Information Card, usually found in the pot with the plant Choosing the right plants for your flower garden is key to the success of your gardening project. Not only do you need to consider what colors you want, but the height of the plants as well. For your garden to be successful, you need to pay special attention to the type of plants you intend to place in your garden. Different plants need different conditions in order for them to live and thrive. So how do you ensure that the plants y... Read Full Story

Finished Patio constructed with pavers. Walkways and patios can easily be construct by the do it yourself homeowner with concrete pavers. It will take some planning and a lot of sweat to accomplish, but the money you will save will be well worth it. On average, the labor cost of hiring someone to do the job will be at least as much as the cost of the materials, if not more. Contractors often add a mark up charge of around 2% to 5%, or more, on the materials, a cost that is passed on to you... Read Full Story

Lotus in still pool of a lake The beautiful and majestic lotus is a wonderful addition to your pond. Asia, north Australia and easter North America offer two species of this plant. Lotuses have 4 general size categories which are miniature, dwarf, medium, and large. They are marginal plants found in the shallows and muddy banks of pools. Lotuses have very large, circular leaves, held horizontally above the waters surface by their stems, which may reach as high as 6 feet. Some of the leav... Read Full Story

Algae can be a real nuisance, it detracts from the beauty of your water feature and is hard to control. When we talk about algae we always say “algae control“, and that’s because it is always present in bodies of water that are outside. Algae spores are carried into the water by wind, rain, runoff from surrounding areas, and even animals can deposit them in the water just by stopping by for a drink. So how do you control it? The first thing to do is to understand it be... Read Full Story

Water Gardening can be as simple or as complex as you want. The simple water garden is good for the small pond, and more complex water gardening is best reserved for the large water garden. The most obvious reason is space, which will define how much diversity a pond can contain and sustain. If you’re a beginner, I would suggest keeping it simple to start with so you can get a good idea of how your plants will develop and the space they need. It is easy to expand later on after you grasp the ... Read Full Story

Add a new dimension to your garden with a water feature for plants. Water gardening is fun and easy once you get started and will provide a beautiful focal point in you garden. No matter how small a space, you can have a water garden. Small water gardens can be just as attractive as larger ones, it all starts with the planning. In this article we will look at the addition of a small, prefabricated pool. The first thing to consider is where to place your water garden. Choose carefully. You... Read Full Story

are an excellent addition to any garden. They add structure and points of interest to your garden. All garden walls perform some useful function. Using walls for raised beds for planting, for erosion control, or to better utilize unused space, are just three examples of how walls provide a practical function. The first thing you should do is to evaluate your garden for the addition of walls. Do you need to control erosion, or terrace a hillside to better utilize an area of your yard or ga... Read Full Story

Mowing your lawn is as essential to good lawn health as watering and feeding it. The real trick here is to know when to mow. Its not as hard as you might think, but it does require a little forethought. Every time you mow your lawn your cutting the blades of grass. When the blades are cut the root system will stop growing temporarily. This limits the amount of nutrients and water they can absorb. If your grass is cut to short the root system will be weakened. A weakened root system make... Read Full Story

It’s important to realize that a great looking lawn needs nutrients to grow strong and beautiful. Believe it or not, there are 16 different elements your lawn needs in order to be healthy. Lucky for us most are trace elements in very small amounts that we don’t need to be to concerned with. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are the “big three” for a healthy lawn. Fortunately for us they are also the most abundant ones as well. These elements come form the air and water,... Read Full Story

We’ve all seen those fantastic lawns that we catch our eye and make us wish it was ours. But you can achieve a beautiful lawn too. All you have to do is follow some basic rules for caring for your lawn and provide the nutrients that your lawn needs in order to thrive. In this edition we’ll look at watering your lawn. Water is important for any plant, and most lawns are neglected when it comes to this essential care. When to water your lawn depends on several factors. The soil... Read Full Story