A Basic Garden Soil Recipe
A perfect recipe for new gardeners to get you growing
Garden dirt or soil is one of those things that can be discussed and detailed to death. The dirt discussion can be so overwhelming, it turns off potential new gardeners. Do we call it dirt or soil? It doesn’t matter. Plants want to grow. They will grow if you get them into the ground and surround them with pretty good earth. I mean soil or should I say loam.
A Basic Garden Dirt or Soil Recipe
by Gary Pilarchik LCSW-C
It is easy to get overwhelmed when building your first garden. This recipe is designed to simplify soil and remove a barrier that can prevent people from becoming gardeners. This is not a scientific recipe. It will not go into detail about all the aspects of perfect garden soil. This recipe should be adapted to fit the site you grow your vegetables on. The basic recipe is based on a 4 ft. X 8 ft. garden with 6 inch raised sides.
Understanding Dirt
Vegetables will grow in dirt, soil, earth or loam. Whatever it is called, vegetables will grow. The idea is to give them a good basic growing medium so the vegetables can grow to their fullest potential without being stressed. I call it soil. I call it soil because it is simple. Take a look at the definition for loam from the website Free Dictionary. It uses the word soil to define loam. Why not just say soil? You could say loamy earth if you enjoy complexity. Dirt does not need to be complex.
loam (lm)
n.
1. Soil composed of a mixture of sand, clay, silt, and organic matter.
2. A mixture of moist clay and sand, and often straw, used especially in making bricks and foundry molds.
tr.v. loamed, loam·ing, loams
To fill, cover, or coat with loam.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
——————————————————————————–
loam
Noun
fertile soil consisting of sand, clay, and decaying organic material [Old English lām]
loamy adj
Collins Essential English Dictionary 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2004, 2006
——————————————————————————–
loam (lm)
Soil composed of approximately equal quantities of sand, silt, and clay, often with variable amounts of decayed plant matter.
I can’t imagine trying to create a soil with equal parts of sand, silt, clay and organic matter from the get go. Maybe that’s why I don’t have loam in my garden. I have dirt which I proudly call soil. It is not possible from the start nor is it practical to think perfection in the way of a vegetable garden’s dirt. Great garden soil is created and improved over time. This recipe will give the basic ingredients and direction need to get started and growing. The only thing to understand about dirt is that once you start amending, you now need to proudly call it soil. Soil is what you are building for your garden.
Here is the evolution of events to turn dirt into soil. Before a garden is dug there is only dirt. It is untouched. It will vary in quality. As a gardener, you amend your dirt and this creates a basic soil. Over time gardeners further amend the soil and improve it. Amending is the act of improving the basic dirt in your local area. Perhaps one day you will create loam as defined above. Realistically, you will just create better soil that has tons of organic matter in it.
Building Garden Soil: The Basic Ingredients
Garden soil is built by turning the existing dirt and adding the following ingredients:
•Premium Topsoil
•Garden Soil
•Peat Moss
•Lime
•10-10-10 fertilizer
•Organic matter & more organic matter & more organic matter
Some thing to keep in mind is purchasing the right product. Basic topsoil is sold in 40 pound bags. Do not buy basic topsoil, it can be garbage. It is typically wet clay and sand. Purchase premium topsoil. The premium is the addition of some sort of organic matter. Premium topsoil bags are labeled with various weights or measurements depending on the brand that is purchased. However, it usually only comes in one bag size.
Garden soil is a better blend of materials and it is prepared specifically for the garden. It is typically balanced and anything planted in it will grow wonderfully. I suggest the use of both premium topsoil and garden soil as a way to save some money. Premium topsoil is typically cheaper. Garden soil comes in 1 or 2 cubic ft. bags. It will say garden soil right on the bag.
The peat moss is added as the organic matter and moisture holding agent. Peat moss comes in large and small square bails. This is the initial organic matter for your garden. Organic matter is something that should be added forever to a garden as it is available. This typically comes in the way of grass clippings for many gardeners.
Lime is used to provide calcium and magnesium to the soil and it helps balance the PH of the soil. Many articles go into details about PH. The basic goal is to have a mid range/neutral PH level for garden soil. Peat moss is naturally acidic and lime is naturally alkaline. Mixing the two together will help them neutralize each other. A web search will provide all kinds of information about PH soil testing and PH levels vegetables prefer. I suggest doing that in the winter when there isn’t much to do for a gardener.
The fertilizer is added to provide nutrients. I suggest buying the cheapest bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer available. If you want to go purely organic, you can fertilize to you standard. The goal is to prepare the garden soil with a growing season worth of nutrients.
A 4 ft. x 8 ft. area with 6 inch sides or mounded to 6 inches above ground level requires the following for amending purposes:
•8-12 bags of premium topsoil (standard bag)
•8 bags of Garden Soil (2 cubic ft. bag)
•Peat Moss (large bail)
•Lime (40 lb pulverized bag)
•10-10-10 fertilizer (20 lb bag)
Building the Garden Soil: Amending the Garden Plot
The true first step is to remove the grass or spray the grass with a standard salt grass killer. I have done both depending on the type of plot I am designing. Once the grass has been managed, the following steps should be followed.
Step One
Turn the existing dirt or earth to at least 12 inches. I have suggested going as far as 18 to 24 inches in a Knol about creating raised beds gardens. The idea is to create loose soil, at a good depth, for the roots of the vegetables to easily grow through to find nutrients and moisture. Any clumps should be broken up by hand. I define a clump as larger than a basic meatball. You can use your judgment.
Step Two
Now there really isn’t a wrong way to amend your turned plot. I have describe different methods for preparing the soil if you are using containers, creating raised beds or making a layered “lasagna” garden in other Knols. The principle is essentially the same. You are adding better amendments to the garden. The variations in the different preparation depends more on the needs of the vegetables and the amount of work desired by the gardener.
Peat moss is very light and it is your organic matter. I suggest mixing it into the turned earth. The bail should be open and spread evenly across the garden plot. Add anywhere from four to six 8 oz. cups of pulverized lime evenly across the top of the peat moss. Mix the lime a peat moss together by hand or with a rake. Once mixed, spread three or four 8 oz cups of fertilizer evenly across the garden. Turn the garden one more time and mix the layer old dirt (the earth you turned) with the peat moss. The peat moss gets mixed into the bottom layer. You could save some and mix it into the top layer where your seeds and plant will go. However, you are using premium bags of top soil and garden soil and they will have a good mix of organic matter in them for the first year.
Step Three
Evenly mix and spread the bags of premium top soil and garden soil over your plot. This should raise the garden to the top of the wood box if you are using a raised bed. You should give it one more turn to about 12 inches. You want to blend the top layer with the bottom layer by at least a few inches. You want to mix the layers enough so you don’t have problems with water. Though rare, depending on your layers you could have a bottom layer that doesn’t quickly absorb water (clay) and this creates a pooling effect. You get a pool of water that makes the top layer a soggy mess. Blending the layers takes care of this rare problem.
Step Four
Spread two 8 oz cups of 10-10-10 fertilizer across the top of your garden area and rake it in to a few inches. If you have grass clippings, you can begin using them as a mulch over the gardening season. The clippings will become your future organic matter and will get turned into the garden the following year.
Soil Summary
Don’t letter preparing a garden keep you from starting a garden. This Knol is to help you get the dirt out of the way and get you into planting and growing vegetables. There is nothing exact about this recipe. The key of importance is that you created about 2 feet of garden grade soil to grow your plants in. That is exactly what they need. Great job.
Making Cuttings Saves and Makes Money
Photo taken from my own garden in Texas. These are Chocolate Morning Glories that I grew from seeds Yes, even Morning Glories root fast to make new plants!
Visit Our Seed Store click here!
Cuttings are often fun and easy to make. I have made many plants from cuttings over the years. Each Spring I start my cuttings from parent plants that I like the most. I have sold many plants doing just that online and on Craig’s List. Try it.. it saves so much money plus make some extra cash too!
When taking cuttings, place them into a plastic bag until you are ready to plant them. The bag helps to retain moisture and helps to keep them fresh.
Stem Cuttings: – These are pieces of growth taken from the aerial parts of the parent plant, and can be either side shoots or the tips of main shoots. They may be soft wood, half-ripened wood or ripe wood. Soft woodcuttings are taken from young tender growth of the current season; half-ripened cuttings are made from semi-ripened wood that has been grown for some time and become slightly woody or firm; ripe wood cuttings or hard wood cuttings are made from mature wood at the end of the growing season and are chiefly used for the propagation of trees and shrubs.
All stem cuttings are prepared by removing the lower leaves, and then cutting straight across the stem, just below a joint or node. The cutting should be about 3 inch (7.5cm) long. In the case of ripe wood cuttings they can be made with a “heel” of the older wood attached at the base and be up to 10 or 12 inch (25-30cm) long.
Inserting the Cuttings
No mater how well the preparation of the cuttings is, they will not root properly unless they are inserted correctly. When the cutting is made it causes a wound, which must heal and in doing this new tissue is formed to cover the damaged area. Under favourable conditions the wound will heal and grow roots and so provides a means to continue a separate existence.
Sometimes cuttings will put too much effort into healing the damage at the expense of root formation. They may appear to be growing yet will not produce roots. High soil temperatures, or a coarse rooting medium may cause this. Open and coarse planting mediums allow too much air to penetrate to the base of the cutting. The use of very coarse sand has been found to create such development problems.
Leaf-bud Cuttings: – These are made from half-ripened wood and consist of one leaf
with a dormant bud at its base and also a portion of the stem. They are planted in the same way as stem cuttings, but with the leaf and bud just above the surface of the rooting medium. This type of cutting is used particularly for the propagation of camellias and some other evergreens. It has the advantage of providing a greater number of young plants from one piece of growth than are by stem cuttings.
Bud or Eye Cuttings: – These are similar to leaf-bud cuttings but with no leaf attached, and are made from dormant ripened wood in autumn or winter. Ornamental and fruiting vines are propagated from this type of cutting. Make each cutting of woody stem with a single dormant bud or eye about 1/2 inch (38mm) long. Take off a strip of bark and wood on the side opposite to the bud, and then insert the cutting on its own in a small pot of potting compost with the bud just at soil level.
Leaf Cuttings: – Many plants can be propagated from leaf cuttings these include
Begonias, gloxinias, saintpaulias, streptocarpus and echeverias. Remove the leaf from the parent plant with the leaf stem attached and, after cutting the end of the stem cleanly, insert it into the compost or sand so that the leaf blade lies flat along the surface. After the roots have formed a young plantlet will grow from the base of the cut leaf stalk.
Root Cuttings: – There are several plants both shrubby and herbaceous that can be
propagated by root cuttings; perennial phlox, verbascum, hollyhock, romneya,
eryngium, gaillardia, anchusa and Oriental poppy to name a few. Lift a complete plant during the dormant period and cut sections of the fleshy roots into pieces about 2 to 3 inch (5-7.5cm) long. Insert the root cuttings into pots or new planting locations. Large quantities of cuttings of the same kind can be tied into bundles and placed in sand or soil to root.
Pipings: – using pieces of the young tip growth called pipings easily propagates
Carnation and pinks. This type of cutting does not require trimming. Hold the growth or shoot in one hand and then pull out the tip of the shoot with the other hand. Insert the shoot in sandy soil around the edge of a pot and place in a sheltered location. Alternatively place shoots into a jar of water. The water should cover only the lower third of the shoot, allow roots to form before planting.
Division: – This is the simplest method of increasing stock, particularly when it is not
possible or wise to propagate by seeds. Many plants require a shoot or young growth
with roots attached in order to form another plant that will be exactly the same as the parent.
The division of most plants is carried out during early spring when growth is active, and it is only necessary to retain sufficient rhizome or underground stem to supply the immediate needs of the divided portion until it has become established. Shrubby plants can only be divided if they have a compact habit and produce new growth by branching or making suckers from below ground.
Tubers: – Tuberous-rooted plants, such as peonies, require special treatment and
careful handling when being divided.
Selling Seeds & Plants Online- The Basics
I sell seeds on line and thought others may be interested in learning how to do the same thing. This is information to get you started in a home business using a hobby that you love!
There are several online venues and I suggest you use as many of them as possible. Online auctions such as ebay can be quite profitable. Ebay selling involves fees to list, fees taken when the item sells, and store fees if you have an ebay store. Prices for the products have to be high enough to cover the fees and still leave some left over to make you money. There are protections on Ebay for buyers and sellers and once you’ve earned a reputation as a decent seller to deal with, more customers are attracted.
Online stores are a fantastic way of selling online. There is many free trials to get your feet wet. Here are a few that I really like. You can click any of these with a free trial
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Many website builders and hosting companies offer free domains with the deal but If you need a domain name www.GoDaddy.com is a really good company to use. I have most of my domains there. They are always running good sales at Go Daddy.
Social Media- To get your website on the map!
No matter what way you sell online, if you haven’t all ready created a Paypal account, I highly suggest you do so. I like the convenience of it as well as the protection. Customers can pay with their accounts, their credit card or checking account, even without a Paypal account. It is essentially guaranteed money. You don’t ship until the payment clears. They also charge a small fee per transaction but it is more than worth it. It is absolutely essential to have Paypal if plan to sell internationally. If you sell to someone in Europe, they pay with Euros and you get paid in dollars. Selling to the world increases customer base…by a lot. I’ve shipped seeds all over the world and sometimes, international sales outpace domestic ones. It definitely is a good idea to sell internationally. Lately, I have been selling in the USA only because I do not have the time to go inside the post office. Printing my postage online and dropping it off in the post office box saves me a lot of time.
Whichever venue(s) you choose, spend some time investigating how other sellers set up their listings and what price they are asking for their plants and seeds. Then decide what you will ask for your products. What do you put in the listings? Information such as life cycle (annual, biennial, perennial), latin name, which USDA zones will it do well in (can be found on the web), a description of the plant and flowers, how tall will it grow, light, water, and soil requirements, and it’s uses.
One thing that is absolutely necessary when listing plants and seeds is pictures. Good pictures sell the plant for you. If it flowers, catch it in bloom. If it is just ornamental, catch it when it is at its best. Tomato pictures should include the whole tomato and one sliced open. There are sites on the web to obtain pictures but you shouldn’t take someone’s photos without their permission and particularly if they are copyrighted. All the selling sites I have mentioned have some way of uploading pictures. You can take regular photographs and scan them in or the easiest way is to have a digital camera. The photos can be manipulated in any way you wish, made larger, smaller, text included, etc, and they are easily uploaded to the sites.
Vegetable Gardening
Vegetable gardening has lately become just as popular as going to the grocery store fore produce. Vegetable gardening can produce vegetable that are usually cheaper than store bought, and vegetables from a home vegetable garden definitely taste better by far. Vegetable gardening is no different than growing herbs or flowers and if the proper steps are taken and the plants are give the proper care they will flourish and produce very tasty vegetables.
First you must decide what size of garden you wish to plant and then select a place for it; somewhere that has good drainage, good air flow, and good, deep soil. It also needs to be able to get as much sunlight as possible. Because vegetable gardens have such tasty rewards, many animals, such as dogs, rabbits, deer, and many others will try and get to your veggies. One way to prevent this is to surround your garden with a fence, or put out a trap to catch mice, moles, and other animals.
Before planting, the soil must be properly prepared. Good soil for vegetable gardening is achieved by cultivation and the application of organic materials. The soil must be tilled (plowed) to control weeds and mix mulch into the soil. If you have a small garden, spading could be a better bet than plowing. Mulching is also a vital part of soil preparation. Organic matter added to the soil releases nitrogen, minerals, and other nutrients plants need to thrive. The most popular and best type of mulch you can use is compost. While the kind and amount of fertilizer used depends on the soil and types of plants, there are some plants that have specific needs; leafy plants, like cabbage, spinach, and lettuce usually grow better with more nitrogen, while root crops like potatoes, beets, turnips, and carrots require more potash. Tomatoes and beans use less fertilizer, while plants like onions, celery, and potatoes need a larger amount.
One thing that is vitally important in vegetable gardening is the garden arrangement. There is no single plan that will work for every garden due to varying conditions. One popular way to arrange a vegetable garden is to plant vegetables needing only limited space together, such as radishes, lettuce, beets, and spinach, and those that require more room together, such as corn, pumpkins, and potatoes. Try and plant tall growing plants towards the back of the garden and shorter ones in the front so that their sunlight does not get blocked.
When you are finally ready to begin planting your vegetable garden, make sure and plant at the right time of year. If you are dying to get an early start, you may want begin your garden inside in a hotbed and then transplant when the weather permits. After you are finished planting, make sure your vegetables receive the appropriate amount of water, which depends on the type of plant. Most plants will need the equivalent to about an inch of water per week.
Weeds must be controlled in vegetable gardening because they will take up water, light, and nutrients meant for the vegetables and they often bring disease and insects to the garden. You can get rid of weeds by cultivation or mulching. To protect against disease and insects you can buy seeds that are disease resistant or use controlled chemicals.
Vegetable gardening is many people’s favorite form of gardening because you can actually taste the fruits of your labor. Vegetable gardening is not that expensive to start and the taste of home grown veggies definitely beat out that of supermarket vegetables. Your vegetable gardening days will be full of produce if you take the proper precautions when planting and continue maintenance of your garden
Organic Gardening And Its Many Benefits
This is a picture of my backyard a few years ago. The pond is concrete that my husband and son poured. I bought ten cent goldfish and some of them became huge. One even had babies. I will never forget when a tropical storm blew in and I had to catch them all up and down the street!
As people have began to realize environmental problems and global warming better, they have changed their negative thinking towards the environment into something which can be beneficial for the environment and for them. One such process that people have adopted to reduce environmental devastation is green gardening practices. For numerous humans, gardening is an important part of their lives either for making a living out of the crops or just for leisure purpose. Nowadays, as people have started to make their move towards sustainability and green living, organic gardening has become very famous. Before, humans had to rely on Northern Kentucky pest control and Cincinnati pest control for their herbicide needs and to keep their backyard free from insects. Additionally, with green gardening, people can be certain they can take care of the insects and infestation with natural methods.
There are many tips available that can make organic gardening procedures easier and there are numerous benefits associated with the procedure as well. Organic fertilizers are the best to be used for the vegetables growing in the garden. They release minerals slowly so that minerals last for a long time. Rain water is chemical free and people can collect rain water in containers to use in the backyard. There are many different kinds of rain barrels available which are made of recycled plastics and reused food drums. Collecting rain water can be very helpful for the garden during hot seasons.
Green containers can be used to plant veggies and flowers where space is limited. This method is known as container gardening and do not require excessive organic material as they are being sealed. Green pots are made out of natural elements and will make a great component for organic gardening. To take care of the development of plants, gardeners can make use of green gardening supplies and organic disease control techniques. Furthermore, if the garden gets infested, it is wise to use biological control or natural control techniques like presenting natural hunters into the backyard which will crush invaders without causing any damage to the vegetables.
It allows the attachment between nature and human beings to become healthier and enables humans to take advantage of chemical-free fruits and vegetables. Organic gardening uses natural compost and does not encourage usage of chemical fertilizers. This means that humans are able to save the environment from ongoing degradation and protect wildlife also. There is no risk associated with organic gardening for people and animals.
Green gardening offers humans to do good for the nature and for the generation to follow. It also allows people to feed their kids healthy produce without the influence of chemicals and toxins. Moreover, these procedures allow people to grow food much inexpensively than those grown with the use of chemicals. Fertilizers and pesticides are generally made of toxins which are harmful to the environments and to the well being of humans. Organic gardening makes individuals do something for the environment, for themselves, for their children and for the future generation.
How to involve the children in gardening
Photo of My Little Garden Girl;Destini. She was so very proud of her garden!
With the days getting longer, you may very well feel the need to go gardening. Certainly, it’s a great option to pass the time engaging oneself in some type of creativity. But infrequently, you miss somebody there. Yes, it’s your youngsters who are sometimes deprived of the joy of gardening. Essentially, they generally find it entrancing. So, if they can be concerned in it, it’s going to be a great joy for them.
And it’s possible with a little bit of planning. Gardens have thousands of things that will naturally hold the childrenandrsquo;s attention. Often the children have the disposition to play with the peculiar things. So, a tiny tomato, or a large sunflower can be a giant source of fun for him. Gardening for children will offer them thousands of colors and shapes to play with. Apart from the fruits and flowers, there are plants that may dazzle the children with there textures.
The petals of the strawflowers can fascinate a kid with it wonderful array. Sunflowers are amazing as seen in the photo. They grow so fast love sun and plenty of water and are easily grown from seeds.
Another massive, and maybe the most important, advantage of garden is its smell. It is proved that smell is the nearest thing to memory. So, when a kid enjoys in the garden, he’ll definitely come back there in the approaching years for more. To increase this robust bond in the childrenandrsquo;s gardening, perfumed herbs and flowers are the clear answers. This could give them such a charm that may last for the lifetime. So planting marjoram, roses, lavender, lilacs etc will make a robust bond. The presence of hummingbirds and butterflies will add additional charm to the garden. Dill, thistles or milkweed will attract the butterflies, while the hummingbirds like to visit gardens that have morning glories, bleeding hearts and petunias. Other plants like the moonflowers, 4 o’clocks and evening primrose are good to add beauty to the garden and engage the children in it. However, the joy of gardening with children increases if they have the possibility to choose.
So, it is nice to have coleus, cosmos, salvia and snapdragon as they produce masses of flowers. They can be planted in a certain area where the youngsters can be permitted to choose them whenever they like. Some of the specimens may also be brought to the table as well. Aside from entertainment, garden also has an educative price. One can teach a kid about the best way to cultivate the food of one’s own. Short and simple projects like the no dig garden, may also be launched to involve the youngsters.
Make A Stunning Dried Hydrangea Wreath
Dried hydrangea wreaths are so beautiful and versatile in a home, and a lot of fun to make as well.
You can either purchase already dried hydrangea flowers from your local craft store, or you can dry your own.
The biggest trick when drying your own is the timing of when you pick the flowers. It is best to pick them
right before you anticipate your first fall frost. If you pick them mid-summer, they just will not dry
correctly.
You can either hang them upside down in a darkened room to dry, or you can set them in a vase upright, even adding a tiny bit of water in the bottom of the vase, although even that is optional. As long as they are picked at the correct time, it’s difficult to fail with them. It’s fun if you can, to pick several blooms from different bushes, as it will provide a nice
variety of colors to the wreath. After they are dried, pick off any dead / discolored brown blooms.
Now, pick the type of base you want to use for a wreath. My personal favorites are either Styrofoam or
grapevine type wreath bases. Take some floral wire and wrap it around the wreath, then form a loop of the
wire to hang from the wall, and then wrap the wreath again. You might try hanging it from the wall at this
point to make sure it lies correctly, and then make any needed adjustments while the wreath is bare.
To do a Styrofoam wreath, use a low melt point hot glue gun. Separate each bloom into smaller florets. Hot
glue each floret into the wreath base, actually poking the stem down into the Styrofoam base. With each bloom, space it out over the surface of the wreath, for example; a floret at the top, next left side, bottom,
then right side, then inside the circle of the wreath, and outside of the wreath. Continue to do this with
each bloom until you fill it.
Balance is what you are looking for. Balance in shape, you don’t want any sticking out way above the others, you don’t want one side of the wreath to be
fuller than the other. Try stepping back and looking at a distance and just think “balance of shape”.
The second area to look for is balance of color. This is the purpose of doing each bloom all over, then
filling in, so you achieve that balance of color. Give another once over to check on that.
Now, this wreath is either finished, or you can add perhaps add small sprigs of dried baby’s breath to it. Really depends on the look you want. Sometimes the simplicity of only the hydrangeas is stunning.
For a grapevine wreath, it’s the same principal but a different look. You can tie a bow on the wreath if
you want (if you do, do so before adding flowers), or ribbon. I like to leave bare spaces on these to be
able to see the grapevine portion as well. Again, look for balance. You can also add dried roses to it
or any other type of dried flowers or grasses too. You can get really creative with these and come up with
very different looks. Experiment to your heart’s content.
Many times people expect dried floral arrangements to last forever, and are disappointed when they start looking bad after a few years. This is a
misconception. Expect them to look good for about a year, that’s really about all they were meant to last.
If they are in direct sunlight it will be a much shorter time. However, the next year, feel free to strip the old flowers off, and make another with the
same base for another year’s worth of a gorgeous hand made wreath!
By Valerie Garner-Mother, grandmother and candlemaker / owner of Joyful Designs in Soy. She loves to write on
a variety of topics with a warm, and engaging style.
Landscape Gardening – 8 Tips to Wow Your Neighbors
1. Planning your landscape is like painting a picture on canvas. Just like your art teacher in high school told you – have a main point of interest and add several sub points to make your beautiful landscape more interesting. You imagine it in your mind, draw sketches and fill in all the details that you’ve dreamed of. Keep revising your sketch until it looks like the picture you have in mind.
2. Not feeling very artistic? If you’re a more ‘concrete’ person, try laying out garden hoses or heavy string in your yard to get a feel for how and where you want to divide up your space. Remember to think balance, not symmetry. Some people think that they have to plant trees and flowers in straight, boring rows. Tip: pick an odd number when planting trees or flowers. With flowers, plant several of the same plant in groups to make a large color splash. Better to have a few, well chosen, bold splashes of color than to have tiny spots of color spread all over a large area.
3. If you’re having a hard time thinking of what your chief point of interest can be, close your eyes and think about what you like most about your yard. Is there a tall, solo pine tree, a grouping of birch trees, a rocky ledge, an old weathered fence or something else that catches your eye? If you can’t find something of interest that’s already in place, think about adding something that you admire from a picture in a magazine or something that caught your eye when you were driving through a beautiful neighborhood. Tip: do NOT copy something that your next door neighbor is doing. They won’t appreciate it and it won’t look nearly as special if both of you are going for the same effect.
4. Still can’t think of a chief point of interest? What about creating a spot for a water fall? Not a pond – that’s old news! With a re-cycling water fall, you don’t have to worry about standing pond water or algae. Just pick some interesting rocks or boulders of varying sizes, arrange them to cascade down a slope, add plants and water. Viola! Or, how about a rock path winding through your yard? Or a rock wall of native stone to create interest?
5. If you choose a tree or group of trees to be your main point of interest, don’t center them in your yard. It’s far more interesting to place them a bit off center. Don’t choose a huge, overpowering tree; the tree should have a good shape, with something interesting about its bark, leaves, seed pods, flowers or fruit. Tip: while the poplar is a striking tree and a rapid grower, it sheds its leaves early and so is left standing with bare branches in early fall. The poplar makes a better choice for a backyard tree or when creating a dividing space between your yard and your neighbors. Good choices for trees are the mountain ash with bright berries, the brilliant leaves of the sugar maple or the bark of the white birch, which all add interest to your total landscape.
6. It is always best to choose trees and shrubs that thrive in your local climate. It’s tempting to choose something exotic out of a catalog but you’ll be unhappy if the tree you choose is not right for your climate. Trees are a big investment, choose wisely.
7. Flowering vines can also be used to create interest. Whether you choose an ivy to climb the bricks on your house or a trumpet vine to wind around an old weathered fence along side your house, both can be used as sub points to accent your main point of interest. Tip: perennial vines can be used to form a permanent addition to your landscape scheme. The Virginia creeper, wisteria, honeysuckle, a climbing rose or clematis all make excellent choices for creating interest and can be used to minimize minor imperfections in walls.
8. And for a final flair, add a colorful flag to your landscape design. Whether you choose a whimsical, garden flag or a majestic, patriotic American Flag, both will create interest and add color to your landscape. Tip: choose polyester for greatest durability of a flag that is flown daily. Choose nylon flags for flying in the lightest breeze. There are several new, flag hanger styles available if you don’t already have a flag pole in your yard. The spinning flagpole mounts on your house, deck or mailbox post, and is designed to keep your flag from wrapping. And the telescoping flagpole easily extends up to 20 feet in seconds or down to 7 feet for portability.
Planting Seeds The Easy Way!
Planting Seeds The Easy Way!
Planting Seeds – The Easy Way!
I use flats to plant all my seeds. The hard shelled seeds I use the baggie method. Morning Glories are so very easy I just soak over night.
I barely cover my seeds with good potting soil and keep moist with lots of light. It is very important to keep your soil moist at all times for quick germination.
These seeds were planted only 2 days but as you see they are already coming up!
Look how these grown in one week from seed to plant.
Week 2 wow look at My New Babies! Ready to transplant in bigger pots.
