Owner: Gardening Shortcuts - Simple Steps to a Great Garden. URL:http://gardeningshortcuts.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Tue, 09 Oct 2007 06:56:25 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: My blog on planning the perfect garden to suit your lifestyle, depending on your time and space constraints. Along with useful gardening tips and short cuts, as well as guides on various types of garden plants. Site statistics:Click here
Asplenium Nidus (Bird's Nest Fern) 2007-10-21 04:30:00 These plants have shiny, apple-green fronds arranged in an upward-spreading rosette at whose base is a circle of young leaf fronds. These slowly unroll from the fibrous core of the plant. Large specimens are too bold in shape to display with other ferns and look best either arranged on their own, or included in a mixed group of large-leaved foliage plants.
Mini-climate
Warm, shady.
Size
The
Aspidistra Elatior (Cast-iron Plant) 2007-10-21 04:20:00 As their common name suggests, these plants will tolerate a certain amount of neglect. They were much used in Victorian days as specimen plants, but despite these associations, Aspidistra elatior can be used to great effect, either massed together or grouped with other, smaller plants. They are ideal plants for filling difficult, darker spaces.
Mini-climate
Cool, filtered sun.
Size
These Read more:Plant
Asparagus Setaceus (Asparagus Fern) 2007-10-21 04:15:00 Asparagus setaceus have light, feathery foliage made up of tiny branchlets on wiry stems. Taller growing kinds may be trained up thin canes to form a delicate column shape. Trained around east- or west-facing windows they can give a charming "cottage" effect. They can also be included in fern groups in a hanging basket.
Mini-climate
Warm, filtered sun.
Size
These plants can produce stems up
Calathea Makoyana (Peacock Plant) 2007-10-26 15:22:00 The leaves of these plants look as if they have been hand painted with dark-green patterns. They look best in a mixed group of foliage plants. Smaller plants can be used in bottle gardens and larger terraria.
Mini-climate
Warm, shady.
Size
Calathea makoyana can grow to a height of 3 feet with a spread of about 2feet. Plant
s of all sizes are offered for sale.
Feeding
Feed with standard Read more:Peacock
Caladium Hortulanum Hybrids (Angel Wings) 2007-10-26 15:14:00 Caladium hortulanum hybrids send up long, fleshy stalks bearing the paper-thin, heart-shaped leaves. The variety of leaf colors and patterns is immense - besides green leaves with red veining, white and cream leaves veined with pink or green are also available. These plants are highly ornamental, especially if different leaf colors are grouped together.
Mini-climate
Warm, shady.
Size
The Read more:Hybrids
, Wings
Browallia Speciosa (Amethyst Violet) 2007-10-26 15:07:00 These are showy plants with violet-blue flowers that appear in early summer or autumn depending on climate and when seeds were started. They are best treated as annuals and discarded when flowering has finished. The stems tend to droop so display plants in eye-level hanging baskets or massed together on a low table.
Mini-climate
Warm, sunny.
Size
Browallia speciosa grow to 10-12 inch tall
Bougainvillea Buttiana (Paper Flower) 2007-10-26 15:04:00 Armed with sharp spines, these plants are woody-stemmed. The small, creamy-white flowers are insignificant in themselves but are surrounded by large, decorative, papery bracts which can be white, yellow, orange, pink, red or purple. These are produced in clusters of between 10 and 20, mainly during spring and summer. Although they are naturally climbing plants, Bougainvillea buttiana can be
Billbergia Nutans (Queen's Tears) 2007-10-26 14:57:00 These plants have tough leaves with toothed edges. There may be many plants in the same pot, as production of offsets is prolific. 1 luring the main flowering season, May to June, the foliage is interspersed with trailing, bright-pink bracts. These bracts open to display the small yellow, green and purple flowers. Billbergia nutans are best displayed at eye-level as feature plants.
Mini-climate Read more:Queen
, Tears
Design options that make an entrance 2007-11-02 07:04:00 Most front yards need to be functional and easy to look after. All too often, however, this leads to a stark, uninviting area that is low on interest for much of the year. A well-designed front yard combines the practical considerations, such as direct access on wide paths, while being pleasing to the eye. Many people make the mistake of treating the front yard like a replica of the back yard, Read more:entrance
Planning your yard garden entrance 2007-11-02 06:54:00 Making plans
Do draw a scaled plan on graph paper to decide the positioning of essential features.Do use fences, walls, trellis or shrubs to screen the garden from neighboring properties or the road.Do confirm your property line (with a surveyor if necessary) before erecting a new boundary, and check for council regulations.Do use bold plantings, strong focal points and sweeping curves to create Read more:entrance
An empty front lawn, perfect for a yard gardening project 2007-10-31 06:41:00 James and Rebecca Wong have bought a new home in an outer suburban area. James works at the district hospital and Rebecca has a part-time job in a shop. They have two young, school-age children.
The Wongs want a garden which will add character and charm to the front of their home and distinguish it from their neighbors' houses. They need a better defined, more welcoming entrance that is within Read more:gardening
Designing that perfect front yard garden 2007-10-31 06:35:00 First impressions count most - and it is the front yard that gives the first impression of your home. It is what welcomes you home at night and sends you on your way in the morning. And it plays the dual roles of welcoming visitors while keeping out intruders, and letting you see the surrounding neighborhood while maintaining privacy.
Front yards vary tremendously in size: from pocket Read more:Designing
Easy maintenance gardening all year round 2007-10-31 06:28:00 Early Spring
Remove any weeds and tidy up debristhat has fallen in winter. Top up the mulch so that it is at least 5cm (2 inches) deep. Apply snail bait around
susceptible plants.
Mid Spring
Sprinkle complete plant food evenly between shrubs. If you have frosts, prune away any blackened stems.
Late Spring
Increase rate of watering. Inspect flowers and shrubs for aphids, caterpillars and thrips. Read more:gardening
Pesticides and your garden 2007-11-07 12:00:00 All types of pesticide are labeled as to their contents and the pests or diseases they should be used against. Always follow strictly any specific instructions, such as the dilution ratio.
Contact insecticides
Insecticides are most commonly applied in liquid form as a fine spray, so that they hit the pest directly and, with luck, kill it quickly before it has time to multiply. These "knockout
Chamaedorea Elegans 'Bella' (Parlor Palm) 2007-11-07 11:54:00 These plants have dainty, deeply divided fronds arching from the central stem. The fronds are fresh green when young and darken with age. Mature plants produce small sprays of tiny, yellow, beadlike flowers. They thrive in the warm, humid conditions of bottle gardens and terraria.
Mini-climate
Warm, filtered sun.
Size
Chamaedorea elegans 'Bella' is a dwarf species, reaching a height of about
Capsicum Annuum (Christmas Pepper) 2007-11-07 11:26:00 An increasingly popular plant bearing brightly colored fleshy berries which appear in autumn and remain decorative for 8-12 weeks. The most familiar berries are orange-red in color but white, yellow, green and purple-berried varieties are also available. They are best treated as annuals and discarded when the fruiting has finished. They make colorful displays and are striking massed together as Read more:Capsicum
, Christmas
, Pepper
Campanula Isophylla (Italian Bellflower) 2007-11-07 11:17:00 Campanula isophylla produce clusters of delicate-looking white or pale-blue flowers in early August and continue flowering until November. The flowers are normally so numerous that they completely hide the pale-green foliage. They are best treated as annuals and discarded when flowering has finished. These are useful plants for massing in hanging baskets or window-boxes. They look good in Read more:Italian
Focal plants that look good 2007-11-05 05:34:00 For a simple yet aesthetic front yard, choose plants that look good from inside and out. Here are some easy-care varieties. The trees can be used singly, while most of the other plants need to be grouped to create impact.
Small trees
Acerpalmatum 'Blood-good' Bauhinia variegata, Callistemon 'Harkness', Cordyline kaspar, Eucalyptus erythrocorys, Gordonia axillaris, Myoporum laetum, Plumeria rubra Read more:Focal
How to work on a sloping site for a garden... 2007-11-05 05:28:00 Many front yards have a gradient, which makes mowing a lawn impractical. A low-maintenance alternative is to carpet the slope with easy-care ground-cover plants. Alternatively, you can create a rockery on the gradient. Embed rocks into the slope or, especially if the gradient is steep, terrace the slope by creating a series of low retaining walls with plantings in between. A terraced garden may
Creating your beautiful gravel garden 2007-11-05 05:14:00 A simple design is the key to keeping down the workload in your front yard. Gravel gardens can provide the ideal solution - easy-care plants that grow through mulch matting topped by a 5cm layer of gravel. Not only do the natural color and texture of a gravel garden help to set off plants to their best effect, but the 'fluid' nature of the loose materials used is ideal for covering an area of an Read more:Creating
Spring turns to Summer and your Roses need care 2007-11-11 21:28:00 By now you have already been captivated by the first blooms of late April and you're filled with anticipation over the wave of blooms which are yet to come. This is the beginning of the season that we wait for!
Begin your deep watering program
In early May, heavy rains could still be left over from April. If that's so, then adjust your watering schedule accordingly. Otherwise, maintaining the Read more:Spring
, turns
, Summer
, Roses
Trouble-free plants for the easy maintenance front yard 2007-11-11 21:23:00 The need for low-work planting is greater in the front yard than in the back. You want a planted area that provides easy access for you and your visitors, rather than dense plants that will require constant trimming and pruning. Aim for a welcoming appearance and easy care.
Plants also need to be tough and capable of recovering quickly from damage. Children may take short cuts over the beds; Read more:Trouble
Rose gardening tips during early spring 2007-11-10 10:18:00 If you live in an area where you can start seeing the promise of spring in late March or early April, then you're an "early spring" rose gardener. However, if you live where March and April bring the season's best skiing, then just keep waiting out old man winter until your turn at spring arrives and then follow the tips in this article.
Early spring is a time of great activity in the rose Read more:gardening
Easy maintenance lawn care all year round 2007-11-10 10:04:00 EARLY SPRING
Cutting height in early spring depends on the type of grass you have. Warm-season grasses, such as buffalo, couch or kikuyu, which are not yet growing strongly, are cut high. Cool-season grasses, such as bent and tall fescue, which are still growing strongly, may be cut moderately low.
MID SPRING
Lower the cutting height for warm-season grasses; start to raise it for cool-season Read more:round
Your roses in winter - plan well, and they'll make it through just fine 2007-11-08 10:52:00 Winter is a time of rest and purification for your rose garden, but it can be a time of disaster as well if you fail to take the proper precautions.
While "old garden roses" and own-root species are generally hardy enough to make it through the winter
unscathed, the more fragile varieties, such as hybrid teas and budded roses, can have a rough time if they aren't well protected.
Preparing for
Watering your plants 2007-11-08 10:48:00 In the wild, water appears as rain, mist or fog and is taken up mainly by the root system. Plants in the home are reliant on us to meet all their watering needs. Water is essential to all plants; without it they will die. The length of time this takes may vary from one day for young seedlings to several months in the case of a succulent plant, but death will always occur eventually. Water acts as
Preparing your roses during the end of autumn 2007-11-17 07:49:00 The months of November and December can be an awkward time for many rosarians. While the growing season is coming to and end, the winter hibernation season has not yet begun. Some of us just don't know what to do with ourselves or our rose bushes during this period of time.
Because your bushes are not yet in hibernation they still require some attention from you. Water continues to be a prime
Choosing the right ground cover for your garden 2007-11-17 07:41:00 A lawn may seem the perfect way of covering most of the ground
in your garden, but if you want to reduce the time spent on garden maintenance there are various options to consider. For example, where a well-kept, 'bowling green'-style lawn might require 100 hours of maintenance a year, a similar area covered by a tough family lawn which contains hard-wearing buffalo or durban grass would claim
Ground cover - Doing it right for easy maintenance 2007-11-15 11:41:00 By simplifying the shape of your lawn, removing obstacles and adding easy-care features, you can cut mowing time. A radical solution is to choose a non-grass surface that requires little maintenance.
The traditional ideal of a lawn is a manicured, close-cropped expanse of grass that covers the 'floor' of the garden. Its big drawback, from the busy gardener's point of view, is the time that such
Weed control on your driveway 2007-11-15 11:37:00 A properly laid driveway
should have had all weeds removed during excavation for the foundations, and additionally may incorporate a weed-proof membrane. If weeds do appear in driveways, deal with them at once so they don't have time to set seed; most seedling weeds can be pulled out easily. More established ones will succumb to suitable weedkillers, or can be controlled organically with a fatty
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