Creating a Butterfly Garden

Creating a Butterfly Garden.

Want to add to the color and variety in your yard ?

You might want to entice some “flying flowers” to visit you by creating a butterfly garden.

A butterfly garden contains both host and nectar plants, as well as a few other things that butterflies require, such as a water source.

The butterfly garden may occupy a corner of your yard, or could be extended throughout — it’s up to you. It can be a lovely and unique focal point for your outdoor environment.

Another plus to butterfly gardening is knowing that you’re making a safe haven for these beautiful insects, which have had their habitat severely impacted by human development and pesticides.

If we all had butterfly gardens, it might help stop the current decline in their populations.


Here are some tips on how to grow a butterfly garden:

• Provide plants that butterflies like. They need nectar plants to feed on, and host plants on which to lay their eggs. You’ll have to do a little research on host plants, depending on what area you’re in and which kinds of butterflies live there.

Some caterpillars will eat several different types of plants; others are picky and will only eat one. An example of this is the monarch butterfly larva, which will only dine on milkweed.

Many host plants are also good nectar sources, such as passionflower, sunflower, hollyhock, and snapdragon. Some other colorful nectar plants to consider are lantana, salvia, lavender, buddleia (butterfly bush), coneflower, black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, daylily, and daisies.

• Make the garden organic. Pesticides kill insects you don’t want, but will also harm the desirable ones, like butterflies. So going all natural in the yard is essential.

• Supply shelter and warmth. Butterflies seek less windy areas and a warm spot where they can rest. Some taller shrubs can make a windbreak, and by setting some flat rocks in your butterfly corner, you’ll give them a place to light and sun themselves.

• Give them a drink. Butterflies need a source of water as well as nectar. That’s why you often see them gathered at puddles. A shallow place that holds a little water, like a pie tin, will be enough to slake their thirst.

And what will you get for providing these simple requirements? A pretty hideaway where you can sit and watch the butterflies flutter by.

Picking the Right Home Gardening Tools

Picking the Right Home Gardening Tools.

If you love gardening and you spend a lot of time between your flowers taking care of them then you most probably want to use the best gardening tools available on the market.

Many people simply go to the store and buy the first thing they see but that’s not always the best method. It is far more effectiveness if you do a little research and see what kind of tools will be best for your garden.

You will see that there are some styles that were designed especially for home gardening.

Go visit your local home gardening shop and ask for advices. The employees there will be glad to help you and assist you in selecting the perfect tools. Their advices are very important and in the future you might find them very useful. It’s the best place for you to go and learn a lot about gardening, soil, fertilizers, tools and seeds.

If you want to save some money but still buy a good tool you can always check the Internet for some help. There are many websites that will offer a discount if you buy more than one tool.

It’s true you’ll have to wait one or two weeks and pay the shipping fee but sometimes you’ll end up saving a few bucks. Before selecting a reseller you must check out its references. You’ll see that every single gardening tool is just one click away and you’ll have a complete gardening set in no time.

Now, about the digging tools you should check their specifications because usually a true gardener will need more than one tool. You’ll need a round point shovel for digging holes and also a spade. The set must also contain a garden fork. You may not use it that often but it will prove its use when you least expect it.

If you buy the right digging tools they will ease up your work considerably. If you try to use a spade instead of a shovel when digging a hole you’ll end up tired very fast. Every tool has its own specification and plays a different role in your garden.

Also a rake it’s a definitely must have. Pay attention the lawn rake it’s not the same with a garden rake. If you use the lawn rake on your garden you might end up spoiling everything. The same happens if you try to use a grading or contractor’s rake instead of using a bow head rake. Use the right tools and you’ll work faster and safer around your beloved plants.

Now it’s time to discuss a little about hoes. Every gardener must use at least 3 for his garden. It’s difficult to say which one is the best but you can take into consideration the following recommendations.

For weeding and small cultures you can always use an onion hoe. Also you can choose the Warren hoe that will help you dig out a weed. There are many types of hoes available in stores but the above mentioned ones must be present in any gardening set. In time you’ll realize that every activity requires a different hoe and you’ll be able to select the most effective ones by yourself.

Maintaining your garden doesn’t involve only a shovel and a spade. In order to do a great job you’ll need many tools along the way. Start with the basic ones and you’ll develop a complete set before you’ll realize it. Each has its own role and if you know how to use them you’ll have the most beautiful garden in your neighborhood.

Success with Wall-Climbing Plants

Success with Wall-Climbing Plants.

There are many varieties of climbing plants, all of which have one crucial trait in common: they lack firm stems or trunks to support themselves as they grow.

In lieu of this support, they utilize various adaptive features, such as twisting leaves, modified stems, or adhesive pads, to attach themselves to a suitable object to climb.

In this way, they're able to reach light and avoid predators.

Their "hosts" may take many forms: other plants or trees, arbors, arched tunnels, pillars, trellises, fences and walls.

We can take advantage of this natural inclination of vines and other climbing plants in order to adorn our walls and fences and beautify our yards or hide other unattractive features.

Climbers can form screens on the borders of our properties and thus afford us privacy. Because they grow upwards, they don't require much space. What's more, they can provide us with colorful blooms, beautiful evergreen foliage (and decorative seed heads, which offer visual interest even during the winter months), and an array of fragrances.

Different plants have different strategies for making their upward climbs. Some twine their stems around the branches of trees and shrubs. Some less hardy varieties require a lot of coaxing, as well as man-made supports to help them along.

Some climbing plants that do well against walls and fences, without the aid of other supports, include clianthus, bomareas, cissus, jasminum, Chilean glory flower, hydrangea, and various types of climbing roses.

When choosing what kinds of climbing plants to cultivate in your yard, consider the climbing method each particular plant makes use of and how high it will ultimately grow. There are many hardy plants that can thrive under diverse soil, moisture, light and wind conditions.

For best results, however, you should check the soil and exposure in the area in which you plan to plant and then seek out varieties that will thrive under those conditions. Look for bushy plants not yet in flower.

Their leaves should be in good condition, with no yellow, and exhibiting signs of new growth. Avoid pot-bound plants, whose roots will be grown around the outside of their containers.

Weeds and grass will compete with your plants for nutrient and water, so your next step will be to remove the existing turf from the area where you'll be planting. A strip that spans two feet from a fence or wall will be sufficient. Scaling a lawn back in this manner will also help to insure that you don't damage your plants when you mow.

The actual planting time will depend upon your plants; you can obtain more information about this at the nursery or garden center where you purchase them. Generally, hardy climbers are planted in autumn or early spring and partially hardy ones in spring or early summer.

Most soils, regardless of type, will benefit from the addition of organic matter like compost or manure. Mix this in well, and then water the area thoroughly. You'll then want to dig a hole about 3 times the width of your plant, and about 28 inches deep.

Mix more manure or compost into this hole and then place your plant at an angle towards the wall or fence. The top of its root ball should be at ground level. Fill in the surrounding hole, tamp firmly, and then water until the whole area is damp.

Your fledgling plant will need some support in its early stages. Spread out its stems and gently tie it to 2 or 3 evenly spaced stakes. After the stress of being transplanted, it will benefit from a spray of water mixed with liquid fertilizer. Do this in the morning to avoid the full heat of the sun.

Adding some mulch around your climbing plants will deter weeds and pests and help the ground retain moisture.

This can include gravel cover, lawn clippings, or chipped bark. Be careful, however, not to pile mulch at the very base of your plants.

How to Grow Terrific Tomatoes in Containers

How to Grow Terrific Tomatoes in Containers.

Nothing beats the taste of a ripe, juicy tomato pulled from your own garden bush.

A little sprinkle of salt and a big bite…Yum! Who cares if the juice runs down your chin! It's pure ambrosia!

But what does a gardener do if she has less than perfect soil? Should she give up on the glorious tomato, which the Aztecs called "the fruit of the gods?" Not by a long shot.

Tomatoes can be grown in containers, and they will flourish with just a small amount of loving care.

There are tomatoes that have been developed especially to grow in containers. If you like cherry tomatoes, why not try Gurney's “Baby Girls,” which ripen in large trusses of bite sized real tomato flavor. Or how about Thompson and Morgan's "Tomato Gartenperle," which tumble from hanging baskets in a heavy crop of delicious rosy-red, cherry sized fruits. These yummie nuggets will flourish in 8 inch pots on a sunny patio.

Don't stop with cherry tomatoes, if you have more room or a large sunny deck. Larger pots from a gallon to 3 gallon will grow incredible beef-steak sized fruits, such as Gurney's "Big Beef," with true old time flavor, and "Burgermaster," a flavorful 9 ounce beauty that will have you screaming for more. Both are tops in yield, size, and flavor, plus they have the highest disease resistance, a blessing in the disease prone south of zones 7 through 10.


If acid is a problem, but you like a real tomato, you will love Park's “Razzleberry Hybrid,” which is mild and sweet, promising to melt in your mouth with delicious flavor and good disease resistance. Park's “Early Challenge Hybrid” is true to its name, giving you an early delicious tomato that has good yields and great disease resistance.

Growing tomatoes in containers is actually easier than growing tomatoes in the ground, since the plants are held above the nesting ground of slugs, caterpillars, and cutworms. Disease is rare, especially if you choose tomato plants with the best disease resistance.

Buy the largest pots that you can find. I like clean 5 gallon pots for my big indeterminate tomatoes, which bear and bear and bear throughout the season. Smaller pots, such as 3 gallon are good for determinate plants that bear all at once, for canning, freezing, or simply sharing with friends.

Packaged, sterilized vegetable garden soil or soil blended especially for tomatoes will give you less disease woes, and higher yields. Fill the pot to within an inch of the top. Starting at the top of your soil, dig as deep a hole as your pot will allow, and bury the tomato plant to within an inch of the top, stripping off the leaves all the way up, leaving just the top leaves.

Mix a good, low-nitrogen, granulated, slow-release fertilizer within the soil, following package directions, and keep well watered. Place a large tomato cage over the pot, and press the wires all the way into the soil. Then place in full sun. The tomato plant will grow up through the cage and give you the blessing of real tomatoes no matter where you live.

Water your pots frequently, especially in dry periods and on windy days. This may require watering twice a day. Your plants will reward you with fresh, healthy tomatoes. In this day and age, where food-safety is a major concern, there is nothing like a fresh tomato sandwich to make you feel like you have truly bitten into "the fruit of the gods." Jaye Lewis