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Perfumed Aussie Native Garden Plants

There is a strong belief among many people, that Australian Natives are beautiful but have no perfume. A stroll through the bush will dispel that rumour easily.

The fragrance of crushed leaves and scented blossoms can be almost overpowering at times. But many of the natives have a more subtle fragrance; you have to be close to them at the correct time to appreciate the flavours and scents.

The perfume of native plants is often produced at different times of the day or night. Perfumed native flowers include many of the Grevilleas (some like G. biternata and G. G. buxifolia have a strong honey-like perfume others like G. buxifolia have a light fragrant perfume), Boronias ( e.g. B. floribunda, B. serrulata and B. megastigma), Sowerbaeas (Vanilla Lilies), Xanthoreas (Grass Trees), Banksias, Eleaocarpus reticulatus (Blueberry Ash) which has a strong almost aniseed scent, Hakeas, Pittosporum undulatum (Native Daphne) — the perfume of this species may becoming overpowering in the evening –, Leptospermum species (e.g. L. flavescens), Homoranthus species (which has a Baked Biscuit scent) and Hymenosporum flavum (Native Frangipani). Many of the white flowering Eucalypts, Melaleuca and Callistemon species have a strong honey scent.

There are a number of fragrant orchids particularly the Dendrobium species: these tend to be strongest from early morning to the early afternoon. While some of the Cymbidium species such as C. suave have a good perfume during the middle of the day). The Sarcochilus species have what is best described as a spicy aroma.

The aroma released by some plants foliage is not revealed until it has been disturbed, crushed or brushed against. These include the Backhousia citriodora (Lemon Myrtle) which is probably the best of all native lemon scents and is also used commercially as a cooking ingredient, while the foliage of B. anisata is strongly scented like aniseed; Eremophilas, Eriostemon species, Prosantheras,

Leptospermum petersoni (Lemon-scented Tea-tree — also good as a hedging plant), Darwinia citriodora (a light lemon scent) and some Melaleucas (Paperbarks) also have scents.

Of course you can’t forget the Eucalypt family with its famous eucalypt scent, which is redolent of our bushland. But now many other countries are growing vast plantations of them for timber, firewood and revegetation programs on every continent bar Antartica. One species, the E. citriodora gives off a strong lemon-come-eucalypt scent while Agonis flexuosa has a combination of eucalyptus and peppermint scent.

Calomeria elegans has been used as a substitute for lavender. Some species of Boronias also have strongly scented foliage.

And let’s not forget the grassy type plants, the lomandra’s and the Grass trees, both of which give a lovely honeyed smell when in flower.

So why not think about using some fragrant native plants in your garden. Not only will you get the benefit of supporting your local environment. But you might also get other benefits, like attracting birds, other wildlife and butterflies to your garden.

How to Have Your Own Organic Garden

If you want to start a garden where you know you will have healthy vegetables and plants, the best garden to choose is an organic garden. Not only are these gardens healthier and better for the environment, but they are also less expensive because you don’t need to buy any kinds of chemicals, pesticide or herbicides. In this type of garden you use nature to your advantage instead of regarding it as the enemy. You don’t need to have a large amount of space because even a few feet of space is sufficient for the garden.

When choosing the site for your garden, think small. You may have a lot of space and may eventually want to have a large garden, but to get started it is important that you start off small. In this way you will be able to learn as you are going and gain the experience you need to expand. With a small garden you will have less work and have to buy fewer materials. A space as small as 4 feet X 4 feet is large enough to furnish the vegetables for a family. You also have to be careful not to plant too much in the garden. Think of the yield you will have from a few kinds of plants rather than try to cram too many plants of different kinds into the small space. You can even have a starter garden by using a window box.

Before you start your planting, you have to think about how you will provide nourishment for the plants. This means you have to start a compost heap. This is where you will throw all the scraps of food instead of sending them out in the trash. Compost is the main ingredient for enriching the soil in organic gardening. Use the things you find in your garden as well, such as fallen leaves, the clippings from the grass when you mow the lawn and weeds.

You do need to have the right kind of soil for organic gardening. You can use the soil in the ground and add the organic material from your compost heap. This soil is better for your garden for several reasons. First, it will nourish the plants without the use of fertilizer that contains chemicals. This will help keep them growing more natural without any growth spurts that will weaken the plants. Since the soil containing the organic material is not compacted as much as that containing chemicals, it is easier for you to pull out any weeds. The soft soil also enables the roots of the plants to penetrate the soil to deeper levels. The water can also get to the roots easier when the soil is soft.

It is important to control the growth of weeds, no matter what kind of garden you have. If you allow them to grow, they will take over the plants and kill them. Any unplanted areas should be mulched to prevent their growth and if you need to, use a hoe to take out any weds you find.

Watering Your Container Garden Plants ? Some Tips and Techniques

The value of proper watering cannot be stressed sufficient for your container garden plants. Container Gardens are uncovered to wind and sun so they dry out quicker than plants in the ground. There are no accurate systems about watering your container garden plants. You have to become acquainted with the needs of a range of garden plants. The best tip is to check them daily and water the plant when the outside of the soil begins to look dry. Feeling the soil will also help you agree on the damp desires of your container garden. Or, take the simple way and invest in a water meter if you are not sure.

How much and when to water will dependent on the type of plant and soil, the type and size of container, and the amount of spotlight to sun and wind. Climate and the weather also play their part. During hot spells mainly plants in your container garden require daily water, except those in small clay pots, which may need it twice. Some plants, like fuchsias and tuberous begonias, wilt when dry, but geraniums and succulents are not so sensitive to neglect. On the other hand, it is good to let soil dry out a little between watering. This prevents the soil from depleting its nutrients.

Since unglazed containers dry out fast, watch them more directly. Wooden tubs, window boxes, and planters dry out more gradually; metal is the unhurried of all. Groups of plants in big containers keep moist longer than single specimens. An excellent technique to keep away from excess dryness is to have groupings of plants, set close together. This allows the container plants to shade one another to sustain cool and stop damp evaporation.

There are numerous methods of watering the plants. If you have various containers in your container garden, depend on the hose, allowing water to flow through unhurriedly and smoothly. Water small pots with a watering can that has a long spout or buy one of the self watering boxes now available. When plants are grouping closely in a container garden, set up a sprinkler or hose with a fine spray nearby, allowing it to run for an extended while, until the soil is dry. In several states where the climate is dry, an automatic sprinkler system is a must to remain your whole garden hydrated. Remember this tip with geraniums and petunias; keep away from sprinklers which spot blossoms.

One thing is definite; you must not dependent on rain to remain your container garden plants hydrated. Even heavy showers drop a surprisingly small amount of damp, and unless rains are frequent and lengthy, you must do your own watering. Remember those window boxes and other containers close to homes or below trees can stay dry in spite of an all-day downpour.

Though it is necessary to give sufficient water to your container garden, it is equally important not to over water and so cause root rot. Over-watering also prevents aeration of the soil, and will cause the plant to drown.

One good technique is to set your container garden, if the containers are not too big, in a basin or pail of water for a number of hours, or until the shell of the soil feels moist (this is the theory behind self watering containers). Or immerse the pot in a tub or huge barrel of water and put down it there until air is eliminated and the bubbling stops.

The top common rule is to soak soil thoroughly when you water and then permit it to go just a bit dry before you water your container garden again. Best of all, remain a small spiral notebook and paste the care of every plant into it so that you will always have the needs of every individual plant at your fingertips.

If you go away for extended periods during the summer, give the container garden serious thought before making it a project. On the other hand, you can enjoy both holidays and plants if you are not present for only small periods. The best safeguard is to entrust your container garden to a responsible friend. Or if you are going away for a vacation at your other home, or one that you have rented, take the container garden with you as a little bit of home.

Many techniques can be practiced. One is to organize smaller containers in boxes of peat moss, sawdust, or soil that has been well dry. Then there is the pot-in-pot system, whereby small pots are set in bigger ones, with moist peat moss inserted between.

Vegetable Gardening For Beginners – Planting A Beautiful Vegetable Garden At Home

Are you looking to plant your very own vegetable garden but you’re not sure how to get started? Planting a healthy vegetable garden provides so many benefits including an abundance of healthy organic food and saving thousands on your grocery bills. I don’t know about you but I still remember the days when a tomato from the supermarket tasted like a tomato, not anymore unfortunately. Let’s look at some vegetable gardening for beginners tips to help get you started today.

Vegetable Gardening For Beginners – Tips
Preparation is the key to growing a beautiful and healthy vegetable garden. Planning is critical for setting up a vegetable garden that you can harvest every daily. Vegetable gardening for beginners does not have to be difficult with the correct planning.

First you must decide on your plot, the area for your garden. The ideal spot is somewhere that receives plenty of morning sun and protection from the elements such as wind. Although you maybe limited with the space you have available don’t be discouraged as you will be shocked at how much you can grow by maximizing the space you have. Ensure there is sufficient drainage for water run off.

Importance Of Soil Quality
One of the most common vegetable gardening for beginners tips you will hear is never underestimate soil quality. Soil is the life line of a garden do not underestimate it’s importance. You must ensure that your soil preparations include checking the soil and preparing it by testing its pH levels. The ideal pH level for your soil is 6.5, if you do not have a test kit you can go to your local garden outlet and let them test it for you.

Don’t stress if your levels are out of whack for the moment, you can purchase garden lime that will improve the pH levels of your soil. In a nutshell your pH levels will determine how much nutrients your vegetables will be able to receive.

Preparing Your Plot
Dig your plot and turn your soil over, ensure you dig into a depth of about 12″ (30cm) and remove any weeds you find by hand. Avoid using weed killers and they can effect your soil structure and levels. Once your pH levels are in healthy range, wait 4-5 weeks before you begin planting.

The vegetables that you grow will dependent on where you live. Speak to your gardening outlet that will buy seedlings from for the most suitable vegetables.
Ask about purchasing some organic fertilizer which will be the life blood of your garden. Organic fertilizers such as animal manure, blood and bones as well as compost are terrific choices for providing essential nutrients and moisture.

Growing Vegetables Year Round
The key to planting a successful garden is to have vegetables that you can harvest year round. By doing this you can rotate different vegetables to help ensure the health of your gardening by limiting pests and diseases. One of the most common vegetable gardening for beginners mistakes is insufficient planning and set up process.

If you set up your garden correctly you will have vegetables that you can harvest every single day. With the right planning your garden should require very maintenance and upkeep as it continues to provide fresh, organic food for you and your family for years to come.

How To Plant A Vegetable Garden – Planting A Healthy Vegetable Garden At Home

If you want to learn how to plant a vegetable garden you are making terrific decision. Planting a year around vegetable garden will allow you to grow enough fresh vegetables for you and your family that you will soon have fresh and organic vegetables on your table daily. Whether it’s to save money or to avoid genetically modified vegetables at your supermarket, planting a veggie garden provides countless benefits.

One of the first things you need to know when looking to learn how to plant a vegetable garden is making the most from your the space you have available. You will be surprised how many fresh vegetables you can grow even with limited space for a plot. If possible try and stay away from any trees which can steal nutrients away from your vegetables.

Vegetables need plenty of sunshine, look for an area that receives plenty of morning sun. Preparation is the key to learning how to plant a vegetable garden you can be proud of. One of the secrets to growing a great garden is soil preparation, it is critical.

With soil preparation you must remove all weeds, avoid any weed killers and remove them by hand. You must test the pH level of your soil, anything around a reading of 6.5 is ideal. If you are unable to test it yourself head over to your local gardening store for testing.

Having your soil pH either too high or two low will restrict nutrients to your vegetables. Garden lime is commonly used to bring up low pH soil levels. Dig the soil over and look to get to depth of about 30cm (12″).You should allow 4-5 weeks before you begin to plant any vegetables.

Now you might be asking what vegetables you can plant? This will be dependent on climate zone so speak to your gardening store about the ideal vegetables for your area. You can pick up seedling for a great price and begin planting after your soil preparation.

The key to learning how to plant a vegetable garden from scratch picking the right vegetables that you can rotate year around to help eliminate pests and disease problems.

Organic fertilizers such as animal manure and garden composts are fantastic for providing nutrients to your vegetables as well as improving soil conditions and structure. Organic fertilizers help retain moisture which is very important. Watering your garden is important but try to ensure it doesn’t become waterlogged and allow for proper drainage.

Want to learn a step by step guide on how to plant a vegetable garden properly?

Remarkable Range Of Herb Garden Plants

There is an astounding array of herb garden plants in this world and they can be classified into a remarkable range based on their life cycle and their purpose for adorning this earth.

Annuals, Biennials, and Perennials

Herb garden plants are categorized into annuals, biennials and perennials based on their growth cycle and life span. Most of the herb plants are great for indoor garden and thrive as container plants. Annuals as the term suggests last for a year and have to be replanted every year or season. They do not survive the frost. Basil, cilantro, and summer savory are classic examples of annuals.

Biennials generally refer to those garden plants that take two seasons to complete their life cycle, typically growing into a mature plant giving flowers and seeds and then dying during the second season. Parsley, angelica, and caraway are some proud biennials that are best sown in late spring directly into the garden outdoors as they don’t take kindly to transplanting. Parsley is notorious for slow germination.

Perennials (through the years) are your loyal herb plants that stick with you forever without any requirements for replanting and need little attention. Sage and winter savory are the perfect perennials that thrive in colder climates too.

Multifaceted Herbs – Incredible Uses

For ages, herbs have been used to flavor food. Basil, thyme, parsley, oregano, chives, and sage to name a few are essential ingredients in most of the traditional and modern dishes across countries.

History is proof of the medicinal value of most of the herbs such as thyme, fennel, basil, and garlic. Modern science has validated the usefulness of certain herbs in treating various ailments.

Aromatic herb plants such as lavender, loyage, mint, rosemary, and lemon verbena are used in homes for their sweet scents and permeating perfumes.

Ornamental herbs such as lavender with purple flowers, borage, and chicary with blue flowers and Valerian with crimson blossoms are used as decorations. Some herbs are also used as insect repellents in the garden.

Each herb is unique and has a purpose – recognize and make them your herb garden plants.

Feed For Your Garden Plants

One of the things that recreational gardeners forget is to feed the various plants in their gardens. Springtime is the best time to start feeding your plants as the ground is still moist from the Spring thaw and from early Spring rain. This helps your garden feed permeate into the soil much more easily. As early Spring turns to late Spring the soil starts to warm up to create ideal growing conditions for your plants. As this time of year is when new life bursts forth from your garden it is very much worth while ensuring you have given the ground all the nutrients your plants will be looking for, especially as the roots looking for those nutrients are likely to be small new growth feeder roots.

You need to ensure that you have planned what plants are going where in your garden as this will determine which nutrients need adding to the soil. Make sure you get the correct ones because where some nutrients will be beneficial for some plants they could cause problems for others. Get it right and you can look forward to a spectacular garden come Summer. There are three main things you need to get right to make up to correct environmental conditions for your plants and these are the concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

If you have a good supply of nitrogen in your soil then your plants will benefit for excellent healthy foliage. However, don’t overdo it as too much nitrogen will mean that the plant concentrates too much on creating foliage and not enough on creating flowers and fruit. If you have enough phosphorus in the soil then you can be sure your plants will have healthy roots. Potassium will help the plant to develop what you are really looking forward to, and that is fruit and flowers. Get the balance right between all three and your will be rewarded. So, make sure you check what conditions the particular plants in different parts of your garden enjoy and then read the packets of fertilizer to ensure you get it right.

There are different ways of delivering food and nutrients to the soil as well. Some come in soluble form, some come in liquid form and there are some you can use that will control the release of those nutrients over a period of time. One application of these controlled release products can last for months and they are an ideal solution for feeding containers and indoor pot plants as well as more established garden plants such as shrubs and trees.

The effectiveness of the liquid feeds is about the same as the soluble ones but the advantage with them is that they can easily be mixed with water for use as a spray. Spray feeds allow you to apply food directly to where it is most required. Soluble forms are easy to spread over large areas including lawns. They then release their nutrients when it rains or if the rain doesn’t arrive for a while it may be worth watering them in with the hosepipe.

Remember all you need to do is decide which feed is best suited to different parts of your garden based on its contents and then the method of delivery is all about convenience you the gardener.

The Best Guide How to Plant a Vegetable Garden – Planting a Healthy Vegetable Garden at Home

If you want to learn how to plant an organic vegetable garden you are making terrific decision. Planting a year around vegetable garden will allow you to grow enough fresh vegetables for you and your family that you will soon have fresh and organic vegetables on your table daily. Whether it’s to save money or to avoid genetically modified vegetables at your supermarket, planting a veggie garden provides countless benefits.

One of the first things you need to know when looking to learn how to plant a vegetable garden is making the most from your the space you have available. You will be surprised how many fresh vegetables you can grow even with limited space for a plot. If possible try and stay away from any trees which can steal nutrients away from your vegetables.

Vegetables need plenty of sunshine, look for an area that receives plenty of morning sun. Preparation is the key to learning how to plant a vegetable garden you can be proud of. One of the secrets to growing a great garden is soil preparation, it is critical.

With soil preparation you must remove all weeds, avoid any weed killers and remove them by hand. You must test the pH level of your soil, anything around a reading of 6.5 is ideal. If you are unable to test it yourself head over to your local gardening store for testing.

Having your soil pH either too high or two low will restrict nutrients to your vegetables. Garden lime is commonly used to bring up low pH soil levels. Dig the soil over and look to get to depth of about 30cm (12″).You should allow 4-5 weeks before you begin to plant any vegetables.

Now you might be asking what vegetables you can plant? This will be dependent on climate zone so speak to your gardening store about the ideal vegetables for your area. You can pick up seedling for a great price and begin planting after your soil preparation.

The key to learning how to plant an organic vegetable garden from scratch picking the right vegetables that you can rotate year around to help eliminate pests and disease problems.

Organic fertilizers such as animal manure and garden composts are fantastic for providing nutrients to your vegetables as well as improving soil conditions and structure. Organic fertilizers help retain moisture which is very important. Watering your organic vegetable garden is important but try to ensure it doesn’t become waterlogged and allow for proper drainage.