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(Compost) Tips to Pruning any Tree

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By Jeffry Bullock

 There are two kinds of winter gardening. The first method usually starts in January as the gardening catalogs begin to arrive in the mail. This type of gardening is as easy as sitting in your favorite chair, browsing the catalogs, and either dreaming about what you’re going to do this spring, or actually drawing designs for the gardens you intend to work on.

The second type of winter gardening is to actually get out in the yard and do a little work. Of course if it’s bitter cold, you’d be better off waiting for a good day. Winter is a good time to do some pruning if the temperatures are around 30 degrees or so. I don’t recommend pruning if it’s considerably below freezing because the wood is brittle and will shatter when you make a cut.

One of the advantages of pruning during the winter is that you can see much better what needs to be cut out and what should stay. At least that’s true with deciduous plants. The other advantage is that the plants are dormant, and won’t mind you doing a little work on them.

Ornamental trees should pruned to remove competing branches. Weeping Cherries, Flowering Dogwoods, Flowering Crabapples etc. have a tendency to send branches in many different directions. It is your job to decide how you want the plant to look, and then start pruning to achieve that look.

But first stick your head inside the tree and see what you can eliminate from there. This is like looking under the hood, and when you do you’ll see a lot of small branches that have been starved of sunlight, that certainly don’t add anything to the plant. They are just there, and should be cut out.

Any branch that is growing toward the center of the tree where it will get little sunlight should be cut out. Where there are two branches that are crossing, one of them should be eliminated. Once you get the inside of the plant cleaned up, you can start shaping the outside.

Shaping the outside is actually quite easy. Just picture how you want the plant to look, and picture imaginary lines of the finished outline of the plant. Cut off anything that is outside of these imaginary lines. It is also important to cut the tips of branches that have not yet reached these imaginary lines in order to force the plant to fill out.

For the most part plants have two kinds of growth: Terminal branches and lateral branches. Each branch has one terminal bud at the very end, and many lateral branches along the sides. The terminal buds grow in an outward direction away from the plant. Left uncut they just keep growing in the same direction, and the plant grows tall and very thin. That’s why the trees in the woods are so thin and not very attractive.

When you cut a branch on a plant, the plant sets new buds just below where you cut. When you remove the terminal bud the plant will set multiple buds; this is how you make a plant nice and full. Don’t be afraid to trim your plants, they will be much nicer because of it. The more you trim them, the fuller they become.

Lots of people have a real problem with this. They just can’t bring themselves to prune. Especially when it comes to plants like Japanese Red Maples. It kills them to even think about pruning a plant like this. Just do it! You’ll have a beautiful plant because of it.

Look at the plant objectively. If you see a branch that looks like it’s growing too far in the wrong direction, cut it. If you make a mistake it will grow back. Not pruning is the only mistake you can make. I hope this helps and doesn’t get you in trouble with your significant other. Many a family feud has started over pruning.

Visit the Celosia Flower website to learn about celosia plumosa and celosia plant.

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Growing Organic Vegetables - Beginner’s Guide

By Adam Granger

 You might have just begun to start growing organic vegetables and herbs or you might be an experienced grower already. There exists one question that seems to appear time and time again.

What do I do with all those herbs.

In the next few paragraphs I will cover some helpful tips for your organically grown herbs.

A lot of individuals will begin using their herbs in a dry form.. Always try to harvest your herbs as early as possible in the day. You only need to use a sharp knife or a pair of garden scissors to harvest your herbs and make sure that the stems are quite long.

1: Cleaning Your Herbs

Be gentle when you are washing your herbs, they can be fragile and will not take kindly to being handled roughly. So be gentle with them and once washed put them on a piece of kitchen towel or perhaps a clean cloth. The herbs will need to dry out once washed so the towel needs to be absorbent so that all the water can drain from your herbs.

2: Drying Your Herbs

You can then tie your herbs into bundles with string once all the excess water has been removed. Then hang the small bundles up in an area out of the way but if possible moisture free. If you can find somewhere warm and dry this is best, something like an airing cupboard is ideal. In case you are hanging them near a window which has direct sunlight this will also be a very good place. Just remember however, that the sunlight will take some of the natural colour from your herbs.

3: Making Your Herbs Ready For Use

Once your herbs have dried out completely you can crush them and put them in small glass or stone jars. I prefer to not use plastic as I always feel this effects the flavor of the herbs. Your herbs once dried will last for no less than nine to twelve months.

4: Freezing Your Herbs

Freezing your herbs is an alternative method you may use. To do this simply harvest and wash as above but when drying you want to make 100 percent certain there is no excess moisture. So keep turning them on the paper towel until completely dry. This is essential for the freezing process.

Keep the leaves and flowers on the stems of your herbs for the absolute best flavour. Once they are dry it is easy to put them into freezer bags and place them into the freezer. One point to note here is to put a label or mark the freezer bag with the date. To get the best flavor from your frozen herbs I like to recommend you ought to use them within 6 months.

When you need to use your frozen herbs simply take them from the freezer, crush a small amount of that you need for use and then return the remainder to the freezer.

Get more information about Growing Organic Vegetables and organic herbs you will get plenty more information and advice at http://growingorganicvegetables.net

Why not give it a go; you actually will love the taste of your own naturally grown vegetables and herbs.

Your Gardening is Calling Out

By Jeffry Bullock

 The crocus is almost ready to peek through the partly snow- covered ground. It won’t be long now and the earth will bring out a burst of colors to herald the beauty of Spring as Nature wakes up from its winter slumber.

It’s that time of the year when gardeners can hardly wait for the snow to disappear from the ground. The balmy weather these past few days started to melt some of the snow revealing the brown color of the grass. It is not too early to start thinking of your garden.Take a look at the pictures of your garden of last summer.You did take pictures!

Think of what you liked about your garden.What new projects do you have in mind? Each year, there are wider varieties of plants to choose from. It is very tempting!

Color

The colors bursting from the garden is one of the most attractive features. Be inspired to try a different mix of colors. This can easily be done by looking at the pictures and do a little re-arranging of your plants. I know I have to move the sundrops and the iris and some of the day lilies this Spring. These plants tend to take over the garden. I’d like to have more blue color this year. This is a relaxing color.

Think of the plants that have to be thinned out,or perhaps were in the wrong spot last summer. Experiment with different varieties of plantsfor an exciting display of colors in your garden.

Soil

Is it time to amend your soil? Plants will do better with proper soil nutrients. Compost is a very rich source of nutrients and it is also good for the environment. Do you need to check the acidity or alkalinity of the soil? There are commercial kits, but I find them too expensive. There are tests that you can do to check it yourself. Check out gardening books and the internet. Be sure to pay attention to your window boxes and other pots and planters. It is recommended that the soil in these containers be changed at least every five years.

Design

Do you have a theme or motif in your garden? Something that is a centerpiece of all the centerpieces. This is what’s creative about gardening. It allows you to express yourself and enhance your creativity. This is where you incorporate features like garden ornaments. But don’t make your garden too busy. Do you have a bench or chair where you can sit and relax, or rest as you work in the garden? Do you like the sound of wind chimes? There are endless ideas to enhance the beauty of your garden and turn it to a work of art and a place for you to relax and meditate.

Budget

How lucky for those who do not have to worry about dollars and cents. Gardening can be an expensive hobby. You can start saving a bit for your gardening expenses now. Think outside the pot, to quote Martha Stewart. You can use your imagination and come out with containers that will blow the mind of your family and friends.

Garden ornaments can be costly. I found some good and tasteful ornaments at the dollar shops and at garage sales.

Pesky animals

Be prepared. If a deer has discovered your garden, chances are it will be back every year. There are plants that are resistant to most animals.I know that geraniums and marigolds are safe. Roses attract the deer. There are ways and means to protect your garden from these destructive intruders without causing them harm. You might consider plants that repel these animals.

I gave up planting tulips. The chipmunks love them. There are other Spring bulbs that repel these creatures. Daffodils and other members of the alium family are just as colorful and lovely to look at.Take time to explore the possibilities and experiment.

Happy gardening.

Read about celosia plumosa and celosia plant at the Celosia Flower website.

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Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 at 4:15 pm and is filed under gardening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.