A Beginners Guide to Plant Disease

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A Beginners Guide to Plant Disease

Plant diseases are caused by organisms such as fungi, bacteria and viruses. While disease-resistant plant strains are available for almost any species of plant today, plant diseases still occur in even the best gardens. Once plant infections become well established, they can be extremely difficult to control, so it is wise to monitor your plants frequently for signs of problems.

Removing a section of a plant or sometimes even the entire plant may be necessary to keep diseases in check. If the entire plant must go, gardeners should also replace the topsoil as it may be infected as well.

Here are a few common plant diseases and the methods used to treat them:
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Water Gardening in a Small City Yard

Water Gardening in a Small City Yard

Love water gardens but think you can?t have one in a small city lot? Think again! Some of the most charming water gardens are found in containers that don?t need much space at all.

Water lilies and water hyacinths grow just as well in a container as they do in large pools and ponds. Water plants do best when they receive five full hours of sun every day and shade in the late afternoons when the sun is most intense. Remember, though, that placing a container water garden under a deciduous tree will require protecting the container from falling leaves that can clog pumps and harm fish or plants during the autumn months.

Here are a few tips to help you get your water garden stared and established:
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Deer Resistant Plants

Deer Resistant Plants

Having a garden can sometimes be a frustrating endeavor, especially for those of you who have chosen to live away from the big city and bright lights. Gardening in suburbia has its own set of unique problems including plant eating animals, namely deer. Nothing is more frustrating than the anticipation of your rose bush blooming and the next morning finding a decapitated flowerless plant. Yes, lovable Bambi really likes your plants, all of them. And unless you enjoy having to replant your garden every day, you should choose plants which deer do not find irresistible ? no, not cactus. There are beautiful plants and flowers available that those pesky critters won?t eat.

One thing you need to remember, these are deer resistant plants not deer proof and there is a reason why the term ?deer resistant? is used. Deer eat plants, period. Some plants are less tasty than others, but depending upon your current area conditions (drought, deer population, abundance of undeveloped land, and entrapment), even the least appetizing foliage will be eaten. So do not expect these plants to always ward off your antlered friends forever. But as long as there is available water, abundant native foliage and a low deer population, the following plants will remain a part of your garden and landscaping:

Sages (Salvia, Meadow, Russian, Jerusalem)
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Water features in the garden

Water features in the garden

One of the easiest ways to improve the look and feel of almost any type of garden, is to simply add a water feature to it. Water features come in a variety of different forms and sizes, and since they add a sense of serenity to a garden too, they’re wonderful to put close to sitting areas, or within private garden spaces.

Water features also draw birds, bees, frogs and other critters to the garden, and these can help you control pests on your plants and flowers naturally. Which type of water feature you put into your own gardens is a personal choice, so here we’ll look at the most popular options.

1. Simple Bird Baths - A bird bath can be a simple shallow bowl filled with water, and set out into your garden area. Bird baths do a wonderful job of attracting birds, and you’ll have fun watching them play and bathe. Bird baths can be sat onto the ground itself, but this makes it dangerous for the birds because cats can reach them easier. The best way to have a bird bath in your garden is to put it on a matching pedestal, and make sure it’s several feet away from any tall bushes or shrubbery that cats may easily hide in.
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Deer Resistant Plants: Planning a Garden that Lasts

Deer Resistant Plants: Planning a Garden that Lasts

Deer are graceful and elegant creatures aren?t they? The way they leap elegantly, and the soft expression in their eyes takes you back to when you first saw the Disney movie ?Bambi? when you were a child. However, deer are also gourmet diners, nibbling everything from fragrant herbs and grasses to the roses in your garden, the one you worked so hard to plant!

Unfortunately, this problem is becoming worse as housing developments keep being built farther out into deer habitat and as deer keep multiplying rapidly from lack of natural predators to keep herd sizes in check.

Gardeners who live in areas with deer can testify to the relatively uselessness of deer fencing, which was allegedly designed to be deer proof and which only fence salesmen. Essentially, unless you build it 10 feet high, a height that is banned in many communities with home ordinances, it is not the solution. Deer do their worst garden damage from late fall through early spring, and that damage is most severe during very cold winters when snow covers the ground for long periods of time, increasing the difficulty for deer in search of ready consumables.
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Water features in the garden

Water features in the garden

Creating a beautiful garden isn’t limited to just putting out pretty colorful flowers each year. In fact, there’s a wide variety of things you can do to decorate your garden, make it unique, and turn it into a serene sanctuary you’ll never want to leave.

Growing a full fledged garden with mature plants, trees, bushes, shrubs, elaborate garden beds and containers, lush grassy areas, garden furniture and other decorations takes a lot of time to do. And while you can have it all fairly quickly by hiring a professional landscaping firm to set it all up for you, taking the time to do it your way is half the fun.

And one of the best features you can add to your own garden spaces are those which involve water. Water features in the garden can range from small and simple, to large and elaborate too, it’s all up to what you personally want for your own garden spaces.
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Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens

Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens

Did you know? Natural rainfall is one of the best sources of water for your garden. You don’t have to wait for it to rain in order to get natural rainfall for your garden though. Instead, you can simply gather the rain into storage containers, to save for watering your garden during the dry spells. You can also create a Rain garden, which is designed specifically for taking advantage of the natural rainfall more effectively too. Let’s look at both.

Gathering Rain For Use Later
An average sized home can shed hundreds of gallons of water from its roof each time it rains. And in most cases, this water is directed to the ground or local sewage system through the use of roof rain gutters.

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Marshland Plants Around the Water Garden

Marshland Plants Around the Water Garden

No water garden is quite complete without some type of marsh land plantings around it. Now, these work best for in ground water gardens, but you may be able to get them to grow and flourish around smaller container based water gardens too. Essentially, all you need to do is be sure the water from your water garden seeps out into the surrounding area slowly, or have additional containers around your water garden which simply hold soggy soil.

In nature, marshland plants - also known as marginal water plants - grow in the soggy soil next to lakes and ponds. And with a bit of planning and attention, you can recreate this natural beauty for your own water gardens and ponds too.

Many large man made ponds which are designed for putting into the ground have various levels built into them. The shallow levels are at the outer edges of the pond, and these are often referred to as shelves. These are where the marshland plants tend to be grown. If you create - or hire someone to create - a completely natural pond of course, then you can plan for these soggy growth areas to occur naturally.
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How to Care for Koi in your Outdoor Garden Pond

How to Care for Koi in your Outdoor Garden Pond

Unlike many species of tropical fish, koi are hardy as well as beautiful, and can grow more than a foot long in outdoor ponds. They also live for a very, very long time; usually 25 to 35 years and sometimes much longer.

Koi fish grow to be more than 18 inches long in the first three or four years of life. Keeping them in an indoor tank is out of the question for most people because koi need more space than most people can allocate for a fish tank. Keeping them outdoors in a pond in colder climates will require transferring them to an indoor tank or providing a heat source during cold winter months. Another option is to build a small pond with a small pond liner that can be taken up and brought inside during the coldest part of the year. However, you will need to make sure that the indoor location for your liner doesn?t get too hot and is away from areas where it could pose problems or temptations for pets and children.

Setting up a koi fish pond doesn?t have to be overly expensive. Pre-made ponds are available at reasonable cost, or you can buy a pond liner and dig the space for it yourself in an afternoon. Place some rocks and low level solar lights around your pond for emphasis and to set it off from the rest of your landscape. Your Koi pond should have a filter, and if your area mandates installing a pond heater be certain to double check the size with a knowledgeable pond person because you can only heat ponds up to a certain size.
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What is Gray Water and How Can It Help Your Garden?

What is Gray Water and How Can It Help Your Garden?

Anyone who has ever tried to keep a garden alive during a drought… or experienced the shock of high public water bills during a hot dry summer, needs to know about gray water.

Gray water is not actually gray in color. Instead, this is a term which refers to water which is able to be recycled for use in your lawn and garden. A lot of water used in a standard American home can be reused to water the grass, trees, and flowers in your yard. It’s perfectly safe if done properly, and it makes an amazing difference in the health of your yard and garden - as well as your bank balance.

Now there are different ordinances and laws for gray water usage across the country, so you’ll need to consult with your local city before starting to use gray water in your own gardens. It’s also considered best to avoid using it in vegetable and food gardens.
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