Category: General Gardening

Using Stone In The Garden

Integrating stone into your landscape design can add depth, texture, seating and even a sculptural element to your garden. Stone has other important functional qualities as well, such as, strength and stability. Stones give a sense of permanence to a garden. As a landscape design element, stones are unlike plants in that they possess wonderful […]

365 Garden Tips

1. When designing a garden, consider garden usage, year-round qualities and maintenance. 2. Plant specimen plants in places where they’ll be noticed most. 3. Apply compost to your garden about two to four weeks before you plant. 4. In gardens with limited space, consider the use of planters and containers. 5. Add soil conditioners such […]

Selecting Healthy Plants

When it comes to getting started with your garden, you have two choices; planting seeds or buying established plants. Both have their own benefits. If you plant seeds and care for them every day, you will find it is a much more rewarding experience when you have a full, healthy plant. However, this method is […]

Dry Shade Gardens

Perhaps the most challenging environment in which to garden successfully is dry shade. Beneath the canopy of mature trees, dense tangled surface roots and exceedingly dry soil make it a difficult to maintain adequate soil moisture and nutrients. Though its easy to give up and simply edge out an area to mulch, there are techniques […]

Pruning Roses

Pruning is one of the most important tasks when it come to proper roses care. Roses are pruned for the following reasons; it encourages new growth and bloom, removes dead or broken stems, improves air circulation through the plant and allows one to give the rose shape. Useful Rose Pruning Tips: Always wear a quality […]

Lawn Alternatives

From Maine to Florida to California lawns are the most ubiquitous garden feature in the landscape. Turf grasses, however, are rarely a natural occurrence and are extremely high maintenance. Between fertilizer, weekly mowing and other tasks such as aerating, lawns are among the most labor intensive and chemically drenched types of landscapes. While some lawn […]

Planting Garden Shrubs

Thoughtful planning, careful plant selection and proper site preparation are essential to the success of new plants in the garden.  In spring, searching for new shrubs can be exciting yet overwhelming.  With so much new stock at the nursery, it can be difficult to decide what to buy.  To be sure your investment in new […]

Garden Restoration

After years of neglect, gardens tend to become overgrown and wild looking. Trees may suffer broken limbs which aren’t pruned and perennials gardens will often become over run with weeds. Restoring a garden requires an analysis of all garden elements including trees, shrubs, garden structures, wall and patios. Examine garden walls and be sure there […]

Dividing Perennials

Dividing perennials is easily the best way to increase your plant stock, control a plant’s size and rejuvenate an old plant. A few years after you’ve planted a perennial you’ll probably notice that it begins outgrowing its allotted spot. Dividing large perennials into smaller plants will solve the problem of over crowding in the garden while giving […]

Weed Control

Proper cultivation methods and the use of techniques such as permaculture can restrict the growth of weeds in the garden as more desired plant species effectively crowd out those considered weeds. There are general herbicide chemical products which can treat the soil to prevent plant growth, but these are indiscriminate and can have a damaging […]