photo credit: Baying Hound

These tips should get you started.

The key to successful indoor gardening is what you choose to grow. Some herbs and vegetables will not fair well in an indoor setting because they need much more room than just a small container to grow in.

Dwarf varieties of plants tend to thrive a lot better with less effort then normal varieties. Tomatoes, peppers and radishes are all good ideas for indoor growing.

The container you choose for growing is also a big determining factor in how well your plants will prosper. Smaller plants will do just fine in smaller containers while those that grow to a substantial size will need for more room. Crowding a plants roots is a quick way to completely kill off the plant or stunt its growth.

Determining the right amount of sunlight seems to always be a problem for indoor gardeners. You should research each specific plant to see what it requires since all plants will have different requirements. Windowsills facing the side of the house where the sun rises are a prime spot for getting sunlight to your plants, no matter how much light they need.

To prevent accidental over fertilization most experts recommend using a potting soil mixture with the fertilizer already added in. This will eliminate the need for any type of fertilizer or growth enhancement for at least the first 2 months.

These are just a few of the many pieces of advice you can find to help make your indoor gardening adventure more prosperous.

I know how you feel, you love to have a killer indoor garden but may overwhelmed by it all. Then this is what you need to do. Go to 4indoorgarden.com to get some reviews on some popular and successful ‘indoor gardening‘ products.

Next If you are serious about having a beautiful garden, try one of them, they do work. Third enjoy the site and pick up some tips.

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Soil is always the key to a healthy plant. For containers and hanging baskets use an artificial soil composed mostly of peat moss.  Good soils such as Fafard or Pro-Mix use perlite, peat, and other ingredients to produce a soil that will not compact over the summer.  I also use homemade compost in my container plants. (It makes great compost tea.)

Real garden soil compacts and turns into concrete under the pressure of regular watering.  And when that happens the plant roots stop growing because they require good open spaces to move into and absorb nutrients. Hard, compacted soils do not grow good plants so do not use real soil in your containers. It’s also lighter than real soil.

Tip: I re-use my artificial potting soil from year to year.  I dump it out of the pot when the season is over or the plant needs re-potted. Break up the soil mix with a shovel to cut up all last year’s roots. Next add approximately 10 % of compost. The compost will create air spaces and gives plants a boost of nutrients.

Feed your plants regularly.  Nitrogen is needed by all plants and is used up quickly.  I use a fish-emulsion liquid feed with seaweed to provide all the trace nutrients my plants require.  I also use compost tea, which I have a supply on hand at all times. You can use any liquid plant food (like Miracle Grow) to promote growth.

Watering your plants. And finally, no matter the size of the container, it is important to soak it all the way to the bottom at each watering.  Continue watering until water emerges from the pot bottom.  This ensures the roots can reach all parts of the container and grow properly. I also set all my container plants on pebbles that sit on trays. This adds humidity around the plant and also makes sure the plant has drained well. Plants do not like wet feet (roots).

photo credit: daryl_mitchell

These tips will keep your container plants and indoor plants healthy.

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When planting Peonies plant as soon as they are obtained, being careful to set the division so that the top of the buds will be from 1-1/2 to two inches below the final soil grade after the plants are watered and have finished settling.
photo credit: my_southborough

If planted too deep you will probably get pretty foliage with a few or no blooms, and if too shallow, the buds will be exposed and are likely to get broken off by Old Shep when he serves notice on a stray cat or rabbit.

You should expect blooms from three to five eye divisions the first season. Only seven of the 60 varieties I planted in my garden a few years ago failed to bloom the first year. The plants made a splendid display of flowers the third season after planting.

Digging and dividing large, old peony clumps is no easy task, as most gardeners have learned. If the freshly-dug clump is left exposed to the air for a while, the roots will become less brittle and are more easily handled without breaking. The soil which is tightly held by the roots is best removed with a stream of water from the hose.

Do not simply cut the clump in half and plant the two peonies without removing any of the old large roots. Such divisions depend upon the old roots for nourishment and seldom bloom. The clump should be cut into smaller divisions, usually with from three to five eyes, some of the older roots removed and the others shortened to about six inches.

This method stimulates the production of new roots which increases the plant’s vigor and productiveness. A stout butcher knife and a hammer are good division tools. Established plants may be fertilized in early spring with a handful of balanced plant food applied in a ring around each plant and stirred into the soil.
photo credit: kkmarais

To Preserve Color

Most peony flowers fade in sunlight and if left to open and stand in the sun they lose much of their delicate beauty. If you wish to use peonies for display in a flower show or as a bouquet in the home, cut the flowers and let them open in the dark or at least in partial shade. Do not cut stems so long that all of the leaves are taken with the stalk. This would tend to weaken the plant.

Peonies which are properly planted and maintained are seldom bothered by diseases. The foliage is hardly ever attacked by insect pests. Plants should be carefully watched and if any disease occurs the affected parts should be removed and destroyed.

Root knot, leaf spot and botrytis blight are the three most common ailments. Root knot can be avoided by planting clean, healthy divisions in disease-free soil. New plants should not be set in an old bed where root knot has occurred. If the plants are properly spaced, very little damage is done by leaf spot.

Botrytis blight is likely to be the most serious peony disease and sometimes in orchid plants. It affects stems, buds and leaves just like in caring for orchid plants. Young stalks in early spring suddenly wilt and fall over, and young buds turn black and dry up. Later on, larger buds which become infected turn brown and fail to open up.

For control, remove and destroy all infected parts as soon as they appear. Cut off all tops near the crowns in the fall and burn. If severe infestation has occurred before, remove the upper two inches of soil around the plants and replace with fresh disease-free soil.

Also as a preventive measure in the spring, spray the young shoots as soon as they appear, with Bordeaux mixture 2-2-50 or a copper fungicide mixture. Two or three successive sprays should follow at weekly intervals.

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I don’t know if you’re having a challenging summer like me but over all I have no summer. I live in a zone 5 climate and should be having 80-degree days and humid 60-degree night temperatures.

Instead, I am lucky to have two days of sun in a row; the nights are cold dropping down in the low 50’s and there’s too much rain. Most gardens around here are either not growing or they are more than a month behind in time.

When I realized that this was not going to be the best summer I moved my gardens under glass and switched most of my other plants to containers. I now have one of the largest container gardens I have ever had. The plants that need a more controlled climate and warm nights are in a greenhouse or on enclosed patio. (Normally open at this time of year.)

It’s been a learning experience, growing most of my garden under glass, but at least I have a garden.

But I must admit the herbs and perennials are doing ok out in our cold damp summer. They aren’t quite as showy as some years but they are growing and disease doesn’t seem to be affecting them.

So how are your gardens doing and have you had to make changes to adjust to any climate problems?

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Children love to learn, especially if it is through doing. Science is a very important aspect of our life so teaching children science is important.
photo credit: mrkathika

Taking a walk with your child is a very good way to teach them about science and nature. Stop and look at the animals building their homes or the frogs changing from tadpoles to frogs.

Children love to learn and the more interesting you make it the more they will soak up. Nature as a wonderful way to teach your child about science and the live butterfly garden will do just that.

Children are attracted to the live butterfly garden because they get to experience nature first hand. With it they are able to see the life of a caterpillar and more importantly let the butterfly go after a few days.

One of my friends buys her nieces a live butterfly garden every year. The girls love to watch them change from caterpillars to butterflies and then about three days after the butterflies emerge from their cocoon they all get together and make a big production about setting them free.

Her niece’s are not only learning about the nature of butterflies but they are learning a wonderful lesson about letting go of the things they love. Plus they will have the happy memories for a lifetime.
photo credit: scyllarides

They have live butterfly gardens at my son’s preschool and every day that was the first thing he would show me. He talked about it for weeks.

So what does a live butterfly garden entail?

A live butterfly garden is a kit you can buy that includes five to six caterpillar larvae surrounded by the food that they will need to grow and it comes with a mesh net.

Then what?

The larvae turn into Caterpillars and the children can watch as they build their cocoon and emerge into butterflies. The whole process takes two to three weeks so make sure you don’t buy it in the winter because after about three days you’ll need to set the butterflies free so that they can get food.

The butterfly garden offers children a close up of the entire process but it is not the only way to teach your child. Teaching your child about nature should be fun and exciting but it does not have to cost a thing.

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A Tilting Clay Pot Garden saves space so is perfect for apartment dwellers, balconies and small patios. It also makes a great garden accent or focal point. And its fun to create!

You will need a pot stand that should stand 5 to 6 foot tall. It can be wood or metal, but I myself prefer metal because the pots will be heavy once filled with soil and plants. It is possible to buy a stand at a garden center but it’s just as easy to assemble one.

You can use a strong dowel (mop or rake handle works well) or rebar. You can pick a piece of rebar up at a junkyard. An old section of metal pipe will also work. If you use a straight dowel or bar, you must drive it into the ground about one foot.

To build, insert the pot stand into the first pot. I usually us a 12 inch pot as the bottom pot.

Fill the pot half way with rocks and gravel. This will weight the pot down and add stability to your Clay Pot Garden. Add soil and pat the soil in place.  Next, place your second clay pot on the rebar pole.

Turn the second clay pot in the direction you want it to face and fill the pot with gravel, rocks and potting soil. Continue this process until you have all six pots in place. As you create you clay pot planter the clay pots should get a little smaller. It just has a better look this way. Also rotating the direction of the pots add interest and more color once the pots are filled with plants.

Once all the pots are in place and filled with soil its time to plant your plants. This planter look great with any plant variety and can easily be changed each year or even each season by changing the plant selection.

Flowers, herbs, a mini garden and a mixture of all are equally beautiful. I will suggest a vine in the bottom planter that will vine up the pole and add more color and greenery to the planter.

An herbal spice kitchen garden works well if located near the kitchen door. And the very popular Pizza garden or Barbeque herb garden works well too.

Care of your Clay Pot Planter

Water this planter from the top down.

Water very slowly, making sure the water soaks slowly into the soil, especially the first couple of times you water.  The plants need time to get established in the pots.

If you water too quickly, the water will just run over the side of the pot before soaking in! I quite often will lightly mist the planter before I water the planter. It seems to help set the soil.

One other addition to this planter is to give the planter an aged look by mossing the pots. This process is called The Moss Milkshake Method. It adds interest and an artistic look to the planter.

The Clay pot planter will save space, add color to your garden and patio area and will get many positive comments

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photo credit: Koshyk

Forcing the lily to bloom in early spring for the Easter holiday makes the lily plant seem rather fragile. Forcing a plant takes a toll and the response is fast flowers and blooms but also the fast decline in the plant. But with a few simple steps the life of the lily can be extended for you to enjoy longer.

First, choose a healthy plant with dark green foliage. You will also want the flowers to be in various stages of bloom. The plant should have 2 to 3 partly opened flowers and several unopened buds. These buds will bloom in the next several days.

The decorative foil around the plant’s pot adds more flair to the flower arrangement but it will need to be removed for the health of the plant. Water the plant when the soil feels dry, but do not over water. Also make sure the plant does not sit in standing water. This is why I always set a plant on pebbles and plant tray.

For the best watering results, hold the lily plant over a sink and allow the water to drain out through the holes in the bottom of the pot. Using this method you will the soil has been well saturated and that the plant is properly drained.

Easter lilies thrive in cooler temperatures around 60 to 65 degrees so keep the plants away from a heater. Also avoid sitting them in a drafty area. I place my lily plants in front of a window in bright, indirect sunlight. Do not keep the plant in direct sunlight.

Also remove any flowers that have started to wither. Even withering flowers take energy and the small buds will be affected.

As beautiful as the lily is the plant is very toxic to cats so place the plant out of reach of any small animal or child.

After the lily plant has died down, pull off the dead stems and let set for a few weeks. Lilies will re-flower if left alone or planted outdoors. They are actually a hardy plant and can grow up to eight foot tall in the right environment. So save the bulbs for later planting as  the lily is a beautiful plant and adds to any garden.

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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.

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In the last few years I have solved the problem. My root crops are grown in containers and harvesting is as easy as tipping or dumping a container or bushel basket. This works particularly well with potatoes, which can get damaged while digging up. Plus digging potatoes is hard on the back.

My other favorite crops to plant in containers are carrots. When you grow carrots in a container they grow straight because there are no rocks in the soil. You can also cover the container with cheesecloth or mesh if white flies bother them. One other thing about growing carrots in a container is if you have a persistent rabbit that wants to dine on your crop, you can set it up out of reach.

Beets harvest quickly in containers, as do onions. And because I like my gardens to be fun I usually arrange my containers in artistic forms or mix what I plant in each container so that they are pleasing to the eye. Theses vegetable root crops will look nice with flowers added a few herbs and a hanging vine.

Container growing tips

As when anytime you plant in a container you will need to check the water to make sure the vegetables are not too dry. Container pots will dry out faster. I always mulch any container garden pot and usually add a plastic cut off bottle into the soil to help direct the water down to the roots where it is needed the most.

One other helpful hint for containers is that if the container is a deep one I will place quite a lot of straw in the bottom. The straw will help hold moisture in the soil, make the container garden lighter and will break down over the summer months and add nutrients to the soil.
photo credit: kthread

Give roots crops a try in containers and let me know how it works for you. It’s been very successful for me and easier than planting in the ground or even raised beds.

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If you have problems with squirrels or moles in your container pots place chicken wire over the top of the container on the soil. The bulbs will grow through the wire but animals that like the tasty bulbs will not be able to get to them. 
photo credit: Camra_ Art

You can force container bulb gardens to flower at a different time by exposing the bulbs to a cold period. Do this by either placing the bulbs in soil and a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a month or by placing the container in a very cold dark place. This works for forcing tulips and daffodils early for Easter and if you forgot to plant your bulbs at the right time.

Container bulb gardens make great gifts!

Bulbs will grow in hanging baskets and make a stunning focal point to decks, patios and balconies. Mix with hanging ivy or flowering vines for more interest.

Containers and hanging baskets dry out faster so be prepared to water you container garden more. You can add soil-retaining material to your soil, which are available from most gardening centers. You can also add mulch to the top of your containers to help hold moisture in.
photo credit: _dominic

A growing medium consisting of an equal mix of soil, sand, and compost will help promote better drainage for the container. It will also create healthier, more vigorous plant growth.

Containers make excellent focal points for gardens and homes. Tulips and Daffodils add color while hyacinths add fragrance to the container garden. Amaryllis and tuberous begonia provide long-lasting blooms and are very popular as an indoor container garden.

Many bulbs are best known for their beautiful foliage. Caladiums, cannas and elephant ears are a few examples. I must admit these are a few of my favorite bulbs. They add flair and a tropical feel to any garden or room.

Container grown bulb gardens allow you to be more creative with you backyard garden space, Mover these gardens around to create interest. You can also plan you bulbs to flower from spring to fall by selecting the right flowering bulbs. Your garden center will help you with this or check online.

Bulbs grown in containers and hanging baskets can be very successful and the arrangements and variations are only limited by your creativity.

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