Water Garden Landscaping Tips

Water gardens are one of the most attractive kinds of gardens. Aside from the plants around it, the fishes swimming around a water gardens pond makes it lively and unique.

Water garden landscaping is more complex than landscaping a normal garden. There are a lot of things that should be considered since it involves a lot of excavation and water treatment.

Since water garden landscaping presents special problems, it is important to plan the place out. First, the design and landscape of the garden should be drawn on paper.

Furthermore, the design should include the dimensions of the garden, how deep the pond is and the layout of the entire area.

After the design is finalized, a flexible item such as a rope or a garden hose is used to establish the pond’s form. After marking the layout with spray paint, the excavation of the pond may begin.

This is a tedious and exacting job so people may want to hire professionals or excavators to do the job. When all of the soil is taken out, it is time for the second part of water garden landscaping, which is to install the plumbing.

This is necessary to make decorative waterfalls or fountains work. When the plumbing is finished, the soil at the bottom and around the excavation should be covered up with a sort of liner to contain the water. Most liners are made out of waterproof cement.

At this stage, it is also important to make the pond’s lip extra sturdy by leveling that area out and filling it with cement. This perimeter is called a coping shelf and it provides support for the garden’s other features.

When the coping shelf is dry and covered with garden soil, boulders that serve as decorations for the pond’s perimeter should be installed. Lay them out according to the plan, installing the larger ones first.

The boulders can also be used to conceal hoses, plumbing, tanks, wires and other functioning equipment. Nothing can spoil the natural beauty of a water garden than visible pipes sticking out of the landscape.

The next stage of water garden landscaping is planting the vegetation itself. For this purpose, low maintenance plants are usually favored. With the vegetation planted in the soil, mulch should be added to make the plants fertile.

While the perimeter is bristling with plants and rocks, the pond should not be left out. Rocks and aquatic plants should be carefully arranged at the bottom of the pond. When this is done, it is time to fill up the pond with water.

Adding the fishes is the final stage of water garden landscaping. Carps and goldfishes are popular choices because they are very colorful.

Water gardens add a lot of life to a place. Although it is complex and expensive, the spectacular beauty is well worth the cost.

Make Your Working Place Look More Attractive With Indoor Bonsai Trees!

An inside bonsai tree is going to be a great looking creature. They are going to be formal plants that sit up and are going to be different from anything else that you have ever seen.

You will notice that you are going to love the way that these indoor bonsai trees look and how they make you feel as well.

The formal indoor bonsai tree is going to be known by the trunk and the tree branches that taper off and look unique. The informal look is the one that will bend and curve over slightly and will be the one that you see the most of.

You will notice that many people have these inside bonsai trees in their homes. They are going to be the most popular tree that you see.

The cascade and semi cascade indoor bonsai trees are going to be the molded trees that will grow over water and on the side of mountains. The semi cascade does not lean as much downhill as the cascade style does.

The raft looking bonsai trees are going to be planted on their side and can also include many others styles like the sinuous, straight, and the group planting styles. These will be the ones that give off the illusion of a group of beautiful trees and will actually be the branches of the tree that is grown on its side.

Anthurium- an indoor bonsai tree:

The anthurium is the most popular indoor bonsai tree and the one that will have the lasting flowers. These are going to be a beautiful looking red and will be the best known flowers in the world when it comes to the bonsai style.

The Real Hawaiian lava rock is going to be the bonsai tree that is hand selected to give off a happy home for the Anthodium and it will be a special tree that many love for different reasons.

Jasmine is the plant that has the busy vines that have trained to have its own tree form. It is going to have shiny and dark leaves and great smelling white flowers that you absolutely fall in love with from the start.

The waxy snow is going to be the flowers that are going to be larger and will have a great looking cluster about them.

You can make your home look great with all the different colors of indoor bonsai trees and you will love the way that your home looks as well as smells. You will feel good and have a great time placing all of your favorite indoor bonsai trees anywhere that you want.

Different Tree Shapes For Making Tree Attractive

Through the use of prune techniques, it is possible to shape your tree to certain style. There are seven main tree shapes that all have their own benefits for certain situations.

During the growth of the tree, simply cut off the unneeded branches, tie the wanted branches into the proper tree shape, and you will be able to shape it however you want.

However, for some of the more advanced tree shapes, equally advanced pruning techniques are required. There are many books written on this subject.

Usually, if you’re trying to get your tree to a certain tree shape, all the tying and pruning should occur in the fall. This will encourage the shape to stick, since no fruits will be produced at that point in time.

Each of the different tree shapes is very useful in certain situations. So, here are some different types of tree shapes you are able to choose from.

Standard tree shape-one of the important tree shape:

Standard trees hardly need any explanation. These are the varieties that are most common, and probably what you picture when you think of any tree. No specific shaping is required to get the tree shape to take this form. Just let it go and prune it as you would normally, and unless you have a strangely deformed tree then it should end up being a standard tree.

It is possible to turn a standard tree shape into a bush tree through pruning. The branches take the same shape, but the stem or trunk of the tree is noticeably shorter. This can be beneficial if you want to grow trees, but don’t want to block the view. For example, your house has a great view of the Rocky Mountains. You didn’t want to sacrifice this gorgeous view, so you grow trees up as bush trees.

Cordons tree –one of the different tree shapes:

Cordons are a type of tree that you might not be familiar with. It consists of one stem with no branches. It is planted at an angle so that it arches up over the ground. Through the course of its growth, all branches are removed. These are beneficial because they take up very small amounts of space and more can be fit in a certain square footage. The only negative aspect is that they produce smaller amounts of fruit per tree.

Espalier tree-one of the tree shapes:

Espalier trees grow with a single vertical stem in the center, and several horizontal branches on each side. These allow for long rows of trees, while still producing large amounts of fruit. If you operate an orchard, you probably use this tree shape to fit as many trees as possible into the area you have.

Fan trees-tree one of the tree shapes:

Fan trees use the same theory as espalier trees. However, the shape is slightly different. The same central vertical stem is used, but the connected branches are not horizontal; they grow in the same pattern as a standard tree, only they are two dimensional rather than three dimensional. They are also used to save space, and are used instead of espalier trees for certain types of trees that do better with sloped branches.

Another type of espalier is the step-over espalier. They are like a normal espalier, but with just one horizontal branch very close to the ground. They are particularly interesting because they still produce delicious fruit while providing a border for whatever you want. You have used step-over trees to fence of your garden. They are definitely your favorite tree shape, mainly because they are like a fence that bears fruit. What’s not to love?

As you can see, each of these shapes has its own benefits and negative aspects as well. If any of these sounds like they would be a good fit for your garden, you can ask your local nursery employees for advice on reading material that will help you achieve your goals. Most of the time, getting the tree into the desired tree shape is a very easy process and just requires some guidance at the beginning.

Magnolia Flowers »

What would it be like to have a garden with flora highly perfumed for flowers? I can almost see smiling faces and nodding heads of those who already have magnolia plants on their gardens.

Yes, magnolia flowers are very fragrant that you don’t need air fresheners any more as you can smell them from a distance. Would you like to have natural air freshener in your own homes? Well if you do, let us find out what could be done, but first let’s familiarize with the plant.

Magnolias are considered to be one of the most primitive of all flowering plants, which have a group of over a hundred species of trees and large shrubs in the subfamily of Magnolioodeae of the family Magnoiaceae.

Magnolia flowers have typically showy, well scented that come in shades of white, pink, green, yellow, or purple. But did you know magnolia flowers are neither pollinated by bees or butterflies?

Hmm, if that is the case then what does? Actually, it is the beetles that typically pollinate magnolia flowers.

Interestingly, magnolia flowers do not produce nectar, although they generate large amount of pollen. Due to the abundance of pollen, beetles are having a good time consuming them for food.

Another fascinating characteristic of magnolia is its fruits. The flowers are followed by, like the blossom itself, showy fruits in red and pink colors that display red, orange, or pink seeds each of which hangs from the fruit by a slim strand.

You can plant magnolias in different soils and climates, but they are usually associated with moist soils in varied deciduous and coniferous woods. This kind of foliage has been utilized for timber and even for medicinal purposes.

However, the interesting magnolia flowers with irresistible fragrance, gorgeous large leaves, eye catching fruits, and plant forms in general are the main reasons why many people opt to cultivate magnolia in the first place besides the fact that they are easy to grow and relatively pest free.

Most of them are evergreen and stay pretty all throughout the year, making them perfect touch on your backyard or front yard. If you prefer smaller shrubs for your garden, they are available as well. Whatever your preferences, there are classes of magnolias that best suit to your liking.

The best time to plant magnolia may differ according to the class of the plant. For example, evergreen magnolias, which include southern magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora and sweetbay magnolia, and Magnolia Virginian are most preferred to be planted in early spring, while deciduous magnolias are best planted in autumn or early spring.

In the southern part, autumn is the better time to consider planting magnolias where as northern gardeners choose spring.

You might find this information helpful if you want to see magnolia flowers blossoming from their plant, if it survives. Additionally, add some mulch after planting to control the condition of soil temperatures and moisture.

An Indoor Vegetable Garden!

Houseplants and herb gardens are well-known as common plants that are grown indoors. But they are not the only plants that can be grown indoors.

By using the right containers and having the ability to mimic the ideal growing conditions you can also have an indoor vegetable garden.

The benefits of having an indoor vegetable garden go beyond the beautification of your home or the relaxation you get from gardening, but you can also pick your own vegetables right in your kitchen indoor vegetable garden.

Veggies compatible for indoor vegetable garden growth:

Carrots, tomatoes, and radishes are three of the easiest vegetable to grow indoors vegetable garden. Each grows differently and will need separate containers but with some research this is not a problem.

A south-facing window is the best source of natural sunlight for your vegetables to grow in. If you do not have the right exposure, you can invest in an artificial bulb to provide supplemental light.

Care for indoor vegetable garden:

As with any container you choose to grow plants in, making sure there is enough drainage is the key for successful indoor vegetable garden. If your plants sit in too much water they are not going to survive.

If the pots you choose do not have holes in the bottom be sure to put a layer of gravel or wood chips to allow the water to run out of the soil. The flip side of this is not to ensure the water does not run out too quickly either.

Other veggies in indoor vegetable garden:

When choosing the types of vegetables to plant, follow the same guidelines as you would for outdoors. On the seed packets it will give recommendations on when to plant, the amount of light and water that is needed and the spacing requirements.

Tailor your water schedule according to the condition of the soil, make sure it doesn’t get too dry or stay too wet either. By the end of the summer or early fall you should be able to harvest the vegetables grown inside your own home.

Gardening Help: Which Is The Best Method?

Whether planning to start your own garden, or simply looking for a little extra advice, gardening is such a popular hobby these days that there are many methods and means of help available to assist you.

From books, to the Internet, to simply word of mouth, the means of gardening help is practically endless.

So whether you have hours to browse the web or just want to spend a few minutes looking up the information you need in a book, the options are fantastic.

Where Can I Find Help?

On the Internet alone, there are literally hundreds of sites available, ranging from ones located in the United States to those in the UK.

The information offered on sites can vary greatly, and this is one reason why the internet is so incredibly useful; all we really need to do is go to a search engine online and type in the specific question we were wondering about, and there pops up hundreds to thousands of links to pages listing exactly the information we were looking for.

These sites can offer you more than just literal information, they can show you detailed drawings and designs of gardens, to which you just might be interested in enough to mimic for your own home.

The Internet isn’t the only place we can find gardening help, however. The books and magazines available on this topic are numerous, and as well offer a significantly generous amount of information on the issue.

As well, many experienced gardeners put up their own personal website, where they offer their own one-on-one information to help questioners out with their problems.

This is perhaps one of the most favored types of gardening help, in that many of these personal website hosts have forums and chats where visitors can talk one-on-one, and get an immediate answer to their question, perhaps also able to be more specific, as well.

Another form of gardening help is that of gardening discussions, which may be held anywhere from a community center in your hometown to your best friend’s house.

Intimate settings as well as public ones are great forums for the discussion of gardening, and obviously the more available information is on this issue, the more and more popular it will continue to become.

So regardless of which method you choose to retrieve your gardening help, it is certainly assuring to know that there are so many options to choose from.

Large Bonsai Tree – A Very Little Known Bonsai Tree Secret

There is a great of large bonsai tree in the world public places…. When you hear bonsai, in your mind you will imagine a beautiful miniature tree, artistically bent and grown adorning a centre table somewhere. Bonsai, indeed, means tiny trees and what you think about it is not wrong.

However, did you know that there is another type of bonsai that it usually kept outdoors, that is called large bonsai tree. I doubt you have heard the term, but run a search on the internet and you will find out how many websites market this species of bonsai.

What is the Large Bonsai Tree?

The large bonsai tree is exactly what its name implies – nothing more, nothing less. Some people while growing the bonsai tree let it grow a bit more than required.

Hence, the tree does not stop growing where it needs to stop for it to become the miniature we are all used to, but rather grows to the size on one to one-and-half meters in length.

At this size, the tree can not be termed as a fully grown tree; neither can it be called bonsai in the strictest sense.

So, it has become known as the large bonsai tree. This type of tree is usually as beautiful as its counterpart the natural bonsai tree; it is only taller. This is the only difference between the tiny bonsai and the large bonsai tree.

This type of large bonsai tree is controlled and taken care of exactly in the same way as the tiny one. The exception here is that it is mostly left outside instead of being kept inside because it is not feasible to move it as often as wanted.

These trees are hence, ideal for miniature landscaping and parks for children. Many people have them adorn the front of their houses where they make for excellent view.

There is a great demand for these type large bonsai trees nowadays in public places. There are many parks which specialize in planting and growing this type of trees and the result is usually breathtaking.

Among the species that are most popular are, the Japanese Maple Tree, the Bush Cherry, the Orange tree and the Hawaiian Umbrella Tree. Each one of them is indeed a vision in itself.

Though a bit less known than the regular bonsai species, these large bonsai trees too are becoming popular around the world. Who knows they might just surpass their miniature friends soon.

BONSAI

Bonsai listen (help·info) (Japanese: 盆栽, Chinese: 盆栽, literally "potted plant") is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees by growing them in containers. Cultivation includes techniques for shaping, watering, and repotting in various styles of containers.

Originating in China during the Han Dynasty, 'bonsai' is a Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word penzai (盆栽). The word bonsai is used in the West as an umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots.

History

The origins of bonsai are believed to have begun at least 4000 years ago during the Han Dynasty in China.^{[citation needed]} It has since developed into new forms in parts of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

At first, the Japanese used miniaturized trees grown in containers to decorate their homes and gardens.^[2] During the Tokugawa period, landscape gardening attained new importance. Cultivation of plants such as azalea and maples became a pastime of the wealthy. Growing dwarf plants in containers was also popular. At this time, the term for dwarf potted trees was "a tree in a pot" (鉢の木, hachi-no-ki^?).

The c.1300 rhymed prose essay, Rhymeprose on a Miniature Landscape Garden, by the Japanese Zen monk Kokan Shiren, outlines the aesthetic principles for bonsai, bonseki and garden architecture itself.

The oldest known living bonsai trees are in the collection at Happo-en (a private garden and exclusive restaurant) in Tokyo, Japan, where bonsai are between 400 to 800 years old.^{[citation needed]}

Cultivation

Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants. They can be created from nearly any tree or shrub species and remain small through pot confinement with crown and root pruning. Some specific species are more sought after for use as bonsai material, because they have characteristics that make them appropriate for the smaller design arrangements of bonsai.

Techniques

This juniper makes extensive use of both jin (deadwood branches) and shari (trunk deadwood)

The small size of the tree and the dwarfing of foliage result from pruning of both the leaves and the roots. Most trees require a dormancy period and do not grow roots or leaves at that time. Improper pruning can weaken or kill trees.^[3]

Copper or aluminium wire wrapped around branches and trunks holds the branches in place until they lignify (convert into wood), usually 6-9 months or one growing season. Some species do not lignify strongly, or are already too stiff/brittle to be shaped and are not conducive to wiring, in which case shaping is accomplished primarily through pruning.^[3]

Cultivators use Deadwood Bonsai Techniques called jin and shari to simulate age and maturity in a bonsai. Jin is the term used when the bark from an entire branch is removed to create the impression of a snag of deadwood. Shari denotes stripping bark from areas of the trunk to simulate natural scarring from a broken limb or lightning strike.

Watering

With limited space in a bonsai pot, regular attention is needed to ensure the tree is correctly watered. Sun, heat and wind exposure can dry bonsai trees to the point of drought in a short period of time. While some species can handle periods of relative dryness, others require near-constant moisture. Watering too frequently, or allowing the soil to remain soggy, promotes fungal infections and root rot. Free draining soil is used to prevent waterlogging. Deciduous trees are more at risk of dehydration and will wilt as the soil dries out. Evergreen trees, which tend to cope with dry conditions better, do not display signs of the problem until after damage has occurred.

Repotting

An uprooted bonsai, ready for repotting

Bonsai are repotted and root-pruned at intervals dictated by the vigour and age of each tree. In the case of deciduous trees, this is done as the tree is leaving its dormant period, generally around springtime. Bonsai are often repotted while in development, and less often as they become more mature. This prevents them from becoming pot-bound and encourages the growth of new feeder roots, allowing the tree to absorb moisture more efficiently.

Pre-bonsai material are often placed in "growing boxes" which are made from scraps of fenceboard or wood slats. These large boxes allow the roots to grow more freely and increase the vigor of the tree. The second stage, after using a grow box, has been to replant the tree in a "training box;" this is often smaller and helps to create a smaller dense root mass which can be more easily moved into a final presentation pot.

Wiring

Most bonsai are trained using malleable wire made from copper or copper colored aluminium. This is wrapped around the developing branches and trunk, allowing them to be moved into the desired shape and held in place by the wire. The tree is wired for at least one growing season to allow the branches to set in their new position. Some trees do not respond well to wiring and are shaped instead by pruning.

Tools

Set of bonsai tools (left to right): leaf trimmer; rake with spatula; root hook; coir brush; concave cutter; knob cutter; wire cutter; small, medium and large shears

Special tools are available for the maintenance of bonsai. The most common tool is the concave cutter (5th from left in picture), a tool designed to prune flush, without leaving a stub. Other tools include branch bending jacks, wire pliers and shears of different proportions for performing detail and rough shaping.

Soil and fertilization

Akadama soil

Opinions about soil mixes and fertilization vary widely among practitioners. Some promote the use of organic fertilizers to augment an essentially inorganic soil mix, while others will use chemical fertilizers freely. Bonsai soil is primarily a loose, fast-draining mix of components,^[4] often a base mixture of coarse sand or gravel, fired clay pellets or expanded shale combined with an organic component such as peat or bark. In Japan, volcanic soils based on clay are preferred, such as akadama, or "red ball" soil, and kanuma, a type of yellow pumice used for azaleas and other calcifuges.

Location and overwintering

Most traditional bonsai are temperate climate trees and are kept outside all year. They require full sun in summer and usually a near-freezing dormancy period in winter. Depending on how hardy the tree species is, protection from very low temperatures may be required. Certain tropical species can survive winter without a dormancy period, and can therefore be kept indoors all year.

Containers

Bonsai pots have drainage holes typically covered with a plastic screen or mesh to prevent soil from escaping.

Containers come in a variety of shapes and colors and can be glazed or unglazed. Containers with straight sides and sharp corners are generally better suited to formally presented plants, while oval or round containers might be used for plants with informal shapes. Most evergreen bonsai are placed in unglazed pots, while deciduous trees are planted in glazed pots. It is important in design that the color of the pot compliments the tree. Some pots are highly collectible, such as ancient Chinese or Japanese pots made in regions with experienced pot makers such as Tokoname, Japan or Yixing, China. Today many western potters throughout Europe and the United States produce fine quality pots for Bonsai.

Common styles

Formal upright style baldcypress

Informal upright style juniper

Semi-cascade style larch

Root-over-rock style maple on display at at the Chinese Penjing Collection of National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, Washington

In English, the most common styles include: formal upright, slant, informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade, raft, literati, and group/forest.

• The formal upright style, or Chokkan, is characterized by a straight, upright, tapering trunk. The trunk and branches of the informal upright style, or Moyogi, may incorporate pronounced bends and curves, but the apex of the informal upright is always located directly over where the trunk begins at the soil line.

• Slant-style, or Shakan, bonsai possess straight trunks like those of bonsai grown in the formal upright style. However, the slant style trunk emerges from the soil at an angle, and the apex of the bonsai will be located to the left or right of the root base.

• Cascade-style, or Kengai, bonsai are modeled after trees which grow over water or on the sides of mountains. The apex, or tip of the tree in the Semi-cascade-style, or Han Kengai, bonsai extend just at or beneath the lip of the bonsai pot; the apex of a (full) cascade style falls below the base of the pot.

• Raft-style, or Netsuranari, bonsai mimic a natural phenomenon that occurs when a tree topples onto its side (typically due to erosion or another natural force) and branches along the exposed side of the trunk, growing as if they are a group of new trunks. Sometimes, roots will develop from buried portions of the trunk. Raft-style bonsai can have sinuous, straight-line, or slanting trunks, all giving the illusion that they are a group of separate trees -- while actually being the branches of a tree planted on its side.

• The literati style, or Bunjin-gi, bonsai is characterized by a generally bare trunk line, with branches reduced to a minimum, and typically placed higher up on a long, often contorted trunk. This style derives its name from the Chinese literati, who were often artists, and some of whom painted Chinese brush paintings, like those found in the ancient text, The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, depicting pine trees that grew in harsh climates, struggling to reach sunlight. In Japan, the literati style is known as bunjin-gi (文人木, bunjin-gi^?). (Bunjin is a translation of the Chinese phrase wenren meaning "scholars practiced in the arts" and gi is a derivative of the Japanese word, ki, for "tree").

• The group or forest style, or Yose Ue, comprises a planting of more than one tree (typically an odd number if there are three or more trees, and essentially never 4 because of its significance in Japan) in a bonsai pot. The trees are usually the same species, with a variety of heights employed to add visual interest and to reflect the age differences encountered in mature forests.

• The root-over-rock style, or Sekijoju, is a style in which the roots of a tree (typically a fig tree) are wrapped around a rock. The rock is at the base of the trunk, with the roots exposed to varying degrees.

• The broom style, or Hokidachi is employed for trees with extensive, fine branching, often with species like elms. The trunk is straight and upright. It branches out in all directions about 1/3 of the way up the entire height of the tree. The branches and leaves form a ball-shaped crown which can also be very beautiful during the winter months.

• The multi-trunk style, or Ikadabuki has all the trunks growing out of one root system, and it actually is one single tree. All the trunks form one crown of leaves, in which the thickest and most developed trunk forms the top.

• The growing-in-a-rock, or Ishizuke style means the roots of the tree are growing in the cracks and holes of the rock. There is not much room for the roots to develop and take up nutrients. These trees are designed to visually represent that the tree has to struggle to survive.