The best time to plant your shrub or tree is when you buy it, isn't it? Mmmm...perhaps. Or, maybe it doesn't matter and has no bearing on the plant at all.

I like to compare it to eating ice-cream. You can eat ice-cream whenever you want but it's best enjoyed, and certainly more refreshing, when you eat it in the the hotter months. If you try eating it in winter you're sure to suffer brain-freeze with almost every lick but it is possible to down and ice-cream even if the temperature outside is sub-zero.

"What does this have to do with planting shrubs?", you ask. Well...like eating ice-cream, planting shrubs and trees can happen almost any time. Even in the coldest winter or hottest summer shrubs can be successfully transplanted and still achieve their optimum growing size.

However (and here's the big "BUT"), you will have more success with your plants if you transplant them at more appropriate times in the season.

While most gardeners assume that spring is the best time to plant out your shrubs and trees it needs to be stated that this depends on what type of shrubs are being transplanted. Planting in spring is certainly a good general "rule-of-thumb" but if you only adhere to this rule your garden could be deprived of some better advice.

Here are some thoughts to ponder with your different plants and shrubs;

• Native Shrubs and Trees - these will be the hardiest of all shrubs and trees that you plant provided they are truly indigenous to your area. If they are then you can assume that they are already acclimitised and won't require any special attention. For these shrubs, planting them out at the end of autumn can assist their growth but also ensure they get watered in well over the winter months.


• Fruit trees - Bare-rooted fruit trees (apples, pears, stone fruit etc) can be planted in the later months of winter while potted fruit trees (including citrus) really need to wait until the start of spring at least before they go in the ground.


• Exotic Ornamentals - this type of shrub or tree requires your local knowledge for the best time to transplant. The general rule of planting in spring is probably best but understand that exotic ornamentals will require more care than the first two.

Apart from timing, your newly transplanted tree or shrub will require some special attention for the first few weeks since being dug in. Fertilising, extra watering and mulching will all be required to help establish your plants.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

Where does one start? I mean, if you were limited to just giving the very basics of this hobby to someone who had NO experience with gardening whatsoever, what would you suggest? Would you start with propagation? Cultivation? Germination? Or be like Pat Morita in "Karate Kid" and force the complete beginner to "...wax on, wax off..."?

Me, I'd start with growing tomato plants.

Why? The answer is simple, really. If you can grow a tomato plant you've learned all the basics needed to grow almost anything. And, if you can't grow tomatoes then...well...there are other hobbies!

Beginner Gardening 101

Lesson 1: Seeds
Let's start with a single tomato seed...hang on, we're working with a beginner here...let's take a couple more just to be sure. Set up some containers with seed-raising mix and plant your seeds. This will give the newbie gardener an understanding of seed germination principles.

Lesson 2: Seedlings
Once they've sprouted and produced at least two sets of leaves they're ready for transplanting - another principle to learn. When this concept has been grasped then at least a third of the local garden nursery stock has become available to the beginner. They will be able o transplant most of the seedlings from annuals to vegetables and even tube stock.

Lesson 3: Growing Medium
The next lesson is to understand the growing medium. Is the seedling going in the ground? Or in a pot? An upside-down planter perhaps? This is a good lesson to understand why plant locations will require different mediums. Containers need far better drainage conditions than direct soil but will also require more watering. Plus, is the growing climate the right time to be planting outdoors or should these seedlings be grown away from the extreme weather.

Lesson 4: Transplanting
This is the make, or break, phase for any seedling so it's best that a beginner gardener knows to expect that this is when they are most likely to die. Taking any plant from its comfortable surroundings and placing it in new territory will always produce "transplant shock". This can be overcome by making the transition as least stressful on the plant as possible and providing the seedling with some liquid fertiliser as soon as they're planted.

Lesson 5: Watering
If the gardening beginner has made it to this stage then they're almost halfway. The next lesson is learning how to water and fertilise your tomato plant. Once flowers are produced, the plant really needs the most energy possible so constant watering and regular feeds of both liquid and organic fertilisers are important to the plant's well-being. As fruit begins to set watering will become an almost daily activity and if they're growing in pots, possibly twice per day. This will help the newbie grasp the concept that different stages of the plant's life and seasonal changes affect how the plant grows and how to continue to nourish it.

Lesson 6: Plant Care and Pruning
Pruning a tomato plant is one of the easiest pruning tasks to do but it demonstrates a powerful lesson - that most plants need pruning to perform well. Left to their own devices they may become unwieldy and production may be pitiful at best. The tomato plant produces offshoots between its branches that can easily be picked off with your fingers. Left to grow these offshoots will take away precious energy from the plant yet they don't produce any fruit.

Lesson 7: Flowers
Flowers on a plant signify a new phase and will help gardening beginners understand that plants have different needs during their life-cycle. Flowers highlight that the plant is gearing up for seed or fruit production and illustrates the much larger pollination picture...you know, the birds and the bees stuff...

Lesson 8: Fruit Production
...moving right along, once the flowers have been spent the fruits begin to swell and this is an awkward time for the plant. If production is good then it will cause stress on the plant such as heavy limbs, attraction to pests and even possible disease. The fruit will also indicate problems with the soil conditions such as blossom-end rot and splitting fruit will highlight a lack of water.

Lesson 9: Composting
Once the fruit's been harvested and the tomato plant has finished producing it's time to learn the basics of composting. The spent plant and any undesirable fruit can be added to the compost heap and the principles of organic gardening can be learned and hopefully applied.

Lesson 10: Next Phase - Annuals
The final lesson is not so much a lesson as it is a continuation of the learning journey. The beginner gardener can now take everything they've learned and apply it to another plant - and what better place to start than with annuals. Seed germination, transplanting, pruning/dead-heading, watering, flowers and even fruit production for annual vegetables will reinforce all the concepts that were learned with the humble tomato plant.

The best gardening tips that anyone can give to a beginner gardener are ones that can be learned through practical interaction. The tomato plant lends itself beautifully to this process as it's very forgiving and will let you know, almost instantly, when a problem arises.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Gaillardia is easily one of my favourite members of the Asteraceae family. It bodes well against such stiff competition from the gerberas and coreopsis family lines yet still keeps its own identity intact and forges on with new hybrids and cultivars.

Commonly referred to as the Blanket Flower it's an apt description of its growing habit. This plant can easily spread to over 1m wide and, given space and time, can self-seed easily enough to continue its wandering. In effect, a carpet of spring flowers do blanket the garden in an incredibly stunning visual.

While it's not a new plant to the garden, there have been a few cultivars that have bouyed it's "trendy" status. When Gaillardia "Goblin" entered the scene it was one of the first compact hybrids sold as a dwarf variety and happily picked up by many home gardeners. The Gaillardia "Fanfare" was the next one that caught my attention, and many other gardeners as well, with petals that seemingly formed trumpets heralding in the arrival of summer.

The characteristic I think I like the most about gaillardias is their colour. The foliage is an almost "lawn" green reminiscent of the pictures that children draw when they try to depict plants. It's deep and vibrant yet still seems soft enough to plunge your hand into expecting a comforting cushion to meet your advance.

The flowers, on the other hand, are fiery oranges, reds and yellows bobbing above this foliage as though they were clamouring for your individual attention. Every stage of the blossom is beautiful, from when it holds its lime green head up for the first time through to when it has unfurled its fury and blazes away in the summer garden.

Growing conditions of a Gaillardia

Like most cottage style plants, and the Asteraceae family in particular, the Gaillardia needs a well-drained soil and heaps of sunlight. They're not partial to wet roots so clay soils can inhibit their growth.

Many are grown as annuals but if conditions in your area are right they can be grown as biennials and some cultivars can last perennially.

Fertilise your gaillardias at the start of their flowering season - end of spring to early summer - with a rich compost around the base of the plant. This can be topped up with some blood 'n bone and foliar sprays of compost tea or worm wee during the flowering period will encourage the plant to keep blooming.

Deadheading during summer, though a very tedious affair, is also a great way to encourage more blooms and a longer flowering season.

Gaillardias are a fairly thirsty plant so if you want to restrain your watering patterns then make sure that the plant is well-mulched during summer.

Propagating Gaillardias

Gaillardias are a great self-seeder. Left to their own devices they can easily envelope any spare space you allow them to enjoy. They can then be harvested via division and grown as separate plants.

However, if your climate dictates that they must be grown as annuals then the the bets form of propagation is to collect the seeds and store until late winter. They are hardy enough to be sown directly into the ground but if you want an early start to the season can be raised as seedlings and then planted out.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

In most garden activities there is rarely a "RIGHT" or "WRONG" way to perform it. Yet, when it comes to applying plant stakes it pays to do it correctly. At best, a poorly applied plant stake may fail to do it's job, while at it's worst your maligned stake could injure, maim or even fatally wound the plant it was trying to help.

The way some gardeners use plant stakes you'd be forgiven for thinking that it was more out of a sense of obligation than for the betterment of the plant. Often they're poorly positioned, offering the plant little assistance, or they're located so close to the plant that they almost smother it to death.

Whether you're staking tomato plants, a prize-winning dahlia or a recently bought sapling there are some guidelines that will help you support your plants the most effectively. The reason we stake our plants are multi-faceted but here are the two key reasons;

1. Support: - a well-positioned stake can offer a plant strength against harsh winds, heavily fruiting branches or even some assistance until the plant's stem is strong enough to support its own weight.


2. Training: - gardeners often like to stake plants in order to train them to grow certain ways. Multiple-trunked trees are often the benefactors of such staking forcing the stems to grow in predetermined directions that naturally they wouldn't achieve.

While there may only be a couple of reasons for using plant stakes there are certainly a ton of different materials that you can use;

• Bamboo


• Rough-dressed garden stakes


• Star-Pickets


• Kopper logs


• Bush poles or Dried straight branches


• Steel reinforcing "Reo" bars


• PVC tubing

... just to name a few.

How to offer Support with plant stakes

The main purpose of using plant stakes is to offer support to the plant. There are a few considerations that need to be taken into account such as; (1) the growth rate of the plant, (2) the time that the plant will require staking, and (3) the extreme conditions that the plant must weather as it begins to grow.

• Plant's Growth Rate: - this is an important factor for it will determine the size of the stakes needed. The last thing you want to be doing with your plants is re-staking them every few months because the plant has out-grown their effectiveness. Consider how large your plant should be in the next 12 months - 2 years and size the stakes accordingly.


• Time Required for Staking: - this factor will determine the material required to stake your plant. If you have a slow-growing specimen that may need 5-10 years before the stakes can removed it pays to consider materials that will last this time period. Obviously, those plants that only require a short period of time can safely be staked with more lightweight, and usually less expensive, materials. A slow-growing tree may require star-pickets or kopper logs while staking tomato plants can be achieved with some nimble bamboo sticks or garden stakes.


• Weather or Growing Conditions: - the prevailing conditions the plant will have to face in its attempt to grow on your property will determine the number of plant stakes required. If your location doesn't suffer from constant strong winds then 1-2 stakes may be all that is needed while areas that are regularly battered by prevailing gusts should opt for up to 3 stakes to protect and support their plants.

How to apply Plant Stakes
Now that you know the required size of your stakes, the material to use and how many are needed for your plant, it's time to get them into the ground to offer some support.

For a New Plant.

• 1 Stake: strike this into the ground using a hammer or mallet. It's best to place it on an angle rather than directly vertical as it offers far more support to the plant. Then, place the plant into the ground back-filling, fertilising and watering in as normal. When the plant is correctly situated then you can tie it to the garden stake by using non-wired plant ties, nylon stockings or strong wool. The best way to fasten the plant is by using a Figure-8 loop that allows the plant some movement without rubbing or scratching into the plant's stem.

2 Stakes: strike these two vertically into the ground at opposing sides of the plant and fasten using similar tie materials as above and apply using the Figure-8 loop.

• 3 Stakes: using three stakes gives the plant the most protection but can be overkill for some. Use this method for plants that will require a long period of staking. Locate these in a triangular form around the outside of the plant's location and tie off as mentioned with the 1 Stake. This is the best method for keeping a plant or tree growing perpendicular.

For an Established Plant
The problem that you will face trying to stake an established plant is trying to miss any roots as you strike the stake into the ground. Failure to do so may eventually kill your plant, or certainly injure it in any case.

If your plant needs staking after it has been established for some time, then try and locate the stakes as far away from the stem as possible. It may even pay to try and uncover some of the roots to see where the main ones are located and steer clear of them.

Once your plant stakes are in position you can tie them off as mentioned above.

How to Train with plant stakes

This is quite simple provided you follow the directions as mentioned for staking an Established Plant. The idea of training is similar to supporting a plant although in this case you are trying to direct future growth instead of just keeping the plant supported.

The main difference in supporting plants via staking versus training is that training plants, especially trees, doesn't always require the stakes to have one end located in the ground. Often training a tree with stakes can be attempted utilising stakes that push branches apart or hold them close together. In this process, the plant stakes will require some form of cushioning between the stake and the plant so that they don't lance, or inflict injury upon, the plant's outer layer.

In conclusion

Plant stakes are an ingenious way to help your plants grow and support them against the many pressures to grow properly. If you use them correctly your plants will appreciate your efforts and reward you accordingly but mess it up and it could just end up killing your plant.

Trial and error is a great teacher but if you can glean some basics from above it can save you a heap of frustration and possibly some dollars as well.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (6)

Since the advent of the digital camera, garden photos have never been so prolific. Images of plants, flowers and garden landscapes abound. You can taken them with your DSLR, high mega-pixel digital camera or, even more mobile, your very versatile camera phone.

But garden photos are just another image unless you take the time, and effort, to craft them into something wonderful. Here are a few resources and tips to help make yours the standout success that you desire.

Freep.com have a great article titled "How to blossom into a pro when shooting photos in your garden" [link since removed]. Rob Cardillo, introduced to us by GardenRant, offers us a few tips to enhance our garden photos.

• Take care with lighting: "It will enable you to make an extraordinary picture out of an ordinary subject"


• Think three, five and other odd numbers: Three or five flowers are easier on the eye, which likes triangles inside square frames.


• Use a tripod: It will keep things steady and create background and depth.


• "Wander without purpose" around your subjects: If you shoot in a public garden or at a flower show, lose the crowd and look for an unexpected view.


• Consider your garden a sculpture: In other words, something to be admired from every angle.


• Be patient and flexible: you still have to shoot 10,000 pictures before you understand what makes a great photograph.

If you're interested in taking landscape photos then this post I wrote earlier may hold some keys for you as well.

Dean Fosdick, from WTOP.com, gives us some practical uses for the garden photos we take.

• Record-keeping. A picture really is worth a thousand words, especially if you're keeping a journal or diary tracking the gardening changes you've made season by season.


• Landscape ideas. Visit public gardens or tour well-tended neighborhoods to record designs, colors, patterns or plant combinations you like.


• Identification. Document changes in plant maturity as you would a child's growth spurts


• Memory prompt. Collect images of your garden through the seasons to identify empty spaces and perennial sites.


• Photograph the plants that worked well and those that didn't. Build on your successes and avoid repeating the failures.


• Succession planting. It can help you design your garden a different way each year.


• Inventories. A photographic record of your tools, implements, garden furniture, yard art and outbuildings


• Wildlife pictures. Photographers often pursue images of plants and critters at the same time.


• Fine art. Look at published garden pictures. Study (the) paintings of classic artists. Then try to make something similar.

Once you have these awesome garden photos, what do you do with them? Apart from the obvious print them out and then scrapbook them for posterity there are some online tools that may help you organize them an even give you a place to show them off. Some sites worth looking at are;

• Flickr - almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world


• SmugMug - A company that backs up your photos to three data centers across the U.S.


• DropShots - Next Generation Photo and Video Sharing

For those with cameras built into their mobile phones there are new technologies that are clamouring to make it possible to upload your photos. One such app is the Eye-Fi created for Apple's iPhone.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (6)

I would never have bought a collapsible garden container myself so I'm very thankful that my daughter surprised me with one for Christmas. To me, this product seemed as useful as a keg at a teetotalers party.

My normal gardening activity sees me move around the garden deadheading, pruning and weeding leaving little piles of refuse everywhere. Sometimes I cart around my wheelbarrow but more often than not it's full of compost or soil or some other project resource. So the little piles grow and remain until I can be bothered returning to pick them up - or my wife gently nudges me with "When are those rubbish piles going to move, Stuart?"

So, I took my new collapsible container for a test run in the garden yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was it easy to maneouvre and carry it was also incredibly sturdy and strong enough to carry my edgings and summer prunings. At the end of my gardening tasks it was just as easy to carry the container over to the compost bins and empty - a vast improvement on trying to lift it out of the wheelbarrow with a garden fork.

As I was testing it out, I contemplated the features that impressed me most about this new garden tool. Obviously the "collapsible" thing was a standout winner. Being able to collapse the container when storing it makes it ideal for my limited garden shed. Plus, another neat bonus was that as I was kneeling on the ground picking out weeds, reaching into the bag was effortless - it just collapsed and folded down and then instantly sprang back.

What would I look for if I were going to buy one of these?

1. A handle at the bottom - this is such a helpful addition when you're trying to discard the waste into your compost bins.
2. Solid woven spring - it's the quality of the springed wire woven into the side of the bag that makes it the useful container that it is.
3. Buy one without a lid - I honestly can't see the purpose of this tool having a lid. It would make it too easy to zip up and leave laying around without emptying it, which kind of defeats the purpose - right?
4. Colour - very, very important! Presently, they only seem to come in khaki or black but I'm hoping that some manufacturers may produce these in fashionable prints or at least some more individual colours. Is that too much to expect?
5. Solid base - mine only has a canvas base which should be more than adequate for how I plan to use it. However, if you wanted to get more from your container then I would suggest that a solid base might be a good idea.
6. Canvas/Woven sides - if you're hoping to get a few years out of this garden tool then I would steer clear of the cheap plastic options. Woven sides should last the distance and if looked after may even give you 5 - 10 years at a minimum.

If you don't have a collapsible container for your garden yet then I would seriously suggest you consider it. It is probably the best tool to emerge in the garden over the past few years and will come in very handy for years to come.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (9)

Economically speaking, 2008 was a year that many would love to forget. Words like 'recession', 'fiscal meltdown' and 'bankruptcy' have been used excessively in the media - if someone recorded a tag cloud for media offerings I'm sure these would be in large, bold font.

Fortunately, we're gardeners and whether or not another bank crashes it doesn't affect our hobby - unless our life savings are tied up in said bank, that is. For the majority of us, we can tinker around our yards with very little concern for the financial problems plaguing the Dow Jones, the Euro and the sub-prime loan market.

So, I wanted to remember 2008 the way it should be told, the way a gardener might see it. A summary of 2008's best posts from Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas was the obvious conclusion.

January 2008

• 18 Awesome Garden Water Fountains
• Decorative Pebbles: Finite resource raping developing nations
• Blossom-end Rot: Why does it happen to my tomatoes?
• 21 Skills Every Gardener Should Have
• Frangipani cuttings: How to grow
• Coastal plants show their secrets

February 2008

• Useful facts on ladybugs
• How to care for your Bougainvillea
• Hydrangea flowers are our soil's litmus paper
• Growing Garlic One Season at a Time

March 2008

• How's going green, going?
• Jesus: The Ultimate Gardener (Easter Special)
• How to make hanging flower baskets
• What could be the worst thing to find in your garden?
• The many benefits of sheep manure

April 2008

• 21 of the World's Best Topiaries
• Where to find FREE rocks for your garden
• 51 things to do in the garden in 20 minutes or less
• A list of vegetables to grow in your garden veggie patch
• Start a beautiful flower garden for less than $5
• Baby Calf grows inside Award-Winning Giant Pumpkin (April Fool's Day Post)

May 2008

• Make Potpourri from your garden
• 21 Tools Every Gardener Should Have
• Would you have a NUDE statue in your garden?
• Why solar garden lights won't keep you up at night
• Growing herbs for cooking

June 2008

• Planting avocado seeds: A step-by-step guide
• 3 easy steps to growing perfect tomatoes
• Keeping Mosquitoes out of your Rain Barrels
• Are you a Garden Starter, Finisher or Maintainer?

July 2008

• Vegetables that MUST be organic
• Pruning rose bushes: Is there a correct way?
• 13 natural plants for headache relief
• Organically ridding fruit flies from your precious fruit
• Starting a DIY Vertical Garden
• The secret of human hair in the garden

August 2008

• Create a Keyhole Garden
• Why most garden statues suck...and how to fix them
• 10 Benefits of growing a Palm Tree
• Butterfly Facts: What do Butterflies eat?
• Thyme management: An herb for every occasion

September 2008

• How to use magazine gardens for inspiration
• Tips on how to buy trees
• Front Yard Makeover
• Is it okay to re-gift plants?

October 2008

• Recession-Proof Gardening
• How to care for a bromeliad plant
• 10 Reasons New Plants Die
• How to: Soak well installation
• The Life-Cycle of a Gardener
• 11 Garden Paths and Pathway Ideas

November 2008

• Is Free Mulch Worth It?
• The reuse of potting soil debate rages
• Repotting plants the easy way
• Flower bulbs: planting for spring
• How to grow potatoes

December 2008

• How to prepare the garden for a rental inspection
• Growing herbs indoors
• Is garden insurance worth it?
• How to care for a Rhododendron plant
• DIY Garden Brick Edging

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

You can always tell when your plant has drinking issues. Stunted growth, signs of fatigue, lacklustre approach to life and a failure to see the day through rose-tinted glasses. The natural tendency is to want to rip them out lest they corrupt your other plants and lead them astray through their wanton living.

But this time I had a plan. I wasn't about to let this insidious activity spoil any more of my plants. I had to make a stand.

So, through the advice of a horticulturalist friend I decided to give some soil wetting agents a try. Admittedly, I've been a cynic when anyone has discussed these in a glowing light because they're marketed in the same vein as Demtel products: a cure-all that instantly fixes your gardening problems.

The problem wasn't that my plants were drinking too much, it was that they weren't drinking enough. The soil in some parts of the garden had become repellent to water and my plants were suffering overtly.

Normally I would use, and espouse the use of, compost to organically rectify the soil's problems but with my compost heap still about 2-3 weeks away and the days getting ever hotter, I wasn't prepared to wait it out. These plants needed an immediate fix.

I wanted to test this product out before I applied it to a half dozen plants and make sure that it was going to work. So, I mounded up a well around the base of one of my worst affected plants and filled the mound completely with water. And I watched, and waited... and watched, and waited...but nothing. The water just pooled there and even when I tried to stir the water in with the soil they repelled each other like mixing water and oil.

Then I scooped the water back out of the mound and applied some of the soil wetting agent and filled the well up again. Within a minute, I kid you not, all the water had soaked into the soil - all of it. I filled the well up again, and even faster this time, it saturated the ground. I was completely amazed. This product DID work!

I repeated the process on the rest of my struggling plants and sure enough they all worked the same. This was a God-send. I could now relax knowing that my plants were going to receive the moisture they needed through this harsh summer.

And, I'm happy to tell you - they no longer have a drinking problem.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (9)

The epitome of gardening must be growing trees for without them the whole cycle of plant life would be under constant threat. They are the foundational pillars of any good garden design and dictate the landscape once they're planted and growing. For with their immense canopies they can reduce the garden to a shady retreat or open the yard up to winter sun.

Yet, what does one look for when they go to buy trees? They all look very similar when stockpiled throughout the nursery but how can you tell a good one from a bad one? Are there giveaway signs that the tree you just bought was, in fact, a 'lemon'? Sure there are, and here a few that may help you buy the best tree and leave the rubbish where it belongs.

• It's all about shape - isn't it always? The tree's structure is an important element when considering which tree to buy. It should have a main stem with 2-3 leaders branching off midway up the trunk. Some nurseries will sell them with just a single trunk and not reduce the leader at all. It's hard to tell, from a gardener's point of view, whether this is a good tree or not because it obviously hasn't suffered any pruning yet.

  My tip would be to leave these for the garden centre to deal with and buy the ones that have already proved they can survive cutting back. This will ensure that your new tree will have greater success when you plant it in your garden.

• Is it root-bound? - Check around the base of the container and look for any roots that are forcing their way through the pot. Also, you can try sticking your fingers down the edge of the container or a key, or other object, into the middle of it. If roots are showing at the base or the soil in the pot seems impenetrable then it's a sign that the tree is root-bound.

  This doesn't mean that the tree can't grow successfully but it does highlight the need for extra care and patience in trying to get it established. If you're looking for a easier alternative, bypass the trees with root congestion and find an alternative with a better root structure.

• Foliage telling you anything? - as foliage usually plays an important part in most trees growth success, listening to its leaves can save you heaps of time and money. Look for brown edges - a sign that water is lacking or there is some mineral deficiency in the soil; lumps on the leaves - exhibiting signs of pest infestations or even a myriad of other foliage issues.
• Price - trees seem to be one of those items that command very different prices in the market place. I've often found the same tree for a much cheaper price at a nursery in the same neighbourhood. Apart from the price there is no other apparent difference so for me I would much rather save the dollars.

While those were some general buying tips there are also many other factors that need to be considered. A tree isn't as flexible as your favourite garden shrub and it can't be moved, or removed, as easily as a container plant on your patio. Forethought is much better than hindsight.

Here are four more things for you to consider before you buy trees for your garden;

1. Small vs Tall - the problem with trees, like puppies, is that they grow up. While they may start life all cute and cuddly it's not long before you could have a monster on your hands wreaking everything that you once enjoyed about your garden.

   A small tree is one that will grow to about 5-8 feet. Medium sized trees usually don't exceed 15-20 feet and tall trees can break into the stratosphere like the sequoia - well almost.

   So, when you buy a tree, choose one that will fit within your surroundings in 10-15 years not just on the day you plant it.

2. Evergreen vs Deciduous - do you enjoy raking leaves? No? Then stick with an evergreen. For the novice, a deciduous tree is one that loses its leaves during winter while an evergreen...well...remains evergreen.

   I often get asked why would you buy a deciduous tree. For many reasons, really. Firstly, its shape and structure make a real impact in the winter garden, while the seasons either side produce spectacular displays as well. Then there's also the added advantage of planting them on the west side of your living areas to let sun in during winter and shade throughout the warmer months.

3. Exotic vs Native - There has certainly been a trend over the last decade to search out indigenous tree species rather than their exotic counterparts. The reason, I guess, is that natives take far less effort to maintain and if they're already growing in the region then there's probably more chance of success.

   Exotics - I'm using this term to describe trees that you won't find growing in your area - can often take longer to establish, are much more prone to local diseases and pests and are usually more expensive than natives. But then the rewards of growing exotics are that you can show off your own individual talents and produce a garden that is distinctly different from your neighbours.

4. Fruit vs Ornamental - an even greater trend is starting to develop in the tree buying arena than just the popularization of natives. It seems that more gardeners are planting fruit trees over ornamentals as their garden plots get smaller and as the desire to be more self-sufficient grows.

   Ornamental trees are wonderful, in that they provide beautiful aesthetics to the garden but enjoying the produce from your own fruit tree is hard to contend with.

Of course, once you've bought your tree you're going to want to know how to plant it. Fortunately, some tips on how to plant a tree already exist. Aren't I good to you?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

Automatic sprinkler systems are by far the best way to go when planning your garden's watering needs. But in most cases, unless you enjoy navigating a shovel around tree roots, planning your garden irrigation once your yard is established is much like closing the proverbial gate after the horse has bolted.

Most automatic water systems need to be dug under the ground - which also has its benefits (ie. all the pipes remain out of sight) - but really only works on a blank, dirt canvas. Once you've added some garden beds, trees, pathways and landscaping the effort required to get pipes underground can become bigger than Ben Hur - and he was big, apparently!

Fortunately, Jason Fitzpatrick from LifeHacker.com spent his weekend creating his own automatic sprinkler system that was all above ground. Not only, that it worked straight off his mains tap - which isn't the best solution for an eco-conscious gardener (try digging a bore or pumping water from your rain tanks) but it can give some temporary relief until you get another source started.

Fitzpatrick bought all the items needed from his local big-box for $100 and would have had the whole system operating within 15 minutes. Here's his costs;

• $30 (1) Gilmour 4-cycle electronic sprinkler timer
• $15 (2) 50ft hoses
• $10 (1) brass 2 way hose flow valve
• $15 (2) all metal impulse sprinklers
• ______________________________________________
• $100 Total Cost

I decided to cost similar items from Amazon.com to see if any savings could be made on his already very cheap shopping list. Here's Amazon's offerings;

• $31.99 - (1) Gilmour Electronic Water Timer, Teal/Black #9100
• $9.99 - (2) 50-Ft x 5/8" 2-Ply Reinforced Garden Water Hose - LIFETIME WARRANTY!
• $ 9.99 - (1) Brass Y Two Tap Hose Shut-off Valve
• $14.33 - (2) Gilmour Polymer Impulse Sprinkler on Zinc Spike, #993ZS, Teal
• ______________________________________________
• $90.62 Total Cost

I'm not sure what the shipping charges would be for Amazon's purchases but considering the price of fuel it might even be cheaper to have it delivered than take time out to source them from the local store. Plus, you could spend that time in the garden instead of queuing in aisles.

Jason's post has all the details of how he put it together and the settings needed to make it automatically water your garden.

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Repotting container plants, in many gardener's minds, seems to be one of the biggest barriers to growing plants in pots. Attempts at trying to do this have either failed or it just seems like far too much effort. Yet in reality, this should be one of the most basic things that gardeners can do.

Why? Because if you break down the activity of repotting you will notice that it resembles transplanting new plants into the soil. The only difference is that instead of going into the ground your plant is going to be repotted instead - into a bigger pot.

The dilemma occurs because, for most gardeners, positioning a plant in the soil is usually a set and forget activity. Plants, once placed in the soil, don't usually need moving again while container plants will often need a repot every few years or so.

How can you tell if your plant needs a repot?

As your plant nears the time when it requires repotting it will start to give you signs of its fight for life.

1. Leaves turn colour - it doesn't matter which plant you have they will all exhibit signs of distress via their leaves. Some, like gardenias will turn yellow while others start displaying brown tips or leaves that just start to drop off altogether.
2. Potting soil becomes compact - you will begin to notice that the soil in the pot is becoming water repellant because the roots have taken up every inch of space. If you can't drive a finger easily into the soil then its most likely time to repot.
3. Roots show from the base of the pot - this is a common problem especially with vigorous root growers such as agapanthus and clivias.

The Benefits of Repotting

Apart from the obvious survival benefits, repotting gives a number of other advantages for your plant and your garden.

• Changing a pot can be like repainting a wall. It allows you to be creative in new ways.
• A repotted plant now has more room to grow.
• Your plant is more likely to bloom, and in abundance, when it has enough 'legroom' to source the nutrients it requires.
• Repotting also gives you the chance to freshen up your plant by removing any dead roots and also giving your plant a much needed prune.

How to Repot a Plant

Repotting a plant isn't as difficult as many assume. As in most gardening activities there are basics that are fundamental to success but these aren't hard to grasp.

Step 1

Remove the plant from its original pot. If it's a large pot and this container will again be used to house this plant then try removing the root ball in a similar fashion to transplanting a garden plant.

At this point it's possible to assess the plant for any root damage and to break the ball up if it's become too rootbound. Don't be too eager to remove these roots keeping in mind that they are the transit lines for the plants nutrient source. Instead, gently ease the most congested ones apart to give the roots more freedom to grow.

Step 2

Prepare the container that you will repot into. It's always a good rule of thumb to increase the size of the pot by at least 50% over the original pot's size. If the original container was large enough and the plant hadn't yet completely grown into it then you can re-use the same one but in most cases you will require a larger pot.

Fill the new container 2/3 full will some quality potting mix and begin steeping the sides to allow room for the plant's root ball. Position the plant in the middle of the pot and begin adding more potting mix to fill the container.

The trick here is to ensure that there are no air pockets forming around the root ball and that you don't compact the soil too much that it will create similar problems to the ones you're trying to overcome. If your plant needs staking then this is a good time to do that instead of when the roots have regrown and chances of lancing one have increased.

One more thing to keep in mind is that the base of the plant's main stem and the top of the rootball should remain level with the final height of the potting mix.

Step 3

Now that you've repotted your plant, the final step is to water it in and provide some initial nourishment so that it copes with the transplant shock. The best cure for this is either a liquid fertiliser and/or some bonemeal. I always like to add some slow-release fertiliser as well.

You will need to keep watering your repotted plant over the next week or so until it shows signs of a successful repot.

And that's it. Piece of cake really, isn't it.

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Using human hair in the garden is not a new concept and it's already had many bloggers discussing its merits. Julie from The Human Flower Project, Dave from Alberta Home Gardening and Elizabeth at GardenRant had all written about it before this article came to my attention.

What strikes me as completely odd, even after reading through these articles, is the lack of excitement for a commodity that is currently wasted by the bucket-load. Unless you're classed within the masculine form of the human species and suffer from Male-Patterned Baldness we all get our hair cut regularly. This vain activity results in a resource that is completely undervalued and in most cases destined for the trash can.

My mother would cut our hair when we were growing up and swore that it was always good for the roses. Rather than discarding this clump of human waste she would dress her rose bushes in it as though it had some magical properties and was originally created for such a task. As a rose grower she was very successful - which was the opposite of her hairdressing skills - so I wasn't about to argue with her.

Three decades later it seems that my wise mum might have known a thing or two.

Why is human hair good for the garden?

1. Mulch - the main benefit for this resource is using it as a mulch. It's natural interweaving effect allows water in but reduces evaporating out. It also acts as a warm blanket keeping the soil warm in winter and cool in summer much like its purpose upon our dome-shaped heads.
2. Weed-suppressant - as it is so beneficial as a mulch it is equally as useful to suppress the weeds. Trials have shown that weeds have to grow around it because they aren't successful in growing through it.
3. Fertiliser Trap - many of the articles have discussed human hair as a fertiliser of which I'm extremely doubtful - unless, of course, you haven't been washing your hair and it now contains all manner of organisms. For most of us though, our hair is devoid of nutritional benefits. However, as a fertiliser trap, human hair is proving to be quite successful.

   In sandy soils one of the biggest problems that gardeners face is nutrient leeching. Therefore they are continually bulking up the soil with composts and manures to properly feed their plants. The idea of human hair as a trap is to position it beneath your plants where it will hold nutrient run-off - especially nitrogen - for later use.

4. Deer Repellant - I've never seen a deer in my garden here in Oz, so maybe there's something in it after all!

Probably the greatest benefit of human hair as a gardening resource is its availability. While SmartGrow only access their hair from China and India I'm almost certain that people in the US, UK, Canada and Australia also get their hair cut from time to time. Perhaps it's a regulated commodity in these countries but there's nothing stopping you from asking your local hairdresser for their weekly discards.

And before you start to cringe about touching other people's hair consider momentarily that you probably have no issue with building your veggie patch up with animal manures - I know what I would rather handle! Plus, you could always wear gloves if its that disconcerting - just think of all the trees you've just saved from being pulverized into wood chips.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (7)

As rain barrels become an important part of the garden landscape it can only be expected that they will become magnets for water-loving mosquitoes. In fact, with the phenomenal growth of rain barrels it should signal a disturbing trend that the mosquito population is set to explode.

Mosquitoes love any body of water that remains still long enough for them to release their larvae. Therefore it can only be expected that rain barrels will become a soft target for these pests to multiply. The water collects from your roof via downpipes and is then stored in these water drums to be used at a time that is most probably not regular. This source of water then becomes the best possible breeding ground a mosquito could wish for.

While I've discussed some mosquito control methods before here on GTNI, when it comes to rain barrels there needs to be different solutions - tipping the water out regularly kind of defeats the purpose. So, how can rain barrels and water storage exist without creating a habitat for man's most deadly insect? Easy...here's some gardening tips that should keep them out of your water storage drums forever.

1. Add a goldfish - small goldfish love mosquito larvae almost as much as we love chocolate. So why not add one, perhaps two, to each rain barrel. Provided they still have enough air - in other words don't lock off the top of the barrel - keeping a goldfish in your drums should be quite a simple task.

   The benefit is twofold; 1). the fish will devour the larvae as soon as they are laid reducing your fish feeding bill, and 2). the ammonia excreted from the fish will produce beneficial nitrogen for your soil.

2. Produce an oil slick - we all saw how effective the Exxon Valdez spill was at killing wildlife, well the same principle applies here. Providing the water level in your rain barrels can be kept above the output spouts you can pour a layer of oil (preferably food-grade) on top of the water. This acts as a shield for insects getting into your barrels and laying their eggs plus if any eggs do survive they will soon die once they begin to develop into the larvae stage.

   One important note, don't combine this method of mosquito control with the one above. The oil slick will stop the water being aerated and the fish will eventually die.

3. Cover the intake with a filter - if the other two methods seem a little too bizarre for your liking then covering the intake is possibly the next best thing. A pair of nylon pantyhose should do the trick as they are fine enough to stop mosquito infestations but will still allow the water to seep through and collect in the barrels.

   The downside of this method is that the filter will need to be checked often to ensure that they aren't breaking down or that holes aren't being produced. Even the smallest hole in these can become an access point for mosquitoes and their larvae.

4. Chemical larvicides - microbial larvicides are a chemical solution to the problem. If the three options listed above don't seem to deal with your problem, or if you're looking for an easy fix, then larvicides may be your next best option. Granular forms are most likely to be available at your local hardware or garden store and should be added as per the directions at times when mosquito activity is at its peak.

   As with most chemical solutions it is only a matter of time until mosquitoes build up an immunity to these and they become ineffective or stronger. My advice would be to only use these if you can't find any resolution with the other ideas.

5. Mosquito Dunks - these are just a glorified form of larvicide making insertion easier for the user. They perform the same result as the method listed above but are more convenient in their packaging.

Hopefully one of these methods will work for your situation and help control mosquitoes breeding in your yard.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (10)

Oh, it makes perfect sense, really!

The thought of storing your excess onions is one that can make any gardener a quivering mess. Why? Because you know that even after storing them in a cool, dry and dark pantry they're sure to still sprout or rot in a week or two. Keeping them for months or even a whole year is ludicrous.

But then one smart cookie read the storage directions on a bag they bought at the markets. And the tip? Store them in pantyhose. Of course!

It may seem a little absurd but the fashion accessory that women share a love/hate relationship with could just be the onion hanger of the century.

The idea is to start with a fresh pair of pantyhose that have been washed without chemicals. Once dried, each onion is placed into a leg pushing it right down into the bottom toes. Then a knot secures it in place and allows another to continue. Once the leg is full of onions, it's hung in the same pantry suspended from the roof space.

The benefits of doing this are numerous. First, the hose allow the air to circulate over the onions keeping molds and bacterias from starting their ravaging feast. Plus, the pantyhose can easily be suspended keeping them off limited shelf space and because a knot is tied between each onion, one can be readily chopped from the leg without disturbing the others.

Ingenious - wouldn't you agree?

Found via Lifehacker

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If there's one thing I loathe about gardening - dirty fingernails are IT. And I get them because (a) I spot a weed that's rising up against my garden which immediately needs to be pulled out (even if I'm in my Sunday best), or (b) the kids have nicked off with my gloves - again, or (c) if I wait another 20 minutes to plant these damn ranunculi they may not flower in time.

But really, dirty fingernails are a hallmark of a gardener - a trophy, if you like. They tell the world that I'm okay with getting them dirty and I'm no sissy who needs a manicure every Thursday afternoon.

Which is okay if you're not an habitual fingernail biter remembering that you previously waded through the compost as you crunch down on something that tastes sweeter than normal.

Mmmm....

Still, I'm not averse to letting my hands soak in the soil and be stained from the enjoyment - much like a child sporting a scarlet blemish after chowing down a large stake of berry pie. It's just that there seems to be very few options to getting them clean again. Or is there?

Here's a few tips from around the garden blogosphere;

• Marcy from My Quilts 'N Stuff uses high pressure water aimed right under her fingernails. The pressure dislodges any dirt and the nails are cleaned almost immediately.
• While still visiting Marcy's blog, one of her readers commented on another tip that some gardeners use by rubbing soap under the fingernails before gardening. I agree with the conversation - which is better soap or dirt? Sorry, the jury's still out on that one...
• The Gardenweb forums have all manner of answers from using Borax powder, LavaPro soap, disposable gloves under your normal gardening gloves while others reverse this and wear cotton gloves underneath a pair of latex.
• What about a nailbrush? It seems these are fairly effective and quite cheap. Some people complain that they're harsh on their hands and nails, and admittedly they have been known to rip skin from flesh. Maybe, you could create your own Luffa sponge instead. They're organic and if you grow the cucumbers yourself are dirt cheap and environmentally-friendly when disposed of.
• Some gardeners find that shielding lotions are another protection that can taken - at least for their skin's benefit. These lotions can help retain moisture and shield the dirt from our skin's lines and wrinkles. They don't do a lot for your fingernails but your hands will remain supple.
• And finally, one great tip I read recently (but can't for the life of me now find) was sewing a small shade cloth bag that allowed a bar of soap to be inserted and then hung under a garden tap. The coarseness of the shade cloth acted in much the same way as the luffa sponge but was far more durable with the added soap bonus.

If you find yourself gouging large pieces of dirt from beneath your fingernails, try one of the tips 'n ideas above. They may not be the prettiest nails in the world, but they certainly won't be the ugliest.

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Each week, as I step out in the garden blogosphere I'm always met with some of the finest garden stories, pictures of awesome flowering plants and projects that have just commenced. But, I'm mostly attracted to those bloggers who offer us some helpful advice. How to grow this plant; an easier way to compost; or ways to combat weeds in an ever sprawling garden.

There's never a dull moment so here's another dose of some great gardening tips and hints from garden bloggers.

• Pianna Nanna from Thyme for Herbs shares how she cured her headache using herbs - feverfew, to be precise. It always fascinates me how different herbs can alleviate some of our ailments and usually much better and faster than their chemical counterparts.
• Kasmira from Cincinatti Cape Cod explodes the myth that Sweet William will only flower in it's second year by doing it in her first. She is also planning to deadhead her plants this season to try and entice a second flush of blooms. Stay tuned...
• Maureen Gilmer from Gardening with Mo Gilmer: The MoZone has a great post on how to offer support for a vine growing up your wall without losing your wall completely.
• While it isn't truly a gardening tip per se I have been following with interest Deviant Deziner's Napa Pool Project. Garden Porn is turning it on this time demonstrating how landscapers move from the design to actually making it happen. Not everyone's cup of tea, I'm sure, but fascinating none the less.
• Last year Melissa from the Empress of Dirt showed off her Tipsy Pots and gave instructions on how to make them. This year Genie from the Inadvertent Gardener gave it a shot with not as much as success as what Melissa had enjoyed. To Genie's credit though, and our benefit, she shared what went wrong and how she will do it differently next time.
• Finally, Marc from the Garden Desk shares how to grow sweet potato. This was one of the vegetables to grow on his to-do list so it's great to see him getting them going.

And thus ends another week in the garden blogosphere. If you're looking for more garden blogs to read then head over to Blotanical and meet some great bloggers.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

As it's coming to the end of another month I thought I'd take a step back in time an review what was being talked about on this blog 12 months ago. Some of the gardening tips that were given then are still very much applicable today and while the race is always on to share something new, it's also good to take stock of the past.

So, here are some of the tips that were given in May 2006,

• Planting and transplanting tulip bulbs growing tulips is an enviable passion because they have such beautiful blooms. If you take the time to look after them they will continue to reward you year after year.
• A review of compost tumblers composters are a great tool in the garden but it depends on how you plan to use one that determines which tumbler is best for your specific lifestyle.
• Caring for African Violets one of the most popular indoor plants have their own requirements and needs to grow them well.
• Are you a green thumb gardener? this was a humorous look at whether you could claim to be a dinky-di green thumb gardener. Those who struggled to to know if a lettuce was a weed or not - possibly should take up another hobby.
• How to grow Lobelia from seed these annuals are always present in nurseries and garden centres as seedlings but how can you grow them straight from the packet? Easy.
• Honey Beekeeping for the Beginner if you've ever wanted to keep bees on your property then it's not a formidable task. Sure, it's not a walk in the park either but there are some great tips to help you get started.

I hope you enjoyed that little trot through the archives and I look forward to hearing your comments.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

Could there be anything worse for a gardener to find their favourite blooms having succumbed to plant wilt? Maybe. Perhaps finding a deer (or a kangaroo) eating your prized peonies could be a little distressing. Or, just looking up as your 3-year old snips the single bud off your chrysanthemum that was destined for glory at the local show.

These things could certainly test your patience but unlike these scenarios plant wilt can be avoided in most cases. For many beginner gardeners our desire to succeed and see our plants do well can actually be the reason they die. Too much TLC and love and attention is harmful, and can be fatal.

So, why do plants wilt and what can be done to minimise the risk.

1. Overwatering - this is a common mistake with growing indoor plants. We often water them the same as we would those growing outdoors but forget that evaporation is much lower inside. So plants end up sitting in very moist soil and their roots begin to struggle.

   Overwatering is also a common mistake early in Spring as gardeners adjust to their plant's requirements. We're eager to see them grow that we begin watering a little too early.



2. Lack of water - the flip side of the first problem is not watering them enough. If your plants are wilting because the soil has become too dry then the obvious solution is to begin watering them and keep this constant until the plant picks up again.

   Container plants have a knack of drying out quicker than those growing in the ground. So, the best way to resuscitate your pot plants is to plunge them into a bucket of water and hold until all the air bubbles have subsided. Note: this is only for extreme cases.



3. Too much sun - plant wilt often happens when you're growing them in the wrong position or if indoors, the plant is too close to a window. Too much sun for a shade loving plant is like too much social activity for an introvert.

   If outdoors, try moving your plant to another garden bed where it is less likely to be scorched by the sun's rays. Indoor plants may need to be moved away from the window but still where it can receive some indirect sunlight.



4. Not enough sun - and this ties in with the overwatering idea. Plants wilt sometimes because they're not receiving enough sunlight. Picture an extrovert confined to a cubicle office space every day and you'll understand the problem. The answer, again, is to move them.


5. Rootbound plants - often plants can outgrow their containers if they're not transplanted very year or two. Once a plant gets too large for its pot it struggles to draw nutrients and moisture from the soil - if there is any left, that is.

   The answer is to repot your plant into a larger container and use some quality potting mix as its growing medium.



6. Too much fertiliser - overzealous gardeners can cause plant wilt just by feeding it too much. When adding fertiliser to a plant's growing medium, whether it be soil or potting mix, take into account the size of the plant and when you last fed it. Plants don't usually become obese, they just die.

   Try using slow release fertilisers where possible and usually they should only be added at the start of the growing season and again during flowering times.



7. Disease - plants can often wilt as a result of an infection as well. There are a few main types of plant wilt related to disease, namely - Fusarium wilt which is a fungal disease common to cotton, tomatoes and palms. This type of wilt can be controlled via a fungicide which should be used as per the directions. Other forms are Bacterial wilt and Verticillium wilt.
   

So, finding your favourite plant wilt doesn't mean it's the end of it. There are some things you can do to try and save all your effort and hopefully turn your plant around so that it blooms another day.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Northern Hemisphere is beginning to enjoy a little warmth in the form of Spring while us Southerner's are quietly buckling down for another winter. Yet, regardless of the season, there is always something to do in the garden and what better way to get out there than with a few handy gardening tips to inspire you.

Here's this week's round up;

• Treehugger has pointed out the National Wildlife Federation's Gardener's Guide to Global Warming. The map shows US states where the State Flower or Tree will become affected by global warming. Interesting stuff.
• Yolanda from Bliss has a great project underway and also steps through a way for gardeners to turn their rusty wheelbarrows into a planter. The final effect of her shed-makeover looks fantastic.
• In My Kitchen Garden has shared a post of their greenhouse construction. It gives another great alternative to the greenhouses I posted about earlier.
• Kasmira from Cincinnati Cape Cod shares how she installed her arbour. After learning that concrete is possibly the best anchor for keeping an arbour in its place, Kasmira installed it by herself and kept it level. You go girl...
• Finally, Katina from Katina's Little Gardeners has a great post on how to garden with kids on rainy days. Some interesting tips and ones that I'll store away for our next rainy day - which looks like tomorrow according to the forecast.

I hope you found some good articles and helpful posts in the gardening blogosphere this week. If you come across any that I've missed or would like me to link to helpful gardening post that you wrote, feel free to drop me an email.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've been a tad slack the past few weeks missing this weekly roundup of the gardening blogosphere. This post helps encapsulate and summarise some of the great tips that have been offered by experienced gardeners who share their knowledge via their garden blogs.

While I'm still catching up on some great reading and useful tips, I thought I would showcase what I've found so far;

• Marc from Garden Desk wrote a very informative post to answer his friends question Why are there so many different tomatoes? To the non-gardener a 'tomato' is a tomato while we enjoy the intricacies of the abundance of varietals and how to grow them. Marc answers the question very well.
• Garden Porn (definitely SFW - Safe For Work) may have a name that scares a few readers away but after recently discovering this great blog courtesy of Rick Anderson's blogroll, I must say I'm hooked. This blog features some incredible landscape design images and posts and has this week written a helpful post on placing and integrating a spa into your garden design.

  For those who don't have, or ever intend to have a spa, it's still a useful read for how to incorporate any design elements into the backyard.

• In My Kitchen Garden has written a helpful review on a book titled Astrological Gardening which discusses tips and ideas for gardening by the moon and stars.
• I've not seen Wall-O-Water's before but Molly Day from All the Dirt on Gardening has them growing in her vegetable patch. Well...not literally growing, but she hopes to grow some garlic between them as they have helped warm up the ground. Sounds like an interesting gardening idea and I look forward to seeing how these progress.
• Rob from Sustainable Garden tries to explain why chickens get grumpy. I'm not sure he's found the answer but I can only extend the hand of empathy on this one. Chickens are fickle creatures and I find the best way to get them laying is to hit the problem HEAD on - if you get my gist.
• And finally, Gayla from You Grow Girl has written 12 reasons why I don't grow edibles in my street garden. Trust me when I say that one reason is probably enough but Gayla goes all the way and explains every possible reason for not doing this.

And there you have it. Another week and hopefully another list of helpful posts that might aid your gardening.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

The gardening blogosphere is such a dynamic concept. Blink, and you could miss the most amazing post or a photo of the most beautiful flower goes begging.

Even more tragic is when a garden blogger with amazing experience posts a gardening tip for us to use and it doesn't get read. Therefore, the "Gardening blog's helpful posts of the week" is aimed at making sure this knowledge doesn't get lost.

Take a look at this week's offerings;

• Nancy from My Garden Spot offers some good advice to those who find their way to her blog but may not get then answers they were looking for. If only we could reach into our reader's worlds when they coming knocking!
• Garden-Helper posts a great article on learning from your weeds. As disgruntled as we get from having to weed our gardens, they may actually be telling us something that we need to know about our garden's health.
• And, what about 'vegan' gardeners? Trey from The Golden Gecko was confronted with a customer seeking organic fertilisers that don't consist of pulped fish or animal manures. What does he recommend? Check it out.
• Ilona, star of the Ilona's Garden Journal shares a few pointers when it comes time to prune some of your plants. Why we need to prune and what tools to use are just some of the great advice that she's offering.
• Carol from May Dreams Gardens has been formulating some good potting soil recipes and even challenging her own concepts of what should and shouldn't be part of the mix.
• And finally, it seems that GardenRant has pulled out of the deal with GardenWeb. Great news for us garden bloggers who love to have a rant or at least read one. Freedom of speech remains - I hope you all had fun with the April 1 thingy

And, in the immortal words of Peter Cundall, a great gardening guru, "That's your bloomin' lot for the week."

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

The seasons are changing. The northern hemisphere is warming up (and it's not in relation to global warming) while us southerners are cooling down.

But that's not stopping the global garden and here are a few helpful posts from around the world that should help , or at least inspire, you in your garden.

• It seems that moving compost or mulch is high on the agenda for a few gardeners at the moment. Both Nada from Grandiflora and M. Sinclair Stevens from Zanthan Gardens are getting into the swing of the action at the moment.

  I suggested that they throw 'compost parties' where they invite a group of friends to give them a hand and reward them with a scrummy afternoon tea.

  BTW - if either of you decide that you will provide the scrummy arvo tea, I'll book the next flight.

• If you're looking for new plants to grow, Nelumbo has a great post on the Easter Tree, Easterii decoratis. They only flower in the lead up to easter and children desire their fruiting blooms.

  I'm guessing these are native to the Easter Islands? Or, do they only grow in South Carolina?

• Melanie from Bean Sprouts has a great post on 10 Movies that illustrate self-sufficient gardening. It takes a keen gardener to pick up on these things.
• Tobi from Garden Gremlin shares his seed starting set-up which is has become more sophisticated as the season's have come and gone. I'm yet to get my seed raising apparatus together so I'm always insanely jealous when I come across another gardener who's got it happening.
• Yolanda Elizabet's Bliss garden blog is sporting some new frilly and frivolously flirty voilets. She even documents the equipment she uses to plant them and to weed her garden beds.
• And finally, if you've ever need convincing that grow lights are essential for indoor plants Malin from Indoor Gardener has photographic proof. Her mini sage and mint garden took off almost immediately.

And so concludes another awesome week in the Gardening blogosphere.

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Each week it amazes me at the helpfulness of many gardening bloggers as they share their knowledge or things they've found out with the rest of the world via their blog. And it's all free of charge!

Here's this weeks roundup;

• Seems like every second week I'm linking to Andrea's Heavy Petal but it's always for good reason. This week she shares how to make your own seedballs (and they're important, how?). Seedballs are the new ammunition for guerrilla gardeners and are so easy to make. Read Andrea's great post on how to make them.


• If you're into butterflies then Angela from Angela's NorCal Garden Blog has a few links to some great butterfly photos and resources about them.


• Nelumbo from The Garden Blog (of a gal growing Southern) shares how not to grow plants in an indoor terrarium.


• If you've ever been wondering what to do with all that left over urine at your place, Peter from Backyard Organic Farming has a ready made solution.


• The Greenhouse Girl writes an interesting post on some of the myths and legends surrounding sunflowers. Did you know that it's been designated the symbol of a world free from nuclear weapons?


• And, finally, Katina from Katina's Little Gardeners links to a great article on starting seeds by Better Homes and Gardens. Katina also shares some insights from her own experiences.

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Another incredible week has passed in the gardening world but we haven't missed a second of it - well apart from the few catchup days after arriving back from Tassie. If you found yourself playing catchup as well, here are some of this weeks most helpful gardening tips that other bloggers have been posting;

• Molly Day from All the Dirt on Gardening wrote about growing tomatoes from seed and then followed up with a post on what to plant once your soil starts to warm up. Her tomato post linked to a very helpful article from Renee's Garden as she goes step-by-step through planting tomatoes from seed to harvesting them.
• If you're thinking of putting some peas in the ground this season then Steven Wilson from Granny Grunners Garden is your man.
• A little off topic, but nonetheless helpful is a series of posts from Rob of Sustainable Garden who discusses with his local MEP the seriousness of GM foods. Interesting read...
• Mary Ann, Idaho Gardener's author links to a helpful post by Marianne Binetti from Seattle who discusses how to prune mophead hydrangeas. Useful and timely advice for both sides of the hemisphere.
• After Val's great post here about harvesting rainwater, I noticed LadyLuz from Costa de la Luz Gardening has also put in some rainwater tanks. They are such a great way to tap into a very limited resource.
• And finally, it's that time of the month again when everyone posts what's blooming in their garden. Carol from May Dreams Gardens encourages bloggers to share their flowers with the blogosphere on the 15th day of every month. March is an interesting time of the year on both sides of the equator but it is still interesting to see what others are growing.



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What tips and helpful posts are other great gardening bloggers offering? Check this weeks half dozen out.

• If you're like Anthony from Compost Bin you might find yourself using one of these little gardening lies. I'm notorious for using the "I’m going out to the garden, I’ll be back in a minute" one. I could actually guess that it might be standard practice amongst gardeners anyway.
• Mary Ann from Idaho Gardener has come out with a list of gardening predictions for 2007. Her tip for big, bold containers certainly seems to be a correct forecast as garden supply companies have really lifted their game in this area.
• Rick, The Whispering Crane Institute's owner shares some history on Linaeus' Flower Clock. In a nutshell, it was a method for trying to calculate the time based on when flowers, predominantly wildflowers, would open up. Uncanny, but as Rick states - fairly impractical.
• Mr Brown Thumb reminds us to keep our eyes peeled for cheap bulbs. Rather than pay full retail on our plants, it's best to take some time to peruse the discounted aisle.
• If you're looking for a little inspiration for landscaping that tight driveway, Roy from Frog Garden and his wife Larraine have come up with a great way to enhance it.
• And last, but certainly not least, Kenny from Veggie Gardening Tips shares how to grow potato onions. That's right - potato onions! You heard it ...second, right here on Gardening Tips n Ideas. (The lengths we go to)

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• Jane Perrone's Horticultural blog reviews some alternatives to using plastic bags. I can see their purpose for allotment gardeners but I think they could also be helpful for gardeners across the board.
• Katie from Gotta Garden demonstrates how to repot a dendrobium orchid. BTW - she even has a banner for the Garden Blogs Directory - Kudos Katie.
• Katina offers some helpful tips when planning a kids garden on her Katina's Little Gardeners blog. Great tips if you've got a few ankle-biters running around destroying your the heads of your flowering hippeastrums.
• Marc from the Garden Desk wrote some great ideas for what he's planning to do in the garden in 2007. I especially liked his take on planting more heirloom tomatoes.

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There have been moments in my gardening journey where I have attempted to record what happens in my garden but these are usually short, spontaneous bursts of enthusiasm. I usually buy myself an exercise book, fervently fill in the first couple of pages and then store it on a bookshelf somewhere never to be opened again.

A garden journal for me is a novelty but I'm not organised enough to continually keep one. However, I have been thinking of late that maybe I should be recording what I do and keeping it in a gardening journal. I certainly don't think that it would be worth anything by keeping one for posterity's sake but for my own gardening journey, my failures and successes, I can see that it would have immense value as a garden reference.

I wonder how others journal their gardening triumphs and day-to-day plantings, musings and apparent failings. Is the blog now the new online garden journal? Will gardeners use this form of media more to journal their garden evolution? And if they did, how much information would readers want to see?

I've often thought, "wouldn't it be great to sit down and read Edna Walling's garden journal? (Edna Walling is an awesome Australian gardener who is a bit of a local gardening icon). If she hadn't journaled her gardening journey we would have needed to guess and surmise what she did but never actually known. We're fortunate enough to have records of what she planted and how she landscaped her signature gardens.

If you could study a prominent gardener's journal, who would it be?

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Valerie Easton from the Seattle times answers the question, "Do copper barriers repel snails?" while Angela proves that it's not the copper colour that repels but may instead be the copper itself.

There are so many remedies for controlling/ managing/ destroying snails that It can sometimes become too overwhelming and we throw our hands up in despair reaching for the David Gray snail pellets. I've heard theories on beer, ashes, sawdust, scaresnails (they're the dead ones you leave lying next to your plants to strike fear into the very heart of any courageous snail that thinks they have a chance of a decent meal).

Apart from my agapanthus, alyogyne and some of my bromeliads, the only plants that snails inevitably head for in my garden are any seedlings. I try to keep snails from these as they would decimate them overnight and I've found the best prevention is to use a ring around the seedling of any course material, be it ashes or sawdust or shell grit. Anything that a snail would find uncomfortable moving across has always worked for me. Try it. See if it's just another remedy.

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Most people think that spraying some chemical, like glyphosate (aka Roundup), will fix all their weed problems in one hit. And while it may sometimes depending on the type of weeds you have growing in your garden it won't always be able to eliminate all of your weeds.

The best way to eliminate weeds is to understand them. It's the same with plants in your garden; each has their own needs and requirements that differ to others. If you were to treat them all the same you would find that many of them would suffer and possibly even die while others will prosper and grow healthier.

Continue reading "The best way to eliminate weeds" »

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When the leaves on your plants start turning mottled colours or they begin to wilt and drop off without any explanation it may be a clue that your soil is having a few issues. It could be too alkaline or acidic, it may be missing some essential nutrients for the type of plants that you're growing or it may even be that there is just not enough organic matter to give your soil the structure it needs.

The biggest areas of trouble that most people have with their plants are (1) pests, (2) virus strains and moulds, and (3) their soil. If you get the soil right you may have inadvertently fixed the other two because healthier plants can usually ward off, or at last handle, an attack from pests and diseases.

So how do you know whether the problem is with the plant or with the soil?

The more experience you have as a gardener will help you to answer this question. You can probably tell instantly that the leaf discolouration you're shrub is experiencing is from a lack of manganese, or the stunted growth your plant's suffering is due to a lack of magnesium. While this is great when you're experienced you have to start somewhere and learn the basics.

The best way to begin learning about your soil is by analysing it with a soil testing kit. These are usually available from your local nursery or hardware store and can vary in price and the things they analyse.

What to expect in your soil testing kit

The very least you should expect from any testing kit is an analysis tool that can test your soil for it's pH levels. This test will show whether your garden is becoming too acidic or alkaline or possibly if it's neutral. None of these conditions are bad in them self but they could be if your plants are requiring a specific soil type. For instance, if you have a garden bed filled with camellia's, gardenia's and azaleas you would want your soil to be fairly acidic (approx 5.0 - 6.0 pH). Alkaline loving plants prefer a soil of 7.8 to 8.5 pH.

The test kit should also be able to measure the amount of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) in your soil. These readings can help you find out the cause of some of the problems with your plants. If there is too much nitrogen the leaves of your plants will burn.

Read this article for further definition of these problems.

How to remedy your soil after you have tested it

If your soil is becoming too alkaline you may want to change the brand of fertiliser you're using because it may be made up of too much salts. Try mulching with compost or adding blood and bone to the soil plus other composted manures rich in nitrogen.

If the soil is becoming too acidic, lay off composting as a mulch and add some lime to the soil.

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The shed project has gone on hold for the time being awaiting another injection of funds. This will hopefully happen around September/ October which will be perfect weather to get into some serious construction. Not!

It seems that there is this cycle of money and time in our lives but they never appear to coincide. At one point you may have heaps of time but you don't have the funds, while at another point you have the money but just can't organise to have some spare time - or it's raining!

So the shed project is on hold. However, we have some wonderful friends who have just completed a renovation on their house and were left with a heap of timber which they wanted to get rid of. Enter stage left (Scavenger Stu) who for the price of removing it from their lawn ended up with all this new project resource. Alas, very little of it is useful for the shed but I have other ideas in mind.

The new project is to construct a couple of garden arbors. The first one, seen below, is to cover our garden bench. We plan to put some trellis on it and grow some sort of climber which we are undecided about at the moment. The obvious choice for our cottage style front garden is some Chinese Wisteria. However, I've also been toying with the idea of some Clematis. Any ideas?

Grapes isn't an option because we are soon to construct another arbor out the back which will house a variety of grapes (yet to be sourced also!).

Creating this arbor hasn't been a stress. The four supporting posts already had stirrups on the bottom which only required me to use a spade bit on the sleepers which were already then and then drop them into the holes. The rebates had already been cut out and the bolt holes had already been drilled. It's starting to sound like an IKEA project already.

I had to leave the roof beams due to time constraints but will hopefully get back to it this weekend. Then it's just a matter of attaching some wooden battens for the trellis, a coat of paint and voila it'll be ready for something to be planted over it.

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In our last house, which we rented, the front yard was adorned with a beautiful Kentia Palm. It dwarfed the roof by metres and had this presence that drew attention to itself as soon as someone would walk into the yard.

Don't get the wrong idea here. Apart from the kentia and a mixture of old world roses this garden was nothing to look at. It certainly wouldn't have come second in a beauty contest. In fact, having such a huge kentia was part of the reason why the garden had little else in it. It's root structure was astounding, like chinese noodles covering just below the surface matting everything in it's way.

I guess when you're that big not much else is going to argue with you and many of the plants we tried to grow around its base would give up relatively easily. If you're going to plant one in your garden, take into account this plants root system. If you don't contain it in some way, it will take over your garden beds and can even crack concrete and lift bricks.

Continue reading "Growing a Kentia Palm Tree is all about position" »

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Let me ask you a question before we start. Why do you want to grow grapes? Are you after a good eating grape that you can pluck straight from the vine? Or, are you hoping to grow grapes to make wine from the juice? Or, are you hoping to cover an arbor, pergola or patio with a climbing vine that produces a fruit as well? Maybe, it's all three.

Is it possible to have all three? Yes, but it's no easy task and you may have to compromise on one of the choices to better appreciate one of the others. For instance, most good wine growing grapes aren't great tasting. They're usually very acidic and can taste tart or sour. Good table grapes, on the other hand, usually make poor wine and if you're primarily after a climber that will cover your pergola quickly then you may need to compromise again on the other two.

Continue reading "How to grow and prune grape vines" »

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When it comes to temperamental plants Gardenia's are in a class all their own. These beautiful plants can take your breath away when in full bloom but getting them there can be like walking a tightrope, ensuring their conditions are perfect.

The beauty of gardenias is not only their flowers but also the magnificent fragrance they release during flowering. If you are blessed to have a mature plant near an outdoor area, then sitting near it on a summers evening can only be described as heavenly. Their scent can be strong but not overpowering and the fragrance will just waft in the breeze.

So, let's imagine that you've just picked up your first gardenia plant at the nursery. It's full of buds and promises so much for the upcoming season. You take it home and plant it correctly only to find the buds have almost completely dropped off and the chances of seeing a bloom have disappeared quicker than a fishing trawler in the Bermuda Triangle.

Continue reading "How to care for your gardenia plant" »

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Compost is the cheapest and most versatile product you could ever use in your garden. The only thing a compost heap requires is waste; left-over vegetable scraps, lawn clippings, coffee grinds and tea leaves, garden prunings and weeds - items that you would have normally thrown in the bin anyway.

Seeing as you were going to discard this waste anyway why not turn them into nutrient rich compost that you can use to mulch and fertilise your garden? Composting isn't a hard process and there are a few methods to achieve it that require varying levels of physical exertion.

There are many compost bins on the market that allow you to just drop the waste in and within a short space of time (and very little physical activity) reap the reward of rich compost. These come as compost tumblers which require regular rotation, self-standing compost cones and even little kitchen composters that work on your kitchen waste alone.

While these are all great products they generally make less than the 3 bin method which I shall explain further...

The picture above is a great depiction of how the system works. You start one bin by filling it full of all the composting waste materials, adding manures to aid in the growth of micro-organisms and keeping it moist to allow the process to work over time. This image is using an annual cycle but the compost can be sped up considerably by turning it over. The annual method doesn't require turning until the end whereas if you want compost within 4-6 weeks you will need to exert some physical activity.

You will notice in Image (A) that the three bins are all connected and separated with mesh. The reason for this is airflow which will assist in the composting time. You can use other materials instead of wire for this including a heavy duty gauze, perforated wood slats and even bricks that have been separated enought to allow air throw.

The top of Image (A) shows a board running the full length of the three compost bins. This is a great idea as it allows you to hinge lids to your bins to keep out flies and other insects.

Image (B) is for the bottom of the bins and allows you to place timber over this as a floor for your compost. I'd prefer to leave this out and just compost directly onto the soil allowing for worms to enter and retreat from the pile.

Image (C) shows the spacing between the side posts and side walls allowing a gap for boards to be added and removed from the front of the compost bin. It would be cheaper and easier to use hay bales to help keep the warmth in the bins but if these aren't available, or you prefer to keep your bins looking neat then use the boards.

When building your composting bins use materials that will stand up to some heavy duty knocks and also the elements. This way you can ensure that your bins will be useful for many years.

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The best piece of advice I can give you when it comes to cleaning your gutters and downspouts is to find someone else to do it. An older child, a helpful neighbour, your wife - anyone. Anyone ELSE that is.

It's not that it's a hard job it's just one that's easier to put off until it really matters, like when the rain is finally coming through your ceilings and creating havoc with your electricals.

The idea of having gutters is so that they catch the water runoff from your roof and then force them into your downspouts taking the excess to soaks that filter it back into the soil. However, gravity impedes this process when it also allows leaves and other natural residues to settle in your gutters and clog your downspouts.

How do you clean them? Read on...

Continue reading "Cleaning your gutter and downspouts" »

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Yesterday I found myself cleaning my non-seamless gutters in the middle of summer. I usually leave this job until the end of Autumn (Fall for those who live in places where they call Autumn "Fall") just before the first rains of winter. It makes sense to do it then because you can unclog all the debris before the gutters force the rainwater to your downpipes. It doesn't make sense cleaning them in the middle of summer!

That is unless you plan to repaint them. A long story made short.....we chose the wrong colour blue on our pre-selection colour chart and when we noticed the painter begin painting them we realised we'd made a mistake. This painter was as unhelpful as speed humps on a runway so here we are, 2 years later, repainting them with the colour we originally wanted.

Anyway, back to the gutter trash. I couldn't believe how much debris could accumulate in my gutters since last Autumn but it was like winning a composting lottery. If only the tress around my house could save me the time by directly depositing their leaves onto my compost heap, it would be perfect.

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One problem that faces many gardeners is the amount of water needed for their plants. Not enough, and your plant dies, too much and...you guessed it - your plant dies. So how do you know when the plant is getting just the right amount of water.

The biggest factor in determing a plant's watering needs is the soil that contains the plant. If we all had perfect loamy soils it would only take one answer but many gardeners have clay soils which take water in slowly and lose it slowly while gardeners here in WA have sandy soils. These sandy soils receive the water quickly but unfortunately lose it just as fast. You can read more about soil water retention here.

Another factor is evaporation. In the winter months when evaporation is low (and rainfalls are usually higher - unless you live in the tropics) the watering needs of your plants are less. In summer your plants will need increased watering. Our Water Board gave us a month by month fridge magnet watering guide which ranges from No Watering during the winter months to Every Second day during the hottest ones.

Try grouping your plants with the same watering needs. Don't put exotic annuals together with native shrubs or vice versa.

If you have been overwatering your plants, the only way to save them is to cease watering until the soil has begun drying out. If the plant is in a container try moving it to a sunnier, drier location. If the plant is in a garden bed and the bed is constantly getting too wet, you may need to raise it so that the water can seep through rather than sit.

The golden rule in watering is only water when your plants need it and then water them thoroughly.

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If you've ever had shrubs that didn't plant well, and perhaps even died, take a look at how to plant them well.

Start off with the basics, something to dig with, some water and fertilizer and of course, your new shrub - this is Callistemon viminalis - "Little John".

Dig the hole twice the width of the pot and to the same depth as the root ball. (Note: I usually would mix 1 part of this soil with 1 part cow manure and 1 part soil improver. In this case though, as it's an Australian native shrub, they're not big on fertiliser so I'll just stick to the blood 'n bone.

Transplant the shrub into the hole teasing any roots out if it's badly rootbound. Half-fill the hole with water and then backfill with the soil. Water generously after the shrub's been planted and then water regularly, at least every second day for next couple of weeks.

Make yourself a cup of coffee or herbal tea, stand back and admire the potential vista.

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