Floral Arrangements

October 12, 2007 · Filed under Flowers and arrangements

There are many people who love flower gardens, just to show them off. Nowadays, though, more and more people are using their love of gardening to make a living. There are so many creative ways to make money with flowers, too. Some people own fancy floral shops, where they sell flowers from their shop. Most florists even deliver beautiful floral arrangements to weddings, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, as well as other special days of the year. Unfortunately, for those who have recently lost a loved one, florists deliver flowers to funerals as well.

There are many reasons why people are willing to pay loads of money for flowers. One reason is because simply the sight of flowers cheers some people up. There is just something about the natural beauty of flowers that make people smile. For some people, endorphins are increased in their brains every time they look at a big bushel of lovely, colorful flowers.

Another reason why people think so highly of flowers is because they make landscaping outside homes and businesses look marvelous. The addition of some creative combinations of flowers can also really increase the value of a home. If a person is trying to sell their home, adding a flower garden or two can definitely make the home look more inviting to potential buyers.

Roses are a really popular choice. One reason for this is because they are so versatile, and they represent love. So whenever a man and a woman gets into an argument and the man sends the woman flowers, especially roses, the woman usually just melts and immediately forgives him, of course it depends on how angry she is with him, too. Roses come in numerous colors, too: Pink, white, yellow, and of course red. There are many other colors as well and they all have a special meaning. For instance, red roses mean love, beauty, respect, etc. A single red rose simply means, I love you, white roses represent serenity, silence and humility. There is an entire list of rose colors and their meanings, even for unusual rose colors such as peach, lavender and orange.

No matter what a person chooses to do with their flower garden or greenhouse, they will have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and smell the wonderful aromas of the flowers. The gardening will also bring peace, stress relief and happiness.

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How To Grow Garlic In Your Organic Garden Step By Step. Part 1

October 12, 2007 · Filed under Vegetable garden

What an amazing plant! Garlic (Allium sativum) has been around for more than 3,000 years. It’s not that surprising really when you look at the culinary and medicinal purposes it boasts. Garlic is not only a staple in the kitchen, but its health benefits are outstanding as it is a natural antibiotic and has antiseptic properties. In the organic garden it is often used as the base for various insect deterrents and it also has antifungal properties. Garlic is also a very useful companion plant.

Growing Garlic Step by Step

1. Choosing the Position. Grow garlic in an open, sunny position. As a companion plant it can get a little lost amongst larger, leafy plants especially if the stems suddenly die back. Grow garlic as a companion plant, but also have a plot of its own so that you can be sure you’ll have enough to last you the season. A plot about 1m square is big enough to grow about 60 bulbs.

2. Soil Type. Because garlic is a bulb it needs a well drained soil or it will just rot under the ground as the bulb is forming. Soil that is friable with plenty of organic matter is the best. Don’t add fresh manures as they are usually high in nitrogen, which will encourage foliage rather than the development of bulbs. Dig in blood and bone prior to planting or top dress with compost. If your soil is a heavy clay, use raised beds or you can even grow them in pots.

3. Planting Time. Garlic needs to be planted in autumn (fall) and harvested in summer. Planting time depends a little on your particular climate. The hotter the autumn temperatures, the later the planting. If you live in a sub-tropical climate, it may be best to leave it til winter.
Garlic grows in two stages. The roots and foliage grow through autumn and winter. Then in the warmer weather the bulbs begin to develop. By summer the bulbs have grown to a good size and the foliage will start to wither.

4. Choosing your Corms. Each garlic bulb is made up of corms. You pull the corms away from the bulb to plant. These will become your new garlic bulbs. You may have to buy commercial garlic bulbs to start out with unless you know someone who grows organically who is willing to give (sell or swap) you your starting bulbs.
Garlic from the supermarket or fruit and veg shops may have been sprayed with
chemicals to stop them shooting. Some garlic is imported and may have a different
growing season, so will fail. After a few years you will have enough stock to have
supplies for the kitchen and for next seasons crop.

5. How to Plant. Pull away all of the corms from the parent bulb. Each bulb will have between 15 and 20 corms. Gently push each corm into the soil, just below the soil, with the flat base at the bottom and the pointed tip facing upwards. Allow about 10cm / 4inches between corms and 30cm / 12inches between rows.
If some corms pop out of the soil after a week or so it means that the roots are growing.
Just gently push them back below the soil surface and mulch with straw.

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Financial Planning For Your Flower Garden

October 12, 2007 · Filed under Home gardening

Growing a flower garden can be a pleasant feeling. You would be thrilled to see flowers of different colors blossoming in your garden throughout the year. Gardening can be either a cost effective or a costly affair depending on how you manage and plan your resources for maintenance of a good garden.

Most people just plant a few flower plants in their lawn as they don’t want to leave it vacant. They don’t take care of it or have no interest in developing it. They don’t even water their plants regularly. But people who maintain their gardens seriously will know that they will have to monitor the condition of their garden regularly in order to minimize the long-term expenditure over its maintenance. After all, having a beautiful garden in front of the house can be really helped in increasing the asset value of the house also.

For a garden to retain its beauty and charm, it requires a certain work input from your side also. So you should consider spending some time in your garden at least once every 2 months as it will help you in restoring the garden to its original beauty. Most people believe that spending time in the garden everyday is only possible for people with no other commitments. Even this cannot be said to be wrong keeping in mind today’s work commitments.

However, doing your garden work on your own is much cheaper than hiring a qualified horticulturist to do the job for you. Addition tasks such as fertilizing and mowing can further increase the costs. Instead of going to individual horticulturists, if you go to a larger company which undertakes all kinds of gardening tasks, you can minimize your costs. These companies pick operators based on their qualifications and skills and train them in various practices of horticulture, so that they in turn can pass on their services to persons to require professional help.

An individual who does not want to incur excessive expenditure on his garden can do himself a lot of good by planning in advance what type of plants he wants to plant and avoiding excessive maintenance. The garden should be kept simple. Tall tress must be certainly avoided if the space available is less as this can cramp the other plants in your garden for room. Choose your plants depending on the surrounding of your home and avoid buying plants just because they look good.

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Let Your Flowering Peach Tree Bloom With These Planting Tips

October 12, 2007 · Filed under Home gardening

The flowering peach tree is a very familiar tree for most people. This tree is recognized for its vase shape that can grow up to 25 feet in height and bears lots of fruits. People also love the pink flowers that bloom from the peach tree.

The peach tree is part of the Rosaceae family and genus Prunus. It goes with the almond tree in the subgenus of Amygdalus. They are distinguished by their seed shells that are corrugated.

The leaves of the peach tree are categorized as lanceolate that grows from seven to fifteen centimeters long. The peach fruit has a very delicate scent and almost velvet-like skin.

The flowers of the peach tree bloom every early spring even earlier than the leaves get to grow.

The petals can either be solitary or paired depending on the variety. They generally consist of five petals that can come in different colors of pink, white or red.

The peach tree took its scientific name Persica from the belief in early Europe that this originated from Iran which was known back then as Persia.

Today, it is established that the tree is actually a native of China which was only introduced later on to Persia.

There are several varieties of the peach tree that have been already propagated. This gives lovers of the peach tree flowers a good selection to choose from.

Here are some of the more popularly known types.

Double White – This kind is depicted sufficiently by the name. It has a profuse shape and paired white petals.

Helen Borchers – The flowers of Helen Borchers have extra large petals in pink. They are in solitary petals.

Peppermint Stick – The peppermint stick variety is distinguishable with its paired white petals and pink stripes.

Late Double Red – This variety consists of red petals in pairs. They remain a perfect sight even when winter time comes as they are able to avoid well the frost.

Weeping Double – The weeping double varieties have pendulous branches. They can come in colors of pink and red.

Royal Redleaf – The Royal Redleaf consists of good foliage in bright-red at the early part of their blooming. They later turn into bronze-green which remains a delightful view.

Tips for Growing the Flowering Peach Tree

1. Correct Climate

Flowering peach trees are also very choosy in the climates that they thrive in.

Most of the varieties require a chilling requirement, making it rather difficult for them to grow in the extremely cold areas. They cannot tolerate the cold in later winter.

Generally, the peach trees varieties may be able to tolerate temperatures of negative 26 to negative 30 degrees Celsius, but such a condition tends to kill the buds of the flowers thus growing fruits is impossible.

The flowering peach trees actually seek a lot of the heat of the summer time to be able to let its fruits mature. Temperatures ranging from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius would be most favourable.

2. Proper Soil Characteristic

Peach trees require the right soil characteristic in order to grow fully and bear colourful flowers. Avoid as much as possible too much moisture in the soil. They do not like heavy quality of soil too.

Just make sure the soil has the right amount of fertilizer and aeration. With the right kind of soil, the peach tree will surely grow fast and healthy.

3. Fight the Pests

It is very important to protect the peach tree against pests that may invade their environment. This could impede the growth of the tree and the blooming of the flowers.

The main enemy to be cautious of is the peach tree borer. There are also some insects and fungus that can threaten the tree. This may require occasional or regular application of pesticides or spraying.

Conclusion

Bring nature closer to your home. Plant a flowering peach tree and enjoy the delights of its view, flowers and fruits.

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Growing A Flowering Plum Bonsai

October 12, 2007 · Filed under Mini-garden

Flowering plum includes a variety of plum trees that are both native and introduced, and can be found growing on the low slopes and in valleys across the United States and southern Canada. They can even be seen by the sides of roads and along fences — especially in those parts of North America with moist soil that is made of clay, loam, and sand.

Flowering plums are largely grown for their ornamental value, though some species are also enjoyed for their tasty fruit, which can be made into jelly. They grow quickly and can reach a height of approximately nine meters.

The most common domesticated plum is the common garden plum that is found in Europe and western Asia. It was brought to North America by French and British colonists. Its gray bark may be either smooth or fissured.

The American plum has a scaly, dark brown bark. It is native to North America and is found throughout much of the eastern USA, western Oklahoma, northern Montana, and south-eastern Saskatchewan. The American plum grows throughout the entire state of Ohio, as well.

The Canada plum is found in North America, but grows best in southern Canada and the northern United States west of Minnesota and Illinois. In Ohio it can be found in a few of the northern counties. Some types of the Canada plum have been developed for fruit and others for flowers.

The leaf of the Flowering Plum is broad and usually less than 13 cm long. Leaves turn purple or bronze in the autumn before falling off. The flower bud is pink, but it turns white when it opens. The fruit pip is a little bigger than 3 cm and is red and blue. When it matures it hangs low on twigs which are only as thick as a pencil. The bark is furrowed and dark brown.

So you can see that you have several choices when considering planting and growing a flowering plum bonsai plant in your home. Choose based on your aesthetic preferences, and also on weather zone tolerances of the various types. And enjoy!

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