Gardening Tips

Bulbs - Starting a Shade Garden

2005-06-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Starting a Shade Garden The shade garden can be exploding with color and texture. No matter how much shade is in your landscape, the right flowers, plants, bushes and bulbs will grow in this area when given a chance. As there are various types of shade, you will need to choose the plants that are 'right' for the type of shade you have: partial, dense, full, or filtered shade. In starting a shade garden, one of the easiest shade gardens will be the filtered shade garden. What you need to do first is look at the trees or bushes that are making this area a filtered shade garden. Pruning off the lower branches on taller bushes and on the tree will allow additional light into your garden. Because you are planning a filtered shade garden, you do want some amount of sunlight in that garden below the tree. Thinning out the bottom saplings that are trying to grow from the tree is needed at this time to ensure they do not grow up in your garden. Underbrush and thorny bushes should be cut down and dug up at this time before starting your shade garden. Now you can work on the soil that is in the area that you want to create that new garden. Adding organic materials, more soil, compost, manure or other types of nutrients to the soil will prepare the fine garden bed that will hold your shade plants. When possible, do not disturb the roots of the tree that will be in or around the garden area. Cutting or disturbing the roots of a tree can cause damage or death to the tree over time. Working with the soil and adding the needed materials to make your garden about six inches deep is going to be the ultimate situation for your new plants. After planting your first shade plants in the garden continue to water them every few days until the roots begin to 'take hold' and support the plants. When placing your plants in the soil of your new garden, mulching around the plants will hold the water in the soil for your plants to thrive best. This article is provided courtesy of The Garden Source Network - http://www.garden-source.com - a large gardening network devoted to helping you find all the gardening materials you need, such as Seeds, Live Plants, Roses, Trees and Beautiful decor. This article may be distributed and published on any website, as long as this statement and URL remain intact, and the website address is linked properly.

Bulbs for Shade

Calla Lily Bulb
Canna Bulb
Caladium Bulb
Flower Bulb
Lily Bulb
Spring Bulb

Rare bulbs for your garden

2005-06-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Spice up Your Garden with Rare Flowering BulbsBy Josh Gray

Any experienced gardener knows the secret to a beautiful garden is in the bulbs. Flowering bulbs are usually quite hardy and undemanding and can provide the most amazing shower of spring and summertime colors. Bulbs naturally package all the essentials they need to flourish and grow. All that’s required is warming temperatures to bring the bulbs out of dormancy. The great thing about bulbs is the wide variety of colors and shapes you can produce.
Many bulbs used by gardeners such as daffodil, crocus, hyacinth, tulip, and lily are common and can be found at your local lawn and garden center. For the more bold and adventurous, it can be very rewarding to obtain rarer flowering bulbs with unique colors and smells like Guinevere, Blackmore, and Landon Begonias. With the rise of the internet, anyone can now obtain rare and exquisite bulbs within the comfort of their own home. There are even websites like CouponChief.com that offer great online coupons and discounts for several online bulb vendors. Bulbs are usually shipped bare-root, right around planting time. Starting a beautiful bulb garden is possible in just a few weeks, depending on shipping times.
Once you get your bulbs at home its time for planting. Make sure you are planting during the right time of year. You can plant in fall for spring-flowering bulbs or in spring for summer-flowering bulbs. Most Bulbs do well in pots or in planters, so your main consideration should be the type of soil required and the depth and spacing necessary to give your new bulbs plenty of growing room. Specific instructions for each type or rare bulb you decide on are easily obtained online and are most often supplied with your purchase. With a little thought and preparation, your garden will be blooming with flowers that will make your neighbors jealous. Now that you know the secret to a beautiful garden, just don’t tell anybody, ok?
Josh Gray, President of UC San Diego’s Gardens Club, is a consultant to CouponChief.com. This online coupon website provides free coupons and discount codes to many favorite gardening websites on their home and garden coupons page.

Find more resources here for rare bulbs

Bulb Gardening
Garden Bulb
Holland Bulb
Michigan Bulb Company

Flower Seeds

2005-06-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Get great resources for flower seeds and free seeds here.

Flower Seed

Forcing Bulb

Free Seed

Bulbs and Seeds - Therapy

2005-05-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Horticultural Therapy

Horticultural Therapy Thomas OgrenThe idea of using gardens and plants as “tools” for therapy is growing fast these days. Makes perfect sense, too. There is a great deal of evidence that working in gardens is wonderful for our mental health. The relation between our mental health and our physical health is a close one. If we feel good about ourselves, about our families, our work, our friends, often our bodies will feel stronger too. Just being in a beautiful garden can make many of us feel better. Doing small chores in the garden, deadheading roses, pulling weeds, planting some bulbs, fertilizing, all of these things have the ability to make us feel good.In the Persian language the words “garden” and “heaven” are one and the same. In our own lives so often we spend most of our time rushing hereand rushing there. We spend way too much time stuck in front of computers, TV sets, stuck in rush hour traffic, doing things that may be necessary, but things that aren’t much fun, much less satisfying.But working in the garden, that’s different, especially for those of us who really do love to garden. I recently came on some research data that suggests that the more tuned into gardening a person is, the more nurturing, creative, andcompassionate that person will be. Again, this makes sense too. In the garden we are free to experiment. In the garden what we do actually does make a difference, a huge difference. Unlike so many things, the more effort we put into our gardens, the better they are.What is the link between gardening and empathy for our fellow man? Could it be that gardening brings us closer to nature? That by getting intouch with Mother Nature, we are ourselves enriched? Probably so. But then too, there’s no doubt that the type of people drawn to gardening in the first place, may already have in them an extra dose of creativity and compassion.I used to work in a prison for juveniles. The CYA it was called, the California Youth Authority. I started from scratch the program there and over the years the program grew, the gardens expanded, I learned new things and so didmy wayward students.Most of my “boys” in the CYA were gang members from the Los Angeles area. Typically they were “in” for armed robbery, muggings, murder. Most ofthem, although they ranged in age from fifteen to twenty-five, most could barely read, and none had done any gardening.I designed our gardens to be therapeutic. We built a big brick barbecue so we could cook things we grew. We grew fruit trees, hundreds of them, so we’d have fresh fruit to eat. We put up bird feeders so we could attract and see birds in the garden. We put up birdbaths, we made wind chimes, and we planted huge gardens of vegetables and flowers.In our gardens we grew things organically. I taught them to value frogs, toads, lizards, snakes as welcome additions to the garden. We made huge piles of compost. About the only form of punishment we used was, “turning the compost heap.”We always had a radio to play some music to listen to while we worked.Deep, profound changes happened to many of these hardened criminals while working in the garden. As they learned to hybridize roses they losttheir desire to rob liquor stores. As they grew tomatoes big as your fist and watermelons big as beach balls, they became proud of their accomplishments. The more they learned about plants, the less they were interested in crime.Many of these boys learned how to read, to do math, to write, and learned it all there in the gardens, in the greenhouses. I worked in the CYA for twelve years. People in authority sometimes claimed that I bribed my “wards” and that I must be doing something illegal. They couldn’t understand how it was that these hoodlums could learn the scientific names of hundreds of plants, that they actually learned to love to read, to love to garden. But I didn’t bribe the boys; I just set up a garden with a healing atmosphere and then let it work its wonders.The right garden is a magical place. Plants are not judgmental. You take good care of them and they thrive. In the garden our minds are free to wander, to daydream, to relax. Good things happen in good gardens.Why talk about horticultural therapy in a book devoted largely to allergy avoidance? The answer is simple. Gardening of itself can be very therapeutic, however, if the garden is filled with plants that cause allergies, well, thegardening experience won’t be that good. It is no fun to be sneezing and even less fun to have attacks of skin rashes or asthma. By making our gardens allergy-free we can avoid these negatives. The physical work done in gardens isalso good for us, burning calories, making our muscles stronger. In the right garden the air is cleaner, too, refreshing our lungs as we work.If it makes sense to have a therapeutic garden be allergy-free, it also makes sense that gardening is food for the soul, and the happier we feel about life, quite often, the better will be our health.The Fen Shui Garden.The more people you talk to about Fen Shui and gardening, the more opinions on it you get. Ms. Robin Wood, a very talented landscape architect once told me, “Fen Shui gardening is really just good landscape design.” And to a point, I would agree with her. In many ways the ancient Chinese philosophy of Fen Shui, also called Feng Shui, is all about creating harmony. In a true Fen Shui garden the focus is on the atmosphere. A garden is createdthat encourages meditation, relaxation, close connections to Nature.A good Fen Shui garden does not ignore any of our senses. There are fragrant flowers to smell, wind chimes, the sounds of water, and the songsof birds to please our ears, shade from the hot sun, protection from the wind, places just to sit and think, contrasting surfaces to feel, beauty to please our eye, and perhaps even some fruit or vegetable for our tongue to taste.A true Fen Shui garden is not strictly formal, overly clipped, too tidy and sanitary, all drawn with squares and rectangles. Shrubs don’t need to be square nor do all trees need to resemble each other. A quiet restrained informality isencouraged. Love, peace, understanding, and wisdom reign in a true Fen Shui garden.In many ways during all my years at the Youth Authority, although I didn’t know it at the time, I was instinctively trying to develop a Fen Shui garden. Surrounded by guards, gangs, and concertina razor wire, I aspired to create aninner sanctum, a natural place for me and my students to remove ourselves from all the bad vibes so very close by. I am not a Fen Shui expert by any means and certainly do not claim to be, but I have read a great deal about it, listened to numerous talks given by so-called experts, and I have long been interested and involved in garden design. I think that Fen Shui does indeed have much to offer and that it is well worth exploring. However, I often notice a certain snobbishness surrounding the subject. One expert writes that none of the others know what they’re talkingabout, especially the Western writers and speakers. I’ve met some Fen Shui designers and writers who were cold, impersonal and rude, none of which jives with true Fen Shui in my mind. I sometimes encounter a similar snobbishness with people who refuse to grow any plants not native to their own little local area. My feeling about all these snobby attitudes in gardening is this: Elitism doesn’t belong in the garden. Plants aren’t critical, let’s not be that way ourselves. Many people, far wiser than I, have long known that the more we learn about something, the more we realize how little we know. Harold Young, the wonderful senior editor of Pacific Coast Nurseryman Magazine once wrote me in an email, “I used to think I knew a lot of plants.” I know just what he means.
About the Author
Tom Ogren loves fishing, hiking, boxing, baseball, gardening, his family and friends. He is author of 5 published books and hundreds of articles. His website is www.allergyfree-gardening.com

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http://www.bulbandseed.com/bulb/
How to Use Color in Your Perrenial Garden

Specials for Sring

Free $25 off any order of $50 or more at Brecks Bulbs
Save $20 on $50 order at Springhill Nurseries
Click here to get $20 off any order for $50 or more of perennials at Gurneys.com!

Flower bulbs

2005-05-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Order flower bulbs by mail for the best selection and best quality bulbs

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Flower Bulb
Flower Bulb Catalog
Flowering Bulb

Bulbs and Seeds

2005-05-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

Elephant Ear Bulb
Fennel Seed
Flax Seed Recipe

Gardening with Daisy

2005-05-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

There are numerous varieties of Daisy. Enjoy several in your garden for long lasting cut flowers.

Flower Seed
Free Seed

Growing Bulbs

2005-05-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

Grow bulbs in all seasons. Here are some favorites that bloom from very early spring into summer.

Crocus Bulb
Daffodil Bulb
Dahlia Bulb

Gardening Tips - Bulbs - Planning

2005-05-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

It's winter, and as you gaze out your picture window, all you see is a 50 square foot patch of bare dirt. After a foray through the top 10 plant catalogues armed with a major credit card and your vivid imagination, that space is crowded with shrubs, bedding plants, bulbs and foliage, all competing for light, water and nutrients. You've created a plant riot. Planning is vital to creating a noteworthy garden, and winter is the best time to sit down with pencil, paper and reference books. A good garden plan can save time, money and heartache. SET YOUR SIGHTS ON YOUR SITE Where is your future garden located? Is it visible to the entire neighborhood, or to your eyes only? Does it receive full sun, or is it shaded part of the day? What is the soil type? All of these factors need to be considered during your planning phase....

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Plan Before You Plant

Gardening Tips - Planting bulbs

2005-05-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

Get resoureces for planting bulbs here

Caladium Bulb
Calla Lily Bulb
Canna Bulb

My Spring Bulbs Won't Bloom - Why?

2005-05-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

You can hear the wailing from here. Why aren't my bulbs blooming? There are a lot of leaves on them but not a single flower.
The overall cause of a bulb not producing a bloom is either the bud wasn't formed or it was damaged in some way. No bud equals no flower.
Here's why your bud might have been killed:
There wasn't enough sunlight last summer or you planted your bulbs in too shady an area. For the most part, spring blooming bulbs want full sunshine for at least six hours a day. If you do not give them enough sunshine, they may live but not have enough energy to produce a flower bud.
You might have cut off the foliage last year before it yellowed naturally. If you cut off the foliage before it yellows, the bulb will not be able to get enough sunlight to produce a bud. Remember Doug Green's number one rule for growing bulbs, Grow the foliage, the flower will take care of itself. You might have tied up the foliage over top .....

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My Spring Bulbs Won't Bloom - Why?

Bulbs and Seed

2005-05-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Resources for gardeners.

Bulb Planter
Burgess Seed
Burpee Seed

Bulb Gardening

2005-05-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

Bulb
Bulb Catalog
Bulb Gardening

Growing Bulbs - Amaryllis

2005-05-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Free catalog, planting information, and pictures and prices of our Amaryllis selection.

Amaryllis Bulb
Bermuda Grass Seed
Brecks Bulb

Spring Bulbs

2005-05-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

Flower bulbs need a good, long, winters sleep. Like some people we know, if they wake up before they are fully rested, they get kind of cranky, and then they don’t bloom well at all.
Actually what happens is during a mild winter, the soil stays too warm, and the bulbs begin to come out of dormancy early. They start to grow, and once the tips emerge above the soil line, they are subject to freezing if the temperatures dip back down below

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Mulch Your Spring Bulbs in the Fall for a Beautiful Spring

Bulbs and gophers

2005-05-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Lawns, Gophers & Moles Thomas Ogren A few gophers can tear up a nice lawn in short order. Even if you’re a complete animal lover, you won’t want the gophers in your yard. After they destroy your lawn they’ll start eating the roots and killing your roses, fruit trees, any attempt at a vegetable garden, the bulbs you plant and so forth. Gophers and gardening don’t go together at all! The gophers got to go. I have had many run ins with gophers in my years of gardening and I’ve always been successful in getting them out of the lawn and garden. I don’t like killing them or any animals for that matter, but with gophers, they usually don’t give you much choice.

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Lawns, Gophers and Moles

Bulbs and Perrenials

2005-05-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

Just like most things in life, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If purple blooms put a smile on your face, then you should most definitely use plants with purple blooms. The same is true for any color you find pleasing. There are different disciplines to pull from when trying to decide on color choices, but those disciplines speak in generalities; your own personal experiences mold your tastes into something unique, something your own, something a text or curriculum can’t possibly pinpoint. That being said, one of the disciplines I like to pull from often, especially when it comes to color choices, is Feng Shui. While I’m not part of the Feng Shui orthodoxy, the design and layout lessons I’ve taken from Feng Shui are fundamentally grounded

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How to Use Color in Your Perrenial Garden

Bulbs and Perrenials

2005-05-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Biennials are generally very beautiful plants, with most attractive flowers. They are somewhat more trouble for the gardener, since they keep growing during their first year and do not bloom until the second. Their great advantage is that their seeding stage produces new plants which will bloom again two years later, making it unnecessary to plant additional seeds. The biennials are usually plant ed in early summer and transplanted to good soil when they are large enough to handle. It is a good idea to pot them at this time, particularly in areas where plants cannot be left outdoors all winter. In some cases,

Full Articel Here

How to Use Biennials and Perrenials in Landscaping Your Yard

Growing Bulbs

2005-05-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Everybody asks about Easter lilies! Can they go outside; can I plant them in my garden? And to this I reply, "Why not?" Like other bulbs,there are two options if you plant your leftover Easter lily bulbs - either they will live and flower for many years (it is perfectly hardy into zone 4) or they will immediately die. If you don't plant the bulb, it will definitely die. So you have nothing to lose by planting. Once the Easter lily bloom has faded in the house, cut the stem back as far as you can. Grow the plant in a sunny windowsill, keeping it moist (not sopping) and feed weekly with houseplant food. After all

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Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question

Organic Seed

2005-05-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Seed Treatment, Seed Protectant CB-QGG is an organic seed treatment and seed protectant for use in sustainable agriculture

Garden Tips - Growing Tomatoes

2005-05-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

How To Grow Luscious Tomatoes
by Marilyn Pokorney

The tomato is the most commonly grown vegetable in the States. Here are some tips on how to grow your own bountiful crop of tomatoes. Tomatoes should be grown in full sunlight. Tomato plants require abundant moisture. Tomatoes grow well in many types of soil but prefer fertile, well-drained soil with pH of about 6.5. Garden soil may be improved by adding rotted manure, leaf mold, peat moss, or other organic materials.

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How To Grow Luscious Tomatoes