Great Soil, Smooth Sailing in the Garden

Learning new ways to be a smarter gardener will save you money and back pain. Don't be fooled into thinking that gardening will get easier. Instead, learn new ways to be more efficient that will give you more time to relax and enjoy your garden. Take the time to learn new ways to be a better gardener with these helpful gardening posts and tips.

Plants, NO Ants & Fun

When watering it's important to make sure that the water reaches all the way to the bottom of the soil. Roots that are grown closer to the surface are more likely to get damaged, and in turn produce plants that are less hardy and more susceptible to damage. By pouring water only on the top layer, the roots are forced to grow upwards and become shallower.

Make the most of Fall color. Many deciduous shrubs, trees and vines save their best show until the Fall, transforming the garden with vivid reds, fiery oranges and glowing yellows. This change happens because the plants stop producing chlorophyll, and pigments that were previously masked by green begin to show. To increase your chances of a great display, make sure the plants receive a lot of sun for most of the day, especially in the afternoon. Good plant and shrub choices include maple, burning bush, boston ivy, barberry and chestnut.

Flowers, Bugs and Sunshine

For those new to gardening it is suggested to experiment with annuals.  The following varieties are hardy, thrive in average soil, and take minimum care: sweet alyssum, marigold, zinnia, sunflower, nasturtium, petunia and verbena. Just remember to deadhead them frequently to encourage new flowers to grow.

For a 'cottage' garden plant rambling roses. Rambling roses, traditionally grown in cottage gardens, are some of the oldest varieties of roses. They are once-a-year bloomers, featuring huge clusters of small flowers in midsummer. Stems can grow to 30 feet long if not pruned, in fact, most benefit from simply being left alone. An advantage of rambling roses is that they are quite disease resistant and very hardy.

Soil, Water and Roots

When watering it's important to make sure that the water reaches all the way to the bottom of the soil. Roots that are grown closer to the surface are more likely to get damaged, and in turn produce plants that are less hardy and more susceptible to damage. By pouring water only on the top layer, the roots are forced to grow upwards and become shallower.

A great tip to consider when gardening is that you should consider recycling your coffee grounds and reusing your tea bags in your garden.  This is important because both of these items will add acid to the soil and help to maintain the pH balance exactly how you want it.

Worms, Weeds and Newspapers

Cover your garden with newspaper at the end of the growing season. Weigh the newspaper down with some heavy rocks. This will help to prevent insects, and discourages winter weeds too. The newspaper will break down in the spring and becomes a delicious treat for the worms in your garden, encouraging them to stick around.

Remember to mulch before the first freeze. Spread compost or shredded leaves around the garden, mulching under shrubs, hedges, roses, and on top of the crown of any tender perennials. A layer of compost spread on bare ground will help to protect any bulbs, corms or plant roots. By springtime, this compost will have been taken into the ground by worms, and your soil will be full of nutrition, ready for new planting.

Whether you are working toward a garden that will survive throughout the year, trying to save money on gardening costs, or just wanting to cut down on the work it takes to build a garden, learning how to garden never ends. At the end of the day, as you sit down to relax, you will reap the benefits of viewing the beautiful garden that you worked hard for.

Beautiful Gardens Start in Your Own Backyard

Everyone enjoys a beautiful garden and you can too. It does not matter if you live in a new home or the same one for years because now is the time to start your plan for the garden. It can be discouraging when the garden is planted and looking pretty and a bout of bad weather moves in. It can leave the garden a wreck and you might want to give up. Instead of giving up make a plan that will cover everything so you are prepared before Mother Nature hits.

When you are thinking about the garden you want to plant go outside and look at the yard. Look at the ground and everything that is around the yard. This is the first step to planning your home garden. You have to remember that different plants require different degrees of sunlight, soil, etc. Take the time to note anything you see on the ground such as slopes, how long the sun beats down in a spot, etc.

Once you have the spot picked out where you want the garden think about what size would be right. Draw the picture you are seeing in your head on paper so this lets you see what it will look like. Gardens are beautiful to look at but you want the beauty to still be on your home. The garden is like a woman wearing a dress. The dress makes the woman look even more beautiful after she wears it and that is what you are striving for with a garden around your home.

Having drawn the picture now is the time to insert any ponds, cement steps, or anything else you might want to go with the garden. If you are going to plant any trees you need to make sure they are properly placed away from the home. If you plant the tree next to the house then when it starts growing the risk is high that the roots could damage the foundation of your home and the branches would grow against the walls.

Another thing you should do when planning your home garden is to gather information about various plants in order to find out what sort of plants will grow well in your neighborhood and not require so much maintenance. In order to do this you can drive around your area and observe the different types of plants in other people’s gardens. This will give you a good idea of what to get for your own garden.

Likewise, noting the shade-giving trees native to the area and planting them first is considered as being sensible as these take a long time to grow deep roots and attain height. On completion of this task, it is time to decide on the nature of the garden wherein a flower garden could be chosen for fragrances and a vegetable and fruit garden for utility.

It is also important to decide the position of each plant as per their requirements like water, sunlight, etc. Also you should find out about plants which can co-exist and grow together without any problems such as strawberries and onions, while plants like potatoes and spinach should never be put next to each other.

Some of the most gorgeous homes are surrounded by gardens and adornments. It is a lot of work with machines and tools but in the end it is all worth it. You will be proud to say you did it all yourself and will soon be the envy of the neighbors.