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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A yard full of delphiniums! How does that prospect strike you? I tried such a scheme 10 years on in my city lot, with only a 43-foot frontage, grew so many I literally sent a truckload of them to a trade show for decoration and still had so many left that it was almost impossible to tell any had been cut.

At first I thought my “yard full of delphiniums” idea was going to be a flop. The seedlings came along well enough and plants looked promising. But, by the first of June that year no more than a dozen had flowered. Then I went away for a week.

When I came back, I was flabbergasted. The yard had been transformed. I sat in the car and feasted my eyes on the most gorgeous sight I had even seen row upon row of magnificent bloom. Stalks were 4 to 6 feet high, some as tall as 7 feet, with 36 to 54 inches of bloom. There were blues, purples, mauves, lavenders, whites and bi-colors of every description.

I got out of my car and inspected them in detail. They were so brilliant that people passing by stopped and asked to come in to see them. Next to getting good stock, the important thing is care of it. My garden was thoroughly prepared for the seedlings as they came along. It was spaded and both compost and well rotted cow manure were put in.

Here is where you go to town on fertilizers It doesn’t matter what your soil is - loam, clay or sand - throw away the books and put in all the compost and manure your pocketbook will stand.

Mine was heavy clay soil. I trenched the bed two spades deep, put compost and manure in the trench and covered it with the next spade row of soil. Then, I raked it level and planted the delphiniums 18 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart.

Planting

To set the begonia plants and delphinium plants out, I opened up a hole by taking out a shovelful of topsoil. I next put in a 2-1/4-inch potful of some complete fertilizer such as Vigoro plus another 2-1/4-inch potful of bone meal and mixed this with the soil. Then I put the soil back and opened up a smaller hole for the seedling. Being careful not to break the root ball, I inserted the seedling in the hole and firmed the earth around it with my fingers. Each growing tip or crown was at soil level. Each newly set row of begonia plants and delphinium plants was thoroughly watered.

From then on, it was just ordinary garden culture. I watered when necessary and always in the morning so that foliage would be dry at night. This discourages mildew. I kept weeds hoed out by shallow cultivation. Since I had been careful in properly preparing the soil and planting, little additional care was necessary from then on.

The problem with food and plants these days is that they are all too expensive with the economy as it is. A garden is a good alternative, but the start up costs of getting your garden going can be too much at once for you. Following some simple tips, you can lower the costs and have it running in no time.

Gardening costs that we don’t commonly think about would include reading material. After all, we have to learn somewhere! If you don’t have a knowledgeable friend around to teach you, you will end up paying possibly hundreds on learning material. The smart beginner will instead use the library for books, or use the Internet to find the gardening tips and advice necessary.

Going to a nursery is expensive- it’s probably the last place you want to look. That is, unless you have knowledge of how to buy plants and flowers off season. The only real problem here is that when buying like this, the plants or flowers will not bloom until the next growing period. Since they are in less demand, the price associated with them will drop.

Roadside shops that sell plants are the most cost effective for your money- the only problem is finding them. Going to a local farmer’s market is your best bet in finding discount plants and flowers. You can also barter at these locations, unlike nurseries, so you can truly find a good fit for your budget and what you want for your garden.

Don’t be afraid to make friends with other gardeners- you will find they are the most generous of the bunch. Gardeners will actively engage in garden swapping, or a term used to describe the process of trading seeds, bulbs, and other materials to grow a new type of plant in your garden. The trade will, of course, demand that you have something to give in return.

True need for food and the like should be solved through organizations in your area. Government and private organizations that help those in poverty will be glad to help start gardens, offer tools, and even provide food for families in extreme need. Don’t be too full of pride to make use of the services- they are, after all, made for those in your situation.

Closing Comments

Creativity is the key to all problems. When you are looking for money to go towards a garden, just think of how you can approach the situation with a frugal sense of mind. You will either come out ahead, and build the garden, or just keep trying harder and make progress.

Solar garden lights are a new low cost way to light up your garden. These lights do not require wires, they are very easy to set up and very safe. Solar garden lights will protect anyone in your garden from getting an electric shock.

Sunshine is the source of all of the natural energy on earth. Solar garden lights utilize the energy of the sun, free of charge, to emit light. The lights are made of special cells, generating electricity when exposed to the sun. Solar cells, a regular rechargeable battery and an LED special light emitting diode is all that is needed for these lights to shine, when an electric current goes through it.

Modern technologies allow solar garden lights to keep improving, producing more light for longer.

Advantages of solar garden lights include:

1. Solar garden lights are very easy to put together and to install. When needed, they can also be very easily relocated. They can be mounted virtually anywhere in your garden, where there is sun in the daytime.

2. Solar garden lights are much safer than regular lighting, since they operate with a very low voltage.

3. Solar garden lights are very energy efficient. They are powered by DC (direct current) electricity, i.e. common batteries being charged by the sun and thus giving electricity for the lights to shine. They allow you to save on electricity and fossil fuel costs.

4. Integrated photo sensors make the lights go on, when there is no sunshine and to go off when the sun is shining, providing ultimate convenience. Most of the solar garden lights are also equipped with an on and off button.

5. Solar garden lights are very environmentally friendly, since they do not produce dangerous pollutants, common for regular electricity utilities.

6. Solar garden lights are stylish, attractive, and compact. They create a remarkably pleasant atmosphere in the garden.

7. It is important to purchase good solar garden lights, which are capable of producing light even in autumn and winter. Good lights will shine for over eight hours after being exposed to the sun for nearly 4 hours in the daytime.

8. They do not have to be connected to any electric socket and there is no need in electrical wiring. Solar garden lights with no connecting wires can never be damaged by animals.

What to be Aware of When Selecting Solar Garden Lights

1. Be sure to opt for the solar garden lights with the spike made of metal or a durable plastic.

2. Opt for higher capacity batteries and a larger area of solar cells, to ensure that your lights shine bright, and that they are long lived in the evenings. Make sure to check the feedback from other buyers of this type of solar garden lights in order to select the lights with the desired light intensity.

3. Ensure that the solar garden lights of your choice are waterproof and weatherproof. For example, if the water leaks through the solar panel of the lights, the lights may stop working.

4. Remember that on rainy and cloudy days, solar garden lights will not work for as long as they would work on bright and sunny days. That is why it is important to place the lights, where there is sun in your garden in the day.

5. In case the lights do not go on, you should look for one of the following: batteries leaking fluid, poor quality batteries, rusty batteries, or corroded battery terminals.

6. For most convenience, opt for solar garden lights that come with an on and off button.

The bottom line

Solar garden lights are low cost, safe and a modern way to light up your landscapes. Solar garden lights will provide any landscaping with a special relaxing atmosphere. These lights are environment friendly and cost efficient.

If you have a large lawn then you may find that a regular lawn mower is only not enough to keep your lawn in great shape. While a regular lawn may be fine for a lawn that comprises of only an acre or two, if you have a lawn that’s more than 2 or 3 acres then you may need a lawn tractor.

A lawn tractor is more pricey than the purchase of a lawn mower, but it can surely make the procedure of retaining a large lawn much simpler. If you have previously preserved your lawn utilising a lawn mower, you have likely spent quite a bit of your free time just trying to keep the grass cut. Additionally, you may have noticed that you have requires for your lawn that your lawn mower is only not able to accommodate.

With a lawn tractor it becomes much easier to keep the grass on a large lawn cut, shortening the quantity of time that you require to spend maintaining and cutting your lawn. In addition, a lawn tractor may also be utilised with a diversity of diverse attachments that may be utilised to handle other tasks on your property as well.

Some of these attachments include the capability to plow gardens and collect debris from your lawn. You can likewise attach a snow plow to a lawn tractor and utilize it to clear areas of snow from your property during the winter. A lawn tractor is an excellent choice if you need to turn soil or do any type of harrowing work on your property.

To ensure that you select the right lawn tractor for your requires, its consequential to expend some time shopping around. There are many different types of lawn tractors at present available on the shop . Not only can you choose distinct brands of lawn tractors but you can likewise pick distinct sizes and models. Bear in mind that the more powerful lawn tractor that you choose, the more money you should be prepared to expend. Indubitably, you should Regularly ensure that you keep your budget in mind when shopping for a lawn tractor, but you should also ensure that you take into consideration the requires you have for your lawn. You may find that its well worth it to go ahead and spend a bit more money now on the purchase of a lawn tractor in order to make sure that you have the correct size machine requireed for your property also as the proper abilities to handle all of the needs of your property.

Do you long for having your property enhanced by a splendid lawn? Sure you do but do you know that green lawns treated by using chemicals can put under risk not only the environment but put your health at risk when the waste material produced by chemicals are washed into underground streams, polluting water that you drink, beside destroying entire ecological systems? Learn here how to avoid all these risk switching to organic lawn care.

Knowing Your Soil For Organic Lawn Care

Each soil requires a different food according to their composition, needs and its pH. Like the skin of a human being, the soil has a pH measurement, test your soil to know it: that determines its acidity or alkalinity. Where is rich in limestone or chalk, is said to be alkaline. Conversely, it is an acid soil. Generally, a pH above 7.0 indicates an alkaline soil, while a pH below 6.5 is acidic.

Once you have tested it, you can use the suitable organic fertilizer.

The problem with organic fertilizer is the bad smell. That makes that many people reject to use but there are products, like granular fertilizer made of treated sewage waste that are safe and comply the regulations needed. They odorless and can provide the elements your soil needs.

Some Organic Fertilizers

Coconut Fiber:is a good fertilizer. It is used with plants that like acidic soil (pH 5.5-6.3) and is available in gardening stores.

Earthworms fertilizer: is one of the most common nutrients.Put a small layer on the land to fertilize and plants grow strong and healthy. Can be found in a specialized center or in any nursery Pesticides.

Pesticides in organic lawn care are not harmful like chemicals pairs. Use diatomic earth, lawn care sand, vinegar, oatmeal, cinnamon powder and other substances which help to reduce and control pests in your lawn.

Weeds

Weeds are the most common factor of worry for lawn care fan. Perennials or not, they are always ready to make themselves comfortable in any place they find available.Control weeds by pulling out by hand, sprinkle them vinegar, corn gluten

Your Switch To Organic Lawn Care

You are ready to make your switch to organic lawn care and if you pay attention, was not that way of caring for lawn and garden the way used by our grandparents? And were their lawns and gardens wonderful and beautiful? Yes, they were and now you can discover again the power of Nature by doing an simple but effective complete lawn care.

There isn’t a one size fits all fertilizer that works on all plants. You must learn how to not only pick the right fertilizer, but also how to use it for your selected plant. Fertilizer is key to maximizing the potential that your flowers and plants have, so learning the basics is necessary.

Before even thinking about adding fertilizer to the soil, be sure that your plant is getting food the natural way- through direct sunlight and plenty of water. You can use all the fertilizer you would like, and still not come out with a good result if you err on the water and sunlight distribution. Each plant has its own schedule and limits that you must learn in order to master gardening them.

Some studies have shown that organic fertilizer has been much more efficient in creating healthy produce, so we know that organic fertilizer is a good way to go. With that said, do know that you do have the option of picking a fertilizer with pesticides or chemicals. It is cheaper choosing that route, but you are hurting the environment and potentially your plants.

Fertilizer can come in different shapes and forms. Liquid fertilizer is more quickly taken in by the plant, whereas granular counterparts will dissolve over time as water is added to the surrounding soil. Liquid forms will typically be applied every couple of weeks, while granular forms will release up to 12 weeks or more. Granular forms are the easiest to use, but experts go with more targeted solutions for more control over what their plants take in.

You wont have to be a chemistry major to understand fertilizer types, but it is good to know the three nutrients that are the most well known. Potassium and phosphorous are important for warding off disease and encouraging roots to grow in strength. Nitrogen is key to making the plant a livelier color and growing up with vigor. Not all plants will require each of these nutrients, and feeding too much of one nutrient to a specific plant can spell disaster if you aren’t careful.

Don’t forget to be safe while handling the fertilizer of choice. Some chemical-based fertilizers will be toxic if eaten or exposed to certain body parts. Always handle fertilizer with gloves and protective gear to prevent any unintended contact. Wash hands thoroughly afterward and follow any other instructions to prevent harm to the local environment. Some events such as erosion make it possible to feed the fertilizer into water sources.

Flowers and plants are great to have as a hobby, but for the serious gardener there is a fine science when it comes to fertilizer. Companies constantly do research and development to try and find the best way to grow the next generation of necessary crops, plants, and scenic greenery.