Gardening

Gardening

Plants and bushes

Most popular garden plants

Peruvian lily

Aster x frikartii

Catmint

Coneflower

Mango Punch

Euphorbia characias wulfenii

Forget-me-not

Gaillardia x grandiflora

Gaura

Geum chiloense

Gloriosa daisy

Heuchera

Jerusalem sage

Lavender

'Moonshine' yarrow

Penstemon

Pineapple sage

Salvia leucantha

Sea holly

Sedum telephium

How to plant flowers

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Estimated time taken: 30 minutes
• Tools required:

1. Water
2. Plant
3. Shovel

Step 1: Dig hole for plant

1. One of the most common mistakes people make is planting the plant too deep
2. Dig a hole just deep enough for the top of the root ball to sit flush with the soil line

Step 2: Remove plant from container

• If you are having a hard time removing it, try giving the underside a good smack

Step 3: Rough the root ball up to ensure better bonding with the soil Step 4: Fill the gaps in the hole with soil Step 5: Give the plant plenty of water

1. After the first water, you will not need to water again for about a week
2. Continue to water each week

Example video:

Trim shrubs and hedges

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Estimated time taken: 30 minutes
• Tools required:

1. Pruners
2. Loppers
3. Sheers
4. Ladder

Step 1: Every cut is important
Step 2: Only remove 1/3 of the limbs at a time
Step 3: Only prune if the plant is a year or older
Step 4: Remove dead limbs from the base
Step 5: Remove limbs to thin out outer leave cover

Example video:

Trim and prune roses

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Estimated time taken: 30 minutes
• Tools required:

1. Gloves
2. Clippers
3. Loppers

How to:

Step 1: Bring the plant down in size

• Trim in a 45 degree angle right above the buds

Step 2: Remove all dead wood branches

• These suck up energy and prevent the rest of the plant from growing to its fill potential

Step 3:Remove all cross branches

• Any branches growing into the plant need to be removed from the base

Step 4: Step back and take a look

• Make any corrections to maintain an appealing plant

Example video:

Trim Garden plants

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Estimated time taken: 30 minutes
• Tools required:

1. Gloves
2. Clippers
3. Loppers

Step 1: Dead heading

1. Take flower you need to eliminate and follow to the first junction you find that has a leaf

Step 2: Continue to do this until all dead flower heads are gone

Example video:

Trees

How to plant a tree

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Estimated time taken: 30 minutes
• Tools required:

1. Gloves

Step 1: Planting in fall is the best time to plant a tree

1. The cool air and short days stimulate the leaves to drop
2. The warm soil provides excellent conditions for the tree to grow
3. This gives the tree time to establish itself to survive the summer

Step 2:Keep in mind your surrounding areas

• Don't plant too close to a house or under power lines

Step 3: Picking a tree

1. Trees in burlap sacks comes with more soil and are typically a better choice

Step 4:Plant the tree

1. Dig a hole 2 or 3 times as wide as the root ball
2. Loosen the roots in the root ball
3. Loosen soil in the hole in the surrounding area
4. Insert tree into hole
5. The tree's soil ball should be flush with ground level
6. Fill the hole halfway with dirt and water
7. Back fill the hole until full
8. Create moat around tree to gather water near the tunk
9. Add bark mulch around the base of tree but not touching the trunk

Example Video:

How to trim trees

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Estimated time taken: 30 minutes
• Tools required:

Step 1: The three cut approach

1. Make a cut on the bottom of said branch
2. Finish the cut from the top
3. Third cut at the collar of the branch to remove the left over stump

Step 2: You can always remove Dead, Damaged, or Diseased branches

Step 3: Remove any branches growing inward or in the wrong direction

Example Video

Gravel, Bark, and top soil

How to mulch your yard

• Level of difficulty: Moderate
• Estimated time taken: 1 - 3 hours
• Tools required:

1. Garden weasel
2. Metal Rake
3. Pitch fork
4. Wheel barrow
5. Shovel
6. Gloves
7. Leaf blower

Step 1: Turn your old mulch

1. The purpose of mulch is to have water and nutrients be able to pass through
2. Turning your old mulch is a must to allow your new mulch to thrive
3. "Turning your old mulch" simply means to mix of your current mulch and loosen it up before applying new mulch
4. This will allw both your old and new mulch to "bond"
5. Do this everywhere you will be applying mulch

Step 2: Spread your mulch

1. Fill a wheel barrow up and grab a shovel or pitch fork
2. Take scoops of your mulch and give it a slight toss with the shovel or pitch fork to spread it out
3. Be sure that your mulch is evenly spread
4. Mulch should NEVER be higher than 3 inches
5. Around the base of plants and trees, bring your mulch level down to nearly half an inch
6. Evenly spread mulch and be sure to not bury any plants as it can kill them

Step 3: Tidy up

1. Use a leaf blower to blow any mulch off of any walkways or areas you do not want mulch

Example Video