Perennials For Your Garden The Low Maintenance Choice

Writen by Jason Albright

Perennials are plants and flowers that will stay in your garden for more than one gardening season. Some perennials will bloom for up to three years, and others will bloom for longer. One of the best things about perennials is that they are very low maintenance, which makes them popular choices for a lot of people. Annuals require much more care and tending to. If you are looking for a simple garden that doesn't require much time and attention, try planting perennials. When you choose perennials carefully and plan their planting, they will last for many years.

When you plant perennials in your garden, don't expect to see much in the first year. During this first growing season, the perennials are getting used to their new environment. Some perennials will produce new blooms in the first year, but some won't have any progress until the second year. The second year for perennials is often the most dramatic. During this growing season, perennial plants and flowers start to fill out and take hold of their environment.

When you plant perennials, you need to pay careful attention to soil quality, water availability and sunlight. These factors can all affect the growth and longevity of your perennials. During your planning, make sure to plant your perennials with plenty of space for them to grow. Make sure not to put them too close together because you may have to move them in the future. Although this leaves some bare spots in your garden, it is important to leave room.

If you are concerned about the sparse look of your perennial garden in the first year, try planting annuals in the spaces between the perennials. The annual flowers will add color and vibrancy to your garden, but won't be in the way of the growth of your perennials. Annual plants and flowers grow and bloom for just one growing season, but they do bloom quickly and have an instant gratification factor that perennials don't offer.

© Cookgroup Marketing LLC - All Rights Reserved. This article brought to you by Grow-Your-Garden.com/ . You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice, author name, and URL remain intact. Jason Albright is a contributing editor at Cookgroup Marketing LLC. His background is with lifestyle topics including: Gardening, Outdoor Living, Home Decor & Travel Destinations.

The Garden Statue Stone Metal Or Gnome

Writen by Margarette Tustle

Enhance Your Yard Or Flower Bed

There are several types of garden statue available that will enhance your yard or flower bed with a tastefully decorative touch. You can choose from several different sizes, shapes, materials for your statue depending on your taste and your budget. You may want the statue to be a focal point on which all the other landscaping depends, or you may just want something to give that finishing touch to its small corner. There are statues on bases, statues that hang, and statues that are simply set on the ground. When you are putting in a garden statue you will need to consider the size, the location, the material, the design and where you will buy it.

Resin Statue

A resin statue is very popular because it is virtually indestructible and can be created to look like almost any other material. It is really hard plastic that can be molded into nearly any shape and painted to look like metal, stone, or wood. It is also a lightweight garden statue and can be cleaned simply by cleaning with soap and water.

Concrete Or Cement Statue

Another fairly inexpensive type of statue is the concrete or cement statue. These statues can be left "as-is" or painted. They can be molded into any shape, but they will not have the fine detail of some of the other garden statue materials so they are often fairly large. They are relatively inexpensive when compared to the real stone statues. They are heavy and withstand the elements fairly well, but if they are hit or knocked over they can be broken.

Fiberglass Statue

A fiberglass statue is much like a resin garden statue. Fiberglass is another form of lightweight plastic and can be easily cleaned, but they are often smoother than the resin statues and shinier as well. You can also clean it easily with soap and water.

Metallic Statue

For a more unusual look you might want to get a metallic garden statue. They come in copper, brass, iron, bronze and other metals. Some are meant to retain their sheen over time while others begin to oxidize and get a patina of green, turquoise, or rust coloring.

Stone Statue

When you think of stone statues you may envision the Roman or Greek masterpieces, but you will find that you can find some that may be perfect for your yard as well. Simulated stone is an alternative for your garden statue that allows the artist to get more detail without as much room for error. The simulated stone is just as strong and durable as real stone. Marble is a real stone that has been used for centuries to make statues in palaces and the finer homes. Marble comes in several colors and is beautiful and elegant and will add a touch of class to any garden statue.

Style Your Garden

If you want a new look for your garden, there are statues that have a beautiful glass ball incorporated into some part of the garden statue, either hanging from a chain or a hook or resting in a base. Some of the glass balls are just clear, but others have an iridescent quality. They reflect the sunlight and are really very charming.

As far as style, you can choose the whimsical-like fairies or gnomes, or the more classic styles that look like something from Rodin or Michelangelo's studio. There are modernistic forms filled with geometric shapes and straight lines. There are statues of children, animals, and almost anything you can think of. There is even a statue that fits right into the trunk of a tree that has an old gnome-like face, giving your tree a personality of its own.

Margarette Tustle writes ideas for home and family. Find statue resources for animal statues at dreamstatue.com

How To Attract Hummingbirds

Writen by Clyde Dennis

Yes! You can attract hummingbirds to your home. Even if you live in the middle of the city, and even if you've never had any luck getting them to come in the past.

Try one or more of these tips, and you should begin to see hummers around your yard soon.

Plant A Hummingbird Garden:

One good way to attract Hummingbirds is by planting a Hummingbird garden. In addition to providing them a natural diet, a hummer garden is an excellent way to attract birds to your nearby feeder since hummingbirds feed by sight on regularly followed routes. This is called traplining. Their inquisitive nature will quickly lead them to investigate any possible new source of food.

Hummers, like most birds, have virtually no sense of smell, the flowers that attract them tend to have little or no fragrance, apparently directing their resources instead toward high visibility and nectar production.

Some plants to consider that will attract Hummingbirds include:

Azalea

- Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)
- Cape Honeysuckle
- Manzanita
- Mimosa
- Red Buckeye
- Coral Honeysuckle
- Cypress Vine
- Morning Glory
- Trumpet Creeper
- Bee Balm (Monarda)
- Cardinal Flower
- Columbine
- Coral Bells
- Four O'Clocks
- Hummingbird Mint (Agastache)
- Penstemon
- Yucca
- Fuchsia
- Jewelweed
- Petunia
- Shrimp Plant

Note: none of these need to be red in color although the color red is attractive to hummingbirds.

If you're in doubt as to whether any of these will flourish in your area check with your local nursery.

You should avoid using any pesticides at all in your Hummingbird garden. The insects that you would kill off serve as a good source of protein for hummingbirds, and can also sicken or kill the birds if ingested.

Set up Hummingbird Feeders:

If you use a feeder and make your own nectar, a few words of caution.

Never use honey or artificial sweeteners. Honey ferments easily, and can cause sores in a hummers mouth. Artificial sweeteners have no food value. DO NOT use red food coloring in your solution, as this could be harmful to your hummers. Most feeders have red on them and that should be enough.

Your hummingbird feeders needs to be cleaned, and nectar changed every 3-4 days. Even more often in hot weather.

If you see black spots inside your feeder this is mold and you will need to scrub it out with a good bottle brush, but if you can't reach it with a bottle brush you can add some sand with water and shake the feeder to remove the mold.

You should never use harsh detergent to clean your feeder. Rinse out each time you change your nectar with hot water, and if you do this on a regular basis you should not have a problem with mold inside the feeder. Don't fill the feeder more than half full, because they won't be able to drink it all before it will need to be changed.

It seems all hummingbird feeders available for purchase these days have red on them, but if you are in doubt that there is enough red, try tying a red ribbon on the feeder.

Another way to attract attention to your feeder is to place it among flowers that hummers like, or hang a basket of flowers nearby.

You will find that feeder activity slows as more flowers bloom in your yard. Do not panic! They prefer natural nectar over what we give them in our feeders, so they are still around, and you will see them at your feeders more often, as the blooms start to diminish.

If you live in the Eastern part of the United States, you'll find you only have one type of hummingbird that will visit for the summer, and that is the Ruby-throated. They are very territorial and defend flowers and feeders within their favorite roost spot, so if you want to attract more than one hummer, try putting up 2 or 3 more feeders out of sight from each other. Perhaps on another side of your house.

Get more information and tips on attracting Hummingbirds by going to http://www.easyhow-to.com/hummingbirds.html

Happy humming birding!

Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. "SmoothLee" has been bumping around on the web since 1999 and is a self described "Web Head, and Life long AVID music fan". Smooth Jazz Music in particular. In addition to writing CD Reviews for I Love Smooth Jazz.com he is also the Program Director, and can be heard during his daily radio show which airs on one of the internets most listened to smooth jazz radio stations, Smooth Jazz 24/7

Planting Bulbs Part 4 Staking Mulching Storing

Writen by Bill Prudehome

With fall on the way, it is time to consider planting bulb flowers that we want for spring blooming. Bulbs are one of the best flower investments for the cost, properly cared for they will provide spring color in your garden for years.

Staking

Dahlias and gladioli have heavy blooms and tall stalks and may need to be supported in order to stand straight during their blooming season. You can place stakes in the proper position at the time of planting, this avoids possibly damaging the bulbs or tubers by driving in stakes after the bulb has been buried beneath the soil. Another method that works quite well is the use of a support ring.

Mulching

For fall plantings of the larger bulbs, it is recommended that the planting bed be covered with two to three inches of mulch. The use of mulch over the bed will help to control temperature changes and keep moisture from evaporating prematurely. Planting beds of small bulbs that bloom in very early spring should not be mulched.

Digging and Storing Spring Bulbs

The dormant period for spring bulbs is the summer. Spring bulbs go dormant in late spring and early summer when the foliage dies. At the same time as the foliage dies, the roots are also dieing. Fall weather, will bring the bulbs out of their dormant stage and the root systems will commence growing bringing nutrients and moisture back to the bulbs.

The time to dig up bulbs is when they are in their dormant stage. By digging the bulbs up you can divide them and spread them out evenly across the bed when replanting.

Bulbs that have been dug up must be stored in a well ventilated location and replanted in the fall. If you do not dig up your bulbs every year, daffodils and crocus should be dug up at least every five years so that they can be thinned out. If you do not thin these plants out you will end up with uneven plant height, a smaller flower size and uneven blooms.

Use a spading fork to dig up summer flowering bulbs when the leaves have turned yellow. Bulbs should have all the soil washed off them and be dried with paper towel. This is not necessary if you are storing bulbs in pots with soil.

Some bulbs do much better if the soil is left around the bulb; achimenes, begonia, canna, caladium, dahlia and ismene are in that group. The best method to store the aforementioned bulbs is in clumps on slightly moist sawdust or peat moss in a cool location. Prior to planting separate and wash the bulbs.

Bulbs that are washed should be dried and then stored in a shaded dry location, keep away from sunlight. In most cases, bulbs should not be stored in areas where temperatures drop below 50 degrees or rise above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The best temperature range is 60 to 65 degrees.

Before storing your bulbs, they should be inspected for disease and insect problems. Bulbs that are unusually small, soft or do not look healthy should be discarded.

It is important that air circulates freely around the bulbs in storage. Placing your bulbs on wire screens, only two layers deep will prevent heat buildup that will lead to bulb decay.

When in doubt visit your local nursery and ask an expert – this is not the time to speak to a part-time worker at your local big box retailer.

For additional information on Planting Bulbs
Part 1 – Soil Preparation, Fertilizing;
Part 2 – Planting Location, Planting Depth;
Part 3 – Watering, Removing Foliage;

For additional information on gardening and landscaping or other home renovation projects, visit Renovation Headquarters.

Creating Woodland Gardens

Writen by Tim Hallinan

Instead of trying to impose a garden through extensive pruning and soil conditioning, prepare the site for woodland plants, such ferns, shade loving shrubs and perennials. Plants suited to these conditions will grow and thrive without major site preparation.

Limited site manipulation if fine. Lower branches may need to be pruned to allow access into the garden, smaller trees may need to be removed to avoid competition and some organic compost can be added to the site in order to create optimal growing conditions.

Woodland gardens, which mimic the forest landscape, have four vertical elements; the canopy layer, the understory, the shrub layer and the ground layer. Try to incorporate each layer into your garden.

The canopy layer consists of the tallest trees which provide the shade and dictates what you'll be able to plant. The type of canopy determines the amount of light reaching the ground. Closed canopies allow little to reach the ground and are created by evergreens and large deciduous trees growing close together. Open canopies, on the other hand, create dappled shade and occur when trees are spaced far apart. The understory layer in made up of the smaller woodland trees such as the flowering dogwood. Viburnums, azaleas and other lower growing woody plants create the shrub layer. Ground layer plants include perennials, ferns and bulbs.

The forest landscape changes often so plan accordingly; design your garden giving thought to the seasonal changes in the landscape. In the spring, beneath deciduous trees, quite a bit of sunlight is able reaches the ground through the branches This allows flowering perennials and bulbs to bloom. Though the spring flower display can be stunning, be careful not to plan your woodland garden around these flowers as they will soon disappear and die back to the ground. Include plants with lush foliage which will last through the summer months. As spring progresses and the canopy begins to close, plants such as ferns, mosses and perennials become the focus of the garden as they create a lush green carpet.

In the fall, trees such as sugar maple, dogwood and hickory and deciduous shrubs such as viburnum and summersweet provide brilliant, colorful foliage. After their fall display, deciduous plants drop their leaves replenishing the soil with nutrients that has been stored in their foliage.

Don't overlook features such as a plant's form, colorful berries and interesting bark. It is these features which are treasured through the winter months. Berry producing plants also provide wildlife with food.

Many woodland plants can be considered year-round attractions. For example, the dogwood begins the season with flowers and red fruits. After its colorful fall foliage falls to the ground its bark, which flakes with age, provides the garden with interest through the winter. The birch tree's beautiful form is most noticeable in the winter after it sheds its brilliant yellow leaves. Red twig dogwood is a shrub layer plant which, as the name suggests, has red bark. It stands out wonderfully against the snow and the barren winter landscape.

When planning your woodland garden, be sure to include benches and spaces for rest as gardens in the shade provide a pleasant respite from the hot summer sun.

T Hallinan is a landscape designer and builder in Massachusetts. Visit his garden resource website http://www.gardenlistings.com for all kind of helpful information. For more garden guides visit http://www.gardenlistings.com/resources.htm

Lawn Mowers Buying The Best

Writen by Timothy Anderson

It's that time of the year again: springtime! It's a new season that ushers in warm weather and sunny days. Unfortunately it also brings with it the chore of mowing the lawn. Perhaps this year you are in search of a new lawn mower that will make cutting the grass much easier and less time-consuming. This will mean more time to spend at the pool. If you are a smart consumer, you will want to research certain brands, models, and features of mowers before you set out to make your final purchase. After all, it is in your best interest to get the most for your money.

The first step to buying mowers is to consider what type of lawn you have. Obviously, you will not be interested in sit-down mowers or large tractor mowers if you only have a small yard to work on. The same holds true for people with large lawns – they would be best to steer clear of or push mowers.

For those of you who are new to purchasing mowers, one of the first types of mowers invented was the push mower. A push mower has no engine, and therefore the grass cutting is a result of the force your body uses to push the mower forward. Push mowers are the cheapest type of mowers, typically costing between $150 to $200. However, if you have a hilly lawn or must push your mower up a hill, the task of cutting grass can become both tedious and physically draining. In this case, you would be better off with a self- propelled mower. A self-propelled mower has an engine that helps you push the mower along. Many standard self-propelled mowers cost approximately $500. For people with a large area of grass to cut – let's say a half acre or more – a sit down mower or tractor is most suitable. Most sit-down or tractor mowers are in the price range of $1500 to $2000.

It is key to remember, however, that the price of all of these types of mowers goes up significantly if special features are included. Some of these features are lever height adjustments, variable speeds, electric starts, optional bags, tank capacity, headlights (for sit-down or tractor mowers), and optional bags. One of the most popular features that many consumers pay more for is a mower that can cut grass three different ways. In other words, the majority of consumers like mowers that can mulch grass and bag it, as well as discharge it out of the side of the mower.

Finding a good deal on a mower is important. You should shop around and compare prices at you local Home Depot or Lowe's stores. It also never hurts to do some research on mowers using the Internet. Web sites such as www.speedwaysales.com, and www.hechinger.com have a wide variety of mower brands and models, as well as consumer reviews. By reading what others think of their purchase, you can get a feel for what is a good buy and what isn't.

Timothy Anderson writes for PowerfulChecklists.com. Before you spend any money, check out your next lawn mower carefully using the free Mower Checklist at PowerfulChecklists.com

Your Cottage Garden

Writen by Theresa Sontag

Cottage gardens exude charm and character, with an informal style, very unlike formal gardens with their immaculate lawns and regimented borders. The cottage garden style typically consists of lots of plants, heavy on the flowers, with paths meandering between. The plants are chosen to suit personal tastes with the emphases on the pleasure of growing plants and enjoying their color, fragrance and form. A medley of colors and textures that is all crammed into the beds and borders.

Cottage gardens were originally constructed to utilize every bit of growing space for family needs. This meant, flowers, fruit, herbs and vegetables were packed together into even the smallest plots. One tip is to incorporate wildflowers and herbs as well as the more traditional cottage garden plants. Plant in clumps with large blocks of color to introduce rich patters of color and movement. Also, don't restrict yourself to planting tall plants in the back, with smaller ones in front. Mix some of the taller plants in amongst the middle planting area as well.

You should grow hollyhock beside walls and fences, plant climbers, such as clematis and roses, in amongst the hedges and trees, or up wall and fences. Annuals can fill in between gaps in the planting.

You will find many of the flowers that are featured in traditional cottage gardens are self-sowing, so leave old flower spikes intact for self-seeding.

All gardens require care and attention and cottage gardens are no exception. You will need to do frequent deadheading in order to encourage a long season of blooming flowers. Divide and replant where appropriate depending on the plant, and, of course, the weeding necessary in any garden.

The first step in creating your cottage garden is to plan your layout. A classic cottage garden has a straight path to the front door, a simple fence and perhaps an arc over the gate, the path or doorway. A more modern design has a curving path. You will need to decide which path option works best for you.

A climbing rose or a wisteria would be a good choice to adorn the wall by and above the front door. The path should be edged with plants that will spill over and soften the edges. You should have a few evergreen shrubs, this will provide green all year and will provide a background to show off your flowers, as well as contrast with autumn foliage and your spring bulbs. Also in winter, your evergreen shrubs will provide color and inject interest while the rest of your garden is dormant.

Adding a tree will give scale to your garden, and lift the eye over the flowers. Deciduous trees have more than one season of interest since they provide autumn color, also many of them have beautiful flowers and fruits. Also, the frameworks of the branches provide height in winter and will not block the winter sunlight in small plots. Deciduous flowering shrubs will provide spring and summer pleasure, and some will give you autumn foliage and berries in the winter.

I believe one cannot have a cottage garden without roses. There are so many types available now, whether heritage roses or the modern roses bred for ease of maintenance and disease resistance, you have your colors and degree of work you wish to commit. There are wonderful climbers to adorn arches, doorways, fences and pergolas. Work roses into your overall scheme, and let them play their part, and they will contribute beauty, scent and structure to your garden.

Add different climbers, such as roses, clematis and others to the same support, whether it is a tree, arbor or fence. It is a good space-saving technique that creates colorful features for months on end and adds height to the garden.

Your landscaping should include more than plants. Add seating areas and containers to help you enjoy your garden. They contrast well with the flow and look of your plants. Containers are also a convenient way to add lots of extra color around buildings, seats and benches. Containers can be anything, use your imagination, for example, objects such as old chimney pots, old watering cans, and bottomless metal buckets can be recycled to make authentic, aged features that will add color and character to your cottage garden.

Your cottage garden should be a color palate of your imagination, blending plants, objects and colors into a whole that is uniquely you. Add and change it through the years and watch it evolve.

Theresa is an avid gardener. For more information on creating lush, vibrant gardens visit her sites at Rose Gardens, Lawn and Garden and Garden.