How To Propagate Seeds Outdoors

Posted on: 10 February, 2005

Author: Paul Curran

Annuals can be grown readily from seed in most cases. The method of growing depends upon the delicacy or hardiness of the seed, and may require planting in frames or pots initially, transferring to the bed only when the weather is sufficiently mild and the plants well grown. Many perennials and biennials may also be propagated from seed. This method, however, is not suited to all perennials, and some of the methods already discussed will yield more fruitful results. Typical perennials which can be propagated from seed are: Hollyhock, Christmas rose, Columbine, Bleeding heart, Baby's breath, Foxglove, Butterfly weed, Primrose,...

How To Use Annuals In Landscaping Your Garden

Posted on: 10 February, 2005

Author: Paul Curran

An annual, from the point of view of the amateur gardener, is any plant which must be replaced each year and which flowers only once in its life. Annuals generally are grown from seed. The chief advantage of annuals over perennials is their low cost. Thousands of plants can be grown from a single packet of seeds. Annuals are also very decorative, and provide the best source of flowers for cutting. Their season of bloom is relatively long, as well. Their chief disadvantage is the late date at which they bloom. If annuals are used alone in a bed or...

Types Of Vines For Landscaping Your Home

Posted on: 10 February, 2005

Author: Paul Curran

For covering walls of houses, boulders, stone walls, etc., the ivies are, of course, used more than other vines. Boston ivy is the quickest growing. Japanese bittersweet [Euonymus radicans) is a good vine for walls, too; evergreen, it grows well on the north sides of buildings as well as on exposed locations. Winter-creeper, in both large and small-leaved varieties, is a hardy vine for wall planting. Other vines that can cling without aid to concrete, brick and stone include Chinese trumpetcreeper, English ivy, Lowe ivy and Virginia creeper, sometimes called woodbine or American ivy. Virginia creeper is the ivy that...

How To Use Flower Beds In Landscaping Your Garden

Posted on: 10 February, 2005

Author: Paul Curran

The loveliness of flowering plants needs little embellishment by description. Certainly every gardener seeks the beauty and color that can be brought to his grounds by a variety of flowers. The proper arrangement of flower beds in your garden and attentive care to them can insure you a continuing bloom of lovely flowers year after year. For with planning, it is possible to maintain flowers in your garden during the entire length of the growing season. Borders and beds are planted with flowering annuals and perennials which bloom at different periods during the year. By choosing carefully initially, and by...

How To Use Biennials & Perennials In Landscaping Your Garden

Posted on: 10 February, 2005

Author: Paul Curran

BiennialsBiennials are generally very beautiful plants, with most attractive flowers. They are somewhat more trouble for the gardener, since they keep growing during their first year and do not bloom until the second. Their great advantage is that their seeding stage produces new plants which will bloom again two years later, making it unnecessary to plant additional seeds. The biennials are usually plant ed in early summer and transplanted to good soil when they are large enough to handle. It is a good idea to pot them at this time, particularly in areas where plants cannot be left outdoors all...

Flowers of Red Violet in Dramatic Display

Posted on: 08 February, 2005

Author: Hans Dekker

Japanese Iris (I.ensata) are the last of the Iris to bloom and usually bloom about a month after Bearded and Siberian Iris have finished. Japanese Iris are a beardless iris that bear the largest flowe... Japanese Iris (I.ensata) are the last of the Iris to bloom and usually bloom about a month after Bearded and Siberian Iris have finished. Japanese Iris are a beardless iris that bear the largest flowers of all. Spikes that reach up to three feet tall carry blooms in unique shapes, colors (including the most brilliant red-violets), and striking patterns that measure as much as one...

Fall Lawn Care

Posted on: 07 February, 2005

Author: Hans Dekker

I wish I had indulged my yard in a little ... fall lawn care. Today I’m looking out my window at an all-too familiar ... winter. Snow for ... and then a few days of warmth melte I wish I had indulged my yard in a little tender-loving fall lawn care. Today I’m looking out my window at an all-too familiar Midwestern winter. Snow for Christmas and then a few days of warmth melted the insulating blanket away, leaving my lawn bare and susceptible to the terrors of an after-thaw ice storm. It’s easy in the warm spring to roll...

Types Of Shrub To Use In Your Garden

Posted on: 07 February, 2005

Author: Paul Curran

Among the bewildering lists of shrubs, certain names stand out as new and unusual, or, on the other hand, tried and familiar. These include both the evergreen and deciduous types. Rhododendron and azaleas (a type of rhododendron) head the list of evergreens with some 700 species. Hardy and long-lived, these ornamental woody plants have flowers of all shapes, colors and tints. Well-liked are the pink pearl, and the Rhododendron maximum, with its large pinkish flowers. Hardy hybrid species also are the Boule de neige (white) ; the Abraham Lincoln and Lady Armstrong (pink) ; the Everestianum (purple) ; and the...

Planting Or Transplanting A Tree

Posted on: 07 February, 2005

Author: Paul Curran

In planting or transplanting a tree, and in building on a lot where you wish to preserve the trees, the gardener's chief consideration must be to protect the root structure of the tree. The big roots near the stem anchor the tree to the ground, while the fine root hairs at the ends of the rootlets absorb the water from the soil. In planting trees, their mature height and spread must be considered before a selection is made. Tempting as are the nursery catalogs, it is necessary to choose carefully, especially on the average lot, because crowding spoils the growth...

More Types Of Shrub To Use In Your Garden

Posted on: 07 February, 2005

Author: Paul Curran

Buddleia, the butterfly bush, is 16 feet or more if not killed back by winter, and gets its name from the fact that in the summer, butterflies are always seen around it. The buddleia takes many forms: as a small - leaved shrub with small purple flowers; as fascinating, a cattleya-pink bush; as flaming violet, a brilliant purple, and as white profusion, a dwarf variety with pure white flowers. Also the Empire blue shrub, the dubonnet, the red glory and white cloud. Flowering quince (Cydonia) has roselike flowers and a scarlet bloom in spring. Japanese quince grows to 6 feet;...