22.7.12

Become An Expert Gardener With This Useful Information!

By Randolph Shaw


So much can be said about gardening. It is a way to commune with nature, to breathe life into the earth, and so on. However, there are a number of important points to remember when gardening in order to ensure a positive, stress-free experience. This article lays out some of those points in a straightforward manner.

Know your climate zone. This can be the difference between a thriving garden and one that never grows. Knowing your climate zone will help you choose flowers, fruits, vegetables and trees that are perfect for where you are. This way, you get a bit of a headstart when designing a garden.

Grow plants from seed rather than purchasing plants from a nursery. It can be tempting to purchase plants that already have a head start, but it is usually not necessary. By growing from seed, you could find yourself landscaping your yard for under $50.00 worth of different plant seeds, rather than spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars at a plant nursery.

For a natural way to control aphids, populate your garden with ladybugs. Ladybugs are natural predators of aphids and scaly bugs. They are pretty to look at, and they are beneficial to your garden. They do not eat flowers, so you can safely use them on your flower beds. This is a good alternative to using commercial pesticides.

You can dry herbs by putting them in your car. You can neatly arrange them on a sheet of newspaper in a single layer. Then close the doors and windows and let it air dry. The warmth in the car will dry the herbs quickly. The herbs themselves will create a very nice aroma.

Planting a bare-root rose. Bare-root roses are best planted at the beginning of their dormant period to lessen the shock of transplanting. If the roots look dry, soak them in a bucket of water for a few hours before planting. Remove diseased or damaged stems, and trim any thick roots by a third. Place the rose in a freshly dug hole, spreading out the roots and checking that the bud union is slightly above ground level. Backfill with soil and water thoroughly.

Clean up your garden at the end of the growing season. If you clean up your garden when the growing season is over, it will improve the appearance and make less work for you the following year.

Prune shrubs in early spring. The best time of year to prune shrubs is in late winter or early spring, before any leaves or flowers grow. Pruning scars tend to heal quickly in early spring, and early pruning allows you to look at the framework of the shrub before it is covered in leaves. Remove all dead and broken branches, and weak growth. This initial pruning is all that is really necessary apart from a little shaping.

As you can see from the previous list of tips, gardening can really be an enjoyable hobby or career. It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of maintenance and a lot of patience, but it is all worth it in the end to have a beautifully maintained garden.




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