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Articles

  • Blue Wild Flowers for Your Garden by Kathy Burns-Millyard
  • Butterfly Gardening by Jane Lake
  • Gardening for Stress Relief by Susan Stewart
  • How to Change the Color of Hydrangeas by Charlotte Harris
  • How to Grow Hydrangeas by Charlotte Harris
  • How to Transplant Irises by LeAnn R Ralph
  • Planting Guide for Roses by J.L.
  • Rose Pruning Tipsby J.L.

    • Blue Wild Flowers for Your Garden

    By Kathy Burns-Millyard

    Planting wild flowers in your garden, or simply scattering wild flower seeds around an area of your yard are both ways to take advantage of Mother Nature's treasured gifts. Wild flowers are carefree, colorful, and tend to attract bees, butterflys and birds. So planting wild flowers not only gives you an easy maintenance flower garden... it also promises to be a constant source of interesting activity throughout the year.

    The following wild flowers are blue to purple in color, and some say this is a favorite color of bees.

    VIRGINIA or COMMON DAY-FLOWER (Commelina Virginica) - Spiderwort family The Day Flower has blue, one inch wide or smaller flowers which tend to be irregular. The flowers are grouped at the end of the stem, and are upheld by long leaf-like bracts. The leaves are lance-shaped and 3-5 inches long. The upper leaves form like a hood of sorts about the flower. These wild flowers prefer moist, shady ground and flower from June through September.

    The day flower tends to open in the morning and looking somewhat "alert". In the afternoon, or after the bees have visited and fertilized it, the petals roll up and quickly wilt into a wet, shapeless mass which will leave a sticky blue fluid on your fingers if you touch it.

    SPIDERWORT; WIDOW'S or JOB'S TEARS (Tradescantia Virginiana) - Spiderwort family The Spiderwort's flowers are purplish blue in color but on rare occasion they can be white. There's usually several flowers about 1-2 inches wide, and usually contain clusters of drooping buds between long, blade-like bracts at the end. This one can grow from 8-36 inches tall, and has long blade-like leaves. It prefers rich, moist woods, thickets or garden space, and it flowers from May through August.

    Like its relative the dayflower, the spiderwort opens for part of a day only. In the morning it is wide awake and pert; early in the afternoon its petals have begun to retreat and wither away. New blooms appear each day throughout the season though.

    WILD HYACINTH, SCILLA or SQUILL. QUAMASH (Quamasia kyacinthina; Scilla Fraseri of Gray) - Lily family

    The Wild Hyacinth tends to produce many pale violet blue flowers, though once in awhile they can be white. There tend to be equal groups of 6 flowers on long, oblong-shaped branches. The plant tends to grow 1-2 feet tall, and has grass-like, short leaves. These wild flowers prefer meadows, prairies and stream banks, and they bloom from April to May.

    These wild flowers tend to be low maintenance, and they propogate on their own, without being invasive. In addition to attracting bees, the Wild Hyacinth also tends to attract ants, wasps, flies, butterflies, and beetles.

    Whether you prefer to start your flowers from seeds or potted starter plants, wild flowers are a wonderful addition to any type of garden. Creating a stand alone wild flower garden is also a fantastic way to make a great, naturalized impression in large or unused areas of your landscape.

    Watch for future articles where I'll introduce you to many other wild flowers in a variety of other colors too!


    © 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard, The Garden Source Network - http://www.garden-source.com - A premier online publication featuring gardening articles, tips, advice, resources, shopping and supplies. This article may be freely published on any website, as long as the author, copyright, website address and link, and this notice are left intact.
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    Butterfly Gardening

    By Jane Lake

    Copyright © 2005 Jane Lake All Rights Reserved

    Butterfly gardening is not only a joy, it is one way that you can help restore declining butterfly populations. Simply adding a few new plants to your backyard may attract dozens of different butterflies, according to landscape designers at the University of Guelph.

    Butterflies, like honeybees, are excellent pollinators and will help increase your flower, fruit and vegetable production if you provide them with a variety of flowers and shrubs. They are also beautiful to watch, and are sometimes called "flowers on the wing."

    Remember that butterflies are cold-blooded insects that bask in the sun to warm their wings for flight and to orient themselves. They also need shelter from the wind, a source of water, and partly shady areas provided by trees and shrubs.
    Copyright © 2005 Jane Lake
    About the Author:
    Jane Lake is a professional writer whose articles have appeared in Canadian Living, You, Modern Woman, Exchange and Highlights magazines. To learn how to make your own butterfly nectar and butterfly feeders, please read her article, Butterfly Food, at . To view all of her nature articles, including how to make homemade nectar for hummingbirds and orioles, plus more advice on butterfly gardening, see her nature crafts section at All Free Crafts.
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    Gardening for Stress Relief

    By Susan Stewart

    In its purest form, gardening is about connecting with the earth and resetting our clocks to the simple, natural rhythms of life. Try as we may, we can't really speed up a tomato plant and make it grow by our time table. We must adapt and in doing so, gardening offers us a gentle reminder about what's really important in life: food, water, warmth, a bit of loving attention, and some room to grow.

    Gardening is one of the fastest growing pastimes in the U.S., as well as one of the healthiest. Beyond its spiritual aspects, gardening can be a great stress reliever. Digging, raking, planting, pruning, and harvesting are physical activities that provide a constructive outlet for tensions that build up in our bodies. Gardening activities draw on your endurance, give you flexibility and strength, build muscle and strengthen the heart and lungs, as well as helping with weight control.

    And with numerous studies showing us that regular physical activity reduces your risk of premature death, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, adult-onset diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, depression and colon cancer, it's clear that we all must take responsibility for ourselves and do what we can to stay healthy. So if you think you might enjoy gardening, here are some ideas to get you started:

    Start small and plant things that you will enjoy. If flowers make you happy, plant a few flowers. Over time you will find what works and what doesn't. Don't worry too much about the best way to do things. The most important thing is to just get started.

    If you are hoping to reduce stress through gardening, it's important to make sure that working in the garden doesn't simply create additional stresses. That means, take it easy. Keep your gardening to-do list short. Stretch before and after working in the garden to minimize aches and pains. Take breaks to sit back, rest and appreciate what you've accomplished. Listen to music while you work.

    If a large garden sounds like too much work or you don't have the room, think about trying Micro-gardening. Grow your own plants - food or flowers in containers rather than in a plot of ground. The size of the garden is completely up to you. There's micro-gardening, and then there's MICRO-gardening.

    If you have access to outside areas such as a patio, balcony or porch, your micro-gardening opportunities increase greatly. You may not even need to buy special pots. If you have old flowerpots, buckets, half-barrels or even concrete blocks, you have the makings of great gardening. Make sure the containers are clean and have drainage holes. If there aren't any holes, start with a layer of pebbles before adding the dirt.

    Herbs grow particularly well indoors. Depending on your cooking style, one plant each can produce all the parsley, dill, thyme, basil and oregano you need for an entire season of meals. Follow the seed packet directions, or buy individual seedlings, and you're on your way.

    Remember that when container-gardening, the plants count on you for their moisture. They might not receive enough rain and dew to grow well, so water the plants when the dirt starts to dry out.

    Growing your own makes it easier to get the minimum "five-a-day" servings of veggies and fruits the experts now recommend for health. Recent research confirms that most common fruits and vegetables come packed not only with the vitamins and minerals already known to support good health, but also with "phytonutrients" demonstrated to boost the immune system, retard the aging process, and help heal or prevent many chronic diseases.

    Gardening is good exercise, especially if you take a pass on all the latest power tools and put your muscle to the tasks of digging, turning and spreading compost, collecting and spreading mulch, hoeing and picking rocks. Activities like these burn calories, build muscle and strengthen the heart and lungs. Even a small vegetable garden can save money. To ensure savings, though, a backyard gardener needs to stick to the basic tools and supplies and keep a tight rein on the temptation to own all the newest gadgets. For the biggest savings in energy, dollars and space, look into intensive gardening, the art of producing a lot of food in a small space.

    You just can't beat gardening for stress relief. The simple acts of planting seeds and tending plants can restore balance and perspective during the most wrenching life crises. Research has demonstrated that people heal faster after surgery when exposed to natural scenery - even looking at photographs of green plants speeds recovery. So what are you waiting for? Get started today!


    Susan Stewart is co-founder and partner of It's My Nature, an Aromatherapy business based in Florence, Oregon. Providing dried herbs, essential oils and many comfort and stress reducing products. Catering to the beginner with small sizes, recipes and an informative monthly newsletter. See It's It's My Nature's large, informative website, or call 1-888-445-5051 for a free brochure.
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    How to Change the Color of Hydrangeas

    By Charlotte Harris


    Do you have a blue mophead hydrangea that you would like to be pink? Or, do you have a pink hydrangea that you want to turn blue? Hydrangea Macrophylla, also known as French Hydrangea, or Mopheads because of their large clusters of flowers, are beautiful and easy to grow, and you can "play with" their colors.

    You can change the color of their blossoms by changing the acidity of the soil in which they are growing. The color is actually determined by the availability of the aluminum in the soil to the plant. If the pH is low (pH 5-6, acidic) the blooms will be blue. If the pH is high (pH 6.8-7.2, alkaline) the blooms will be pink. If your hydrangea has both pink and blue flowers at the same time, the soil is at, or near neutral.

    So how do you change the pH of the soil?


    For pink blooms:
    • Add dolomic lime 3-8 cups around the base of a large plant (less around a small one) 2 or 3 times between the blooming seasons. Or try a bit of superphosphate around the base of the plant.

    For blue blooms:
    • Aluminum sulfate, 3 to 4 Tablespoons per gallon of water, applied 2 times, 2 weeks apart, 4 to 6 months prior to blooming.
    • You can also add egg shells, coffee grinds, ground-up Orange or Grapefruit peels.

    Be patient. It sometimes takes a year or two to see the results, and you will need to continue the treatment, or the plant will revert back to the color it was.

    Have fun with your hydrangeas. The white varieties, such as Peegee, Silver Leaf, and Hills of Snow, DON'T respond to the pH change, they stay white.
    Charlotte Harris is the owner of Charlotte's Garden. You may reprint this article as long as you include the link back, and e-mail me as to how you use it.
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    How to Grow Hydrangeas

    By Charlotte Harris


    Whether you call them Hydrangea Macrophylla, House Hydrangea, French Hydrangea, or Mopheads, growing Hydrangeas in the home garden can be an enjoyable experience. They are lovely, whether used as single plants or in mass, such as in a hedge, or border.

    Growing Conditions:

    • Hydrangeas grow best in partial shade to full sun. They prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, especially in hot areas
    • Hydrangeas need a lot of water. In fact the word “Hydrangea” comes from the Greek for “water tub”!
    • They grow best in rich soil, so dig in a lot of compost, and other organic matter, when you plant them, and mulch well.

    Fertilization:

    • Fertilize liberally in the spring, in May in the South, and again in August. Wait until June to fertilize in northern areas. Use a good balanced, slow-release, fertilizer and apply ¼ cup around the base of a very small plant, and 1-2 cups around a very large plant. Spread out to drip line, but don’t get it next to the trunk. Mulch with homemade compost to cover roots.
      Never fertilize a plant that looks sick or wilted, it will just stress it more.

    Propagation:

    • You can propagate from softwood cuttings in June. Take a 6”-8” tip cutting, strip off the bottom leaves, dip end in rooting hormone, then stick about one inch deep in sterile moist sand, vermiculite or sphagnum moss. Create a mini green house over plants with plastic and place in bright light, not full sun, until roots form.
    • Or, you can just root them in water. Again, place in bright light away from full sun until the roots form.

    Planting:

    1. Dig a hole 2 times as deep and wide as the root ball. Break up soil in the hole and mix in 1 inch compost.
    2. Remove from container and loosen soil around outside of root ball.
    3. Set in hole so plant is at same level it was in the pot, you may need to add dirt back into the hole to raise it up.
    4. Fill in hole, around plant, with the soil and pack gently. Water well to remove air pockets. Mulch well with compost.
    5. Early fall is the best time to plant new Hydrangeas.

    Pruning:

    • In Spring, prune back old or damaged growth, and old flower stems. Don’t cut new shoots, they are where the new blooms will be.
    • In late summer, after blooming, prune to just above the next outward facing bud.
    • For larger flower clusters, thin plant down to half the number of stems.

  • Problems:

    • Powdery Mildew—evidenced by white powder on leaves, which then turn yellow and wilt. Treat by removing infected parts and spraying with a fungicide.
    • If the plants aren’t blooming well, it could be due to:
      1. Winter kill. The buds form on the previous years growth, and can be killed off if temps drop below 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Protect when harsh weather is expected.
      2. Too much shade. They prefer partial to full sun, preferably morning sun, with shade during the hot afternoons.
      3. Poor Fertilization.

    Fun Fact:

    You can change the color of the blossoms, by changing the acidity of the soil!
    Add Aluminum Sulfate to make the soil acid for Blue flowers. Or, add Lime to make the soil alkaline for Pink flowers.
    You will need to repeat the process 2 or 3 times over the growing season and continue it as long as you want the change to continue. It may take a year or two to see the results you want. This doesn’t usually work on the white varieties on Hydrangeas.


    About the Author: Charlotte Harris is the owner of Charlotte's Garden A monthly gardening calendar with lots of helpful gardening hints and articles.
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    How to Transplant Irises

    By LeAnn R Ralph

    In my experience, irises are among the easiest flowers to transplant.

    One spring many years ago, an older friend of mine dug up an iris bed at her home. They were bearded irises -- a lovely shade of lilac purple -- and she moved some of them to a different location. The irises had already started to grow and were about four inches high. She didn't know what to do with the remaining irises, so she put them in a box, intending to give them away.

    As it turned out, the irises remained in the box for more than two weeks. By now, she didn't feel she could give them away because she didn't think they would grow. I offered to take the irises and plant them, just to see what would happen.

    The irises were not one bit bothered about being in a box for more than two weeks with no water and no dirt around their roots. I planted them, they started growing, and they're still going strong more than 25 years later.

    In the past two decades, I have thinned out the irises and planted them in other locations. I have also found irises growing by old homesteads where no buildings remain (I live in rural Wisconsin) and have dug them up and transplanted them in my yard. Each year in early June, the irises bloom in a variety of colors: white, blue, yellow and purple.
    Here's how to transplant irises:

    1. Prepare the new flower bed where you intend to plant the irises.
    2. Use a shovel to dig up the roots that you want to transplant. Irises have very tough root systems. If the irises are exceptionally thick, a trowel probably won't do the trick. Stick the shovel into the dirt among the irises and start digging. And don't worry about cutting the roots with the shovel. You won't be able to avoid it. Irises spread by their roots, so many of the plants will be connected. Even a short section of root stands an excellent chance of transplanting.
    3. Dig holes with a trowel about four inches deep and eight to ten inches apart. Put the iris roots into the holes and cover with soil.
    4. Water the transplanted irises thoroughly. For the remainder of the season, water the irises a couple of times each week, especially when rain is in short supply.
    Observations about irises:
    1. From what I have seen of the irises growing in my flower beds, they are tough plants that are quite drought resistant. Like any plant, they will do better when they receive plenty of water, but during years when it has been dry, they have still survived extremely well. And of course, the irises that I dug up from old homesteads didn't have any help at all during drought years, and *they* made it just fine.
    2. The irises in my yard seem to do equally well in full sun or in partial shade.
    3. Trimming the iris leaves after the plants are done blooming to give more room and more light to other plants nearby doesn't seem to bother the irises. For the past couple of years, I have trimmed irises growing next to my rose bush, and the following year, the irises have come back as strong as ever.
      ********************

      LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books "Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm" (trade paperback 2003); "Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam" (trade paperback 2004); "Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Interviewing Family Members and Writing Oral Histories" (e-book 2004). You are invited to read sample chapters and to sign up for the free monthly newsletter, Rural Route 2 News -- http://ruralroute2.com

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      Planting Guide for Roses

      By J.L.

      The art of planting roses doesn’t have to be a complicated thing to do. When you have the right knowledge there is no limit to how beautiful a garden or rosebush that you can create.

      In this guide, you will not only have all of the right skills at your fingertips, but you will get 101 tips that you can use to grow your very own bed of roses. With this extensive manual at hand, you will never have to buy another bouquet again. Now you will have all of the beauty and delicious fragrance that roses can give you with you all the time.

      Planting Guide for Roses

      Check with your local gardening center or florist for the best type of roses to grow in you climate. If you are a novice, you should look for disease resistant types of roses because they require a lot less maintenance.

      When planting roses, you want to pick a spot that is well lit in the morning. You also want an area that is sunlit for at least 6 hours a day. Roses need a great deal of light if they are to grow properly.

      Pick an area that has plenty of well drained soil. Great soil has a PH level where the amount of acid in the soil is at about 5.5-7.0. You can get a testing kit for your soil at any garden center.

      Organic matter like manure or lime helps to nourish the roots of your roses. You should soak the roots in water or puddle clay for many minutes, and cut off the root’s ends that are broken.

      The first 3-4 weeks after planting your roses, you should water them often. Usually this is when the top 2 inches of soil is dry. Roses need a lot of hydration and food to remain healthy. Four weeks after planting, you should start soaking the bed every 2 weeks or so. You should do this in the morning for the best results.

      Begin fertilization approximately 3 months after planting. Use 3-6 inches of mulch to control the moisture, temperature, and to stops weeds from coming up. Mulch also helps to lock in the vital nutrients your roses need in order to remain healthy. Planting in the Spring is the best.

      You want to plant your roses in an area that is well circulated with air. Your roses will not grow in an enclosed or tight area. Dig a hole that is two times bigger than the amount of space that your roses take up. It makes it easier to plant them and creates a spaced area for them to grow with freedom. Poor circulation for your roses can cause fungal diseases. Using a larger hole also makes it easier for you to pull them up later and pot them if you’d like.

      About The Author: To find many more articles on roses, and other plants and flowers, head over to Gardenarticles.com where we have all a gardener could want!

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      Rose Pruning Tips

      Pruning your roses is one of the most needed and the most annoyingly difficult tasks that goes with proper rose care. It takes a steady hand the proper procedure to ensure the best possible roses that you can get.

      Pruning your roses is basically the act of getting rid of dead and damaged pieces, and teaching the new growth to grow in the correct outward facing direction. That just means that you are training them to grow facing the outside of the shrub or bush. This gives your roses the correct amount of circulating air to thrive in.

      Here is a list of the proper techniques to guide through the pruning process.

    4. Soak your pruning shears in equal parts of water and bleach. This will help to protect your roses from diseases and insects. Pruning in the early spring, just after the snow melts is best. However you want to do it before any new growth appears. The best time would be when the buds are swelled, or red.

    5. Hand shears are the best tool for pruning the smaller branches. (about 4 ½ inches thick) Loppers are best for the branches that are thicker or the thickness of a pencil. This will make it easier. You should use a heavy pair of rose gloves to avoid the thorns.

    6. You want to get rid of the winter protection that you set up like cones, burlap, and mounded soil. You want to get rid of the dead wood first. (That would be the black wood that is black inside as well as out). Next, you wan to get rid of the thinner wood, which is the stems that are thinner than a pencil.

    7. Cut all of the branches that cross or overlap one another because these are often diseased or will become so. Keep the remaining five healthy branches. These are often dark green. You will want to make your roses fluted or vases shaped, with an open center, and keep them from touching or overlapping each other.

    8. Cut your healthy canes to be about one to four feet long, or whatever size that you prefer. Cut you roses properly so that they stay healthy. Cut so that the bud is facing outside of the bush and at a 45 degree angle that slopes inward so that you can keep promoting the outward growth.

    9. You should use bypass pruners that work like scissors and not the anvil types because the anvils crush the stems and make the roses more available to diseases.
      About The Author: To find many more articles on roses, and other plants and flowers, head over to Gardenarticles.com where we have all a gardener could want!
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