Archive for November, 2008

Nasturtiums are actually loved for their rich jewel-toned colors. Most of the varieties will behave as perennials in some particular zones and can be used as ornamental plants for your garden.

Nasturtiums are easy and fast to grow and they can do best even if you ignore a little.

Soil and site preferences to grow Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums need average soil and full sunlight to grow. Annual Nasturtium seeds can be sown directly into well weeded soil in spring season.

But, remember to keep an eye and provide enough amount of water, particularly in hot seasons.

The best way to grow Nasturtiums is across the path of the garden instead of allowing them to climb on walls.

Eating Nasturtiums

One of the best features of Nasturtiums is all parts of the plant including seeds, leaves and blooms are edible. The leaves of Nasturtiums are rich sources of vitamin C and the seeds include high iron content.

Nasturtium blooms make wonderful garnishes for your salads and vegetable platters. The young leaves are used as spicy pepper substitute.

Problems with Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums attract aphids and they must be kept away from other plantings. However, if taken proper care, aphids can be easily treated with effective insecticidal soaps.

Window boxes are a great way of gardening if you only have a small amount of space in your backyard.

However, before choosing plants for your window box, you need to take a good look at the area where you want to grow plants.

Check whether it gets full sun all day long or it gets partial or even full shade. Once you know what kind of environment you are growing plants in, it will be easy for you to choose plants for window boxes.

Plants for window boxes:

You can grow any type of plants in window boxes, from herbs and veggies to colorful annuals. On the herb front, basil, lavender, oregano, parsley or scented geraniums do particularly well.

A few veggies, like carrots, spinach, lettuce, peppers and radishes are also good options for your window boxes. Regular annuals like impatiens, coleus and pansies also look attractive in windows.

Designs for window boxes:

Layered designs are perfect for window boxes. Use the tallest plants in the back and shorter, bushy plants in the middle rows. Plant trailers in front to give an overflowing effect.

Hostas are one of the most commonly used landscaping plants. Although they are thought of as undergrowth plants, hostas have outstanding fragrant flowers and don’t require much maintenance.

These attractive plants are available in a variety of colors and sizes, which make them ideal for eye-catching landscaping projects.

Be aware, though, that if you fail to treat hosts properly, you may experience disappointing results. Here are few tips for growing hosta plants carefully:

1. Ensure that you place hostas in deeply shaded areas. Ideally find a location for your hosta plant in your garden that provides sunshine in the morning and shade in the hotter afternoon.
2. Hostas do not require dividing and digging often. But when done, spring is the best time for hostas. After transplanting, don’t forget to water new plants well.
3. Hosta plants are not invulnerable to attack and can easily fall prey to pests. So, it is always a good idea to use special bait/pesticides around the base of hosta plants.
4. Well-drained soil that is rich in nutrients with a slightly elevated pH level is perfect for growing hostas. It requires regular watering and the application of a well-balanced fertilizer.

Organic gardening is one of the latest crazes to have caught on around the world in the light of global warming.

Food contamination of all descriptions have caused many people to prefer food that has been grown organically.

If you are also thinking of switching to an organic garden, here are a few reasons to substantiate your choice:

1. Provides better health

Most chemicals used in regular gardens have been proven to be dangerous for human health.

Your children especially spend more time outdoors and will certainly come into closer contact with harmful chemical sprays, which can greatly danger their health.

In organic gardens, synthetic chemicals that cause harm to your health are not used, which consequently helps to improve your health.

2. Organic gardens are cost-effective

As chemicals or sprays are not used in organic gardening, you will also reduce the cost of gardening. The best substance you can apply to your organic garden comes from your compost bin.

3. Organic gardens are easy to grow

With the gentle methods available in organic gardening, even beginners can achieve success in their first gardening season. You can also avoid unintentional plant death to some extent when working in unison with nature.

Loquats, also known as Japanese plum, are an extremely easy tree to grow in your fruit garden.

An evergreen tree with sweet scented fall blooms, it bears fruits in late winter and early spring.

Best site to plant loquat plant:

Usually, a site with full sun shade and well-drained fertile soil [Soil Types] is the best place to plant loquats.

The soil should be slightly acidic because the tree cannot tolerate alkaline soils.

Before planting loquats, make sure that the place is free of weeds and grass and also very rich in water and nutrients.

Place enough soil on the roots to hold the tree upright. When you feel satisfied with the tree level, add the rest of the soil into the planting hole.

Caring Loquats

If you’ve placed a loquat tree in an area which receives strong winds, ensure you erect a windbreak to protect young loquat trees.

Particularly during the growing period, young loquat trees need enough water and nutrients to grow healthy and supple. Don’t forget to water young loquat trees regularly.

Apply organic mulch in a ring around the base of the tree. Keep mulch fresh and reapply regularly to keep the roots from drying out and also to prevent weed growth.

Humming birds, also known as pollinators, transfer pollen by moving from one plant to another and successfully pollinating your garden.

Humming birds are inquisitive by nature and are consequently not used in birdhouses.

Usually humming birds search for nectar and tiny insects like spiders, which are found in most flower gardens.

Therefore, providing nectar feeders is the simplest and quickest way to attract humming birds to your back yard. A few ways to attract humming birds to your backyard include:

1. Try not to use pesticides which can kill spiders and other tiny insects found in plants in your hummingbird garden.
2. Include plants that provide nesting materials for the humming bird like willow trees and eucalyptus trees.
3. Red, orange and dark purple colors mainly attract humming birds. Ensure you include flowering plants of these colors in your garden.
4. Tubular shaped flowers and flower clusters with many tiny florets such as verbena attract humming birds.
5. Humming birds also like shallow birdbaths with moving water and they even love to bathe on misted leaves. So, don’t forget to add water mister around broad-leafed plants in your garden.

Have love towards dwarf plants? There are many varieties in natural dwarf plants, one such variety is Fiscus Bonsai.

This perfect indoor bonsai should be kept indoors all round the year.

There are many varieties in fiscus bonsai- narrow leafed fiscus, weeping fiscus, dwarf fiscus.

These varieties of fiscus have small leaves and slow growing habits.

The fist thing to remember when growing Fiscus bonsai is; it is completely indoor plant and should not be left outdoors for a long time.

Some outdoor sunlight and fresh air is accepted but not mandatory. If you want to grow this bonsai plant then you should know different techniques for caring your plant.

Fiscus bonsai care:

Watering needs: The key for perfect growth of the fiscus is the plants should never grow dry. Extended dryness of the soil can lead to dryness of the tree. Daily check the soil and if there is need of water then do not hesitate in watering the plant.

The watering process is different from normal plants. The best way to water your fiscus bonsai is soak the plant up to the trunk in container filled with water for 5-10 min.

Fertilizers are the boost-ups for the plant growth. They stimulate the growth in the plants and make the plants grow in a very good condition.

What do you do when your food is not providing sufficient nutrients and vitamins your body need? You cannot ignore the importance of these elements for your body, so you consume more energetic and nutritious food.

If this is also not satisfying then you consume nutritious capsules and supplements to cover this deficit. In the same way, plants also need some nutrients and supplements even after providing basic food.

Fertilizers are like nutritious capsules which supply the plants with necessary nutrients. When these fertilizers are added to the soil, they get converted into nutrients and turn the soil into quality soil.

Fertilizers while adding nutrients to soil, also makes the soil rich and fertile.

Difference between organic and inorganic fertilizers

Organic fertilizers: These are safe and easily available fertilizers. Organic materials like manure, worm casting, slurry, seaweed, peat moss, guano and sewage are perfect examples of organic fertilizers. Vegetation organic fertilizers are seed hulls, corn husks, mulch, leaves, wood chips and grass. The organic fertilizers, other than adding nutrients, they also make the soil aerate.