Asters the returning gem

I really like the aster, this one keep surprising me. When I first planted these aster a couple of years ago it was a simple yellow center with purple petals. Since then there has been these pink ones and ones that are more like button mums. This deep purple color is welcome in the late summer garden. Just when the color around the deck has faded these ever faithful Asters show up with there bright colors. The planters around my deck have not been planted in a couple of years, what has grown in them has always been a surprise.

From sunflowers and Johny Jump ups to tomatoes and asters, ever decorating the border of the sunny deck. Having so many different plants around the house has attracted many kinds of birds and butterflies. If you set it up the right way your garden will do the same for you. It really is not hard to do and will be very rewarding.

Meditation Garden

Gardens can re-energize our inner being. Taking time to relax and meditate in your garden will be a great benefit for your health and wellness. Over the weekend I took a bunch of pictures from my garden and put them to music. The music is a Chant from India. Asato Maa by Ravi Shankar Chants Of India World So if you want to recharge take a few minutes and watch, listen and feel the energy coming through.
There are many good healthy reasons to start your meditation garden. It doesn't have to be large, it can be just a small planting on your deck or near the front walkway.
Whether your garden is planted in the ground or planted in pots and planters, you will reap the benefit of the life forces that you will attract. Check out the videos at the bottom of the blog. Let me know what you think and spread the good.
Here's a link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih17Yb_9gmk

Create Summer Color In Your Backyard Garden

Create Summer color in your backyard garden is sometimes tricky, as the summer heat can wilt you plants and blooms. Keeping the more needy plants watered will help a lot. Dead heading and a little summer pruning will help keep your plant in a healthy condition.
In our neighborhood we get a lot of Swallowtail Butterfly's, and some Monarchs. The photos you see through out my blog here are all from less than 1/8 acre. So you can see you can get a lot out of a small yard. Layering your plants so the final effect is non stop color in the garden. As long as the weeds don't get ahead of our efforts. Summer color in my garden comes from large Hibiscus and Butterfly bushes. Giant Blue Hydrangea is a real stand out.
So if You want a garden that attracts the eye and wildlife, plant a variety. Seeing and finding plants at your local garden center is always benefited by seeing how different plant work together or not. Many mistakes are made when selecting plants. Plant of similar needs tend to work well together.

Brand New Family of Cardinals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFRwA7Hg6jM

Waiting For The Sun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf2sXkGZgT0

Waiting For The Sun

Waiting for the sun, as many are getting rained out. I put together photos taken from my backyard garden and set it to music, so watch and enjoy. Butterfly garden has attracked a lot of butterflies and Hummingbird moths, they move fast.
Summer time can have its share of work so cut back the overgrown stuff and anything that has gone to seed or has died back. Keeping the garden clean of debris will keep down pests and disease.
Keep up on keeping the weeds down.

Brand New Family of Cardinals

Check out the you tube video good music set to a series of a Mother and Father Cardinal feeding their young. Taken in my backyard garden. It is great to be working at home to be able to take pictures like these.
Balanced living. Work from home doing what you love to do and make a good living at it. Setting up a good home based business is easier than you may think. Do you and your loved ones a big favor and learn how you can do it too.
www.NowYouBeYou.com

Sunflower at Night

Happy sunflower that found its way into one of flower boxes on the deck. When i first put in the flower boxes I had to plant them each year, For the past many years we only had to add compost and fertilize. Every thing from Asters to Zinnias seem to pop up. Cilantro and tomatoes are some of this year's self sown surprises.

Jersey Gardener: Bonsai Pruning and Training#links#links#links

Jersey Gardener: Bonsai Pruning and Training#links#links#links

Bonsai Leaf Prune Update

As you can see from the picture of a Japanese Maple Bonsai in training, the leaves have been growing back and the color is more intense.
Over the years of doing this the leaves will begin get smaller. A really cool technique to improve the scale of you Bonsai.
The art of training these small copies of giant trees take a very long time. But the satisfaction of training your own living art will be great. May your Bonsai tree out live your very long life.

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