Growing impatiens in your garden by Yvonne Cunnington

If you're thinking of growing impatiens, also known as Busy Lizzy, you're in good company. Impatiens are the most popular bedding plants in the world.
These attractive shade annuals got their botanical name because their seed pods explode when they ripen, shooting their sticky seeds far and wide. Perhaps these annuals are impatient to reproduce.

Types of impatiens for your garden conditions.

Impatiens are popular because they're easy-to-grow and flower in shade all season.
Today's cultivars are more tolerant of sun than many older varieties, but too much sun will stunt their growth, resulting in shorter plants with smaller leaves and not as many flowers.
Available in many colors - red, scarlet, pink, white, rose and mauve - and in star patterns and bicolors with light colors inside the flowers and darker colors at the margins of the petals, impatiens comes in single, semi double or fully double flower forms.
There are varieties of New Guinea or sun impatiens you can grow if you don't have shade or part shade in your garden.

Tips for growing impatiens.

You will find a good supply of impatiens at nurseries and garden centers in the spring. For best success, choose bushy-looking plants with leaves that are lush and green.
If you like to plant many flats of impatiens, you can grow them from seed yourself.
Impatiens grow about six to 24 inches tall, but their eventual height in your garden depends on moisture and nutrient levels, how far apart you plant them and how much sun they get.
If you want your impatiens to grow taller, space them quite close together, about six inches apart. But if you want them to spread out more, plant them at least eight inches to one foot apart.
Impatiens will grow in the shade under deciduous trees. In such conditions, be sure to give them extra care, as tree roots often use up the available water and nutrients. The key to success is a weekly watering and additional fertilizer every three weeks or so through the season. (Learn more about growing plants in dry shade.)
Give your plants the best start possible by mixing compost or slow-release fertilizer into the soil at planting time and finish off by watering thoroughly. To keep them looking their best, water deeply once a week through the entire growing season, and fertilize regularly.
Impatiens make great container or window box plants in filtered shade. If you're growing them this way, plant them in a soil-less mix, not garden soil. Then water regularly and fertilize weekly.

By Yvonne Cunnington Check out Yvonne's great gardening book

Basic Gardening!

http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Gardening-book.html

Happy Arbor Day!

What is Arbor Day?
Arbor Day is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care.
Founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, National Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April.

Learn more about Arbor Day and how to give a tree, a life time gift.
http://www.arborday.org/shopping/gifttrees/


Landscape Vision is a member of the Arbor Day Foundation, when you join you receive 10 FREE TREES, we donate ours to our local parks department. You should join, plant your tress, improve the earth!

If You Want to Do One Thing on Earth Day:

CALL FOR CLIMATE!
Global warming is our most urgent environmental problem. Scientists tell us that the time for action is now or never. Yet Congress is weighing legislation that falls far short of what is needed, and will unfairly burden the poor and middle class.
For Earth Day 2008, join Earth Day Network in one of the largest Earth Day campaigns in US history, Call for Climate. Be one of nearly a million people who will phone Capitol Hill on Earth Day to call for tough and equitable national action on global warming. Put this number in your phone now!
Ask for your representative. Tell them the current global warming proposals in Congress are inadequate. Tell them you want:
A moratorium on new coal-burning plants,
Renewable energy,
Carbon-neutral buildings,
Protection for the poor and middle class in the new green economy.
Tell five friends about this campaign - have them enter the number into their phones now. Make sure they call on Earth Day, April 22nd.
Take action and sign Earth Day Network's Sky Petition.
Our elected leaders need to hear that climate change demands swift and strong action. The time for waiting and inadequate solutions is over.
This Earth Day, it's time to change the forecast for global warming. Climate change must rise to the top of the national agenda. On April 22th, Americans will be hearing our global warming message and we will be mobilizing support with our Call for Climate campaign.

Why you should landscape your property.

Check this info out.
Researchers at Clemson University conducted a study of Home Sales and compared the results based on varying levels of Landscape quality. Not only were type, size and condition of the plantings considered but also the overall design. Landscapers were rated "poor", "good", or "excellent". Well designed landscaped homes had faster sales because of first impressions...-

Research Group, Clemson University 2001

Money Magazine had this to say on this matter...
Landscaping as a home improvement project has a recovery value of 100-200% if it is well done and harmonizes with the nearby surrounding. This compares to a Kitchen overhead of 75-125% or a Bathroom redesign of 80-120%. - Money Magazine

Landscape Vision 5.4.2 design software can help you improve the value of your property.
www.landscapeyourvisions.com

Earth Day April 22nd

Earth Day was created in 1970 to spark a revolution against environmental abuse and the organizers, including EDN Board Chairman Denis Hayes, would not take no for an answer. Neither should we. Global warming is real and we're part of the problem. Now, we need to become part of the solution. Check out how you can become part of the solution.

http://www.earthday.net/resources/2006materials/Top10.aspx

Landscape Vision is a member of Earth Day Network. From time to time we will post information from the EDN to give you the tools we all need to help save our planet! Little steps add up.

IF I HAD A HAMMER!

Landscape Vision's good friend Andrea Ridout, of the nationally syndicated radio show, "Ask Andrea" has finished her much anticipated book, "If I Had a Hammer"! I encourage all of you do-it-yourself types to check out this book. Andrea really knows home improvement, we just love her here at Landscape Vision. Good for you Andrea, we're all proud of you.

Just click on these links below for either Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=andrea+ridout+hammer

http://www.amazon.com/If-Had-Hammer-Weekend-Projects/dp/0061353183/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208187727&sr=8-1



Editorial Reviews

Have fun, save money, and improve your home with these easy step-by-step projects
Are you looking for a way to make your bathroom a little more beautiful? Or maybe you'd like to give your tired furniture a face-lift, improve your home's air quality, or fix a toilet. No matter your DIY needs and no matter whether you're a DIY novice or expert, home improvement guru Andrea Ridout, host of the nationally syndicated radio show Ask Andrea, has ideas, expertise, and advice to share with you.
If I Had a Hammer offers easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations designed to make home improvement simpler than ever. With a little help from Andrea, you'll be able to tackle repairs, painting and decorating, bathroom and kitchen remodeling, wood care for furniture and floors, and much more with projects that often take as little as an hour. Also, you can try a few of Andrea's energy-conserving projects that can dramatically improve your utility bill—Andrea's projects are friendly on the environment and on your wallet! With If I Had a Hammer, you'll have the tools to keep your home functioning and looking as good as—or even better than—new.

Biography
Andrea Ridout is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show Ask Andrea and is a frequent renovation expert on national and regional television programs. Her articles and advice have appeared in Reader's Digest, Woman's Day Home Remodeling, and Country Home, among many other publications. She lives near Dallas, Texas.

Cooperative Extension Services

Contact your local state cooperative extension Web site to get help with tricky insect problems, best varieties to plant in your area, or general maintenance of your garden.

http://www.almanac.com/garden/resource/coopext.php

Offered by our friends at The Old Farmer's Almanac

Outdoor Planting Table from Old Farmer's Almanac

Check out Old Farmer's Almanac "Outdoor Planting Table" Provides you a time table for planting. Put in your zip code to see your area's planting times.
http://www.almanac.com/garden/plantingtable/index.php

The best time to plant flowers and vegetables that bear crops above ground is during the light of the Moon; that is, from the day the Moon is new to the day it is full. Flowering bulbs and vegetables that bear crops below ground should be planted during the dark of the Moon; that is, from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. The Moon Favorable column below gives these days, which are based on the Moon's phases for 2008 and the safe periods for planting in areas that receive frost. See Moon phases for the exact days of the new and full Moons.




http://www.almanac.com/garden/plantingtable/index.php

Gardening Jobs for April! Old Farmers Almanac

Start coleus cuttings now to plant outdoors in the garden by early June. These colorful plants are enjoying a revival as fine accents to annual and perennial borders.
Rake or remove mulches from all flower beds.
Plant rosebushes. They often do best if planted before growth starts and buds swell. And if you want to increase their fragrance, surround them with parsley.
Scatter annual poppy seeds in your flower garden and let them grow where they will. They don't like to be transplanted.
Broadcast lime, wood ashes, or a mixture of the two over alkaline-loving perennials such as delphiniums and dianthus. Bring color outdoors to patios, porches, and even the garden with pansy plants, which don't mind cold nights. To encourage constant flowering, routinely remove spent blossoms and keep them from getting bone-dry.
Sow sweet peas as soon as the soil can be worked. Nick the seeds with a nail file and plant them five inches deep, but cover them with only about three inches of soil. Hoe more soil up around them as they grow.
Plant lilies-of-the-valley, violets, and garden lilies. Divide summer- and fall-blooming perennials, including delphiniums, irises, chrysanthemums, daisies, and phlox.
Although we think of this as a rainy month, it can fool us. Keep transplanted flowers well watered during dry spells.
When danger of frost has passed, uncover strawberry beds and keep them well watered.
Plant blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and fruit trees.
Start seeds indoors for heat-loving crops such as eggplant, tomatoes, and squash.
To determine whether your garden soil is ready for seeds, grab a good handful of it. If you can form it into a ball, the soil is too wet. If it crumbles through your fingers and reminds you of chocolate cake, it's ready for planting.
If the soil is ready, give it a good stirring and let it sit for several days. Then top-dress it with compost or well-rotted manure and plant beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, radishes, parsnips, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips.
If you got your peas in last month, be sure to give them a good fence for support, made of chicken wire, twine, or stubby branches that are at least three feet tall. Otherwise, plant them this month as soon as you can.
Scatter spinach or lettuce seeds around emerging bulb foliage to make wise use of your garden space, and have a leafy green crop at the ready to cover the bare spots left by deadheaded spring flowers.
Prune forsythias as soon as the flowers fade. Cut the oldest stems to within a foot of the ground, but be sure to let the plant keep its arching form; don't turn it into a gumdrop or cannonball.
Feed your trees. As soon as the frost goes out of the ground, give them a well-balanced slow-release fertilizer. Scatter about six good handfuls per each 10x10-foot area. Store leftover fertilizer in a small plastic trash can or a covered plastic container, and label it.
Rake your lawn to remove all leaves, dead grass, and small twigs. Sow seed for a new lawn, or fill in bare patches by first covering the area with compost or other organic matter. Roll the lawn if the ground isn't soggy.
If you receive mail-order nursery plants before your soil is dry enough for planting, make a trench and heel them into the ground in a protected area.
Don't fertilize strawberries in the spring. This is when the leaves are developing, and you'll get lush growth and meager, soft berries. Wait until blossoms appear and use a light hand.
Don't set tomato plants out in the garden too soon. They hate cold soil and cold nights (under 55 degrees F).
Don't forget to vent your cold frame. April days may feel chilly, but the temperature under the glass can get over 100 degrees F on a sunny day. Salad greens are unhappy over 65 degrees F, and most other plants will perish over 85 degrees F.

http://www.almanac.com/

A Foolproof Flower Garden By Fran Sorin

Don't settle for potted pansies. With a little effort and patience, you can create your own backyard paradise.Maybe you've just moved from an apartment to your first house. Between family, work, carpooling and everything else -- has it been 12 trips to the Home Depot? -- your first garden awaits your imprint. Planting flowers is a great way to exercise your creativity, but it can seem daunting to the beginner. Don't despair: The investment of time and energy will repay you in spades. After more than 20 years of designing gardens, here's my insider's guide to getting started.
1. Know your property's relationship to the sun. If you have a true southern exposure, you'll get direct sun most of the afternoon. A northern exposure will give you mainly shade; eastern exposure, morning sun and afternoon shade; western exposure, pretty much late-afternoon sun, with shade the rest of the day.
2. Make sure the type of garden you want can be done with the amount of sun you get. For example, although most herb and cutting gardens need direct sunlight (six hours of sun a day), woodland gardens thrive in shade. If you have a shady lot and you want a cutting garden just like the one you saw in a magazine, forget it. Instead, try to re-interpret it by using shade perennials, bulbs and shrubs.
3. Choose a site for your flower bed that can be viewed from inside your house. If possible, take advantage of garden views from outdoor terraces or patios, too.
4. Let your garden reflect your personal style, just as your indoor space does. If you tend toward the traditional indoors, think in terms of a traditional garden with a formal, symmetrical outline, perhaps with pedestals of evergreens to add to the mood. If you lean toward a more rustic style, your outdoor space should reflect that informal feel: Let an abundance of flowers brim over the edges of the garden, and use some flea market finds as containers.
5. When you're ready to experiment with the placement of the flower bed, lay out a hose to outline its shape and size. (Or use spray landscape paint from a paint store.) Leave the hose in one position for a few days before deciding whether that configuration works. Geometric shapes generally indicate a formal design; irregular or island beds are more informal.
6. When the soil has warmed up and is not too soggy, you can dig the bed. First, remove the grass -- roots and all -- with a spade, or use an herbicide (like Round-Up) or an organic grass killer. Then rototill the area or turn it over with a fork. At least 12 inches of good organic matter should be laid on top of the existing soil. Once you've raked the organic matter evenly across the bed, edge the perimeter with a sharp spade to give it a professional, crisp finish.
7. The most effective gardens are simple ones that follow the adage "Less is more." Select plants of various shapes and textures that bloom at different times of the gardening season and that resist disease and drought. Limit your palette to two or three colors. I like to work with combinations of three plants to create a vignette.
8. Plant a lot of each specimen. The repetition of specimens and colors soothes the eye and paves the way for a more glorious design. I plant a minimum of seven of each specimen in a small garden bed, and up to 20-something of each in an expansive area.
9. Plant in a flowing or wavelike pattern. Play around with the plants while they are still in their pots, positioning them around your garden bed to see how they look before you actually plant them. Some of my greatest moments of inspiration occur when I make last-minute changes.
10. Spread mulch as soon as possible after planting (no more than 2 inches thick). Do it carefully, to avoid damaging the plants.
11. Until the plants are settled in (about two weeks), I water every third day early in the morning, 30 to 45 minutes at a time, with a soaker hose or a rotating sprinkler.
12. Over the remainder of the spring (in cool regions, into the early summer), fill in bare areas with exuberant summer bulbs or tubers such as dahlias, cannas, elephant ears, oxalis and colocasias, and annual plants or seeds that can be scratched right into your garden soil.
13. To give the plants extra "oomph," spray them with an organic fertilizer, such as fish fertilizer, once every four weeks, preferably first thing in the morning when it's cool -- never when the temperature is above 80 degrees.
14. Be patient. Plants won't fully mature for a good two to three years. Enjoy the process and keep notes on the plant combinations that give you great pleasure. I think you will be surprised how often you use them as you continue to create new gardens.
Three of my favorite plant trios-- Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage), Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' (coneflower), Liatris spicata-- Salvia greggii 'Maraschino,' Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle), Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'-- Phlox divaricata 'Chattahoochee,' Tiarella cordifolia (foamflower), Dryopteris marginalis (leatherwood fern)


"Fran Sorin is a great source of gardening information and inspiration. Check out her site, you'll enjoy it. www.fransorin.com Order her latest book Digging Deep http://fransorin.com/book/, it's a must have for any gardener of any level. I love it. "
Yvonne Grenier GM Landscape Vision.