GardYard

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The Best Gardening Apps to Download Before Spring Comes!

Spring is just around the corner so it is the perfect time to start preparing our gardens for all the colorful blooms it brings. There is just so much to do and you’ll have to agree with us that a little help is always welcomed.

Today we are talking gardening applications that are free, easy to use and oh so helpful. Whether you are looking for essential data, like what season a plant blooms or similar or you need inspiration for the design of your garden there are applications that will easily help you in the process.

Garden Compass Plant / Disease Identifier

By TeamSOA, Inc.

Description: If you have a plant, pest or disease you need identified…look no further. The Garden Compass Plant and Disease Identifier app allows you to take a photo and submit it to our team of expert horticultural garden advisors who will identify it for you, as well as provide you with specific product recommendations to resolve any problems you may have. As your photo passes up the queue you will be kept informed as to its progress. Learn more at gardencompass.com

Download this app free for iPhone/iPad on itunes or for android here

Garden Time Planner by Burpee

Description: The Garden Time app from Burpee is the perfect tool to help gardeners know when to sow, transplant and expect to harvest vegetables and herbs specific to their garden region. The app automatically creates a task list to notify the user when their next sow or transplant date arrives. Included within the app is a full database of plants, local weather, and links to how-to gardening videos. Works best on Android 4.0 devices and above. Runs on Phone and Tablet Devices. Learn more at burpee.com

Download this app free for iPhone/iPad on itunes or for android here

Sprout it – Gardening ideas and tips, planting organic vegetables, herbs & fruits guide by Växa Design Group

Description: Grow Easy. Grow Smart. Sprout it® is a free app that grows with you! Grow your own fresh vegetables and herbs with Sprout it’s fully customized support. Select plants, schedule plantings and get detailed instructions, reminders and info when you need it most.

Here’s what you’ll get with the Sprout it app:

– Library of the most popular plants and varieties, so you can learn which vegetables and herbs are best for your garden and location

– Get inspired with themed gardens, projects and recipes

– Location-based intelligence to help you time plantings correctly based on your frost date

– Option to grow from seed, starter plants, sets and now including support for Miracle-Gro® Gro-ables® Seed Pods™

– Interactive milestones make sure your real garden matches your Sprout it garden – let Sprout it be your garden planner and toolkit whether you grow with natural, organic or conventional methods!

– Beautiful illustrations to help you visually track your garden’s progress

– Reminders, tips and information specific to your plants and your garden delivered at the right time, based on your planting dates and preferences

– Easy-to-read reference information for plant care, harvest, common problems and storage & cooking

– Completing your gardener profile helps us customize your experience

– Integrated weather information and alerts to help with protection and recovery when severe weather hits

– A single log-in offers access to your account across iPhone, iPad and responsive web platforms

Every garden is different and the Sprout it app supports growing a garden that’s right for your location and lifestyle—first-timer or experienced, conventional or organic, backyard or patio

Download this app free for iPhone/iPad on itunes or for android here

MyGarden

By TrendsCo. bvba

Description: The MyGarden App is the mobile version of the social network website for garden lovers MyGarden. It allows you to track your account, plants, friends and update your garden status.

Download this app free for iPhone/iPad on itunes or for android here

iScape Free

By Home Revivals llc

Description: Spectacular landscape designs made easy with iScape Free.

• “When you’re planning a new garden, or considering a change to an established one, it can be difficult to visualize the results. This is where iScape comes in handy.” – The NY Times

• “If you’re DIYing it, iScape makes it easy to plan out what to buy and how to put it all together. If you’re hiring a landscaper, the app can help you explore ideas and share your vision.” – Forbes

iScape Free gives you an opportunity to test drive the paid version at no charge. Upon user requests, we have provided individual categories available as In-App Purchases in case you do not need the entire iScape Database. If you are going to purchase multiple categories, please note that upgrading to the paid version is the better deal.

The landscape design app allows you to see your options before the work is done – and most importantly, before the money is spent. Simply take a picture of your house and start bringing your vision to life!

Download this app free for iPhone/iPad on itunes or for android here

The Best Gardening Apps to Download Before Spring Comes!

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Planting, Growing, and Caring for Phlox

With brightly colored flowers and a lovely fragrance Phlox is a summer wildflower, an essential item in any garden. Whether used as a ground cover or towering perennial, evergreen or deciduous, phlox comes in an overwhelming array of colors, heights, forms and blooming times. Perhaps best of all, it’s a terrific companion plant. In shades of blue, white and pink, for example, they tone down hot yellows and oranges and buddy up to other cool-coloured perennials. With such a wide range of phlox available, there’s one for most garden situations, from dry to moist soils, in full sun to full shade. Choose the variety that fits your garden space and enjoy its gorgeous star-shaped blossoms all summer long. Read on to learn how to plant, grow and care for phlox.

Varieties

Different varieties of phlox serve different needs in the garden. Your local garden center or nursery can advise you on which species grow best in your area. All species of phlox produce flowers in a wide range of colors including white, pink, red, lavender and blue. Garden and meadow phlox are perfect for garden borders, since they grow quite wide and tall. Low-growing phlox varieties are perfect to use as ground cover in shady areas, especially as many are mildew-resistant.

Location

Although Phlox are low maintenance flowers that do well in most locations, most varieties will prefer full sun, but some are tolerant of partial or filtered shade. Find a location that works for the variety you have chosen. Keep in mind that Phlox grown in the shade often produce fewer flowers and they are also at increased risk for contracting a disease, so if you choose to plant phlox in the shade, look for a variety that is mildew-resistant.

Planting

Phlox plants prefer rich, porous soil with a layer of organic mulch. When watering, avoid wetting the foliage — a practice that spreads disease.If the area is wet, but not soaking, it should be fine for growing phlox.

You can plant phlox outdoors after all signs of frost have passed. Dig holes 6 to 24 inches apart depending on the species you are growing. You need to space shorter phlox varieties 6 to 12 inches apart, and taller species 12 to 24 inches apart. The holes should be twice as wide as the plants’ root balls] Set the phlox plants into the holes and pat soil around their bases. Water the phlox after planting.

Care

Keep phlox well watered throughout the growing season, from the base of the plant, rather than from the top. Avoid getting their leaves wet to decrease the chances that mold and mildew will form on the plants. Use well-rounded plant fertilizer which contains 10 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphate and 10 percent potash. Repeat a second application of the fertilizer when the plants are flowering.

Planting, Growing, and Caring for Phlox

Friday, February 27, 2015

How to Grow and Care for Lobelia

Beautiful 2-lipped tubular flowers with intense color, each with 5 lobes – that’s what makes lobelias one of the most popular and most beautiful garden plants.

Lobelia is a genus of flowering plants comprising 415 species primarily found in tropical to warm temperate regions of the world, but in cooler climates as well. We know lobelia as an attractive annual herb with many varieties, all coming in different attractive colors. It is a beautiful addition to any garden. The best part about lobelias is that they are so easy to grow and care for! If you are mesmerized by their beauty and want to have them in your garden then you are at the right place as we are going to share everything you need to know on how to grow and care for lobelia.

Lobelia is an easy growing, versatile herb you can plant freely in your garden, use as a border, in hanging baskets, containers. ground covers etc. The one thing you should have in mind before choosing your lobelia variety is it’s mature height which is important for choosing the perfect planting location. L. inflata(Indian tobacco), L. cardinalis (Cardinal flower), and L. siphilitica are the most common varieties for home gardening.

One of the most popular varieties of lobelia is called Indian tobacco and this is because Native Americans once smoked lobelia plant to treat asthma. Another name for lobelia is pukeweed because it was once prescribed the plant to induce vomiting. We have to warn you though that the plant is poisonous so don’t try this at home.

Planting & Fertilizing

When choosing the perfect planting location for your lobelia, have in mind that almost every variety prefers partial shade, although they can grow quite nicely in full sun as well. As for the soil, make sure it is nutrient rich and well hydrated. Offer a water soluble fertilizer each month for best results.

Watering

Watering is important for lobelia’s blooming. Soil should be kept moist constantly. Water annuals with 1 1/2 inches of water per week while perennials less frequently but deeply. However, you should allow the top soil to dry between waterings.

Pruning

Another great thing about lobelias is that they are self-cleaning plants that don’t require removing of faded flowers like many other annuals. But when the first blooming season is over it is best to prune the stems which will encourage the production of new blooms.

Annual Lobelia

If you want to grow annual lobelia out of seeds then all you need to do is spread the seeds on top of the soil and water thoroughly then place them in a warm, light place. In a week or two, when the seeds start popping out, you can start thinning them out. When there is no fear of frost anymore and your plants are around 2-3 inches tall it is time to transplant them in the garden, ideally 4-6 inches apart.

Perenial Lobelia

During winter you should provide pine needles mulch to protect the root system. This is for perennial varieties of course. You can also cut back perennial lobelias to just above ground level after blooming has ceased. As for the annual varieties, pull them out and discard them once heavy frost kills them in autumn.

How to Grow and Care for Lobelia

How To Grow Your Own Avocado Tree from Seed!

This Mexico and Central Africa native tree shares the same plant family (Lauraceae) with cinnamon, bay laurel and camphor. It is most popular because of its delicious green skinned fruit which has fleshy body and a single seed in the center. Avocados are rich in several B vitamins and vitamin K, with good content of vitamin C, vitamin E and potassium. They also contain phytosterols and carotenoids, such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Many studies has shown that Avocados are beneficial for lowering cholesterol. So it is obvious that this fruit should be frequently present on your table.

You won’t believe how easy and fun it is to grow your own avocado tree from the pit of a fruit. All you need is to learn the technique to make that hard stone at the center at the fruit sprout. However, this doesn’t mean you will soon have your own avocado fruits to harvest – your tree might start producing fruits after 7-15 years. But you will still get a pretty nice houseplant or a new tree for your garden. Who knows, with proper care you might be making guacamole with avocados from your own tree. Now lets learn how to grow an avocado tree from a pit…

The Method

What you need to do is to remove the pit from an avocado fruit. Now rinse it well and dry it as you don’t want it to be slippery. Have in mind that the broad part of the pit is considered to be the bottom while the pointed part the top. Get 3-4 toothpicks and insert them into the widest part of the pit, about halfway to it. Suspend the pit over a glass/jar of water with the pointed part up. Make sure the water covers about an inch of the seed. Place the glass/jar in a spot with good light, but not in direct light. The water should be warm and the level should be maintained. In 2-3 weeks the seed will crack and after 1-2 weeks a single root will appear. In the next 1-3 weeks a stem will start growing. Your avocado tree is ready to plant when the root is around 2-3 inches long and the stem is at least 1-2 inches. Once it is planted, the stem will continue to grow. You will notice different sets of leaves developing. As the tree grows, prune the top branches so it becomes bushier.

Avocado as House Plant

If you want to keep your avocado as a house plant cut it back to about 3 inches when the stem is 6-7 inches long, this will encourage new growth. When it hits 6-7 inches again, pot it up in a rich humus soil in an 8-10″ diameter pot, leaving the top half of the seed exposed. Place on a sunny windowsill. Avocados love sun – the more sun the better.

Frequent watering and occasional soaking is a must in order to have a healthy plant.

Avocado Tree in Your Garden

If you like to plant it in your garden do it in summer, but have in mind that if you live anywhere where it gets cooler than 45 degrees F, you’ll need to bring them back indoors in the fall/winter, before the temperatures fall.

If you are lucky enough, your tree might produce fruits after 3-4 years, although it will more likely take 15 years for the first fruits.

How To Grow Your Own Avocado Tree from Seed!

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Tips For Growing Rosemary Herb Plants

Rosemary is a fragrant evergreen herb native to the Mediterranean, with a wonderful smell that is often associated with good food and great time. It is also good for your health; it contains substances that are useful for stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation, and improving digestion.

Rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks. The name rosemary derives from the Latin ros meaning “dew” and marinus meaning “sea” – “sea dew.” Rosemary’s leaves look like flat pine-tree needles, deep green in color on top while silver-white on their underside. There are many varieties of rosemary, each with slightly different properties. Some grow very bushy and tall, while others tend to trail; some have purple or blue flowers, some white. Grown from either plants or seeds, rosemary is an outstanding perennial performer in any herb garden. Plants can be brought indoors to overwinter in colder zones. Rosemary is also ideal for a rock garden or the top of a dry wall. You can even train rosemary into topiary shapes and the plants are tolerant of salt spray, making them a good choice for pots on the beach.

Propagation

Rosemary is easiest to grow from a cutting, rather than planting seeds. You can get cuttings preferably in late spring, from your local nursery, or even better find a rosemary plant you admire and clip off a few 4 inch pieces to propagate. You have to place each cutting into a small pot of soil filled with two-thirds coarse sand and one-third peat moss. Set the pot in a sunny place, but not in direct sunlight. Water the cuttings regularly and keep in a warm spot until the roots form, which should take about three weeks.