The Pleasure of Bird-bathing:

When we think of attracting birds to our yards, we think of bird feeders. To be sure, they do bring many species within viewing distance. But birds are also attracted to water. And they especially appreciate bird baths this time of year because of heat and dry conditions. A large population of juvenile birds and the start of migration season will bring even more to bathe. In addition, there are many species that dine on insects and would never frequent a seed feeder. So the addition of water features will attract more such as flycatchers, mockingbirds, tanagers, thrashers, thrushes, vireos and warblers.

There are many kinds of baths available on the market: bowls and dishes, puddles and fountains, some suspended and some set on the ground. With a little ingenuity, you can make your own from a tray, garbage can lid or a Frisbee. Any type of bath will attract birds, but some species prefer particular structures and bath placement. To attract a diversity of species, consider more than one type of bath.

The most popular type of bird bath with humans is the bowl or dish on a 3' pedestal, perhaps because they function well as landscape ornaments. Fortunately, they are popular with many birds, too. They readily attract cardinals, catbirds, chickadees, doves, finches, goldfinches, mockingbirds, nuthatches, orioles and sparrows.

Dishes or bowls set on the ground or partially buried are especially popular with ground birds such as quail. But they also attract doves, juncos, robins and sparrows.

Multi-level pools and fountains can have the added attraction of moving water powered by recirculating submersible pumps. These types of baths draw buntings, cardinals, catbirds, cedar waxwings, chickadees, doves, finches, flycatchers, goldfinches, grosbeaks, mockingbirds, nuthatches, orioles, sparrows, titmice, thrushes, vireos and warblers.

Moving water can also be provided by a simple dripper or a garden hose with a water timer placed above a bowl, dish or shallow pool. The Water Wiggler is a useful battery-operated device that provides movement by gently agitating the water. The sound of the water attracts birds likes doves, juncos, mockingbirds, quail, robins, sparrows and towhees.

Even a small hanging cup will attract a few little birds like chickadees, finches and titmice for a drink.

Hummingbirds seem like they're always on the move. Just as they eat in flight, they bathe on the wing. To please them, set up a mister near your hummingbird feeder or over your pedestal bath. They'll fly to and fro through the mist, then perch somewhere in a tree to preen and dry.

Keeping bird baths is a simple and pleasurable task. Here are a few tips:

* Provide clean water. Still water may need to be replaced daily since it can become stagnant in the heat. Flowing water may be freshened less frequently.

* Refill the bath before it becomes dry. This is always important, but especially so if you are running a submersible pump.

* Maintain a shallow depth. Water more than 2" deep is too deep for the little creatures. They want to bathe, not swim.

* Provide non-slip footing. Plastic and glazed ceramic baths my have slippery surfaces. You may improve them by creating small islands or shoals of pebbles in the center or around the edges.

* Extend the bathing season by adding a thermostatically controlled water heater.

So, while the time is best, set up a bird bath near your home. The birds will show their appreciation by providing you with an educational and entertaining experience.

Learn more at http://www.goGardenNow.com.

Fall Lawn Care - Prevent Disease & Utilize Compost :

It's that time of year again when you need to start worrying about your lawn and how it will fare when the weather changes for the colder. This is also the season for certain routine lawn care measures to be taken. For October, homeowners should be concerned about: gray leaf spot, compost, and aeration.

Gray Leaf Spot

A foliar disease that infects and destroys leaf blades, gray leaf spot is true to its name - you can easily tell if your lawn has this particular disease if you see small and brown-gray colored leaf spots with brown to purple borders on leaf blades. The "spotting" can spread into a longer form or cause diamond-like shapes. In warm, wet weather, spots can even be covered with gray mold. Sometimes a yellow circle can appear around spots. Though gray leaf spot is discouraged by cold weather, the heat and humidity from the Texas summer prolong summer diseases and help gray leaf spot to grow.

If you notice gray leaf spots in your lawn, avoid excessive nitrogen fertilization and make sure you water in the early morning so the lawn surface will not stay wet overnight.

Compost

Fall is the perfect time to treat your lawn with compost. Compost, composed of almost any organic material from uneaten banana peels to fallen leaves, works to build up food reserves for your lawn by encouraging soil fertility and stimulating healthy root development in plants. Your lawn will thank you for the much needed food rationing once winter is in full swing.

Adding Compost

If you are planning to simply spread compost on your lawn surface, then 1/2 an inch of compost should be sufficient. More than 1/2 an inch can suffocate your lawn and will not allow it to breathe openly.

Aeration

To do more than just spread compost on your lawn, use a core aerator to make holes in the ground throughout your lawn. Aerating your lawn will help keep them healthy by reducing soil buildup to allow water and fertilizer to penetrate the root zone and help to control lawn thatch, which makes it difficult for lawns to breathe.

To achieve the most for your lawn, it is recommended that actual cores or plugs of soil be pulled from the lawn. Holes should be 2-3 inches deep and no more than 2-4 inches apart. Also, lawns should be thoroughly watered the day before aerating so plugs can be pulled more deeply and easily.

After aerating, you can then spread 1/2 to 1 inch of compost over the lawn and get it in with a plastic leaf rake. It is very important to water your lawn afterwards, as you want to activate the compost microbes and wash them onto your soil.

Again, fall is the best time to compost and aerate - doing this earlier in the year can encourage weeds to get a head-start and stay dormant during the winter and pop up later.

Creating An Organic Garden :

Organic gardening is the exact same as regular gardening except that no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used. This can make certain aspects difficult, such as controlling disease, insects, and weeds. Organic gardening also requires more attention to the soil and the many needs of plants. Organic gardening starts with the soil. Gardeners must add organic matter to the soil regularly in order to keep the soil productive. In fact, compost is essential to the healthiness and well being of plants grown organically. Compost can be made from leaves, dead flowers, vegetable scraps, fruit rinds, grass clippings, manure, and many other things. The ideal soil has a dark color, sweet smell, and is full of earthworms. Some soil may need more natural additives than regular compost can give, such as bonemeal, rock phosphates, or greensand. A simple soil test will tell you the pH balance and which nutrients you will need to use.

One thing that makes even gardeners that are very serious about organic gardening reach for pesticides is insects on their plants. The best way to defend plants against insects is to take preventative measures. One thing that can be done is to make sure plants are healthy and not too wet or dry because insects usually attack unhealthy plants and if healthy, they can often outgrow minor insect damage. A variety of plant types is a good idea to keep pests of a particular plant type from taking out the entire garden.

Perhaps the best way to defend against insects is to make your garden enticing to insect predators, such as ladybugs, birds, frogs, and lizards. You can do this by keeping a water source nearby or by growing plants that attract insects who feed on nectar. Other ideas are sticky traps, barriers, and plant collars. There are some household items that prevent against insects too, like insecticidal soaps, garlic, and hot pepper.

To avoid plant disease in organic gardening, choose disease resistant plants and plant them in their prime conditions. Many diseases will spread because of constant moisture and bad air circulation, so the site of your garden and the way it is watered can help ensure against diseases.

Weeds can be an annoying and frustrating part of organic gardening. Organic mulch can act as a weed barrier, but for even better protection put a layer of newspaper, construction paper, or cardboard under the mulch. Corn meal gluten will slow the growth of weeds if spread early in the season before planting, as does solarization. There's also the old-fashioned art of hoeing and hand pulling that always works. Your best bet in weed prevention is persistence. Mulch well and pull and hoe what you can; after a few seasons you can beat the weeds for good.

Organic gardening is an excellent way to assure that your plants will be free and clear of all pesticides and, if taken care of properly, will be as healthy as possible. Organic gardening may take a little more time and care than regular gardening, but after gardeners get the hang of it and figure out all the quirks of their garden, it is definitely worth the extra time.

How To Plant Perennials :

If you've been growing a vegetable garden for a while, you might be feeling slightly disgruntled at how plain it is to look at. I too began my gardening career with a vegetable garden, but I decided that it wasn't quite as pleasing to look at as I would have liked. I heard from a friend that the use of perennial flowers could be a great way to liven up my garden without adding any extra work for me.

Perennial flowers are strong, local flowers that come back every year without having to replant or do any extra work. During their off seasons, the flowers and stems die back and you can hardly even tell the plant is there (rather than just dying and looking like hideous brown clumps in your garden). When it's time to bloom, entirely new flowers shoot up where the old ones were.

Before deciding whether to put in perennials or not, you need to make sure that your soil has proper drainage. If the water stays saturated for long periods of time, you should build a raised bed. To test, dig a hole and fill it with water. Wait a day, and then fill it with water again. All traces of water should be gone within 10 hours. If the hole isn't completely dry, you will need to build a raised bed. Picking your perennials can be a complicated process. The goal should be to have them flowering as much as possible during the year, so you should create an outline of the year. Research the different types of flower you want, and create a timeline of flowering. If you plan it right, you can have a different type of flower blooming at any point in the year. Getting just the right mixture of seeds can give your yard a constantly changing array of colors.

When you go to buy the seeds from your local florist or nursery, you might be able to find a custom seed mixture for your area. This takes the really tough research part out of the job. Usually these blends are optimized for the local climate, and do great jobs of having flowers always grow in your yard. If one of these isn't available, you can ask the employees what they think would be a good mixture. They should be happy to help you put something together which will be optimal for whatever you desire.

You should definitely use mulch when planting perennials. This will reduce the overall amount of work you have to do, by reducing the amount of weeds and increasing the water retention. Bark or pine needles work great, I have found, and depending on the rest of your yard you might have them on hand at no charge. As for fertilizer, you should use it sparingly once your plants start to come to life.

When you actually go to plant the seeds, you should put them in small, separate clumps according to the directions. This is because they tend to spread out, and if you have too many too close together then they will end up doing nothing but choking each other out. As you plant them, throw in a little bit of extremely weak fertilizer. In no time at all you should start to see flowers blooming up.

How To Care For Your Wisteria Bonsai :

If you are cultivating a Wisteria bonsai, your primary goal is to let it flower. This is done by following various techniques. Wisteria will not bloom if it hasn't reached a specific age. The normal age for it to bloom is ten years.

In the mean time, you can prune the shoots that have been developed and cut it to five to six inches against its trunk. Just leave 4 to 6 leaves on a shoot. This will encourage the flowering of the Wisteria bonsai.

Pruning must be performed when the flowering season has passed. It is also suggested that it be pruned thrice before the fall season comes. When it is mid-winter, cut the spurs to four inches and leave three buds.

After repeatedly pruning the Wisteria Bonsai, you will have to double the effort during winter. You have to control the growth of the bonsai especially at this time because it is more vigorous than normal. Let it produce a vast amount of leaves and flowers. By repeatedly pruning it, the foliage will be more compact and you will see that the flowers it produces will be more colorful.

You can also repot the Wisteria bonsai as soon as you see the first sign of flowering. Provide your Wisteria bonsai with the right food and set it in a low nitrogen area. This is to let the Wisteria take in the nitrogen it needs. If it gets too much, it tends to overgrow in foliage instead of flowering. You can control this by choosing a fertilizer that is specific for a Wisteria bonsai.

Wisteria bonsai has the ability to withstand as much rain and sun. Nonetheless, you will have to protect these from the wind. Wisteria is one of the top bonsai an enthusiast can consider growing. They also need more water compared to other trees and shrubs. The key is keeping it moist as often as possible especially during the summer.

You can put it in a container and water it from time to time. Dry the tray out after watering so that the roots wouldn't drown. If the soil bottles up with too much water, then the root is waterlogged.

Train your Wisteria bonsai in various styles that you prefer. As long as the flowers are cascading, then watering the plant won't be any problem whatsoever. You can show off the flowers to your guests when they drop by for a visit.

You must remember to repot your Wisteria Bonsai every 2 to 3 years. Use the basic bonsai soil. Repot during early spring in order to assist you in the flowering and propagation of the Wisteria buds.

Options In Getting A Tropical Bonsai:

A tropical bonsai grows at a climate that has warm temperature all year round. It gets the lukewarm moisture. A rain forest is said to have a tropical temperature. But places such as Australia, Mediterranean and southern United States can also be tropical locations.

Now, a tropical bonsai can grow in any condition wherever your home is situated in. As long as the plant can produce a stem and be pruned once-in-a-while, then a tropical bonsai is the best plant that you can get.

Here are some tropical bonsais that you may consider getting if you are residing in an area that has a tropical climate:

1. Azalea It is easy to prune. It only needs bright and filtered sunlight set in damp moisture. For bonsai newbies, this is the perfect plant to start from.

2. Bougainvillea This is a flowering vine that has thorns but very easy to prune. All you need is the right amount of sunlight. Design the bougainvillea in a cascade style bonsai.

3. Black Olive These have dark tiny green leaves. The stems, like the leaves, also have thorns. They are very easy to prune as well. Like the azalea, they need bright light that is filtered and just the right amount of moisture. 4. Boxwood They have small waxy and oval-shaped green leaves that are easy to prune. Make sure that the roots are also cut regularly. They need bright light.

5. China Doll They have fragile and delicate leaves. They have to be grown in a moisture soil that gets bright light but no sun.

6. Fuschia Aince this is a trailing plant that is often grown outdoors, pruning must be done in a cascade bonsai style. It required cool temperature as well as indoor light that is bright.

7. Hibiscus A wood shrub that has tubular flowers and must be grown in damp moisture.

8. Oleander This is also a flowering shrub but be very careful because its leaves are poisonous. Never eat it!

9. Poinsettia Often associated with Christmas, this plant has colorful bracts. They are also easy to prune. They just need damp moisture and bright light.

10. Pomegrenate A shrub with pointed oval leaves and red flowers, this plant produces fruits. They need the right amount of sunlight.

11. Sageretia A plant with oval leaves and white flowers, their blue berries are quite attractive. They need indirect sunlight. During the winter, they require the damp moisture.

12. Tree of a Thousand Stars This bonsai has tiny leaves and white flowers that come in singles or doubles. The need damp moisture, high humidity and direct light.

Getting To Know A Japanese Maple Bonsai :

Engaging in the art of Japanese bonsai is a great way of exhuming and challenging your creativity. However, with a great number and variety of plant species, selecting a subject for bonsai can be daunting and confusing. One great candidate for bonsai is the Japanese Maple.

A native to China and Japan, this tree which is officially known as the Acer palmatum is the most commonly seen maple in gardens. Resilient and easy to grow, it is a perfect choice for bonsai because of its fragile ferny foliage, dense dimensions, and brilliant autumn shade which may range from beaming gold to bright blood-red. When grown in wild, it can be a large and towering tree but with proper pruning, it can turn out to be a wonderful rock garden miniature or an interesting small tree with varying leaf shade, sizes, and shape.

When you have finally decided to go with Japanese Maple, choose one that has a trunk with at least four inches in diameter. This will give you the liberty to train your bonsai in different styles. However, if you are thinking of giving your tree an Apex or Taper style, then you need to get a Japanese Maple bonsai with 1-2 trunk chops. You can easily get this affordable bonsai and enjoy its magnificent parade of bright red and dazzling purple foliage.

Once you have chosen your Japanese Maple bonsai, you are now ready to engage in the challenge of cultivating and turning your tree to look its best. In order to do that, you need to know and provide its proper care.

First, a Japanese Maple bonsai needs adequate sunlight early in the morning but should be kept under shade the rest of the day especially on sunny days. Don't expose it to direct summer sun because its delicate foliage can wilt and turn brown and crumpled. Second, you also need to water it daily but its container must have drainage to prevent the roots from rotting. Keep moisture in the soil by frequently watering it. Third, depending on the manufacturer of your fertilizer, fertilize your bonsai every 3-4 weeks using a slow-acting organic feed. When you have just repotted the plant, wait for two months before feeding. You should stop giving feeds for 1-2 months during the summer. Fourth, regular repotting should be done every year for younger trees and two to three years for mature trees. Last, prevent your plant from pests and diseases like aphids and mildew.

A Japanese Maple is a wonderful bonsai to have. It can satisfy your creativity as it can be styled in a variety of ways. So get one and enjoy!

Creative Spring Planting Ideas:

The days are getting warmer, flowers are starting to open, leaves are filling the tree canopies and the aroma of fresh earth is filling your thoughts. Time to get planting! Before you head out to the crowded gardening centers, let discuss a few basics so all goes well with this year spring planting.

First of all, here a relatively typical planting timeline. Keeping in mind, of course, your area may fluctuate a bit with regard to timing of the last frost.

Early March, sow broccoli and kale seeds indoors.

Mid-March, pepper seeds are sown indoors.

Early April, tomato seeds are sown indoors.

Mid-April, sow spinach and radish seeds in the garden. Transplant lettuce, kale and broccoli into the garden.

Later April, tomato and pepper transplants go into larger indoor pots. Spinach, lettuce and pea seeds go into the garden, along with carrots, radishes and onions. Watermelon, summer squash and pumpkin seeds are sown indoors.

Mid-May, pepper and tomato plants go into the garden.

When setting plants outdoors, raised beds with rich topsoil make excellent homes for young botanicals. Be sure not to plant too deep. As you remove the plant from the container it was started in, check the root mass. If the roots have begun to grow in a circular pattern, disturb them a bit to break the pattern. Using a sharp knife, make three vertical slices from the top of the root mass to the bottom to stimulate new root growth. You can also use your fingers to loosen the roots.

How about some posies to go with your garden full of veggies? It is possible to start potted bulb plants in the spring and enjoy the blooms that year. Begin by checking around the neighborhood for the crocus and daffodil coming into bloom. This will alert you to the fact it is now safe to put out your bulbs. Grape hyacinth, Dutch iris and tulips make excellent choices.

When choosing the bulb plants to set out, be sure to get the ones that are in bud, but not bloom. Upon returning home with them, allow the plants to sit in a protected outdoor area which is protected for a day or so. This will help the plants to acclimate to the outdoor temperatures before planting. Remove the bulb plant from the plastic pot and plant s is into either a large sized container or the prepared bed. By putting these botanical beauties outside, the colorful display they offer will linger on. Indoors, hyacinth blossoms at room temperature normally last about two weeks. Outdoors, however, you are likely to enjoy the blooms for upwards of a month

Making Your Very Own Pickled Vegetables at Home:

So your backyard garden was a little over-ambitious this year, and after the harvest, you're finding it difficult to eat or give away the delicious vegetables you produced before they expire. Storage is often at a premium in most of today's households, so freezing your vegetables (unless you have a dedicated freezer) is not always an option. Many backyard gardeners realize that pickling can be an excellent way to preserve those precious veggies that were diligently watered from hose reels and fed with nutrients from compost piles all season long. Pickled vegetables are great additions as sides or as snacking items when visitors drop by. How excellent would it be to offer them to guests, and be able to say you produced them as well?

A few basic kitchen items are needed before beginning your first foray into pickling. A deep bowl is needed for mixing and seasoning the fruits and vegetables, a strainer of some sort, pans for laying out your bounty, muslin for wrapping with some recipes, and finally jars for storing your finished product. The best quality vinegar is necessary to delicious tasting pickled vegetables and fruit. Brown or white distilled vinegar works best, as wine or cider vinegars most probably will lose their inherent taste post-pickling. An essential step in the pickling process is the choosing of the vegetables or fruits to treat. Youngish vegetables should be chosen as well as fruits that have recently ripened. When making pickled apples or other fruits, you can proceed straight to the pickling, but pickling cucumbers and other vegetables requires a soaking in salt before proceeding. Allow your veggies to soak in a salty solution, four ounces of coarse salt (pickling salt works well) to every two pints, for 24 hours and then drain. Rinse the excess salt from the vegetables and lay them out on the pans to dry.

Cold pickling is the easiest as you now simply need to put the vegetables or fruits into the storing jars, making sure to drain off the excess water, and fill the jars with the vinegar, leaving an inch at the top for expansion. Making sweet or dill pickles from cucumbers will require a few extra steps to secure the dill or sweet taste, but other vegetables will be ready to store simply after the soaking. Maturing your vegetables might take a little patience, but after two months, they will be ready to enjoy with your favorite meals or for healthy snacking.

Secrets Of Growing Indoor Bonsai Trees:

Your house will look more beautiful with the addition of indoor bonsai trees. These plants are mostly cultivated by experts because there are certain techniques that should be used to limit the growth of the plants. They also need certain cares to make sure that they grow for years to come. When you buy one from a nursery, you need to continue taking care of the plant after it goes out from the shop. The price of indoor bonsai trees is not cheap so it is best to be careful with them.

A bonsai generally prefers outdoor condition, but with attentive care, it will flourish indoors. Every plant, including bonsai, needs enough light to grow properly. Therefore, the first thing you should consider in growing indoor bonsai is finding the right spot. It is a good idea to put your bonsai near the sunniest window in your house. However, you should be careful not to put the plant to close to the glass because it may produce excessive heat that is dangerous to the plant.

Alternatively, you can use artificial light for your indoor bonsai, especially if there is no enough sunlight during winter months. Twelve hours exposure everyday to fluorescent lamps is suitable for this purpose. You should not put the bonsai too close with the lamps though because the heat may harm the plant. One foot is the advisable distance in this case. An important note is that you should not put your bonsai near a window even if it is closed during winter. The cold temperature can seep in and it is very dangerous for the indoor bonsai. You should not put the plant near a radiator as well because it can dry up the soil quickly and eventually kill the bonsai.

An important factor for indoor bonsai to flourish is a humid environment. In order to achieve this condition, you can mist the leaves regularly. If you cannot mist the plant regularly, then you can use another strategy. You take a tray and fill it with water and pebbles. Then you put the bonsai pot on the tray. The pebbles prevent the water to soak the bonsai pot, while the water will evaporate and create a humid environment around the plant.

Besides these special treatments, you still need to do typical treatments that are normally done to a bonsai to make sure the survival of your indoor bonsai. It may seem a tedious work to take care of indoor bonsai trees, but if you implement these practices, you are increasing the chance of survival of the plants.