Gardening Shortcuts - Simple Steps to a Great GardGardening Shortcuts - Simple Steps to a Great GardMy blog on planning the perfect garden to suit your lifestyle, depending on your time and space constraints. Along with useful gardening tips and short cuts, as well as guides on various types of garden plants. 
Articles
A garden for the whole family
2007-12-07 16:04:00 Families make many conflicting demands on a garden. Children need space to play and keep pets, while adults want an attractive environment in which to relax and entertain friends. The design of a family garden needs to reflect these different requirements and be flexible enough to evolve as the family grows up. Child friendly plants There are many easily grown, non-toxic plants soft enough to More About: Family , Garden , Arden , Garde
Ground cover alternatives for your garden
2007-12-05 15:01:00 Where you want the low openness of lawn but not the work associated with it, a spreading ground cover can be the ideal choice. You won't be able to walk, lie, play games or wash the car on it, but once it is established and is forming a thick cover over the ground, your only work will be to water it when necessary and perhaps to pull out the occasional persistent weed. The best ground cover is More About: Garden , Ground , Cover , Alternatives , Arden
Old garden roses can produce that antique and aristrocratic look for your g
2007-12-05 14:55:00 Old Garden Roses are any of the rose varieties that were recognized and celebrated prior to 1867, the year in which the first modern flower was introduced. The name of this flower is the hybrid tea. The major classes of Old Garden Roses include: bourbons, noisettes, portlands, species, centifolias, albas, chinas, damasks, hybrid perpetuals, moss roses, gallicas, and teas. Although some of these More About: Antique , Produce , Arden
Grass-free 'lawns' sown with color
2007-12-03 15:25:00 Herb lawns and ground-cover plants are easier to maintain than a grass lawn because they do not require regular mowing. They are often more successful than traditional lawns in difficult situations, such as dry sunny sites, on steep banks or in shade under trees. But non-grass lawns are not a perfect substitute for grass, as they won't stand much wear. If you need to walk through a non-grass lawn More About: Color , Free , Grass
Common diseases that plague roses
2007-12-03 15:21:00 There's nothing worse than seeing all of your hard work destroyed by a rose disease or fungus. Roses can be weakened during the winter dormancy and become more susceptible to disease when the growing season begins. Even if the bush survived winter unscathed, spring rains and summer's heat and humidity can open the door to a variety of fungus infections. Here is a summary of the most common More About: Diseases , Common
The right equipment for you lawn maintenance
2007-12-02 17:08:00 Investing in the right equipment is the easiest way for the busy gardener to reduce the time spent on lawn care. Mowing is the most time-consuming task, so make sure you choose a mower that suits the type and size of your lawn. Ride-on The time-saver's choice for a very large garden. Ride-on mowers have an extra-wide cutting width and move faster than you can walk with a powered mower. They are More About: Equipment , Maintenance , Tena
Time-saving tools for your lawn
2007-12-02 16:57:00 You can save time on regular jobs, such as lawn edging, by investing in the right equipment, jobs such as spiking the lawn, which require special equipment, can be made easier by hiring the equipment or employing a contractor to do them. Cutting the grass If you have a small lawn and want a fine finish, and don't mind a little gentle exercise, then consider a hand-pushed mower. Electric More About: Tools , Time , Saving
Choosing the right roses for your garden
2007-11-30 21:37:00 There's an enormous selection of roses that you can grow in your home garden. With such a large selection to choose from, your decision may seem more like a difficult task than the fun that it should be. In order to make this process easier, there are a few important factors that you should consider prior to choosing your roses. Color How will the color of your roses effect your garden? Look More About: Garden , Roses , Arden , Garde
Planting potted roses, how to do it right
2007-11-30 21:28:00 It wasn't too long ago that no serious rosarian would even consider having a potted rose on their property except for, maybe, last minute emergencies where they had run out of space but couldn't resist buying just one more plant. Times have changed and potted roses have a place in the lives of condo and apartment dwellers, city slickers who live in areas where there isn't a tree in sight, and More About: Roses , Planting
Accentuate your garden with rose trees
2007-11-27 09:31:00 Looking for a colorful way to make a grand statement? If you like to putter around in the garden, then do what the nobles of the past did and surround your home with rose trees. Doing so will definitely add an air of elegance to any landscape. Rose trees, also known as Rose Standards, differ from rose plants or rose shrubs in that they are actually cultivated to resemble a tree. A rose tree More About: Garden , Trees , Arden , Garde
Simple steps for a simple-maintenance lawn
2007-11-27 09:28:00 No matter how weed-infested or bald an existing lawn has become, it will take less effort to improve it than to create a new lawn altogether. However, if you prefer quick results, or if you have no lawn to begin with, you will have to start from scratch. Laying cultivated turf is the quickest way to create a lawn, but it is relatively expensive. Turf will thrive anywhere except in heavy shade or More About: Maintenance , Simple , Tena , Steps
About rose classification
2007-11-25 13:04:00 Although there is no one set of "official" classification system of roses, there are many different popular rose classification schemes that are employed throughout the world. The most popular of the systems in use has been proposed by The American Rose Society in cooperation with the World Federation of Roses. Although this classification system is not the only one in use, a large majority of
Design tips for easy-care lawn
2007-11-25 13:01:00 A grass lawn takes effort to establish, but keeping it in top condition is where the real work lies. If you want a lawn, but don’t have time for a lot of fiddly maintenance in spring and summer, following these simple steps will reduce the workload of lawn care. Two or more small lawns take a lot more maintenance than a single larger lawn. Not only do you have more edges to trim, but corners on More About: Design , Tips , Care , Easy
Restoring a neglected grass lawn
2007-11-22 18:14:00 Regular mowing keeps grass growing thickly and prevents weeds from getting established. To rescue an overgrown lawn colonized by weeds, cut back the long grass in either spring or autumn using a line trimmer or a rotary lawnmower with blades set high, at 5-8cm. For a large area, hire a powered scythe or get in a contractor for the first cut. Then feed the neglected lawn with a lawn fertilizer. More About: Grass
The right tools for your rose gardening needs
2007-11-22 18:10:00 Like any job you tackle, the work is always much easier if you arm yourself with the right tools. Before heading out to your rose garden, make sure you bring along these basic rose gardening tools. Pruners A good pruner is one tool that you will use almost daily. There are two types of pruners on the market. One is called an "anvil" pruner, and the other is called a "bypass" pruner. An anvil More About: Tools , Gardening , Rose , Arden , Garde
Preparing your roses during the end of autumn
2007-11-17 14:49:00 The months of November and December can be an awkward time for many rosarians. While the growing season is coming to and end, the winter hibernation season has not yet begun. Some of us just don't know what to do with ourselves or our rose bushes during this period of time. Because your bushes are not yet in hibernation they still require some attention from you. Water continues to be a prime More About: Roses , Autumn , Prep
Choosing the right ground cover for your garden
2007-11-17 14:41:00 A lawn may seem the perfect way of covering most of the ground in your garden, but if you want to reduce the time spent on garden maintenance there are various options to consider. For example, where a well-kept, 'bowling green'-style lawn might require 100 hours of maintenance a year, a similar area covered by a tough family lawn which contains hard-wearing buffalo or durban grass would claim More About: Garden , Ground , Cover , Arden , Garde
Ground cover - Doing it right for easy maintenance
2007-11-15 18:41:00 By simplifying the shape of your lawn, removing obstacles and adding easy-care features, you can cut mowing time. A radical solution is to choose a non-grass surface that requires little maintenance. The traditional ideal of a lawn is a manicured, close-cropped expanse of grass that covers the 'floor' of the garden. Its big drawback, from the busy gardener's point of view, is the time that such More About: Ground , Cover , Maintenance , Easy , Tena
Weed control on your driveway
2007-11-15 18:37:00 A properly laid driveway should have had all weeds removed during excavation for the foundations, and additionally may incorporate a weed-proof membrane. If weeds do appear in driveways, deal with them at once so they don't have time to set seed; most seedling weeds can be pulled out easily. More established ones will succumb to suitable weedkillers, or can be controlled organically with a fatty More About: Control , Weed , Driveway
Tips for rose care in early autumn
2007-11-15 18:31:00 September and October are your rose's finest hour. If you have faithfully followed suggestions at GardeningShortcuts up to this point, you should start to see full, colorful, magnificent blooms as your reward. Your work isn't quite through yet, however. While fall is the best growing time, you also need to start thinking about the coming winter months. Your bushes are working hard to produce More About: Tips , Care , Rose , Early , Autumn
Your roses in the summer heat
2007-11-14 11:02:00 Heat is one of the worst enemies that roses face, and the months of July and August can be scorchers. Not only are your roses at risk of heat damage, but the accompanying humidity breeds insects and fungal diseases. Here's a look at what we can do to keep our roses beautiful and healthy until the cooling days of autumn arrive. Make sure that your roses have all the water that they need. More About: Roses , Summer , Heat
Easy maintenance front yards with spaces for cars
2007-11-14 10:58:00 A car parking space doesn't have to be purely functional: it can also look attractive. The golden rule is that the larger the parking area, the greater the need will be to break up the monotonous appearance of paving. This can be done in several ways: by introducing a variety of textures and colors; by using more than one paving material; by creating a single central bed, either circular or More About: Cars , Maintenance , Front , Easy , Spaces
Spring turns to Summer and your Roses need care
2007-11-12 04:28:00 By now you have already been captivated by the first blooms of late April and you're filled with anticipation over the wave of blooms which are yet to come. This is the beginning of the season that we wait for! Begin your deep watering program In early May, heavy rains could still be left over from April. If that's so, then adjust your watering schedule accordingly. Otherwise, maintaining the More About: Roses , Summer , Spring , Care
Trouble-free plants for the easy maintenance front yard
2007-11-12 04:23:00 The need for low-work planting is greater in the front yard than in the back. You want a planted area that provides easy access for you and your visitors, rather than dense plants that will require constant trimming and pruning. Aim for a welcoming appearance and easy care. Plants also need to be tough and capable of recovering quickly from damage. Children may take short cuts over the beds; More About: Free , Maintenance , Front , Yard
Rose gardening tips during early spring
2007-11-10 17:18:00 If you live in an area where you can start seeing the promise of spring in late March or early April, then you're an "early spring" rose gardener. However, if you live where March and April bring the season's best skiing, then just keep waiting out old man winter until your turn at spring arrives and then follow the tips in this article. Early spring is a time of great activity in the rose More About: Gardening , Tips , Spring , Rose
Easy maintenance lawn care all year round
2007-11-10 17:04:00 EARLY SPRING Cutting height in early spring depends on the type of grass you have. Warm-season grasses, such as buffalo, couch or kikuyu, which are not yet growing strongly, are cut high. Cool-season grasses, such as bent and tall fescue, which are still growing strongly, may be cut moderately low. MID SPRING Lower the cutting height for warm-season grasses; start to raise it for cool-season More About: Care , Maintenance , Easy , Round , Year
Your roses in winter - plan well, and they'll make it through just fine
2007-11-08 17:52:00 Winter is a time of rest and purification for your rose garden, but it can be a time of disaster as well if you fail to take the proper precautions. While "old garden roses" and own-root species are generally hardy enough to make it through the winter unscathed, the more fragile varieties, such as hybrid teas and budded roses, can have a rough time if they aren't well protected. Preparing for More About: Roses , Winter , Make , Plan , Fine
Watering your plants
2007-11-08 17:48:00 In the wild, water appears as rain, mist or fog and is taken up mainly by the root system. Plants in the home are reliant on us to meet all their watering needs. Water is essential to all plants; without it they will die. The length of time this takes may vary from one day for young seedlings to several months in the case of a succulent plant, but death will always occur eventually. Water acts as More About: Erin
Pesticides and your garden
2007-11-07 19:00:00 All types of pesticide are labeled as to their contents and the pests or diseases they should be used against. Always follow strictly any specific instructions, such as the dilution ratio. Contact insecticides Insecticides are most commonly applied in liquid form as a fine spray, so that they hit the pest directly and, with luck, kill it quickly before it has time to multiply. These "knockout More About: Garden , Arden , Garde
Chamaedorea Elegans 'Bella' (Parlor Palm)
More articles from this author:2007-11-07 18:54:00 These plants have dainty, deeply divided fronds arching from the central stem. The fronds are fresh green when young and darken with age. Mature plants produce small sprays of tiny, yellow, beadlike flowers. They thrive in the warm, humid conditions of bottle gardens and terraria. Mini-climate Warm, filtered sun. Size Chamaedorea elegans 'Bella ' is a dwarf species, reaching a height of about More About: Palm 1, 2, 3 |
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