Backyard Gardening Tips

Topiary can be a lot of fun if you have an imagination and some patience. Topiary is the art of shaping trees and shrubs into shapes of all types and sizes.

There have been some quite outstanding topiary shapes created by garden artists over the years and many people get pleasure from practicing this art in home gardens across the country.

While it is not quite as popular as it once was it is still something that can create a focal point in any garden and is an alternative to other forms of garden sculpture.

If you decide to try your hand at topiary you will need to have the right plants for the job.

The best plants to use are those that are evergreen. The plants should also have small leaves and the foliage should be as dense as possible to make shaping easier and the final result will look more professional.

From there it is time to start shaping the plant using your cutting shears.

As this is generally done freehand it can take some time to get the experience needed to create even lines and curves.
Until you have the experience to do this, many people use shaped wires to assist as a guide.

You will need to be patient and only cut off small amounts while you let the shape develop, as a cut too large will result in delays while the plant grows back again.

There is an alternative method that some people use in their garden where the shape is already determined by the use of a wire cage and plants such as ivy are left to grow over the wire giving the impression that it is topiary.

This is the easy alternative but you will have to wait for the ivy to completely cover the cage before you have the desired effect. The benefit of using this method is the fact that you have a lot more control over the shape of the structure and there is less skill involved other than creating the wire cage.

Image via WikipediaTo ensure that your succulents get the very best in growing conditions, particularly if you are growing them in pots, you will need to buy good quality specially formulated succulent mix. This is generally the same type mix that you would also use for growing cacti.

Slow release fertilizer will help your succulents  to remain healthier by supplying them with necessary nutrients throughout the year and the best time to give them this fertilizer is in spring.

They will grow better when exposed to the full sun as they don’t like frosts. Over the summer months you will need to give them sufficient water and that will generally be once or twice a week.

Over the winter months they should get enough water to only need watering once a month. Obviously you will need to adjust this depending on the climate they are growing in but that is a general guideline to follow.

When you water your succulents you should avoid wetting their foliage.

They are fairly maintenance free and can add color to pots where you are growing larger trees. They also make a nice looking ground cover that will reduce the amount of weeds depending on the type of succulent you choose.

Placed in multi colored pots, succulents can look quite impressive with contrasting colors in designer gardens and courtyards.

They are excellent for smaller pots where they can add color and life to patios and decks provided they get sufficient sunlight.

They make an ideal plant for the busy apartment dweller where there is only minimal outdoor area and not enough room for larger plants.

They can also withstand winds that might damage other plants grown in these conditions. They are the ideal plant to have in window boxes and come in many different varieties, colors, shapes and sizes.

Image by net_efekt via FlickrGardening Tips - Planning a vegetable garden is something that most avid gardeners begin right after Christmas and continue until the ground can finally be broken in late spring. Many will begin planting seeds indoors to speed the harvest, and others will pore over seed catalogues to find the perfect carrot hybrid.

Another aspect of planning a vegetable garden that is very important in ensuring that all of your plants get the proper nutrients is crop rotation. By rotating your crops every year, you will ensure that the micronutrients remain intact in the soil, and you will greatly reduce the occurrence of soil diseases. It is not hard to work crop rotation into planning a vegetable garden as long as you start early and follow a few basic principles.

Perennials should Stay Put

Most of your vegetable garden crops are annuals, which means that they are replanted every year. These are the plants that you will consider for placement and rotation when planning a vegetable garden. Other crops will come back year after year, and these are known as perennials. Some common vegetable garden perennials include artichokes, asparagus and rhubarb. These plants will not shift position, and this should also be taken into consideration when it comes to planning a vegetable garden. In most cases, it is best to plant perennials along the side or out of the way of the rest of the crops to make crop rotation of your annuals an easier task.

Understanding the Vegetable Families

When it comes to crop rotation and planning a vegetable garden, the first step is to understand the different vegetable families. It is these families that should be rotated each year, so that each group will be in a different spot for four consecutive seasons. The Allium family includes crops like onions, garlic and leeks. Brassicus are plants like broccoli, kale and brussel sprouts. Crucifers include many root vegetables such as turnips and radishes, and the cucurbits family encompasses cucumbers, squash and melons. Legumes basically consist of peas and beans and solanaceae includes tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.

By rotating these vegetable families every year when planning a vegetable garden, you can rest assured that you crops will receive the best soil and conditions to thrive throughout the season. Rotate your crops in these groupings, keeping your garlic and onions growing together and your tomatoes and peppers in a single spot. This simple process will offer the greatest harvest for your planting efforts by providing the maximum nutrients and greatly reducing your risk of disease.

Image via WikipediaGardening Tips - It is easy to test the pH of the soil in your garden with the use of a simple and inexpensive test kit. All you need to do with the test kit is take a sample of the soil and mix it with water and then compare the results in the sample to the colors on the chart. This will tell you whether the soil is acidic or alkaline.

If the soil is too acidic you can add lime to bring it back into balance. If on the other hand there is too much lime and the pH reading is high you can add more compost to reduce the levels of the lime in the soil.

Soil that is slightly acidic tends to be more fertile.

Old gardeners used to use a simple taste test to determine the condition of the soil. This method isn’t recommended but it can be quite accurate.

If the soil tastes sour then it is likely to be acid. This is also represented by a sour smell.

Vinegar is another way to test whether there is enough lime in the soil, as lime will cause the vinegar to bubble. Drop some soil into a cup of vinegar and if it starts to bubble then you know there is enough lime in the soil.

For the low cost of a pH tester, you will get a lot more accurate reading and this will allow you to easily monitor the condition of your soils and adjust the nutrients accordingly rather than guessing what is needed and not having optimum nutrition.

You should also take samples at different points throughout your garden, as there can be changes in the soil from one area to the next depending on what has been added over the years and what has been growing in the various sections of the garden.

When you notice yellowing or browning on the leaves of your plants then it’s quite possible you have leaf scorch. It generally begins on the edges or the tips of the leaves and eventually will cover the whole of the leaf. Sometimes the leaves will fall off.

It is usually caused by winds and particularly those winds that are hot and dry. It will also happen with salt laden winds that can occur if you are living close to the sea.

Often you will only notice this condition on one side of the plant and that will be the side that is exposed most to the winds.
Creating shelter will help to reduce the damage that the wind will cause.

Another reason why you might get leaf scorch will be through the application of excessive amounts of fertilizer.

There is no treatment for the leaves that have already been damaged other than to remove them from the plant and try to solve the problem before the rest of the plant suffers.

Other than providing a windbreak, you should ensure that the plant gets sufficient water, particularly in the dry season and always follow the instructions on the fertilizer packets to ensure you aren’t giving your plants too much fertilizer.

You might also need to consider moving the plant to a better position that is less exposed.

Yellow or golden leaved plants are usually more susceptible to leaf scorch than other plants and you might find that the plant you have chosen, that is suffering from leaf scorch, might not be suitable for the climate you are trying to grow it in.

If this is so, then the only alternative will be to replace that plant with something that is a little hardier. If you live on a coastal property you need to consider the affect that the salt wind will have on plants and chose accordingly.