When you install a water feature in your garden, you install a delightful destination. Friends will marvel and birds and bees will rejoice. But a large water feature, such as a pond with a rock wall covered by cascading water, can require a great deal of work to create and maintain. Instead, create a small container water garden that makes a big impact on your yard. There are three basic types of container water features: Still Water, Splashing Water and Disappearing Water. Still Water Garden The simplest kind of water feature is a Still Water garden. In this type of container water garden feature, the water stays still. The water provides a nice visual respite from the garden, but it provides no movement to attract your attention. To create a Still Water feature, start by finding an attractive bowl or pot without drainage holes. Fill it with water and add a few aquatic plants that prefer still water – such as water lily or lotus. As with all gardening endeavors, … [Read more...] about Small Container Water Garden Creates Big Impact
Grow More Vegetables in a Square Foot Garden
A square foot garden is a relatively new spin on a traditional vegetable garden. A vegetable garden, also called a kitchen garden, is where delicious herbs and vegetables are grown by a family for the family’s daily meals. Typically, the garden is grown in the backyard (sometimes just outside the kitchen door), and it is designed to be both attractive and efficient. To learn expert tips about how a square foot garden can increase vegetable harvests, I talked to the recognized expert. Steve Bartholomew, Director of the Square Foot Gardening Foundation, was kind enough to share his knowledge about how to create the most efficient and productive vegetable garden. Best-selling garden book The book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew (Steve’s father) is the most popular gardening book ever published in North America. Introduced in 1981, the original book and later revised editions have sold 2.5 million copies. The book literally launched a gardening movement that … [Read more...] about Grow More Vegetables in a Square Foot Garden
Tiny Space? Grow a Mini Indoor Garden!
A mini indoor garden is perfect for a small apartment or office space. You might have thought surrounding yourself with lush greenery was not be possible. Fortunately, there are creative ways to incorporate plants into your decor. One of the best ways is to create a mini indoor garden in tin cans or other containers. These miniature gardens make great gifts for yourself and others. Here's everything you need to make a mini garden for your tiny apartment. Choose your mini indoor garden plants You will need to be selective when choosing plants for your garden. Plants with shallow roots and minimal watering needs work best in this setting. You can buy succulent transplants or start from scratch with carefully chosen seed collections. Some of the best plants for miniature gardens include: Herbs - mint, thyme, lemon balm Grasses - dwarf mondo grass, sedge, alfalfa Others - Dwarf umbrella plant, tiny flowering plants Succulents, cacti, moss and creeping plants are … [Read more...] about Tiny Space? Grow a Mini Indoor Garden!
Container Gardening for Beginners
Gardening is trending again, and container gardening for beginners is leading the way. People who have never grown plants before are suddenly interested in planting a garden. “Whether you live in a densely packed city or in suburbia, you can successfully grow edible plants and vegetables,” said Randy Schultz, content editor for Home, Garden and Homestead. “You can grow tomatoes, beans, spinach, squash and so much more. Container gardening for beginners is the way to go, and the time to start is right now.” What is container gardening? Quite simply, container gardening is growing plants in pots, planters, tubs, half barrels, an old cowboy boot or any other thing that can hold some potting soil and a plant. Basically, it is growing a plant in anything that’s not a traditional in-the-ground garden plot. That’s why container gardening for beginners is so perfect. No garden plot is required, and you can grow a single tomato plant or a few herbs if that’s all the space you … [Read more...] about Container Gardening for Beginners
How to Keep Deer from Eating Your Landscape Plants
Yes, you can keep deer from eating plants in your landscape. Deer and other wildlife can be fun to watch on your property. But it's not much fun when deer eat the prized plants in your yard and vegetable garden. When deer treat your carefully cultivated landscape like it’s a salad bar, it’s time act. To keep deer from eating plants, you need to do something--and fast. A new generation of deer and wildlife control products is now available that keep deer and other critters away. These products are very effective, and they don't contain harmful chemicals. From predator scents to low-visibility deer fencing, here are some of the best ways to keep hungry deer from lunching in your garden. Plus, choosing deer-resistant plants is a great way to reduce browsing by hungry deer. In areas with large populations of deer, using more than one control method will give you the best results. Use the scent of a predator to repel deer A great way to keep deer from eating your landscape … [Read more...] about How to Keep Deer from Eating Your Landscape Plants
