Most of us are ready to invest huge amounts of money into our gardens, for landscaping and to give our homes a face lift, but we are often guilty of neglect. Often we fail to prune, when the plants need it, don’t treat disease in time and then our expensive gardens become ill and they look worse than ever, so we spend even more money on it, but overlook the causes.

So, it’s high time, we knew a few gardening tips, to avoid making these simple mistakes and to keep our gardens healthy. Follow these gardening tips, for a better looking, healthy garden.
 
1. Gardening tips for pruning
Pruning plays a very important role, in garden maintenance. Don’t be afraid to cut. Remember, if you make a mistake while pruning, don’t lose sleep over it - it’s like a bad haircut, it will grow back again.
 
2. Avoid watering gardens in the evening
During summer, you could experience high humidity. This may result in problems in your garden as fungus and other diseases love warm, damp conditions. To keep your plants nice and dry, tuck them in for night, literally - cover them. In addition to this, watering in the evening should always be avoided, if you have fungus problems.
 
3. Get rid of Powdery mildew
Powdery mildew, is a common fungus and most often, affects your ornamental plants. This creates a white film, on the leaves of the plants, in your garden. Even other ornamental plants, such as Sand cherry and Dogwoods, also get affected by this fungus. Efficient gardening is necessary, to curtail the growth of this fungus. You can easily prevent this, by spraying general fungicide, in your garden.
 
4. Prevention of Pythium Blight
If you reside in the north and probably have perennial Rye grass, then you should be very careful not to leave your grass wet, at night. A dreadful fungus called Pythium Blight may take over, especially if you leave your lawn wet at night, because this fungus loves to grow in conditions of high humidity, particularly at night.

Pythium Blight, can easily be seen in the early morning. This fungus on the top of the lawn, looks almost like white cotton candy. You will notice this fungus, mainly along driveways and walks, where the soil is moist. Pythium Blight, can easily be controlled, by watering your garden during the day and as early as possible.
 
5. Prevention of  Fire Blight
Fire Blight, is yet another culprit affecting gardens. This one prefers the summer months. This nuisance fungus, prefers to attack Pyracantha, cotoneasters, crabapple trees, and Apple trees. The presence of Fire Blight, can easily be seen. Usually, the branches of the plant, turn red and die. This Fire Blight, can be controlled by careful pruning of the affected branch and by removing it from the main plant altogether. It is also important, that the cut branches, be burnt, as Fire Blight is contagious. You should also wash, or dip your pruning shears, in an alcohol solution, to prevent the spread of the deadly fungus, to other parts of the garden.

6. Prevention of Shotgun fungus
A little gem like fungus, in appearance, this one prefers to grow in mulch and then, tends to swell.  It has been called “Shotgun Fungus, because it can “shoot” up to 8 feet in the air and will splatter your house with tiny brown specks and once they stick to the house, or windows, they stick like glue and are difficult to remove. Most of us tend to blame the spiders and other bugs, for this tiny brown speck.

You can not prevent this fungus, but you can do something, to limit it’s chances, by keeping the mulch loose, so that air can circulate inside the pile and not seem so attractive to the fungus. Although compost heaps are great, for the garden, don’t allow them to become compacted. You should turn your pile, at least twice a year and also rake it flat, so that it doesn’t become too deep.

Conclusion
Hopefully these few, simple tips will help you to keep your garden healthier, understand the problems and prevent unnecessary diseases. This will also save money and have your garden being the envy of your neighbours.

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Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/ 

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Gardening advice is not that hard to come by.  In fact, you can get gardening advice from another gardener, in a gardening catalogue, gardening books, gardening magazines and even on the Internet.  Although you will have variations with every plant, there is some gardening advice that is universal and that goes for any plant.

For example, the gardening advice given for planting, is pretty much uniform.  You must place plants where they will have room to grow, so they don’t overcrowd each other.  Good air flow is a must and plants must be in a suitable position, where they will receive adequate sunlight.  Some advice will probably tell you to add some type of nutrients to the soil, to lead to better plant growth, such as mulch or compost. 

Gardening advice on watering plants, is a little more varied, because every type of plant needs different amounts of water.  For example, you don’t need to water a cactus, nearly as much as you need to water a tomato plant.  How much water the plants need, will obviously depend on where you live, the climate and how much rain your area receives. 

Gardening advice from nearly every source, will tell you that your plants not only need fertiliser, when you first plant them, but they will also need to be fertilised, throughout their growing season.  The type of fertiliser used, will depend on the soil content and the pH balance, of your soil, but some fertiliser will definitely be needed, on almost all plants.  Compost can be used, instead of fertiliser and it is easy to find good advice, on how to make a compost pile, as well as exactly when fertiliser and compost need to be used.

Gardening advice on weeds, insects, diseases and how to get rid of these problems, is probably the most sought after advice, in all of gardening.  These pests invade all gardens and if you don’t get rid of them, they will take over and ruin your garden.  There are many different chemicals and pesticides, that can be used and gardening advice will usually, be able to inform gardeners on which chemicals are better, which are harmful and which ones are easier to administer.

Gardening is not an easy task, you have to fight against many outside forces, such as weather, insects, disease and weeds.  Even the most seasoned of gardeners, will seek out gardening advice, once in a while.  Who wouldn’t, when there are so many forces, that could completely ruin your garden?  There is a lot of general gardening advice available on the market, that goes for any plant, but if you look a little harder, you will find more specific advice, for that one plant and it’s particular requirements.  Gardening advice is relatively easy to find, in books, or on the internet and while you may come across the occasional bad advice, most of it is relatively good and will offer help with almost any gardening question.

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Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/ 

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Well, spring has sprung and summer is approaching. At least, this applies to most folks living in the northern hemisphere countries, while most in the southern hemisphere are starting to experience the cold weather. For northerners, who are keen gardeners, this is the busy time of year. We will discuss one of the most popular choices of spring flowers, the Sweetpea, in this article.

The Sweetpea (Lathyrus Odoratus) with it’s beautiful colors, lovely fragrance and long lasting blooms, is a very popular choice of flower. An added attraction, is that the flowers last quite a while, when placed in a vase of water.

Sweetpeas are easy to grow, especially if they have good soil preparation and full sun. They will continue to flower for months. There are climbing and bush varieties and even a dwarf variety, which does best in containers. This makes them an ideal choice for the small garden, or for window boxes. Sweetpeas have become one of flower lovers’ favorites.

A Sweetpea plant can be grown from seed, from May to July, for winter flowering, or around September to November for spring flowering.

The soil in the bed, should be mixed in with old compost, or manure, to a depth of about 50 cm and a then add a sprinkling of lime. Carefully put the seed in place and cover over with soil. Keep the soil moist, during the germination period. As the plant reaches a height of about 18 cm, nip the tops off, to about 10 cm in height, as this will encourage strong basal shoots.

The climbing varieties of Sweetpea, will need to be supported by stakes, or a trellis, or fence. Water them once a week and apply a liquid fertilizer, every 10 days, when in bloom. One of the climbing varieties is the Bijou, with mixed colors, or one of the best bush varieties, is the Little Sweetheart, also of mixed colors and this one is ideal for borders and edges. They both flower in the early spring.

The Sweetpea originates from a little purple flower, grown in Sicily. It was introduced into England in 1699, but only became popular in the early 1900s. It was then taken to other parts of the world and other varieties and colors became available, from around 1944.

If you long to have a beautiful garden, whether that means flowers, or vegetables, indoors, or out, this book should be of real value to you. The book called The Gardener’s Handbook will give you lots more advice. This is the secret to having a beautiful garden. It is available here http://dersalsites.com/ghand/

Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/ 

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Once summer is over and the winter starts to approach and the leaves start to fall from the trees, most people immediately think of packing away the gardening supplies, for the winter and getting ready to snuggle up, indoors. But wait! Before packing away all your gardening equipment, you should pick up some tulip bulbs, to plant in your garden. Autumn is the perfect time, for planting tulip bulbs.

Tulip bulbs are one of the most recognizable bulb flowers, in the world today. Most people think first of a tulip, when they are asked to name a flower bulb. Tulips are easy to grow and require very little care, which is one of the reasons that they are so popular.

There is a large variety of colours available in the selection of tulip bulbs. The colours of the tulips, typically follow the colour trends that are generally popular. Right now, pastel tulips are extremely popular colour choices. The most popular tulip colour has always been and remains to be red. However, red is followed closely, by yellow, as the second most popular colour.

Of course, you can find tulips, in a variety of colours, as there are over 3500 varieties of tulips. You can purchase traditional tulip bulbs, as well as fancy bulbs, which have a feathered, frilly petal. You can find tulips in solid colours, as well as striped petals, or variegated colours.

You can purchase tulip bulbs that are early bloomers, maturing early in the springtime, or you can find tulips, that will bloom later. So, you can plan your bulb flowers, so that you will consistently have flower blooms all spring, until your perennials begin blooming.

Tulips come in tall varieties, as well as shorter varieties. This can be important, when you are planning a garden design. You will also have a choice, between single blooming tulips and double bloomers.

With so much variety and selection, there is no doubt, as to why tulip bulbs are such popular flower plants. Coupled with the excellent selection and the ease of care and planting for tulips, they also make an excellent addition, to any garden design. Tulips look wonderful, in both formal garden designs, as well as informal styles.

In recent articles, we have discussed a number of bulb plants, but the addition of Tulips, to any garden will result in a beautiful array of colour.

If you long to have a beautiful garden, whether that means flowers, or vegetables, indoors, or out, this book should be of real value to you. The book called The Gardener’s Handbook will give you lots more advice. This is the secret to having a beautiful garden. It is available here http://dersalsites.com/ghand/

Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/ 

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The Tabebuia Bignoniaceae, or Trumpet Tree includes about 150 species. This tree is mainly evergreen and mostly comes from Central and South America. They have trumpet shaped flowers, hence the name and these are usually pink, lilac, or yellow in color. They are often found along pavements and streets, in sub-tropical coastal areas, or in the protected, warmer areas, of inland districts.

Some varieties flower while the tree is still small. They normally bloom in early spring. They like well drained soils, with dry conditions in winter, but moist in summer. They are normally very pest and disease free and grow easily from seed.

The Tabebuia Crysotrichia (Yellow Tabebuia) is the most spectacular of all the Tabebuias and has large clusters of yellow blooms. This is a smallish, semi-deciduous tree, from Brazil. Each wide open, trumpet flower is about 10 centimeters long and grouped, to form a rounded mass of brilliant color. The flowering time may be brief, as the hot spring winds, in its native country, cause the blooms to shrivel up, in drier areas.

Their roundish and pointed leaves, are grouped in clusters, of about five and spring up, from one point. The cinnamon colored seedpods, are long and rough to the touch. This species is quick growing, from seed and reaches a height of about 2 to 3 Meters. It is able to bloom, while still young. It grows well in the highveld area of South Africa. This tree likes a sunny, warm spot and needs to be sheltered from frost.

Another species of the Trumpet Tree, also with yellow flowers, is the Tabebuia Argentea, which is a small, rounded tree, with silver-grey leaves. They grow well at the coast, but can also withstand lower temperatures.

The Tabebuia Donnell-Smithii is a tall tree, known as the Primavera in the Carribean areas. It has a short blooming spell, and it flowers on bare branches.

The Tabebuia Ochracea differs from the Tabebuia Chrysotrichia, in that it has more elongated flowers, which are sulfur yellow, or ochre in color.

The Tabebuia Avellanedae (Pink Trumpet Tree) is a semi-evergreen tree, which comes from South America. It grows to a height of about 5 Meters and has clusters of bright pink, or lilac flowers, which have a yellowish centre and grow on bare branches, in the early spring. In certain areas, it may flower during winter, if the weather conditions are mild. This tree can be seen, lining the streets of Durban and Pretoria.

The Taebuia Pallida (Cuban Trumpet Tree) is a large, rounded, evergreen tree, which grows to a height of about 13 Meters. It comes originally, from the West Indies. They are often seen growing along the coastline, as they can tolerate the winds and the salty air. This tree has a lilac colored, trumpet like flower, with a yellow, or white centre and is similar in shape, to the Bignonia variety. It also blooms, while the tree is still young, normally in spring and possibly at intervals during summer and autumn. The deep green leaves, contain 1 to 3 oval shaped smaller leaflets. This type of tree is particularly suitable for large gardens, along the East Coast and are often seen in coastal cities.

The Taebuia Pentaphylla ( Mexican Pue Tree) looks spectacular from a distance, with it’s clusters of pink flowers, which have a yellow, or white centre. This is a medium sized, rounded tree and although it can bloom winter and spring, it usually flowers during the autumn months.

The shiny foliage contains up to five smaller leaflets, but they are far bigger than those of the Cuban Trumpet Tree. This tree is also an evergreen, but the flowers often bloom before the new leaves appear. This tree does well in sub-tropical climates, like the coast, but also thrives in warm inland areas, which have mild, dry winters and rainy summers. It originally comes from Central American countries, like Mexico.

If you are one of those who dislike chemicals and prefer natural remedies in your garden and if you love the country living, then get this book “Home And Garden, Country and Rural Life”. It covers garden topics, as well as wildlife, nature and other pastimes. If you are interested in being eco friendly and protecting the environment and if you are sick of the rat race and dream of relaxing in the rural country environment, then you should read this book on the good life. Titled Home And Garden - Country And Rural Life, it will show you how to best enjoy your garden, the birds and bees, how to raise chickens and goats and even how to bake your own bread. Change your lifestyle, by reading this book. Take a look here http://dersalsites.com/hag/

If you are going to be doing any landscaping, you simply have to read this book. Master The Art Of Landscaping and save a ton of money. It is full of useful information. If your homes landscape is designed properly it will be a source of enjoyment for your entire family, it will enhance your community and add to the resale value of your property. Landscape design involves much more than placing trees, shrubs and other plants on the property. It is an art which deals with conscious arrangement or organization of outdoor space for human satisfaction and enjoyment. In Homeowners Guide To Landscaping you will learn how to: Organize and develop your yard for maximum use and pleasure; Create a visual relationship between the house and the site and Reduce maintenance to the minimum To find out more, go here  http://dersalsites.com/lscap/

Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/ 

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Decorative grasses, sometimes called ornamental grasses make for attractive garden displays and are perfect for hiding an otherwise ugly feature, such as a manhole, sump, old tree stump or pile of rubble, especially if this is in the neighbor’s yard. Let’s take a look at one of these, called Job’s tears, which has many practical uses.

Job’s Tears, or Coix Lachrymal-Jobi, is a fascinating, ornamental grass, originally from Asia, which is now grown all around the world. It has been used medicinally, for centuries and the Chinese still use it today, in many patent medicines. This strong perennial grass is native to south east Asia and is named Job’s Tears, because it has tear shaped, grey colored “beads,” that form along the seed sprays, which are known as “glumes”.

The beads contain certain compounds, which have pain killing properties. They are also used as rosary prayer beads, or for babies to teethe on. The powder is obtained by crushing the seeds.

Job’s tears is also known for it’s calming, cooling, herbal effect, which reduces pain, inflammation and spasms, lowers fevers and has a sleep inducing effect. It has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and can lower blood sugar levels. It has also been used through the centuries, to treat rheumatoid arthritis, bladder and kidney problems and for the spleen, where it acts as a spleen tonic.

The grey beads are often made into necklaces and are worn by people in Cuba and Colombia, to ease neck spasms and pain. In Africa, the Zulus and the Tswanas grow this grass, in rural areas, as a cereal crop. The seeds have a natural hole through them, in the centre, making them easy to thread into necklaces and bangles.

The seeds are crushed and hulled and then boiled like rice and millet. They are ground into a flour and used for cakes and bread. They are also used as a thickening agent in stews. In places like India, Sri Lanka and Africa, the seeds are brewed into beer.

To make up a medicinal tea, crush half a cup of seeds and pour 500 ml of water over them. Boil gently for 20 minutes, keeping the seeds covered by water. Keep topping up the water. Allow to cool, strain and pour into a cup. Sip the tea slowly.

A single seed from Job’s Tears will germinate quickly, to form a clump of grass. To plant, simply push a seed in to moist, composted soil, to a depth of about 4 centimeters. It should be planted in an area that gets full sun and is damp. In winter, cut the grass down to ground level and dig in more compost. This is a rare, but very special grass, so try it in your garden.

There are thousands of plants that can treat just as many ailments. What is so amazing about herbal remedies, is their close association with our modern medicines. Most of our current “wonder drugs” have a botanical connection. Sadly, many of those medicines contain much more than simple botanicals. Stuffed with chemicals, allergens and who knows what else, we are fast becoming a medicated society. If you are sick and tired of being over-medicated, you can take control and start a journey toward natural herbal remedies. After all, natural remedies served the human race very well before we became so smart! 47 Household Remedies is written just for you, the person who is sick and tired of being over-medicated.
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Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/ 

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In the local nursery, the other day, I saw this chart on the wall and thought you would find it as interesting as I did. I jotted down the meanings, on the back of my shopping list and have tried to make it into a chart, like the one I saw.

According to the headlines, in the nursery, roses are a sign of love and friendship and by the act of giving a rose to a friend, you are really telling them, just how special they are. There are several colors of roses and I found it interesting, to see what they meant. I never realized it before. According to the chart, these are the meanings of the colors.

White
White roses are a supposedly, a sign of purity, innocence, silence and youthfulness. They are normally given to someone, who is shy about the matter of love. They are used to tell the person just how special they are. White roses can also be used for weddings, as an indication of a new love and hope.

Pink
Pink roses are a sign of appreciation. They are often given to someone, as a means of saying thank you. All pink flowers represent happiness and admiration. They are usually given to someone, whom you love as a good friend.

Red
Red roses are a sign of love and beauty, as well as courage and respect. The red rose signifies romance, sincerity and passion. If you want to show your loved one, that he, or she, is the love of your life, then red roses are the way to do this. Giving a single red rose to someone, is an easy way to say “I love you”.

Yellow
Yellow roses are a sign of friendship, happiness, joy and promise. They are often given to someone to show happiness, as for a loved one, who is returning from a long trip.

Orange
Orange roses signify desire and enthusiasm. They would normally be given at a graduation, or a ceremony, to celebrate the ending and beginning of two different phases in life.

Lavender, or Purple
Lavender, or purple colored roses, traditionally mean a sign of love at first sight. If you have just met someone and have fallen head over heels in love with them, then show them how you feel, by giving them lavender, or purple roses.

Regardless of the color of the roses, all of them represent love and friendship, in one way, or another. Everyone loves roses. Roses can be either planted in your garden, or kept in vases in your home, or both. They look beautiful in any setting. All around the world, roses are a favorite flower and are most often associated with romance. I hope you found this color chart interesting and now you can give the appropriate rose, on any occasion.

If you want to learn more about rose gardening, then get this e-book “How To Plant And Care For Your Rose Garden.” This new guide reveals tips, tricks and techniques you can use, to consistently grow gorgeous, healthy roses, with ease. It is an instant download and currently on an introductory special. Take a peep here: http://dersalsites.com/gardeningtips/prod/roseweek/

Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/ 

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There are many beautiful plants, flowers and trees, that are indigenous to South Africa and some adapt very well to being grown in gardens around the world. Today, we look at one such variety, the Spekboom. The Spekboom (Portulacaria Afra) is commonly referred to as the Porkbush, or Elephant’s food. The literal translation, from Afrikaans, means the Bacon Tree.

This succulent is a favourite food of the Elephants, in the Eastern Cape region, but can be eaten by humans as well. This plant has a very refreshing, tart smell, in the morning, but becomes rather unpleasant smelling, by late afternoon.

Although it is best known in the Eastern Cape, it can also be found growing on the Eastern shoreline of  Mocambique and there is also some growth, which extends in a narrow strip, up in to the Limpopo province. The exact extent, of this plant, historically, is not well documented.

This plant makes a good fence, if grown as a hedge. It is very effective, if grown around a vegetable garden, or the perimeter of the yard. The Spekboom is very dense and almost impenetrable. It has bright green, fleshy leaves and if well watered, holds it’s colour. It is easily pruned and shaped and the rubbery branches can be bent and trained. Pruning of the higher growth, will stimulate the plant and it will send out more lateral growth, thickening the lower levels of the hedge.

The roots of this plant, have very good soil binding properties, which grow well on slopes and help to prevent erosion. It grows in any type of soil and does not require much water. One variety of Portulacaria, that lies flat on the ground, can be obtained from most nurseries. This type makes a good ground cover and does not exceed 15 centimetres in height. As it is a succulent, it grows well in a rockery, or between Aloes and Crassulas.

For all the Bonsai enthusiasts, this is an interesting plant, as it can be potted and will mature and adapt to shape changes, within about 2 years. The Portulacaria plant can be grown from seed. Seeds hang in clumps from the fleshy branches of the plant, so can be easily harvested. Seeds appear from around November onwards.

Most often, plants are grown from cuttings and should be planted so that half the cutting is buried and half extends above the soil. A branch placed on the ground, will eventually shoot, at fairly regular intervals along it’s length. This allows it to be cut at 30 centimetre sections, to give multiple cuttings. These are planted upright and need to be watered well and regularly, until growth is established, but then ease off on the water as the plant normally grows in arid areas.

The taller variety of Portulacaria grows to about 70 cms to a Metre annually, until mature, when it reaches a height of about 4 to 5 Metres. It does well in direct sunlight and can tolerate fair amounts of frost. Cuttings should be protected from frost, until established.

The Portulacaria plant requires little attention. In spring it produces pale purple sprays, which are very popular with beekeepers, as they contain lots of nectar.

The Mistletoe (Viscum Crassulae) is a parasite plant and deposits it’s seeds on to host branches. They are often found growing on the Spekboom and they add colour, in the winter months. Herbivores, such as cattle and buffalo, who normally eat grass, love the juicy leaves of the Spekboom plant and in the areas where it grows, it has now become a regular part of the black rhino’s diet. 

Zulu and Xhosa women eat the acidic leaves, when nursing babies, as they swear it produces more milk. The soft stems of the plant are also flattened and once dried, are used as thatching and are also crushed and pulverised between rocks, to create a powder, which is then used as a snuff.

So, the Portulacaria, or Spekboom, has many uses. This plant can be potted, grown indoors, used for Bonsai, used as thatch, used as fences, has medicinal properties, can be grown in home gardens and can be used as ground cover. It is hardy and adaptable to many conditions.

Discover insider secrets to creating stunning Bonsai trees, with this e-book, titled Bonsai Gardening Secrets. All you need to know about Bonsais. Find out more here http://dersalsites.com/bonsgs/

Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/ 

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For people who would like to do more gardening, but live in an area with a short growing season, a hobby greenhouse is the answer. A hobby greenhouse, is not large enough to produce vegetables, or flowers on a commercial basis, but it will give you a place, for a tomato plant, or two and some fresh greens, even if you live in the colder northern regions.

Greenhouse enthusiasts even have their own association, called the Hobby Greenhouse Association, which publishes a quarterly magazine. The organization also sponsors events and helps individuals, to connect and to get help, with the aspect of gardening, that they are interested in, whether it’s growing cacti, or saving seeds.

If you are in the market, for a hobby greenhouse, there are several types available. The smallest type is not large enough to walk into and plants are tended from the outside. It resembles an old-fashioned phone booth, made of glass and fitted with shelves. This type is designed to fit as many plants as possible, in as small a place as possible. The shelves are also made of glass, to allow as much light as possible to reach plants, especially those on the lower shelves.

Another inexpensive version, of this sort of hobby greenhouse, is a rack of tiered shelving, covered with a zippered tent of clear plastic. This sort of arrangement, is great for the small-scale hobby gardener, simply wanting a place to keep her flowers, or houseplants, to start off.

There are a variety of designs, of hobby greenhouses, that are large enough to walk into, but made entirely of clear glass, or plastic. They are often about the same size, as a small garden shed. Some independent builders, have started making these, to sell locally.

Among national brands, one of the nicest, is called the “Solar Prism.” It is called this, because of it’s unique construction. This hobby greenhouse is made of a single piece of durable, clear plastic, which is designed to work like tiny prisms, side by side. They trap the rays of the sun and shoot them back into the greenhouse, at all angles. For this reason, these little greenhouses are said to glow, when the weather is cloudy.

Better hobby greenhouses are equipped with automatic sensors, that open vents, which allow ventilation and keep the interior temperatures, from getting too high. These are great labour savers, but can get a bit expensive. Another benefit, sometimes found in nicer greenhouses, is a built in irrigation, or misting system. Members of the Hobby Greenhouse Association, or HGA, have invented many interesting designs of greenhouses.

If gardening is your hobby, greenhouse growing will interest you. With a greenhouse, you can have the earliest tomatoes and salad greens, all year round. You can also start seedlings for the main garden, early in the spring, when cold outdoor temperatures, would normally kill them. A hobby greenhouse can be a good investment.

Obviously there are many other types of greenhouse and depending on where you live and what your needs are, you can select the best one. In warmer climes, a simple greenhouse can be made from shadecloth, but in very cold areas, the greenhouse needs to be insulated. No matter what you need, the advantage is year round gardening.

Many gardeners combine greenhouses with hydroponics, getting the best of both worlds, so to speak. If you would like to know more about hydroponics, read this book. The Hydroponic Gardener, a guide to hydroponic gardening. http://dersalsites.com/hydrog/  

Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/ 

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Every now and then I find an inspirational article in our local church magazine that has some relevance to gardening. Here is another, expounding on the beauty of flowers. How lucky we are to be able to see this beauty!

Matthew ch. 6 vs. 28 says: “Consider the lilies of the field, they do not labour, or spin. Yet I tell you, that not even Solomon in all his splendour, was dressed like one of these.” Now that really highlights the beauty of flowers, doesn’t it?

Recently, my Mom spent six days in hospital and to her delight, she received flowers from friends and family. She loves flowers and is a keen gardener. I suppose that is where I get it from.

One gift was a single rose in a bottle. This exquisite specimen was called Double Delight and delight everyone it certainly did, including the many other visitors to the hospital and the nursing staff.  It was a focal point.

One elderly man came in to my Mom’s room, put his nose into the rose, took a deep breath and said he had never seen such a beautiful rose. The lady next to my Mom said she would like to embroider a replica of the rose and when my Mom was discharged 2 days later, she left the rose for her friend.

How many of us are guilty of taking lovely flowers for granted? We are so blessed to be able to admire all the beautiful wild flowers in the countryside, which delight so many people every spring and summer and those of us who are gardeners or flower arrangers are so privileged to be able to see just about any flower we wish.

Each individual flower has it’s very own character and fragrance and our Heavenly Father, in His infinite wisdom, provided us with a source of great delight. What would we do without any flowers at a wedding, the birth of a baby, a funeral, a church service, a gift for the sick and the act of giving a beautiful bouquet of flowers to the one we love, not to mention our gardens and the joy we experience at the opening of a bloom we have been watching since it was a bud!

Next time you lean forward to smell a beautiful flower, or to look into it’s heart, just close your eyes and thank our wonderful, gracious Lord for all the beauty that surrounds us and the privilege of being able to grow our own flowers. Remember the children’s chorus: “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, al things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.”

If you love roses, like I do, and you want to learn more about rose gardening, then get this e-book “How To Plant And Care For Your Rose Garden.” This new guide reveals tips, tricks and techniques you can use, to consistently grow gorgeous, healthy roses, with ease. It is an instant download and currently on an introductory special. Take a peep here: http://dersalsites.com/gardeningtips/prod/roseweek/

Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/

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