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Not only is a well-cared for lawn attractive and increases the value of your home, but turfgrass can prevent soil erosion, direct runoff into the groundwater stream, provide a cooling effect through transpiration, absorb noise, produce oxygen, and trap carbon dioxide. What more could you ask of a lawn? Learning the basics of southern lawn care will ease the maintenance tasks. Southern Lawn Maintenance Guide and Schedule Establishing and maintaining a lawn consists of choosing turfgrass suitable for your area, soil, and light, then mowing at the correct height, applying fertilizer, and watering deeply when needed....

Underground Drip Irrigation Subsurface drip irrigation - known as SDI - is an irrigation system that places a dripline of polyethylene tubing under the soil to release water to a plant’s root zone. Why is this good? The primary advantage of SDI is that the gardener is able to manage root zone irrigation more precisely. That means less evaporation loss and the possibility to spoon-feed nutrients. An underground drip irrigation system also permits underground watering in fields that are shaped irregularly....

Explore Free Gardening Guides Curated Just for You Browse All of Our Free Gardening Guides The truth is, everyone at Gardening Know How is a gardener just like you. We know how dirt feels between our fingers, how thrilling it can be to see your first seedling or blossom of the year appear, and how good it tastes to bite into that fresh fruit you just picked from your very own garden....

The most beautiful herbs can hold their own in flowerbeds, and are just as appealing to precious pollinators as they are to us. Certain herbs are also powerful pest repellants, helping to reduce the numbers of unwelcome insects such as aphids and mosquitos. It’s little wonder, then, that so many gardeners want to keep their herbs close by. Growing herbs in containers on the patio is the best way to do this and allows easy access from the kitchen....

Unlike short-lived annuals, perennials can often be planted well ahead of the warm weather, giving you a headstart on your growing ambitions. Additionally, perennials work well in containers for shaded areas since there are many more shade-tolerant perennials than annuals. Ideally, perennials and annuals should be mixed together in containers. A good rule of thumb is to have a mix of “thriller, spiller, and filler”. The “thriller” is usually a perennial plant because they are often taller so they command attention....

About Plants For Bad Soil Most plants like a well-draining, nutrient-rich, loamy soil that has a mix of sand, silt, and clay combined with organic matter. It checks all the boxes for most types of plants but not all of them. Some plants actually like less hospitable types of soil. So if you’re looking for plants for bad soil, it’s a good idea to identify what type of soil you’re working with....

Playing it safe won’t necessarily encourage healthy new growth. Meekly slicing thin air, or deciding to leave it alone when I should have been going in hard – done, and done! Being too gentle is not always something your plant will thank you for. With plants, as with people, sometimes there’s no way around it, you have to be firm – just as long as you are respectful. Even if you do have a confident grasp of pruning basics like where and how (and how much) to cut, what about exactly when?...

Best Indoor Plants for Dark Rooms Plants are a bit like people. They grow, reproduce, and need food and water to survive. How about light? Plants need light as well, right? Well for the most part yes. Plants use the sun’s light to photosynthesize which is how they make food. Surprisingly, some houseplants can be grown in a room with no windows and only artificial light. It might be more of a challenge but if you pick the right plants, you can add life to a dimly lit space....

Consider the Purpose of the Fence First The first thing you should do before selecting a type of fencing is think about what purpose it will serve. This is important because not every fence is right for every need. For instance, maybe you found a good deal on a classic wire fence, but you’re looking for privacy, and it just won’t cut it. Consider what you need your fence to do:...

Companion Planting with Thyme Thyme not only benefits some plants as a companion planting, but it has other benefits in the garden. Thyme’s tiny flowers attract honey bees, predatory wasps and other native pollinators.Low maintenance thyme thrives in rocky, arid areas, making it a perfect specimen to aid in soil erosion.Thyme is hardy, as it easily withstands drought and below freezing temps.As a companion plant, thyme repels several types of pests and attracts beneficial insects....

What Is Buckwheat? Buckwheat, a gluten-free grain which is popular in pancakes and breads, can be easily cultivated in the home garden. It’s a fast growing plant that produces seeds within 12 weeks. Plus, buckwheat harvesting can be done by hand with minimal equipment. When to Harvest Buckwheat Buckwheat is an indeterminate plant, which means it continues producing seeds until it is killed by frost. Thus, not all the seeds will mature and ripen at the same time....

Calculating tree age for a backyard tree is easy if you know when it was planted and the age at planting. Often, that information is unavailable. Counting its rings can be done with a tree bore, but this can damage the tree. If you want to know how to tell the age of a tree without damaging it, read on. Tree Rings Age Did you know that calculating tree age is a science called dendrochronology?...

Learning how to grow strawberries is actually quite easy. You can plant them in a tiered strawberry pot with side pockets, or grow them in amended garden soil. Strawberries are very accessible plants with ease of care and bountiful harvests. Tips For Growing Bigger Strawberries These delightful fruits may find you wanting to grow bigger berries for maximum yields. Larger fruits result from certain cultivars bred for such a result but can also occur with superior care....

The intense hue of the interior of a kiwi is a fun color to add to the garden. Chartreuse evergreen plants add year around color, while deciduous varieties perk up spring and summer displays. Consider adding lime green border plants to set off larger specimens in the back or to delineate the edges of garden beds. The eye popping color of chartreuse is a wonderful foil for more mundane hues and it grabs the attention, making any plant in this tone stand out....

The species most widely known as the monkey face orchid is the Capuchin-like Dracula simia, one of 135 species in the Dracula genus. Height: 8 inches (20cm) Spread: Similar Sun exposure: Full to partial shade Soil requirements: Moist, soil-free potting medium Hardiness zones: USDA 10-11, or grow indoors When to plant: Spring However, several other Dracula orchids also look like primates, most notably Dracula gigas, Dracula lotax, and Dracula vampira....

We did have the giant cherry tree which has provided ample fruit since; however, it has all been worm riddled. New Fruit Trees So we resolved to add to our orchard and purchased a multi-grafted apple and pear tree. We were so excited but knew it would take a few years before we reaped the fruits of our labor. Last year was the year! We had fruit! It looked beautiful but when it came time to harvest…pfft!...

About Lupine in the Garden Lupine species are popular garden plants for several reasons. Depending on location, certain types are good additions to a native garden, supporting the local ecosystem. They are also simply attractive. Lupines have pretty, palm-like foliage and tall, striking spikes of flowers. The flowers are often white to blue or lavender, but cultivated hybrids come in all kinds of other colors. Lupine flowers attract pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds....

What Is a Floral Hydrangea or Florist Hydrangea? The hydrangea flower container arrangements that you see in the shops, which seem to be flowering out of season – well, most likely they are. So, what is a florist hydrangea? It is almost always a bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla). It is a type of hydrangea native to the warm coastal climate of parts of China, Japan and Korea. Growers use bigleaf hydrangeas to force blooms out of season and sell in flower shops and garden centers for their characteristically large clusters of pink, blue or white flowers....

The EPA describes a rain garden as, “… a depressed area in the landscape that collects rain water from a roof, driveway or street and allows it to soak into the ground. Planted with grasses and flowering perennials, rain gardens can be a cost-effective and beautiful way to reduce runoff from your property. We would add that a rain garden is a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to manage stormwater....

title: “10 Types Of Squash Every Gardener Should Know And Grow " ShowToc: true date: “2024-08-30” author: “Eva Brawley” Historically, various squash types have been used not only as food sources but also as household items. With so many varieties of squash, it’s difficult to narrow it down to 2 or3, which is as much space as most of us have for growing squash in our gardens. Things get even more complex if we consider that squash also refers to watermelons, muskmelons, pumpkins, cucumbers and gourds....