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Top 10 gardening tips

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:23:21 -0600

It is important to make sure, before you begin work on your garden, that you know how to treat plants, keep surroundings safe for plants and maintain your garden. Below are ten gardening tips:

If you are a beginner you can pay attention to garden magazines and books. These will point you to the correct equipment to buy. Garden furniture and equipment is available at retailers like Argos and also online retailers like amazon.co.uk and from independent sellers who specialise in selling garden equipment, at a cheaper price, usually on sites like eBay.

Plan out your garden before you start, this follows on from following tips from these books and magazines. You can design your garden and visualise in your mind how you want it to look. Need some considerations such as plant height, proximity to water source and sun‘s position.

The soil should be good enough to allow roots to grow. A large quantity of water is needed in the soil to allow the roots to develop properly and plants to grow well. It is important to know that different plants need different soil types. You can water them the normal way or harvest rain water. This can hydrate plants at the same time as reducing your water bills. Rain water can be stored using special water accumulating containers.
It is best also to protect from garden pests. This can be done by using pesticides to keep pests from damaging plant life in your garden or disrupting any local wildlife.

It is important to water your garden on a regular basis. This may be basic but is essential for plant survival. You may have an automatic watering system that can keep your garden fresh by sprinkling water over your plants.

You should also try to attract local wildlife to your garden. For example, you could buy a bird house and bird food or plant an area of wildflower seeds to make your garden more wildlife friendly.

Use fertilisers to give plants the essential nutrients they need and make your plants grow strong and healthy as a result. It is best to regularly apply fertilisers to maintain steady growth of your plants. Without fertilisers your plants will not grow as fast as you want them to.

There needs to be a good degree of weed control in your garden. Weeds are an untidy burden that takes up any space that can be found in your garden. They also steal nutrients of other plants in your garden. You need to regularly cut weeds to make sure they do not keep growing bigger.

Drainage is also an important gardening tip. You will need to add holes to the bottom of the plant container as without the proper soil drainage the water can remain in the pot and the roots will rot as a result.

The final tip is to generally aim to maintain your garden. By maintaining your garden and taking a bit of pride in it such as planting new seeds, attractive new plants, a water feature or stepping stones for example, you may feel that an attractive garden is a motive for making your garden worth maintaining.

These ten gardening tips are easy to follow. It is best to be aware of the basics and how to look after plants and keep your garden preserved through all seasons.

Choosing the right safety equipment when using petrol hedge trimmers

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:27:28 -0600

It is always important when using garden and DIY tools like the petrol hedge trimmers to be aware of the safety equipment that needs to be worn and that you need to be careful when cutting your hedges. Owners of a petrol hedge trimmer need to read the instruction guide carefully and make sure they know how to use one, and all the safety guidelines that are involved. Another key thing to establish early is not to have any distractions as this could both be off putting and potentially dangerous to yourself and those around you. Therefore, the customer needs to be aware of several types of safety equipment and these include:

Hand guards shield both sides of front and rear handle. These hand guards are plastic. This is safe as it prevents the user from touching the blade as well as protecting hands from cuttings from the hedges or anything which may fall out of the hedges in between.

Safety goggles are needed because of the possibility of flying objects when cutting the hedge. It is important, even for people who wear spectacles, to wear goggles as they completely protect your eyes from these flying pieces. Safety goggles should really be the first port of call as it is more than likely that hedges when cut by the petrol hedge trimmer will be flying off all over the place.

Ear protectors help protect your hearing from the loudness of the petrol hedge trimmer; it makes more noise than its electric counterpart, so it is important to protect your hearing.

There are also safety locks that help protect you when it has stopped running, so therefore stops you from accidentally setting it off. The throttle lock switch is a safety lock that prevents accidental throttle lock engagement. This means you cannot accidentally set it off by brushing against it, as the throttle lock protects you and the machine. This is also quite demanding on your hands so anti-vibration protection protects you from hand fatigue.

There are also other safety equipment and general concerns which need to be kept in mind. The blade lock prevents the blade from moving when the engine is moving, preventing possibility of serious injury. This is done by a lever on the handle on the rear of the trimmer. In general the customer needs to make sure the engine has stopped before the blades can be cleaned. It is very dangerous if the engine is still running and you decide to touch the blades - even if you think you have stopped the engine double check before attempting to clean the blades.

When using a petrol hedge trimmer you also need to make sure that everything is out of the way, you do not want anything loose as it could disrupt the machine. In some cases you may also need to use a stepladder. These need to be kept safe and safely attached when assembled especially when getting to high hedges.

It is important therefore to be aware of choosing the right safety equipment when using a petrol hedge trimmer. You need eye and ear protection and strong and supported ladders to cut particularly high hedges, you need to know where all the safety areas on the handle are and undertake hedge trimming in a quiet and focused environment.

DYI Greenhouses For Healthy Plants

Mon, 09 May 2011 03:12:26 -0600

The concept of a greenhouse actually got it's start during the Roman era. Like many other pioneering accomplishments that included the aqueduct, bath houses, and basic sanitation, the concept of propagating plant life indoors was a Roman discovery. Emperor Tiberius was a fan of the cucumber vegetable. HIs gardeners would plant the cucumbers in in pots so they could sun during the day and then would take the plants indoors during the night to a temperature controlled environment to keep them warm. After Roman civilization, the greenhouse concept took root (no pun intended) in latter day Italy and spread to northern Europe, including Great Britain and Holland. Back then the concept was still in its infancy and underwent many technological upgrades over a few centuries to correct the deficiencies that plagued earlier greenhouses. The most obvious problem naturally was controlling the internal environment. Keeping consistent warmth thorough the day and night was a challenge for early horticulturists and thus climate control required underwent much trial and error. It wasn't until the 1800's that greenhouses finally produced consistent results. During this period, many famous horticultural structures were constructed. Among those included the Royal Botanic Kew Gardens in London and The Winter Gardens in the Champs Elysees in Paris

That is the basic history of the greenhouse. Now, let's look at what makes a green house work. Greenhouses can be constructed with glass or plastic supported by a metal or steel lattice structure. Simply put, in the morning, the transparent greenhouse aborts UV rays from the sun thereby heating the indoor environment. During this event, the basics of physics kick in and warm air rises, gradually expanding to the top of the dome or ceiling. As this process continues, the air becomes lighter, and cooler air is brought inside the greenhouse and, thus, the cycle starts over again. This continued pattern throughout the day keeps the greenhouse in a state of equilibrium and acts kind of like a see-through convection oven. This process allows the greenhouse to stay warm in the evening despite, perhaps, cooler conditions outside.

Now that our physics lesson is complete, let's explore the possibility of building and maintaining your own greenhouse. While you can go to the expense of erecting a steel framework with glass panels and high-tech equipment, most people can't afford nor have the room for such a structure. For those who are horticultural enthusiasts and want an easy to construct, affordable greenhouse, there are many kits available. You can go with a small version which is that size of a suitcase and weighs around five pounds, or go to a larger version which has the same characteristics of a modern greenhouse. Typically, these kits, after constructed, contain about 160 square feet of floor area for your plant needs and is setup with the proper ventilation components to provide the optimal internal environment day and night for your plants. There are many resources and online stores available to further your knowledge and assist you in your purchase. However, just make sure that the materials which comprise your greenhouse are durable, because by definition, the greenhouse is meant to be outdoors and must withstand mother nature.

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Growing Fruit's and Veggie's Indoors

Sat, 07 May 2011 19:22:50 -0600

There is something special about being able to grow your own fruits and vegetables inside your home. The reason for this is simple: it's not just a cool idea to be able to grow stuff in a spare bedroom or closet, but it also means that those who don't have access to a garden are able to grow their own produce with relative ease. In this time when people have to put off their dream of moving to a home with a full backyard due to the issues with the economy, being able to grow your own produce with commercial lights is always a good thing to have in your back pocket. And for those of you who are putting it off because you think it's going to be some sort of a struggle, well, you'll be shocked at how easy it actually is to pull off.

So how can you grow your own fruits and vegetables without having an outdoor garden? It's pure science, actually. If you think about it, fruits and vegetables all need the same things in order to properly grow: soil, water, and light. The soil and the water are the easiest things to pull off. All you need when it comes to soil is a brand that has the right kind of nutrients, and a pot or planter that is big enough for the roots to properly grow out. In terms of water, you just need to make sure that you give the plant enough, but not too much, so that it has the best chance to grow to its full potential.

The light is where it may get a little bit confusing. The reason why most outdoor plants aren't able to grow indoors is because of the type of light it gets. The nutrients that it gets from typical indoor light does not match the kind that it gets through the rays of the sun. With that in mind, you need to get a commercial light that mimics the type of light that a plant would naturally get from the sun, thus giving it the nutrients that it needs to grow. You can find dozens of different lights out there that will match your specific needs.

You can find hundreds of shops online that can help you find exactly what you need for your indoor garden, from lights, to power supplies, to containers, to watering systems. You will be surprised at just how much there is out there to help you get your indoor garden up and working.

February the month of love and indoor flowering

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 10:23:00 -0700

It is a known fact that the month of February is unofficially dubbed the month for love due to the nationwide celebrated holiday Valentine's Day. This day every year individuals are to recognize their loved ones and shower them in gifts typically including flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals, or dining at a fine restaurant.

With little money available for my significant other, it was known that little could be afforded in the gift giving department. Thus a creative and unique idea developed. Late the year prior at the beginning of winter, it was decided upon that investing in commercial lighting would be an intelligent financial venture. Being a somewhat novice in the gardening department, the idea was initially formed by wanting to grow fruits and vegetables year round without the hassle of having to deal with the harsh cold winters, and the below freezing temperatures.

After having installed the finest garden bollards and ballast kits, the ripest and juiciest vegetables and fruits were grown in the middle of winter. It had truly made the difference in fresh fruit salads and treasuring the crispest lettuce in salads. It made for the perfect strategic gardening move for a novice in venturing into growing produce. Before long, another thought had come to mind with the quickly approaching romantic holiday. Could it be possible to not only grow fruits and vegetables, but also gorgeous and beautiful flowers such as roses indoors? By investing in top-of-the-line flowering bulbs from a reputable online retailer, the task was set for achieving the perfect bunch of flowers grown indoors for a first-time indoor gardener.

Once some time had passed it was unbelievable the results. With a little dedication and small amounts of hard work beautiful red roses had bloomed. The timing could not have been more perfect. The month of February had just arrived and the newly grown roses had made the ultimate Valentine's Day gift for a loved one. Once they were received, the thought of knowing the hard working and dedication that had gone to growing the very previous flowers, made the gift more one-of-a-kind and thoughtful.

Overall, indoor gardening had become a new hobby as well as quite an investment. With the money saved in purchasing produce as well as small gifts for certain holidays such as Valentine's Day, birthdays and anniversaries, the journey of becoming an indoor gardening has been fruitful and promising.

What you need to know before installing a new Greenhouse

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 11:07:13 -0700

Most people planning to have a greenhouse in their garden should consider the following suggestions.

Many people have an interest in growing plants, vegetables and creating a green house for green living. Within a green house, you can create a good environment your own environment. Notably - there are different types of greenhouses that can be installed... But for every type, you need some kind of specialist material to have the right environment. You have to two options, you can build greenhouse on your own, or you can buy a greenhouse from those companies who offer greenhouses for sale.
You have to look for the some sort of greenhouse accessories to build or to buy a green house.
First you have to look for the floor. For green house, the floor should be bad for the pests... You have to buy a concrete floor, concrete slabs, and wooden slats. The greenhouse needs hinged roof ventilation for a good air flow, additional ventilators along with the sides are important.

You can also search for the Automatic ventilators which open when the temperatures increases in the greenhouse. If the green house is a rain free location, and if you are in the planning stage for greenhouse, then it will be easy for watering. You can use water can with the nozzle attached to a hose, or by an automatic watering method. If you have greenhouse already, then you also you can think to set up an automatic watering system by connecting with the outdoor water systems. If you like to begin with the container plants, then you have to prepare shelves, benches, or staging are important for the effective greenhouse. A quality thermometer is very important to check the temperatures. You can get either traditional or mercury type. A heated propagation tray is good method for green house. To start the green house process, you are needed to get some equipment and materials.

Your option is also based up on your interest to use the greenhouse.

How Green Retaining Walls Can Add Value To Your Home

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:54:14 -0600

Your home is your fortress, your castle. Castles are traditionally surrounded by moats. A moat adds protection from invaders. It is a beautiful body of water for fish to swim in, and for frogs to hop from Lilly pad to Lilly pad. The thought of adding a moat to surround your home must sound like a surrealist dream, and in 2010 it probably is. But what about instead of a ring of water fortifying your home, a living wall was able to serve the same purpose?

A living wall is a retaining wall that is covered with real, live vegetation. The wall's support structure and the plants covering it actually form a symbiotic relationship, supporting and enhancing each other's function. The roots of the vegetation grow back into the structure, tying the support modules together, and adding overall strength to the wall itself. While at the same time the wall's modules actually enhance the plant's ability to grow by regulating thermal swings and creating a natural windbreak.

By replacing your standard retaining wall with a green retaining wall, you can increase the value of your home and the pleasure you derive from it. Imagine that a bed of lush foliage or indigenous ivy suddenly replaces the unsightly concrete barrier that surrounds your home.

Some of the benefits of green retaining walls include:

Reducing storm water runoff
Reducing disruption of existing vegetation
Fostering on-site nutrient take-up
Creating urban habitats and gardens

The flexibility of your living wall is only constrained by the limitations of your area's climate and growing season. By carefully balancing your desired look with what is able to grow on the wall, you can set your green retaining wall up for the highest likelihood for success. Since there is no limit to your living wall's height, provided proper reinforcement and soil condition, you can build amazing vertical gardens any where on your property.

Choosing a living wall is a sustainable decision that can earn your existing home valuable LEED credits that can qualify you for tax breaks. Not only that, but green retaining walls can use half as much concrete as traditional segmented retaining walls, while providing a better coverage ratio per module. By converting hardscapes to greenscapes, you not only save money, but you beatify your home while reconnecting with nature in a way only real living wall can.

Give your garden a makeover for spring

Wed, 26 May 2010 23:41:16 -0600

For many people, their garden is the biggest ‘space' in the home - and one that's ripe for investment. There's been a host of garden makeover shows offering grand and sometimes downright crazy ideas, so what's the best way to get a patch that adds value to your property?

We sent a welly wearing reporter to speak to Diarmuid Gavin, the curly-haired "enfant terrible" of the gardening world. He's made a career out of transforming other people's gardens for the enjoyment of millions of TV viewers.

So heed his advice: "People don't want a screaming individualist garden. If you're looking at it as an investment, keep it nice and simple with clean, contemporary lines, simple materials and planting that doesn't look like it's going to take an awful lot of time or money to maintain."

Trial and error

Diarmuid, who's credited for shaking up the traditionally conservative world of horticulture, is the first to admit he's not always practised what he now preaches. "I had a horrific accident when we were doing the Home Front series and decided to pour 50 tonnes of concrete into a garden," he recalls.

"I would wake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat thinking about that job and then arrive at the garden and convince the family it was going to be beautiful and great and knowing in my heart that it wasn't, it was a mess. But you learn from your mistakes."

Home Front

Diarmuid knows that programmes such as Home Front have contributed massively to the upsurge in enthusiasm for outdoor living. "There's been a huge explosion in gardening," he says. "When I was at college, it would have been very unusual to focus on garden design. You had to be a jack-of-all-trades, able to design gardens, build them and then maintain them. Now the profession has moved on as there's such a demand for people to design the exterior as well as the inside of their property."

Do your own thing

He's willing to take some credit for helping homeowners make the best use of their outdoor space though. "I think we've shown people you can appreciate lots of garden styles and don't have to create gardens that fit in with the Jones's."

"There are a lot of plants we weren't able to grow in the past but, as the weather's getting better, we can. It's now about enjoying a huge amount of freedom and fun."

So, what does he see as the next big thing for amateur gardeners? "The current trend is certainly in herbaceous plants and getting back to the craft of gardening," says Diarmuid. Growing your own vegetables is also an expanding activity and the sale of vegetable seeds has now overtaken those of flowers. "Vegetable growing is becoming madness," he laughs.

Searching for a secret

Although still a familiar face on TV, most of his time is spent on his landscape business, Diarmuid Gavin Designs. "We work on about 50 gardens a year all over the world, whether they're ongoing projects in the office or relatively instant small solutions to town gardens," he says.

"I'll meet the client so I can interpret what they want but then, rather than sitting down at a drawing board, I wait for the idea to come to me. I'm looking for the garden's secret - every garden has one. When I feel I have something to work with, I sit down with an illustrator and we put together a completed garden theme from my few sketches in a notebook."

These days family life has mellowed Diarmuid's wild streak, but he's no less passionate about his subject. "I adore spring, which we seem on a relentless march towards," he says. "Every time you go into the garden, there's something new to look at. It's a time full of hope and excitement."

Vegetable gardens delivered to local schools

Fri, 14 May 2010 01:03:29 -0600

Fifty primary schools in the four counties are now planting up their baby vegetables, courtesy of farm insurance firm Cornish Mutual, based in Truro and Exeter, which is supporting the campaign launched earlier this year by well-known TV gardening expert Charlie Dimmock.

Each school successfully drawn from dozens of entries, has taken delivery of a Rocket Garden including vegetables such as lettuce, green beans, leeks, carrots, tomatoes, courgettes and potatoes.

Backed by rural insurer Cornish Mutual, ‘Dig Down South West' is helping children across the region to learn about the source of their food, grow their own produce and understand the benefits of living a more sustainable and healthier lifestyle. The initiative will create 50 vegetable gardens in primary schools and encourage children, between the ages of five and eight, to take an active interest in gardening.

Katharine Edwards, parent governor at Devoran School, near Truro, Cornwall said: "The children had some great excitement as their garden arrived in school. We have a gardening club each week and individual class projects and the gardening club have been busy clearing our two large vegetable beds and a separate planter ready to plant these seedlings. We really are grateful for the opportunity to tend these plants and watch the vegetables grow."

Andy Wookey from Wedmore First School in Somerset added: "The children took great delight in unpacking the vegetables and have already started to plant the contents of the box. We look forward to watching our new arrivals grow and hopefully harvest the fruits of our labours."

Fiona Owen at St. Margaret's School, Torquay, Devon commented: "WOW!!!!!! These are wonderful plants. The children and I had great fun un-packing them - they were enthralled. We are waiting for compost to be delivered but have had two lovely new planters built in our orchard all ready for the new arrivals. Let's hope we manage to produce some wonderful veg!"

David Dorrell, Deputy Head teacher at Lytchett Matravers Primary School, near Poole, Dorset added: "As a school we're really supportive of any initiative that helps to promote healthy eating and encourages children to have a better understanding of where their food comes from. We're delighted to be a part of the ‘Dig Down South West' campaign and have begun to develop our own school allotment for growing vegetables and fruit."

Alan Goddard, Managing Director of Cornish Mutual, said: "It's absolutely fantastic that we're getting so much positive feedback from the schools involved in ‘Dig Down South West'. We're delighted to be helping children across the region grow their own vegetables as part of this initiative. It's encouraging to hear that the youngsters have been enthused by the delivery of their gardens and that they're getting started on planting the vegetables at school."

For more information about ‘Dig Down South West', advice on growing produce and interactive puzzles and games for children, visit their website

Why you don't need a shed to keep your garden looking tidy

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:48:07 -0600

If your garden or backyard isn't quite large enough to take a shed - or if your existing shed is no longer sufficient to contain all of your clutter - then its time to take a look at other garden storage options. From wooden garden units to plastic storage boxes, there are plenty of options out there that can provide an economical way to keep the area looking neat and tidy while keeping your tools and garden equipment rust free.

Not that you have to keep garden-related items in them, of course - garden storage units can be used to house whatever suits your needs best, from bulky sporting equipment to bicycles.

And just because they're smaller than sheds doesn't mean that they have to be any less secure. Not only will garden storage units keep your possessions organised, but they'll also keep them safe. Larger wooden storage units tend to come installed with a traditional lock and key system, while many of the plastic garden boxes are available with padlock systems.

It's potentially not just your garden unit that you'll be keeping safe; garden tools are often used by opportunistic burglars to break into houses, so by keeping yours safely locked away you'll actually reduce the chance that your home is targeted for theft. Making sure that potentially dangerous garden equipment and tools are packed away after use will also mean that they don't pose a hazard when children play in the garden.

Garden storage units come in a huge range of sizes and shapes, meaning that whatever the configuration of your garden you'll be able to find one that does the job you want. And while the larger wooden units are of a similar style, being almost mini-sheds, the smaller end of the market offers different options - such as a cabinet or chest style boxes.

If you're looking for an even more practical solution, there are also garden storage solutions that double up as garden furniture, offering excellent value for money and allowing you to further manage your garden space in an efficient manner.

All in all, garden storage is a no brainer for home owners who want to keep their property tidy. With a variety of sizes and styles on offer at reasonable prices, there's something out there for everyone.