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>>Home > Garden GalleriesGarden Galleries is a new section for us and we will be updating new featured public gardens periodically as they become available. The idea behind this project is to create a photo essay of different public gardens, give a general description of those gardens including location, directions, and admission fees, etc. Obviously there are a multitude of beautiful public gardens throughout the country and we'd like to include as many different gardens as possible, yet with limited staff and resources, we're limited to doing just a few new gardens each year. Landscaping in AmericaLandscaping refers to any activity that modifies visible features of an area of land. In the city, this might be called urban landscaping which looks at ways of incorporating functional green spaces into cluttered metropolitan areas, or suburban landscaping that focuses more on primarily residential areas integrated with office parks and shopping areas. These visible landscape features that we arrange in a design include flora (plant life) or fauna (animal life); or what is commonly referred to as Gardening. Other elements include those materials that help the fauna relate to the flora such as pathways, planters, lighting, and other materials often referred to as hardscaping. This site focuses on the basic elements of landscaping, including landscape design, but also on the gardening elements, or the art and craft of growing plants with the idea of creating an attractive environment outdoor environment to enjoy in your own backyard or for creating more curb appeal for your real estate investment. This information also addresses specific problem areas often encountered in the landscape and especially in the lawn. Weeds, insects, and disease are the primary problems associated with lawn and landscape care. However, all of these major problems are more properly associated with actual soil problems. So soil condition and improvement is also covered. Environmental concerns are also addressed. The goal of Landscape America is to promote an interest and appreciation of landscaping and lawns across the country, not that we will be better for having a better lawn and landscape, but better people from making the effort at improving the environment. Practical considerations should be part of the landscape design process. When selecting plant materials, always consider native species or non-invasive plant species adapted to the geographic area and thrive in that particular climate without extensive supplemental watering and feeding. Environmental problems result when exotic plants are placed in the landscape that require extensive adaptation of the climate to allow for their survival. Using native species we greatly reduce this forced adaptation and conserve natural resources. Everyone benefits from making the world better a better place. Depression GardensWith today's economic climate, pulling out some of our grandparents tricks that helped them survive the Great Depression 1 might help us survive the Great Depression 2. If this Depression is anything like the first one, it's going to be a long, dark ride that will last years. Preparing now may help you cope with what is around the corner. Read more about Depression Gardens >>
"To prune or not to prune," is the most often asked question. Incorrect pruning in most cases will only delay flowering. However, improper timing of the pruning may cause the death of the plant. DON’T PRUNE IN THE FALL! Let your clematis stay unpruned and dormant until spring. Furthermore, if all varieties were left unpruned they would all flower very well. However, the flowers would not necessarily cover the plant as well as they otherwise could.
If you are serious about landscaping your garden and you are not a very creative person, you may find that landscaping software will help. Designed especially to help give you ideas and show you the best ways to design your garden, you should find it easy to find something that you really like. Landscape design software is great for giving you ideas and let's face it - most of us need them every now and again! Landscaping the garden sometimes seems like a huge task. If you have the mind set that you can't design or that you don't have a creative bone in your body (and who hasn't felt that way) you might not visualize the possibilities with your own landscape. Either way, landscaping software really helps you out by preparing a visual layout showing your property with various plant possibilities. Besides giving you many different ideas and possibilities, landscape design software also shows you the step-by-step process of actually building your dream landscape.
Whatever the motivation that initially sparks the need to play in dirt and grow something, that desire often grows into more than just a passing interest— often becoming a lifelong passion and source of endless hours of real enjoyment. If you've already gotten your hands dirty, then you understand this passion. If you're just curious about what it is that you've got growing in your backyard garden, you've taken a big step my friend. Curiosity is what keeps you young.
A good healthy soil, with a good structure that is capable of nurturing healthy growing plants may contain as much as 50% organic matter. Soil problems arise when this ideal balance becomes out-of-balance. Most reasons for this involve the loss of microbe activity. Fertilizer isn't the only answer. Make sure your soil is always improving. You want to make it a haven for microbes. Microbe activity is the key indicator. The best way to keep the microbes happy is to give them plenty to eat in the form of organic matter. You obviously don't want to drown them out, or kill them with chemical contaminations. Read more about improving your landscape by improving the soil Besides the practical purpose of providing a way of tip-toeing through the tulips, garden pathways also should contribute a structure to the well landscaped garden. The feeling and mood a pathway creates varies with the choice of material, the line the path takes through the landscape and the surrounding plantings. Read more about the aesthetics involved in creating an inviting garden pathway
Project EverGreen Coordinating Greencare for TroopsNEW INITIATIVE to help military families with their lawn and landscapes needs while the family's major breadwinner is on active duty away from home. GreenCare for Troops is designed to show the green industry's concern for this situation, helping affected families maintain their homes' green spaces. If you can help as an individual or a business, and would like to volunteer for this initiative, contact Project EverGreen at: http://www.projectevergreen.com/gcft/index.html |
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Wave Petunias are a spectacularly different type of the common petunia. It has a trailing shape that makes Wave 
Blooming clematis are truly dramatic. Growing clematis may seem daunting at times. The secret is understanding the pruning type of clematis you have and when is the best time to prune your clematis.
Hollyhocks are an easy plant to grow and they seem to have been around forever. They are especially easy plants for beginners to grow successfully and they can be a strong accent plant in gardens and cottage-like borders. But they do have a few problems... 
What motivates people to get their hands dirty and put up with the constant struggle with weeds, plant hungry bugs, all just to see some bits of color? Perhaps we still possess that basic instinct to grow food for our survival. Perhaps it's to put a mark on this same little plot of dirt. Perhaps it's a need to get away from all the stress of work, world politics and maybe even a little family strife.
Healthy plants grow in healthy soils. Plant problems (disease, weeds, insect infestations) often are attributed to poor soils. Most healthy landscape plants will fend for themselves in the world if given a fighting chance by providing a healthy growing environment. Take away that healthy environment and they become weakened and these opportunistic pests run amuck.
Every insect has a place in the world, but some are more of a nuisance to people than others. Flies fall into that category. The common house fly and stable fly are the primary pest fly species that create problems for people and animals, plus, these species are the most widely distributed throughout the country. Adult flies are not only a nuisance to humans and animals, but they also transmit some diseases.