Gardening, lawns, garden design, organic gardening & more!
Archive for December, 2007
Rain Shut Off Devices for Automatic Lawn Sprinkler Systems
Dec 14th
Automatic sprinkler system controllers are programmed to go on & off on a certain day & at a certain time. The controller does not know if it is sunny & dry outside or raining. For this reason every lawn sprinkler system should have a rain sensor.
The rain sensor determines whether or not enough rainfall has occurred in order to skip an irrigation cycle. There are three basic types of rain sensors. There is more. They all serve the same purpose: keeping your system from over-watering the turf or your garden. How does it do that? The electrical connection between the More >
How To Prepare For Spring Lawn Maintenance
Dec 12th
YOUR LANDSCAPE ? WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW COULD KILL MILLIONS
That’s right. As a homeowner, you are responsible for millions of living organisms. You’re the ?Jack Bauer? of the show ?24? protecting millions of innocent lives! Grass plants, ornamentals, trees, annual flowers & shrubs. Your decisions also affect insect & biotic populations. Most importantly, you are in control of how your landscape affects you & your family personally. The best way to make the most of your living investment is knowledge & of course, action!
Let’s get started! ?Da Lawn? We’ll start with the lawn. It is very important to have a More >
Using Glass Bird Feeders
Dec 11th
If you have decided that you want to put a feeder for the birds into your garden you may feel that you want something different than the standard types. Anyone can have a tube feeder or the more common platform bird feeders. Perhaps you’re looking instead for a glass bird feeder. These are a more elegant, & often more expensive, type of feeder. Still, it may be your preference to have something a little different, a little more stylish that makes a statement instead of just a bird feeder sitting in your garden. They are also good to have because More >
The Most Important Tools Used for Shaping Bonsai Trees
Dec 10th
There are three tools that are essential to even beginning the process of shaping a tree for bonsai. First you need a pair of Shears, which will allow you to do the fine work of trimming in a small space. These scissors should be sharp & you should only use them for bonsai work. You may want to attempt a small set of pruning shears to start with.
The most important piece of equipment is Concave cutters; allow you to cut branches off of the tree & leave behind a concave wound. The wound will heal much faster than a straight More >
How To Revive Your Lawn
Dec 10th
After six years of reclaiming my lawn from the surrounding paddock I noticed that it is was not quite what I wanted despite my best efforts.
I began to make notes of what I was doing & a clear picture began to emerge.
First off let me say that I am not keen on chemicals so feeding with commercial fertilizer was not a preferred method for me. It was also a fairly expensive option as I have a lawn that is about 1/3rd of an acre in size. Initially I was feeding with a weed & feed product which seemed to control More >
Tuscan Garden Design Ideas – Lavender In Italian Gardens
Dec 8th
Lavender has become a strong symbol of the Italian garden & subsequently the Tuscan style garden & it is use will clearly suggest a Mediterranean feel in any garden. However it does require some quite specific maintenance & the number of old, woody & dying lavender plants in many gardens stand as strong testament to this fact.
A plant of Mediterranean origin, it thrives on free draining soils & adores full sun but these factors alone are not enough to keep the lavender plant healthy & vigorous. Like most Mediterranean plants the lavender has become used to being burnt in scrub More >
Enrich Soil Naturally-How To Make Compost
Dec 8th
Anyone who prefers to buy their vegetables & flowers from the local grocery store will have a hard time understanding the gardener’s delight digging into a smelly pile of compost, or having a truck load of manure dumped in their yard. Really, who in their right mind, would pay to have a substance excreted by animals brought to their home?
A gardener. One who knows that good manure & compost can be the difference between a lush garden & a sparse, struggling one. And lets not forget the aroma, a gardener will describe the smell of compost or manure, as “sweet”, More >
The Benefits Of Using Artificial Grass
Dec 8th
For some residents in a neighborhood in Tampa Florida, the streets are very well kept & the trees are nature’s pride: big trees of oak.
However, all these prettiness changed when one resident decided that enough is enough, he ripped his yard up & installed artificial grass.
Though there’re those who think that having a synthetic artificial lawn grass is pathetic, there’re those who think otherwise.
Believe it or not, this coming summer will be witness to a lot more people from the suburban areas that are to install yards upon yards of artificial grass.
This is lawn faux grass that is somehow very More >
Unique Bird Feeders
Dec 7th
Bird feeders come in a variety of styles & a variety of sizes. There are many traditional bird feeders, like hanging bird feeders, platform bird feeders, suet bird feeders, window bird feeders & of course hummingbird feeders. But what about the more completely unique bird feeders, the bird feeders that stray from the traditional idea? There are those too.??
Unique bird feeders can add a sense of whimsy to your backyard or garden. Unique bird feeders can help express who you’re & what you like. Unique bird feeders can also act as pieces of art in your yard or garden, as More >
The Fine Art Of Bonsai Propagation
Dec 6th
Bonsai seed germination is the official term for the fine art of multiplying your bonsai plant. It’s where, like most plants, seeds sprout after a short period of being dormant or stagnant. A lot of factors influence the dynamics of germinating bonsai seeds. There is more. This includes, but is not limited to: time, water, temperature, oxygen & light. As a bonsai owner, you should know the vitality of each of these factors in order to make your bonsai seed germination as profitable & productive as possible.
Bonsai seed germination requires patience on your part. OK. Seed doesn’t grow overnight in More >
