The backyard Oasis will be offering “Backyard Oasis Projects” for creating a rustic arbor, raised bed gardening, selecting plants and small space design. Classes begin in March and will be in video form so you can watch and later ask any questions you may have.

photo credit: Stephen Howard

If you live Warren County PA or Chautauqua County NY there will be on location classes available in April for straw bale gardening, container gardening and raised bed gardening. You will need to sign up for these classes so that I know how many will be in attendance.

Your can sign up through “contact us”. the Gardener’s Rake is a sister site to our backyard oasis so you can also sign up there.

The Gardener’s Rake is also having a “Free Seed Contest” For more information and rules visit The Gardener’s Rake.

Join in on the fun! Spring is almost here. Just ask the local community Ground Hogs, Dunkirk Dave and Punxy Phil.

From Millan.Net

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis projects, free garden seeds contest, gardening classes offered, the Gardeners Rake

Indoors or out, plants in pots and containers have certain uses and needs. With proper care both the plant and potting container will last for years and add beauty throughout the entire year.

photo credit: hello-julie

Planters: Where to place your plants

Where you place your plant in a room or on patios and balconies create an impact upon the atmosphere and ambience of the area. Your first concern with potted plants is the amount of light or lack of light the plant requires. The plant care tag will help you with this or garden shops and online plant care websites.

Once you know your plant needs it time to place the plant for the best visual effect.

Tall, potted plants will create a quiet reading corner or add privacy to an office space. They can be used as a divider in a room or to hide a problem area in a room.

Hanging plants can provide a screen for a bathroom or bedroom window. They will also create a room barrier and fill bare corner with color. Add an herbal hanging container to you kitchen and harvest fresh herbs for cooking all winter.

An orchid may add tropical appeal to a patio or other living space. To give a more rounded and lush look near the orchid add two or three small potted plants around the orchid planter.

photo credit: magic_bee

Avoid placing plants in heavy traffic areas or small spaces. They will add a cluttered feel to these spaces and interfere with traffic flow.

Make sure that plants placed on tables or in other conversation spots are not too large. This will interfere with conversation and give the area an uneasy unbalanced feel.

Potted containers.

Pots and containers are often overlooked when selecting a plant and adding to the atmosphere of a room. Many feel any old pot will do. But selecting pots for color and décor adds to the room and to the beauty of the plant.

Regardless of the decorative appeal, a container with good drainage is a must for an interior plant. Indoor plants have more of a problem for plant disease if the soil cannot drain properly

Place a saucer underneath the container to catch the run off water before it leaves water stains on your tables or reaches your floor. Saucers with pebbles place them will keep excess water away for the plants roots and add humidity around the plants. This humidity is beneficial to the plants and people.

Polystyrene peanuts will keep the container light in weight, increase your drainage, and
decrease the soil needed to fill the pot. This is particularly important in hanging baskets and larger potting containers that can get heavy. Outdoor balcony gardens will also benefit from lighter planters.

Baskets and decorator pots are available at home improvement stores, gardening centers, auction houses and garage sales. You can also paint or redecorate or planter and pots to match your décor. And if you are in a creative mood you can make a hypertyfu one of a kind planter.

Plants and planters add to the atmosphere and health of your home. And with creativity in the choice of plants and planters you can add change to your rooms on a weekly or monthly basis, indoors or out.

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis, hanging baskets, indoor plants, plant containers, planters

The winter months when yard work and gardens slow down or come to a complete halt is the perfect time to plan small space design ideas.

photo credit: jessicareeder

There may have been areas of your garden and backyard what did not work as well as you intended or that just need an overhaul. I myself have noticed that when I make better use of my space I also have less work, and although I like working in the garden I also like relaxing too.

So what can you do to improve the use of your backyard and garden space?

• The patio can serve as an entertainment area and children’s play area. Add storage benches to tuck away children toys and games when not in use.
• Have a foldaway picnic table or have a movable table that can be used in another part of the yard.
• Switch to vertical gardening, raised bed gardening or container gardening to make use of small spaces, patios and hillsides.
• Look at areas near the house or garage to see if there is space that could be used that is setting unattended.
• The use of a hammock that be put up or down, tents for the children, mini wading pool, or a badminton set can add hours of entertainment but all items can be taken down or traded to make use of small spaces.
• Use small furniture in the backyard. It will give a feel of more space.
• Tall plants will soften corners and add depth making your space feel larger.
• Add night-lights and lanterns to extend your time in the backyard. The evening will add a new feel to your area and a feel off space. If you stagger your lights in layers you will also add the feel of more depth.
• Use an online landscape planner or grab graph paper and lay out your backyard Make cutouts of the shape of your home, trees and any other backyard item. Move around your cutouts to see if you can make better use of your available space.

Most important, take time and think back to last summer. What worked in the yard and what did you miss or was a bit disappointing. This is the time to make plans and add comfort and atmosphere to your backyard oasis area.

Last year I noticed I needed to redo the patio area and make it more of an extension of the indoor living space. I also want to add more night lighting. So these are winter planning ideas I will be concentrating on for better use of my small space backyard and patio.

Technorati Tags: backyard design, backyard oasis, backyard winter planning, small space design, small space design ideas

Houseplant care is very important. In an article the other day, root rot and fungus disease were covered. Today three more houseplant diseases will be discussed.

photo credit: Kyknoord

Bacteria

Bacteria are a household plant disease that can do the most damage to a plant. And there are no chemical sprays that can combat bacteria, so the best control is to stop it before it happens.

In bacterial leaf spot, the plant will develop yellow or yellow orange spots. They can be small like a pinhole or as large a 3/8 of an inch. They will grow and eventually cover the leaf.

Erwinia is another form of bacteria. It will appear as spots on the leaves or rot out the main stem. New leaves will turn yellow and wilt away, the plant will have a foul smell and eventually die. The best prevention against bacteria disease is to keep humidity low and moisture off the leaves.

Nematodes

Nematodes are tiny roundworms that can cause plant diseases. They can cause stunted plant growth by weakening the roots. They also can live in the leaves themselves, causing the leaf to die. Nematode disease is rare in house plants, but will occur especially if you bring other plants in from outdoors.

Also, make sure that you do not use garden soil for your indoor plants. Garden soil is free of insects and has a better soil consistency for indoor use. Use a commercial potting soil or a mix of compost and potting soil.

Viruses

Viruses enter the interior of the plant through the cells and live off of the interior structure. A virus will easily spread from one plant to another by insects.

Unfortunately there is no treatment for viruses and the plant should be removed from other plants in order to stop the spread. I usually find I have to get rid of the infected plant so I am very careful to prevent plant virus problems.

The main reason for any plant disease is either lighting or watering problems. Too much or little of either will weaken the plant and make it susceptible to disease.

My advice is read up on your plants and keep a garden or houseplant journal of their needs that you can refer to if needed.

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis indoor plant care, household plant disease, indoor plant diseases

With the Backyard Oasis either setting in snow or temperatures being colder in many areas, people have turned back to indoor gardening. One of the most popular forms of indoor gardening is raising houseplants.

photo credit: jfinnirwin

Plants were mean to be grown outdoors, but people enjoy plants and have adapted them to live indoors. When we bring them inside and plant them in small pots, we need to remember it’s a shock to the plant and must be done with care.

Indoor environments are also a place where fungus and other plant diseases thrive, making indoor plants susceptible to a variety of diseases. By tending your plants carefully you will notice if the plant has a problem and cure the cause.

Two common problems to watch for on indoor plants

Root rot is the most common of the diseases of indoor plants. There are two types of root rot, wet and dry. Wet rot begins at the tip of the root and moves to the stem. The roots will become brown or black and the outer layer may become so mushy it will fall off. Dry rot appears as reddish brown lesions right on the soil line.

The most common cause of root rot is improper drainage and the roots having to sit in water. With proper planning this problem is easy to solve. I always sit all my plants on trays or dishes with decorative pebbles. This will help with drainage and will also supply additional humidity around the plant.

Fungus infections are also a  common disease of indoor plants. Listed below are several types of fungal infections.

• Anthracnose, which has small lesions with a raised, edge that form on the leaf or stem.
• Cephalosporium affects young leaves with small red spots that have dark edges. The leaves will turn yellow and drop off.
• Cercospora has tiny pinpoint size lesions that will form on the backside of the leaves.
• Fusarium leaf spot attacks the plant where it is growing and it can completely rot away. It has yellow or red round spots. It’s a more difficult fungus to notice.

Cutting away and burning the affected parts and using a fungicide can cure most fungus infections.

photo credit: back_garage

By providing proper lighting, clean soil and clean potting containers you can prevent most plant rot and fungal problems.

I try to repot my plants in the spring. This lets me change the soil, clean the pot and check the roots to see if they are healthy.

Also, if you clean your plant leaves once a month you will notice if the plant has any health problems.

There are three other indoor plant problems. They will be covered in a future article

Technorati Tags: caring for indoor plants, houseplant disease, indoor houseplants