In these trying economical times when many are growing recession gardens to help with food cost, you many also consider adding a small cutting garden. The fresh flowers will add color and fragrance in you home from spring until fall and decorate your home.
photo credit: makelessnoise

A cutting garden adds a cottage garden look to your yard and can be set up in a small space or even in containers if need be. Cutting garden flowers generally have sturdy stems, and survive well in a vase of water. This is what makes them have value as a cut flower. They also will live in vases longer than most flowers and work well in flower arrangements.

Many also make excellent dried flowers. These dried flowers can be used in crafts or made into dried floral arrangements for the colder months when flowers are scarce. Cutting gardens may include perennials and annuals, and are fairly easy to grow. Many of the annuals are started from seed right in the garden, or earlier in a greenhouse or cold frame if you want earlier blooms.

Planning a Cutting Garden

Develop your plant list by choosing the colors and textures you like, and how you will use your cut flowers. Are you growing them for the home or for a family event where flowers are needed? You may also want to sell a few or dry different varieties for crafting. These decisions swill help you choose varieties, how many plants you want and the garden size you will need for you plants.

Top ten cutting flowers that are bought

• Tulips
• Gerbera Daisies
• Lilies
• Gladioli
• Iris
• Roses
• Snapdragons
• Delphinium
• Orchids
• Lisianthus

I also feel these flowers belong in the list. They add to any floral arrangement:

• Carnations
• Chrysanthemums
• Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily)
• Gypsophila (Baby’s breath)

Next choose your garden location. Most cut flowers will thrive with lots of sunshine. It will also be easier to tend your garden if it’s near a water source. I would also choose a location where you can see the garden from several different vantage points so that you and the family can enjoy it.

Design your garden.

If your garden is large and its main purpose is selling flowers I would lay the flowers out in one-foot rows. But if it’s decorative; give it an artistic flair and group the flowers, make a curved bed, and add height and garden art. In other words, have fun!
photo credit: maggiephotos

You may also want to have two gardens or at least keep the annuals and perennial flowers separated in the flowerbed. The soil needs for these two varieties differ enough that it’s best to keep them separate

Cutting gardens are easy and fun to grow and they add color and personality to your backyard garden area. They will also save you money on bouquets and flowers for crafting.

Technorati Tags: Backyard Flower Garden, creative gardening, theme garden

With the move to recession gardening to save money and the surge in gardening across the United States and other countries its time to take into consideration what you can grow in your backyard. You can also buy locally grown organic fruit and vegetables in which you know there have been less or no chemical used on the produce.
photo credit: quinn.anya

Another area that is often overlooked is looking in you own backyard for what’s green and growing naturally. You will be surprised how many natural herbs and other foraged items you can gather. Wild onions, wild carrots, and strawberries are only a few. You can also make you own tea blends that have twice the flavor of store bought teas.

There are many wild edible herbs that grow in your yard. I use dandelion in the spring and also harvest cattails, both of which I have a large supply. You may also have elderberry bushes, wild raspberries or blackberries too. It’s time to take a good look at your yard, evaluate what you have and plan for the future.

One of the easiest steps is to add a garden. This will give you fresh produce this season. You can also look for berry bushes to buy, which will produce quickly. Adding fruit trees and other fruit bushes will take a few years before you see results.

To plan for the future make a plan of your yard or land. If you replace older shrubs with berry bushes and other fruit bearing shrubs you will add to the environment and save on the cost of food at the same time. When removing older bushes see if anyone might like them. Community centers, parks and schools might be able to transplant them and renew their vitality.
photo credit: sociotard

You will want to dig up the area a where the bushes were and add compost to enrich the soil. It’s also wise to split any berry bushes and fruit bushes up on the property. By planting bushes in full sun and in partial sun beds you can eliminate some of the natural pests. Just be sure to keep feeding the bushes and garden areas compost and you will have plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in no time.

As your garden and berry bushes begin to produce swap extra produce with your friend and neighbors. Growing you own fresh produce means healthier food for you family and less of a strain on government farms that run large farm equipment. You also know the produce will not be polluted with strong chemicals.

Technorati Tags: gardening tips, green gardening

Growing different or unique plants adds a certain challenge to your plant and garden areas. It’s also a learning experience as you learn about new plants, their care and often the history that surrounds the plant.  Children also learn from a plant terrarium as they care for a watch a living “plant” grow.
photo credit: Just chaos

A very interesting terrarium is one set up with carnivorous plants. Most carnivorous plants are native to the United States. With their tropical look this fact surprises many people. And they are one of the more difficult plant varieties to grow. But growing them in a terrarium creates an atmosphere they like and it is a fun project to try.

Supplies needed for your Carnivorous Plant terrarium

·    Activated charcoal
·    Distilled water
·    Glass container – fish tank or unique glass bowls make great terrariums
·    Gravel
·    Several carnivorous plants
·    Sphagnum peat moss
·    Insects such as crickets or flies

Choose a glass container for your terrarium. If you have a lot of plants you may want a fish tank. I pick up my glass containers at garage sales and auctions and I look for interesting shapes. Your Carnivorous plants will need a lot of humidity, so the container should have a lid.

Next add a layer of gravel of loose pebbles or gravel to the bottom of your terrarium. The layer should be an inch deep. Then top the gravel with about 1/2 inch of activated charcoal. This absorbs any odors in the tank.
photo credit: ljmacphee

Cover the gravel and charcoal with a layer of sphagnum peat moss. Next I add about three inches of unfertilized soil. My friend told me many years ago to using sphagnum peat moss with silica sand or medium grade orchid bark. This mix will create an acidic soil that carnivorous plants like.

Add distilled water to the peat moss and mix until it turns black.  Then you will want to mix in the sand or bark. This creates a bog type soil that the plants need to thrive.

Now comes the fun part. Adding the plants! These are a few carnivorous plants that you might select for the terrarium: Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia Californica); North American Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia); Australian Pitcher Plant (Cephalotus Follicularis); South American Sun Pitchers (Heliamphora); Sundew (Drosera); Bladderwort (Utricularia); Butterwort (Pinguicula); and the most well known carnivorous plant, the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). These plants can be ordered from garden suppliers or bought at larger garden centers or greenhouses.

Water your terrarium well with distilled water. This is important. The other types of water contain minerals and additives that could stunt plant growth or kill your plants.

You will want to place the terrarium in a spot with bright light where the temperature should average 65 to 75 degrees during the day and 55 to 65 degrees at night.

Tip: Carnivorous plants do not tolerate low light levels or high temperatures. The area also should not be drafty. Since carnivorous plants need plenty of light but will overheat if placed in direct sunlight, you may need to supplement lighting by using a good quality florescent light.

Your plants will need to be fed about once a month. They will eat either live or dead ants, flies or crickets. Children enjoy a carnivorous terrarium and will learn a lot from this project.

Technorati Tags: indoor plants, plant care, venus flytrap plant