How To Build an Herb Garden

If you have mastered the art of vegetable gardening, then perhaps you are considering expanding your skills of gardening into something a little more advanced, such as herb gardening. There is in fact a myth that herb gardening is something unique and advanced, but fortunately for you, herb gardening is even easier than gardening other plants and is a great way for beginner gardeners to get their hands dirty and learn how to garden.

Unlike most plants, herbs require very little to keep them thriving. In fact, all they need is a little bit of water and a whole lot of sun. You do not need to spray, trim, or fertilize and they will even grow in almost any soil. Herb gardening is so easy, you will wonder why you didn’t start sooner.

Start off with some basic herb gardening plans before you sow your first seed. What kind of herbs do you want? Herbs grow very easily, even in poor conditions, so consider that overgrowth can happen if you don’t keep an eye on them. You will need a lot of space in either your garden or pot before you begin.

Due to their nature of proliferation and overgrowth, sow your seeds with at least a foot of space in between. You will want lots of space to ensure your plants aren’t competing for nutrients. With this in mind, you will also need to prepare your soil perfectly.

Most herbs will do well with a good mix of both sandy and clay loam, or even simply a good compost. You want to ensure there is plenty of drainage. Your soil should be moist, but never soaking wet. Some herbs will do well with water from rainfall, and don’t require any additional watering, such as Lavender or Sage. Peppermint on the other hand does like to be watered frequently, and you can set up an automatic drip for your peppermint if this herb is in your plans.

Landscape fabric is an excellent way of preventing weeds before they start. This is a great way to ensure your garden does not become overgrown with weeds, as these grow almost as quickly as herbs, and in some cases, are so similar you may weed out the wrong plant.

Herbs are also handy in that they resist bugs and pests easily. Even still however, you may want to plant a few ‘sacrifice’ plants to trap pests and bugs. Dill is a great plant to trap pests as it is inviting to pests, and keeps pests away from other plants.

You will also need to learn what herbs thrive in what seasons. Some will do well year round, while others will need planting in intervals of four weeks. Do your research and find out what herbs do best and when.

Herb gardening is easier than you think. If you like having fresh herbs garnish your dishes, start sooner than later. You will be so pleased with the end result!

Butterfly Gardens

Many people in the gardening world are turning toward creating butterfly gardens. These gardens can attract many different types and variations of butterflies. Butterfly gardening is very quickly becoming more and more popular. It is said to be one of the fastest growing and most popular hobbies today. People get great joy from seeing beautiful butterflies fluttering around their gardens. Butterflies also add color and life to gardens.

If you are planning on starting a butterfly garden the first thing that you need to do is find out what kind of butterflies are in your area. There are several ways to do this. You could contact your local wildlife refuge and they can give you information. You can also have a field guide go outdoors with you and help you determine what species are around. There are also sites on the internet that have information available about different species of butterflies that are available in different areas. It is easy to find out what types of butterflies are available and most frequent in your area.

You should make sure that your butterfly garden is planted in a sunny area. However, the area that you plant in should be free of harsh winds. Butterflies need to feed in sunny areas because they have to stay warm. However, they will not fight strong winds when they are trying to stay on the plants and eat, so they will end up going somewhere else. You should also put some smooth, flat stones in your garden in the sunshine so that the butterflies have somewhere to rest while they are warming themselves up. Butterflies need water just like every other living thing does. You can keep a mud puddle located in a sunny location or you can get a bucket and fill it with sand. Then, add enough water to moisten the sand.

There are two different kinds of plants that the butterflies use. One type of plants provides nectar for adult butterflies to eat. The other kind provides food for baby butterflies to eat. It is a good idea to find out what kind of plants are native in the area where you live and then plant these instead of exotic plants that are not compatible. The butterflies are mostly likely already adapted to the native plants and will be much more likely to feed from them than to risk feeding off of something new that they have never eaten before. This ensures that all of the butterflies are kept safe and free from harm. It protects not only the adults, but also protects the babies that are growing and trying to thrive into adulthood. Just as any human would not eat anything that they were not certain off, butterflies are the same way.

Garden Ideas: 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.

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!

The Idaho Botanical Garden is Open Year Round

If you are looking for something to cater to your gardening sensitivities, why not take your vacation to hot garden spots. Spots such as the Idaho Botanical Garden are open year round for today’s gardener that may not be able to enjoy the love of gardening in the long Winter Months.

The mission of the Idaho Botanical Garden is stimulate interest in, appreciation for, and an understanding of gardening, horticulture, botany and conservation of natural resources.

Today, the Idaho Botanical Garden is not just about the beauty of their on-site gardens. It is also a living museum that will provide you with stimulating selections of nature in exotic communities of plants, theme gardens, display gardens, and a myriad of educational programs. Some of the features in the Idaho Botanical Garden Collections include:

• Alpine Garden

• Children’s Garden

• Don Dick Outdoor Classroom is an arena-shaped grass outdoor classroom surrounded by trees.

• Garden Woods – trees planted by Idaho State Penitentiary inmates for the picnic grounds
• Herb Garden

• Herbaceous Border & Historical Iris Collection

The Jane Falk Oppenheimer Heirloom Rose Garden

• Labyrinth Garden

• Lewis & Clark Native Plant Garden

• Meditation Garden
• Muriel and Diana Kirk English Garden was designed by world-renowned English landscape architect John Brookes.

• Outlaw Field

• Peony Collection

• Water Features

The Idaho Botanical Garden is not just an extravagant garden setting with many living museums on site. It is also a place where public events and attractions occur where your gardening sensitivities will be tickled to your hearts content. In November for example, you can see the Winter Garden Glow, a feature of light and color, with many garden features highlighted on display and creatively arranged. There is nothing more spectacular seeing a live garden lit up for Christmas with nothing but the joy of celebration of living things as the key focus of such a beautiful event. This event is just one of many that can be enjoyed at the Idaho Botanical Garden.

If you are the sort that gets down in the dumps over your garden in the winter months, dump no more. Take a lively vacation to a garden that is open year round and will leave you so excited and full of new ideas for your next planting season.