Home Gardening How To - Gardening Tips and Advice Blog » Featured Gardening

Good Planning Is Essential To Successful Garden Design

Admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:38:51 +0000

Do you want the perfect garden this spring? Have you already bought some flowers or shrubs to put in some of the empty spots in your garden? Stop right there! The key to great design is to see the end in the beginning. You need to have a clear picture of what you want before you start.

So, the first step to perfect garden design is to determine where your garden is going to go. Draw a map of your property and identify the area or areas you are going to focus on this year. This is crucial to having a successful and stunning garden. The ideas will start flowing once you know where the garden will go.

The absolutely essential next step in great garden design is to evaluate the condition of the soil and determine what needs to be done, if anything, so it will be hospitable to your plants and flowers. The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of money and time only to find out that nothing will grow. Most gardening stores have kits to do soil analysis. Or, you may just want to purchase some new soil for your garden.

The next thing you should consider in your garden design is how you are going to enclose it. You can't just throw a bunch of flowers and shrubs in some dirt and expect to have a good-looking garden. You need some kind of border. Rocks are a favorite border and add an elegant touch to your project. Fencing material, mulch or small shrubs look very nice as well. I personally enjoy using small rocks or pebbles and mound them around the border of the area I've designated for growing. Colored rocks are also available for this purpose. The border can really make the difference between good and bad garden design.

Make sure that your garden area will receive enough water. If for some reason part or all of you garden will not get direct rain water, then you'll want to either see if you can redirect water to it, or install simple irrigation. If you are not forgetful, you can simply water the garden yourself, too. You'll also want to be sure that your garden area won't get too much water when it rains. You don't want rushing water to wipe away your garden every time it rains.

The last garden design element you may want to consider is lighting. After all, if you are going to spend all that time and money on it, why not enjoy it at night as well. Of course, it would be a waste of electricity to over do it. But, if you are having guests for dinner or some other special occasion, it's nice to light up your garden at night. Talk to someone at a garden store about options for setting up outlets outdoors. You'll also want to ask about what kinds of lights are best and most efficient.

Finally, before you buy any flowers or shrubs, be sure to plan out in detail your garden design. Look at pictures of garden designs, talk to your neighbors or ask your friends. Draw out on paper or use garden design software to plan out what exactly what flowers and plants you include and where you will put them.

Vegetable Gardening Tips on Planting and Maintenance

Admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:38:42 +0000

Here are some tips on vegetable gardening that should help make your gardening experience easier and a very gratifying experience. Preparing the soil for your garden is the most important step. The basis of any successful garden is proper soil that creates good seed germination. Vegetables enjoy garden soil that is well drained, deep, contains high organic matter and retains moisture. Make sure the soil is dry before you try plowing or working the dirt. Check the soil acidity or PH for the different vegetables you are going to plant as some may require varying degrees of PH levels. Another tip on vegetable gardening is that you need easy access to water to keep your garden moist during the growing season. Regularly watering is necessary to keep your garden healthy. In most gardening areas, a vegetable garden requires approximately one inch of rainwater or tap water weekly during the growing season. So, if you experience a dry spell, make sure you water your vegetable garden sufficiently to keep the plants healthy and growing.

Another couple of helpful tips on vegetable gardening are making yourself knowledgeable about the requirements of the vegetable seeds and vegetables you want to plant in your garden. Find out information, such as tendency toward insects, germination qualities, light required, vigor of the plants and the planting zones. This will help you determine the best varieties and types of seeds and plants for your area and garden. A great tip on vegetable gardening is, when you sow your seeds, always plant a few extra to replace ones that fail to germinate. Keep the garden moist until the seedlings have emerged and never thin them until their second set of leaves appears. Thinning out the row when the seedlings are small keeps you from disturbing the other vegetables roots. Test your soil periodically to determine if you need fertilizer and the amount you need. Having your own compost is a great and natural way to fertilize your vegetable garden and cuts down on garbage.

The best way to keep pests away or under control is to start by having healthy soil and plants, using compost, regular watering and adequate drainage. When considering tips on vegetable gardening, do not forget weed control. Weeds rob plants of water, light and nutrients. Hoe or cultivate the soil between your plants after it rains, as this kills any newly sprouted weeds. Use a mixture of pine needles and grass if available, to keep the weeds down or a layer of wet newspaper between the rows of vegetables. Try planting marigolds around the vegetable garden border in order to discourage aphids.

A very good homemade deterrent for pests is:

In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

Most important of all is that you enjoy your vegetable garden. You will gain a lot of satisfaction from the fact that you grew the vegetables yourself. Not only will you have fun from your garden hobby but now you can start a culinary hobby with all your fresh produce.

Happy Gardening!

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Gardening Tips For Beginners- 8 Useful Tips For The Novice

Admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:19:45 +0000

As a hobby, gardening can be an absolute delight! While the task of creating an outdoor garden is rather an arduous one, the end result is enough to make you forget all your pain and labor! But if you are still skeptical about whether you are capable of taking up this activity or not, take heart from these gardening tips for beginners--

(1) Since it is the first time for you, plan a small garden at first, but envision a larger one in future. As a matter of fact, plenty of plants can be accommodated even in an area measuring just 80 to 100 square feet!

(2) As suggested in the gardening tips for beginners, it is easier to take care of a smaller garden, giving you enough time to get acquainted with the basics of gardening such as--how much water is required approximately, knowledge about fertilizers, keeping growth of weeds under control, keeping away pests and diseases.

(3) As a novice, you are eager to see how you have made out! So it just will not do for you to begin a long-term gardening project which could stretch over many weeks or many months. The waiting becomes intolerable!

(4) The small garden equips you with the necessary skills and creativity to create a better-designed and much larger garden the next time, since you are feeling much more confident by this time. Or you could think of ways to expand your present garden.

(5) But despite what gardening tips for beginners advises, if you still desire to start off with a large project, separate it into different segments. You can then work on one section at a time. Not only can you observe what you have achieved, but also improve on your efforts when proceeding to the next section.

(6) There are all sorts of gardeners. Some go after every weed, refusing to give it a place in their beautiful gardens! Some hate the thought of constant weeding and keep wishing that they could just spend time watching the plants grow and flower!

There is a way to prevent too many weeds from coming up, and that is by using mulch. Since weeding can be quite taxing on the hands and knees, put down a layer of regular mulch or organic mulch (2 to 3 inches thick) on the soil! The appearance is neat. Also, mulch helps in maintaining the soil temperature and moisture. Most important of all, weeds do not have the liberty to grow out of control!

(7) The soil should get enough water for the seeds to germinate and allow roots to go deeper. Plant roots (grasses generally) tend to remain nearer the surface if there is frequent watering because the actual amount of water taken is less. Gardening tips for beginners counsels that you take a larger quantity of water, but water less frequently.

(8) Plants should be watered in the early morning hours, as suggested by gardening tips for beginners. The leaves can dry off during the rest of the day. Thus, fungal diseases are kept away.

These are just a few gardening tips for beginners; there are many more! Follow the advice given, and observe how much beauty you can create even in a small piece of land! The magnificent vista that emerges from your labor of love can leave you with feelings of awe and wonder! Additionally, all that physical exercise in the fresh air contributes to a far healthier you and a great appearance!