Potentillas are absolutely indispensable shrubs. Amongst their virtues is the ability to grow practically anywhere in any soil except dense shade or a weeping bog. I cherish the dozen or so specimens and varieties which grow here, and enjoy the flowers which open in succession from May until September. They look a little untidy after leaf fall, but this can be forgiven in a shrub so thoroughly worthwhile.

Katherine Dykes, tall at 5 ft., opens primrose-yellow flowers throughout the summer. Klondyke, a dwarf at 18 in., has sparkling golden-yellow flowers. My own favourite, Longacre, makes a neat bush 18 in. high, and has cascades of good quality yellow blossoms. Primrose Beauty has more shape than most, with grey leaves and cream flowers. Tangerine has flowers of a delicate copper orange when grown on a lime soil in light shade and is well worth a corner.

I restrict pruning to a general thinning of overcrowded branches in March. Cuttings semi-hardwood in July are child’s play to root, and I also gather up a rich harvest of self-sown seedlings.

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The variety I grow as aurea-variegata has, like so many favourites, suffered a name change and must now be known as maculata.

Fortunately, despite this, the grey-green leaves splashed with gold still add a touch of warm bright colour to the borders. The form known as variegata has foliage with a broad margin of yellow which gives the shrub an air of Victorian formality.

The Chilean Fire Bush, Embothrium coccineum, was a lunatic piece of extravagance which succeeded beyond my expectations. The first bush planted 17 years ago on what was then an exposed hillside is now a small tree 15 ft. high. The label reads Embothrium coccineum Norquinco Valley. Each year in June the profusion of scarlet flowers against the perfectly contrasting deep green of the leaves make me eternally grateful that, ignoring all the advice offered, we insisted on trying the impossible.

Both coccineum, which is identical in most respects, except hardiness, with its variety above, and lanceolatum are well worth a place even in the most select garden. The latter, unlike Norquinco Valley, does have its young growth cut by late - frost but grows away strongly in spite of this. A well-drained soil amongst heathers will suit the species and varieties admirably. Propagation is by cuttings of firm young shoots from June to August.

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Double lilacs are not my taste as a rule, but Charles Joly, a dark red, is worthy of space. Edith Cavell, cream to pure white, has not the character of the other fine white, Madame Lemoine, but shows sufficient resilience to grow on very wind-swept situations.

Paul Thirion, the last to flower with trusses of rose blossom fading to lilac, is like so many inhabitants of this globe, admirable when young but with a distinct tendency towards decrepitude with advancing years.

The best plants are those grown from layers in spring, but unfortunately most varieties, unless hard pruned, do not produce the right quality of wood low enough to be pegged down at soil level. Some will root from cuttings of semi-ripened shoots in July, but the task requires patience.

In S. x prestoniae can be found a race of hybrids quite unlike any of the others. They are vigorous and tolerant of a vast degree of exposure and soil types. The flowers are carried in large loose panicles. Audrey, deep lilac to pale pink, has made a bush 10 ft. high in 16 years in my garden and improves each year. Royalty has violet-blue flowers and is much the same height.

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Other Factors in Garden Creation

So now you’ve picked out what type of garden you will have, what the
location will be, and what kind of fertilizer you need, now is the time to
really get started in choosing your garden environment. First you’ll want
to choose what your garden barriers will be. What will separate your
garden from the rest of the world? Next you’ll want to choose the
decorations and support for your plants. Often some kind of metal mesh is
necessary to keep your plant standing up. You will also want to choose how
much soil and fertilizer to buy, and how to arrange all the plants in your
garden.

Choosing a border is actually a fairly important step in getting your
garden started. It might not actually affect the well-being of the plants,
but having a garden is a fairly aesthetic ordeal for many people anyways.
So usually you will want to choose between metal and wood. You can stack
up boards around the perimeter of your garden, and give it a rather nice
cabin look. If you’re looking for a more modern look, you can obtain some
metal lining at your local home improvement store for rather cheap, and
installation is medium difficulty.

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This is a magnificent family which includes the lovely winter-flowering Jasminum nudiflorum. I always grow this as a wall plant and the long rambling shoots are then displayed to the proper effect.

A pergola, stump, even an old stone gate post are all methods I have adopted as support and pressed into service when no wall space could be provided. As a free-growing shrub the shoots should be hard pruned to encourage a proliferation of side branches but this to a certain extent spoils the character.

Propagation is effected by chopping away rooted pieces from the parent or if preferred by cuttings.

The white-flowering fragrant climber, is rather more demanding, though it becomes a strong vigorous climber capable of covering a ‘12-ft. high wall with ease. Propagation of both species is easily effected by means of semi-hardwood cuttings in July - August.

Like the rhododendron, kalmia is a shrub which resents a soil with the slightest trace of lime. Given a medium to their liking, they make shapely evergreen bushes, 4 to 6 ft. high in the case of Kalmia latifolia, the Calico Bush. The bright pink flowers which are exquisitely formed with deep pink stamens merit close appreciation. Pruning consists of removing the dead flower heads.

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February in the North is an exceedingly trying month for “the home gardener” The days are growing longer and winter seems to be on the wane, but there is so little that can be done and there is a great desire to be doing something. Some gardeners just cant wait to get started and they do things that should not be done.

For example, there are those who make the mistake of starting flower seeds in the house expecting to get a head start on the coming season. In the North, February is much too soon for this. The germination of the seeds is not the problem; they sprout very readily, but seedling plants do not have good enough growing conditions in the house at this time of year.

When they have grown a few inches tall, they start to lean toward the light and soon grow pale, thin and spindly. What was started with high hopes soon becomes a great disappointment and usually discourages the eager gardener from trying this interesting and profitable adventure when it should be done, under more favorable circumstances and at a time when there is a very good chance for success.

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If you are looking to jazz up your water garden, one of the best ways is to add some Black in there. One great type of fish that go well in almost any water garden is the carp, or as it is known in Japan, the Black Koi.

One thing to remember however is that before you add any new life into your pond, a little bit of research will go a long way. You need to make sure that Koi will be right for your pond, and that you can take proper care of them and ensure the proper ecosystem within your pond.

If you didn’t already know, Koi is just another name for carp, which is a large species of fish that originated somewhere around Asia and Central Europe. There were several species of carp even in the beginning, and this led them to be easily domesticated throughout South East Asia and China. They were even used as a food source in and around Asia. By the time the fish made it to Japan, they became known as Koi. This creature is extremely hardy, and can withstand many different climates and water types and conditions. This hardiness is what allowed Koi to spread throughout Japan and many other new locations.

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What Kind of Outdoor Furniture do you Have?

What kind of outdoor furniture do you have? This is oftentimes the question asked that helps one determine how to decorate or adorn their garden, backyard or lawn.

If your home is situated in a wide expanse of real estate property or even those with just enough open space in their front or backyard, then wouldn?t it be nice to add a bit more spice to make it more presentable or attractive, especially one that would make you want to spend a little more time lounging in your yard.

It may cost you somewhere around a few hundred dollars to even thousand, however, the choice is yours.

It?s how you want to see it and how you would want be fulfilled with what you do, the possibilities are endless and you have a lot of options to choose from.

But first, it is important to know which kinds of outdoor furniture you can choose from to not only make your backyard, garden or lawn look good, but one that will also help you make your choices on a more practical side and help you save money in the long run.

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Before leaving the subject of group planting sphagnum moss should be mentioned as a possible plunging material. Moss of this kind has many advantages, not least the fact that it is light, clean and easy to handle, and that difficult plants seem to do particularly well when plunged in it. Recalling my personal. experience with the success of a difficult plant may help to emphasise the advantages of this material.

There are many beautiful dieffenbachias available, the majority of which are a little difficult to care for; Jenbuchia Pia can be among the most troublesome. The main difficulty is that the leaves contain very little chlorophyll, being almost entirely creamy white in colour.

This in itself makes it a very fine plant for exhibition work, and it is especially useful and attractive when incorporated with blue saintpaulias. On the nursery no one was very keen to be given charge ofgreenhouses containing D. Pia, as the chances of success were not particularly good.

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How to Make Your Outdoor Furniture Look Good

Outdoor furniture always looks good on display, especially brand new ones that is waiting to be sold to the next excited buyer, but don?t fret, because you can have a similar showroom look for your backyard or patio if you know how to make your outdoor furniture look good.

Maintaining and ensuring that your outdoor furniture will look good is not rocket science, all it takes is a little ingenuity, tender loving care and the time to make sure that you will always make it a point that your outdoor furniture will last longer and in the process help you save money.
As mentioned before, outdoor furniture will always look good on display, especially when it is still at the showroom of a furniture store, but once it gets settled down in your lawn space, patio, veranda or backyard garden, nature will try to take its toll on your furniture.

Strong wind, bird droppings, dried -up water deposits, decaying leaves, sun exposure and a whole lot more factors will constantly beat up your outdoor furniture, which in turn could cause it to look dull for those made of chrome or stainless metal or the rustic look for those made of wood.

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