Gardening | Home Grown

Plant Considerations for an Outdoor Water Feature

Here are two plants that could make excellent additions to your water garden, water feature or outdoor pond. Make sure that your pond is the right environment for a specific pond species before you begin your planting. If you plant the wrong aquatic plant in your pond, it may die, interfere with other plants, or may overwhelm your pond by growing beyond the size and space available to you.

Plant Name: Dwarf Cattail
Scientific Name: Typha minima
Description: Whether you have a small garden pond or a large one, the dwarf cattail is a perfect addition. It can also handle small container water gardens and water features as well. As its max height this plant is less than two feet tall, meaning that it is particularly well suited for small garden ponds, container gardens and similar water features. This plant features distinctive brown seed heads that are rounded rather than long, and the foliage is blue-green in hue. This plant is also beneficial for low-temperature water gardening as it is a hearty plant that can survive serious temperatures.

Plant Name: King Tut Papyrus
Scientific Name: Cyperus papyrus
Description: This plant is known as the King Tut and is an ideal marginal plant or bog plant for a water garden. This is an outstanding plant for you to choose to use when you are putting together a garden pond. The King Tut Papyrus has also been known as being the umbrella plant since it has eye-catching bracts in green that bend over similar to an umbrella. It is going to grow well not only in a full sun environment but also in a partial shade environment as well. You can plant this aquatic plant directly into the water or you can plant it in a rich and moist bog soil. The plant can be hardy all the way down to twenty five degrees Fahrenheit. You can also take it indoors in the winter months.

Filed Under: Gardening, Home Improvement Tagged With: Plant, Pond, Water garden

Types and Descriptions of Aquatic Plants

Image by jrawle via Flickr

Types and Descriptions of Aquatic Plants

There are many different pond plants that you can plant in a small or large backyard pond, but some will thrive better than others. Choosing the right types of aquatic plants is essential to the success of your water garden.

Water Lilies – Water lilies are the queen of all aquatic plants and they are also known as Nymphaea or Lotus flowers. There are a wide variety of different sizes, shapes, colors and types. Some are fragrant, and some only bloom at night. These are deep water aquatic plants rooting strongly at the bottom of the pond with leaves floating along the surface. Many are hearty while others are tropical only.

Oxygenators – These are typically submersed or submerged plants that cannot exist outside of the water. They float under the water or they are rooted, and they work to add oxygen to the water, improving water chemistry and boosting the life of fish and other pond wildlife.

Floating Plants – These are plants that float completely on the surface of the water. They are generally going to be small to medium in size, and they will move freely around the pond.

Partly Emerging Plants – These are pond plants that can root into the mud and then show strong growth with flowers projecting out of the water so that they are partly submerged and partially emerged.

Marginals – These are ideal for planting in approximately 3 inches to 6 inches of water. Many marginals offer beautiful flowers that stick out of the water. Marginals make up the largest group of all aquatic plants. They generally prefer to be completely submerged and do not like to dry out.

Bog Plants – These plants like to have their feet wet. They only need wet mud in order to do well in a water feature, but they can also survive completely submerged in the water as well. As long as their roots are wet and firmly planted they are generally going to thrive quite well.

Filed Under: Gardening, Home Improvement Tagged With: Aquatic plant, Plant, Water garden

Notes on Choosing Garden Pond Plants

Image via Wikipedia

Notes on Choosing Garden Pond Plants

When you decide that you want to add plants to your water features, ponds or water gardens, there are certain considerations that you are going to want to make. There are essentially six different types of aquatic plants that you can install in your pond garden as need. In general, if you want your plants to be at their very best in your pond environment then you are going to want to make sure that they are being planted in completely full sunlight.

Approximately a third of your pond surface area should be considered to be the maximum amount of surface area for you to cover in your pond. Many plants are going to grow and spread at a very alarming rate, so it is important to be aware of what plants you are placing in your pond and what they are capable of doing so that you do not end up overwhelming your pond. You should make sure that you are providing pond plants for your pond life, because fish enjoy plants. Some plants are better suited for certain types of fish. Consider these four types of pond plants:

1. Water lilies are a favorite plant. They come in many different varieties in a seemingly endless selection of colors, sizes and even smells. Some water lilies bloom during the day and others only bloom during the night.

2. Marginals are shallow plants, also known as bog plants, and they generally have a medium depth.

3. Floating plants, such as the water hyacinth, are another consideration. They can grow out of control quickly if you do not keep an eye on them and keep them trimmed to proper size while growing in your water feature.

4. Oxygenator plants are the most important plants that you can put in your pond or water feature because they are going to add to the oxygen level of your pond. This is important for keeping other pond plants healthy and will also benefit your fish, improving their health and well being.

Filed Under: Gardening, Home Improvement Tagged With: Pond, Water, Water garden

How to add Value to Your Home With the Addition of a Water Garden

Nothing adds character to your living space quite like the addition of a water garden. The sound of running water is priceless and the accompanying plants and flowers that you can grow add character and even value to the home you spend time in.

If you’re concerned about the price or just aren’t a fix-it-up kind of person, most people can install a water garden by themselves, without professional help, all in the span of a weekend and for a price that just about any budget can afford.

1. Got a shovel – The first thing you need to do is purchase the water feature. Once home mark the area where you are going to install and dig a hole that is deep and wide enough to accommodate your new purchase.

2. Install the under liner – The underlayer of this project helps protect the plastic from tears from roots and rocks. Once the underlayer is down, spread the plastic over the top and secure both pieces with something heavy.

3. Make sure the pump is positioned correctly – Make sure the pump is at the correct height and make sure it is secure. This would be a great time to add the additional features that you are going to have around the water garden. Things like rocks, statues and anything that meets your fancy.

4. Finish the project – Ok so you’ve got a water feature now it’s time to fill it with water. Be careful to monitor the liner and all features so they do not expand during filling. Trip off any excess plastic and put any additional decorative items you have around the pond before testing your finished project.

Installing a water garden in your back yard is relatively easy and not that time consuming. Your guests will appreciate the added feature and prospective home buyers will certainly notice the addition when it’s time to see your home.

Filed Under: Gardening, Home Improvement Tagged With: Home, Water garden

How to Lose Weight Through Gardening

The easy solution to the riddle of losing weight is eating healthy foods. Healthy foods tend to cost money, and money is hard to come by during these challenging economic times.

Many people that never thought they could get into gardening haven taken up the cause to improve their diets and to get more exercise. The newest diet fad or fancy piece of home exercise equipment might be just as close as the distance from your back door to your garden.

Losing weight is all about burning calories, and gardening can provide some solid opportunities to start sweating and get the body moving.

1. Weeding – Most people hate the aspect of bending over and pulling weeds and grass from the items in their gardens. It’s good to know that you’re doing more than creating a clean planting space, you’re also burning about 400 calories per hour.

2. Raking – Those annoying leaves that always clog up the backyard in the fall, well do that for an hour and you’ll have burned close to 350 calories.

While the work that you do in the garden isn’t extremely taxing, if you do it on a hot day you’ll have sweat pouring from you in a matter of minutes. Sweating equates to burning calories and burning calories helps in the weight loss process.

Of course this gardening thing isn’t all about exercise, it’s about improving your diet through bringing healthy vegetables into the house. That salad that just isn’t market street quality tastes that much better when the tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce all come from the hard work you put into gardening. The carrots and broccoli and zucchini that even the most ardent of vegetable haters don’t like will find its way into even your children’s diets.

The gym membership costs about $40 per month. The seeds you need to get the garden also cost about $40. You decide; more money less fit or same money and more fit.

Filed Under: Gardening Tagged With: Health, Weight loss

How to be Creative With City Gardening

For many people that live in a city, finding a parcel of land big enough to support any kind of gardening can be a challenge. If you own a home with a decently sized back yard this is not a problem, but for the average city dweller, space is almost always a concern.

With some creative use of space, even folks that are strapped for space to plant a garden can grow their own produce and save money at the grocery store.

1. Use the balcony – Space might be limited but many people have access to a balcony on their property. By using planter boxes and hanging baskets, you can turn a corner of your balcony into an area that maximizes space and produces good quantities of vegetables. In those plant boxes, try to maximize space but planting veggies that grow vertically. Tomatoes are a great example of a plant that grows vertically and can often be tied off to produce more room for other plants at the base of the tomatoes.

2. Use any indoor space that gets light – Just about everyone has a room in their home that gets the best light. Bigger pots can support the type of growth you’re looking for in indoor planting. Herbs are a great idea to plant in the home. You can maximize space as herbs are typically fairly short in stature.

If you’re really serious about gardening many cities have taken to allowing residents to have space in unused lots. Guerrilla gardening is an urban idea that allows citizens to plant their gardens in those unused spaces. Often times the projects work in conjunction with city beautification projects.

Even residents that live in the cramped quarters of a city can reap the benefits of fresh vegetables by maximizing the space they do have access to.

Filed Under: Gardening Tagged With: Garden, Plant

Upgrade Your Yard by Installing a Water Garden

You know that sound a stream or river makes when you’re visiting the great outdoors? There is something about that ‘babbling’ brook sound that calms the nerves and makes every worry in the world seem to fade into the background.

By installing a water garden into your backyard, that same calm, peaceful feeling can be achieved all within the comfy confines of your own home.

Not only will the water garden upgrade the ambiance in your backyard, but birds and butterflies will inundate your living space, creating a much admired aviary right in your own backyard.

Sounds nice right, but there’s gotta be a catch like two weeks of back breaking manual labor or thousands of dollars to hire a professional for installation purposes.

Not necessarily!

Smaller water gardens can be installed by two people over the course of a weekend. If you’re handy with tools, that project can probably be accomplished within a day.

Couple things to be on the lookout during your pre-planning phase. For the very beginners, flexible liners are recommended. Do not just put plastic down, you need an actually liner that is supposed to be used for water gardens. Typical rule of thumb is, the thicker your liner is the longer it is going to last. Another thing to look for is the color of your liner! Over time, the natural light in your yard is going to degrade the liner so on your initial buy, look for a liner that has enhanced UV protection.

Not satisfied with a common pond? The internet is a great source for home improvement projects like water gardens. Whether it’s a fish pond or a waterfall, within minutes you should have access to some pretty good information and tips.

If there is one summer project that needs completing at your house this year, it’s the installation of a water garden.

Filed Under: Gardening, Home Improvement Tagged With: Garden, Water garden

Build a Tiny Water Garden

: Image via Wikipedia

If you are like many people and love water gardens but live in a small apartment, there is still hope. Water gardens can be any size and usually work well when housed in a small container. Thankfully, you can still enjoy the pleasure of a water garden that fits inside Chicago apartments or outside on porches.

Decide what type of container you want to use. You want to make sure your container will hold water. If it has holes in it, make sure you plug those holes up so that no water can escape.
Choose what type of plants you want to include. Make sure you have a nice array of colors and compositions. Make sure you choose plants that are vibrant in shape, size and color. Having a water garden is a thing of beauty and it all depends on what type of plants you put into it.
Pick the number of plants you will put into your water garden. Make sure you don’t cram too many plants into your water garden. This will make your design look too busy. One rule is to keep it simple. Choose two or three plants to put into your container.
Place your water garden in an appropriate spot. If indoors, make sure it gets a lot of light as well as fresh air. While you won’t need to change the water in your container, you should add fresh water to it as needed.

If you take care of your water garden, your plants will soon start to grow and thrive. You can also rearrange them and add or remove plants in order to give it a fresh new look. One thing is for sure—your water garden will definitely be a conversation piece to those that come over to visit.

Filed Under: Gardening, Landscaping

Gardening to Improve Heart Health

By now a good share of you have fallen from your pedestal of New Year’s Resolutions. While the repetitive nature of the treadmill might not exactly be your thing, getting into gardening might be.

Let’s face it, exercise and eating right are well known to be the keys to staying or getting healthy, but some don’t like to go to the gym and others are convinced that shopping for healthy foods on a tight budget is just about impossible.

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

The repetitive motions that you do while gardening, for lack of a better term, are exercise. When you bend over and plant something or drag a hose across the garden, you are mimicking exercises that you would more commonly do in the gym. Exercise is all about sweating and being active and for many, gardening can be just the tool to up the heart rate and the get the blood circulating.

If you haven’t tried gardening in a while, the price of seeds and seedlings are not much more than they were ten years ago. While tomatoes that have been started are a little more expensive than seeds themselves, the price is worth it when you reap the benefits with delicious tomatoes in June as opposed to August. Most of your seeds for cucumbers and melons and carrots and radishes can be found for less than one dollar in many locations.

You don’t have to be held hostage by the high prices in your local grocery store, when you take advantage of doing some light gardening in your own home. Not only is the exercise you get tremendous for your health and the health of your heart, but the vitamins and minerals you get from freshly harvested vegetables.

If you’ve fallen off your New Year’s resolutions, there is still time to invest in yourself and your future by planning a summer full of gardening.

Filed Under: Gardening Tagged With: Garden, Health

The benefits of buying local

At the Farmers Market the individual is given the opportunity to enjoy the complete produce experience. Contrary to the typical grocery store where produce is frozen and placed on display when supplies run low, Farmers Market provides an array of fresh produce that comes directly from a garden or patch. Customers are given the opportunity to interact with the farmers who grow the produce at the market, and are treated with dignity and respect as they build lasting relationships. With a record number of farmers markets being established in various locations throughout the world, the benefits of the Farmers Market experience are becoming apparent.

In contrast to grocery chains where produce is purchased, shipped, frozen, and sold to the consumer, Farmers Market cuts the process in half by having farmers bring produce to specified locations. Every Saturday,for example, farmers migrate to Wilson park in Torrance, California with their products in the back of their trucks having the sole purpose of selling to consumers. Since they want to sell everything that they bring, and knowing that an immeasurable amount of competition is present, they treat customers with the highest level of customer service. At Farmers Market, the customer can expect to receive the highest quality of produce and service; not a terrible attitude along with spoiled products.

Besides the high level of customer service and fresh produce, the Farmers Market can be an educational experience for children and adults. Instead of believing that stringed beans are grown from a can, children can learn that vegetables and fruit come from the earth. As they provide their children with insight on the agricultural process, adults can also learn of the various ways to plant and grow that will produce good crop.

While it may be outside of the traditional way to shop for produce, the Farmers Market experience renders more positive results than the typical grocery store visit.

Filed Under: Gardening Tagged With: Farmer, Farmers' market, Grocery store

Plant Considerations for an Outdoor Water Feature

Types and Descriptions of Aquatic Plants

Notes on Choosing Garden Pond Plants

How to add Value to Your Home With the Addition of a Water Garden

How to Lose Weight Through Gardening

How to be Creative With City Gardening

Upgrade Your Yard by Installing a Water Garden

Build a Tiny Water Garden

Gardening to Improve Heart Health

The benefits of buying local

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