Deer-Resistant Plants

If there's one thing we have in common as gardeners, it's the need to ward off unwelcome wildlife. For many, that means deer. If the best defense is a good offense, then it makes sense to start by choosing deer resistant plants.

Plants Deer Like to Eat

• Deer love narrow-leaf evergreens, especially arborvitae and fir, and show a preference for hostas, daylilies, and English ivy.
• The heaviest garden browsing is from October through February.
• Many growers note that deer seem to prefer plants that have been fertilized.

Plants Deer Do Not Like to Eat (Usually)
Bear in mind that the first rule of deer-proofing is that there are really no plants that are completely deer-proof. Nevertheless, here are plants that deer (usually) do not like to eat:

• Deer tend to stay away from poisonous plants. Daffodils, foxgloves, and poppies are common flowers that have a toxicity that deer avoid.
• Deer turn their noses up at fragrant plants with strong scents. Herbs such as sages, ornamental salvias, lavenders, peonies, and bearded irises are among these “stinky” plants.
• Deer do not like plants that are prickly (unless they’re desperate), such as lamb’s ear.
  Bleeding hearts are popular with us, but not deer.
• French Marigold
• Alyssum
  
• Bear's Breeches
• Dusty Miller
• Butterfly Weed
• Flowering Tobacco
• Rosemary
• Caryopteris
• Lantana
• Mint
• Chrysanthemum
• Snapdragon
• Crape Myrtle
• Crocosmia
• Strawflower
• African Lily
• Dianthus
  
• Fountain Grass
• Epimedium
• Heather
• Goldenrod
• Yucca
• Joe Pye Weed
• Zinnia
• New Zeland Flax
• Aster
• Brunnera
• Red-Hot Poker
• Wisteria
• Astible
• Russian Sage
• Asparagus
  
• Sea Holly
• Verbena
• Sweet Woodruff
• Catmint
• Lily of the Valley
• Lily of the Nile
• Bee Balm
• Lungwort
• Yarrow
• Monkshood
• Onion
• Horseradish
• Tarragon
• Silver Mound
• Wild Ginger
• Barberry
• Dusty Miller
• Wood Fern

You Might Consider Lawn Painting

What is lawn painting, and why would anybody be interested in painting the lawn green? It may sound bizarre, but DIY lawn painting isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. Read on to discover more about the benefits of coloring your lawn, and how to paint lawn turf.

What is Lawn Painting?

Lawn paint has been a landscaper’s secret weapon at athletic fields and golf courses for years, but the current drought is prompting homeowners to consider lawn painting as a way to maintain an emerald green lawn when water is in short supply.

Good quality lawn paint is formulated to be biodegradable and safe for the environment. Once the lawn paint dries, the painted turf is safe for children and pets. The color won’t run on dewy mornings, a rainfall won’t wash it off, and it won’t rub off on your clothes. Painted grass usually retains its color two to three months and sometimes much longer. However, frequency of mowing, type of grass, weather and rate of new growth all affect the color. In some cases, the color may fade in two to three weeks.

How to Paint Lawn Turf

So if you would like to give DIY lawn painting a try, purchase lawn paint at a garden center or landscaping service. Don’t scrimp. Good paint is easier to apply. It will look better and last longer.
Paint your lawn on a dry, sunny, windless day. Mow your lawn and rake up grass clippings and yard debris. If you’ve watered the grass recently, let it dry before you paint because the paint won’t stick to damp grass. Use plastic sheeting to cover anything you don’t want to paint, including brick or concrete patios, driveways, garden mulch and fence posts. Secure the plastic with masking tape.

Unless your lawn is huge, you can apply lawn paint using a hand sprayer with a fine spray nozzle. A pump sprayer works better for larger lawns, while a spray paint system is more efficient for super large or commercial landscapes. With the nozzle about 7 inches from the turf, apply the paint in a back and forth motion to ensure all sides of the grass are evenly colored.If any paint lands where you don’t want it, remove it immediately with ammonia-based window spray and a wire brush.

Remember that unless it rains occasionally, you still need to water your lawn enough to keep it alive.

Best Trees for the Backyard

Having trees in your backyard not only shade your house, but also provide a space for playing and relaxing on hot summer days. Consider using these trees in your backyard for a shady, enjoyable environment, even in the heat of summer.

Royal Empress Tree

Many times, it takes trees quite a while before reaching their mature size. Royal Empress Tree is an exception to this. With a rapid growth that is unrivaled by any other tree, (12 to 15 feet in a single year!) Royal Empress Tree is a tree that will shade your yard quickly. Reaching at least 40 feet in the air, and 30 feet in spread in under 4 years, this tree will provide you with deep shade that will make the hot summer months tolerable. Use this tree without any concern for invading, as this species will not spread throughout your yard. Winter highlights the fuzzy flower buds, and in the spring, the lavender flowers cover the tree, filling the air with their sweet scent.

Shumard Oak

Oak trees not only make great shade trees, but also provide wildlife with plenty of habitat. Shumard oak is a spectacular oak tree, because of it’s stature (up to 90 feet tall and 60 feet wide at maturity), and it’s fall color. Unlike most oaks, Shumard oak turns a brilliant red in the fall, rivaling the maples and other trees. The acorns reach up to an inch in size, making them perfect for wildlife and for young imaginations. Use this tree in an area where you want a tree that is large and hardy, as Shumard oak is sure to live up to both of those statements.

Brandywine Maple

Most people think of maples and think of the seeds that pile up and clog gutters.  Brandywine maple is a tree with only male flowers in the spring– meaning there are  no pesky seeds to clean up. In addition, Brandywine maple turns gorgeous reddish purple in the fall, providing you with color that can’t be found anywhere else. With a mature size of 25 feet tall by 15 feet wide, it is the perfect size for a backyard where you want some shade but don’t want the entire yard engulfed by a tree.

While these trees all would look beautiful in both your front and back yards, these trees will make a stellar addition to your backyard – especially in an area where you want some shade without major cleanup when the leaves fall. In addition to the great color and shade, there are plenty of opportunities for imaginative minds to find unique adventures in the canopy. Consider using one of these trees in your backyard landscape and enjoy the unique benefits they provide.

Best Trees for the Front Yard

Your front yard is the place where your guests and neighbors make their first impression about your house, so having a tree in the front yard that makes a statement is essential. Having a tree with large leaves and little to no fruit or seeds dropping makes yard clean-ups much easier, but there’s no need to sacrifice the beauty of trees for something utilitarian. Consider some of these trees for that perfect front-yard pop that is sure to make a statement all year round.

Bloodgood Japanese Maple
Red foliage is one of those aspects that turns heads and always stands out, regardless of season. Bloodgood Japanese Maple has that stunning red foliage – not only in the fall, but also in the spring and summer. Because it only grows 15 to 20 feet in height and width, it is a perfect tree to include in your front yard. It won’t overshadow everything, and you’ll be able to look out your window and enjoy the purple-red foliage and delicate branches year-round. Since it is more tolerant of (and even prefers) part-shade environments, you can put it in places where other trees may not thrive as well, including closer to your house. Planting a Bloodgood Japanese Maple with other green-foliage plants will really help it to pop and turn heads.

Chaste Tree
Blue is not a color that is easily found in flowers, and it’s even more challenging in trees. But the Chaste Tree will provide those blue flowers in a season when it seems like everything is only green – summer. With a maximum size of 15-25 feet in any given direction, this tree is sure to provide your front yard with some summer color. When it is not blooming, enjoy the grey-green foliage and in the winter, the beautiful branch structure. Tolerant of less-than-perfect environments, the Chaste Tree is a tree that is sure to please all year round, and make your house the most noticeable on the block!

Weeping Cherry
Cherries are known for their beautiful flowers in the spring, and this tree is no exception. In addition to the flowers, this tree’s branches cascade toward the ground, creating an exceptional and interesting sight. Growing to approximately 25 feet at full maturity, a weeping cherry will be sure to be the talk of the neighborhood. As an added bonus, the weeping branches create a space that is perfect for a playhouse as they mature and get close to sweeping the ground. Enjoy the distinctive form of this tree throughout the year.

All of these trees bring a bit of character to your front yard. From purple foliage in the spring and summer to flowers in a brilliant blue to branches that sweep the ground, there is sure to be a tree perfect for your front yard. Enjoy the beauty these trees provide, and be sure to be the talk of the neighborhood!

10 Plants for Depression, Stress, or Anxiety

Just being outside, whether you’re gardening, exercising, or simply taking a stroll, is a great mood booster. But getting your hands dirty in the garden is so effective at combating depression, stress, and anxiety that it’s often used in “horticultural therapy” at psychiatric hospitals. So if you feel like your energy levels are dropping or you’re just too stressed out at work, plant yourself a good-mood garden. You'll not only get the benefits of a little garden therapy, but you'll benefit from the mood-boosting nutrients present in these healthy foods, too. Turns out, certain vegetables and herbs are rich in antidepressant compounds and minerals that can take the edge off a bad day and even help alleviate full-blown depression.

Here’s a guide to get you started—10 of the most potent antidepressant foods and herbs, and how to grow them anywhere.

Swiss Chard

EAT
All types of chard are packed with magnesium, a nutrient essential for the biochemical reactions in the brain that boost your energy levels. In fact, magnesium deficiency is a common condition among people diagnosed with clinical depression.

GROW
Chard is a hardy crop that, if planted even as late as summer, will produce until early winter. Pick a spot that gets a fair amount of sunlight; it can tolerate shade but produces best with lots of sun. Or choose a container that's about 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep and fill it with a good all-purpose organic potting soil. Sow between 2 and 3 seeds per pot. You can start harvesting leaves as soon as they appear, but harvest from the outside so as not to kill the entire plant.

Blue Potatoes

EAT
The anthocyanin antioxidants in rare—but tasty!—blue potatoes reduce inflammation that can lead to bad moods. Their skin is also packed with iodine, which helps stabilize thyroid hormone levels, thus warding off mood swings.

GROW
Potatoes are about the easiest crops to grow. You can even grow them in a bag of potting soil, without really dirtying your hands. To do that, cut a few drainage holes at the bottom of a bag of potting soil, then stand the bag someplace sunny. Bury two "seed potatoes" about 4 inches deep, and wait about 3 months for them to grow. When flowers start to appear, tip the bag over and dig out the potatoes. To keep the harvest going long into the fall, plant a new set of seed potatoes every few weeks.

Cherry Tomatoes

EAT
Tomato skin is rich in lycopene, a phytonutrient that actually stops the buildup of pro-inflammatory compounds linked to depression. Because lycopene lives in tomato skins, the best way to get it is through cherry tomatoes, whose smaller surface area means you'll eat more skin than if you eat a full-size tomato.

GROW
Cherry tomatoes are good choices for containers, and they'll produce more fruit than larger varieties. The pots should be large—one that holds 4 to 6 gallons of potting soil will do—and placed in a sunny spot. In June, find some organic cherry-tomato seedlings at a local nursery or farmers’ market (big-box-store tomato plants can be very disease-prone), and plant them so that the first row of leaves is covered by dirt. Depending on the variety you grow, cherry tomatoes can take about 2 to 3 months to start bearing fruit.

Black-Eyed Peas

EAT
Black-eyed peas have some of the highest levels of folate of any vegetable. It’s thought that folate plays a role in creating dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, three brain chemicals that, when absent, can make you forgetful, irritable, and unable to sleep.

GROW
Black-eyed peas need long summers with temperatures averaging between 60° and 70°F, which is why they're so commonly grown down South. They need warm days and warm nights, with lots of sun and water. After you plant them, they'll be ready to harvest in a little over three months. You can eat them fresh off the vine, or leave them on the vine until they dry (you'll hear seeds rattling around in the pods) and save them to eat all winter.

Oregano

EAT
Oregano is rich in caffeic acid, quercitin, and rosmarinic acid, all components that combat depression, fatigue, and anxiety.

GROW
Oregano, like most herbs, is easy to grow. Look for a seedling at a local nursery, pot it, and just water as needed, leaving the soil on the dry side. It thrives better in containers, but make sure your pot is fairly large—at least 12 inches across—as this plant can grow pretty quickly.

Sunflowers

EAT
Sunflower seeds are a great source for the antidepressant phenylalanine, an amino acid the body turns into norepinephrine.

GROW
Sunflowers like sun, obviously, but be sure to plant them in a sunny spot on the north edge of your yard or garden so they don’t cast too much shade on other sun-loving plants. Plant your seeds after the last frost. Towards the end of summer, the flowers start to wilt and the seed heads ripen and droop. When the seeds in the seed heads start to turn brown, cut them along with 2 feet of stem and hang upside down in a dry, well-ventilated place, such as a garage or attic, until fully dry; store in plastic bags for birds and animal food. To eat, soak overnight in water (or strong salt water, if a salty flavor is desired), drain, spread on a shallow baking sheet, and roast for 3 hours at 200°F or until crisp.

Chamomile

DRINK
There’s a reason a cup of chamomile tea just before bed helps you sleep. Just like oregano, it’s rich in stress-reducing caffeic acid and quercitin, but it tastes much better in the form of tea, which you can make from your garden herbs by steeping chamomile flowers in boiling water for about 10 minutes.

GROW
German chamomile is best for teas, as opposed to other varieties that can taste bitter. Since it can grow wild and take over your garden, it’s best suited for containers. A small container about 6 inches wide by 6 inches deep will suffice, but a bigger pot will yield a bigger harvest. It prefers full sun and should be planted in late spring, when there’s no risk for frost.

Evening Primrose

EAT
Evening primrose is technically a wildflower. Its seeds have the highest levels of tryptophan (which your body uses to make mood-boosting serotonin) of any plant. In the fall, when the flowers mature, the flowers’ seed pods begin to fill up. Harvest a few and grind them as you would flaxseed into your favorite dishes.

GROW
Evening primrose is drought-tolerant and easy to grow either in containers or in the ground. You can find varieties with flowers ranging from deep reds to light yellows. Sow the seeds in groups of four. They’ll start to appear in 14 to 28 days.

Lavender

SMELL
Gardens don’t have to be all about edibles (even though you can eat lavender). According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, aromatherapy treatments involving lavender and a few other herbs are often used to supplement depression treatments, because the scent is so relaxing.

GROW
Plant a lavender seedling in a container made from a material that breathes, such as terra-cotta, and choose a pot about 12 inches wide by 12 inches deep. Place your pot in an area that gets lots of sunlight; lavender loves dry, sunny areas. English lavender is both fragrant and edible, if you feel like adding some lavender flowers to your cooking.

St. John's Wort

DRINK
The most famous herbal antidepressant, St. John’s Wort contains compounds similar to those found in Prozac. The flowers and leaves are the most valuable part of the plant and can be brewed into a tea that will calm you down and boost your mood. Just note that St. John’s Wort has many adverse drug interactions, so check with a pharmacist if you’re on any medications.

GROW
Another herb that’s often viewed as a weed, St. John’s Wort should be grown in containers to keep it from spreading where you don’t want it. It’s pretty easy to grow. Just find a seedling or some seeds and plant them in a small container placed in a partially sunny/partially shady area. Plant the herb in spring, and by July you’ll start to see leaves. But flowers won’t show up until the second year (St. John’s Wort is a perennial, so you can leave it in its pot all winter and it’ll grow back on its own).

Designing a Butterfly Garden

Invite butterflies to set up housekeeping in your yard with a butterfly garden design. The best butterfly gardens welcome not only spotlight-stealing adults with their colorful wings, but also encourage their humble beginnings: caterpillars. By including plants that nourish adult butterflies along with their caterpillar precursors, your butterfly garden design can create a place where nature rules. Learn what it takes to have an effective butterfly garden design.

Use a two-pronged approach to your butterfly garden by including attributes that attract adult butterflies, as well as their young. To fuel adults with ample food, include a variety of nectar-rich bloomers. Intermingle flowers with different forms, like a flat-blossomed zinnia that provides a wide landing pad for butterflies or a spikey Summer Jewel salvia.

Plan your garden to have non-stop color to keep the butterflies coming. Most butterfly garden designs incorporate quite a few annuals to help achieve a steady flower show. Good annual candidates for a butterfly garden include creeping zinnia, marigold, mealycup sage, Mexican sunflower, and pentas.

It’s also wise to include perennials in your design to give your garden year-round interest. Perennials that butterflies favor include butterfly bush, garden phlox, bee balm, and purple coneflower.

Arrange bloomers in drifts so that near-sighted butterflies can easily spot the large swaths of color. Focus on flowers that feature bright tones in your butterfly garden design. Most butterflies can’t resist blossoms in shades of pink, red, purple, and yellow. These winged wonders also have a strong sense of smell and are lured by fragrant flowers. Remove spent blossoms in your butterfly garden faithfully to coax more flower buds to form.

Develop your butterfly garden design for a sunny location, since both butterflies and most of the plants they feast on thrive in sun. Try to choose a spot protected from wind. Include a watering hole in your butterfly garden design. Adult butterflies like to sip salts, moisture and minerals from moist sand or damp earth. Build a butterfly puddle by sinking a shallow pot saucer into soil and filling it with sand. Maintain a water level that’s just below the sand’s surface.

Surround your puddle with a ring of flat stones that can absorb sunlight and provide a place for butterflies to sun. Try to site your stones where they’ll absorb morning sunlight. Butterflies are cold-blooded and seek spots to bask and warm their wings for flight.

Many butterfly gardens focus solely on the winged portion of a butterfly’s life cycle, and you certainly must attract the adults before you can hope for a caterpillar. By including plants that caterpillars like to munch in your butterfly garden design, you’ll improve your chances of hosting a caterpillar. If you’re lucky, you may even get to witness an adult butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.

Caterpillars feed on specific plants, so you’ll have to do some research to stock your garden with plants that caterpillars native to your region find tasty. The one thing caterpillars consistently do is munch, munch, munch. It’s a good idea to tuck plants destined to satisfy voracious caterpillar appetites into a less visible portion of your butterfly garden design. Place this section where you can easily visit and observe caterpillars, but not front and center where chewed—and even missing—leaves will detract from the garden’s beauty.

Terrarium Makovers

If you’ve been taking good care of your terrarium, there’s a good chance that the plants will begin to outgrow the space. Or maybe you let the watering go a bit too long and the plants are brown and crunchy. It’s okay! It happens to the best of us. Give your terrarium a makeover every few years to keep it looking beautiful.

It doesn’t mean that it’s time to toss the whole thing out, though. A terrarium makeover is a wonderful form of garden therapy. I promise your interest in it will be as renewed as the plants are! And don't be afraid to get creative!

Materials

• Terrarium
• Indoor potting soil
• 2″ pots of tropical houseplants or succulents
• Bark, stones, moss, and other decorative items

Make(over) it!

• Start by removing everything in the terrarium. Any overgrown plants can be transplanted into larger pots while you head out and shop for some new ones.
  
• Not everyone uses drainage rocks in their terrarium designs. Sometimes, the space for the soil is too precious to give up for pebbles. Instead, water carefully and thoughtfully.
  
• To know when to water, simply test the soil with your finger. If the soil is cool and moist, water isn’t needed. If it is dry and warm, it’s time to water. After you have watered, check back in 30 minutes. Has the water all absorbed into the soil? You can test it by tipping the terrarium to see if any water pours out. If so, you have overwatered. Soon you will learn the right amount to give the terrarium and it won’t be much of an issue.
  
• Some terrarium keepers say that misting the plants and soil with a spray bottle is equally effective.
  
• Tip: keep a thin-spouted watering can nearby so you can quickly water the terrarium if it feels dry. It’s not a fail-proof system, but many gardeners swear by it.
• You can also add charcoal to the soil. It keeps the soil “sweet,” meaning it helps to remove odor and toxins that can result from standing water.
  
• Lay out the plants on the soil to get a feel for the design. Place taller plants at the back of the terrarium and shorter ones at the front. Choose complementary foliage textures and colors. If all of the plants have variegated broad leaves, it will look like just one large plant.
  
• Remove the plants from the nursery pots and plant them in the soil. Water the soil well and pour off any excess water that isn’t absorbed in 30 minutes.
  
• Once the plants are in, get creative with decorative elements. Items such as found bark and stones look right at home in a terrarium, as do moss, glass, ceramic, and miniature garden figurines.

The design is where you can get creative and show off your personality!

How to Test Your Soil pH

It’s no secret that soil is the most important part of the garden. Not only does it create healthy plants, or lead to their demise, but it is also full of information that can help us grow a better garden. This at-home soil pH test will give you a general idea of the pH of your soil. If you want to find out the exact pH level, you will need a test kit.

Materials:

• Distilled Water (because it has a neutral pH. You can use regular water, but it could affect the outcome)
• White vinegar (an acid)
• Baking soda (a base or alkaline)
• A bowl and spoon

Steps:

1. Scoop up a small amount of soil from an area in your garden.
   
2. Mix in a bit of water to the soil: enough to make a loose mud.
   
3. Pour a little bit of vinegar to the bowl. If it fizzes up, the soil is alkaline. If there is no fizz, that would suggest your soil is acidic.
   
4. To double-check the results, grab another scoop of soil, wet it with the water and mix again. Then sprinkle baking soda in it and mix. If it fizzes, the soil is acidic.

You certainly do not have to perform both tests to determine the pH of your soil. Just one will suffice, but you can try both to confirm the results if you like. Now that you are armed with this basic knowledge about your soil, you can use it to do cool things like change the color of your hydrangea!

Consider a Trellis in Your Garden

A garden trellis is an outdoor design made of wood, plastic, or cast iron. The garden trellis is not only for giving a very unique and tranquil look to your landscaping, but also necessary if you plan on having vine flowers in your garden.

There are many shapes and sizes to choose from. Some garden trellises are tall and skinny while others are short and tall that you walk under. Most trellises have a square-shaped pattern in them that varies in size. However, some are known to be more unique with a diamond shape or simple “V” structure. You can purchase garden trellises as one piece or as a kit with several pieces to put together. It will depend on the size of the trellis you purchase. Most are very simple to assemble.

A garden trellis can serve as a grand entryway into your garden. This design works well as you feel like you are going from simply being outdoors to entering a floral paradise. Many people choose to install a garden trellis to help separate parts of their garden. Another very popular use for a garden trellis is to place it against the side of your house. Allow a variety of climbing plants to grow on it. Morning glories, clematis, sweet peas, and honeysuckle are excellent choices. A garden trellis made of wood with a bench in the middle is ideal for relaxing.

Garden trellises are very beautiful, adding a classic look to your garden area. They are very easy to install and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. A garden trellis needs to be able to stand up to the elements in your area. They are to be made of quality wood and heavy metal braces or made of cast iron. For best results and safety, make sure all garden trellises are securely anchored to the ground. Trellises are quite inexpensive, yet they add tremendous value to the appeal of your landscaping. You can purchase them at any home improvement store or online. For those who enjoy being creative and working with tools, consider building your own garden trellis.

Growing Sweet Pea Flowers

In warmer regions where winter weather is relatively mild, sweet peas can be sown in fall. Everywhere else, sow in late winter/early spring.

1. Soak the seeds in water for 8 - 10 hours before sowing. This softens the seed coat and speeds up the sprouting process.
2. While the seeds are soaking, fill your planting pots with good quality potting soil. Sweet peas produce abundant roots, so use the deepest pots you can find. Root trainers and 4-inch pots are ideal.
3. Sow 2 seeds per pot, poking them a half inch into the soil with your finger.
4. Cover pots with a plastic dome lid to increase humidity and speed up germination. Place in a cool greenhouse, or in a bright window in the house.
5. Once plants are 4 - 6 inches tall, pinch out the central growing tip, just above a leaf joint, leaving just two or three leaf nodes. This will encourage the plant to branch vigorously from the base.
6. Sweet peas are heavy feeders and require a little extra pampering to produce abundantly. Prepare planting beds by applying bone meal, a thick layer of compost, or well rotted manure and a generous dose of natural fertilizer. Mix these ingredients deeply into the soil.
7. Vines grow rapidly and require a strong structure to climb. Place tall posts roughly 8 feet apart down the row and attach either Hortonova netting or 6-foot tall metal fencing for them to scramble up.
8. Plant seedlings out around the last spring frost in two rows, one on either side of the trellis, roughly 8 inches apart down the row. As the vines explode into lush growth, it is important to keep them tied to their trellises. Once the vines get going, sweet peas can grow over a foot a week.
   
9. Sweet peas love water, and without consistent moisture will fail to thrive. Keeping their thirst quenched during warm weather is crucial, so set up soaker hoses as soon as you plant them to keep their lush growth unchecked.
10. Feed plants weekly with diluted fish and seaweed emulsion.

To prolong blooming, it's important that plants don't set seed, so be sure to harvest and deadhead the flowers frequently.

For the longest vase life, pick when there are at least two unopened flowers at the tip of a stem. Add flower food to the water to extend vase life.

14 Lawn Fertilizing Tips

Fertilization
Fertilize your lawn properly, and you’ll be on your way to a healthy, dense stand of turf that maintains a deep green color and gives weeds a run for their money. Nitrogen is every lawn’s most important ingredient, and each type of grass demands different amounts to display peak growth and performance. How often you fertilize affects not only lawn appearance, but also maintenance level. The more you fertilize, the more you’ll have to mow, for instance.

Using a Broadcast or Rotary Spreader
A broadcast or rotary spreader works well when you’re fertilizing larger lawn areas. Before filling the hopper, make sure it’s closed. It’s a good idea to fill it on a tarp, so you can easily gather any spilled fertilizer. Apply fertilizer around the perimeter of the lawn first, and then start to move back and forth across turf in an orderly pattern. Overlap application strips slightly to ensure that you cover the whole lawn evenly with fertilizer.

Using a Drop Spreader
Choose a drop spreader for controlled fertilizer distribution. Overlap slightly on each pass to ensure you have adequate coverage, and don’t forget to close the hopper when you come to the end of a pass. You’ll typically pay more for a drop spreader, but if you’re tending a typical suburban-size lawn, it’s worth the investment. If you accidentally dump fertilizer onto your lawn, gather what you can, then use a stiff broom to spread out any remaining fertilizer as far as possible. Water it in well, and do so again a few days later to help move that nitrogen down through soil and out of the lawn’s root zone.

Using a Handheld Broadcast Spreader
A handheld broadcast spreader works well for fertilizing small lawn areas. Walk evenly and slowly, and be sure to overlap distribution patterns slightly with each pass. A small spreader like this also works really well when you have shady areas in your lawn that require a different fertilizer rate than the sunny sections. Some fertilizers combine an herbicide with the lawn food. These products are sold as weed-and-feed lawn care products and are applied using a lawn spreader.

Using a Handheld, Pre-Calibrated, Battery-Powered Spreader
Handheld, pre-calibrated, battery-powered spreaders make application a cinch for small yards. Simply flip a switch and start walking to fertilize your lawn. This type of handheld spreader works well in small yards or areas that make it hard to maneuver a traditional push lawn spreader, like on slopes.

Fertilizer and Water
A day or two before applying fertilizer, water your lawn thoroughly. After grass dries, apply fertilizer. Then lightly water again. This second watering is vitally important, because it washes fertilizer off grass blades and into soil. You can also time fertilizer application between rainfalls to let rain wash fertilizer into soil. Just be sure you don’t fertilize before a downpour, or you may wind up with fertilizer washing away, especially if your lawn slopes. Avoid applying fertilizer during a drought when a lawn has browned or withered from lack of moisture.

Grasscycling
Grasscycling refers to letting grass clippings lie on the lawn after cutting. These clippings can provide up to 25 percent of your lawn’s fertilizer needs, saving you time and money. One hundred pounds of lawn clippings can yield up to three to four pounds of nitrogen. On an annual basis, an average half-acre lawn in a temperate zone like Pennsylvania yields more than three tons of grass clippings, so grasscycling can play a big role in nourishing your lawn. You don’t need a specialized mulching mower to grasscycle, although you might want to replace your current mower blade with a mulching blade, which cuts grass into smaller pieces that decompose more quickly.

Soil Aeration
If you plan to aerate your lawn, follow up that task with fertilizing. Lawns benefit from soil aeration, which creates literal holes in soil and exposes the root zone of grass plants. These holes allow water, fertilizer and air direct access to grass roots. For the best aeration, use a core aerator that pulls actual plugs of soil from the lawn (shown). If you rent this machine, know that it’s heavy and requires a strong pair of arms (if not two people) to handle it. Many riding mowers also have core aerator attachments. In small grassy areas, plunging a digging fork into soil accomplishes the task quickly and inexpensively. Aerate whenever the thatch layer is more than one-half-inch thick.

When to Fertilize Warm-Season Grasses
When to fertilize depends on what kind of grass you have. You want to time fertilizing so it occurs just before grass enters its peak growing phase. If you live in southern areas where lawns feature warm-season grasses, fertilize turf in late spring or early summer, just before grass kicks into high gear. Make a second application in late summer. If your warm-season lawn goes dormant in winter, don’t fertilize after the first of September.

When to Fertilize Cool-Season Grasses
Fertilize cool-season grasses in early fall. These fertilizers are often sold under the moniker “winterizer fertilizer.” Many lawn care professionals state that cool-season grasses can get by with just one fertilizer application per year in the fall. The fall feeding is responsible for a quick green-up in spring. For most regions where cool-season grasses grow, apply fertilizer in October or November. Make applications before grass starts to discolor with the arrival of cold weather. Check with your local extension office or a reputable garden center to discover the proper timing for your region.

Compost as Fertilizer
Many homeowners are trying out organic lawn care practices. Using compost to fertilize turf is one option for earth-friendly lawn care. The nitrogen that compost supplies to a lawn becomes available to grass roots slowly, which helps avoid heavy nitrogen leaching. Excess lawn feeding is one key contributing factor to ground water contamination and is now regulated in some states and municipalities. Check with your local extension office or reputable garden center to learn about any specific guidelines for your region.

When to Use Compost
Compost does more than feed grass; it also builds and feeds soil. Compost contains microorganisms, micronutrients and organic matter — items that nourish soil and foster a healthy underground environment in your lawn. When should you use compost? Spread a thin layer over lawns in early spring to fuel strong growth. Any time you plan to aerate, spread compost after aerating to improve soil and give roots a boost. It’s also a good idea to apply compost before overseeding thin turf. Add compost to a lawn by the shovelful in several places.

Working In Compost
Work compost between individual grass plants using the back of a rake or a stiff broom. Plan to water the lawn after spreading compost to help it settle into soil. Or let nature handle the watering by timing your compost spreading before a good rain. The final compost layer should be thin enough that you can still see grass blades after it’s applied.

Consider Clover
Consider adding clover to your lawn to provide a natural nitrogen source for soil. Clover roots actually convert nitrogen from the air around them into a nitrogen source that’s available for grass roots. Before the advent of modern herbicides, clover was a core component of lawns. These tough little plants blend neatly with modern grasses, and they offer growing qualities like drought tolerance, evergreen foliage (even in cold regions) and low growth stature that doesn’t need frequent mowing. Clover is also resistant to many common lawn diseases and pests, including lawn grubs.

Designing a Shade Garden

Shade garden designs are concepts where a gardener can grow plants and trees in areas that are exposed to sunlight for less than six hours a day, or shady areas in cold, hot, or dry climates.

Climates
Typically, most articles, books, and other literature on shade gardening focus on shade-loving plants and the various kinds of shade that suits different plants. Another vital aspect in designing shade gardens, and an important factor that you must also know, is the general climate of the region. Most plants' shade preferences would be altered by the kind of climate in which they are grown.

Among climates, the most common ones are:

Hot and Dry
These are arid areas with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. In these regions, even full sun-loving plants may need some shade to relieve them from the excessive heat. If your house is in such an area, the shade requirements of your plants tend to dramatically increase. If you have light shade plants, you can move them to full shade regions and so on. If you do not have enough shade in your garden, you must look to add artificial filters and shades to protect your plants. Try Shade Sails to increase protection from the sun.

Cloudy and Humid
This is typical European or Mediterranean climate. It is characterized by clouds throughout the year. These climates are shady and humid. Due to limited sunlight, you would be looking to move the plants to a shade level lower. Your full-shade plants would survive best in light shade areas and the light-shade plants in a partial shade environ. The best part of such climates is that they tend to stay more or less constant. This means that your plants are exposed to a relatively constant weather year-round. This is certainly favorable for the plants and for the gardener. However, the need for sunlight is increased and your shade garden design would revolve around that.

Windy
This is an equally challenging climate. Though sunlight and heat concerns may not be as much of a concern, a windy climate is still hostile for garden plants. High winds have been known to uproot large trees, so delicate shade garden plants are at serious risk in such climates. The primary focus of the gardener is to protect the plants from strong gushes of wind. You can opt for man-made shelters or fencing, or something like hedging that can lessen the impact of wind. If you want to do it naturally, you can look to create a buffer zone of some strong and tall-standing trees that can be a break against strong winds.

Cold and Snowy

These areas are as bad as the dry arid regions. With snow covering everything, there is nothing much you can do with your garden. However, if it does snow, it is good to let the snow stay on the plants as it acts like a kind of insulation against the cold, a bit like a blanket. Ironic as it may seem, this snow can help protect plants from harsh winter temperatures and winds so that they can survive and grow back in spring. If you have potted plants, it is a good idea to move them some place warmer like the garage for the winter.

You must be aware of your climate and/or regional and local weather conditions when choosing your plants and designing your garden.

Flower Shade Gardening

Flower shade gardening presents opportunities for using plants that you won't see in gardens with an abundance of sun. There are a wide variety of flowers that will grow and bloom into absolutely stunning additions to your garden even though they are in the shade. With a bit of research, you will find it is just as much a pleasure, and just as easy, as working with a sun-filled garden.

It is only specific flowers that do well in shade areas of the garden, so here are some things to consider:

• what soil type you need to use
• what level of watering shade flowers need, and how often
• what fertilizer or plant feed is required for specific shade flowers and plants
• general tips for planting shade flower plants

Perhaps there are trees and shrubs in your garden causing shade on an area you'd like to improve. If this is the case, you may find that roots of shrubs and trees will compete with your new flower plants for food and water. For flower plants to survive, they need nutrients from the soil and moisture when the climate or weather is dry; keep this in mind when planting and caring for shade-loving plants.

Soil
You will need to look at the soil and possibly change it to suit shade plants. Most of your plants in shade will like leaf litter that has fallen off the trees because rotting leaves go towards providing nutrients in the soil. Chopping up these leaves using your lawn mower or other tools will speed up decomposition. Once you have mulched the leaves, you can spread the mulch around between your flowers. You can even add them to your compost as well. Adding some slow releasing fertilizer with the soil mixture will enhance the health of your plants. When your flowering plants obtain the essential nutrients required for wellbeing, they will be more resistant to disease and less likely to develop problems.

Mulching
Soil conditions in shade areas can vary a lot during the day and even over the course of the year. It is always best to have a controlled environment to give your plants the best growing conditions. In this regard, garden mulches are great to use as part of a garden design. Mulch has many benefits; it retains moisture content in the soil, prevents weed growth, and many shady tolerant plants are used to growing among types of mulch.

Watering
With the proper soil and mulch, watering will be easy to do and won't be such a chore in drier weather. Moisture will be held in place by the mulch along with the nutrients that the plants need. Test the moisture content of the soil visually to see if there is any evidence of wilting plants. Also, feel the soil; if it is dry, it will be in need of watering. The only way to water is to make sure you do it thoroughly. Water must go down to the roots. Shallow watering will make the roots come to the surface to find water which isn't a good result. The roots should go down to find water, not stay on the surface. Without the sun, evaporation will be minimal, but don't forget that the wind can dry out soil very quickly. Cloudy days that are windy are exactly the days that you should check on the water and moisture situation. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that just because the sun isn't out all day that the wind will not dry out your soil.

Although there are a variety of flower plants you can choose from, they may have varying requirement for sun and/or shade. Some prefer dappled shade, others a much shadier space with little or no sun all day, and some do like to get a few hours of sun but not the whole day and not intense sun. Be sure to Identify the Shade in Your Garden because it will impact flower growth. Be sure to decide what sort of shade you have in the area you are going to plant your flowers or shrubs. You may find areas where roots from trees and shrubs are relatively dry due to the competition for moisture. Not a problem, just add your soil/compost mix about 6 to 8 inches deep with a border to hold everything in place. If the environment is very wet, you need to choose plants that will survive in soil with a lot of moisture. Some plants simply don't like too much moisture, or having their roots saturated all the time.

Shade Plants Tips to Consider
It is not enough just to know that a plant is shade-loving. While choosing suitable shade plants for your garden, it is highly recommended to also consider the following shade garden tips:

Weather Conditions
Will you be able to protect your plant, especially in winter season? Some plants are quite hardy, while the others are more delicate, with no resistance to winter frosts, so it might be necessary to keep them indoors for a few weeks. Another crucial aspect is your climate zone. Depending on a climate zone, the same plant may require different methods of care and maintenance.

Natural Environment
Most shade-loving plants can be found in the wild (Native Plants), and it is essential to replicate their needs if you choose to plant them in your garden. Shade garden tips include making sure that Ph. of the soil and the soil type is just right, as well as light and moisture conditions.

Invasive Nature of Plants
Some plants have a tendency to spread very aggressively. It is better to decide in advance whether you can use this tendency to your advantage or whether aggressive spreading plants will only create problems.

Susceptibility to Diseases
Naturally, it is better to choose plants with a high level of disease resistance and try to find out whether they are susceptible to gardening pests and insect damage. If the answer is yes, be prepared for garden pests or disease so you can take immediate action when needed.

Companion Plants
Some plants are rather sensitive to other species that grow nearby, and on the other hand, there are plants that benefit from being close to each other, called companion planting. It is important to know plants preferences prior to planting, especially if you are planning to create a composite flower bed with lots of different plants. It is always best to choose plants native to your area. Native plants require much less maintenance and are more likely to flourish. When selecting plants for shade gardening, you should not concentrate just on perennial shade flowers as there are lots of ornamental ground cover plants with really beautiful leaves along with some amazing perennial shrubs to choose from.

Lightening the Shady Garden
Although you may not be able do very much about controlling direct sunlight, you can control the reflected sunlight in your garden. Use light colors, or even white, for your fences and walls to reflect sunlight. If your garden is large enough for a stone pathway, you can use light-colored stones for reflection. If the garden is not big enough, then add some decorative light stones around your flower and vegetable beds to reflect light. Decorative stones can give your garden a more natural look at the same time as helping to reflect light. Outdoor solar lights are brilliant for brightening up your garden during the evening and night.

Use of stones
If you cannot get the ideal plants for full shade areas of your garden, try using arrangements of stones instead. Large ornamental stones placed in well-chosen positions can add interest and focal points in a garden. Try placing them in darker to more shady areas to get maximum benefit. That way your garden will not look empty and the stones can add class to your garden design. You can also design a walkway to go through shady gardens where possible.

Use of Pots and Containers
Pot gardening makes plants mobile. This is important in shade gardening because with mobile container plants you do not have to plan your plant positions strictly by shade considerations. You can give your garden a better overall appearance by placing certain potted plants in areas where they typically won’t grow. If they are potted, you can move them around on a regular basis to give them good growing conditions such as sunlight and still retain the charm of your garden.