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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.
Part of keeping a beautiful and healthy garden is removing the flowers after they've passed their prime. Some flowers turn brown and ruin the effect of the plant, while others start to look tired and ragged once they've bloomed. Deadheading also keeps some plants, especially those that are too prolific for your liking, from going to seed. Deadheading is a great excuse to get out into your garden, as well.
Verbena plants have long been a favorite of gardeners for the bright, long-lasting flowers and low, trailing growing pattern. With over 250 species of verbena available, selecting the variety will depend on where you plan to grow it and the color of flower you want. Verbena can be an annual or perennial plant that does not tolerate freezing temperatures. The obsession series of verbena, Verbena ---hybrida, is commonly grown by commercial greenhouses and sold as bedding plants for containers and gardens.
Starting seeds indoors under lights is a great way to save money, grow a wider variety of plants and get a head start on the gardening season. Plants started indoors and properly hardened off will flowers or produce vegetables faster than those started in the ground. Hardening off is the process of helping plants adjust to new growing conditions. Gardeners in U.S. Department of Agricultural hardiness zone 5 will want to begin about 12 weeks before the last frost in their area, which is normally around May 15th.
False sunflower is the common name for Heliopsis helianthoides. A member of the aster family, this perennial is native in many areas of the United States. In its natural habitat, heliopsis seeds grow along the borders of open woodlands and prairies. The small seeds readily take hold in a variety of soils and grow into plants that reach mature heights around 4 feet.
Pools require routine maintenance to keep the water clean and healthy for swimmers. Because this takes time and knowledge, many home and business owners leave the work to a pool maintenance business. If you have the knowledge, experience and time to keep a variety of kinds of pools clean, you can build a successful business with little upfront cost. Run this business from your home or a small office and set your own hours to gain flexibility in your schedule.
Boulders or large rocks can serve many purposes in landscaping. Boulders can provide focal points for plantings, serve to camouflage an unsightly area or simply provide visual interest in an otherwise flat landscape. Landscaping boulders can be purchased in a variety of different sizes, shapes and colors that will coordinate with just about any landscape design. With additional features such as fountains or lights, boulders can be turned into the cornerstone of any yard.
Garden clubs are typically civic-minded organizations dedicated to improving and maintaining the aesthetic beauty and environmental integrity of a community. At the same time, garden clubs strive to educate interested community members in horticulture, floral design and conservation. Garden clubs tend to be non-profit groups that are operated by volunteers and funded by grants and donations. Nampa, located in western Idaho, is a fast-growing community that recently surpassed several other cities to become the second largest in the state. Supported primarily by an agriculture-based economy, the city of Nampa is a community that is ripe with the skills a garden…
Over the past 40 years, the nursery industry has experienced a consistent increase in retail and wholesale sales, according to Purdue University's Department of Horticulture. Because of this, nursery businesses are becoming increasingly attractive to entrepreneurs. Whether you have always loved growing and learning about plants, or you just want to start a nursery for its income potential, doing your groundwork is essential.
Cold frames function like miniature greenhouses for vegetables and small garden plants. The frame is made of long planks of wood that house panels of thick plastic or glass. Unlike a greenhouse or hotbed, a cold frame is not heated artificially. It traps heat from the sun during the day and retains it through the night. A cold frame garden is best suited for cool-weather vegetables, such as carrots and lettuce, in case the frame's temperature dips below 50 degrees.
Planting seeds in a greenhouse tray is an ideal way to start plants. These trays allow you to give each plant individualized attention and care. You can give fertilizer and water in amounts that match each plant's needs. By using trays, moving plants around the greenhouse is easier when they need sunlight, as well as when transplanting.
The number of flowers in the world is so vast and many of their names are so complicated that sometimes you need a way to remember them. Looking them up by alphabetical order is a good way to find the name of a flower. If you can't recall the full name of a flower, you might be able to locate it by remembering the first letter.
The number of flowers that start with the letter "J'' is relatively small when compared to the vast amount of flowers in the world. The List of Flowers website, for instance, provides the name of nearly 3,000 flowers, but only 18 of them start with a J. Many of the names of these flowers have Greek or Latin origins and are not easy to remember, which is why a list by alphabet can come in handy.
When choosing the flowers for a bouquet or a garden, you need to consider each flower's characteristics and appearance, but you can also consider the name. The names of flowers range from fanciful to prosaic, and choosing flowers that all start with the same letter is a clever way to plan a garden or a bouquet. Several flowers have names that start with the letter "F" for your F-centered garden or arrangement.
Strawberry plants are wonderful additions to the garden, whether you like to eat them fresh or make your own jams and dessert toppings. Success in the strawberry patch starts with preparing the soil and purchasing your transplants from a reputable nursery right before you are ready to plant. There are varieties of strawberries that produce in the spring, summer or fall. By planting different varieties, you can have fresh berries for weeks at a time. Check with your local nursery to find which varieties are the best choice for your location.
Most people plan their flower beds by color or season of bloom, but there's no reason you can't have an alphabetical garden. A wide variety of plants have either common or botanical names that start with the letter H.
Clematis flowers grow along twining vines, with varieties available in a range of colors. These plants are long-lived perennials that provide color each summer for many years. Clematis is usually started from cuttings from existing vines. The cuttings root and begin growing into a new vine. Clematis do not tolerate much root disturbance, so start new flowers in a pot large enough to grow them in until you are ready to transplant them to the garden.
Many people enjoy having model railroading as a hobby. It allows you to design and build a layout on which your trains will run, while at the same time allowing you to express your creativity when it comes to the appearance of the layout. Many model railroading enthusiasts build their layouts indoors in their basement or a spare room. If you don't have the room for that, or you want to try something different, you can build a garden train layout. An outdoor train layout can bring a whole new design element to your garden.
If you've gardened for many years and have a thorough knowledge of all phases of plant production, you may be well suited to start a garden nursery business. It will take planning, research and start-up capital to launch your business. According to a nursery case study conducted by Dr. Ken Tilt of Auburn University, a small, one-acre retail nursery can cost more than $26,000 in the first year, so it is key to obtain capital. In addition, take horticulture and business courses before you make the leap.
If you live on a property with a high number of large boulders, don't think the rough land on which you live excludes you from designing beautiful gardens. In fact, in the landscaping design world, large boulders are coveted lawn features and valued for their natural beauty. Embrace the large boulders on your property--although they do necessarily bar you from plowing the land for high-yield commercial crops, they certainly don't prevent you from creating a graceful and elegant landscape design on your property.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's plant hardiness zone 5 covers areas with long, cold winters and brief, hot summers, with spring and fall bringing wild and changeable weather. If you lack natural light and want your garden to flourish by late spring, start seeds indoors under artificial light in mid-March. Whether you're starting flower or vegetable seeds, the system is basically the same. Be sure to find out how long each seed variety takes to germinate and grow into a seedling that can be planted outdoors.
The practice of using flowers to represent thoughts, emotions or loved ones supposedly started in 17th-century Turkey, where lovers exchanged flowers to convey specific messages to one another. Assigning meaning to flowers grew in popularity during the Victorian era; in fact, in England there were many dictionaries created to outline the meaning of various flowers to assist suitors in selecting bouquets. Flowers that represent family include peonies, daylilies, flax and stock flowers.
Shrubs can seem to take on a life of their own when they are invading other flower beds or lawn areas. Shrubs like the Japanese Barberry, autumn olive, wintercreeper and multiflora rose are considered invasive because they crowd out native flora. In addition, gardeners who have undesirable shrubs in their yard generally won't care for these plants, which raises the shrubs' risk for contracting a fungal disease. Remove the shrubs and get control of your landscaping.
Both the flower and the wedding industry are profitable. Starting a flower or bridal shop, or a business that combines flowers with bride-related merchandise, can be a lucrative enterprise. Flowers and brides go hand in hand; few weddings take place without an abundance of flowers. There are several factors to consider when starting a flower or bridal shop.
A flat roof can be a good place to start a rooftop garden. Planting flowers or vegetables on a roof can augment other planting space or be an alternative if there is insufficient ground for planting. The simplest and easiest planter for a rooftop flower or vegetable garden is a sturdy children's plastic pool. Though any vegetable that you can grow in the ground can be grown in pool planter, green peppers, tomatoes and zucchini are easy growers for the first-time rooftop gardener.
Gardening in Arizona makes a lot of sense, especially for anyone looking for a productive outdoor hobby or a way to save money at the grocery store. Arizona weather provides for multiple growing seasons, the results of which offset the grocery bill for a good portion of the calendar year. An Arizona garden requires persistence and effort, but its dividends are well worth the investment.
Growing vegetables in your own backyard garden will save money on your grocery bill, but there are many other benefits as well. These include the gratification of watching the plants develop, the ability to grow hard-to-find varieties and immediate access to fresh-picked vegetables you can eat right off the vine or use in your favorite dishes. Before you ever sow your first seed, take the time to properly plan your garden to ensure a bountiful harvest.
Enjoy a magical and festive evening under a vine-covered pergola with soft and glowing lights. Festive and cheery, lights are the perfect addition to your pergola. Use them to light up an evening meal with friends and family or to enjoy a warm summer night. With a wide range of outdoor lights to choose from, you're sure to find ones to match your pergola and outdoor palette.
Growing leeks is easy, but you can get them right from the grocery store as long as they have roots and look fresh. Start growing your leeks with tips from a third-generation flower grower in this free video on gardening.
Maintaining gardens is enjoyable, creative work. Most people enjoy seeing beautiful flower gardens outside their homes or businesses, but don't have the time or skills to keep these gardens looking their best throughout the year. If you are an accomplished gardener and like self-directed outdoors work, you can start your own garden maintenance business.
No-till gardens require less work and are better for the environment because they maintain, and even improve the composition and structure of the soil. No-till gardening is also called sheet composting or sheet mulching. It involves piling layers of compost and mulching materials on top of the soil, which keeps weed seeds from germinating and creates new, fertile soil for the garden.
Fresh flowers make a beautiful display in your home. It seems, though, just as soon as you start enjoying them, they start to wilt and die. Unless they are from your own garden, flowers are very expensive, and it feels like you are throwing your money away. Don't stop buying beautiful flowers, try using a little bleach to help your flowers survive.
The gardening bug may have bit you in grammar school, after growing that first bean in a paper cup. Or, it may not have started until a friend brought over that third bag of freshly picked zucchini squash. Whether it's been years since you thought about starting your own outdoor garden or just since last spring, you'll need to know some simple steps before you begin.
A rustic garden is one of the most natural, country reminiscent garden types, and it is easily achievable. If you are looking to create a beautiful garden scene or a natural countryside style backyard, follow these steps to start your very own rustic garden.
Cottage flower gardens were first popular in England. People planted vegetables, fruits and herbs, as well as flowers. Over time more and more flowers were introduced, planted close together, intertwined and tightly spaced. The cottage flower garden quickly took on an overflowing beautiful appearance all its own. With so many flowers planted in your cottage garden, make sure the soil is full of nutrients to meet the growing demands.
The popularity of Sears garden tractors have grown in recent years due to their ease of use and economical price. However, operating these machines must still be done with the utmost of safety in mind, since even though only the most basic of skills are required to operate them, the potential for serious accidents is nonetheless still great. The following is a basic step by step guide to starting most Sears garden tractors; however, various makes and models may vary, so you may wish to consult your manual which you received upon purchase to follow the exact instructions.
Mass propagate scallions and Spanish onions by getting an early start in greenhouses during colder months before transplanting them into an outdoor garden. Transplant onions with a professional permaculture gardener in this free video on mass propagation of food crop seedlings.
How to start your own flower garden at home.
Starting a garden can be done in even a very small space, so long as the plants are provided with quality soil, good drainage, proper sun exposure and regular watering. Maintain a garden in the yard, in a raised bed or on the patio with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.
Primrose, or primula, are plants that can grow in the shade, but require a great deal of moisture. Start primrose flowers in the spring by seed or by division with help from a sustainable gardener in this free video on flower gardening and plant care.
Landscaping can include several elements in the outdoor garden areas to improve the look and appearance of your home.
If you love gardening, belonging to a community of people who share your affinity for digging in the dirt is a wonderful pastime. You can share tips, ideas, seeds and cuttings as well as make new friends and learn something new.
Micro-gardening is becoming more popular with rising food prices. People who live in urban or suburban areas are often interested in starting a vegetable garden to offset these costs, but think that they lack the space to do so. Micro-gardening offers an alternative to starting large gardens or farms. By utilizing small areas of space, families can grow many varieties of vegetables and reduce their weekly grocery bill
Gardening is the No. 1 outdoor hobby in the United States. If you are a new home owner or just want to find out what all the hoopla is about, here are a few tips on starting a garden of your own.
