By: D.Rhadika

Living in Colorado and being a gardener has been rather stressful in the
past few years, as this state has been undergoing a rather severe drought.
The city is imposing watering restrictions which are not giving enough
water to lawns and plants. I’ve had to renovate my garden to make it more
water efficient. Now, because of the techniques I’ve employed, I’m the
only one in my neighborhood with a garden that isn’t completely brown. So
if you live in an area that is going through a drought or if you just want
to save water, I suggest you use some of these techniques as well.

First, I took out all my plants. The soil I was using didn’t retain water
very well, so I had to water about twice as much as necessary in order to
get it to actually absorb into the roots. If you have this same problem,
you can fix it by loading the soil up with lots of compost. This not only
prevents water from escaping, but encourages the plant’s roots to be
healthy and able to survive more.

Once I was done optimizing the soil for my new low water consumption plan,
I was ready to replace all my plants. I decided that the placement of all
my plants would reflect the amount of water necessary to keep them alive.
All the plants that don’t require much water I placed in on one side of my
garden, and then just progressed in the amount of required water to the
other side of the garden. As a result of my new arrangement, I don’t have
to waste water on plants that don’t need it as much.

The installation of a drip irrigation system was another move on my part
that reduced the amount of water I needed to fully water my garden. The
great thing about these systems is that they constantly drip into your
plants, so that every single drop is absorbed. With traditional watering
systems, usually the roots get too overwhelmed with the sheer amount of
water in the soil. Thus, lots just seeps right past. This is all taken
care of with the drip system.

If you still seem to need more water than you can supply to your garden,
you might consider which plants you could replace with less water
dependent plants. If you want a good shrub that doesn’t use up more than
its share of water, look for Heavenly Bamboo. It is not only tolerant of
droughts, but looks rather decorative in any garden. Herbs such as
rosemary are useful in preparing meals, and are rarely thirsty.

If you’re trying to find flowers that will still be lush and beautiful
despite the lower amounts of water, look for penstemon varieties like
Garnet, Apple Blossom, Moonbeam, and Midnight. You can attract
hummingbirds and butterflies with varieties like Cosmos and Yarrow. The
best part about all these plants is that they don’t look rugged and
withstanding, but they sure are. Your neighbors wont be saying “Look at
them, they downgraded their plants just to withstand the drought. What
chumps!” Instead they will be marveling over how you keep your flowers so
beautiful in the midst of the watering regulations.

One of my favorite drought resistant plants is the Lavender plant. I could
go on for pages about it. A large group of Lavender plants looks
unbelievably gorgeous in your garden, and hardly requires any water to
flourish. Pineapple sage is another personal favorite. It is a 2+ foot
shrub that smells strangely of pineapple. It’s another major attracter of
hummingbirds, and the leaves are also useful to add taste to drinks.

So if you are in the position I was, and you’re dealing with a drought and
perhaps watering regulations, I suggest you try some of the things I’ve
mentioned. Even if you’re just trying to conserve water or be generally
more efficient with it, I think you’ll still be able to benefit.

By: D.Rhadika

What is butterfly gardening? Simply put butterfly gardening is the art of growing flowers and plants that will attract these colorful and dainty creatures to your garden. Delight your family and visitors with beautiful butterflies, but be sure to create a safe habitat for them. If you own cats rethink your plans, because it would be a shame to attract these lovely insects to their death.

The design your butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference. Typical points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Pick a style of garden that appeals to you, but ensure it also contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract.

It is important to find out which plants and flowers will attract the species of butterflies. that live in your area. This information can be found at the local library
To create the kind of environment that they find attractive, you will also need water of some kind. A birdbath will look attractive and keep the butterflies up off the ground, away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. A shallow dish on a post or hung in a tree will do just as well.

When planting your butterfly garden be careful how you coordinate the colors you choose for your flowerbeds. Although butterflies do not care about your choice of color, you don't want your garden to be a hodgepodge of unrelated colors and textures. Butterflies are attracted to those flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, like honeysuckle, milkweed, summer lilac, Valerian, daisies, Purple Coneflower, Yellow Sage, day lilies and lavender.

Some people find it helpful to draw and color a layout of their butterfly gardening plan to see what the finished product would look like. Keep in mind that warm colors like red and orange are flashy and showy. These colors have a greater impact against a strong green background. Cool colors such as blue and purple are soothing and toned down and would work better with a white contrast to create the look of freshness and brightness.

by : D.Rhadika

Many times we buy plants on impulse then find there is nowhere in the garden that really suits them. Before buying plants carefully examine your garden to see how much sun and shade it gets, whether the soil is well drained or waterlogged and whether your aspect is sheltered or windswept. You'll then be equipped to go and buy the best plants for your situation; shade-loving plants for the sheltered areas, sun-lovers for the warm spots, drought-resistant plants for the parched areas which may be either sunny or shaded, and swamp plants for the poorly-drained parts.

But wait! Test your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and what kind of nutrients you need to add, if any. Is the soil acid or alkaline? Most plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic, but there are some that must have alkaline soil to grow. You can alter the soil's pH level, but it's much easier to simply plant for the soil you have.

Now you are ready to plant. Well - almost. Will you plant in groups or singly? If you buy 'one of everything' your garden may seem rather spotty. Group plantings are organised, harmonious and you can vary the color for interest.

Before planting out, place your chosen plants around the garden bed in their pots to see how they will look. Re-arrange them until you are satisfied. Grouping plants in sets of threes or fives usually looks better than planting in groups of even numbers. Be sure that you have an interesting combination of colors and textures of plants. Tall plants should go to the back, or the centre if your garden will be viewed equally from all sides. Try to keep your plants away from trees. The roots of trees are fiercely competitive and will steal all the nutrients and moisture meant for your flowers.

The right color scheme is one way to maintain the harmony in your garden. Imagine the color of the flowers when they are in bloom. Some colors may clash with others, but can still be planted side-by-side if they have a different blooming season. Foliage color is also important. Many flower plants have silver, grey or purplish foliage that is just as attractive as the flower. This means that they are still attractive well past the blooming season and so have added value.