Monday 25 December 2006

Enjoy Ornamental Grasses All Year

Grasses
These are some of the most loyal and least demanding foliage plants that thrive in the wild with little care or maintenance. These are highly adaptive, non-complaining creatures, found happily growing even in the worst possible soil type. These have varying disposition with a range of color, form and water requirements. These fascinating plants give one a lot of choice and scope for experimentation. In the garden these can be employed as ground covers either to give a soft appeal to a hard landscape or for resisting erosion of topsoil. To break the monotony they can be contrasted with plants that have bold outlines.

Some grass varieties are known as ‘ Ornamental grasses’ for their fantastic appearance. These are usually of various sizes, shapes and colors. Their vibrancy can ideally be compared with the rush of colors in an artist’ s palette!

Blue Oat Grass - 'Helictotrichon sempervirens'

This ornamental grass is a striking steel-blue evergreen foliage plant. This is a clump-forming grass species with arching stems that tapers to form stiff flower spikes dyed in purple but turns straw colored in summers. It’ s best to place these perennial plants in a position that allows full light. Humus rich alkaline soil is the best for their growth.

Bowles' Golden Sedge - 'Carex elata Aurea'

This is an elegant ornamental grass species that can really help to lighten up an otherwise dull habitat with their rich yellow leaves, stripped in green. The leaves narrow and follow an arching pattern. This grass species prospers in moist soil and even in shallow standing water. Though this grass prefers sunlight too much of it might bleach it’ s leaves, while too less of sunlight might it stunted.

Chinese Silver Grass - 'Miscanthus sinensis Malepartus'

This extremely imposing genre of ornamental grass has a fluffy flower head that wears different shades in different seasons. These flower heads sit on the tip of the arching mild green leaves. In late summer, these might appear brownish-gold while in the autumn it flaunts a bright red. It enjoys a sunny site with well-drained topsoil.

Feather Reed Grass - 'Calamagrostis x acutiflora Karl Foerster'

This strongly upright ornamental grass species are one of the best, for large sized gardens. In summers their flower heads are pink with a brownish tinge and fades to superb wheat color in the other seasons. It should be pampered with humus-rich, moist soil and a position in the shade. In extreme sun, its stem might get scorched and begin to collapse.

Golden Oats - 'Stipa gigantea'

This splendid evergreen grass is best suited to form a lasting sunny border to the garden.
This clump forming ornamental grass has arching stems with radiant oat-like flower heads gracefully positioned at the tip. Their flower clusters called spikelets, turn to a bright golden when ripe .The leaves are grayish-green and extremely slender. They flourish best when positioned in full sun and planted in a rich, well-drained soil.

Hakonechloa - 'Hakonechloa macra'

This ornamental grass is usually small and forms clumps of arching stems and narrow leaves.
This deciduous grass looks marvelous with a little ‘ mix and match’ . This looks great when planted when mingled with hardy plants or even when blended with other ornamental grasses. In late summers or autumn it gives birth to drowsy, dull green flower spikes.


Imperata - 'Imperata cylindrica Red Baron'

This impressive grass species can be grown either in the ground to form a border while contrasting it with golden or blue foliage plants or can be planted in large containers. This grows gradually taking months to spread itself in the locale. Another of those clump forming grass, it has mild green leaves that turn blood red in the summers and fluffy silvery-white flower spikes that adorn the tips of the stems.

Pheasant's Tail Grass - 'Stipa Arundinacea'

This evergreen grass species has brownish-green leaves that turn to a bright shade of rich orange bordering on red. It’ s a marvelous creeping grass that helps to add vitality to an otherwise dull winter garden. When the flower heads become faded it is best to remove them otherwise they might germinate on their own from the fallen seeds.

Stipa - 'Stipa Tenuissima'

This grass species looks extremely delicate with pale yellow-green leaves and feathery plumes of silver-green flowers. This deciduous grass species is extremely versatile and perfect for sunlit gravel gardens. These tender species look wonderful when planted in large containers and can even form lasting borders. Their fluffy flower heads flutter even in the mildest breeze, dancing gleefully and announcing their arrival to other nonchalant ones.

Variegated Purple Moor-Grass - 'Molinia caerulea subsp. caerulea Variegata'

This is a compact, clump forming herbaceous grass. Even though it forms tufts, it looks neat because of its compact nature. This grass species have an enchanting beauty with their flat leaves that have stripes of cream and green and rich yellow slender stems. To add to this, their purple flower spikelets – the small flower clusters, made them look simply awesome.

Zebra Grass - 'Miscanthus sinensis Zebrinus'

This graceful, sunny looking grass has stripped leaves with yellowish-white bands imprinted on them. This clump forming grass species has silky-smooth spikes of pinkish white flowers. They perform best when planted in well-drained soils.

Chinese Silver Grass - 'Miscanthus sinensis Gracillimus'

This stylish grass has narrow arching leaves with a prominent, central streak of white, which in autumn turns to a rich bronze shade. This smart ornamental grass species bears spikes of purple flower heads with a tinge of brown. This is generally grown with other summer flowering perennials.

Elijah Blue Fescue - 'Festuca glauca Elijah Blue'

This is the safest bet for the best among the various blue-leaved ornamental grass. These have pointed needle like silvery bluish leaves and petite spikes of blue-green flowers that gradually fade to pale chocolaty color.

Gardeners' Garters - 'Phalaris arundinacea var. picta Picta'
This ornamental grass has pale green leaves, stamped with white stripes. In the summers, it bears creamish-white flower spikes. This flecked ornamental grass play gleefully in full sun or partial shade. This outstanding fast-growing grass looks appealing when used planted by a stream or pond side.

Hakonechloa - 'Hakonechloa macra Alboaurea'

This ornamental grass looks perfectly stunning with thicket of arching stems with narrow, pale green leaves, flamboyantly striped in brilliant yellow and thorny flowers. It’ s difficult to ignore this diminutive grass species for the splash of color that these wear. When positioned in full sun, these develop a slight ruddy appearance. In addition to being beautiful, these are also ‘ self emerging’ species.

Japanese Sedge - 'Carex oshimensis Evergold'

This ornamental grass grows as mounds of dark green leaves with a prominent central strip that looks somewhat creamish yellow. With the arrival of spring, brownish flower spikes make their appearance. It’ s a great idea to blend these with other ornamental grasses have complementary shrubbery.

Pampas Grass - 'Cortaderia selloana Rosea'

This ornamental grass looks outstanding with fluffy plumes that have an unusual flush of pink. These are usually tall, growing as large humps of pale green leaves, the edges of which are finely honed. Geographically, these are widely grown in the lowlands as expansive stretches that have well drained soil. These require ample space for growth therefore a medium or large sized garden is preferable.

Other Plants

Passion Flowers – ‘ Passiflora’

With their conspicuous white flowers having purple rings at the center, these flaunt a truly exotic look. With their vibrant eye-catching look they inspire self-passion. These are usually grown as summer plants bearing thread like prickly white filaments and elliptical, bright yellow or ruddy fruits. This is an energetic, least demanding climber that grows happily when planted at the base of a sheltered wall, facing sun. This tropical plant loves hot summers, with some varieties being full hardy. These plants bear luscious edible fruits that taste best when eaten fresh. The fruits and flowers are widely consumed as juice or tea and are perfect for stressed out or anxiety struck souls.

Arun Lily or Cally Lily – ‘ Zantedeschia Aethiopica’

These perennial plants bear extremely attractive pure white flowers with large sunny green brats around the inflorescence. The unusually white hood-shaped flower petals and exquisite arrow-shaped, dark green leaves make these plants a rare beauty. These are clump-forming plants that look arresting when grown beside water bodies wearing the look of water lilies. These plants are active in the summers growing and blossoming in aplenty in sunny locales with moist soil

Tuesday 12 December 2006

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Vegetable Gardening Tips - How To Sow Your Seeds


Author: Dale Odeyemi


Getting Your seed to sprout, is only the first step in the game; they must be provided with the means of immediately beginning to grow.

This means that they should not be left to germinate in loosely packed soil, full of air spaces, ready to dry out at the first opportunity, and to let the tiny seed roots be shriveled up.
The soil should touch the seed - be pressed close about it on all sides, so that the first tiny tap root will issue immediately into ideal surroundings where it can instantly take hold.
Such conditions can be found only in a seed-bed fine but light enough to pack, reasonably rich and sufficiently moist, and where, in addition to this, the seed has been properly planted.
Try to never let the soil become crusted, even if there is not a weed in sight. Keep the soil loosened up, for that will keep your garden growing very nicely.

You should sow from the end of March to the beginning of May, or when plum and peach trees bloom, the following:

Beet, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower
Celery, Endive, Kale, Kohlrabi
Lettuce, Onions, Parsley, Parsnip
Peas, Radish, Spinach, Turnip
Water-cress
Sow from the beginning of May to the middle of June, or when apple trees bloom, the following:
Beans, Corn, Cucumber, Squash
(Melon, water), (Melon, musk), Pumpkin
Tomato, Okra


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The planting depths and spacing is critical when it comes to planting your garden... Every veggie has a different depth and space needed to grow as big as possible. You will find that some like to be crowed and others need plenty of space. You want to make sure that you give them the appropriate amount of space so they all get food and water.

You want to be able to get to the vegetables without walking on the plants. You also do not want to walk on the soil that you plan to use to plant.

Some plants also tend to take an abundance of water and feed from the soil, so you will want to have them isolated from the other plants.

Remember that a majority of your seeds will not bloom; so seeding heavy is okay when it comes to things like lettuce, where the seeds are very small. You may want to sprinkle some food on top lightly so that the seeds have a better chance of making it.

However, if you have already fertilized the land, you do not need to add the food!

About the author:
Get our new, vegetable gardening book just by Simply visiting our website dedicated to Vegetable Gardening
http://www.herbnatural.com/

Maintaining the Exotic Plants

For the first few years, especially in hot or dry weather, observe your exotic plants closely for any signs of moisture stress. If you find the leaves drooping or hardening of the topsoil, it's time to water the plants slowly, allowing the water to percolate to the bottom. This will encourage the roots to grow deeper and stronger. Some evergreen exotic species may need protection against frost, high temperatures and high-speed wind.

To prevent the evaporation of essential soil moisture and the freezing of roots, cover the area around the plant with mulch, a protective covering of organic matter such as leaves, straw or peat. One can also use spray solutions to prevent drying of foliage during the winter. Fertilizers are usually not needed in the initial stages of plant growth, however may be beneficial later depending on soil and growth performance. Young exotic plants need protection from frost cracks and sunscald. These are also susceptible to attacks by gnawing menaces like Mice, Rabbits and Weed whackers.

These Rodents frequently chew away leaves and stems of small plants and bark of trees. This makes the nutrient-conducting tissues, located under the bark exposed and eventually the tree dies when the growth season arrives. Large plastic sheets or bags can be used to shield the plants and trees against such threats. Frost cracking, results from the tension created because of the differential rate of expansion of the sunny side and the cooler side of the tree. Sunscald usually results when young trees are suddenly moved into direct sun from a shady spot. When placing plants in direct sunlight use light colored tree wraps to prevent the trunk from scalding. Pruning For Exotic Plant and Trees

Usually, young plants don't need to be pruned. As the plant grows, lower branches may be pruned to allow surfacing of new stems or for getting rid of dead or damaged limbs or suckers that shoot out from the trunk. Larger trees might need pruning to allow light to penetrate the thick canopy. Small branches can be pruned with little effort, while a pruning saw should be carefully used to remove large branches. All cuts should be made vertically which allows the tree to heal quickly without the use of any sealing material. Late winters or early springs are a perfect time for pruning, with plants being likely to " bleed sap”, the liquid that helps preventing attack from disease-causing organisms. Heavy pruning during late summers may make the tree less winter hardy.

As excessive and reckless pruning can serious harm your plants and trees, always consult an expert. Exotic trees should never be topped, for not only does this spoil the natural shape of the tree, but also increases its susceptibility to diseases. Also, the angle between the trunk and the side stem known as crotch angles becomes narrow, increasing risk from winds and frost. When in doubt, consult a professional who's aware of methods for selectively pruning large trees without compromising its health.

Proper Lighting For Your Exotic Garden
Filtered sunlight is the best for most exotic plants. To begin with, placing the plants in partial shade, which allows sufficient sun in the morning and late in the afternoon, is suitable for most exotics. Plants are highly adaptive in terms of their light requirements and can grow in varying intensity of light.

The only way to ascertain the plant's light requirement is to observe it for a few weeks. Then you can revise the amount of light received, but always do it gradually. Mostly the change of light level is towards higher intensity, leading eventually to full sun. If your plant looks healthy, bearing well-developed and richly colored leaves and flowers, you have probably placed it in the most suitable spot. If the plant seems to be stretching with say an increase in leaf size, it's ideal to increase the amount of sunlight exposure a bit.

In the growing phase if the light level is insufficient, the plant might produce fewer flowers or in the worst, might not bloom at all. If the leaf colors looks a little bleached out and you start to find tan blotches on the leaves, you have probably given it too much sun. By the way, always avoid placing a small potted plant in direct contact with the ground (dirt), which may bring diseases that will kill a small plant in little time. Always place them on benches, on top of a empty pot facing upside down, or a concrete block.

Give Appropriate Temperature To Your Plants It's obviously difficult to control climatic temperatures to suit the plant's needs. Exotic plants can grow quit easily in cold climates if provided with suitable amounts of sunlight. However, it's a greater challenge, to grow plants native to cold regions in tropical conditions. If you are unsure about the extent of cold your plant can withstand, try to maintain moderate temperature conditions, always avoiding the extremes.

Save Your Plants From Frost Damage Frost action involving its alternate freezing and melting causes the cell walls of plants to rupture, especially in the case of tender plants. In fact, flowers, shoots and leaves of hardier plants may show blackened signs of rotting. Heavy frosts, may even cause the bark of woody plants to tear apart. Tender plants and large-leaved or variegated decorative plants are likely to be impacted most seriously. Frost can cause damage to fruits and leaves, forming brunette corky patches at the flower ends of fruits and at the center of flowers. Proper placement of plants is important to avoid being affected from ‘frost pockets', a situation wherein arctic air settles at the base of a slope. It's best to place plants in a spot that allows adequate sunlight in the mornings. Avoid fertilizers especially those that are rich in nitrogen as these might make the plant floppy, making it more defenseless against cold. You can give a covering of several layers of fleece to your plants when frosts are forecasted. If heavy frost is predictable, prune the damaged and decaying shoots and foliage, restricting the plant structure to a couple of shoots. If you have been late in pruning and preparing the plant for frosts, postpone it for the time when the weather settles down. Subsequent to pruning, apply a general-purpose fertilizer to the topsoil as per the rates recommended by the manufacturer so that the plant can recuperate quickly.

The Dendrocalamus Barbatus are starting to germinate!!!!

Desert Plants Never Die??

.5 Cacti
With their piercing look and well-defined architectural structure, Cacti are an extremely fashionable plant group. With their shiny appeal and thorny form they are completely awe-inspiring. This group has plants of all sizes varying from the dwarf to the gigantic ones. This plant group demonstrates great diversity in their anatomy, with some being tall with a constricted profile while others being broad and bloated. With their inherent robustness and adaptive ability, they can be grown as a conservatory plant and can survive in even the most hostile weather conditions with little care. They enjoy bright light and high temperature conditions like those of desert days and can even endure extremely low, below-freezing temperatures like the desert nights.
This group offers a range of choice satisfying even the most demanding garden owners. In addition to gardens and greenhouses one can house them in any part of the house as potted plants. With little patience, you can have some of the most thrilling flowers covering and adorning their thorny body. And there’ s no gainsay in the fact that a look at these colorful flowers makes one smile from ear to ear.
2.5.1 Red Barrel Cactus – ‘ Ferocactus pilosus’
Globuse in shape with firey red spikes that pertrude instinctively from its green hub. One of our bestsellers as it adds character to monotonous surroundings with little effort.
2.5.2 Oreocereus celtianus

These have a cylindrical body coated with a layer of dense, cloudy spikes. It has a faintly visible green center peeking through the dense white cloud of shielding spikes. This is a slow growing plant that will take several years to outgrow its initial size. These uncanny, colorful plants look amazingly striking.

2.5.3 Desert-Looking Plants

This group of foliage plants as their name suggests give the look of a desert to the milieu.
These plants enjoy porous soils that allow good drainage and minimum water requirement. Perfectly suited to desert environment, these demonstrate exceptional resistant to drought.
In fact they are so well adapted to their natural habitat that they desist winter rains. Their size and hardiness amplify with age, giving them an unyielding sense.

2.5.4 Spanish Dagger Yucca - ‘ Yucca gloriosa’

These are extremely hardy Yucca species that give a characteristic desert impression to the locale. These have grayish-green stiff and sagging leaves projecting out from thick, bloated stems. These have reddish spikes and bear spectacular hanging white bells. This species is sometime also called as the Spanish dagger for they bear one of the biggest and sharpest, incisors like spikes. These have an extremely huge, yet well-balanced structure.

One of their close variety known as variegata has a variegated form with pale yellow stripes along the leaves. A little less hardy than their parent species, however can survive moderate winters. Once the flowering season is over, abundant suckers and a few branches shoot out giving it a somewhat messy look.

2.5.5 Adam's needle -‘ Yucca filamentosa’

This Yucca species is very similar to Yucca gloriosa differing minutely in their structure and the time of blossoming. They have moderate size and a trunk-less body with leaves that have white threads at the edge. Flowers surface early in the summers, considerably before the normal flowering season of most Yuccas.

2.5.6 Our Lord's candle – ‘ Yucca whipplei’

These are stem-less Yucca species much smaller than most others of the group. These are native to USA (Southern California) and Mexico (Baja California). These prefer full sun to light shade and have little to moderate water requirements. The soil should permit good drainage with minimum water logging.

These have constricted, needle like leaves with sharp tips and saw- toothed margins. These bear scented white flowers and have extremely tall flower spikes. Their fruit, which contain the seeds and are like winged capsules. The plant has a life cycle of its own dying once it, has produced flowers and resurfacing in the form of offshoots that continue the process of growth and reproduction.

2.6 Grasses

These are some of the most loyal and least demanding foliage plants that thrive in the wild with little care or maintenance. These are highly adaptive, non-complaining creatures, found happily growing even in the worst possible soil type. These have varying disposition with a range of color, form and water requirements. These fascinating plants give one a lot of choice and scope for experimentation. In the garden these can be employed as ground covers either to give a soft appeal to a hard landscape or for resisting erosion of topsoil. To break the monotony they can be contrasted with plants that have bold outlines.

Some grass varieties are known as ‘ Ornamental grasses’ for their fantastic appearance. These are usually of various sizes, shapes and colors. Their vibrancy can ideally be compared with the rush of colors in an artist’ s palette!

2.6.1 Blue Oat Grass - 'Helictotrichon sempervirens'

This ornamental grass is a striking steel-blue evergreen foliage plant. This is a clump-forming grass species with arching stems that tapers to form stiff flower spikes dyed in purple but turns straw colored in summers. It’ s best to place these perennial plants in a position that allows full light. Humus rich alkaline soil is the best for their growth.

2.6.2 Bowles' Golden Sedge - 'Carex elata Aurea'

This is an elegant ornamental grass species that can really help to lighten up an otherwise dull habitat with their rich yellow leaves, stripped in green. The leaves narrow and follow an arching pattern. This grass species prospers in moist soil and even in shallow standing water. Though this grass prefers sunlight too much of it might bleach it’ s leaves, while too less of sunlight might it stunted.

House Plant Care - A Guide For Your Container Garden

Container gardening tips
Title: Author: Mary Hanna
Article:

Through the years many plants were considered to be only greenhouse subjects rather then house plants. That, thankfully, has changed and many species can be considered as house plants to decorate your home. Here is a house plant guide to the basics of caring for your plants also known as container gardens. It is best to choose plants that have thick leathery foliage. The reason they can withstand heated rooms is that they have tough leaves and can withstand adverse conditions. This also cuts down on house plant care. It is wise however, to keep the foliage free of dust so as not to interfere with the plants pores.

It pays to get your house plants ready for indoor life. If it is possible buy your plants when you no longer need to heat your home. This way they will get plenty of fresh air to harden the developing foliage, giving it strength against a hot dry atmosphere of heated rooms. This is especially important for tropical house plants. If you buy a tropical plant, such as a begonia, keep it in a room that is warm and moist, like a bathroom.
They thrive on moisture and because of the steam from showers tropical house plants will get the necessary humidity.
To keep house plants species hardy they must be in a cool a place as possible. An unheated room that does not fall below 45 degrees is ideal. If you have a very cold spell, bring the plants into a heated room but be sure to get them back to the cool atmosphere as soon as possible. If you have a very large house plant that is not easily moved cover it with material, like several layers of burlap, to shield it from the elements.

When it comes to house plant care, watering is usually the trickiest. The amount of water will depend on how fast the plant absorbs the moisture. Obviously, a house plant that is in active growth requires more water than a dormant one. A good rule of thumb for house plant care is that they will require more water during the growing months, April through October. All container gardens should be watered when relatively dry. Sufficient water should be given to the house plant to reach to the drainage hole. This is important because the feeding roots closest to the bottom need water to continue growth.

A good trick for house plant care is to tap the pots half way down with your knuckles. If there is a hollow sound the plant needs water. But, if you hear a dull sound there is still plenty of water. The exception here is if the soil has been compacted firmly into the pots, then you will always here a hollow sound. If possible use rain water for house plant care. If you cannot use rain water on your container gardens, you can use tap water. Be sure to inspect your house plants daily to see if they need moisture.

If the tips of your foliage turn a sickly yellow you are over watering the plant. Do not water it again until the soil is quite dry. Over watering will also cause a moss or algae to grow on the soil. This must be removed, then use a sharp stick to aerate the house plant.

Another task of house plant care is feeding the plant. Plants that have rooted well and are growing freely need the most feeding. This extra nourishment is especially needed from May to August. Flowering house plants benefit by feeding them as soon as there flower buds appear. There are many types of fertilizers, speak to the people at your garden center to find the right one for your house plants.

These are some tips on caring for house plants. Keep your house plants feed, watered and clean so that you will have years of enjoyment and beauty.
Happy Container Gardening!

Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
About the author:

About the Author Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com,

Choosing Plants For Container Gardening is Easy!

Title: Container Gardening Should Include The Herbal Plant Scented Geraniums
Author: Mary Hanna
Article:

Planting an herbal garden that includes scented geraniums is not common to container gardening. Most gardeners think of scented geraniums as a floral plant, not an herbal plant but the species, called pelargonium, is an herb with many uses. This delightful herb has many different aromas and gorgeous colors to delight your senses. The scented geranium is best used in container gardening for two reasons. One, you can control the soil and moisture, and two you can bring it indoors when a frost is imminent.

The scented geranium was found in Africa in the 1600's and shipped to England where it became most popular. The gardener of King Charles I grew a variety of scented geraniums in the royal greenhouse. The Victorians thought they were geraniums rather than an herbal plant but if you look at their asymmetrical leaves you can see the difference between scented geraniums and regular geraniums.

The scented geranium is truly a herbal plant for all seasons. It grows and has a lovely aroma throughout the spring and summer and when the chilly winds of autumn threaten this sturdy herbal plant will gladly co-exist inside with you. Nothing could be better when container gardening includes scented geranium with their exquisite flowers, lovely scented leaves, and sturdy characteristics for year round enjoyment of your senses.
True to their name scented geraniums come in a multitude of fragrances. Seemly, the favorite is the rose scented geranium but others are gaining popularity quickly. Some of the more robustly planted are the apple scented, peppermint scented, wood, like cedar or balsam, nutmeg and citronella (also know as the mosquito buster.) You can plant a whole container garden with this one type of plant and have a beautiful diversity. Their leaves alone will contrast interestingly to give you a spectacular container garden. The tiny smooth leaves of the nutmeg scented geranium, or Lady Mary, to the large musk scented leaves of the Lady Plymouth.

The rose scented geraniums are gaining popularity for calming and are increasingly used in mediation and for healing purposes. The plant truly releases a delicious rose scent when rubbed against or crushed. Just brush the leaves to release their scent or make a soothing rose geranium tea to help you relax.
There are many culinary uses for the scented geranium to delight your taste buds. Chop up the leaves and mix with your other favorite herbs such as chives or chervil or thyme to make interesting flavored butters or dips and spreads. A really clever way to use the leaves is to line a baking pan when making pies, puddings or cakes to impart a wonderful flavor to your desserts. Use them for desserts, syrups or custards for another unique flavor. You can even make flavored sugar by layer dry, fresh leaves with sugar.
Let them sit a few days, remove the leaves and store the sugar in an air tight container. This can be used in teas, baking goods, or as a sugar scrub. They are delightful in baths and infused in water to rinse your hair.
The scented geranium is a great as a room freshener or added to potpourri. Try adding some to your vacuum bag or put them in a mesh bag and add them to your dryer for a new fresh scent for your clothes.
Scented geraniums are grown from cuttings taken from the mother plant. Cut three to four inches just above a leaf. Strip the lower leaves off and place in a rooting medium, such as a mix of sphagnum peat moss. Place your cutting in bright light and keep it moist. When roots have been established it is time to place it in your container garden. Make sure the soil is porous and fast draining.
When the scented geranium is indoors it is necessary to feed it once a week to ensure full leaf growth. Pinching back the plant not only encourages bushy growth but releases a delicious aroma into the air. Keep the soil evenly damp; do not over water them as this will kill them. They can come back from overly dry situations but not wet ones.
Now it is time to add this multi-talented plant to your container garden. Just one word of caution, once you get to know the scented geranium your herbal garden will never be without it.

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

About the author:
About the Author Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com,

Gardening with Bulbs

Author: Renee Randall
Article:
Choose bulbs that are fancy, fragrant, small, or grand. Caladiums, Daffodils, and Glory of Snow are great bulb choices. Caladiums are decorative, heart-shaped bulbs of green, white, silver, pink, and red. Daffodils are beautiful trumpet-like bulbs of many colorful choices that grow to the height of 4-20". Glory of Snow are star-shaped pink, white, and blue bulbs that grow to the height of 4-5". Hyacinths, Lilies, and Tulips are also great bulb choices. Hyacinths are foot-high bulbs of vibrant colors and rich fragrances. Lilies are flared trumpet-like bulbs of all different sizes, colors, and varieties. Tulips are strong, reliable bulbs of many different colors, sizes, and varieties.
Plant bulbs in spring if they bloom in fall, and in fall if they bloom in spring. Till or turn the soil in the area where you will be planting, remove any debris, and spread compost or manure over the area. Till or turn the soil and remove any debris again, then lightly rake the area. Determine proper spacing, then begin planting each bulb with the top facing skyward at a depth equal to three times each bulb's diameter-- if a bulb is one inch across, plant it three inches deep. Cover and lightly pack bulbs with soil. Water thoroughly.
Stake bulbs that are larger by placing one end of a 4-foot pole beside the bulb while planting. Fill in the hole and pack soil to remove any air pockets and to secure the pole. Water thoroughly. As the plant grows, pinch off flower buds and side leaves from the stem so that only two ore three buds are left at the top of the stem. Rest the stem against the stake, but do not secure it. Once the stem is about twelve inches high, loosely secure it to the stake with rope. As the stem grows, continue securing it every eight to twelve inches.
Protect bulbs from animals during planting. Arrange some stones at the bottom of the planting hole, place the bulb on top of the stones, place more stones around it, but do not cover the very top of the bulb, then fill in the hole. If additional precautions need to be taken, line the bottom and sides of the planting hole with metal wire. Fill lightly with some soil, place the bulb, then finish filling in the hole with soil. This method is used most often when planting beds of bulbs.


About the author:
Learn more about planting and caring for bulbs and about buying bulbs at wholesale prices guaranteed to grow:www.bloomingbulb.com

Bamboo Propagation with Seed

Bamboo Propagation with Seed
Propagation from seed is a cost effective and efficient way of propagation. When bamboos flower and set seed, which can take place over a number of years or even decades , the natural regeneration and survival of the bamboo is ensured through the millions of seeds that the bamboo produces. In the year following the flowering of the bamboo (or years in the case of gregarious flowering), blooms tend to be concentrated in the months between November and April. Seeds tend to be generally available then from March to April onwards, however seeds in the period May to July tend to have better viability and reproductive ability.
Plants originating from seeds do take longer to develop into mature clumps than plant material derived through vegetative methods of propagation. However seed based propagation does ensure diversity of the bamboo.

Different bamboos have different sized bamboo seeds" The seeds of the Bambusa Tulda and Bambusa Nutans produce very small seeds, typically there could be 125,000 seeds per kilogram" The seeds of the Dendroclamus Species tend to be larger than the bambusa species, however each individual type of Dendrocalamus seeds does in itself vary in size" The seeds of Melaconna baccifera are very large and a kilogram of seed may only contain 65-70 seeds. These are around the size of a guava or small appleSeed QuantitiesThe quantity of seeds produced by a clump or over a certain area (depending on the type of bamboo) also varies from species to species." Bambusa bambos produces seeds in large quantities, which can form dense carpets on the forest floor,"

Dendrocalamus strictus - a clump of this bamboo can produce around 30-35 kilograms of seedHowever, some bamboos species do not flower at all, or it may be that there are no recorded instances of flowering as there is much still to learn about the flowering of bamboos particularly in the extremely remote areas where access is limited . Some species of bamboo do flower but do not set seed, other bamboos do produce seed but only in very small quantities, therefore seeds from these species are very difficult to obtain particularly if the seed is scattered over a large area.

Propagation from seed is a cost effective and efficient way of propagation. When bamboos flower and set seed, which can take place over a number of years or even decades , the natural regeneration and survival of the bamboo is ensured through the millions of seeds that the bamboo produces. In the year following the flowering of the bamboo (or years in the case of gregarious flowering), blooms tend to be concentrated in the months between November and April. Seeds tend to be generally available then from March to April onwards, however seeds in the period May to July tend to have better viability and reproductive ability.
Plants originating from seeds do take longer to develop into mature clumps than plant material derived through vegetative methods of bamboo propagation. However seed based propagation does ensure diversity of the bamboo.

Different bamboos have different sized bamboo seeds" The seeds of the Bambusa Tulda and Bambusa Nutans produce very small seeds, typically there could be 125,000 seeds per kilogram" The seeds of the Dendroclamus Species tend to be larger than the bambusa species, however each individual type of Dendrocalamus seeds does in itself vary in size" The seeds of Melaconna baccifera are very large and a kilogram of seed may only contain 65-70 seeds. These are around the size of a guava or small appleSeed QuantitiesThe quantity of seeds produced by a clump or over a certain area (depending on the type of bamboo) also varies from species to species."

Bambusa bambos produces seeds in large quantities, which can form dense carpets on the forest floor," Dendrocalamus strictus - a clump of this bamboo can produce around 30-35 kilograms of seedHowever, some bamboos species do not flower at all, or it may be that there are no recorded instances of flowering as there is much still to learn about the flowering of bamboos particularly in the extremely remote areas where access is limited . Some species of bamboo do flower but do not set seed, other bamboos do produce seed but only in very small quantities, therefore seeds from these species are very difficult to obtain particularly if the seed is scattered over a large area. Read More About Growing Bamboo From Seed

Bamboo Plants Glossary

The bamboo culm is also known as the stem or stalk, which generally tends to be a tall woody shoot that emerges from the Rhizome bud, this young shoot quickly grows and reaches its full height with 100 days.

The bamboo rhizome is the underground stems of the bamboo plant, it is the Rhizomes which produce the culms.

Bamboo Buds are the Key points from where new axes emerge and from where an entirely new plant can be formed.

Bamboo Plant Nodes are growth points from where new branches develop, the rhizome, culm and branches of the bamboo plant are all segmented by its nodes.

Internode The portion between two nodes.

Roots play an important part in soil anchorage and are essential for the survival of the bamboo as the roots’ role is to transplant water and nutrients to other parts of the bamboo plant

Branches A bamboo culm only begins to develop branches when it has reached full or almost full height. Branches form from the buds on the culm and are arranged alternately along its length

Leaves Most bamboos produce many leaves, although there is some variety in the shapes between the different bamboo types. Read more about bamboo uses and view loads of free articles.

How do I Take Care of My Bamboo Plant?

Bamboo needs little or no maintenance, people tend to overcare for their bamboo, whilst I am a keen bamboo enthusiast I am a lazy gardener. The fallen leaves and sheaths of the bamboo plant provide a good source of nutrition for the growing bamboo plant and whilst it is tempting to clear away the sheathes which can sometimes look untidy, they should not be cleared away from the base of the plant as these sheathes serve as a good mulch.

The leaves themselves contain silica that the plant will need for new growth. A fertilizer can be used whether horse manure, fish fertilser or weed and feed they all work just as well, however there should be no real need to do this as bamboo does not receive added fertilizer in the wild and survives well!

Bamboo's should have a regular watering although they do not enjoy over watering, however if you have a boggy area Phyllostachys Heteroclada (also known as water bamboo) thrives in wet soils because of its unique rhizome structure.

Depending upon the variety of bamboo that you have will govern where you plant it, some bamboo's like full sun, others like partial sun, whilst others prefer full shade. Look at the source list for an idea of the conditions that your bamboo enjoys best.

Recommendations
1. The addition of humus when planting as a heavy mulch2. The continuation of mulching and occasionally some fertilizer. The best fool and mulch that a bamboo can have is its own leaves and sheaths which are shed regularly, it is important not to clear these away from the base of the plant as they are an important form of nutrition for the bamboo.3. Regular watering during the first couple of years, however care should be taken not to over water the bamboo, and correct irrigation should be in place4. Thinning of old and weak culms as the bamboo matures. Whilst not necessary some pruning of the lower branches will enhance the bamboos appearance. Read more about bamboo care

Can Bamboo Be Grown in The UK?

Bamboos Plants
Bamboo can be grown all around the UK. It also requires little care and attention, thriving and spreading profusely through its root system. It is strongly recommended that gardeners create a barrier two to three feet deep around the planting area to contain the spread of the roots to areas beyond where the plants are desired.

Bamboos are not, in my opinion, generally particularly exotic in appearance, although I know many will disagree with me. The majority has quite small, non-glossy leaves, and many of them are not even particularly tall. They have a reputation, which some of them well deserve, for being rampant invaders and very difficult to control once established. A few, however, are different and I believe are worth consideration here. They are generally in need of some protection from wind, especially the phyllostachys group, and they all require ample supplies of food and water.

2.2.1 Moso Bamboo - ‘ Phyllostachys pubescens’

This, like the other members of the phyllostachys genus, is a clump forming species with no threat to take over the garden. It can easily grow 15 to 20 feet high, and apparently up to 30 feet in some parts of Cornwall. Unlike many bamboos, the sheaths fall from the stems as they grow, leaving them bare and somewhat shiny. In this species they are deep green, and are the thickest that can be grown in Britain, being up to three inches in diameter


2.2.2 Golden-Groove Bamboo - 'Phyllostachys Aureosulcata Aureocaulis'

A tall colored-stemmed bamboo with rich yellow canes, few green stripes at the base and mid-green leave. This bamboo looks spectacular grown as a specimen. One of our 'highly recommended plants' it should be planted next to buildings and paths where the near luminous colored canes can be enjoyed all year.

2.2.3 Umbrella Bamboo - 'Fargesia Murieliae'
Medium-sized bamboo with yellow-green arching canes and a mass of soft, mid-green leaves. One of the most popular bamboos the gracefully arching canes look lovely grown as an informal hedge. The plant's compact habit also makes it an ideal exotic specimen or container plant for small gardens

2.2.4 Fountain Bamboo - 'Fargesia Nitida'
Elegant, non-invasive bamboo with slender, dark purple-green canes carrying narrow, dark green leaves. This fabulous slow-growing bamboo is one of the most versatile plants for small gardens. It looks great planted in a large container, for softening the edges of plantings and as a specimen plant in a wildlife garden.

2.2.5 Running bamboo – ‘ Phyllostachys Propinqua’
This one, I was advised by a specialist supplier, is the least invasive of the group, and so far that has not been contradicted by my experience of growing it. It is a very upright species and extremely hardy. It is claimed it will grow up to 30 feet tall with stems 2 inches in diameter, but I will be happy if mine manages half that. It isn't there yet (after five years), but that is probably my own fault for ignoring my own advice in terms of ensuring adequate food and water. The leaves and stems are dark green. It is tougher than most bamboos - I am using it as a windbreak to help protect my banana

2.2.6 Palmate Bamboo-‘ Sasa palmata’
This species is much shorter, growing 6-8 feet tall, but has the largest leaves of any bamboo. It is fully hardy, but really looks like a jungle all on its own. The leaves have been compared to palm leaves, being up to 14 inches long and three inches wide. Its one disadvantage, which makes me reluctantly decide it is not for me, is that it is a rampant spreader. When a nursery that sells a plant advises me not to buy it for that reason, I am inclined to listen, but it looks so good I had to fight the temptation.

Bamboo plants In The Garden

Bamboo Plants In The Garden
Sound and movement are two of the major contributions that the bamboo can make to your garden. The leaves rustle with every breath of the wind and sway gracefully with every gust. We have just planted some of our Golden Bamboo into our garden and it makes a beautiful feature with its strong golden culms and elegant elongated leaves, against the backdrop of grasses and sedges.

The beauty of bamboo is that they compliment traditional gardens as well as the tropical ones that you tend to associate them with. Bamboos range in size from giants like Phyllostachys Pubescens , better known as Moso to the miniature ones which are more ornamental in shape and size, like the Thamnocalamus Spatheceus.

We particularly like the Phyllostachys bamboos and the Dendrocalamus Bamboo for its versatility and tolerance of hardy weather. As you know we are constantly sourcing new harvest of seeds and offer new ones as we are able. Bamboo flowers as you will know very infrequently so we may go months without a new species of seed being available, however we strive to find new exciting seeds all the time.

Bamboo Care Ebook