Many of Asian cultures are known as those who give a lot of attention to plants. Unlike in western countries, eastern cultures still use to involve the plants pretty much in their life.

We have already seen a plenty of beautiful gardens from all over the world but here you will see a few of pretty unusual and beautifully maintained gardens from China, where the plants are very important part of everyday life.

Buying

Visit any Toronto florists in early spring for your best selection of Rhododendron plants. Choose a robust plant that appears full and healthy.

Planting

1. Choose the correct site to grow your Rhododendrons. An ideal location will have partial sun exposure. Because they are susceptible to wind damage, choose a location that is sheltered from strong winds.

2. Dig a hole approximately 29 inches wide and 18 inches deep. To improve drainage and add much needed acidity to the soil, lay a 1 inch layer of pine bark in the bottom of your hole.

3. Gently remove the plant from its container. Supporting the root ball, transfer to your freshly dug soil. Use the soil to fill in around the root ball.

4. Water well then cover with about 2 inches of mulch.

Maintenance

1. Rhododendrons love moisture. Keep your plant well watered, especially during extended rain-free periods. You will know when your Rhododendron is thirsty because of its drooping leaves. Spray the roots with a garden hose or use a sprinkler system to water.

2. Pruning young Rhododendrons will promote full growth as your plant matures. Prune in the early spring. Pruning an established plant however, may reduce your number of blooms the following year. Once your Rhododendrons have reached maturity, letting them grow as desired will ensure big beautiful blooms year after year.

3. Pests are not a common problem for Rhododendrons, but mealy bugs may be attracted to your plant’s sweet smell. If you notice white cotton like masses or sooty black mold on your plant’s leaves, apply horticultural oil during the summer. In the winter, dormant oil will smother the following year’s infestation. Both products can be found at your local nursery.

Winterizing

Because Rhododendrons are evergreen, there isn’t much you need to do to care for your plant during the winter months. Reduce watering in late autumn. If you have had a particularly dry fall, water your Rhododendrons after your first frost. Be sure to protect from any strong or damaging winter winds.

With proper care and a little attention, your Rhododendrons will continue to bring beauty to your yard for years to come.

By: Steven Rosen

Luscious Lotus

Blue Bell Tunicate

passion flower

Orchid

Purple Foxglove

This thing could be really useful in schools for biology lessons. It enables you to watch processes that are part of plant’s growth and which are not visible in traditional plant cultivation where people use a soil, you can see everything what usually happens under ground and that might be pretty exciting for biology students.

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Royal botanical gardens in London

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This is one of the most beautiful gardens that you will ever come across. Spread over 300 acres, it has almost forty thousand plants which really make you hang around for days. It is very difficult to see it all in very less time. If you don’t have much time to spend there, at least spend time in viewing the highlights of the garden. There are at least two batches of tours allowed in a day and you can book your tour in advance and it doesn’t cost you a lot. There are so many options that you will literally get confused about what to view first. You will come across many stunning and beautiful sights. Ensure that you visit those glass houses. There are some great structures which were as old as the Victorian era. They are the palm house and the temperate house. Apart from these they are also some new glass houses. Don’t miss the aquatic garden. There are more than a hundred types of plants grown there. Walk through the tree top walk way which enables you to see everything from a different view.

Royal botanical gardens in Scotland

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Spread in 70 acres it is a garden which is very beautifully landscaped and is located in the city. The best time to go there is in the afternoon. There are several must see spots inside- which include the rock garden (don’t miss this) and also the Scottish-Heath garden. There is also Queen Mother’s garden where there are plants from various parts of the world. Also ensure that you watch the Chinese hillside. There is a large collection of plants there. And these plants are Chinese. There are also glass houses; don’t miss the Victoria glass house. Enjoy the view of palm trees and also the sight of tropical flowers.

Generalife in Spain

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Don’t ever miss this spot if you ever go to Spain. These gardens are also called as art forms of landscape. It is a very beautiful place situated very high on a plateau. There are the Sierra Nevada Mountains nearby. The garden belongs to the 13^th century. Previously the same place was filled with orchards and green pastures. Over a period of time they have evolved into a very beautiful place filled with rose and lily flowers and also pools. It is a celebration to your senses if you just sit and stare at the beauty of the nature there. Just enjoy the pleasant beauty of the greenery with chirping birds and smells of flowers. You have to get your tickets in advance.

Nymphenburg Palace gardens in Munich

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It is a very beautiful place to spend time in the morning and appreciate the nature’s beauty. The gardens look royal. They date back to the 17^th century and have been transformed. It started as a small garden and later on developed into a big one. There are also statues of those Greek-Gods and also large ponds. There are a large variety of plants and also birds like swans. It can make a very good picnic spot with the family. You will really enjoy that place and if you plan your trip well you can cover a major portion of it in less time.

Monet’s garden in France

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It is a very beautiful place connected to the village of Giverny. The gardens are near Claude Monet’s mansion and he really made them beautiful. There are beautiful flowers which are colorful and also ponds which make the place a serene one and a peaceful one. There is also a flower garden along with a water garden. The sights and sounds of the place are very pleasant and any visitor going there will carry the memories for a life time. Man had always been in love with nature as it makes him forget about all the trivial things of his life. It really is a big break from the rest of your life’s commitments and it refreshes you a lot. Also make sure you visit the village.

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, France

There are a lot many gardens in Europe which are very beautiful and stunning. Listing only a five from those is really difficult. Also seeing all those gardens in a single trip is very difficult and is impossible as there are so many things to be seen and every garden is a vast thing in itself and anyone who goes there cannot come out without spending much time inside. Travelling there is worth it as you will feel the pleasure of enjoying the nature. If you go there with your family your family with thank you for showing such a pleasant spot. The main beauty of those places is that the gardens are preserved from centuries and the landscaping is done almost like an art. The flowers are like decorations and chirping of birds in the garden makes it more beautiful. If a person is a nature lover then this place is almost a heaven to him. If you can take some time out of your busy schedule, then do not think about where to travel. I would recommend these places for anyone who is looking to come back refreshed from a tour or a holiday. Happy journey!

Arches come in a range of shapes which may be round-topped, pointed or square. An arch may be to frame a view or lead the way from the house to the patio, or can highlight the entrance to a pathway or the route beyond a fence or hedge. A row of arches may be lined up along a path.

A pergola is a larger structure made up of a series of joined arches. This may form a single divide between one area of the garden and another bur it is commonly made of a double row of uprights held together by roof struts and placed to span a path or form a covering for a patio. A pergola can also be attached along one side to a wall or fence.

Depending on where it is sited, an arbor is a partially enclosed space that may be a garden hideaway, a place in which to sit in private, or a ring-side seat from which the whole garden can be viewed. An arbor or a pergola can be made more rainproof by adding a translucent roofing material to the top.

Arches, pergolas and arbors all form a striking part of a garden’s designs and look most in keeping if they suit the house and the garden’s style. Stained or painted squared-off timber is popular for modern situations, while rustic poles are often used to recreate a country-garden style. These can have the bark removed to help prevent rot and insect infestation or left on to attract small insect- eating birds. Iron or tubular steel with a galvanized, painted or plastic coated finish can also be used. For a long-lasting, but more expensive, alternative brick or stone uprights may be built and married up with timber roof struts. Garden seats with a built in arch can be placed against a solid background, forming a simple arbor.

Arches, pergolas and arbors can be made on site or bought in a range of sizes already to he easily erected on site. In most cases you will need to allow for poles which are at least 60 cm/24 in longer than the height required, to provide a fixing into the ground. A span of about 1 m/3-4 ft is about the widest suitable for an arch.

An arbor is usually sited in a sunny spot, with the frame and plants providing shade. In a windy situation it is best to site an arbor with its back to a wall, fence or hedge to provide protection. The structure can be positioned parallel with a side or end boundary, run diagonally across a corner, or sited centrally within an open space.

As a seat is the central ingredient of an arbor decide on its size and shape first, then construct around it. The frame material and thickness need to be strong enough to take the span required and also to support vigorous climbers. Draw up a rough sketch of the design you prefer. Include the measurements and take this with you when buying the materials so that you can obtain advice on the thicknesses required. The frame will soon be transformed by clambering plants to make an enclosed space. Scented climbers will make sitting in the arbor a special pleasure.

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A quick way to expand one’s collection of bromeliads is to grow, them from seeds. It is a most interesting pursuit, and the breeder is occasionally blessed with variegated or interesting ones. Before, one begins to start on hybridization, it is necessary to learn the names and recognize the parts of the flower. The whole base on which the flower rests and to which it is attached is called the calyx. Al bromeliad flowers have three petals, contained or enclosed by three sepals.

These petals surround the sexual part of the flower. Inside the petals are six stamens, topped by structures that look like boats called anthers, considered as the male parts. The pistil serves as the center of it all and is topped by the female part called the stigma. This can be longer than the stamens or can be enclosed by stamens somewhat resembling a dome, making it difficult to hybridize. This is also true to self-pollinating flowers. .These types of bromeliads are receptive only to .its own pollen. However, only 1-5 percent of the bromeliads are self-fertile.

Neoregelias and aechmeas are the most difficult to breed because the flowers are small with the anthers closing over the stigma as if protecting it from intruders. The anthers must be removed, preferably before the pollen is mature. This is to avoid incidences of the pollen falling thereby creating a big possibility to miss out the crossed fertilized seed one intends to have. The basic process of breeding bromeliads is very simple and can be done by the average plant lover. One just needs to know the very basic factors that can also serve as a guide for future usage. These are the following: understanding and sufficient knowledge of the bromeliad genera, availability of sufficient parent plants, financial inputs or investments, willingness to take risks, and patience.

To start with hybridization, one should establish that the parent plants are not self pollinating. Gather pollen from another plant. This will be the male side of the cross. You can store pollen in the refrigerator where it should keep viable within the next months. Fresh pollen is the best to use but refrigeration is necessary; not all bromeliads flower at the same time. Label carefully your pollen with the name of the plant you took it and the date so that you can discard it when it becomes some months old and are no longer viable.

Gently remove the anthers of the female side of the cross. Petals can be pushed aside to reveal the pollen but must not be removed since the petals close over the stigma as the flower withers. Anthers can be easily cut away with scissors but for neoregelias, forceps can be used.

Factors to consider in breeding bromeliads are: understanding and sufficient knowledge of the bromeliad genera: availability of sufficient parent plants, financial inputs/investments, willingness to take risk and patience.

For preparations for breeding, select mature plants to be used as parent plants. Prepare materials to be used: potting medium, plastic bags, rubber bands, fungicide and rooting hormone, netting, tweezers, petri dishes or anything similar.

Photo by Vitorio Benedetti
Photo by Geek2Nurse
Photo by Vitorio Benedetti
Photo by Halley Pacheco
Photo by orange.tag.pixx

What must be bred? This question can be addressed by the person who would like to go into breeding. Personal experiences can only help guide first timers. The most important is to set your goals so you may have a direction.

The things you should consider for a garden designed for elderly are mobility – a problem for some of those for whom the garden was designed; eye-sight may be poor for some garden users; and scent is particularly important for older people.

Wide paths provide access for wheel chairs and for people to walk side-by side. Gentle slopes rather than steps. There should also be lots of seating in both sun and shade.

Using strong and contrasting colors helps to overcome the problem older eyes have in adjusting to a move from an area of light to one in the shade.

When eye-sight or hearing is reduced, flowers which give off scent provide a lot of pleasure.

The paving was picked for its non slip and non-reflective properties. Changes in colour and materials arc used to herald clearly, for she less

well-sighted, that they are entering a new area. Seating surfaces in dark green are made from a recycled polystyrene waste material which is warm to the touch and relatively maintenance free. It does not absorb seater no can be quickly dried after rain.

The pergola provides a frame for climbers, and shade for the seating area below, from which the scent of the climbers can be enjoyed.

Raised beds and the raised pond bring the pleasures of plants and water up to a more accessible level to those walking, sitting or in wheel-chairs

Apart from providing a number of specimen plants with decorative leaf-shapes and autumn color, Barbara picked plants for their aromatic leaves or fragrant flowers. She chose bright colors that could be seen clearly by those with poorer sight. Orange and yellow have been used extensively. often side-by-side for vivid contrast

A mix of leaf and flower shapes and, colors allows each plant to be defined against the other. The silver leaves of a Eucalyptus gunnii overhang the pale yellow flowers of Achillea ‘Moonshine’.

The bright sunny colors of black-eyed Susan, Rudbeclsia fulgida, the yellow flowers of the lily ‘Connecticut King’ and bright orange marigolds also show up strongly against a green background.

Flowers in tones of a single color work well in a container. Here the small, soft pink flowers of Nemesia Carnival Series rise above the rim while the pendent deep pink flowers of the climbing Rhodochiton appear around the edges and trail clown to the ground

In these raised beds Barbara has used the two colors most easily seen by older eyes. The bright orange flowers of Rudbechia ‘Marmalade’ are elevated to eye-level creating a strong contrast against the paler yellow daisy-likeheads of the Argyranthemum ‘Jamaica Primrose’.

A grade-one bare-root bush rose tree must have a minimum of two good shoots, each with the diameter of a thick pencil. The stems must look fresh, not shriveled. The roots must be fibrous and in a moist condition, with a minimum length of 10 in (25 cm). Container-grown, containerized and prepack roses must meet the same standards as hare-root plants.

Roses are sold in a number of different ways. Traditionally, growers lift them in autumn and sell them bare-rooted, either individually or in quantity (which makes them cheaper). Bare-rooted roses are often excellent value for money.

Plastic bags or boxes Sometimes roses are sold bare- rooted in plastic bags or boxes. These are packed in moss or other organic materials, and are often sprayed with a harmless wax to prevent evaporation. The roots and shoots are trimmed to fit the bag or box, but still need pruning in the spring.

A more reliable way of growing roses is to buy them containerized with their own root ball, ready for planting. These, too, are pruned ready for planting and are often covered with a thin layer of wax. Because the roots have their own root ball, they are likely to get off to a better start after planting.

Container-grown plants are even more likely to transplant well, as their roots will not be disturbed whets they are moved. Before you buy a container- grown rose, check that it has actually been grown in the pot rather than containerized, and make sure it has a well- developed root system. If it doesn’t have its own solid root ball, leave it in the pot when you plant it, and don’t remove it from the pot until the autumn.

There are obvious advantages its buying your roses from a local nursery or garden centre, especially one that you know has a good reputation. Apart from the convenience, you can easily check the quality and condition of the plants. Mail order is riskier, although you may have little choice if you want an unusual variety.