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The Parts Of Evergreen Care

The evergreens most commonly used for foundation planting around homes prefer fairly light, well drained soil in which has been incorporated peat moss or other well rotted organic matter. They are relatively shallow rooted and so deep beds need not be dug.

Spreading type evergreens should be planted at least 3 feet away from foundation or walks to give them plenty of growth space.

Frequent watering of both tops and soil is necessary, especially during hot, dry summers. Fertilize in the spring, using a balanced garden fertilizer. Do not overfeed. especially if slow growth is desired.

Dogs should be kept away from evergreens, by use of small fences.

By topping or pinching side growth, evergreens can be trained to desired shapes without too much trouble. Mugho Pine “candles” (the new growth) are commonly cut back to their length in the spring to produce a compact growth. When Pfitzers or other spreading type evergreens grow too long and “leggy”, they can be pruned in mid-summer by cutting off the long branches. Make the cut so that it is hidden behind a new, shorter stem and the pruning will not be noticeable.

Conifers and aglaonema maria can greatly enhance the beauty of a home and care should be taken to remove dry, dead branches around the base. Do not prune aglaonema maria around the base of healthy trees, or spaces will appear between the ground level and the level of the first branches.

As with other evergreens, conifers should be protected from dogs.

A number of insect pests attack evergreens and conifers, particularly sucking and boring insects and so, as soon as the first signs of any damage are noticed, a control like malathion should be applied.

Conifers and other evergreens are subject to “winter kill’ or wind burn. This commonly occurs when the soil is dry in early winter. Thorough watering to soak the soil well around the roots in late fall or early winter is recommended to help overcome this wind burn never let evergreens go into the winter season dry.

September 21 2009 | Gardening | No Comments »

Beautiful Landscape Lighting

Whilst having a great garden is important you should consider ways of allowing the beauty of your garden to shine through in different types of weather situations. Some people also like to have the opportunity of having their garden lit up in the night. For these people, looking at different landscape lighting options will allow you the chance of having your garden looking just the way you want it, no matter what the natural lighting conditions are.

In order to provide the best landscape lighting conditions, you will be able to choose from a wide variety of lighting fixtures. These fittings can be in the form of lamps, lanterns, spotlights, halogen lights and even solar-powered lights. The price of these lighting fixtures varies for each style of light.

If you are planning on using landscape lighting you will have to choose where to place the lighting in order to get the best lighting effects. You may also want to consider which lights will provide your garden with a bright lighting. You can look in landscaping magazines to obtain an idea of the various ways that landscape lighting fittings can be used.

While it is possible to get ideas for placing landscape lighting in your garden from landscape magazines there is another way too. For this method, you have to look at your garden in the daytime and in the night time. In the morning you will need to look what spots in your garden would be improved by the use of landscape lighting. When night falls look out at your garden again and see what areas would benefit from the use of lighting.

Then, the morning after this nocturnal inspection, you should go out into the garden and mark out roughly where you think there is a need for lighting. Once you have looked at this area properly, try imagining what type of lights would be of use. You can then go to the garden store to look for these lights, once you have decided on the kind of landscape lighting.

Then, after you have found your perfect lights and you have read the instructions on setting them up you will have to commence setting up the landscape lighting in a way that will make the maximum out of your garden. You ought to try subtle and strong lighting to decide on the best for your garden. Coloured lighting is a good option too. You could use a dimmer to trial stronger and subtle lighting.

Once you have finished your tests and have installed your final lighting, you will see what a difference having the right landscape lighting can make to your garden. From now on, when night falls, you will see the beauty of your garden in a different light.

If you thinking about using modern decor lighting for your home or garden, please visit the previous link or for further landscaping ideas, please visit Landscape Gardening Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.

September 20 2009 | Landscaping | No Comments »