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Now that summer is well and truly over in the northern hemisphere and autumn is in full swing, here are a few tips for things you can be doing in the garden now all the leaves have fallen, the nights have closed in and the bbq is all packed away.

When clearing away the spent stems of summer bulbs, why not mark their position with a pebble or a short piece of cane?  That way you will know where they are when you start to work on the border next spring.  

As I said, the days are now a lot shorter and the nights have turned colder, which all means there is now a danger of hard frosts that can damage garden taps. Why not use some foam tap covers or put bubble wrap around each tap?  You can then seal them with a plastic bag  for protection. Also, If you have pipes that are exposed to the elements, why not lag them for protection?

Containers intended to stand outside should be brought into the shade and protection of a building, which will mean they are less likely to spall or burst in frost. You should also store your precious pots empty, dry and under cover.

Collect the fallen leaves in perforated bin bags to turn into leaf mould.  You need to make sure they are thoroughly wet when you put them in and soak with a hose if necessary. If they are packed dry, they will never rot properly. 

Always remember you should turn your houseplants on windowsills.  This will help to keep an even growth. Water them less; winter growth is rarely desirable.

It may be cold and it obviously rains more often than not, but try to keep mowing the lawn, but not too short and cut above the moss. Make sure air vents in the grass box are not clogged or the mower will struggle to lift the clippings into the box.

So, that little lot should help to keep you busy now the winter is well and truly on the way.

Happy gardening!

The Gardener

Hi everyone

Well, today is a good day because now I now Spring is definitely on the way and it will be near properly very soon.  Why do I know this?

Because my all time favourite is out big style here.  And what is my favourite I hear you ask…..

Cherry Blossom!

I think it is just the most beautiful sight when all those trees start to flower.  The only bad thing is of course, the fact that it last for such as short period of time.  But I always look forward to this time of year because as soon as I see those pink blossoms my heart just fills.  I'm sure you know what I mean!

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say today.  I'm going to enjoy the next few weeks whilst all the cherry trees, and of course there's the apple blossom too, produce that magical symphony of colour.

Bye for now
Annie
The Gardener

Gardening is a wonderful and truly rewarding pastime that people all over the world take great delight in doing.  You can benefit from the visual enjoyment your hard work produces as well as enjoying fresh air and exercise at the same time.  Sitting down in your front or backyard, putting your feet up and looking at the spectacular masterpiece you created, while you do something you love, now that's a wonderful feeling I'm sure you'll agree.  Here are some great gardening beginner tips for those just beginning their gardening journey.  And remember that it is possible to create a beautiful garden, even on a tiny piece of land. 

There are many gardening tips for beginners that help make new gardeners experiences pleasurable and successful.  The two best gardening tips for beginners are to start small but think big.  Do not begin a gardening project that will take weeks or even months to complete, as this is a guaranteed way to become frustrated, upset and turn you off gardening.  It is amazing how much a person can plant in eighty or one hundred square feet.  If you are going to take on a larger project, divide it into sections.  Built your garden one step at a time.  You can enjoy each section as you complete it, build up your confidence and feel positive about the next area you are going to work on.  Remember, a smaller garden is always far easier to manage, as you learn the necessary basics and secrets on disease, weed and pest control, fertilizing requirements and watering needs.  Once you have the necessary skills and gained more confidence, you can go back later and make the garden you designed and planted, larger or create a new one somewhere else.

Some more great gardening tips for beginners are the use of mulch to cut down on the amount of weeding required.  Plus you can do too much weeding.  Some weeds do have positive purposes.  Also while there are gardeners that love working in the soil and weeding, many would rather spend their time, tending the plants or sitting back watching their garden grow.  Mulching, besides also looking nice, maintains the soils moisture, holds back the weeds and stabilizes the temperature of the soil.  Put a couple inches of organic or regular mulch down to save wear and tear on your knees.  Another few gardening tips for beginners is that with grass and most plants, watering just a little but often, makes the plants roots stay near the surface of the soil.  The best way to maintain healthy plants is to water less frequently but water longer, so you soak the soil well.  Do your watering early in the morning.  This way the plants leaves will dry during daylight hours thus helping to prevent fungal diseases. 

The Gardener                   

Hi everyone,

The weather is terrible here today, absolutely pouring down!  So no chance to get out into the garden, which got me thinking about doing it indoors (gardening) and looking for some articles on it.  Here's one I found with some general tips on indoor gardening for you ……

Indoor gardening is a fantastic way to bring nature inside your home and brighten up your rooms.  They are not only a wonderful finishing touch when decorating any room but most people find plants and flowers relaxing, beautiful and soothing to look at.  They are nature's natural purifier, as plants cleanse the air by changing carbon dioxide into oxygen.  It really does not matter if you choose exotic, common or tropical plants because their natural, fresh beauty makes any room feel cozy and warm.  Here are some great indoor gardening tips on caring for your plants that help the plants remain lovely and healthy.

Light to a plant is like food to us.  It is a necessary element, that all plants need, or they will gradually die.  Every plant requires different lighting to grow properly, so when you are shopping for houseplants, a few indoor gardening tips are, check how much light the plant requires and the best location.  Some require bright or direct sunlight so place your plant near a south facing window.  For plants requiring indirect sunlight, make sure you place them close to the window but far enough away to keep their leaves from burning.  You can place low light plants anywhere in a room as long as there is a little natural light.  A few varieties of plants that require medium or low light and look beautiful in any room are African violets, philodendrons and Boston ferns. 

Here are some indoor gardening tips on watering your houseplants.  People often kill their plants with kindness by over-watering them, which makes the plant more susceptible to disease and insects.  This also leads to the roots rotting.  Find out the watering needs of each plant and then invest in a water gage that tells you the moisture level of the soil.  These are inexpensive and certainly helpful when it comes to deciding whether to water or not.  The following indoor gardening tips make a difference on how healthy your plant remains.  When you bring a new plant home, such as an African violet, it looks fabulous for a little while and then it stops blooming and the leaves start turning yellow and falling off.  Growers and nurseries use fertilizer to encourage the plants to grow quickly to sell them.  Most people take them home and do not fertilize them, so the plant does poorly.  Find out what each plant needs and fertilize them according, using a good all-purpose fertilizer.  Some plants may require a special fertilizer, such as orchids, so talk to a plant specialist if you are unsure.  Following a few indoor gardening tips, your houseplants will remain healthy and happy.       

Bye for now, hope the weather clears up!

The Gardener

Any kind of gardening can be enjoyable for some people, but vegetable gardening has a special attraction that other forms of gardening do not have because the vegetable gardener can eat what comes out of his or her garden.  Ripe, juicy tomatoes, tender peas, crisp lettuce, tasty zucchini, fresh green beans and delicious squash (hmmm!) are just a few of the products that can go straight from the vegetable garden to the kitchen.  Some of them, after a rinse under the kitchen tap, can go directly to the dining room table.  Now that's fresh healthy food.

Growing your own vegetable garden has a few other benefits too.  For one thing, the vegetable gardener harvests the vegetables when they are at their peak.  Those homegrown vegetables have far greater nutritional value than any of the vegetables available in the produce section of the grocery store.  That means they are better for the health of the gardener’s family.  The vegetable gardener also knows what pesticides and other chemicals the vegetables have – or haven’t – been exposed to.  As a vegetable gardener you are far more likely not to exposed your pride and joy to harmful chemicals.

Vegetable gardening is also great exercise.  It gets you out into the fresh air.  Vegetable gardening is a great way to relax and forget about the stresses and worries of everyday life in the 21st century.  It is an activity that anybody, young and old, can do.  You can do it by yourself, or why not get the children involved to and make gardening a truly family affair.  They'll love it!

Vegetable gardening can help you fulfil creative needs and gain a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and pride.  When you see your dinner table laden with food that you grew with your own hands, you can’t help but feel good about yourself.  When you share your harvest with friends and relatives, you get a special feeling that is quite unique.

The benefits of vegetable gardening continue long after you have picked those last tomatoes and pulled up the last of the carrots.  You can freeze and preserve them and enjoy your homegrown peppers, zucchinis and tomatoes months after you harvested them.  How about making relishes, chutney's etc.  Of course, by growing your own food, you save some money, too or even sell your chutneys.

It is not necessary for you to have a large piece of land to enjoy vegetable gardening.  Any little plot of ground can be turned into a garden, you just have to tend to the plants carefully.  A gardener can even grow vegetables in containers, in window boxes, and yes, indoors too.  As long as you have access to some soil, water and sunlight (or artificial light) you can become a vegetable gardener.  Just buy the seeds, invest some time and work, and one day you and your family and friends will be sitting down to enjoy a meal of your own home grown vegetables.

The Gardener

An activity that can be enjoyed by a varied and large selection of society is gardening.  People can do gardening just about anywhere that you can find some soil, light and ventilation to grow a plant. You can do gardening in large plots of land, in small containers, in hanging baskets even in pots on your windowsill.  And not only that, you can grow a wide variety from flowering plants to vegetables.

The beginner gardener frequently has visions of large expanses covered with the plant of the gardener’s dream.  If the beginner wants to experience the taste of fresh vegetables, picked at their freshest, right from the plant, the beginner might envision a large area filled with a variety of vegetables, all at their best.  Those who want to begin flower gardening may have dreams of that same large area, covered in colorful blossoms.  Whatever the beginner dreams of doing, they generally don't have any idea of the work that it takes to accomplish their particular gardening dream.  The gardener might not even realize that all the plants in that beautiful vision can’t be grown in the same plot at the same time!

It's generally accepted the the beginner gardener should start small.  The beginner also needs to plan the gardening tasks. How much time is available to spend on the garden?  How much area in their garden is available to grow the the plants they want?  Will the plants even grow in that particular area?  Though many plants may have a variety that can be grown in any geographic location, the new gardener must recognize that growing a form of a citrus plant will be more difficult in Alaska than it will be in Florida.  A plant that likes water and a humid climate will not do well in a dry area unless the gardener is willing to do the work required to create that environment for the specific plant. 

When starting a gardening project, the beginner gardener must analyze the soil that is available and then decide what needs to be done to improve that soil.  If necessary they need to make it appropriate for the plants that they have decided to grow.  Some plants prefer an alkaline soil, others prefer an acid soil.  Some plants do better in soil that drains well, others aren’t so picky.  If the beginner gardener doesn’t investigate the soil and the needs of the plants, any gardening project is not going to turn out the way they ha d hoped.  Any beginner who wants to start a garden should find a good reputable local nursery / garden center and question the staff as to what needs to be done for the particular plants in a particular situation.  Armed with all this information, a beginner gardener has a better chance of producing a beautiful and successful garden.

The Gardener

Hi everyone

This post is slightly different, it's nothing to do with gardening however, it is something extremely important and something both myself and my husband, Rik a.k.a. The Soccer Blogger, believe in strongly….

Have you seen a movie called The Secret?  We first came across this movie through something called the 30 Day Experiment by Money Pumps.  This is a simple, straight forward and easy on-line system that, together with The Secret, will not only guarantee success on-line but change your life at the same time.  It's changing ours!!

The 30 Day Experiment by Money Pumps has just re-opened it's doors until 11th April or until another 100 members have joined.  It has been open again for only one day and already there are 30 new members.  You will need to be quick therefore and act now.  Click here now to learn more before it's too late.

We wish you all the best for the future

Annie & Rik

Hi all

With the ever increasing number of people choosing to live in apartments and condos, many believe the chance of growing beautiful and useful plants has finished.  Thankfully this really doesn’t have to be the case at all. The growing trend among those yard-less people is the option of container gardening.  There are five key elements that yo should keep in mind when growing your own container garden.  The type of containers used, what kind of growing mixture, exposure to sunlight, fertilizer, and watering habits are all aspects that need to be considered before starting your container paradise.

The container type is an important aspect of this style of gardening.  You will want your containers to enhance and match your outdoor patio, yard or  balcony area.   At the same time that environment should be healthy for the plants you want to grow.  Wood pots can be prone to rotting.  Cedar or redwood are rot resistant and can be used without staining.  If using wood pots, be sure that it is untreated wood to avoid any harmful chemicals polluting your plants.  Plastic pots deteriorate quickly in the sun and won’t last very long.  While they are pretty, terra cotta pots dry out fast making them prone to cracking and breaking.  Glazed ceramic pots are a good option for container gardening.  Just be sure there are sufficient drainage holes in the bottom.

Your growing mixture will mainly depend on the type of plants you decide to grow.  Due to the small space the plants have to thrive in, be sure to the mixture will allow proper drainage.  You want the soil to retain moisture, but also drain off to avoid over watering.  Check into the growing requirements of your plants to see if any sand should be added to the growing mixture.  The right mixture of soil and other components is extremely important in container gardening.

Once again, when trying to determine the amount of sunlight your container garden will need, check the requirements for the plants. This is especially true with flowers.  Vegetables tend to need an average of five hours of sunlight daily.

In container gardening, fertilizer is a vital element.  Since the plants only have a limited amount of soil to draw nutrients from it is necessary to help them along.  The recommended interval for fertilizing plants is every other time you water.  Liquid seaweed is an excellent plant booster, just be sure to provide the plants with a wide variety of nutrients for the best results.

You will discover with your container garden that watering is critically important.  It may take a little while to determine exactly how much and when to water.  All plants are different so it is very important to know what your plants need.  Especially when in very hot weather as you will find that plants may need to be watered daily. 

Container gardening is a very rewarding hobby that allows even apartment and city dwellers to enjoy a piece of the great outdoors.  Decide what types of plants you want to grow, have your materials ready, and be prepared to reap the rewards of your labor.

If you would like to keep up to date with some of  the latest news and views on Flower Gardening please simply check out the following links.  This useful Flower Gardening information will be automatically updated every time you visit this page (as long as new information is available of course!). 

So why not either bookmark this page or subscribe to the RSS Feed and you will be automatically kept up to date on everything you need and want to know about Flower Gardening.

Flower Gardening

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If you would like to keep up to date with some of  the latest news and views on Container Gardening please simply check out the following links.  This useful Container Gardening information will be automatically updated every time you visit this page (as long as new information is available of course!). 

So why not either bookmark this page or subscribe to the RSS Feed and you will be automatically kept up to date on everything you need and want to know about Container Gardening.

Container Gardening

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