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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, 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.