With the summer in full swing, people are inspired to get out in the garden and start thinking about landscaping touchups. Here are some trends that this year is all about:

Blue is cool: Landscape designers await the announcement of the color of the year by Pantone and this year the color is Classic Blue. Homeowners are bringing in blue plants like delphinium, globe thistle, blue fortune, and other touches of the cool color. 

More sustainable garden: Low-maintenance gardens, drought-tolerant plants, and less turf grass have become the norm in landscape design. Homeowners now assume that sustainable design will be a major part of the plan, both for economic and environmental reasons.

Fountains and pools: Including a water feature to the landscape design such as a pool, or a fountain, or a lotus pond will always be classic landscaping for your home. It is similar to bringing nature home and listening to the soothing sound of moving water.

Edibles, front and center: Blended gardens that incorporate edibles and ornamentals do double duty, giving gardeners a bountiful harvest of fruit, vegetables, and herbs. Enjoy the taste and contentment of homegrown food on your plate.

Barbecue mode on!: Get your barbecue grill out for a change and you wouldn’t want to go back in again. Installing a small outdoor kitchen with a barbecue for those fun outdoor dinners and parties gives you a fantastic experience of dining outside. 

Inside out: The furniture available now has been adapted to urban requirements and designs making it waterproof and fade-resistant. Homeowners can now move their living spaces outdoors. An outdoor living space for pleasant spring evenings makes for a refreshing experience.

Gravel pits: Permeable gravel pits allow rainwater to percolate, into the ground. It is a great way to keep your garden alive and healthy while saving water and harvesting rainwater.

Living, green walls: Living green walls are panels of plants, grown vertically using hydroponics, on structures that can be either free-standing or attached to walls. Living green walls are also referred to as vertical gardens, green walls, living walls or eco walls.

Old is gold: Vintage items like old bird cages, picture frames, shutters and seedboxes are always stylish. Hit thrift stores and yard sales to find items like antique coffee cans or water jugs, crates or cloches that make for unique containers or a quirky design in your garden. You can also upcycle your old furniture for a cozy rustic finish.

Roses interestingly grow in bushes and do not have a tree like structure like many other flower plants. There is no main thick trunk with stems. By pruning, you encourage new growth and shape the plant along with removing dead wood. It also improves the air circulation of the bush.

Right time to prune a rose bush
In roses, you need to determine the hardiness zone it is growing in. Hardiness zone is a geographical location of a plant where it is capable of growing. This is with respect to the climatic conditions and the ability to survive in the extreme climate conditions of that location.
However, there is no fixed season you should prune, but the best time to prune your roses is when your florysthia begins to bloom. If you have florysthia in your garden, pruning roses becomes easy for you as you know when to prune them.
If you do know have a florysthia plant in your garden or home, you can observe the rose plant closely and prune when you see the bud are swelling as it is an indication that the bush is ready to be pruned.

Right way to prune roses
When you start with pruning, use the right tool and make sure they have been sterilized before you cut the stems and prune the bush. Blades should be sharp for an easy cut.
The cut that you make should be at 45° angle. This helps the wound draining water, prevents the wound from getting infected and also molds the new growth.
You might want to seal the cut using paint or glue. Though this is not absolutely necessary but can be practiced as it keeps the pests from entering from the wound.
If you see the canes that are dead, remove them from one inch above their buds.
Look out for weeds around your rose bush and remove them from the roots when you notice them. They suck out all the essential nutrients from the rose bush roots.
Canes that are too thin and cross grown also need to be removed while pruning. You may also prune the healthy canes that are remaining to shape your bush.
The blossoms that had grown well but are now dying or fading must be removed.

They are easy to grow and are a beauty to have in your garden. The smell is and look of the flowers are one of their attractive features. Find out more about how you can grow lavenders in your garden.

Starting from the start
Decide where you want to grow your lavenders. You can start with inspecting your garden to figure out best way for your plants. Lavenders demand full and direct sunlight for at least 6 hours a day, so find them a place where they get adequate amount of sunlight for adequate amount of time. Remember, they will not flourish and bloom well if they lack sufficient sunlight.

Once you have the location, make a bed of soil for your plants. Raised beds are perfect for your lavenders as they need proper drainage. Growth is hampered when the soil is moist or damp. Silica if mixed with the soil will help with the drainage.

Another important part is the soil’s pH level. Give equal importance to this part along with others. The pH should be between 6.5 to 7. If you do not have enough knowledge about the pH and level of pH, take a professional help. You can also get a soil test done and check the pH level of your soil. Remember that lavenders prefer alkaline based soil.

Planting
Dig a hole in the soil. Hole should be deep and wide enough for the roots to spread. You can add a compost of small round stones and lime juice in the hole to make is drainage ready and alkaline.

Before you take the plant off it’s nursery planter or put, water it so the roots are hydrated before you take them out. Take the plant off one hour later but before taking it off, you can prune them if necessary. You may seek professional help if you aren’t sure. Light pruning can be done, though.

Rooting
You may now remove the plants from its roots careful with a light hand from it’s nursing pot and shake off excess soil from the roots. Be very gentle while doing that.

Place the plant in the hole you have dig with compost in it. Make sure the roots are not touching the stones and lime mix, so roots should be slightly above the compost mix. To place the plant properly, start adding soil in the dig hole and one it is full, pat gently to fixate the plant in its place.

Lastly, if you’re planting more than one lavender plant, keep a distance of 30-35 inches between two plants. This will help them get good air circulation and will give them enough space to grow.

Lavenders come from the flower plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Lavender is a multi utility flower plant and are vibrantly purple and hence loved by people across the globe. Lavender is used to make essential oil which itself has many uses. There are also many culinary uses of lavender. Some health benefits are also associated with lavender such as help with anxiety and stress, sleep issues, anti-inflammatory quality, help with skin care and hair, has antiseptic ability too. There are more health benefits too that one can get from lavender plants.

Plants are delicate and need to be cared for to grow and bloom healthy and beautifully. The more you know about the plants, the better you can care for them. And it is also not unknown to people how each plant is different from one another. And with that difference, there are different care methods too. Here, we will talk about tips to grow and care for your lavender.

When you are starting to plant a lavender plant, the soil it requires must be well-drained and should be low fertile. Lavender prefers alkaline soil, so the pH should be 6.5 or more, but not more than 7.3. A simple soil test will help you determine the soil pH and other information.

The plant you have brought to grow at your home will flourish or not will depend on the weather condition you provide it. Usually this will not a problem if the plants is bought from the near by botany garden.

Sun is important for lavender plants. Make sure you show them the sun for at least 5-6 hours a day. More sunshine is always better for lavender flower plants.

Try to avoid over watering them. Many make the mistake of over watering them and that is not good for the plants. They don’t need too much water, so less is more here.

If you are growing many plants in the garden, make them grow in the raised bed so that get proper drainage.

Fertilizing is not necessary for lavenders.

The best time to prune them is in late fall. Lavenders don’t divide as easily as other perennial plants. That is why you can move them by lifting them and replant them immediately after. This is best done in spring just after new growth has started.

African violets are free of toxins causing no harm to your children and pets, giving you all the more reasons to bring this lovely plant with magnificent purple flowers home. This beautiful plant is also quite delicate. But the more you know about your African violets, the better you can care for them.

The light they need
African violets prefer bright light but not direct sunlight. If you are not able to make a judgment if the light you are providing the plants is sufficient or not, you can get the idea by observing the leaves closely. Reaction of leaves to the light tell all about what works for them and what doesn’t.
If the leaves are unusually dark green in color and thin, they are in low light and need more light than thats been provided. In case leaves are lighter in color and are turning yellow, they are getting more light than they need. Too high light results in slow growth of the plant. It will also impact the flowering as that will start to decrease.
Along with the light, whats important is the duration of light. Not more than 8 hours should the plant be kept in the dark in a day. 8-12 hours of light is sufficient for them.
Artificial light is also an alternative when natural light seems difficult.

The temperature they need
African violets prefer a pleasant temperature. Neither too hot nor too cold. Something between 60°F to 70°F is ideal for them. During summer or hot weather, place the plant in some cool place where the temperature is pleasant or can be maintained/conditioned so the flowering doesn’t reduce.

The base they need
Soil, pot and drainage are the base of African violet and any other plant for that matter. When it comes to soil, a perfect mixture of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite will do great for the plant. The pH in the soil mixture must be as per the requirement “ 6.0 “ 6.5. Pots can be of clay or plastic.

The watering they need
African violets are not too needy when it comes to water. Routine in watering is not essential as they grow properly when the soil around the roots is not damp or wet, but dry. However, evaporation in clay pots is more that in plastic hence watering can be frequent in clay pots.

The more information you have on your plant and the care it needs, the better you can help them grow and bloom. Keep educating yourself with as much information as possible.

Maple trees come from Acer gene of trees. Acer in Latin means sharp and hence the name as the leaves have sharp look to them. There is a lot to know about maple trees such as the interesting facts, benefits and how to care for them right.

Pruning
Always prune your maple tree the right way. Know when is the right time to prune them as there is an impact of pruning to the trees.

The tools you use to prune the trees must be specifically designed to cut tree branches. Tools like pruning shears, loppers, pruning saws, hedge shears, pole pruner are some of the very helpful tools to have. If you have a garden with plants and trees, these tool are a great help. The tools are easily available online if you find it hard to locate them in your locality.

Remember to keep your pruning tools in working condition. Always keep them clean and make it a priority to clean them right after your pruning work is done. Keep the blades shape for pruning then perfectly. Diseases can spread between plants from pruning tools if they are not cleaned after each pruning.

Benefits
One of the most popular components of a maple tree is the sap. It is famous among humans as well as animals. They syrup contains antioxidants along with a sweet and taste. There are essential vitamins and minerals found in maple syrup such as zinc and manganese in high amount along with potassium and calcium. It is a healthier alternative to artificial sweeteners. Many use maple syrup for skin treatment because of its anti-inflammatory qualities by using it as a face mask sometimes mixing it with raw milk or yogurt.

Facts
Of all types of maple trees, sugar, black and red maple trees are the one that produce the maple syrup
These trees live up to two centuries and more
The oldest maple tree is Canada is about 500 years old
Maple wood is used for smoking food as well as making furniture and other interior works and baseball bats
The charcoal made of maple tree is used in Tennessee whiskey
It it only after a maple tree turns 30 one can use it to extract sap to make maple syrup
Maple syrup is make by boiling the sap
When a seed falls from the tree, it falls like a helicopter as it is winged

Maple trees are often found in the northern parts of America and many parts of Canada. There are approximately of 128 species of maple trees. These trees come in many shapes and sizes but what attracts everybody toward them is their outstanding fall color.

For having the magnificent maple tree in your garden, you need to know when and how to prune the tree. Pruning is like maintaining a tree which is very essential for many reasons. Your tree might be getting too big and you might want to alter it from places. Pruning helps give a direction to grow for your tree. The tree will have broken or branches, which is a reason enough to prune them timely.

Now when it comes to pruning a maple tree, you need to know when a tree is supposed to be pruned. Every type of tree is unique and so should be their care. Normally there is a perfect season to prune a maple tree, but if you see dead wood, irrespective of when you see it, you can remove it. This is called light pruning as the changes are not drastic and it will not effect the tree in any way bad even if the season is not right for them to be pruned.

The otherwise best time to prune your maple tree would be in late spring. Summer or early summer is also the right time to prune a maple tree. Though there is an ideal time or season to prune the tree, some maple trees that are mature, can take pruning even in winter. However, if it is a mature tree, it can even be pruned in the winter.

You may also wait until the leaves of the trees are fully developed. It will help the tree blossom and produce fruit is pruned before the buds come out. This is because it prepares the tree well grow perfectly.

But in any case, no matter which time of the year it is, over pruning is bad for you tree. Give your tree only what’s required. Too much pruning can also lead to the weakening of the tree.

Pruning is essential but so is the right way to prune them. Getting into details before and while pruning will help your tree grow the way it is supposed to. Understand your tree, be very observant and give it what it needs for it to grow gracefully.