Lawn Care FAQ

Q: How often should I cut my lawn?
A: As part of quality lawn care, regular cutting with a mower should be observed and the grass should be cut to an even height. Cutting your lawn once per week should be sufficient.

Q: What is the purpose of raking my lawn?
A: This is commonly done in order to remove dead grass. Many people only rake their lawn in the fall as the leaves begin to cover their yard, but a part of effective lawn care requires that lawns by raked during other seasons as well.

Q: Does lawn care require that I water my lawn?
A: Not everyone does this, but it is recommended that lawns be watered in order to avoid having the grass to dry up and turn brown. If this happens, you could be left with brown spots in your yard.

Q: I have a dog and he is reeking havoc on the yard. How can I replant my lawn with success?
A: Dogs and lawn care are not the best match, but they can work together. When you replant your lawn, consider using seeds that are specifically designed for high traffic areas. Other factors that may worsen the effect that your dog is having on the lawn may include a chain dragging the grass and exposing the dirt surface below or if your dog is prone to digging.

Q: Should I use harsh chemicals on my lawn in order to rid it of pests and insects?
A: Many experts agree that this is a bad idea for several reasons. If you have children who play in the yard, this may be unhealthy for them. The same is true of pets, who make it a habit of digging or even eating grass at times. In addition, harsh chemicals often do more harm than good to your lawn and are certainly no friend of the environment. Instead, try a bug light or other means of ridding your lawn of insects and other pests.

Lawn care is a very big industry, which services millions of people every year. Whether you do not have the time to care for the lawn yourself or simply aren’t up to the task, there are a number of landscaping experts that are readily available to help with lawn care needs. These are commonly found in the yellow pages under ‘Landscaping’ and most businesses can provide you with an instant quote over the telephone if you have detailed information regarding your specific lawn care needs.

Iris as garden plants

Iris is the name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Iridaceae. The various Iris species have showy and beautiful flowers which make them popular in gardens and in floral arrangements. The name Iris is derived from the Latin name for rainbow, since Iris flowers exists in an abundance of color variations. The term Iris in not only used to describe the genus, it is also the common name for the comprised species. Sometimes similarly looking showy flowering species from related genera is also called Iris flowers.

If you care for your planted Iris, you can enjoy it for many years to come since it is a perennial flower. Iris flowers growing in warm regions can grow throughout the year, while Iris flowers in colder regions will grow and flower only during the summer. If the climate is very dry and water is scarce, the will Iris will form bulbs. When water is more abundant, the Iris will instead spread via rhizomes. Since Iris can survive even in dry regions, they are very popular in California and Florida. Many Iris species appreciate regions where the nights are cool and the days hot. Ideally, you should plant your Iris in the shade since it can be harmed by strong direct sunlight.

As mentioned above, the Iris flower is showy and very beautiful. It can be obtained in a wide range of color variations. The flower is typically shaped like a fan with six petals. The three inner petals are named “standards”, while the three other petals are named “falls”. The standards will rise above the rest of the flower and try to attract pollinators. Some Iris types have a “beard”, i.e. the upper surface of the outer petals has a beard like feature. This beard is a service for pollinators; since they can land and grab hold of to the beard when they consume nectar.

The Iris smells nice, but the fragrance is not particularly strong. The flower is located on a tall stem and an Iris will typically form a lot of flowers on one single stem. The Iris stems vary between the different Irises and can be hollow as well as solid, and simple and well as branched. The Iris leaves are shaped like small swords.

Delicately blossomed Iris plants are called “Freesisas”. The first Freesias were white and yellow, but today you can purchase hybrids in many different colors. You can for instance select blue, lilac, violet, pink and salmon colored Freesias. Freesisas have a delightful scent.

They are more delicate than the other Iris flowers and you should not plant them in a region where the temperature can drop below 26 degrees. Freesisas are therefore popular indoor plants in the colder regions of the world. If you want to have an Iris that is similar to a Freesia, but with more vivid flowers, you should take a look at the Sparaxis plants. Sparaxis flowers are related to the Freesias, but form even more flamboyant flowers.

How To Prune Roses

Pruning your roses is an essential part of rose maintenance. There are many ways and opinions on the best way to prune, when the perfect time to prune is, and which roses need pruning. Many seasoned rosarians have their favorite tested methods.

Pruning roses is not as complicated as some people think. To make it easy, there are 7 basic rules to follow when pruning your roses. If you keep these rules in mind, you will be rewarded with the most beautiful rose bushes.

The first rule in pruning roses is to remove any dead or dying growth. In doing this, your bushes will look good and will be free from signs of diseases. Removing the deadwood will discourage insects from making your rose plant their home. Insects love rose plants so keep an eye out for them while pruning.

Second, you should keep the center of your rose plant clear. This helps keep your bushes clear from pests and insects and allows good ventilation, which reduces the likelihood of fungus growth and other diseases.

Third, it is important to keep your rose plant away from other bushes so that their growth will not be impaired. If your rose plant is disturbed or overcrowded by other plants it may not grow, as you desire.

Fourth, you must shape your rose bushes while they are growing. This will prevent the roses from growing too wildly. If you do this, your roses will grow properly in the right direction. You will notice some roses growing in different directions. These are roses, which have not been shaped during growth.

Fifth, you must use sharp pruning shears. This is important so you make a clean cut and don’t effect the areas that you are not pruning. If you use a pruning shear that is not sharp, it may result in uneven branches, which can hinder or result in uneven growth.

Sixth, you must clean your pruning shears so they are free from diseases or fungus spores. The shears should be kept dry to prevent rust formation which makes your shears dull. If your shears are not sharp, you will have a hard time cutting the desired parts and will end up damaging the branches.

And lastly, you should seal the cuts you have made so that they will be free from disease. Using Elmer’s glue works well and it is inexpensive.

Roses are considered tolerant plants so pruning roses is important to keep them free from diseases and insects. If you follow these basic rules, your roses will flourish and live for many years. It only takes a little patience and your efforts will be well rewarded.

How Choose The Right Type Of Lawn Mower

Do you like to have a beautiful lawn in your yard? Clean, green and well mowed lawn is not just everybody’s dream but also is pretty much pleasing. You can engage a lawn mowing service for a fee but how about doing it yourself over the weekend? You need to know what type of lawn mower suffices your need and how much you should spend on it etc before you bought one for your home.

Choosing the Right Type of Lawn Mower

Before you chose a lawn mower, decide whether you want to buy electric or gasoline driven mower. Each type has its own ups and downs. In general you may follow the points as given below.

1. Base your decision on the area to mow. Larger the area bigger is the mower you may want to purchase. You can consider even the non powered mower for small lawns.

2. If your lawn is small and the farthest edge is about 30 to 35 feet away from your nearest power socket you can very well go for an electric lawn mower.

3. If it is for large gardens or golf courses go for ride-on models powered by diesel or gas engines with controls on both the hands. Even a garden tractor suffices for you. Engine power varies from 8.5 HP to 13 HP and the price from $1750 to $5000.

4. Price is an important factor to look at. A basic walk-behind model costs about $400 and for a little more you get a better engine with ball bearing and utility handle bars. Higher prices like $700 to $900 get you self starting, self propelled models with additional features.

5. For sloped small lawns a Hover model suits best. They are light and easy, you need to carry them to lawn and start. They come in both diesel and electric versions.

How Do You Want To Mow Your Lawn

Summer: Raise the mower to 3 inches or more to cut grass long. Mowing once in a fortnight may be enough depending on watering and soil condition.

Spring: Sharpen and service the mower before getting started. Only top-dressing must give the lawn a beautiful look.

Winter: Drain gas from the lawn mower and store it covered in your garage.

Automatic Lawn Mowers

The benefits of robot mowers are numerous. You don’t have to push or ride a mower to get your lawn mowed, you don’t have to deal with clippings, you free up some of your precious weekend time, and the mulch it creates is a healthy alternative to your lawn over fertilizer. Robomowers are also good for the environment – they take no gas or oil and create no emissions.

How to build a Green-house

As with garden sheds, there are two ways to build a greenhouse: you can either buy the sheets of glass and the frame and do it yourself, or you can hire a professional. However, building a greenhouse can be a lot harder than building a garden shed, which is why even experienced DIY enthusiasts might want to think about calling in some professional help.

The main reason greenhouses are difficult to build is the material that they’re made from: glass. If you drop glass or install it wrongly, it will shatter, meaning that any mistakes you make will start to get expensive fast. Would you put in your own windows? If not, you probably shouldn’t be building a greenhouse. If greenhouses are built incorrectly, not only is it dangerous, but it is unlikely that any of your plants will actually grow properly. Also, it is very difficult to build greenhouses when the sun is shining, as you will get very hot – it’s easier to do it in the winter or the night, but then those are hardly ideal building conditions either.

It can also be complicated to install the necessary irrigation and air circulation systems that a greenhouse needs to function well, although this is less of a problem in a small greenhouse.

If you are going to hire a professional to either build your greenhouse for you or help you, however, make sure that they have the relevant certification and qualifications. Because glass is such a dangerous material, you should steer clear of anyone who seems confident but inexperienced, and only hire someone who knows what they’re doing, even if it is at a relatively high price. If you’re having trouble finding someone, contact the company that sold you the greenhouse originally, as they should have a list of registered installers in your area.

Create A Japanese Garden Theme

I never dreamed that I would have a job that I loved as much as I love my job as a wedding planner. Many days I cannot believe that I am getting paid to something that I love so much. I enjoy my job so much for two main reasons. First, I enjoy it because I genuinely love helping people. Second, I love being a wedding planner because I love weddings and I love seeing people enter into lifelong covenant relationships. I enjoy helping to plan great themes and all the details to make a wedding day extra special. I have been suggesting a Japanese garden theme to some clients lately.

I have been fascinated with all things Japanese and remotely Japanese looking for the last several years, and so I think that is why I try to incorporate a Japanese garden theme into weddings as often as possible lately. Most of my clients are a little surprised by the idea, but a few have actually decided to go with a Japanese garden theme for their wedding and reception.

The great thing about a Japanese garden theme is that it is colorful and beautiful while allowing for great flexibility and uniqueness. I cannot stand seeing people choose a theme for their wedding and reception that has been done so many times before. So I love aiding people in coming up with unique themes that fit them perfectly. With a Japanese garden theme, there really is room to tailor the theme to many different styles, seasons, and degrees of formality for weddings and receptions. I can help a couple plan a Japanese garden themed brunch or a black tie evening affair.

So if you are looking for a great theme for your wedding or for a party of any kind, then think about choosing a Japanese garden theme. Do a little research and get some ideas of what is available in your area. See what kinds of foods, invitations and flowers you like that might go with a Japanese garden theme. Talk to a wedding planner or to any friends with a sense of style and planning to gather even more ideas. You might be surprised at what a perfect theme a Japanese garden is for many occasions. Especially if you are someone that likes to learn about and honor the traditions and customs of other cultures, a Japanese garden theme is something you should investigate carefully.

Container Gardening Tips For Newbies

Accentuate the welcoming look of a deck or your patio with jovial and colorful pots of annuals. Fill your window boxes with climbing bloomers or with fragrant roses of various colors. Container gardens produce a natural sanctuary in city’s street sides, along rooftops or verandas. Pots may be arranged near each other than place plants in some kind of a bed arrangement, so that nice-looking gardens can bloom, even in itsy-bitsy spots.

Search for varying and harmonizing colors, different heights and quality. The more variety you include in the plants you select, the more combinations you can achieve when renovating your outdoor space. Choose a range of selection with various bloom cycles for your growing season to abound.

There is a variety of creative ways to preserve and experiment with container gardening. Although you might not use recycled porcelain bowls, yet the simple concept of growing plants in pots or urns in addition to other objects, offers you a new perspective in container gardening.

With containers you can see your favorite hue just about anywhere. Sets of staircases of front doors could be used too to welcome visitors. The proper and imaginative use of pots could really help in conjuring the cozy and organized look. Just read on for the proper combination and positioning of pots to maximize your efforts with your container gardening feat.

If you have a huge home with a beautiful front door and lots of space, flower pots that are randomly arranged to one part of your front door usually looks better than placing two pots that are of the same design and size on both sides. Likened to perennials, pots add more aesthetic value when in odd numbers rather than same. A single pot in the perfect spot often looks good. But one more pot next to that pot, same size or not, and it will damage the setup. Add a third pot and it will recreate its beauty again. Three pots with the same design or pots that are not at all of the same design have a mystical beauty with them. There’s a mystery with the pleasant-looking odd numbers with arrangement. It’s such a wondrous fact.

It just takes some creative mind that is determined to make the most out of using pots, plants and a simple space in order to have the best looking garden container. Some loving and research add it up for a pleasing scenario, inevitable enough to attract your friends and some unfamiliar faces.

Care and Repair of Garden Tools

Knowing how to properly use and maintain garden tools will increase their life, help prevent personal injury, and increase your gardening enjoyment. For example, properly uncoiling a hose will prevent you from tripping or catching your foot in the coil. The points of an upturned rake can inflict painful and sometimes serious puncture wounds when stepped on, to say nothing about the possibility of the handle flying up and striking you in the face. Tools must not be left where their edges or point may be hidden by grass, leaves, or other material. Keep your fingers away from the blades of the lawn mower: merely striking your hand against the blades can lead to a brutal injury. A small, slight crack in a wooden handle can be repaired by wrapping the handle with tape. A glass filament tape is particularly useful for such a job.

Splinters in wooden handles of rakes, hoes, and shovels can be cured by sanding the surface until it becomes smooth again; this not only protects your hands, but keeps the cracks from spreading and causing the handle to break. A good way to preserve a wood handle is to apply several coats of quality varnish or to paint it. The metal parts of the tool may be painted, with a primer coat, and two coats of exterior paint. However, any metal part which goes into the ground should not be painted.

Aside from preservation by paint, the tools are easier to find when their handles are of a color which makes them conspicuous if left lying on the grass: The color, therefore, should not be green or brown, but a bright contrast to the grass such as red. yellow, blue, or white. The metal edges of shovels, hoes, rakes or other garden tools may become nicked. These may be smoothed with a metal file. Any rough surfaces should be gone over with steel wool or other abrasive which is good for metal. Dents may be straightened out by hammering with a mallet. A wheelbarrow break, in the wood or metal parts, should be repaired at once. Painting the wheelbarrow helps preserve the wood. The moving parts need occasional oiling, to run smoothly. For winter storage, keep tools in a dry spot as dampness could be harmful. Wipe all tools clean of any dirt or grass before being stored. The metal parts should be coated with a mixture of petroleum jelly and light oil, to prevent rust.

Caring for your garden tools will help them last year after year!

Building A Garden Fence

They are privacy and shelter are two important things in the garden. The latter is often a problem in gardens which are exposed to cold prevailing winds. Both these points are important not only for the gardener himself, but also for the plants in his garden.

Young growth can be severely damaged by cold winds and frequent buffeting will cause a great deal of root disturbance. Although privacy and shelter can be provided by trees and shrubs, fences also have an important part to play.

The choice of fencing must never be undertaken lightly, for serious consideration must be given to its appearance and construction.

Strength is very important. A fence is only as strong as its supports. Most fences are supplied with strong posts, usually 4-6in (10-15cm) square. Sometimes concrete posts are supplied; these are extremely strong. Strength of timber also depends on the prevention of rot, and unless cedar wood is used (except for posts), all timber should be treated with a suitable preservative. Creosote can be used, although it should be allowed to soak into the timber for several weeks before plants are trained against it. Unless this is done, there is the danger of stem and leaf scorch and its use is not generally recommended where plants are to be grown against or near a fence. A safer treatment consists of the use of copper naphthenate preservatives such as the green, horticultural grades of Cuprinol or Solignum.

Types of fencing

The most popular types are purchased as units or panels. Usually they are from 5-6ft (1.5-1.8m) in length with heights varying from about 3-6ft ( 90cm-1.8m). A solid or close boarded fence is, as its name implies, a design which consists of upright or horizontal strips of wood, some 6in (15cm) wide and 1in (2-2.5cm) thick. The strips are nailed to two or more supporting rails at the rear of the panel. These provide complete privacy and wind protection.

Weather board fencing consists of wedge-shaped strips of wood, (1 in 2cm) in thickness at one edge, tapering to 0.5 in (1cm) at the other. Each strip overlaps the next by about 1 in(2cm). The advantage of this design is that it is virtually peep proof.

Trellis fencing is suited as a support for climbing and trailing plants. It is not a strong design but can be used to good effect for covering unsightly walls or as an additional part of a fence design. It usually consists of laths of wood 1 by 3/4in ( 2.5 by 1.5cm) thick, fastened across each other vertically and horizontally to form 6-8in (15-20cm) squares. The laths are attached to a more substantial framing of 1 or 1in (2.5 or 3cm) square timber.

One of the latest advances in fence production is the sale of kits which are so accurately machined and complete that even an unskilled person can erect panels without any trouble. With these kits have come new ideas in design, and many can be made up into contemporary designs. This is especially useful where bold effects are required in the construction of patios. Many ultra-modern properties are being built and this advance in fence appearance will be welcomed by their owners.

Fencing can also be provided in the form of chain link or mesh netting. The best quality is heavily galvanized to withstand the rigors of the weather.

A more recent innovation is the plastic coating of chain link over the galvanized wire. Standard colors of dark green, black, white, yellow and light green can be obtained.

Beautify With Garden Plants

There are many ways to make your house and lawn turn into a home. Every bit of careful touch you add will help your space feel more personal and inviting for your friends and family. As a landscape architect, one of my favorite ways to improve the look and feel of a home is through garden plants.

I love to encourage all of my clients to invest in some great garden plants when they are at work creating a lawn or renovating their lawn. I love garden plants for so many reasons, but the obvious reason is that they are beautiful. There is nothing better than spending time in a home and a yard that is filled with uniqueness and beauty. Planting a wide variety of garden plants is a great way to add much needed beauty to the outside of a home. Even the most beautiful homes can look mediocre when there isn’t a great lawn and garden to accompany them.

Another reason I encourage my clients to invest in garden plants for their home is so that they will have a reason to get outside and work the land with their hands. I believe that people take much more pride in land that they have to work to cultivate. Our culture has lost something dear and precious since we stopped being a farming culture, and planting even the most simple arrangement of garden plants can be a great way to feel the pride of working the land again. Having to spend time working with garden plants is also an easy and fun way to get outside and get some exercise. Far too many people are stuck in their homes watching television or reading, and just getting outside to tend garden plants can be a great way for them to get more active.

If you’re looking to add garden plants to your lawn, then I’d suggest you grab a couple of easy to understand books on the topic and soak up all the knowledge you can about how to properly plant garden plants in your lawn. There is much to be learned about gardening, and taking time to get even the most basic knowledge will help you considerably when you are trying to plant the best garden plants for you.

Get to a local gardening shop and see what garden plants will go great in your lawn. And then begin the fun work of planting them and tending to their growth.