Completing Your Gardening Tools Before Summer!

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Before starting your gardening skills, you should complete your gardening supplies to perform your job easily. It's like preparing for school, buy all your school supplies before you can start learning. It's the same thing with gardening, in able to learn and focus on doing the right ideas for your garden, you should start with the basics. So make sure everything is on your list. 

Hand Tools 
 

The hand tools you need includes glass spray bottle, mini pruner, snips, trowel, shovel, and a gardening tote bag where you can keep your gardening tools.

Watering Tools 

User-friendly self watering tools like the famous Oasis self watering kit is available anywhere in the market and online shopping sites. Watering tools like sprinkler or spray bottle helps minimize water spill and it's less expensive, however you need to water the plants one by one unlike the Oasis that can water a maximum of 20 plants by just turning the dial.

Plant Lights 

Plant grow lights are commonly used for indoor plants to sustain the amount of light due to the absence of sunlight. I have an intelligent plant light which I bought online and it's amazing how it can adjust for up to 14" plants. It's like a robot nanny for my indoor plants since it tells when to water the plants. It can also serve as a versatile ornament because it highlights the beauty of the plants, serves as a decorative lamp and provides a marked focal point in the house. 

 

Compost Bins 

Homemade fertilizers are often made from dried leaves, kitchen waste, plant trimmings and grass clippings. In order to recycle these useful waste materials, you can buy a compost bin to speed up the process of decomposition and get a homemade fertilizer in a jiffy. Now you're ready to feed your soil with fresh-smelling fertilizers.

Plant Stands For Your Indoor Garden

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If you're bored with your modern plant containers and you want something vintage but classy, I think it's time you try to decorate your home with plant stands. I have inspirational photos I grabbed from a reliable website where I online shop all the time because they have a complete array of gardening stuff. Plant stands were discovered during the Regency and Victorian period that's why it looks glamorous in every angle. Its metal component makes it durable and can last for a longer period of time that's why it can also serve as a nice keepsake or a personal gift for weddings and housewarming. The photos below are example of plant terrariums I got from the website I've been telling about.

 

The picture on the left is my favorite because of the rooftop elegance however I can't afford it that's why I bought the other one on the middle. It only cost $318.00 and it's nice if you have a small space. My plant stand type was developed by a Physicist named Dr. Ward who developed the Wardian Garden Case in the middle 1800's. The photo on the right is a Gothic style terrarium stand which is inspired from the green houses in Europe. It looks exactly like little greenhouses.

Plant stands are great gift ideas you can share to your family and friends because it's unique and not only you can place in plants and flowers, you can also try other ornaments like souvenirs, miniature houses, figurines or your perfume collection. Kids will surely enjoy planting with their parents on this one of a kind plant container. Introducing your kids to gardening is one way to teach your child patience and accomplishment. Surely they will enjoy gardening and they might share this experience to their peer and friends.

Fantasy Garden Creation Out Of Plants in Containers

Fulfilling your fantasy garden is like a fairy tale come true when it comes to " Make-believe Believers " like me. I'm a die hard fan of Disney and fantasy movies, I guess that's why I grew-up loving bright colors, gardens, stars, hugs, kisses and everything nice. Many of us wants to gain appreciation from others that's why we sometimes create things people will like. If you're planning to create your fantasy garden in a small space, you can start with plants in containers. You can collect flowers in pots and put them together to create bedding plants.

 

It's easy to grow colorful flowers since it's cultivated in each containers. Maintenance is never a problem since you can remove it from the bed and replace it with a new one. Adding another plant is easy since you can move the pots where you can make way for the new ones. Choose flowering plants with big blooms so it's easy for you to imagine the combination of colors if it fits your choice. For your garden theme, you can add mystical creature designs like a unicorn, a princess statue, a mermaid near the fountain, a castle designed hedge, gazebos or dwarfs.

Hanging plants should not disappear in this scene since it makes the garden more romantic and dramatic. Artificial plants can also be added, just make it minimal. Curved hedges, garden lights, scented and bright colored flowers should be the most important on the list. Make sure to have the proper outdoor lighting so it could highlight the focal points of your garden. Before making your garden, make sure you have the patience to see the outcome after a couple of days hard work. Remember to get your inspiration from your fantasies to receive the full outcome of garden pleasure.

How To Keep Fresh Flowers Stay Longer Without Water

We have problems putting fresh flowers in our room since were afraid of water spill. I always wanted to put fresh flowers on my computer table so I can have a scenic view while I work. I made some research and discovered easy ways in keeping your flowers fresh while staying worry-free about water spill.

Hydrogel crystals are used for replacement of water in vases. It can also serve as an added decorative enhancer due to its unique crystal ball resemblance and avoid mosquitoes from laying eggs in the water. It can absorb colored water so the hydrogel crystal can change its hue and adds a colorful scheme to your glass container. To use hydrogel with flowers, first you need to put water into your crystal vase, add the hydrogels and when the crystal begins to form, add your flowers. This is easy to prepare and maintain. If the crystal becomes cloudy, rinse it off with water and bring it back into the vase. You can also buy colored hydrogel crystals in the market so don't have to use colored water.

Another way of avoiding water spill is to use plant in containers.  This gardening idea can be placed in or outside your house. It can also serve as a nice gift for people you love and keep the flowers stay longer unlike cut flowers. You can bring it to your office or any commercial establishment because it's lightweight and versatile in design. With potted plants, you can grow and collect fresh flowers anytime.

Making Perfumes Out Of Your Potted Flowers

For me, smelling good is one of the requirements to feel confident inside and out. I never leave the house without a spritz of my favorite perfume because I feel like I left something in the house if I forget to spray. Everyone uses perfume to smell good and only a few people know that some perfumes contain chemicals that could harm the environment and worst, cause allergies to humans. Expensive and cheap perfumes are available in the market and we don't know the effects it can cause to our bodies. To help our mother nature, we can create our own perfume that is safe to use even on our children. Making a homemade perfume from your garden is easy and you don't have to pay a lot of money just to smell good. Here is how: 

First, look for a fresh flower that is pesticide-free and then collect the buds and petals. You can use any flowers you like as long as it is scented. Gather 1 cup of flower petals, wash and remove dirt and possible contaminates. Place 2 cups of distilled water and the flowers in an aluminum pan and let the water simmer in a very low flame. Do not boil the flower so as not to ruin the scent. Let the water simmer for about 2 hours and check from time to time if the water haven't run out. Put off the fire and let it cool for a few hours so the petals will seep into the water. After that, strain everything into a bowl using a cheesecloth. Lastly transfer your perfume in a bottle and enjoy your finished product. 

The steps are fast and it's more easier if you gather those flowers from your own garden. If you don't have a garden or if you have a small place, you can buy potted plants on the net since it can occupy smaller places. The online shop "Emily's Plants" have scented potted flower collections like the Aromatic Lavender Plant in Purple Ceramic Container and their Mini pink rose which is one of my favorite collection.

Azalea Bonsai Perfect Addition To Your Miniature Garden

I received my first miniature garden when I was 9 and for me, it was better than my lego boxes. I have a lot of memories exploring how mighty I am to rule my own little house with a nice garden. When I get bored, I asked Dad to buy me new pieces of furniture and he helped me remodel it.  I love to put trellis and benches in my miniature garden since it looks real and I'm a big fan of the Victorian era so creating a Victorian garden was my first project after getting engaged. A miniature garden is a nice gift for kids since they can play and at the same time enjoy gardening. Since their dealing with live plants  children can learn how to be responsible in taking care of their mini garden and also you encourage them to learn basic architecture and horticulture.

You can create your own miniature garden gifts to share with friends and love-ones.  To make one,  you need to choose any container that will hold soil and also allow excess water to drain away. To accommodate many garden features, use the container with a large open surface like terra-cotta and ceramic pots, wooden boxes, wicker baskets and hypertufa troughs. For choosing the potting mix, stay away from soil that will not drain enough to provide a good drainage. If your container has holes on the bottom, try to cover it with dry coffee filters to prevent soils from falling through.

The most fun part is laying out the garden. This is where you show your talent and experiment with different arrangements. Large plant comes first so it will be easy to arrange the furniture and other ornaments. In buying plants, it would look real if you use Bonsai trees since it resembles large trees. The Azalea Bonsai from Emilysplants.com is an example of a flowering bonsai tree that can add extra color to your miniature garden. You can also add fences, houses, crystals as lake, mosses, mini fountains, lights and stones. It's a big accomplishment finishing a wonderful creation in just 5 minutes.

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Giving Plants Away This April 22nd of 2013 - Earth Day!

This morning I tried looking on my monthly schedule and  I found out that I have nothing important activities or any engagement to do this month other than working during weekdays :). Looking at the calendar, I saw a big event this 22nd of April 2013. I know most of us will not remember this day, in fact it is a world wide celebration- the Earth Day. Earth Day is an annual celebration on which events are held worldwide by more than 192 countries to show support for environmental protection. It is mainly observed on April 22 each year. They designated it as International Mother Earth Day by a consensus resolution adopted by the United Nations last 2009.

By blogging this event maybe is the least I can do to support and commemorate the said event. We all know that plants can really help us make our place green and lively. It is also good for our health and can comfort us in every way for they carry life and emotion. I bet you agree on what I wrote because we can use plants as gifts and we can give it away to our friends and loved ones. It becomes a special gift that grows through care and love. It can be used as a perfect gift in any occasion, parties and social gatherings. It is also best to use as ornaments in office and inside our homes. I share this beautiful video that you can do, a simple way to start giving live plants away to your friends and office mates.



I find that plants are better gifts than cut flowers. Yes you may use cut flowers but after few days it will wither and die. Unlike live plants you can place them in a beautiful container and you can watch them grow as time goes by. The love and care of the giver thrives in that plants and any moment you will also see how it blooms and flatters you with its beautiful color.

So start giving live plants away to your friends and spread the love and promote Earth Day, where ever you are and what ever you do. Always think that everyone needs good air to breath and LOVE in order to live.





- Jose Emmanuel Almirante

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