Bonsai Plants and Gardens

No matter where you live in the world most cultures like to use herbs in their cooking to provide the flavours and aroma that we have all come to love. With the enormous spread in popularity of Gourmet Cooking shows on television we are encouraged to expand our culinary tastes to include dishes from all over the world . As most professional chefs prefer to use fresh herbs in their cooking why should we not follow in their steps and grow our own basic herb garden at home.

It is quite easy to put in a basic herb garden to grow the ones used the most. Most of the common herbs used as spices in cooking can be successfully grown in average soil but some do request rich soil, such as oregano.

Additionally, some herbs in a basic herb garden such as parsley are biennial in nature. This means the first year they are grown they will not be useful for seasoning. It is during the second year that the crop can be used. Ideally, with parsley, , plant a new crop of seeds one year after planting your first parsley plants so that in a couple of years they will overlap, providing u sable seasoning every year.

Most of the herbs grown in a basic herb garden such as, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano and basil are tolerant of direct sun, but will require a minimum amount of water to survive. You can harvest leaves, sprigs and twigs from any of your herbs as they are growing giving fresh organic herbs for your kitchen.

However, some plants like thyme is a very forgiving plant and if it dries out will likely come back when an appropriate amount of water is given. Since some have different soil requirements and can grow under slightly different conditions, having them separated by variety can help get them started and keep them growing throughout their life.

Plant Herbs Close To Where They Will Be Used

In most cases it is easier on the grower to plant the basic herb garden close to the kitchen for easy harvesting of the fresh crop. Remember, the entire growth does not have to be cut and used at once. With the right care, the spices will continue to grow and be usable during the entire season. Drying or freezing the extra cuttings at the end of the season can possibly supply the spice throughout the winter, often lasting until the next crop produces the following year.

If you are little short on space why not consider companion growing? When planting a basic herb garden that would take more room than available, certain herbs can be planted among other plants, especially tomatoes. Parsley can play well with other plants specifically tomatoes, asparagus and among roses. Broccoli and cauliflower also welcome rosemary in their midst. Basil also likes to grow alongside tomatoes too.

The only problem with planting herbs among other plants is that they can be mistaken and trampled on inadvertently when weeding, pruning and maintaining the other plants in your mixed garden bed. A basic herb garden is a valuable addition to your kitchen supplies and really wont take to much of your valuable time to look after.

If your garden is small i recommend that container growing is the best option because you can put them in good locations and maintain them easliy. Container growing tomatoes will grow just as well as those grown in the main garden but you need to do a couple of things a bit differently to have good success.

Container growing tomatoes

The first thing to do is grow the right variety. Some varieties have such large fruits that this makes them unsuitable for growing in pots and containers. If you have ever grown tomatoes you now how much the y need feeding and watering. only marrows and pumkins come close. The large varieties need a larger root system to sustain the plants long enough and well enough to give you the large tomatoes you would want.

What you can grow very well in pots, tubs and containers are cherry tomato types and medium size tomatoes like Moneymaker and Ailsa.

I always use the biggest pots and containers gor tomatoes as I have had problems getting good fruit with small pots. Your plants need regular watering and feeding and to get really good plants the roots need plenty of space. If they are pot bound you will reduce the size of your tomatoes.

When the first truss of flowers appears then you should feed them weekly. I do this at the same time every week until the harvest season in almost over. Then just keep watering. I use specially prepared feed but you can use most organic feeds such as fish blood and bone. You can use the same types of feed on other vegetables.

Growing tomatoes in pots

My last hint is to ensire thay are watered daily. Even in a dreadful wet summer like we are having in england this year you must water and water daily. the foliage of the plants protect the soil from the water so you need to check it. The ones in the ground will grow much more easily. Container growing tomatoes for small gardens work very well as long as you follow these simple tips.

The first thing that greets you as you step into a Japanese garden is the calmness and serenity of the place. The Japanese gardens reflect men’s efforts at harmonizing the beauty and force of the nature in an effortless fashion. With the essential presence of water body, thin streams, short bridges or artificial hillocks created with gravels and rocks; in the final shape the Japanese gardens become resonant with the mellow notes of spirituality and tranquility.

You can find three basic styles when it comes to Japanese gardens:

• Hill and Pond (Chisen-Kaiyu-skiki)
• Flat Garden (Hiraniwa)
• Tea Gardens (Rojiniwa)

The basic rules are more or less same, while the particular features are incorporated in lieu with the specific type of the garden.

In the Japanese gardens you will come to find a rare bonding with nature. Despite the use of many artificial structural elements like bridges or water bodies or artificially created hills, Japanese gardens are created to reflect the nature in her most unadulterated form. Thus “harmonious asymmetry” becomes the rule for Japanese gardeners and simplicity becomes the inspiration behind their work. If you are going to recreate the Japanese magic in your garden, then follow the thumb rules described below.

The illusion of time and space

To the eyes accustomed to European style of gardening, where the perfectly manicured plants vie for your attention in every possible nook and corners of the garden, Japanese gardens may seem to offer an illusion of emptiness at a first glance. There are so many things, yet the garden looks so vast and spacious—this trick of space management is the first lesson with regard to the Japanese style of gardening.

Selection of plants

The Japanese gardens try to reflect the permanence of nature. That is why it is the evergreen trees that become the dominating feature of Japanese gardens. The plants in the Japanese gardens represent the seasonal cycles. Because of this selection, the Japanese gardens are not discarded during the winters. The essence of the four seasons can nowhere be better felt than in the changing appearance of Japanese garden through the year.

Bringing the balance

In an ode to nature, the Japanese gardens strive to represent the nature in a miniscule, but in its closest form. As for example, in a Japanese garden, you can not accommodate a pond that is a perfect square in shape. Because nature never produced s such a geometrical wonders. Similarly, in your pursuit of imitating nature, you have also to incorporate the spirit of balance. As for example to create a mountain in your small garden, you can make use of the small rocks, but not the huge ones.

Fencing

Creating the right enclosure has great symbolic value. The fencing is created with the aim of locking up the serenity inside the garden uninterrupted by the goings on in the outside world. Sometimes, small windows are created on the solid walls to lure the passer by with the beauty that lies inside the garden enclosure.

Ornamentation with the lanterns

No Japanese garden is ever complete with stone lanterns in variety of designs and styles. There are three main varieties of lanterns that are used in the Japanese gardens: the Kasuga style lantern, the Oribe style lanterns and the Yukimi or Snow-Viewing lantern.

In short, Japanese gardens are the reflection of natural balance between change and constancy. A little introduction to Zen philosophy can prepare you for the better perception about the Japanese style of gardening.

Just imagine your pasta and pizza without the finishing touch of oregano or the delicious mince dumplings without the pinch of sage! The outcome is sure to be bland and boring. This is what the herbs do for you’re your culinary skills - they uplift the taste and flavor of any dish. In addition to that they make the dish look colorful and inviting. Thus the defining character of any dish is the work of appropriate herbs. While you can buy them in the local grocery stores, it is always better to home grow them in your backyard; the addition of garden fresh herbs will definitely make your cooking and dining experience even more enjoyable.

Plant type

Before getting started in the task of herb gardening, you must learn about the different types of herbs. The herbal plants are of three types:

Annual—the herbs like basil, chamomile, dill, chives, lavender, lemon, mint, oregano rosemary, sage, tarragon or thyme are planted each spring and live for only one season.

Perennial—the herbs like catnip, balm, lovage, marjoram or thyme live for many years. Although they shake off the leaves during winter, their roots remain alive and in the turn of spring they bloom into new foliage.

Biennial—The plant like Parsley grow for two years. The first season is for growing foliage, next the seeds are formed. After that they die at the end of the second season.

Choice of the location

For herb gardening the question as to where to plant is very critical. Not all the herbs have same light or temperature requirement. While most of the herbs need exposure to the sunlight for at least 6 hours per day, the herbs likes chives, cilantro, dill, and mint are grown in the shade.

Soil type

Make sure of the soil requirement of a particular herb before planting one. In general an extra rich and over fertilized soil is not suitable for planting good quality herbs. Over fertilization kills the flavor of the herb by reducing the essential oil content of the herbs. The herbs do better in the moderately rich soil. In addition to that, your herb garden must have excellent drainage quality, so that soil does not contain extra water. Growing herbs in raised beds or containers is also a good idea.

Daily care of your herb garden

Just like with vegetables, other herbs require about an inch of water per week. However, those planted in containers tend to dry out more quickly and hence need more frequent watering. To get a better grip, with the soil keep garden beds weeded.

One interesting thing about herb plants is: they have inherent power to resist pests and disease attacks. This is due the aromatic natural oil, they are bestowed with; the aroma repel pests and insects naturally. Still, herbs are susceptible to the attack of insects like aphids, and diseases such as powdery mildew.

Keep these information in mind when you are going to start your herb garden for the first time; your care for your herb garden will result into great pleasure everyday all through the year.

A small strip of green in your backyard completes the charm of your sweet home. What can parallel the experience of a relaxed weekend amidst the chattering of the birds in the greenery right in your backyard or retiring in the lap of nature at the end of every tiring day! Your tryst with nature will become even more enjoyable if your garden—even if it is small one—is neatly manicured and artistically landscaped. When it comes to landscaping the garden, many people are led by the misconception that you need an expert help to give your garden the desired shape and look. But in reality, it is possible to design your own garden according to your taste. In fact, landscaping can be all fun and easy if you are armed with proper information.

What is garden landscaping?

Landscaping is often described as a pursuit of art, backed up by the scientific knowledge. The aesthetic sense in you makes the garden alluring, while the scientific knowledge serves the practical purposes. Thus in order to get started in your landscaping endeavor, polish up your finer senses of aesthetics and try to acquire information about basic landscaping designs.

According to the basic grammar of landscape designing, there are major five elements of landscape designing. They are:

• Color
• Texture
• Scale
• Line
• Form

Color: The color is added by the selection of flowers and particular shrubs and plants. The color schemes most commonly used in landscape designing are: monochromatic, analogous and complementary. While the monochromatic color scheme consists of different shades of one color, analogous color schemes are based on the colors which stay side-by-side on the color wheel. Complementary color schemes on the other hand comprise the hues that stay directly opposite each other in the color wheel.

Line: You can create the landscape in a line that is either straight or curved. While straight line has certain force of itself, curved lines appeared to be gentle to the eyes of the beholder and they create an illusion of movement.

Form: Lines are closely associated with that of the form. The form depends on the type of the plantations and their growth habit. Form relates to the aspects of size or area of the garden.

Texture: This factor is not influenced by the plants alone; there are many other objects in the garden like bridge, path etc that add to the roughness or smoothness of the landscape.

Scale: This refers to the size or dimension of any object in terms of the total area of the garden. Good landscaping depends on the sense of the scale and symmetry.

These were the basic elements of landscape design. Add your imagination and creativity to these basic elements to create your private retreat of peace and tranquility.

Constructing a backyard pond within the backyard revives the property and the landscape and will be able to turn into  a lush haven.  The options are many when undertaking designing a pond to insure its success.  One of the first decisions has to be to decide on the area for the backyard pond.  What will be the theme of the pond?  Is it primarily to add beauty or will the focus be primarily for pond plants? You must decide if fish or frogs will thrive in the pond.  If a landscape development company will be responsible for installing your new koi pond be sure to go over all of these concerns during the development phase.

Once the fish pond has been installed now it is time to add some charm and interest along with beauty to the area surrounding the water feature. This is the fun part.  Before selecting your pond plants find out if your county has a list of aquatic plants that are banned.

Buy the plants for your backyard pond from an honest vendor.  Do some of investigating.  It is really not recommended that you buy them online; if you should have any problems with them it can prove to be very hard to return the pond plants to the store if it becomes necessary.

You may opt to plant the tropical water lily, which has a stunning blooming flower.  There are also many of pond plants that are commonly used around the edges of the pond.

For an extensive listing of pond plants and detailed planting and care instructions be sure to visit Pond Pleasure.com.  You will be pleased at the many illusions you can create with the use of the right pond plants around and within your backyard pond.  Start dreaming about your koi pond now!