The Importance of Garden Decor

Author: Denny Soinski

Article: The Quest for Significance

People are looking for ways to add significance, peace of mind, a quality experience, and an escape from the "rat-race" in their lives. Stated differently, people want to add depth and meaning to their lives. One way to accomplish this, it is asserted, is to make or purchase decor for your garden.

Make Your Garden Unique

Garden decor, along with things related to gardens, provides a return to nature, a sense of spirituality, and a return to the earth as people journey on their quest for significance and ultimate meaning. Moreover, through the use of decorations, gardeners reveal their quirks and shortcomings, their wit, their creativity, and their desire to make their gardens unique.

Transform Your Life

Gardens and their ornaments are symbols of enchantment, of mystery, of meaning, and of ultimate being. Another way of looking at this is to see that gardens and garden accents provide the power to transform one's mood and one's life. To be sure, garden accessories can become symbolic reminders of life's blessings as they encourage people to enrich their surroundings by transcending the mundane.

The Gardening Imagination

Garden ornaments help people take an active stance in their lives by enabling them to create a niche in the world that is in concert with their values and their dreams. Indeed, it is this "gardening imagination" that provides people with the opportunity to select meaningful objects that speak to their senses, to their experiences, and to their lives.

An Invitation to Add Garden Decor to your Life

Websites that sell garden decor can be viewed as invitations for people to experiment and let their imaginations run free so that they can, with conscious effort or with playfulness, select the accents that they like—decor that speaks to their dreams and to their soul. With this in mind, look at the different products that are sold and select garden accessories that help elicit childhood fantasies. Examine the different garden accents and choose ornaments that speak to your inner self.

Let Your Personality Shine Through

Garden decor helps calm the spirit, soothe the soul, and delight the senses. By letting your individuality shine through as you select your decorative accents, you will transform your garden into one of the most meaningful experiences in your life. The challenge is to capture moments of wonder, joy, and inspiration and experience the lasting pleasures of beauty and the splendors of nature by decorating your garden in a way that is congruent with your noblest thoughts, feelings, and aspirations.

Your Garden Sanctuary

Strive to decorate your garden with ornaments that magically call you to return to your garden sanctuary. Look at different garden products and decide on decorations that motivate you to tap into your playfulness or into your artistic bent as you contemplate how you will decorate your garden. In a word, you can add richness, depth, and a sense of discovery to your garden with different garden ornaments.

Summary

In conclusion, garden decor is significant because it is an invitation for people to open themselves to the magic, to the wonder, to the meaning, and to the pleasure that gardens and garden related accessories can bring to their lives.

About the author: Denny Soinski is the owner of the highly successful company "Water Fountains and Garden Decor." Denny's website http://www.water-fountains-and-garden-decor.com features garden decor accents including water fountains, vases, birdhouses, lanterns, sculptures, birdfeeders, planters, and windchimes. This article is copyrighted (c) 2005 by Denny Soinski and may be reprinted in its entirety as long as this byline and copyright statement is included.

Daylily: A Perennial Favorite

Author: Sherri Allen

Article: Whenever a beginning flower gardener asks me what to plant, my answer is always the same -- daylilies. Without a doubt, daylilies rank high among the easiest, most adaptable plants for the flower garden. Daylilies will stand up to all but the most severe abuse and neglect, repeating their colorful show year after year.

Growing Habit: Like their name Hemerocallis (""beauty for a day"") indicates, the individual daylily flower lasts only one day. A single plant may produce over 50 flowers, however, extending the blooming period of a plant for several weeks.

Daylilies produce a wide array of blooms. Some varieties provide single trumpet-shaped flowers. Others are double, ruffled, fringed or spiderlily-like. Bloom sizes among varieties range from 2 - 8 inches. Gardeners especially value daylilies for their wide range of colors, as there are varieties available in every color except blue. Some daylily blooms are a single color, but many are multi-colored.

Most daylilies have arching foliage that grows 18 to 24 inches tall. Some varieties have erect foliage, however. Some grow as low as 12 inches and others reach 3 feet. Leaf color ranges from pale green to dark green with a bluish cast.

Daylilies are perennial plants, with deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen varieties available.

Location: You can find daylily varieties for all U.S. zones, however, daylilies thrive in zones 4 - 9.

Although they are adaptable to most soils, daylilies do best in slightly acidic, moist soil that is high in organic matter and well drained. Excessively rich soils may result in increased foliage growth and decreased blooming.

Daylilies prefer full sun, but will tolerate light shade. In the hotter regions, some light afternoon shade will protect the blooms of some daylily varieties from fading.

Although daylilies are drought-tolerant once established, consistent watering while they are budding and flowering will produce better-quality flowers. During hot weather, they should be watered at least weekly with 1/2 to 1 inch of water to encourage the best and longest-lasting show.

Propagation and Planting: When planting daylilies, whether divisions or newly-purchased plants, you should dig a hole slightly larger than the roots to be sure the roots are allowed to spread out. Make a small cone of soil in the center of the hole and place the plant on top, fanning the roots outward and downward. Carefully work the soil in around the roots. The crown should be set not more than an inch or so below the soil surface. Tall cultivars should be spaced 24 to 30 inches apart with smaller types 18 to 24 inches apart.

Daylilies are very easily propagated by the division of old clumps. You should divide clumps when they become overcrowded, usually every 4 to 6 years. For very vigorous cultivars, you may need to divide them more often. The best time for dividing old clumps and resetting divisions or new plants is from late summer to late autumn. You may also plant them in the very early spring, however this may result in decreased blooming the first season.

To divide a daylily clump, cut into the soil around the plant with a spade and then lift the entire clump out of the soil with a garden fork. To separate the plant into individual fans (a grouping of leaves with roots attached), shake it to remove as much soil as possible. If necessary, use a hose to wash away excess soil, then work the roots apart into good-sized clumps of 3 - 4 fans each. You should replant the new divisions as soon as possible, however, they should be able to survive for several days if protected from the heat and sun.

Pest and Disease Prevention: Daylilies are usually free from pests and diseases. Aphids and thrips sometimes feed on the flower buds. These pests can be easily controlled with insecticidal soaps, dishwashing liquid mixed with water in a spray bottle or simply a strong spray of water.

Landscape Uses: Daylilies are most effective when planted in sweeping drifts or masses. They are attractive in the perennial flower border when 3 plants or more of the same variety are planted together. They can add great amounts of color to a landscape naturalization project.

Daylilies are also perfect for tough gardening situations. They are salt tolerant, so they do well near the coast. When planted on slopes and steep hills, they form a dense mat that helps prevent erosion. Daylilies are even useful in areas prone to brush fires, as their roots are engorged with water and, when planted in mass, can stop a brush fire in its tracks.

Culinary Uses: While most flower gardeners are familiar with daylilies, few know that practically every part of the daylily is edible. Daylilies are actually higher in protein and Vitamin C than most of the vegetables we eat. Some common ways of eating daylilies include adding fresh buds and blossoms to salads, as well as battering and frying them like squash blossoms. Dried daylily petals, called ""golden needles"" by the Chinese, are an ingredient in many Chinese recipes, including hot-and-sour soup.

Daylilies are adaptable, vigorous perennials that thrive in the garden, even when neglected. They are easy to establish and multiply quickly. They are virtually pest- and disease-free. They even taste good. Go out and find a sunny spot in your garden to add a new daylily. You will quickly discover why daylilies are one of the flower gardener's favorite plants.

About the author: About the Author: Sherri Allen is the editor of an award-winning website devoted to topics such as family, food, garden, house&home and money. For free articles, information, tips, recipes, reviews and coloring pages, visit http://www.SherriAllen.com/

Gardening for Kids

Author: Judy Williams

Article: Children are continually bombarded with advertising for fast food and unhealthy treats. One of the most important lessons you can teach them is how to tend and grow their own food from the garden.

There are plenty of quick and easy projects that the children can get involved in. The projects will teach them about nutrition, nature, recycling and organic gardening. That's a good outcome!

The no dig garden is a particularly good project for children because the garden can be built and planted in just a couple of hours. You do not have to prepare the garden for weeks in advance, as with other growing methods. There are detailed instructions for building a no dig garden on my website (www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com). If a full on garden seems too ambitious at the start, try something simpler.

<li>Growing bean shoots is the quickest way to grow edible things. In just a few days, the kids will be able to pop fresh bean shoots in a salad or sandwich or just eat them as they come. This will also work with alfalfa, cress and snow pea seeds. Put the seeds into a clean, wide mouth jar and place a mesh material over the mouth. It must be a material that water and air can pass through, but not the seeds. A bit of discarded pantyhose secured with a rubber band will do. Soak the seeds overnight in water. Next morning, drain the excess water and place the jar on its side in a bright room, near a window. A couple of times a day, re-wet the seeds, drain and return to the bright space. The seeds will sprout and grow very quickly and within a few days will be ready to eat.</li>

<li>To propagate your own garden seedlings build this portable greenhouse! Wash a 2Lt plastic bottle (soft drink or soda water type) and using a knife or sharp scissors, cut it in half along one side. Force it open and fill one side with good quality potting mix. Plant your seeds and water gently. A very light mixture of water and liquid fertilizer will kick start the seeds. Close the bottle back up and seal with tape. Place the bottle in a sunny position. Your seedlings should be well on their way and ready for repotting in 2-4 weeks.</li>

<li>Do you know very young children? Introduce them to Hairy Harry! Take one of those pairless socks every household has and sew on some eyes and other facial features. Put some lawn seed in the sock end and fill with garden soil, potting mix or compost. Fill the sock until the face is filled out and tie a knot in the sock, making sure the mix inside is packed tightly. Water the sock regularly, or prop it on top of a container with water. The loose end of the sock will act as a wick to draw up the moisture. Place in a sunny position. In a couple of days, Harry will have a full head of green hair! In a couple of weeks, he will be ready for a hair cut or styling makeover! </li>

<li>Children love eating things fresh from a garden. For convenience, you might want to plant close to the kitchen where the children can harvest items under your watchful eye. So consider doing quick growing plants in containers. Cress, radishes and lettuce will be ready the quickest in 6-8 weeks. Next in line are dwarf beans, cucumber, cabbage, tomatoes and onion which will be ready in 8-12 weeks. Most others, including the popular carrots and potatoes will need 16-20 weeks to mature. You could be harvesting from this little garden for months!</li>

Encourage your children to nurture their little garden, which ever project you choose. It's a great way to teach them practical skills and fill them forever with the wonder of nature.

About the author: Judy Williams (www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com) aspires to become a fulltime earth mother goddess. This site acts as a primer for all vegetable gardening aspects covering topics like how to build a garden, nurture seedlings, container gardening and composting.