Giving A Lift For Dahlias And Begonias

 guest writer  2 Responses »
Oct 312009
 

October may provide brilliant color in the landscape but it also signals an end of another growing season. Let’s look at some of the things needed to be done in the landscape.

last bouquet before frost
Creative Commons License photo credit: daviza

Dahlias can remain in the ground until after frost. Cut off the stems six inches above the ground and lift carefully, for the tubers are brittle and break off easily. Discard any that do. Place the clumps in flats, stem side down, and let them dry off before storing.

Just before storing cut off the fine roots and cut the stem back to within an inch or two of the crown. They are best stored in a cool place (about 40 degrees) but may be stored at a warmer temperature if covered with peatmoss or sand. Line the storage boxes with paper. A dusting of sulphur before storing will prevent rot. Be sure to tie labels to the clumps so you will know what is what next year.

Tuberous begonias are lifted after the foliage has yellowed, but don’t remove the foliage until it is dry. Remove the dried stems and clean off the dry soil. Store the tubers in flats in a warm place (50 to 60 degrees) and cover them with peatmoss. They need good circulation of air to prevent rot.

Cannas should be lifted after the first frost and stored in a cool place. To prevent shriveling cover them with dry peatmoss or sand. Many, however, no longer store canna roots over winter, preferring to buy live plants each spring.

Lift Gladiolus corms as the leaves begin to turn yellow. After lifting, cut the foliage to within three inches of the corms and then let them dry off in the sun if possible for a little while each day. When completely dry, dust them with an insecticide to prevent thrips injury. Store them uncovered in a cool place.

Ismenes (Peruvian daffodils) must be lifted very carefully to preserve the root system. So, dig deeply. Spread out the plants indoors to dry. Remove the tops but not the roots. Store them uncovered in a place where the temperature will not go below 50 degrees.

Montbretias may be left in the ground if given a heavy covering of leaves. If lifted they should be removed from the ground in clumps with the soil clinging to them. Don’t let the soil dry out.

Tuberose bulbs should be lifted in clumps and dried off for storage in a warm dry place. Divide into single bulbs during the winter or use a second year without dividing the clumps.

In The Greenhouse

Repotting is one of the round-the-year jobs. When in doubt about the need for repotting, knock the plant like the watermelon peperomia out of the pot. If the ball is well covered with roots it is time for repotting. Don’t repot flowering plants that have flower buds forming. Soak new flower pots in a tub of water for at least a half hour before they are used.

Canna Flowers
Creative Commons License photo credit: audreyjm529

Freesias that were potted and placed in the coldframe should now have several inches of growth. Bring them into a cool part of the greenhouse before frost. For better results give them a weekly feeding.

Watering.

Don’t just turn on the hose and water everything in sight. Water plants when they need it. When in doubt give the pot a sharp knock with the handle of your pocketknife and if the pot rings water is needed. A dull thud indicates the soil is still damp. Soil in benches that feels dry and somewhat crumbly needs a thorough soaking with the hose or watering pot.

Find out more as Thomas Fryd shares his experiences on landscaping and gardens at plant-care.com. Get cleared up on watermelon peperomia.

Posted by Thomas Fryd at 12:15 am  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Why plant a Wildflower Garden?

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Jul 192009
 

Why plant a Wildflower Garden?

Purple Haze
Creative Commons License photo credit: lissalou66

There are several advantages to wildflower gardens.

  • They have a delicate beauty and seem to fit into any landscape.
  • Once established wildflowers are easy to maintain and use less water, a plus in areas that suffer from droughts.
  • They seem to adapt to whatever weather conditions that you have even if your summer is cold, damp or too dry.
  • Wildflowers are usually flowers native to the area and they grow strong with little insect or diseases.
  • Bird love wildflowers and will provide entertainment with their activity.

Planting wildflowers is also good for the environment and for wildlife. Wildflowers feed the birds naturally and will provide safe cover for rabbits and chipmunks.

Perennial wildflowers will come back year after year and provide an easy way to have a beautiful garden of flowers with less work and expense. Add rocks to the garden area or old root pieces and you have a rustic look that will add peace and tranquility to a section of your backyard oasis.  I like to tuck wildflowers in small corners that are usually overlooked.Wildblumen16
Creative Commons License photo credit: DTraveler

When planting your wildflower garden, make sure all weeds are out of the garden area you have selected. This will give you wildflowers a better chance of establishing themselves.

You can purchase wildflower seeds at a gardening store or nursery. You might even be able to gather some yourself to use the following year or ask friends who collect seeds if they any extra wildflowers seeds.

I try to pick seeds that are perennial flowers. Your garden will take less work with perennial wildflowers and will save you money and time.

And make sure you buy enough seeds to cover the area of land you wish to use. The seed packets will give you this information or ask an employee for advice. And in many stores you can get the roll out mats with seeds embedded in the mat. I have used these and they work very well.

How to plant a wildflower garden

Prepare the soil by loosening it with a rake or shovel. I add compost to ensure it is rich soil that will help flowers to grow well for years to come. And make sure all weeds and weed roots have been removed for the soil.

Loosen the soil again on the day you plan to plant the flower seeds. Dig a small hole, and drop in one or two seeds for wildflowers. Continue this process until the area is planted. I like to sprinkle some seeds about the area and then use the rake to mix them into the soil. You get a more natural look using this method.

Water the seeds frequently. Keep the area lightly moist until seedlings appear. This is usually a week or 10 days. You may wish to add a protective border around the area where you have planted seeds to protect you newly planted wildflower garden from children and pets.

Wildflower gardens are beautiful and once they start to grow you will be able to enjoy their color and fragrance for many years to come.

Posted by Denise at 9:48 pm  Tagged with: , , ,

Common Plant Problems for indoor or outdoor plants

 backyard oasis  No Responses »
Jul 172009
 

Plants add color and purpose to the home and garden. They also add to the patio, balcony or any small space garden and will create an instant backyard oasis feel indoors or out. rosae 067
Creative Commons License photo credit: dACE :)

And although many people think plants just need water, they do experience problems that will make them look pitiful.

Here’s how to identify common problems with plants. With care and observing you plants hopefully you will avoid the most common plant problems and diseases.

Check the moisture level in the dirt.

  • Both too much water and too little water will create plant problems. And many people are surprised to learn too much water creates more problems that too little.
  • Sticking your pinky finger in all the way to your hand can easily check soil moisture. This checks the depth of moisture further down into the soil. Check the soil over by the edge of the pot to make sure you dont hurt the plants roots.
  • To keep the soil from drying out on top add a light mulch to your plants soil. One quarter of an inch will be fine.
  • Check the look of the top of the soil. If it’s crusty, gently scrap the top of the soil off and replace it with fresh soil. If it looks moldy, scrap that off also.

Check the roots of the plant.

  • This can be done by gently pulling the plant out of the container if it’s in a pot. If the roots look brittle or discolored than the problem could be in your soil.
  • Change the soil and be sure that the excess water has a way to escape so that the roots aren’t drowning and can breath properly. Yes, too much water can choke a plants root.
  • If the plant is in the ground, dig gently by the plant to check its roots. You can try to add new soil by the sides of the plant, but if the plant is in very bad shape, its best to remove it from the garden.

If you plants are just looking tired and lack color it may be necessary for you to move the plants or flowers to a new location.  They may need more sun, shade or better drainage. If you notice white spores growing on the bottom of the leaves, this is a sign that the plant needs more light. Country Wildflower garden, Huntington Library Gardens
Creative Commons License photo credit: DominusVobiscum

Check for holes or missing buds. This is often an indication of insect or pest problems that are eating at your plants. Many insects are very small and you need to look carefully to see them. Am insect problem left untreated can kill a plant and spread to other plants.

Plant Tip: If I notice my plants seem to have a soil problem I will water them with a chamomile tea. Chamomile tea has a natural bacterial control that will control small bacteria on the soil. Chamomile tea has saved many plants.

Posted by Denise at 10:50 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Small Space Barbeque Theme Garden

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
May 162009
 

There are many theme gardens that people use in their backyard garden planning. A theme garden is popular because it usually takes less space than an ordinary garden and acts as a focal point in backyard design. Chives
Creative Commons License photo credit: fotologic

With the trend in outdoor kitchens and the popularity of barbeque pits a barbecue garden is a must for many garden areas.

Since most outdoor kitchens use creative landscaping design ideas and Barbeque centers are kept on the deck or patio. It makes sense to grow this theme garden in containers and close to the cooking area.

The Barbeque garden is set up to take limited space and it uses only three potting containers. Two containers should be 24 inches in diameter and one, at least 15 inches in diameter. You will also need potting soil, compost or organic fertilizer.

Plants for your Barbeque Garden

1 tomato plant
1 Red pepper plant
1 Habanera plant
1 flat leaf parsley plant
1 upright rosemary plant
1 trailing rosemary plant
1 Chive plant
1 Dill plant
1 Mint plant
1 Oregano plant
Thyme plant – French is a good culinary variety
3 Basil plants Red savina habanero
Creative Commons License photo credit: Tambako the Jaguar

When placing your garden remember it will perform better if it’s located in an area that receives at least 6 hours of direct sun.

Start designing your Barbeque garden by checking the bottoms of the garden pots or containers you selected to make sure they have good drainage holes. I would also suggest pots or containers with color since your garden is all about growing herbs for the kitchen. Make your containers spicy and creative like your garden herb selection.

Fill all three pots with potting soil and lightly pat the soil down. Its best to leave three or four inches of space between the top of the soil and the top rim of the pot. This acts to catch water, plus I like to add mulch to the top of the container to help keep the soil moist and conserve on the soils moisture.

Add organic fertilizer or compost to the potting containers. Mix lightly into the soil with a fork and pat the soil back down.

In the first 24-inch pot plant the tomato towards one side of the pot. This will become the backside of the planting design. Next, plant two of the basil’s in front of the tomato toward the center of the pot and the thyme at the very front edge.

Add the dill plant to one side of the basil/thyme and the parsley on the other side. For the final step place a tomato cage or trellis around the tomato. If you are using a trellis place it behind the plant. I like the look of a trellis in this garden design.

For the second 24-inch pot, plant the pepper plants, side-by-side at the “back” of the pot. Space these plants one foot apart.

On one side of the container plant the trailing rosemary. And on the other side plant a basil and mint plant. Add the tomato cage or trellis where both peppers can use it.

To create a nice design I place the third medium sized planter in between and in front of the larger planting containers. This will create a triangle shaped mini garden.

In the medium 15-inch pot, plant the rosemary towards the “back” of the pot. Next place the chive and oregano in front and space accordingly.

Water all of the pots thoroughly and add compost or mulch to the top or each planter. This will shade the soil and help retain moisture.

You can add a few small growing flowers, edible flowers or trailing flowers to the plants in front for color. There are also several different varieties of the herbs I suggested that have more color such as Golden thyme or purple ruffles basil.

You might consider adding two small pots in the front of the planters off to the side of the medium planters for flowers.

One edible flower that I consider a must for the barbeque theme garden is the nasturtium.  They are easy to grow, colorful and have a peppery taste which will compliment any barbeque meal.

This mini theme garden is practical and colorful. It will make a great addition to your backyard oasis paradise and kitchen garden area.

Posted by Denise at 1:32 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

The Backyard Hobby Greenhouse

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
May 112009
 

The backyard hobby greenhouse has several useful purposes and will benefit many gardeners. With the use of a hobby greenhouse you can extend your growing season if your climate has a short growing season or you can grow specialty plants that need that extra care that a small controlled environment can give them. New Greenhouse
Creative Commons License photo credit: soapbeard

A hobby greenhouse is not large enough to produce vegetables or flowers on a commercial basis but it will provide a place for tomato or pepper plants, fresh salad greens and will create a wonderful area for seedlings and plant cuttings.

They can also work successfully on a balcony garden area or on a patio.

The smallest hobby greenhouse is not large enough to walk into but is accessible for all sides from the outside.  It resembles an old-fashioned phone booth made of glass or plexi-glass and has clear shelving to promote the use of all available light.  This style is designed to hold as many plants as possible in as small a place as possible.

There is also an inexpensive variety of this mini greenhouse that is covered with a zippered tent of clear plastic.  These greenhouses can be used to extend the gardening season and temporarily house new plants, sick plants or additional houseplants. They also work well for over-wintering outdoor plants if you have a patio that can be enclosed or a spare porch area.

The advantages of a mini hobby greenhouse are that they can be used when needed and stored the rest of the year. They also take up less space than a more permanent larger greenhouse.

If you have more room or prefer to leave a hobby greenhouse up for a longer period of time there are greenhouses large enough to walk in and are made or clear glass or plastic. They are usually the size of a storage shed. The “Solar Prism” is a very popular variety of the small walk-in greenhouse.

The design of the solar prism captures the sunrays and will shoot them back into the greenhouse at all angles. This will make the most possible use of any sunlight available, which makes this variety great for cloudy regions or short growing climates.

Larger greenhouses will have misting systems for water and automatic vents for cooling but these will be more costly and also require more room in the backyard area.

The hobby greenhouse will add to your backyard garden oasis by giving you more control over the climate for certain plants and extend you growing season.

Posted by Denise at 5:40 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,
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