Posted on: 27 February, 2005
Author: Tammy Clayton
Of all animated beings, the hummingbird is the most elegant in form, the most brilliant in color. The precious stones and metals to which our art lends polish are not compared to this gem of Nature, whose masterpiece the little bird represents. She has loaded it with all the gifts of which she has given other birds only a share... The emerald, the ruby, the topaz all glitter in its plumage, which is never sullied by the dust of the ground. - Comte de Buffon (18th century French naturalist) Hummingbirds are the neatest addition to a garden. Many people try...
Posted on: 25 February, 2005
Author: James Ellison
Organic gardeners all know compost is fantastic stuff. But now, there's something even better and that's compost tea. If you start with a good compost you'll have a versatile elixir for all your garden needs. Compost tea helps prevent foliage diseases and at the same time increase the nutrients to the plant and shutdown the toxins hurting the plants. It will improve the taste/flavor of your vegetables. So why not give this tea a try either by buying it or brewing it yourself. You won't believe the results! Four ways that good bacteria work: Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
Posted on: 22 February, 2005
Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Damping off is the single term used to describeunderground, soil line, or crown rots of seedlings due tounknown causes. The term actually covers several soil bornediseases of plants and seed borne fungi. The fungi whichcause root rot are species of Phyium, Phytophthora,Rhizoctonia and Fusarium. There are two types of damping off: pre-emergence and post-emergence. In pre-emergence damping-off, seeds may rot andseedlings may decay before they emerge. In post-emergencedamping off the seedlings emerge then may pale, curl, wilt,and collapse from a rot at the soil line and below. Thebase of the stem is generally water-soaked at first thenturns gray to brown...
Posted on: 21 February, 2005
Author: Tammy Clayton
The use of shredded wood mulch exists for reasons unknown to many of us. It is true and a good point that the mulch does in fact control erosion in a new planting prior to the roots taking hold of the soil. The wood mulch does retain more moisture and insulate the roots from extreme temperatures. Therefore the addition of a mulch is in deed beneficial for a newly installed shrub and tree landscape. The truth is folks have been successfully growing landscapes and gardens for centuries prior to this modern innovation commonly known as shredded mulch. So the mulch...
Posted on: 21 February, 2005
Author: Jacob Farin
SECRET #1: Know thy plant. This may seem like a ... but one that ... growers ... There are many types of ... plants ... on every ... in the world, except Antar SECRET #1: Know thy plant. This may seem like a no-brainer, but one that first-time growers overlook. There are many types of carnivorous plants occurring on every continent in the world, except Antarctica. If you were to go on a world-wide expedition looking for as many types of carnivorous plants you can possibly find, you will discover carnivorous plants growing in Japan, China, Australia, India, South Africa,...
Posted on: 21 February, 2005
Author: Tammy Clayton
This brightly colored bird has always been a romantic symbol for their unusual coloring as well as their gentle loving nature. In Victorian times, they were a common artful addition to romantic floral artwork on greeting cards and calling cards. Today, it is a rare thing to see a Bluebird flitting about. The Bluebird is a native American. When European colonists originally settled this land, they had been here for thousands of years. It is believed that when the virgin forest on the east coast was in the first stages of being cleared, the Bluebird flourished and became more abundant....
Posted on: 21 February, 2005
Author: Tammy Clayton
Morning coffee with the internet has become a tradition of mine in recent years. The internet holds a much greater variety of information than the newspaper, as well as less depressing things to read at the beginning of the day. No one should have to wake up with murder and mayhem in their face. A more pleasant mindset is found in waking to check the weather, respond to a note from a friend, or reading about an exciting new plant. This morning I went to look for further information on a particularly nifty new plant on one of my vendors...
Posted on: 21 February, 2005
Author: Tammy Clayton
The end of Februrary already? My how time does fly! The sun has already become more readily available than in the past few months. Perhaps more cold and clear, but those candle-hours are important to the sleeping natural world; it is their built in clock. You cannot lie to a plant, it knows what time it is. Far more intelligent than one gives them credit for. As you plan what to add to your garden this winter, I am sure you are paying attention to the light and water requirements all good perennial vendors attatch to each entry in their...
Posted on: 19 February, 2005
Author: Ken Austin
Throughout the course of time, black roses have conjured up a variety of symbolic meanings. From unnatural worlds to death, vengeance, farewell or rebirth, the black rose has come to be viewed in a number of different ways depending on the occasion. Though symbolic meanings may differ, the interesting truth is that black roses do not even exist. What many believe to be black roses are actually dark-red colored roses, which have such a deep color that they appear to be black. Perhaps someday not too far in the future a black rose will exist as many in the field...
Posted on: 19 February, 2005
Author: Ken Austin
Widely considered to be the most popular roses for all occasions, what many people think of as classic long stem roses are in fact Hybrid Teas. A mixture between the Hybrid Perpetual and Tea Rose from China, these long stem beauties have long pointy buds with up to 30-50 petals per bloom. Since the first discovered Hybrid Tea in 1867, there has been an explosion leading to thousands of long stem varieties coming in virtually every color except for blue or black. These long stem roses tend to flower continuously and can grow 2-6 feet tall. High susceptibility to disease...