Gardening Services Guide

Archive for the ‘General Gardening Tips’ Category

The incredible beauty of flowers, their extreme accessibility and the intoxicating “spell” they are able to cast on people, who remain awestruck just by looking at them, have caused flowers to be a main subject in photographic art.

This “art of reproducing art,” as photography is sometimes called, sees in the flower an ever-prized subject for pictures that will surely be appreciated by a large and varied public. In particular, especially in order to be used in books, magazines or on web pages, flower gardening pictures have become very common.

The beauty of a garden picture does not depend on using the latest super-technological photographic equipment. Many photographers and gardeners alike believe that the actual photo is there even before the “click” of the camera; a well-designed garden or a healthy beautiful flower in bloom is a piece of art just waiting to be captured, regardless of the medium of capture.

It is also up to the author of the picture to bring out as much (or as little) expressed beauty of the particular flower gardening picture. Depending on what the purpose of the picture is, the photographer can choose to focus on a wide area, a small area, flowers or structures in the background or foreground, or individual flowers; he or she can choose to photograph during the day or in the evening, accentuate the sunny parts of a garden or peek in at what’s going on in the shade. Moreover, the photographer can choose to directly express his or her thoughts on the scene or leave something to the imagination of the viewer. With this much creativity, a flower gardening picture is never merely a cold reproduction of reality, but an expression of vibrant life.

A good flower gardening picture needs this creative expression, because in the majority of cases, its main function is to attract people, to create an interest in the viewers about what they are seeing. A flower gardening picture should transmit the potential of the art of flower gardening.

Indeed, flower gardening pictures can be found in magazines, flower gardening guides and flower gardening encyclopedias. These pictures are useful to give a gardener an idea of what a finished garden or a particular garden design will look like; these pictures are meant to spur you on to either trying the design for yourself, improving upon it, or deciding to outright any similar ideas (if you don’t like the way the design looks).

Furthermore, these pictures will illustrate a particular arrangement of containers or a particular flower that is healthy and in full bloom; again, these pictures are to help the viewer decide on options for his or her garden.

The everyday gardener can even benefit from the use of his or her own flower gardening pictures. Many gardeners recommend keeping a garden journal, full of pictures. The pictures should be “before and after” pictures; take a picture of the spot where you’ve decided to start planting, then over regular intervals of time, of the gardening coming to life. Make sure to note what flowers were planted when and where. This way, you’ll have a future record of what worked and what didn’t, and what gardening designs you liked or weren’t too happy with.

Indoor gardeners who live in regions that have cold winters must keep in mind that although their houseplants are protected from the snow and the icy winds, there are still precautions they must take and adjustments they must make for winter indoor gardening. There is much more involved than just turning up the thermostat.

First, if you buy any new plants during the cold months, make sure they are well wrapped in paper bags or newspaper for that short trip from the store to the car, and from the car to your home. Even a brief exposure to the cold can damage or even kill some indoor plants. Do not put them in the trunk of your car. Put them in the front of the car, and turn on the heater.

You control the climate in your home to a considerable degree, but your home is still going to have warm spots and cool spots, and dry rooms and humid rooms. In winter indoor gardening, different plants will respond in different ways to these conditions. Remember, during the winter, indoor heating often causes the air in the home to be dry. Some plants, like the baby rubber plant, the baby cast iron plant, the heartleaf philodendron and most cacti tolerate dry air quite well. Many other winter indoor gardening plants do not like dry air at all. You can tell if a plant is undergoing stress due to dry air by several symptoms. The leaves become brown or curled, the edges turn yellow, leaves drop off prematurely, flower buds become “blasted”, and the plant needs more than the usual amount of water. You can move the plant to a more humid part of the house, like the basement. But here you will have to compensate for the loss of sunlight. You could also leave the plant in its original location, and install a humidifier. If that option is too costly, try making your own humidity tray.

To make a humidity tray, line a shallow, waterproof tray with stones and pebbles. Pour enough water into the tray to cover the bottom half of the layer of pebbles. Place your potted plants on the tray. The pebbles draw the water up, and a tiny humidity zone is created as the water evaporates. Be sure to maintain the water level in the tray.

During winter indoor gardening, keep plants away from cold drafts. Some plants might even have to be placed near a heat register. Always remember about providing artificial light if necessary. Make sure there is good air circulation in your home. If your winter indoor gardening involves bringing outdoor plants into the house, do not leave it until the last minute. The first frost might kill them. If you do your winter indoor gardening with care, you will have your own little Eden in the house, even while the storms rage outside.