Desert Willow
By Therese | February 12, 2009
Deserts are full of plants that have adapted to a harsh environment. Not only must they deal with a lack of water, but also with temperature extremes that can go from 150F during the day to freezing at night. On top of all that, the soil is full of salt. The desert willow is such a plant. It has adapted to life in the desert. It even throws in some bright flowers.
Technically the Desert Willow isn’t a willow. In reality it’s part of the Begonia family. No other Begonia grows in the entire state. These plants also grow in northern Mexico and southwestern Texas. If makes its home in the Sonoran, Mojave, and Chihuahuan deserts.
It’s a big plant. The trunk can be as much as 6 inches thick. Overall the plant can be as much as 25 feet long. The leaves are even large, three to six inches long with sharp ends. Their flowers can be up to 2 inches long. Cigar like fruit can reach 8 inches long. The fruit contains winged seeds.
The Desert Willow is a phreatophyte, a type of plant that grows long roots to absorb water either from the ground supply or water table. If they flower, it’s a sure sign water can’t be far. That’s means some digging will probably produce moisture. This plant will not flower without water. A desert wanderer can look for these flowers to find water. Don’t look for a Desert Willow in the ultra-dry deserts like the Atacama Desert where water is really scarce.
The Desert Willow is also called Mimbre. It’s also used to make a tea. That’s done with the seed pods and dried flowers. The wood is strong enough to be used in fence posts. The plant is therefore an integral part of human life in deserts where the plant grows.
A willow that’s not a willow, a desert plant that only grows when there is abundant water. The Desert Willow isn’t the standard plant found in this type of environment.
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The Enduring Sahara Desert Plants
By Therese | February 12, 2009
The Sahara Desert is often considered bereft of life. But enough Sahara desert plants exist to make this thought untrue. Conditions such as little water or hot temperatures aren’t as important as the way that plants adapt to survive in this harsh environment.
Some aquatic plants persist in the same way as do annual plants, with dormant stages in their life history that are stimulated to develop by occasional sufficient rainfall. Although being a desert area, one can notice annual rainfall in many regions of this vast land area.
Following the last Ice Age the Sahara desert was quite different than it is at present. The types of Sahara desert plants that existed there received much more moisture. Not only do the plants there survive with little moisture, a lot of moisture would actually kill them. Consider species that live in places like Antarctica. They’d be in trouble in places that were much warmer.
Typical Sahara Desert plants include shrubs and grasses. Since grass grows over such a large area and has an easier time of finding water. The grasses in the desert won’t become sick and green like they would in a suburban yard, but they do okay. The same can be said of the trees. Don’t expect leafy shade trees like the ones in the country pictures.
One reason leaves are a huge disadvantage for Sahara Desert plants is the amount of surface area they have. Evaporation can happen in an instant in the desert. Losing a lot of moisture would doom a plant. Wide leaves provide too much surface for evaporation. But thin needles don’t promote evaporation. The same reason applies to why cacti have thick trunks, so evaporation is less rapid. Water conservation is the key.
Sahara desert plants also have to survive in soil that’s full of salt. Many of these plans are a type that does well with salty soil – haphytes.
The Sahara Desert, as do hot deserts in general, presents a number of challenges for plants that grow there. Yet many Sahara desert plants grow and even thrive.
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Making Your Irrigation Systems: Drip Irrigation Supplies for You
By Therese | February 12, 2009
There are multiple methods for taking care of lawn and garden plants. So, choose a method that can simply suit your plants. Drip irrigation systems, lawn & irrigation sprinklers are just some alternatives you can think of.
With sprinkler systems, you can spray water on the plants from the top. Varieties of devices available for your irrigation task. Rain bird sprinkler is one of such system. Know something about sprinkler heads, sensors, and controllers and how they work. And use them for making your irrigation system.
Rain birds are so common these days owing to their efficient irrigation features. Both, manual and automatic modes are these in these systems. Because of such features, most of the farmers and irrigation professionals prefer these devices for their watering purpose. You can also choose lawn sprinkler heads. They are oft-used because of their durability and low cost. The Rain Bird T-Birds series and the 5000 series rotors are also widely used.
You can not think of installing a rainbird system without using rain sensors. The sensors are made of sponge-like materials. This sponge facilitates expansion when it gets wet and also contracts when it dries out. In this way, sensors are useful in regulating water-supply and facilitate you putting your system off when it rains and make it run again after the rain!
If you measure the shape or size of your garden lawn, you will come to know how many sprinkler heads will be needed to irrigate your desired area. On the basis of your plant types and the water distribution needs, your system can be chosen.
Varieties of rain bird components are there that can be used for making an irrigation system. For instance, controllers can control your irrigation supply.
If you wish to have powerful Lawn & irrigation sprinklers for your garden plants and lawn, get hold of necessary drip irrigation supplies to making your own watering system.
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The Thriving Desert Plant
By Therese | February 12, 2009
Ever wonder how a desert plant survives in such a harsh environment? It would almost seem impossible to live in such extremes of cold and heat, with a lack of water, and soil full of salt. But to live, the flora in these wastelands have developed a number of physical characteristics as well as behavioral practices that are simply amazing.
Consider the Saguaro cactus. Cacti are desert plants that have found ways to survive. One adaptation is to replace leaves with thin needles to minimize moisture loss. Also, they generally have very thick trunks or stems that often appear to be bloated. This allows them to store moisture far from the surface, again protecting it from evaporation. Two other things help us Saguero survive. First, it begins life in the shade of a “nurse” tree or shrub, to protect it from the sun. You’d find shade under that hot sun too. It can reach 15 feet high, but the growth is very slow, maybe an inch each year. These things ensure that the Saguaro will become strong.
There are common adaptations shared by many desert plants. Xerophytes, such as the cacti and specifically the Saguaro Cactus, have the needles instead of leaves and share other methods of gathering and storing water. Phreatophytes are another type of plant that has adapted. Their roots are deep enough to reach all the way down to the water table. Two other general adaptations are important.
Many desert plants are perennials, that is plants that live for a number of years. When it’s hot and dry these plants are dormant. When it rains they awaken. This is how they survive.
Another category of desert plants are the annuals, which live for only a season. Unlike the perennials whose strategy is to stick around for a long time, the annuals only bloom when conditions are right. They only live when conditions are more reasonable, then they die.
You can bet that whenever you visit the desert you will see some amazing desert plants.
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6 things not to do when gardening
By Therese | February 12, 2009
don’t mow
What a waste of time this is. You devote enormous efforts to making the grass grow – watering, fertiliser, weed treatments – and then once or twice a week you chop it all down again. Doesn’t make sense. Leave the grass longer. Or have a wild flower meadow. Do something !
don’t dig
A lot of effort here. You dig your vegetable patch, and then use half of it for walking on when you tend your growing crops. Make life simple by laying out permanent paths so that all your “patch” can be reached from a path. And when I say permanent I mean: just lay out the cheapest possible paving slabs as your path – directly on top of the weeds and grass you can’t be bothered to dig up. Line underneath with plastic fabric if you like to stop weeds coming through the cracks. With this layout you can keep all the little parcels of land loose and uncompacted.
don’t weed
Tricky – you don’t want to fight nature (see below) but it might not be quite right to let the weeds take over. So compromise – make sure that your ground is fully covered by plants that you want. Don’t leave bare soil – that’s what the weeds want
don’t use your own compost
A potential disaster area this one. If you look carefully through your compost you will find hundreds of little white, round, glistening eggs. These are slugs and snails eggs and will repay your efforts to raise them by eating your plants. Make your compost if you like but don’t use it. Better by far to use composted municipal waste or farmyard manure.
don’t use insecticides
If you want a really good crop of greenflies (aphids) then spray insecticide early in the season and wait for the result. You will have thousands of really nice greenflies, which otherwise would have been eaten by the ladybird larvae, which you knocked out when you sprayed. The trick works because the ladybirds are on a longer lifecycle than the greenfly, and their population recovers more slowly. I’ve stopped spraying insecticide, and after nature had time to recover have suffered very little from insect attack – just occasional bursts of caterpillars (pick them off, there’s rarely very many) and aphids on the growing tip of broad beans (just pinch out the tips – it doesn’t matter the bean pods will have already formed below ).
don’t fight nature
It’s a waste of time, and long term nature usually wins. There’s a brilliant book by Mark Winston called Nature Wars which is captivating reading and which covers exactly this ground. But the important thing for you is to able to defend yourself against your critics when you leave untidy patches in your garden. You just say that you’re not trying to battle against nature. And you would be right.
Don’t …………….er
I couldn’t think of the last one, but YOU can. Please write !
Chas and Daff write about new landscaping topics at www.landscaping.com where there’s more information on similar themes. Please visit and write your “dont”.
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Cedar and Patio Benches For Your Outdoor Living Space
By Therese | February 12, 2009
As many people enjoy their look on their decks or patios, cedar garden furniture is frequently employed on them because the furniture is made from cedar, a common North American hardwood. A clear grade western red cedar commonly used to make outdoor garden furniture. Only if a piece of garden furniture can adequately thrive in conditions brought on by sun and rain should the garden furniture be purchased. Frequently, other weather conditions, such as the snow, sleet, and hail conditions found in the northern part of the United States, are a consideration in buying garden furniture.
Western red cedar helps combat these issues because it contains oil that acts as a natural preservative which helps the wood resist rot. After the first production of Adirondack Chair (the first chair made from this wood) became available, there was a nationwide desire for this furniture. The ability of cedar to withstand whatever Mother Nature threw its way inspired the federal government to begin utilizing the material in their own park benches. The financial hardships of the Great Depression allowed the federal government to install many benches made of this material in parks through the work of the WPA. The WPA was a work program created by President Roosevelt at the time to help those in this country who were unemployed. Many cedar trees were cut down by those in the WPA and those cedars went towards things like park benches.
Mold and mildew prevention also made cedar popular for the making of chests. This feature was especially preferred by sailors who used the chests at sea. Funeral directors were quick to use cedar for their coffins, too, along with pine. Some of the doctors in England remarked that if they could bury those affected in cedar coffins it would prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Throughout the centuries, cedar has been diverse enough to be used for many things.
Today one of the primary uses of the wood is in cedar garden furniture, because the beautiful wood is desired by many to decorate heir patio or home. Many of the richer members of America have their patios and gardens inlaid with cedar as this matches the beauty of their patio furniture. Many people are able to find items like serving trays and carts, and other accessories that are made from cedar as well with the stores Wal-Mart and Target being good places to find such items. Department stores (Sears and J.C.Pennies, for example) sell cedar garden furniture at affordable prices. For those that prefer to do their shopping online, you can purchase cedar garden furniture and other items.
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A garden pool for the summer
By Therese | February 12, 2009
Recently I went along to an exhibition with a friend who has been looking for an outdoor swimming pool and it was quite an eye opener!
I had no idea as to the wide variety of pools, spas and hot tubs that are on offer. I had not given them much thought but having spent a really informative morning looking around I went home with loads of ideas. I have the perfect spot for an above ground pool in the garden.
The cost of these pools are surprisingly much less than I had anticipated. You can buy a fair sized one starting at around £1300. There was one I had my eye on was 12ft in diameter and held just over 11,000 litres of water.
They can be installed above or below ground level and one question I needed to know was do you need planning permission to have a structure like this in your garden. As a general rule the answer to this is no unless you have a listed building in which case this would not be a viable proposition.
One important point to consider is the fact that in the beginning it will look great when it is just set up and ready for use, but it will need maintaining. There are a lot of pool accessories on the market to help. In fact there is a whole list of things to be considered for instance heaters, chlorine, pumps, pool vacuum cleaners and also swimming pool chemicals test kits. Most of these items are a one off expense and it is mainly the chemicals that will need replacing.
Having weighed up all the pros and cons I think it could be a brilliant idea. It could make a really nice feature in the garden and hopefully if we get this brilliant summer that has been predicted then there will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy a pool of our own.
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Above Ground Pools Have Come a Long Way
By Therese | February 12, 2009
Modern above ground pools are loaded with features that you didn’t have in your childhood plastic swimming pool. There are lots of reasons why they are gaining in popularity over in-ground pools. For example, they are considerably less costly. They’re easier to install. However, they still feature many of the advantages of the in-ground pools.
A galvanized steel frame is the basis of most above ground residential swimming pools. The metal is specially coated to make it rustproof. It will hold up for years to come if you take good care of it. The pools are designed to withstand the high levels of pressure associated with so much water. They are also able to handle the wear and tear that comes along with boisterous water activities.
Up to date materials are used to make the interior hard-wearing and good-looking. It’s practically impossible to poke a hole in these composite resins. They won’t be damaged by the strong chemicals typically employed in maintaining a pool. Plus, it’s easy to clean this type of material.
A ladder is essential for climbing into the pool. Ladders today are made from strong plastic or resin and are unlikely to be damaged. In addition, they won’t develop rust like their chrome cousins. You can purchase a basic plastic ladder quite inexpensively, and it will give you many years of service. You can also attach a slide to add to the fun. Even your dog can join you in the pool if you purchase a pet ladder.
When you’re not using the pool, a pool cover is necessary to keep out debris and leaves. As well, swimming pool covers can be a colorful feature of your pool. They’re fabricated from tough PVC to make an efficient covering for your pool. Some are basic tarps that you fasten down. Other more sophisticated products utilize a rod and reel to make the process easier. The fastest and simplest is an automatic pool cover. Simply press a button and the pool cover starts rolling up. Another good product is a solar pool cover. It takes advantage of the heat from the sun to lower your pool heating bills.
Electric filter systems for above ground pools are a relatively recent innovation. The filter is placed on the ground where it’s not in the way, and has a hose that goes into the pool. The hose takes water from the pool and passes it through the filter. After which it goes back into the pool.
It’s quite apparent why above ground pools are becoming more and more popular when you compare them to in-ground pools.
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Why not splash out on a garden swimming pool this summer
By Therese | February 12, 2009
With the weather starting to get us all down I have been looking into the possibility of buying a pool for the garden in readiness for the great summer we are hoping to have!
There are so many on the market today and there is a lot to learn about the various types there are to buy.
Some fairly popular pools are the above ground type. They come in many colours and designs starting at really quite basic to quite luxurious.One point to bear in mind is that a ladder would be required to get in and out of these types of pools which might not be ideal for the young or the elderly.
Overall I think that the swimming pools which are built into the ground are the favourite choice for most home owners. It is possible to get more of a depth with these which is an advantage.
Of course there is always a certain amount of maintenance with either one of these pools. It is extremely important to make sure that the swimming pool filters, pumps and any mechanical parts are regularly maintained.
Of course when your new pool is first put in it looks so inviting. Just sitting there admiring the glimpse of the cool clean water saying “come on in” on a hot summers day! It is not always appreciated however how much it takes to keep your pool to a high standard.
Swimming pool chemicals are a must when it comes to keeping the pool in a healthy condition. There are Chlorine and Bromine feeders and it seems that with the aid of the systems on offer today there is really no excuse not to keep your pool in pristine condition.
There is nothing worse than the look of a neglected pool. It can become a breeding ground to mosquitoes and various other pests which in fact carry diseases. It would probably be a wise precaution to get a cover for your new pool and keep it clean from the start.
So weighing up the pros and I think this will be a brilliant idea and something to look forward to in the summer months ahead.
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The Tools You Need For a Beautiful Lawn
By Therese | January 27, 2009
A couple of centuries ago, the only way to cut grass was with a scythe. And most people didn’t see the need to cut the grass back then. Lawn care has come a long way since then. When it comes to proper maintenance of your patch of grass, there is a huge assortment of lawn and garden tools that will make the job so much easier.
If you have a lawn, you unquestionably need a lawnmower. It might be difficult to understand that your grass actually has to be hacked off in order to remain in good condition, but it’s true. A lawnmower will likely be your most expensive purchase when it comes to lawn care. However, if you maintain it well, it should last you for many years to come.
But you need more than just a lawnmower in order to make your landscape immaculate. A lawn trimmer is required for those awkward spaces. You might choose to use the traditional hand operated model that looks like a giant pair of scissors. The other option is an electric device that uses a plastic string to chop off grass and weeds. The string spins at ultra high speeds and is very powerful, so be careful when using it.
Another piece of equipment you’ll need is a spreader. These will help you to evenly distribute things like grass seed, weed killer and fertilizer that will keep your lawn looking its best. You can purchase a spreader in a push style with small holes and a mechanism that releases the contents as you go. The other kind is a hand-held spreader, typically plastic with a handle that turns to release the contents. These are appropriate for smaller areas that might need a little reseeding or spot fertilizing.
You’ll also need a rake in order to scoop up all the leaves on the ground in the fall. If you don’t rake them, these leaves might cause damage to your lawn over the winter. In the springtime, as the snow starts to melt, your grass will be suffocated and dehydrated by this covering of leaves.
Even if you raked up the leaves in the fall, you’ll still find that your grass has become matted over the winter months. This makes it difficult for air, water and other nutritional requirements to reach the earth. Your rake will come in handy once again to straighten up your lawn.
It’s practically impossible to tend to your yard without a shovel. A shovel with a narrow head is good for attacking clumps of weeds. For moving soil and digging plants, you’ll need a good sized square or rounded shovel. Actually, you’ll find this tool useful for a wide variety of backyard activities.
Purchase the highest quality equipment you can and take good care of it. Tending to your lawn will be considerably more pleasurable. You’ll also be the envy of your neighbors.
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