A Multicolored Garden

There is nothing more eye-catching than a multicolored garden.


Whether you choose to have flower-beds with only one flower type or with various ones, the resulting look will be just as gorgeous.


Take a look at these photos and get inspired to go outside and start creating your dream garden.

How To Attract Hummingbirds To Your Garden - Part Two

Today I'm posting the second part of the article by Marilyn Pokorney on How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden. It's  interesting to read all the advice she gives because most of it seems obvious but is often overlooked by gardeners - amateurs and pros as well. So if you want to see your garden being visited by hummingbirds, make sure you follow the tips below.


"Avoid pesticides. These chemicals kill the insects that hummingbirds eat for protein and can also sicken or kill the birds.

Add plenty of places for the birds to perch. Hummingbirds spend around 80% of their time sitting on twigs, shrubs, and other available resting places.

Provide red hummingbird feeders hung about thirty feet apart throughout your yard. Never fill your feeders with anything but a sugar-water mix of 1 part white sugar to 4 parts boiled water. Do not use food coloring or artificial sweeteners of any kind, and never, never use honey which can develop a fungus which can be fatal to hummingbirds. Clean and refill the feeders every 3 days. More often if temperatures are above 85 degrees F.

Hang the feeders on a pole in a flower bed or on a porch or deck near flowers hummingbirds are attracted to".

(to be continued)


About the author:

Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the
environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net/

 

Flowers For the Garden

You may want something like this for your garden.

Or you would rather have only a flower bush like this one.

Annuals or Perennials for Your Garden

The choice between annual or perennial plants for the garden may be solely economical. However, there are other factors to be taken into account, depending on the time you can dedicate to gardening or to the type of garden you want to grow. Linda Jenkinson gives us some ideas on the topic, and hopefully, after reading them, you will be able to make your own decision.   Do You Need Annuals or Perennials for your Garden?
by: Linda Jenkinson*
The crocus delights us in early spring as it dares to peek through the snow and lift its face to the sun. Soon after follow tulips, narcissus, iris, lilacs… all perennials that welcome spring with vibrant color and fragrance. Perennial plants bloom at different times during the growing season and delight you with variety in color and size from earliest spring to late autumn. However, many perennials like those mentioned, bloom only for a few short weeks and then disappear from the landscape until the following year. Annual plants provide a garden with continuous bloom and color throughout the summer. The “mission” of an annual is to produce seed. Seeds sprout, foliage grows, flowers bloom and then the plant goes to seed. When the annual completes its mission, the entire plant— flower, foliage, and root system —dies. Some annuals have a very short life span and depending upon when they are planted, may reseed and go through two or more growing cycles per season. Other annual plants grow continuously from spring planting until the first frost of autumn. Since annual plants die completely at season end, they need to be replaced yearly. Depending on the cultivar, annual seeds can be planted directly into a garden or sprouted indoors for transplanting when weather conditions and soil temperatures are right for growth. Annual transplants are also available each spring at gardening centers and many are sold in inexpensive flats that contain four or more plants. Annual plants can often be closely grouped to fill in barren areas of your landscape whereas perennials often need space to multiply and/or to grow to maturity.

* Linda is leading author of GardeningGuides.com -Your place for information on gardening topics and free e-books .
 

SUNFLOWERS BRING OUT JOY

Yellow looks just great in any garden. That's why sunflowers with their beautiful design will leave your place surprisingly joyful! Check out 03/03/2010 post for more ideas about flower types.