Thursday, October 30, 2008

Silk Hanging Plants

Silk Hanging Plants
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Josh_Riverside]Josh Riverside

If you are not an interior designer, redesigning the inside of your house or your office is no easy task; but a way to liven up the room is to utilize the natural beauty of plants. The initial reaction for plant decorations to someone could be the overwhelming responsibility that comes with having to maintain a balance of sunlight and water to these plants, or maybe the threat of possible infestations from insects of different kind that might start inhabiting the plants. You may also think of the expense you might incur in having to replace the plants every time they start to wilt and die.

A solution to that apprehension is to use silk plants. Silk plants are artificially manufactured plants made of, as the name implies, silk. These plants eliminate the responsibility of tedious and expensive maintenance. To keep these synthetic plants bright and beautiful, all you need to do is use a wet towel or a wet rag to wipe off the dust that they might occasionally catch. You can find different plants like ferns, cactus, floor plants, flowering plants and trees, greenery plants, greenery trees, hanging plants, outdoor plants, palm trees, topiaries, bonsais or wreaths, garlands, and swags.

Among the different silk plants mentioned, a particularly popular type is the artificial hanging silk plant. You can find Spider Plants, English Ivy Hanging Bush, Wandering Jew Hanging Bush, Mini Philodendron Hanging Bush, Mini Pothos Hanging Bush, Sage Ivy Hanging Bush, Purple Clematis Hanging Basket, Light Purple Wisteria Hanging Bush, Violet Wisteria Hanging Bush, Deluxe Bougainvillea Hanging Bush, and other different hanging plants.

Whichever type of silk plant you suits your taste and matches the decorations at your home or your office, you will find that silk plants are more affordable and less tedious to maintain as compared to the real thing. [http://www.i-silkplants.com]Silk Plants provides detailed information on Discount Silk Plants, Silk Floor Plants, Silk Hanging Plants, Silk Plant Arrangements and more. Silk Plants is affiliated with [http://www.e-silktrees.com]Silk Trees Info.

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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Choosing a Garden Planter

Choosing a Garden Planter
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kenny_Yong]Kenny Yong

Selecting suitable garden planters for your home garden depends mainly on the type of plant you wish to grow. The quantity of space necessary for the roots and the plant’s fullness and height will suggest the right size. Your garden’s growing environment design will decide the best planter material.

In addition, keep in mind to consider the needs for relocating your garden planters or moving them permanently if you’re renting a home or you have a huge garden to arrange.

The bigger, the better, is one major rule in choosing garden planters. Small planters will soon seem to look much smaller when the plants grow maturely and you will need more garden planters to fill up the space of your garden. Moreover, bigger planters assist slower drying as those of smaller ones. If you’re thinking of perennial planting, then you can purchase the biggest planter that you can buy for you to accommodate more wear and growth years.

This article provides you a checklist to aid you choose the best garden planter for your home garden:

• A garden planter should have more space for a certain quantity of soil and must permit enough growth of roots but not too huge though.

• Each garden planter should contain drainage holes. You should ensure that the planter comes with bottom holes or it is crafted with materials which allow you to drill drainage holes in it.

• Make sure that the soil can breathe inside the planter. The roots of the plant require water for oxygen requirement, as well as nutrients.

• Metal, wood and concrete garden planters are absolutely great for winter seasons and regions. Terracotta or clay planters have both splitting and freezing vulnerability.

• Your garden planters group or your planter location must then be considered. There should be adequate support in your patio or balcony for the planter weight or planter group.

• Be stylish by thinking out the amount of space for your planter location and the look you would want to suggest. Cool colors like light yellow creates a much larger space look. Intense shades, on the other hand, create a tinier space look.

When it comes to taking care of your planters, such task will eventually provide you with much more benefits. Of course, you would want to grow healthier plants. This would be possible if you ensure the garden planter is free from pests and diseases. You should as well provide enough drainage and maintain structured sound.

Here are few other tips in caring for your home garden planters:

• Garden planters must be sterilized prior to their usage especially for terracotta and absorbent wooden planters.

• Provide in-between pot spaces for planter clean-up.

• Wooden and metal planters should be treated with non-toxic paint, stain or waterproofing stuffs.

• Lay the bottom of the planters above the ground to allow a good drainage and to keep the plant roots and planters away from water damage.

• Check on expanding plant roots. If you observe roots peeping through the planter’s drainage holes then there is now need for you to replant into a bigger pot.

• Remember to keep the planters insulated during winter to prevent thawing and freezing.

Having garden planters entails a lot of care and maintenance. This is one way to keep your home garden fun and kicking.

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Friday, October 24, 2008

Hanging Baskets Help You Create Beautiful Flower Displays in Your Home or Garden

Hanging Baskets Help You Create Beautiful Flower Displays in Your Home or Garden
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson]Chris Robertson

Displaying flowers and plants in hanging baskets can be traced back to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Even the Victorians adored their lovely hanging baskets. As people moved to North America, their love of flowers, and diverse cultures brought various ways to display them.

Hanging baskets are an attractive way to decorate porches and verandas with beautiful colors and different plants. Usually the kind of flowers you plant is based upon the position they are in. If they are in full or part sun, or shade, this determines the plants that can be grown.

Use your imagination and likes to decide what flowers to plant. You can go with all one color, mixed colors, and holiday themes. If you want, you can use all the same flowers or mix sizes and colors in your flower baskets, window boxes, and planter stands. If you are in a warm climate you can start your hanging baskets and planters early and enjoy them for many months.

Using Hanging Baskets

To make your house and garden attractive, try hanging baskets in other places besides the front porch. Use a shepherd's hook with a hanging basket beside your front steps or mailbox. Build an arbor and decorate it with hanging flowers. Frame your sidewalk, patio and entrances with colorful hanging baskets.

When you are ready to plant, decide what kind of planter you want. The sizes vary from 6 to 12 inches. Choose a size that is appropriate for the area where it will hang. When you have the container, then you are ready to put the moss in the pot. Sphagnum moss is used because it holds moisture and helps plants grow better. After the moss is moistened and fitted into the container, then you can add the potting soil and polymers. Potting soil by itself does not hold nutrients, so polymers need to be added periodically.

Hanging Baskets Require Minimal Care

Hanging pots are easy to take care of and come with an external saucer or an internal disk that holds water, which can be pulled into the plant. Just continue watering and fertilizing through the summer and you will be able to enjoy your beautiful plants the entire season. Hanging baskets do not take up a lot of room and are pleasing to look at, being at eye level.

With the Bloom Master hanging baskets, you do not need to use the moss. You buy the pots with growing holes and use potting mix with nutrients to help the plants grow faster and larger. These hanging baskets and box planters produce healthy beautiful plants in no time.

Plant Beautiful Flowers

When you have the pot prepared, place your flowers in and water them. Plant the largest flowers first and follow with the smaller ones and the fillers. Some popular flowers that are recommended for hanging baskets are petunias, impatiens, pansies, ferns, ivy, mums, coleus, fuchsias, and many others. Start planning your flower gardens now and enjoy a creative, beautiful growing season.

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Learn more about hanging baskets.

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Types of Wooden Planters

Types of Wooden Planters
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Simon_Douglass]Simon Douglass

Not all wooden planters are made out of cedar wood. Some of them are made out of oak or even compressed wood. The type of wood that you choose is usually determined by your own taste for decor as well as price.

The best type of wooden planters are made from hardwoods, naturally. Wood is a natural product and it allows soil and roots to breathe. It is also porous so you have to be careful that outdoor plants in wooden planters do not get flooded. For this reason, cedar wooden planters seem to be the planter of choice for outside planters.

You can find cedar wooden planters just about anywhere. Most home improvement stores have these planters as well as garden centers. You can even find them online. Once you have a cedar planter, you need to fill it with topsoil and allow it to sit for a day before adding plants.

Always add plants with the soil that they are in when planting them in a wooden planter. This way the plant is not shocked and will not die. You can also add worms to the soil in the wooden planter to get the soil to turn in a natural fashion. This is how the soil in the land is turned so it is good to emulate nature in this manner.

Other wooden planters include oak. Oak is another hard wood but is not as efficient as cedar when it comes to being water proof. Cedar is more durable but oak is another hard wood that is build to last. In addition to oak and cedar wooden planters, you can also use birch, ash or maple. All of these woods are used in wooden planters.

You can make your own wooden planters from these woods or purchase them in garden centers and even home improvement stores. They are also available on the internet. Those wooden planters that are made from pure wood such as cedar and oak are generally more expensive than those that are made from byproducts and wooden composites. Wooden composite planters are generally cheaper but do not last as long.

Wooden planters look good just about anywhere around your house. They add a touch of class to your house and have a better quality look than plastic planters which can look somewhat cheap. Once you have purchased wooden planters, you will not want to go back to plastic. And wooden planters will last a good long time as well, especially if you get one that is made of cedar or oak.

Whether you want to put it in your backyard, front yard or on your balcony or deck, a wooden planter can do wonders for the décor of your garden and your home. There are so many different wooden planters on the market and they are all very versatile. You can use your imagination a bit and really come up with some ideas to make your garden and the outside of your home into a floral showplace using wooden planters.

Simon Douglass, an author, is a collector of outdoor furniture. Most of his writings are about [http://www.cedarwoodfurniture.com/plantbench.html]bench planters for Adams All Natural Cedar. He has always loved writing, and now that he is older, he has grown an interest in collecting [http://www.cedarwoodfurniture.com/arbors.html]arbors and spending time in his garden.

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Garden Planters - Let Blooms Bloom Year Round

Garden Planters - Let Blooms Bloom Year Round
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Akre]Jennifer Akre

Garden planters come in so many shapes and sizes that it's hard to get them all in one article. In addition to the traditional box shaped garden planters, homeowners can choose from among metal planters, window boxes, garden urns, stone or terracotta planters and even self-watering planters.

What's a gardener to do?

Plant year round. Garden planters don't have to be a spring or summertime place to grow your beauties any longer. Thanks to new strains of plants and flowers and new growing techniques you can enjoy the blossoming beauty of flowers all year long.

Of course, it's hard to beat the beauty of traditional wood garden planters. The wood meshes perfectly with the plantings, creating a natural look. Adding plastic liners will allow your wooden garden planters to look like new for years to come. Just remember to avoid the temptation to use stains and sealers. These can be toxic to plants.

Wood planters look good just about any place you add them, whether it's on a deck or patio or in the garden. If you're looking for something that's a little more ornate, consider concrete garden planters instead. These look particularly nice in exposed locations, such as walkways, along driveways or near the street. They are perfect for holding large shrubs or trees.

Garden urns are another good choice for garden planters. Similar to the concrete garden planters, these work best along a walkway, on the corner of a patio or in the middle of other bushes. The additional height allows your plantings to stand out, while adding classic elegance to your landscaping.

Both of these solutions aren't portable. Urns and concrete garden planters are heavy, particularly when they're loaded with dirt and plants. So you don't want to use them when you want portability.

If portability is desirable, you may want to opt for fiberglass, resin or metal garden planters. These are made of lighter materials so they're easier to move around. This is particularly important if you live where it can freeze or snow. When a winter freeze its on it's way, you can simply move your plants to a less exposed area.

If you have large windows, you may want to add window garden planters to your landscaping. Often called window boxes, these garden planters not only bring the flowers up to a level where you can enjoy their beauty daily, even when indoors, but they also add visual splendor to your home, softening the angular lines of windows and siding.

Speaking of indoors, you can also use garden planters indoors. In today's larger homes, it's easy to add an urn, stone garden planter or terracotta pots to entryways, foyers and great rooms. You can also use wall planters for added natural beauty in your home. These garden planters mount easily on your wall and can hold smaller plantings, such as hanging vines, which will drape gracefully below these ornate garden planters.

Whatever you chose, be sure that your garden planters are the right size. A plant needs space to spread its roots and get enough water as it enjoys new surroundings.

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