Growing tips for the indoor Norfolk Pine

 backyard oasis  No Responses »
Nov 272010
 

Potted Christmas trees are quite popular as an alternative to cutting a live tree for Christmas and using it for a few weeks. A potted tree is a way to practice green living and brighten your home, patio or yard for years to come.

The Norfolk pine tree variety is a perfect choice for indoor areas and for a Christmas tree. Your Norfolk pine tree is suited to growing indoors as a houseplant and can used each year for the holidays and become one of the family traditions.

They can be set out on the patio or balcony areas in the warmer seasons and grow equally as well.

If you use your indoor pine for holiday decor, do not leave ornaments on the tree for more than a few days to prevent damage. Also use lightweight ornaments that will not pull down the branches. The same policy of using lights on a tree sparingly also applies. You do not want to damage the tender needles on the pine.

Growing tips for the indoor Norfolk pine

  1. Norfolk pine trees crave moisture. Check the soil regularly and use mulch on the top of the soil or pebbles to help retain moisture.
  2. On dry, winter days your Norfolk pine tree will benefit from misting. A light misting of water daily will help to prevent browning of the needles. You may want to Consider using a humidifier if air is especially dry.
  3. This pine variety grows best with a blend of three parts peat to one part sand. If the pine tends to leaning or is loose in the soil, it should be staked.
  4. Norfolk pines also prefer a slightly acidic soil and bright light.
  5. This pine can grow 3 to 5 inches a year with the right growing conditions. And will live over 50 years indoors if they receive proper care.
  6. Prune off any damaged or broken branches to keep the plant attractive and disease free.
  7. Repot every few years and keep the soil fresh

For seasonal use or as an attractive and practical indoor plant you may want to consider growing the Norfolk pine. Add a few plants in containers near this plant and you can easily create a tropical indoor garden that is easy to care for and that creates a relaxing atmosphere.

Posted by Denise at 2:24 am  Tagged with: , , , ,

A Mini Landscaping Lesson

 backyard design  No Responses »
Nov 242010
 

Landscaping has often been likened to the painting of a picture. A good picture should have a point of main interest, and the rest of the points simply go to make more beautiful the central idea, or to form a flow in the image that in way links all the pieces together to form a silent harmony.

So in landscaping design there must be in the gardener’s mind a picture of what he desires the whole to be when he completes his landscaping project.

Should you include lots of bare open lawn in your landscaping theme? A large extent of open green lawn space is always beautiful. It is restful. You can use the wide open green to emphasis the garden areas and other points of interest or activity in the design.

This type of open landscaping adds a feeling of space to even small grounds. If you cover your lawn space with many trees, with little flowerbeds here and there, the general effect is choppy and fussy. You want to create an area where you can relax and enjoy the yard.

Trees, shrubs and plants are an easy way to change your backyard design or give it a fresh new look.

Trees
A single tree or a small group of trees is not a bad arrangement. Just make sure you do not center the tree or trees in the lawn or design. Let them drop a bit into the background or make a focal point with them. In choosing trees for your landscaping project, keep in mind a number of things. You should not choose an overpowering tree. The tree should have a good shape, with something interesting about its bark, leaves, flowers or fruit.

The bright berries of the ash, the brilliant foliage of the sugar maple, the blossoms of the tulip tree, the bark of the white birch, and the leaves of the copper beech all these are beauty points to consider when planning your overall landscaping arrangement.

Shrubs
Shrubs look best when planted in groups. They have a more natural look. Keep in mine, the biggest mistake most gardeners make when planting shrubs is not giving them enough room to grow without looking crowded when grown. Note the size they will grow and plant accordingly. If you have bare spots while the shrubs are growing fill the space with perennials or annual flowers.

Plants
Perennials, annual plants and container planters help to add interest and tie the different landscaping areas together. They are also one of the easier landscape design areas to change or move for a fresh look.

In conclusion, plan for open lawn spaces in your overall landscaping design and keep a visually appealing tree to blend in the background. Think balance and you will come up with a beautiful landscaping design for your yard.

Posted by Denise at 11:04 pm  Tagged with: , , ,

Landscape Planting Plan tips

 guest writer  No Responses »
Nov 182010
 

Guest Writer: Keith Markensen

In order to plan your landscape accurately, you should have a drawing board, ruler, tape measure, paper, and patience.

A flowering shrub costs less than an evergreen, and in my opinion can achieve equally marvelous effects.

False Cost Estimates

Once you have studied the techniques of landscaping you will be able to guard against making false cost estimates. Here is a typical example of how many people go wrong: The novice would be “professional” home landscaper says to himself, “The distance across the front of my house is 40 feet – the ten plants to plant there cost me $75. Therefore, to go all around my property would cover 300 feet and this would cost approximately $550 plus dollars.” He shakes his head and resigns himself to a half-planted garden.

You will soon learn that such a method of estimating costs is inaccurate. In the first place you must try not to enclose the entire property; secondly, plants in the back yard will be given much more space in which to develop; finally, the plants in the back yard for the most part will be or should be deciduous.

Thus, a fine planting for your entire landscape even including a generous allotment of trees need not cost $550.

Installment Planting

If your budget cannot stand a large initial expense, there is no reason why you cannot spread costs over several years by installment planting, that is, setting only as many shrubs and plants as you can afford each year.

Because you will have made an overall plan, you need not worry that this gradual approach will result in a haphazard garden. As long as as you adhere to your sketches and plans you will eventually have a beautifully landscaped house and garden.

Be Original

Study of landscaping principles makes it easy to avoid imitation. You will arrive at your own firmly grounded convictions, and will be able to judge features common in your neighborhood on their merits, not on their popularity. Some you will like and incorporate into your garden. Others will seem pointless and you will ignore them without hesitation. You may discover (a) that traditional methods are often obsolete, and (b) a different and less expensive garden will in the long run be better suited to your family’s needs.

Therefore, you should eliminate any pre-set ideas you have about how a garden should be designed. As you go through the planning process, you will find that some of your ideas were good and should be included.  Forget any erroneous ideas and strive to be original. Substitute new ideas you have gleaned from the reading, visiting other gardens – even public gardens and look at new commercial landscape projects.

In a few years your house will be a stand-out in your neighborhood. In fact, you will soon realize, as I have many times seen, that your neighbors are beginning to copy you.

More knowledge, more power, and more success will show in your garden areas when you better understand the subject of landscaping and a preparing a landscape plan.

Posted by Denise at 4:09 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

Landscaping a slope with a small retaining wall

 backyard design  No Responses »
Nov 162010
 

A stone retaining wall is an attractive way to make up the difference in grade. It gives much more character to a garden than a terraced slope does. When properly laid out it takes the average terraced slope and gives it an artistic flair. Believe me, with by yard I know all about slopes and trying to make them more manageable.

But there are two questions to ask before starting a project of this size. Is it a design addition that you will want to live with for a long time and what, if any zoning restrictions will apply to a retaining wall?

If the stonewall is the project you want to undertake for your home, climate is your next concern.

A wall, shelter or outdoor fireplace made from brick or stone set in mortar will not stand up in Northern climates unless it is on solid concrete footings. These footings need to go down below the frost line. This can make the wall too expensive for many properties. I live in a zone 5 climate so I have to plan for the effects of frost when creating any outdoor hardscape design.

Provided the drainage in the soil is good, a dry stone wall – one without mortar can be set on a footing of coarse gravel or crushed stone 8 to 12 inches deep and 15 to 18 inches wide. Good drainage in the soil usually means more sand and less of a clay base in your soil. If need be add sand to your mix. This is the style of stonewall I am adding to my home.

If you need a footing, dig a trench for the footing deep enough for the lowest course (layer) of stone in the wall to be buried 2 to 3 inches below the lower grade. For best appearance, build a wall of flat-bedded lime or sandstone from 2 to 4 inches thick, with an occasional thicker piece to avoid monotonous horizontal lines. Always place the bed or grain of the stone horizontally and level, with the trimmed face showing.

As you lay each course in place, to a tight line running the full length of the wall, use a straight-edged board and carpenter’s level to make the courses level. Fill in with earth packed firmly behind each course. Set every fifth or sixth stone with a short face to the front so that the length of the stone goes back into the bank as an anchor.

Note: For safety’s sake, do not build a wall like this over 30 inches high. And for the top layer use broad, flat stones set in concrete mortar. This is the part of a wall I like creating the most. I look for unique flat rocks that will add flair and personality to the wall. I have interesting shapes of flat rock nearby, many with fossil designs.

The rocks set in mortar may crack if the wall heaves from frost, but they will settle back in place afterwards. A good footing should help prevent this or make the problem much smaller.

Also, for strength and river rock landscaping, it is a good idea to build the wall with a slight lean toward the back of 1 to 2 inches for each foot of rise. This will help prevent the rocks from moving forward from frosts or settling.

And as a final consideration is when planning the steps, build the steps into the wall as it is put up, rather than setting them in later. The steps and wall will work together and there will be no hidden surprises. For the steps, have each tread all of one stone, if this is possible, and wide enough so that the step above can overlap the one beneath by 2 to 3 inches.

I mixed stonewall with wooden tiered steps that were 13 foot long. It gives the slope a mixed feeling of stonewall and terraced garden. The steps are dived in the center with a matching wood rail. And the wood raised terraced garden is carried in other areas of the yard and gardens.

Posted by Denise at 12:39 pm  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Landscaping the steep slope or grade

 backyard design  No Responses »
Nov 142010
 

Slopes and grades in the landscape can create a challenge for the backyard landscape and homeowner. Grades in the landscape can create a beautiful finished backyard design but need proper planning.

As a general rule of thumb grades of over 5 percent are too steep for comfort or for best appearance. They are difficult to mow and often have problems with grass and rutting. I know from personal experience.

Where there are differences in grade on a small lot you should put in steps and a terraced slope.  Or a retaining wall could connect the two levels. With a retaining wall you need to plan for the wall to be sturdy. And check for any construction regulations in your area before starting the project.

The most comfortable steps for a garden path have a 5-inch rise and a 14-inch tread. A 6-inch rise and a 12-inch tread will also work. Anything steeper can be uncomfortable, particularly if it has a rough surface. It’s also wise to include a handrail with any stairs. You do not know who may use the steps and what weather conditions may be, so offer your guests the security of a handrail.

Terraced slopes seem to work best if you use a rise of 1 foot in a 3-foot area, particularly if a power mower is to be used. If the banks are too steep to make grass cutting easy, it is much better to plant them with ground covers. My front yard has such a slope and it has one terraced area near the top were I planted shrubs and perennials and added a set of stairs. The lower section has ground cover with perennial groupings and decorative rocks.

Note: Ground covers add instant beauty to a yard. They can help prevent erosion and cut back on mowing difficult areas. And these perennials come in a wide variety of color, texture and season flowering. But, as with all plants, they can have drawbacks and with ground covers you have to check for invasive spreading. Read the rowing tags and instructions well and ask at the garden center when you buy the plants.

You may also want to consider using heavy mulch or crushed decorative rock in certain areas of a slope. In my area I can find free pine needles and wood chips for free. They add a rich base to a slope to build on.

The main concern when landscaping a graded yard is to simplify yard work, prevent any runoff flooding and to make the area safe for family and friends.

If properly planned a yard with a steep grade can be turned into a beautiful garden area that can be enjoyed. Many slopes have incorporated gardens, plants and a place to relax in the design making it a useful addition to the home and garden area.

Posted by Denise at 9:52 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , ,
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