Lavender Garden

A Lavender Garden is a must. Besides its fragrance and beauty, it is an ancient medicinal plant, an effective pest repellent, a valuable companion plant, a culinary flavouring and garnish and household freshener and cleaning agent. The flowers also attract bees and butterflies to your garden.

FOUR WAYS TO USE LAVENDER

1. As a healing herb

Lavender has a calming effect that helps us to sleep, relieves headaches and indigestion, lifts fatigue and depression and even eases anxiety-induced asthma. Sip a fragrant lavender tea or soak in a lavender-infused bath.

Lavender flowers are also known to be antiseptic and antibacterial, so they can be used in creams and oils to heal burns, stings, wounds and sores, even mild cases of acne.

2. As a natural insect repellent

The strongly aromatic leaves naturally repel aphids, whitefly and other pests, reducing the need for garden sprays. Margaret Roberts, the standard bearer for lavender, has found it to be an excellent companion plant that benefits all plants growing near it.

Dried lavender can be used in bunches, bags and pot-pourri as a natural air freshener and as a moth and insect repellent. It will also help to repel the neighbours' cats, as well as rats and mice, who don not like the camphor smell.

3. In the kitchen

Used with a light touch, lavender flowers impart a delicious flavour and aroma to biscuits, other baked treats and desserts. Chopped leaves tenderise meat and can be added to soups, stews and casseroles. Angustifolia and stoechas, as well as "Margaret Roberts" lavender, are the culinary lavenders. But, as Margaret Roberts advises, "a little goes a long way".

4. As a cleaning agent

Make a natural household cleaner from a strong infusion of the flowers, or a few drops of essential oil mixed with vinegar and water. The same mixture can be used to remove pet smells and soiling.

DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF LAVENDER TO TRY

ENGLISH LAVENDER (LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA)

This is traditionally the herbalist's lavender although other lavender also have medicinal qualities. It prefers cooler weather, flowers in spring and usually again in autumn.

The intense blue flowers are superbly fragrant, and the bushy plants with narrow grey-green leaves range from dwarf to 70cm high. Besides Lavender "Hidcote Blue", True English" and 'Munstead Strain', look out for two never varieties, the dwarf 'Ellagance' (white, sky-blue and deep-blue flowers) and 'Blue River' (30cm) with its pretty, exceptionally deep-blue flowers.

FRENCH LAVENDER (L.DENTATA)

With its showy silvery leaves and substantial lavender-blue flower spikes, it blooms throughout summer. Bushes grow between 60-80cm high and should be trimmed after each flush to prevent the plants becoming woody.

L.dentata 'Candicans' has large blue flowers topped with short, pale purple bracts. the green-leafed L.dentata 'Royal Crown' has very aromatic leaves and large blue flowers.

SPANISH LAVENDER (L.STOECHAS)

The flower spikes of this spectacular spring-flowering lavender are very colourful with prominent 'ears'. Plants are compact, 30-60cm high, with fine grey-green leaves. They should be pruned after the first flush. There are more than 30 varieties available, ranging in size and colour.

Newer varieties include 'Purple Ribbon' )deep purple), 'Bella Rouge' (rose/white), 'Coco Blue White'.

LAVANDULA INTERMEDIA

These varieties are crosses of L. angustifolia and other lavenders, the best known being 'Margaret Roberts' lavender and the compact 'Grosso' lavender and the compact 'Grosso'. margaret Roberts' flowers non-stop from spring onwards and although the individual spikes are slender, it produces such a mass of them that the effect is breathtaking.

Trim back after flowering and a new flush will develop. bushes are hardy and can grow up to 1m high and wide.

DUTCH LAVENDER (L.X ALLARDII 'AFRICAN PRIDE')

Known as is the hedge lavender, this variety has beautiful silvery leaves, some of which are serrated. It grows about 1m in height, flowers infrequently and can be clipped into a variety of shapes.

Also visit The Gardening Wizard for more Great Gardening Tips!

Enjoy your Gardening!

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Hydroponics For All - Lessons Learned

So Excited!

I actually have a pea pod and more flowers on the plant growing in my kit; while the runner bean plants have already outgrown their support stick. On thinking about it, I will have to get (or make) a tall trellis structure if I'm to be successful there.

We've been suffering from a few cold, high winds lately so opening the windows for pollination is something that needs to be carefully thought out just at present. Still, although the carrots and Brussels sprouts have seeded very well, after some conversation with other hydroponic growers, I believe I will plant them outside in the ground, even though they are likely to take longer to grow. I understand from what I've been told that carrots do not do well in a 'grow rocks' environment, due to the fact that it is the roots? That you actually eat.

I have been given the names of a couple of local growers and will be visiting them soon so that I can see what, if anything, they do with vegetables such as carrots and parsnips etc.

I think, on balance, that I will need to acquire something like a deep bucket or power-grower system, but with maybe a vermiculite or similar growing medium.

Sad to say, the broad beans did not 'take' so I will have to try them again later, although now I'm thinking seriously about tomatoes and pepper plants to replace the sprouts and carrots.

Saw a PURPLE pepper plant a few weeks ago in a commercial nursery and would dearly love to grow one of those as I love peppers (bell) of all colors and I think one of those would really stand out once the plants in my kit are fully grown. Will be trying out a chilli pepper plant as well as when my husband was alive he always added extra chillies to his curries which were, for us curryphiles, (is there such a word?) just the best ever.

Haven't had one since he passed (was difficult to raise any enthusiasm for food and cooking for a while there) and I really, really miss them now that life is getting back to normal.

I moved my computer a few weeks ago and am looking forward to using the lovely bare space the system left to grow larger things. Not sure what, but will definitely want a tomato plant in there as the space gets plenty of light through good sized windows. Will still be growing them outdoors again this year though as I still don't have the cover for my tunnel house. Am determined to get one for next season though.

When not writing, Hilary Green spends a lot of her time in the garden and enjoys not only growing the flowers she picks, but as much as possible of the food she cooks for her family. She is deeply interested in growing hydroponically and is turning her tunnel house into an area where she can grow plants using only water and waterborne nutrients.

Website http://www.hydrogreengardens.com/

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Indoor Gardening

Indoor gardening can be a rich and rewarding pursuit, and in and of itself is not overly difficult to begin. However, indoor gardeners have much more to consider than season and weather, because with indoor gardens, the gardener is responsible for maintaining all aspects of a healthy environment for the plants, from soil nutrition to sunlight supply, humidity to temperature, water supply to adequate drainage. When starting an indoor garden, the gardener may find that the plants, especially the delicate ones, need more than regular water and a window facing adequate sunlight. In this article, we will discuss the extra steps you can take to develop a healthy, well cared for indoor garden.

Indoor plants may have unique lighting requirements when kept inside. Besides that, with proper lighting you can extend your grow season for your indoor garden from seasonal to year round. The Hortilux grow bulb touts itself as one of the leading grow bulbs on the market, both for the variety of types of lighting available and for being environmentally friendly.

The Hortilux grow bulb can help your plants receive adequate light even away from consistent, natural sunlight supply, and the company offers grow bulbs in a variety of color spectrums, so that the gardener will be able to find a bulb specifically to meet the plant's specific needs.

Not only that, but this particular type of grow bulb can be especially valuable if you are trying to create an environmentally friendly garden. Because of the company's commitment to environmentalism, the Hortilux grow bulb uses less harmful materials, such as mercury, and consumes less power than other brands of grow bulbs.

Ultra Sun is another variety of popular metal halide conversion grow light. Many of these convert light to a blue spectrum, which is extremely healthy for some plants, but not all. Other brands of grow lights may provide more choice and variety for individual plants. However, the Ultra Sun brand has the advantage of being extremely durable and hardy. Plus, because of the intensity of the blue and violet spectrum light, these particular grow bulbs work very well for plants that will soon or have already begun to produce fruit and flowers. If you are looking to nourish a producing indoor garden, you may favor these bulbs.

The Galaxy Ballast is very useful if you are using grow lights to simulate natural sunlight supply as well. Rather than plugging your grow lights into the wall or a power suppressor, which can generate heat and may not be particularly efficient, the Galaxy Ballast acts as a small generator that you can plug your grow lights into. It's construction protects your grow lights from power surges and spikes, plus keeps the plugs and internal parts cooler to prevent heat buildup and keep your equipment functioning longer.

Another thing you have to consider besides lighting is the type of soil your plants will grow in. Since drainage, pH balance, and watering can all be difficult to get quite right, many indoor gardeners opt to do hydroponic gardening, which keeps your plants well fed and watered, and often produces more fruit or flowers than other soils. However, in hydroponic gardening, you do not plant your garden in soil, but rather in a substructure of water with pellets or "rocks", such as Grodan. Grodan has been proven to produce significantly healthier plants and is available in rocks, pellets, and slabs to meet your hydroponic gardening needs to produce a lush, healthy indoor garden.

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Selecting the Perfect Location for Gardening

As with investing in real-estate, a highly productive vegetable garden relies on location. It is the most important thing to consider. You need to give quite a lot of consideration to the location of your main vegetable plots.

Many poor soil conditions can be corrected over time, but your number one priority should be how much sun the area receives - especially if you are lucky enough to be able to grow winter veggies. Having said that, make sure you read the next chapter on How To Create Healthy, Fertile Soil as this is an extremely important step if you want good yields and healthy plants.

You want to aim for an area that gets at least six hours sunlight each day. If you live in a temperate zone like I do, then I prefer to position the garden so that the maximum sunlight is from the morning. I don't mind too much if there's some afternoon shade through summer as our summers are very hot (35°C - 45°C, that's 95°F - 114°F) and dry.

You don't want to have large trees too close. They will create too much shade and compete with your vegetables for available nutrients and water.

The second most important issue is water. Your veggie garden must have access to a reliable water supply. Most of us have mains water available straight from the tap. This is really important as it can get really tiresome carting bucket load after bucket load to keep your garden alive. Besides, you don't want to just keep it alive - you want it to thrive.

If you have some kind of rainwater collection, that's even better. You may need to install a pump though, rather than rely on gravity fed if you are using an irrigation system. Gravity may work, so you will need to test this as it will be different for even' garden, depending on how you plan to water.

Grey water (or recycling household water) should be reserved for fruit and nut trees, lawn or ornamentals, unless your water goes through some sort of filtration system. Don't use it on your vegetables, herbs or soft fruits (fruits not grown on trees, such as berries, kiwi fruit, grapes etc.) unless you have had it tested for safety.

You also need to consider how windy your vegetable garden area may be. Some plants really dislike wind, so if you live in a windy area, are you able to erect a wind-break to reduce prevailing winds? I've had tomatoes grown in a wire cage topple over after reaching 2 meters or 6 feet. It's very disheartening.

Consider putting up something that reduces the wind, rather than totally blocking it. When you build a structure that blocks the wind, it creates a lot of turbulence that might have the opposite effect than what you're expecting and needing.

Instead you could use several layers of trees and shrubs. Or for something quicker, a sturdy trellis that could double as support for a food producing vine, such as kiwi fruit or passion-fruit if they are suitable for your area.

These options reduce the amount of wind, without the turbulence.

The next thing to consider is your soil. Your soil needs to be (or become) a well-drained, loamy soil with a pH of about 6.5.

Making soil amendments or improvements is an ongoing thing in an organic garden. Most of this is achieved with compost and the addition of organic matter. Don't worry even the most difficult soils can be improved over time.

Finally, you might consider having your vegetable garden or main plot/s close to your home (especially the kitchen) - just for convenience. You don't want to have to run too far to grab the herbs to add to your dinner that's bubbling away on the stove.

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Simple Gardening Tips For Newbie Gardeners

A home, no matter how huge or tiny, should have at least a few patches of greenery. It is a refreshing sight to see that even the smallest of apartments can grow a few plants that can dangle down the balcony. But many people dread the idea of caring for plants because they think they don't have a 'green thumb'.

There is no magic 'green thumb', in my honest opinion; only wrong techniques or tools. The idea is to know the ideal conditions to plant and cultivate, as well as the proper care for specific types of plants you choose.

One of the vital factors you need to consider is your location. By knowing the different seasons in your region, you will be able to determine the right types of plants and herbs to grow. So, if you live in a country with four seasons, remember to choose a plant that can grow and thrive under varied temperatures. Some plants, such as perennials, may need to be cut down and kept indoors during winter; and in the springtime, new shoots will emerge and you can take them outdoors once again.

For those who live in tropical regions with predominant summer and rainy seasons, it is best to choose varieties of plants, shrubs, and trees that can thrive in high temperatures. Imported plants and herbs can be tempting to grow in your garden, but make sure to consider some adjustments particularly in providing the right soil and location for your plants.

In hot regions, it is best not build and use a greenhouse to prevent plants from wilting due to the temperature. A lot of plants in the tropics can survive the hot weather as well as the harsh rainy season. However, you should also prepare for cover such as relocating your plants indoors or providing a makeshift shed or tent which you can remove once the sun shines back again.

For those who are thinking of where to plant, it is best to assess your lawn or extra space. If you have a big backyard, for example, you can start with a few plants within a square foot of land. You can work your way and start again after a week or so, just to see if your initial planting will thrive. If you are afraid to dig and plant, you can always go for container gardening and start away with seedlings.

For a smaller space, like in high-rise condos and apartment buildings, it is good to start off with vertical gardening using PET bottles or vertical planters made of hanging cabinet organizers. You can search the web for samples and ideas regarding vertical gardening. But always remember, the same principles apply when it comes to considerations and planning. The only difference is your location and the type of garden design you'll apply for your specific space.

As for the type of soil, you can always ask the seller from your local garden shop to help you pick the right mix. Often times, these folks sell all sorts of soil mix that can be bought by the cubic feet. If you will buy a plant from a particular seller, always ask the appropriate soil for it.

They key is to prepare for a garden even before you start digging up soil. Gather up all necessary information from the web or from real people with gardening experiences to share. For sure you'll pick up an idea or two that can benefit your own garden in the future.

Chellet is an internet marketer and writer by profession; but she also loves gardening during her spare time. Follow her backyard gardening adventures and see what she's up to by visiting her blog.

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Vortex Fan

Humidity can be your worst enemy when it comes to growing plants indoors. If you are growing plants indoors you need to be able to control your climate. One of the best ways to control indoor climate is with a vortex fan. V-Series, inline, and Powerfan vortex fans are all solid options for controlling your climate.

Vortex fans are capable of pushing a high volume of air. Depending on the wattage of your lights, you will need a fan capable of pushing a comparable volume of air through your space with a vortex fan. Based on your wattage, you will need a fan capable of moving a certain number of CFM or cubic feet per minute through your indoor growing space. Generally speaking, 400 watts of light need to have at least a CFM of 400 per bulb. This is why v-series, inline and Powerfan units are important. In order to achieve the appropriate CFM within your indoor growing space, you will need to have a high powered, efficient fan. Inline vortex fans such as V-series and Powerfans are ideal for these purposes.

Where is the best place to find inline Vortex fans? The best place to look for these fans is the Internet. Online, you will be able to find a wide variety of vortex fans and select one that is appropriate for your growing room needs. Everyone has a different growing room setup. Everyone has a different indoor space. Therefore, everyone will have slightly different lighting and fan requirements. In order to know what you need, you will have to evaluate your needs. First, you will want to look at your lighting needs. Assess the wattage of your lighting and base your fan choices on the wattage so that you will meet the minimum recommended CFM requirements that you will need to create an ideal growing environment in your indoor space.

In order to keep your plants growing and healthy, you will need to create the optimal growing conditions within your growing space. Along with lighting, ventilation, including inline fans will be an integral part of keeping your growing space conducive to growing. Plants need the ideal conditions to breath, metabolize and grow at optimal rates. In order to do this, you will want a setup that takes the air into consideration. Look at the overall airflow when setting up your growing space. Leave room for your fans and ventilation. If you are unsure of the proper placement and size of fan you'll need, ask a local indoor growing pro. While you can consult local indoor growing suppliers, you may still want to shop online. You will be able to compare prices and find the best deals on vortex fans.

While it might be tempting to take the cheaper way out and get a plethora of regular fans to implement into your growing space, it is not a good idea. The high-powered vortex fans are going to benefit you in the long run. Not only will your growing conditions be optimized, but you'll also save on energy and ventilation costs.

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Landscaping For Beginners

The majority of us home owners take pride in our home. When a residence appears like it was not kept up with effectively, it can actually be tough to be pleased with it. If you desire your house to stand out from the rest, landscaping can get you there. Comply with the guidance pointed out here for a successful gardening project.

To get fantastic graphic interest, develop your garden in many horizontal levels. Traditionally, you are going to position your taller plants in the back of your segments and use them as starting point for the layered planting. You can then start off planting your other components around the highest plants, working from the highest towards the smallest heights.

You need to take the time to determine what kind of watering system you want to get. It is just as crucial to have that set up as you implement each element of the landscape. Amid the options available to you are soaker lines, various sprinklers, and below ground automated watering devices.

Having a blueprint and committing it to paper will help you stay on course in the course of your gardening work. Landscaping design is a slow process, and creating notes to consult later can help you protect your initial intention. Include all of your plants in your master plan so that you can consult it in the future to effectively take care of what you sowed.

Earth preparation is essential to successful growing. Clear off any debris for example foliage, rocks and weeds and add in plant food and compost. In the event you do that, you will give your vegetation a wholesome beginning, which will contribute to a lovelier flower garden. If you try to skip this step, you are going to create further work for yourself down the road.

Keep away from the plant centers until you've a proper plan. We concede, looking for flowers and accents is probably the best portion of a completely new landscaping project. Attempt to control your shopping urges. Instead, write out a blueprint that factors in the right plant heights and areas, seasonal blooming, and distinct foliage palettes that can make your garden pop. Other important considerations would be the quantity of sunshine your garden will get and also the level of acidity of the garden soil. Selecting plants that will satisfy your particular conditions will give you better final results along with a much more wholesome garden. Create a checklist of every thing you need to get just before you head to the shop to protect yourself from forgetting a single thing. Keep to your plan and steer clear of impulse buys so that your garden is going to be as you planned it.

For the best final results, be sure to consider the height of each and every plant and just how they will be integrated into the design. Contemplate how large each variety can get at maturity and layer your shrubs to give your planting beds a more all-natural and natural look. This provides the visual appeal of a luxurious, organic garden area rather than a formulaic group of predictable plants.

Landscaping design is actually a constantly changing project that enables you to experiment with various things as you build your abilities. Just like most things in life, exercise makes perfect and the more you landscape, the better you will grow to be. You also will possess a gorgeous flower garden if you follow the guidance that was introduced in this article.

Simply by taking on a few property improvement projects on your own you can improve the value of your residence and boost its value. If you are looking for possibilities in the Oakville real estate market or you are searching for readily available Mississauga homes for sale please take a moment to visit the website.

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How to Prune and Harvest Herbs

Harvesting and pruning herbs is a great way to make use of herbs but it also benefits the plant.

Many herbs can be harvested on a regular basis though the strongest flavor is just before the plant flowers. This is the plant's volatile oils which gives the plants its aroma and taste, and what should be preserved.

The best time of day to harvest herbs is in the morning just after the dew has dried and there is no moisture on the leaves. The volatile oils will also be at their peak at this time. The plants can be hosed down the day before to spray away any dirt on the leaves.

When harvesting perennial plants, don't take any more than 1/3 of the plant so there is plenty left for re-growth. With annual herbs, up to half of the plant can be harvested by snipping the stem four inches from the ground.

Use sharp shears to harvest and always snip at an intersecting branch as this encourages new growth.

Herbs in the mint family like peppermint mint and lemon balm should be sheared right to the ground at the end of the season in late fall. This will encourage fresh new growth in the spring and keep the plant tidy.

Hardy culinary perennials like oregano, thyme and rosemary should be pruned before flowering and can also be pruned as needed for use. Prune the new growth leaving a few inches above the woody stems. Pruning it into a compact ball will keep the plant tidy and encourage new growth in the spring.

Some herbs like oregano can become leggy and untidy so these types always benefit from a good pruning. Herbs like catnip and catmint also develop a sprawling habit and benefit from more regular pruning to keep the plant tidy.

Check herbs to snip and remove all dead wood and leaves and trim unhealthy parts of the plant. This encourages the plant to put its energy into new growth.

Herbs grown in milder climates may produce a second growth into the fall that can also be harvested. Some herbs like parsley, thyme and rosemary can be harvested minimally throughout the winter if the climate is mild.

Once the herbs are harvested, they can be dried hung upside down in small bunches gathered together with an elastic band. The herbs should be hung away from heat and light as this will affect the volatile oils.

Once the herbs are dry and brittle to the touch, strip the leaves from the stems and store in airtight containers, away from a heat and light source.

The leaves do not need to be crumbled until just before use, as this retains more of the volatile oils.

Harvested herbs can also be preserved by freezing them in ice cube trays tightly packed in with water. When the cube are frozen, pop them out and store in freezer bags. Thaw as needed. Another method is to blend the fresh leaves with water or oil and freeze in ice cube trays. Store in freezer bags and use as needed.

This is a great way to enjoy the fresh flavours of fresh that don't dry well, such as basil and parsley.

A final method for preserving is to make herbal vinegars as this provides a way to enjoy the fresh flavor of herbs year round.

Marilyn Zink operates the Herbal Collective, an online magazine, and its companion site, Herbguide, an online herbal community with in depth information on using herbs in daily life for growing, cooking, health, aromatherapy, crafts and herbal education.

Join the weekly newsletter at http://www.herbalcollective.ca/ or join the herbal community at http://www.herbguide.ca/

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Understanding Ratings When Looking At Chipper Shredders For Sale

If you are a first time buyer, understanding all of the ratings surrounding chipper shredders for sale can be a confusing and daunting task. Once you actually understand these different ratings, however, you can find them highly useful in helping you to choose a chipper that meets your needs entirely. Use this guide to help you learn more about these ratings.

Chipper shredders are essentially divided up into three categories: those for residential use, those for commercial use and those for industrial use. Whilst they actually have a number of applications, their most common one is lawn care and other garden maintenance. These shredders are used to turn trunks, branches and twigs into wood chips. Deciphering this first rating can actually be done by anyone - do you need the shredder around the home (residential), at work (commercial) or for heavy-duty applications (industrial)?

Residential chippers will be relatively small and will feature two wheels that you can use to push the machine around your property. They can be powered by fuel or electricity, the former being far stronger. Commercial shredders are actually very similar, except they are often able to be hooked up to the back of a vehicle or ride on mower. Industrial chipper shredders for sale are much larger and, as such, are often stationary. They are able to chip down entire trees.

The next set of ratings surrounding the use of chipper shredders involves the type of blades that the machine utilizes to cut down the trunks, branches and twigs it is fed. Inter-meshing blades are often coupled with a screen that ensures a consistent chip size; the blades will turn around each other and, when the wood is small enough, it will pass through the screen. Shaft blades, on the other hand, are rarely coupled with a screen, leaving the chips to come out in varying sizes. Additional screens are also available.

Once you have an understanding of the different ratings that are attributed to the various chipper shredders for sale, you will be in a much better position to choose one that meets your needs entirely. Just keep in mind that the smaller models are best suited for use around the home, mid-sized models are suited for use in the workplace and the largest models are for industrial purposes only. You should also keep in mind that fuel chippers (such as gas or petrol) are far more powerful than electric ones.

This is a useful article for those who looking for chippers shredder for sale. There are many factors which are to be look before while buying chippers.

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Tomatoes Can Prevent Strokes in Men

A medical study by researchers at a Finnish university has found that people, particularly men, have a much lower risk of stroke if they eat tomatoes.

The cause of stroke is usually a blood clot that blocks the supply of blood to the brain, often causing death. It is reported that in the USA alone, more than 795,000 people have strokes every year, often resulting in paralysis, speech difficulties and a whole host of other issues. In fact stroke is regarded as "a leading cause of death" in the US, with somebody dying from a stroke every four minutes.

But tomatoes can change all of this!

What the New Finnish Study Reveals

The Finnish research study, published in the Neurology journal in October 2012, analysed men aged between 46 and 65, who had never been affected by stroke.

According to the study, a very powerful anti-oxidant lycopene, is the hero in this scenario, reducing risks by more than half.

The study, led by Jouni Karppi at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, was based on data taken from more than 1,000 middle-aged men, over a period of more than a decade. What excited Karppi most was the fact that that the study was able to add to "evidence" that men who had very high blood levels containing lycopene were 55% less likely to suffer from strokes than younger men without lycopene in their bloodstream.

Karppi, who operates out of the University of Eastern Finland's Department of Medicine at the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, found that about one in ten of 258 men with the lowest levels of the anti-oxidant in the bloodstream suffered from a stroke during the study period. Of the 259 men with the highest levels of lycopene, only one in 25 had a stroke.

In total, 67 of the participating men had strokes during the study period, some caused by blood clots and others by haemorrhages.

The Value of Lycopene-Rich Fruit and Veg

According to the study findings, lycopene (which is also found in pink grapefruit, papaya, watermelon, and apricots) prevents clots from forming and obstructing the blood supply to the brain. This is what reduces the risk of stroke.

As a result, the study recommends that people eat at least five servings of fruit and veg each day, particularly tomatoes and other tomato-based products.

Although not mentioned in this study, tomatoes are also attributed with lowering the risk of prostate cancer in men.

Anti-oxidants and Stroke

Since lycopene is a powerful anti-oxidant, researchers considered other anti-oxidants to see whether they also contributed to a lower risk of stroke: including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol (a type of vitamin E) and retinol (vitamin A). None of these had any significant link with strokes or the reduction of blood clots.

Tomatoes remain the hero!

Annette Welsford is co-author of international best selling book in 83 countries How to Grow Juicy Tasty Tomatoes. She has also edited and published several other gardening related titles.

The book, which is available for purchase online in ebook and hard copy format, is considered to be the authoritative "bible" on Growing Tomatoes. It has been featured on TV, radio and reviewed in leading gardening publications and newspapers in 4 continents.

Visit http://www.bestjuicytomatoes.com/ for a wealth of expert tips and advice on growing tomatoes at your place.

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Vortex Fan

Humidity can be your worst enemy when it comes to growing plants indoors. If you are growing plants indoors you need to be able to control your climate. One of the best ways to control indoor climate is with a vortex fan. V-Series, inline, and Powerfan vortex fans are all solid options for controlling your climate.

Vortex fans are capable of pushing a high volume of air. Depending on the wattage of your lights, you will need a fan capable of pushing a comparable volume of air through your space with a vortex fan. Based on your wattage, you will need a fan capable of moving a certain number of CFM or cubic feet per minute through your indoor growing space. Generally speaking, 400 watts of light need to have at least a CFM of 400 per bulb. This is why v-series, inline and Powerfan units are important. In order to achieve the appropriate CFM within your indoor growing space, you will need to have a high powered, efficient fan. Inline vortex fans such as V-series and Powerfans are ideal for these purposes.

Where is the best place to find inline Vortex fans? The best place to look for these fans is the Internet. Online, you will be able to find a wide variety of vortex fans and select one that is appropriate for your growing room needs. Everyone has a different growing room setup. Everyone has a different indoor space. Therefore, everyone will have slightly different lighting and fan requirements. In order to know what you need, you will have to evaluate your needs. First, you will want to look at your lighting needs. Assess the wattage of your lighting and base your fan choices on the wattage so that you will meet the minimum recommended CFM requirements that you will need to create an ideal growing environment in your indoor space.

In order to keep your plants growing and healthy, you will need to create the optimal growing conditions within your growing space. Along with lighting, ventilation, including inline fans will be an integral part of keeping your growing space conducive to growing. Plants need the ideal conditions to breath, metabolize and grow at optimal rates. In order to do this, you will want a setup that takes the air into consideration. Look at the overall airflow when setting up your growing space. Leave room for your fans and ventilation. If you are unsure of the proper placement and size of fan you'll need, ask a local indoor growing pro. While you can consult local indoor growing suppliers, you may still want to shop online. You will be able to compare prices and find the best deals on vortex fans.

While it might be tempting to take the cheaper way out and get a plethora of regular fans to implement into your growing space, it is not a good idea. The high-powered vortex fans are going to benefit you in the long run. Not only will your growing conditions be optimized, but you'll also save on energy and ventilation costs.

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Keeping Your Orchid Safe During the Trip Home

Read This First Before Bringing Home Your New Orchids!

Everyone would agree that once an orchid has been purchased, it has to be brought home - because a thing of beauty, such as the orchid, offers instant gratification to its new owner.

However, there are some things that you should remember to make sure that your new orchid's trip home is safe. Otherwise, you might end up with a severely shocked plant with fallen buds and leaves.

First off, avoid buying orchids that are already in full bloom (with all of the pseudo bulbs already open and blossoming). The problem with such orchids is that generally, orchids that are in their blooming state do not like being transported at all. So there is a big chance that the orchid will experience instant shock when it is removed from the green house.

After bringing home your new orchid, you can keep it in the safety of your home without re-potting for just one week. Do not keep your new orchid in its original packaging (wet moss + plastic pot) longer than this could spell problems for your orchid. The moss is used by orchid growers to keep the roots wet for delivery and your orchid should be taken out of that environment as soon as possible.Over watering an orchid plant will kill it. I have drowned very expensive Bonsai trees and orchids by over watering them.

While you are the store you should get new re-potting wood bark and fertilizer for the type of orchid that you bought.You are really buying insurance for your investment. The first season you re-pot the orchids will not need fertilizer because the new wood bark comes with fertilizer already in them. The watering will eventually will wash away the fertilizer from the wood bark and it needs to be replace if you want them flower again in the next growing season.

Orchid plants love humidity but not living in wet moos or standing in water. The wet moos causes all kinds of problems for orchid plants, such as root rot and deceases that will kill your plant. Also do not place your orchid in a sunless part of your home for more than a week as this could weaken the plant considerably.

If you see some buds falling off during the trip home or a few days after you have brought home a new orchid, don't worry. This is normal and all orchids experience some degree of transport shock during the trip home.

Bringing Home Your New Orchids: Free E-book and News Letter:
http://www.orchidse-book.com/

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Simple Gardening Tips For Newbie Gardeners

A home, no matter how huge or tiny, should have at least a few patches of greenery. It is a refreshing sight to see that even the smallest of apartments can grow a few plants that can dangle down the balcony. But many people dread the idea of caring for plants because they think they don't have a 'green thumb'.

There is no magic 'green thumb', in my honest opinion; only wrong techniques or tools. The idea is to know the ideal conditions to plant and cultivate, as well as the proper care for specific types of plants you choose.

One of the vital factors you need to consider is your location. By knowing the different seasons in your region, you will be able to determine the right types of plants and herbs to grow. So, if you live in a country with four seasons, remember to choose a plant that can grow and thrive under varied temperatures. Some plants, such as perennials, may need to be cut down and kept indoors during winter; and in the springtime, new shoots will emerge and you can take them outdoors once again.

For those who live in tropical regions with predominant summer and rainy seasons, it is best to choose varieties of plants, shrubs, and trees that can thrive in high temperatures. Imported plants and herbs can be tempting to grow in your garden, but make sure to consider some adjustments particularly in providing the right soil and location for your plants.

In hot regions, it is best not build and use a greenhouse to prevent plants from wilting due to the temperature. A lot of plants in the tropics can survive the hot weather as well as the harsh rainy season. However, you should also prepare for cover such as relocating your plants indoors or providing a makeshift shed or tent which you can remove once the sun shines back again.

For those who are thinking of where to plant, it is best to assess your lawn or extra space. If you have a big backyard, for example, you can start with a few plants within a square foot of land. You can work your way and start again after a week or so, just to see if your initial planting will thrive. If you are afraid to dig and plant, you can always go for container gardening and start away with seedlings.

For a smaller space, like in high-rise condos and apartment buildings, it is good to start off with vertical gardening using PET bottles or vertical planters made of hanging cabinet organizers. You can search the web for samples and ideas regarding vertical gardening. But always remember, the same principles apply when it comes to considerations and planning. The only difference is your location and the type of garden design you'll apply for your specific space.

As for the type of soil, you can always ask the seller from your local garden shop to help you pick the right mix. Often times, these folks sell all sorts of soil mix that can be bought by the cubic feet. If you will buy a plant from a particular seller, always ask the appropriate soil for it.

They key is to prepare for a garden even before you start digging up soil. Gather up all necessary information from the web or from real people with gardening experiences to share. For sure you'll pick up an idea or two that can benefit your own garden in the future.

Chellet is an internet marketer and writer by profession; but she also loves gardening during her spare time. Follow her backyard gardening adventures and see what she's up to by visiting her blog.

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Indoor Gardening

Indoor gardening can be a rich and rewarding pursuit, and in and of itself is not overly difficult to begin. However, indoor gardeners have much more to consider than season and weather, because with indoor gardens, the gardener is responsible for maintaining all aspects of a healthy environment for the plants, from soil nutrition to sunlight supply, humidity to temperature, water supply to adequate drainage. When starting an indoor garden, the gardener may find that the plants, especially the delicate ones, need more than regular water and a window facing adequate sunlight. In this article, we will discuss the extra steps you can take to develop a healthy, well cared for indoor garden.

Indoor plants may have unique lighting requirements when kept inside. Besides that, with proper lighting you can extend your grow season for your indoor garden from seasonal to year round. The Hortilux grow bulb touts itself as one of the leading grow bulbs on the market, both for the variety of types of lighting available and for being environmentally friendly.

The Hortilux grow bulb can help your plants receive adequate light even away from consistent, natural sunlight supply, and the company offers grow bulbs in a variety of color spectrums, so that the gardener will be able to find a bulb specifically to meet the plant's specific needs.

Not only that, but this particular type of grow bulb can be especially valuable if you are trying to create an environmentally friendly garden. Because of the company's commitment to environmentalism, the Hortilux grow bulb uses less harmful materials, such as mercury, and consumes less power than other brands of grow bulbs.

Ultra Sun is another variety of popular metal halide conversion grow light. Many of these convert light to a blue spectrum, which is extremely healthy for some plants, but not all. Other brands of grow lights may provide more choice and variety for individual plants. However, the Ultra Sun brand has the advantage of being extremely durable and hardy. Plus, because of the intensity of the blue and violet spectrum light, these particular grow bulbs work very well for plants that will soon or have already begun to produce fruit and flowers. If you are looking to nourish a producing indoor garden, you may favor these bulbs.

The Galaxy Ballast is very useful if you are using grow lights to simulate natural sunlight supply as well. Rather than plugging your grow lights into the wall or a power suppressor, which can generate heat and may not be particularly efficient, the Galaxy Ballast acts as a small generator that you can plug your grow lights into. It's construction protects your grow lights from power surges and spikes, plus keeps the plugs and internal parts cooler to prevent heat buildup and keep your equipment functioning longer.

Another thing you have to consider besides lighting is the type of soil your plants will grow in. Since drainage, pH balance, and watering can all be difficult to get quite right, many indoor gardeners opt to do hydroponic gardening, which keeps your plants well fed and watered, and often produces more fruit or flowers than other soils. However, in hydroponic gardening, you do not plant your garden in soil, but rather in a substructure of water with pellets or "rocks", such as Grodan. Grodan has been proven to produce significantly healthier plants and is available in rocks, pellets, and slabs to meet your hydroponic gardening needs to produce a lush, healthy indoor garden.

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How to Plant a Bulb Garden

A Little Bit of Background

Spring-flowering bulbs (tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, alliums, some lilies, and others) are planted in the fall, ideally several weeks before the ground freezes. Even though the bulb contains most of the energy required for the following spring's flowers, the bulbs need some time to establish their roots in the soil before it freezes solid.

Most summer-flowering bulbs (iris, dahlias, gladioli, begonias, cannas, and some lilies) are planted in the spring, as soon as the ground can be worked.

Starting with a Simple Plan

First, decide where and how big you want your bulb garden to be. When you've determined where you want your bulb garden located, make a good estimate of the total area (the square footage) of the area to be planted. You may even want to make a rough sketch of the area to be planted. This will help you plan how many bulbs you should buy to create a dramatic bulb garden. Virtually all bulb catalogs and bulb packages in garden centers include information regarding the recommended spacing for specific bulbs.

Shop for the Right Bulbs

Many bulb catalogs have great deals on larger quantities, and some bulb catalogs even offer planned bulb gardens with recommended combinations and diagrams for planting. Generally speaking, within any specific variety, the larger the bulb, the higher the quality. Larger daffodil bulbs are almost always better than smaller daffodil bulbs, and they're more expensive. The higher the quality, the more likely you are to have a great display the first year, and the more likely you are to have a bulb garden that will last several years.

Note however, that not all spring-flowering bulbs will last for many years. Daffodils tend to last a lot longer than most tulips, for example. Some Dutch gardeners actually regard most tulips as annuals. And, some bulbs are more likely to succumb to deer or rodents. Deer usually won't eat daffodils, but they love tulips and lilies.

Check the bulb catalogs and web sites for complete information regarding deer tolerance.

Remove Sod from the Planting Area

If your new bulb garden is going to be in a location that is currently lawn, it's much easier to remove sod than to attempt to till it into the soil. You don't want grass plants to compete with bulbs for food and water.

Prepare the Soil for Planting

Bulbs need soil with good drainage. The objective is to prepare a bed that has both good tilth and good fertility. If your soil has a high clay content, you should till in compost or other organic material, ideally to a depth of at least 12" and as much as 18" deep if possible. Regardless of the size of your bulb garden, it's much easier to plant in loose, tilled soil.

Remove the Soil or Make Wide Furrows for Planting

Depending on the size and shape of your bulb garden, you may want to temporarily remove the soil to a depth equal to the planting depth of the bulbs you'll be planting (usually 8" or so for tulips and daffodils, and 3 to 4" for smaller bulbs). For narrower bulb gardens, you can use a tiller with a Plow attachment to create large planting furrows.

All bulbs need phosphorous for good root development. While all garden soil contains some amount of phosphorous, a new bulb garden will benefit from the addition of some phosphorous at the bottom of the planting bed. When you've removed the soil, or created your planting furrows, add some bulb fertilizer, bone meal, or superphosphate to the soil bed.

Position the Bulbs Properly

Most bulbs are somewhat flat on the bottom and "pointy" at the top. Place the bulbs with the pointy side up, and position the bulbs so that daffodil bulbs are 4 to 6 inches apart and tulips are 3 to 6 inches apart. Smaller bulbs, like crocus bulbs, can be planted 2 inches apart.

If you're planting multiple varieties with different heights, position the taller flowers in the back of the garden, with the shorter flowers in front. It's almost always more appealing to position the bulbs in "clumps" rather than rows to create a more dazzling display.

Carefully Cover the Bulbs

Replace half of the soil for mass plantings, or fill your planting furrow about halfway. Now is a good time to add a balanced slow-release organic fertilizer, especially if you're planning on maintaining the bulb garden for many years.

Water gently to settle the soil around the bulbs and to give the bulb roots a good head start. Be careful not to over-water, as some bulbs will rot if they're forced to sit in waterlogged conditions too long. If you've tilled the bulb bed as described above, you shouldn't have any problems with bulbs rotting.

Replace the remainder of the soil, and water again - gently - just enough to settle the remaining soil.

Add a layer of mulch, to prevent late season weeds and to hold moisture.

Enjoy the Show Next Spring!

Daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths are great as cut flowers and also make wonderful bouquets for friends.

When the Show is Over

Don't remove the foliage immediately after the flowers have bloomed. Even if the daffodil foliage begins to turn yellow or brown, the longer you leave it alone, the more energy will be sent back to the bulbs for the following year's display. You may choose to "dead head" your flowers; this will usually divert energy that would otherwise be used for seed development back to the bulb for next year's flowers.

Carefully Remove Foliage and Stems

You can carefully remove the foliage and stems, well after they've turned brown. Use a clean, sharp knife to cut foliage at the base of the soil, being careful not to "uproot" the bulbs. Or, you can simply mow the foliage with your lawn mower, if the bulb garden is large and the foliage is easily accessible.

Plant Flowering Annuals for Continuous Color

You can continue the show for the remainder of the season by planting annuals on top of your bulbs. Generally, bedding plants will result in a quicker display of color, but annuals can also be directly seeded. In either case, be careful not to dig too deep so that you don't disturb the bulbs.

Feed Bulbs each Fall for the Following Spring

Fall is a good time to feed the bulb garden for the next season, especially if you've grown annual on top of them all summer long. Bone meal, organic flower food, or bulb fertilizer will enhance the show for the following spring.

For more composting information, click here.

Writer for Mantis.com & Mantisowners.com.

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How to Prune and Harvest Herbs

Harvesting and pruning herbs is a great way to make use of herbs but it also benefits the plant.

Many herbs can be harvested on a regular basis though the strongest flavor is just before the plant flowers. This is the plant's volatile oils which gives the plants its aroma and taste, and what should be preserved.

The best time of day to harvest herbs is in the morning just after the dew has dried and there is no moisture on the leaves. The volatile oils will also be at their peak at this time. The plants can be hosed down the day before to spray away any dirt on the leaves.

When harvesting perennial plants, don't take any more than 1/3 of the plant so there is plenty left for re-growth. With annual herbs, up to half of the plant can be harvested by snipping the stem four inches from the ground.

Use sharp shears to harvest and always snip at an intersecting branch as this encourages new growth.

Herbs in the mint family like peppermint mint and lemon balm should be sheared right to the ground at the end of the season in late fall. This will encourage fresh new growth in the spring and keep the plant tidy.

Hardy culinary perennials like oregano, thyme and rosemary should be pruned before flowering and can also be pruned as needed for use. Prune the new growth leaving a few inches above the woody stems. Pruning it into a compact ball will keep the plant tidy and encourage new growth in the spring.

Some herbs like oregano can become leggy and untidy so these types always benefit from a good pruning. Herbs like catnip and catmint also develop a sprawling habit and benefit from more regular pruning to keep the plant tidy.

Check herbs to snip and remove all dead wood and leaves and trim unhealthy parts of the plant. This encourages the plant to put its energy into new growth.

Herbs grown in milder climates may produce a second growth into the fall that can also be harvested. Some herbs like parsley, thyme and rosemary can be harvested minimally throughout the winter if the climate is mild.

Once the herbs are harvested, they can be dried hung upside down in small bunches gathered together with an elastic band. The herbs should be hung away from heat and light as this will affect the volatile oils.

Once the herbs are dry and brittle to the touch, strip the leaves from the stems and store in airtight containers, away from a heat and light source.

The leaves do not need to be crumbled until just before use, as this retains more of the volatile oils.

Harvested herbs can also be preserved by freezing them in ice cube trays tightly packed in with water. When the cube are frozen, pop them out and store in freezer bags. Thaw as needed. Another method is to blend the fresh leaves with water or oil and freeze in ice cube trays. Store in freezer bags and use as needed.

This is a great way to enjoy the fresh flavours of fresh that don't dry well, such as basil and parsley.

A final method for preserving is to make herbal vinegars as this provides a way to enjoy the fresh flavor of herbs year round.

Marilyn Zink operates the Herbal Collective, an online magazine, and its companion site, Herbguide, an online herbal community with in depth information on using herbs in daily life for growing, cooking, health, aromatherapy, crafts and herbal education.

Join the weekly newsletter at http://www.herbalcollective.ca/ or join the herbal community at http://www.herbguide.ca/

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Landscaping For Beginners

The majority of us home owners take pride in our home. When a residence appears like it was not kept up with effectively, it can actually be tough to be pleased with it. If you desire your house to stand out from the rest, landscaping can get you there. Comply with the guidance pointed out here for a successful gardening project.

To get fantastic graphic interest, develop your garden in many horizontal levels. Traditionally, you are going to position your taller plants in the back of your segments and use them as starting point for the layered planting. You can then start off planting your other components around the highest plants, working from the highest towards the smallest heights.

You need to take the time to determine what kind of watering system you want to get. It is just as crucial to have that set up as you implement each element of the landscape. Amid the options available to you are soaker lines, various sprinklers, and below ground automated watering devices.

Having a blueprint and committing it to paper will help you stay on course in the course of your gardening work. Landscaping design is a slow process, and creating notes to consult later can help you protect your initial intention. Include all of your plants in your master plan so that you can consult it in the future to effectively take care of what you sowed.

Earth preparation is essential to successful growing. Clear off any debris for example foliage, rocks and weeds and add in plant food and compost. In the event you do that, you will give your vegetation a wholesome beginning, which will contribute to a lovelier flower garden. If you try to skip this step, you are going to create further work for yourself down the road.

Keep away from the plant centers until you've a proper plan. We concede, looking for flowers and accents is probably the best portion of a completely new landscaping project. Attempt to control your shopping urges. Instead, write out a blueprint that factors in the right plant heights and areas, seasonal blooming, and distinct foliage palettes that can make your garden pop. Other important considerations would be the quantity of sunshine your garden will get and also the level of acidity of the garden soil. Selecting plants that will satisfy your particular conditions will give you better final results along with a much more wholesome garden. Create a checklist of every thing you need to get just before you head to the shop to protect yourself from forgetting a single thing. Keep to your plan and steer clear of impulse buys so that your garden is going to be as you planned it.

For the best final results, be sure to consider the height of each and every plant and just how they will be integrated into the design. Contemplate how large each variety can get at maturity and layer your shrubs to give your planting beds a more all-natural and natural look. This provides the visual appeal of a luxurious, organic garden area rather than a formulaic group of predictable plants.

Landscaping design is actually a constantly changing project that enables you to experiment with various things as you build your abilities. Just like most things in life, exercise makes perfect and the more you landscape, the better you will grow to be. You also will possess a gorgeous flower garden if you follow the guidance that was introduced in this article.

Simply by taking on a few property improvement projects on your own you can improve the value of your residence and boost its value. If you are looking for possibilities in the Oakville real estate market or you are searching for readily available Mississauga homes for sale please take a moment to visit the website.

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Lavender Garden

A Lavender Garden is a must. Besides its fragrance and beauty, it is an ancient medicinal plant, an effective pest repellent, a valuable companion plant, a culinary flavouring and garnish and household freshener and cleaning agent. The flowers also attract bees and butterflies to your garden.

FOUR WAYS TO USE LAVENDER

1. As a healing herb

Lavender has a calming effect that helps us to sleep, relieves headaches and indigestion, lifts fatigue and depression and even eases anxiety-induced asthma. Sip a fragrant lavender tea or soak in a lavender-infused bath.

Lavender flowers are also known to be antiseptic and antibacterial, so they can be used in creams and oils to heal burns, stings, wounds and sores, even mild cases of acne.

2. As a natural insect repellent

The strongly aromatic leaves naturally repel aphids, whitefly and other pests, reducing the need for garden sprays. Margaret Roberts, the standard bearer for lavender, has found it to be an excellent companion plant that benefits all plants growing near it.

Dried lavender can be used in bunches, bags and pot-pourri as a natural air freshener and as a moth and insect repellent. It will also help to repel the neighbours' cats, as well as rats and mice, who don not like the camphor smell.

3. In the kitchen

Used with a light touch, lavender flowers impart a delicious flavour and aroma to biscuits, other baked treats and desserts. Chopped leaves tenderise meat and can be added to soups, stews and casseroles. Angustifolia and stoechas, as well as "Margaret Roberts" lavender, are the culinary lavenders. But, as Margaret Roberts advises, "a little goes a long way".

4. As a cleaning agent

Make a natural household cleaner from a strong infusion of the flowers, or a few drops of essential oil mixed with vinegar and water. The same mixture can be used to remove pet smells and soiling.

DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF LAVENDER TO TRY

ENGLISH LAVENDER (LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA)

This is traditionally the herbalist's lavender although other lavender also have medicinal qualities. It prefers cooler weather, flowers in spring and usually again in autumn.

The intense blue flowers are superbly fragrant, and the bushy plants with narrow grey-green leaves range from dwarf to 70cm high. Besides Lavender "Hidcote Blue", True English" and 'Munstead Strain', look out for two never varieties, the dwarf 'Ellagance' (white, sky-blue and deep-blue flowers) and 'Blue River' (30cm) with its pretty, exceptionally deep-blue flowers.

FRENCH LAVENDER (L.DENTATA)

With its showy silvery leaves and substantial lavender-blue flower spikes, it blooms throughout summer. Bushes grow between 60-80cm high and should be trimmed after each flush to prevent the plants becoming woody.

L.dentata 'Candicans' has large blue flowers topped with short, pale purple bracts. the green-leafed L.dentata 'Royal Crown' has very aromatic leaves and large blue flowers.

SPANISH LAVENDER (L.STOECHAS)

The flower spikes of this spectacular spring-flowering lavender are very colourful with prominent 'ears'. Plants are compact, 30-60cm high, with fine grey-green leaves. They should be pruned after the first flush. There are more than 30 varieties available, ranging in size and colour.

Newer varieties include 'Purple Ribbon' )deep purple), 'Bella Rouge' (rose/white), 'Coco Blue White'.

LAVANDULA INTERMEDIA

These varieties are crosses of L. angustifolia and other lavenders, the best known being 'Margaret Roberts' lavender and the compact 'Grosso' lavender and the compact 'Grosso'. margaret Roberts' flowers non-stop from spring onwards and although the individual spikes are slender, it produces such a mass of them that the effect is breathtaking.

Trim back after flowering and a new flush will develop. bushes are hardy and can grow up to 1m high and wide.

DUTCH LAVENDER (L.X ALLARDII 'AFRICAN PRIDE')

Known as is the hedge lavender, this variety has beautiful silvery leaves, some of which are serrated. It grows about 1m in height, flowers infrequently and can be clipped into a variety of shapes.

Also visit The Gardening Wizard for more Great Gardening Tips!

Enjoy your Gardening!

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Understanding Ratings When Looking At Chipper Shredders For Sale

If you are a first time buyer, understanding all of the ratings surrounding chipper shredders for sale can be a confusing and daunting task. Once you actually understand these different ratings, however, you can find them highly useful in helping you to choose a chipper that meets your needs entirely. Use this guide to help you learn more about these ratings.

Chipper shredders are essentially divided up into three categories: those for residential use, those for commercial use and those for industrial use. Whilst they actually have a number of applications, their most common one is lawn care and other garden maintenance. These shredders are used to turn trunks, branches and twigs into wood chips. Deciphering this first rating can actually be done by anyone - do you need the shredder around the home (residential), at work (commercial) or for heavy-duty applications (industrial)?

Residential chippers will be relatively small and will feature two wheels that you can use to push the machine around your property. They can be powered by fuel or electricity, the former being far stronger. Commercial shredders are actually very similar, except they are often able to be hooked up to the back of a vehicle or ride on mower. Industrial chipper shredders for sale are much larger and, as such, are often stationary. They are able to chip down entire trees.

The next set of ratings surrounding the use of chipper shredders involves the type of blades that the machine utilizes to cut down the trunks, branches and twigs it is fed. Inter-meshing blades are often coupled with a screen that ensures a consistent chip size; the blades will turn around each other and, when the wood is small enough, it will pass through the screen. Shaft blades, on the other hand, are rarely coupled with a screen, leaving the chips to come out in varying sizes. Additional screens are also available.

Once you have an understanding of the different ratings that are attributed to the various chipper shredders for sale, you will be in a much better position to choose one that meets your needs entirely. Just keep in mind that the smaller models are best suited for use around the home, mid-sized models are suited for use in the workplace and the largest models are for industrial purposes only. You should also keep in mind that fuel chippers (such as gas or petrol) are far more powerful than electric ones.

This is a useful article for those who looking for chippers shredder for sale. There are many factors which are to be look before while buying chippers.

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Winter Gardening - What Can You Do This Winter?

People automatically think that just because winter is about to set in, that they can just let the season pass without giving their garden a second thought. Wrong, there's a lot to do over the winter months if you're a truly dedicated green thumb and take pride in your garden looking the best it can all year round.

The first thing you must realise is that just because the frost and cold weather are taking an effect on the garden, there's still a vast amount of seedlings, buds and other things hidden away waiting for the warmer months to return. Due to this lack of visual display from the garden, people take this at face value and think "there's nothing to do"; well, here's some things to keep you occupied this winter:

Get Planning

You have 3 months, maybe even more based on the UK weather trends over the last few years; this gives you a lot of time to put some serious thought into your garden for the upcoming year. Due to the winter weather stripping your garden back to its rawest state, you essentially have a 'cleansed pallet' to work from. You won't be influenced by any of last year's garden design and you can really appreciate your garden in its most basic form - it's the perfect time to rethink the layout - so get your pen and paper out.

First things first, you want to set out the framework of the garden; you can't jump in headfirst without having some sort of outline or structure, otherwise you'll just be making it harder on yourself. This 'skeleton' should incorporate all the different areas of the garden, house boundaries, the patio, pathways, lawn edges and so on. Remember to take into account any extras; this includes thing such as trees, hedges and other structural elements as well as pergolas, sheds and other types of frames.

Don't forget that outdoors is all about scaling and dramatic sizes when compared to the indoors. For example if you have steps leading down to your garden, don't go for steps the same size as your staircase indoors; make them prominent and meaningful, wider and deeper. This is the same for everything in the garden, entrance points should be larger than the equivalent doorway inside the house - it's all about up-scaling.

Tip: Don't go over the top trying to make structural elements fancy. Winding pathways and complicated lawn edging isn't needed; keep things simple, strong and bold - the foliage will soften the overall look of the garden, don't worry.

Research, Research, Research

If you don't plan on making any big changes to the design of your garden (or if you've already done it), then there's still some things you can do.

Winter is the ideal time to get your knowledge hat on and read up on some of the latest plant/gardening magazines and catalogues for a bit of inspiration ready for spring. Read through everything, there are always some small tips or pieces of wisdom you can pick up from them. On top of that the catalogues should offer you a look into a variety of plant and colour arrangements that you can tweak to suit your garden.

Tip: Although you might see a nice looking combination which you'd like to employ in your garden; try and add your own little mark to things (such as garden furniture ) as it will feel considerably more rewarding when finished.

Getting ready for winter is almost as crucial as planting in the springtime. Browse an extensive selection of gardening tools and equipment.

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Raised Garden Beds for Easy Maintenance

Raised garden beds add new measures to the experience of gardening. Garden beds that we raise above the ground give the gardener with just a balcony a place to grow flowers or a vegetable garden. They are perfect for the disabled gardener, those suffering from arthritis, and the elderly as they can be elevated to a suitable level so that bending over and kneeling will not be necessary.

Urban gardening is now very popular these days because of food safety awareness, our financial economy, and because we want to be eco-friendly. Just because you only have a garden area that is very small does not mean you cannot use some small raised garden beds on a patio, deck, or back porch for some herbs, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants to enjoy.

Elevated garden beds are a good solution for plant drainage and compacting of the soil; plants will grow much better because of these facts. Raised beds will warm up faster in the springtime and continue to stay warm longer in the fall which means you can have a longer growing season. Because these beds are sitting above the ground it permits the air to circulate around the containers and allows the sun to warm them up quicker. This will allot for earlier planting and quicker germination especially in the colder climate areas.

Some of the other benefits of raised beds are: reachable - less bending and stretching gives the gardener easy access and makes maintaining and harvesting less of a task to perform; drainage - because the soil is above the ground it will not become compacted during heavy rains and will drain properly in preventing water-soaked soil; soil content - the soil that is generally used is mostly manure, compost and soil mixtures instead of ground soil; appearance - raised beds generally make very decorative gardens because the gardener enjoys maintaining them.

When gardening in these beds only means you are growing your flowers and vegetables above the ground. You can create your own by building a wooden structure with drainage holes in the bottom and fill it with your favorite organic soil mixture. Concrete blocks, bricks, or just about any material strong enough to hold the garden bed and raise it above the ground can be used. Your limitations will go as far as your imagination takes you and the area of space you have to work the garden. There are raised garden bed kits available for purchase at some nurseries, home and garden centers, or on-line.

Companion planting is something to consider when planting in your raised vegetable garden beds. Companion herbs and companion vegetables help in the control of insects and will improve the health of the garden. For instance some companion plants for your tomatoes are onions, carrots, and parsley while cabbage and cauliflower need to be kept away. Be sure to rotate your vegetables every year, if you planted tomatoes in the green bed last year plant them into the red bed this year. This type of planting will discourage insects and specific vegetable pathogens that can stay in the soil over winter and planting that same crop in that bed will infect the crop.

You will have fewer problems with pests gardening in raised garden beds. If you have had previous problems with burrowing rodents, a lining of chicken wire in the bottom of each will eliminate them. Weed control is much easier handle because you can walk around a raised bed without having to bend over to pull out, if you have any weeds at all. These beds do not need the usual distance between each row because you are not going to walk in the bed to cultivate or harvest. Vegetables can be spaced far enough apart to be able to avoid crowding but be close enough to shade out any weeds.

Once you have worked with raised garden beds for any of your gardening whether it is a flower garden, herb garden, or vegetable garden, you may not want to have an in-ground garden again because of how easy they are for cutting, maintaining, and harvesting. Your entire family will enjoy having some garden beds that are raised above the ground including your children.

Barbara has a number of garden beds in the garden that have been raised and has found that the vegetables thrive much better. Please check out her website Gardeners Garden Supplies for more articles regarding the garden and some accessories that are needed to keep it going.

Choosing Garden Furniture

No matter how pleasant a garden is, it is not being enjoyed to its full extent if there is no where for visitors to sit and admire the beauty of the garden. Luckily, few gardeners are willing to sacrifice design for comfort and with the wide choice of garden furniture available today, it is rare to find gardens bereft of furniture. Garden furniture will if anything look great with just about any style of garden.

Indeed, many gardens will provide several different items of furniture so that people have the flexibility to enjoy the garden from a variety of positions. So how does the gardener decide which of these many types of furniture you should be added and to which parts of the garden ? Firstly, they should decide how the garden will be used - formally or informally. Some people entertain a great deal and would use their patios or decks as an extra room for entertaining, while others just want to enjoy the peace and quiet of their gardens. Alternatively the garden may double up as an play area for excitable children.

In order to entertain properly, guest should not be crowded and so plenty of seating is required. If you entertain frequently, you should consider garden benches and deck chairs for more flexibility. Also should you be lucky enough with the climate to serve meals to your guests without leaving your beautiful gardens, then consider a large garden table and chairs so that you have plenty of room. Additionally you will probably need a decent parasol to your garden table so that you can entertain with protection from the sun (or rain).

Protection from the sun is something the gardener should be conscious of and what better way to relax in your garden, than to add a hammock to a shady area in the garden. Remember, that you do not necessarily need to obliging trees as you can fasten the hammock to two four by four posts that are cemented into the ground or you could purchase a hammock stand.

Some people prefer to just soak up the sun and for those people the ideal items of furniture are sun loungers on your patio or deck.

Indeed, a patio or deck doesn't look finished if it is bare of furniture. A patio is complemented well by either wooden, plastic or metal patio furniture. There should have no problems locating the right pieces for your garden patio and be sure to consider a patio heater. A heater can extend your use of the garden both daily and seasonly.

Finally, as you wander through the garden beds, you will find that there are certain places that are ideal to linger in and ponder. These places are ideal spots for benches or a couple of chairs and a side table. You also may want to add a decorative garden bench to any area in your garden that is a bit bland or in need of a focal point.

Matthew Anthony has contributed to several garden related sites including garden furniture and hammocks.

Budget For Your Garden

Have you ever thought about how much it costs to maintain your garden? Most people never give it much thought - spending the odd day in the garden when they have time and impulse buying plants at the local nursery.

But if you're serious about saving money and adding value to one of you're most important assets it's worth thinking about the ongoing costs associated with garden maintenance and how this can be minimized. It's also worth spending time and money on your garden so your asset appreciates rather than depreciates.

For the average size garden you should budget on one full day of maintenance every two months. That's a total of 6 full days a year. Now if you like gardening, that's not a problem and it's probably something you enjoy and get a lot of satisfaction from.

But with today's busy lifestyles, many of us are time poor and might have other priorities than spending time in the garden. So if you can't make the regular commitment of a day every two months you need to allow for this in your budget.

Costs vary, but on average you would pay $20 an hour for a qualified gardener or horticulturist, so this will cost you $160 every two months or $960 a year. Now this is just for general maintenance and doesn't include more regular jobs such as mowing or pruning. It also doesn't include costs such as fertilizing or adding to or improving your garden.

Some of the larger companies have recognized this opportunity and are now providing

professional garden maintenance services.

Darrell Canns, General Manager for Yates Garden Care says the market is huge and the garden maintenance business is 10 years behind the franchised lawn mowing industry.

Yates are now entering the market with a full range of professional services including basic lawn mowing, weeding, pruning and fertilizing, small landscaping jobs and tree surgery work.

They are developing a professional horticultural franchise to help put people in the industry. To make money a franchise owner will need to meet professional standards set by Yates, undergo training by the company and use the Yates brand name.

The service has already been successfully established in the eastern states and is being launched in Western Australia soon. Each franchisee will have about 30 or 40 regular customers.

The cost to garden owners is varied and depends on the size of the garden and the time of year. Darrell Canns says this may vary from $50 or $60 a month to $300 a week.

He believes the difference with other operators is that their people are qualified and the work is guaranteed. He also says they will quote on the total job rather than offer an hourly rate. An example of a fixed price for a specialized service is $400 to redig a garden bed, weed it, fertilize, replant and mulch.

There's an increasing pride in gardens and for people who don't have a lot of time this is a service that's appealing because you know what you get and you know how much it will cost.

Mr Canns believes consumers trust the Yates brand and the company has the ongoing expertise in gardening and horticulture.

The company is also working on a garden valuation service, where Yates will give a written valuation of the replacement cost of the garden and an ongoing maintenance cost. Canns says this will be used by real estate agents to compare properties and provide a tangible and independent figure on what a garden is worth.

So in terms of advice what should one do? Here are eight tips:

1. Budget to maintain your garden. Most people underestimate the value of their garden and many people make costly mistakes by neglecting their garden. Plants and trees may die through lack of water, putting in bad stock, not planting properly, and incorrect fertilizing or pruning. Compared to the value of the plants, the maintenance cost is small.

2. Think about the big picture of your garden. What do you want your garden to look like and what sort of theme.

3. Keep your garden simple. Often simple themes work best and feel more spacious. Set one theme and stick to it. Differentiate between decorative elements. Do they relate to the theme of the garden?

4. Avoid too much maintenance. Low maintenance gardens will cost less over the long term. Think about how much time and money you want to put into your garden in terms of maintenance.

5. Understand what you want. For example a garden for a holiday house would be totally different for your normal home.

6. Plan your garden. Work out what works best for different areas. For example shade versus sun and the purpose for which the garden will be used.

7. Avoid big trees in small spaces. Many people put in totally inappropriate trees and plants in areas that are just too small and at a later date it is very expensive to remove those trees.

8. Avoid buying plants on impulse. Roses are often the worst for this. They look great in the nursery in full bloom but can be a disaster. Plan before you buy.

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.

You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com.

Avoid Common Gardening Errors

Gardening errors are common even amongst the prolific gardeners. Once into a certain habit it's a bit hard to break that habit. But you can avoid certain common gardening errors with this handy list.

Wrong Type of Plant For Your Area

There are plants for almost all climates including cooler climates. Some plants are more likely to grow in areas than other plants. Choosing the right plant for your area can be tough. But knowing your area's climate can help.

Ask your local agricultural department for a list of common native plants for your area. You could also ask a local greenhouse or plant nursery for a list too.

Planting Too Early

Sometimes in early spring, the weather might turn warm. This gives gardeners a sense of hope for the start of the gardening season. But this sense of hope can lead to disaster. Some plants do tolerate some cooler weather but some, such as vegetables and some flowers do not tolerate the cooler weather. The cooler weather can severerly limit production and may even outright kill the plant.

Be careful and know what your gardening zone is. Know the last frost and freeze dates of your area. Most departments of agriculture and local greenhouses know these dates and would be more than happy to relay this information on to you if you ask.

Watering: Too Much or Too Little

Watering is a very important chore in the garden. Plants need the water to survive. Too little water and the garden won't grow.

For most plants, you need about an inch of water a week. Some plants need more, some need less. Usually vegetables need a little more once they start setting fruit. A trick to find out if you need to water the garden is stick your finger about two inches into the soil. If it it damp, then you won't have to water. If it is dry, then the garden probably needs water.

Plants need water for survival. But too much water is just as problematic. The water causes the plants to droop. It can also cause germination problems. The seeds might not grow, or they will grow severely weak stems.

Too Much Fertilizer

Some gardeners get zealous when they begin to fertilize plants. They put too much fertilizer on plants and that can cause problems with growth especially with vegetables. Most vegetables that have too much fertilizer won't produce more fruit and produce. They will produce less produce and more foliage.

Read the fertilizer instructions very carefully and do some research on whether the plant you are growing actually needs an extra fertilizer.

Not Enough Sun

Light is a very important ingredient in the plant's survival. It needs light to make and process the plant's food. Too little light and the plant can't produce enough food and thus will die.

Some plants need a full eight hours of sun to have a healthy production. But some plants will tolerate shade. But even most shade tolerant plants need some sort of sun.

Spacing

Spacing problems occur often in gardens. Most of the problems are with too little space between plants. Disease and pests are the main problems with spacing plants too close. Follow the proper spacing guides usually given on the seed packages or plant packages. These are generally carefully researched. Following them can lead to a better, healthier garden.

If you want to space plants closer, try a raised bed garden. A raised bed garden is a garden bed that is raised above the ground. It is much like a container on the ground. With a raised bed garden, you have much more control over weeds, control of pests and control the type of soil that you put into the garden. You can usually plant closer in the raised bed garden because of these controls you have over this type of bed.

Mistakes Can Be Corrected

Most garden mistakes can be corrected. Just be aware of the common mistakes and you can avoid later headaches and heartaches in your garden. Avoiding these mistakes in the first place can give you a healthier and faster producing garden.

Katina Mooneyham is the contributing editor for Little Gardeners ([http://www.gardenandhearth.com/LittleGardeners.htm]) at Garden and Hearth.com. She has written various articles on gardening mostly about gardening with kids. She maintains a blog on gardening at http://littlegardeners.blogspot.com.

Dogs and Gardens: 10 Tips for Enjoying Your Dog and Your Garden Too

For as long as I've been gardening, I have shared my love of the outdoors with one-of-a-kind dogs ("mutts" to most people). I certainly can't imagine gardening without a dog keeping me company. Here are some tips to help you make this work for you too.

Set the ground rules first


Be clear about how you want your dog to behave in the garden. Set the ground rules for your dog from the start. As with people, pet habits, once established, can be a challenge to change.


Remember that bored dogs are most likely to get into trouble, so use walks and games to use up excess energy that might otherwise go into destructive garden behavior. (Your dog burns calories this way, and so do you!)


Decide where your dog is allowed to go and where you don't want him to go.


Be consistent. It doesn't help if you let the dog do what he wants when the flowerbed is weedy, but then expect him to respect the garden when it's all tidied up.

Dogs and gardens - training tips

Dogs like to be where people are, so when you're in the garden, take your dog with you for at least part of the time, and when you're not, keep your dog with you indoors.

When you're with your dog, you have lots of opportunities to encourage and train behavior you like and discourage actvities that are destructive to the garden.


To keep dogs out of flowerbeds, use a verbal cue such as "out of the garden." This works best if you're actually in the garden with your dog.


It may be expensive, but a fenced yard is a godsend for dogs and gardens.


Some people use invisible fencing - a system that delivers an electronic shock via a receiver in a special dog collar. Actual fences are more effective because they both keep your dog in the yard and other animals out. As well, your dog can't escape, ignoring the electrical shock when chasing a squirrel, for example, and then getting shocked when trying to get back into the yard.

Garden safety and your dog

When you have dogs or other pets spending time in the garden, choose alternatives to chemical lawn and garden care.

If you use pest control products, even organic ones, keep pets out of the garden when you're applying them.


Keep your dog away from treated areas for as long as recommended, usually until the treated area is dry or 24 hours.

Yvonne Cunnington is an avid gardener and dog lover. For more information about which garden chemicals you must keep away from your pet dog, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Dogs-and-gardens.html | If you have problems with dogs and lawns, visit http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/dogs-and-lawns.html | For pet-friendly garden design ideas, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Pet-friendly-garden.html

Garden Plans - How to Create a Breathtaking Garden Using Simple Planning Methods

I know far too many gardeners who are just plain lazy and undirected when they start out. (Forgive me for starting out so blunt but some things need to be said!)

They think they can just "throw together" whatever plants or flowers they find and call it a garden...

Believe me when I say I am never surprised when they run to me for help later on, saying how they wished they had a plan.

Let me tell you a little secret that *all* successful gardeners have in common: they start out with a clear plan for their garden.

They understand that following solid garden plans is the secret to matching their landscape perfectly, or complement their home in a breathtaking way... a well designed garden plan can even add value to your property. (That's a huge plus, especially when you consider today's economy!)

I've seen smart gardeners use garden plans to seclude private areas of their yard or put a hedge around their property. Of course, the ability alone to add color or contrast to objects in your yard is amazing!

"Where should I put my garden?"

Be creative-- I've seen gardens designed around work areas, storage spaces (like a shed or loft), patios, barbecue pit or near kids play areas. (Just remember to teach your kids that lying down in your plants is not the ideal place for "hide n' seek"... don't laugh, I've seen it happen!)

Don't forget to think hard about *why* you want it... one couple I know designed a fantastic garden for the purpose of nothing but resting near it. They've even designed it to enjoy the company of birds and butterflies! (Yes, there are ways to make your garden attract butterflies!)

Of course, you'll need to think about what kind of plants and flowers you want... Keep in mind that not all plants and equal! ... remember to keep going back to the purpose of your garden and also think about how your family might interact with it.

Don't be afraid to "think outside the box" and have fun - you can do amazing things with fountains, fences, mulch, rocks and other garden ornaments.

Important: Think About How *Others* Will Use It

Don't just think about how you alone will use the garden... what happens when you have guests over?

I know a family who planned a lovely garden right in the center of their yard so they could entertain family and friends... Or you might want your garden to be a sanctuary for wildlife and butterflies...

The type of plants/foliage you use is very dependent on your reasons for starting the garden!

See, if you think through these questions beforehand you will have so many ideas about how you can use your garden. (Rather than rushing forward, flying by the seat-of-your-pants and getting hit with your real desires when it's too late!)

Take it from someone who's been there: Do *not* keep your garden plans "in your head"... it really helps to write them down! Your thoughts will be 'fresher' and you'll find yourself able to think more freely.

What NOT To Do - Make Sure You Don't Make This Mistake

I know a well meaning gardener who thought the side of his house would be perfect for his garden... he was so inspired and excited that he couldn't wait to rush and get it going... so that's exactly what he did!

The problem - and you knew there was going to be a problem :) - was that side of his house didn't get much sunlight because it was blocked by a tree and a shed.

His garden failed miserably and all that time, hard work and money he spent was wasted.

Of course this would have easily been avoided had he taken some time to put a plan together.

Lesson learned: make sure you think about structures on your property and their relationship to your garden.

What Colors Should You Chose For Your Garden?

When it comes to colors in your garden plan, there is only one single, most important thing you need to think about: how far the garden is from your house.

You should use cooler colors like blues and purples if the garden is close and brighter colors like yellows, oranges and reds if your garden is further away from the house.

Here's why: dark colors are very difficult to see from far away and bright ones are often 'too much' from up close!

With the right garden plan you'll be able to visualize your garden *exactly* the way it will look before you build it! Remember to think about where it will be, what plants and flowers you'll grow, how to use it (remember: the purpose of it) and how big you want it to be.

Not only will you have more fun and end up with exactly the type of garden you were hoping for, you'll spend less time and money putting it together!

For more secrets on garden plans - including the little known design secrets that landscaping companies don't want you to know - just visit a http://www.OrganicGardenTips.net