There cannot be many gardens, which do not have at least one rose amongst its list of plants, for few gardens would be complete without the beauty and fragrance of these splendid flowers. Blooming from spring until autumn, they have never lost their appeal and charm; they are as popular today as they have been throughout the centuries. All over the world, gardens devoted to roses have become places of pilgrimage. There are so many different kinds of roses to choose from, to suit tastes, gardens of any size, climate or aspect.
Most of us who grow roses are scarcely aware of the heritage, of which we are beneficiaries, because it has been through selective breeding throughout the centuries, which has given us the overwhelming choice of variety, colour, form, scent and growing habit. Two geographical groupings which, at first, developed separately, have had-both in their separation and in their ultimate combination-the greatest impact on rose history: The European/Mediterranean group of species and their hybrids, and the Oriental group of species and their hybrids.
The European roses are primarily the following: Gallicas, Albas, Damasks, Damask Perpetuals, Centifolias, and Mosses. The mainstream Oriental groups are Chinas and Teas. The European sorts-with one important exception-have only one season of bloom per year, while the Orientals repeat bloom more or less continuously. During the 1830s work continued in earnest on the breeding between the Oriental roses and the Europeans. It was the Englishman Bennett, a cattle farmer converted to rose breeding, who applied the laws of heredity of his previous occupation to the breeding of roses. Due to the laws of genetics, the first progeny of crosses between once-bloomers and repeatbloomers the next generation bloomed only once. As they were crossed with each other, however, and then back to the Chinas and Teas, repeat-blooming hybrids began to appear. These were crossed with Damask Perpetuals. More crosses with the new material were made as work continued in all groups of roses.
Never before the 1830's had such a diversity of disparate roses been available--and never since. Almost every available species, no matter how obscure, had varieties and sub-varieties of varying colour or form due to breeding of sports. A new group of roses appeared in the 1970s originated from crosses made between certain Old Roses and Modern Hybrid Teas and Floribundas. Combining the charm and wonderful fragrance of an Old Rose, with the colour range and summer-long flowering of a Modern Rose they drew together the outstanding voluptuous beauty of the Old but stretched out the flowering season, providing the modern gardener with the very best of both worlds. These are the English Roses, with strong fragrant blooms; even more fragrant than many of the Old Roses, with colours ranging from white, cream to shades of pink, yellow, apricot to peach, lilac to crimson, purple and many shades of mauve.
By: Juliet S Sadler
Learn about canadian thistle and thistle plant at the Plants And Flowers site.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
5 Things To Do With An Old Garden Hose
Next time you have an old garden hose that you are just going to throw out, don't! There are many things you can do with an old garden hose - even cracked or badly cracked or leaky hoses. Here are some terrific ideas to reuse the old garden hose and recycled into fun projects.
1. Construct a soaker hose for your plants or garden. Take that leaky hose drill a few more holes in it and attach it to a regular hose with a brass or plastic couple. You'll need to seal off one end of the soaker hose with a plastic cap. Now put the hose near your plants or garden or you can bury it in a shallow trench. Allow the water to flow only as a trickle and leave on for 30 to 45 minutes.
2. You can even use an old hose as a bucket handle. Cut a short piece of hose with a slit on one end. You'll be surprised the weight of the bucket you can carry with the hose as your handle.
3. For those who love camping, try this one to add some cool colors to your next campfire. Take a half-inch copper piping and cut into small sections. Insert the rubber hose into the copper piping and cut it down. Place in the fire and wants the beautiful colors. Kids love this one.
4. Tree support. You have an old tree that is leaning? Try using an old garden hose is as a support. Slip over old port cable through the hose then the string the hose on the tree. This will prevent rope or cable burn onto the tree itself.
5. We would not recommend this one but you can use an old garden hose as a gas siphon. Only in case of emergency though!
By: Jim Martin
For more information on garden hoses, garden hose reels and gardening in general, visit www.garden-hose-guide.com
1. Construct a soaker hose for your plants or garden. Take that leaky hose drill a few more holes in it and attach it to a regular hose with a brass or plastic couple. You'll need to seal off one end of the soaker hose with a plastic cap. Now put the hose near your plants or garden or you can bury it in a shallow trench. Allow the water to flow only as a trickle and leave on for 30 to 45 minutes.
2. You can even use an old hose as a bucket handle. Cut a short piece of hose with a slit on one end. You'll be surprised the weight of the bucket you can carry with the hose as your handle.
3. For those who love camping, try this one to add some cool colors to your next campfire. Take a half-inch copper piping and cut into small sections. Insert the rubber hose into the copper piping and cut it down. Place in the fire and wants the beautiful colors. Kids love this one.
4. Tree support. You have an old tree that is leaning? Try using an old garden hose is as a support. Slip over old port cable through the hose then the string the hose on the tree. This will prevent rope or cable burn onto the tree itself.
5. We would not recommend this one but you can use an old garden hose as a gas siphon. Only in case of emergency though!
By: Jim Martin
For more information on garden hoses, garden hose reels and gardening in general, visit www.garden-hose-guide.com
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Benefits Of Greenhouse Gardening
For those of us who live in colder climates, experiencing five months or more of winter each year, the benefits of greenhouse gardening can be enormous. Gardening with a greenhouse allows for an extended growing season that can begin and end months outside of the traditional outdoor growing season in your climate. Greenhouses may even allow you to grow plants year round. Greenhouses can also provide a warmer mini-climate for plants that typically would not grow in your zone, allowing you to cultivate many varieties of plants that are unique to your area.
When growing plants in a greenhouse, it's important to remember that the air temperature inside can be as much as 30 to 40 degrees warmer than the outside air temperature. While the warmer air is wonderful for your plants during the cool months of late fall, winter, and early spring, in the hot summer months, these temperatures can pose a real threat to your plants. When the temperature inside a greenhouse gets too high, your plants can actually burn. In the hottest part of the summer, it's a good idea to add a shade cloth to your greenhouse to help keep the inside temperatures down. When building your greenhouse, consider aligning the roofline in an east-west direction so that the largest area of the roof is exposed to the south. This will accomplish two things. First, if a shade cloth is required, you'll likely only need to cover the southern facing side of the roof, saving you time and money in materials. Second, by having more roof area exposed to the intense southern sun, you'll get maximum solar gain in your greenhouse during cooler months, when you need it most.
For those of us who enjoy vegetable gardening, another benefit of gardening with a greenhouse is the ability to start vegetables from seed early in the year. While many nurseries and garden centers to sell vegetables as young plants in the early part of the year, these small plants can be expensive to buy. Certainly when planting on a larger scale, starting your plants from seed is a much more economical option. Additionally, when planting some certain types of herbs and vegetables, starting plants from seed may be a requirement, as most nurseries don't grow the more obscure varieties and hybrids.
In the case of vegetables that grow well in containers, such as tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, strawberries, and many herbs, a greenhouse can be a way to grow your own produce year round and save money on your grocery bill. One option is to begin your vegetables in the greenhouse early in the year, and then move then outdoors during the warm summer months. When the weather cools off again in the fall, the plants can be brought back into the greenhouse to extend harvests for several more months, or as long as the lifespan of each individual plant will allow.
While a greenhouse can be a significant up front investment, the rewards of greenhouse gardening are almost endless. Your greenhouse will pay you back with new and unique varieties of plants, bigger and better harvests, and a wealth of invaluable gardening experience.
By: Ellen Bell
Do you want to build a greenhouse? Home Products 'n' More offers free shipping on all greenhouse kits and greenhouse supplies!
When growing plants in a greenhouse, it's important to remember that the air temperature inside can be as much as 30 to 40 degrees warmer than the outside air temperature. While the warmer air is wonderful for your plants during the cool months of late fall, winter, and early spring, in the hot summer months, these temperatures can pose a real threat to your plants. When the temperature inside a greenhouse gets too high, your plants can actually burn. In the hottest part of the summer, it's a good idea to add a shade cloth to your greenhouse to help keep the inside temperatures down. When building your greenhouse, consider aligning the roofline in an east-west direction so that the largest area of the roof is exposed to the south. This will accomplish two things. First, if a shade cloth is required, you'll likely only need to cover the southern facing side of the roof, saving you time and money in materials. Second, by having more roof area exposed to the intense southern sun, you'll get maximum solar gain in your greenhouse during cooler months, when you need it most.
For those of us who enjoy vegetable gardening, another benefit of gardening with a greenhouse is the ability to start vegetables from seed early in the year. While many nurseries and garden centers to sell vegetables as young plants in the early part of the year, these small plants can be expensive to buy. Certainly when planting on a larger scale, starting your plants from seed is a much more economical option. Additionally, when planting some certain types of herbs and vegetables, starting plants from seed may be a requirement, as most nurseries don't grow the more obscure varieties and hybrids.
In the case of vegetables that grow well in containers, such as tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, strawberries, and many herbs, a greenhouse can be a way to grow your own produce year round and save money on your grocery bill. One option is to begin your vegetables in the greenhouse early in the year, and then move then outdoors during the warm summer months. When the weather cools off again in the fall, the plants can be brought back into the greenhouse to extend harvests for several more months, or as long as the lifespan of each individual plant will allow.
While a greenhouse can be a significant up front investment, the rewards of greenhouse gardening are almost endless. Your greenhouse will pay you back with new and unique varieties of plants, bigger and better harvests, and a wealth of invaluable gardening experience.
By: Ellen Bell
Do you want to build a greenhouse? Home Products 'n' More offers free shipping on all greenhouse kits and greenhouse supplies!
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