Archive for the 'Gardening' Category

Published by james i Greene on 13 Jun 2008

Take care of your roses

by james i Greene

Roses are very beautiful flowers loved by many people across the world, the rose has always been a symbol of love and affection.With the sweet smell and the beautiful flowers these plants produce it is quite impossible not to have some type of rose plant in your garden.

Roses in healthy condition and stress free are less likely to contract insects and diseases,unhealthy roses will not grow corrrectly and you will not get a good show of roses from the individual plant.

Roses need to be watered daily at least for the first 20 days after planting them. To ensure that the rose grow healthily you must put fertilizers at regular time intervals. You can buy fertilizers on which the roses feed from at your nearest nursery. Plant roses with the crown about 1 inch below the soil level,gradually filling in and around it with more soil while gently tamping it down. Again, be careful not to break the root ball and keep the crown uncovered. It will look like the rose is in a funnel-shaped depression.

Benefits of all your hard work can be wonderful looking and sweet smelling roses,which in turn can be cut and put into a vase in your home.When pruning or cutting your roses you must take careful attention not to damage the stems if the rose is in bloom.Try not to prune the first season roses to much,when the rose matures you will be able to prune them more frequently.

When deciding how many rose bushes you want in your garden spread them out away from each other,this will help the plant to find it’s own space and grow properly.Best time to plant new rose bushes is in early spring when all the frosts have gone.When transplanting last season’s rose bushes make sure you cut all dead leaves and tidy up the bush,this will help new growth.

If you have climbing roses,prune all the stems down while dormant as this allows the plant to grow new healthy stems starting in spring.Sometimes you’ll find a diseased plant, give it a good spraying with a fungal insectcide.I always give my plants a good fertilizer in the months leading up till about the end of September.

Mid April is the time to look for slugs around the plants base, put a small amount of slug pellets down this normally sorts out the problem.If you find other insects inhabiting the plant use a systemic spray which you can purchase at any garden centre.Keep your eye open for any unwanted shoots on the rootstock and remove them,when the weather gets warmer put some organic mulch at the base of the plant.

Living in a cold climate that has harsh winters can cause roses to die if not properly protected from the cold. When the ground freezes just mould earth around the base of the plant and then add evergreen boughs. Small climbing roses can be detatched from their supports put on the gound then covered with earth this will protect them from very cold winters.

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Published by Spencer Wilkins on 04 Jun 2008

Landscaping with Garden Buildings & Sheds

by Spencer Wilkins

A very simple way in which one can add value to a home is through spending time on having a well laid out garden. If the home garden landscaping is well designed it will make the home more pleasing to look at but offers a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of modern living. It is important however, before you start work on your garden you get some kind of plan in place.

When it comes to ideas for your own garden there are plenty of places online, books and magazines which can provide you with inspiration. So before you start work it is a good idea to carry out a little research beforehand. Also why not visit your local garden centre and see what if any particular garden layouts they have on shown that you may well be able to incorporate into your own design.

Below we provide a few tips that will help with designing the perfect layout for your garden and which will meet your own particular requirements. By keeping these in mind you could end up saving yourself money and time as well.

1. Before you actually start planning your new garden you need to first see what you have in it at present and what of the plants and features that you want to retain. Once you have made a decision regarding this you can then start to see what space you have available to work with and what improvements you can then make.

2. It is important that when you are designing your new garden that you actually take into consideration the design of your home. Also you need to take into consideration just how much time you will have available in order to maintain the garden once it has been planted. Certainly, if you have a hectic lifestyle then choose a garden which requires little or no maintenance.

3. When planning any new garden design you need to think about the amenities you want incorporated into your garden, such as seating, barbeque and a play area for the children. Ideally these should be in locations that are easily accessible and which will further enhance the overall look of your garden.

It is important that you spend as much time as possible in the planning stage of your garden design before you actually start work on it. By doing this you will come up with one that meets all your family’s particular requirements and offer you a space that you can enjoy throughout the year. If you are stuck for any ideas the internet is a great place to find some inspiration.

By keeping the above tips in mind when it comes to home garden landscaping you will soon be able to get a better feel for what it is your garden needs and what it is you want. Remember the more time you spend planning the more well designed and developed the garden will be to meet your particular requirements. Plus when it comes time to sell the property you may well find that it is the one feature that helps to sell your home over many others.

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Published by Rhia Taylor on 03 Jun 2008

Ways In Which Outside Solar Lighting Can Be Used

by Rhia Taylor

There are many different ways in which one can use outside solar lighting. The only thing which will limit the way in which you use it is your own imagination. In this article we offer just a few ideas for the ways you can use outside solar lighting for helping to enhance the look of your garden.

Idea 1 - Spread some solar spotlights or decorative solar lighting around the garden in order to provide highlighting or make people focus on a particular item within your garden. Use these lights to show off a particular tree, plant or statute for example in the garden that would otherwise simply fade in to the background.

Idea 2 - If you want to great a shadow effect in your garden then you should situate your outside solar lighting very low down (as near to ground level as you possibly can). Also place in a location below the object that it is you are wishing to enhance. Again you have the choice of using either solar spot or floodlights as a way of enhancing a particular feature in your garden. But the lights will need to be mounted on either a small post or stick and so this will then make the installation process for you much easier.

Idea 3 - Another idea is to mount the solar lighting as high up as you possibly can and then aim it down to shine directly on to the object or tree. By doing this when it lights up a tree it will then cause a dappled effect and make the area feel much softer especially good for soften angular lines within a garden.

Idea 4 - Rather than having the lighting directed on to the object from above instead why not let the light from decorative outside lighting to shine upwards. This will enable you to highlight a particular plant or area of the garden that is located at a much higher level.

Because there are no wires that you need to run from your home to the lights in order for them to provide power you can place outside solar lights just about anywhere you want in your garden. All you need to make sure is that they are provided with direct sunlight throughout the day which they can store in the batteries inside before you turn them on and use them at night.

After you have chosen the position where the outside solar lighting is going to be placed and you have installed it should you then leave them for about a week (5 to 7 days) before you turn them on. By doing this you are actually allowing the batteries inside to become fully charged.

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