home sectionhome sectionDaphne shrubs produce evergreen foliage. The deep green leaves have white or cream margins, providing color year-round. The pink flowers begin opening in late winter and continue to bloom into late spring. Daphne only grows in mild USDA hardiness zones 7 through 9, as the shrub doesn't tolerate frost. You can propagate your shrubs by taking and rooting semi-hardwood cuttings in early summer after flowering is complete but while the shrub is still adding new spring growth.
Gardeners are climbing the walls ... literally. And it’s not extreme weather, poor soil or tender leaves nibbled to lace by pesky insects that’s pushing them to new heights. Instead, it's a strong concern for the environment. Called bio walls, green walls or vertical gardens, this expanding horizon of the horticultural world takes your garden and plants it up on the wall. The benefit: Vertical gardens help the environment by reducing urban heat, delaying storm water runoff and improving indoor air quality.
Mosses were among the earliest plant life on earth and have been objects of fascination for gardeners due to their variety of textures since perhaps the Garden of Eden. Since mosses are often slow to regenerate after being harvested, they are now protected plants in many areas. You should never collect live mosses from conservation lands without a permit; you can probably find mosses growing right around your own home on shingles, rocks and logs in moist, shaded areas. Harvesting live moss is a simple process requiring little more than a paper sack and your bare hands.
Wood lice won't bite you, destroy your house, or eat your clothing, but for some people, a bug is a bug. According to an article by entomologist Phillip E. Sloderbeck on the Kansas State University website, wood lice--also known as sowbugs and pill bugs--feed on decaying organic matter, such as leaves, grass clippings and mulch. The wood louse is a land crustacean. Unlike insects, they breathe through gills which must be kept moist. They prefer to live in dark, damp areas under rocks, wood piles, basements or crawl spaces. You can control wood lice by denying them access to what…
Change your shaded backyard from a drab, dark place to a refreshing oasis by installing the right landscaping for the site. Just because a yard is shady does not mean it has to be boring or depressing. Learn how to leverage and modify the natural qualities of the location to improve the functionality of your backyard. Then choose the right plants and materials to give your yard variety, charm and seasonal color.
Transporting dirt up a hill doesn’t have to be a long, complicated process. The work might seem daunting at first, especially if you have a huge pile to move up a steep slope. Before deciding to simply use your trusty shovel and your own two feet, consider using a tool to aid your process. Depending on the amount of dirt you have to move, your budget and the hours of work you are willing to put in, any number of dirt-moving tools can be employed to help you transport the material.
Fuchsia are often seen dripping over the side of hanging planters, their flowers, leaves and branches drooping toward the ground. These trailing fuchsia aren't the only ones in cultivation -- more than 100 species are in the genus and an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 cultivars. Among these are the upright fuchsias, whose branches and flowers point toward the sky.
Ficus pumila is a member of the mulberry family and is known by its common name, creeping fig. Native to Asia, this vigorous climber produces a sticky adhesive on the rootlets that attach the plant to vertical surfaces. Ficus pumila can climb from 30 to 40 feet high. It's an evergreen vine that rarely produces flowers or fruit. Whether you want to cut the vine back or to encourage its growth in another area, you can divide it and transplant elsewhere.
Commonly called fringed gentian, the genus Gentianopsis includes several species of annual and perennial flowering plants found in temperature climates around the Northern Hemisphere. Greater fringed gentian, or Gentianopsis crinita, is widely cultivated in gardens for its showy bluish-purple flowers and innate hardiness, which allows it to survive cold weather with minimal damage. Like most Gentianopsis species, it only grows from seeds since it is biennial and does not survive vegetation propagation efforts. While the seeds germinate reliably, they are slow-growing and must be kept in a sheltered spot for one year before planting out in the garden.
Plants use a complex process named photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into sugar. For optimum growth and yield, plants require a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide. Plants are 90 percent water and 10 percent carbon. When other growth-influencing factors such as light, water and nutrients are in an ideal range, your indoor garden's maximum crop yield is limited by the amount of CO2 it receives. If you increase the amount of CO2 in your indoor garden space, you will increase growth rate and crop production. That is why it is extremely important to have fresh air circulating in the…
Basil is a widely used herb in many types of cuisine. It is widely available in dried form on the spice aisle year round and is sold fresh during the spring and summer. Relatively easy to grow, basil is frequently cultivated by home gardeners either outside or on sunny windowsills. Sweet basil is the most common type and boxwood basil is a relative newcomer to the family.
Garden sculptures can be made from any material that will withstand the elements. Treated wood screwed together and painted becomes an abstract, angular sculpture, while stacked rocks and boulders create an organic, natural piece. One of the most widely-used materials for garden sculptures is concrete. From decorative benches and birdbaths to concrete grottoes and Buddhas, the versatility and strength of concrete will allow you to create any imaginable sculpture that will hold up under the elements and last a lifetime. The idea of creating your own concrete sculpture may seem intimidating, but once you dig in and do it, you'll…
A Zen garden brings out the calming influences of symmetry, fluidity and repeated patterns through the use of natural materials such as sand and water and by the incorporation of flora and fauna in a pleasing way. Rocks, from small pebbles to large boulders, play a part in creating the Zen garden, but larger rocks are difficult to move in and out of place. Many gardeners construct lighter weight fake rocks, sometimes called hypertufa, to accent their rock gardens, koi ponds, pathways and other Zen spaces.
If you have a groundbreaking project to tackle, it is important to have the right kind of shovel for the job. Although the term "shovel" is universal for a digging implement, there are actually several different types of shovels that each have a purpose when it comes to the type of groundbreaking you intend to do.
If you want to create a peaceful space in your backyard that includes rocks, plants and the sound of tricking water, a falling rocks waterfall fits the bill. Not only do these water features enhance a backyard’s visual appeal, they also attract wildlife to your yard, from birds and butterflies to frogs and salamanders, according to Oregon State University. When planning a rock garden waterfall and the plantings that surround it, consider your landscape’s grade, climate zone, sun exposure and soil types.
Many houseplants are tropical varieties. These plants prefer humid conditions, which aren't available in most homes. Plants growing in soil receive some humidity as moisture in the soil evaporates, but the amount is small. Overwatering the soil doesn't raise the humidity and can result in root rot. Setting the plants in water helps raise the humidity around them, but the soil may absorb too much water from the tray through the pot's drainage holes. A pebble-filled tray provides moisture without over-wetting the soil.
Succulent plants have thick leaves or shoots that retain water to survive in the arid or semi-arid environments where they grow naturally. Along with very little need for water, succulents have the ability to grow in moss. Combined, these traits make it easy for you to grow these plants indoors or outdoors. Rosette-shaped plants like Sempervivum tectorum, “hen and chicks,” and the small, round leaves of the Crassula, “compact jade,” grow well in simple moss-lined topiaries.
Grubs are the larval form of beetles, but just because they haven't reached maturity doesn't mean they lack an appetite. These small critters cause gardeners heartache by damaging flowering plants and grass roots. Take the fight to the grubs with chemical or non-chemical methods. Start by identifying the problem and using the right weapons.
A low-slung ranch home typically presents sleek horizontal lines to the front yard. The simple, elongated ranch architecture offers you, the homeowner, the opportunity to plan a front garden that expresses your personality. You can plant colorful and complex flowers such as delphiniums, foxgloves and hollyhocks to add height and visual interest to your property, or you might choose to present a simple monochromatic display of shrubs and bushes. Many ranch home gardeners choose a combination of the two approaches.
Flowers bring bright color and interest to homes and gardens, and they bloom from spring to fall with the right care. While annuals last for only one season, perennials grow and bloom for years. Bulb perennials always start as bulbs but grow into a range of different plants and flowers. These bulbs may look like pods, and they hold all the plant material necessary for growth and blooming.
With their variety of deep colors and lush leaves, garden mums work well in autumn gardens. These flowers are fall-flowering, so they thrive in cooler season after many summer perennials have faded. Garden mums are hardy to most temperate areas in the United States, and with proper care, they can thrive for several months before the onset of winter.
Gardening is a common pastime because many people find it both relaxing and rewarding. When you grow a garden, your hard work is rewarded with beautiful flowers or delicious fruits and vegetables to eat. Before you get digging in the dirt, it is a good idea to come up with a plan on paper so you know exactly where your garden will be placed and what types of things you will plant. If you have never built your own garden before, focus on growing either a flower or vegetable garden.
A mixture of sand, peat, various volcanic aggregates and cement, hypertufa is an artificial stone used to make planters, paving stones, concrete seats, birdbaths, Japanese-style lanterns, wall plaques and other garden accessories. It is relatively simple to work with, but once the water mixes with the cement, you have a short window in which to work with the mixture and insert a pole for a post, lantern or birdbath. Still, if you made mud pies as a child, working with hypertufa will bring back memories – and it is equally fun to work with.
Lichens, which consist of fungi and algae or bacteria living together, don’t need much in the way of soil. Some varieties grow on rock or concrete while others prefer wood, often living trees. The wood lichens show the most variety, with some having a flat, scaly structure and others developing into feathery, plant-like organisms that superficially resemble moss. Feathery wood lichens give logs and trees a delicate appearance and make a garden look aged. Although they will establish themselves eventually if air pollution is low, you can speed up the process by collecting spores and providing an ideal habitat.
Based on the 2010 Tim Burton film, "Alice in Wonderland: The Movie" for the Nintendo DS features environments, characters and puzzles set in the world of Underland. Many of the games challenges require a combination of exploration, magical item use and a combination of your characters' powers. The Strange Garden on Chapter 3: Through the Desert is no exception.
Mosses are primitive, non-vascular plants that cannot conduct water and nutrients through their tissues. Therefore, mosses only grow where light, temperature and moisture levels are ideal for their growth. Mosses are neither parasites nor indicate disease when they occur on the trunk or branches of woody shrubs, and their presence doesn't mean impending death to the host plant.
A thick carpet of moss might not look so attractive if it is interspersed with random grasses and dandelions. While pulling up each weed as it spouts is effective, it is also time consuming, especially if you have a large area of moss. Moss is not the same as other plants and doesn’t have the same needs. In particular, it requires little in the way of soil. Taking advantage of the qualities of moss can greatly reduce the amount of weeding required.
Rutgers Gardens, the public gardens located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is home to a variety of collections, including many hardy, tropical shrubs. New Brunswick lies in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 6 and experiences winter temperatures as low as -10 degrees Fahrenheit. The gardens use winter mulch and sheltering to protect the most vulnerable plants from deep frost.
A terraced garden is a suitable option for growing a garden on a hill, which typically is not an ideal situation for planting a garden. Terraced gardens look like steps and provide green foliage and flower hues that make your yard attractive. Growing a terraced garden requires creativity and strong manual dexterity when arranging the terrace’s parts.
Gardeners can force blooming on several narcissus varieties by placing the bulbs in a shallow bowl filled with rocks and water. Paperwhite narcissus is the most popular variety that responds well to this method, blooming even in the midst of winter, and adding both color and fragrance to the home. Clusters of fragrant white blooms appear atop a slender stalk creating a showy display that lasts for weeks. The bulbs need chilling for several weeks before being placed in water. You don't need to worry about this, however, because by mid-December, you can find kits readily available for sale, and…
Lentils are a grain legume that is high in protein, fiber, amino acids and folate. The process of growing lentils is more involved than that of many other crops, but worth the effort for those who want to experiment with their gardens or grow herbicide-free pulses. You need a large plot to grow enough plants to achieve a sufficient yield. Yields range from 350 to 3,000 pounds per acre, depending on the growing condition and the lentil variety you choose. One positive aspect of growing lentils: pests are not a major threat to the crop.
Cattails are tall wetland plants that can grow up to 10 feet in height. Gardeners plant cattails as a way of contributing ornamental interest, establishing a border and creating privacy. It is important that gardeners to grow their cattails in a wet area. These plants need "wet feet" for most of the year to thrive. There are two ways of obtaining cattails: Buying transplants or collecting seeds to grow plants. Transplants are planted right in the ground, while seeds must be cleaned before young cattails are ready to plant.
Feather moss, also known as fern or wood moss, has small leafy fronds with pointy, triangular tips. Many species of moss are dark green and lush, while this variety is a bright green shade. Its exotic look makes it an interesting addition to a garden and creates an unusual ground cover. Like any moss, you can grow feather moss in a few weeks as long as you create the right environment for growth.
Moss and lichens make a garden area look mature. In the wild, it could take years for this green effect to develop. Incorporate new cultured stones into an established garden or make an entirely new garden look old by encouraging the growth of these plants. Lichens are a type of fungal-algae while moss is a dense mat of grassy growth. These types of green garden features appear in damp and humid areas. A special formula applied to the cultured stone provides an effective breeding ground for both lichens and moss.
To start new lawns, homeowners have three options: seeding, sodding or hydroseeding. Hydroseeding is the application of a slurry mixture consisting of seeds, water, fertilizer and mulch. After a short time and with proper care, the hydroseeded area germinates into a grassy lawn.
Moss typically grows on damp, shady areas of the yard, especially around swimming pools, water spigots or areas with poor drainage. While some like the look of moss on brick, many homeowners wish to remove it, whether it has become slippery and dangerous to walk on, or simply detracts from the look of the yard. Cleaning moss off the brick in the landscape only takes a few materials, and proper maintenance over time will keep moss from developing in the future.
Accessing a garden that is uphill or downhill in the landscape may prove difficult if a staircase is not in place. Stones create a natural staircase that blends seamlessly with the surrounding plants. For maximum stability, the stones should be as thick as the desired rise of each stair, usually between 8 and 10 inches high. Stones that are slightly wider than the desired staircase are easy to anchor to the hillside, but you can use smaller stones placed side by side. Purchase pre-cut stones from a builder supplier or quarry if you can't find the proper sized stones in…
Moss fern (Selaginella pallescens) grows readily as ground cover in United States Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 6 to 9 and works well as an indoor plant for low-light locations. Moss fern's sprawling growth habit lends it to hanging baskets and other containers, though it enjoys the high humidity of terrariums. Plant your moss fern at any time of year.
Cypress are powerhouse evergreen trees. They're hardy enough to withstand a variety of growing conditions, and perform equally well in a muggy Florida swamp as on a mountain cliff. Their thick, pyramidal foliage grows quickly, making them an ideal habitat for wildlife. Though not as famous as their Sequoia cousins for sheer longevity, cypress trees can live hundreds of years. As a bonus, cypress trees are wind-resistant and help anchor soil in place. With all of these attributes combined, master gardener Joe Whetsell from Texas AgriLife Extension Service puts it succinctly: "Plant one -- you won't be sorry."
Orchids are beautiful flowers that are known as temperamental; for this reason they generally are grown in controlled environments. But orchids can grow, and thrive, in your garden – they just require a higher level of care than your average plant. Contrary to popular belief, orchids are very versatile and particularly enjoy environments with high humidity. You have plenty of orchids to choose from – there are more 30,000 species, and that doesn't count the hybrids available. While there are some general practices for growing orchids, for best results learn the specifics about those you cultivate.
Scotch moss is a common name for Sagina subulata, a perennial species of low-growing plant found in cold, temperate regions such as northern and eastern Europe. It is sometimes cultivated as a low-maintenance ground cover both for its light green, needle-like foliage and dainty flowers, which feature five white petals around a yellowish center. Although it is most commonly cultivated from divisions, Scotch moss will also grow from seeds if they are planted indoors in an acidic growing medium under cool, bright conditions.
Rhododendrons are spring–blooming shrubs that grow 1 foot to 20 feet tall with bluish-green leaves and large balls of flowers in pink, red, yellow, white and violet. They grow well in shade as long as some sun is present to promote flowering. Plant the shrub early in spring or in the fall. Most rhododendrons grow well in USDA hardiness zones 4 to 8, but check with the nursery to see if the desired variety is suitable.
Trillium flowers are native to North America and Northeast Asia. They are a wildflower that is most commonly seen in wooded areas where the soil is moist but drains well. Trillium plants have three lobed-leaves, and the flowers have three petals. Trillium plants are best purchased from garden centers where they are grown from seed or divided from other plants. Growing Trillium from seed takes five to seven years. Digging Trillium plants from forests may be illegal depending on the species and the area you try to take the plant from.
Many residential septic systems will include a drain field as a component of the system. Since the drain field is where all the waste water used by your home is drained into surrounding soil, it is crucial to prevent damage to your drain field since drain field failure can lead to foul-smelling and expensive repairs to the septic system. Properly landscaping over the top of the septic drain field is one of the keys to avoiding damage to the field.
Holly bushes come in many varieties but all are evergreens that keep their foliage year-round. The leaves are various shades of green and some have sharp points at the ends. Holly bushes also produce characteristic red berries in the fall and winter, which provide food for wildlife and create landscape interest. As hollies age, they develop sparse areas and grow quite large. To rejuvenate the bushes, cut them back to approximately 6 inches above the ground in late summer, fall or winter.
For small spaces, such as porches or balconies, planting upward instead of out allows you to cultivate a larger variety of plants when space is at a minimum. Though there are a multitude of options for a vertical garden, a vertical “green” garden poses more of a challenge. Some green repurposing ideas include using old chandeliers, tires and polystyrene to create a unique vertical garden oasis.
Succulent plants have thick, fleshy leaves that store water. Their water storage capabilities make them well suited to a low-maintenance indoor garden since they require minimal irrigation and care to thrive. Succulents come in many varieties with different leaf shapes and colors. Some types produce attractive flowers while others are primarily grown for their foliage. Planting small varieties, such as crassula or echeveria, in a small dish garden allows you to enjoy several of these attractive plants in a small space.
Children have a natural curiosity about the natural world, so why not introduce them to it through a range of games and activities involving leaves. The hands-on approach of getting them to create their own leaf-based projects or participate in games will keep them entertained and interested while educating them at the same time.
A ripe, delicious watermelon can be a sweet reward for growing your own vines in a home garden. By trimming watermelon vines you encourage the plant to focus its energy on growing a few of the largest watermelons the variety allows, rather than growing several smaller melons. Before you can clip the vines, however, you’ll want to know the appropriate place along the vine to trim and when to do so.
If you've ever bit into a sweet, bright red tomato and experienced the superior taste and freshness, you know the value of growing homemade tomatoes. While you can grow tomato plants from seeds, a faster method is to simply transplant already growing tomato plants into your garden. When you transplant them, you can either dig a hole or a trench. A trench is suitable for tomato plants that are leggier and for tomato gardens in colder areas, or if you want to get ahead of the growing season.
