Grasses Differ in Tolerance of Shade
Lawn grasses differ in their tolerance of shady conditions. St. Augustine is the most shade-tolerant of our southern lawn grasses. If a spot is too shady for St. Augustine, it is too shady for any warm-season lawn grass. In somewhat less shaded spots, zoysia is a good choice. Bermuda, seashore paspalum, and buffalo are the least shade-tolerant of our turf species.

Once a lawn begins to thin out from lack of sunlight, other complications will likely arise. Soil structure will be lost as raindrops and foot traffic pack the surface, reducing water infiltration, aeration and root growth. Weeds often become a problem in these spots, further stressing the remaining grass. This is when you find your lawn becoming a maintenance headache rather than a landscape asset.

Improving Lawns in Shady Areas
If you have a shady lawn area, here are several tips to help improve the turf and reduce your maintenance chores.

• Consider having some tree limbs in the upper canopy removed to allow more light through. Remove some low hanging limbs as well to allow reflected light in from the sides. In many cases this will solve the problem without significant loss of cooling shade.
   
• Avoid compacting the soil. Reroute the pitter-patter of little feet at until the area fills in. Severely compacted soils may benefit from mechanical aeration by a lawn care professional. In areas that see lots of regular foot traffic, consider installing paving.
   
• Speed re-establishment by planting plugs or sod strips in bare areas.
   
• Set your mower higher for shady spots. The leaf blades of the grass are its solar panels. More leaf area enables them to catch more light to support new growth. Plus, it makes thin areas look thicker.
   
• Avoid the temptation to over-fertilize or over-water. You can't make up for a lack of light with an excess of nutrients or water. In fact, heavily shaded areas need only one-half to tw- thirds as much water and fertilizer as areas in full sun. Over-fertilizing and over-watering can result in increased disease problems, not to mentioned pollution of surface and ground water.

These tips, although helpful, will not guarantee a lush lawn in heavy shade. Let's face it, some spots are just too shady to grow grass! Shady spots are ideal for raised beds with appropriate shrubs, perennials, annuals, or groundcovers. With a little planning and creative design, these areas can become a beautiful addition to the landscape. 

Source: National Gardening Association

You will need:

• Sturdy bristle brush
   
• Grill cleaner
   
• Toothpicks
   
• Soap and water
   
• Venturi brush

Step 1
Remove all the cooking grids, grates and burners and use a sturdy bristle brush to remove the build-up of grease on the inside of the oven. Using a grill cleaner scrub the inside and outside of the oven and then rinse with water. Never use oven cleaner on your grill, it is corrosive and can damage the other components.

Step 2
Inspect the burners making sure there are no holes rusted through any of the components. If there are, it's time for a replacement. Clean out any clogged burner ports using a toothpick, being careful not to damage the ports. Check all igniter contacts to ensure they are not corroded or loose and remove any debris from the electrode. Next, clean out the burner venturi tubes using a venturi brush. It's very important to keep these tubes clean, Spiders love to make nest in these tubes, creating blockages that can cause serious damage.

Step 3
Examine the heat medium, if you have a heat plate remove any grease build-up and make sure there are no holes rusted through. If you have briquettes make sure they aren't crumbling and the pores aren't clogged with grease.

Step 4
Check the cooking grids and make sure no welds are broken and brush off any stuck on residue. If you have cast iron cooking grids, season them with oil to help keep food from sticking and help prevent rust.

Step 5
Inspect the gas hose to make sure there aren't any cracks or leaks. This can easily be done by preparing a soapy solution and applying it to the connections at the tank and valve. Turn the tank on slowly and watch for bubbles to form, which indicates that there is a leak. Try tightening the connections and re-test. If persistent leaking or blistering is detected, stop using your grill and replace the gas assembly.

Finally, check the condition of your control knobs, thermometer, and handles. Replacing small items like this can refresh your grill and make it look new again.

More information, including recipes, is available online at www.broilkingbbq.com.

www.newsnorthamerica.com

How it works

1. Creating the gift. Use your green fingers to create your mom a Mother’s Day gift.
    
2. Take a photo of your Green Mother’s Day gift.
    
3. Upload your photo. Visit the photo competition app on our Facebook page and use the app to upload your photo. Share the photo with your friends for more votes. The competition page will be launched on the 8th of May. Don't forget to like our Facebook page first before entering.

Prize draw
On May 20th we will choose the photo with the most votes and announce the winner of the $100,- gift card.

Improve drainage
The usual method for improving drainage in your garden is to create a raised bed. This involves creating a border for a small bed, and adding enough soil and compost to it to raise it above the rest of the yard by at least 5 inches. You’ll be amazed at how much your water drainage will be improved by this small modification. If you’re planning to build a raised bed, your prospective area is either on grass or on dirt. For each of these situations, you should build it slightly differently.

Non-grassy area
If you want to start a raised garden in a non-grassy area, you won’t have much trouble. Just find some sort of border to retain the dirt you will be adding. There is nothing that works quite as well as a few two by fours. After you’ve created the wall, you must put in the proper amount soil and steer manure. Depending on how long you plan to wait before planting, you will want to adjust the ratio to allow for any deteriorating that may occur.

Install a raised bed where sod exists
If you’re trying to install a raised bed where sod already exists, you will have a slightly more difficult time. You will need to cut the sod around the perimeter of the garden, and flip it over. This may sound simple, but you will need something with a very sharp edge to slice the edges of the sod and get under it. Once you have turned it all upside down, it is best to add a layer of straw to discourage the grass from growing back up. After the layer of straw, simply add all the soil and steer manure that a normal garden would need.

Planting the plants
Planting your plants in your new area shouldn’t pose much difficulty. It is essentially the same process as your usual planting session. Just be sure that the roots don’t extent too far into the original ground level. The whole point of creating the raised bed is to keep the roots out of the soil which saturates easily. Having long roots that extend that far completely destroys the point.

Once you have plants in your new bed, you’ll notice an almost immediate improvement. The added soil facilitates better root development. At the same time, evaporation is prevented and decomposition is discouraged. All of these things added together makes for an ideal environment for almost any plant to grow in. So don’t be intimidated by the thought of adjusting the very topography of your yard. It is a simple process as I’m sure you’ve realized, and the long term results are worth every bit of work.

The Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens is internationally renowned as the largest public iris garden in the United States, with display beds containing nearly 3,000 iris varieties (around 14,000 plants) that produce over 100,000 blooms. It is a living museum of botanical preservation with some varieties dating back to the 1500s and is listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Sites.

In addition to the iris display, this year the Walther House living room will be host to an art exhibition showcasing works by Contemporary American Impressionist Lisa Palombo. The Bloom Room gift shop will be open with an exciting mix of affordable house, garden and iris-related items. Plus, a variety of fantastic events are planned.

The Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens is located at 474 Upper Mountain Ave. in Upper Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey. During bloom season: admission is a suggested $5 donation; the Gardens are open daily from dawn until dusk; the Bloom Room gift shop and Walther House are generally open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The association has posted “101 ways to celebrate” on its website to give people ideas to get started.

“Gardeners know, and research confirms, that nurturing plants is good for us: attitudes toward health and nutrition improve, kids perform better at school, and community spirit grows,” the NGA wrote on its website.

Read more about National Garden Month on Garden Center Magazine.com

• Sow a mini veg garden: you'll find ready-made raised bed kits from your favorite garden center which slot together in minutes and fit onto even the tiniest patio. Sow with salad leaves, beetroot, peas and chard.
   
• Make a sweet pea tower: choose a pretty woven obelisk and plant pots of ready-started sweet pea seedlings around the base for pretty, scented cut flowers for the house.
   
• Plant an annual wildflower meadow: pick your favorite seed mix, clear a patch of the garden and broadcast-sow the seed freely to fill your garden with color, bees and butterflies all year.
   
• Fill containers with summer-flowering bulbs: pack your pots with dahlias, cannas and gladioli, all in the garden center now, for dazzling color and huge, showy blooms.
   
• Create a wildlife pond: preformed liners make building a pond a weekend job. Line the hole with sand first, then fit the liner, fill with saved rainwater and plant with irises, water Lilies and marsh marigolds.

Vegetable gardeners can make the most of their hard work by keeping in mind "three important things," advises Kline, Agriculture Agent for the Rutgers University Cooperative Extension in Cumberland County New Jersey. Choose vitamin-packed vegetables you enjoy. Grow them in healthy conditions.

"First select vegetables you like," Kline encourages. "Then look at what has the most nutritional value. If you like them and they're nutritious, you have a winner!"

Thoughtful gardeners can tip the scale for best quality yield. "Do anything you can do to manage diseases and insects that reduce stress on the plant," urges Kline. "We want plants to be actively growing and getting enough nutrients, not stressed."

Stressed plants have less food value. Under stress, a plant's energy is diverted to survival, fighting diseases and insects. They expend more energy respiring and less energy producing food through photosynthesis.

Find a list op great tips in the blog of Charlotte Kidd on Garden.org

Read more about the Gerbera on NGB.org

Basic gardening tools
While many gardeners do not have expensive or high-tech gardening tools, all of them have some type of gardening equipment for cultivating.  Tools for cultivating can include both hand held tools and power tools.  What kind you buy depends on how serious of a gardener you are.  Hand tools include your everyday items like shovels, spading forks, rakes, trowels, and diggers.  These can all be used to get a garden ready for planting and are relatively easy and do not require much strength to use.  Other tools include a wheel cultivator, pickax, and mattock.

Power tools
While power tools are a little more expensive than hand tools, they really cut down on the hard labor.  The most essential piece of gardening equipment is undoubtedly the tiller.  The tiller will break up the ground and get it ready for planting, chop up any debris, and help mix in fertilizer and compost.  If you don’t want to spend the money on a tiller you can hire someone or rent a tiller for one time use.  Other power tools that are very popular include chippers, garden shredders, and chain-saws.

Pruning tools
If you have shrubs, hedges, or small trees in your yard, pruning tools are a vital piece of gardening equipment.  Pruning shears are good for branches about ¾” in diameter, while lopping shears can handle branches from a half inch up to about 2 inches.  Pole pruners are on a pole and can reach branches about 15 feet above ground.  Hedge shears and pruning saws are both larger, more heavy duty pruning tools for the serious gardener.

Equipment for watering
Since your plants must be watered in order to survive, and let’s face it, it doesn’t rain whenever we want it to, gardening equipment for watering is a must have.  The one thing you can’t get along without is a water hose, everything after that is optional.  Many gardeners use sprinklers or s drip irrigation hose.  There are even timers you can purchase for sprinklers or drip hoses, if you are willing to drop the extra cash. 

Gardening without gardening equipment would be a nightmare.  Sure there are some people who enjoy getting a little dirty while they plant their flowers, but even those types of people have the most basic of gardening tools, like a rake or a hoe.  Gardening equipment is a part of gardening, as important as the dirt and the seeds.

The debate in San Francisco over the fate of largely-invasive species in the 61-acre Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve, is one of those cases.

The culprit is the eucalyptus, a non-native tree that offers a towering and majestic forest at the heart of the city – and severe headaches to neighboring University of California San Francisco, the landowner.

Leave it alone, say some nearby residents, citing the forest as a special reprieve from a dense metropolis. Cut (many) of the trees down, reply UCSF officials, citing infestation and the danger of fallen limbs and fire hazards.

UCSF has plans to replace the eucalyptus with native trees and grasses. A “leave things as they are” attitude that downplays management could amplify problems later. Some residents agree.

Divides over non-native species are not new. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a neighbor in nearby Marin County sued a neighbor to force removal of a eucalyptus after warnings from an arborist. Current and prospective Arbor Day Foundation members often inquire about whether the trees we ship are invasives – and sometimes what is thought to be invasive is in fact a related species that adapts much better.

A recent op-ed in the Chronicle seeks a broader perspective. Asks Joel Engardio: why should the city take on an expensive forest overhaul when the buses aren’t running on-time and parks are overdue for maintenance? It’s not clear from the reporting whether taxpayers or UCSF would foot the bill for the project, but perhaps the broader point still resonates.

Engardio says: by all means, take down individual trees that pose a threat. But can land management be done in a piecemeal way? Is what UCSF proposes too far-reaching?

Cities grow and change, as so forests. Questions like these are the inevitable result of that change.

Source: http://blog.arborday.org/

Fertilizing
Roses need the same things as other plants; they are just a bit needier. One of the most important things to remember in rose gardening is that roses are heavy feeders and will need several fertilizer applications. Fertilizing should be started in early spring and discontinued in early fall. Make sure not to over-fertilize (fertilize should come with instructions) and water after each feeding. Roses require large amounts of water; a thorough watering twice a week should be enough.

Pruning
Pruning is an essential part to flower gardening. It increases blooms and encourages healthy plant growth. Different varieties of roses have different instructions for pruning, so you might want to read up on your rose types and see what is suggested.

The main thing to remember in rose gardening is to water, water, and water some more. One other thing about rose gardening is the amount of fertilizer and nutrients you will need to use, and the pruning that needs to be done to keep your roses under control and healthy. Even though rose gardening takes a little more time and roses are more work, they are one of the most unique and beautiful plants, and definitely worth the extra work.

Today, children are more disconnected from nature than ever, more likely to spend idle time watching television indoors than running and playing outdoors. If current trends continue, the next generation will enter adulthood facing greater health challenges, inferior social skills and a diminished conservation ethic.

With the development of Nature Explore Classrooms, children learn and play outdoors through experiencing the wonders of nature.

These well-designed outdoor spaces provide real-world evidence of the enormous benefit outdoor learning opportunities provide for children.

Proven to be beneficial for children affected by domestic violence, Mary Kay, Inc. has sponsored the development of 17 Nature Explore Classrooms at women’s shelters across the United States.

In urban areas where residents have limited access to nature and no backyards, places like Five Towns Child Care Center in Inwood, N.Y., or the Hooper Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, Calif., have built Nature Explore Classrooms to provide children and families with a safe place to spend time among grass, flowers, and trees, where children can explore, play, and learn nature’s many lessons.

There are currently more than a hundred certified Nature Explore Classrooms across the United States and Canada, and the list continues to grow. As the network of Nature Explore Classrooms expands, the impact on children is also growing. More children are developing meaningful connections with nature, instilling a lifelong sense of wonder and imagination.

Help connect more youths to the environment by sharing the 2013 Nature Explore PSA and spreading the word about the many benefits children experience when interacting with nature.

Watch the 2013 Nature Explore PSA video on the following link: http://blog.arborday.org/

Go the website of National Garden Association and tell them how you work to protect and improve the environment on your own home grounds.
 

Flowers
Most people that try their hand at home gardening plant flowers; at least they start out planting flowers anyway. Roses will probably be the first thought into any gardeners mind, but roses will take extra time and work, and should probably be left to those who have gardened before. When planting flowers many choices are available, such as bulbs, perennials, and annuals.

Edible plants
Edible plants are another big thing in home gardening. Perhaps the best thing about edibles is the reward of eating them. The list of edible plants that gardeners can grow at home is endless. Some of the most common edible plants in the vegetable arena are, potatoes, peas, corn, carrots, squash, and cucumber. Many gardeners opt for fruits, such as, watermelons, tomatoes, peaches, plums, apples, pears, and apricots. Small fruits, such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries usually require less work and less space, making them much more feasible for home gardening. Herbs, most often used as spices in cooking, are growing in popularity every day; some of the most grown include basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, and cilantro. One of the most important things to watch for when planting edibles is insects and disease, after all, you don’t want to miss out on the feast you will get to enjoy from healthy plants.

Landscaping
Many people don’t realize it, but landscaping is a form of home gardening. Landscaping covers many different areas and forms of gardening. You can even classify mowing your lawn as landscaping! Keeping in the line of grasses, landscaping nearly always involves decorative grasses, and the great thing about them is they don’t take much work for upkeep. Types of grass include monkey grass, pampas, buffalo grass, flame grass, and ornamental millet. Landscaping is not just limited to plant life, but also includes anything done to a yard for decoration, such as adding rocks or stones, putting a small pond, statutes, or a waterfall.

There isn’t much difference between home gardening and gardening anywhere else. Plants still need to be planted in a good location. The plants still need water and they still need the same nutrients. Home gardening shouldn’t cause anyone to get nervous. If you do decide to try homing gardening and finding out that you don’t have a green thumb, don’t get discouraged. Get some information, read up on gardening, and try it again the next planting season. 

Determine the size of your garden
First you must decide what size of garden you wish to plant and then select a place for it; somewhere that has good drainage, good air flow, and good, deep soil. It also needs to be able to get as much sunlight as possible. Because vegetable gardens have such tasty rewards, many animals, such as dogs, rabbits, deer, and many others will try and get to your veggies. One way to prevent this is to surround your garden with a fence, or put out a trap to catch mice, moles, and other animals.

Prepare the soil
Before planting, the soil must be properly prepared. Good soil for vegetable gardening is achieved by cultivation and the application of organic materials. The soil must be tilled (plowed) to control weeds and mix mulch into the soil. If you have a small garden, spading could be a better bet than plowing. Mulching is also a vital part of soil preparation. Organic matter added to the soil releases nitrogen, minerals, and other nutrients plants need to thrive. The most popular and best type of mulch you can use is compost. While the kind and amount of fertilizer used depends on the soil and types of plants, there are some plants that have specific needs; leafy plants, like cabbage, spinach, and lettuce usually grow better with more nitrogen, while root crops like potatoes, beets, turnips, and carrots require more potash. Tomatoes and beans use less fertilizer, while plants like onions, celery, and potatoes need a larger amount.

Garden arrangement
One thing that is vitally important in vegetable gardening is the garden arrangement. There is no single plan that will work for every garden due to varying conditions. One popular way to arrange a vegetable garden is to plant vegetables needing only limited space together, such as radishes, lettuce, beets, and spinach, and those that require more room together, such as corn, pumpkins, and potatoes. Try and plant tall growing plants towards the back of the garden and shorter ones in the front so that their sunlight does not get blocked.

Right time of the year
When you are finally ready to begin planting your vegetable garden, make sure and plant at the right time of year. If you are dying to get an early start, you may want begin your garden inside in a hotbed and then transplant when the weather permits. After you are finished planting, make sure your vegetables receive the appropriate amount of water, which depends on the type of plant. Most plants will need the equivalent to about an inch of water per week.

Weed control
Weeds must be controlled in vegetable gardening because they will take up water, light, and nutrients meant for the vegetables and they often bring disease and insects to the garden. You can get rid of weeds by cultivation or mulching. To protect against disease and insects you can buy seeds that are disease resistant or use controlled chemicals.

Vegetable gardening is many people’s favorite form of gardening because you can actually taste the fruits of your labor. Vegetable gardening is not that expensive to start and the taste of home grown veggies definitely beat out that of supermarket vegetables. Your vegetable gardening days will be full of produce if you take the proper precautions when planting and continue maintenance of your garden.

In the past, gardening is an exclusive realm of the landowner. Nowadays even the flat dweller can grow his dream garden without having any fuss. One’s dream can be fulfilled by container gardening, which means the gardening in a special container. Container gardening gives delights of landscape without weekly mowing. In the container, you can raise some perennials, annuals, and even shrubs and small trees.

Don’t think container gardening can be achieved very easily. Container gardening also requires proper planning just like that of traditional gardening. Planning consists of finding your USDA zone (this will help to identify the suitable plant variety of your zone), amount of daylight you are receiving in your apartment, and finally choose your beloved plant variety.

It is always advisable to buy the plants from nearest nursery unless you have right conditions to go for indoor seedlings. You should not keep the tender plants of container gardening outside below 45° F temperature or in soaring winds. Moreover you should not leave the new plants through out the night in the outside to get frost it out.

There is a false notion that all the plants grow in the ground won’t grow in the container gardening. It’s not so. If you have any doubt, please do experiment on it. Moreover, any container with holes for drainage can be used for your container gardening.

Container gardening requires little budget in the initial stage. But it is having low maintenance with good satisfaction. Container gardening requires little fertilizer and water according to the specific needs of the plants.

There is numerous pot growing vegetable varieties as container gardening. In this type, the vegetable plant requires only sunlight and water. Providing these two things can easily help you get fresh vegetables for your ratatouille or salad. You can get more satisfaction by serving these varieties nurtured by your own hands to your beloved pals.

Don’t despair-if you’re not having balcony or deck? Get nod from your landlord for window boxes, a modern container gardening. It is highly possible to grow many bloomy annuals year-round and indoor vegetables in your sunny window. There is another type of garden called community gardens, which will satisfy the city dwellers.

There is no need to end your container gardening since you have entered autumn. But you can continue your container gardening by selecting the plants that are withholding the frost. The common plant varieties that stand up to the frost are Eulalia grasses, Mexican feather grass, Cornflowers, Lavender cottons, Jasmine, Million bells, Stonecrops, etc.,

In order to extend the life of your garden from early spring to fall, you can replant to match the conditions. Even you can contact some of the America’s best gardeners through online to get design for your container gardening. They offer suggestions such as caring and choosing for pots, how to grow tips for succulents, roses, and bulbs, in containers.
 

Perennial flowers
If you're just looking for something to look nice in your yard, you'll want a flower garden. These are usually filled with perennial flower. Perennial flowers are flowers which stay healthy year-round. They're basically weeds because of their hardiness, only nice looking. Different areas and climates have different flowers which are considered perennials. If you do a quick internet search for your area, you can probably find a list of flowers that will bring your flower garden to life. These usually only require work in the planting stage - after that, the flower take care of themselves. The only downside to this is that you don't have any product to show for it.

Vegetable garden
Another choice for your garden is to have a vegetable garden. These usually require a little more work and research than a flower garden, but can be much more rewarding. No matter what time of the year it is, you can usually find one vegetable that is still prospering. That way you can have your garden be giving you produce almost every day of the year! When starting a vegetable garden, you should build it with the thought in mind that you will be adding more types of veggies in later. This will help your expandability. Once all your current crops are out of season, you won't be stuck with almost nowhere to put the new crops. A vegetable garden is ideal for someone who wants some produce, but doesn't want to devote every waking hour to perfecting their garden (see below.)

Fruit garden
One of the more difficult types of gardens to manage is a fruit garden. It's definitely the most high-maintenance. When growing fruits, many more pests will be attracted due to the sweetness. You not only have to deal with having just the right dirt and fertilizer, you have to deal with choosing a pesticide that won't kill whoever eats the fruits. Your fruit garden will probably not produce year-round. The soil needs to be just right for the plants to grow, and putting in another crop during its off-season could be disastrous to its growth process. If you're willing to put lots of work into maintaining a garden, then a fruit garden could be a good choice for you.

So now that we have outlined some of the main garden types that people
choose, We hope you can make a good decision. Basically, the garden type comes down to what kind of product you want, and how much work you want to put into it. If you're looking for no product with no work, go with a flower garden. If you want lots of delicious product, but you are willing to spend hours in your garden each day, then go for a fruit garden. Just make sure you don't get into something you can't handle!