GardenLeap

tips, guides and articles to jump start your garden

Archive for December, 2009

10 More Native Shrubs For The Garden

Posted by plantsman On December - 21 - 2009

Native shrubs are among some of the easiest to grow, useful and most beautiful plants available to the gardener. This list of native shrubs for the garden is a continuation of a previous post on the same subject.

Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) blooms in spring with white flowers. Flowers are followed by blue berries, which ripen in summer and attract wildlife. Lowbush blueberry has lustrous blue-green leaves that turn bronze & scarlet in fall. It grows well in dry, acid, nutrient poor soil.

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Some easy to grow shrubs include…

Posted by plantsman On December - 21 - 2009

forsythia, spirea, hydrangea, rhododendron and privet.

Improving Your Garden Soil

Posted by plantsman On December - 20 - 2009

soilHealthy garden soil is an important part of a successful garden. With it plants may struggle to survive. Sandy soils are often dry and lacking in nutrients while clay soils can become compacted and remain too wet. An ideal garden soil is full of organic matter and teeming with earthworms and micro-organisms, both of which make the soil fertile.

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Weekly Garden Photo: Botanical Garden

Posted by plantsman On December - 20 - 2009

Pruning Floribunda Roses: The Basics

Posted by plantsman On December - 20 - 2009

Pruning Floribunda roses is similar to pruning tea roses or grandiflora roses. Keeping them flush with blooms every season require a bit of maintenance, particularly pruning. Here are the basics.

1. Floibunda roses most profusely on new growth so yearly pruning is beneficial. Prune in late fall or spring (spring is better in colder climates)

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Some easy to grow perennials include…

Posted by plantsman On December - 20 - 2009

daisy, black-eyed Susan, iris, daylily and sedum.

Spread mulch throughout shrub beds…

Posted by plantsman On December - 19 - 2009

to control weeds and help the soil retain moisture. It also adds organic matter to the soil as is decomposes.

Each season…

Posted by plantsman On December - 18 - 2009

add something new to the garden.

4 More Climbing Vines

Posted by plantsman On December - 18 - 2009

Here are four more vines which are perfect for covering arbors, trellises, walls or other garden structures.

Morning Glory (Ipomoea tricolor) is annual vine which blooms in a number of colors. It will twine around fences, trellises and arbors. Morning glory, as the name suggests, blooms in the morning as the flowers will close in the afternoon heat. Is easy to grow and will likely self-seed.  Can reach 10 -12′

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Container gardens require…

Posted by plantsman On December - 17 - 2009

frequent watering during hot dry spells as planters and containers tend to dry out quickly.