thefirst group often has a heart-shaped orange, red, pink, brown, white orbicolor spathe and a white spadix. The stems are long and with shinyleaves. The second group has a curly red or orange spadix, a roundspathe, and is short stemmed with opaque leaves. The assortment ofAnthurium andreanum is in constant change; especially in regards of theshape, compactness of the plants and flower colours. Particularattention is given buy the companies regarding resistance andproduction of flowers in winter. It is very important that the flowerssnack on the leaves and that the leaves are compact. They are alsotrying to create plants with new special colours such as brown, blackor purple and also in new forms.
Even if supplies at the auctionof Anthurium scherzerianum are limited, breeders are working hard tocreate new colours such as purple and pink along with the existingwhite, red and speckled cultivars. Breeders’ criteria also include thatthe leaves are compact and the flowers snack on them. Additionally theflowers should be robust, without the need for support sticks.
Tips for care
• Always store the Anthurium at 15 degrees Celsius.
• During transport the plant should be wrapped.
• Avoid draughts, cold and unsteadiness temperature.
In the shop:
• Remove the wrapping and put the plant in a shaded place and avoid direct sunlight.
• Check that the room temperature is tolerable.
• This plant is very susceptible to cold and draughts.
• Use room temperature water, if possible rainwater and water the plant from below so the leaves doesn’t get wet.
• When sold, wrap the plants well so they do not get damaged with the cold.
At home
• But the plant in a shaded place.
• Keep the soil moderately moist.
• The plant can go outdoors in summer.
• Always remove dead flowers.
• It is important that it is repotted every two years.
The blooms of the Anthurium are small and grow ona stem known as ‘spadix’. The spadix of the Anthurium grows in avariety of shapes and colours, but mostly red. The leaves of the flowerare large and simple. This grows approx. 30cm tall.
The flowercould make good houseplants as they don’t need a lot of sunlight andprefer a milder climate. On the other hand they don’t survive long infrost or freezing conditions. Make sure that you water your flowerregularly, but don’t soak the bulb entirely. If you are growing in ayard or garden, it will perfectly grow against a fence or tree. Howeverin a vase, flower can live up to six weeks, depending on the variety.
Facts About Anthurium
- In Greek, Anthurium means tail flowers.
- The Anthurium stems can reach the height of 15 – 20 inches, the bigger the spathe, the longer the stem.
- The leaves of the Anthurium are simple, large, brightly coloured and borne on long stalks.
- This long stalk of the Anthurium is slender, ending in a fleshy column with many hermaphrodite flowers.
- The leafy bracts of the Anthurium come in a variety of colours, some of which are; white, yellow, red, pink, orange or green.
- Anthurium is a very popular foliage plant.
- Anthuriums are well known in the cut flower trade for their attractive coloured bracts.
- There are 3 broad categories in spathes which are; standard, obake and tulip. From these three, standard is the most common.
- The Anthuriums come in a wide variety including; Flowering, Velvet Leafed, Pendulous or Hanging Basket Types, Palmate Leafed.
- Anthurium plants are not eatable and may cause stomach disorders. Infact all of the plant is poisonous.
- The sap of the Anthurium plant can be the cause of skin irritation.
- Another important fact about the Anthurium is their inflorescence, since they can have a long shelf life.
Growing Anthuriums
There are 4 ways how one can grow Anthuriums. These are; Vegetative Reproduction, Seeds, Tissue Culture and Fertilization.
- Anthuriums can grow on a variety of soils. The important thing is that the soil is highly organic.
- Make sure that the soil is well-drained to avoid rotting of stems and roots.
- After planting the Anthurium stake it for support, and water it immediately.
- For the Anthuriums plant you may need mulching.
- The roots of the Anthurium plant grow into the mulch and spread.
My garden grows with Reiki. Reiki is a great way to enhance your garden because it helps plants flourish.
Ilive at altitude, in a place with a short growing season. I’m not anexpert gardener. What I know, I’ve learned by trial and error. I’vebeen using Reiki in the garden for years and watching the vegetablesgrow.
I now have plants like kale, tulsi, asparagus, nettles,strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peppermint, garlic, and chivesthat just show up every year. Then I add things like sugar snap peas,carrots, beats cilantro, lettuce and other greens.
I must admit,I’m a bit of a lazy gardener and I rely heavily on Reiki to grow mygarden. I start out with high hopes of tending the garden withdedication. Then as summer rolls on I just leave the garden to its owndevices. Sure, I water my garden now and then and I even try tofertilize it too. Thanks to my good friend with the rabbits, I’m tryingrabbit pellets this year. I Reikied those too.
I use Reiki atevery stage of gardening: turning the soil, planting the seeds,watering, weeding, fertilizing, and harvesting. I even send the gardendistant Reiki from my crystal grid. The results are, everything grows,including the weeds. Reiki does not discriminate.
Here’s what Ilike to do when I weed. I like to imagine that by pulling each weed,I’m removing unwanted thoughts or energy from myself. This means that Iusually start weeding when I’m not feeling centered or in a bad mood.
Byhaving my hands in the Reiki filled dirt, I find myself grounded. Withthe intention of releasing unwanted thoughts, my mood improves with thepull of each weed. Also, by being in the Reiki filled garden the Reikiworks on me as well. I leave the garden feeling good and back inalignment.
Remember to Reiki your garden. Here’s to Reiki filledvegetables and to feeling good playing in the dirt! You can learn howto use Reiki on yourself and others. Reiki will enhance your wellnesson the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. Anyone canlearn Reiki from a Reiki Master Teacher.
If you are living in the city or an urban placewhere there is limited land available, then you should think aboutvertical gardening. You can easily train plants to grow vertically byusing supports and frames. This will make it easy for the plant to growvertically, as it is a natural process for them.
Verticalgardening is quite similar to hydroponics. Even here the roots of theplants are supported using a fibrous material and the nutrients areadded to it. Water is also added to the fibrous support.
The goodthing about vertical gardening is that it can be done outdoors orindoors. Here are some tips for vertical gardening that you will findextremely useful:
The most important part of vertical gardeningis the location. If you are planning on an outdoor garden, ensure thatthe plants get maximum sunlight during the day. The plants should notbe deprived of sunlight in any way whatsoever.
Metallic framescan be used longer than wooden ones. So, make sure you use them if youintend staying in the same place for some time. Besides this, payattention to the watering of the plants. Plants growing in a verticalgarden usually need more water compared to plants growing in atraditional garden. Therefore, the soil you use for the garden shouldbe of good quality and have the ability to retain moisture. One of thebest ways to keep the soil moist is through mulching. It will alsoprovide the necessary nutrients to the plants.
An importantaspect of vertical gardening is training of the plants. If this is notdone, the plants will spread in all directions and look unkempt. So,keep trimming and pruning the plants as and when necessary withoutcausing any harm to the roots.
As the plants will be growingvertically, use a ladder to reach the upper parts of the plant. Oncethe plants reach their full length, fasten them to the metallic supportor frame using a twine.
As one of the more popular herbal supplements, ginseng has been touted to have therapeutic effects ranging from improved memory and cognitive functioning, improved moods, increased energy, resistance to stress, an aid in slowing down aging, and increased erectile function in men. With all these claims it’s no wonder that ginseng has captured the interest of the scientific community, and the question arises should ginseng be a prized herb in the medicinal herb garden?
To answer this question, we’ll look at three main areas of high interest in the scientific community: stamina, diabetes, and erectile dysfunction.
In a study published in Clinical Therapy, Italian researchers gave 50 physical education teachers a placebo or ginseng (including vitamins and minerals) and had them run on a treadmill. In the ginseng group the lungs and hearts of the teachers worked more efficiently, and stamina increased significantly.
Diabetes Care published a study where 30 subjects, newly diagnosed with diabetes, were given ginseng extract (100-200 mg per day) or a placebo. The ginseng group showed lower sugar levels, and further studies support this result. A word of caution here, diabetes requires professional treatment so consult your health provider about ginseng before using it.
Yale University conducted a series of studies to see if ginseng could boost the body’s synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), and it does. As NO increases, so does the likelihood of erection. Taking these findings further, and reported in the Journal of Urology, Korean researchers gave 45 men with erection impairment a placebo or ginseng (900 mg three times per day). The ginseng group experienced significant erection improvement.
The key concern in the use of ginseng is the side effects, the most common of which are insomnia and nervous stress triggered by people ingesting ginseng in doses over that recommended. Used in correct dosages, however, the herb produces minimal side effects.
The overdose problem may also be caused by taking ginseng over a long period of time. Some health providers suggest that after taking ginseng for a couple of weeks, go ginseng-free for 14 days or so to clear the system.
Another word of caution, people who are taking blood thinning drugs should not take ginseng because the herb does not interact well with these drugs. Furthermore, if you are taking prescription drugs for any ailment check with your health provider to make sure ginseng will be compatible with those drugs and not cause harm.
Tulips are very popular spring flowers, and the third most popular around the world next to the Rose and Chrysanthemum. There is a large variety including; different colours, different heights and different flower shapes. Some of which have even fragrance.
‘Tulip’ is thought to be derives from the Turkish word ‘tulbend’ for turban. It was discovered by a known Austrian biologist Carolus Clusius. In the year 1,000 AD, the Turkish growers cultivated tulips for the first time. There are over 100 different species, which mostly came from the Central Asia where the tulips grew wilder.
Facts about the Tulips
• There is now available over 3,000 different varieties.
• Each year billions are cultivated, some of which are grown and brought from Holland.
• In the past, Europe symbolized as a flower of the Ottoman Empire.
• Sign of imagination, dreams, ideal lover and declaration of love.
• Tulip bulbs are a good substitution for onions when cooking.
Classification of Tulips
They are classified in three categories; early, mid and late season flowering.
• Early Flowering: This kind of Tulips normally blooms in March and early April. Early Flowering are Species Tulips, Kaufmanniana (eg., Waterlily), Fosteriana (eg.,Red Emperor), Single Early(eg., Apricot Beauty ), Double Early, Greigii, etc.
• Midseason Flowering: This kind of Tulips bloom in April and early May. Eg. Triumph, Swan Wings, Darwin Hybrids, Parrot Tulips.
• Late Flowering: The latest kind of Tulips will bloom in May. Eg., Single Late, Double Late, Viridiflora, Lily-Flowered, Fringed, Rembrandt, Multi Flowering Tulips.