Click picture to enlarge What you need: 20-gallon tall aquarium 20 lbs. of washed sand Various water plants 60-80 gph water pump Root tabs pH test kit KH test kit Decorative rock Light fixture and bulb(either fluorescent or neodymium) An aquarium water garden makes a beautiful addition to any room. It brings water gardening indoors, […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Sharp pruning shears Plastic bags Twine or raffia Labels Scions are lengths of year-old stems you collect from trees you wish to propagate or preserve. Many deciduous tree varieties, especially fruit trees, are propagated by grafting. Click picture to enlarge The ideal time to collect scion wood is […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Butcher knife Small paintbrush Cactus mix Pots for the divisions Half fill the pots with soil. Click picture to enlarge Remove the parent plant from its pot and shake loose as much soil from the root ball as possible. Click picture to enlarge Using a sharp knife, cut […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Crocus or Snowdrop bulbs Half moon edger Bone meal Hand fork Use a half moon edger to make an H shaped cut in your lawn. Click picture to enlarge Undercut the sod and peel it back. Click picture to enlarge Sprinkle a little bone meal over the area […]
Click picture to enlarge Employing the proper technique when digging will make working in the garden a much more enjoyable experience, not to mention a lot less tiring. First, position your shovel so that the shaft is resting on your back leg. This will distribute the weight of the material over your legs and not […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: A tray or seed starting flat Spray bottle Plastic wrap Seedling mix Completely fill a tray with moist seedling mix and level it off. The tray should be 2″ deep. It is not necessary for the tray to have drainage holes. Click picture to enlarge Sprinkle the seeds […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Transit level Assistant Spirit level Pad of paper Pencil When used properly, transit levels provide invaluable information on the lay of the land. Before installing pathways, lawns, or planting beds, it’s important to identify any low spots that may cause problems with drainage. The first step in using […]
Click picture to enlarge Sooner or later you may face the task of applying some type of pesticide. Insecticides can be used to control unwanted pests. Click picture to enlarge There are many different pesticides on the market. Some synthetic pesticides are highly toxic and harmful to humans. Fortunately there are several low toxicity materials […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Stained glass Mosaic glass chipper Glass cutter Gloves Contact paper Cement or mortar mix Concrete mix Stepping stone mold Chicken wire or hardware cloth Vaseline or similar petrolatum based release agent Sponge Flat head screw driver or razor blade Concrete stepping stones with inlaid stained glass designs make […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Baking soda Coarse sea salt Essential oils Mortar and pestle Airtight jar Mix together 8 ounces of baking soda, 1 pound of coarse sea salt, and several drops of essential oils (lavender or rosemary essential oils work nicely). These ingredients are available from a number of Web sites […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Shovel Garden fork or cultivator Mulch Scissors or knife Outline a planting area 3 times the width of the root ball by cutting into the turf with a shovel. Remove the turf. Click picture to enlarge Dig the hole twice as wide, but only as deep as the […]
Click picture to enlarge Proper watering of houseplants is critical to their success. Improper watering accounts for the majority of deaths in houseplants. Most houseplants are from the tropics so in turn, they respond best when watered with warm water (room temperature). Using cold water can stunt the growth of the plants and, in some […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Inline water filter Taste and odor filter cartridge 2 male bronze adapters 1 male quick connector 1 female quick connector Teflon paste or tape Shut off valve Adjustable wrench This is a simple way to remove chlorine and chloramine from your water without adding additional chemicals. Start by […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Prune summer blooming shrubs in early spring (March-early April) before or just as new leaves unfold (prune springtime bloomers right after they flower) to encourage vigorous new stems from the woody framework. The new growth will bear flowers later in the year Click picture to enlarge Butterfly bush […]
