Not all bulbs are planted equally; it depends on the type of bulb and your location.

Daffodils need a chill period and bloom in the spring. They will multiply all by themselves and if planted in a nice sunny spot with good drainage you should see them double in number every year. Plant them at a depth of 6", pointy end up.

Usually bulbs are in a dormant state in summer, bloom in spring and are planted in the fall. A good rule of thumb is the larger the bulb; the better the plant will bloom.

Bulbs should feel firm, heavy and be in good condition (skin should be smooth, good color and free from injury).

You can plant bulbs anytime from mid-August until the soil freezes.

Bulbs should be planted in an area that will receive full sun, but will be protected from the hottest days during the summer. Plant bulbs under or near a large deciduous tree in order to protect them.

Bulbs that do well in partial shade are daffodils, hardy lilies, crocus, and windflowers.

Everyone starts out as a beginner at some point in their lives and gardeners are no different. At one point, every gardener had a first garden. From that first overturned clod of dirt a knowledge base of real-life experience started to grow and with every successful plant to emerge from the soil the knowledge grew even bigger. Even the unsuccessful gardening attempts (ending up in the compost pile) were nuggets of information that gave the gardener fresh perspective and brought him/her one-step closer to that perfect dream garden. Gardening knowledge is something we experience, or are taught through the pages of a book, magazine, journal or even the helpful words from a neighbor. The collective knowledge is used to inspire better gardens, to write articles and books about gardening or to pass on to a son or daughter. Here are some tips to add to your gardening knowledge base.

A gardener's knowledge base consists of information about harvest, nature's laws, pests, seeds, watering, soil content, weather and weeding (just to name a few). Most gardeners will admit that their knowledge base about gardening is a work-in-progress and that they never stop learning about new techniques or new hybrids of plants.

A gardener can use this knowledge base to produce various different types of gardens such as a butterfly garden, flower garden, organic garden, rock garden, rose garden, or vegetable garden or a wildlife garden. The garden may be wild and back to nature or it may be a carefully crafted and landscaped masterpiece. Growing your gardening knowledge can be just as fun and rewarding as growing your garden.

 

Perhaps one of the most important factors for a successful garden is the soil. Properly caring for the soil starts with testing it. Then starts the real soil work.

There are many things for a gardener to know about the soil in his/her garden. The first is that there are 3 basic types of soil: sandy soil, clay soil and loam.

An easy way to test what type of soil you have is to do the glass jar test.

What you need:

·    Shovel

·    A glass jar with the label removed (coffee jar is fine)

·    A spoon

·    Water

·    Lid

·    Someone who loves to shake a jar!

Take the shovel and dig up a shovel deep section of garden.

Now take the spoon and put a few spoonfuls of soil into your glass jar until it is half full.

Fill the jar with water until it is almost to the top.

Put the lid on tight so you won't make a mess.

Now shake the jar until all of the soil has "dissolved" into the water. It should be quite a murky-looking liquid when you are finished.

Place the jar in a safe location (where it won't get knocked over) and let it sit for a couple of hours.

When you return to the soil you should have a couple of layers of soil.

There should be a bottom layer of stone/sand, then a layer of silt/clay and on top of that an organic layer. The very top layer including the water is the clay layer. The organic layer can be different sizes but basically, the order from largest to smallest will be stones, sand, silt, and then the clay.

To find out which soil type you have look at the jar. If you have more clay or silt in it then you do sand than you have a clay/silt soil. If you have more sand particles than anything else than you have a sandy soil. If however you have equal parts of all types than you are lucky to have a loam soil, which is perfect for gardening.

Roses are very delicate and time-consuming but oh so well worth the effort as their beauty is unmatched. Gardeners take special pride in their rose beds and guard their prize roses well.

 

Roses need constant attention but reward the gardener by the sweet fragrance and beauty that is a testimony to the skill and care of the gardener.

 

Roses thrive in the open, well-ventilated areas of your garden. Make sure there is not too much shade. Your roses should enjoy at least 3/4 of the daytime in sunlight. Roses grown in the shade become sickly fast.

 

Roses require adequate feeding and proper pruning. They should be watered when they become dry and given organic feeds such as bonemeal or mulches that are well rotted.

 

The gardener needs to be aware of the enemies of the rose which are: pests that include the aphid, blackspot and mildew, and greenfly.

 

March is the last chance to plant bare root or pre-packed roses.

 

After pruning burn the cuttings as you do not want to use rose material in compost due to possible pests.

 

Feed your roses starting in March with an organic fertilizer made for roses or with osmocote. Fertilizer should be placed around the root zone of the bushes and not just near the stem.

 

After feeding the roses, mulch with organic materials. Spray now to prevent greenfly. You can use permethrin.

 

Pay attention to weeds and get rid of them pronto.

 

In May the roses should be growing quite well. This is the month when pests may be putting in an appearance. Keep on top of the pest problem by using organic insecticide and fungicide combination to rid the roses of aphids, blackspot, mildew, and other pests.

 

Roses should start to bloom in June. Keep your rose bushes well watered.

 

Watch out for mildew in June and treat promptly.

 

Stop feeding in August but continue to watch for mildew and treat right away.

 

September finds the gardener deadheading his roses and pruning any ramblers or climbers. You may need to spray weekly for blackspot or mildew at this time.

 

Autumn is the time to rake leaves around your rose bushes and snip-faded flowers.

 

In the cooler season of autumn, the gardener is found cutting back the rose bush to prevent wind rock and damage to the roots. If you live in a very cold climate you can mulch around the root zone or put straw around the bush.

 

December is the month for rose gardeners to take a break and enjoy the holidays!

The compost bin is not only good for your garden it is good for our environment too because compost breaks down waste materials from the garden and your kitchen and turns it into dark, rich, matter that nourishes your garden. The nutrients in compost are natural fertilizer for a healthy garden.

A bin will make your compost area neater and will aid in a faster decomposition of material.

Compost bins only have 3 sides with one open for easy access or 4 sides with an opening on a fourth side. Bins should be at least 3 cubic feet in size. You may have more than one Compost bin going at a time (one to use and one to make).

Bins are usually made of cement, wood, plastic, wire fencing, or brick. They should not be made of chemically treated wood because there may be toxins in the wood that can destroy your microorganisms that are needed for decomposition.

You should locate your compost bin in an out-of-the-way location hidden from view of your garden visitors. Some gardeners put up a fence or shrubs to hide the bin. A bin is better to be place in a shady location so that it does not dry out.

Materials to use in your compost bin:

Scraps from your kitchen, garden or lawn including left over vegetables and fruits, eggshells, nutshells, coffee grounds, tea bags and tealeaves all make good compost materials. Do not put animal scraps such as meat trimmings or bones into your compost bin. Leaves and grass clippings and garden debris such as deadheaded flowers are all good compost materials.

A good rule of thumb is two parts dry to one part wet ingredients for speediest decomposition. Wet ingredients are vegetable and fruit leftovers and fresh grass trimmings. Dry ingredients are leaves and pine needles.

Chopped or shredded ingredients decompose faster.

Caring for your compost bin should not take a lot of time. If you just keep your compost bin in mind when you prepare a meal, finish eating a meal, or work in your garden; use any of the above listed items to add to your compost bin.

Return to this blog often for new blog entries on the topic of garden maintenance.

Flower gardens are everyone's favorite garden because of the color and the beauty they bring to the landscape. Here is a brief tool-kit of easy-to-grow flower terms for the beginner gardener.

 
An annual is a plant that completes its entire life cycle in a single growing season. Flowers that are annuals are: baby blue eyes, calendula, dianthus, nasturtium, pansies and sweet peas.

 
A Biennial is a plant that usually takes two growing seasons to complete the life cycle. Examples of biennial flowers are: foxglove and sweet William.

 
Perennials are flowers that can last for three or more years. Bee balm, columbine, delphinium, forget-me-not, geranium, Jacob’s ladder, meconopsis poppy, Oriental poppy and the primrose are all good examples of Perennials.

 
Plants that grow from bulbs (short, underground stems that contain food for the shoot) are called bulb flowers and include: crocus, daffodils, hyacinth, snowdrop bulb plants, and tulips.

 
There are easy-to-grow flowers that are not just pretty, they can be used for medicinal purposes or to provide food or can be used as a habitat for insects.

 
Annuals grow from seed and produce seed all in one growing season. Annuals usually bloom longer than perennials. Annuals generally need at least 6 hours of sunlight each day. The calendula is a good example of a annual that when the flower is made into an ointment it is great for preventing radiation burns for cancer patients and cooks use the petals in egg or rice dishes. Chicken farms feed them to chickens to make the yolks of their eggs darker.

 
Perennials although hardy die in the winter but emerge again in the spring. In northern climates they will pop out of the soil as soon as it starts to get warmer. Many perennials are eatable including the day lily, and garlic chives. The echinacea is known for it immune system-enhancing medicinal quality.

 
Now that you know a little bit more about the easy to grow flowers, get out there and start making your part of the world beautiful and functional.

Gardeners love all things green and what bigger piece of green is there on your land then your lawn? Grass is after all blades or leaves that need to be cut, protected from pests and weeds and fed and watered. All things that a gardener does in his garden he can do for his lawn.

 
There are many special lawns that professional gardeners tend to include golf courses, ornamental lawns, and even sports turf.

 
There are many more tasks for the gardener to tend to besides cutting the grass to keep the lawn in tiptop shape. Gardeners contend with brown spots, moss in the lawn, pests such as leatherjackets, and ants, moles, bees and even dogs.

 
Female dogs commonly cause brown patches. To repair, you need to keep the dog off the area, and water well so that her urine gets soaked into the ground. The grass does not always recover, but it is worth a try.

 
Bare spots are usually the result of a poorly adjusted lawn mower that causes "scalping" of the lawn. Raise the height of the mower blades.

 
If you have moss in your lawn it is your lawn's way of saying, "heh, something is wrong with me". Killing the moss without fixing the cause of the moss will result in more moss showing up that you then have to deal with. Causes of moss in your lawn may be: the lawn being too waterlogged in the winter and summer months, poor feeding (light green grass), acid soil, too much shade from trees or large shrubs and mowing your lawn too close. Droughts can cause moss and so can sandy soil because it does not allow the grass to drain well. Too high of traffic (too many kids, pets etc.) can also cause moss. Correcting these causes can correct the problem, so when you kill the moss it will stay away.

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