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
Tips for rose care in early autumn 2007-11-15 11:31:00 September and October are your rose's finest hour. If you have faithfully followed suggestions at GardeningShortcuts up to this point, you should start to see full, colorful, magnificent blooms as your reward.
Your work isn't quite through yet, however. While fall is the best growing time, you also need to start thinking about the coming winter months.
Your bushes are working hard to produce
Your roses in the summer heat 2007-11-14 04:02:00 Heat is one of the worst enemies that roses face, and the months of July and August can be scorchers. Not only are your roses at risk of heat damage, but the accompanying humidity breeds insects and fungal diseases.
Here's a look at what we can do to keep our roses beautiful and healthy until the cooling days of autumn arrive.
Make sure that your roses have all the water that they need.
Easy maintenance front yards with spaces for cars 2007-11-14 03:58:00 A car parking space doesn't have to be purely functional: it can also look attractive. The golden rule is that the larger the parking area, the greater the need will be to break up the monotonous appearance of paving. This can be done in several ways: by introducing a variety of textures and colors; by using more than one paving material; by creating a single central bed, either circular or Read more:spaces
Restoring a neglected grass lawn 2007-11-22 11:14:00 Regular mowing keeps grass
growing thickly and prevents weeds from getting established. To rescue an overgrown lawn colonized by weeds, cut back the long grass in either spring or autumn using a line trimmer or a rotary lawnmower with blades set high, at 5-8cm. For a large area, hire a powered scythe or get in a contractor for the first cut. Then feed the neglected lawn with a lawn fertilizer.
The right tools for your rose gardening needs 2007-11-22 11:10:00 Like any job you tackle, the work is always much easier if you arm yourself with the right tools. Before heading out to your rose garden, make sure you bring along these basic rose gardening
tools.
Pruners
A good pruner is one tool that you will use almost daily. There are two types of pruners on the market. One is called an "anvil" pruner, and the other is called a "bypass" pruner. An anvil
Accentuate your garden with rose trees 2007-11-27 02:31:00 Looking for a colorful way to make a grand statement? If you like to putter around in the garden, then do what the nobles of the past did and surround your home with rose trees. Doing so will definitely add an air of elegance to any landscape.
Rose trees, also known as Rose Standards, differ from rose plants or rose shrubs in that they are actually cultivated to resemble a tree. A rose tree
Simple steps for a simple-maintenance lawn 2007-11-27 02:28:00 No matter how weed-infested or bald an existing lawn has become, it will take less effort to improve it than to create a new lawn altogether. However, if you prefer quick results, or if you have no lawn to begin with, you will have to start from scratch.
Laying cultivated turf is the quickest way to create a lawn, but it is relatively expensive. Turf will thrive anywhere except in heavy shade or Read more:steps
About rose classification 2007-11-25 06:04:00 Although there is no one set of "official" classification system of roses, there are many different popular rose classification schemes that are employed throughout the world. The most popular of the systems in use has been proposed by The American Rose Society in cooperation with the World Federation of Roses. Although this classification system is not the only one in use, a large majority of
Design tips for easy-care lawn 2007-11-25 06:01:00 A grass lawn takes effort to establish, but keeping it in top condition is where the real work lies. If you want a lawn, but don’t have time for a lot of fiddly maintenance in spring and summer, following these simple steps will reduce the workload of lawn care.
Two or more small lawns take a lot more maintenance than a single larger lawn. Not only do you have more edges to trim, but corners on
Grass-free 'lawns' sown with color 2007-12-03 08:25:00 Herb lawns and ground-cover plants are easier to maintain than a grass lawn because they do not require regular mowing. They are often more successful than traditional lawns in difficult situations, such as dry sunny sites, on steep banks or in shade under trees. But non-grass lawns are not a perfect substitute for grass, as they won't stand much wear. If you need to walk through a non-grass lawn
Common diseases that plague roses 2007-12-03 08:21:00 There's nothing worse than seeing all of your hard work destroyed by a rose disease or fungus. Roses can be weakened during the winter dormancy and become more susceptible to disease when the growing season begins.
Even if the bush survived winter unscathed, spring rains and summer's heat and humidity can open the door to a variety of fungus infections.
Here is a summary of the most common Read more:Common
, plague
The right equipment for you lawn maintenance 2007-12-02 10:08:00 Investing in the right equipment is the easiest way for the busy gardener to reduce the time spent on lawn care. Mowing is the most time-consuming task, so make sure you choose a mower that suits the type and size of your lawn.
Ride-on
The time-saver's choice for a very large garden. Ride-on mowers have an extra-wide cutting width and move faster than you can walk with a powered mower. They are
Time-saving tools for your lawn 2007-12-02 09:57:00 You can save time on regular jobs, such as lawn edging, by investing in the right equipment, jobs such as spiking the lawn, which require special equipment, can be made easier by hiring the equipment or employing a contractor to do them.
Cutting the grass
If you have a small lawn and want a fine finish, and don't mind a little gentle exercise, then consider a hand-pushed mower. Electric
Choosing the right roses for your garden 2007-11-30 14:37:00 There's an enormous selection of roses that you can grow in your home garden. With such a large selection to choose from, your decision may seem more like a difficult task than the fun that it should be. In order to make this process easier, there are a few important factors that you should consider prior to choosing your roses.
Color
How will the color of your roses effect your garden? Look
Planting potted roses, how to do it right 2007-11-30 14:28:00 It wasn't too long ago that no serious rosarian would even consider having a potted rose on their property except for, maybe, last minute emergencies where they had run out of space but couldn't resist buying just one more plant.
Times have changed and potted roses have a place in the lives of condo and apartment dwellers, city slickers who live in areas where there isn't a tree in sight, and
Cutting roses for display - doing it right 2007-12-10 20:11:00 What could possibly smell or look better than a vase of beautiful rose blooms on your table or the table of someone you love? Roses, especially hybrid tea roses, are made to be cut and they can last a very long time in a vase if you follow these simple tips.
Always make sure that you cut your roses with a sharp and clean pair of shears. Dull shears will crush the rose's stem, and dirty shears Read more:doing
, Cutting
Making paths and steps for your garden 2007-12-10 20:02:00 Building paths and steps
requires a great deal of advance preparation so it is probably best left to a contractor. Point the cracks between slabs with mortar to prevent weeds taking hold. Heavily used paths need proper foundations, but paths that are used infrequently, such as an informal path through a garden bed, can be built relatively easily. Set paving slabs or bricks to half their depth in
Work-free surfaces with paving and gravel 2007-12-08 22:37:00 Hard surfaces
need virtually no maintenance. They can be used in all sorts of creative ways in place of a lawn. For instance, you can create a courtyard garden enclosed by walls, a Mediterranean-style garden surrounded by evergreens, a minimalist Japanese-style garden, a walkthrough rock garden, a modern patio or a traditional, formal terrace.
Gravel
The quickest and easiest surface to lay
What is the All-American Rose Selection (AARS)? 2007-12-08 22:35:00 Did you realize that there's an organization of rose enthusiasts who actually care that the roses you purchase live up to the highest standards of quality? Well there is and most people don't even know this organization exists. Most consumers probably take for granted a rose's beauty and heartiness because they think that's just the nature of the rose. After all, how else could this elegant Read more:American
Climbing roses for a gloriously romantic garden 2007-12-07 09:11:00 Colorful climbing roses can add a dramatic effect to your home. They're nice because you can wind them around a trellis, a column, or even let them climb up the side of your home. It's interesting to note, however, that many seasoned gardeners fear climbing roses. This is likely because of the belief that climbing roses can get damaged by cold weather and also because they can take years to reach Read more:romantic
A garden for the whole family 2007-12-07 09:04:00 Families make many conflicting demands on a garden. Children need space to play and keep pets, while adults want an attractive environment in which to relax and entertain friends. The design of a family garden needs to reflect these different requirements and be flexible enough to evolve as the family grows up.
Child friendly plants
There are many easily grown, non-toxic plants soft enough to
Ground cover alternatives for your garden 2007-12-05 08:01:00 Where you want the low openness of lawn but not the work associated with it, a spreading ground cover can be the ideal choice. You won't be able to walk, lie, play games or wash the car on it, but once it is established and is forming a thick cover over the ground, your only work will be to water it when necessary and perhaps to pull out the occasional persistent weed.
The best ground cover is
Old garden roses can produce that antique and aristrocratic look for your garden 2007-12-05 07:55:00 Old Garden Roses are any of the rose varieties that were recognized and celebrated prior to 1867, the year in which the first modern flower was introduced. The name of this flower is the hybrid tea. The major classes of Old Garden Roses include: bourbons, noisettes, portlands, species, centifolias, albas, chinas, damasks, hybrid perpetuals, moss roses, gallicas, and teas. Although some of these Read more:produce
Tips for pruning your prized roses 2007-12-21 06:54:00 Pruning and deadheading are important parts of your rose care routine. There are as many different opinions about how and when to prune as there are roses in need of pruning.
While individual rosarians may have their favorite "tried and true" methods, this article is geared towards new rosarians who have no idea where to start. As time goes by you may feel the urge to modify these techniques or
Planting singly or in groups? - The question about borders for your garden. 2007-12-21 06:53:00 The way a border is planted can play an important part in reducing the amount of time needed for maintenance. Once you have decided what to plant, you then have to decide whether to plant the shrubs or trees singly or in groups of the same variety. One advantage of planting many of one specimen in a group is the instant impact, due to the greater area covered: instead of a single flowering shrub,
Making time for their peaceful garden - A case study 2007-12-18 00:54:00 Louise and Phil Pankhurst are in their early fifties. They both work full-time, but like to spend time in the garden at weekends and on summer evenings. They want a garden with a Mediterranean style that will suit their sunny climate and remind them of a recent trip.
Phil Pankhurst is an information technology specialist at the university nearby. Louise is the director of a charity. They want a
Improving existing borders in your garden 2007-12-18 00:52:00 Sometimes old garden borders lack interest, especially if some of the shrubs are past their best. One option is to replace all the shrubs and start again, but this is hard work and will leave you with empty spaces until the new shrubs begin to grow. A quicker method is to keep some of the existing plants to provide the structure for the new border and shrubs that offer more than one season of
Making easy-maintenance borders using shrubs and trees 2007-12-15 23:13:00 Trees and shrubs easily and effectively add long-lasting color and interest to a garden but, to keep down the workload, you will need to choose plants that need minimum pruning. Shrubs and trees can be used without the addition of other plants to create a beautiful planting on their own. They can also provide a permanent framework for a border that includes many other plants: for instance, they
Some tips for your rose exhibition day 2007-12-14 21:17:00 Now that you finally have a rose garden that you can be proud of, it's time to take the next step and let others judge the beauty of your roses. Rose shows and exhibits are exciting events where you get a chance to see how your roses stack up against those from other rosarians. It doesn't matter if you win, just the experience will teach you a lot.
Before entering your own roses, take the time
You need to know the climate zones for your roses 2007-12-12 22:12:00 If you want to be the proud owner of a bountiful garden this year, the first thing you need to find out is which climate zone you live in. It's helpful to know that your town gets a lot of sunshine throughout the year, but that's not enough. It's actually the cold temperatures that make a difference in what you can and cannot grow in your area.
Know Your Zone
Anyone who knows anything about
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