It’s April, the sun is shining, and there is this sudden feeling of panic in your body, its gardening season once again. Many people feel overwhelmed when gardening season hits, and they aren’t sure how best to get things going. Gardens are such complex, intricate plant and flower groups that it becomes a challenge to find the right way to start your spring garden off right. A few tips are below to help the average stressed out part time gardener be ready for the spring season. So take a deep breath, put down the miracle grow, and read on for insight into the wonderful world of gardening.

Make a plan that actually won’t require a greenhouse for this year. Some of us gardeners have a tendency to go over the top with our gardening plans. If you’re garden is to include trees, exotic plants, or science experiments you may want to reconsider. The hardest part of gardening is dedicating the time to plant, nourish, and tend to your garden on a daily basis. By making realistic plans you will save yourself hours of stress. For those over achievers that can’t help themselves, try over simplifying your garden plans for insured success.

Search magazines, and the internet for inspiration. Don’t be afraid to get ideas from others when it comes to gardening. There are many credible sources available online, and in books and magazines that offer many innovative ideas for gardens. Be sure to take advantage of such resources before planting your mixed garden of whatever you could find on sale at the local hardware store.

When in doubt, create a theme for your garden. There are many popular themes for gardens these days, including Asian, desert, and rock themes. Give your garden some personality and come up with a theme. Once a theme is chosen it should become much more clear as to what, and where, and how to plant certain things in your garden.

Plant something you can eat for instant gratification. Don’t be afraid to do it. Plant some mint, grow it, and put it in your ice tea. You’ll feel like a true American living off the land. If you’re daring, try planting some pepper seeds, those never tasted as fresh then from your own garden. When you put them in your kid’s fajita’s they’ll look at you with great admiration, if they don’t just tell them if they don’t save their lunch money everything is coming from the garden.

It’s now spring and gardeners are out of their burrows to plant, and watch their seeds grow. Be sure to follow these tips to allow for a pleasant gardening experience

Clark Covington is a professional writer who provides information on gardening for Home Decor 101 and also contributes to A1 Gourmet.

Greeted by a garden gnome people often grimace in horror and mutter some displeasure while thinking how anyone could anyone have one of those in their back garden. But we’re also told ( from people in the know) that there are approaching four million of them in southern Germany and if you know where to look there’s quite a few in the US aswell.

Well it doesn’t surprise me about the Germans, since the first gnomes graced us with their appearance about 160 years ago. The first logged appearance was in the UK about 1840 in Lamport Hall. According to local myths gnomes are very lucky. It is documented in the 1870’s that manufacture began on a large scale. Apparantly they are meant to help around the house and garden, and in more isolated areas were meant to guard over produce and livestock.

Eventually, the European gnome creators became experts and masters of their work. During it’s most popular period a gnome factory in Griebel, Germany produced over 300 different characters. In 1989, after the collapse of the iron curtain, savvy businessmen entered the market in the Czech Republic and started to produce cheap imitations of the original characters. At first they were stopped from entering Germany by a law customs officers confiscate those gnomes who were infringing copyright laws. Unfortunately, it is all now all quite slack on the German border. The grandson of the founder, Reinhard Griebel, now has just one workshop and the gnome museum.

The first gnomes were always characterised as gardeners carrying out daily country tasks, but this grew to fishermen, sportsmen, musicians and many more. Then they started to model ones from people still living out of clay or stoneware.

In North Devon, in the southwest of England, there is a gnome reserve. There are over one thousand pixies and gnomes in the four acre reserve. Gnome fishing equipment and hats are given out so the gnomes feel at ease.

They are others that have a very different opinion about them. FreeTheGnomes.com provides Garden Gnome Liberation information and urges people to take action. They proclaim that “ Thousands of gnomes are enslaved across America. For too long we have let are neighbours usurp the rights of these gentle woodland creatures. Join the boycott. Organise a picket demonstration. Write to congress. Free a gnome. We’ll show you how.”

Some groups have even crossed to the wrong side of the law. In April 2000 the Garden Gnome Liberation Front in a nighttime raid on a Paris convention stole 20 gnomes.

By the way, if you’re thinking of selling your home, a study made in 2003 concluded that a gnome in your front garden would lower the price of your house by about £400.

For more info: A house is not a home without a gnome.

Jan Money is the owner of GardeningSupply.info and is from Poole in Dorset in the UK and has been writing gardening articles since 2005.

Gardening Supply Info - Providing information and resources about gardening and gardening supplies.

Garden fencing is not just a simple way to protect from ruthless invaders. It has become a form of art, a nice addition to the whole decoration of your house. Garden fencing adds to the look of the garden itself. Even if your garden is perfect, with the rarest exotic plants and the most beautiful flowers, an ugly fence can spoil the effect. That is why, garden fencing is regarded as an artistic sphere, where you can express your individual taste. There are many ways to make the fence of your garden. Here are three popular types of garden fencing, which you may use to make your garden prettier.

Wood Garden Fencing. Wooden lattices are best to use if you want to retain your privacy but still allow some parts of the garden to be viewed by passers-by. Lattices are also perfect for the climbing plants. Using them as trellis, you can help your vines grow stronger. You can also use lattices for the morning glories to climb and make a delightful picture when they bloom. Wooden lattices also provide a hiding-place from the wind. You may use lattices in other ways: for example, two lattices can be put close together, 6 feet apart from one another. Use a twine to attach them on the top and soon a beautiful arc of leaves will be formed when the vines grow higher.

Patio Wall of Garden Fencing. Patio dining with the family can be really pleasant and relaxing. To create a patio place you can also use garden fencing. Dig a hole and attach a metal trellis near the dining table to signify the borders of the patio. Then use your coiling roses, tying them with a twine to the trellis. Soon you will have a naturally divided place that can become the family dining room when it is warm.

The last type of garden fencing to be presented is Border Edging. You may construct border edging using whatever materials you like. It has versatile possibilities of personal expression. You can use wire garden fencing to divide some special areas, or outline one corner of the garden using cast iron border edging, or use garden plot to stress on a certain border. Another possibility that border fencing offers, is to use vivid plants for defining certain areas. For example, a hedge or a bed of flowers such as marigolds sown on curved line to produce a zigzag border. Or redwood blocks or cedar shakes create beautiful natural borders that can be used in variety of ways.

As you may have noticed, making your garden a showplace is a highly provocative procedure. Use your own imagination. Combine the three types to set something really unique, that would make all your neighbours go red in the face. You may soon gain the reputation of the master of gardens amongst your friends. Garden fencing is a field, where you can be yourself and use your ideas in creative ways.

Article by Robbie Darmona - an article writer who writes on a wide variety of subjects. For more information click Garden Fencing

You may be considering casting (sometimes called "pouring") molds using concrete, cement, plaster, ceramic material, wax, soap, and even hypertufa is used as a medium.

Molds (sometimes spelled "moulds") can be made from a variety of materials. There are latex or rubber molds. These are generaly expensive to purchase and take a fair amount of expertise to use. They give great detail and beautiful results when used properly.

Many of these are made to order, so delivery time is 3 -5 weeks after you have placed an order and paid your money. This is a long wait if you are just starting off in the hobby or business.

Your investment in molds will be considerable and even with several hundred dollars worth of molds you may only have 5 - 10 different castings to offer your customers.

I recommend that you start with the much cheaper and easier to use rigid or semi rigid plastic molds. They are inexpensive and will give you an excellent feel for mixing and casting whatever medium you are interested in. If you invest $150 to $200 in these you will have 20 or 30 different castings to sell and be well on your way to making some money!

Plastic molds can normally be ordered and delivered within 5 -7 working days. You are in business as soon as you recieve your molds as most retailers will include instuctions. These molds are very durable and will give you a great start in you casting business.

The choice is yours!!

copywrite 10/2005 Delsmolds.com

Link back to www.delsmolds.com

Del Germyn

Del Germyn has been puring concrete, plaster, and molding hypertufa as a hobby and business for longer than he wants to say! He is also in the mold manufacturing business, manufacturing molds for small business people and hobbyists. You can see his molds and sometimes pictures of his newest creations at http://www.delsmolds.com. If you are ever walking in the woods and see a face or mask high in a tree, chances are it is one of mine!! I like to take them after I make them and place them in unusual places for people to "discover". It is interesting — often they are there for 2 or 3 months, other times - gone in a couple of days! Beaches are fun — bury them in the sand at low tide with just a bit showing. I don’t know what happens, maybe I should hang around to see! They always disapear the same day they are planted. I started doing this when my wonderful wife, Mary-ann said we had to many "hanging around the house" and I should get rid of some. She was right, as always, and now as soon as I am satisfied with the result from a new mold I take it for a ride!! A way more fun !!

Roses are greatly admired by gardeners as well as by ordinary diletants. They are the perfect flower combination for anyone’s garden. Bouquets of roses and cut roses can add to the colorful ambience of your home. Roses can also be used to decorate the exterior architecture of your house. Planted roses have various types and colors, and can be a natural decoration, which would suit anyone’s taste.

Landscape roses, as they are also known, can be planted anywhere in your garden. The good thing is that they are easy to find, but the drawback they have is the prolific abundance of various types, which sometimes confuses you. To make things easier, here we have classified the most famous types of landscape roses, which can be used according to your preferences.

Depending on your purposes, there are several main types of ornamental landscape roses. The first one that crops up to mind is the tall tea rose. Gardeners who want to decorate a trellis or an archway plant tea roses. Tea roses have the perfect blooming flowers. The rose arch can really make the atmosphere of your garden romantic.

The second type is the climbing rose. It can be used for wall decoration as well as for any other permanent structure. True climbing roses can be trained to wind around in different ways: for example, to reach the top of a building, or grow alongside the walls.

The Polyantha is also known by its modern name Floribunda rose. Due to its prolific growth and extensive life span, this rose type can be planted to produce a long-lasting colorful effect. This rose can burst in furious blooms and provide the background with different colors.

China roses are the perfect choice if you like to plant landscape roses in front of other plants. There exists also the option to plant roses in the shape of shrubs or hedges, for example the types of Shrub roses and Rugosa roses.

But as with every flower type, the question that you first need to consider, is color. What colors do you want your roses to have? This is an important issue. You must be well aware of each type’s specificity in accordance with color and different shades. Roses can be found in such various color combinations that you may choose the most suitable one according to your color scheme and garden planning. White tea roses can be used against red brick wall to produce an artistic effect. Another example: pink roses can be the perfect complement of a marble or stone wall.

You could as well use the whole variety of colors and color shades to enrich your garden outlook. This is a popular trend in gardening: mixing everything together can have positive outcome. Different styles, flowers and colors blended together provide an aesthetic bounty and make you feel optimistic. Roses cannot be excluded from this floral mixture. They can be combined with all types of flowers. They can add a stylish touch to the garden, if combined with other flowers.

The last thing you need to have in mind is the specific climate of your garden. Choose such rose types, which can endure the weather conditions, and also beware of the season. This will save you using pesticides, and your roses will not be catching flower diseases. The health of your garden depends of your appropriate choice of the flower types, which are suitable to grow in there.

Find Flower Shop - the easiest way to locate a flower shop in your area Article by Robbie Darmona - an article writer who writes on a wide variety of subjects.

Do you know just how durable teak wood really is and what makes it that way? Have you ever thought about where it is harvested from and how long it has to grow before it can be harvested?

Well, if you have pondered some of these questions you are in luck because you will find some answers here. If you haven’t pondered these questions, or questions like it, then this will just be a fun learning experience for you. And hey, this article will make an excellent conversation starter at your next family get together or your next party. You will be the hit of the gathering!

In researching this article, I could only go back in time about 600 years. That was the time frame when the Chinese Ming Dynasty had a pretty powerful fleet of ships called “junk” ships. These ships were built out of teak wood. These were huge, powerful sailing ships that could carry thousands of men and cargo for extended periods of time. The Teak wood used was said to have been buried for several years before the Chinese deemed it usable to build into one of these ships. The Chinese knew that teak wood could withstand the sun while out on the ocean. They also knew that teak wood would not shrink when exposed to the wind, the heat, the rain or the salty ocean water itself. These are some of the main reasons why boat and shipbuilders today still prefer to use teak wood when building ocean vessels. Because teak wood experiences such little shrinkage, it makes an excellent choice for the ships doors and cabinets.

Teak wood contains a very large percentage of silica (sand) and natural oils. It is also a very dense wood. Because of these characteristics, teak wood is the preferred wood for decking either on ships or at the home. Believe it or not, the silica content in teak wood actually helps to attain sure footing when used in the flooring of a ship. The oil content assures its durability. To maintain it, it just needs to be cleaned off periodically. The benefits do not end there. Because of the oil content, the silica, and the density of the wood, teak wood does not react with any metals that may come in contact with it. These are the same characteristics that have caused people around the world, and companies that operate resorts and retreats to invest in outdoor patio furniture made of teak wood.

Back to the article at hand. The Ming dynasty needed to tough ships for several reasons, one very important being that it wanted the word of Zen spread to all lands to the edge of the earth. It is being reported that indeed, the Chinese did just that. It was 600 years ago that the Chinese circumnavigated the earth, and they did so in ships made of Teak wood.

Teak wood takes approximately 50 to 60 years to grow to maturity. One reason for the cost is just that. It is a commodity that is heavy demand, but with a limited, recurring supply.

In early history, Britain was very interested to grow and produce this wood. The British quickly realized they did not need to grow Teak Wood as they could annex those countries where the Teak wood was grown and have a plentiful supply: India, Thailand and Burma. I am not saying this is why the British took over Asia and India, but it certainly helped to give reason. Myanmar (formerly Burma), which is just south of India, and Yangoon became the first places where teak was being harvested for British ships. Calcutta was set up as another British shipbuilding site. All of the British merchant ships built in Calcutta were built with Myanmar teak logs which were said to be the best at that time. Once the wood was depleted from India, teak logs were harvested from Thailand and Burma. The British needed many ships to be able to go on to conquer and take control of British colonies and the naval fleet was their primary means.

Teak forests were quickly being depleted. Teak was now the preferred wood used for building ships as we have previously explored. The wood was also impervious to wood rot and insects, like the mighty woodworm, (side note: The famous Ocean liner “Queen Mary” used no less than 1000 tons of teak when built). The British quickly realized the depletion of teak wood that was taking place and developed a re-forestation plan. They appointed a leader to head this new bureau and began replanting teak trees on what are now called teak “plantations”. A set of very strict laws were enacted regarding who can cut teak wood and who can purchase it. Once these laws were set in place, one needed to have permission from the British Government to be able to cut a teak tree down and or export it. Teak was also being used by the locals for furniture, posts for houses and paneling, (another side note: India is the third largest importer of teak wood today, behind China and Japan. As much as 80% of India’s timber consumption is teak). Teak wood is used in India today for local consumption; building homes, furniture, fencing, etc. It is the one wood that can withstand the monsoons, the blistering heat and the humidity. It is the wood that all other timber species are compared to.

Due to the large demand for teak wood today, many countries that now have government controlled plantations are reviewing the possible rotation (cutting down the teak wood trees) after 30 or 40 years. The consensus with this rotation is that the wood will not be inferior at that rate. However, there are some countries that are trying tree rotation after only 25 years. This would help their particular economy by turning out teak wood more frequently. The result of this shorter rotation cycle is timber that is smaller in diameter, color, and grain.

Because most teak wood today is grown on plantations, and the demand is growing at an estimated 10% per year, teak is still heavily regulated and is sold through the auction process. It is not very easy to get. There are still the regulatory permits that must be purchased and other expenses that go along with regulation. For example, once purchased, it is usually the purchasing companies’ responsibility to provide transportation if the teak wood is to be exported, and certain countries have regulations on how many logs can be exported. Currently, Java, Indonesia is the largest exporter of teak. There are several companies located in Java that will process and fashion the teak wood into furniture or planks for flooring or siding, and then export the finished items to countries around the world.

For those who like to invest, there are several plantations that have been started and are taking on investors right now. Many countries depend on teak wood exports for their financial stability. One country for example that has two main exports: Rice and Teak, where rice was the number one money generator recently has experienced a turnaround and teak became their number one export deriving most of their money. Upon learning this, several other countries are developing strategies and seeking locations where they can begin their own teak plantations.

Remember, because of the characteristics of teak wood, teak wood patio furniture will last about 75 years. This needs to be taken into consideration when making your purchases. When regular maintenance is performed (which means to clean it periodically) the true annual cost for your outdoor patio furniture really only comes out to about $133.00 per year (based on a $1000 investment).

So, when you add it all up, you get a much better understanding of what the hype about Teak Wood is all about: the numerous qualities of Teak Wood: the supply and demand side of Teak Wood: and last but not least, the answer to the original question,“Why does Teak wood patio furniture have to be expensive?”

When investing in your outdoor patio or garden, or decorating the verranda, and even for indoor decorating, teak wood outdoor patio furniture is simply the wisest choice you could make.

Michael Ochoa operates Macs Teak Furniture website. This website specializes in sales of Quality Teak Outdoor Patio Furniture and provides free shipping anywhere in the United States. Make sure to visit Macs Teak Furniture for more information about teak. Send Mike an e-mail and let him know how much you enjoyed his informative article on teak wood and Teak Wood Outdoor Patio Furniture.

Spring flower bulbs in dry climate can really grow into beautiful and healthy plants, if you keep to several rules of thumb. Gardeners from southern part of Australia are often eager to complain about the dry conditions that ruin the greenery of their gardens. Indeed, weather in southern Australia, as well as in other hot places on the earth, can be a great obstacle to anyone’s gardening efforts. But with some precautions on our side, we can learn to handle with the weather and use hot climate even as a helpful tool to change our gardens to their best looks.

Flower bulbs need special treatment and most of the gardeners are soon to forget about it. If you plan to seed your flower bulbs in a hot and dry climate, you’d better choose drought tolerant plants. They are reliable and can beat the hot climate and grow to their utmost despite the temperature inconvenience. Flower bulbs are an excellent choice if you plan to pick up drought tolerant plants. The flower bulbs of almost all types of flowers are a natural reservoir of nutrients and moisture, and can endure the unfriendly conditions. They are wrapped up in special flakes, which are very thick and can prevent from warming. Flower bulbs are a storage organ and can be the perfect preservative against harsh conditions.

Another privilege that flower bulbs have is that most of them are basically planted in the autumn. The cool winter months prevent the flower bulbs from heat, and they have time enough to grow and develop in the fertilized soil. After the winter has gone, spring evokes the flower bulbs to pop up, and beautiful floral shoots are soon to unfold. Flower bulbs can also be planted in April- May, in the spring months, which are not very hot. They can have the opportunity to develop during the hot times, and spring up in the early autumn. Flower bulbs are extremely stable in hot conditions, because they have they own environment, which is created by the substantial content of the bulb. That’s why spring flowers are grown even in the hottest climate conditions.

There is large variety of colors and nuances that every type of flower bulb can offer. You should pick up the color combinations and flower types from flower bulbs stores, which are largely visited by gardeners in the period April-May. The longer you delay planting time, and leave the bulbs for warmer months, the more likely it is going to be that nothing will spring up. You should be very careful when picking up the planting time, in accordance to the soil temperature and properties, to the weather forecast for the summer months, and to the advice that experienced gardeners will give you.

You success also depends on the fertilizer that you use. If you use a proper one, which suits the conditions of soil in your garden, you are very likely to have your flower bulbs turn into beautiful plants. Flower bulbs such as soldier boys, spring stars, crocus, freesias, ixias, and grape hyacinths are extremely extensive in comparison to others. That’s because they are likely to produce more flower plants, and have shoots for many years to come. They need not be replanted every year, unlike other flower bulbs. Anemones and ranunculus, for example, are not as endurable as the above mentioned. They need annual replanting and a lot of care. They can be grown in the winter, which is their main positive side. Their flower bulb is fleshy and contains a lot of nutrients, which explains why they can endure the chilly conditions. But they can also be grown in every other season. These two types should be planted every winter, if you like to have them spring up in the spring. Unlike other flower bulb spring plants, they can bloom for several weeks, and they require almost no care as soon as they have sprung up. They are essential flowers for every garden in the spring.

For more information click Flower Bulbs Article by Robbie Darmona - an article writer who writes on a wide variety of subjects.

It’s fall – time to forget about the garden, right? Not so fast – getting your garden ready for winter can make a big difference next spring.

Instead of playing catch-up and fixing winter’s damage, you’ll be out gardening and enjoying your yard as soon as the first spring bulbs come up. A final garden cleanup is the first priority, so here’s a checklist for the fall jobs to do around the yard and flower garden.

To do: Around the yard and flowerbeds

• Until the ground freezes hard, continue to water woody plants, especially trees and shrubs just planted this season and all evergreens. Evergreens especially need a good store of moisture going into winter because they don’t lose their leaves, which means they continue to transpire (give off water vapor) through the cold months.
• This is a good time to transplant shrubs or small trees that you have earmarked for relocation. Do this job when the leaves turn color and begin to fall.
• In most regions, autumn is also an ideal time to plant new trees and shrubs, as there’s still time for woody plants to make good root growth.
• Put plastic or wire mesh tree guards around the slender trunks of any new trees and shrubs to protect them from gnawing animals such as rabbits and mice. Make sure tree guards reach high enough, over the snow line.
• Don’t cut roses back now – wait until early spring. Hill up hybrid tea roses with soil for winter protection if necessary.
• Pull out frost-killed annuals, and plant remains from the vegetable garden, and add spent plant material to your compost heap or home compost unit.
• Whether you cut down dying perennial foliage or not when you’re getting the garden ready for winter is up to you. Some gardeners like to leave seed heads and dried foliage for winter interest and to feed birds, while others prefer to leave neat beds ready for a show of spring-flowering bulbs. But remember: whatever you clean up now, you don’t have to worry about in the spring.
• Do one last weeding of your flowerbeds, and discard any weeds with seeds in the garbage instead of the compost. You don’t want those pesky seeds sprouting in your garden next spring.
• Consider shredding leaves and using them as winter mulch on flowerbeds. You can also add shredded leaves to the compost pile. In a season or so, they’ll make compost, the best organic treat your garden soil can get. (Use a chipper shredder, if you have one, or just run your lawn mower over leaves.)

To do: Last-minute lawn care

• Rake fall leaves off your lawn. Leaving them on will smother the grass.
• If you spray your lawn to kill weeds, the month of October is about the most effective time for this job.
• Apply winterizing lawn fertilizer.
• Do a final grass cutting. Long grass encourages low-temperature fungi.
• Why not get your mower serviced and its blade sharpened in late fall so it will be ready for you in the spring?

Now you can put your feet up and relax, sure in the knowledge that your garden is all snug for its winter nap.

Garden writer, photographer and lecturer Yvonne Cunnington gardens on a country acreage, where she has plenty of space to try out the new plants and garden design ideas that she writes about. She is the author of a book for beginner gardeners, Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless. For more gardening tips, visit her website, http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com

Flower care means doing special procedures on cut flowers in order to prolong their life span. Cut flowers are easy to wilt, if they do not receive proper flower care. Flower care helps them retain their fresh looks for a long time. If you really like to have your cut flowers fresh, you should bear in mind the following tips about taking proper care of them.

Tips about the stems. Flower care is especially necessary in dealing with the stems. The stems of cut flowers should be properly cut. They must never be bashed, scratched or hammered, as this may cause an infection. Always re-cut the stem when the flowers are already put into water. Cutting the stems 2 inches underwater prevents forming of air bubbles, which can ruin the life of your cut flowers. When you place the flowers in the container, make sure the foliage below the water line is removed, otherwise rotting process will occur.

Tips about the container. Flower care includes changing the water in the container regularly. Use only clean containers, in which to place your flowers. If you mix a floral preservative in the water, you can prolong the life of the flowers.

Wrong beliefs about flower care. There are many myths about flower care including what to put in the water of the container. Actually, they are all wrong. Lemonade can really provide the flowers with essential nutritional substances, but it also feeds the bacteria, which are shortening the flower’s life. Bleach is considered to destroy these bacteria. But it also destroys the flower’s tissue! Some people use pins to straighten the stems of tulips. This is also a wrong way of flower care, because it provides apertures for the bacteria to enter and ruin the stem.

How can you take care of the two most popular types of flowers: cut roses and green or flowering plants?

Roses are the most beautiful of all cut flowers. They need very special treatment in order to preserve their fresh looks. Apart from the above mentioned pieces of advice, flower care about cut roses includes keeping the bouquet in a cool place. Coldness is essential for the utmost preservation of roses. You can use cold water to make an already wilting rose vivid: just put the stem together with the flower itself into cold water for several hours. This will surely enliven the fading cut rose.

Green and flowering plants, on the contrary, should be placed in sunny spots. But you should avoid exposing the bouquet to direct sunlight, especially in summer time. If the plants are rooted in soil, water them regularly. But avoid over watering, because the roots may rot. Flower care for planted greenery involves regular fertilization. With flowering plants, you should be well aware to remove already dead or totally wilted flowers from the plant. They obtrude the growth of the new ones. Weather conditions are another serious factor. You should avoid planting them in very cold or extremely cold conditions.

Flower care is not an easy thing to do, but having in mind the above mentioned tips, you may extend the life span of your cut flowers, and also help the planted ones grow to their optimal capacity.

Find Flower Shop - the easiest way to locate a flower shop in your area Article by Robbie Darmona - an article writer who writes on a wide variety of subjects.

The secret of rooting cuttings can be summed up in two words.

“Timing and technique”.

When you do your cuttings is every bit as important as how you do them. So if you do the right thing, at the right time of the year, your efforts are sure to bring success. Through this article you will learn both.

"Rooting Hardwood Cuttings of Deciduous Plants"

Hardwood cuttings are much more durable than softwood cuttings which is why hardwoods are the best technique for the home gardener. A deciduous plant is a plant that loses its leaves during the winter. All plants go dormant during the winter, but evergreens keep their foliage. Many people don’t consider Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and Mountain Laurel evergreens, but they are. They are known as broad leaf evergreens. Any plant that completely loses its leaves is a deciduous plant.

There are three different techniques for rooting cuttings of deciduous plants. Two methods for hardwood cuttings, and one for softwood cuttings. In this article we are only going to discuss rooting cuttings using the hardwood methods. If you are interested in softwood cuttings, you’ll find a very informative article at http://www.freeplants.com

Of the two hardwood techniques is one better than the other? It depends on exactly what you are rooting, what the soil conditions are at your house, and what Mother Nature has up her sleeve for the coming winter.

I have experienced both success and failure using each method. Only experimentation will determine what works best for you. Try some cuttings using each method.

When doing hardwood cuttings of deciduous plants, you should wait until the parent plants are completely dormant. This does not happen until you’ve experienced a good hard freeze where the temperature dips down below 32 degrees F. for a period of several hours. Here in northeastern Ohio this usually occurs around mid November.

Unlike softwood cuttings of deciduous plants, where you only take tip cuttings from the ends of the branches, that rule does not apply to hardwood cuttings of deciduous plants. For instance, a plant such as Forsythia can grow as much as four feet in one season. In that case, you can use all of the current years growth to make hardwood cuttings. You might be able to get six or eight cuttings from one branch. Grapes are extremely vigorous. A grape vine can grow up to ten feet or more in one season. That entire vine can be used for hardwood cuttings. Of course with grape vines, there is considerable space between the buds, so the cuttings have to be much longer than most other deciduous plants. The average length of a hardwood grape vine cutting is about 12” and still only has 3 or 4 buds. The bud spacing on most other deciduous plants is much closer, so the cuttings only need to be about 6- 8” in length.

Making a deciduous hardwood cutting is quite easy. Just collect some branches (known as canes) from the parent plants. Clip these canes into cuttings about 6” long. Of course these canes will not have any leaves on them because the plant is dormant, but if you examine the canes closely you will see little bumps along the cane. These bumps are bud unions. They are next year’s leaf buds or nodes, as they are often called.

When making a hardwood cutting of a deciduous plant it is best to make the cut at the bottom, or the butt end of the cutting just below a node, and make the cut at the top of the cutting about 3/4” above a node. This technique serves two purposes. One, it makes it easier for you to distinguish the top of the cutting from the bottom of the cutting as you handle them. It also aids the cutting in two different ways. Any time you cut a plant above a node, the section of stem left above that node will die back to the top node. So if you were to leave 1/2” of stem below the bottom node, it would just die back anyway. Having that section of dead wood underground is not a good idea. It is only a place for insects and disease to hide.

It is also helpful to actually injure a plant slightly when trying to force it to develop roots. When a plant is injured, it develops a callous over the wound as protection. This callous build up is necessary before roots will develop. Cutting just below a node on the bottom of a cutting causes the plant to develop callous and eventually, roots.

Making the cut on the top of the cutting 3/4” above the node is done so that the 3/4” section of stem above the node will provide protection for the top node. This keeps the buds from being damaged or knocked off during handling and planting. You can press down on the cutting without harming the buds.

When rooting cuttings this way it helps to make the cut at the top of the cutting at an angle. This sheds water away from the cut end of the cutting and helps to reduce the chance of disease. Once you have all of your cuttings made, dip the bottom of the cutting in a rooting compound. Make sure you have the right strength rooting compound (available at most garden stores) for hardwood cuttings. Line them up so the butt ends are even and tie them into bundles.

Select a spot in your garden that is in full sun. Dig a hole about 12” deep and large enough to hold all of the bundles of cuttings. Place the bundles of cuttings in the hole upside down. The butt ends of the cuttings should be up. The butt ends of the cuttings should be about 6” below the surface. Cover the cuttings completely with soil and mark the location with a stake, so you can find them again in the spring.

I know this sounds crazy, but rooting cuttings this way does work. To increase your chances of success you can cover the butt ends of the cuttings with moist peat moss before filling in the hole. Make sure you wet the peat moss thoroughly, then just pack it on the butt ends of the cuttings.

Over the winter the cuttings will develop callous and possibly some roots. Placing them in the hole upside down puts the butt ends closest to the surface, so they can be warmed by the sun, creating favorable conditions for root development. Being upside down also discourages top growth. Leave them alone until about mid spring after the danger of frost has passed.

Over the winter the buds will begin to develop and will be quite tender when you dig them up. Frost could do considerable damage if you dig them and plant them out too early. That’s why it is best to leave them buried until the danger of frost has passed.

Dig them up very carefully, so as not to damage them. Cut open the bundles and examine the butt ends. Hopefully, you will see some callous build up. Even if there is no callous, plant them out anyway. You don’t need a bed of sand or anything special when you plant the cuttings out. Just put them in a sunny location in your garden. Of course the area you chose should be well drained, with good rich topsoil.

To plant the cuttings, just dig a very narrow trench, or using a spade, make a slice by prying open the ground. Place the cuttings in the trench with the butt ends down. Bury about one half of the cutting leaving a few buds above ground. Back fill around the cuttings with loose soil making sure there are no air pockets. Tamp them in lightly, then water thoroughly to eliminate any air pockets.

Water them on a regular basis, but don’t make the soil so wet that they rot. Within a few weeks the cuttings will start to leaf out. Some will more than likely collapse because there are not enough roots to support the plant. The others will develop roots as they leaf out. By fall, the cuttings that survived should be pretty well rooted. You can transplant them once they are dormant, or you can wait until spring. If you wait until spring, make sure you transplant them before they break dormancy.

There really is no exact science when it comes to rooting cuttings, so now I am going to present you with a variation of the above method. This method still applies to hardwood cuttings of deciduous plants. With this variation you do everything exactly the same as you do with the method you just learned, up to the point where you bury them for the winter.

With method number two you don’t bury them at all. Instead, you plant the cuttings out as soon as you make them in the late fall, or anytime during the winter when the ground is not frozen. In other words, you just completely skip the step where you bury the cuttings underground for the winter. Plant them exactly the same way as described for method number one. As with all cuttings, treating them with a rooting compound prior to planting will help induce root growth.

Hardwood cuttings work fairly well for most of the deciduous shrubs. However, they are not likely to work for some of the more refined varieties of deciduous ornamentals like Weeping Cherries or other ornamental trees. Rooting cuttings of ornamental trees is possible, but only using softwood cutting techniques.

Now let’s discuss rooting cuttings of evergreens, using hardwood techniques.

Hardwood cuttings of evergreens are usually done after you have experienced two heavy frosts in the late fall, around mid November or so. However, I have obtained good results with some plants doing them as early as mid September, taking advantage of the warmth of the fall sun. When doing them this early, they need to be watered every day.

Try some cuttings early and if they do poorly, just do some more in November. Hardwood cuttings of many evergreens can be done at home in a simple frame filled with coarse sand.

To make such a frame, just make a square or rectangular frame using 2” by 6” boards. Nail the four corners together as if to make a large picture frame. This frame should sit on top of the ground in an area that is well drained. An area of partial shade is preferred.

Once you have the frame constructed remove any weeds or grass inside the frame so this vegetation does not grow up through your propagation bed. Fill this frame with a very coarse grade of sand. The sand used in swimming pool filters usually works. Mason’s sand is a little too fine. If you have a sand and gravel yard in your area visit the site and inspect the sand piles. Find a grade that is a little more coarse than masons sand. But keep in mind that most any sand will work, so just pick one that you think is coarse enough. If water runs through it easily, it’s coarse enough.

Make sure you place your frame in an area where the water can drain through the sand, and out of the frame. In other words, don’t select a soggy area for your cutting bed. Standing water is sure to seriously hamper your results.

Making the evergreen cuttings is easy. Just clip a cutting 4-5 inches in length from the parent plant. Make tip cuttings only. (Only one cutting from each branch.) Strip the needles or leaves from the bottom one half to two thirds of the cutting. Wounding evergreen cuttings isn’t usually necessary because removing the leaves or needles causes enough injury for callous build up and root development.

Dip the butt ends of the cuttings in a powder or liquid rooting compound and stick them in the sand about 3/4” to 1” apart. Keep them watered throughout the fall until cool temperatures set in. If you have some warm dry days over the winter, make sure you water your cuttings. Keep in mind that sand in a raised bed will dry out very quickly. Don’t worry about snow. Snow covering your cuttings is just fine, it will actually keep them moist, and protect them from harsh winter winds.

Start watering again in the spring and throughout the summer. They don’t need a lot of water, but be careful not to let them dry out, and at the same time making sure they are not soaking wet.

This method of rooting cuttings of evergreens actually works very well, but it does take some time. You should leave them in the frame for a period of twelve months. You can leave them longer if you like. Leaving them until the following spring would be just fine. They should develop more roots over the winter.

Rooting cuttings of the following plants is very easy using this method. Variegated Euonymus varieties, Taxus, Juniper, Arborvitae, Japanese Holly, Boxwood, and English Holly. Rhododendrons and Azaleas prefer to have their bottoms warmed before they root.

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