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Do you love plants but you do not like to do some gardening outdoors? Do you prefer to have plants in pots or trays to be displayed inside the comfort of your homes? How about opting to put your green thumb at work by taking care of bonsai trees?

Bonsai trees are small or miniature trees that are placed in pots or trays. According to the World Book, the bonsai word means “tray planted.” It originated among the Japanese and Chinese aristocrats a long time ago and is currently a popular hobby among plant enthusiasts worldwide. You can find several kinds of bonsai trees like the typical ones which are the formal upright trees or those that are bended and curved artistically for aesthetic purposes. Not all trees are suited to be grown into bonsai trees. The popular ones include evergreens, pines, fruit trees like cherry and plum just to name a few.

Caring and growing bonsai trees are difficult and it often takes years of practice for some to master the art of growing them. The trees have to be properly pruned to keep it small and healthy. It entails a lot of patience, time and skills for that matter. Before deciding on a particular bonsai tree, plan on where you want to put it. Some types can be grown outdoors and some indoors. If you prefer to have it indoors, choose those kinds that are well suited for the indoors.

Bonsai trees require special attention and care for it to thrive. Bear in mind that we have constrained the tree’s growth into a pot or tray. Since bonsai trees are planted in an area with a limited amount of soil, you need to check the frequency with which it needs to be watered. We have to keep the soil moist and damp to ensure that it has enough supply of water to nourish it. You can check the dampness of the soil by placing your finger about several centimeters deep into the soil to feel if it is dry or you could use a water meter if you have one. If it is necessary to water it, give it enough water and ensure that it drains through the bottom of the holes in the pot or tray.

For its daily dose of sunlight, place your bonsai tree outdoors especially if it requires some direct sunlight. To ensure soil nutrients regularly schedule fertilization for your bonsai plants.

These are just some of the basic things you need to do to properly take care of your bonsai plants. Before buying any bonsai always ask and research for more information to ensure that your bonsai will live for more years to come.

Lanny Hintz
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/caring-for-bonsai-trees-98903.html

The first thing that you need to do is decide how much space you need to plant your garden. Depending on this space, figure out how many plants to plant.

Vegetable gardens need plenty of sunlight. Generally speaking, the more sun the better. Don’t plant your garden too close to trees or anything else that will shade it too much.

Vegetables need good drainage when they grow, so it’s a good idea to plant them in raised beds. You can make these out of cement blocks or wood. If you don’t have these resources, you can plant on raised mounds of dirt.

Growing Tomatoes

There are so many varieties of tomatoes to choose from. It’s a good idea to plant tomatoes when the soil is warm, after danger of frost is over.

If you’re planting dwarf plants, place them 12 inches apart in the row. If you’re planting staked plants, place them 15 to 24 inches apart.

tomatoes need plenty of water, especially during dry summers. Water them thoroughly every couple of days. Tomatoes in containers may need daily or even more frequent watering.

You’ll know when your tomatoes are ready when they’re firm and fully colored. In hot summer weather, pick your tomatoes every day or two. Even after they’re picked, they’ll continue to ripen slowly over the next several weeks.

Growing Sweet Corn

Like tomatoes, there are lots of different varieties or corn. Sweet corn needs warm soil. You should plant corn just before the frost-free date.

Place the seeds 1/2 inch deep in cool, moist soil. Space the kernels 9 to 12 inches apart in the row. It’s a good idea to plant two or more rows side by side to ensure good development. Allow 30 to 36 inches between rows.

Fertilize around the tomato seeds right when you plant them. When your corn reaches almost 10 inches, fertilize again. Corn will be ready to harvest 3 weeks after the first silk appears.

Your corn will be ready to harvest in 60-85 days. To pick them, break the ear from the stalk close to the base so as not to damage the ear or the stalk.

Growing Radishes

Radishes need a fine, well-prepared seed bed. It’s a good idea to apply animal manure or compost about 6 weeks before planting. This helps build up the water-holding capacity of the soil, and it balances the nutrient supply.

Plant small radishes 1-2 inches apart, and larger varieties 6 inches apart. You can grow several rows of radishes in a bed as long as you keep your beds at least 2 feet apart.

Radishes need consistent moisture. If they dry out during their growth, they’ll become bitter. Keep your radishes plenty moist throughout the growing season. You can use straw mulch to help retain moisture in your soil.

Most radish varieties mature in 25 to 35 days. They’re only mature for a short time, so if left in the ground too long, they can become pithy and mealy. It’s a good idea to watch them closely, and pick a radish every so often to determine their maturity.

Allan Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/setting-up-your-garden-for-tomatoes-sweet-corn-and-radishes-129844.html

Shrubs are great plants to use in your landscaping project. There are many varieties out there so you should easily find one that works well with your scheme.

Using Shrubs In Your Landscape Project
Shrubs are a pain-free, easy maintenance solution to creating a neat looking border. They are not only stunning and add interesting colors, but best of all they require very little work on your part once planted. There are many different species available so you should easily be able to select one that fits in with your scheme to perfection.

The Various Kinds Of Shrubs
Whether flowering like lilac and roses or adding winter interest like dogwood, shrubs come in all shapes and sizes, giving you a lot of colors and textures to choose from. They are a great way to give some height to a low flower scheme, providing much necessary balance to the overall visual effect. A vibrant specimen will also add a strong accent to nearby features.

Successful Borders
The secret to achieving the perfect border design is to use a balanced mix of heights, textures and colors that work well together. Shrubs can be very useful for this purpose as they can add interest, style and color to your borders and home throughout the year: a small amount of trimming will ensure they keep their good looks and do not grow too big.

Shrubs can also be used to line your plot, for instance as a hedge between your neighbors’ garden and your property. They are perfect for this as they will clearly delimit the area without closing the view like trees and fences do, so both you and your neighbors can enjoy them.

Planting And Basic Maintenance
Like most plants shrubs require a healthy soil with good drainage to thrive. This means that you may need to improve your soil by mixing in compost before you plant your new shrubs. Before you proceed you should always check if the roots look healthy. If needed you can use a knife to loosen them up before placing into the hole you dug. Good, regular watering is an absolute pre-requisite when establishing new shrubs.

The shrubs may look quite spread out at first but be patient as they will soon grow to fill in the gaps: you do not need to plant many shrubs to achieve a great effect. If the gaps do bother you, you could look into adding flowers in between the shrubs: perennials work wonders for this and will contribute to creating an even more interesting look for your landscaping scheme.

Mr.Andrew Caxton
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/shrubs-used-in-landscaping-135288.html

Cottage gardens are traditionally thought of as English gardens, lushly planted with colorful jumbles of flowers and shrubs, and grown in areas with mild winters and cool summers. Unfortunately, most places in the U.S. outside of the Pacific Northwest do not have the proper climate for an English garden.

Luckily, American cottage gardens are just as beautiful and better adapted to our climate. Still based on the lovely informal array of flowers and shrubs, they are perfectly suited to most informal suburban homes or country lots without the need for a huge English manor garden space that few of us have.

American cottage gardening encompasses using more drought tolerant and native plants, plants that are hardier for cold winter climates, and plants that tolerate and even thrive on the sunshine. The style tends to look natural and free flowing without any plan or design, however does indeed usually have a backbone plan to bring out the best in plant color combinations and textures that compliment each other. That being said, cottage gardens are also places where self seeded plants may be allowed to pop up as they will, and the garden is always a surprise from one season to the next! Flowers, shrubs, vegetables and herbs may share the same beds, and roses abound! Vines soften fences and walls, and furniture and decor is simple and comfortable.

Some easy to grow, drought and heat resistant plants perfect for the American cottage garden include yarrow, valerian, Russian sage, coneflower, coreopsis, scabiosa, joe pye weed, daffodils, sunflower, butterfly bush and roses. Many herbs also love heat. Sage, thyme, purple basil, golden oregano and lavender all thrive in my high desert garden. Annuals can be seeded directly in the garden and many self sow for next year as well. Good cottage gardens choices include cosmos, annual sunflower, cleome, alyssum and poppies.

Cottage gardens are magical places, full of charm, whimsy and surprises, and a perfect place to let your creativity in the garden shine and grow. Don’t forget to add a meandering path, a rustic or painted arbor, and a picket fence here or there.

My own garden here at The Garden Glove is a cottage garden style, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. See photos and read articles on cottage style gardens at TheGardenGlove.com/cottage_garden.html.

If you’re looking for a laid back style, beautiful easy care flowers, and a charming feel for your home and garden, cottage style is for you.

Kathy Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/how-to-grow-a-cottage-garden-135996.html