Your Garden Grows

Japanese knotweed is known to be a source of annoyance for many people such as gardeners, builders, land developers, and land holders themselves. It can cause a large amount of destruction to properties and structures like roads, drains, pavements, and buildings. They are so dangerous that they inhibit native plants from spreading in the garden. Their earliest habitat is in the volcanic hillsides of Japan. Thus, they can definitely mature and flourish in weak soils.

Because of the problems that the plant can create, you would surely want to eradicate them especially when they spread in your backyard or close to your properties. But for you to eliminate them, it is of course important that you distinguish them. The plant can be characterized as an upright clump, which grows a stem of up to two to three meters high. It has red, truncate stems and leaf stalks. Its leaves are wide with a lighter green shade at the base. Its flowering period is from August to October, and its blossoms are white.

Don’t you realize that laws have been implemented with regards to the propagation and removal of this dangerous weed? You can even get litigated for allowing it to grow and proliferate onto other buildings. The laws that govern this are The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, The Environmental Protection Act 1990, and The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991.

The readily available techniques for dealing with Japanese knotweed consists of herbicide application, excavation and removal from landfill, bund treatment, burial and cell burial, and the use of root barriers.

Nevertheless, this plant is such a toughie that getting rid of this proves to be easier said than done. Among the things that you have to do is to contain it by utilizing plastic or poly tarps and covering it. Containing it in the early spring will also help inhibit its growth. Ensure that you have totally covered all parts of the plant. This is to stop it from being left open to daylight.

Other means of eliminating it is by taking off the entire plant which, obviously, consists of its roots and runners. Nevertheless, be sure that you correctly throw it in a container if not it will try to breed once more exactly in the place from which you attempted to remove it. You can also make use of another eradication system that is by chopping its stem two inches beyond the ground level and putting a twenty-five percent of glyphosate and water to the cross-sectioned part.

A survivor in nature, Japanese knotweed can be very hard to remove. While you can make use of the ideas mentioned above, you can also seek the assistance of a firm that devotes in the removal of Japanese knotweed.

read comments (0)

azalea bonsai are great plants to cultivate. Here are some tips on their care. Satsuki azaleas are especially suitable for bonsai.

Repotting is best done just after flowering-late May to early June in temperate regions. It is also sometimes done in spring, before the buds burst. Autumn repotting is not so good. It is not necessary to repot every year, but only when the plants are found to be pot-bound.

The fertilizers used mostly are soy bean cake, rape cake, and dried fish (herring cake, etc.). These are pulverized and placed on the surface of the soil in the container, a small quantity once or twice every month. These fertilizers should be mixed in varying proportions according to the age of the plants and the season in which they are applied. Liquid fertilizers are simplest.

Water is given to young plants three or four times a day in spring, summer, and autumn; to old plants, twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. In warm weather it is good to syringe the plants.

Exposure.

A sunny and well ventilated place is the best tip for how to grow bonsai varieties of Satsuki azaleas, but in the height of summer they should be in partial shade; I place them under a marsh-reed screen.
The more they are exposed to the sun, the better they grow and the thicker the trunk and branches become; therefore to the extent that one can afford the time and effort, they should be watered liberally in order that they may thrive even under the hottest sun. With the approach of freezing weather (in November most generally), keep them in a sunny place and prepare the frost cover.

Propagation.

Satsuki azalea bonsai are propagated by cuttings. When the young shoots attain a length of 2½ to 4 inches and are somewhat hardened (that is in May or June), the shoots are cut off, a few leaves at the bases removed, and the bases recut on a slant and placed in water for two or three hours. These should then be inserted 1 to 2 inches apart and an inch or so deep into a good rooting medium in a cutting box. Water, let drain, and wrap box in polyethylene film. Place in full light (no sun) where they should root in 30 to 40 days.

After remaining for fifteen to twenty more days in the cutting boxes or pans, they should be transplanted into soil prepared as described above for young plants. Two weeks or so after this, fertilizer is placed on the soil to encourage growth. If liquid fertilizer is preferred, it must be very dilute, otherwise the fibrous roots often become damaged and may decay.

Application of Liquid Fertilizer

Use fish emulsion fertilizer or other commercial liquid fertilizer, diluted according to manufacturer’s directions. Do NOT over-fertilize. Liquid fertilizers should be applied three to six times a year, starting as the buds burst in spring, and every three to four weeks thereafter until mid or late summer.

How much.

Use the diluted liquid fertilizer as though you were watering. Do not sprinkle the foliage with fertilizer-only the soil.

With this care, you should produce beautiful azalea bonsai.

read comments (0)

Who invented the art of bonsai? One can only imagine that in some remote age, someone in touch with their creativeness and nature had the idea to grow dwarf trees. In the first flush of this feeling, the idea must have come into his mind to copy some of the beauties of nature, in miniature, in containers- in other words, to create the art of bonsai, or dwarfed potted plants.

The oldest authentic record of bonsai is pictures of dwarfed trees and herbaceous plants in containers in a noted scroll written in 1310. Through the long eras of the civil wars in Japan the cults of nature-bonsai, flower arrangement, and tea ceremony became deep-rooted in average men and great heroes alike.

Then came the Tokugawa Era. Turning the leaves of old Japanese gardening books published in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, I often came across illustrations and descriptions of bonsai. From these I am convinced that the people of that time were very skillful in dwarfing and training plants and that they had a great desire to find new kinds of plants that could be dwarfed successfully.

When the graft unions are completed, all the branches of Sawara cypress are to be cut off and the whole tree converted into a different tree.

These are not childish attempts or vague ideas but are the products of long years of an age of military ascendancy, when every profession was hereditary- the time called the Tokugawa Era. In those wonderful long peaceful years, the Japanese people were accustomed to escape from daily life into something that interested them; they devoted their leisure time to things that freed them from the restraint of social life; they entered into friendly rivalry with their fellow fanciers or tried to surprise them in some way.

When amateurs have their enthusiasm aroused, they are always without regard for the gain or loss involved; that attitude greatly advanced bonsai.

Professional men have been interested only in seizing the cream of the amateurs’ discoveries in ideas and in materials. Therefore I praise the amateur bonsai fancier. In Japan there are nearly as many amateurs as bonsai trees. Example of an Amateur
As an example of an enthusiastic amateur bonsai fancier, I will tell you of a Mr. Watanabe of the city of Takamatsu, a place noted for bonsai and cage-bird fanciers.

Mr. Watanabe is a salaried man, past middle age. Since the time in his youth when he worked in the Takamatsu post office, he had been enthusiastic about bonsai as a hobby and had built up a varied and interesting collection. Gradually, relieving him from self-abandonment, his enthusiasm for bonsai revived and crept back into him.

People all around the world are now taking up the hobby of learning how to grow bonsai. Once the basics are learned anyone can be a grower of these wonderful specimens. Good luck with your bonsai interests.

read comments (0)

Also known in other names such as elephant ears, monkeyweed, fleeceflower, pea shooters, and Himalayan fleece vine, Japanese knotweed is a herbaceous destructive plant that is a member of the family of Polygonaceae. It is native to countries in eastern Asia such as China, Japan, and Korea.

The plant is believed to have many benefits. These include being a good origin of vitamins and minerals for instance the vitamins A and C, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, and zinc. It is also believed to be an origin of reservatol, a substance that helps lower LDL or bad cholesterol and hinder the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Despite its benefits, however, why is it that efforts are exerted to get rid of the Japanese knotweeds?

This can be traced to the real surroundings of the plant, which is of harsh and volcanic conditions. It was then introduced to the United States and Europe in the 19th century and it was enjoyed as decorative plants as well as to prevent soil erosion. But, what was supposed to be a useful plant has been found to be actually damaging. In fact, laws have been executed regarding this infamous plant genus. These include the Wildlife and Countryside Act (as amended) 1981, The Environmental Protection Act 1990, The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991, and the Third party litigation, where reparation can be required from anyone that permits the plant to proliferate onto other regions.

The World Conservation Union has named Japanese knotweed as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species. And, the organization has all the reasons to do so. Once it is introduced to a specific place or property, eradicating it can be such a complicated chore. It propagates through tiny pieces of stem and root cuttings. This indicates that if you happen to dump just a tiny portion of the roots beneath the surface of the ground that portion can still proliferate as a new plant.

Moreover, this plant has the power to grow through drains, walls, and even concrete walls. In fact, it can create a good deal of damage to concrete buildings. Land appraisal is likely to decrease when a specific land area is covered by this perennial plant. It also gives problems to gardeners because it can infest the garden and prevent other plants from developing.

It is then not surprising why lots of people invest on the removal of Japanese Knotweed. Nevertheless, proper attention must be given when trying to get rid of the plant. Instead of eliminating it, you may be helping its proliferation. To make sure that you do not do this, solicit pieces of advice from professionals or employ the assistance of a firm that specializes on the correct removal of the notorious plant.

read comments (0)

The majority of the dwarfed potted trees which are called bonsai are developed from ordinary nursery stock or from somewhat dwarfed trees found in a natural habitat. This is where the art of learning how to grow bonsai lies.

Let us consider the second group, the trees brought from natural habitats. From mountains and ragged woods, a tremendous amount of material is dug and brought to the training beds of dwarfed potted trees specialists each year. There it remains for several years to be established, trained and finally “made-up.”

In the ease of naturally occurring, partially dwarfed trees, there is need only for a few wires and a little training. Trees that have lost the greater part of their roots are a more serious problem. Some of them die because of their inadequate root system, particularly if the first summer is hot and dry. To illustrate, I will now describe the collection of Japanese Black Pine.

On the mountain of Shodoshima or Shodo Island which is located in the Seto Inland Sea National Park a countless number of Japanese Black Pine for dwarfed potted trees have been dug by professional collectors. Many renowned and valuable dwarfed Black Pines were produced from the material collected here.

I am writing this at my home which is situated at the foot of the Shodoshima Mountain. On the islet opposite my house a Black Pine was collected many years ago, which became the most precious and dearest of all dwarfed potted Black Pines. There are still some stories or legends circulated concerning it.

Seeing the spot through Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) and Cypress-Pine (Callitris glauca) in the Acclimatization Gardens as I am writing, I vividly recall the days when collectors came to the island in autumn and spring. The surface rock is granite. Higher up on the mountain the rocks weather into coarse whitish sand and the layer of soil is very thin; at lower levels there is a greater depth of soil and always some moisture. The district is one of the lowest in rainfall in Japan. The summer is very hot and almost bone dry.

On the upper parts of both sides of the ridge, Black Pine dominates; next comes Red Pine (Pinte densiflora) and in far lesser numbers the Needle Juniper, Rhododendron reticulatum, Rhododendron kaemferi, Bush Clover (Lespedeza bicolor) and Balloon-flower (Platycodon grandijlo-rum). The pines are very dwarfed in size but in most cases they are older than the larger ones seen at the lower levels on the mountain. Three feet is generally regarded as the maximum height of dwarfed potted trees. To keep within the golden rule of the art of Bonsai, the larger trees are often sharply pruned.

For example, on discovering a very dwarfed pine five or more feet in height with a trunk five or more inches in diameter, if the lower branches are three feet from the ground and picturesque in form (or promise to be so if trained), the upper portion of the main trunk is sawed off. It is important that when healed the cut surface should be inconspicuous. Undesirable branches are cut off. Then the digging begins.

The trench is dug out carefully, cutting off all the roots outside a radius of a foot all the way around the tree, and to a depth of a foot or often less. Only the tap root remains uncut. First the straw rope is coiled cautiously and rather firmly thrice or more horizontally around the ball and then all around the surface of the ball, so the very porous, coarse, sandy soil ball is firmly held about the roots; the tap root is finally sawed through, and the tree is removed.

You may wonder at the proportionately small size of the ball, but usually seventy per cent or more of the trees collected survive and become well settled as dwarfed potted trees; occasionally in very dry, hot summers, fifty per cent or so succumb. For such collected stock the Art of bonsai requires training by wire after a year or two, when the plants are well established.

read comments (0)

With a scientific name of Fallopia japonica, the invasive Japanese Knotweed is a nonwoody plant that is local to eastern Asia, particularly in China, Japan, and Korea. It has empty stems with distinct nodes, making it appear like a bamboo, although the two plants are not closely related.

Although the most frequently used scientific name of the plant today is Fallopia japonica, it is also known in other scientific names: Polygonum cuspidatum and Reynoutria japonica. The latter is its oldest name, which was assigned in 1777 by a Dutch botanist. Furthermore, its other English names include elephant ears, donkey rhubarb, fleeceflower, Hancock’s curse, Himalayan fleece vine, and pea shooters.

There are different applications for Japanese Knotweed. Beekeepers give importance to the plant as it is an essential source of nectar for honeybees during a certain time of the year when there is little blossoming. It produces monofloral honey, which is also known as bamboo honey. Moreover, the plant’s young stems are safe to eat, which taste similar to mild rhubarb. It is a good provider of vitamin C, vitamin A, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.

Another known use of the plant is that it is a source of resveratol, the same compound found in the skin of grapes and red wine. The compound helps lower bad cholesterol, hence lowering the possibility of heart attacks. Another useful compound obtained from this plant is emodin, which helps regulate bowel movement. Moreover, the plant is in particular valuable due to its ability to stay alive at any time of the year and in harsh situation.

However, in so far as Japanese Knotweed has a lot of applications, it is considered as an invasive plant especially in North America and in Europe. In the 19th century, the plant was brought to the United States and Europe, and it was used to feed animals, as an decorative plant, and to prevent soil erosion. The plant has been found to be a problem, though.

It is considered as one of the world’s one hundred most horrible invasive species. It is deemed as a serious threat to land developers, builders, and gardeners. Moreover, the problems it may cause include mutilation to roads, pavements, drains, walls, and even buildings. It may also occupy river banks, thus preventing access to rivers. Another Japanese Knotweed problem is that it grows quickly and easily. It can spread from small parts of root cuttings, and it can grow up to three to four inches a day. As a result of the destruction that this kinds of plant can cause, the UK for instance has come up with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The Act forbids its spread in the wild.

The Japanese Knotweed, indeed, has two sides. It is an asset and a liability at the same time. And, it cannot be instantly ignored as a useful or a bad weed at the same time.

read comments (0)

One thing that is often overlooked when planning and creating a beautiful summer garden for homeowners to enjoy is the fact that the garden exists throughout the year.
The issue is that there are big times during the year when we have no vibrance or color. In other words: a lack of color.
Carefully planning in order to avoid this process and planting flowering plants that bloom during various seasons of the year as well as plants that provide beautiful foliage and greenery even when the flowers may not be blooming can prevent this absence of life within your summer garden from occurring.

Plant continuously and groom your garden consistently throughout the year. Obviously the winter months are not great months for planting in the earth but this doesn’t mean that you cannot use flowerpots filled with seasonal offerings to fill the gaps of green within your garden. There are all kinds of flowers that thrive in winter weather that would make a beautiful addition to your winter garden without taking anything away from the beauty of your summer garden. In fact, the ability to incorporate these flowers and plants into your garden without necessarily planting may be an excellent incentive to keep your garden up to date even in seasons that aren’t traditionally thought of as gardening seasons.

Add features to your garden that aren’t plant related to bring splashes of color to your garden during winter months while preserving the space needed for planting your summer garden when the appropriate time comes. You can also look at string trimmer replacement head in the process.

Flowerpots are a great example of this but so are lawn ornaments and statues that may be either moved to a different location during summer months or removed all together. Keep the earth warm for the summer garden to come during those long cold winter months.

Use the winter months to plan your summer garden. The spring is often spent in preparation and the fall months are spent harvesting.

The winter months would be put to excellent use planning the new additions and possible movements that need to occur in the coming months.

Working on your garden and improving your garden does not necessarily require working in your garden. Once you have those gaps filled in and a little bit of green and color in your garden for the winter months you can focus your undivided attention on making the coming summer garden even better and more spectacular than ever before.

Be careful not to plant all of your seeds in one garden spot so to speak while you are making your plans. By this I mean you need to keep a certain willingness to make adjustments and corrections as you go and learn more about the growing process and the specific gardening needs of your yard.

Every growing season will bring a season of new lessons to learn take the time to reflect upon the lessons learned during previous seasons when making plans for the coming seasons and make the adjustments that present themselves along the way.

Loving and magnifying a beautiful landscape is important when you have a home. If you plan ahead and learn, you will be all good! Get great info on weed whacker replacement head on our blogs and site.

read comments (0)

It is always nice to look back on the days when I could stroll out to the garden on a summer day and pick some fresh vegetables for the table!

But one group that really stands out in my mind above all others were the super tasty butter beans and snap peas. They did require a lot of maintenance, but they were well worth it!

One thing though, has never gotten away from me and that is the deep and abiding love I have for the smell of freshly plowed soil and the taste of vegetables fresh from the garden.

I point out the fact that my childhood favorite summer garden vegetables only seem to flourish in the south to drive home the fact that you really will need to research the vegetables you plant in your summer garden as they relate to the specific area in which you live. Get also great info on grub worms and how to kill grub worms as well.

Not all vegetable plants are created equal in their tolerance for temperature or rainfall (or lack thereof), which could greatly impact their suitability for your particular vegetable summer garden depending of course, on where you are located.

Some great plants to include in your summer vegetable garden should of course be dictated by those vegetables that you enjoy eating as well as those vegetables and herbs that use a good deal when cooking. If you use peppers a lot in your cooking then peppers are probably an excellent choice for your summer garden. If you don’t like peppers, then they are not likely to be a good choice, as they will probably be wasted. My children will eat green peppers off the vine so they make an excellent choice for our garden. Tomatoes are another popular favorite for summer gardens. Some have even gotten creative and created hanging tomato plants in which the tomatoes literally grow upside down. If space is limited in your summer garden this may be a great way to have your tomatoes and grow them too-without taking up valuable real estate within your vegetable garden.

For those who love their greens summer gardens provide an excellent atmosphere for growing greens such as broccoli, lettuce, and cabbage. Collard greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens are also good summer garden inclusions. I also have strong memories of boiling huge vats of greens to be frozen for winter when the full force of the harvest was upon us. There was always something to be done with the vegetables as winter approached and during those lean winter months we were so grateful for the hard work and effort we had made to insure these great vegetables would sustain us during the months they weren’t so readily available.

Having a summer garden filled with vegetables is a satisfying pursuit in many ways. First of all you are producing something that is useful to you and your family. Second, you are providing a way for you and your family to enjoy the vegetables you love most throughout the year. Finally, you are able to produce vegetables that are fit for consumption and enjoyment at a much lower cost than you would pay for these vegetables at the local supermarket. This helps save money for some of the more important and more entertaining things most of us would like to do with our families.
Just like landscape plants, garden veggies need to be placed properly, and should be within close proximity to other vegs that use the same water and sun content.It helps to plant those that need partial sunlight in the shadow of those plants that will grow taller and provide shade for the smaller plants. It also helps to keep the thirstier plants closer together and further away from those plants that require less water to sustain them. Check for grub worm too just to be safe!

The final part of the garden and veg equation is that you need to make sure you don’t put in too much. The last thing you want to to get overwhelmed with all this garden love!

read comments (0)

Many gardeners live in areas where almost anything can grow effortlessly.
Just plant the seeds and water it for a few weeks, and you’ve got a
beautifully lush plant. But if you live in somewhere like Colorado, you’ll
understand what its like to have a slim selection of plants that naturally
grow. It can be quite a challenge to facilitate the growth of a large
variety of plants, especially when the very world you live in seems to be
rooting against you.

Some people solve this problem by loading up their plants with every type
of chemical and fertilizer known to man. This usually works, but to me it
seems kind of unnatural to rely on man made materials to keep your plants
alive. Also, if I’m growing fruits or vegetables, I don’t feel very
comfortable eating something that is entirely composed of chemicals.

A gardening theory that I have relied on in the past to grow many types of
plants is that of creating a “microclimate” for each type of plant. This
is when you regulate the sunlight, shade, moisture, and wind factors for
each separate plant. It sounds like a challenge, and it is. But you can
regulate these factors in such a way that the plant feels just like it is
in the ideal growing conditions. This can be achieved by the use of wind
barriers, shading umbrellas, extra water, or different types or amounts of
compost.

If you’re ready to make an attempt at creating microclimates, you’ll need
to make a detailed plan in advanced. You should start by finding a large
shade providing bush or tree that will grow fast and naturally in your
area. Just look at some undeveloped plots of land and see what is there.
Most likely it grew on its own without any planting or care. This is what
you want to happen. Usually the growing of one plant can bring about the
growing of another more desirable plant.

If you have a fence in your backyard (you would be surprised at how many
people don’t) then you already have a good amount of shade to work with.
You can start the microclimate process using just the shade of the fence,
combined with (perhaps) a screen or large bush to shade your new plant for
the other half of the day that the fence doesn’t take care of. The fence
is also useful for shading against wind for very fragile plants.

Once you have established the shade, be it natural or unnatural, you have
created a slightly less harsh miniature environment. You must remember
this is a gradual process, and find a new plant to put in the shade of the
other one. Now your choices are a little more open. You don’t have to go
with a rugged plant like the one you did before; you can now choose a
plant that survives in cooler weather.

If the plant you are trying to grow next requires more moisture in the air
than your area provides, installing a fountain or small pond can fix this
problem due to the evaporation. You may think you don’t want to waste
water on a pond or fountain, but it’s all going toward the betterment of
your garden. It’s just like the watering process, only indirect. As an
added benefit, usually fountains are quite aesthetically attractive and a
great addition to your garden.

I can’t explain every stage of the process, because everyone’s goals and
setups are slightly different. But to reach your goal, you should do
research on every plant that you would like to have in your garden. Find
out everything you can about the zone that it flourishes in, and ask
yourself how you can emulate that zone within your own backyard. Almost
always you can take control of the environment and recreate whatever you
wish. Usually all it takes is some planning and strategy.
Learn more about lawn care tips at our Chicago Landscapers site.

read comments (0)

Today I went outside and I got the first glimmer of spring warmth. The sun was shining and I could recognize a green piece of lawn under the blanket of white snow! It is time for lawn care!

Now I am all enthusiastic and motivated to get my preparations done for the work on my lawn and landscape in 2009.

It is never too early to start. This time of the year is perfect because the companies have discounts on gardening staff and I can save some money if I get ready now.

This is my “weekend to-do” list. These things need to be done for the coming lawn care season.

Application of Lawn Fertilization

I start with a good fertilization very early in spring, and I think this is a must. It helps to get the greening process started and to leave wintertime and the snow behind. I also make sure to get a grass control application, because I do not want to have any unwanted guests in my yard in summer.

If you are busy and do not want to do all the work yourself, I can recommend the local lawn care pros to you. TruGreen for example are getting ready for spring and if you call them now you will get early treatments for your lawn. They usually offer other landscape services as well, so that your trees and shrubs will get special treatment as well. It is a great alternative if you just don’t want to fuss with the maintance of your garden.

Tune up your Lawn Mower

Like me you probably cut your own grass. I really love this part of work. I love to cut special patterns in the turf, similar to a golf course fairway or baseball outfield. But first I need to get my mower tuned up.

Fresh oil in the tank is the most important thing to do. It ensures that your machine will work for many seasons more. Also change the spark plug, check the belts and sharpen the blade. Of course there are companies that offer to get all this done for you.

However, the local lawn mower shops are busy at this time of the year. They have many customers wanting their mowers tuned up. So don’t wait and get it done now because the shops will be overbooked by the middle of March. And you don’t want your lawn to overgrow too early in the year!

The best time for the first cut of your grass is when the magnolia tree is blooming. Then the weather is warm and frost is probably not coming back, so your lawn will be growing as well.

Don’t wait too long, get prepared now, because you don’t want to weed when the weather is perfect for the first swim or BBQ!
You can find out how to how to get rid of moles in your yard on our lawn care site.

read comments (0)