If you have a patio, then you would have definitely thought of getting outdoor patio lighting. You should know though that this kind of lighting is not something that you can just randomly pick from a store and install. There are a couple of things that you need to have in mind when shopping for outdoor patio lighting.

Why You Need Patio Lighting

Having outdoor patio lighting is not just about trying to make your home patio look as classy as a hotel or resort patio. Installing patio lighting is all about creating the right atmosphere and promoting the safety of your property. Outdoor patio lighting should therefore be correctly chosen and carefully installed to both get your desired ambience effect that you want and to illuminate dark areas where people could meet accidents. Read the rest of this entry »

Azaleas are a flowering plant with a lot of panache. They put off an impressive show, and if done right, will continue to do so for years to come. However, like any plant, you need to give them a good start for good results. Planting them in the proper spot, giving them the right amount of water and food and providing the appropriate maintenance will help you have perfect azaleas. Following is a guide to ensuring the success of this beautiful flowering shrub.

Most azaleas are store bought. When choosing the azalea in the store, be sure to choose a plant that has green leaves and lots of flower buds. If the plant is at all weepy or the leaves are limp, this plant will probably not do well and may be diseased. A good choice will produce a rewarding plant. Read the rest of this entry »

Hello all bonsai devotees. How are you? My name is Suhendra. I want to tell you my experience on how to keep, treat and create black pine bonsai. Perhaps this experience is only suitable for tropical area and I hope those who plant black pine will also have different experience to share. I have tried to plant black pine since 5 years ago (around 1980) when I got the seed from a friend traveling abroad.

I have known and fallen in love with black pine bonsai, since I had learn about bonsai for two years from a foreign book on how to treat and create bonsai by practicing directly, so that I gradually master it. When I learned that book, I saw a picture of black pine and Cemara (Juniperes) bonsai that were so beautiful and robust. Even more so the black pine with its cracked bark so that it looked old, antique and elegant. According to Taiwanese bonsai grower, black pine could live in both winter and summer. In those seasons, its leaves are still green and thriving, so that we can call it evergreen tree. From books I have read, I’m sure that this tree could grow in tropical area. From that time, I had been determined to get that kind of tree and tried to plant and grow it in Indonesia. Read the rest of this entry »

Buying the best azalea shrub offers a gardener many choices for various landscapes. The Southern indica azalea hybrids are the most popular flowering shrubs for warm climates that includes the Formosa azaleas of white, pink, red, purple, magenta, violet, and lavender. Other outstanding Formosa azaleas are Duc DeRohan, Dutchess of Cypress, G.G. Gerbing, George L. Tabor, Madonna White, and South.

Kurume azaleas are evergreen azaleas with considerable cold hardiness and were introduced into the United States around 1915 from Japan. Japan has a climate much like mid-Atlantic and Southern States, and Kurume azalea plants thrive in these similar climates. Kurume azalea shrubs grow small waxy leaves and are considered to be dwarf azalea plants, growing 4 feet tall, but rarely some cultivars reach 6 feet in height. The flowers of Kurume azaleas bloom in colors of pink, purple, white, red, orange, and lavender, and some produce double flowers (double rows of petals). Coral bells is important as a pink azalea to plant underneath windows, and the intense flowering habit is also notable in the pink ruffles azalea and the red ruffles highlights any garden landscape planting. Snow is a pure white Kurume flowering azalea cultivar. Read the rest of this entry »

The perfect soil does not exist and most gardeners have to make do with whatever nature or the house builder has left them. The soil itself ultimately governs which plants will grow well and anyone who doubts this should try to grow rhododendrons on chalk or lime. This plant and an alkaline soil are quite incompatible. Soils in Britain vary enormously between heavy clays and light sands. A child can tell the different between muddy clods of clay and dry sandy grains and these physical differences matter to the garden.

Clay is made up of tiny particles so small that they cling together and will not easily allow even water to pass between them. They have the same effect on a spade or the root of a plant. Sand, on the other hand, is made of comparatively enormous grains. They are so large that water washes easily through them and incidentally drains away a lot of nutritional material. They are so loose that sand will pour off a spade and give little support to a root system. Read the rest of this entry »