The Info Treasure Trove

Early spring is a great time for transplanting trees and shrubs, but you must do so before they wake up. Transplanting a plant is a very traumatic experience for the plant if it is awake. It’s like doing surgery on a person while they are awake. Dormancy starts in the fall as soon as you experience a good hard freeze, and the plants remain dormant until the weather warms up in the spring. This is when you should transplant, while the plants are dormant.

You can transplant in the spring up until the plants leaf out. When the buds are green and swollen you are usually safe to still transplant, but once the leaf develops, you should wait until fall. When transplanting you can dig the shrubs out bare root, just make sure they are out of the ground for as short a time as possible, and keep the roots damp while out of the ground.

Make sure there are no air pockets around the roots when you replant them. When possible, it is always better to dig a ball of earth with the plants when you transplant them. The rule of thumb is 12″ of root ball for every 1″ of stem caliper. If the diameter of the stem of a tree is 2″, then you should dig a root ball 24″ in diameter.

Don’t be afraid of cutting a few roots when you transplant. Just try not to cut them any shorter than the above guidelines allow. Cutting the roots will actually help to reinvigorate the plant. It’s a process simply known as root pruning. When the roots are severed, the plant then develops lateral roots to make up for what is lost. These lateral roots are more fibrous in nature, and have more ability to pick up water and nutrients.

Some nurseries drive tractors over the plants in the field with a device that undercuts the roots of the plant just to force the plant to develop more fibrous roots. This makes transplanting the plant the following year much more successful, and makes for a stronger and healthier plant.

The old timers root pruned by hand by forcing a spade in the ground around their plants. If you have a plant in your landscape that is doing poorly, a little root pruning while the plant is dormant could bring it around. It’s worth the effort.

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Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit his most interesting website, http://www.freeplants.com and sign up for his excellent gardening newsletter. Article provided by http://gardening-articles.com

You are about to learn the landscaping information you have been searching for. I hope you find it helpful.

Front yard landscaping is a fun expression of yourself and your home. If you are looking for a way to say, “welcome to my home” then you may want to start thinking about redesigning your front yard. If you were coming to visit your house, would you want to knock on your front door? If you are not sure about that answer, then you may want to start thinking of ways to spruce up your front yard.

To help you get started, here are some fresh ideas:

1. Add some pep to your front yard

Your home is a stranger’s first impression of you. To make your home look friendlier, add some flowers to your yard. Flowerbeds are great and simple ways to accent your front yard. Flowers can be used to line a sidewalk or the pathway to your front door. Colorful flowers in beds around your front porch are sure to be a pleasure to any newcomer.

2. Add some trees to your front yard

Trees and shrubs are a great way to line a porch or front yard property line. Shrubs are a great way to keep things looking neat and well maintained. As long as you give them the proper attention they require. Try not to use trees that loose their leaves on walkways and make them slippery. Consider using fruit or dogwood tress for the front yard. These are beautiful trees that produce sweet calming scents.

3. Decorating Porches

What you do with the front porch depends on its size. One good way to add comfort to your front porch is to use benches, tables, and accent pieces to create a warm and comfortable look. Plants and greenery is another way to add not only beauty but also, color and dept to any front porch or patio. Climbing vines are an impressive way to accent a porch railing or arch way.

4. Fix your sidewalk

Your sidewalk or pathway should be well maintained and kept clean or debris. If you have a sidewalk that needs repaired, then make the necessary mends to make it not only safe but also inviting. Sidewalks made of concrete or some sort of decorative stone or rock are best. Add a little creativity to make it a focal point of your yard.

5. Fountains or ponds

A peaceful addition to any front yard is a pond or small fountain. You do not want something that is too overwhelming. If you are add in a pond or fountain to your landscape, then add some brick or stone for the border or foundation.

6. No confusion

Some good advice for your front yard is to keep it simple. You do not want your front yard to look like a jungle or make people feel like they are going through a maze to find your front door. No matter what design you choose for your front yard, as long as you keep it neat and well maintained you will be delighted every time you walk up to your front door.

You can visit our landscaping site for more information about landscaping in Boise Idaho.

Allow a small patch of your garden to grow daisies, nettles, dandelions and even a bramble or two. The secret to containing your weeds in a small patch is not to let them seed and spread their wings! Pick them at the flower stage and they don’t get a chance to spread themselves over the rest of the garden.

Why have a weed patch?:

Well, it’s always nice to see a bit of ‘wild’ in an otherwise neat and tidy garden. But there are other more practical reasons…

Flowering weeds will encourage bees to your garden and they in turn will pollinate your other plants. Weeds are simply wild flowers and they hold a huge range of medicinal and nutritional properties just waiting to be taken advantage of…

Collect some of these regular garden weeds, in any combination for a super bath tonic to relax with…

-lawn daisies (flowers)

-dandelions (flowers and leaves)

-nettles (young leaves)

-blackberry / bramble (leaves)

Crush the flowers and leaves together and place in a 20cm. square of muslin. Bring up the edges to form a bag and tie securely. Add a loop of string to hang over the hot tap / fawcett and let the hot water run through the herb bag. Lie back and enjoy!

And if you still have a few young nettles lurking, they are full of vitamins and minerals and can be eaten in salads, steamed as a green vegetable or drunk as a tisane. The whole plant can be used to produce a greenish dye for wool.

Young brambles are high in vitamin C content and have natural diuretic properties. Make a fragrant tisane for a great alternative to regular tea. Bramble tea is also helpful in fighting off colds and flu.

Dandelions: are very versatile and most of the plant can be used in one form or another!

Young leaves are good in salads and the sap from the stalk is reputed to cure warts and verucas. I have tried this on one of my guinea pigs (children!) and it definately worked. Simply dab on the sticky sap a couple of times a day when the veruca or wart is just beginning to show.

Flowers: A traditional French country recipe is made every year on the first day you see miles of dandelions in the open fields! The idea is you collect 365 flowers only. Then you use the dandelion flowers in place of fruit in your favourite jam recipe. Add lemon and orange juice. If you want to make more, make in batches of 365 flowers - don’t try and double the recipe. There doesn’t seem to be a logical reason for this but I have tried it doubling up and it doesn’t work??!! The resulting jam though is very good for you and absolutely delicious!

…So before you drag all those weeds out of the garden, STOP - Can you think of a good use for them?

Indulge in the healthiest hobby in the world - produce your own food and feed your family well! Join Linda at http://www.flower-and-garden-tips.com for the best gardening tips, up-to-date garden bargains and her free monthly ezine. See you there!

A Room With A View
Have you ever wished you had a great view right outside your bedroom window but all you see when you wake up in the morning is the wall of the next-door neighbor’s house? Well then follow these easy steps to create your own window with a great view.

What You Will Need for This Decorating Project:
1.An old window preferably with the glass still intact. You can find these at flea markets or salvage yards.
2.Poster or picture with a pretty view large enough to put behind the window.
3.2 mug hooks
4.1 nail
5.Wire
6.10 thumbtacks
7.Hammer

If you want to paint the window, do this before moving on to the first step. You should consider though that sometimes the weathered, antique look adds a lot of charm.

How to Get This Look:
- Put the window on the floor and put the poster or picture on it so that the front is facing down.
- Use the thumbtacks to attach the picture or poster to the window.
- Make sure the picture is right side up.
- Lean the window against the wall so that you are looking at the back.
- Put the 2 mug hooks on the back of your window in the top corners.
- Make sure the opening for the mug hooks is facing down.
- Use the wire to create a “hanger” for the window. Secure the two ends of the wire on the mug hooks. Make sure there is a lot of excess wire so that when you hang the window the wire creates a triangle with 4-inch sides.
- Hammer the nail into the wall where you want your window.
- You can now add window treatments to it just as you would a normal window or wrap silk flower garlands around the wire.

Old windows can be used in a variety of ways. Here are just a few more creative ideas for the old window and a plain wall.

Decoupage pressed flowers on the different panes of glass. Try using whole flowers or just petals for an interesting country garden look.

Decoupage postcards from around the world into the panes or pictures of a favorite city, like Paris.

Paint the frame to match your child’s room. Attach clothespins (also painted in a coordinated color) all around the outside of the window. As you child grows attach school pictures to the panes and let them use the clothespins to showcase their drawings, report cards and other mementos. When the child graduates you have a ready-made decoration.

Make etched glass designs in the panes or make faux stained glass out of the windowpanes. Your local craft store should have everything you need to do this, from instructions to materials.

Use the window to create a fun decorative piece in the kitchen. Get a shelf the same width as the window and paint it the same color. Put the shelf on the wall just above the window so they look like one piece. Put mug hooks evenly spaced along the bottom of the window frame and use them to hold cute mugs, wire whisks, ladles, potholders or other items. Put recipe books along with a few decorative items that match your kitchen on the shelf, such as a vase of flowers, decorative plates or a nice clock.

© 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. This article is provided courtesy of The Do It Yourself Home Decorating Network - http://www.diyhomedecorating.com - a large and growing decorating and decor website featuring articles, tips, advice, and popular decor shopping.

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Winter has an effect not only pot plants outdoors, but also indoors. Find out what are the key factors that affect your plants in winter and what you can do to help
them stay healthy at this time of the year.

1. LIGHT is the very first element to consider. In winter, when the light is not so strong, you can place your plants closer to the windows, and rotate them regularly so all the leaves receive enough light.

Choose the most appropriate location taking into account the following window orientations:

-North: it doesn’t receive direct sunlight, but it is a good source of light for your plants. Most convenient in summer.

-South: it receives the most sunlight. Very convenient in winter.

-East: it allows early sunlight, which is very important for an excellent growing of your plants.

-West: it receives much sunlight, but its convenience depends on the amount of light the plant can receive.

2. TEMPERATURE is another key factor to consider because in winter we increase the temperature of the room via heaters, fireplaces and other heating devices. Plants suffer many times because of this, and we do not realize.

When the temperature of the room increases, the water of your plants evaporates quickly, and so it may be necessary to increase the amount of water they receive. As always, the exact amount of water will depend on the type of plant you have.

A solution to this is to place containers with water close to the plants. The leaves will absorb the water by transpiration, in a natural way.

And a quick reminder: although plants show beautifully when displayed on mantelpieces, remember to remove them before starting a fire, as the excess of heat could kill them.

3. WATERING your plants in winter is important for the reason told above. To water your plants properly, do so with abundant water fewer times, rather than with less water and very often.

The reason for this is because the water needs to reach all the roots of the plant, including the deepest ones. When you use abundant water, the plant does not need more water for a while, so you can space the watering.

If not watered properly, the plant may die, even though the surface of the soil may appear wet.

4. VENTILATION is a key factor since some indoor plants need air moving around them occasionally, so their stems and leaves can gain in strength.

Although they do not need a continuous flow of air, the truth is that they get exactly what they need under “friendly” weather conditions, that is early autumn, spring or summer, when we naturally open doors and windows and allow breeze to flow.

But in winter we keep windows closed for longer periods of time, therefore preventing air flows. Again you should ensure that your specific plant is receptive to air flows (not all indoor plants are).

5. Some plants may undergo a period of HIBERNATION during winter. Hibernation is just a natural mechanism of the plants to protect themselves of adverse weather conditions.

During this “sleeping period” the plant may stop growing or even appear weak and loose their leaves. Consequently, the owner believes (wrongly) that the plant is dying or dead and ends up throwing it away.

The thing is, while plants hibernate, they don’t need so much water nor fertilizer. If you doubt whether your plant is hibernating or actually dead, just leave it where it is and water it occasionally, and you might just see it alive again in spring.

Cristina Diaz Garcia is the Author and Founder of the “Beautiful Gardens Email Club”. Visit her page for an useful Pot Gardening free report at www.soapystuff.com/free-garden-reports.html