Home And Garden

Pansies are one of the earliest flowering plants, blooming right alongside your spring bulbs. These members of the violet family herald in the new garden season with a wide variety of bright, brilliant colors. They include almost all colors of the rainbow including black, and many bi-colors. There are so many combinations of these profuse bloomers that we don't' think any two are alike! Pansies are popular, easy, and fun to grow. Fill an area or entire bed with Pansies for a striking spring effect! They also are great in windowsills and containers. Propagation: Pansy are grown from seeds. Pansy plants like full to partial sun. Pansies can be directly seeded into your flower garden or seeded indoors for transplanting later. For spring blooms, you need to start your Pansies in pots and containers indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost. Sow  Pansy seeds early in the season and cover lightly with 1/8" soil. Water thoroughly once. They germinate slowly. ...

A   lawn mower   is a   machine   that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a   lawn   at an even length. A   lawn mower   is a   machine   that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a   lawn   at an even length. Lawn mowers employing a blade that   rotates   about a   vertical axis   are known as   rotary   mowers, while those employing a blade assembly that rotates about a   horizontal axis   are known as   cylinder   or   reel   mowers. Many different designs have been made, each suited to a particular purpose. The smallest types, pushed by a   human, are suitable for small residential lawns and   gardens, while larger, self-contained, ride-on mowers are suitable for large lawns, and the largest, multi-gang mowers pulled behind a   tractor, are designed for large expanses of grass such as   golf courses   and municipal C...

Topdressing the lawn is the process of adding a fine layer of ‘home mixed quality soil’ to the lawn surface. Top dressing benefits the lawn as it builds up the quality of the soil over a period of time, - sandy soils will be able to retain moisture better and so the lawn will be more resistant to drought, clay soils will drain better thus improving root development. Another benefit of top dressing the lawn is that it will help to even out any lumps and bumps that are present on an uneven lawn, filling in any small hollows that may develop. Top dressing also stimulates the grass to produce new shoots and so results in denser grass cover which helps combat the onset of weed and moss infestation. Top dressing is carried out routinely by professional greenkeepers to ensure a top quality finish. If you want a really top quality lawn that can meet professional standards then you should top dress your lawn annually. What topdressing mixture should I use? First you need to make your topdressi...

Cacti are some of nature's most beautiful and exotic plants. Most cacti are native to the desert and arid regions, but most species can grow anywhere with a little accommodation. A cactus garden can liven up your yard and give your home an original look. PLANNING YOUR GARDEN: The first step in making a cactus garden is, of course, to plan it out. Scout out a location in your yard for your garden. The optimal place for a cactus garden is on hill, because this allows the garden bed to easily drain. You can still make a cactus garden if your yard is flat, you will just have to do more digging. When you decide where you want your cactus garden, decide what size and shape you want. Use your imagination and be creative; you can have a circle, square, rectangle, semicircle, triangle, whatever you desire. Then mark the border of the garden onto the ground before you begin, this will make the digging much easier. DIGGING, THE DIRTY PART: Now for the digging. If your garden is going to be o...

Lighting is an important part of any landscape  project. The lighting and highlighting of walls, shrubs, trees, building facades, etc. can make a huge difference in the nighttime aesthetics throughout a project and create an atmosphere that is pleasing and beautiful as well as give people a sense of being safe and secure. There are many different types of landscape lighting available.   Here are the choices we have to choose from: Bollards - These lights are typically no more than 42" tall and are used mostly for lighting walkways and sidewalks. They are available in spun aluminum, cast aluminum, cast iron, concrete, and fiberglass. In-Ground Lights - These lights are mounted flush in the ground and are used in areas where you don't want anything to protrude above ground level. They can be mounted in soil or on concrete. Bullet Lights - Floodlights can be used to light walls, trees, statues, etc. These bullet shaped floodlights usually have an integral 1/2" thread...

Description: This delightful little palm is a favorite landscape item in areas where it is hardy. It is just as likely to be encountered as a popular indoor container plant often used in shopping mallscapes and other commercial plantings. Pygmy date palm grow slowly reaching heights of 8-10 ft (2.4-3.1 m). The stem is covered with old leaf bases and is topped with a dense head of bright green pinnate leaves that grow to about 4 ft (1.2 m) in length. Delicate leaflets, arranged neatly along the upper length of the gently arched leaf stem lend the plant a very graceful aspect. Lower leaflets are modified into sharp pointed 2-3 in (5-8 cm) spines. Cream colored flowers are held on short, 1 ft (0.3 m) inflorescences and are followed by small black dates on the female plants (male flowers are borne on a separate plant). Although this palm is single stemmed most nurseries offer it in containers planted with 3 to 5 specimens. When grouped like this, the stems tend to curve gracefully away...

Adenium obesum  is actually a succulent member of the Oleander family. It originates in East Africa, from regions where it rains frequently in the summer, but is very dry in winter. Blooming time:  Spring, and a second time in September. Culture:  Desert Rose needs to have a soil mix of sand or brick chips mixed into regular soil, or a cactus mix. The soil should dry completely between waterings. For this reason clay pots are better suited for growing Desert Rose than plastic pots. Water sparingly during winter months. Propagation:  Desert Rose can be grown from seed or cuttings. The best time for either method is in the spring. Seed:  Scatter seed into a mixture of sand/soil. Seeds germinate easily, and seedlings grow without any special attention. Cuttings:  Propagation by cutting is easy. Cut end shoots and let dry for a day or two. Be careful of the toxic sap. Stick shoots into a pot of moist soil, and provide bottom heat. Keep soil moist.

Geraniums are one of the most reliable plants in the home garden. They can be obtained in flower in late spring and will add color to the garden until frost. The new cultivars offer almost shatter-proof flowers that withstand wind and rain. Geraniums can be obtained as seedlings or established plants. Planting: Set out plants in the spring after danger of frost is past. Geraniums that have been injured by cold temperatures will produce little growth and the foliage will often be red. Planting in late May is preferable for the most productive plants. Plant geraniums where they will receive sunlight for best flower production. Select a site where water drainage is good. Geraniums will grow in almost any type of soil if well-aerated and porous. Heavy clay soils should be improved by adding organic matter each year. An inch of coarse sphagnum peat moss, partially-rotted manure, or compost spaded in when preparing the beds is ideal. Geranium plants are generally available as roote...

The Traveler’s Palm is one of the most distinctive and notable plants from Madagascar.   Though not a  true palm, the traveler's palm gets its name from the  fact that thirsty travelers could find stores of water in  many parts of the plant including the leaf folds, flower  bracts and inside each of the hollow leaf bases, of  which may hold up to one quart of water! Its long leaf stems and deep vivid green leaves  resemble those of the banana and extend out from  the trunk like slats of a giant hand fan.  The leaves  range up to 10 feet long and from 12-20 inches in  width. Young plants have a subterranean trunk, whereas the  adult crown elevates itself above grown in symmetrical  beauty.  The green palm-like trunk grows up to 1ft in  diameter and displays unique trunk leaf scar rings. It's not to be confused with it's cousin the Giant Bird of  Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai).  The Traveler's ...