Follow These Excellent Tips For A Beautiful Garden   by Charles Thornsbury

in Home / Gardening    (submitted 2012-02-07)

A garden is more than just a way to decorate. Gardening can be an activity for a lot people. It is not limited to simply green-thumbed enthusiasts. A garden provides its owner with serenity, contentment, and a deeper understanding of the things in life that truly matter. If you become a avid gardener, it will have a great effect on your way of living.

Digging in hard clay soil is made even more difficult because it sticks to the shovel. To make working in clay easier, rub the shovel with floor or car wax and then buff it with a cloth. This causes the clay to slide rather than stick, and prevents rust as a side effect.

When planting seeds, it is wise to take your time. Begin by adding moisture to the dirt. Then, evenly spread the seeds according to the type of plant and how much room they require for good growth. You should bury your seeds deep enough, usually three times their size. Some seeds you won't have to bury because they need light in order to grow.

Grow heather so that you can attract useful insects. Bees are drawn to heather, as heather is an early provider of spring nectar. Plant a heather bed, it will house many bugs that are good for a garden such as spiders and ground beetles. Because of this, you might want to invest in a good pair of gardening gloves for the times when you need to prune it.

Play up autumn color in your landscaping. A lot of shrubs, vines and trees will transform your garden into a colorful firework during the fall. The plants stop creating chlorophyll during this time of year, so any masked colors bloom once the green dies off. For maximum color, make sure the shrubs and vines get plenty of sun, most of it during the afternoon. There are many great options you can choose from, including burning bush, barberry, maple, and chestnut.

Coffee grounds can be used to amend soils that are high in alkaline. Coffee grounds contain plenty of acid to get the soil back to a good balance. This simple act can lead to vegetables that taste better and look more appealing.

Always have a plan for the garden prior to the start of planting it. Doing so means you can remember where each particular plant is when you start seeing sprouts arise from the earth. This is also a great way to keep track of all your plants.

There are natural materials, and you can also use other plants to help keep pests away from your garden. For example, planting a border consisting of marigolds or onions can repel slugs. Wood ash, when used as mulch, can help keep insects away from trees and shrubs. With these natural methods, there is no need to purchase expensive, harsh pesticides.

Keep your plants dry and aerated daily. Moisture on your plants is a sure way to attract parasites and disease. A commonplace plant parasite is fungi. Fungicidal spray treatments can contain fungi, but spraying prior to problems even developing in the first place is the best way to go about it.

One good way to create layers for a compost pile is to add plant materials to big plastic bags. This is best done after the leaves have been raked in the fall. Place the leaves in bags and store them someplace warm. You have the perfect compost material you can add to your garden after the spring comes.

Use the knowledge you have gained here to resuscitate your garden today. You will be overjoyed to know that your plants are healthy! Gardening is a potentially life altering activity, but only if you permit it, so why not start now?

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