July 2008
Monthly Archive
Organic Gardening Techniques
Posted by admin on 18 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: gardening
Organic gardening simply means reducing chemicals in your garden. When you start planning how to reduce the use of chemicals in your garden, imagine how a primary forest grows. In a primary forest, you will find a thick layer of hummus on the ground and plenty of beneficial critters in the soil, including earthworms and fungi.
Additionally you will also see a variety of trees, shrubs, and groundcovers that have grown together in mutually beneficial tiers. A primary forest typically hasn’t seen the introduction of non-native and often invasive species that may shift an ecosystem out of balance. Yet unfortunately, most of our created urban landscapes are over-run with non-natives, often times creating a challenging environment for the gardener.
Creating the Perfect Garden
Posted by admin on 16 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: gardening
For creating the perfect garden, the first thing you need to keep in mind is what type of garden you will have. There are many different choices and often it can be hard to pick just one, but hopefully you can narrow it down. But by narrowing it down, you’ll make the gardening experience easier on yourself and the plants. If all your plants are similar, then it shouldn’t be very hard to care for them all. Below are some of the main garden ideas for you to pick from.
If you’re just looking for something to look nice in your yard, you may want a flower garden. These are usually filled with perennial flowers. Perennial flowers are flowers which stay healthy year-round. They’re basically weeds because of their hardiness, only nice looking. Different areas and climates have different flowers which are considered perennials. If you do a quick internet search for
your area, you can probably find a list of flowers that will bring your flower garden to life. These usually only require work in the planting stage - after that, the flower take care of themselves. The only downside to this is that you don’t have any product to show for it. Flower gardens are what paradise means.
Secrets of Arranging Flowers
Posted by admin on 14 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: home flowers
Flower arranging is a homebased work of art. There are plenty of eco-friendly choices you can make when selecting a flower container: • Antique or second-hand containers • Earthenware containers • Glass containers, especially recycled • Containers made out of stone • Recycled metal containers
Any container that holds water can hold flowers—be creative and look around your home for possibilities. You can cover empty cans from your cupboard with fabric, for example. Or, put a bunch of flowers in a watering can. If they are watertight, clay pots can hold flowers. When you entertain, it is nice to have flowers on the table—but not if they obstruct your guests’ views of one another. Continue Reading »
Organic Gardening Basics
Posted by admin on 12 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: gardening
Gardening in organic way rather than chemicals is important for not harming our ecosystem. We are part of this eco-system and if we’ll kill the nature, it means, we are killing ourselves.
Gardening experts J.I. Rodale and Sir Albert Howard are considered the modern pioneers of organic gardening. Organic gardening looks at your garden as a living ecosystem, and uses the laws of nature to produce healthy plants that are resistant to diseases and pests. As humanity we need to be responsible for the earth. Please see this website with information on composting and organic gardening written by Sir Albert Howard back in 1946.
One of the great things about basic organic gardening techniques is that they are applicable to any kind of garden you grow, from flower gardens, to herb gardens, to your vegetable garden. So, there is no excuse for us. Organic gardening focuses on building up the soil, using native plants and plants appropriate for your garden, and looking for a natural balance in your garden. We must recognize that pathogens generally attack weak plants that are not properly adapted to their environment and that live in poor soil. Therefore, if we work our soil and encourage the presence of beneficial soil organisms, our plants will generally be stronger and more resistant to pests and diseases.
General Flower Diseases
Posted by admin on 08 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: gardening
It is definitely one of the most fascinating jobs/hobbies planting flowers. Yet these living beings are easily subject to diseases and it is important to take the necessary measures before it happens.
Let’s start.. Usually mid to late summer is the time diseases get a hold and become noticeable in gardens and landscapes. Powdery mildew, gray mold (Botrytis), and black spot on roses are some of the more common diseases to watch for on your flowers.
Powdery mildew, as its name suggests, resembles a white powdery mildew on leaf surfaces of plants. It also may attack stems and flowers if severe, according to a University of Vermont Extension leaflet. Leaves eventually turn yellow, then brown, and finally die. Although not fatal to plants, it makes plants unattractive and may weaken plants over several years. Annuals that may be infected most commonly include zinnias snapdragon, and verbena. Perennial flowers that may be infected commonly include delphinium, lungwort, and garden phlox. Yet this disease is not something not controllable, actually choosing cultivars (cultivated varieties) resistant to this disease is one of the easiest methods of control.
Tropical Flowers for Wedding
Posted by admin on 06 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: home flowers
Tropical flowers are very popular for many wedding ceremonies because of their features such as:
* They are often brightly coloured
* They are available year-round
* They have a modern, chic look
We listed below some of the most popular tropical wedding flowers:
Anthuriums
These elegant flowers are extremely popular nowadays. They originate from Central and tropical South America, and are called as Flamingo flowers.
They come in a wide variety of colours including bright red, green, pink and white. One of my favourites is called ’safari’ and is burgundy with pale stripes.