What's in this Issue:

#2 Lynne's Backyard Gardening Tips

#3 New Gardening Product of-the-Month

#4 Odd & Strange Gardening News

#5 Great Plant of the Month

#6 Invasive Plant of-the-Month

#7 Garden Pest of-the-Month

#8 Feedback - Anonymous

Greenhouses

Greenhouses give you a head start on all your flowers and plants. With a greenhouse you can grow any variety from seed year round if desired.

The benefits of greenhouse gardening includes:

• Grow any variety from seed.
• Save money on flowers and plant purchases.
• Grow varieties not available for local nurseries.
• Get a head start on your normal growing season.
• Grow flower and plants year round.
• Produce a higher yield of flowers, fruits or vegetables.

Sun Exposure – You should try to choose a site that has good sun exposure. This will help to heat your greenhouse area and provide the needed sunlight plants require with less reliance on artificial lighting.

When choosing a site for sunlight, remember that a spot that gets good sunlight in one part of the year may get very little in another. The sun changes angles during the year and trees or buildings could cast shadows when the sun is at lower angles in the winter for example. The opposite could occur by having full sun in the winter and as trees get their leaves back in the summer you lose direct sunlight.

Soil – You need to place good quality soil in your greenhouse and pay attention to it on an ongoing basis. Your greenhouse has the advantages of a longer growing season but it is a closed system and needs attention such as:

• Well draining soil.
• Fertilizers
• Compost & Mulches
• Weed control

Temperature – Make sure your greenhouse is neither too hot nor too cold (an optimum temperature is around 80 degrees F). Just avoid temperature extremes and you should be in good shape. If the temperature gets too hot it will kill your plants and flowers. If too cold it may kill or greatly decrease your plants vigor and growth rates.

Airflow – Good airflow is healthy for your plants and flowers and makes the environment more pleasant to visit. Stale air is bad for plants and if air is not moving moisture can build up too high and cause mold and fungus problems.

Sun and Shade – Sun is very important for plant photosynthesis as well as the overall temperature. There are times you may need shade if growing a plant that is shade loving.

Planting Seeds – Use a good soil mix for the specific types of plants or flowers you are growing. Generally you can mix 1/3 garden soil, 1/3 compost, and 1/3 sand for drainage and aeration help.

Plant your seeds as directed on the packets and put in rows about 3 inches apart from each other. Note: If you plant a set number of seeds each week or so you’ll have a staggered and continual harvest from your flowers and plants.

Watering Seeds - When watering seeds do it lightly to avoid causing them to float up to the surface. Your watering goal is to keep the soil moist but not soggy. The nutrients for your beginning seedlings will be ok if the soil mixture is mixed with compost or if using seed-starting soil mixtures. As the plants start to grow you might add fertilizers to make up for depleted nutrients.

Styles of Greenhouses

Attached Greenhouses – These are greenhouses that are attached to a house or other type of building. The advantages of this is a structure with easy access and potentially connected to a heat source.

Freestanding Greenhouses – These are separated structures standing on their own. The advantage is larger size, more direct sun light, and more design versatility. The disadvantages are inconvenience to get to, separate heating and electricity needed, and plumbing must be installed for water.

Window-Mounted Greenhouses – These are by their nature smaller and connected to a window or wall. You attach window mounted greenhouses towards the south or east side of your house.

Frame Types of Greenhouses:

• Post & Rafter
• Rigid Frame
• A-Frame
• Gothic
• Quonset

Types of Greenhouse Skin Covering:

• Glass
• Fiberglass
• Double-Wall Plastic
• Film Plastic

Flower Pots

Growing plants & flowers in pots is the same as in your gardens when you consider they require:

• Sunlight
• Moisture
• Good Soil
• Nutrients
• Compost – Organic Matter
• Water
• Correct Temperatures

Various plants and flowers require different ratios of the above mentioned necessities. The main difference is that you can bring a pot inside your home. Inside you can artificially control the environment to grow varieties of flowers or plants that would not be possible in your garden because of climate conditions.

Advantages of Growing with Flower Pots:

-> They can be placed indoors or outdoors. -> When winter comes they can be relocated. -> You can grow varieties of flowers or plants not possible in your outdoor garden because of climate restrictions. -> Can be moved to different rooms easily. -> Inside you don’t have the pest & disease you’ll put up with outdoors. -> As a gift they can be transported home from the hospital, school or work. -> Option of transplanting to your outdoor garden at some later stage.

Challenges of Growing with Flower Pots: Potted flowers and plants are growing in restricted conditions and thus are totally dependant upon you for their survival. Challenges with potting are:

-> With limited space, some flowers and plants may need watered more often to keep from drying out. -> Conversely, it is very easy to over water a potted plant to the point where the roots get water logged and rot. -> Plants can outgrow their flower pots and need to be repotted. -> Feeding plants in flower pots is trickier because they don’t have the great outdoors to tap into natural mulch nutrients.

Soils – Potting Mixtures for Flower Pots: You could use soil from outside but there will be challenges. In a closed system like pots the soil from your garden tends to become packed and too hard for proper water drainage. This also makes it a lot harder for nutrients to penetrate to the root systems.

It is better to go with a potting soil mixture which you can either make in the kitchen or purchase. A good mix consists basically of these 3 ingredients:

The main concept here is to create or buy a mix that accomplishes these goals:

• Moisture Retention
• Ability to drain off excess water
• Allows root systems to expand freely
• Allows nutrients to penetrate

Fertilizing & Feeding Plants in Flower Pots:

In a closed container system, your flowers and plants need to be given nutrients more often because there is nothing to replenish the soil. Your options are to fertilize often (possibly at each watering) or to use a slow release fertilizer. Slow release fertilizers allow small amounts of nutrients to be released each time you water.

There are 3 basic ways to help feed your plants in flower pots:

1. Liquid Fertilizer
2. Granular – Pellet Fertilizers
3. Organic Fertilizers

Watering Plants in Flower Pots:

It’s easy to over water a potted plant. More plants die from over watering than by drying out. The reason for this is you are dealing with a small closed system that can retain water (when the soil becomes saturated for a longer period the plants roots will rot).

Garden Fountains

Garden Fountains serve both function and decoration for your home & garden.

History of Garden Fountains:

Ancient Egyptian tombs show the use of garden fountains within courtyards of the wealthy. These typically looked like rectangular pools and were lined with decorative trees.

The ancient Japanese created a water basin fountain that has been used for centuries. They originated in ancient shrines & temples for worshipers to wash their hands & rinse their mouths before entering as an act of purifying the mind and body.

The ancient Romans also had many types of pools, baths, and garden fountains which flowed into the Italian Renaissance period as well. Garden fountains have been around for centuries in all cultures and continue today as a garden décor.

Garden fountains are made from stone, wood or bamboo, metal, fiberglass and more. Cost for garden fountains can range from extremely expensive to very inexpensive depending where you buy it, whether it is made by a craftsman, or a do-it-yourself project.

Functions of Garden Fountains:

-> A natural place for birds to wash & drink -> Soothing sound of flowing water -> Can help block out sounds such as traffic, neighbors, etc -> Can be a centerpiece or positioned in the background

Various Types of Fountains – There are several types of fountains depending on function and placement. They are basically divided into Indoor Garden Fountains and Outdoor Garden Fountains. These include the following types:

• Tabletop garden fountains
• Traditional garden fountains that mimic bird baths
• Wall mounted garden fountains
• Watering can fountains
• Cast Brass Fountains
• Others designs & functions

Orchids

The orchid has been a symbol of luxury, beauty an love for many centuries. The Chinese called orchids the plant of the king’s fragrance. The Greeks thought the orchid to provide virility.

People really began to collect orchids in the 18th century. They were very rare at the time and very hard to cultivate. Because of this, forest were stripped of millions of orchids and thus severely endangering many species of this splendid flower.

Fortunately, orchids are now easy to cultivate and far less expensive than the thousands of dollars years ago. Orchids are actually quite easy to grow and maintain just by having the right information on their growing needs.

Orchid Info:

-> Orchids are the largest and most varied family of flowering plants in the world.

-> It is assumed by some that because orchids grow up in trees that they are parasites like mistletoe. This is not so, they only use the tree branches for support and take no nutrients from their host.

-> There are around 33,000 different species of orchids in existence and some 200,000 plus hybrids registered.

-> They survived where dinosaurs went extinct and expanded to every corner of the world except Antarctica. They did this by adapting to living in trees, rocks, cliffs, on the ground, in the mountains, tropical rainforest, bogs, and elsewhere.

Growing orchids is as easy as reproducing as close as possible the conditions which the particular orchid is used to in nature. Hybrids are more adaptable and will tolerate more extreme temperatures.

Location: When indoors, choose a southerly or easterly facing window. It is a good idea to have a curtain to control light as the seasons change.

You can move your orchids outdoors in the summer if desired. You’ll need to be careful and introduce them gradually for a few weeks. Be aware of the temperatures, amount of direct sunlight, and which type of orchid you have. Various orchids require different conditions.

Watering: Water your orchids about once per week. Allow water to run through the porous soil material and be careful not to allow the roots to become submerged in the water. Yes, you can over-water orchids and it will kill them. One of the conditions caused by over-watering is known as root-rot.

What Container to Grow in: You can grow your orchids on a tray filled with pebbles, marbles or similar. This allows you to keep water just below the roots and attains a constant level of humidity that orchids need.

Fertilizing: Orchids respond well to fertilizing because the growing medium used to pot them is lacking nutrients. In general, once per month use a water soluble fertilizer with a ratio of 20-20-20 or a specialized orchid fertilizer with a 30-10-10 ratio. Note: Different types of orchids will need various ratios of fertilizers.

Temperatures for Orchids: This varies according to the specific culture of orchids. Some are more tolerant to heat while others can handle colder temperatures better. You need to match the temperature needs to the specific orchid genus.

Orchid Reproduction:

Orchids are very versatile when it comes to reproduction. They are also individually selective and have adapted themselves to use a variety of pollinators. One neat example is the Bee Orchid. Male bees are attracted to the orchid because it mimics a receptive female. The male bee advances and after a frustrating attempt the male bee leaves the flower and becomes an unwitting carrier of the pollen.

Some orchids provide a landing platform for the unwitting pollinator to use. When the pollinator lands for a rest or meal, they fly off with pollen stuck to them and ready to be brushed on the next orchid that gets landed upon.

Other orchids are stealth in their pollination methods. The slipper orchid is a good example of this. It attracts an insect by scent to the edge of its pouch. The insect slips down top the bottom of the pouch and has to pass through a doorway loaded with pollen to escape and move on to another slipper orchid for pollination.

Orchids do not rely upon insects alone to pollinate themselves. The also use the services of hummingbirds, small animals, bats, and the wind for a continuation of their lifecycles.

Orchids can produce millions of tiny seeds. One pod can contain as many as 4 million of these tiny seeds. Because the seeds are so small, they do not contain the natural reservoir of food that most other plants seeds do. For this reason, it’s a good thing for orchids they do produce so many seeds to guarantee the next generations.

Lilies

Lilies are easy flowers to grow and they are very beautiful and have a great many varieties. If you plant several varieties in your flower garden you can have blooms all season long.

Of all the bulb flowers, lilies stand apart from other hardy bulbs by having a significantly longer bloom period. They are also for the most part tall and upright growers. Growth occurs so rapidly in some of the varieties that division may be required every 4-5 years.

Classes of flowering lilies are divided by:

• Color range
• Period of bloom
• Hardiness
• Orientation of the flowers

Planting Lily Bulbs:

Look for that sunny spot that is well drained. Note: Which place in your yard or garden is the first to dry out after a rain? If lilies are in too much shade they will the stems will tend to stretch and lean towards the sun.

You need to plant lily bulbs soon after you get them. This is because the bulbs lack the paper like covering that is common to other bulbs so they may dry out fairly quickly. Note: If you cannot plant them right away, keep them cool but not frozen (your garage or refrigerator should be fine). Also, keep your lily bulbs in the dark because exposure to light can make them sprout and once sprouts begin you need to plant them right away.

Soil & Site - Lily bulbs need a well-drained soil. Dig your hole for the bulbs about 1 foot deep, remove debris like rocks, and add your organic matter. Organic matter like leaf mold or peat moss improves the soils drainage capabilities as well as the over structure.

Bulb placement in the hole, after organic matter is put in, should be a depth of 6-8 inches and approximately 12-16 inches apart from each other. Note: Lilies prefer a slightly acidic soil with a pH of about 6.5 percent.

Watering is important and should be done deeply enough to reach the bulb. Note: After first planting the bulbs water thoroughly to ensure the soil settles in around the roots. Note: Excessive watering will rot the bulbs. Also, avoid regularly wetting the leaves.

Fertilizers are not needed until the lily bulbs send up green leaves because a bulb has its own storehouse of nutrients built inside. Once the lily starts to grow you can add organic or other types of fertilizer. A light to moderate ratio of 20-20-20 is a good start.

Note: Too much nitrogen in the fertilizer will produce lush leaves but weak stems. Heavy nitrogen in wet, hot areas will also set the stage for bulb rot. A good rule of thumb is to use the same type of fertilizer that is used for growing potatoes.

Organic Mulch is a good idea to spread around your lilies because it keeps the soil moist. Examples of organic mulch are compost, wood chips, bark mulch, and rotted manure.

Flower gardening with lilies is a great pleasure. Lily bulbs are easy to grow and you’ll be excited to see the exotic colors that come forth in your flower gardens.

Contolling Weeds

There are thousands of weeds in the world and all fall into one of 3 categories:

1. Perennial Weeds
2. Annual Weeds
3. Biennial Weeds

Perennial Weeds grow and come back for many years. Some perennials spread by seed while others spread by underground reproductive structures. Note: Control of spreading perennials can be very difficult because of their extensive underground root system.

Annual Weeds germinate, grow, flower, and set their seed in 1 year or less. Annual weeds are triggered to germinate by temperature, light, and moisture. Annuals only spread by seed.

Biennial Weeds complete their life cycles in 2 growing seasons. They germinate and form a rosette the 1st year and in the 2nd year form a stem, flower, and set seed and die.

Weed Seed:

Weeds are born in the soil. Weed seed lays dormant in the soil for a very long time (some types up to 30 years) and are just waiting for the opportunity to spring forth. The soil is acting like giant seed storage reservoir complete with all the nutrients needed to grow.

Weed seed is located anywhere from 1-6 inches below the soil surface. Once the ground is disturbed the weeds are released to get needed sunlight to begin sprouting. Controlling this germination is done by either not disturbing the soil below an inch or by “tilling and killing” before planting your desired plants and flowers.

Your weeding is never done. Even when you get your garden clear of weeds they can find their way back by:

WEED CONTROL

Your options in controlling and or eliminating weeds from your garden are:

ORGANIC WEED CONTROL METHODS:

Organic weed control can be defined as any method except chemical herbicides. The key word is chemical because there are natural herbicides that can control weeds.

Mulching (as a weed control)

This is a widely used method for suppressing weeds by keeping them from germinating n the first place. Mulches can be divided into:

Tilling (as a weed control)

This is a natural and effective part of weed control in your garden. Methods for doing this are:

The idea for tilling is to disturb and expose the weed seed to the elements as well as bury them. Plowing for example can end up burying 40% of the weed seed (it buries 80% but returns 40% for a net 40% gain). Plowing will also bring the perennial weed seed to the surface and kill them by freezing and desiccation.

Hand Weeding (as weed control)

This is natural and sometimes necessary in your garden. Hand weeding is most effective when weeds are small and not well established. Note: Know which are weeds and which are your flowers & plants so the weeds get removed instead of prized plants.

Garden Pest

Garden pest come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. This includes the smallest of insects to larger animal pest like deer. With such a variety of garden pest, there are also a variety of treatments to rid your garden of these.

A garden pest to one person is a great attraction to another. Consider for example the mess and damage that deer and squirrels can heap on a garden. Then realize that the market for products that feed and attract these very creatures to people’s yards is huge.

This takes us to the point where, when battling garden pest, you will first decide what you are trying to accomplish. You then can decide who the enemy is.

[1] What are you growing?

The reason this is important is that certain pest may invade your garden but do not reach your threshold for damage. It may be just a few nibbles around the edges of a few leaves on your flowers for example. If on the other hand a pest is eating a large number of your flower buds thus destroying your flower production, you take preventive measures.

[2] Identify the Pest.

You will usually see the damage occurring to your flowers and plants before knowing what is causing the mess. Scout your garden at different times of the day (or even at night) to see what’s going on.

Some pest like slugs and snails leave a telltale sign of their presence with a silvery trail remaining. Other pest can give you hints by the kind of flora damage that occurs. The best proof is actually seeing the pest or finding their egg masses or larva to identify.

Note: If you cannot actually see the pest doing damage, you can set traps such as sticky tape or other marketed alternatives. You’ll catch both the culprit and possibly beneficial insects as well.

[3] Learn about the “Unwanted Pest”.

By learning about a particular garden pest habits and lifecycle you can plan the most appropriate strategy to manage or eliminate them. Slugs for example, come out at night and love the aroma (and apparently the taste) of beer. By knowing this you can put out a dish of beer near their attack sites and they will dive in and start drinking until they get intoxicated and drown.

[4] Beneficial Pest - Know the “GOOD” from the “Bad”.

This is important because there are some insects that eat the insects that destroy your garden. They are known as “beneficial insects” and you want them around. A Praying Mantis, for example, loves to eat other insects and is one of the few insects that are fast enough to catch flies and mosquitoes.

Other creatures such as frogs or toads can be very beneficial as well because they consume a large number of insects every day. Note: You can purchase beneficial insects from companies that sell their eggs or larva. This can be a way to jump-start the micro-ecosystem in your garden with bugs that eat bugs.

[5] Grow Hardy more Pest-Resistant Flora:

Some flowers and plants are naturally more resistant to pest than others. Usually flora native to a particular region have overcome the pest and diseases of that area to have survived and thrived. Wildflowers are a great example of this because they do especially well in their native habitat without any outside insecticide or herbicide assistance.

[6] Grow “Trap Plants”:

This is a technique where you plant flora at the edge of your garden that particular pest love to infest (these are plants you don’t care about). Once they are sufficiently infested you can destroy those plants and thereby taking a heap of insect pest with them.

[7] Mechanical Solutions:

Barriers such as fences can be effective with larger pest, and row covers for smaller insect sized pest. Row covers are a good way to get a flower garden started but you’ll reach a point where you want to see your flowers and take the covering off. Fences on the other hand can be an attractive garden décor and left up permanently.

[8] Removal by Hand:

This could be labor intensive but it’s an option. You may have a pest that is present in low numbers or is larger and easy to remove by hand. If so, this can be a natural method of control.

[9] Attracting Beneficial Insects & Creatures:

You can recognize beneficial insects & creatures and leave them in your garden, or introduce purchased versions of these helpful creatures. Another way is to grow flowers and plants that beneficial insects and creatures are attracted to. By doing this you tap into the native creatures that are already around as well as provide a good way to ensure any purchased ones hang around longer.

[10] Chemical Control of Pest:

There may be times you’ll need the assistance of chemicals to eradicate garden pest. These are known as “Pesticides or Insecticides” and are available in many forms and varieties.

There are 5 Types of Chemical Pest Controls:

1. Conventional Pesticides
2. Organic Pesticides
3. Botanical Pesticides
4. Microbial Pesticides
5. Natural (Soaps & Horticultural Oils)

[11] Combination / Integrated Pest Control:

This is the “GREAT” approach!!! It is the combination of all methods and allows you flexibility in pest control. If more organic methods such as beneficial bugs are not working you can temporarily switch over to chemical solutions. On the other hand, if a garden pest becomes resistant to a pesticide you have the fallback of beneficial insects or other choices to combat the issue.

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