garden Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Bruzzese Home Improvements

Tips on Creating a Truly Stunning Landscape

May 12, 2015adminDIY Projects, Home Improvement Tips, lawn and garden, Summer TipsDIY projects, garden, home improvement, home trends, landscaping, Outdoor Living, spring, summerLeave a comment

Making your garden a functional and eye pleasing place is not an easy task. Both of these aspects require careful planning, implementation and maintenance. Of course, without an initially well thought out idea the chances of getting a satisfactory final result is practically impossible. Yes, it is true that there are many possible and existing stunning gardens that are so different when compared, however, they all share several universal characteristics and this is what is going to be covered here, giving you

Color Harmony

Your house and your garden need to be in perfect harmony if you wish to leave an impression and have an overall recognizable landscape. What this really means is that the dominant color of your façade needs to be followed by complementary or analogous colors that are dominant in your garden. Chose a scheme that pleases you the most and opt for flowers and bushes accordingly. Wood and terracotta colors are always a win when it comes to garden accessories and sheds, as well as flower pots.

Surface Levels

Practically, there are two possible approaches, a single level and a multi level terrain. Both of them have their upsides and downsides and both can be a great base for creating a stunning landscape, just as is proven in nature. The safest way to go would be, if you can choose in the first place, to let your house dictate. If it is a one storey house, single level terrain would be a safe choice. On the other hand, two or more storey homes would be better accompanied by multi level terrain, that is, if the circumstances allow any adjustments at all.

Trees and Bushes

This is another area where proportion plays the most important role. By all means make a difference between the trees you choose and the bushes you opt for, in term of height. If they are of similar height they will blend into an indistinguishable whole making you uniform in all negative aspects of the term. In a recent talk with the people behind Sydney-based company Priority Trees, I found out that this type of mistake is very common and that people change their flora several years after planting it due to not being initially informed. Therefore, when you narrow your choice to a few of each category, do your research on expected height of different types of trees and shrubs you are considering and only then make your final choice.

Less is More

By all means do not clutter your garden, rather let it breathe. Every item you chose for it needs to be clearly visible and identifiable; otherwise it should not be there in the first place. This means from the distance and up-close as well, so make sure you do not put too much of anything.

Final Touches

As a matter of fact, they do not exist in the exact meaning of the word. The work and creation never ends since almost everything in your garden is a living organism. Keeping your garden impeccable is necessary to keep its stunning appearance, so, be prepared to dedicate a lot of energy and time.

As you can see, every step in creating and maintaining a stunning landscape needs to be carefully planned and taken. However, all the hard work required will be more than rewarded and surely will not go unnoticed.

You may also consider adding a stunning Gazebo or Pergola to your landscaping project! Be sure to contact us for your outdoor addition needs!

Inspiring Ways to Add Privacy to Your Yard

April 8, 2015adminDecks & Patios, Home Improvement Tips, lawn and gardengarden, home improvement, home trends, Outdoor Living, spring, summer3 Comments

As a hot summertime is coming, we should take a proper care of our yard. It’s the only place where we can enjoy total peace and flamboyant nature. Can you imagine how amazing the feeling is when you come home exhausted from work and take a nap in your comfy hammock settled in the shade in front of your house? Our yards are our personal kingdom, a secluded getaway that we treasure and save only for ourselves. But, what happens when someone disturbs such harmony?

Over the course of time, people have become overly interested in other people’s lives and habits. If you have ever spotted your neighbor peeking through your fence, don’t despair. That happens to all of us. While some people just gave up, the other ones are still looking for most effective ways to add privacy to their yard. If you would like to make your yard more peaceful and creative, here are some inspiring tips to tickle your fancy.

Install a Fence

Setting the fence up is definitely the most traditional and effective way to enclose your yard. There is a really wide choice of fences, including their structure, shape and dimensions that all depend on your yard. However, you should definitely pay attention to the materials you are planning to use. Although white wood picket fence has been a dream of most house owners, you should think twice before setting it up. When installing such fences, you need to be ready for a huge commitment. You need to know how to maintain wood fence panels properly in order to make them look great. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time taking care of your fence, you should definitely choose one that is easy to maintain like powder-coated aluminum or vinyl.

Green up Your Yard with a Hedge

Some people consider walls and fences overly conservative and isolating. If they would make you feel confined in your own backyard, maybe installing a hedge is a perfect solution for you. Hedges have the same purpose as the most expensive fences or walls, adding both safety and aesthetical value to your yard. The choice of hedges is really wide and the most common division is into evergreen and deciduous ones. If you want to make your exterior more unique and creative, you could also combine several kinds of hedges with other plants and trees, which will add vivacity to your yard.

Opt for Delicate Lattice

If you feel that a traditional fence isolates you completely from your surroundings, you should look for alternative ideas. One of the most amazing ones is installing a delicate lattice, which has various purposes. It will seclude your yard perfectly and, since it doesn’t take up a lot of your yard, it can be installed everywhere. Most importantly, lattice panels are easy to install and maintain. Setting them up, you will finally have an opportunity to grow your favorite flowering shrubs, climbing roses or tidy vines.

Personalize Your Favorite Nook

If redecoration and reorganization of the entire yard is too complicated or expensive to you, you could also pick your favorite part of the yard and make it unique. Such a place should be provided with enough sunlight, shade and comfort. For example, you could look for shade sails online, as they are an amazing solution for both sunny and rainy days. You could install your favorite garden furniture, light fixtures and a comfy hammock under them and be sure that nothing could ruin your relaxation.

What we can conclude is that people who have a yard are really lucky. They are provided with an amazing opportunity to enjoy every spring or summer day in peace, isolated from the outdoor noise and views. That’s exactly why you need to add privacy to your yard. All you have to do is to be creative. You can play with various kinds of fencing, combine them and create a real heaven on earth. Following these tips, you will manage to create a safer yard and finally be able to completely relax.

6 Tips To A Successful Raised Bed Garden

July 16, 2014adminlawn and gardenDIY projects, garden, Outdoor Living, summer1 Comment

raised bed veggie garden — Source: http://www.diynetwork.com/topics/raised-beds/index.html

Small yards, city dwelling or soil that’s sandy, rocky or full of clay – it seems no obstacles can keep Americans from the joys of gardening. When space constraints or soil conditions make traditional gardens impossible or inconvenient, gardeners turn to raised beds and planter boxes to grow the vegetables, herbs and flowers they crave.

The Farmer’s Almanac points to many other advantages of raised beds, such as: they can produce a big harvest in a small area, allow you to start planting earlier in the season and make gardening easier overall. If you’ve never gardened in a raised bed, you may be unsure how to begin reaping the benefits of this type of planting. Here is the 101 on growing your own produce in planter boxes or raised beds in your Westchester NY backyard:

* Finding the right spot

Space considerations will influence the location of your raised bed or planter box. You’ll also want to consider how much time you have to invest in your garden. A larger bed will require more work, but it can also deliver a larger harvest. Ideally, a planter box or raised bed should occupy the sunniest spot available. Avoid areas that get a lot of shade; veggies need a lot of sun in order to grow.

* Choosing the right material

The material you use to build your planter or raised bed garden can influence your garden’s overall success. Savvy gardeners often turn to untreated Western Red Cedar when constructing planters or beds. The lumber is naturally rot and weather resistant, so it’s a better choice than manmade products or other types of less impervious woods that may need to be treated with potentially dangerous chemicals that could leech into the soil. Light and straight, it’s an easy material to work with, and it is more affordable than composites. Western Red Cedar is sustainably harvested, and its harvesting, manufacture and transportation all generate fewer greenhouse emissions than other types of materials – so it’s appealing to the environmentally conscious gardener.

* Right-sizing

Your bed or planter should fit the available space and leave plenty of room for you to work the garden without requiring you to step into the bed. Width can range from 2 to

raised bed garden — Source: http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-plant-a-raised-garden/index.html

4 feet, and the ideal length is typically 8 to 12 feet. Beds and planters should be at least 6 inches deep, with 12 inches allowing an optimum depth for good root development.

* Preparing the soil

If you’re creating a raised bed, you’ll need to ensure the soil beneath is not compacted. Dig down 6 to 8 inches to loosen the soil. For both planters and raised beds, create a mixture of topsoil and organic material such as compost or manure. Remember, even with this good, nutrient-rich start, you’ll need to regularly fertilize your garden throughout the growing season.

* Watering, weeding and fertilizing

Once plants are growing, you’ll begin to experience some of the conveniences of planter or raised bed gardening. It’s much easier to keep a raised bed garden or planter garden well watered, properly drained, weeded and fertilized. Caring for plants will require less bending, especially if you’ve opted for a planter that’s a bit higher off the ground. You may find your garden dries out more quickly in the hot summer sun, but a layer of mulch or hay will help the soil retain moisture.

* Harvesting and getting ready for next year

Harvest vegetables, herbs and flowers just as you would from a traditional garden. You may find that working with a planter or raised bed extends your growing season and produces a more bountiful harvest. At the end of the season, prep beds for winter just as you would any other garden.

Keep Your Garden Pest-Free Without Toxic Chemicals

March 1, 2014adminlawn and gardenDIY projects, garden, green living, home trends, landscapingLeave a comment

Tips to keep your yard pest free in a natural way

A lush and serene garden is the natural centre of energy for your yard. It not only gives a fresh start to your day but also fills you with a relaxing feeling when you come home from work in the evening. Pests and bugs are notorious for being a menace to yards. It is often quite frustrating to see your garden, which is being nurtured by your love and care, getting trampled by those nasty rats, insects and other bugs. And the toxic chemicals in the bug and pest repellents are surely not the means to keep the garden in a healthy state for long. Organic gardening products are much more effective in warding off pests and keeping your garden safe and healthy. Here are a few tips to keep your yard pest free in a natural way.

Try Scented Traps

A wonderful way to get rid of the insects and bugs is to lure them by something they can’t resist. Insects are usually attracted to mating scents which generate biological indication in them. The traps, usually called pheromones traps, are an effective way to remove the insects from your garden. The pheromones traps are in the shape of a basket and contain a sticky substance inside them which makes the bugs get trapped inside the basket. They contain mating scents, which makes the insects come into the trap and then get stuck there. Always remember to keep these traps on the fence of the garden as these scents attract insects which make them collect at one point, so if that point would be the middle of the garden, then the insects could wreck havoc in the midst of garden itself.

Floating Row Covers

The bedcover of the garden is covered by opaque objects which are light in weight and are usually known as floating row covers. You have these available in the market in the form of rolls so that you do not fall short of these while covering your garden. And the good news is that they are not too expensive as well. Nothing passes through this cover other than water and sunlight. Mostly pests, insects, birds and other garden destroying creatures are kept strictly at a distance as they cannot pass through the floating row covers in any manner. If you are worried about the growth of your plants, take heart, as these row covers do not hinder the growth of plants. While growing up, plants simply push these covers and stem up, as they are too soft to cause any obstruction.

Row Covers To Protect Your Kitchen Vegetation

If you have cultivated a luscious kitchen garden in your house which has grown abundant in beets, carrots, broccoli, spinach and similar vegetables, then guard against flying insects which are merely looking for an opportunity to sit on these vegetables and lay eggs on them. This condition would surely result into the production of multiple insects and bugs and the consequences could be petrifying for the vegetation of your garden. Put up row covers, which are mainly used to protect seedlings, and keep these menacing creatures away from the plants.

Guard Your Plants By Using Cloche

The young plants and miniature beds of seeds could be protected effectively by using cloche; which is actually a sort of a greenhouse for plants. It is very powerful in keeping the unwanted animals, pests and other insects from harming the plants and devastating the garden. Plants which have been newly planted and are still very vulnerable to external sources could be very well kept in proper condition by the help of cloche. You have to open the cloche on days which are relatively warm and water it frequently to maintain the efficiency. Cloche helps the plants establish firm roots into the ground and this strength helps the plants to keep pests away from destroying them. It is actually the best guard since there is no requirement of electronic repellents as well in this case. So you need not worry that during watering, the pests might creep into the plants.

Colorful and Sticky Traps

These kinds of traps usually come with a sticky substance inside the trap basket and also have a peculiar kind of color. The color of the trap is actually the main factor which draws the insects and bugs towards the trap. Once they get into it, the insects get stuck with no way out. Hang the sticky traps according to the height of your plants, which would be about three to five feet. This kind of trap is very effective in catching beetles, snails and many such creepy insects.

Author Bio:

Bernard Naylor is a Passionate Blogger and Writer. He likes blogging about Home & Garden, Health & Fitness, Online strategies that are related to SEO, Content, PPC & Lead generation.

How to Make a Home Fish Pond

October 23, 2013adminDIY ProjectsDIY projects, garden, home improvement, landscapingLeave a comment

A fish pond can be the focal point of your garden allowing you to build everything else up around it. However, paying for the installation of a full-sized pond can be fairly expensive, not to mention the cost of the materials. Though let’s say for a moment that you could handle the material costs and do the work yourself: Would that be worth it?

While investing some energy and free time, even the casual gardener and do-it-yourselfer will certainly be able to handle the process of installing a reasonably sized fish pond.

If you’ve decided to undergo this project, here’s what you’ll need to purchase:

● Lining

● Rocks or pebbles

● Pump

● Surrounding rocks

● Surrounding landscaping

These are the “base items” that you’ll need to construct your pond. Depending on the complexity of it, you might want to add bridges, stone walkways, or other aspects that we won’t cover here. Essentially, you can make it as complex as you want it to be.

We’ll just cover the basics, then you can add bells and whistles as you see fit.

1. Dig — It sounds simple, and it is for the most part. Measure out how big and deep you want your pond to be, purchase the corresponding sized lining and then go out and dig the foundation for your pond.

You’ll just need to be sure and measure as you go to make sure you’re not digging too wide or too deep. It’s hard work, but these ponds typically aren’t massive in size, which means it won’t take quite as long as you might think.

Plus, it’s the hardest part of the job, and it’s the first thing to check off the list. Once you’ve got the digging done, it’s all downhill from there.

2. Lining — There aredifferent types of lining you can get. You’ll either have a flimsy material that you lay into the hole you’ve dug, kind of like a blanket, or you’ll have a shell that’s pre-shaped. The shell lining is going to be a little less forgiving when it comes to the quality of your digging job, and is also less likely to leak water.

Consider the shape and contour of your pond before you decide which kind to get, as a more textured or layered pond would be better suited for a more forgiving liner.

3. Pump install — You’ve got some options when it comes to your pump as well. You can hide it in rocks or landscaping, or purchase an extension so that it can be kept in your house or garage. Most pumps you buy will come with specific instructions, so make sure you check to see what size pond the pump can handle, and then pick out a place to stash it so that it’s out of plain sight.

4. Landscaping — Once the pond and pump are installed, all that’s left to do is get things decorated. Make sure you line your pond with rocks or pebbles to hide the lining. You can then use rock or outdoor tiles for surrounding the pond, depending on whether you’re going for a natural look or not. Add plants and flowers around the pond as you see fit.

At this point, it’s all just a matter of style and preference. You can even add bigger components like a garden water fountain, particularly if you have several levels of water to work with.

Easier than it Looks

A fish pond sounds like a huge job on the surface, but in reality, there are only a few steps if you can plan well and buy the right materials. A fish pond is a foundational piece for any garden, so consider installing one early as opposed to waiting.

Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer in Southern California. She loves being outdoors and enjoying the property around her home, and is always looking for ways to make it look more aesthetic. Follow her on Pinterest for more great ideas!

Make Your Backyard Beautiful

June 29, 2013adminDecks & Patios, lawn and gardenDIY projects, garden, home improvement, landscaping, summer2 Comments

As summertime approaches, you’re going to want to spend some quality time outside. If you’re lucky enough to live in a good location, you can go to the beach or maybe a neighborhood pool, but often your backyard is the place you’re going to catch the most sunshine and fresh air. In this case, it pays to transform your backyard into the place everyone wants to spend time. This is certainly possible, whether you’re on a budget or have an unlimited amount to spend on your backyard upgrades. Keeping your financial constraints in mind, you can upgrade your landscape, backyard fixtures, furniture, lighting, and a variety of amenities in order to have the best backyard this summer has ever seen.

Landscaping

One easy way to improve the quality of your backyard is to make sure your landscaping is up to snuff. If your grass is dying or non-existent, consider laying sod or sowing some grass seeds. Add flowers for a great smell and inexpensive splash of color. Make sure you keep any landscaping well groomed, as an unkempt lawn can quickly devalue your backyard. If your schedule doesn’t allow for consistent maintenance, consider hiring a gardener or at least installing an automated sprinkler system.

Building Structures

While you’re spending time in your backyard to get some sun, sometimes you need to escape into the shade. While a tree or umbrella can serve this purpose, if you want a more permanent shaded area it’s certainly possible. If you’re on a budget, consider designing and building your own structure, a task which can be fairly simple with some limited construction experience. Structures can also provide great storage space, a play area for your children, and even an outdoor studio for working in the sun.

Furnishing the Backyard

Furniture is of the utmost importance when you’re planning to relax in your backyard. Before making any furniture purchases, consider your primary uses for the backyard, as well as any space constraints you might have. Do you use your backyard primarily for lounging, or are you planning to throw dinner parties? Let the function shape your furniture choices, purchasing whatever is needed to best enjoy your backyard time. Keep in mind that purchasing the cheapest furniture, if you are on a budget, is not always the best idea as the quality often isn’t too great. Instead, purchase middle of the line furniture which will last for several seasons. Taking care to bring your furniture into a sheltered area in inclement weather can greatly improve the life of your furniture.

Adding Amenities

Again, take some time to think about what your backyard is most used for. If it’s primarily a play area for children, consider adding a cheap above-ground pool or investing in a jungle gym, whether you buy one or make it yourself. If cooking is your passion, plenty of DIY projects are available to expand your cooking capabilities. While you might already have a grill, consider making a pizza oven, smoker, or a bar from which to serve drinks.

No matter your financial constraints, it’s easy to get your backyard in tip-top condition for upcoming summer festivities. Take into account your budget and upgrade your furniture, fixtures, and even cooking amenities as needed for the best use of your backyard area.

This article was written by Andre Hickson, a landscaping contractor, father, and home renovator. For more landscaping tips and ways to improve your home, Andre suggests consulting professionals, like the Dorchester Awning Company.

Tips For A Healthy Lawn

April 1, 2013adminGreen Living, lawn and gardengarden, grass, green living, lawnLeave a comment

Five environmentally friendly ways to keep your lawn looking great

Maintaining the perfect lawn is easier than you think and with the right tools, you can be both efficient with your yard work and eco-conscious. If it’s lush green turf that you’re after, but you also care about your carbon footprint, there are a few tools and practices that can help you have it both ways.

Many of the tips for maintaining a truly green lawn can also save you money and time. As you’re gearing up to enjoy your outdoor space this season, here are a few suggestions to follow for a healthy lawn you can feel good about:

* Give back to your lawn. One of the best treatments for your yard is to let a layer of lawn clippings settle on the top of your turf after mowing. The clippings decompose and replenish your soil, encouraging positive growth. A common misconception is that leaving the clippings on top of your lawn leads to the development of thatch, when in fact it’s usually caused by other conditions. Leaving your clippings only helps your lawn, and lessens the amount of work you have to do.

* Go green with battery-powered mowers and lawn tools. Gas mowers’ engines don’t run nearly as clean as more thoroughly engineered car engines and contribute significantly to air pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. If you make the switch to a battery-powered mower, you can start it easily every time without having to worry about polluting the air. You can also try battery-powered string trimmers, hedge trimmers and leaf blowers, making it possible to take your entire arsenal of lawn care tools off gas for good.

* Be wise with your water. With a few strategic adjustments, you can significantly reduce the amount of water you use to keep your lawn healthy. Water less frequently with a good soaking each time, the water you use will go further. Watering in the morning will also help your lawn soak up the water, rather than having it evaporate before it makes it into your soil. Installing a rain barrel is also a great way to reuse the water that runs off your house without ever having to turn on the spigot.

* Buy a discerning fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers might offer quick results, but organic fertilizers often provide more staying power as they focus more on improving soil quality rather than the quick fix of applying nutrients directly to the plant. To make sure you are effective with your fertilizer use, take a soil sample to a local garden store to analyze it and they’ll recommend the best fertilizing mix for your lawn.

* Allow your lawn to protect itself. Mowing too short is a key mistake many people make. A good rule of thumb is to never cut more than one-third of the current height. This will ensure that your grass can develop deep enough roots to thrive and won’t get scorched when summer temperatures arrive.

Do you have any environmentally friendly tips on lawn care that you would like to share? We’d love to hear them!

Home Improvement Projects For Spring

March 21, 2013adminDIY Projects, home addition, lawn and gardenDIY projects, garden, home improvement, landscaping, springLeave a comment

Outdoor DIY Projects For Spring

As temperatures warm, many of us can’t wait to get outside and rediscover the joys of our outdoor spaces. One of the best ways to ensure the enjoyment of your space all season long is with some spring cleaning and upkeep of your yard and outdoor living spaces.

There are a few spring cleaning projects that benefit every homeowner and make spaces much more inviting for the hours you’ll spend enjoying the summer sun.

* Take the time to prune. Before the season heats up and the first leaves start to appear, it’s the perfect time to shape up your trees and shrubs. Doing so before the growing season is less stressful for your plants, easier to clean up and will promote the type of growth you envision to keep your greenery looking great all season. Make sure your tools are sharp, as cleaner cuts are easier on plants.

* Clean up leftover leaves. While you probably spent much of the fall raking and mulching fallen leaves, stragglers collect throughout winter, clogging gutters and drains. In addition to cleaning areas of your yard blanketed with leaves, rake your lawn to rid it of matted leaves that can inhibit healthy growth. Break these chores into separate days so you don’t have to do it all at once. Using a blower also helps you clean up your yard in short order.

* Bring out the power washer. Winter tends to leave its mark, and the exterior of your house, deck, sidewalks and driveway can all show grime once spring rolls around. A pressure washer is a convenient way to clean these surfaces.

* Check in on your deck. Once it’s been pressure washed, it’s time to see if you need to re-seal it. If you drizzle water on your deck boards and it beads up, your seal is still effective. If not, it’s time to apply another coat of sealant. Pleasant spring days are ideal for re-sealing and staining and once you’re done, you can enjoy the whole season without worry.

* Design your dream outdoor room. Once you’ve cleaned up your space, you might realize there’s more that could be done to enhance it. Perhaps you’d like to add a Gazebo, Patio or screened in outdoor room for entertaining. We’d be happy to provide you with a free home consultation to help you design the backyard of your dreams! It’s also the perfect time to consider a new patio set, or even a patio extension using decorative pavers. Dress up existing patio furniture by staining wood furniture or buying fresh new covers or cushions. This is also the perfect time to buy that new and improved grill you’ve had your eye on.

Spring is an exciting time to get back outside and take care of some of the improvements you’ve been dreaming of all winter.

Give us a call at 914-576-2572 or send us an email to bruzzesehomeimprovements.com and let us help you design your dream outdoor living space!

Fast Growing Flowers to Put in Your Garden

February 19, 2013adminlawn and gardengarden, green living, home improvement, landscaping, spring3 Comments

Home garden’s make a beautiful addition to your landscape and provide you with many opportunities to put them to good use. First of all you will always enjoy the sight of live flowers each morning when you wake up. You will also always have nice arrangements made from fresh cut flowers. And last, but not least, you will always have the perfect bouquet for any occasion or person. You only have to go to the garden and pick what you want.

The reason why many people do not like the idea of growing their own gardens is usually the fact that they do not have enough patience to wait for the plants to grow and start to blossom. For many flowers this can be true, but still there are some that grow faster and will not make you wait so long for the perfect result.

This article will suggest a dozen of them and basic tips on how to optimize their care. The first one to start with is called cosmos. This plant is annual and usually grows with long stems. They look very pretty, have enough foliage, and can be seen in several different colors some of which are pink, purple, red or white. They are very easy to grow because they do not need much of a fertilizer. It will actually suppress the blooms of the plant if there is too much of it.

The Mexican Sunflower is another one of these fast growing flowers. It is so bright that you will love it from the moment you see it. Its blooms are red and orange. They have the ability to complete two generations for the time of one summer. When you are planting the Mexican Sunflower in your garden you have to be sure that there is enough room for it because it can grow up to four foot in width. You have to be extremely careful when you cut these flowers to use it for an arrangement. Its stems are very fragile. To avoid breaking, try to cut it using very sharp tools.

The yellow flag is an early spring flower which can grow best in wetlands. It is not impossible to have it in a drier place, but there it will grow smaller and will spread less and with more difficultly.

The Black-eyed Susan is a perennial. It grows with numerous blooms on one stem. It can bloom during the whole summer without a break and the more you cut it the more it will grow again.

The purple cornflower is very interesting in its shape and can be dried and boiled on a tea. It attracts butterflies during the whole summer and you don’t have to worry about it because it rarely gets diseases and is very tolerant to dry weather.

Marigolds are also amongst the fast growing flowers and are very beautiful. They are continuously blooming and can be seen in every shade of orange and yellow. It’s best to plant them with the vegetables because they need pest treatment more than any other flower.

Poppies are the annuals that come with more than seventy varieties of their color. Their foliage is blue-green. For better results, make sure to remember to cut them just before their flower opens. To make them last longer in the vase, hold the stem in the flame of a lighter for a few seconds then put them in the water.

The horse-mint is the perennial that, when dried, has the taste of oregano. Besides growing it in your garden you can dry it and use its nice fragrance as a natural air-freshener in your home.

Guest Post By:

Bio: Daisy Hart is a writer and blogger with great flair for flowers and flower decoration. She is focused on writing the best possible way and is constantly searching for new sources of inspiration. Her present article treats: gardening and caring of flowers related thematic.

Flowers that Find Winter Appealing

December 17, 2012adminlawn and garden, Winter Tipsdecorating, DIY projects, garden, home decor, home improvement, landscaping, winterLeave a comment

Are you a gardening enthusiast that’s just starting out his journey in the world of growing flowers? Know that before you actually begin creating a flower garden you should acquaint yourself with the matter. It’s always better when someone explains to you what to do instead of having to teach yourself the hard way by trying and failing several times. This is why acquiring some information prior to starting to grow flowers will only make it easier on you. Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place. Now that winter is right around the corner, winter-blooming flowers are something you can begin preparing with.

Hellebores are flowers that are nowhere to be found in a summer garden because they go dormant. Reviving at the end of November with large dark-green leaves and blooming in January/February, the Helleborus vesicarius gives green blossoms with burgundy marks on the inside and outside of its cup-shaped form. Depending on the type, hellebores start blooming in November up until April. A lot of them self-sow, so you even don’t have to plant them again. Other species like Helleborus multifidus, Helleborus cyclophyllus, Helleborus odorus and Helleborus viridis also blossom in the winter. Hellebore flowers are typically seen in Europe.

Helleborus niger or the Christmas rose allows us to enjoy its flowers at the end of November but there are other variations that bloom as late as March. Some of its blossoms have a diameter of 10 cm/4 inches; others are way smaller – down to 2.5 cm/1 inch in diameter.

Phlox nivalis is another flower that blooms in the winter. It may start blooming in the early November. It’s flowers are large and bright pink. Phloxes enjoy the winter sun and require good drainage. Phlox douglasii shows its blossoms in December with purple to violet shades. Phlox is a common flower for North America.

Iris unguicularis is another type of flower in the group of the winter-blooming ones. The first blossoms can be noticed in the middle of November. Its leaves are slender and the flowers are blue-purple. In the summer this type of iris is dormant. It’s advisable not to water it too much even if the summer is dry.

Iris reticulata deigns to open its bluish grey leaves in late December, but its flowers bloom in early February. The winter sun seems to best appeal to the flower because it chooses to blossom during the cold period. As for the soil, Iris reticulata is not very pretentious – an ordinary one will do just fine. Iris flowers can typically be seen in the northern temperature zone.

Snowdrops and crocuses grow from bulbs and look very delicate and fragile, but you probably already know that. Galanthus caucasicus (a type of snowdrop) starts blooming at the end of November and continues until Christmas when Galanthus nivalis takes the lead. Both of the flower species like dry soil in the summer and moist in the winter as well as the sunbeams in the coldest months. Snowdrops are typically seen throughout Europe.

Crocus laevigatus has violet to purple petals and is fragrant. This delicate beauty can be seen around Christmas. There are other species of the Crocus genus that bloom in January, February or early March.

Winter flowers must be fond of the cold weather, unlike people, since this is the season they choose to unveil their beauty to us. These flowers honor winter with special attention. It takes courage to survive the coldest season, which the flowers above definitely have.

Guest post by:

Bio: Daisy Hart is a writer and blogger with great flair for flowers and flower decoration. She is focused on writing the best possible way and is constantly searching for new sources of inspiration. Her present article treats: common and unusual winter flowers related thematic.

Call Us