October 26, 2009
October Transplanting Time
Perennials - Perennials should be cut back after blooming and reset this month (October). Perennials set now will be established and ready to grow in the spring. Some of the biennials tend to become perennials in our gardens, and occasionally a half-hardy annual lives on and on.
If you have not yet cleaned up all litter or garden trash, be sure it is done this fall. Do not provide a winter home for insect pests.
Chrysanthemums - October is the month of heaviest bloom for this queen of fall flowers. The most important thing to remember is to provide plenty of water for them. They are heavy feeders (which should have been taken care of in September) and heavy drinkers. Visit the fall shows and gardens of chrysanthemums and write down names of varieties you like and try them another year. The fall shows are wonderful places to see the best in the seasonal flowers. Keep a close check on the weather, and before killing frost lift clumps of chrysanthemums and put in the garage or basement for continued bloom. A few may even be potted and kept in the house. An additional month of flowers may be had in this way.
Soil Preparation - In open spaces in the garden, dig the soil deep, adding a little complete fertilizer. Or plant some type of cover crop and turn it under for a green manure. Soil preparation can go on all year in a garden. Just turning the soil will keep it in good tilth.
Miscellaneous - Take cuttings of herbaceous plants like the donkey ears plant and root them for next year’s garden. Many gardeners carry over plants of all kinds like the donkey ears plant simply as rooted cuttings taken during October. The cutting wood should be firm and seasoned, and not soft and succulent, for best results. Plant pansy seeds for transplanting next month. Pansies are the chief source of bloom in many winter gardens. Continue planting the garden lilies started last month.
Visit the countryside and gather seed pods, weeds and flowers for drying. Many interesting materials are available for winter bouquets, and October is the month for collecting and drying them. Divide and replant peonies, or plant new ones, this month.
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Filed under Garden by Thomas Fryd
September 24, 2009
Grass Growing? Mow It The Right Way
One of the weekly activities of most households is keeping their lawn pretty and healthy. Different styles and approaches are employed in taking care of your green outdoor carpet. There are elementary rules that every mower should follow. Here are some must do advises for mowing the correct and safe way.
Always clear the area before you start mowing. It is very important to eliminate hazards and the likelihood of mishaps. Keep children away from all lawn mowing activities at all times. Make sure that none of them are in the mowing area. Never introduce kids to rides in a riding mower as a recreational activity. Children can fall off a mower resulting to serious injuries. They can also interfere with safe unit operation.
Remember to always inspect the area prior to mowing. Take out all debris, rocks and branches from the mowing area. Injuries can befall you or anyone else by flying debris and rocks. They can also inflict damage on your lawn mower costing you a considerable amount of money.
Protect yourself at all times. Goggles to protect the eyes for safety measure is a good idea. For a mowing activity, sandals and sneakers may not be very practical. Wear shoes that have non slip soles and footwear that is sturdy. Slips while mowing can also inflict considerable damage.
Take care of your lungs. Do not start your lawn mower inside your garage or in a garden shed. Keep in mind that burning gasoline produces carbon monoxide which is highly poisonous. Rev up your lawn mower out in the open space where there is lots of fresh air. When adding gasoline, do it out doors also, with the engine turned off of course. Choose a fuel that with at least 87 minimum octane.
Mowing is best done when the grass is dry, and during daytime when vision is better. When approaching blind corners, shrubs, trees or other objects that could obstruct your view, always exercise caution. Cut just a third of the grass’s length every time to keep your grass healthy. You can adjust the cutting length by shifting the mowing deck. Turn the engine off before you do any adjustment.
Make a different pattern every time you cut your grass. You can go from east to west, or north to south, or do it in angles. BY doing this, you can keep your grass healthy and keep the soil from compacting because of your mower wheels.
If you are cutting grass on a hill, mow across it when you are using a walk behind mower, mow across. Do not mow up and down and never pull the mower backwards towards your feet. When using a riding mower on a hill, do the opposite. Command your rig up and down the hill as mowing across would cause you to tip the rig.
People employ different ways to keep their lawns in excellent condition. Always refer to these unfailing basic tips for a wonderful, safe, and accident free greenery.
Filed under Back Yard, Front Yard, Landscaping Tools by Easy Landscaping Ideas
September 21, 2009
Paving Stones - Do You Have Them In Your House?
Today, paving stones are becoming more and more popular in our daily life. They have many practices such as to make driveways, pool deck, a terrace or walkways in your garden. Below are the reasons why paving stones are popularly used today.
The first reason is its impressive looks. Different from other materials such as asphalt and concrete, paving stones with various colors and designs will make your home more sophisticated, elegant and fashionable.
The second one is its peerless flexibility. We can practice this paving material both in a residential positioning and trade field. In addition to constructing patios, driveways and pool decks, paving stones are as well applied to build parking places, golf cart routes and roads vigorous. They have a big role in making the graceful look of those works. What is more, peerless stability is another reason. Paving stone is not only imperishable, but extremely flexible. It is rather difficult to crack when being under the loading.
Also, paving stones are really available to mend and keep. In some situations, for example, you wish to have a new manner for your patio, the paving stone can simply raised, removed and repaired with little time and effort. What is more, upkeep is as well rather available. When the patio is dirty, you can simply sweep and rinse the surface. It will turn back to its original color and beautiful face.
In additional, this material is absolutely safe and stretchy. It is perfect for both pedestrian and vehicular pathways. Likewise, paving systems are ordinarily free in a vast kind of colors and designs. Thus, those systems may be used almost everyplace, without curbing the universal beauty of the site. Compared with other materials, paving stone is rather low-cost and available to use.
For all the pointed reasons, paving stones are becoming famous and widely applied. Do you possess a paving stone ground in your house?
Filed under Back Yard, Front Yard, Patios, Walls by Easy Landscaping Ideas
July 17, 2009
Landscape Edging Tools You Can Use
At times the finest home improvements are the simplest ones. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on high-end outdoor installations or lawn service companies, simple landscape edging can attach inestimable value to your lawn and enlarge the curb appeal of your home exponentially. Of course, landscape edging is only a simple project by relative standards, and excellent edging involves more than just throwing down rocks at the outer limits of your lawn.
The intention of using planting bed edging or edger or border is to separate the flower bed, shrub bed or groundcover area from lawn grass and keep grass out of the planting bed; garden edging may also be used to outline and define a specific area in the landscape.
Amongst the most familiar types of edging materials are the wooden cut-offs which come pre-joined in chain-like configuration ready for laying into position. The benefit of using wooden edging is that it blends beautifully with gardens achieving a very natural look. Concrete, stone or brick pavers can be used as garden edging. They are obtainable in a wide variety of colors, shapes and patterns, thus provides a gracious decorative element to most garden themes. Flat stone or level bricks manufacture a softer line. Bluestone and brick are both good quality choices for color and texture. Consider laying lengths of smooth bluestone on both sides of a grass path, or set bricks halfway in the ground in a dogtooth pattern.
Perhaps the least classy edging products are the thin plastic ones that have a rounded top. Thin edging material comes in handy if your path and drive are curved. These materials bend around very tight radius curves. Other popular types include bricking, decorative iron boarders, using other plants to form a mini hedge-like edge and cutting away a small clearing between the lawn and beds. The metal, wood and plastic materials might satisfy your earth-friendly requirement as they could be made from recycled materials.
Curbing machine You can use the landscape curbing machine in a variety of applications that require the placement of durable concrete edging, such as golf courses, parks and recreation areas, water-retention areas, garden borders and miniature putting greens. In addition to decorative landscape curbing, the curbing machines apply to commercial tack-down curbing, ranging from low-profile rollover curbs to standard parking lot curbing. The auger drive provides high-density extruded curbing that eliminates flat spots and weak areas in the curb.
Metal edging frequently comes with clips that are easy to use to secure each piece together. Stone edging is another costly edging material. Stones can be effortlessly used for round or straight beds. They last even longer than metal edgings, though. The prevalent issue with stone edging is that it allows for grass and weeds to grow between each piece.
Landscape edging adds a fastidious look to a landscape project. It helps to classify and protect beds. Edging helps to keep a crisp, clean looking bed. In some situations, like landscaping done near a pond, edging can help to prevent the erosion of the soil. There are edging choices for any budget and any type of project.
Trimmer: The trimmer has a hard-chromed cylinder and fully-caged needle bearing. The trimmer has a debris shield with built-in cut-off knife to achieve optimal line length and a heavy-duty gear case with sealed bearings to prevent moisture, dust or dirt from entering the engine.
Filed under Landscaping Tools by Easy Landscaping Ideas
July 13, 2009
Stone Landscaping - Adding a creative angle
Locating the right stone
During the process of building your home, the probability of finding suitable rocks and stones in the area is also great. It is also very much possible that you may come across rocks of considerable importance. In case of the premises being located in a rocky terrain, the prospects of unearthing rocks which could adorn the space is on the higher scale.
Places to trade for Landscaping Stones
Towards the procurement of the stones, most of requirements towards buying the appropriate landscaping stones should be reasonably met from any of the local horticulture stockist. Another sphere to be explored is that some of the organizations undertaking landscaping projects could also cater to the requirement along with its home delivery.
Assortment of Shapes and Colors
The stones are also available in uneven formations and sizes. The strong, craggy and jagged appearance of the stones adds to the persona of the individual in the home or office. They could also be custom made to suit your needs in terms of oval, squarish shapes etc. Whatever be your visualization of the finished appearance, stones could definitely find their own place.
Stonewalls as secure mechanism
Another method of putting the rocks and stones to effective use is by indulging in projects by building retaining walls. They have the distinct advantage of providing security and splendor to any landscape. It could be just another option of using stones other than the pathway to your home.
Gardens and Borders
Stone bordering is another fine way to decorate a garden or flowerbed. There are quite a few techniques to allow your thoughts to take wings to add color, variety to the pond or garden by arranging an assortment of stones and rocks.
Identification of the best stones
For some of the best stepping stones and retaining walls for a wonderful landscape are the flagstone and river rock varieties being two prominent kinds. River rock although smaller, is available in a variety of colors and in great quality. To suit to any kind to interior, flagstone can be found in different colors.
The best pick for filling the empty spaces in any landscape is the river rock. By filling the gaps river rock also effectively keeps away the weeds.
Towards the beatification of any office or home landscaping stones would add to the value and splendor in a revolutionary manner.
Read full articles about landscaping equipment and gardening stones available at this web.
When your old and trusty lawnmower ceases to function normally or when it starts to break down unexpectedly in the middle of a task - then it’s time to begin scouting around for some possible essential replacement parts for it, if you don’t have one stocked in your house. Most of these essential parts can be purchased from your nearest parts dealer. Replacing them is easy to do, and can be done in your home using only the most simple and basic tools found in your tool shed.
For small gasoline engines of lawnmowers, you need to stock some essential parts in case the need for it arises, can be easily replaced without the need for a mechanic. Compared to an electric or battery run lawnmower, gas engines have a more varied and larger number of working parts. Manufacturing companies of earlier models of lawnmowers have ceased to make replacement parts for it, so upgrading them may be harder if you don’t have necessary parts. In such cases, you may soon find yourself in a very long and tedious process of spare parts hunting.
Parts for an engine lawnmower:
Spark plugs - The spark plugs of lawnmower engines are smaller than the average spark plugs used for automobiles. Small as they are, they are not as easy as to find as their larger counterparts. Keep a few of them in stock for future purposes.
Belts - Just like your spark plugs, belts can easily get torn, shredded, or deformed when you least expect it. These are also rather easy to change, but can’t be replaced if you don’t have them stored. If your spark plug suddenly fails, better have a visual check with the belts just to be sure these are in good working condition.
Other parts: Blades, mulching kits, shafts, adapters and accessories, throttles, choke cables, lead batteries, and then some should also be had as spares. Additionally, you should not forget to have in your tool list the necessary tools to use in lawnmower repairs and parts changing.
Electric lawnmowers have few replaceable components. These are: Fuse and fuse holders: These are easy and cheap parts to have; stock as needed. Cables and cable winder: It’s rather messy when these components fail; don’t rejoin but buy new ones instead. Tool switches and connectors.
Battery operated lawnmowers have the least amount of components of the three, such as a few switches and battery leads.
These lawnmower replacement parts are rather affordable, so you should make a small investment in such parts to ensure the continuing availability and proper functioning of your lawnmower.
Filed under Landscaping Tools by Easy Landscaping Ideas
A healthy diet should include an adequate number of servings of fresh vegetables everyday. However, vegetables may not anymore be safe like they were when they were first harvested. Hence, it is advised that one eats homegrown vegetables than preserved ones.
First, homegrown vegetables do not need to undergo the process of preservation. Preserving of foods inevitably require addition of certain chemicals known as preservatives. Albeit these substances prevent foods from immediate spoiling, they may also have negative effects on health. Growing vegetables at home is now starting to catch on in the U.S. because they can be in containers if a person doesn’t another option. Gardeners and other enthusiasts highly recommend this because aside from the fact that it saves garden space, it is also capable of supplying the bodies organic needs.
Organic experts, as well as nutritionists are advising people to go for freshly picked vegetables rather than canned ones. These, they say, contain greater quality and superb taste; two of the more important characteristics that preserved goods lose. Vegetables that are made available at stores and supermarkets are those that are picked thousands of miles away. During preservation and transportation, they are more likely stripped off of freshness and essential nutrients. They may also catch dust and other pollutants during the travel. This, in turn, may lead to negative effects rather than sound ones that we want to achieve for our health.
If you can’t grow your produce then go down to your local farmers market and buy their offerings which are almost always grown organically. You can be assured that these goods are fresher than those that are available in supermarkets. Even your neighbors can be a good source for fresh vegetables. Often times their garden produce far more than they could consume and might be willing to sell you the vegetables that they can’t consume themselves. This is from the belief that
Your local economy can benefit when you buy from local farmers and gardeners. Growing vegetables and other organic foods at home may also serve as a useful hobby and could give you extra income.
