Gardening Reference

My name is Genie. I was born in Washington D.C. While there are plenty of people in the D.C. area with a penchant for gardening, I was not one of those people. I either over-watered or under-watered, and next thing I knew, whatever green thing I tried to coax along into healthy existence had withered and died.

In September 2005, I moved to Iowa City. In April 2006, I decided to overcome my black thumb heritage and plant some herbs in a couple of pots. Next thing I knew, I had a garden.

In May 2008, I said goodbye to my Iowa City garden plot and headed even Read more…

“Garden Paving”

Every garden has its own personalized touches that make it unique. In many cases, a garden can achieve added beauty by accenting it with an imaginative walkway, patio or any type of paved area. However, make sure your paved areas enhance, rather than take away from, the beauty of your garden.

The success of your paved garden is based not only on the materials you choose, but how you use them. Many different choices can affect the outcome, so it is important to make all the right decisions that personally suit you. Your paved work can be as intricately detailed or as simple as you wish.

Choosing a Pattern:

Bricks- Choose a paving pattern that suits your garden. Most people have found that, when it comes to garden paving, simple is best. One common pattern used in small areas is called the stretcher bond, a pattern used in building walls. (see figure 1). It is simple, effective and does not look distracting in a small garden. The herringbone (figure 2) and basket weave (figure 3) patterns are better suited for paving larger areas because they are more detailed and can be better appreciated in larger areas. Read more…

“Common Rose Diseases”

Just like people, roses are susceptible to diseases and various other health problems. Many of the problems that come with having roses are relatively easy to take care of, but it is always better to stop them all together rather than having to cure them later. Here are some of the ways that you can prevent diseases from reaching your roses.

1.    The easiest way to prevent diseases from inhabiting your roses is to buy roses that are low maintenance like shrubs and landscape roses. Read more…

“Watering Roses”

Watering your roses can be a tricky thing. It is one of the most important aspects of taking care of your roses. Roses need almost as much water to stay healthy as people do. Of course there are quite a few things that must be considered before you water your roses. They are as follows:

- Like people, roses need more water during the hotter weather than during the colder ones. Heat makes the soil dry faster and the roses get “thirstier”.

- Keep in mind that even during the rainier times, roses still need to be watered with fresh water because rain alone cannot provide the right amount of moisture for your roses.

- You want to water your roses in a manner that goes deep enough into the surrounding soil so that it reaches the roots. Try going approximately 45cm deep.

- You do not want to water the petals directly or the canes because it can cause fungal disease in your roses.

- To help you lower the risk of your roses getting diseases, mulch is a nice way to keep the soil moist, without allowing all of the fungal problems that too much moisture can cause.

- Watering your roses in the morning also helps to dry the dew off of the leaves.

- Once your roses are fully established, you should water them once a week. You should do it twice a week if its in the hotter months.

“Concrete Landscaping”

To hear the word concrete you may not think that it would be something to want in your yard but in fact, concrete landscaping has come along way in the last 10 years or so. Now concrete landscaping is all the rage and it is very pretty too.

You can use concrete landscaping for many different parts of your yard. Most people use concrete landscaping ideas and designs for the walkways and paths that wind through their gardens. This is more for those with larger yards but even if your yard is small it could do with some concrete landscaping.

You could put down a lively patio that you and your friends could it at to have drinks or tea. There is nothing more fun than a little party out on the patio on a nice day.

Stone walls are another form of concrete landscaping that has really caught on like wildfire. Walls are what will frame the whole home. They are the gorgeous and steely frame to the glorious painting that is your front and back yard. There are many other reasons to have concrete landscaping such as walls as well.

These walls are perfect for keeping your pet in the yard. If you have a dog that is prone to run away then look into this kind of concrete landscaping. These walls are also very good for keeping intruders out. The harder your home is to get into the less likely burglars will be to bother trying. So look into this type of concrete landscaping today and talk to a professional about it.
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