Hot Hot Hot Summertime!

Wow the summer heat is here! Staying cool and hydrated is very important for good health. Your garden needs water to stay healthy too. This is can be a little tricky with water restrictions and evaporation, so when is the best time to water?

Personally I go for the early morning. This give your plants enough time to absorb the vital water. Some would tell you that in the evening would be better, but this can lead to all sorts of problems.
Moisture sitting on your plants and lawn all night can lead to insect damage and disease.
In the moist dark climate slugs love to do their thing. Chewing little holes in plants like Hosta and your vegetables. I have an organic fix for slugs (tell You later). Slug damage is ugly but won't harm your plants.
Other problems from moisture in the warm summer nights are molds and mildew. Various molds can destroy your lawn and your favorite plants.
Lilacs and phlox will become infected with powdery mildew and eventually die from this pest. To prevent this from occurring clean up all over grown and dead plant material often. Help your plants have air circulation. Water in the early morning while it is still cool. Try not to water too late in the day as this will just waste water through evaporation.

Potted plants will have a bigger need for water than ground plants. Some can be moved into the shade, this will lower the stress on your plants. Using water absorbing materials will help maintain water for later use by the plants. So keep an eye out for the needs of your garden and help it flourish... don't drown it!

Summertime, Time to prune, weed and clean up.

Look around your garden, what do you see? As the weather gets warmer and the lazy day of summer are upon us, it is time to get some maintenance done. Cutting back overgrown shrubs will help them to keep their nice shape. As you have seen I had leaf pruned my Bonsai trees. This helps with scale of the tree and color. Dead Heading ( what a term) what does this mean? Well simply it is taking off the spent flower blooms. On the annual that you have planted this will force a new blooming. On our perennials this will help the plant get stronger. Don't dead head the plants that you want to set seed. Biennials are plants that set seed this season and bloom the following year. So we don't dead head these.

Good Design Goes a Long Way

If your homes landscape is designed properly it will be a source of enjoyment for your entire family, it will enhance your community and add to the resale value of your property. Landscape design involves much more than placing trees, shrubs and other plants on the property. It is an art which deals with conscious arrangement or organization of outdoor space for human satisfaction and enjoyment. In Homeowners Guide To Landscaping you will learn how to: Organize and develop your yard for maximum use and pleasure; Create a visual relationship between the house and the site and Reduce maintenance to the minimum.

Bonsai Pruning and Training

Lately I have been pruning all the maples that I have been growing. Leaf pruning does wonders for the look of your trees. Bonsai growing is a slow and patient business. Take your time before you cut, as it will not grow back. After you have leaf pruned your trees, this is a good time to look at the overall shape of your tree. Using training wire shape the tree to the desired shape. This maybe done a number of times throughout the life of you tree, to get just the right shape and look.

When wiring your trees make sure you bend the wire tightly around the trunk from the bottom up. Wire should be evenly spaced and snug to the tree. Too loose and the bend won't hold and all your work would be wasted.

Japanese Red Maple Leaf Pruning

Bonsai Tip Of The Day

June is the month to prune you Maple trees, Birch, Hornbeam and other deciduous trees. What I do at this time is take off all the leaves. Why? You may be asking. Well when you take the leaves off the tree you are forcing the tree to grow new ones. When they grow back there will be more leaves and they will be smaller. This adds to the scale of your tree. Fall color will also be more intense. After a few years of doing this you will have a awesome Bonsai tree. You will look like a master Bonsai Guru. Here are a series of pictures to show you what to do....

The Suburban Garden Retreat

Grapes, pineapples, ginger all on the garden path. Four grape vines and some supplies from Home Depot.... now it is a summer retreat. Shade in the middle of the day is a great place to work on Bonsai Trees.

Mazzy Star - Flowers In December

First Day of Summer

Here are a couple of pictures of my back yard retreat. The grapes are growing well and creating a bit of shade on the patio. Great place to sit around and blog from. This is a easy to build and grow. Plus the bonus of fresh grape later in the season. Growing grapes has its benefits.
Do you grow Bonsai trees? Well if you do today is a good time to remove the leaves on your maple trees... if you don't know what to do let me know. Removing the leaves will force the tree to grow new ones. This will make the new leaves much smaller and add to the scale of your tree. Autumn color will be greatly increased. Maples are not the only tree that benefit from this treatment... learn more and get the most out of your back yard.

Classic Bonsai and Bonsai Growing on Lava Rock

Spruce Growing on Lava Rock with roots growing over the rock. Approximately 9 years old. Classic Style Juniper trained like Karate Kid and is approximately 30 years old.

BBC Worldwide: Attenborough - Titan Arum

Afternoon pictures

Backyard Gardening for Fun and Profit

Throughout NJ people are using their personal garden to sit and relax in and also to make money. Growing speciality plant can make you money. Wether you grow vegetables or annuals a little bit of effort can go a long way. In my small garden you will find unique Bonsai trees growing right next to tomatoes or a perennial like Hosta and Poppies.

Down the Gardener's Path

Take a break from the hustle and bustle of suburban life in your garden. Enter the garden and enjoy all the nature it attracts. Planning your garden will help you attract wildlife like birds, baby ducks and butterflies.
Create a relaxing oasis to recharge you own energy.