Garden Canopy

Living on a slope, what are the best garden ground coverings to reduce water run off down towards my house?

Sep 23, 2009 by Elissa | Posted in Garden & Landscape

I don't know what zone you are in. You might want to try "Bugle weed". It is very good for erosion control. It grows in zones 3-9. This plant all you have to do is throw it on the ground and it takes root. I have been digging it up for 5 years now out of my yard. Made a mistake and didn't plant in a container. Very nice ground cover and thick also.

"Blooming" plants for an asian inspired garden? (Zone 8)?

Apr 29, 2008 by DreamingOfYouBaby | Posted in Garden & Landscape

I need some ideas for plants for my asian inspired garden. I've found tons of ground coverings & grasses & things that don't produce blooms. Now I'm trying to find some plants with color that will hopefully attract butterflies, but need them to fit into the asian theme, & they need to be able to thrive in Zone 8. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Forgot to mention, I am wanting flowering plants.

I always think of irises, wisteria, plum, chrysanthemums, rhododendrons, cherry blossoms, peonies and poppies first in connection with the gardens of China and Japan.

Some ideas:
http://www.jgarden.org/plants.asp
http://www.a-japanese-garden.com/japanes e-garden-plants.php
Valdar's book Garden Plants of China

Help with Shade Plantings?

Mar 07, 2007 by kmunis | Posted in Garden & Landscape

I am planning to plant a garden in the shady area around the back of my house which will include primrose and lily of the valley. I also wanted to use some ground coverings and was looking at Cyclamen and Tradescantia. Can I plant both of these (since they bloom at different times) or will one choke the other one out? And if I have to chose, which is more managable - in other words, more containable?

Both are great, plant them a little farther apart to keep seperate. Blooming at different times promises more variety and a longer "window" of blooms. Hostas and impatiens are also nice and tolerate shade well.

Indoor Container Garden Advice?

Mar 29, 2008 by Sushi | Posted in Other - Home & Garden

I'm about to start my container garden. I'm going to keep the garden indoors until its large enough to be transferred outdoors. Also, I have one of those greenhouse plastic coverings that I'm going to keep on until germination.

I'm going to be planting cilantro, basil, beans, little finger carrots, bok choy, red cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers!

What I need is some last-minute advice or gardening information. I have Jiffy's soilless seed starting mixture. What else do i need to add? Is it harmful to keep the fertilized soil indoors?

I don't know just any information or techniques that can help me :)

OHOH! and among the veggies I'm going to plant, which ones need special requirements or which ones require extra sunlight, water, or nutrients.

If its cloudy... can I use any light as an "artificial sun" or do i need a special fluorescent one?

While waiting for germination, should i keep the garden near a sunny window or in a warm spot with no sunlight..

Any advice will help

Sushi, you're starting quite a project. I'll try to make it easier for you. Keep in mind that growing things usually meets with varying dregrees of success until you learn to control some of the many variables involved. If this is your first journey into gardening, you might increase your success rate by narrowing the scope of the project, i.e., reduce the number of plants and size of the garden area, limit the number of kinds of plants and use a variety of containers that could give you more options as to where any given plant or plants might grow best. For example, the plants that are going to be the bigger ones might be started in styrofoam cups filled with your potting medium, four or five seeds per cup. Be sure to punch holes in the bottom of the cup to allow excess water to drain out. These containers would allow you to experiment as to which place in your house would work out the best... by a window, in the sun, next to a heater, covered with a plastic tent, etc. This also allow you to write on the cups what kind of plants are in the cup. The smaller plants could be planted in greater numbers in styro bowls for the same reasons. Punch holes in the bowls too. You could even try different growing mediums in the containers to see if one might work better than another. And you can give them different amounts of nourishment and water. Now for some do's and don't's. Just suggestions, Sushi. You might have better luck with your plants than I have had with mine by doing it your way. Okay, here we go.
Do not let the growing medium dry completely, especially before the seeds germinate. You can usually tell when the new little plants need water.. they will droop. Be careful not to over water. Usually a good satruation and then a few days to let the medium dry a bit works best.
Do not use regular outside dirt for your planting medium. Young plants are very succeptible to fungus and virus infections which usually kill the plants. Damp-off is a sign of such an infection. If the healthy-looking young plants fall over and look as though they have been snipped off at the bottom, they have damp-off. Wilt and mold also are signs of disease problems. Use sterile potting or starting materials from the garden section of your supply stores to start them in.
After the seeds germinate, you can start feeding the plants a little bit of fertilizer. Just a weeeee bit disolved in room-temperature water and adminstered every third or fourth watering works for me. The bigger plants will require it a little more often.
After germination, most little plants like a lot of sun. If they are not getting enough sun, they will be "leggy," .. tall and skinny. Putting them in a sunny window usually works well, even if the sun doesn't shine very much. Just make sure that the containers are NOT covered with a clear plastic wrap so they can get plenty of air and not get too hot. Lights, if you use them, must be those designed for that purpose and should be closer to the plants than are the ceiling lights or tall lamps. Regular florescent bulbs won't work very well if at all.
If it's still cold where you live, putting your planted seeds and seedlings next to a cold window will slow the growing process quite a bit. Keep them warm, room temperature, if you can.
It's probably not a good idea to use a whole packet of seeds at once. First, if they all sprout, you'll have way too many plants. Second, if none of them sprout, you can try something different with some of the seeds you have left. Third, if the little plants die for some reason, you'll have some seeds left so you can start again.
Plan to live with the inside garden for a while. The new plants have to be sturdy enough to survive the transplant process, a new environment, and critter invasion. Many common birds, for example, just love tender new plants. So do worms, slugs, rabbits and insects. It's not a good idea to put the new plants in the ground outside until they have the strength to survive. You can help them get ready by taking the pots outside for a few hours a day when you think the new plants are big enough. If they seem to do well, try planting a few at first to see what happens. It can be quite deflating to have spent a whole day putting your carefully-tendered plants into your big garden outside only to find them all massacred, eaten, frozen, or sunburned the next day. Yes, new plants that have been raised sheltered from direct sunlight will sunburn rather easily. Get them used to it gradually.
You did not say what part of the country you live in. The farther north you live, the later you can transplant them outside. A good rule of thumb is to wait until the temperature of the soil outside reaches about 60 degrees F, and freezes are pretty much over with. If your new plants are sturdy and vigorous, they shoud do well with proper watering and feeding.
If you are anxious to check out how things will grow outside, get some radish seeds and plant a few of them in your garden plot every five or so days. They germinate very quickly, are hardy, will grow quickly and are cheap. You don't have to eat them; just use them as a kind of garden barometer to guage when to start planting the good stuff. And unless you really, really like zuchinni and cukes, plant only a few plants. They are prolific producers.
Finally, there are a lot of good books on gardening. If you plan to do much of it in the future, you would be wise to start reading some of them. Check the library, book stores, garden shops and the internet. After you have been at it for a while and want to take on more, there are even classes available in most communities. Check with you county extension office to find out more about such classes. Good luck and may your thumb be as green as a glorious mug of St. Patrick's Day beer.

Indoor Container Garden?

Mar 29, 2008 by Sushi | Posted in Do It Yourself (DIY)

I'm about to start my container garden. I'm going to keep the garden indoors until its large enough to be transferred outdoors. Also, I have one of those greenhouse plastic coverings that I'm going to keep on until germination.

I'm going to be planting cilantro, basil, beans, little finger carrots, bok choy, red cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers!

What I need is some last-minute advice or gardening information. I have Jiffy's soilless seed starting mixture. What else do i need to add? Is it harmful to keep the fertilized soil indoors?

I don't know just any information or techniques that can help me :)

OHOH! and among the veggies I'm going to plant, which ones need special requirements or which ones require extra sunlight, water, or nutrients.

If its cloudy... can I use any light as an "artificial sun" or do i need a special fluorescent one?

While waiting for germination, should i keep the garden near a sunny window or in a warm spot with no sunlight..

Any advice will help

Peppers need 80 degree temps to sprout. Cucumbers take a lot of space, also tomatoes. Floresent lighting helps with the growing process. Sprouted seeds need humidity to keep the water into the stems and leaves. Over watering does not work, it rots the roots, or the seedlings die from damp off.

What works for some plants is to put them between an window and the curtains. But if it is to cold it may not work for seeds just starting out.

Seeds start better if you put empty plastic bottles slightly tilted down word on your container that you are growing in. Then the soil you are using on top. This helps the roots drain off. Some flower seeds have started in just a couple of days using this method.

Consider upside down tomatoes and cucumbers. You can purchase the expensive Topsy Tervy containers, or create your own. P.S. Some of the dollar stores have hanging baskets that look like tomato cages turned up side down, that have the liners in them.

Another method of keeping moisture in the leaves of your plants is by placing a sheet of wet rocks down, and put your pots on top of them. If you use flats with the little squares, put a few rocks under the squares to lift the squares up. This helps the air circulate through the roots. Then seed your soil, and use the plastic clear top.

Happy planting.

The Garden / Guns N' Roses cover

Thank you for watching my video. This is me covering Guns N' Roses' "The Garden". I got requested this song from some people so ...