Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
Botanical gardens are places where a enormous variety of plants are developed, usually for scientific purposes. Not all botanical gardens are open to the public, but the ones that are serve as a great educational tool, as you will be able to study many different plants up-close. While research certainly takes place on these plants, a botanical garden also serves as a place for conservation, keeping these plants protected in the process.
Here are some of the best botanical gardens in the world.
1. The New York Botanical Garden is one of the most well-known botanical gardens in the world. Situated in the Bronx borough of New York City, this garden sits on 250 acres and contains 50 gardens and plant collections. It was founded in 1891 and it acts as the region’s leader in research and plant collection. The New York Botanical Garden has also remained as international leader when it comes to research. If you ever are scheduling a trip to see one of these gardens, this would certainly be a place to keep in mind, as they contain some of the best collections of plants in the entire world.
2. The Missouri Botanical Garden is also very popular in the United States. Located in St. Louis, this particular garden is known for having some of the finest botanical research around. There are also a number of horticultural displays and education programs geared toward training people everything about botanical gardens.
3. Denver’s Botanical Garden is one of the top-rated gardens in all of the United States. This is a very exceptional garden because of where it is situated – the western part of the country. Therefore, by visiting this garden you will get a quick look at some plants you will not find in many other places, especially back east. Visually dazzling and essentially a work of art, this botanical garden has been around for over 55 years and has served as both an eye pleaser and an educational tool.
Those are just three of the most popular botanical gardens in the United States. These gardens can be found all over the world and each one has something different to offer. While these are usually used for conducting research and other learning purposes, one really can look at a botanical garden as a work of art. Beautifully designed, you must visit one in your lifetime; it is guaranteed that you have not seen anything like it, and surely you will not leave disappointed
Here are some of the place where you can see the gardens of the world.
1. Florida contains two gardens that are considered gardens of the world. There’s Leu Gardens as well as the Fairchild Tropical Garden. Leu Gardens is in Orlando, while Fairchild Tropical Garden is in Miami. Both gardens enclose over fifty acres of rare and beautiful species of plants and flowers.
2. The Ness Botanic Gardens is one of the gardens in the world in Liverpool, England. It was been added to by exotic plant hunters since the nineteen hundreds and is even part of Liverpool University’s work.
3. In Russia, there are two gardens of the world. There’s the Botanic Garden of the Irkutsk State University, which isn’t usually open to the public since it’s primarily used for the University’s work, and then there’s the Petrozavodsk State University Botanic Garden, which seeks to work together with other gardens of the world to boost its variety and also add to the variety of other gardens.
4. There’s even one of the gardens of the world in New Zealand, where they have the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, which is home to many acres of trees, flowers and shrubs. When you arrive, you become the master or mistress over all of these acres, and you will love the many walkways, bridges, and shady rests that are available to all who visit.
There are several other gardens of the world, and they are all beautiful and unique in their own right. If you truly love nature and would like to view exotic species and varieties of plants and flowers, and much more, visit one of the gardens of the world near you or begin your travels to all the corners of the world to visit gardens of the world in other countries and states. You’ll love what you see and you’ll love how the power of nature overwhelms you as you likely have never felt before.
Tags: Best, Botanical, Gardens, Places, World
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Friday, April 10th, 2009
Moss is either loved or hated in the garden. People very often passionately rake it away. Why not to look at it as blessing to your garden? Its kinds are very difficult to recognize – you need proper book for that and magnifying glass. I don’t remember since when I love moss. I think since always. Soft, fragile and moist. In my garden moss is welcomed everywhere. I try to grow it on my stones as well. Few months ago I covered them with yoghurt dilluted with water 1:1. No great effect yet, just little greenish something appeared.
You can appreciate moss beauty especially in the winter – when it is lush green and so soft to walk on. Grows in the lawn in the shadow? Great! I don’t need to move it. Grass is weaker and weaker in these spots, and moss patches are larger and larger… and more and more green. Moss reminds me my second big and earliest garden fascination of Japanese Gardens.
I look for tranquility and harmony in the garden. In the smaller gardens it is even more important to not overload it with too many different plants.
I like them for meditative and tranquill character. I remember that in communist time in Poland there was not so many books about landscaping and Far East – that was of my special interest at that time. I made friends with the owner of the shop selling used/old books. Whenever something about Japan appeared on the shelf I was getting a phone call and I immediatelly run to the shop to see it.
There is six features as a synonym for an excellent not only Japanese but landscape garden.
According to the ancient book of gardens, there should be six different qualities to which a garden can aspire.
They are grouped in their traditional complementary pairs, they are:
spaciousness & seclusion
artifice & antiquity
water-courses & panoramas.
As the specialists say “it is difficult enough to find a garden that is blessed with any three or four of these desirable attributes, let along five, or even more rarely, all six.”
Yet there is such case in Japan.
Its name is “Kenroku-en” which means “garden that combines six characteristics”, which is named by Sadanobu Matsudaira, a feudal load in the present Tohoku district (northern part of mainland Japan).
Plants recommended for Japanese gardens:
Trees and shrubs
Acer plamatum, Acer japonicum, Acer ginnala, Amelanchier canadensis, Cercis chinensis, Chamaecyparis obtusa, Cornus kousa, Cryptomeria japonica, Gingko biloba, Pinus nigra, Pinus thunbergiana, Pinus densiflora, Magnolia kobus, Magnolia stellata, Prunus cerasifera, Prunus mume, Prunus serrulata, Prunus armeniaca, Sciadopitys verticillata, Tsuga canadensis,
Trees and shrubs of medium size
Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’, Spirea japonica, Chaenomeles japonica, Chaenomeles lagenaria, Euonymus alatus, Enkianthus campanulatus, Forsytia x intermedia, Forsytia suspensa, Juniperus chinensis ‘Armstrongii’, Kerria japonica, Mahonia aquifolium, Pieris japonica, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Syringa vulgaris
Small shrubs
Buxus microphylla, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana’, Daphne cneorum, Ilex crenata, Juniperus chinensis ‘Blue Vase’, Pinus mugo ‘Compacta’, Rhododendron obtusum, Rhododendron kaempferi, Spirea japonica, Spirea bumalda, Thuja occidentalis ‘Globosa’, Viburnum carlesii
All these plants are accompanied by different kind of grass, moss, perennials, bamboo, ivy that might be chosen according to the climate zone.
If you are interested to read more please visit http://wwww.ewainthegarden.blogspot.com
Tags: Gardens, Japanese, Kill'em, Love'em, Moss
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Sunday, March 15th, 2009
Before you get started with either your balcony garden or gardening on your rooftop, there are some very important factors to consider.
Firstly, and of course the most obvious, make sure that the structure can withstand the weight and the rooftop will not be comprised with anyone walking on it, let alone creating extra weight or watering difficulties.
Most apartment and condominium balconies will definitely support gardening in containers and planters. The ones that are built with wood may not support extremely large and heavy pots; however, gardening can still be done with smaller planters. Where you have concrete floors, there is little damage to the surface, however, be sure to avoid using very heavy containers. This is where research into other planter materials is prudent, your resin garden planters do not contribute weight in of themselves and larger containers therefore may be used. Spread the load over a wide area using wooden slats, brackets and hooks to take the weight of hanging pots or baskets.
Secondly, check the microclimate of your balcony or rooftop. Note the direction of the wind and how much sun it gets during the day. Some balconies are very sheltered and receive no direct sunlight; others are fully exposed and take the direct sun all day. Of course, the rooftop garden may be sheltered by service structures or you may place your own trellis to give some protection from the wind and sun. Many balcony plants do not get much rain because they are situated under an awning or protected from the balcony above. In this case, make sure that the containers are kept moist by watering daily.
What to plant. Just like planning your landscape garden, you may wish to consider your balcony and/or rooftop a private place to relax and entertain.
Start with a framework around your space. Create a distinct border to surround your new space. This can be done with plants that spill onto the space like lady’s mantle and geraniums or you can create clusters of height with grasses and small shrubs. All of your plants can be in garden planters and containers. They are easy to move around to see what works best and easier to control the intense heat or winds during certain times of the day.
Your planters may be incorporated into wonderful garden benches – the benches can delineate the space and provide additional seating. One simple way is to create a platform for your containers – then the plants can be easily seen and of course it is nice to have scented plants all around. Some of the best scented plants may be roses, heliotrope, jasmine, gardenias and sweet peas. You can be very creative with the placement of the planters and containers – cluster them in different sizes and shapes and filled with a wide variety of plant material.
Privacy on your balcony, rooftop or terrace is easily accomplished using well situated raised planters or by adding a pergola or trellis to block unsightly maintenance or ventilating equipment. Just plant a climbing hydrangea, wisteria, magnolia or jasmine vine and the garden décor is complete.
Linking your home, apartment or condo to your outside space can often be the best of all worlds. There are so many options to have a garden for enjoyment inspired by your own aspirations.
Tags: Balcony, Gardens, Rooftop
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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
In Today’s throwaway society, there is absolutely no need to go out and purchase mulch material for your garden, unless it is for the particular aesthetic appearance, “The Look”, sake of the mulch material.
Were you aware that there are a number of mulching materials that you can obtain from around your own community that are free, and some of which can even be even delivered to you for nothing as well.
Impossible you might say. Well I mulch my gardens fairly heavily, and I never pay a cent for the mulch material. As a matter of fact, most of the mulch is willingly delivered to my home for nothing. As the former owners are only too glad to see the back of it, as it would cost them money, time and effort to find other ways of getting rid of it.
I also combine these outside sources of mulch with my own compost, weeds and other organic matter mixed through to achieve a great result in my garden, and so all that it costs me is time and effort.
So what am I talking about? While some of the below list is delivered free, other items I pick up myself, depending on time, circumstances, importance etc.
Grass Clippings from other people in the area or from lawn-mowing contractors.
Wood shavings from local wood turners and carvers, ( Do not use shavings from treated timber).
Small amounts of solid fill from friends who are excavating. This is to assist in raising garden beds, in my heavy clay soil.
Light prunings from shrubs which is shredded by me or put whole into garden
Heavier sticks and logs, which are turned into trellis, garden stakes, garden edges, seats, frames, log planters etc. while they slowly decay.
Newspaper, cardboard, non-rubber carpet underlay, and even carpet and carpet squares. Which is put under other mulch to prevent grass and weed regrowth
Animal manures sometimes mixed with straw from places like Racetracks and Showgrounds, Pony Clubs, Stables etc. I contact them well beforehand to see if any is available.
To this I also add my own weeds, throwing away some which can still be a potential problem, or burying them below the bottom most layer of mulch material to stop them regrowing.
Another item I add is any old potting mix from deceased plants or when repotting plants.
Being a fairly lazy gardener, I throw the material around a bit at a time, as they are available, and let nature mix them for me. On a couple of occasions I have received a bit too much wood shavings so these became path material between some of the garden beds, with a heavy underlay of newspapers. People even tell me that it looks and feels good underfoot.
Never put a large amount of fresh animal manure on any garden, as it will burn any plant around it. Be extremely sparing or let it age first for a few months before applying it to the garden.
I have been living in my new house for about fifteen months, and the mulch layer in all my gardens (there were no gardens originally), is about 10 cm or 4 inches deep. None of which I have paid for and little that I have had to even pick up for myself.
People are even starting to comment on how fast the plants in my gardens are growing in the local heavy black clay soils, and they are surprised when I tell them that I have never bothered to fertilise the plants. The reason for this is that the earliest laid mulch material, is now broken down into plant nutrients and is now feeding my plants as a plant nutrient soup aided by the soil life which has suddenly started appearing in my gardens.
Another benefit that has started to appear in the last few months is the arrival of insect eating wildlife into my garden. Predatory insects and birds are now visiting my gardens on a regular basis, where I saw none this time last year. Bees and butterflies are also starting to visit many of the plants, which have come into flower for the first time this year.
So what can you do to start locating your own supplies of free mulch material, well here are a number of suggestions.
Put a little sign near your gate, something along the lines of ‘Organic mulch required’, or ‘Lawn clipping wanted’. There are sure to be a number of local people who are currently throwing theirs away in your community or even local area. Never mulch solely with grass clippings as they form an impenetrable layer that air and water cannot get through. Always mix it with other things to stop it ‘thatching’, just like a roof over the soil.
See if you can get into contact with local people who are into woodturning and carving, or even local sawmills. And come to some arrangement about unpreserved wood shavings.
Check the local phonebook for local showgrounds/racetracks/stables etc, to find out if any have stable or manure waste to give away, for people willing to pick them up
In other words, start talking around the place that you are after mulch materials and they will soon start coming to you.
The only caution with using other peoples waste material is the chance that you might also import other peoples pests and weeds. I have rarely found it a problem because of heavy mulch on mulch routines. But it is possible.
One point being that when you first start applying mulch to your garden you may see some nitrogen deficiencies occur in some plants. This is because the organisms that are breaking down the mulch material are using up all the available resources of it during the initial breakdown. Once you have gotten past this time the old composted material provide more than enough nitrogen for future processes.
Another thing to be careful of is not to bury or mulch up against the stems of wanted plants, as it may cause further problems for your plants in rot problems around the collar of the stems.
So get out there and talk around the community, find the contacts, believe it or not they will be as grateful as you to solve their particular problems of waste reduction. As well as that, you may start making some new friendships out of the deal; I know I have.
Tags: Feed, Free, Gardens, Mulch
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