Horticulture is an activity people have done for a long time. Some people garden to provide their families with food, while others do it solely for the pleasure it brings them. Below, you’ll read some excellent tips to bring more of the enjoyment surrounding horticulture into your daily life.
Flower Bed
Biennials and annuals are great if you would like to better your flower bed. Fast-growing annuals and biennials can brighten up a flower bed, and allow you to change the look from season to season and year to year. Sunny areas in the middle of shrubs and perennials can be filled in nicely with these plants. Attention-getting options exist such as sunflowers and petunias.
To grow properly, plants need adequate levels of CO2. Typically, the higher the levels of carbon dioxide present in a plant’s environment, the better it will grow. Growing plants in a greenhouse is the best way to contain CO2 for use by your plants. CO2 levels are usually kept high to get the best growing situation for your plants.
Both cat grass and wheat grass are good for giving your errant feline pause. In addition, you could put an item on the soil’s top around the plants which has a smell that cats hate, such as citrus peel or mothballs.
Divide irises. You can increase the number of irises you have by splitting clumps that are overgrown. Lift the dead bulbous irises. The iris bulbs should easily split apart in your hand. Once you replant them, they will have a good flower show the following year. If you have a rhizome you will need to split it with a knife. Cut out new pieces from outside the bulb and throw away the old center. There needs to be a minimum of one healthy offshoot on each of the new sprout sections. Replant your cuttings immediately for the best results.
Natural Materials
You can prevent pests using other plants or natural materials. Forming a border around your vegetable garden with marigolds or onions are ideal for repelling slugs. Another way to get rid of pests is to spread wood ash at ground level around shrubs and tree plantings. Natural materials and plants can be just as effective as chemical pesticides at keeping unwanted visitors out of your garden!
Pouring the excess water from your dinner of steamed veggies on them can help. You can also acidify soil for rhododendrons, gardenias and more by using coffee or tea grounds. Chamomile tea can be an effective treatment against fungus attacking plants.
Gardening is a great way to relax. Many methods of relaxation can be employed to lead a peaceful life. Gardening on a sunday afternoon is a simple method of making this happen. Gardening only requires a small investment and you will get so much more out of it. Knowing that you have grown these plants yourself can give you a great feeling of joy and inner peace.
Pick one plant to serve as your garden’s focal point. You need a focal point that can catch your eye in garden design. A perfect example of a focal point is using a plant that doesn’t bear any resemblance to those that surround it.
As this article noted earlier, gardening is a centuries old pastime that countless generations have enjoyed and benefited from. It was a requirement and a way of life a long time ago. Now, it can be for profit, need, or pleasure. The information above will increase your enjoyment of horticulture, regardless of your reason for wanting to garden. Love your hobby and enjoy the rewards!
Originally posted 2013-10-28 18:12:50.