For an instant face lift for your garden clear up any dead or ragged foliage and cut back dead growth on shrubs and trees. Be sure to do this before new growth appears. Pay attention in particular to perennial shrubs that need their woody branches cut back each spring in order to encourage new growth. Only ever cut off branches that show no buds. Plants that bloom early in Spring often grow their buds at the end of summer, but they do not develop until after the cold winter season. Get to know your plants well so that you don’t accidentally chop off the new growth for this year!

Add a good layer of mulch or compost to add plenty of nutrients to the soil to fuel your plants Spring growth spurt. Once the soil has dried out from any snow or frost, you can turn this compost into the beds, but watch out for any spring bulbs that you planted last year.

Make the effort early, and you will be rewarded with plenty of spring flowers.

Three basic tools suffice for most pruning jobs: shears, loppers, and a pruning saw. Keep them sharp for clean cuts; disinfect after pruning diseased material.

1. Prune Roses

Prune in winter or early spring when plants are still dormant. Prune plants to maintain symmetrical bushes and to encourage strong new growth. Cut back all previous years growth approximately one-third its length. Remove branches that cross through center and remove plants understock. Also prune weak and dead stems as needed. This tends to encourage strong new growth.

2. Prune Crepe Myrtles

The best time to prune crepe myrtles is in February. Prune out twiggy stems and any dead wood. Thin out crossing or crowding branches in the plants center. If tree form, prune lower branches. Prune top |to keep symmetry. Each year after flowering, cut 12 to 18 inches off the tips of branches that have bloomed.

3. Prune Hollies

Prune in winter or early spring mostly to shape plants. Cut back wayward branches and prune out weak unproductive dead stems as needed.

4. Prune Butterfly Bushes

Butterfly bushes bloom in summer on new spring growth. They may be pruned in late winter or early spring. By pruning old blooms you are going to encourage new flowers. Also prune out old dead and unproductive branches.

5. Prune Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas fall into two groups. Some you prune in early spring and others after the flowers fade.

1. Early Spring Pruning

Hydrangeas bloom on new growth. These plants are Climbing Hydrangea, Annabelle, Grandiflora, and PeeGees.

2. After-Bloom Pruning

Hydrangeas bloom on last years stems. Included in this are Bigleaf Hydrangeas, Oakleaf Hydrangeas, Lacecaps, SummerBeauty, and Nikko Blue. Pruning should be done when the flower has faded. Cut back the flowering stems to the strongest pair of new shoots. As plants mature, begin to thin out the oldest woody stems. Remove crowded crossing, broken, or dead branches.

6. Prune Clematis
Clematis can be put in three categories: Spring-flowering, summer-flowering , and twice-flowering.

1. Spring-blooming

Clematis produce flowers on stems that grew in the previous year. Prune when flowers are done blooming. Cut back the flowers that are dead. Prune out any old dead stems also.

2. Summer-blooming

Plants bloom on new growth produced in the spring. Cut back stems before new growth begins. Late autumn or early spring is a good time to prune. Cut back about 12 inches of old growth. Every year the vine will grow larger and stronger.

3. Twice-blooming

Plants first bloom in spring on stems produced the previous year. Late summer or fall would be the next bloom time. In late fall or very early spring, prune lightly to thin the stems. After the spring bloom, prune more heavily to get more healthy stems to develop for the next bloom. After the second bloom, prune old flowers away.

7.Prune Fruit Trees

By far the most common fruit trees are apple, peach, pear and cherry.

1. Apple Trees

Apple treesneeds to be pruned in late winter or early spring before new growth starts. Always remove all suckers (summer is a superb time). Also remove dead along with otherunproductive limbs as needed.

2. Peach Trees

Peach trees are fast growing and ought to be pruned in winter. Without pruning the peaches will grow farther from the tree’s center. This may put great strain on the branches, causing them to break. In winter, thin out upward-growing branches that cross in tree’s center.

3. Pear Trees

Prune back in early spring. Always prune dead and unproductive branches as needed.

4. Cherry Trees

Prune in winter. Prune out branches that cross in center and dead unproductive branches as needed.

8. Prune Azaleas and Rhododendrons

They may be pruned in winter or early spring. However pruning at that time will prevent plants from producing many blooms. The most effective time to prune azaleas and rhododendrons is definitely after their blooming period in spring.When you prune at that time, no additional pruning is going to benecessary.

9 Prune Junipers

Junipers need very minimal pruning. They ought tobe pruned to correct their shape, to accent their form,as well as to limit their size. This should always be done during the juniper’s growing stages in mid-summer.

10. Prune Flowering Trees

Flowering trees need to be pruned once they have finished blooming. Prune as little as possible. Dead branches, branches that cross in the center, and branches which are unproductive need to be pruned out.

Three basic tools suffice for most pruning jobs: shears, loppers, and a pruning saw. Keep them sharp for clean cuts; disinfect after pruning diseased material.

Growing plants from seed indoors is great for gardeners without a cold frame or greenhouse, or for trying out more exotic or delicate plants with minimal expense. Packets of multiple seeds are often a fraction of the price of an established plant, not only letting you save money, but giving you multiple chances at getting the plant to thrive. Planting several seedlings can let you experiment with different light and soil conditions, helping you to raise plants that are predisposed to succeed in your garden.

Even the most inexperienced of gardeners will find growing plants from seeds indoors a fairly easy task.  Click here to get $20 off your first order at Gurneys! The trick is to check the seedlings daily to ensure that the soil is damp enough, and that they are sitting in a place where they get just the right amount of light. Most seedlings fail to thrive due to a lack of enough natural sunlight. Trays should be placed in a room that has direct sunlight for a large portion of the day. If you don’t have a good room for this in your house you might have to move the seedlings between different rooms in the morning and the afternoon to ensure that they get as much bright daylight as possible. If your schedule doesn’t allow this, then keeping a daylight lamp switched on near the plants can help to meet their light requirements.

As well as lighting, you will need to create a good soil environment when growing plants from seed. Seedlings need soil that is airy and moist. There are many ready made potting soils available and any good quality soil that is designed for indoor plants will usually give good results. Before planting your seeds, read the packet to see what depth of soil they will need for shoots and roots. This will help you to pick a suitable depth of container and fill it with the right amount of soil to allow your seeds to germinate and grow.

Pay careful attention to any special instructions for the particular type of plant you want to grow from seed, as some varieties need special treatment such as soaking, freezing or even heating in a pan before they will germinate successfully.

Reading the packet or seed instructions will also guide you as to when to grow different types of plants from seed indoors and when to move them outside. The longer plants grown from seed live as indoor plants the less hardy they will be when finally planted outdoors. For this reason you should only start to grow plants indoors from seed at a time of year when you will be able to move them outside as soon as they are ready. A general rule of thumb for transplanting seedlings outdoors is to wait until there are two sets of leaves on the main stalk, however you may want to allow the plants to become more established before placing in your garden. Wherever possible transplant the seedlings during the correct planting season in order to give them the best possible chance of survival.

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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr><td><img src="" /><td></tr><tr><td><td></tr></table> ]]> http://thegardenstem.com/growing-plants-from-seeds/feed/ 0 http://thegardenstem.com/planting-those-bulbs/ http://thegardenstem.com/planting-those-bulbs/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:47:16 +0000 admin http://thegardenstem.com/?p=34 Spring can be a particularly rewarding time of the year for a gardener. It is the time when all of those dormant bulbs start to burst through the ground with flashes of bright green foliage and vibrant flowers to create a colorful show of Spring and Summer flowers. However, there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure your bulbs don’t fizzle out and refuse to flower or even grow.

Choose the right bulbs to plant in your garden
All gardens weren’t created equal, and some varieties of bulbs will grow better than others in your garden depending on your region, soil type or light conditions. Rather than fighting nature, plant bulbs that will grow successfully in the natural conditions of your garden. If there are particular types of plants that you want to grow from bulbs that will not survive in your garden, don’t despair as you may be able to grow them in containers indoors.

Be daring in in your bulb planting
Different varieties of bulbs will flower at different times of the year, and there are endless heights, colors and styles of flowers to choose from. Unlike other types of plants, many bulbs will tolerate being planted quite closely together, allowing you to create tightly packed beds of flowers. Plant bulbs that will grow in “waves” around your garden, with new flowers appearing as other varieties begin to die away. This way you can replace the empty spaces with annuals and bedding plants. Or choose to plant bulbs that will stagger their flowers throughout the year, letting you enjoy continuous color with minimal effort. Choose similar tones for a soothing themed garden, or opt for shocking neons and bold color combinations for a more modern and vibrant show.

Soil condition
Bulbs like rich, loose soil that offers good drainage. If your garden is made up of a clay soil, or tends to get waterlogged try digging in some mulch, sand or other organic matter to improve it’s conditions. If your topsoil really isn’t in great condition it might be easier to create raised beds for planting bulbs. The good news is that your soil does not have to be particularly rich in nutrients for new bulbs, as they are natural food stores. You will not need to add any fertilizer to where you plant bulbs until after their first blooming season.

Depth of bulb planting
Be careful not to plant bulbs too deeply, where shoots will struggle to reach the top of the soil before becoming delicate or damaged. Each variety of bulb will need to be planted at a specific depth, so read the labels on your bulbs carefully. Be sure to always store bulbs with their labels, as it is often impossible to tell the type or color of a plant from the bare bulb.

Ensure repeat performance
When the flowers have started to fade don’t be too quick to cut back the dying foliage. Bulb plants need to stock up on energy for their next growing season, and they get this energy from the sun through their leaves. To make sure you get the best blooms from your bulb planting next year, let the foliage turn brown before cutting it back.

Remember, if you have a particularly beautiful plant that you want to show off from all the others, you can always plant it in a container and showcase it in that “very” special place

You will find a significant variety of choices for containing your compost  MANTIS® ComposT-Twin – for a continuous supply of compost! Free Activator and Guide to Composting. One-year money-back guarantee..Many people like to go binless, simply building a compost pile in a convenient spot on the ground. Others build bins from materials like recycled pallets, or two-by-fours and plywood. And, of course,there are lots of commercial bins on the market.

Composting isn’t a new idea. In the natural world, composting what happens as leaves accumulate on the forest floor and begin to decay. Eventually, the rotting leaves are returned into the soil, where living roots can finish the recycling process by reclaiming the nutrients from the decomposed leaves. Composting could be at the bottom of agriculture also. Some scientists have speculated that as early peoples dumped food wastes in piles near their camps, the wastes rotted and were terrific habitat for seeds of any food plants that sprouted there. Perhaps people began to realize that these dumps were good places for food crops to grow, and began sowing seeds there intentionally. Today, using composting to turn organic wastes into valuable resources is expanding rapidly in the United States and in other countries, as landfill space becomes scarce and expensive,people are becoming more conscious of the impacts they’ve having on the environment.

You may help with the ‘composting revolution’ by composting your own yard and kitchen wastes at your home. For those who have a large yard, you may prefer the convenience of composting in a three-bin system out by the back fence. Cities and towns can promote composting through home composting education efforts and the collection of yard wastes for large-scale composting. Whatever your style of composting, there’s plenty of room to get involved!

There are so many wonderful things to use in your outdoor space its hard to find a place to start.  Coming up with Your Own Cool Garden Decor Ideas It is not all that easy to always come up with your own cool garden decor idea. In fact, most people are going to need a little help with their garden decorating. It is a good thing that it is easy to find a cool garden decor idea on our site that can be used as inspiration to you! There are a few places that you can get some fantastic garden decor ideas and probably the best place is our website Cool Garden Things.com. You will find hundreds of sites on the internet that will all have a great garden decor idea or two for you to look at. It is important, however, that you put some thought and consideration into the garden decor of your yard, both in the front and in the back, so finding the perfect garden decor idea is essential to your overall look. Surly, also, you’ll want something cool. You should start by taking a walk around your property in order to get a good sense of what you want to do and what can be done.

More and more people are enjoying hot tubs all year.  Hot Tubs at the Lowest Prices, Guaranteed. Buy Now for Free Shipping & No Sales Tax. If your doing a large decorating and landscaping design project, see how the drainage is and check out the slopes and levels of your property. If you are doing a smaller project, check the angles and views from windows and surrounding tress, existing shrubs and flower beds and your homes natural curb appeal. This way you will be able to tell if the landscaping affects your garden decor idea and is right for you home. The more you notice the easier things will be. It would be terrible to choose a garden decorating and landscape project, start the work, only to find that it cannot be completed halfway through or looks funny due to some aspect of your property. This is why you need to find out all that you can about each garden decor idea that you are contemplating. And before you choose the final garden decor idea that you are going to go with, take a little extra time to learn the basics of garden decorating. This is imperative if you have never done any work like this before. Our site offers many colorful and decorative options for you to choose from, no matter your choosen color palette. If you are new to the whole world of garden decoration and accessories then you might want to take out a book or two from the library, zoom over to Amazon or simply review our site, Cool Garden Things.com for some great decorative pieces if that is what your after. This way you can get great ideas quickly. There is a lot of knowledge to be gained from reading some good garden decor books, you might even find a great garden decor idea or two in them (I’m sure you will). If you know that you want to change the garden decor in your front yard and your back yard then you need to use a garden decor idea that will incorporate both of these. Your front and back yards should flow together, this will give you the best possible design so look at a garden decorating idea that will give you this kind of harmony and you will have a better yard for it. For wonderful garden decor and inspiration in your home and garden decorating vist CoolGardenThings.com

Perhaps best known to be grown for their use in cooking and medicine, herbs such as sage, thyme, mint and basil are often found in kitchen gardens. Fresh herbs offer a delightful depth of taste and fragrance to many dishes and there is a huge sense of satisfaction in using home grown herbs in your cooking. As well as the standard stock of herbs, look for more unusual types such as lemon sage or chocolate mint which can provide subtle differences in recipes, guaranteed to set your dishes apart from the rest! Once you start exploring the culinary possibilities of growing and using your own herbs you are unlikely to ever return to relying on store bought dried varieties.

When planting herbs indoors, ensure that they are kept somewhere bright, with enough drainage. Like any other small potted plant they will need watering regularly to keep from drying out, but the container must allow for excess water to drain away to prevent the root systems from rotting. Lemon verbena, parsley, chives and rosemary are all herbs that can thrive indoors if cared for properly.

Herb gardens can be a source of beautiful flowers as well as flavours. Herbs such as lavender, anise, chives and yarrow all produce abundant displays of flowers at certain times of the year and can fill your garden with color and fragrance. Some herbs will need to be replaced each year, while others will live and grow indefinitely. Before planting, learn about each herb that you want to use to find out how best to cultivate it.

Like most plants, herbs will grow in relation to the size of the space available to them, meaning that they will stay compact and small in containers but can develop into larger, shrubby plants if allowed to develop in a more open space. When well pruned and cared for, herbs can be a great way to add shape and foliage to your garden design. When planting herbs in your garden outdoors, think carefully about how you want them to grow into your overall plan for your garden. Although it can be tempting to plant a small potted lavender near the edge of your flower bed it can quickly overtake any other plants around it!

Herb gardens are a true thrill for the senses, and a wonderful addition to any garden.

Although annuals only survive one season, this doesn’t make them the flash-in-the-pan of the gardening world. Many annual plants have a long blooming period that can last several months. Even better, many flowering species will produce more blooms to replace any ones picked, allowing you to fill both your vases and your flower beds with their color and fragrance. Some annual plants, such as cosmos, larkspur and poppies, are self-sowing, meaning that although the original plant will die after it’s blooming cycle if allowed to go to seed new plants will reappear in your garden the next year. This can be an easy and affordable way to keep your favorite plants in your garden year after year and is a great way to fill larger borders. Many gardeners choose to allow these plants to spread their seeds to create natural looking beds full of colorful wildflowers. If you find that you don’t want a particular annual, be sure to remove all flowers from the plant before it goes to seed.

If you don’t have enough space in your garden to plant a variety of plants designed to come into bloom at all times of the year, then annuals are a great way to keep your garden full of life regardless of the season. Annuals lend themselves well to life as container or bedding plants, where they can flourish for a season before being dug up and replaced for the next season. Smaller annual plants such as marigolds and zinnias offer bright, cheery blooms in the summer months, after which you can plant annuals that bloom during cooler months, for example pansies and cornflowers.

Annual plants flourish when given a little more TLC than perennials. Planting annuals in well mulched soil full of organic compost with encourage stronger blooms, as will frequently removing dead flower heads. Directgardening.com offers one of the easiest ways to plan a garden. Simply select from one of the many Pre Planned Gardens . This will also help to keep your plants looking tidy and fresh. Annual plants die after they germinate, so pinching off the flowers as they fade will often prolong their lifespan. Annuals can also be quite thirsty plants, requiring up to an inch of water per week, so make sure that they are watered regularly.

From big and bold blooms such as alysum and morning glories to smaller, more delicate violas and sweet peas, annuals allow you to change the look of your garden each year.

and keeping thirsty plants happy and healthy.   Free Shipping on any purchase over $25 However, the exception to this rule is areas that are shaded by the canopy of a large, established tree. In this case, the tree may use up most of the water and nutrients of the surrounding soil, so you will need to add extra compost as well as water regularly to keep both the tree and any competing plants healthy. Another consideration for shade gardens beneath trees or larger shrubs are the dead leaves in fall. While these leaves are great food for plants, it is better to gather and mulch them before re-spreading around your plants to prevent a solid mat from forming over the soil and stopping new shoots and flowers from coming through.

If your shade garden is also dry, then plants face a double challenge. Hostas, foxgloves and daylilies will all fare well in areas with little light or water,Click here for premium Lilies from Brecks however it is important to remember that the more help you can give your shade garden plants, the better they will thrive. Make sure you

fully understand both the soil quality, water content and type of shade (partial or full, light or dense) before beginning to plant plants. Gardening is an ongoing process, and the shade and soil conditions will change with the seasons, so try to keep a record of how much direct sunlight your shade garden gets at different times of the year.  Free $25 off any order of $50 or more at Brecks Bulbs

One advantage of a shade garden is that you don’t need to worry about scorched leaves or fast-fading flowers so more delicate varieties such as columbine and roses may do well in a shade garden if you live in a hotter region. Many plants that are often used in full sun gardens will also tolerate shade surprisingly well. Hostas and lilies are two perfect examples of plants that will shine in even the shadiest of places. These plants have rich foliage and bright flowers, giving an almost tropical feel to dark areas that can be complemented with feathery ferns and English Ivy for a lush green shade garden with plenty of color and visual interest.

When selecting plants for your shade garden, pay careful attention to  just what degree of shade they will tolerate. Some plants will do well in light to moderate shade, but will not survive in areas that do not get any direct sunlight. Read up about the plant varieties that you wish to use, as careful shade garden plan will prevent disappointing results or dying plants.

There are a huge variety of perennial plants,DirectGardening.com – Offers quality plants at great prices, come see what we mean!! and the different types can play many roles in your garden. Larger perennial plants such as hydrangeas can be used to provide long lasting blooms and year round foliage in spaces at the back of your flower beds. Fall planting bulbs at BloomingBulb.com. Up to 60% off! Vines such as honeysuckle or clematis can disguise your garden fence, while you can fill your flower beds with a dazzling display of foxgloves, lilies, roses and other perennials that are known for their blooms. Even the smallest of spaces can be treated to yearly appearances from low growing perennial plants such as primroses and geraniums.

It is worth taking some time to carefully plan your perennial garden, as each species of plant will flower at different times of the year.  Free $25 off any order of $50 or more at Brecks Bulbs Planting perennial bulbs such as tulips, crocus, and bluebells will give your perennial garden color from early Spring, while the warmer, sunnier months of summer are the time for perennials such as roses, daylilies and astilbe to take centre stage. Many of these long blooming perennials make wonderful cut flowers. As Autumn creeps in, making sure you have some hardier perennials such as asters, goldenrod and monkshood will keep flowers in your garden after most annual plants have faded. If you live in a more temperate climate, many perennials will continue to bloom year round.

Perennial gardens often take less maintenance than other types of gardens, due to their self-sufficiency, however some perennial plants will need a little care to keep them in peak condition. Herbaceous perennials in particular, do best when they are cut back

after their foliage has died at the end of their flowering season. Knowing when and where to chop is key to getting the best from the plant in the following year.

Selecting the right plants for each part of your garden will ensure that they thrive. Think about which areas of your garden get the most sun and which areas are more shady, as well as the way that water drains and sits through the areas that you want to plant. There are no “bad” or “good” areas of perennials in general- you simply have to select the right variety of the conditions. Hostas will thrive in damp, shady corners, while Sedums will tolerate even the driest of sunspots.  Buy Any AeroGarden and Save $10 on an AeroGarden 3 If you are short of space, choose perennial plants with a compact shape, such as alpines, begonias or primroses. These perennials are also ideal for containers, and will do well in most conditions.When taken care of properly, perennial gardens can bring you joy for many years to come.