Help Choosing Perennials

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Guide To Perennial Flowers

If you are like me, then you'll realize that after growing a herb garden for a while, that it's quite unpleasing to look at. Rather dull, don't you think? I mean there aren't that many colors etc. Recently a friend of mine told me he used perennial flowers to liven up his garden without any extra work. This got me interested and I got to work researching them.

What Exactly Are Perennial Flowers?

Well, perennials are strong and local flowers. They come back every year without any re-planting or any work for that matter. When they are out of their seasons, these perennial flowers and stems just die back, and it becomes difficult to tell wether or not there actually is a plant. When their seasons arrive again. They bloom entirely new flowers where the old perennial flowers used to be.

Firstly though you need to check if your soil has proper damage, you can test this by digging a hole, filling it with water. Then after a day you'll fill it once again and after 10 hours all traces of water should be gone. If not you can solve this by building a raised bed. That will make sure the water will be able to leave the area more smoothly.
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Help Choosing Perennials

Make a timeline of the flower's bloomperiods. What I mean by that is that you can choose different types of perennials and mix the seeds in such a way that you can have plants blooming at every time of the year. That will have your garden blooming constantly and give you a wonderful and colorful garden. Constantly changing colors.

Sometimes local florist or nurseries have something like custom seed mixtures that is just right for your area. That would take the entire timeline making and researching part out of the equation. Those xustom seed blends are mostly customized forthe climate and if they're not available you can always ask the florist or one of his employees for help. They'll be glad to help you out.

Definitely use mulch when planting your perennials, because this will reduce the amount of weeds and increasing the water retention and the work you have to do. You can use the bark of trees or pine needles would work just fine as well. You probably have some mulch lying around for free, buy it at the shop or you could even create your mulch for free.

When the seeding phase comes around the bend you should plant them in small clumps, as the directions would normally tell you to. These seeds have a tendency to spread out and if you would plant them all very close together they will end up chocking each other out.

Also when planting you should add a little bit of very weak fertilizer, to get your perennial flowers blooming in no time.

Native Grass

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It is fairly common for people these days to import all sorts of foreign grasses into their lawns in attempts to spruce up their backyard and impress neighbors. For those hoping for a more natural look, however, there are plenty of native grasses to choose from. Native grasses refers to a group of grass varieties that originated from the United States and has survived to this day.
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The problem with native grasses is that too often they are simply tossed aside and considered weeds in the eyes of homeowners. What many homeowners don't know, however, is that keeping a lawn with native grass is beneficial to them in many ways. For one, native grasses work well in flower gardens. Not only does the difference in height allow viewers to fully appreciate the flowers, but the native grasses also keep the garden moisturized leaving little work for the owner. In addition, native grasses do not require much mowing or maintenance of any kind.

The truth is that it is fairly easy to get caught up in specialized grasses when the correct solution to a lawn may just be sitting in our own backyards. Native grasses have been around for quite some time in this country, and are easily manageable for any home owner.

 

 

Fescue Grass

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A common problem with grasses is that they turn brown or die out during colder, winter seasons in northern states. The fescue grass is an easy solution to this problem, as creating a lawn with this type of grass ensures green all year long.

The first thing that is critical to realize is that there are several different variations of fescue grasses. The tall fescues allow homeowners to have lawns with taller blades that carries more resistance to drought and other extremities. The fine fescues are best known for being able to grow and develop in dry and shaded regions, an unusual feat for any type of grass. And of course there is also a turf-type fescue grass, which closely resembles tall grass, but is overall more practical for home lawns.

As mentioned before, fescue grass not only can survive through very cold weather, but also thrive. This is a distinct advantage that is really the greatest selling point of fescue grass. As always, however, proper care is still required throughout the year to maintain a perfect lawn of fescue grass. Constant mowing is a must, as is keeping the grass dense, which can be done by fertilizing the grass when needed.
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Turf-type tall fescue grass is usually the best choice for homeowners. The non-turf alternative really should only be used when being mixed with other varieties of grasses to create a lawn. The other fescue types all contain much shorter blades that do not serve a lawn well in most cases.

All in all, the fescue grass is a fine plant that will help many people in the northern states of America realize their dream of seeing green all year. As with any other type of grass, this grass does require work and a commitment to quality to thrive, but the work is well worth it in the end.

Centipede Grass

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Centipede grass is easily controllable and allows homeowners to create lawns sans weeds and pests. This type of grass is often seen in southern states and adapts well to conditions that would be adverse to most grasses. Although it's growth can be a long period, the ability to develop on soils with moderate acid levels makes it the perfect choice for states such as Texas.

A main problem with centipede grass is that it does not adapt well to the cold. If the temperature drops too low, as it often does in the winter in many northern states, centipede grass will die out or be damaged. An insect by the name of nematodes can also spell disaster for centipede grass if not controlled, but overall the are very few problems with this type of grass.
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Of course, centipede grass has advantages as well. Because it does not grow fast, as mentioned before, lawn mowing is not required as frequently as with other grasses. In addition, centipede grass does not have overwhelming problems with common critters.

To sum up, centipede grass is an ideal option for those who live on the southern parts of the United States. For those who live in this area, centipede grass is a great way to create quality lawns with little work.

Mala-de- Rhizoctonia (Rhizoctonia Solani)

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Rhizoctonia (or Large Brown Patch) is present in most types of soils. This soilborne fungus attacks several plant types including grasses, vegetables, flowers, and even field crops. It usually appears in highly fertilized soils of plants that are covered with a film of moisture for at least 12 hours each day. Other conditions that promote Rhizoctonia growth are a temperature of 70-95 F for several hours each day, and the infection of the fungus from contaminated soil.Bluegrass Rhizoctonia solani
Bluegrass Rhizoctonia solani

When turfgrass is infected with Rhizoctonia, it is hard to identify because the symptoms are similar to other lawn diseases. It usually takes a microscope for someone to accurately identify its presence, although some readily seen symptoms may be present. In bentgrass turf, Rhizoctonia is roughly circular, with light brown patches ranging from a few inches to 2-3 feet in diameter. The grass blades often appear dark and water-soaked, but they soon dry out. The dried blades of grass remain upright, which isn't similar to under-watered grass. With Rhizoctonia, only the leaf blades are usually affected, although the new grass growing from the roots will be much thinner.
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To determine how advanced the disease is, look for a grayish "smoke ring". This ring is roughly 1.5 inches wide and is composed of wilted grass blades. Although light infections often clear up in 2 or 3 weeks, severe infestations of Rhizoctonia cause greater damage to your lawn. The roots, crown, and rhizomes of your grass will rot away.

To prevent and control Rhizoctonia, avoid overferilization - especially in hot seasons. Stick to fertilizers with a proper balance of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. The grass should get the chance to dry after being watered or covered in dew. When thatch exceeds half an inch thick, remove the excess with a rake or a vertical mower. You can also spray a preventive fungicide to protect your lawn from Rhizoctonia. Use minimum doses for prevention, and use the full dose for curing an already infected lawn.

Quality Sod Means a Quality Lawn

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Treating sod like any other purchase is a big mistake. Choosing sod for your yard takes much more preparation and care than buying carpet for your living room – at least if you want the installation to be successful.

For most of the things we buy, quality can be broken down into a number of statistics, properties we can measure: the thread count of a sheet, or whether a rug is fire proof or fire resistant. Sod can be inspected in a number of ways too: the thickness of the soil and the price per square foot are two common measurables. However, unlike carpets and sheets, sod is a living, breathing entity, panels or strips of mature lawn, and the condition of the sod coming in has a huge effect on the final look of a lawn.

While it's difficult to place hard numbers on the health of sod, there's a few things you can do and watch for that help ensure you're starting off on a good foot.

Quality Sod Means a Quality Lawn

An important first step when selecting quality sod is – duh! – to select a quality sod supplier. The problem lies in the fact that most, if not all, suppliers tout their quality when asked about it. Skirt past supplier marketing by gathering referrals instead. Did a neighbor recently have awesome looking sod installed? Ask him who he used. If you see a freshly sodded lawn that looks great and it has a landscaping company's ad staked out front, call up the landscaper and ask about their supplier – most landscapers are happy to give out the information.

Once you've narrowed the list down to a few different sod suppliers, call them up and arrange a tour of their fields. The supplier should be located nearby, because otherwise the sod will dry out between harvesting and installation. Examine the grass at the supplier's field. Check its health, making sure that the grass is nice and green and relatively weed -and disease-free.

Ask a few questions about the delivery of the sod while you're there. As I said earlier, sod is a living, breathing entity; to give it the best shot of surviving installation the turf needs to be delivered to your house within 24 hours of harvest. In addition, it should be transported in a covered vehicle designed to shield the sod from the elements, which helps to keep the soil moist.
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Pick the supplier whose grass looks best and who provides the most optimal delivery. It might be expensive, but even cheap sod is expensive, and you don't want to waste your hard-earned dollars on a sub-par product.

After you place an order and select a delivery date, the sod screening process is almost complete. There's one thing left to do: inspect the sod upon delivery. Even if you hand-picked the highest quality sod from the highest quality supplier, transportation issues can devastate a shipment. Check the edges of the sod for drying, yellowing, cracking or wilting – the outer portions dry out the quickest. Touch the sod and make sure it feels moist and not too warm. Warm sod often means the pile has been sitting around for a while, and old sod usually winds up being dead sod. Look for a uniform thickness among the panels or strips.

Reject the shipment if the sod looks sub-par. The delivery guy might get angry, but accepting and installing bad sod could wind up costing you hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Finding quality sod involves a lot of legwork, but doing so provides the best chance of a return on a major investment. You wouldn't buy a car without getting it checked out – treat your lawn with the same respect.

The Effects of Good Fertilizer and Soil

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The foundation of a beautiful, healthy-looking lawn does not depend on the amount you spend, rather, it depends on your understanding and use of fertilizer and soil. Whether you're starting a new lawn or reworking your current lawn, it's never too late or too early to plan proper soil care and fertilization.

Since the soil is where your lawn plants get most of their nutrients, you have to pay attention to the quality of soil that you buy for a new lawn. It's important to get soil with the type of grain size for the plants you want. Small grained soils that are more clay-like have the tendency to let water just run on the surface from a hose or a sprinkler with a high-output rate. To water plants on this type of soil, it's best to use "slower" watering systems such as rotor-head sprinklers or drip systems. However, soil with larger, looser grains will benefit from faster watering systems. But whatever soil type you choose, it's best to water it deeply to ensure that your plants get all the water they need. Regularly aerated soil will also help your lawn plants gain easy access to nutrients found in your healthy soil.

If you're working on an existing lawn, it's important to get your topsoil tested. This process lets you deal with current lawn problems, and also provides you with information on how to prevent future infestations of weeds, diseases, and pests. While some defective soils can be "cured" with proper watering and fertilization techniques, other soils need to be replaced altogether. It's important that you find a topsoil that works best for your area to guarantee the health of your lawn plants.

Adding organic matter and fertilizer to your lawn can really complement good, healthy soil. Using organic fertilizers that don't have debris or added fillers can be beneficial to your lawn, especially since organic material can work well in increasingly moist conditions. This is because decomposing organic matter helps your soil absorb water more, preventing erosion and loss of nutrients. Not to mention, you also conserve water, since most of it goes to the plants instead of running off to the sidewalk.

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Applying the right fertilizer at the right time is crucial to promoting the growth of your lawn plants. Well-balanced fertilizers typically provide nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in varying concentrations. Different fertilizer types require different ways of application in order for the fertilizer to benefit your lawn. Dry fertilizers need to be applied into the soil, for the roots to absorb them. Liquid fertilizers, on the other hand, are absorbed through plant leaves. Regardless of which type of fertilizer you choose, be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions on the package.

The key to getting the best effect from your soil and fertilizers is that you should know how to care for you soil quality, and that you should apply your fertilizer well. With the right combination of soil and fertilizer, you lawn is off to a good, green start.