Category: Home and Garden

There are certain plants to look for (companion plants) that can give you a clue that you’ve found a good spot

It’s not necessary to have all of the below mentioned shrubs. These plants are known as ginseng companion plants, or indicator plants, because they grow in the same environment that ginseng grows. In northwestern Arkansas, a very strong indicator is maidenhair fern.

• goldenseal
• bloodroot
• black cohosh
• maidenhair fern (my best indicator)
• Christmas fern
• doll’s eyes
• rattlesnake or grape fern (also called sang pointers)
• jack-in-the-pulpit

It likes a certain mix of trees

The identity of your trees is important. It’s okay to have a lot of hickory and oak, but that can’t be the only kind there because if it is, the ground-covering leaves will be too heavy for the ginseng plants to push up through in spring. Pine and cedar indicate the area might be too dry, but I’ve had some luck growing under cedars so it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The trees you really want to see include:

• oak (but not too many)
• hickory (but not too many)
• beech
• maple
• dogwood
• pawpaw

It’s already present

The very best indicator that ginseng will grow well in a certain area is that it’s already there! If you’ve found many of the companion plants listed above, take a closer look to see if ginseng is growing as well. If you find something you think might be ginseng, get positive i.d. on it by asking someone who knows. Take a photo of it and send it to me if you don’t have anyone nearby who can come see it. I’ll be happy to take a look at up to three photos to anyone who’s read this article. My email address is listed below.

The ideal location will have all the right conditions, but it’s not a lost cause if you can’t meet them all. I’ve planted in various places to test the suitability and found some surprises. The ones I planted under a cedar tree are doing pretty good and I’d always heard they don’t like cedars.

Deciding On A Bonsai Pot Colour

This isn’t as easy as you may think. You need to take into account what colour your Bonsai trees ordinary foliage is, and also the colour of the foliage if the tree changes during a particular season. Take a typical maple tree as an example. Its normal foliage is a greenish colour. However, during the autumn months the foliage changes to a brilliant vivid yellow. The golden rule therefore is to understand the colour changes your Bonsai goes through throughout the year and choose a Bonsai pot that best complements these colours.

What Type Of Bonsai Pot

Once you have decided on a colour you then need to think about matching a pot that best suites your tree. Whether you choose a rounded, square or rectangular pot is really a personal choice, but try to imagine what pot will best harmonize with your tree. You shouldn’t choose something that is jazzy over-elaborate in design. After all, the art of Bonsai is to reflect in miniature a naturally growing tree. With this in mind when choosing a Bonsai pot, less is so often so much more.

Bonsai Pot Size

This is another important aspect that is often overlooked. As a general rule your Bonsai pot should roughly be as wide as the longest branch, and as deep as the trunk is wide. This should ensure a pretty good living environment for your Bonsai and help determine the correct water levels that the tree needs to remain healthy.

Bonsai Pot Alternatives

Not everybody has easy access to a specialist selling Bonsai pots; therefore there are a couple of household items you can use as an alternative. These included, believe it or not, pie and casserole dishes. Just remember to allow for drainage and you will have a crude but acceptable home for your Bonsai tree. However, in my opinion there is no substitute for an authentic Bonsai pot.

Get rid of all the weeds in your gardens. Yeah, yeah, I know, that’s no fun, but if you get all of them out now you can maintain a weed free garden all season long. Well, almost weed free. Weed control is an all summer task, but it shouldn’t be difficult or overwhelming.

Most people fail at weed control because they never get it completely under control. So here’s what you do. Start loosening the soil and removing all the existing weeds. Then put down newspaper at least 8 pages thick and cover that with about 2″ of mulch. You can also use brown paper grocery bags, they work great!

I don’t like those weed barrier fabrics that you can buy in the garden stores because… when I was in the landscaping business I pulled out miles of that stuff. Why did we pull it out? Because it was a horrendous mess with weeds growing up through it! You couldn’t pull the weeds because they were all tangled up in the so called weed barrier material.

That’s why I like newspaper or paper bags. They go away! And that’s really important in your gardens. Don’t put things in there that won’t go away. Newspaper and mulch are biodegradable.

What about all the magic weed control potions that you can buy? Do they work? Yes they do. But most people don’t use them properly so they get really poor results. Products like Preen and other pre-emergent weed control products are just that, pre-emergent. That means they only control weed seeds. Controlling weed seeds is important, but if you don’t have all of the existing weeds and weed roots under control first your pre-emergent weed control is doomed from the start.

So you have to completely clear out all of the existing weeds from your gardens then apply the pre-emergent weed control formulas. I still recommend the newspaper because the pre-emergent weed controls will not control weeds that come from roots left in the ground. The only way to control the weed roots from growing is to starve them of sunlight and you do that with newspaper and mulch. If they can’t get sunlight they cannot grow.

The first tip is to only invest in tools that will make a definite improvement to your gardening experience. Before you purchase a new tool, ask yourself the following questions. How much of a difference would it make if I purchased this particular tool? How often would I be using this tool? If you have a positive response to each of these questions then go ahead and invest. Remember, there is no need to purchase expensive gardening tools unless you are doing it at an industrial scale. Sometimes, it is simply better to do gardening the old-fashioned way. Instead of using automated gardening accessories, you can simply use a shovel to get most of the work done.

The second tip for those who want to reduce their gardening expenses is to participate in seed or plant exchanges. If you live in a community that does a lot of gardening then this is a great way to reduce costs. Perhaps your neighbors are growing a plant that you also want to have in your garden. If you can come to an agreement that it is better to exchange seeds then to pay for them. These plant exchanges can also be found on online gardening communities so be sure to check them out.

The third tip is to use recycled materials whenever you get the chance. For example, rather than purchasing compost, you can easily make your own using organic materials such as leftover food wastes and dead leaves. This will reduce gardening expenses by a significant margin because you are employing sustainable methods to the gardening process. Recycled materials can also be used for other things. For example, if you plan on doing container gardening then you can use recycled materials as makeshift containers.

The final tip is to use rain barrels. Utility bills can get pretty expensive in some states. Therefore, you can save some money by collecting rainwater. This is especially good for places that receive a decent amount of rain. Again, this is another method you can employ to become a sustainable gardener. If you make use of these four tips then you will definitely be spending less on gardening expenses over the long term.

There is nothing quite like producing your own fresh food and it is very easy to do. No matter what size your backyard may be, or even if you just have a patio or deck, you have room for a garden by building raised beds, pots, window boxes, or just about anything that will hold soil.

First, you must decide how much space and time you may want to devote to your new project. Like most new endeavors, starting small is a good idea, and as you learn from experience you can grow and grow from one season to the next. If all you have is a patio or deck, you should consider what we call “container gardening”. This is nothing more than something like a five gallon bucket or maybe a whiskey barrel or maybe a used wheelbarrow. Even an old bathtub would do the trick! Just fill them with clean composted soil and you are ready to plant.

If you have a little more space, raised beds are the way to go. These are constructed with organic pressure treated lumber and range in size from four feet wide, one foot deep and to as long as you would like (10 to 12 feet is most common). It is important to limit the width because you must be able to reach the center of the bed without stepping on the soil. If you are going to use raised beds, it is a good idea to put pencil to paper and figure out how large an area you are going to work with and how many beds you want to build.

Because your garden is new, this will be your best chance to fill it with clean weed free soil. If you are just doing container gardening, you can purchase bagged soil at any nursery or garden center. For raised beds, you will need to have soil or loam delivered by a local landscape service or mulch supplier. You will need approximately 3/4 of a cubic yard for each 4×12 foot bed. Make sure you specify composted loam for vegetable gardens. Upon delivery, mix in a small amount of peat moss to lighten up the soil, about 5%. Fill up your containers or beds and you are ready to plant.

Herbs are quite easy to grow and don’t require much space, which makes them ideal for container gardens. Select whatever varieties you commonly use such as dill, thyme, parsley, chives, sage, oregano, etc. Many herbs are perennials, meaning they will grow back year after year without replanting every season. Chives are wonderful because a small bed will come back to life early in the spring and require very little maintenance. Many herbs that you plant in containers can be over-wintered inside and returned to the patio the following spring.

Regarding vegetables, tomatoes are an obvious choice along with cucumbers, lettuce and peppers. These four items alone will provide you with salads all season long. Green beans are very popular too and with staggered planting, you will be able to harvest them for several weeks in a row. Onions grow very well throughout the United States and should be planted as “sets”. These are just immature onions about 4 inches tall that have been commercially grown for transplanting to home gardens early in the spring.

• Planting Design
  Even an experienced gardener may find that it’s easy to get in a slump when designing gardens. Planting design courses can enhance garden designs by teaching about specific plants and their characteristics and attributes. Once you understand more about plant textures, colors, form, seasonal colors, and more, your garden will come to life. You will understand how to properly select flowers, grasses, trees, bulbs, and shrubs in order to create a garden of vibrant color, form, and texture. These courses are valuable in designing any size of garden, large or small.
• Vegetable Gardening
  If you’ve attempted to grow vegetables, you know that there is much more to it than planting a seed and watering it. Vegetable gardening courses can help you increase the yield of your vegetable garden by teaching principles of land selection, quantity of land necessary, and other factors that are important before you plant your garden. You will also learn about timing, increasing yield, and keeping the crops healthy. If organic produce is important to you, you can also learn about chemical-free fertilizers and pesticides. If self-sufficiency is your goal, you can learn the best ways to grow crops year-round in order to obtain this goal.
• Architectural Rendering
  An important step in garden design is an actual visual rendering of the finished product. Hand rendering courses can teach you how to draw professional-looking designs that can not only guide you throughout the construction process but are extremely valuable for individuals who design gardens as a profession. Designers of any type are likely to benefit from learning these rendering techniques.
• Floral Design
  Perhaps you don’t consider yourself to have a “green thumb” but enjoy horticulture immensely. You may want to consider floral design instead. Not only will you learn the practical aspects of floral design, such as the equipment necessary to hold together the arrangement, but your creativity can be enhanced as you learn about bouquet and arrangement design elements. You will also learn about contemporary ideas for containers and unique ways to present flowers.
• Insects
  You may be surprised that you can learn more about insects as part of online horticulture courses. You can learn about trees, shrubs, and flowers that attract wildlife. This can help you learn if it’s possible to discourage undesirable wildlife, while attracting birds, bees, and other pollinators to your garden by using certain types of nectar, seeds, and pollen. You can also learn about natural bee keeping by understanding a bee’s life cycle and supporting their natural behaviors.

If shade is unavoidable for a few hours daily in parts of the garden try to plant these areas with cabbage, lettuce, Swiss chard and any other leaf crops that appear to tolerate such conditions for short periods. Even theses crops, however, require several hours’ full sunshine a day if they are to yield satisfactorily.

Shade from distant trees and from buildings is not as damaging as that thrown by overhanging trees nearby. In addition, trees in such close proximity to the growing crop rob growing vegetables of valuable moisture and plant food because of the extensive surface root systems they develop.

Shelter is different from shade and is often very necessary in low-lying exposed situations. A sheltered garden will allow the growing of tender plants such as bush beans and tomatoes to be continued during the colder months when field planting would be risky. Shelter also protects okra, staked tomatoes and other tall growing crops from damage caused by winds. Strong winds often cause considerable damage to staked tomatoes by whipping the plants and causing the immature green fruits to chafe against the support

Permanent shelter can be provided by a building, a wall, a substantial wooden fence, or by a hedge or even by a row or two of banana trees. A tall wooden fence, apart from acting as a windbreak, may also be useful as a permanent support for runner beans and other vine like vegetables When frost is expected it is often worthwhile to provide protection for tender crops by erecting a temporary windbreak of hessian or grass.

Plants that grow out of control or spring up in unwanted spaces are a nuisance to the average gardener. Naïve homeowners who plant these species in the first place unknowingly are creating a potential maintenance headache. Some of these invasive species are so difficult to eradicate completely, that only containment is possible.

The Tree of Heaven or Alianthus is one of the worst culprits to fit the category of invasive plants of Sedona. It is also invasive across the entire United States and is extremely difficult to kill, let alone keep under control. It spreads from seeds that are so prolific and blow through an area, easily germinating in almost any conditions. Once it takes hold, it starts what is called a “colony.”

There are chemicals that are used to both spray the foliage as well as to inject or spray into a wedge cut into the trunk. Personally, I have tried using RoundUp on some small seedlings, but all that does it cause the leaves to wither and not really kill it down to the root. Best way to control young Tree of Heaven is to remove the entire plant. Knowing what these look like is important so if one pops up in your yard, you should remove it right away.

Vinca major, also called Periwinkle is an evergreen ground cover that likes shady areas and can be seen all over Oak Creek canyon under the shade of the Sycamores and Pines that line the canyon. In a garden, it can quickly take over by sending out new runners and rooting along the way. The good thing is the roots are not that difficult to remove and a patch out of control can be removed or contained provided you pay attention and spend the time to do it.

Another invasive plant of Sedona that I see much of is the Trumpet Creeper. Having an orange tubular flower in spring and summer, it is a popular deciduous vine that clings to walls. The problem is it seems to like to spread underground as well. It spreads like it has rhizomes for a root system. Fortunately, Trumpet Creeper does respond to RoundUp. I would not plant this plant in the first place though. It is perhaps better used as a container plant against a fence or wall.

Bamboo Horror Stories

Bamboo is a type of grass spreading by rhizomes that stem out from the mother root rhizome mass. Some are considered “clumping” while others are “running” types. For a thick screen, many people opt to plant the running kind because it will spread and fill in gaps better than the clumping varieties. The problem with the running bamboo is when a shoot comes up in a spot you don’t want it to. But it can be controlled by simply cutting the rhizome. Enough space must be given to allow the running bamboo to spread. The problem is not understanding how bamboo rhizomes grow and not paying attention.

Typically, the only bamboo you will see for sale in the Sedona area is Golden Bamboo or Phyllostachus aurea which does well in our Zone 7 climate. Bamboo is usually planted to create a screen. Golden bamboo typically reaches about 12 feet high. Planted along a property line or fence can be risky if it is not contained with a rhizome barrier. You wouldn’t want it popping up in your neighbor’s yard and answer to their complaints. Therefore, it is best to be prudent and do provide some kind of containment or barrier to the boundaries that you would like the bamboo to spread and cover. Thick plastic material that comes is rolls 24″ wide is available specifically for the purpose of containing bamboo or other root systems. The key is to not ignore the growth of your bamboo, rather keep an eye on it so that you will notice any new shoots popping up where you don’t want them and then can easily cut the rhizome. The reason bamboo is feared is that most people plant it and forget about it until it is too late to be easily controlled.

Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica) is an alternative that does not spread and would have to be planted fairly close together to provide a screening effect. If you like bamboo because of its Asian theme, consider planting it in containers in groups, otherwise do use a rhizome barrier and keep an eye on it.

Research Before you Buy

Many homeowners may the common mistake of buying the pretty plant at the nursery because of its flower and general form whether it’s a shrub, ground cover, vine or tree. Think about this: why would a vendor selling a plant at a retail nursery put a description on the plant label that it is invasive? Of course it would put up a red flag and discourage the sale. Descriptions about the characteristics of plant growth are best researched online or in a good gardening book such as Sunset Western Gardening. There you will find objective useful information whether a plant is considered invasive or not.