Knowing how to care for your flower garden can make a big difference in the look and over-all health of your plants. Here are some simple hints to make your garden bloom with health
1. The essentials must always be given major consideration.
Your flower garden must have an adequate supply of water, sunlight, and fertile soil. Any lack of these basic necessities will greatly affect the health of plants. Water the flower garden more frequently during dry spells.
When planting bulbs, make sure they go at the correct depth. When planting out shrubs and perennials, make sure that you don't heap soil or mulch up around the stem. If you do, water will drain off instead of sinking in, and the stem could develop rot through overheating.
2. Mix and match perennials with annuals.
Perennial flower bulbs need not to be replanted since they grow and bloom for several years while annuals grow and bloom for only one season. Mixing a few perennials with annuals ensures that you will always have blooms coming on.
3. Deadhead to encourage more blossoms.
Deadheading is simply snipping off the flower head after it wilts. This will make the plant produce more flowers. Just make sure that you don't discard the deadhead on the garden or mildew and other plant disease will attack your plants.
4. Know the good from the bad bugs.
Most garden insects do more good than harm. Butterflies, beetles and bees are known pollinators. They fertilize plants through unintentional transfer of pollen from one plant to another. 80% of flowering plants rely on insects for survival.
Sowbugs and dung beetles together with fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms are necessary to help in the decomposition of dead plant material, thus enriching the soil and making more nutrients available to growing plants.
Other insects like lacewings and dragonflies are natural predators of those insects that do the real damage, like aphis.
An occasional application of liquid fertilizer when plants are flowering will keep them blooming for longer.
Always prune any dead or damaged branches. Fuchsias are particularly prone to snapping when you brush against them. The broken branch can be potted up to give you a new plant, so it won't be wasted.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Butterfly Gardening
What is butterfly gardening? Simply put butterfly gardening is the art of growing flowers and plants that will attract these colorful and dainty creatures to your garden. Delight your family and visitors with beautiful butterflies, but be sure to create a safe habitat for them. If you own cats rethink your plans, because it would be a shame to attract these lovely insects to their death.
The design your butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference. Typical points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Pick a style of garden that appeals to you, but ensure it also contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract.
It is important to find out which plants and flowers will attract the species of butterflies. that live in your area. This information can be found at the local library
To create the kind of environment that they find attractive, you will also need water of some kind. A birdbath will look attractive and keep the butterflies up off the ground, away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. A shallow dish on a post or hung in a tree will do just as well.
When planting your butterfly garden be careful how you coordinate the colors you choose for your flowerbeds. Although butterflies do not care about your choice of color, you don't want your garden to be a hodgepodge of unrelated colors and textures. Butterflies are attracted to those flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, like honeysuckle, milkweed, summer lilac, Valerian, daisies, Purple Coneflower, Yellow Sage, day lilies and lavender.
Some people find it helpful to draw and color a layout of their butterfly gardening plan to see what the finished product would look like. Keep in mind that warm colors like red and orange are flashy and showy. These colors have a greater impact against a strong green background. Cool colors such as blue and purple are soothing and toned down and would work better with a white contrast to create the look of freshness and brightness.
The design your butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference. Typical points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Pick a style of garden that appeals to you, but ensure it also contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract.
It is important to find out which plants and flowers will attract the species of butterflies. that live in your area. This information can be found at the local library
To create the kind of environment that they find attractive, you will also need water of some kind. A birdbath will look attractive and keep the butterflies up off the ground, away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. A shallow dish on a post or hung in a tree will do just as well.
When planting your butterfly garden be careful how you coordinate the colors you choose for your flowerbeds. Although butterflies do not care about your choice of color, you don't want your garden to be a hodgepodge of unrelated colors and textures. Butterflies are attracted to those flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, like honeysuckle, milkweed, summer lilac, Valerian, daisies, Purple Coneflower, Yellow Sage, day lilies and lavender.
Some people find it helpful to draw and color a layout of their butterfly gardening plan to see what the finished product would look like. Keep in mind that warm colors like red and orange are flashy and showy. These colors have a greater impact against a strong green background. Cool colors such as blue and purple are soothing and toned down and would work better with a white contrast to create the look of freshness and brightness.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Choosing the Best Plants for your Garden
Many times we buy plants on impulse then find there is nowhere in the garden that really suits them. Before buying plants carefully examine your garden to see how much sun and shade it gets, whether the soil is well drained or waterlogged and whether your aspect is sheltered or windswept. You'll then be equipped to go and buy the best plants for your situation; shade-loving plants for the sheltered areas, sun-lovers for the warm spots, drought-resistant plants for the parched areas which may be either sunny or shaded, and swamp plants for the poorly-drained parts.
But wait! Test your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and what kind of nutrients you need to add, if any. Is the soil acid or alkaline? Most plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic, but there are some that must have alkaline soil to grow. You can alter the soil's pH level, but it's much easier to simply plant for the soil you have.
Now you are ready to plant. Well - almost. Will you plant in groups or singly? If you buy 'one of everything' your garden may seem rather spotty. Group plantings are organised, harmonious and you can vary the color for interest.
Before planting out, place your chosen plants around the garden bed in their pots to see how they will look. Re-arrange them until you are satisfied. Grouping plants in sets of threes or fives usually looks better than planting in groups of even numbers. Be sure that you have an interesting combination of colors and textures of plants. Tall plants should go to the back, or the centre if your garden will be viewed equally from all sides. Try to keep your plants away from trees. The roots of trees are fiercely competitive and will steal all the nutrients and moisture meant for your flowers.
The right color scheme is one way to maintain the harmony in your garden. Imagine the color of the flowers when they are in bloom. Some colors may clash with others, but can still be planted side-by-side if they have a different blooming season. Foliage color is also important. Many flower plants have silver, grey or purplish foliage that is just as attractive as the flower. This means that they are still attractive well past the blooming season and so have added value.
But wait! Test your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and what kind of nutrients you need to add, if any. Is the soil acid or alkaline? Most plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic, but there are some that must have alkaline soil to grow. You can alter the soil's pH level, but it's much easier to simply plant for the soil you have.
Now you are ready to plant. Well - almost. Will you plant in groups or singly? If you buy 'one of everything' your garden may seem rather spotty. Group plantings are organised, harmonious and you can vary the color for interest.
Before planting out, place your chosen plants around the garden bed in their pots to see how they will look. Re-arrange them until you are satisfied. Grouping plants in sets of threes or fives usually looks better than planting in groups of even numbers. Be sure that you have an interesting combination of colors and textures of plants. Tall plants should go to the back, or the centre if your garden will be viewed equally from all sides. Try to keep your plants away from trees. The roots of trees are fiercely competitive and will steal all the nutrients and moisture meant for your flowers.
The right color scheme is one way to maintain the harmony in your garden. Imagine the color of the flowers when they are in bloom. Some colors may clash with others, but can still be planted side-by-side if they have a different blooming season. Foliage color is also important. Many flower plants have silver, grey or purplish foliage that is just as attractive as the flower. This means that they are still attractive well past the blooming season and so have added value.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Potensi Bisnis Property di Sumut
Pertumbuhan bisnis properti di Sumatera Utara pada tahun 2011 mencapai 20 persen.
Beberapa pengusaha yang berkecimpung di bisnis properti banyak yang mengalami perkembangan yang cukup baik.
Demikan hal itu diungkapkan oleh Tomy Wistan Ketua DPD REI Sumut saat ditemui Tribun di Medan, Selasa (25/10/2011).
“Perkembangan bisnis properti di Sumut dimulai pada tahun 2009, menanjak hingga tahun 2011 ini. Saya perhatikan proyek dari pengusaha properti yang tergabung dalam REI, pertumbuhannya mencapai 20 persen dibandingkan tahun 2010,” kata Tomy.
Namun ketika ditanyakan berapa nilai investasinya, ia tidak bisa memberitahukan secara akurat, dengan alasan belum adanya survei mendalam mengenai hal tersebut..
"Secara kasat mata bisa kita lihat tahun ini properti di Sumut mengalami pertumbuhan yang cukup baik,” ujarnya.
Pesatnya perkembangan properti ini juga didukung oleh penyaluran KPR (Kredit Kepemilikan Rumah) yang meningkat di perbankan.
Tomy mengungkapkan pembiayaan kredit di sektor properti meningkat mulai dari 30-50 persen.
sumber
Beberapa pengusaha yang berkecimpung di bisnis properti banyak yang mengalami perkembangan yang cukup baik.
“Perkembangan bisnis properti di Sumut dimulai pada tahun 2009, menanjak hingga tahun 2011 ini. Saya perhatikan proyek dari pengusaha properti yang tergabung dalam REI, pertumbuhannya mencapai 20 persen dibandingkan tahun 2010,” kata Tomy.
Namun ketika ditanyakan berapa nilai investasinya, ia tidak bisa memberitahukan secara akurat, dengan alasan belum adanya survei mendalam mengenai hal tersebut..
"Secara kasat mata bisa kita lihat tahun ini properti di Sumut mengalami pertumbuhan yang cukup baik,” ujarnya.
Pesatnya perkembangan properti ini juga didukung oleh penyaluran KPR (Kredit Kepemilikan Rumah) yang meningkat di perbankan.
Tomy mengungkapkan pembiayaan kredit di sektor properti meningkat mulai dari 30-50 persen.
sumber
Monday, October 24, 2011
Taman Indah di Sekitar Rumah
Membuat taman merupakan salah satu usaha kita untuk menghadirkan keindahan bagi lingkungan rumah kita. Perencanaan desain taman baik di depan, samping, dan belakang rumah, ternyata bisa kita lakukan sendiri. Tentu pertanyaannya sekarang, bagaimana membuat taman itu? Saya jelaskan beberapa poin yang penting dalam membuat taman.
Tema Taman
Pilihlah tema taman yang sesuai dengan keinginan Anda. Misalnya Anda bisa memilih tema taman gaya Bali, taman gaya tropis, taman gaya minimalis, atau gaya modern. Namun Anda juga harus mempertimbangkan situasi dan kondisi lahan yang Anda punya.
Pemilihan tanaman
Pemilihan vegetasi merupakan poin yang harus diperhatikan. Buatlah beberapa list jenis tanaman yang Anda suka. Belilah sesuai dengan kebutuhan bagi lahan Anda dan tentunya tanaman yang sehat juga menjadi poin yang sangat penting. Saya memiliki rumus untuk menghitung jumlah tanaman (berdasarkan jarak tanam vegetasi) yang ada sebagai berikut:
| Jarak Tanam (cm) | Jumlah Tanaman (nos/m2) |
| 10 | 100 |
| 15 | 44.444 |
| 20 | 25 |
| 25 | 16 |
| 30 | 11.111 |
| 40 | 6.25 |
| 50 | 4 |
| 60 | 2.7 |
| 75 | 1.7 |
| 100 | 1 |
Jadi seperti ini perhitungannya: jika Anda memiliki 2 meter persegi lahan, dan mempunyai tanaman yang mempunyai jarak tanam 30 cm, maka jumlah tanaman yang Anda butuhkan adalah 22.222 (dibulatkan menjadi 22)
Tata Letak
Tata letak tanaman mempengaruhi keindahan dalam merancang taman. Selalu perhatikan komposisi vegetasi seperti rumput (grass), tanaman penutup (groundcover), perdu (shrubs and feature plant), tanaman air (waterplant) dan pohon (tree). Strata vegetasi yang harus diperhatikan seperti ini: Pohon diletakkan sebagai background (area paling belakang), Perdu dan semak diletakkan sebagai midground (area tengah), dan terakhir tanaman penutup atau groundcovers dan rumput diletakkan sebagai foreground (area depan)
Pengolahan Media Tanam
Pengolahan media tanam yang baik dengan pencampuran tanah humus dan pupuk (organik atau non organik) sangat berperan bagi kelangsungan hidup tanaman kita. Penyiraman yang baik juga harus diperhatikan terutama pada pagi dan sore hari. Untuk penyirama jika Anda memiliki dana lebih, Anda bisa beli sprinkler (penyiram air otomatis) yang dapat disetting sesuai keinginan kita.
Drainase
Pada musim hujan bagian ini yang penting diperhatikan. Tanpa drainase kebun atau taman kita bisa banjir. Kenapa? Karena pada dasarnya drainase untuk mengatur aliran air yang sudah tidak terpakai dialihkan ke pembuangan riol (istilahnya got). Tapi ada juga alternatif pembuatan drainase ini dengan pembuatan lubang biopori.
So… bagaimana dengan Anda? Ingin membuat taman sendiri dengan tips ini?
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