Gardening for All Seasons

During the winter months there are some things you can do to avoid spring weeds. The following methods can be used in both spring and winter:

Winter Garden

In Cold Climates

Weeds are busy during the winter months and roots and seeds do wait for the warm weather.

In very cold climates, in January and February there is often a warm day that comes along that can be around 50° or 55°F (10° to 13°C).

Although it can be too cold to dig into the soil or plant anything, the top one inch (2.5 cm) of soil is melted and can be worked. This is the perfect time to do some weeding.

During the winter months many cool season weeds like common chickweed or henbit are small and not rooted very deeply, so they can be easily pulled up to get the entire plant out.

Getting the weeds while they are small is very fast and easy to do, which eliminates messiness in the spring when the weeds have a foot hold.

Spring Gardening

Warm and Mild Climates

If you live in a warmer climate you can follow this two step process to avoid spring weed problems:

Dig and rake your seed or planter beds, or wherever you plan on doing some planting, and then either wait for winter rain, or water the area in.

When the weeds come up and are about 1/2 inch tall (1.25 cm) use a rake or a swivel hoe across the bed to kill the weeds. Be careful not to dig into the soil too deeply. Work a very shallow area, just enough to disrupt the weed’s roots and kill them.

If your planting bed sprouted a ton of weeds, wait another week or two and then rake or swivel hoe it again when the next batch of weeds comes up.

After this second time, now is a good time to sow your seeds or do some planting.

What To Avoid

What you don’t want to do is work a planting bed, till the soil, etc., and then plant immediately. If you do that, you will only turn up a bunch of weed seeds.

Instead of fighting them, let them germinate and grow a bit and then kill them while they are small and easy to deal with.

By doing all this, you will be enjoying your spring gardening much more because you won’t have to battle nearly as many weeds as you have in the past.

”What to Do and Not to Do in Gardening“

Think about what you want your garden to look like and seek advise before you start. Have a good plan in place.

Do These

  • Use recommended varieties for your area of the state.
  • Sample soil and have it tested every 2 to 3 years.
  • Apply preplant fertilizer to garden area in recommended manner and amounts.
  • Examine garden often to keep ahead of potential problems.
  • Keep garden free of insects, diseases, and weeds.
  • Use mulches to conserve moisture, control weeds, and reduce ground rots.
  • Water as needed, wetting soil to a depth of 6 inches.
  • Thin when plants are small.
  • Avoid excessive walking and working in the garden when the foliage and soil are wet.
  • Wash and clean garden tools and sprayer well after each use.
  • Keep records on garden activities.

Your garden should be a place of beauty that promotes relaxation, serenity, peace and all that. So be sure to build your garden to your satisfaction and this can be done at a very low cost.

But Not These

  • Depend on varieties not recommended for your area, but do try limited amounts of new releases.
  • Plant so closely that you cannot walk or work in the garden.
  • Cultivate so deeply that plant roots are injured.
  • Shade small plants with taller growing crops.
  • Water excessively or in late afternoon.
  • Place fertilizer directly in contact with plant roots or seeds.
  • Allow weeds to grow large before beginning to cultivate.
  • Apply chemicals or pesticides in a haphazard manner or without reading the label directions.
  • Use chemicals not specifically recommended for garden crops.
  • Store leftover diluted spray

Landscaping designs and the art of landscaping is a beautiful thing. It can be considered an art as well as a science. Mastering this art requires several skills including observation, design and imagination. Landscaping tips can be suggested by a landscaper who understands the basic nature of land and its construction and the various ways by which it can be blended. Landscape designs can change the character of your land and the art of landscaping will make your land look beautiful.

For others landscaping is believed to be a feature of modifying the physical appearance of a particular piece of land and cultivation of plants is also a way of landscaping. Some people believe that landscaping is the way in which the terrain shape of land is modified by constructing buildings, fences and other structures.

Methods of Landscaping – Basic Landscaping Designs

In case you want to enhance look of your house that helps in giving a better look then there are some landscaping designs and a few landscaping tips that gives you a desirable result.

  • Be sure to keep the grass at a certain height. Not too high and not to close. This will help the lawn keep it’s healthiest look.
  • If you happen to find broken wood on your property you can dress it up a bit by applying bleach and painting the wood with anti-worn color with a wood tint. You may have to seal, oil and repaint the wood on a semi-regular basis to maintain the look that you want.
  • To nourish the grass properly it is wise to water the plants, grass and shrubs regularly.
  • Use fertilizer to keep it off from the insects and it helps in adding greenery to the lawn with an application that lasts long.
  • Landscaping tips can be followed by scattering color in the whole of lawn. This blankets the lawn with impatiens and petunias that helps growing flowers in the ground.

While landscaping is the way to level the ground it is another way to give an altogether new-look to the garden as well. For this purpose you need to plan out the landscaping design for your garden, make sure you have already drafted out a rough design before actually setting you hands at the task.

Lastly, If you’d like to add new life to your garden, consider using several different shapes of stones and align them accordingly. Accent stones will come in different shapes and colors so be sure to arrange them in a way that will be pleasing to the eye and compliment your overall decor.