For centuries the Japanese have believed that lighting both in the garden and home has a direct effect on ones levels of stress. To some of us this may seem like an old wives tale, but the Japanese assure the rest of the world that they can prove a link to tranquillity and a calm body and mind through a relaxed atmosphere created with the right garden lighting.

Japanese garden lights come in many shapes and sizes but probably the most popular and therapeutic is the wooden louvered lights. They are made of wood with louvered panels on all four sides to all as much or as little light as you want to emanate from them. They have a small hole in the top to allow the smoke and heat from the wax candle to flow away. It is therefore quite nice sometime s top burn citronella candles or other candles scented which will undoubtedly add to the relaxing and peaceful effect.

Japanese garden lights have a louvered door at the front which allows you to place the candle within a glass tube on the inside. The glass tube stops the candles from being blown out. These garden candles give off adequate light and create an ambience like now other garden lights. The light flickers slightly as a breeze flows over the top, and this is what the Japanese believe give these garden lights their special and some what mystical appeal.

Japanese garden lights usually come in three different sizes and usually include a hook or handle on the top so that they can be placed in a tree or on a stake in the ground. It is also worth while remembering that they can be left outside all year round so they are not jut a summer light. They really add atmosphere and ambience to any evening garden party and are quite a popular light for lighting up pathways.

Care of timber frames Japanese garden lanterns is quite straight forward, especially if they are made of a hardwood. They can be treated annually with a stain or a wax to make them last longer. As with any natural material such as wood, they will need annual care if they are to be left outside all year round.

They can also be used in doors in any room you so choose. They are quite safe as the candle is housed behind a glass tube. They will add atmosphere to a bedroom or bathroom and always remember that the amount of light they output can be easily controlled by simply opening and closing the louvers.

There may be some truth in the Japanese saying that a Japanese garden lantern will help you live in contentment for the rest of your life.

Jenny Edwards is the operations manager of rboreta Home & Garden Store. She is responsible for the buying and importing of new products.

A property that has a well manicured lawn has one of the best chances at showing pride in ownership than any other outdoor technique.

For one thing, there is a large upswing in the priority that homeowners place in their outdoor living spaces.

Therefore, the landscaping of your front yard (especially) as well as that of your back yard should look its very best when it’s selling time. Your landscaping will make a huge contribution to the resale value of your home, so make sure that it’s doing its best to help you out.

In fact, studies have shown that when the landscaping of a home is in excellent condition, it can sell for about 4 to 5 percent higher, while homes with landscaping in very poor condition can sell for 8 to 10 percent less. That’s a huge difference in the overall selling price of your home.

You might be wondering exactly how much time you should dedicate to sprucing up the landscape of your property. How much time and money is worth it for your sale?

Even if you put a minimal amount of money, effort, and time in to your landscaping, it will help you in selling your home, and perhaps even getting a boost in the selling price. Every effort you make will help.

However, don’t overdo it. Remember that it’s not a selling feature; it’s only something to help the overall appeal of your property, so that the other selling features will be better appreciated.

You should keep your lawn mowed so that it is even, and neatly short. Keep it well weeded, as these will only appear as blemishes to your landscaping. Make sure to use a weed eater to do the edges, as this gives your work a superior finish touch.

If there are any “bald” patches in your lawn, buy a small bag of seed and care for the spot, filling it in. This is especially important if you have a dog who digs or who leaves “pet damage” where s/he does his or her business.

After you fill in the dead spots that your dog has left, make sure to water the areas after your dog “waters,” to prevent new dead patches from forming. Watering the areas will dilute the urine to stop it from burning the grass.

This effort makes an immeasurable difference in the overall neatness of the house, and the impression that it will leave potential buyers.

Are you looking for more landscaping and gardening tips and tricks? Head over to http://www.gardenarticles.com today.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have your dinner party in the garden without a large pole obstructing the view? Do you need shade over you garden furniture but your table doesn’t have a parasol hole? Or do you want to get a little shelter from the sun and showers when you’re relaxing in your hot tub without having to ruin you masonry with an unsightly awning?

Well now you can with cantilever parasol! This type of parasol is becoming ever more popular due to its convenience and multitude of uses and because of the fast growing garden leisure products industry there are a multitude of different styles, colours and sizes available to suit every situation.

The cantilevers design is perfect for any range of furniture or situation that will not allow for a traditional parasol which normally fits through the centre of a table. They can be placed next to your furniture set and still provide you with all the required protection with intruding on you and your guests. Using them in conjunction with an outdoor hot tub is increasingly popular as they are less damaging then fitting an awning onto the side of your house and can be easily moved around if necessary.

A standard design feature of most parasols nowadays is air vents in the top of the canopy which helps to stop it rocking or toppling over in strong gusts of wind. Canopy material is generally made with a degree of weather proofing so it not only helps protect from the harmful suns rays but also from light summer showers. As with all parasols it is best to make sure that the canopy material is easy to clean to prevent having to bring it inside after every time you use it or having to pay out extra for a cover.

The majority of models come with a base that can be built in to decking or patios if you want the shade in a permanent place like over a hot tub, however, if you want to leave the parasol mobile they base can be weighted down with heavy items such as patio slabs. Standard bases are available which are similar to those of traditional parasols.

The winding mechanisms are simple and effortless and most canopies can be tilted and swivelled so you can have the shade just where you need it. The frame construction is obviously very important for this type of parasol so a hardwood or metal frame is recommended for low maintenance and longer life span.

Join the multitude people looking to create an outdoor living space in the garden and make sure you find the right furniture and accessories to suit your mood and style.

Jenny Edwards is the operations manager of Arboreta Home & Garden Store She is responsible for the buying and importing of new products.

Shrubbery and other greenery that has an unkempt appearance can often be misconstrued as a sign of neglect, and gives a bad impression of your house overall. Prospective homebuyers who see shrubbery that has not been well maintained may not even be aware of their observation, but it will have an impact on the way they view your property as a whole.

If they do observe the unkempt shrubbery directly, they may make the assumption that the rest of the home has not been properly maintained.

Keep bushes and shrubs neat, and well-shaped, to give the overall impression that the entire property has been well cared for.

For that added touch, try to keep the shrubbery in line with the other greenery and outdoor decorations that you have on your property. This will be even more eye-pleasing from the street level, creating more interest.

Should the size of your shrubbery be such that it makes walking up to your home a challenge, you should consider taking them out. Shrubbery that is too large not only makes the home appear much smaller, but it also creates a hazard where safety is concerned.

This may also make prospective buyers think of it as a hindrance because they’ll think of it as something that will need to be taken care of; this even before they’ve even entered your home.

It’s a very inexpensive task that you can do yourself, and it shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours of your time to get done. If you don’t have the time, the ability, or the inclination to trim the shrubbery, don’t just let it go. This can only risk losing a lot of time and money in the long run.

Instead, consider hiring a professional. This will cost approximately $35 to $45 per hour, but it will be well worth the small investment in the end.

With a bit of luck, you’ll only need to do it once before your home is sold – a one time effort that will go a very long way.

Are you looking for more landscaping and gardening tips and tricks? Head over to http://www.gardenarticles.com today.

Noted for their low maintenance and wide diversity of plants, wildflower meadows are full of vibrant colors and interesting textures. The meadow approach to the landscape requires a clear understanding of a site’s natural conditions, more so than say a formal perennial garden bed. Wildflower meadows are a constantly changing landscape with some species surviving year after year while others may disappear and be replaced with something new. Along with these aesthetic benefits there are ecological benefits as well, including the reduced need for mowing, the creation of a habitat for native species of animals and the fact that wildflower meadows are very effective at trapping airborne pollutants.

The easiest way to create and grow a wildflower garden is to sow the seeds in spring in preferably a sunny spot on well-prepped ground where they will not be in competition with weeds and grasses. Wildflower meadows require extensive site preparation. Remove all existing vegetation from the planting area, this will reduce the risk of unwanted weeds and grasses invading the site. Don’t till the soil too deep as unwanted weed seed can be brought to the surface and germinate in the meadow or garden. Without proper site preparation opportunistic weeds may flood the site. With proper site preparation you can reduce the number of undesirable grasses and weeds in the meadow. Though one person’s weeds are another’s wildflower there are certain characteristics which define them. Weeds are generally not a member of the natural plant community, have rapid growth and abundant seed production, are troublesome, destructive and not economically valuable.

Successful wildflower meadows generally have equal percentages of wildflowers and native grasses. Though not as visually striking at any one point in time the wildflower garden offers far more diversity in plant variety over the course of a season and a more diverse floral display than a perennial or annual bed. Be wary if the meadow in a can, while these contain some perennials which will return year after year, they will also contain many annual species which will provide quite a bit of color the first year only to die off and disappear. While annuals are fine and provide a full season of color the majority of flower should be perennials. The grasses which sprout up in the wildflower meadow actually extend the season in terms of plant interest with their colorful autumn seed heads. One disadvantage of starting a wildflower garden from solely seed is that this method takes longer to establish itself. Use a mix of seed and established plants for the best results.

Once a year, preferably in the fall after the seeds have dropped from the plants, mow the field with the blades at a high setting. Another option is to use a weed whacker. This will allow the plants to get an early start in the spring. It also removes any tree and shrub saplings from taking over the site.

Wildflower meadows are all about adaptation, experiment with different seeds and plants to see what works best in the conditions of your garden. Though wildflower meadow takes a bit longer to establish, they are worth the wait so be patient and nurture the garden. Soon you’ll be enjoying a colorful, self sustaining, low maintenance landscape.

T Hallinan is a landscape designer and builder in Massachusetts. Visit his garden resource website http://www.gardenlistings.com for all kind of helpful information. For more garden guides visit http://www.gardenlistings.com/resources.htm

There are many reasons why you might want to dry your roses. Some people just want to keep a memento of a special moment. Perhaps they are a part of a wedding that you went to; maybe they were a gift from a mate, friend, or family member. Whatever your reasons for doing it, this is the section where you will learn to dry your roses properly.

There two ways drying rose petal can happen and that are cheap and relatively easy.

Air Drying

Air drying is by far the easiest and cheapest method of drying flowers including roses. It is simple; all you have to do is follow these simple instructions.

Start with perfect and unflawed roses on their stems. If the roses are not in perfect condition, they will wither and the petals will fall off.

Remove any leaves that may be on the branches.

Bunch them up together in a manner that lets them fan out. Tie the bottom with string or a rubber band.

Hang them upside down in a dark, dry place for two to three weeks to be certain that they are completely dry.

Sand Drying

Start by picking the roses that are in perfect condition. They shouldn’t have any dew on them and the stems should be dry as well.

You can reinforce the stems and blossom with either white glue or florist wire.

For florist wire, you will want to cut off most of the stem. Leave about one inch of stem.

Push about 3 inches of wire through the stem and right through the flower head.

Next, you want to bend the end of the wire into a hook over each rose head and pull it down. This helps to keep the head secured to the stem.

When choosing to use the glue, begin by diluting the glue in a dab of water.

You will take a toothpick and dab a thin coat of the glue mixture at the base of each petal.

Next, you will work the glue into the base of the stems of each flower so that you can attach each petal to the base, wait till the glue dries completely

Now for the sand, slowly and carefully cover the flowers with sand in deep open boxes.

Make the sand in the box deep enough to hold the flowers upright.

Sit each flower in the sand filled box and slowly pour sand around the base, around the sides, and over and under the petals. You should pour the sand evenly so that you can preserve the flowers natural shape.

You will want to wait for the flowers to dry while facing upright.

Put the boxes with the roses in a dry space that is warm and brightly lit. This will ensure that your roses will maintain their bright color.

Let them dry for one to three weeks. If you want more muted colors, you will want to dry them in a more humid area.

To remove the sand, tip the drying container slightly so that the sand can fall off the flowers. Remove each flower one by one.

Now you have successfully learned how to dry your roses so that they are ready for you to do whatever you’d like with them. These dried flowers will make great decorations for any room in your house or office, or whatever else you’d like to do.

More gardening articles, information and tips at http://www.gardenarticles.com

Often there are those areas of your garden that just aren’t suitable for lawn or have exposed ledge and rocks making it impossible to plant shrubs. These areas can easily be transformed into beautiful rock gardens by rearranging of some of the stones and bringing in a bit of new soil. If you don’t have enough stones on site add a few new ones. You can also start a rock garden from scratch on slopes which are too steep to mow. Since most plants which thrive in rock garden settings are sun loving, try to pick the sunniest spot possible for your garden. If, however, your rocky slope happens to be in the shade there are a number of interesting ferns and woodland perennials which will do just fine.

A successful rock garden depends on the selection and arrangement of the stones and striking the right balance between the stones and plants. Choose stones with character, with interesting shapes and maybe some lichens or moss. When selecting new stone the most important thing to remember is the character of the existing stone back at the site. Try to use one type of stone throughout the garden. Keeping them consistent will result in a garden which seems to belong to the site. Also, stone native to your area will look natural, be inexpensive and be easy to obtain. Large rocks with irregular shapes look interesting in the rock garden, but keep in mind that you’ll need smaller rocks as well. Look for stones which have natural depressions in them, these can be filled with soil and planted with moss or succulents such sedum (a beautiful groundcover with yellow or pink flowers).

When arranging the stones in the garden let the site’s natural conditions guide you. If, for example, the stones you’re using have one side covered with moss make sure they are all placed with the moss facing the same direction. The same holds true if there are other distinct characteristics common to the all the stone. Arrange stones with cracks or fissures so they line up in the same direction. This will allow your garden to blend in with the surrounding landscape.

If you are building a garden on a slope, fill in behind each stone as you work your way to the top and if possible, try to create relatively deep pockets of soil around larger stones. This will make suitable spots for a few small shrubs. It’s also important to bury the stones about half way to make sure they’re secure and stable. After the rocks are in place let the soil settle around them for a few days then take a look at the arrangement from a distance to be sure you like the layout before adding plants.

With the stone in place, it’s time to begin the process of choosing your plants. Low growing perennials such as creeping phlox, alyssum, thyme, thrift and speedwell work wonderfully. Where the soil is deep enough, evergreens such as blue carpet junipers and dwarf hinoki cypress will provide color to the garden throughout the winter. Since many of the plants best suited to rock gardens bloom only in the spring, consider incorporating a few annuals for color throughout the season. Though rock gardens can contain only those plants which grow naturally on rocky slopes, proper maintenance allows for a wide variety of plants.

Though rock garden plants will generally do better in drier conditions and poorer soil than most plants, you should care for them as you would perennials. Fertilize in the spring along with your other gardens and make sure to water often, especially during the hot summer months, as the soil in a rock garden tends to be shallow and will quickly dry out. Just as with any perennial garden the soil should be occasionally cultivated and weeded.

Never let weeds grow in the nooks and crannies, they will easily crowd out the smaller plants. If the weeds get too large in the more shallow pockets their root systems can spread throughout the entire area. If this happens pulling the weed will often remove the entire pocket of soil along with all the plants so try to avoid letting the weeds and grasses get out control. Most rock garden plants do well in poor soil, but the occasional addition of manure or compost will give them a boost. Also, just as in perennial gardens, maintenance should include cutting back in the fall, deadheading, clipping off dead stems and foliage, and dividing any plants that become root-bound. Because plants in a rock garden are more exposed than plants in a level bed, they may need more protection in winter so a heavy mulch should be applied late in the fall in cold climates.

T Hallinan is a landscape designer and builder in Massachusetts. Visit his garden resource website http://www.gardenlistings.com for all kind of helpful information. For more garden guides visit http://www.gardenlistings.com/resources.htm

Part four in a series

It’s hard to think about winter when our gardens are in full bloom and the vegetables are ripening on the vine! But we must keep winter in mind when we are planning our landscape. Afterall, we have to look at our landscape all year long, including winter. (Unless, of course, you are fortunate enough to be able to move to warmer climates in the winter or live in a climate that is tropical all year long!) But for most of us, we have to contend with four seasons and the life cycle of our landscape.

So when you are planning your landscape, keep in mind this life cycle of the plants you choose to add to your landscape design. Some plants, like flowering trees and shrubs look their best in Spring, others reach their full beauty in Summer, others still attain stunning and vibrant color in the Autumn, and yet, some evergreens look beautiful in the Winter, offset by a striking snow-covered landscape.

Add plants to your landscape that offer a variety of looks in different seasons. Don’t plan your landscape with plants that all reach their peak of beauty at the same time. For example, a bed of perennials will provide a rainbow of color all summer long, but in the fall and winter, you will have to contend with a big empty space in your landscape. The same holds true for evergreens. While evergreens look beautiful in the winter-white of the colder months, they don’t offer much in the summer.

So, try to choose plants for your landscape that have different focal points for different parts of the year. Look for plants that may keep red or orange berries through the winter months, or that keep a beautiful bud head through the winter for a variety of shapes. You can also postpone dead-heading some of your flowering plants until the end of winter so you have some visual interest all winter long.

Just don’t be afraid to experiment. Remember, this is your landscape. Use your creativity! And if something you’ve tried doesn’t work, try something else! You can always move a planting somewhere else and try something new.

Dean Novosat is an avid gardener and landscaper. He has transformed many boring yards into beautiful landscapes. He has several websites including http://www.the-garden-doctor.com

Nearly every house and garden presents numerous attractive settings for container plants. Suburban gardens, estates, small city backyards, and summer cottages—all can be enhanced by this type of gardening. A few of the seemingly endless possibilities include entranceways, steps, courtyards, walls, rooftops, balconies, patios, breezeways, lawns, driveways, walks, sundecks, windowsills, porches, summer houses, even tree stumps can be utilized.

Let us start with the entrance, a focal point for every house. A simple arrangement consists of similar container plants at each side of the doorway. If the house is informal, painted tubs will make a cheerful note, while urns or ornamental pots are more appropriate if the architecture is formal. The arrangement, however, need not be symmetrical, since a single container at either side, particularly if the doorway is off-center, is pleasing. A large specimen can be balanced by a grouping of small pots, and various other interesting combinations can be worked out. Sometimes, the front entranceway can qualify as an outdoor place for house plants, but be sure they are not exposed to strong sun and wind.

Unexpected areas like side and rear entrances can also serve as backgrounds for pot plants in casual groupings. For sunny steps, consider tubs of petunias, or dwarf dahlias, or boxes of herbs to be used in cooking. Tuberous begonias, fuchsias, patient Lucy, and fragrant nicotiana solve the problem of what to grow in shade.

Porches or verandas, traditional or contemporary in style, offer numerous settings for pots, window boxes, and hanging baskets. Indeed, the entire container garden can be concentrated there so that plants can be easily cared for. If the porch is open on three sides, it will afford exposures to suit a variety of specimens.

The patio or terrace, beside or beyond the house, where family and friends gather to eat or relax, is an ideal location. If it is formal, select clipped evergreens and arrange pots in symmetrical rows, perhaps lined up against the house or along the edge of the terrace. If the site is informal, make casual groupings of one or two tall plants with smaller ones in front. Either way, allow for a few large plants in tubs or boxes for accent and height.

Container plants may line walks and paths that lead to the house, garage, or garden. They can rest on paved areas along fences and walls and on driveways where they are not in the way. If the driveway adjoins the foundation of the house, plant containers may be placed there.

Tops of garden or terrace walls are ideal places, too. Put small pots and boxes on tall, narrow walls and large containers on low, broad surfaces. Hanging plants of ivy geraniums in the sun and fuchsias in the shade will cascade from walls, as they do in the patios of Spain, Portugal, and Italy. On Rhodes, I recall a fifteen-foot wall topped with a row of thirty gleaming green tin cans full of roses and other flowers.

Think of what you can do with rooftops and sundecks where considerable space is usually available. Here sun-loving plants, like geraniums, most annuals, cacti, and succulents can be grown, but, again, include large specimens for height to give a garden feeling. A few large boxes and planters for trees and shrubs are sufficient but be sure to include some evergreens for year-round green.

Many gardeners like to insert container plants in flower borders to introduce unusual specimens, such as tropicals in the North. Large tubs can be set at the corners and small pots may be scattered among the permanent flowering plants. One gardener keeps a supply of potted pink Fiat Enchantress geraniums on hand to fill bare spots in her wide borders, moving them about as needed. Most of the geraniums are in four-inch clay pots, but there are larger specimens for the center of each grouping. Make sure their secure, sink pots a few inches into the ground.

You can always dress up the lamp post in your yard with container plants at the base or you can suspend a hanging basket of lantana, perhaps from the top. Ivy geraniums in an old-fashioned black kettle are nice for the base. Bare posts that support sectional roofs over patios or paved surfaces of contemporary houses look more attractive if potted plants are clustered around the bases or permanent boxes for plants are built there. Try planting climbing ivy in a pot and train it to climb the posts.

Novelty containers—donkey carts, wheelbarrows, and spinning wheels—can be fun in some places, but, of course, such planters must not be overdone. Usually they are set on lawns, on a terrace or beside a gate or doorway. (If you life in a neighborhood that has a house owners association check with them first to see if this is allowed). Steps leading to a driveway or street or to different levels in a garden can be emphasized with pot plants. A few can be arranged at the top or at the base of the stairs. And, there are other possibilities. Tree trunks cut to the ground or left a few feet high make good pedestals for large containers. In fact, this can be a solution to the problem of what to do with a trunk too expensive to remove. If you have a tree with heavy shade, why not construct a pretty sitting area around it and decorate the space with containers of coleus, wax and other begonias, caladiums, ferns and other shade-tolerant plants.

These are just a few ideas for using container plants around your house and garden. Use your imagination and have fun. Happy Gardening!

Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

About the Author: Mary Hanna is an Aspiring Herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Gardening, Cooking and Cruising. Visit her websites at http://www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com http://www.GardeningLandscapingTips.com and http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com or contact her at mary@containergardeningsecrets.com

Choosing the right bulbs involves more than just selecting colors and cultivars. Timing, bulb size, and most importantly, bulb health are equally significant factors in designing your spring garden.

Before purchasing any bulbs, know the differences in bulb types. Along with true bulbs, several types of flowers, sold as bulbs, grow from the underground stem growth of rhizomes, tubers, and corms.

• True bulbs are rounded, self-sufficient, underground storage organs. True bulbs are an incubator for a flower bud embryo already inside.
• Many perennial flowers grow from tubers, which are flat underground stems that store food and plant energy.
• Corms are thick underground stems that produce the new roots, leaves and flowers of their cultivars.
• Rhizomes are modified plant stems that grow horizontally under the surface of the soil. New growth emerges from several different points along each rhizome.

Bulb Health

The first part in selecting healthy bulbs is knowing the bulb parts.

1. The tunic of a bulb is the paper-like outside of the bulb that protects it from damage and keeps it from drying out.
2. The scale leaves are under the tunic and hold all the nutrients needed to grow the cultivar.
3. The first parts of the plant to push through the soil are the immature leaves, closely followed (or so we hope) by the flower bud and the stem.
5. The roots of bulb cultivars grow from the basal plate, which lies at the bottom of each bulb.

Healthy bulbs are firm, well rounded, and heavy for their size. Although bulbs come in a range of colors, some even with distinctive patterns, color should be uniform with no dark patches or light splotches. Discard any bulbs with weak spots or spongy area, which are signs of rot caused by disease or other damage.

Bulb Size

A double-edged tip for selecting bulbs is “the bigger the bulb, the bigger the bloom”.

First, it helps you select cultivars and decide where to place them in your spring flower garden. For instance, crocus and anemone bulbs are tiny imps that beg a front row or outside border seat, while giant tulip or daffodil bulbs stand tall in back rows or keep watch over the center of your garden. Second, larger bulbs, within a particular cultivar, are generally more robust than smaller bulbs and produce stronger, healthier plants and blooms.

Timing

When choosing bulbs for a spring flower garden, consider both when they need to be planted as well as when you want them to appear. Most spring bulbs need to be planted in late summer or autumn. However, the reasons for the timing in planting spring bulbs usually aren’t relative to when the bulbs sprout in the spring. Rather, bulbs usually need to be planted when it is cool enough to keep them from sprouting, but warm enough to allow roots to become established before winter.

All spring bulbs need a cool weather rest period below 50°F in order to sprout successfully. If your climate is warm, you’ll need to provide them with a simulated winter before planting them.

• Tulips — 14 weeks
• Hyacinths — 12 weeks
• Snowdrops and scilla — 6 weeks
• Crocus — 4 weeks

Although crocuses and windflowers are tiny, they are brave little imps and often the first heralds of spring. Generally, they’ll be followed by smaller tulip cultivars and narcissus. Still, even some of the larger daffodils and giant tulip hybrids may surprise you with an early appearance.

The best way to try to synchronize bulb growth with your garden plan is to check the growth patterns of each individual cultivar before purchasing and planting the bulbs.

Linda is an enthusiastic gardener, researcher and author of  http://www.gardening-guides.com  at this site you find heaps of information and the solution to most gardening issues. She did a lot of work on our extensive "How To" section.