I would like to share some tips on gardening with you, which I have found good.  The internet, gardening clubs, books, magazines and your local nursery could prove to be invaluable resources to get more information on gardening. What is the top information that you need to know: amount of sunlight the plot is likely to have, tips on fertilizers, mulch and soil management. What is the other information that you need to know? Firstly, what types of tools including the kind of tiller and watering systems which are required to get you started.

Tip #1: Pull out the paper and start planning your garden because the time this will save will be huge.  Keep the plan in front and call a friend to discuss the whole matter. A second opinion helps. Points of consideration: its appearance; the distance between the garden and the hose and sprinklers, if any. Of course any thing that comes to mind.

Gardening Tip #2: Make sure that you prepare the soil correctly. This factor can come between you and the success you make out of your garden. One of the important points of consideration is that all plants may not grow well in the same kind of soil. Their needs vary. Use organic fertilizers if you wish to retain the natural aroma of the food when you are growing vegetables and herbs. Wooden chip mulch or any good compost is better than ordinary fertilizer.

You could easily have a backyard compost heap. It is a blessing when it starts to provide you with the returns.  Though fresh home brew compost is an excellent source of nutrition for your vegetable and herb garden, it can well be completely unrealistic. If you are looking for an alternative to home compost mixture, mulch is your choice but make sure that they are of softer woods like pine or redwood since these woods break faster. Mulch, compost or fertilizer, ensure that they are all mixed well.

Gardening Tip 3: when you have the soil all prepared it is very smart to lay out the plants on top of the soil before planting them to get a good look at how it’s going to turn out just in case you need to make any last minute changes.  I firmly believe it is wise to plant plants together that have similar characteristics.  Plants with larger spread should be planted together. You can see all the plants if you plant taller plants at the back with shorter ones in the front.

Gardening Tip #4: Never forget to water your garden. For a big house, keeping your garden in ship shape is a tough task. An automatic watering system is a wise alternative, if you want your garden to grow on its own. Your automatic watering system can start from a huge sprinkling system to a small timer which is attached to the hose. Gardening can be one of the most rewarding experiences – providing you with shade, beauty and at times food!

Planting bulbs is a good place to start, especially if you make it fun by having them plant them so that when they grow they spell out their name. Popular bulbs to use are daffodils, crocosmia and anemone de Caen to name but a few. This not only will keep the kids busy but will also give them a point of interest over the coming months as they admire their handy work.

Another little project for younger kids is to get them to make a spiky grass head. All you’ll need is a pair of old tights, string, sawdust and grass seed. First cut a length from the leg and then cut of the foot so that you have a tube, then tie a knot in the one end. Once you’ve done that pour a handful of grass seed down to the knotted end and then pack in some sawdust. Create a ball from the grass seed and sawdust mix using your hands and tie off the other end. Soak the ball with water, squeeze out the excess and stand in a bowl with a little water in. After several days the grass will germinate and after a few weeks the ball should have a good amount of hair which can be trimmed into different styles.

Growing produce can also be a fun project for the young, and there’s no easier thing to grow than potatoes. Around March there are plenty of seed potatoes available. If you wanted to you could have a look around at the different seed kits that are on the market. These kits typically come with a sowing tray, compost, seeds, colouring cards and crayons. They are aimed at youngsters and allow them to grow such favourites as water cress and sunflowers.

If your child shows an interest in gardening why not give them their own plot of land in your garden. It doesn’t have to be a large area but try and make it so it’s in a sunny spot. It’s a good idea to help them start off by clearing the area of weeds and other obstacles. Giving them their own plot will help instil some responsibility for keeping it tidy and functional.

Hopefully these few ideas will help you to get started in showing your kids that gardening can be fun. You’ll also be getting them out of the house and into the fresh air.

You’ll need small pots (approx. 3 inches in diameter), these could be plastic coffee cups, half filled with multipurpose compost. Pop two seeds in to each pot and place on a warm windowsill, hopefully both seeds in each pot should start to grow.

To start with give them a moderate amount of water, slowly increasing the amount (don’t drown them). After a few weeks start them on the liquid feed.

If after several weeks their roots are coming through, re-pot them in larger containers before transferring them outside.

Once May comes you may want to transfer them to a greenhouse before planting them in the soil. Eating vegetables is very important if you want to look after yourself so what better way than having your own private supply growing in your back yard.

Most birds love fruit, so planting some fruit trees is an ideal way to get more of our feathered friends to visit our garden. Moreover, many types of fruit give off pleasant scents, which in turn helps make the air fresh and fragrant.

Another old favourite is to install a birdbath in your garden. Most birdbaths resemble decorative basins sat upon a pedestal. It is important to replace the water in the birdbath fairly often to make sure that it’s safe for them to drink.

Another idea to attract birds to your garden is to put bird swings between trees or other solid structures. It allows birds to perch and rest and is very easy to make. Just use string and stretch it between tree limbs or solid posts starting about a metre and a half up.

For a start to grow decent vegetables your garden needs to be in an area where it gets between six and ten hours of sunshine per day.

The next step is to check the soil, ensuring it’s in good condition. Obviously this can’t be done by just looking at the soil, what’s needed is a soil testing kit. You can Google for soil testing kits; they’re pretty cheap. The results you get from these kits will help you determine what should be added to the soil to grow healthy crops. Adding compost can enrich an average quality soil. Compost materials are other organic compounds such as decayed leftovers from vegetables and leaves.

Another essential to growing great crops is to level the soil. Levelling prevents the soil from forming low patches where water can pool.

Once these fundamentals are in place you’re ready to plant some vegetables. When planting annual vegetables, a trench should be made in the soil and the plants embedded within the trench. Perennial vegetables, such as asparagus, should not be planted next to annual ones but planted separately. Specific instructions on how to plant different crops are usually supplied when the plants are bought. Once planted, the vegetables should be given a mild watering.

Once your crop is planted you need to protect them from insects. A good idea is to construct a wall of cardboard around the plants. Although this won’t make your garden look beautiful, it helps protect your crop and doesn’t use any pesticides. Fortunately, when the plants are mature enough you can remove the cardboard.

Your garden will still need to be tended frequently. You should also try and put down a layer of straw mulch, sprinkling it over the soil. Straw mulch reduces moisture loss and evens out the soil temperature. It lessens the need for watering and also reduces the presence of weeds. These basics should help you get started in building a vegetable garden that will bring pleasure for years to come.

There are generally three types of Japanese garden designs.

Firstly you have the highly popular Tsukiyama style (this loosely translates to mean, “constructed mountain” in English). Tsukiyama style gardens main design features rely heavily on hills and contours; a stream or pond with various shrubs and plants also usually compliments them. It’s not unusual to see a traditional Japanese temple or house there. Another concept that is typically ‘Tsukiyama’ is for the whole landscaping to be viewable from strategic locations within the garden. 

The second type of design is known as the ‘Karensansui’ or dry landscape garden. This type of garden design is associated with the practitioners of Zen Buddhism. These gardens set themselves apart, from even other types of Japanese gardens, by their minimalist nature with little or no vegetation at all. Instead, the main features of a Karensansui garden are carefully arranged sand and rock formations. The rocks are meant to be symbolic and represent the Japanese islands. Raked in circular patterns, the sand symbolises the sea. The rock gardens of the Daitokuji and Ryoanji temples are perfect examples of Karensansui style gardens. A Karensansui style differs from a Tsukimaya garden, in that it’s supposed to be viewed from a single, seated location.

The third Japanese garden style is the Chaniwa. Dating back to the 14th century, this is not a garden as most people understand. Rather, this style is characterised by carefully planned and beautifully laid out paths, consisting of stepping stones leading to a tearoom. These tearooms are known as Chaniwa, and so explain the reason for the garden name. The Chaniwa also has stone water basins, allowing the guests to wash themselves before taking part in the tea ceremony. The underlying aim of a Chaniwa designed garden is to invoke a feeling of solitude, peace and enlightenment, which is ideal for meditation.

The good news is that you can help protect them and even increase their numbers by making a butterfly garden. Butterfly garden landscaping works by growing plants that attract butterflies. Done correctly, this kind of garden can be paradise for insect wildlife.

The first thing to do when thinking out or designing your butterfly garden is to locate a sunny spot in the garden. Butterflies need the warmth from the sun so that their wing muscles will work efficiently. In fact, if you observe butterflies carefully you can usually see them stretch their wings out in the sun, warming up enough to fly. It is also important for the garden to be in an area that is clear of strong winds; butterflies do not like strong winds and will avoid gusty places.

You next need to think about the best plants to use. There are four factors to keep in mind when making the selection.

First, they should be scented and brightly coloured. Butterflies are attracted to strong fragrances and bright colours.

Secondly, the plants should produce nectar, as nectar is a butterfly’s staple food. These days, plants that produce nectar are easy to grow. Planting different varieties of nectar producing flowers will attract even more species. This helps due to the fact that some species are particular about the kind of nectar they consume.

Thirdly, select flowering plants that will bloom at different times during a season. This will ensure that your garden always has attractive and colourful butterflies visiting it. Moreover, it provides a steady supply of food for the different species of butterflies.

Fourthly, your garden should have an abundance of host plants for the butterflies to lay their eggs on. The best host plants are the leafy ones where they can be a source of shelter and food for both larvae and caterpillars.

Providing an area with a rocky ledge is also a good idea for an effective butterfly garden. Butterflies will often perch on rocks to bask in the sun’s rays.

When you have your butterfly garden in progress, it is important to avoid the use of insecticides. Many of these chemicals are toxic to butterflies. Instead, use plants that are native to your area. Indigenous plants have already developed resistance to local pests and disease, reducing the need for pesticides. Also, try and introduce other creatures such as earthworms, ants or beetles. These insects eat up other insects that prey on flowers. Be as natural as possible, let nature take its course.

Having a butterfly garden will reward you as a gardener with the beautiful view these lovely creatures present. But more importantly, they provide these colourful creatures a chance to survive and enjoy life of their own.

If you can contribute to a post then we welcome your participation by leaving a comment.