Spring indicates a season of new beginnings and delights after a long winter. It is an ideal time for weddings and nature trips, as numerous flowers are found everywhere throughout the season. For students and researchers, spring is the best time to study the exciting names and varieties of spring flowers. The names of spring flowers are as appealing and intoxicating as the fragrance of some of them. The flowers are found in varied colors, sizes, and shapes. Spring flowers make beautiful decorations, striking centerpieces, and enhance the romantic feeling of weddings. Spring flowers add color to the landscape. Daffodils, Oxeye Daisies, Dianthuses and Thymes list among the most popular names of spring flowers.

Daffodils are wonderful flowers that herald the beginning of spring. Daffodils, in their yellow glory, complement other flower combinations and are well suited for decorations.

Oxeye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) and Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are drought resistant, dependable, beautiful, and simple flowers that bloom in spring.

Other names of spring flowers that stand out prominently are Dianthuses, which come in a wide range of pretty colors and Pink Evening Primroses, with the scientific name Oenothera speciosa. Pink Evening Primroses usually bloom in early spring and look attractive in lawns. Rose mallows (Lavatera trimestris) have large petals resembling dinner plates. Coral honeysuckles grow tall and have tubular flowers.

Thymes spread quickly and have dainty evergreen leaves, which exude fragrance as one walks among the weeds. Most of the varieties are only a few inches tall. Columbine are perennials that live for a short period and produce a large number of seeds. Candytufts (Iberis umbellataare) are small perennials with numerous attractive flowers.

Other popular names of spring flowers are azaleas, irises, shamrocks, hyacinths, snowflakes, violets, and cornflowers.

Tips on Growing Acid-Loving Plants in Doylestown Pa.

Growing azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, holly, pieris,
heather, and other plants that love acidic and organics soils.
One of my fond memories of being 12 was catching my first shad.
Each spring the shad migrate up the Delaware River to end their
life long journey to spawn. Their migration is like clockwork,
arriving exactly on time, like the swallows of Capistrano each
year. In many ways so are the flowers and buds on plants. I
remember my shad and the picture of this trophy. I was standing
next to a large azalea in full bloom. Each year I would see the
blooms on that azalea and know that as they swelled so the shad
were approaching. Thus I came to associate the blooms of azaleas
with it’s time to go fishing. How smart and lucky I was. For
there are so many varieties and blooming times for azaleas plus
some varieties have small second flushes, that I can now say
with absolute certainty that, “It’s always time to go fishing”.

There are so many varieties of azaleas and rhododendrons that
experts only estimate their approximate number. There are early
bloomers and late season bloomers. Some with large flowers and
some with small flowers. Some are scented. There is a spectrum
full of colors and sizes. Some are evergreen and some deciduous.
Thus azaleas and rhododendrons are shrubs for all seasons. In
winter, these plants stand out with large evergreen leaves and
bring showy flowers in the spring. Throughout the summer and
fall the leaves add pleasing green color to the landscape. The
intense flowers of azaleas and rhododendrons make them a popular
selection.

If you have difficulty telling an azalea from a rhododendron,
stop worrying. Call them all rhododendrons and you will be
correct. If you know how to grow a rhododendron, then you can
use the same cultural principles in growing blueberries, holly,
pieris, heather, and other plants that love acidic and organics
soils. Rhododendrons love mild humid climates. Site selection is
important. Many people come to us and report that they have had
little luck in planting rhododendrons and want to try again. Our
suggestion is to first look at your environmental conditions and
determine if you should replant. Rhododendrons are found in
nature predominately on north to east slopes. Here there is less
rapid temperature changes and the drying west and south winds
are shielded by natural features. Always protect azaleas and
rhododendrons from wind. Plant with barriers in mind. Barriers
can be evergreen screens, or buildings or slopes. Evergreen
screens can help highlight the blooms. Be mind full that a
corner of a building may not offer protection but actually
funnel winds by the plants. Rhododendrons actually like filtered
light better than shade. If your site is full shade consider a
pruning of the overhead trees to allow better light penetration.

The soil that you plant Rhododendrons in should have good
drainage. You can run a simple test by digging a six inch hole
and filling it with water. If it is not drained in 4-5 hours you
need to increase the drainage of the site. Rhododendrons have
very small delicate roots. If the soil drains poorly there is
probably to much clay. The roots can’t penetrate heavy clays. I
would suggest a raised bed or a drain tile to carry away the
excess water.

It is difficult to improve poor soils to grow rhododendrons
without creating other problems. Sometimes trees with surface
roots rapidly take over soils that are improved and compete for
nutrients. They, after all have a head start on your new plants.
It may make sense to raise up a bed a whole foot. This gives
improved drainage and allows the new plants more competition
free time in getting established. Make sure you have an acidic
soil of 5 to 5.5. If you have a large pine tree rake up its
needles and use them as both a weed barrier and a pH adjuster.
There is no good substitute for quality organic materials being
incorporated into your soil. Clay soils are especially enhanced
by organics. Lots of ground pine bark, oak and pine leaf mulches
and topsoil mixed well, works much better than peat. Peat will
hold water preventing oxygen from filtering to the root zone.
Peat can also hold moisture for long periods in the spring and
winter. The area that you prepare should be prepared weeks
before you plant. This allows the pH to change.

Most of the rhododendrons and azaleas that we sell are potted.
These plants should never be planted so that their stems are
below what it was in the pot. Plantings should always be about
2″ above the surrounding soil. Water the plant well after
planting. Native rhododendrons have very shallow surface roots
and have natural mulch and organic debris covering the surface
roots. This conserves moisture and minimizes winter injury. You
want to mirror the natural conditions so using decomposed pine
needles and oak leaves is the best mulch. A layer of two to four
inches is ideal. Keep the layer of mulch away from the stem. The
mulch should not be removed. It should be with the plant for all
seasons. It is the plants winter blanket. It helps keep the
plant from winter leaf scorch. If you want your beds to have
designer colors such as red mulch black much, plastic fiber
cloth, river pebbles etc., then plant some other plant, because
these plants are delicate and conditions must be correct or you
will have poor results. I don’t recommend any fertilizing of the
plants for beginners. If you must add fertilizers make sure it
is for acid loving plants.In nature these plants do well with
low nutrient levels. Their small surface roots can be easily be
hurt by over application of fertilizers. I would use no more
than 2 pounds of a 6-10-4 per 100 square feet, but organic
matter that is covering the plant should be perfect. Do not
fertilize after July 1. Fertilizing after this time may force
growth during the winter when the plants should be dormant. The
mulch can also act a a natural weed barrier. As it decomposes
add more. Fall is the optimum time to make sure you have enough
mulch.

Following these recommendations will help you have success in
raising these plants. See Bill’s web site at
HTTP://www.seedlingsrus.com

A Garden Pond in your Landscape - Want Water in your Yard?

Thought about adding a garden pond? Should you?
Here are the pros and cons to consider:

On the pro side:

A garden pond adds an entirely new dimension to your garden!
Where before the living things were limited to plant life,
the pond will have fish (must does not need to).

The water will attract birds and other animals which make
for wonderful watching and viewing. This aspect of the water
feature can be enhanced by adding landscaping attractive to
birds.

The water noise generated by a waterfall, fountain or creek
is very relaxing and the visual beauty of the water feature
adds much enjoyment to the outdoor space.

Aquatic plants such as water lilies and lotus are absolutely
spectacular, do not need much care once established and
provide blooms all summer long.

Aquatic plants never need to be watered!

A garden pond actually needs less water than a lawn. This is
an important consideration in areas with water restrictions.

Pond fish do not need to be taken for walk, they do not make
noise and they can be left for a week or two on their own and
will do just fine.

A pond contributes important living space for critters that
have been impacted greatly by development of subdivisions and
shopping centers. Frogs, toads and newts will make a pond
their new home.

A well designed water feature will add to the resale value of
the home by greatly enhancing its landscape.

On the con side:

Building a garden pond requires a bit of an initial
investment. Good equipment should be used, because once a
pond is installed it will last many, many years.

Pond equipment does have to be mainted: Good equipment needs
very little maintenance, lower end equipment needs much
more.

A water feature has to made secure if small children are
close by.

This article provided courtesy of http://www.pondmarket.com - a site dedicated to garden ponds and water features providing free information including
e-books and a newsletter for water gardening hobbyists as well as a complete online catalog.

This article is copyright of The PondMarket, but may be
freely published without any changes to article or byline.

I wish I had indulged my yard in a little tender-loving fall lawn care. Today I’m looking out my window at an all-too familiar Midwestern winter. Snow for Christmas and then a few days of warmth melted the insulating blanket away, leaving my lawn bare and susceptible to the terrors of an after-thaw ice storm.

It’s easy in the warm spring to roll up our sleeves and get out the rakes, aerators, spreaders and mowers. After all, we can celebrate putting away the snow shovels and snow blower! However, although spring lawn care is important, a good fall lawn care program ensures that we’ll have a lawn to tend when spring rolls around!

I could have started my fall lawn care with a final mowing. However, the grass seemed to quit growing… so I quit mowing. Silly me! A final mowing, lowering my mower blade about inch would have helped me to easily implement the rest of my plan and prepared my lawn to face the perils of winter.

Before I knew it, my fall lawn care plan got soaked and blew away during a windy-rainy autumn. Top-dressing my lawn would have been a pain. The grass was too long for even finely ground compost to reach the soil and I just couldn’t see myself shivering in the chilly autumn as I used the flat side of my garden rake to spread an eighth inch of it over my wet yard.

Our red maple, beautiful in autumn, is the last on our block to drop its leaves, so, I waited to rake. In the meantime, all the neighbors’ leaves covered my lawn and wouldn’t you know it? By the time the maple was bare, autumn rains were constant and cold. Fall lawn care was the last thing on my mind! Those half-decayed leaves are going to be a mess to clean up next spring, in addition to blocking out the first warm rays of sunshine and impeding the warm spring rains that my grass would certainly have enjoyed!

So, this year our turf has to “weather the weather” and I’ll spend my winter wondering if it will maintain the energy to raise it’s blades to the sun after it pokes through that wet mess of leaves. However, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that I’ll be staring at brown patches until summer due to my abandoned fall lawn care plan.

Good thing it’s a new year! I resolve to implement my fall lawn care plan next fall.

1.Cut my lawn one last time when I notice it’s stopped growing.
2.Top-dress my grass with a thin layer of compost, not to keep it warm (I’m not that silly!), but to add one last batch of nutrients to the soil!
3.Spade compost into bare spots and reseed them to give them a head start on spring growth.
4.Rake autumn leaves to maximize my grass’s chance at getting its share of warm spring rains and sunshine.

About the Author

Hans is the owner and one of the editors of
Lawn Mower Guide a Collection of
Articles about Lawn Mowers and Lawn Care

So you think you might like to buy an old home? Perhaps even something old enough to be historic? It’s a good idea to carefully evaluate the pros and cons before you decide. There are plenty of both. Will the pros be valuable enough for you to be willing to cope with the cons? Where shall we start? With a cautionary tale, I think.

The Cons of An Old Home

In 1972, my husband and I bought a house built in about 1825. We moved in on August 15th. My husband had an out of town business meeting and left about 5 AM the next day. (What makes him so smart?) About an hour later, I started downstairs and flipped the switch to turn on the chandelier in the downstairs hall. Boy did I get light. There was a flash, and then what looked like lightening ran up the cord. I turned the switch off, but the fireworks continued. I ran and yelled for our sons (10 and 11 years old at the time). We got out a door off another hall and ran to our next door neighbor’s house to call the fire department. (This is a very exciting way to meet one’s new neighbors.) The fire department was really fast and got to our home before we got back ourselves.

By the time my husband returned late that evening, we had been visited by not just the fire department, but also an electrician (old wiring needed to be reworked and a fuse box replaced with circuit breakers), a painter (to get a price on fixing water and fire damage), and a floor refinisher (same reason as the painter), and both our sons had been offered marijuana. (Did I mention that beautiful old houses are often located in intercity areas and sometimes the whole neighborhood has not yet been completely restored to its original state of gentility?) We were asking ourselves, “What have we done?”

Well, we had the wiring fixed, put off having the floors worked on and did the painting ourselves. We also paid tuition and fees to keep the boys in their old school district.

You have to be flexible to happily live in an old house. Nothing is a standard size. Right angles are purely coincidental. (The water damage mentioned above had showed us that the floor on the outside edge of the front hall is about six inches higher than floor on the far side of the living room.) Go to Lowes or Home Depot to buy a standard replacement this or that? Forget it. You’re probably going to have to fabricate it yourself or have it done. You need to either have a large home maintenance budget, be prepared to invest a lot of “sweat equity” or both.

We’ve lived in this same old house for over thirty years now. Items we’ve had adventures with include:

1. Plumbing,

2. Bringing in more electricity,

3. Replacing the heating system,

4. Repointing the chimneys,

5. Having dampers made for the chimneys so heat doesn’t escape from them when they’re not in use (did I mention we have four working fireplaces?),

6. Increasing the insulation, and

7. Painting many, many times.

Our house is real wood, not vinyl, and the roof is standing seam tin - the original roof. That, of course, means there is a lot of surface to paint, and, since the house is two stories and has high ceilings, some of the surfaces are pretty high. (Did I mention that my husband has fallen off the roof twice?) We’re in the process of having our home painted (not a do it yourself project this time) yet again. The bids we got ranged from $15,000 to $20,000. (Did I mention you need a larger maintenance budget with an old house?)

Whew! I think the cons are clear, don’t you? Owning an old home is wonderful. Just make sure you understand what you are getting into.

About the Author

Raynor James is with FSBOAmerica.org - sell and view homes for sale by owner online. Sellers list your home for free the first month.

the Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus)

A deciduous shrub from the Staff-Tree Family (Celastraceae)

Burning Bush, a non-native species from China and Korea, has
escaped from the ornamental plantings into neglected urban and
rural areas. It travels by way of its seed. This vase-shaped
shrub has outstanding red fall foliage, which blazes for weeks
in early to mid-autumn. Burning Bushes are usually sheared into
hedges or globes in landscape plantings. If left unpruned, the
compact form of Burning Bush will grow to about 12 feet tall and
15 feet wide, and the species (winged) form will grow to about
15 feet tall and 20 feet wide. In our area it propagates
naturally in shaded areas. We obtain some of our stock from
seedlings we gather from a small farm cemetery on our
property.Burning Bush is adaptable to a variety of soil
conditions. Fertile to sterile, organic to clay, acidic to
alkaline, rocky to sandy this plant proves its vigor. It does
not like wet soils, but does well in dry soils. Its small
fiberous roots are near the surface and responds well to root
pruning. Balling and burlapping this shrub does little damage
for the plant can take abuse and recover quickly. If you have a
brown thumb, then this plant is for you. You can see more of
Bill’s planting tips and articles at http://www.seedlingsrus.com
or http://www.zone5trees.com