Get the Most from Your Fallen Leaves

Nature’s way of returning the nutrients back to the tree is through the leaves of the tree. Fallen leaves contain up to 80 percent of the nutrients that a tree absorbs during its growing season. Leaves return their store of nutrients to the soil when they are allowed to decay on the ground. The nutrients are reabsorbed by the tree’s roots and channeled back to a new season of growth.

It makes common sense to use this potent substance for your flower or/and vegetable garden. Leaves serve as a key component in your soil. You miss the opportunity to add a rich, natural source of organic matter to your garden if you don’t use the annual bounty of leaves. Regular applications of compost, mulch, and other matter, such as fallen leaves need to be mixed into your soil. Otherwise your soil becomes humus-deprived losing its ability to retain moisture and nutrients. The pH levels will drift out of balance making it less hospitable to microorganisms.

Fallen leaves are a favorite food of earthworms everywhere making it nature’s perfect mulch. Turn your soil into an earthworm factory with a thick layer of fallen leaves enriching it with one of the natural world’s finest-quality fertilizers—worm castings.

Large, leathery leaves such as oak can take years to break down. If left in thick layers, they become barriers between rainfalls and the soil, so shred these larger leaves. Leaf vacuums/shredders can reduce a mountain of leaves to one-sixth of its volume. Instead you can also shred leaves by mowing the lawn and raking the bulk into your flowerbeds or collecting them in bags to be used as summer mulch. Place a thin layer of shredded leaves in direct contact with the soil so that microorganisms can turn them into dark, fungi-rich leaf mold. Thin layers of shredded leaves will keep the ground cool, hold in moisture, and keep the weeds at bay. Shredded leaves make attractive winter mulch piled around garden plants after the ground freezes. This mulch provides protection for tender plant roots while allowing winter moisture to reach into the ground. You can also mix partially decomposed leaves into the soil to provide aeration while improving nutrient and moisture-holding capacity.

Over time, leaf humus tends to balance out soil that’s too acidic. The exception is large quantities of oak leaves, highly acidic themselves; so the opposite effect on your soil can happen. Apply leaves to your garden beds in the fall after plants are dormant. It is a good idea to also add a nitrogen source such as fish emulsion. Of course, do not use leaves from any diseased trees. They should be carried off your property actually to prevent the infection from spreading. Also avoid black-walnut leaves because they contain a toxin that can retard the growth of garden plants. The benefits from using fallen leaves far outweigh these few precautions.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Winterizing Water Gardens

Naturalized water gardens that may include a waterfall, stream and/or pond, add such an incredible creative touch to your landscaping. Working in harmony with nature they offer a sanctuary for your senses. Astonishingly, they require little maintenance. Periodic cleaning out the skimmer of leaves and adding beneficial bacteria is essentially the extent of regular care. It is important to maintain clear, clean water and to do this without the use of unsightly and costly filtration systems and chemicals. Water gardens should be naturally self-regulating ecosystems requiring significantly less maintenance than if the area were planted in grass. However, like most everything you need to prepare your special sanctuary for the winter.

The cool weather of autumn brings on noticeable changes in a water garden. As long as fish feed, they will continue to produce waste. Dying aquatic vegetation that is not removed from the pond adds to the organic load. The fact that aquatic plants are entering dormancy allows for increased nitrate availability. This means an increased growth of filamentous, string algae, that slimy stuff. No need to be alarmed. The ecosystem is still healthy. This is considered normal transition. Where the sunlight penetration is high on your water garden in shallow streams and pools, the algae will increase the most. This is to be expected. Cold doesn’t bother the algae.

You can gain some control over excessive amounts of algae by keeping leaves, dying vegetation and any other matter out of the pond. Remember that simple good housekeeping goes a long way.

Cut down all marginal plants to within an inch or so above water level once browned out. The exception being cattail, sweet flag, corkscrew rush, and even iris. These plants that if left in place, lend beauty and structure to the winter landscape of a water garden. Pinch off hardy lilies and other deep-water plants to one inch above the tip. If necessary, replace the soil and gravel here.

If you live in a climate where ponds freeze, move plants to deeper water. Place tender floating plants like water hyacinth in a three-inch tray filled with water and move them to a frost-free shed or greenhouse for the winter.

When temperatures drop fish spend most of their time hanging around on the bottom of the pond. Once water temps hit a consistent 55 degrees, stop feeding your fish altogether and discontinue bacteria treatments. Turning off the waterfall overnight when big drops in nighttime temperature happen before the winter starts is a good idea too. Anything greater than a five-degree temperature change on a daily basis is hard on fish. It is best to try to keep the pond water temperatures as stable as possible.

When the pond freezes, keep a small area ice-free to help fish survival by creating a spot for harmful gasses to escape. Finally, turn off the filters, clean them and store them inside for the winter. When spring comes, your water feature will be ready again to start being a special added pleasure to your landscape.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Dark Opal Basil

A great plant to grow in your herb garden is basil. A beautiful species, ‘Dark Opal' basil lends both flavor and color to culinary creations. No other herb is so exuberant and bountiful as basil. When you would pick from your herb garden, a few fronds of parsley and dill, or a sprig of rosemary and thyme, you would pick an armload of basil. And it is a good thing because you will find this herb to be extremely useful!

Start growing basil, an annual indoors four to six weeks before you intend to set the plants out. Once the herb is planted, mulch around it only when the soil has thoroughly warmed up. It is best to wait until night temperatures are above 55°F. Though it tolerates a wide range of pH (4.5 to 6.5), basil does best in fertile soil. Although some gardeners insist that the flavor is better if basil isn't fertilized, and grows healthier if it's fed at planting time, and again during the season, perhaps after a heavy picking. Supplemental irrigation has the potential to double the yield.

Like most herbs, basil has few pests. Try using a barrier of copper flashing if slugs become a problem on new transplants. Spun bonded polyester row covers will easily ward off Japanese beetles.

Fusarium wilt of basil, a devastating disease, reached North America via infected seed in the 1990s. Symptoms include sudden wilting and leaf drop, accompanied by dark streaks on the stems, usually in weather above 80°F. If you notice these symptoms, take the necessary precautions so your whole garden doesn’t become infected. Quickly dig up the infected plant, along with all soil around the roots, and discard it. Avoid moving soil that was near the diseased plant onto your tools or tiller. Consider growing your basil in containers. There is a fusarium-resistant variety, called ‘Nufar’ that is an alternative to grow if severe problems develop. Practicing good garden sanitation helps control most disease and infection.

In cool, wet weather, or in winter greenhouse production, basil is susceptible to a few bacterial rots that show up on stems or leaf clusters. When planting basil, space out the plants so they can easily dry out after being watered, and plant in well-drained soil to avoid rot.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Getting Rid of Pestering, Digging Moles

If you’ve ever seen Bill Murray in “Caddyshack”, you might think that a mole in your lawn or garden can be a cause of hilarity and hi-jinx. If you’ve ever had one of these petulantly persistent pests under your soil, you know, however, that fun and games are not on the agenda; it is time to get rid of the furry marmot, and quick!

When a thief enters your private property and steals some of your belongings you’ve worked hard for and saved to buy, you are left with a feeling of violation, helplessness, even fear. A mole might not leave you fearful, but helpless and violated, for sure. It is a thief. It has come to steal your vegetables, to burrow under your fastidiously tended, lush, green lawn, and wreck havoc on your landscaping and plantings. If there is a thief on your property, you have two choices: notify the authorities or take the law into your own hands. That same choice is yours when dealing with the furriest of thieves. You can thumb through your yellow pages or perform an Internet search to find local pest control that would be happy to take your hard-earned cash in exchange for removing the critter. You could, however, take the do-it-yourself route and instead employ tried-and-true methods to achieve your own mole removal. By doing it yourself, you will probably save quite a bit of money, but it will of course require some determination, ingenuity, and time.

Let’s talk about an effective way to start that will require absolutely no money at all. This method involves your garden hose reel and trusty shovel. Locate an active hole by observing fresh, wet soil above the surface, as well as it being the newest of holes. Moles can’t breathe underwater, so I imagine you know what will be suggested next. Insert the business end of your garden hose into the hole’s entrance and pump that tunnel full of H2O. With any luck, you will see the fuzzy intruder exit at another spot in an effort to stay dry and alive. Be quick about it, before thinking, and bop it on the head with your shovel. Yes, that’s right, did you think you would be sending it off to boarding school for wayward moles? You mean business, right? You have to remove that mole one way or another if you want to effectively protect the sanctity of your lawn and garden, and the easiest way is if it is unconscious or dead. I suppose a good whack on the head could possibly stun it long enough for you to pop a bag over its head and call the local Humane Society in to do the dirty work. Most probably, in the heat of the moment, your crack on the mole’s head will crack his or her fragile skull. Good thing you have your shovel handy! That mole can help enrich the soil it has tormented for so long.

Moles are pests you don’t want anywhere near your lawn and garden. Removal of these critters can be excruciatingly difficult and may require a professional’s touch. Your lawn and garden is in jeopardy until you make the decision to take the mole’s removal extremely seriously.

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including garden hose reel, landscaping, and much more.

Make Van Gogh Proud: Grow Some Sunflowers!

Perhaps their brilliant yellow coloring inspired him. Their intricately constructed heads containing 1,000 to 2,000 conjoined individual flowers might have provoked his attention to and eye for detail. Could it have been their sunny disposition, so diametrically opposed to his constant state of melancholy? Whatever the reason, Vincent Van Gogh was inspired to paint twelve canvases displaying their likeness, as well as surrounding himself with the plants for most of his short adult life. The beauty and lush color of the sunflower is undeniable. Their rapid growth and beauty will add depth and majesty to your home garden should you endeavor to grow them.

Sunflowers are indigenous plants to North America having provided food and oil to the continent’s native population for centuries before the first Europeans arrived. Sunflower seeds are used to make the sunflower oil we often use in cooking, are a main ingredient in most commercial birdseed, and are delicious and nutritious for healthier snacking. If you are an avid bird watcher, sunflowers will attract more winged creatures to your yard than ever before, so be forewarned, if you’re not! One of the most fascinating facts about sunflowers is their tracking of the sun, known as heliotropism; if you took a time-lapse photo series of the plants, you would notice their “faces” turn throughout the day to gather the sun’s rays as the sun changes positions across the sky.

As with most flowers, richness of soil is important to a sunflower’s growth, but you will enjoy success with clay-like or sand-like soil as long as it drains well, allowing for no standing water to well within. As “sun” is part of their name, it makes perfect sense that optimum positioning in your yard or garden would allow them to capture all-day sun, as is their want. Sunflowers do best if grown in a pot at first, making it easier for germination as soil temperature can be more easily maintained at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Leaves will appear quickly, and when the second leaves do, make sure to fertilize the pots, keeping them in a sunny spot. After several weeks of fertilizing weekly, the plants should now be large enough to transplant to your garden. Making sure to find a sunny, mostly windless spot, dig a hole for each plant that is one and a half times the size of their pot, while keeping each hole at least a foot from the next. Taking care to keep precious root systems intact, place each flower in its hole and fill with soil, patting it down gently. Water from your hose reel should be applied gently, so regulate the flow as not to displace any of the soil from around each plant. By keeping the soil moist, you will encourage quick growth. Because a sunflower’s cycle is so rapid, you will have fully mature plants within 3 months, and be able to enjoy them as they shoot ever higher. Most plants grow to between eight and twelve feet tall. With care, your sunflowers will last all summer, providing nutrition for your local bird population as well as beauty for your viewing pleasure.

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including hose reel, landscaping, and much more.

Growing the Herb, Oregano

Just as growing your own vegetables to cook with, there is nothing quite like growing your own herbs to use to flavor your cooking. If you are a cook who enjoys using herbs in your recipes, consider how much more tasty it will be to add your own freshly grown herbs snipped from pots on your windowsill garden. Among the several species of oregano used in cooking, the one recommended for kitchen use is Origanum heracleoticum. Commercially available dried oregano you purchase at the grocery store may contain any number of species of oregano and even unrelated plants, so that is why you haven’t been too impressed with its flavor in your cooking. Growing your own is definitely the best way to go. Not only do you find out which best suits your palate, but you can choose the specific, pure and natural one to compliment other ingredients.

The desirable species of oregano you will want to grow in your herb garden are: Origanum heracleoticum, Origanum vulgare, and Origanum majorana. Other more commonly known names for Origanum heracleoticum are Greek oregano, winter sweet marjoram, or Italian oregano. Common names for Origanum vulgare include European oregano, wild marjoram, and winter marjoram. Origanum majorana is sweet marjoram, also a species of oregano.

Purchase plants or seeds from a reliable source. Plant in full sun and well-drained soil after danger of frost has passed in the spring. Space your herb plants or thin seedlings to stand about nine inches apart. If you want the plant to be dense, trim the plants back just before they flower. Depending on the species, oregano takes approximately five to six weeks to bloom after planting. If you allow some of the flowers to produce and drop their seed, you can keep your oregano patch fresh, vigorous, and wild. Some oregano can grow two feet high and as full as a small bush if you let it. When in bloom, it can be quite beautiful. However, to keep the bed quality high, remove three to four year old plants. A portion of the plant can be brought indoors for your windowsill herb garden, especially if you want to use it for cooking during the winter months.

Harvest the oregano leaves as you need them. Just before the flowers bloom is when the flavor is best. To dry oregano, hang harvested sprigs in an airy, low-lit location until the leaves crumble easily in your hand, then store in an airtight container. Dried oregano leaves keep their flavor well in storage, unlike some other herbs. Also, try freezing fresh sprigs in zippered plastic bags. The flavor is still strong; but remember to press as much air from the bag as possible.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Helping Your Installed Sod Take Root

Installing pre-grown sod can be an excellent way to give your pitiful looking lawn a much-needed jumpstart. If your lawn is mostly bare, consisting of more dirt patches than lush green grass, you might be best to consider sod as a quick replacement, especially when time is not on your side, and seeding and growing a new lawn is not an option. You’ll have lush green grass in no time, and it will root quickly allowing for that upcoming lawn party or simply adding beauty and usability for your own pleasure.

Some preparation is needed before your sod arrives, and some instructions need to be followed implicitly to allow your sod its best chances for successful attachment and growth. You first need to remove existing grass remnants and any pesky weeds in the area. An organic herbicide can do the job of killing grass and weeds you are unable to simply pull up; after it does its job, remove the wilted and brown remainders. Adding organic topsoil and tilling it, working it within the existing soil will ensure your sod has the best, most fertile soil possible in which to extend its root system. Rake the top of the area now, adding organic fertilizer or organic compost from your compost bin. After working in the compost and fertilizer and making sure the area is level, it is time to start watering. Extend your hose reel so that you can adequately irrigate the soil in preparation for the sod’s arrival. Attempt this in several short spurts, allowing for ample penetration of necessary water while minimizing the waste due to water runoff. These waterings should continue until the day before the arrival of your new sod. Sod should not be stored on your property when it arrives, but immediately rolled into position as the generated heat from the stacking can be harmful to the overall health of your new lawn. Lay your sod rows in place as you would if you were a bricklayer or sheet-rocker, making sure to stagger the seams thus minimizing the appearance of “blocks” of grass. For the next two weeks, the watering of your sod should be ample, allowing for nice wet sod that will quickly take root. Your hose reel should be used as much as six times a day in summer, perhaps three times in early spring to ensure rapid growth. You are able to check the rooting process by gently tugging on your sod after a couple of weeks. If it has not attached in a given area, increase the water supply; don’t be stingy! Once in place sod is fairly easily maintained, only needing adequate waterings after rooting has taken place. In this manner, you and your family can enjoy a fresh green lawn for many years to come. The rewards are ample for minimal work and expense.

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including hose reel, landscaping, and much more.

Keeping Weeds at Bay Naturally

Maintaining a relatively weedless garden might seem impossible, and it mostly is. Yet, keeping your garden free of out-of-control weeds, weed infestation, or other weed related problems is possible, and it can be done without the use of harmful chemicals or sprays. With some diligent attention, good old-fashioned elbow grease, patience, and a few trips to your local garden store, you can have a garden free of problematic weeds and bursting with bountiful vegetables, flowers, and whatever you desire to plant.

Poor soil with little nutrients naturally present can allow weeds to grow, getting a good foothold, and soon running rampant throughout your precious garden space. Instead of using commercial fertilizer to add the required nutrients your soil so desperately needs, organic mulch and compost made from your own lawn clippings and kitchen waste can do wonders. Extra nitrogen is usually what soil needs most and can be found in organic fertilizers at your local garden store or supplied by adding alfalfa, cottonseed, or soybean meal, also found at your garden or feed stores. Compost made in your own backyard is much cheaper than purchasing these meals and often richer in essential ingredients like phosphorous or potassium as well. Of course only use grass clippings from your naturally or non-treated lawn for your mulching. Remember that fall brings falling leaves that should be mulched as well, as they are chock full of nutrients that will benefit your garden as well. If you want to be able to visually see how well each particular plant or vegetable is doing, it is helpful to keep them separated into rows, so that you may walk between them, providing yourself the easy access you need to do the necessary maintenance. Also, keeping your plants neatly bunched in this way allows you to apply water from your garden hose reel in a focused, well-meaning way, making sure the necessary H2O is never wasted and will benefit your garden in the ways it should. Now for the elbow grease; many find weeding their garden relaxing, even therapeutic. Hoping you feel this way as keeping your weeds at bay, organically, involves a lot of pulling by hand, and often. If you’re lucky, as I am, you have a budding gardener that really likes to get dirty. A four-year-old weed-puller can be most helpful, and only requires minimal education as to what should and should not be pulled out. Family time at our house is often spent on knees around our garden and flower beds, pulling weeds, singing songs, and just enjoying ourselves, so give that a try too!

Through diligent manual weeding, organically mulching and composting, you can have a garden you can be extremely proud of while at the same time being environmentally conscious, and reap the rewards of a bountiful garden each and every year.

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including garden hose reel, landscaping, and much more.

Keeping Tender Plants Safe Over the Winter

The brilliant autumn colors have exploded and now the leaves are falling. Pumpkins dressed with frost in the early morning tell you winter is around the corner and preparations should be made. Keeping some annuals and summer bulbs in colorful shape through the winter is possible, relatively easy and saves buying all new plants come spring. Coleus, dahlias, gladiolus, crocosmias, acidanthera, geraniums are all among the plants you can continue to grow or keep safe indoors. It is your choice. You could just leave all of them to die with the deep freeze and start with new plants next year. But the longer the potted plants are left to grow, the larger the plant, and the better the show for next spring when you will place them outdoors again. If you have any of the plants mentioned above and would like to keep them safe and sound through the winter, here are some guidelines to do just that. Some can share your living quarters and others have to be set aside in a cool, dry location. 


After the gladiolus, crocosmias, and acidanthera have finished flowering or when frost kills their leaves, carefully dig the corms of these plants and spread them out in a dry, well-ventilated area at room temperature for about two to three weeks. Remove and throw away the old corms, and in paper bags in a 35° to 40° location, store
the new corms collected.

After the foliage on cannas has been damaged by frost, allow them to dry in the ground for a few days, then cut back the stems to 3 to 4 inches. Carefully dig the rhizomes and let them dry at room temperature for a few days. In cardboard boxes or mesh bags filled with peat moss, store the rhizomes at 40° to 50° for the winter. Come spring, either plant the entire clump or separate the rhizomes, leaving a portion of the old stem attached to each one.



By cutting geraniums back by about a third, you can keep growing and blooming them indoors. Start to fertilize them in a couple of weeks. It is important they get plenty of sun so sit your pot near a window where sun shines through for a good portion of the day. If you decide to keep geraniums dormant during the winter, move the potted plants into a dark, cool (40° to 50°) location, and don't water them or cut them back until they show new growth in spring.



Take cuttings from the non-woody stems of coleus and root them indoors in water. If you want to save the whole plant, bring it indoors in the fall and cut back the stems a few inches to remove the tall, succulent growth most susceptible to aphids. 


Fuchsias and tender salvias can also be brought indoors in the fall. Cut back stems by about half. Or you can keep them in a state of semi-dormancy by moving them to an unheated basement or a place with low light with temperatures between 40° and 55°. They need to be water about once a month. In the spring when temperatures reach the 60s, move them outside, first to a shady spot, giving them a trim and then begin to water and fertilize like you usually do these plants in season.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Strawberries In Your Backyard Garden

Nothing tastes better (in my opinion) than sweet and warm strawberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream on top. My stomach is grumbling just thinking about it! Even better than having a tasty dessert at a restaurant is possessing the ability to create it anytime you want from the bounty just outside your door. Growing strawberries in your backyard is easily accomplished and can be extremely rewarding for years and years to come.

It is best to pick out strawberry varieties that grow well in your geographical location, so checking at your local garden store and picking the brains of the experts working there is advised. Looking at the starts they have on display, it is essential to choose plants with healthy leaves and root systems. After carefully choosing your plants, it is time to take them home and prepare your beds for planting. It is necessary to find a nice spot on your lawn for the strawberry plants to call home. Strawberries require full sun and excellent drainage. A spot with a nice slope is recommended for better drainage and because a flat planting field can make it easier for frost to roost in early spring, which would be very bad for your crop. It is best to plant your strawberries in early spring so this is when you should begin preparing your proposed strawberry bed for planting. Tending and maintaining your crops will be much easier if they are in a raised bed. Work your soil with a shovel, hoe, tiller, or other tools in order to aerate and spread nutrients throughout. Organic compost has been shown to promote growth and prevent against disease so working organic compost into the soil at this time is advised as well as raking your bed into a raised mound for easy tending. After raking your worked, nutrient-rich soil into mounds, you will need to level the tops of them to prepare for your planting. It is best to plant your strawberry starts about four inches apart in order to allow adequate room for their spreading growth. Also allow for a foot between rows to give yourself plenty room for plant maintenance. Plant the plants with the crown (part from which leaves develop) at the soil’s surface. Pat down the soil over the roots of each plant and then make sure to water amply, pulling the hose from your garden hose reel near so as to not use too much force from the spray. Your strawberries need to receive about one to one and a half inches of water a week in order to grow successfully. As soon as the flowers begin to appear, you should pinch them off, promoting quicker growth and earlier formation of runner plants. Patience will be needed as your first harvest will most probably take a year. Oh won’t you be excited, however, when your first crop is harvested? I bet your mouth is watering just thinking about it!

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including garden hose reel, landscaping, and much more.

The All-Time Favorite: Roses

Many gardeners become passionate about their roses. It is easy to understand why with their great beauty in numerous varieties of sizes, petal shapes, and color; and no need to mention their luscious, lingering scent. Through the ages, roses have been the symbol of a well cared for home. Perhaps because those who have grown roses know that they require special attention. It is this special attention that reaps the most beneficial rich rewards. In addition to being beautiful around your landscape, they also make exquisite indoor arrangements, the scent from their petals can be used in potpourri, and the seedpods (called rose hips) contain a potent source vitamin C that is found in rose hip tea.

Once the gardener finds out about all the benefits of growing roses, they will want to produce quantities of these wonderful, fragrant flowers and will learn how to give them the special attention necessary.

When planning your display of rose bushes for a shrub border, it is easier to separate different varieties into small beds, although it's possible to mix any number of roses. Ten to twelve rose bushes will make a magnificent display, as well as provide enough flowers for cutting. You will need to make a bed eight feet by twelve feet or so. Any shape of bed will do, so design as you think best for your area. Traditionally gardeners have favored the formal look of a square, rectangular, or round bed edged with either stone or brick. Often, in the center for a little added interest, a birdbath or sundial can be found.

Before you select which roses you would like growing in your garden, it is helpful to check up on the different varieties, uses, and terminology.

The hybrid tea roses are the long-stemmed ones usually sent from florists. They are ideal for cutting to be used in floral arrangements. In the garden, they are often featured as single specimens or in a section reserved for cutting.

Floribundas were developed during the last century, to display clusters of blooms instead of just a single bloom to each stem. These roses are shorter and bloom more freely.

The roses that grow as shrubs for landscaping can be tall or they can be trimmed down every fall to keep them bushy. They bloom from spring through fall. Since their foliage fills in, they can be used as a hedge. Space them 18 inches apart from each other in cooler climates and 24 to 36 inches apart in warmer climates. Landscape roses have changed the way many people view roses. This variety of roses, when compared with traditional varieties, is impressive for many reasons. They do not need as much care in that they are naturally disease-resistance, grow in a variety of climates and need little pruning because of their compact growth habit. Plus their beautiful, simple flowers bloom consistently over a very long season.

Roses growing elegantly in a cluster at the top of a stake are known as tree roses. Full tree roses grow as tall as 36 inches high. Patio varieties grow 24 inches high. Miniatures grow about18 inches high. The tall variety are used to can frame a doorway or line a walk. You will find the smaller ones in containers in the garden and on the patio or porch.

Patio roses grow two to four feet tall and bloom all season. They are well suited for growing in containers in small spaces. The foliage tends to be dense so they work in great planted in hedges as foundation covers.

Cascades of climbing roses can grow over an arched trellis or be trained to grow over a fence, or up a pillar or post. They can even be formed to create a dramatic privacy wall.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

The Versatile Sedum

Sedums, sedums, and more sedums will start to propagate and continue on and on. Also known as stonecrop, they are extremely versatile plants. They grow well in perennial borders, containers, and in rock gardens and maybe that is why they are also called stonecrop. Their thick, fleshy succulent leaves and colorful blossoms make them stand out and look so very attractive in most any garden.

Sedums come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from tiny to tall. A great ground cover in dry, sunny locations is a low-growing type called golden stonecrop and white stonecrop that form moss-like mats spreading quickly. Sedums in rock gardens fit nicely into a small niche or scramble over rocks and then hang as they grow on and on. The taller species (Sedum maximum with greenish flowers, Sedum telephium with red-purple flowers, and Sedum sieboldii with pink flowers and blue-green leaves) make perfect accents for borders with a lot of sun.

Most sedums are easy to grow, do not take much effort to care for and thrive in sunny areas where the soil drainage is good. All of the sedums mentioned above are hardy to Zone 4. They're drought tolerant and not picky about soil fertility or pH.

Propagating sedums is very easy. One way is by tip cuttings. You will need is a pair of pruning shears and a plastic tray or pot filled with a soil mix that will drain well using equal parts of potting soil and sand. There's no need for rooting hormones or humidity tents. From the tip of the stems, snip sections with three or more leaves into pieces three to four inches long. Take off the bottom two leaves of these sections and then push the cuttings into the moistened soil mix. The exposed nodes (the points where the leaves join at the stem) should be below the surface of the mix. The new roots will emerge from these nodes. Water the cuttings and set them in a shady place. Check the soil mix often and water just enough to keep the cuttings from drying out. In about three weeks the sedums will root. Gently tug on a cutting to check. If you feel resistance, roots have developed.

In six to eight weeks after starting them, cuttings are ready for transplanting. Carefully pull the cuttings out of the pot they have been growing in and plant them directly into the garden or in container pots.

If you are new to sedums, try starting with Sedum 'Ruby Glow'. It's very easy to grow, hardy, widely available, and looks very pretty. The foliage is a silvery blue with reddish undertones around the edges of the leaves. In late summer it produces clusters of intensely pink-red flowers. 'Ruby Glow' grows to about eight inches tall and will look very attractive as an edging plant for a perennial border.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Growing Pumpkins With Your Children for Halloween and Holiday Pies

Pumpkins are an excellent, hardy member of the squash family and grow in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You might envision a pumpkin for Halloween only, but pumpkins can be a decorative part of your garden’s landscape throughout their growing season. Decorative pumpkins make a beautiful addition to your holiday table and of course, in the favorite dessert, pumpkin pie. Instead of visiting your local pumpkin patch and buying your pumpkins by the pound, you might be surprised to know just how easy growing your own pumpkins can be. Growing pumpkins can be an excellent opportunity to introduce even the youngest of children to gardening and the occasion of enjoying the priceless smiles on their faces when harvest time comes will be irreplaceable!


The first thing to do is scout out your spot for planting. A large plot is unnecessary, and it really doesn’t even need to be flat. As aforementioned, pumpkins are extremely hardy and will take root in most types of soil provided they get the attention they need, water-wise, from your hose reel. A pumpkin requires diligent waterings, daily, and this is something that the kids will love doing. Something to keep in mind when choosing your spot is that pumpkins do grow quickly and spread; they share areas well with other plants, and will make their own way if allowed to. If you are worried about specific plants being overrun by your pumpkins, you might do well to afford your pumpkins their own special spot.

After choosing where you’d like to plant them, your next stop is running over to your local garden shop to get the seeds. After choosing the variety of pumpkin you’d like to grow (there really is quite a variety), it’s time to work the soil a bit. Believe me, while your kids are young, take advantage of the fact that they like to dig in the dirt. They will help you turn that soil over in no time. Your growth will be more successful if you enrich the soil with nitrogen rich compost or fertilizer, so by all means, work that into your soil as well. Now, give your kids the seeds and instruct them to place them in water for 24 hours. This helps jumpstart the seeds’ growth by making their outer shells softer and quicker to sprout. The next day, let your children plant each seed, a few inches apart in your small (or large) patch. Make sure you remind your children to water their plants daily, as pumpkins do demand a large amount of water to grow successfully. To allow your plants to grow fruit, you will need to grab a small paintbrush and pollinate your flowers by carrying pollen from one flower to the next. Bees just might do this, but depending on your geographical area, you might not be able to rely on a squash bee to get the job done. This will be fun for the kiddos too! Then, there is nothing left to do but water them, and watch them grow.

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including hose reel, landscaping, and much more.

Making Your Very Own Pickled Vegetables at Home

So your backyard garden was a little over-ambitious this year, and after the harvest, you’re finding it difficult to eat or give away the delicious vegetables you produced before they expire. Storage is often at a premium in most of today’s households, so freezing your vegetables (unless you have a dedicated freezer) is not always an option. Many backyard gardeners realize that pickling can be an excellent way to preserve those precious veggies that were diligently watered from hose reels and fed with nutrients from compost piles all season long. Pickled vegetables are great additions as sides or as snacking items when visitors drop by. How excellent would it be to offer them to guests, and be able to say you produced them as well?

A few basic kitchen items are needed before beginning your first foray into pickling. A deep bowl is needed for mixing and seasoning the fruits and vegetables, a strainer of some sort, pans for laying out your bounty, muslin for wrapping with some recipes, and finally jars for storing your finished product. The best quality vinegar is necessary to delicious tasting pickled vegetables and fruit. Brown or white distilled vinegar works best, as wine or cider vinegars most probably will lose their inherent taste post-pickling. An essential step in the pickling process is the choosing of the vegetables or fruits to treat. Youngish vegetables should be chosen as well as fruits that have recently ripened. When making pickled apples or other fruits, you can proceed straight to the pickling, but pickling cucumbers and other vegetables requires a soaking in salt before proceeding. Allow your veggies to soak in a salty solution, four ounces of coarse salt (pickling salt works well) to every two pints, for 24 hours and then drain. Rinse the excess salt from the vegetables and lay them out on the pans to dry.

Cold pickling is the easiest as you now simply need to put the vegetables or fruits into the storing jars, making sure to drain off the excess water, and fill the jars with the vinegar, leaving an inch at the top for expansion. Making sweet or dill pickles from cucumbers will require a few extra steps to secure the dill or sweet taste, but other vegetables will be ready to store simply after the soaking. Maturing your vegetables might take a little patience, but after two months, they will be ready to enjoy with your favorite meals or for healthy snacking.

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including hose reel, landscaping, and much more.

Secrets to Growing Succulent Home Grown Lettuce

Everyone has had at least one delicious salad in their lives that knocks their socks off. Remembering one of my favorites, it was at an upscale steak restaurant, and the salad consisted of simply a crisp quarter of a head of iceberg lettuce and a light vinaigrette dressing. What made it so delectably delicious was the crispness and freshness of that lettuce, undoubtedly organic, and most probably grown locally. Lettuce that is bought at most grocers is often limited to a few varieties with homogenously subpar quality, texture, and taste. Growing your own lettuce in your backyard is not only fairly simple, it also is self rewarding, producing a quality of product that you will be proud to serve to your family and friends again and again.

Perhaps the most difficult part of growing your own lettuce is deciding on which variety to plant. If this is your first venture into growing, perhaps it might be best to grow the easiest variety first: loose-leaf lettuce. Loose leaf varieties are more heat tolerant so you don’t have to worry as much about an unpredicted heat wave ruining your crop. It might be fun to research and find a variety of loose leaf that isn’t carried by your local grocer, so take your time picking your seeds at the local garden shop. For the most part, lettuce is a cool season crop. For best success, seeds should develop from seed to starts indoors, and then transplanted into your backyard garden as soon as the soil is soft for tilling and working. Lettuce should not be planted (again, for the most part) in warm weather, as it will all too often grow too quickly and taste overly bitter. Early Spring after the last frost (you hope) is the best time to get your plants in the ground. Soil that is extremely nitrogen rich is much appreciated by lettuce and many other plants, so working large amounts of compost or organic fertilizer into your soil can be most helpful in encouraging growth. Allow for sufficient, yet not overwatering your lettuce from your garden hose reel, being attentive to keeping your crop moist, not flooded.

Perhaps the secret to enjoying healthy lettuce is in the harvest; when is the right time to enjoy it at its best? The best thing about leaf lettuce is its ability to be harvested a leaf at a time, a method that can actually encourage its growth. In this way, whenever you’re having salad for dinner, simply take the amount of leaf you need, leaving the rest to sprout and grow new leaf growth for your next salad. Be forewarned, you will quickly become spoiled by the freshness of your homegrown lettuce and will demand the same quality from the rest of your produce. You might just be forced to grow all your vegetables at home, so be prepared!

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including garden hose reel and landscaping.

Oriental Poppy Flowers Will Pop in Your Garden

When Oriental poppy flowers are in full bloom, they definitely can be the focal point of your garden display in late spring to early summer. The Oriental poppy is the most striking of the perennial poppies. Their blooms are huge – some may reach up to six inches across and are on the top of stems as tall as four feet. These huge, cup-shaped flowers are delicate and paper-like in texture coming in a wonderful warm palette of color including red, salmon, orange, crimson, and white. Even though the plants’ pedals seem to indicate it to be fragile, the perennial is actually known for its hardiness and durability. It is a favorite subject for artists because of its special beauty and color.

After blooming the plant goes dormant. Their beauty does not last long, but if enough varieties are planted they will bloom at slightly different times. Oriental poppies perform poorly in regions with hot summers. If the flowers are big they tend to flop over so the plant might need staking. However, generally poppies are easy to care for and require little maintenance. A special feature: deer do not like them.

Depending on the variety, plan to plant your poppies in the spring spacing each plant two to three feet apart. Using a garden fork or tiller, loosen the soil. Prepare the garden bed to a depth of twelve to fifteen inches. After this is done, thoroughly mix in a layer of rich compost about two to four inches deep. Then dig a hole for your poppy twice the diameter of the pot the plant is in. Remove the plant carefully from its container and place it in the hole. Make sure the top of the root ball is level with surface of the soil. Carefully filling in dirt around the root ball, gently firm the soil around it. Then, as you do with any newcomer to your garden, water the soil thoroughly around where you have just planted.

The care for this showy perennial is easy and simple. Each spring apply a thin layer of compost. To retain moisture and control the weeds, also apply about two inches of mulch on top of the compost. Watering is needed only during periods of drought in the summer months after the plants have bloomed and are dormant. In autumn, poppies will resume foliage growth until frost, and these green leaves will remain over the winter. To protect them over the winter months, after the soil has frozen, apply a four to six inch layer of mulch. This will prevent heaving during periods of temperature fluctuation. When the weather warms up in spring, gradually remove the winter mulch. The time to divide poppy plants is in the spring or early summer.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Mums and Asters are in full bloom

Chrysanthemums, better known as their nickname, "mums," are popular perennials that display a wonderful array of color when the tree leaves are also turning on a show of similar colors. Not only do mums come in a wide variety of colors, but also come in numerous sizes from small dwarf to giant shrub. Mums are easy to grow and can provide years of enjoyment if care is taken to select an appropriate variety. Chrysanthemums like the sun, do best in well-drained soil, and need proper winter protection.

Plant chrysanthemums in the spring after all danger of frost. They grow best in a variety of soils but need excellent drainage. Growth is poor and winterkill is likely if they are planted in poorly drained wet soils. Sunny locations are the best sites for most varieties. Plants in semi-shady locations will be taller, have weaker stems, and bloom later in the fall. It is a good idea to incorporate peat moss, compost, or rich manure into the soil.

Space plants 18 to 24" apart, depending on the mature size of the cultivar. Mums maintain a bushy compact plant form if pinched or pruned regularly. Pinching the mums’ branches produce stockier plants. Continue the pinching practice until mid-June for early flowering varieties, late June for September flowering varieties, and early July for October varieties. Complete pinching by July 4th to assure flowering prior to frost. Mums may flower late if they are exposed to very high summer temperatures. Water plants regularly if the summer is dry or if soil is light and sandy. Most mum flowers are resistant to frost and this tolerance makes it possible to still enjoy them when other plants have gone dormant for the winter.

Several diseases and insects attack mums, so make sure to buy plants that are free of diseases and insects. Typical problems on mums include verticillium wilt, septoria leaf spot, powdery mildew, aphids, leafhoppers, plant bugs, leafminers, and spider mites. A good way to avoid these problems is allowing plenty of air circulation by spacing them properly when planting, not over crowding your garden.

Lack of flowering is occasionally a problem with mums. Possible causes include wrong cultivar selection; insufficient sun, fertilizer, or water; late pinching; root competition from nearby trees and shrubs; unusually hot weather in August, unusually cold weather in late August and September; and insect or disease injury.

Plants can be dug and divided in spring as new growth begins. Stronger shoots are usually on the outside of the clump. Set the growing tip of each division just below ground level. Mums have shallow roots. So, keep them well watered near the surface. Apply a balanced fertilizer on a regular basis. Chrysanthemums make excellent cuttings for indoor vases because of all the different colors they can show.

Asters are another favorite perennial this time of year that are also easy to grow similar to chrysanthemums in that they grow best in well-drained soil and like a sunny location. Asters come in blues, purples and a variety of pinks. All Asters are yellow in the center of the flower. They are daisy-like in appearance even though they are a member of the sunflower family. However, chrysanthemums are a member of the daisy family. Asters are easily grown from division and asters do best if they are divided every two to three years. Simply dig out half to two thirds of the plants, leaving the remainder in place. Then split the portion you dug out into two sections and plant in another location.

You can also grow asters from seeds sowed directly into your flower garden or transplanted from indoor seedling pots in the early spring. Of the two methods, proper spacing is best achieved when the plants are transplanted from the seedling containers into the ground. Spacing depends upon the size: with miniature varieties space four to six inches apart and giant varieties get spaced one to two feet apart. Place smaller varieties around the front of your flower garden as a border, and plant the larger, taller variety towards the back of your flowerbed. If you want asters to grow more bushy and less tall, pinch them back once or twice in the spring to early summer. Trim the stalks down to about 6 inches tall after they finish blooming. That way you will remember where they are come spring before the new sprouts begin to surface.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Gardening Chores for the Fall

As colder temperatures and shorter days prevail, gardeners must think about getting their gardens set for winter. Below is a checklist of chores to consider for the maintenance of your perennial garden, vegetable garden, and lawn to keep all in healthy condition.

1. Cut back your perennials. How and when you do this is determined by the individual needs of your plants, your desire to provide food and cover for wildlife, and your appreciation for winter interest in your yard. If you prefer your property having a neat appearance then, cutting back your perennials to the ground is the way to go, but if you would like to leave nesting areas for insects, seeds and berries for wildlife to survive on through the winter, and if you enjoy some stems and structural interest left standing through out the winter, then trim and cut back to different heights as you see fit and aesthetically pleasing. Plants that have had a disease or did not do well should be removed and any vigorous re-seeders that can take over perennial beds should also be removed or split and transplanted. Avoid cutting back to the ground hardy mums, asters and ferns. The old foliage of these helps to protect their crowns through winter. Leave a good chunk of their stems to mark their location so when you plant something else in the spring you will know where they are and won’t accidentally disturb them. The timing of cutting plants back for winter is important, too. In general, later is better.

2. To provide compost for next year's garden, save fall lawn cuttings and leaves and place them in a compost container.

3. In the vegetable garden, harvest all the vegetables still left before frost hits. Remove any dead or spoiled ones and if disease is apparent, destroy them to reduce any chances of infestation.

4. Bulbs for additional spring and summer color should be planted in the fall. If there are tender bulbs in your garden, carefully lift them out and store these bulbs in an airy, dry, and protected area for the winter.

5. Add mulch to your perennials to keep them warm and protected over the winter. Mulch will also helps store moisture in the soil. You can also add manure and compost in the fall, which is the best time to do this giving plenty of time for breakdown to happen.

6. Houseplants that were growing outside should make their way back inside. To avoid shock, do this gradually placing them in partly shaded areas outside first. And always bring them in before the first frost, of course.

7. Prepare rose bushes for winter. Prune dead or damaged branches and cut off any old flowers. Using topsoil or mulch, mound the bush and cut canes back to six to twelve inches. To completely protect the bush, you can then cover it using a bushel basket, if the size is appropriate.

8. Lawns could use preparing now for next spring. To allow the soil to drain better and give the roots much needed oxygen, aerate and thatch if the soil is compacted. Seeding and fertilizing can be done now as well.

9. Clean up all of your gardening tools. Pruning tools, mower blades, and shears can be sharpened and oiled now. This way they will avoid rusting over the winter and will be all ready for you come spring.

10. If you have a garden pool, to avoid freezing, you must drain it.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.