While looking for gardening ideas I found a different gardening technique I had not heard for before. It’s a rather unique garden structure that looks like it would work well in small garden areas or a backyard that has certain uses if different areas of the yard.

photo credit: Cait Vaughn

The following you tube shows this garden and how it was laid out.

I see a lot of different uses for this style of gardening and think I may have to add a garden design like this just to try it out and see how it works.

There were also some nice tips for garden layout, planting certain vegetables, herbs and flowers and why certain plants were planted where they were.

Technorati Tags: backyard gardens, flowers, garden tips, gardening, herbs, vegetables

Spring is a time for adding new plants to your backyard and garden areas. By planting in the spring the plant will have time to adjust to its new home and start producing new roots before the blazing hot days cause the plants to dry and add additional stress to a new plant.

photo credit: Lights Out Photos

Many may not realize this but plant stress will cause the plant to be more susceptible to insects and disease.

Here are a few tips to consider before you buy a new plant

• Read the plant tag before you bring it home to see if it will grow in your climate zone and will fit into your backyard growing area. There is no sense in buying a shade loving plant if your backyard is all sunshine.
• Check the plant over well before you buy it. Are the soil and roots healthy? Is there a lot of stem or leaf damage? Are there any signs of insects or disease? If you see any of these problems, select another plant.
• Check the size it will grow and if it says, “spreads easily” This is a nice phrase for “invasive plant that will take over your yard.”

Tips to acclimate your plant to its new home

• Check the plant over when you get it home. Remove any damaged leaves.
• Water the plant if it needs it and then set it in a quiet place to rest. Plants suffer from stress to and you don’t know how the plant was treated before you bought it.
• Make sure your plants new home is ready by adding any soil and removing all the weeds.
• I let a plant set apart form other plants for a few days to make sure it does not have an insect problem that you did not notice. You don’t want to infect all your other plants.
• Slowly set the plant outdoors. The plant needs to adjust to sunshine so set out for a few hours then move into a shady place. I usually acclimate a perennial for about 5 days, then plant.
• Plant your perennial in the morning or late at night so that the plant has less sun just after being planted.
• I mulch the area around a new perennial plant to help hold in moisture and keep the roots cool.
• You may want to place a mini fence or plastic around the plant until family and any pets are used to the plant being there. I have lost several plants due to them being stepped on, mowed over or played with by a happy pet.

Perennials will add years of color to your backyard so give them time to adjust to their new home.

Technorati Tags: acclimating plants, new perennial plants, perennial tips, perennials, plant tips

If you don’t have small children or small pets and have a mole problem in your backyard area you may want to consider growing castor bean plants.

photo credit: Link576

Living near a creek I tend to have a mole problem, especially if the previous season was rainy. Needless to say, this year the yard looks like a landmine hit it. I have mole hills everywhere. Besides creating more work for me it can prevent drainage in the yard. So the moles have to go.

You can get mole poison and set up traps but I have found growing castor beans works very well and they are beautiful. But they are poisonous. So you may want to consider growing them or just growing them in a fenced area.

Castor beans will help rid the yard of moles for a two-acre area and the effects will last for a few years. I am not sure of all the reasons it works but I have heard the roots put a taste in the soil that affects a very large area. All I know is when I grow them I have no moles.

Castor bean have a hard shell so soak the seeds first. I also plant them indoors so that I can give then a head start in a warm climate and move them outdoors later.

And although I do not have children I tend to plant the plants behind a fence.

Castor beans have a tropical look and there are several varieties to choose from. I usually grow several kinds just because I like the looks of the plant.

Technorati Tags: backyard pests, castor bean plants, moles, natural mole control

While selecting hybrid tea roses for my new rose garden project I chose the Chrysler Imperial rose. It’s a beautiful hybrid tea rose that’s been around since the 1950′s. It’s known for its beauty and is perfect for a cutting garden.

photo credit: niall62

The bloom of this rose are a beautiful red color and has an exquisite rose fragrance that makes it stand out from most roses.

The buds are tapered and open into high-centered flowers up to 5 inches across, with a rich, deep, velvety red color. Add baby’s breath to this flower and place in a vase and it makes a statement.

The strongly scented flowers start blooming in late spring and will repeat throughout the summer with deadheading and cutting flowers. They will take a small break and produce another display of blooms in the fall.

The foliage is semi-glossy and deep green with thorny canes so care must be used when pruning and cutting flowers. The rose bush grows to 3-6 feet tall and about 3 feet wide. And as with most roses they will grow more in warmer climates.
Growing Information and How To Care For Imperial Chrysler roses

This rose plant will grow in an upright form, so it looks best if planted in groups of three or more.

The fragrant, long-stemmed rose make an excellent cut flower, so you might want to grow these roses in a cutting garden with a good sunny exposure. A sunny site is a must for this rose as it is not shade tolerant.

Planting location

Plant the rose plant in a spot with good air circulation and be prepared to spray if black spot and mildew is a problem in your area. This rose grows best in Zones 6-9.

Note:The Chrysler Imperial is not a cold hardy rose. Cold temperatures bring our rose diseases, such as black spot and mildew.

*This is why I decided not to grow this plant in my soon to be Rose garden. Instead I will plant it in a container and place it in the sunroom where it will get warm temperatures, plenty of sun and have a dry climate.

photo credit: Daniel M. Viero

Many rose do very well in containers so we will consider this an experiment. Its a beautiful rose so if it does well I might consider one more rose container plant for the sunroom next year.

Technorati Tags: Backyard Garden, Chrysler imperial rose, rose garden, roses, tea rose varieties

Here’s a unique and interesting form of self-watering using terra cotta!

Most people think of terra cotta as the popular planters that grace many gardens and businesses.

photo credit: Valerie Everett

But with the environment a major concern and using water more efficiently many other methods or watering and self-irrigation methods are appearing. This includes ancient watering methods such as the olla.

This you tube shows the use of an olla (unglazed clay pot) for watering. It’s an interesting method I have not seen before.

Growing up in an area that has abundant water made me a little careless with my water supply. But after a few dry seasons and sever droughts and watching other area suffer I have come to understand that water always needs a to be used wisely.

It is a resource that needs to be appreciated and not misused. So I now practice saving water. I use rain barrels, better watering methods for the yard and gardens and have replaced plants that use too much water.

The following you tube shows how to make an olla if you are a potter or want to try a new craft.

I used to create pottery so this video was enjoyable to watch. Also the idea of burying a pot in the ground for watering is an idea I will have to try.

They are calling for a dry growing season so if I can cut my watering time down and conserve water waste at the same time this would be nice.

Technorati Tags: Backyard Garden, garden tips, saving water in the garden, water conservation