What Type of Garden Will You Grow ?

There are a great many garden ideas to consider when you decide to begin the wonderful pastime of flower or vegetable garden. You will get a real feeling of accomplishment when you plant seeds into the ground and tending them into healthy plants. As soon as you make the choice to begin a garden you will be able to go through many different garden ideas before you find the one that you would like to try. You will find that there are actually quite a few different choices for you to consider.
A butterfly garden can be a beautiful choice to add to your lawn. Many people might be wondering what a butterfly garden is. A butterfly garden is a garden that is created for attracting butterflies for your viewing pleasure. Before you begin your butterfly garden you are going to need to find out what types of flowers are going to attract butterflies that are native to your particular region. If you happen to own cats you might want to consider a different type of garden as cats are fond of trying to catch butterflies.
You can choose to grow a butterfly garden. What is a butterfly garden you might be

Container gardens are another good choice when it comes to garden ideas. A container garden is a fantastic choice when it comes to garden ideas. A container garden is perfect if you live in an apartment building or if you are simply unable to tend over a large outdoor garden. You have lots of choices when it comes to container gardening as you can plant anything from coffee to herbs to oranges.

Next on the list of gardening ideas are vegetable gardens. You can grow all types of vegetables in your vegetable garden. You will need to take into account what types of vegetables are going to grow the best in your area. You can choose to grow enough to preserve for the winter months or just enough to enjoy during the summer.

You can use the internet and gardening magazines and you are bound to find many more appealing gardening ideas.

Wildlife Friendly Gardening

If you would like to contribute to the wellbeing of wildlife, you’ll need more than just a corner of your garden left to run wild. It is also possible to have a pretty and tidy garden that is welcoming to wildlife.

If you are planning a new garden, look around to see what grows locally. If you have something growing naturally and wish to keep it, leave it where it is instead of trying to move it. Above all, be gentle with the planting and take your time to give wildlife a chance to adapt.

Provide as many habitats as but do focus on what can be done well in the space you have. A hedge is a wonderful shelter and can feed wildife as well as provide a run for safe transportation. You can also create smaller microhabitats in your garden, depending on the creatures you would like to attract.

Long grass provides habitat for egg laying and over wintering of caterpillars and leather jackets. Blackbirds and starlings search for leather jackets (cranefly grubs) in short grass. Different species of tree and shrub and flowering plants provide nectar and other food sources through the year.

Any water feature is great for wildlife. Shallow areas are used by bathing and drinking birds, emerging dragonflies and is somewhere for amphibians to lay eggs. Deeper areas help aquatic insects survive cold spells and are a good place for newts. If you have young children or pets, you may want to forgo having a pond though.

Wildlife requires two fundamental things: somewhere safe to breed and shelter and somewhere to forage throughout the year.  This also helps retain seeds and fruit for birds and small mammals throughout winter. Many baby birds need insects - a good source of protein - if they are to grow strong and healthy and survive the winter. A variety of garden plants encourages these insects.

Short lengths of drinking straws, hollow canes or plant stems, tied in bundles are excellent nesting sites for beneficial lacewings and ladybirds.
Early and late flowering plants provide nectar for insects at critical times - just after emergence or prior to hibernation.

Ivy is a late source of autumn nectar for insects and late winter fruit for birds.

Fruiting bushes are a good source of food for birds and mammals during the autumn and part of the winter. Annual plants that produce many seeds in late summer are a good source of seed for birds through autumn into winter.

Planting a new garden

When planning a new garden, it is important to lay things out ahead of time so you can visualise what plants you want. It is the planting you select that will dictate the amount and type of soil preparation required.

When you are happy with your layout, get digging. Make sure you are up for the job otherwise bring someone in to do the digging for you. A sprained back will put your project  on hold for a long time. The best time to prepare your soil is autumn. Depending on the planting you have decided on, you may need to add manure or gravel and these will need to settle before you begin actual planting in spring. Permanent features such as decking can be installed now though.

The best place to find plants is in other people’s gardens. Take cuttings (with permission, of course) and start on the route of the time honoured method of trading plants. You could also buy plants at a nursery. Don’t be tempted to buy herbs in a supermarket as they will be force grown and frail. Buy from garden centres or grow from seed. Never take plants from public areas or the wild.

You can save quite a lot of money by buying bare root plants for early Spring planting. These are sold in their dormant state, and should go into the ground as quickly as possible. Soak the roots before planting, and dip them in a thin slurry of mud to prevent them from drying out. All other plants should be removed from their pots before planting. Tip them over and tap the bottom and sides of the pots to loosen the root mass, and then let the plant fall free. Never pull plants out of their pots by the stems… that’s like being pulled out of your seat by the throat. You wouldn’t like it; and neither do the plants.

Wildlife And Child Friendly Garden Deterrents

Wildlife, including birds and other animals can sometimes be protected, such as bats, and it is illegal to disturb any nest in the wild. However, even the RSPB will acknowledge that it is sometime beyond a gardener or homeowner’s capability to ignore damage caused by wild creatures. The purpose here to attempt to deter said creatures, not to actually harm them.
Do bear in mind that no method is perfect. For example, if you want to attract certain birds like tits or robins, you will have to accept that you may end up with green parakeets and the like as well. Some animals need to be kept out of your garden. For example if you have a pond, you don’t want herons picking out your fish, if you keep rabbits, foxes will not be welcome and so on. Many people loathe sparrowhawks and starlings, usually because they are a nuisance.

Do be aware that there are many visual and audible deterrents for use on farmland and other open space situations away from housing. These are not suitable for domestic use in the most part. They are also not species specific so be wary of using them. It is usually perfectly legal to deter birds but the bird must not be harmed or trapped, nor can they be prevented from attending to an existing nest. If you plan to deter birds, make sure they have elsewhere to go otherwise all you will do is upset and distress them.

Herons can be discouraged form ponds by installing a specialist pond cover which will also protect children and pets from drowning. Foxes can be discouraged by ensuring no food scraps are available, nowhere cosy can be taken over for nesting and sleeping, and a good solid fence is installed with no stepping places for the fox to climb over easily.

Gifts From Your Garden

Traditionally, when we wanted to send someone our best, a letter or greeting card covered in flowers by post used to be the most popular method. Nowadays, many of us are likely to communicate via a text, an email or even a social networking site. It could be argued that despite the convenience of such methods, their remoteness hampers us in communicating our sentiments effectively.

Hampers at Christmas or Easter are still popular, whilst Mothers Day and Valentine’s Day give us the opportunity to send flowers to loved ones. Whilst taking the time to send flowers by post is the perfect way to show you care, your own garden can be a great source of gifts for friends and family. By thinking ahead, it is possible to have a supply of potential little ‘thankyou’ gestures and presents that say ‘Happy Birthday’ when you’ve left it too late to order a bouquet!

Plants from bulbs and corms make excellent gifts. They can even be given when not in bloom, provided that the container looks attractive. Miniature daffodils and crocuses make perfect springtime choices. Small varieties of tulips and cyclamen work equally well later in the year. You will need to have these planted some months in advance to be sure that they will be in their growth phase when you want to give them as presents. Cold weather hampers development, so it is best to bring the pots indoors during winter.

The prettiest containers for gifts are baskets and ceramic or terracotta pots. Make sure your decorative pot has drain holes if you intend to use it as the only container. By hanging on to little baskets, bows and cellophane from any flowers by post you have received in the past, you will soon build up a stock of accessories to make your plant gifts look extra special. Remember that it isn’t practical to send flowers such as these by post. They are really intended as gifts to be given in person.

Choose easy to grow container plants that will tolerate a little forgetfulness if the recipient of your gift isn’t an avid gardener. Lack of water hampers the survival of delicate blooms. Flowers such as Perargoniums, Begonias and Impatiens are sturdy plants, giving plenty of colour. If these are sown from seed, they are also very cheap. Variegated ivies and other trailing plants break up the edges of a container and make the overall display more attractive. Use a good quality compost and a slow-release plant food in each pot to ensure your gift will give weeks of pleasure. If you have any moss in your garden, some transplanted around the base of your main plants will also give them a more established look. Remember to do this well in advance and keep the moss moist until it has become established.

When one pot of flowers simply won’t do, you might like to give several assorted plants together in boxes or hampers as one large gift. Such hampers can even include little extras such as packets of seeds and extra pots to encourage the recipient of the gift to get growing themselves!