Some tips to ensure you have a water wise garden :
1. Increase the water holding capacity of your soil
You can do this by adding organic matter. This can be in the form of compost or animal manure. If your soil is packed with clay then adding gypsum will help to break it down to make it easier for you to dig in the organic matter. For garden beds that are established you may find it hard to dig in the organic matter without damaging plant or tree roots, I’d suggest just adding it to the surface (an inch is a good measure) and let the worms do the digging in for you.

Another way you can increase the water holding capacity of the soil is to add water saving crystals – these swell up and store moisture and release it slowly into the soil without allowing it to drain away too quickly. Can work out quite costly though so I tend to prefer using organic matter.

2. Add mulch around your plants
Organic matter above can act as mulch. Problem with some types of organic matter is that it can harbor weed seeds and you may find weeds popping up if you just add it to the surface. Wood chips, straw, hay, shredded newspapers, sawdust, sugar cane mulch all work well and will break down. Pebbles or gravel can be used too but I find that it makes it hard to do ‘top ups’ with organic matter to feed my soil if these are laid down – plus children find it terribly enticing to pick up pebbles and throw them about the lawn and my lawn mower blades come up second best as a result. There are inorganic mulches around like weed mats but I find that these usually need to be secured or they can blow away in wild weather and aesthetically they aren’t all that pleasing.

3. Get rid of lawn
Lawn is one of the biggest water guzzlers (next to vegetable gardens) in the garden. Consider if you really need a big expanse. Children prefer to play on hard surfaces with their bikes. Consider using ground covers instead.

4. Reduce evaporation and water loss when you do water
Drip irrigation is highly effective and delivers water straight to where it’s most needed. Sprinklers waste up to 50% of the water delivered.

5. Plan your garden
Group plants together so that you have plants with high water needs eg vegetables, soft stem plants in one spot so that you only water plants which need it more often and others less. Not only will you be increasing the efficiency of the water used, it will also make your gardening chores easier if all your ‘needy’ plants are in one section of the garden. Choose plants that suit your climate and native to your area. Native plants have adapted to the weather conditions in your local region so they are less likely to wilt when times are hard. Not only will you find it easier to keep them alive, some will positively thrive with little maintenance on your part.

6. Collect rainwater
Put in a rainwater tank in your garden. It’s free, it’s unchlorinated – what more can you ask for?

7. Keep your plants healthy
If your plants are infested with pests and suffocated by weeds, they are already stressed so easing off the watering would only stress them more and more than likely send them to plant heaven. Most plants need more watering when they are first planted and tend to need less as they establish themselves.

8. When you do water, water deeply
Don’t just sprinkle the surface of the soil. That will only encourage the plant to send surface roots. It’s better to water less often and deeply when you do than to water scantily daily. Occasional deep watering will encourage the plant to send roots deeper into the soil.

To grow the magnolia grandiflora, you need to plant the tree in full sun (or partial shade but not full shade). Whilst the tree is pretty drought tolerant, like most trees (and plants), it will grow best in rich fertile and well drained soils. It tends to prefer rather acidic soils so if camelias and azaleas thrive in your garden then this tree is certainly going to do well too. Ideally it copes best in USDA Zones 7-9 although horticulturists are attempting to extend their range with new cultivars which are more tolerant of frost. To propagate, you can grow the magnolia grandiflora from seed (bright red and kidney shaped – can’t miss it) which appear after cone like fruit forms on the tree after flowering. Be forewarned though, it’s a large tree and unless you opt for the smaller ‘Little Gem’ it’s going to need space to grow. Another thing to note is that the leathery leaves take a long time (and I mean a long time) to rot down so if you’re a neat gardener, you may opt to rake up the fallen leaves under the tree canopy and put them in the compost instead.

Organic pesticide 1 – good old garlic spray

The garlic spray is a good all round insect repellent and it works well against aphids. Some gardeners plant garlic bulbs under their roses to act as deterrents. I must say that planting them under the roses haven’t worked as well for me as the full on spray. You make it by finely chopping up about 100g of garlic cloves and adding this to about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Leave the mixture to stand overnight then dissolve about 30g of soap flakes in 500ml of water and stir in the garlic mix. The soap in the mixture helps make the garlic mixture stick onto the leaves and petals of the plants. Strain the mixture to take out the lumpy bits of garlic then take out about 10-20ml and dilute it with 1 litre of water – this you then add to your spray gun and away you go!

Organic pesticide 2 – bicarbonate spray

Works well for powdery mildew although I’ve recently learnt that the milk spray works just as well if not better. To make the bicarbonate spray, add about 20g of bicarbonate of soda to a bucket full of water with enoughsoap flakes dissolved in it to make a rich lather. Use the spray on BOTH sides of leaves – some gardeners only spray the tops and wonder why it doesn’t work!

Organic pesticide 3 – milk spray

Wonderful new addition to the array of organic sprays – milk works wonders against powdery mildew! Use a mixture of 1 part milk to 9 parts water – reports of a 90% reduction in severity of powdery mildew has been reported! More is not better apparently. If you increase the concentration of milk to 30% it will in fact result in some other fungal growth so keep to the 1 part milk to 9 parts water mixture for the best results.

Top 10 Orchid Care tips

Orchid care tip 1

Most orchids will bloom only once a year. Having said that, if you provide them with optimal conditions they may reward you with more frequent blooms. The best thing to do if you’re after an orchid that will bloom in a particular season is to buy it in bloom when you’re after the orchid blooms

Orchid care tip 2

The amount for light required for different species of orchids is variable. You can get clues as to the amount of light your orchid needs by looking at its leaves. If the orchid has only a couple of leaves and if it’s leaves are leatherlike, then it’s highly likely that it will need LOTS of light. If on the other hand your orchid has limp and soft leaves then it’s probable that it’s actually quite sensitive to light and therefore should not be put in a south facing window sill.

Orchid care tip 3

Many an orchid has died from excessive watering – orchids can actually put up with drought far better than over watering. Sitting your orchid in a water logged potting mix with no air circulation through the roots is the surest way of sending your orchid to the grave! Allow the growing medium to actually dry out between waterings. Watering your orchid weekly is sufficient. The only time you should probably ease off on the weekly waterings is during any dormant time in their growth eg in winter and after you’ve repotted.

Orchid care tip 4

Pick the right growing medium. Whilst there are some orchids which do grow in soil, most tropical orchids are epiphytes (ie they have roots which are exposed and pretty much live in a soil-less environment). To mimic this, you need a growing medium that will provide excellent air circulation and drainage as well as give the roots somewhere to adhere to. Fir bark nuggets are by far the most popular orchid growth medium.

Orchid care tip 5

Living in the tropics means that most orchids love humid conditions – 60-80 percent is best. These conditions will probably be okay in summer and spring but in the winter where most homes are heated and humidity, your orchids will need some form of artificial provider of that 60-80 percent humidity. You can purchase a humidifier for your orchids or if it’s just one lone plant that you have, you can increase the humidity in it’s local microclimate by setting the plant on a gravel filled tray -mind that you don’t submerge the whole root system in the water, remember point 3 – the whole plant has to be sitting ABOVE the water. Some orchids also benefit from being misted.

Orchid care tip 6

There isn’t much nutrients in orchid growing media so you will need to provide the plant with its food in order to sustain healthy growth. Frequent fertilizing with a weak dilute fertilizer regularly is by far better than the feast of famine situation where you fertilize heavily and then forget about it again for weeks! Only fertilize when the orchids are actively growing ie this means no fertilizing after re-potting and in the dead of winter.

Orchid care tip 7

Orchids hate to be re potted, and will usually sulk and refuse to flower for at least a year after the event. If you’re thinking about buying your orchids as a bareroot specimen, then this tip is vital to know – you may not see a single bloom from your orchid till 1-2 years (or more) later! Better to purchase your orchids in established pots AND in bloom to avoid disappointment.

Orchid care tip 8

Orchids like being crowded so don’t be overly liberal in your choice of orchid flower pot. Most orchid growers will use plastic flower pots because it’s easier to detach the roots come repotting time or some would even snip the pots apart.

Orchid care tip 9

When potting up your orchid, you can fill the bottom inch or two of the pot with Styrofoam “peanuts” this ensures good drainage and adequate air circulation. Then put the orchid over the pot, and fill the rest of the flower pot with fir bark. Ensure that the crown of the plant is just a bit below the top of the flower pot.

Orchid care tip 10

At some stage in your orchid’s life, you will need to repot (and propagate the other plant divisions). Just remember that if you do divide a plant, the parent plant (and usually the babies) will probably sulk and not bloom for at least a year. Don’t just pot up one plantlet, pot a couple together so that the pot is more “crowded” and the plant is more likely to then bloom sooner for you. The larger the orchid plant the more flowers it will produce for you.

The lovely claret leaves in fall

Before planting, add lots of well-decomposed organic matter to your soil-compost, leaves, horse manure, or anything else that will enrich the soil and provide unrefined nutrients. It’s best to do this before planting: Till a 2- to 6-inch layer of organic matter into the soil; in subsequent years, top-dress hardy bulbs with a 1- to 2-inch layer while the bulbs are dormant. So you would plant out the hardier bulbs like lilies earlier than you would frost tender cannas and dahlias.

When it comes to planting bulbs, most suggest that planting them at a depth of 3 times the height of the bulb is the rule of thumb to go by. Remember to plant them top up – there’s no surer way of ensuring a no show bulb by planting it upside down. Sometimes it can be difficult determining which side is up, in those instances I tend to plant them on their side (more a problem with weird shaped rhizomes). Don’t plant them too close to each other. Just as you plant them 3 times their height deep, plant them 3 times their width apart. I like to mulch around my bulbs with some pine needles or chopped lucerne. Drip irrigation is best with bulbs, overhead sprays encourages mildew and fungal diseases. When the flowers start to appear, I then fertilize with a slow release bulb fertilizer – I avoid liquid fertilizers as I would’ve already nourished the soil earlier with compost and manure. Deadheading spent blooms will ensure that the bulk of the energy is spent building up reserves for the next season. The scourge of every bulb planter is the sight of drooping foliage and blooms that have passed their show date, so if you find this aesthetically unseemly, then plant bulbs amongst other plants and shrubs. Unfortunately this is the most important time for bulbs as it’s the time when they are storing up reserves for next season so don’t lop off the foliage till they are brown and floppy.

Dahlia – Delight Mix The Dahlia Delight Mix, ‘Dahlia variabilis’, is a fabulous dwarf Dahlia with long lasting blooms that will provide a continuous supply of cut flowers for your summer bouquets. The large, vibrantly colored 3 inch flowers are in shades of red, yellow, orange, rose-pink, and white. The Delight Mix bloom continually from summer through fall.>Delight Mix Dahlia prefer full sun and in very hot summer climates, they prefer some afternoon shade. Place then in rich, well drained soils. Keep them well watered but not soggy. Remove spent flowers to encourage continuous blooming. Plant in the spring after the last frost. This Dahlia is easy to grow and makes an excellent cut flower, border, or container plant. Click here	Dahlia – Mignon Silver The Dahlia Mignon Silver, ‘Dahlia variabilis’, has elegant, pure white flowers that are most enjoyed during the evening as the the twilight dulls other garden colors. For white flower lovers, this beautiful flower is a must for your beds, borders, or large containers. The large 3 inch pure white flowers bloom continually from summer through fall.Mignon Silvers prefer full sun and in very hot summer climates, and they prefer some afternoon shade. Place then in rich, well drained soils. Keep them well watered but not soggy. Remove spent flowers to encourage continuous blooming. Plant in the spring after the last frost. This Dahlia is easy to grow and makes an excellent cut flower Click here
Dahlia – Decorative – Arabian Night The Decorative Dahlia Arabian Night, ‘Dahlia’, a spring planted tuberous root, produces velvety dark crimson flowers. This Dahlia produces masses of large blooms from July until frost. Dahlia’s are ideal for cut flowers, borders, containers, and massings. They tend to bloom for long periods and few plants offer as much variety and showy flowers as the Dahlia. They do best in well drained, humus rich soils. Click here	Dahlia – Art Deco The Gallery Dahlia Art Deco, ‘Dahlia’, a spring planted tuberous root, produces masses of rich orange-colored double flowers with white tips that are up to 5 inches across. The Gallery Dahlia start blooming in early summer and produce large amounts of flowers on a well branched plant. Dahlia’s are ideal for cut flowers, borders, containers, and window boxes.. They tend to bloom for long periods, and few plants offer as much variety and showy flowers as the Dahlia. They do best in well drained, humus rich soils. Click here

Grow lights – the light intensity

You need enough of it – otherwise you’ll get tall and leggy seedlings. The intensity of light anything gets is generally determined by 2 factors – how high the wattage of the light is and how close you’ve put the light source to the leaves. If you’ve seen any grow light set up, you’d notice that the lighting source is pretty close to the plant (about 3-4 inches away) – so for a start, those regular light bulbs which generate incandescent light just WILL NOT do the job right – they’ll burn the foliage. So pick fluorescent lighting. There are Hight Intensity Discharge (HID) lights on the market not something you’d pick for normal run of the mill lighting in the house unless you intend to blind your visitors, BUT these are perfect for people intending to grow sunshine loving plants like fruit and vegetables.

Grow lights – the duration

Seedlings require 16 hours of light daily (with 8 hours of darkess). So unless you’re going to be turning the lights on and off, get one of those automatic timers – unless you’re one of those meticulous people who never forget, it’s a wise investment.

Grow lights – the color spectrum

Sunlight has a spectrum of red and blue light so you want to mimic this in your grow lights. So when you head out to buy your fluorescent lighting, you’ll need to get the full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs.

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