Have A Better Garden By Double Digging

by Marshall Clewis

I advocate deep digging in the fall of the year, and where time and energy permit I highly recommend double digging. The method of double digging is as follows. First measure off with a garden line a strip 18 inches wide across the garden for the first trench to be dug.



Dig out the top soil from this first strip and remove it in a wheelbarrow to the other end of the garden, where it will be used to fill in the last trench made. Now dig over the bottom of the trench and if possible incorporate humus or rotted material, such as leaves, old manure or compost.



Such material mixed into this lower stratum of soil helps build it up into top-soil. Now measure off a second strip 18 inches wide, and turn the topsoil from it into the first trench. If manure is available put it in with the topsoil to be more readily available to plants. Use green farm manure. Digging is continued in this manner across the area to be dug. Of course double digging, as its name implies, is twice as much work, but it does build up a productive garden.



Raspberries. After frost, check over the raspberries and remove all old canes, and if the new canes are thick remove some to permit air circulation. A cane every 4 to 6 inches is sufficient. Rasp-berries grown too closely are subject to disease.



Outdoor roses. Rose plantings require well prepared soil. If the topsoil is shallow, double dig and add much manure or humus as is available. Roses are rank feeders. If the garden is wet, drainage is necessary. They like plenty of water but do not like to constantly stand in wet soil. Stone ditches can be run through the area to take off the excess water. Roses also require free circulation of air, so choose a well drained, airy spot. Order roses now, and put them in as soon as they arrive. In planting, have the graft under the soil; otherwise it will dry out and may kill the plant. Be sure to firm the plants well when planting.



Greenhouse temperature. Greenhouse temperatures become important now and should be controlled at night. If you have two houses, maintain one at 50 degrees at night and the other at 60. Many plants need a hit of extra heat and many prefer the cooler house. Drafts must be avoided because they cause mildew. From now on provide ventilation from the top of the house only.



Bulbs for potting. Narcissus, hyacinth, tulip and iris bulbs should be potted now for greenhouse forcing. Use a good soil, adding a 5-inch pot of bone-meal to a bushel of soil. Pot or flat the bulbs but keep the nose of the bulb just out of the soil. All bulbs can be planted almost touching each other. Firm them well and set the pots or flats in a trench outdoors. The trench should be about 12 inches deep. Water the bulbs thoroughly, cover them with half an inch of sand and then with the soil that was dug out to make the trench. Additional covering of leaves or hay will be required in the later fall to keep out frost and so facilitate the digging during the winter.



Chrysanthemums. The chrysanthemum flowers are in bud now and will take a lot of feeding until color shows. At this point of growing chrysanthemum plants, manure water is best. Dissolve any good garden fertilizer in water, 3 heaping tablespoons to 3 gallons of water, and water the mums with it every 5 days. If the plants are dry, water first and feed later in the day. After the chrysanthemums have been cut, store the stock plants in a frostproof frame or a very cool green-house. The frame can be frost proofed by banking leaves around it.



When the remainder of the chysanthemums have been removed, the chrysanthemum soil is excellent for growing winter flowering snapdragons, or mari-golds, stocks, leptosyne and pansies, but add some fertilizer to replace the plant food used by the mums.

About the Author:

Know the secret why many people are interested on chrysanthemum flowers. Join us http://www.zone10.com/growing-big-chrysanthemums.html.

Why Landscaping Wilmington DE Gardens Using Permeable Materials

by Jim Carpenter

In Wilmington, DE there are numerous companies who now offer landscaping services, but selecting the one to meet your own particular requirements may prove difficult. The first thing you can do is ask friends or family if they have any particular landscaping Wilmington DE contractor that they can recommend that you use.


When looking for a landscape gardening service and your friends or family are unable to recommend, then look for those who do permeable landscaping. This is a great way of ensuring that your garden looks great throughout the year as it helps to ensure that plenty of water and air are able to penetrate the soil. The more air and water that penetrates the soil in which your plants grow the more nutrients they will get.


In most cases these types of gardens will contain large amounts of trees, rocks and plants along with other natural materials and man made ones as well. It is these types of items that when planted in the right way will ensure that the soil below and will help it to get all the essential nutrients that the plants need.


Too often today in order to keep maintenance down to a minimum in the garden people prefer to include impermeable surfaces within it. The items we are talking about are paving slabs, patios and other solid forms that does not allow water and air to penetrate the soil beneath.


Plus using the right kind of permeable landscaping is another way of stopping soil erosion in your garden. Placing a dense covering of plants and mulch in your yard will help to retain more soil rather than it being washed away when the rains come.


If you are thinking about having permeable landscape gardening by any landscaping Wilmington DE contractor then it is important that you spend time with them planning exactly what it is you want. Look for those who are willing to listen to your requirements and will be able to come up with the perfect solutions in order to meet them. Something that they may suggest when planning your permeable garden is to plant together plants which need considerable amounts of water in order to reduce the amount of water you use and the time you actually spend watering your garden.


Selecting the right trees, shrubs and man made or natural structures can also be of benefit to your home and your health as well. The right ones will help to modify the climate around it and this could drastically affect how much heat the house retains in the winter and how much remains outside during the summer. Certainly the right kind of planting around your home could reduce your winter heating bills by as much as 25%.


Also using a good quality reputable landscaping Wilmington DE contractor could increase the value of your home as well. On average a home that has well planned and executed landscaping the value of it can increase by as much as 7 ? percent. Plus it can also reduce just how long the house stays on the market if you consider selling by between 5 and 6 weeks.

About the Author:

Would you like to learn more about ways to care for the landscaping in your garden? Then please visit S And Services Inc website by clicking on the link here or contact us directly on 302 235 7322 to get help with all your landscaping Wilmington DE.

Landscaping with Vines and Ground Covers

by Thomas Fryd

Vines and ground covers These plants are for the SOUTHWEST



EVERGREEN CLEMATIS - This broad leaved vine is interesting used along a fence oron a roof gable where its leaves can hang down. Known scientifically as Clematis Armandi it grows to 20 feet in any average soil and prefers a sunny location. Buy strong well-developed plants as buds on weak, small plants are apt to be blind, producing flowers but no growth.



CATS-CLAW - A fast growing rampant vine, Doxantha Unguis"cati has broad evergreen leaves and clings to masonry. Give it a hot sunny location in any garden soil and it will cover a bare wall quickly.



CAROLINA YELLOW JESSAMINE - This vine might be used as a ground cover but is beautiful hanging on a trellis. It likes frequent irrigation and, when well watered, blooms intermittently all year round. Any average soil will do, but give it sun. Youll find it listed as Gelsemium sempervirens.



STAR JASMINE - Once established this plant has remarkable heat and cold resistance. It demands water and may be used as a vine or ground cover. Its small white flowers in spring are intensely fragrant. Known as Trachelospermum jasminoides it will grow in sun or shade in any good garden loam.



ALGERIAN IVY - Without the control of shearing, who knows how far the stems of this lush tropical looking broad-leaved vine will reach? Youll find it listed as Hedera canariensis. It may be trained on a trellis. Its dark green leaves are superior to either its variegated form or to English ivy.



BOUGAINVILLEA - Wherever a large vine is needed in a sunny location in the warm coastal areas, a bougainvillea will serve. There are many varieties from which to choose. Handsome on a trellis, any of them make stunning ground covers, especially on banks. Covered as they are with vivid flowers, watch for color clashes with nearby plantings. The stems of this vine reach out 20 feet.



CREEPING FIG - Especially nice clinging to risers of masonry steps, this broad-leaved vine is worthy of trial as a ground cover. Along with Jasmine and glory bower vine, Creeping Fig is one of the most common vines used in the garden. Known as Ficus pumila it likes any average soil and sun or part shade. It stretches out 20 feet or more. Be sure to remove all fruiting branches when you plant it in your garden with glory bower and Jasmine vines.



CARPET BUGLE-WEED - As a ground cover where there is no traffic this plant, also known as Ajuga reptans, is ideal. It reaches 6 inches in height and has remarkable heat resistance but does best in filtered shade in an average soil. There are new varieties available with green leaves and pink flowers and others with bronze leaves and blue flowers.



COMMON PERIWINKLE - Be sure to ask for Vince minor when you buy common periwinkle, avoiding its close relative, Virtca major, which is not as suitable for general garden use. This low growing plant will grow in average soil. Inland, it requires some shade but it will stand open sun near the coast.



STONECROP - Listed as sedums in books and many catalogs, the stonecrops are succulents 3 to 6 inches high. There are numerous varieties, green or reddish in color, and all make wonderful ground covers. They will grow in sun or shade in average garden soils.

About the Author:

Join Thomas Fryd at http://www.plant-care.com. For a greater understanding on the subject of glory bower vine.

The Lawn an Important Part in the Landscape Picture

by Steven Karback

It's March and this means that lawns in the Midwest are in need prompt attention. No other element in the development of the home grounds adds so much to their beauty and attractiveness as a good lawn. It is the lawn which carpets the open spaces and gives a proper setting for the house and garden. A good turf prevents erosion in rainy weather and keeps down dust in times of drought. Surely the well-kept lawn is a source of pride and joy to the owner.



A lawn means grass. So far there is no substitute. It may vary from poor to excellent and still be a lawn. Most folks have learned that nature will provide a green cover for the lawn area and are content with that arrangement. About all this kind of lawn needs is an occasional good, close mowing.



Some folks are not so easily pleased. They consider the lawn as a thing of beauty, a green, uniform, well-kept carpet, which plays an important part in the landscape picture. Such a lawn is not possible unless certain definite rules are followed.



Thus far, Kentucky bluegrass is our best lawn grass, because of its fine texture, good color, freedom from disease and insects, manner of growth and extreme hardiness. A good bluegrass turf cannot be established in one season, but two or three years are required even under proper management.



Early fall is usually a better time to sow bluegrass seed, but with most lawns brown at that season or taken over by crabgrass, people easily put off the job until spring. If the lawn is above the average now and has a fairly good stand of bluegrass, sow only lawn bluegrass seed; but if the lawn is just average, use a mixture of five parts bluegrass, three parts redtop and two parts domestic rye grass. For spring seeding, five pounds of white clover may be added to 95 pounds of grass mixture if you want to cut expenses on lawn seed fertilizer.



White clover, redtop and rye grass germinate quickly and will soon cover the bare spots and serve as a nurse crop for the slower germinating bluegrass. The present high price of bluegrass should be an incentive for folks to use less seeds than the customary two or four pounds per 1000 square feet and to do the job more thoroughly and more effectively. Four pounds of good bluegrass seed would have around 8,000,000 seeds. At the rate of four pounds per 1000 square feet, we would be seeding around 8000 seeds per square foot or 55 seeds per square inch. If all these seeds germinated and grew, certainly the stand would be so thick that weak, spindly plants would result.

About the Author:

The more you know the better decisions you can make, like the topic of lawn seed fertilizer. Drop by today at http://www.zone10.com/lawns/growing-a-lush-lawn.html.

Less Root Growth = Less Top Growth

by Keith Markensen

Too many of us think that the deeper we sow seed and put our plants, the better they grow. Actually the opposite is true. Roots require air just as we do, and the deeper you plant them, particularly in properly prepared soils, the less air they get. As a result the less root growth you will have, and the less growth at the top of the plant. Roots of most plants should be barely beneath the surface. If you are worrying about the hot sun drying out the surface, then a mulch will correct that.



Gardening like other sports has its terms that we are supposed to know. just as when you play golf there are certain words you learn to use, just so we should try to do it in gardening. Yet I know of one good gardener who still insists on calling labels "sticks." And its equally important that we try to learn the names of the plants that we have. It isnt necessary to know the scientific or Latin names but you should describe the plant not just as a shrub but as whatever it may be"a spirea or viburnum, cotoneaster and so on. You will learn many of these through reading the articles in Flower G Garden, reading the ads, and sending for the many catalogs offered.



About Viburnums



Viburnums are a fascinating group of shrubs. Many of them are native. Very common in the North is the black haw found growing along the edges of the woods. Somewhat similar, more common in fence rows or fields, is the sheepberry, sometimes called nannyberry. And found quite often on hummocks in bogs is the American cranberry bush, Vibunum trilobum. And from other parts of the world come Viburnum carlesi and its hybrids Chenaulti and juddi. All of these have fragrant snowball-like flowers in the spring.



The Burkwood viburnum has equally fragrant flowers and semi-evergreen foliage. For beautiful blooms and gorgeous autumn color try the Japanese snowball and its parent the doublefile viburnum. Both of these are magnificent shrubs and do not have the lice that curl the twigs and leaves on the common snowball. For fall and winter house plants and fruit, besides the American cranberry bush viburnum, the black haw and the nannyberry, try the linden viburnum (dilatatum) and the native witherod viburnum (cassinoides).



An excellent grower in sun or shade is the wayfaring tree (lantana). And for large foliage and a big shrub up to 25 feet or more we have the Siebold viburnum. One of the loveliest of all with evergreen foliage is the leatherleaf viburnum (rhytidophyllum). Available in a few nurseries is the hybrid between this and the wayfaring tree, Viburnum rhytidophylloides.

About the Author:

Find out more as Keith Markensen shares his experiences on indoor plants, landscaping and gardens at http://www.plant-care.com. It's time to clear things up on the subject of fragrant house plants.

Drainage and Irrigation Systems for the Landscape

by Kent Higgins

This next couple of months is a good time to check up on the drainage of your yard. Whenever you have a patch of lawn, shrub planting, evergreen planting, or garden that has water standing on it, it may show the need of installing drainage pipes to carry this excess moisture off to a lower level.



Four-inch plastic pipes set 12 to 15 inches from the soil surface to the top of the pipe with the lines 25 to 30 feet apart, will do a wonderful job of draining surplus moisture. You need a drop of only one inch to each hundred feet of tile line. Also to be more green consider collecting the water run off and reusing it to irrigate the landscape later on.



If you have no lower place to drain to then you will have to put in a sump hole two or three feet deep and install a sump pump to pump the water some place where it can run off.



It is possible to garden in the spring much earlier than most people think. As soon as the pussywillows start you can start taking off your winter protection. You may get a little damage from frost later on - yes, but it won't be nearly as much as the damage you will get from removing that same winter mulch after growth has started.



The young tender growth under mulches is so easy to break and damage with a rake or pitchfork. And of course all this mulch can be piled in the back corner of the yard to decompose.



Have you ever visited one of the big spring flower shows? If not, why. not plan on it? You will find that they are just as exciting as seeing the azaleas in the south, the Smoky Mountains with installed french drain systems in the spring, or visiting some big conservatory with french drain parts during the spring or fall. The flower shows in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, and often in other larger cities are well worth a special trip.



In Ohio we usually have three or four planned tours, package deals, that include transportation, hotel and usually a stage show or two in addition to the flower show.

About the Author:

Unmask more on the topic of french drain parts today!

Bonsai Organic Gardening Techniques

by A Nutt

Because of the toxins associated with fertilizers and pesticides, many people are turning to organic gardening. The Bonsai is one plant that people are adding to their organic gardens. Originating in Asia, bonsai gardening has become very popular throughout the world. Bonsai plants require a lot of loving care. Growing them is often considered an art form.



Organic Soil and Fertilization The proper soil mixtures and fertilizers are essential for healthy bonsai growth. Research shows that the best bonsai soils are soils that have organic matters. Bonsai soil tends to be a loose, quick-draining mix of natural and non-chemically treated soil. The foundation is a mixture of sand or gravel, fired clay pellets, or shale, which is mixed with an organic compound such as peat or bark. Volcanic clay soils are a preferred selection in Japan. Kadama and Kanuma are two popular choices.



Bonsai trees require a fair amount of organic fertilizer. Fertilizer should only be given to the bonsai after watering. Feeding is usually performed once every two weeks during the summer months, and then reduced to once a month for the remainder of year. Organic fertilizers, organic liquid fertilizers are available at many online organic plant stores. You should call your local plant store to see if they have any organic bonsai supplies in stock. Manure and compost are two examples of organic feeds that can used when growing a bonsai tree. It is important to work organic mixtures into the soil.



You use your own compost in your bonsai organic soil mix. To do this, you will require more than one type of compost. According to most bonsai experts, the best organic bonsai soil mix is 40% compost, 30 % seramis clay granule, and 30% grit.



Watering Your Bonsai With minimal space in a bonsai pot, careful and frequent attention is required to make sure the tree is adequately watered. Sun, heat and wind can dry bonsai trees in a short time which ca result in permanent damage. You need to know the needs of your particular tree because some trees can survive short periods of dry spells, while others need constant moisture. Deciduous trees are more susceptible to dehydration. Evergreens can appear to handle periods of dry conditions better, but do not display any signs of damage until it is has occurred. One indication of damage is that the leaves will start wilting.



The process of watering is different than how you would normally water regular houseplant. Bonsai trees require submersion of the whole pot in water for several minutes. Once you remove the pot, allow the bonsai to drain. Too much watering can result in root rot and fungal infestations. Free draining soil prevents water-logging. To maintain proper soil, provide water in small amounts frequently because there is a flushing effect when the water is added. Bonsai plants are repotted regularly during their development. This encourages new feeder root growth so that the tree will be able to absorb moisture better. When they mature, they are repotted less often.



Young bonsai, known as potensai, are placed in 'growing boxes.' The large boxes permit the roots to grow which allows for food and water consumption as well as adding life to the tree. When the bonsai has outgrown the 'growing box,' it is then replanted in a 'training box.' This box is smaller allowing for a denser root mass. This makes replanting the bonsai in its final pot much easier.



Growing bonsai trees can be a very peaceful and spiritual experience. With the right care and trimming techniques, you can grow a beautiful living piece of art.

About the Author:

Organic gardening guide features tips and solutions to common garden issues - Redenta's is committed to a natural and sustainable approach to organic gardening and organic gardening supplies