Thursday, February 2, 2012

Tips That Will Get You Enthusiastic For Gardening

By Gil Orris


"What am I doing? Seeds, cuttings, fertilizer, good soil, dirt....?," you may be thinking this if you don't know much about gardening. It is important you know how to garden before trying to tackle your own gardening project. This article will provide you with the information you need, if you want to have the garden of your dreams!

Use groundcover to fill in bare areas of soil. Groundcover plants are very effective for 'tying' larger plants together and keeping weeds to a minimum. The earth needs to be well-cultivated, weeded and well-fertilized before you plant anything. In order for the plant to become well established, water thoroughly during dry spells and remove any weeds that may pop up. Fast growing groundcover plants include creeping thyme, sedum, ajuga, golden oregano, heuchera, lamium and vinca.

Using natural fertilizers in ones garden will not only be better for the environment but will often be cheaper than store bought fertilizers. These natural fertilizers can be all kinds of things such as egg shells, compost, manure from the family dog, or even the remains of fish or other animals.

It is important to wear gardening gloves when you are working in your garden. Gardening gloves will give your hands protection from possible cuts, scratches and even splinters. It is important to remember that you may not know what is in the ground that could be potentially dangerous to your hands.

Make sure to water your garden on a regular basis. Soil that becomes too dry can actually repel water. Plants without water will never survive. Have a set time of day that you go out to water, or invest in an automatic sprinkler system. Your plants will thank you for it.

Plant smaller bulb plants in rock gardens because the bulb plant's height will have the right scale combined with other smaller plants in your rock garden. Bulb plants might otherwise get lost in a larger flower bed. The rocks hold heat that protects the bulbs from late frosts.

Grow shade-loving annuals. Most annuals (and tender perennials) thrive in full sun, but some prefer a little shade. They do well on the north side of a house, or under the canopy of trees and shrubs. Remember to provide good soil and plenty of moisture. For constant bloom in a shady area, plant impatiens, balsam, clarkia and lobelia. Nicotiana is particularly striking, growing 5 feet tall, and producing beautiful tubular white flowers with a glorious fragrance.

Is your handy edge trimmer anything but handy? You can avoid disasters and being stopped dead in your tracks by spraying the string with a vegetable oil spray before you ever put it in the trimmer. Treating the string first will ensure its running smoothly through the trimmer without breaking or jamming.

Develop an irrigation system for your lawn. A good sprinkler system aims to reach all the points of the yard with an even spread of water. Overwatering in one section can cause you to have nice green growth, but have other areas grow brown from neglect or lack of water. A proper irrigation system should hit all of the areas of your lawn.

A garden that has tall plants in the back with low-growing plants in the front shows off the entire flower bed the best. To keep interest and color in your garden throughout the season, be sure to plant flowers that come into bloom at different times. This way, you will always enjoy color in your garden.

When lifting heavy things in your garden it is important to protect your back. You should always lift with your knees when you are lifting anything in the garden. If something is very heavy you should ask someone to help you lift it so that you do not cause damage to your back or knees.

To help keep slugs and snails out of your garden, minimize any moist, cool spots you may have. Wood piles and empty flower pots can provide shade to these pests. They need a shady, cool spot to survive so if you eliminate such places in your garden, the slugs and snails will eventually wander somewhere else.

If you are an experienced gardener, but tend to use only your same trusted tools, you may be surprised to find some new innovations that you will soon, not be able to live without. Seasoned gardeners will be unable to deny the attraction of some of these latest gadgets.




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