When landscaping yourself, always start with a small area, and add space and plants as time and money allow. Start close to the house where you can enjoy your progress every day.
Ivy is one of the easiest, most successful container plants. It can be trained up a topiary, or be left to fall naturally from hanging baskets.
Picking off flowers frequently encourage most annuals to flower more abundantly.
Garlic to the rescue: if you put 1 or 2 garlic cloves into your rose bushes, they will never be bothered by aphids or other insects.
You can remove the faded flowers from bulbs, but the foliage must be left on to provide the bulb with food for next year's flowers.
A dose of caster oil saves ferns: add 1 tbsp. castor oil and 1 tbsp. children's shampoo to a quart of warm water, and give each plant a 1/4 cup of the mixture.
A drop of mineral oil added to the silk of corn will prevent the worms from eating your corn. Has worked well for me.
Always mix your plant food with very warm water because plants will take it up faster.
The best indoor insect repellent for house plants is pieces of moth ball crystals applied directly to the surface of the soil.
The best mouse trap bait is pumpkin seeds; you'll find that mice can't resist them.
When planting early vegetables, put on south side of house or shed.This will protect from northern winds, and allow walls to absorb heat and then release that heat at night.
Don't throw away those extra seeds left over from planting. Most seeds will last in a dry cool place for about 3-4 years.
To bloom nonstop, container plants need both a lot of fertility and water almost, if not every, day. Since watering washes out the nutrients, this presents a problem. Use your own compost as a top-dressing, or use a good organic fertilizer.
The sound of running water from a fountain or pool will attract birds to your yard, to bathe and to drink.
Avoid planting related crops in the same spot year after year, for example in the tomato family the related crops are eggplant, pepper, potato and tomato.
Another way to make your garden interesting is to create a garden skyline by incorporating raised beds, pedestals, and containers that lift plants, flowers, and small trees up.
When adding mulch to any garden try using a living mulch which is aged mulch that is basically mulch that turning to compost and mulch together. You get the best of both worlds.
Use your lawnmower to lay out the shape of a new bed. You can form interesting curves, knowing the turns will be easy to maneuver, and avoid hand-trimming.
Keep a bag or barrel of dry leaves next to your compost pile to cover up kitchen scraps - this will prevent the attention of critters and flies. If they persist, bury the kitchen scraps deeper inside the pile.
Good landscaping includes variety and balance: consider color, density, size, and shape, and remember that contrasting colors stand out.
Wash edible blossoms thoroughly before eating - first in salt water, then in cold water, to remove dirt and tiny insects.
Placing your compost pile in a protected area, or in a compost bin, will keep it from washing away during a rainstorm.
Any sort of garden that's meant to be a living space needs a floor. Consider a few slabs of stone, brick pavers, small gravel, or wooden decking.
During the spring, if you don't have a soaking rain every 10-14 days, begin deep watering your trees and shrubss.
For fastest results, turn your compost pile every two weeks. Finished compost should look and smell like dark, rich soil. Use a compost turning tool to make it easier on yourself.
