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Yew is the best hedge plant there is. In all my time around hedging plants, I have never heard anyone say anything against it. A yew hedge plant has it all, superb windbreak shielding you from prying eyes and blotting out the evidence of passing traffic a few feet away. Yes, it drops its needles, but discreetly and they seem to melt away before you have time to fetch a broom. Its colour is magnificent - it is to hedges what British Racing Green is to generations of Lotus owners. And that colour a dark, rich green, putting Lotus to one side, makes a wonderful backdrop for other plants - shrubs, herbaceous plants, roses, even vegetables.

Some think yew is a bit ‘church yardy’ - rather gloomy and domineering. Not if you keep it below 8 feet - by the way I can’t contemplate a hedge that would not be the centre of attention if it was over 8 feet tall. Just think of giant hedges (the beech hedge at Meikelour for example) - they are the main attraction; people travel hundreds of miles just to see the hedge and forget the rest. But just tall enough to hide the top of your six foot neighbours head is about ideal - and easily trimmed.

Lower than that, and your hedge becomes an internal divider, separating garden ‘rooms’. You can give this shorter style of yew hedging more definition by using upright forms such as Irish Yew (Taxus baccata fastigiata) at the ends and corners of hedge runs. The upright yews are ‘more column and less spread’ and so are purpose made to be clipped into square or round pillars; formal but effective.

The number one reservation that people have about planting a yew hedge is that ‘everyone knows it is really slow growing’. At the risk of offending ‘everyone’ - they are wrong and it is not. Don’t believe me; just take a look at a hedge near you. We are only a few months into the growing season and newly planted and young yew hedges are roaring away. I have a trough in which I grow bare root yew plants at 3 to the metre to show people what a newly planted hedge looks like. They went in at the beginning of December (a good time to plant most bare root plants by the way) and have grown by over 8 inches (20 cms) already. Given that the growing season has at least three more months to go they will easily top a foot (30 cms) for the year. Remember mine are newly planted and containerised. Established and in open ground they would have grown more.

No article on yew hedging would be complete without a few words on clipping and pruning. As with any hedge plant the early, formative clipping is important. Be gentle but firm. Trim the sides into a ‘batter’ so the hedge is wider at the bottom than at the top. This lets the light reach low down and stops the hedge getting leggy. Do this as soon as your plants begin to grow away strongly - by the end of June if they were planted before Christmas, not until the end of August if they were planted between January and March. Leave the top of your hedge alone until it has reached its final height (which for a six foot hedge is probably four years after planting). Then clip the growing tips of the plants - they will never regain their vigour after that.

Don’t clip your yew hedge plant after the end of September - this leaves enough time for it to grow a little and smooth sharp edges or maybe cover any mistakes…

Talking of mistakes, the yew will re-grow willingly from old wood so the errors of your ways will not haunt you to the grave (as they do with Leylandii). As an illustration, if you cut a strongly growing yew plant down, the stump will sprout. This is a bit extreme, but if your yew hedge is gappy or, more likely, over time gets wider than it should, simply cut the whole of one side back to the trunks in the middle of the hedge in late winter. In a couple of years, that half will have regenerated and you can do it again on the other side.

Plant your yew hedge this winter - it will make your heart sing for the rest of your life.

Anna Stenning is knowledgeable on the world of yew hedge plants and planting hedges, for the best in long term growth and maintenance.

Growing roses in Anchorage may sound intimidating, but it isn’t. With no more effort than required for most container plantings, your summer can be filled with roses!

Growing roses organically and keeping them healthy means getting the dead wood, damaged wood and anything that starts to look diseased (and don’t compost these trimmings) out. Thin out your rose bushes to keep them from being crowded.

Growing roses in the different places requires patience. At the height of summer, your roses may not bloom at all and when they do, the flowers are apt to be disappointingly small and pale with crispy leaves. Growing roses in containers is a challenge as they are naturally deep rooting and few will grow well with the constriction of a small volume of compost. For the best results grow plants in large and ideally deep pots.

Growing roses from seed using pots from this point on is the same as the technique below.
Now, remember: Growing roses doesn’t have to be a challenge. You can grow a prize winning hybrid tea rose, old fashioned cabbage roses, sprawling ramblers and climbers or the perfect fragrant rose if you know how to care for roses simply. Planting in the ideal good soil conditions at the right time and when done correctly can be one of biggest success “secrets”.

Always try to minimize damage to roots but roses grow well from even bare root. Planting potted roses doesn’t have to be a taxing experience.

With the right knowledge given to you in simple step by step format can make the task a great deal of fun. Planting repellant vegetation close to vulnerable plants is believed to offer protection. Examples of repellant plants include marigolds, onion, garlic and hot peppers. Potted roses may be available at other times. For a wider selection, rare species or heritage varieties, look out for a specialist rose nursery, either located near you, or offering plants for sale by online or mail order. Potting stocks into containers of small to medium volume is suitable, and in the invention good results are obtained with containers having volumes of 1 litre or less.

A specific embodiment used a 0.4 litre pot and gave a very high overall rate of budding, including rebudding when initial budding had failed, of about 97%. Soil amendments should be added to the entire bed not just to the planting hole because roots quickly grow beyond the amended hole. Add 2-4 inches of organic material and mix amendments thoroughly and evenly to a depth of 12 inches. Soil serves to anchor the plants and to provide an environment from which the roses can absorb the nutrients dissolved in water.

A good loam is ideal, which means around our area most of us will need to ament our natural soil with peat and other organic material. Plastic pots are the most economical, they last the longest, and they hold water the best. The plastic 7-gallon squat pot costs around $2.00, as does the 15-gallon pot.

Plastic fares better in cold climates where freezing may actually crack clay containers. Clay containers do provide a cooler condition for the roots during hot weather. So enjoy your rose garden hobbie, there is nothing like roses and once they start growing you will love it even more.

For more info about Lawn irrigation Sprinklers and sprinkler systems visit these sites.

Many times we buy plants on impulse then find there is nowhere in the garden that really suits them. Before buying plants carefully examine your garden to see how much sun and shade it gets, whether the soil is well drained or waterlogged and whether your aspect is sheltered or windswept.

You’ll then be equipped to go and buy the best plants for your situation; shade-loving plants for the sheltered areas, sun-lovers for the warm spots, drought-resistant plants for the parched areas which may be either sunny or shaded, and swamp plants for the poorly-drained parts.

But wait! Test your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and what kind of nutrients you need to add, if any. Is the soil acid or alkaline? Most plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic, but there are some that must have alkaline soil to grow. You can alter the soil’s pH level, but it’s much easier to simply plant for the soil you have.

Now you are ready to plant. Well - almost. Will you plant in groups or singly? If you buy ‘one of everything’ your garden may seem rather spotty. Group plantings are organised, harmonious and you can vary the colour for interest.

Before planting out, place your chosen plants around the garden bed in their pots to see how they will look. Re-arrange them until you are satisfied. Grouping plants in sets of threes or fives usually looks better than planting in groups of even numbers. Be sure that you have an interesting combination of colours and textures of plants. Tall plants should go to the back or the centre if your garden will be viewed equally from all sides. Try to keep your plants away from trees. The roots of trees are fiercely competitive and will steal all the nutrients and moisture meant for your flowers.

The right colour scheme is one way to maintain the harmony in your garden. Imagine the colour of the flowers when they are in bloom. Some colours may clash with others, but can still be planted side-by-side if they have a different blooming season. Foliage colour is also important. Many flower plants have silver, grey or purplish foliage that is just as attractive as the flower. This means that they are still attractive well past the blooming season and so have added value.

In Search of the Best Gardening Tools

Different kinds of gardens require different kinds of garden tools. Hardware stores mostly cater for a wide range of tools, but there are shops that specialize in the more expensive kind of garden tool that shouts quality. Wherever you decide to shop, here are a few pointers to advise you.

Do you have small garden or a large one? A small garden will not require the same large equipment that would be of use in an extensive one. A ride-on mower is unnecessary if you only have a small strip of lawn. Another point to consider is who does most of the gardening? Some tools are too heavy for use by women.

When you buy secateurs make sure the blade always stays sharp to avoid damaging the plant. Look for models that have blades that can be sharpened or replaced, models with tension control and with sizes that best fit your hands. Secateurs usually cost around $50 - $130.

Hedge trimmers or shears are handy - but only if you have a hedge, or plan on growing one. Some hedge trimmers have curved blades to stop branches from sliding out when cut.

Forks are used for turning and aerating compost and breaking up lumps of soil. The cheaper ones are often not strong enough for heavy soil, so go for sturdiness instead of price. Forks usually cost around $30 - $100.

A shovel has a scoop blade and is best used to move around dirt and garden soil. A spade has a flat blade great for cutting edges, digging and dividing plants. The edge of a spade should be kept sharpened for clean and efficient cutting will cause the least amount of damage to plants. These are a basic garden necessity and usually cost from $30 - $50.

A pruning saw is used for pruning trees and larger shrubs, while secateurs are for plants like roses. Pruning saws have a narrow curved blade that fits between stems or branches and easily and cuts them as you pull the saw backwards. They are approximately $27- $55.

A chipping hoe is a handy tool for getting rid of small weeds. The Dutch or push-hoe is slightly more user-friendly as the action required to use it does not jar the neck and shoulder quite so much.

A rake is also a basic requirement for the garden. The strong rake with the flat head and sharp metal prongs is used for smoothing a garden bed and getting out the last of the bumps and weeds. The plastic rake is used to gather leaves and grass clippings only.

Gardening tools don’t have to be expensive. Flea markets and garage sales can be excellent places to pick up great tool bargain.

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs

For more information and resource links on gardening visit: Fine Gardening

Hydroponics was derived from the Greek word hydro, which means “water” and ponos, which means “labour or water-working”. Hydroponics gardening involves growing plants with their roots in other nutrient solutions and without soil.

Hydroponics gardening is as simple as ordinary gardening. Both of them necessitate sufficient light, water, temperature, light, and humidity. But with hydroponics, no soil is used. Instead a soil substitute holds the roots while nutrients are carried by the water. Indoor hydroponic gardening is not that hard and plants respond well to this method of growing.

This is one of the major considerations in hydroponics gardening since it sustains the plants. One has to make sure that this nutrient solution maintains a pH level of 5 to 6 after dilution. In hydroponics gardening, the plants should be watered more than three times a day. This is usually done using a pump and timer.

If your hydroponics garden is located indoors, the most suitable temperature is between 71 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, this temperature may change depending on the different types of plant you are working on, e.g. tropical plants.

Place your plants somewhere they can receive ample amount of light. Otherwise artificial light must be used. High pressure Sodium lights or bulbs are a suitable substitute for natural light.

Humidity is good. When the room’s temperature rises, the air will be able to hold the sufficient amount of moisture your plants will need.

A hydroponics system can be fully automated. Since it is water-based, the gardener has no soil to dig or weeds to pull. Also, the water can be re-used to prevent wastage.

With hydroponics, an excellent yield of quality plants can be easily achieved. Home hydroponics systems and DIY kits are readily available in most hardware stores.

Healthy hands are the Gardener’s Best Tools

Here are the major reasons why one should consider getting a pair of trusty gardening gloves:

Gloves protect your hands from blisters, thorns and cuts while doing rough work like digging or pruning in the garden. Investing in one or more pairs of quality gloves is a good decision. Here are some tips on how to choose the pair that will suit you best:

1. Look for quality leather gloves with a cloth back; this will let the gloves breathe and keep your hands dry, cool and comfortable.

2. If mud bothers you, select rubber gloves with cotton lining.

3. When spraying pesticides or chemicals choose gloves that are made from neoprene. Gloves made from latex or any type of plastic may not offer the best protection.

4. When pruning roses, use gloves that reach up to the arms.

5. If you usually operate large garden machinery, buy gloves in brown instead of red as the latter may dye your hands.

6. Light cotton or even fingerless gloves may be useful for transplanting seedlings. They will allow more dexterity and so help to prevent the tiny roots from being crushed.

7. And of course, make sure that the gloves you buy actually fit your hands. If you have small hands, try the children’s gardening section. There’s nothing worse than trying to garden is gloves that are too big.

Your gloves must be comfortable as well as give protection to best serve your gardening needs.

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs

For more information and resource links on gardening visit: Fine Gardening

What is butterfly gardening? Simply put butterfly gardening is the art of growing flowers and plants that will attract these colourful and dainty creatures to your garden. Delight your family and visitors with beautiful butterflies, but be sure to create a safe habitat for them. If you own cats rethink your plans, because it would be a shame to attract these lovely insects to their death.

The design your butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference. Typical points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Pick a style of garden that appeals to you, but ensure it also contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract.

It is important to find out which plants and flowers will attract the species of butterflies. That lives in your area. This information can be found at the local library
To create the kind of environment that they find attractive, you will also need water of some kind. A birdbath will look attractive and keep the butterflies up off the ground, away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. A shallow dish on a post or hung in a tree will do just as well.

When planting your butterfly garden is careful how you coordinate the colours you choose for your flowerbeds. Although butterflies do not care about your choice of colour, you don’t want your garden to be a hodgepodge of unrelated colours and textures. Butterflies are attracted to those flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, like honeysuckle, milkweed, summer lilac, Valerian, daisies, Purple Coneflower, Yellow Sage, day lilies and lavender.

Some people find it helpful to draw and colour a layout of their butterfly gardening plan to see what the finished product would look like. Keep in mind that warm colours like red and orange are flashy and showy. These colours have a greater impact against a strong green background. Cool colours such as blue and purple are soothing and toned down and would work better with a white contrast to create the look of freshness and brightness.

Benefits of Gardening for Kids

Apparently, we can see how nature is treated these days. It is a sad thing to know that people do not pay attention so much anymore to the environmental problems. What can we do about this? It’s as simple as starting with the children. It is good to see the children’s involvement with environment-friendly activities. One such nature-loving activity that children could easily get their hands on is gardening. Why should you consider gardening for your children?

Here are the benefits that gardening could easily provide the children with:

1. Science

In planting, children are indirectly taught the wonders of science like the plant’s life cycle and how human’s intervention can break or make the environment. They can have a first hand experience on the miracle of life through a seed. This would definitely be a new and enjoyable experience for the kids.

2. Life

Watching a seed grow into a tree is just as wondrous as the conception to birth and growth of a child. In time, kids will learn to love their plants and appreciate the life in them. Gardening could actually help simulate how life should be treated — it should be with care. The necessities to live will be emphasized to kids with the help of gardening - water, sunlight, air, soil. Those necessities could easily be corresponded to human necessities, i.e., water, shelter, air, food. By simply weeding out, one could educate how bad influences should be avoided to be able to live life smoothly.

3. Relaxation

Studies show that gardening can reduce stress because of its calming effect. This is applicable to any age group. More so, it stimulates all the five senses. Believe it or not, gardening may be used as therapy to children who have been abused or those who are members of broken homes. It helps build one’s self-esteem.

4. Quality Time with the Family

You can forget about your stressful work life for a while be soothed by the lovely ambience in the garden. You can play and spend quality time with your children. You can talk while watering the plants or you can work quietly beside each other. The bottom line is, always do what you have to do, together with your kids. You might discover a lot of new things about your child while mingling with them in your garden.

Let kids become aware of their environment’s needs. And one way to jumpstart that environmental education may be through gardening. It’s hitting two birds with one stone — teach them to respect life while you bond with them.

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs

For more information and resource links on gardening visit: Fine Gardening

Organic Gardening is gardening without the use of man-made chemical pesticides or chemical fertilizers. It is said by some of its supporters to be more in harmony with nature. An organic gardener strives to work in harmony with natural systems and to minimize and continually replenish any resources the garden consumes.

Organic Revolution - The organic revolution is a global phenomenon witnessed in every part of the world. Global organic food market was about USD36.7 billion in 2006 and over 30 percent or USD13.6 billion of the global demand stems from the US, according to Datamonitor.

Organic Food - Organic food refers to food items that are produced, processed and packaged without using chemicals. Organic food is increasingly becoming popular due to its perceived health benefits over conventional food. Droves of people are turning to organic produce as a way to feel safer about the foods they eat. People are worried about the foods they put into their bodies. With all of the reports of food poisoning from fruits and vegetables, many people are worried about what they are eating.

Organic Cosmetics - The organic concept is not limited to food items. Due to excessive usage of harmful chemicals in cosmetics, people are turning towards organic cosmetics also . One can often see organic skin care products, organic shampoos, organic soaps, and organic make up products on the shelves of organic stores.

Organic Chemicals - We now know just how dangerous all of those chemicals that we spray plants on can be, too. Many chemicals have been banned because they were shown to cause cancer! But some of these dangerous chemicals have not yet been banned, and there may be plenty of hidden dangers that have not yet been discovered.

Organic Gardening - When you garden organically, you can feel safer about the food you eat. You all know that the food you are feeding your family is safer and healthier than the questionable stuff you find in the grocery store. You and your family deserve to eat food that will not give you all cancer!

For example, organic carrots are widely known for being much sweeter than traditionally-grown carrots. They do not have the same bitterness that other carrots can have. This is a very good reason to grow your produce organically, even if you are not worried about the chemical effects to your body and the environment.

There are obviously a few drawbacks to gardening organically, too. You have to deal with pests differently, and it can be a longer and more complex process to rid your plants of certain pests. Instead of picking up some chemicals, you have to pick off insects by hand and drop them into soapy water.

You have to spray your plants with solutions made of things like hot peppers and garlic to prevent some bugs from eating them. It can be difficult. You also have to stick to organic fertilizers, rather than using easy chemical fertilizers.

Then anything that depends on the second species for food might start to die. This could spin out of control if the problem became too widespread. This is unlikely, but it is not impossible. Organic produce is also known for its superior flavor.

Organic Fertilizers - Organic fertilizers can actually be cheaper, because you can make them yourself. Fish emulsion is a common organic fertilizer. It is a sort of tea made from dead fish. Seaweed fertilizer is another tea-like fertilizer that many organic gardeners swear by.

And of course there are natural compost that can help you make use of your kitchen waste! The benefits of organic gardening far outweigh the few drawbacks. It may be a bit more work, but it is so rewarding!

Wildlife Protection - Organic gardening is also extremely beneficial to the environment for several reasons. For one thing, every time you spray your plants with chemicals, those chemicals wash off of your plants and onto the ground. From there, those chemicals wash down into the ground, and eventually make it into the groundwater!

Chemical fertilizer kills too many species of insects that can cause an imbalance in the local wildlife. If you and your neighbors kill off a large portion of the population of one insect, then anything that depends on that insect for food might also start to die off.

When the insects on your plants are poisoned, they can be eaten by birds or other animals. These animals can then become sick and die. If the toxicity was high enough, any animals that eat those animals might also perish. This can have a very strong environmental impact.

As you can see,the advantages and benefits of organic gardening far outweights its disadvantages and costs. Organic gardening not only protects us and our families, but also future generations.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - EarlyPlanet.com