Cactus Landscape - Guide to Landscaping with Cacti by Jiraiya Morgan

With the ever increasing water shortages in different areas of America why wouldn't you use a cactus landscape? There's even a term for cactus landscaping or landscaping that saves water; it's called xeriscaping. Some important aspects of using cacti landscaping are understanding the many advantages, how to hydrozone, and how to use the cacti correctly in order to have a beautiful garden.

The benefits of having a cactus landscape are overwhelming. Obviously, it saves a lot of water. Secondly, cacti require little care. During times of drought your cactus landscape will survive while others are dying. Having a cactus garden is like having a kid that takes care of himself. I'm not saying that your cactus landscape has to consist on of cactus, there's a great way to have other plants and still save water called hydrozoning.

As you may already know hydrozoning is when you put plants into groups that have similar watering requirements. This allows you to have a group of your favorite plants and still save a lot of water. In fact it would be best to put these plants in the shade like under a tree. Another good idea is to put these plants at the bottom of a slope so that rain water flows down to them. Now that we have identified good places for our other plants it's time to start landscaping our cacti.

As I said before cacti are very tough plants. Some survive temperatures of over 120 degrees in the shade. So, when planting your cacti you can put you cacti anywhere. It's good to put them on banks or the sides of hills where you don't want to mow the lawn. Your planning you landscape should have the tall plants in the back and fuller ones in the front. Make sure that your cactus landscape is full of different colors and flowers.

Cactus landscaping goes far being the scope of what I've covered in this report. This article was written to just cover the basics of cactus landscaping like it's advantages, how to hydrozone, and some cactus landscaping tips.

While cacti are beautiful plants my favorite plant would have to be the bonsai tree. The bonsai tree is a beautiful addition to any garden. Find out how one man discovered the secrets of creating amazing bonsai trees and how you can learn these step by step secrets too.

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Gardening Tips - What Type of Soil is Best For My Garden? by Deena Leane Kevins

No matter what type of garden you are creating, the type of soil that you use will be instrumental in ensuring your plants and flowers grow to their full potential and get the nutrients they need to flourish.

You may just want to use the soil that is already in the ground, but do you know what type it is? Do you know which plants are best suited for that particular type of soil?

This does not have to be a difficult process, it just takes some time and strategic planning. If you want to use the soil that you already have, go to your local nursery and get a testing kit. This will tell you the type of soil you have. Next, purchase plants and flowers that are best suited for that type of soil. For example, Oak trees thrive in clay-type soil, but Rosemary likes sandy-type soil.

Luckily, there is a simple solution if you have soil that makes it difficult for your favorite plants to grow. Using a layer of top soil can ensure that almost any plant gets the nutrients it needs. Top soil is just as the name implies; soil that is spread on top of your garden and the existing soil. You may have to put more than one layer of top soil in your garden, depending on the condition of your garden.

Top soil is usually very dark and is rich in nutrients, giving your plants the best chance for survival and growth. There are different varieties of top soil: annual, perennial, trees and shrubs, vegetables, and a general variety that can be used for a mixture of plants both perennial and annual.

Top soil alone will not ensure you the best garden, however. You should consider using some sort of fertilizer or compost to enrich the soil's nutrients. You will also have to water your garden regularly, as well as weed it of unsightly plants. Adding a layer of mulch can help to control weeds and hold moisture so you won't have to water as often.

Using pesticides and herbicides can deplete your top soil of essential nutrients and harm your plants and vegetables, so keep this in mind when looking for techniques to get rid of pests. Compost and natural remedies may take a bit more time and effort, but you will not be harming the environment.

When creating your dream garden, choosing your soil is as important as choosing the types of plants and flowers you are going to grow. A bit of planning now will have huge payoffs later, as your neighbors comment on how great your garden looks!

Gardening Care - Looking for Gardening Tips and Information? Look no further! We have an extensive collection of articles and resources at your fingertips. Visit our Gardening Articles section for great advice, or visit our Gardening Resources section for extended information
Visit our Gardening Articles section for great advice, or visit our Gardening Resources section for extended information

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Garden Tools By Melvin Garmon

 

Designing your garden is most likely a personal statement of style. What one person likes may not be what another likes. For instance, some people like their gardens to be neat and tidy, while others love the adventure of winding paths and exotic plants. Formal, semi-formal, and informal are the three variations on the style for a garden. To properly design your garden, however, you will need to have the basic garden tools, and perhaps a few extras depending on the look you are going for. You can choose to design your garden to mimic the design of your home, or it does not have to be related to your home whatsoever. It is all about personal choice.

Some people are born with the innate ability to transform space into something that is very pleasing to the eyes; whereas others are not and may not have the first idea about how they should go about designing their outdoor space. To create a great outdoor space, you must manage the space well and remember that people will be moving around in the space. In other words, creating great patterns and utilizing the space within the pattern is vital. By utilizing geometrical patterns, your garden will achieve a unified feel about it. Which way would you like your patron to move about in your garden? You can achieve your ground pattern by using bricks or paving material. To achieve this you will need to have the appropriate garden tools on hand before you begin so that you do not have to stop in the middle of your project.

If you are seeking to create a formal garden, you want to be sure to incorporate symmetry and geometry, such as repeating patterns with different plants on each side. The environment is very controlled, overgrowth is clipped and shaped on a regular basis. You can add urns or balustrades to complete the formal look. In other words, formal means that there are no surprises. You always know just what to expect.

An informal design is just the opposite; in fact, the design should be asymmetrical and not regulated. Allow the plants to grow without clipping. Allow it to grow as it may and to self-feed. This design is much softer and thus there is a surprise effect to it creating a great ambiance.

And finally, a semi-formal garden style is a combination of the above garden styles. You will create fine lines with your paths that will be softened by the occasional overgrowth in spots of your alluring plants.

Along with these types, there are also several different garden styles that you can choose from, such as Chinese, contemporary, cottage, or secret garden.

Contemporary is a modernized style that uses your plants to help reflect the surroundings. The texture and form of your foliage is just as important as what flowers you choose. You will weave hard landscapes into geometric buildings, which will then flow into a more open space. You will then use your flowers and other plants to create focal points around your architecture.

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