Free garden Landscaping plans

Too many of the same kind of plant makes your garden look like a landing strip to bad bugs. Instead, mix and match: perennials and annuals of all sorts, deciduous and evergreen shrubs and trees or, in this case, tomatoes that mature at different times in the growing season. If you want to plant a lot of the same kind of vegetable, try dividing it up in different parts of the yard.

Identify Infestations

They may not be serious. Every year, many homeowners worry when they see a large swarm of the box-elder bug on a tree trunk. In fact, the box-elder bug is a nuisance critter that causes little to no damage to your garden. If you're not sure what a bug is, take it to your local extension agent for identification.

Spray Less, Not More

In fact, skip chemical sprays altogether. In gardens where no pesticides are used, many infestations of bad bugs are self-limiting. Most importantly, avoid using broad-spectrum insecticides; they kill the good bugs along with the bad — like this very beneficial praying mantis.

Choose Pest-Resistant Plants

Before buying an edible or ornamental plant, do a little research to find out if it's particularly susceptible to insects or disease — check online, with friends and neighbors or with your extension agent — and find ones that have shown resistance.

Use Raised Beds

Veggies grown in raised beds are often less likely to get root rot, white mold or other issues. Plus, raised beds are a breeze to weed: Turfgrass doesn't creep in from the sides, and you can pluck out weeds before they have a chance to take hold.

Use Good Cultural Methods

Mulch to reduce weeds and conserve moisture. Rotate veggie crops (don't plant the same thing in the same spot every year). Discard (and don't compost) clearly diseased foliage and fruit.

Reduce the Size of Your Lawn

Install low-maintenance edible and/or ornamental beds instead. Or, if you must have a lot of grass, learn to live with imperfections. Natural fertilizers applied at the right time, plus periodic reseeding, can help create a healthy stand of turf.

Source: www.hgtv.com

Landscaping Tips

Though your home is your castle, there is no necessity to surround it with a moat. Here are 5 tips that will help you to make your landscaping feel more warm, welcoming and cozy.

1. Put some flowers nearby your entrance. Flowers make any area look more welcoming and attractive, so greeting your guests with Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile or some other garden flowers is always a great thing to do. What is more, to add some space between your house and the entrance, you can consider adding a little white fence. It will create an illusion that your front yard is bigger than it actually is. What is more, adding fence will create a great space for planting flowers to add some color and coziness.

2. Add rambling vines to make your yard look absolutely lovely. You can not deny that rambling vines always create romantic and even magical atmosphere. So why not to use this tip while decorating your yard?

3. To hide the unattractive driveway, consider adding some color, texture, and height. You can easily do it by adding various sorts of flowers. To start, create an island of green lawn right in the hub of a drive. Then add a couple of low boxwood hedges with flowers toward the back of your island.

4. If you want your yard to blossom and flourish bust still do not have enough time to maintain it, consider planting low-fuss lilies. Such flowers look absolutely gorgeous and come in the variety of rainbow hues, so you can pick the one you love most. What is more, low-fuss lilies do not care about the sort of soil, they love the sun and welcome hot, they do not afraid of drought. In other words, Crinums is an ideal flower for all those who are looking for low-maintenance solutions.

5. The last tip also touches the low-maintenance aspect. To make your life easier, group plantings into beds and islands. This will help you to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant, save a lot of time and even money.