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Monday, 30 June 2008 |
Hyacinthus orientalis is the common garden Hyacinth, a hardy perennial bulbous plant, with long, narrow, fleshy, glossy green leaves that are folded lengthwise and dense clusters of star-shaped, fragrant, tubular florets that appear in early to mid spring. Flower colors include all shades of pink, peach, orange, salmon, red, lavender, white, yellow, purple and blue. Varieties of the Hyacinth flowers are: single, double or multi-flora Hyacinths. Those beautiful spring flowers can find their place in any garden: planted in groups to provides a compact, elegant display along walkways, at the front of a border, in beds or among shrubs or planted in containers to add a splash of color and flagrance to your terrace or patio. They are also used as cut flowers or forced bulbs for a flagrant winter display. The Hyacinth bulb is a light purple or cream in color and covered with dry, papery, skin-like layers.
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Wednesday, 18 June 2008 |
We use plants in any garden design, so the plants are important also in the water garden design. Plants with lush foliage and flowers enhance the pool and link it with the rest of the garden. Plants are vital to maintain clear water in the pool and to oxygenate the water if the pool contains fish. Plants should be introduced into the pool during their growing season and planted in containers (lined baskets, plastic tubs, dishpans, clay pots) to prevent them from spreading and overcrowding. Fish can be introduced into the pool 2-3 weeks after planting the plants, but it is best to wait about 4-5 weeks in order to give enough time for the plants to get established.
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Soil pH - Acidity and alkalinity |
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
Soil pH is a measurement of acidity or alkalinity of the soil on a scale that ranges from 1 to 14. An acid soil will have a pH value below 7 and an alkaline soil will have the pH value higher than 7. A soil that has the value of pH 7 is a neutral soil. Usually, the pH value of the soil is controlled by its calcium levels. Calcium is an alkaline element that is contained in any soil. Soils with high levels of calcium, like chalk or limestone soils, are alkaline. Calcium is washed from soil in time by water and the soils that have low levels of calcium, like sandy soils, become acidic. You can control soil alkalinity by liming or adding lime-rich elements into the soil, like mushroom compost.
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Monday, 02 June 2008 |
Most of the time when we talk about our garden we mention the plants or the structures that we have in our garden, and almost never about the most important thing that make our garden exist: the soil. Soils are highly complex and dynamic materials that are made up of particles of weathered rock and organic matter, also known as humus, as well as plant and animal life. For a successful development of our plants we need a healthy soil. The soil is the support and the supplier of food for our plants so it has to be in perfect condition in order to be able to offer the water, air and mineral nutrients to the plants that we grow in our garden.
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