Backyard Gardening Tips

Just like the Nike ad says “Just Do It,” this is exactly the perspective one needs in getting good at garden designs. You can always move plants around your gardens and as your ideas and taste change, your gardens can grow with you.

There are some simple elements of garden design. Think of designing your garden with living art in mind being creative and free to try whatever suits your taste. There are no limitations to the creativity that’s’ within, no comparison or fear of failure. Although gardening successfully requires learning certain skills, when all is said and done a garden’s beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Just go for it and let your gardens be the expression of you.

Garden design and its principles used may be called by different names. There are three basic concepts when combined together will bring about good garden design. Ultimately your gardens’ design is up to you and should reflect your own personality and flare.

Order, balance and proportion are the basic structure of the garden. Order is symmetrical through repeating plants or colors. Bold or bright additions bring balance as well as adding some texture. Texture is an important ingredient. Gardens come to life with different textured plants much like the human race. All different but flowing together and being brought together through unity and harmony creating comfort and peace.

When all of the parts of the garden are flowing together it is captivating and ones’ spirit is caught up in the beauty.
Using a limited color pattern, repetition of plants and a clear focal point creates this environment. Theme gardens are very soothing: all one color, butterfly gardens or cross gardens keep you flowing in like unity.You’ll also hear a lot of talk about starting your garden with good bones. That basically means creating an outlining foundation, with trees, structures, paths, etc. for the rest of the garden to build off of. Evergreen is a favorite of the good bones.
Having a focal point is a big benefit for every garden. With no focal point the eye starts to wonder here and there without every getting a grasp of a main feature. This is not creating the harmony you desire for your gardens or creating any curb appeal. Beginning gardeners seem to pick the same flowers or foliage over and over again which has no visual interest. Planting an architectural, bold leafed plant, can restore this visual interest instead of the monotony of likeness.

Last, but not least, is adding color to your gardens. Experimenting with your favorite colors is a good way to see what works best for you. The best advice to heed though is to start out with 2-3 colors to keep the artist palette limited. You can always add new colors to your gardens by eyeballing it along the way. This way you keep the living painting flowing in the harmony you wish to relate. You will then have a peaceful retreat that you have created and enable others to share that intimate part of you.

We have a few plants and shrubs that will be right in our garden if we don’t move them.

While winter is the ideal time to move plants they can be successfully moved at any time throughout the year provided care is taken. I kinda like that as winter is just not the time for me to go outside. I would rather be south sipping drinks while my neighbours enjoy all the ice and snow.

Smaller plants, under three feet high, are the easiest to move.

• The first step is to trim the plant by about one third.
• The next step is to dig the plant out ensuring that the root ball is approximately the same diameter as the plant.
• The plant can then be transplanted in the new position in the garden and the soil around it firmed.

The procedure with bigger plants in the 3-foot to 5-foot range is much the same but will take a little more time.

• Once you have dug around the plant to a depth of approximately 1 to 1 1/2 feet, you should leave it for a week before finishing the removal.
• After a week ease the plant out by digging under the roots and trim off long or damaged roots before transplanting.

For bigger plants and trees the procedure gets a little more involved.

• The first step is to dig down deeply on two sides of the plant, through the roots at the drip line.
• The plant should then be left for a week or two before the same procedure is repeated on the other two sides of the plant.

As with the smaller plants you will need to trim the plant back by about one third before starting. After having dug around all sides of the plant you should wait another couple of weeks before digging under the roots. Again, you will need to trim off long or damaged roots in preparation for the transplant.

Let another week or two pass before removing the plant and wrapping the root ball with Hessian to protect the roots.

You should have already prepared a new hole that will be slightly bigger than the root ball of the plant you are replacing. Add compost, mix and slow release fertilizer before transplanting the plant.
Top up the soil and water it well. Provided you have taken good care along the way the plant should settle in to its new location without any problems.

Ground cover has many different uses in the backyard garden. It can be used to help reduce the amount of weeds that will appear in the garden by covering over the space between plants where the weeds might grow.

There is a downside to this though, as weeding can become a bit more difficult when you need to remove the weeds that will still invariably grow in amongst the ground cover.

Ground cover can also help to keep the moisture in the soil by stopping it from drying out from direct sunlight.

It can also add color and texture to the garden. A lot of the ground cover that is available can supply a splash of color right throughout the year where some will have color in their leaves and then additional color when they flower. Being so close to the ground they can stay in better condition in windy conditions where they aren’t quite so exposed as other flowering plants.

Most ground cover is quite durable and it is an excellent way to add color to gardens that are in conditions where other flowering plants might not survive.

Some ground cover plants grow very well and thrive in shaded areas where other plants might struggle to survive and they generally require very little maintenance.

They are also excellent for creating borders around gardens where there are larger plants or trees growing or where other plants won’t be able to get sufficient nutrition to grow to their full potential.

They are particular good for covering areas that are not easily accessible and would normally be too hard to maintain if you were to attempt to grow other plants there.

They also make a nice display when grown in and around rocks and sculptures in the garden and can make a nice mat when grown at the foot of a garden seat, provided of course that you choose one that is durable enough to withstand light foot traffic.

There have been many advances in the field of natural insecticide. Some would say that some of the advancements are not for the better. This is because the natural insecticide is not exactly in the state that nature gave it to us in. So, how natural is natural insecticide?

Some of the people who grapple with this issue are those who seek to do their part in keeping the natural world in balance. They believe that the earth is an ecological system in which every living entity has a part to play. They have a strict idea of what natural insecticide is.

They don’t have faith in a system where, as they believe, the balance is upset by one species. They believe that man’s emphasis on technological progress is damaging to the planet by its very nature. These people are extremely uncomfortable with biotechnology and its changing of natural insecticide.

Then, there are those who don’t agree that there is balance or harmony in nature. They see the world as a constantly changing system where new developments are always coming along. Advancements in natural insecticide are only one of them. Also, while the first group of people attributes good will to the “Mother Earth,” the second group sees no morality to earth, good or bad.

The people who see the world as ever-changing, the naturalists, are more likely to recognize the destructiveness of nature. They recognize that hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes, are devastating occurrences. Famine and disease can also be caused by nature.

For this reason, naturalists see the world as something to be explored and understood. They may enjoy a beautiful waterfall, but they feel no reverence for it. They believe that a human being has intelligence in order to do a part in advancing the health of the planet. Part of this is in further development of natural insecticide.

These naturalists, unlike those who believe in the Mother Nature idea, believe that biotechnology can produce products as natural as any other natural insecticide. They don’t see the difference in using biotechnology for agriculture and using laboratory science to make pharmaceuticals, for instance. They see biotechnology for natural insecticide as a good thing.

Naturalists are more likely to see the similarities between biotechnology and the cross-breeding of plants and animals that has been done for centuries. We have always used this method, if not this particular technique. Now it is being used with a natural insecticide.

At issue are bioengineered crops such as Bt corn. Bacillus thurengiensis is a natural insecticide that has been used for many years. Now, it is being put into the genetic structure of corn. This makes the corn resistant to insects.

However, many say that, now that the Bt is in the corn, it is no longer a natural insecticide. Those with a Gaia world view, that is those who believe in Mother Nature, are likely to believe this. The naturalists believe that Bt corn is a normal advancement.

This argument carries over into all the biotechnological advancements in natural insecticide. The naturalists just believe they are using their God-given intelligence to make the world a better place. Those with a Gaia world view think they are over-stepping.

Many of us garden because we want to grow our own fruits and vegetables. An attractive landscape or curb appeal may be the goal of others. Gardening, no matter what kind, can also be therapeutic. For many people gardening relaxes the mind, body and spirit. Actually, it is not gardening that’s relaxing but the way that we approach it. If gardening is seen as a chore, it’s stressful. If we view it as enjoyable, it can help relieve stress.

Focusing on your gardening task is the key to relieving stress. Digging, chopping, and hitting motions can relieve stress and tension. In some settings, people hit dummies, slam pillows or hit into thin air but motions of gardening release stress. Strenuous activities also provide an outlet for pent up aggression. Strenuous activities are certainly not the only ways to relieve stress. Something as simple as a walk around the garden may be just what the doctor ordered. When you take your walk, be sure to absorb all the colors, fragrances and designs in the garden. You can also admire your gardening skills and this is sure to reverse the stress into a state of well being.

Here are some pointers for your stress free gardening:

Make a short “to do” list and stick to it. Don’t try to do everything in one afternoon, evening, or weekend because this is sure to manifest as stress. Attack garden chores with the same vigor as weight-lifting, running, or swimming.
Stop and rest periodically reviving yourself with some stretching and plenty of fluids.

Listening to music while gardening can add a pleasurable environment with the calming effect of your favorite tunes. Teach your children how to garden. Not only will they be learning a lifelong skill but will cherish the time spent with you.

Stress is at an all time high in the society we live in today and is the root cause of many diseases and chronic illnesses. Learn how to quite your mind and tune out the noise by having brief moments of internal silence. If you don’t have the yard or space to denote your own gardening skills, volunteer! There are many places that have horticultural therapy programs that are in need of volunteers. Schools, day cares, nursing homes and hospitals are great places to start looking to volunteer.

Gardening has many other advantages, too. Growing your own produce supplies you with fresh fruit and vegetables for your summer meals. This is always too a great avenue to share the harvest with friends and family. What’s better than home grown tomatoes from your own garden? Being out in the sun in limited amounts of time gardening also supplies you with vitamin D. Sunshine brightens your spirits and will give you that sun kissed glow. Remember moderation is key when being out in the sun.

Gardening usually requires a lot of bending and lifting. Doing it the wrong way can put a lot of strain on your lower back so a good technique for planting or weeding is to squat. Put one knee on the ground rather than bending at the waist switching knees every few minutes. Kneel on a small pillow or purchase knee pads which you can buy at a department store, hardware store, or gardening shop. Also use caution when lifting shrubs or bags of soil or waste. Try to keep your back straight and bend at your knees.

Use your legs instead of your back to lift the weight. Be careful not to twist your body and if something is too heavy to lift then wait on help. Gardening is an excellent way to relieve stress for all ages but remember to do it safely and over time. Gardening can become not only a stress reliever but an fulfilling hobby to share with your friends and family.