Tag Archives: Gardening

Gardening

How To Place Shrubs

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Shrubs have always been an attraction in any garden. Almost every garden boasts of having a few trees and a selection of various shrubs. Hydrangeas, lilacs and crabapples are some of the flowering ones which function as the main attraction in a garden along with the rest of the assorted trees and plants. Many of the flowering trees with their colorful flowers and height add grace to the entire landscape.

Boundaries can be the prefect location:

If you are thinking of creating a shrub area in your garden you can plant them along the borders on their own or as mixed borders – with other plants and perennial plants. For mixed borders you can use the rhododendron or ornamental pear shrub. They can be planted near the boundary of the garden as a ‘screen’. An obstruction or the corner of a building that detracts the beauty of the garden can be masked by a well positioned shrub or tree.

A huge shrub can also form a windbreak! When planted against the house they help in breaking the intensity of strong winds and keep the place shaded and cool too. Trees with denser leaf growth help in blocking harsh sun rays from entering the house. Compound walls or the wall of the house are enough for the wall shrub or climber to get on.

Create a focal point by growing a shrub:

Whether the shrub enhances the look of the building or not, depends on the architecture of the building. Walls add a new dimension to small gardens. Vines and climbers can be guided along to trail all over them. The garden bed is then free to grow different types of flowering trees plants and shrubs.

A shrub with colored and attractively shaped leaves can be planted in the lawn as a focal point. They can also be used for the purpose of ornamentation, preferably those which have no straggly branches and look attractively neat. If they are planted near a water body or a rock garden they look gorgeous. Some of them happily grow under the shade of bigger trees while some of them need open, sunny areas. A ground cover shrub also looks attractive when planted between larger trees and small plants, as they form a nice green carpet to sprawl on! Soil cultivation is not necessary and the ground cover shrub also helps in suppressing the growth of weeds.

Interested on prune climbers??, Phil Caxton , not only does this author specialize in prune climbers and grafting budding, you can also check out his website on for lawnmania.com . Read additional info about grafting budding or shrubs hedge at http://www.lawnmania.com/placement-of-trees-and-shrubs/

Gardening

Get Those Weeds Out!

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A good farmer knows different methods to control weed growth in the garden. Each of the methods has its own benefits and can be chosen according to the needs of the garden. With a selective weed killer, spot treatment can be done. The wanton growth can also be dug out if only a few are present. Another method is to inject weed killer into the leaves. Depending on the extent of growth the gardener can help you decide which method would suit your garden best. Weeding on a regular basis will give you a good looking garden.

Choose a method that suits best:

Methods of controlling weeds are as many as there are these plant-killers. Weeding methods fall into four categories basically. The first is the cultivation or mechanical method like hand weeding or hand pulling. The next is cropping or cultural method where good and strong seeds of adaptable variety are used to germinate quickly. The chemical method involves use of pesticides and fungicides and lastly the biological method which involves plants that grow quickly with a larger leaf area.

Spray a weed killer:

Treating the whole lawn is necessary if it has been badly infested. A weed killer is the best option. The killer is basically a plant hormone solution, which when sprayed stimulates the cells of plants. In certain areas of the plants the cells multiply so rapidly, particularly the tips of the shoots. Metabolism of the plant gets fatally disturbed due to this and the weed eventually dies off, leaving the rest of the plants to thrive.

All you need to do is spray it on the plant and it gets absorbed through the leaves within the sap. It then circulates through every part of the plant. If applied in late spring the weed killer is more effective because that is when the sap is most active and the plant too is growing fast.

For the weed killer to be most effective it is necessary to use a fine spray, as this helps in spraying maximum area of the shoot as well as the leaf surface. Soil fumigants too can help in cleaning out the area completely. All plants can then be removed and fresh planting can be carried out in the garden or lawn for more sustenance. Read specifications of the manufacturing company on the weed killer solution before spraying it in the garden to control weeds.

Interested on moving trees??, Phil Caxton publishes articles for lawnmania.com. More articles on weed control products and buffalo grass sods at http://www.lawnmania.com/ways-to-control-weeds/ .