How To Care For Your Winter Garden By Chris Emmerson

It is that time of year again folks winter is just around the corner, are you and your garden prepared for it.

As usual the tips I pass on to people, they take up and use, long before me, why is it I never have time.

But I promised myself I am going to do better this year.

1. I have already switched off the water to my outside tap, and I have made sure all of the water is drained out of the pipes, (I don't want any more burst pipes thank you)

2. I have dug my vegetable garden and applied plenty of manure, so it will be in good stead for the start of next year.

3. I do not turn the garden over, and leave the soil in big clumps for the frost to break up. Simply because we do not seem to get heavy enough frosts any longer.

I ordered my polyanthus plug plants, they got delivered to me a month ago ( the beginning of October). I always pot them on into larger pots and feed them well, they have established themselves pretty well in their new homes.

I like to plant them out in the garden about the middle of November, the garden experts on TV will probably disagree with me about my timing, but so what it is my garden and anyway everything catches up.

If you have an outside pond keep taking dead leafs out of it, you do not want them settling to the bottom, this will cause you and your fish a lot of problems as they start to break down.

If there is a danger of frost put a ball in the pond, this will stop the water freezing over completely, if it does freeze right over gases will pollute the water, you will have spent a lot of time getting the conditions correct for your fish, you do not want to upset the balance.

1. It is a good time of year to plant roses as the soil is still reasonably warm.

2. You still have time to get your daffodils and crocus bulbs in.

3. I know people will complain to me, but I find in my garden I have to use slug pellets. If I don't my polyanthus and winter flowering pansies would not last a night.

4. I make a point of going out at first light to collect dead slugs and snails, hopefully I am protecting the birds to an extent.

5. The hedgehogs are still out and about, so I like to leave a bit of food and a drink out for them. If you are going to have a garden fire make sure none of our spiny friends have made a home in there.

My worst job in the garden is collecting leaves, I absolutely detest it, the job is never ending. But you don't want them lying on your lawn as this will encourage moss, so rake them up, don't waste them though put them in black bin bags stab a few holes in the bags store them somewhere, and about a year later you will have some marvelous stuff to mulch your garden with.

I made a border near my sitting room window a few years back, and I planted it up with evergreens, so even on the coldest winters day I can stand inside with my cup of tea and enjoy a bit of greenery.

Twice during last winter I cut the grass, ( I know but you are not supposed to do that in bad weather) the grass had grown and looked a mess so out came my mower, I lifted the blades as high as they would go, it would be a bad idea to scalp the lawn at this time of year, so a light cut did the job, and it had no detrimental effect on the lawn.

Winter may seem a time of year when nothing goes on in the garden, but do not be fooled there is always something you can be getting on with, even if it is just repairing the broken gate.

Keep warm folks.

Chris Emmerson full of aches and pains folks, but still out there battling on. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Emmerson

Gardening - Late Fall Gardening By Hilary Basile

Fall brings about a new adventure in gardening. It's a time to focus on elimination and conservation. Colors will fade, allowing for other parts of the garden to shine. Proper pruning is necessary to accent seed pods, winter foliage and stems. Fall is a great time to add dimensions to your garden in the form of texture, shapes and colors. Following are gardening tips for pruning and planting in during the fall.

Fall Pruning

Following are tips for fall pruning:

• Cut most low growing perennials to the ground unless they have evergreen foliage such as Creeping Phlox, Thyme and Veronica.
• Prune plants with sloppy fall foliage like Irises, Daylilies and Shasta Daisies.
• Leave stems with interesting seed pods standing, like Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan and dried Iris seed pods.
• Remove clutter by thinning or cutting down plants that remain in clumps like Bee Balm or Obedient Plant.
• Clean up broken and bent stems.
• Strip stems of browned leaves to accent seed heads.
• Throw out annuals as they decline.
• Cut back fussy grasses like Panic Grass. Upright varieties such as Feather Reed may last until spring but may require some staking.
• Clean up and stake evergreen shrubs, grasses and perennials as needed.
• Use anti-desiccants to help plants survive the winter.
• Mulch roses with 12 inches of coarse bark. Don't prune roses too heavily until springtime.
• Do a thorough fall weeding to prevent unwanted spring surprises.
• Level your garden by filling holes, raking up dead leaves and reducing high spots.
• Apply a thin layer of compost for winter nutrients.

Fall Planting

Following are tips for planting fall annuals:

• Add Pansies and flowering kale in drifts or clumps to add extra color and interest. They will diminish in winter but will come back in the spring.
• Use a slow-release granular fertilizer when planting.
• Use a liquid fertilizer weekly until there is a killing frost.
• Water all garden plants regularly through the winter to keep them alive.

Use these gardening tips to prune and winterize your garden, and to plant flowers that will add color and interest through the fall and winter.

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com - http://www.myguidesusa.com you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life's major events. Whether you're planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you'll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com Find lawn and garden tips and resources at http://www.myguidesusa.com/lawnandgarden Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hilary_Basile

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Article Submitted On: November 07, 2007

5 House Plants For The Starting Indoor Gardener by Keith Markensen

Adding houseplants to your indoor decorating can add life to your home. Tropical indoor houseplants are used as often as furniture in the home. Some people decide to buy fake, plastic plants for their home, but it is often obvious. They collect dust and can look tacky.

The real thing will be much better. Indoor gardening can be fulfilling and natural plants even cleanse the air, adding oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide.

If you are unfamiliar with indoor gardening, the information below will be useful in showing you how you can have success in this form of planting. It is not very complicated.

Lighting

How will the plants get the sunlight that they need? You need to consider how much light is available in different parts of your home where you'll want flowers, and choose the plants to go in those areas accordingly. If a room is dark additional lighting can be added.

The following house plants will handle medium to low amounts of light, and are therefore known to work well for indoor gardening:

* Cast Iron Plant - Aspidistra elatior

* Cereus Cactus - Cereus peruvianus

* Pothos - Epipremnum aureum

* Snake Plant - Sansevieria trifasciata

* ZZ Plant - Zamioculcas zamiifolia

Watering

You should make sure to avoid the common mistake of over-watering your indoor house plants. Over-watering can damage the roots. Each kind of plant needs different amounts of water to be as healthy as possible, so be sure to research the needs of each type of plant you are going to have in your home.

Potting

Since there is no soil on the floor of your home, your indoor house plants will need to use pots and containers. If the pot is dirty before you place your new plant in it, it will be more susceptible to disease. Make sure to fully clean I first so the plant has the best chance of remaining healthy as it grows.

Humidity

Since humidity adds moisture to the air, it is a major issue in indoor gardening. The humidity effects the growth of the plants. If the air is dry, you should spray the plants with water so they receive the moisture that they need.

Fertilization

You'll need to research the specific type of plants that you will use to know whether or not they need constant fertilization. If the plant is receiving the proper amount of water, light, and humidity, fertilization may not be too important.

Hopefully these tips will help you cultivate indoor plants. Adding actual life to your home, rather than plastic plants, is fulfilling and with a little care is not very difficult.

Learn How To Create Your Dream Garden

Learn how to create your dream garden by Nate Moss

IF you long to have a beautiful garden, whether that means flowers or vegetables to you... if you want to see the astounded looks on the faces of your friends, and the sidelong envious glances of your neighbors... this letter should be of real interest to you. Here's why:

Anyone can grow a beautiful garden!

Even if you've tried and failed, you can have a thriving garden. It doesn't matter if you've never gardened before. You don't need to spend a fortune - you can start inexpensively. Whether you have a tiny window-box or acres of opportunity... And even if you don't have a single gardening tool, it's simple and inexpensive to get started.

Keep reading to find out how you too can get started on the road to being a "master gardener"... f you've never gardened before, you might worry that it's difficult.

And if you've ever tried a little gardening and perhaps had trouble with it, you might feel that it's not as easy as I'm letting on.

I assure you that if you follow a few basics, it is quite easy.

Anyone can do it.

You just need the right information and a wee bit of patience. Don't let yourself be worried by the questions that plague so many beginning gardeners: How do I start a garden? What do I need to have in order to grow a garden?

Are there any tricks of the trade I should know? Is it costly? How do I maintain my garden once I get it started? Will it take all of my time?

Because so many people have questions like these, I've created my simple "Gardener's Handbook".

With this easy gardening guide, you will discover the answers to these questions and to many more before you know it, you will be out there putting your green thumb to work! If you're just starting out - or if you're trying to improve your existing garden...So if this is what you would like to do click the link on the bottom to see more information,on how to obtain this valuable information. Click Here

Annual Flowers

Annuals Flower by Primoz

PLANTS classed as annuals are those which complete their life cycle within the space of one year and in this group we find some of our most useful garden flowers. We also commonly place in this class a few flowers such as the snapdragons (antirrhinum) and the ageraturns which are not true annuals but which are best handled as such.

The annuals have many uses. They are indispensable in the cutting garden, giving a wealth of bloom throughout the summer and early autumn months; they are of value in the herbaceous border, coming into flower after the first riot of spring bloom has passed, and carrying gallantly on through the heat of midsummer when many of the perennials are quiescent; and if a garden is to be but a temporary affair, to be enjoyed for the space of but a single season, the annuals may be used as the only material in the planting scheme. For window boxes and porch boxes, for potted plants on the terrace or on the low coping of a wall, for the indoor window garden, and for winter bloom in the small greenhouse the annuals can hardly be equaled.