From the web – Container Gardening

looking for small(dwarf) flowering shrubs suitable for western pennsylvania, some for spring bloom and some for summer into fall bloom. Would like to have color in landscape area thruout the nice season. also smaller colorful perrenials also for color donot want ones that grow more than 18 inches.

Azelea, rhodies, forsythea, tulips with daffodils,& spring bulbs for spring, followed by bleeding hearts & Forget-me-nots.

Josee lilac blooms late spring & continues to flower intermittently til frost. Just 4-6′ tall.

Columbine & Primerose

Variegated Weigela flowers from late spring into fall. The variegated leaves add interest.
Lily-of-the-Valley (mid-late spring)

Peony Sorbert has pink & white blooms in early summer, & its foliage turns red in autumn.

Hardy roses & Hydrangea are nice for summer.
Hardy Cyclamen, Astilbe, Daylilies,(late summer-early fall)

Blueberry for fall red leaf color besides blooming earlier in the season.
Mums, Asters
The red leaves of the burning bush is also good for fall color.

What Perennials can I grow in containers in front of my house on a shady street. I live in Philadelphia.Pa. I am not sure what zone I am in
I live in an old rowhome I get most of my front light between sunrise and 10:30AM

http://www.gomestic.com/Gardening/Six-Awesome-Edible-Plants-for-Your-Patio-or-Balcony.111503

http://www.gomestic.com/Gardening/Brighten-Your-Garden-with-These-White-Perennials.120686

the first link is about 6 awesome edibles that grow well in containers

the second is about brightening your garden with 6 Perennials..

enjoy them both.. the first is very popularl

If so, what are they, please? e.g. seasonal changes in the plant life, or animal behaviour?

There are seasonal changes in surface primary productivity in the ocean. The largest plankton bloom occurs in the spring, and a smaller one occurs in the fall. Oceanic primary productivity is governed by available light and nutrients. In the ocean, most of the nutrient-rich water is in deep water, where phytoplankton cannot grow. But when temperature difference between surface and deep layers grow small enough (such as during the winter and fall), upwelling can bring nutrients to the surface. There is a lag between the winter upwelling and spring bloom, because phytoplankton can only bloom when they have enough sunlight (during the spring) and when mixing slows sufficiently. (Strong mixing can bring phytoplankton below depths that can support photosynthesis.)

Some seasonal changes also occur in the deep ocean, though they are not as pronounced. The deep ocean receives most of its food from sinking detritus, so food would be more abundant after phytoplankton blooms.

Creating a herb garden in pots is a practical way to grow your own healthy herbs. What is your advice on creating and maintaining a potted Herb garden?
- Yates -

1. First of all, choose a suitable pot. I find that self-watering pots are best as I don’t have to worry as much with watering and I can’t over-water them.

2. Choose a really good potting mix so that it is free from bugs and disease. I would also put in a slow release fertiliser as that will help to make it grow better and more healthy. You can add more fertiliser every fortnight, especially while they are young.

3. Put in those water crystals as they help to retain the mositure even more which is important with all these water restrictions.

4. Grab a packet of seeds or some live herbs and put them in at the right depth and make sure you space them correctly. The seed packet/plant wrapper should give you this information. This is important cos you don’t want your herbs fighting for soil and water.

5. Position the pot in the right amount of sun, but make sure they don’t get scorched in the summer. Also, don’t let them dry out!

6. If you have pests like insects or animals like possums, put some netting/wire around it to keep them from being dug up. A good DIY solution is to use a few sticks and an orange bag from the grocery store, stretch out around it. An organic insecticide could be useful if you have insect problems. Give the herbs enough room so that bugs don’t thrive in hidden areas.

Or, she is still celebrating her birthday at fancy restaurants in DC?

SHe’s going to put on her $3,000 tennis shoes and pass out soup to the homeless there

This is my first water garden, I just dug a small pond and got the liner in. Well, of course it rained last night and now my pond is filled with muddy rainwater. It is less than 100 gallons, so pumping it out wouldn’t be out of the question… just annoying. I wasn’t planning on installing a filter since it is a smaller pond, just using a fountain to circulate and oxygenate the water. Planning on putting in plants and goldfish in a week or so. Is there any other options for removing the dirt from the water besides draining or getting a filter? I was also wondering if anyone knew of any good websites with info on caring for water gardens.

A filter will not remove dirt on the bottom. Your best bet is to pump or wet-vac it out.
I have written over 50 pond care articles. You can find them all on my website at
http://www.pondlady.com
click on articles.

As the title suggests. I live in a flat and don’t have any garden space, but we do have a number of fairly large window-boxes – around 12" deep, 12" wide and 40" long. I’ve always grown herbs in them, but is there any kind of vegetable I could hope to grow in a space like that? I understand that potatoes and butternut squash are a bit out of my reach, but there must be something that could grow there? Tomatoes? Peppers? Onions? Could I just seed something in now and hope it sprouts?

Thanks, keen gardeners!

I used to have the same problem, but I successfully grew beans and peas, lettuces and spring onions in planters, and tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, strawberries and peppers in growbags. If you don’t want to get growbags you could grow these things in the planters too but just remember they need a good rich soil and plenty of watering! Growbags are ideal because they provide exactly the right soil and retain water well. You could probably even give butternut squash or pumpkins a go in a growbag (one plant to a bag) if you’ve got room for the plant to sprawl (or guide it up a trellis).
I wouldn’t have said it was worth bothering with onions, as you won’t get much of a crop in such a small space. Go for more expensive and productive veg instead, like the above.

Good luck!

I saw this on a DIY gardening segment.. the guy took some styrofoam (?) blocks, carved them out and added paint.. at the end he had something that looked just like mossy aged stone! He used them to make a really beautiful container garden. Does anyone remember seeing this/can give me more information or a link? Thank you so much!
To anyone who was also curious, I found this link on another message board… This is what I was looking for! Thanks!

Having been involved in theater for more than 45 years and having art as one of my passions, I’ve made faux "rocks" among other this as set pieces.

Certainly they are water resitant.

If you can’t get large blocks, you can glue multiples together then carve as you wish. The better part of this suggestion, will take some $$$ but well worth it.

Using cheese cloth cover the carved piece, then with a brush apply a product called "Foamcoat" It adds strength and a better surface for paint.

Once it has set, trim any excess or residue from around the base of the piece and pain to suit you, Model your paint job after some "real" rocks, for the best effort to attain realism.

Then after, place them wherever you want.

It might be fun to carry them around, especially if others can see you, and how STRONG you are…smiles.

Steven Wolf

Are you shopping for the real estate? So how much land you think that you need? When and if the amount of essential land important? As you shop for the real estate, it becomes necessary to consider the actual amount of land that is attached to property. Few homes are built up on larger pieces of land whereas few others are situated up on smaller lots of buildings. Any size of the land parcel would definitely influence the real estate price. The land location would also influence the property price. These are the very details which a person must know about when inquiring more about the real estate.

When a person buys his share of real estate in some city or any large town, he is unlikely to get a home on a larger parcel of land. Quite many homes in cities or large towns are often built on some building lot which is equal to houses on the street and the blocks. When an individual is checking for a house in some city, up on a larger piece of land, he would pay quite a high price for the same. Homes in cites or large towns normally have tiny pieces of land at the front and small portion of land in the back side of the house.

Few of them who purchase real estate in country side or in the rural areas are often guaranteed with some sizeable portion of land along with their buy. As the rural areas are never as congested, homes are usually built on bigger pieces of land. Homes are not necessarily constructed in rows like done in the city. Here the real estate is often scattered around areas with varied pieces of land going on separating them.

Amount of land any person would need would essentially depend largely up on the intentions and interests. When an individual is planning to have some vegetable garden, they would require a fair sized parcel of land. Buying some real estate in a city would actually not work for such people. They would benefit more from buying within rural areas where reasonably more land is available.

Few people like raising livestock like the cows, pigs and the sheep. This would not be possible in a city. In a city, neighbors would perhaps not appreciate it with chances being that the city would not allow the same. Most animals need good amount of land for grazing and roaming. If one is intending to raise some cow or pig, purchasing s good piece of land in a rural location would be quite a logical idea.

Many reasons contribute to the fact why people choose the real estate which include larger portion of land. They might possibly have vehicles or campers, at times snowmobiles or boats, each of which would require space for its storage. Having a sizable portion of land would provide room for several items like these. Apart from the Vegetable gardens, some individuals’ desire having flower gardens too. It is true that some city folk have the flower beds in the front or the back garden. The space however, is limited because of the land size. If a person owns a large portion of land, then he could plant trees or shrubs and different sorts of flowers too.

Not everyone would need a large portion of land. When one owns land, it means work. Most individuals are never prepared or are willing to spend time necessary for maintaining large parcels of land. For such people, buying houses in cities or towns would not pose any problem. As you search for real estate, ensure to figure out the right amount of land you actually require as this is very essential.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/real-estate-shopping-tips-to-determine-how-much-land-you-need-703649.html

What is designing for entertainment? It is creating ambiance and a wonderful mood. In order to do this you have to know the elements that compose the feeling of repose, relaxation, elegance, pleasure and arrange landscape design elements in such a way that everything has a convenient layout and provides interest. The landscape design should create intrigue with different areas to visit and ponder-the excitement factor.

Create the Mood

What creates a fantastic landscape design environment that keeps your guests entertained, refilling their wine glasses, smelling and tasting the fresh hors de chore. Regardless of budget and elements a great outdoor landscape design for entertainment should have multiple uses and activities, be comfortable and beautiful. Although highly personal, a beautiful landscape design should be engaging with water fountains, sculptures, or garden art with graceful foreground trees and a soft lush back drop of hedges and shrubs. Pathways of varying and unifying materials guide your guests form one space to the next with intrigue and interest, “what else is here” is the excitement you want to generate. How can you make the most out of each garden element to create maximum beauty, functionality and use?

Patios and Lawns and plantings

Creating a hierarchy of pathways, patios and landscape lawn areas delineates spaces that have different uses. In addition, you can add details to paving and concrete areas. For example, you can create an outdoor rug effect by adding a mosaic tile pattern to a patio or have a brick herringbone courtyard with a white stone edge to add visual interest and detail in defining the space. You could also change color or materials in transition pathways between larger spaces such as using cut stone with ground cover planted in between to soften the effect of the path and provide greater visual interest and softness with the surrounding garden. Lawns can serve as open courtyards for play with pruned hedges and garden edges that have seating areas-just like in a public park were people love to watch other people.

Swimming Pools, Spas and Water Fountains

Over the years swimming pools have became dynamic architectural elements with built in water features. Sun decks are common to walk into and step down into the pool. Benches can be built along one entire length of the pool for lounging. In addition pools can be shallow for walking. Water fountains can take advantage of adding a vertical sculptural element suck as a raised spa that descends into the pool basin or jets can be seamlessly woven into the pool for visual and auditory effects.

The Outdoor Kitchen

Outdoor kitchens have become multimedia rooms. A beautiful outdoor fireplace can serve as the backdrop for a wonderful evening outdoors serving as both function and art. A simple fire pit can provide all the entertainment and focal point that you need in a small courtyard. If it’s a built in area, a T.V. and stereo can add to your grilling enjoyment. There are all types of variations in grill setups. There are combinations of grilling and smoking as well as sinks or refrigerators depending on the amount of cooking you see doing for your guests. Outdoor kitchens bring indoor entertainment outdoors.

Seating

Seating needs to vary from passive to comfortable. This would include passive seating walls and concrete, stone or wood benches, areas were your guests can sit or stand against to talk to someone for a short mingling conversation. At the next level you may have seating for eating and conversation. Then, more comfortable oversized chair seating for the family and relaxation.

Landscape Lighting

The soft blue glow light off a live oak limb and its leaves cascade across a stone bench. The ambiance of light and water flicker and shimmer off a pools surface. Night lighting is truly what creates the mood and sets the whole tone for evening enjoyment. High voltage mercury vapor lighting gives off a surreal soft glow at night creating a whole new effect to the landscape design. Warm accent lights can be carefully placed to give interest to sculptures, urns, flower bowls or light up the beauty of an ornamental tree.

Build an outdoor extravaganza

The more you can add the above elements, the more your landscape garden design becomes an experience for gatherings, events and private renewal. Just as the inside of your house provides for different use areas, so should the garden reflect your many public and private needs and dreams.

Jeff Halper
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/landcsape-design-and-entertainment-in-houston-texa-hou-702258.html