Lets Talk Gardens
"Garden Talk" is about all things asociated with gardens and gardening.
We shall be covering a whole range Gardening Articles on subjects from soil structure to harvesting and eating your own produce. We shall look into garden design and landscaping, and also garden safety and security.
We also have a gardeners library of ebooks for download or purchase covering a host of gardening topics.
Here is a small selection of recent and notable articles..
Growing Tomatoes - I always remember my mother and my grandparents having great success when growing tomatoes. We always had fresh and really delicious tomatoes to eat at the end of each summer and early fall. Many times, my mom would can them, though these were not something that I liked to eat. I love tomatoes, but I’ll pass on stewed tomatoes and dumplings. However, there are many who love dishes like these, and they love to grow the tomatoes on their own. This is something almost anyone can do.
Landscape Design Software - Creating a beautiful home is something all of us strive to do. For the majority of us, we worry over all the same details on the inside of our houses. We want the paint to perfectly complement the furniture and it’s important that any artwork we choose showcases our personal tastes. The exterior of our homes is something to consider also and by choosing the right trees, shrubs and accents you can not only make your home look better, but you can increase the value of it too. An easy way to do this is with landscape design software. These simple to use computer programs make it a snap to create spectacular landscaping for your home.
Shade Gardening - So many gardeners, even experienced ones, often bemoan the fact that their apartment or home has no expanses of sunny soils in which to plant their sun-loving favorites. Many also regard a shady garden as a difficult prospect, believing that hardly a plant worth viewing does well in the shade. This is a myth we hope to dispell. If your garden is entirely in shade, there are a world of possibilities whereby you can have a display that rivals any sun-drenched spot in the neighborhood.
Weed Control Fabric - When summer is over, all of the flowers are spent and leaves are falling, it's time to prepare the garden for winter with weed control fabric. There are bulbs to store or divide, leaves to rack for composting, beds to weed to prevent sprouts you'll be battling big-time next spring. Don't forget the gutters and perhaps a couple of loads of brush to haul away. With fence repairs and roof checks, you're pretty busy. By the time you're done, the rains have come and you're done in the garden until spring.
Building a Garden Pond - Garden ponds add an exotic note and peaceful ambience to your landscaping.
Dressing up an existing garden in more unusual ways takes a little innovation and sometimes, plenty of money and professional help. However, there's one garden element which can make a dramatic difference, which you can do yourself with just a little effort and not much expense. Garden ponds add a peaceful little getaway spot right in your own backyard. With a proper selection of water plants to populate your pond, you can have a little exotica as well.
Caring for Rose Plants - Rose plants take a lot of care, but many who have rose gardens feel the results are well worth the work they have to do. Gardening can be therapeutic, and many with rose plants enjoy the work as much as they enjoy the results. Some choose to have a few roses mixed in with other types of plants and flowers, but the most stunning is when they have nothing but roses and perhaps a few accent plants to fill in some of the spaces.
Greenhouse Gardening - Those who take gardening seriously know there are times of the year when you need plants to grow, but the weather outside will simply not cooperate. There are some plants that need extra heat, and the climate is just not right. For these occasions, greenhouse gardening is a great way to get what you need. Some love this for getting plants going before it is time to plant them, and that means they are well ahead of the game when spring has sprung. For others, this allows them to have plants that would otherwise fail when the temperatures dip too low.
Cactus Gardening - Green thumbs are unfortunately not something that everyone is born with. Some of us struggle to keep even the heartiest house plants alive. If you want to have some greenery in your home, but you are concerned that you’ll just be sacrificing more plants when you have them under your care, there is a solution for you. Cactus gardening is becoming more and more popular and with just a few simple instructions you are on your way.
Water Features - Having the right outdoor water features can make the difference between a mediocre garden and an amazing one. Water features garden supplies are crucial if you want things to really come together. After a few years of learning the basics of gardening, anyone can have some lovely flowers growing in the backyard. It takes real commitment, however, to landscape gardens properly. Your water feature garden displays are always going to be the centerpiece of your landscaping. Do you want to have a simple look, involving pools and slow-moving streams, or do you want to go more extravagant and have a water fountain? This is the kind of question that you have to answer for yourself when you are designing garden water features.
Get Instant Cheer With Hanging Baskets - Although landscape designers often neglect hanging baskets when planning your garden design, these cheerful, low-maintenance baskets are beloved by the home gardener.
Blown Glass Hummingbird Feeder - I have always loved hummingbirds, and seeing them in my garden has been one of the sure signs that the spring has come for many years. I don't spend very much time in the garden, so usually I am lucky if I see a hummingbird once or twice a season. After all, they move so quickly, and feed so rapidly, that you have to be looking at just the right moment to see one! So when my wife decided to get a humming bird feeder, I thought it might be a good idea. I was a little bit apprehensive, because I was worried that humming bird feeders would stop them from pollinating the flowers like they needed to. I didn't need to worry. Apparently, even if you have a feeder in your garden, the hummingbird will still also stop at the flowers for nectar.
Climbing Plants - There are many different aspects to having a pleasing garden. When it comes to choosing plants and different types of additions to any garden, personal taste is something that usually comes into play first. Some like to keep it simple and striking, and some like to keep it intricate and textured. When you are one of the latter, you may decide that something like climbing plants can help you fill in some of the spaces that don’t feel quite right. When plants can climb, they add a whole new dimension to a garden and the accessories that you have added.
Bamboo Plants - Though not every climate will support them, those looking for something interesting to plant in their gardens can consider growing some bamboo plants. Not only are these something that are not commonly found in nature, at least not in the States, they are also a very interesting type of material. They grow really fast, and have a very unique look. They can also be used for many different household applications, even though you wouldn’t think they would be strong enough.
Perennial Gardening for year round drama - Are you one of those gardeners who loves planting beds of annuals each year for that burst of color, but shies away from the perennials? You're not alone. Many enthusiastic gardeners believe perennial gardening is only for the experts, requiring too much maintenance, yields a short season of bloom and looks purely unattractive in winter. All of these reasons to discount perennial gardening are false! Let's take a look at how you can use perennials to create dramatic year-round effects that last many years, with far less effort than your annuals.
Invest in a Leaf Blower - My husband and I moved into a really nice neighborhood that had mature trees and lots of privacy. We never even stopped to think about all of the leaves that would be covering our yard once fall rolled around. However, once fall arrived, the leaves didn’t just daintily fall to the ground, they attacked in armies. We spent our first fall weekends shoving leaves in bag after bag. I wasn’t thrilled. Our backs ached, our blisters bled and we were ready to cut down all of the trees in our vicinity. Then, I watched an elderly gentleman in my neighborhood put all of his leaves onto neat piles using a leaf blower. I had never even contemplated getting such a mode of modern technology but suddenly, it had neon flashing signs all around it. I knew that before the next fall, we’d be getting a leaf blower. And we did.
The Stainless Steel Charcoal Grill - I make the same mistake each year, and I swear I am not going to make it this year. We don’t cook out in the yard very often because it is very inconvenient. We live on the second floor, and we have a long walk to get to the back yard. Though it’s not normally a problem, when you have to carry a lot of things, it can be a pain. We buy a cheap grill each year because we are only going to use it a few times. I think this year, however, I might go ahead and get a stainless steel charcoal grill.
More on Garden Design - Gardening is something that many do for a love of nature and for a chance to relax. Some do a little, and are happy with that, but others take it much more seriously. They may come up with amazing garden designs that would take your breath away. Those are always a lot of fun to view, and can be even more fun to grow. It might be compared to putting together a very complicated puzzle and hoping everything comes out just right.
More on Artificial Plants - Are you tired of your present home décor? Sooner or later, that couch you loved ten years ago, now looks old, frayed and dated. Ditto on the kitchen curtains and the sterile white walls everywhere you look. You want a fresh look, but your budget for a redecorating project is modest. Don't despair. With a few inexpensive changes and a little planning, you can have a new look you'll love! Read on to learn of one of the highly effective and well-kept secrets of professional decorators.
Garden Design - For those of us who love to garden, garden design is a subject near and dear to our hearts. When the winter months deprive us of the chance to roll up our sleeves and dig some dirt or tend the flowers, nothing can stop us from poring through the seed and plant catalogs, dreaming of spring. Plans to put in a cutting bed or create a mini-field of perennial wildflowers dance in your head like sugarplums, full of fun and promise. Without a cohesive plan for your planting adventures, you may end up with a garden design that's not as pleasing as you'd like.
Kansas State Sunflower
When we think of the grand sunflower with its striking color and formidable size, there is little wonder why this plant is the Kansas state flower. This icon of summer beauty is one that has so much to offer including pure aesthetic value along with tasty treats. This state flower is one that stands above all others, quite literally.
Fruit And Vegetables
Everyone wants to eat a healthier diet. We’ve all been warned of the possible outcome if our daily menu plan consists of fast food and soda. Regardless of how young you are, this way of eating will eventually catch up with you. Eating a balanced diet that includes dairy products, proteins, and a combination of fruit and vegetable servings at each meal is the best route to take.
Angel Wind Chimes
There are few items that have the same appeal as angel wind chimes. This decorative merges the delight of angelic visual beauty and the magic of chiming sounds. There are many different options in these outdoor decorating products.
Gardening Magazines
Whether you've just caught the gardening bug or have taught generations of fellow gardeners how to plow and harvest, you probably have scoped out the dozens of gardening magazines on the rack more than once. Established gardeners have their favorites delivered to their street or virtual mailbox.
Backyard Game
Whether you are dealing with a group of adults or a group of children, it is always a great idea to have something to do when you are having a picnic in your backyard, or anywhere else for that matter. People usually fill their time talking with each other and catching up, but it is so much more fun for everyone when you have a good backyard game or two that everyone can play. These are fun, and they are also great ice breakers when people have not seen each other in a long while.
Indoor Herb Garden
Every good cook knows there's no substitute for fresh herbs when it comes to making any dish taste its best. You can have truly fresh herbs available year around, ready to be snipped as needed, with an indoor herb garden
Fish Pond
As a little kid, I always loved to look at koi ponds, swamps, marshes, and any other teeming, shallow bodies of water. It seems like there were several fish ponds at our usual destinations...
Gardening with Country Living Magazine
In Country Living Magazine there are articles on garden design and creating an environmentally friendly garden. There is an Ask the Experts section that deals with advice on selecting and looking after flowers, shrubs and plants.
Fruit and Vegetables Compliment the Main Course.
Coming up with side dishes that are unique is sometimes a challenge. I try to find a fruit and vegetable that compliments the geographical area where the meat and fish come from.
