Plan for Winter Plantings
May 31, 2008
Part four in a series
It’s hard to think about winter when our gardens are in full bloom and the vegetables are ripening on the vine! But we must keep winter in mind when we are planning our landscape. Afterall, we have to look at our landscape all year long, including winter. (Unless, of course, you are fortunate enough to be able to move to warmer climates in the winter or live in a climate that is tropical all year long!) But for most of us, we have to contend with four seasons and the life cycle of our landscape.
So when you are planning your landscape, keep in mind this life cycle of the plants you choose to add to your landscape design. Some plants, like flowering trees and shrubs look their best in Spring, others reach their full beauty in Summer, others still attain stunning and vibrant color in the Autumn, and yet, some evergreens look beautiful in the Winter, offset by a striking snow-covered landscape.
Layer Your Plantings
May 30, 2008
Part three in a series
In our last article, we helped you layout your new landscape. In this article we’ll explore which plants to put where and what makes an effective landscape.
If you think of your landscape as a stage, you can easily imagine the basics of layout. On a stage, you have a nice background or backdrop in the back. The backdrop is usually large and fills your entire view. In front of the backdrop, you have some smaller items that set the scene. These may be small pieces of furniture. And then in the very front you have your actors?your stars. They take the front and center to get the most attention. So, looking from back to front, you have your backdrop, your accent pieces, and finally your stars.
Laying out a good landscape uses the same principles: we start with a backdrop in the very back, then we add some accents, then finally, our stars!
The Backdrop
Selling Your House? Mow Your Lawn!
May 29, 2008
A property that has a well manicured lawn has one of the best chances at showing pride in ownership than any other outdoor technique.
For one thing, there is a large upswing in the priority that homeowners place in their outdoor living spaces.
Therefore, the landscaping of your front yard (especially) as well as that of your back yard should look its very best when it’s selling time. Your landscaping will make a huge contribution to the resale value of your home, so make sure that it’s doing its best to help you out.
In fact, studies have shown that when the landscaping of a home is in excellent condition, it can sell for about 4 to 5 percent higher, while homes with landscaping in very poor condition can sell for 8 to 10 percent less. That’s a huge difference in the overall selling price of your home.
You might be wondering exactly how much time you should dedicate to sprucing up the landscape of your property. How much time and money is worth it for your sale?
Selling Your House? Trim Your Shrubs!
May 29, 2008
Shrubbery and other greenery that has an unkempt appearance can often be misconstrued as a sign of neglect, and gives a bad impression of your house overall. Prospective homebuyers who see shrubbery that has not been well maintained may not even be aware of their observation, but it will have an impact on the way they view your property as a whole.
If they do observe the unkempt shrubbery directly, they may make the assumption that the rest of the home has not been properly maintained.
Keep bushes and shrubs neat, and well-shaped, to give the overall impression that the entire property has been well cared for.
For that added touch, try to keep the shrubbery in line with the other greenery and outdoor decorations that you have on your property. This will be even more eye-pleasing from the street level, creating more interest.
Should the size of your shrubbery be such that it makes walking up to your home a challenge, you should consider taking them out. Shrubbery that is too large not only makes the home appear much smaller, but it also creates a hazard where safety is concerned.
Drying Roses
May 28, 2008
There are many reasons why you might want to dry your roses. Some people just want to keep a memento of a special moment. Perhaps they are a part of a wedding that you went to; maybe they were a gift from a mate, friend, or family member. Whatever your reasons for doing it, this is the section where you will learn to dry your roses properly.
There two ways drying rose petal can happen and that are cheap and relatively easy.
Air Drying
Air drying is by far the easiest and cheapest method of drying flowers including roses. It is simple; all you have to do is follow these simple instructions.
Start with perfect and unflawed roses on their stems. If the roses are not in perfect condition, they will wither and the petals will fall off.
Remove any leaves that may be on the branches.
Bunch them up together in a manner that lets them fan out. Tie the bottom with string or a rubber band.
Hang them upside down in a dark, dry place for two to three weeks to be certain that they are completely dry.
Sand Drying
Roses and Juniper Rock Gardens
May 27, 2008
Wide circle driveways don’t happen much anymore, but when they do, what do you do with them? Clear out the grass, mound up some soil, and park a few boulders in strategic positions and you’ve got the perfect spot for an artistic rose garden. Plant some dark green Juniper and a few golden-tipped junipers for background color before adding your roses.
Invite people into your garden with planned paths, safe benches (protective distance from pokey thorns), and a shade providing arbor. A garden structure can be as formal or rustic as you please, make your choice, and design what suits your style. Personally, I prefer rustic structures, so mine sports rough hewn pine lodge poles and leather lashings.
Cedar chips and lava rock provides moisture retaining mulch for the area. Low growing juniper and an occasional spot of Shasta daisies around the edge of the drive provide additional color and flora. A gazing ball nestled near the path, and bird feeders, add life to the garden without intruding. A birdbath near the center offers a restful trickle of water for those quiet afternoon siestas on a bench nestled into a cove of tall growing juniper.
Colorado Blue Spruce And Lush Red Roses
May 26, 2008
Set in a broad expanse of lush green lawn a length of split rail fence forms a corner. Carpeted with a thick layer of soil preserving and plant protecting cedar mulch, three tall Colorado blue spruce offset the right angles of the fence. Lush red roses climb and meander along the fence setting off the soft color of the spruce and livening up the grounds. A bench of rustic-cut native stone rests casually near the edge of the cedar chip mulch with views of sunset beyond the roses, and lush rose gardens toward the back of a rough hewn log cabin in the foreground.
This ruggedly natural setting implicates something of nature, blended with a cared for garden, a wealth of beauty with little cost. Whether the setting describes the corner of a yard, a cozy corner near the house, or a mirage near the center of a vast hillside, the bench lures the gardener with promise of miraculous sunsets, interesting coffee moments, and restful contentment at the end of a long hard day.
Bare Root Roses, What To Look For When Buying
May 25, 2008
The first thing to look for is the plant’s grade. Nearly all bare root roses sold today are grown in the field and are approximetly two years old. They are sold in three main grades. Grade 1 is the best and most expensive grade. In order to obtain this grade the plants are required to have at least three strong cains, two of which must be at least 18 inches in length for hybrid teas anf grandifloras. The canes should be at least 1/8 inch in diameter.
Grade 1 1/2 is the most popular grade due to it’s lesser price. In order to obtain this grade the plants are required to have at least two strong canes which must be at least 15 inches long for hybrid teas and grandifloras. The canes should be at least 1/8 inch in diameter.
Grade 2 is the least expensive grade. These plants are only required to have two canes 12 inches or longer. These plants can be a gamble as they may be stunted.
Pruning the Backyard Grapevine
May 24, 2008
Proper pruning of your backyard grapevines is essential to maintain vine size, shape, and yield of the grapes. If you don’t prune your vines, they will become unruly, tangled messes. Fruit ripeness will suffer. Overproduction of the vine may lead to premature death. It is also one of the harder things to visualize but one of the easier things to accomplish for the home gardener.
Pruning is performed in the early spring while the vine is still dormant. This is done in February, March, or early April depending upon when the grapevines generally come out of dormancy and bud out.
Pruning the grapevine and training the vine go hand-in-hand. You must decide the way you want to train the vine in order to prune it correctly. Vines that “droop” should be trained to a top wire of about 6 feet. Canes are then pruned and trained outward from the middle on each side of the trunk. As the new shoots grow, they droop on each side of this high pruned wire, naturally, taking in account of their habit of growth. Concord, and other native American varieties are typical of those varieties that droop downward naturally.
Solar Garden Lights
May 24, 2008
Solar lights are very popular for lighting yards and gardens. They are virtually maintenance free, easy to install, and cost almost nothing to run. Once you have bought solar lights, the only future maintenance costs are for replacement batteries.
The only drawback for solar lighting is that they must be placed in an area which receives a lot of sunlight during the day. If your garden or a pathway is shaded, solar lighting is not going to work very well.
If you are intent on having solar lighting for a shaded area, you can install a solar panel on your roof or other spot which receives a lot of sunlight. This is a bit more expensive than regular solar path lights or solar spotlights and you need to run a wire from the solar panel to the lights.
Depending on the amount of sunlight received during the day, solar garden lights can provide six to 12 hours of lighting in the evening. They have a built in photosensor which turns the lights on when it becomes dark. They remain lit until the battery is depleted or the sun rises — whichever comes first.
