Flowers Garden Plants

Container gardening is an excellent alternative to planting your own garden, as it can save on space and isn't as labor-intensive as a bed garden. The question often plaguing those who want to start a container garden is often "What kind of pot should I use?" The answer is very simple: Whatever you want!

An old soup pot, a can, an old shoe, a milk carton, the possibilities are endless! All that limits you is creativity and your imagination! Just be sure to put drain holes in your container of choice to let excess water drain out. If you don't, your plant could drown or become sick from the very moist soil which could allow harmful germs and bacteria to breed and infect your plant.

It something that nobody wants to happen, but must always be ready for: The falling of trees. Whether we like it or not, trees, like all living things, will eventually feel the grip of death. And when that happens, the results can be disastrous. Sometimes trees just fall because of the wind or on their own because of their sheer size and weight.

When something like this happens, it's best to let a professional deal with the tree and let him be the one to chop it up and take it away. If you do it yourself, the weight of the tree might shift because of your miscalculations and cause more damage to property or even life.

The best thing you can do in this event is to call your insurance firm and find out how your coverage can handle such a disastrous event.

This beautiful white-lined plant is as charming as its name. The Euphorbia marginata, commonly called Snow-on-the-Mountain, is an annual plant that seeds itself, and so is likely to be seen year in, year out in a well kept garden. Easily seen due to the distinctive white borders on its leaves, the Snow-on-the-Mountain can become quite the scene-stealer.

As the sap is corrosive, great care should be taken in handling this plant. It needs very little water, and can thrive in the poorest soil, provided that they have enough sunlight (full sun to a partial shade). Although they react well to fertilizer, doing so may discourage the growth of flowers later on in the fall.

This long-lived perennial is a plant that will become a fixture in your garden, not only because of its long lifespan, but also because of its beautiful flowers. Many hellebores are easy to hybridize, and this has resulted in many new colors and variations of the common hellebore.

One such variation, the Lenten rose, blooms with a rose-burgundy flower that attracts the eye the first time it blooms. Its bloom times range from mid-winter to mid spring, and they require light shade and have average water needs. This is a poisonous plant, so children should be educated that it is and avoid consumption of it.

Taken well care of, Hellebores can live a long time, some lasting as long as 15 years.

This is an excellent plant to place in the dry shade areas of your gardens. Dry shade often occurs in the areas around a tree, as the tree's shade will often prevent rainwater from falling to the ground and the roots of the tree don't make it any easier for smaller plants to take root in the dry shade, either.

Fortunately, there are plants that do well even in these minimal conditions. One such plant is the Calycanthus floridus, commonly known as the Carolina allspice, sweet shrub or Strawberry shrub. This hardy plant is a very fragrant plant, with its flowers, leaves and seeds exuding a sweet smell said to combine the scents of pineapple, strawberries and banana. The reddish-brown flowers bloom in May and soon give way to seeds that last the winter.

The Carolina allspice is a plant that requires very little water, care and sun to thrive, but in return gives back an excellent smelling flower to make your garden more than just eye candy.

For me, there's nothing more relaxing than hanging back and relaxing in my garden with a good cup of fresh-ground coffee. And as I recently discovered, coffee grounds can be beneficial to my garden as well! It seems that the stimulating effects of coffee on people translate pretty good to plants as well.

Old coffee grounds can be composted to give plants a nitrogen-rich compost ideal for growing plants. Even the grounds as is can be used to deter ants and plant mites from ravaging your plants. Just sprinkle them on the ground and they'll be protected from these pests. Earthworms just love coffee grounds, and they'll show their appreciation by helping keep your plants healthy. And although I haven't verified it myself, I've heard that plants grown with coffee grounds as compost or whatnot result in more vibrant and larger plants.

Ferns are probably the most idiot-proof plants around. They grow with very little maintenance, and their most special need is the requirement for light shade. Of course, being around for some 350 million years is sure to give you an edge in survival tactics.

Having some 12,000 varieties to choose from, ferns are among one of the easiest plants to grow. In fact, if you can't grow a fern, maybe it's time to hang up your hoe and quit gardening. Ferns come in many kinds, from the delicate Northern Lady fern to the leathery fronds of the Christmas fern.

Ferns have ben around for a very, very long time. They are survival specialists, and if they survived an ice age, they'll surely survive you.

This purple or white blooming perennial is a native of marshland, although surprisingly it can grow in many types of land, and is actually quite drought-resistant. This is a constant bloomer, justifying its inclusion in the perennial class of plants, especially in the summer.

The Liatris spicata, known commonly as Blazing Star, blooms a unique flower. The purple or white flowers are spiky and attract butterflies. Its grassy foliage, along with its other qualities definitely adds something special to a garden.

The Blazing Star grows best in well-drained soil and is a good outdoor plant, needing little maintenance for it to thrive.

Here's another houseplant that requires very little care for it to thrive, so even you can and should be able to take care of this hardy little plant. The Jade, or Crassula argentea, is a succulent style plant that can grow to nearly tree-sized proportions if taken care of properly.

It requires medium light to grow, so indirect sunlight will be enough for this plant to survive. Avoid putting it in dark corners. Water is not that great a requirement either, just keep the soil moist. This plant will grow into a very top-heavy plant, so it's wise to put it in a solid, stable pot that won't tip over easily.

Sod is an excellent way for a gardener to get some green in a hurry. Sod is like a carpet made of grass; you roll it out onto a patch of prepared land, like a carpet, then you water and take care of it like ordinary grass.

But before you lay down the sod, it's important to prepare the soil for it. Take the time to till in some fertilizer, cow manure or compost, to help the sod establish itself in its new home. When you begin laying down the sod, it's best to begin on the outside and work your way in, keeping them tightly packed.

When you're done, keep the grass well watered for a week, to help the plants get established. Keeping your feet off the grass for the first two weeks will go a long way in making your sod last.

Do you want a palm plant you can grow indoors? Then try out this most unusual of palms, the Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans).

What makes this palm so unusual is that unlike our common perception of palm plants or trees, it will not thrive under the sun, or direct sunlight. It prefers indirect sunlight or even artificial fluorescent light, but not complete darkness. It needs very little water, and will tolerate anything you can.

The Parlor Palm's tropical fronds will add a touch of the exotic in your home. As a very low maintenance houseplant, it will probably survive even your style of "hard love" when it comes to plants.

Do you want a no-frills, no muss, no fuss perennial plant? A plant that only requires water, and precious little else? Then why not plant a Turtlehead?

No, no, I don't mean literally take a turtle and plant it's head in the round. Turtleheads are the common name of one of the hardiest perennial flowers around, the Chelone lyonii. These tough little plants can survive almost anything and give out nice pink blooms when they flower. Just make sure they have enough water to keep their soil moist throughout the day.

They have been known to live long lives, and usually only attain their full size within 3-4 years of planting.

The Moss Rose, or the Portulaca grandiflora, is an annual plant known for its drought resistant qualities. It can grow in poor, sandy soil usually unsuitable for anything else but weeds. So why have weeds when you can have this beauty growing in that "dead" zone in your garden?

In fact, this annual is pretty much a "plant-it-and-forget-it" type of plant, needing little more than water to thrive. It’s beautiful, low growing blooms are open all summer long, and it is one of the self-seeding annual plants. So if you want a renewable plant in your garden, then the Moss Rose is the way to go.

If you see any of these small, green monsters in your garden, get rid of them immediately! These voracious little beasts will suck the life out of your beloved plants faster than a hungry kid with a slurpee.

These insects, called aphids, feed on the lifeblood of your plants and reproduce at an alarming rate, not even taking enough time to lay eggs; they bear live young unlike most insects. They will swarm a plant and can leave it drained an helpless, and then they will move on to the next one, and the process will start over again.

But all is not lost when these appear, as they can still be managed and even exterminated. repeated sprayings of streams of water or insecticidal soap are recommended ways to deal with them, but one effective way to deal with them is to introduce ladybird beetles in your garden. These insect eating machines will rid your garden of any aphid they can see and hunt, plus they look cute hanging around your garden as well.

Bonsai trees are full size trees, not miniature or dwarf trees, which are kept small due to constant pruning of its roots and crown. This keeps the tree at a manageable size and prevents it from becoming too large for its container.

As one can imagine, keeping and taking care of bonsai trees involves a lot of sweat and tears. One must constantly monitor the tree and keep it healthy, but not too healthy or it will grow too big, and maintain it enough just to keep the tree growing and alive at a stunted rate.

Maybe you've seen some of these miniature marvels at your local garden or have tried your hand at making them yourself. These little snapshots of nature are ideal for those who have little or no space to plant a full-size garden, or just want something to fiddle with when they can't go out and tinker about in their real gardens.

Much like the more famous bonsai trees, dish gardens are plants grown on a tray or plate and are usually meant to be an indoor plant due to the time and care needed to maintain them.

Taken care of well, dish gardens can provide its owner a beautiful centerpiece or an object of conversation.

We've discussed in vitro culture (in glass) for plants before, wherein plants are grown without soil, and more often than not in test tubes or glass dishes.

Today we shall discuss the concept of in vivo culture, which means "within the living," and this pretty much covers the rest of the types of gardening. Whether in soil, within other plants or whatnot, in vivo culture refers to the growing and cultivating of plants within their natural habitats. In research, in vivo is done to determine what the effect of introducing a new plant variety into a new environment will be.

Gardens are organic environments, and as expected, need organic substances to thrive and survive. Water and sunlight are good enough for some plants, but for newly planted plants, the application of a plant-growing substance is crucial to their survival (after their recovery from transplant shock, of course!).

For this end, the best substance you can give is one that's put out: Gardening manure. I know it sounds awful, but remember that most garden manure is already odorless and treated to ensure that it is as safe to handle as possible. Manure contains many of the essential elements plants need to grow, something that the soil has a difficult time providing.

So, if you want a successful garden, you shouldn't be afraid to get your hands dirty.

The value of aeration for a lawn cannot be stressed enough. Aeration loosens up compact soil and prevents the formation of thatch, not to mention that it lets the soil "breathe," so to speak, and revitalizes a lawn. Unfortunately, having professionals do this for you will cost you a whole new garden! But you just can't leave the soil unaerated. So what are you going to do?

Simple. Just get a pair of those lawn aerator sandals, strap them on (be careful of those spikes) and walk around in your garden. That's all there is to it.

Aerating your lawn is an important part in the cultivation of your garden. Now, thanks to the lawn aerator sandals, it doesn't have to be expensive, too!

Greenhouses may look like something a snotty old man or woman might have, just because they can. But in truth, if you're a serious gardener, you'll eventually want one to grow your beloved plants.

Greenhouses are built to shelter plants from the elements or foraging animals. But protection isn't the only benefit a greenhouse provides. A greenhouse presents the gardener a unique opportunity to grow plants in a controlled environment. This paves the way for the gardener to plant species which thrive only in specialized climates.

A greenhouse may be constructed of plastic or acrylic, but most prefer traditional glass as it lasts longer than other materials used.