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Good Neighbors

Of course we are talking about plants. In addition to crop rotation we have to be careful when we are planing our plants arrangement to prevent diseases and pests.

Evergreen Shrubs

Evergreen shrubs are great decoration especially in autumn and winter days since they stay green through all season. Some evergreen shrubs are also suitable for hedges.

Crop Rotation

As we all know it is important that we don`t plant the same type of vegetables on the same place every year. This process is called Crop Rotation and it is important to the productivity and also the health of our garden.

Undemanding Perennial Plants

Undemanding Perennial plants that are suitable for those without any gardening experience.

Orchids

Orchids are popular gift for any occasion. But the Orchids care is different form the care for other house plants.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Herbs and Spices

chives
I think we are all aware of the positive impact of herbs for our body and health. Spices are indispensable in any kitchen, and of course in any garden. They can be used dried or fresh. Also, the herbs are indispensable in our diet, especially in the form of teas. Some of the spices and herbs should not be left out in our vegetable garden, because they fend off pests and prevent certain diseases. Not having a garden is certainly not an obstacle from having some of them at home. They can simply be grown in pots on the balcony or on the window. 

Herbs and Spices Gathering


We gather herbs and spices before flowering or when they bloom. Weather should be dry. 

How we store Herbs and Spices


herbs
The place, where we dry leaves of the herbs and spices should be airy, dry and shady. Fruits and roots can be dried on the sun or a litle heated oven. We put dried plants in containers that are well closed and made from glass or porcelain. Storage jars are great for this purpose. In case if we do not close it, they loose the smell and they are also likely to absorb other odors. Still in the case if we are not 100% sure that the plants are dried, it is preferable that we just cover the glass with a thick cloth, as it is shown in the picture bellow. By doing this we prevent the formation of mold, witch can occur if the plants are not well dried and are tightly closed. Do not forget to paste the stickers with the name of herbs on the glass. 

Every year we gather and store new spices, because eventually they lose their therapeutic effect. Storage area should be dry, cold and dark.




Guidelines for growing herbs and spices


We can grown them in the garden, in the boxes on the terrace or balcony and also on the window sills. Most herbs and spices reguire a light for at least half a day. 

If we want to have plants with as many medicinal substances as posuble we must comply with the following regulations:
We have to plant them in good soil mix, you can add a little compost as well. We do not fertilize them too often and we also do not use artifial fertilizers. We wather them only when needed, preferably with rainwater. We do not use chemical means for pests and weed control. We control and prevent pests by spraying them with wather, in which we have soaking nettles for 24 hours. 

basil


Use of herbs and spices


Herbs and spices are used for the preparation of herbal and vegetable soups, sauces, salads and refreshing drinks like teas. As well as herbs also spices help us maintain our health. They are also important in hygiene and cosmetics.

We can also use them for refreshing baths. Put 1 fist of selected herbs into 1/2 liter of wather. Boil the tea, strain it and add it to the bath, which can last only 15  minutes.

Lets make soma syrup. We need jar glass. We put one layer of herbs and one layer of sugar or honey, and repeat the step untill the glass is full. Place the glass on the sun. Leave it there (couple of days) until the sugar melts and  the leaves turn yellow. 

We can also prepare the herb extract by soak the herb in alcohol. It is used for lubricating the effected parts of the body or it is consumed by drops.

Wraps are prepared form fresh chopped herb parth, which we turn in to a gauze. We can also use fresh herbs to make a herb brew.

We prepare inhalation when we catch a cold.

We can see that spices and herbs are important for our health. Of course, not all plants have the same effect. We chose herb depending on the desease. For health meintenance and disease prevention is the best that we use spices and herbs in our daily diet. 

Friday, July 6, 2012

Red Currant

red currantWho likes Red Currant? I love it, especially for desserts. We also know black and white, but this topic is intended for Red Currant. At this point I just want to remind you that all three kinds are very healthy. So if you don`t have it in your garden yet you should get at least one kind of it.

Red Currant contains vitamin C, A, E and carotene, from which the body produce vitamin A. However it also contains calcium, potassium, manganese and iron.

Currant berries regulate digestion, prevent and alleviate intestinal inflammation.Currant also helps with nervous heart problems and purify blood. It is good for diabetics.

red currantRed Currant is a great snack


Red Currant is like Strawberries a great snack. You may also prepare Currant cakes, pies, home made ice cream or fresh red Currant juice.

If you want to save it for the winter you can prepare a jam, jelly from it or simply dry it.



Photo: rgbstock.com

Red Currant has an acidic and refreshing taste


Red Currant grows up to 1 meter. It blooms in April or May. Red Currant fruits are red berries with a highly acidic and refreshing taste.


Habitat and Care


Red Currant Grows well on the sun or dappled shadow. Red Currant needs fertile, moist and humus soil. We plant young plants in April or October. The distance between young plants should be 3/4 to 1 meter.

If we want a good harvest we have to fertilized it well. Every spring we improve the soil around Currant by adding manure and compost. Because it blooms early the hoarfrost may destroy its blooms. Therefore we cover the plants with veil during the flowering season, if there is a chance of frost.

red currant
Towards the end of the spring we put the mulch (straw, bark) on the soil around the plants to maintain the moisture soil.

In hot summer days we have to water the Currants. We cut off all the old branches that have no new shoots. We also remove all damaged Currant shoots or those that are too close together.

Related posts:
Strawberries
Interesting Facts about fruit

Monday, July 2, 2012

Plants in Pots / Buckets

I love Plants in Buckets. We put them on balcony or terrace trough the season and then when the winter comes we have to move them into a bright room with temperature between 5 and 15°C. We have to keep in mind that evergreen plants need more water. We have to water them every two weeks.

Some of the plants can spend the winter in warm room. We should watering and fertilizing them regular.

plants in pots

Sernoa repens


Sernoa Repens thrives on sunny and half shadow locations. In the winter it thrives well in heated or cold room.




plants in pots

Citrus


They prefer sunny location. Citrus needs permeable soil. In the winter we put them into a bright room with temperature 5 - 10°C. We have to water them every 6 - 8 weeks. At higher temperatures we have to water them more often. Try not to water them with the tap water because it contains too much lime. Because of the lime leaves may turn yellow and fall off.



plants in pots

Oleander


It thrives on sunny and half shadow locations. Oleander is an evergreen shrub with lush flowers. If we want to have as many flowers as possible we have to make sure that we don`t put it in too warm place in the winter season. Oleander is poisonous.


plants in pots

Boxwood


It thrives on sunny, half shadow and shadow locations. It is an evergreen shrub that can be trimmed in any shape. Boxwood is cold - resistant shrub.






Related posts:
Outdoor potted plants - few great examples of outdoor potted plants
Potted plants and plants in buckets - In May

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Interesting Facts about Fruit

We all know that the fruit is very healthy. With regular consumption of fruit our body absorb important vitamins. Here is the list of some interesting facts about fruit that you might don`t know:

appleAPPLES


- There are over 7500 different types of apples
- If you eat an apple, this is more reliable way to stay awake than drink a cup of coffee. The natural sugar in an apple is stronger than caffeine in coffee.
- Apples are great source of fiber and vitamin C
- Apples help prevent cancer, heart disease, asthma and diabetes type II

banana

 BANANAS


- Bananas are actually herbs and not fruit. They are the world`s largest herb related to the family of Orchids and Lilies. Banana-as fruit is actually considered as giant strawberry of this large herb.
- Due to the presence of natural sugars Banana provide an immediate increase in energy
- Bananas contain a lot of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure
- Banana contain a lot of magnesium, which helps build bone strenght




blueberriesBLUEBERRY


- Blueberries contain more antioxidants than any other fruit
- Antioxidants in blueberries help fight age diseases
- It is the only natural kind of food that`s blue

 

grapes 

 

 

GRAPE


- Red Grapes are rich in antioxidants and fiber
- Grape is excellent for promoting heart health and prevent the possibility of a heart attack

plum 

 

PLUMS


- Plums contain a lot of vitamin C, which helps the body to absorb iron
- They also contain a lot of antioxidants, because of their purple pigment




strawberriesSTRAWBERRIES


- Strawberries are a great snack because they contain only few calories
- They contain a lot of vitamin C, fiber, folic acid and potassium
- This is the only fruit that has seeds on the outside



watermelonWATERMELON


- It is an ideal snack because it contain only few calories - like Strawberries
- Watermelons contain a lot of fiber and vitamins A and C
- Any part of Watermelon is  edible - even seeds and bark
- Watermelons are actually vegetables, not fruit. They are in the same family as Cucumbers and Squash
- Watermelon contains 92% of water


Related Posts:
Strawberries
Red Currant

Monday, June 25, 2012

Strawberries

strawberriesMoreover, Strawberries are extremely delicious they are also very healthy, because they contain iron, sodium, calcium, potassium and phosphorus, vitamin A, B1, B2 and vitamin C. Those, who do not have your own bed of Strawberries, make sure (before you buy them) that they do not contain any pesticides.

Tasty Strawberry Snack

Strawberries are a great afternoon "snack". As we already mentioned, they are very healthy, but they contain only few calories. You can also use them in the kitchen for different kinds of dishes from pies, cakes, rolls to home made Strawberry ice cream. Of course you can also use it as fill for your pancakes or prepare refreshing Strawberry smoothie.

These delicious fruits in addition to good taste they are also refreshing and they clean our blog and skin. They are suitable for home made mask for your skin and have also a great effect on our teeth.

strawberryBeautiful fruits

Strawberries are 15 cm high perennial plants. The fruits are juicy and very tasty.

Strawberries Habitat

Strawberries prefer clay soil, but they grow well in other soils too. We should plant them in the sunny area of our garden.

Care for Strawberries


We should clean (cut off the dry leaves) them and fertilize with manure (one wheelbarrow of manure for every 7 square meters). In hot and dry weather we have to supply them with water especially in the flowering time. When the fruits begin to turn red we stop with watering.
strawberries

Transplantation


We plant them in August-September or April-May. Make sure you buy healthy plants. While planting we have to be careful that we do not bury in the ground the growing buds. We have to water them after planting. We can reproduce Strawberries ourselves. The most appropriate time for this is August. We stop the relationship between parent plant and the young one. We plant new plants on desired location.

Collection

Picking time depends on the type. Strawberries and the plants will be less damaging if we pick the fruits with a floral cup and a bit of stalk.


Related Posts:
Interesting Facts about fruit 
Red Currant

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Deciduous Shrubs - undemanding

Since this blog is designed for beginners and for those who want organic garden and beautiful surrounding with as little work as possible, I will now give you some nice examples of undemanding deciduous ornamental shrubs. The shrubs are listed according to habitat.

Forsitia

forsitia
Forsitia blooms in early spring with yellow blossoms. In the summer it does not attract special attention with its long green leaves. Forsitia is undemanding according to soil. We trim it after flowering, but not to much because it blooms on last year`s shoots.

Flowering time: March - April
Height of growth: 1 - 2,5 meters (depending on type)
Habitat: Sunny




japanese quinceJapanese Quince


It is really undemanding deciduous shrub that grows in any soil. We shouldn`t trim it in the spring, because they bloom on the old wood.

Flowering time: March - April
Height of growth: 1 - 2 meters (depending on type)
Habitat: Sunny, half shadow




Lilac


lilacIt is regarded primarily because of its colorful and fragrant flowers. It is good to cut off the withered flowers. We trim Lilac after flowering, because they are forming on the newly grown shoots flower buds for the next year.

Flowering time: May
Height of growth: 1 - 4 meters (depending on type)
Habitat: sunny, half shadow




snowballSnowball


This beautiful shrub is named after its great white, round flowers. It is undemanding. It is developing the best if we do not trim it. It grows about 2 meters in height and 2 meters in width. It blooms richly in the spring.

Flowering time: May
Height of growth: 2 - 3 meters
Habitat: sunny, half shadow




spireaSpirea


Spirea is very beautiful, richly flowering ornamental shrub. We can plant it in any soil, but it prefer humus, moist an permeable soil. We can trim it after flowering, so it will bloom richly next spring.

Flowering time: May
Height of growth: 0,5 - 2 meters
Habitat: sunny, half shadow



deutziaDeutzia


Deutzia is beautiful shrub that thrives in any soil. In flowering time it requires a bit more moisture - so we have to make sure it is not "thirsty".

Flowering time: June - July
Height of growth: 1 - 4 meters
Habitat: sunny, half shadow








kolkwitziaKolkwitzia


It is an excellent undemanding bush. It grows in light soil. It blooms most richly in a sunny position, but it also thrives in the shade. We trim it after flowering.

Flowering time: May, June
Height of growth: 2 meters
Habitat: Sunny, half shade, shadow




kerria 

 

Kerria


The most popular type of Kerria is "Pleniflora", wich has full, buttercup-like flowers. The plant is very narrow and also thrives in the shade.

Flowering time: May - July
Height of growth: 2,5 meters
Habitat: Sunny, moderate shadow, shadow

 

 

hydrangeasHydrangeas


Hydrangea is very beautiful, long flowering shrub. Humus, fresh soil suits it the most. It has to have water supply in the summer. Hydrangea is sensitive to frost. This undemanding srubs especially like sunny and half shadow places.

Flowering time: July - September
Height of growth: up to 1,5 meters
Habitat: Sunny, half shadow, shadow




Related posts:
Evergreeen ornamental shrubs - also good for hedge
Parennial Plants - undemanding
May`s shrubs cut

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Outdoor Potted Plants

Lets say something about the outdoor potted plants that I have at home and they work very well and I think that are great for beginners.

geraniumGERANIUM


Geraniums are outdoor potted plants great for balconies that are on the south side. Geranium with single blossoms grow up to about 80 cm in length. Geranium with double blooms are fuller but they grow few cm less. Geranium are richly flowering and undemanding potted plants.

sweet alyssum 

 

SWEET ALYSSUM (Lobularia)


Like Geraniums - the Sweet Alyssum is also great balcony plant suitable for sunny positions. Sweet Alyssum is very gentle, rich white blooming outdoor pot plant It is very thirsty, so we have to make sure it has enough water all the time.

 

surfiniaSURFINIA


It is the most suitable outdoor potted plant for half sunny location. Surfinias are hanging potted plants that bloom in the most beautiful colors. They need good soil, regular fertilizing and watering (1 - 2 times per day). It is best to have planter with water reserve. However we have to pay attention on how we watering them - mind you do not water the leaves, because they can turn yellow.

pelargonium 

PELARGONIUMS


They are suitable for sunny locations. Pelargoiums are strong, upright outdoor pot plants with large flowers. The plant should be in the shelter if it is raining for several days, because it does not like overly wet soil. It does not tolerate temperatures below 5°C.

fuchsia 

 

FUCHSIAS


Fuchsias are suitable for half sunny places. They bloom from early Juno to late autumn. You can cut them in any form you like. In the winter we place them in cold rooms, safe from frost.

 

 

begoniaBEGONIAS


Potted plants that thrive on the sun, half shade or in the shade - depending on the type. They grow up from tubers. Begonias bloom rich from early summer to late autumn. They grow approximately 30 cm. We do not plant them too early, because the cold can damage them. When in the autumn leaves turn yellow, we dig up the tubers and try them well, so we can remove the soil together with the remains of the stems. We store them in the dark, try and cold place, where they wait until next spring.


ornamental nettle

 

ORNAMENTAL NETTLE


Ornamental nettle are outdoor potted plants which grow in the shade. We can found them in different colors. They are suitable for different combinations. They are beautiful among with sweet potatoes, which has bright green leaves, begonias, ornamental grasses,..

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Yellow sticky traps

Some of you probably have beside your garden also few fruit trees - a small orchard. When they start to fade, we have to hang a yellow sticky traps on them. I would like to especially point out that we shouldn`t put those traps on the flowering trees, since this is the most common mistake that does more harm than good. During flowering we can catch, not only pests but also the bees that do benefit to our plants.




After flowering, the yellow sticky traps will catch various pests and flies.

We wrap sticky tape around the steams (about 15cm above the floor), which catch ants and other pests that crawl on the tree.







Protection against Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a very common disease that can affect plants such as Rose, Tomato, Peppers, Cucumbers,.. If you want to prevent the disease it is ideally to spray the plants with chamomile and sage tea if the weather is cold and wet. Use the tea spray every 5 days.















We can strength the immunity of the plants with Nettles extract. We soak the Nettles into the water (we put the Nettle in the dish and cover them with water), leave it 24 hours and then strain them. With this formulation we spray the plants in early morning or late evening. With this preparation we strength the immunity of the plants. The preparation also repel the louse.

However, if the plant is already attacked by powdery mildew (brown spots and patches on the leaves), we have to carefully cut off all the affected leaves and spray the plant with cooled, strong chamomile and saga tea.

It also helps to spray the plants with milk. When the tomato begin to ripe, it is recommended to water the plant with a mixture of milk and water (50:50 ratio) to supply the plant with the needed calcium.





We spray plants in the early morning (until 8 am) or at late evening, so the sun does not scorch the wet leaves.



If we want immune plants we have to make sure that they do not suffer the drought. The plants also shouldn`t be lacking in nutrients. We can remove various other pests manually. If there are too many pests it is the best to get more powerful products.





Climbing plants care

We have to regularly tie them to the support. If the weather is dry, we have to water them and fertilize them if needed. Plants can be tied on supports with a variety of snaps, rings or strips. We just have to ensure that we don`t tie them too strong.


It is recommended that we shadow the lower parts of plants. For shadowing you can also plant smaller plants in front of our climbing plants which will work as a shade.


We do not wrap the young shots of Chinese Wisteria, we just tie them straight.

The May`s Shrubs Cut

In May we can already prune some early flowering shrubs (Forsythia, Flowering Quince, Flowering Almond, Viburnum opulus,..). But not before they start to fade. This will allow them to have a sufficient time to produce new shoot for next spring.










 

Forsythia is an exception. If you with to maintain it in the desired form, you have to cut off a long, young shoots through the whole growing season. 






We can also start to pruning hedges and shapes formed from evergreen shrubs such as Boxwood.

Ensure that you cut them early enough, because the hot sun can scorch new leaves.



After the pruning we cursorily dig up the soil around the Shrubs and water them. We can put the compost around the shrubs or we can also use slow-acting fertilizer and place the mulch.

If the summer is dry we have to water the shrubs once a week.




Related posts:
Deciduous Shrubs - undemanding
Evergreen Shrubs - also good for hedge
Cypress - Conifer suitable for hedge 




Potted plants and Plants in Buckets - In May

In the May we can still transplant them or remove the top layer of soil and replace it with new one.




We can put all the potted plants and plants in buckets when the temperature is higher than __ (preferably against the wall and into the shade). If is comes to cooling we have to put the plants inside or cover then with fleece.




Since the plants need some time to get used to the external environment we have to protect them not only against cold but also from the strong sun. Of course, you don`t need to shade plants all year long, but it is recommended to shade them at least the first week. You can use the fleece or we can also use the net dedicated for shading, which can be found in garden centres.

To avoid shadowing we can also put the plants in the shade of the trees so they are light up only by the early morning and late afternoon sun.