A garden is much more than just ‘landscaping’. Anyone can enjoy this hobby from an amateur to someone with a very green thumb. It plays a significant part in a gardener’s life by bringing calmness, accomplishment and a connection to nature. You will improve your skills and feel closely connected to your garden.
When mowing your lawn, be careful not to cut the grass too far down. If you leave some of the grass when you mow, the roots grow further into the ground, which makes the grass less prone to drying and other hazards. The shorter the grass, the shallower the roots, which makes the lawn more likely to develop brown patches.
Do some research to find out the best time for harvesting your vegetables. Each variety of vegetable has a specific time to be harvested so that you may enjoy its fullest flavor. Veggies such as zucchini or baby peas, for instance, taste their best if they get picked young. Plant winter vegetables at the right time for a sweeter flavor. To get the most out of your horticulture efforts, find out when to harvest your crops.
Put together a calendar for planning your garden. Using a calendar to schedule planting makes picking out varieties easier. It can prepare you in advance so you know what to purchase and when. Create a calendar on paper, or download one from the internet.
When tending a vegetable garden, you might find that pest control is a bit difficult. Since you are growing the vegetables for your own consumption, you want to stay away from pesticides. So to help you control the pests that may invade your garden, you will want to stay vigilant. If you find any unwanted pests, try removing them by hand.
Baking Soda
If powdery mildew appears on your plants, don’t purchase expensive chemical solutions. A great home remedy is to mix baking soda with water and a little bit of liquid soap. This solution can be sprayed onto your plants once per week until the problem is resolved. Baking soda treats the mildew effectively and gently and it won’t damage your plants.
Some bees, like bumble bees, pollinate your plants and are beneficial to your garden. Learn to recognize the good bees from the ones you do not want to see in your garden, such as carpenter bees. In general, bees are beneficial to your garden, so the best thing to do is to let them be so they can do their job.
Purchase plants that have beautiful autumn colors. It’s common for deciduous shrubs, vines, and trees to wait for autumn to show off their beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. The production of chlorophyll is stopped since the sun does not shine as much as during the summer, and other pigments appear to replace the green color. Make sure your plants get as much sun as possible so they can give more vivid colors. Chestnuts, maples, Boston Ivy, barberries, and burning bush are all breeds that produce impressive fall displays.
If you find yourself in love with mint leaves, but not with how they dominate a garden, read on. Instead of planting mint in your garden, keep it in a large container or pot to prevent it from spreading. This container can be placed in the soil if you prefer the look of mint in your garden, and it will continue to contain the roots of your mint and prevent it from taking over.
Try planting some heather to draw beautiful insects to your yard. Bees like it because it gives them nectar in the springtime. Heather doesn’t usually require a lot of tending, so spiders, ground beetles and other good bugs like to call it home. Keep this in mind and remember to always wear appropriate horticulture gloves.
Get more plants by cutting the roots of existing plants. Cutting roots should be done in the winter while the plant is dormant. Take off the biggest roots with a sharp blade. Then, slice the roots up into two inch long parts. Using a combination of moistened peat and grit, fill your seed tray and place the cuttings on top of the soil mixture. Cover thinly with grit and peat. Allow them to sit in a cool spot for 30 days, and new seedlings will emerge. Plant the seedlings separately in small containers until they are large enough to be planted outdoors.
Flower Beds
Use biennials and annuals to beautify your flower beds. These fast growth plants make flower beds vibrant, and they let you alter the appearance seasonally and annually. If there are gaps between the perennials and shrubs you have planted in a sunlit area, try filling those gaps with annuals and biennials. Some varieties are hollyhocks, petunias and sunflowers.
Use the above tips to revitalize your garden. The joy of watching your plants grow and blossom will make you happy to have tried. Horticulture is a way of relieving stress and making the world a prettier place so go out and start growing things and bringing life back to the world.