"Beauty for some provides escape, who gain a happiness in eyeing the gorgeous buttocks of the ape or Autumn sunsets exquisitely dying."Langston Hughes
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How to Control Mice Without Poison
REQUIREMENTS FOR REPRINT: You have permission to publishthis article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter,ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if itremains unchanged and you include the copyright and authorinformation (Resource Box) at ...
Planting Roses - Tips You Need To Know
The art of planting roses doesn't have to be a complicated thing to do. When you have the right knowledge there is no limit to how beautiful a garden or rosebush that you can create. In this guide, you will not only have all of the right skills at your ...
Steps to Planting a Tree Correctly.
In planting trees, their mature height and spread must be considered before a selection is made. Tempting as are the nursery catalogues, it is necessary to choose carefully, especially on the average lot, because crowding spoils the growth and ...
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Have you ever thought about keeping a gardener's diary to record what you plant and where you plant it? Keeping a diary will help you plan next year's garden by recording which plants grew well and which ones didn't. You can also note which colors do or don't look good together, or which plants overwhelm one another. Keep a record of how long the sun shines in different areas of your yard so you can find plants that require the appropriate amount of sunlight. In our yard, the soil is not the same everywhere. We have made do by planting different kinds of plants in different types of soil.
We have a big patch of very sandy soil that turned out to be adequate to grow a good crop of zucchini and pumpkins last year, as long as we kept it well watered. Our tulips did really well last year. We have them scattered here and there throughout the yard, but their favorite place is in a very sandy shady spot next to the front porch. Those tulips were twice as big as the ones that got more sunshine. This year, however, we got a little warm weather in early spring and then a cold spell. The poor tulips never recovered from the cold and didn't bloom at all! One plant that doesn't seem to care where it is planted is our rhubarb. It has been moved from house to house several times, it has grown in different types of soil, and it has been watered inconsistently. I then cut it all off and it grows right back again! This plant seems impossible to harm.
We're experimenting with daisies this year. I wanted to add some more color to our yard. I planted them in different places and will watch to see where they do best.
I love looking at my yard and looking at all the different plants that people have given me. Who would have thought that
plants could be keepsakes. You can make notes in your diary as to who gave you what plants and what meaning they have to you. Our rhubarb plant is the same one that we had at our home when I was a child, and my mom gave me some of the chrysanthemums that were given to me and planted in her yard when my daughter was born almost twelve years ago. Walking around the yard I see flowers from my aunt, rosemary from my husband's grandmother, and the young maple tree my daughter grew from a seed several years ago. There are many memories in our small surroundings. Planting seedlings from other people's gardens is also a great way to save money - plants are so expensive these days. Why pay for them at the store when you can get them for free? I also buy a lot of plants at the end of the season. A lot of stores have two-for-one sales and practically give away their leftover plants. Even a half wilted annual will perk right up when you give it a little tender-loving care. It will be back good as new next year.
Your diary can be as simple as a spiral notebook or as fancy as a bound diary you can buy at the store. If you are good at drawing, you can also make sketches of your plants in your diary. If you end up living in the same place for many years, your gardening diary can be a little piece of history for your family. Your family will cherish those memories for a lifetime.
About the Author
Originally published at Suite 101. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.
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 Storms Proposes To Tighten Loan Criteria - Tampa Bay Online
TALLAHASSEE - Sen. Ronda Storms successfully advanced a proposal Wednesday to change which companies would qualify for Gov. Charlie Crist's small-business loan initiative. Lawmakers agreed to take up the governor's $10 million "economic gardening ...
Woman stable after being shot by crossbow while gardening - New Zealand Herald
West Auckland police are considering laying charges after a woman was hit in the head with a crossbow bolt. The 42-year-old has undergone emergency eye surgery and is in a serious but stable condition at Greenlane Hospital following the incident in ...
The simple pleasures of gardening - Deccan Herald
W hen I was in my early teens, inspired by a lesson on gardening in school, I had grown green chilli and coriander at home. The joy of seeing the tiny green chilli plants and delicate leaves of coriander sprouting in a pot, was much too delightful. I ...
January an excellent time to tend to, create new beds - Cleburne Times-Review
I know we complain about the heat in the summer, but as gardeners living in North Texas we don’t really have much to complain about in the winter. In other areas of the country gardening comes to a complete halt, but we are only interrupted a day ...
Helping plants survive the cold - AZCentral.com
Don't let warmer weather lull you into complacency. Frost can threaten plants in the Valley through mid-March, experts say. But if you wait until the late-evening news for the frost report, you can be too late, says Paul Ellis, master gardener with ...
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