My Florida Home Builder

“101 Tips For Growing And Enjoying Your Own Great Roses!” contains all the information you need to add life to your yard with all types of roses. If you feel adventurous and have some time, you can learn to plant hybrid teas right outside your front door.

Or take life a little easier and fall in love with any of the other less-maintenance flowers that the rose family provides! If you want to be the envy of friends, family, and neighbors - just take a look inside of my thoroughly researched report.

They’re also known for being one of the most fragile and time-consuming flowers you can attempt to grow on your own. Roses can catch diseases like they can sway in the wind, right?

Why take the time to learn to grow these beautiful, elegant flowers?

If you don’t get the proper information, tell me if you wouldn’t be doing more work…Roses are known for being high maintenance.

Discover the rose that grows upwards like vines - perfect for trellises or the side of a building. (Page 7)

Maybe saving you that extra time will be what convinces you that you can make the commitment to grow your own beautiful roses after all!

101 tips all designed to make sure you pick the right flower for you, plant them the right way, maintain them correctly, and protect them from disease.

Greetings Gardening Enthusiast,

22 key tips to follow when planting organic roses. (Pages 19-22)

Find out what to look for when purchasing organic roses. (Page 19)

…and now they’re all in one guidebook, “101 Tips For Growing And Enjoying Your Own Great Roses!” This manual is your jumpstart to growing successful roses.

Find out which season is the best time for roses to be planted - in order to have the best chances of survival. (Page 10)

Learn when you may need to cut the roots of organic roses to encourage proper growth. (Pages 20-21)

Understand the proper methods for watering your organic roses. (Page 21)

Discover the easiest way to prevent diseases from taking over your roses. (Page 23)

6 simple steps for keeping your roses healthy. (Pages 23-24)

So put your mind at ease and get “101 Tips For Growing And Enjoying Your Own Great Roses!”

Understand why roses droop and how to prevent it from happening. (Page 34)

There are almost as many schools of thought about pruning trees as there are people who prune! And I’m not talking about dried plums, either. To try and shed some light of this confusion, I’m offering my own recommendations and interpretations.

Trim back any over exuberant branches that are out of line with the rest of your tree or shrub, remove any dead, broken, or dying branches, and cut out any crossed branches that might rub together. Don’t forget to cut back those weak and spindly shoots (suckers) that come up around the trunk.Before you start to prune anything, take a good look at it and make sure it really needs to be pruned! As you stand there and stare at your potential victim, notice its general shape, and its size in relationship to its location and other trees and shrubs nearby. If the overall impression is favorable, then all you really need to do is a little “clean up” pruning.

Young trees need to be pruned so that they develop into strong, healthy, and attractive adults. In general, choose one strong central branch to be the leader, and prune out all other competing secondary leaders. A tree with 2 rival leaders, just like a country, can split down the middle since the crotch of that tree is very weak.

Avoid cutting above a bud or branchlet that is pointing back in towards the central trunk, as this will result in an untidy mess of crossing branches in the interior of your tree. When pruning, consider which way you are going to want the new growth to go, and make your cut close to a bud or branchlet which is already headed in that direction.Always make your cuts at or just above a bud, a branch, or night at the trunk of the tree itself, so you don’t leave a little stub sticking out. That bud or branchlet is going to become the dominant one on that branch.

So what should you do if you are in the unfortunate position of having a tree that is too big for the spot it’s in? It’s sort of like having a Saint Bernard that thinks it is a lap dog. I don’t know what you would do about the dog but the best thing you can do with the tree is to have it removed, and to plant a more appropriate choice in its place.

To shape young pines, pinch back the growing tip by about half in the spring. Don’t head them back, since on most evergreens, once a branch is cut, no new growth will form.As your tree grows, you can determine the form it will take. If you want your tree to develop into an open, airy tree, thin out branchlets that develop along the sides of the main branches. If you want a tight, compact tree, leave these branchlets alone, and head back the very tips of the main lateral branches.

A very simple way in which one can add value to a home is through spending time on having a well laid out garden. If the home garden landscaping is well designed it will make the home more pleasing to look at but offers a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of modern living. It is important however, before you start work on your garden you get some kind of plan in place.

Certainly, when it comes to finding ideas for your perfect garden design there are a host of books, magazines and sites online which can provide you with these. So before you even get out the fork and the spade it is a good idea to carry out some research before you do. Also a quick trip to your local garden centre and they may have some layouts which they are using to display their plants in that may be suitable for you to use in yours.

Below we offer a few tips that will help you when it comes to designing your perfect garden landscape and which could also save you money as well.

1. Before you actually start planning your new garden you need to first see what you have in it at present and what of the plants and features that you want to retain. Once you have made a decision regarding this you can then start to see what space you have available to work with and what improvements you can then make.

2. Another important factor that you need to take into consideration when designing a new garden landscape is the actual style of home you live in. A modern home with a country cottage garden just simply will not work. Also you need to factor in just how much time you will have available to actually care for your garden once it has been planted. Many people who simply do not have the time to spare are going for gardens which require little or no upkeep to remain looking good.

3. When you are planning your garden layout you need to think about ensuring that you have space for other amenities. Certainly if you want a seating and entertainment area this needs to be taken into consideration. Plus you need to think about the children and offering them an area where they can play so that the rest of the garden is not ruined.

As long as you spend some time before hand designing a layout that you feel works for you and the space available you should finish up with what is your perfect outdoor space. The internet is one of the best places to find a wealth of information that can further help you with coming up with the perfect garden design to meet all your particular requirements.

By keeping the above tips in mind when it comes to home garden landscaping you will soon be able to get a better feel for what it is your garden needs and what it is you want. Remember the more time you spend planning the more well designed and developed the garden will be to meet your particular requirements. Plus when it comes time to sell the property you may well find that it is the one feature that helps to sell your home over many others.

Don’t feel embarassed if you believe that container gardening is only for indoor plants, I did too! It’s not until you’re informed that you can grow your container plants almost anywhere, that you’ll realize how much sense it makes to be able to plan your container garden to go wherever it’s best for you… and your plants of course!

By planting your garden in containers, it becomes much easier to move around to get the best possible conditions for your crops. This is an obvious advantage over a traditional garden!

Another problem you overcome with a container garden is the ability to move your plants to a safer location if the weather turns nasty. The plants in your yard have to fend for themselves.

Also your potted garden can be moved around to take advantage of the best growing conditions for your plants. That’s not possible once your plants are in the ground and you find that the position you picked is either too shady or sunny.

You also get to choose where you place your container garden, it needs to be in a convenient position that provides the right amount of sun for your plants and is also easy for you to get access. Nothing reduces your enthusiasm like having to drag everything you need to work on your garden about 100 to 200 yards away every time.

If you’re going to grow edible plants, make sure you locate them as far away as possible from any streets. Traffic pollution will affect not only your plants, but your family too when they eat them.

If you decide on an indoor garden, you’ll need to select a part of the house that’s reasonably warm for your plants to thrive. This becomes even more important if you use air conditioning in your home, find the warmest place you can for your pot plants.

If your home tends to be on the cool side, try and find a room where you can close off any vents or drafts and keep it a little warmer. A room filled with natural sunlight is usually better for them.

Try to avoid some of the more delicate or exotic plants, unless that’s what you want, because they will often require high or low humidity. This means investing in special humidity equipment that can raise or lower the amount of moisture in the air to suit the plants.

Next, you’ll need to choose which plants you want to grow. Be careful! Too many people choose to plant far too many varieties, and end up frustrated. Don’t grow anything you can easily pick up cheaply at the grocery store!

Stick to growing fruits and vegetables that you really enjoy and have a hard time locating locally, or those you find too expensive or too low quality. Tomatoes are a favorite for home gardeners, because their quality in stores if often very poor.

Finally, decide whether or not you want to grow your plants organically. If you’re growing indoors, this will probably be very simple to do. But if you’re growing your plants outside, you could get frustrated with pest control. Don’t worry if you find organic gardening a bit difficult. Like anything, it requires some research to gain experience, but is worth the trouble in the long term.

You’ve probably spent a lot of time on your garden and the last thing you need is a cat in there digging around. Read below for some tips.

Your first line of defense when keeping cats out of your garden is to make sure that you have your boundaries secure. If there are any gaps in your fence, you should make sure that you block them to prevent any low access. Cats are very agile animals, and can jump very high. Normally they can jump a fence, which is why you should also invest in string or taut wire across the top.

If a cat has found his way into your garden, it may be hard to get him out. Some people choose to employ the use of a dog, simply because dogs are known to dislike cats. There are several dog breeds out there that completely dislike cats, such as pit bulls and Dobermans. Cats are fearful of these breeds, and will flee if they see them around. Just remember, it may not be fair to fido to chain him up in the garden all day just to scare off a cat.

Cats are known to hate water as well. If you spy a cat in your garden, water almost always will get him out. All it takes is a bucket of water or a well aimed squirt with a garden hose to make him think twice about using your garden as his litter box. I have known the real dedicated cat chaser to keep a toy water gun nearby, fully filled for any cat problems.

Protecting your plants is a different story. Mothballs are said to be very effective, as cats don’t like the smell. You can use mothballs around your plants, garden borders, or even along the fence. There are other repellents that you can use as well, such as cayenne peppers, tobacco, lavender oil, citronella oil, mustard oil, and even lemon grass oil.

If you visit your local hardware or lawn store, you can find motion activated sprinklers. They work great in keeping cats out of your garden. Once you install the sprinkler system and a cat comes into the area, the detector will pick up the cat’s presence and immediately shoot out a jet of water that will douse the cat. In most cases, all it takes is a few times of exposure to the sprinkler before a cat learns to stay out of that area.

Sound devices that feature high frequencies are also a great way to scare off cats, although they aren’t annoying to humans. You can find several different models, such as those that stay on all the time, and those that are motion detected. To use this type of device, you’ll need to make sure that the model you have is strong enough to cover the entire area. If you model you are using is strong enough to cover your entire garden, it should suffice in scaring off any unwanted animals.

You can also use commercial repellents as well. Commercial repellents use scents to keep cats away, and shouldn’t be used near any food crops. Due to their high chemical content, commercial repellents can pollute your crops. You can find them at your local department store, with several varieties to choose from, many of which will fend off other animals from your garden as well.

If you have a garden, it can be very annoying if cats and other animals decide to make your garden their home. If you stick to your guns and do your part, you can prevent them from bothering your garden or your crops. Once you have secured your boundaries around the garden, you should try using water first or a fence. If that doesn’t seem to work, you can look into the other methods I have mentioned in this article.

Today there are several different ways in which outside solar lighting can be used to full effect. However, the only thing that can stop you from fully utilizing this equipment is your imagination. In this article we provide some ideas of ways in which outside solar lighting can be used to help enhance your garden.

Idea 1 - Spread some solar spotlights or decorative solar lighting around the garden in order to provide highlighting or make people focus on a particular item within your garden. Use these lights to show off a particular tree, plant or statute for example in the garden that would otherwise simply fade in to the background.

Idea 2 - Provide a shadow effect around certain areas of the garden by placing the outside solar lighting as low down on the ground as you possibly can. Ideally locate them in areas where you want to enhance the features of certain plants or objects that would otherwise be ignored because something else overshadows them. Before you install the lights place them on poles or posts so that placing them in the ground is much easier.

Idea 3 - Another idea is to mount the solar lighting as high up as you possibly can and then aim it down to shine directly on to the object or tree. By doing this when it lights up a tree it will then cause a dappled effect and make the area feel much softer especially good for soften angular lines within a garden.

Idea 4 - Rather than having the lighting directed on to the object from above instead why not let the light from decorative outside lighting to shine upwards. This will enable you to highlight a particular plant or area of the garden that is located at a much higher level.

One of the big advantages to having outdoor solar lighting is that you are not restricted as to where you should place it as the ideas we have provided above show. Because there are no wires you can in fact position the lights just about anywhere you want within the garden. What you do need to make sure however is that the panels on top which collect the light from the sun and which get stored in the batteries do get enough light on them each day for this to occur.

Once you have decided on the position where your outside solar lighting is to be located then you need to leave them turned off for between 5 to 7 days after they have been installed. This will enable the battery inside to reach full charge and only after this can you start considering using them.

How to Dry Herbs and Retain Their Quality

No doubt that, herbs are considered compliment to most of recipes. Purchasing herbs from the shelves of supermarkets means getting products of lower quality that are stored for a long term. Consequently, knowing how to dry herbs from your own garden is to get the best quality.

One of the easiest ways to dry herbs is to air dry them and this slow drying process which doesn’t rob the herbs of their natural oils, works best with herbs that don’t have a high moisture content, like oregano, bay, and thyme.

How to Air Dry Herbs

Cut herbs in mid morning after the dew has dried. Remove any leaves that show insect damage or disease and, if necessary, rinse under cool water and pat dry. Make small bundles of the herbs, about four or five stems together and tie with string or use a rubber band. Hang the herb bundles in a warm, well ventilated area to dry.

There are many other ways of drying herbs. It may use paper bags. To do that, small bundles will be placed upside down in the bag and tied well. It must remember to punch some holes in the bag to permit air entering. The bag, then, may be hanged as usual. Two weeks, later, the bag can be opened and herbs may be taken as well.

Way of Drying Herbs with a Dehydrator

If a food dehydrator or freezing are used, drying of herbs including more moisture will be best. A dehydrator is a best way of drying. It is quicker and easiest way that maintains the herbs’ high quality and control of air circulating and temperature as well. Drying times are varied according to moisture contents. Also leaves’ thickness and quantities of drying per a time are reasons of different times of drying. As soon as the leaves are crisp, and stems brittle herbs can be dried.

Best Way to Store Dried Herbs

Store herbs after having dried, is important in order to maintain their freshness. There are many methods to store herbs, such as small plastic bags or jars. It must avoid light and heat. As soon as learning the ways of drying herbs, it will be considered as the first step towards being skillful cookers.

More than a Culinary Delight

Herbs and spices are a common staple in every good cook’s kitchen. They add flare and flavor to every day dishes and provide a healthy addition to any diet. The fact that herbs and spices can have a therapeutic effect on our lives continues to be an intense subject of research.

Everyday we use a lot of herbs and spices, which have more benefits far from we think. They are of medical usage along with. Cinnamon, as an example can be used widely due to its anti-inflammatory characteristics. Medically, it is used to reduce blood pressure. It can also reduce cholesterol. As a healthy tea, cinnamon can be drunk with adding some drops of lemon or a little spoon of honey as well.

More addition of Flavor and Health

No doubt that rosemary can improve memory, due to its characteristics of anti-inflammatory and antioxidants as well. It is used in lamb dishes and in stews. It can be tasty if add to eggs. The flavor of rosemary is similar to that of lemon.

There is another herbal ingredient, called garlic. It has important characters, such as building immunity against cancer, and preventing cardiovascular diseases as well. Garlic is used widely along with. Since it reduces blood pressure, many of physicians are advising people to use it. It is used in kitchen by adding it to soups, sauces, salad, and marinades

The famous fennel is known of its antioxidant powers. It has anti-inflammatory characteristics as well. Italian kitchen is using fennel in some delicious foods, such as chicken, pork and sausages. Fennel is eaten either as a raw vegetable, or a roasted one. It can be used a side-dish as well. Its flavor likes the anise’s one.

Medically, peppermint is known with its content of antioxidants, antimicrobial, and anti-viral as well. It treats the troubles of stomach and removes pain. It can be used with some fruits, such as strawberries. It can be added to salads as well.

In conclusion, there are some difference between herbs and spices. It may due to their enhancing of the food’s flavor. But in fact, they are used medically at a wider range along with.

Landscaping is improved when several factors are considered: color, texture, light and shade, and placement of flowers, trees, vines and shrubs. Flowers bring vibrant color to the scene, while a stone walking path provides texture. Leafy fruit trees can provide shade and added color. One of the most versatile landscaping plants is the shrub. Shrubs are a simple way to bring variety, color, shape and texture to any landscape.

Although most shrubs are green most of the time, many of them have a blooming season where they take center stage in the landscape. One notable centerpiece shrub is the Burning Bush. The large bush proudly displays splendid red color during the fall months, when other garden color may be fading.

When the ground is covered with snow, the China Holly comes to the rescue of the barren landscape, with deep green foliage and bright red berries. The colorful bush is equally impressive against a white picket fence or light-colored house.

If you’re looking for year-round color, choose shrubs that bloom more than one season per year. The Purple Sand Cherry will provide color in the form of flowers in May, and purple leaves and red cherry berries in the fall and early winter months.

Shrubs Earn Their Place in the Landscape

Shrubs aren’t just eye candy in the landscape. The versatility of shrubs makes them a practical choice. Shrubs make excellent hedges for showcasing a specific area or garden. Flowers and ground cover can be planted around the shrub to create texture and break up large lawns that require a lot of mowing. Shrubs make good fences and dividers, and can be used to camouflage the unsightly foundation of a house or other areas.

Bushes can truly be an art form when topiary skills are applied. Topiary is the art of clipping and forming bushes into animal or geometric shapes. Keeping shaped bushes in good form does require time, but the experience can be fun.

Most shrubs are not high-maintenance plants. They don’t require constant watering and tending. With just a little pruning and moderate watering, most shrubs will provide years of enjoying for the homeowner.

If you travel, or need to be away from home often, shrubs may be a good landscaping choice for you. Two beautiful low-maintenance shrubs include the Bougainvillea with beautiful red leaves, and the Mentor Barberry.

Plant Shrubs in the Right Place

Before you purchase shrubs, consider the area where they will be planted. Allow room for the shrub to spread out and grow up. Shrubs can range from just inches tall to several feet tall. If you have a spot where you need a taller shrub, consider the Smooth Hydrangea which grows three to five feet tall; or the Chinese Juniper which will top off at three to eight feet. If you need a shorter shrub, the Cranberry Cotoneaster or Dwarf Honeysuckle may be perfect because they usually grow to about three feet.

Landscaping options are unlimited and many plants besides shrubs can play a part in the big picture. For an example, vines against a wall or fence make an excellent backdrop for colorful flowers. Use your imagination and have fun with your landscaping.

Many of us buy our vegetables from supermarkets. With a little planning and some forethought it is possible to grow your very own vegetables. There are many vegetables that you can use, and there are some vegetable gardening tips that can help you to make the most out of your garden.

The first thing is to decide where you want to have your vegetable plot. It’s a good idea to make sure it gets at least 6 hours of sunlight as the more it receives, the higher your yield will be.

For the vegetables to flourish you will need to make sure the soil is a rich, sandy loam type. You can always add some compost or manure if you find you need a little more nutrient. It’s best to place compost under and around the vegetables.

Plant your vegetables in rows in a north to south direction so they can get as much sun as possible. Your garden should also be on even ground with large spaces between rows. This will give you the room you need when you go to harvest or weed.

The seeds that you plant should be new and fresh. If you use old seed, you may chance the seeds not germinating and your crop failing. As well as seeds, you can plant transplants already established from somewhere else. This will give you an earlier yield before the vegetables from the seeds mature and you can enjoy fresh produce earlier.

Go to your garden center with some ideas in mind of what you’re looking for in the way of seeds or young plants. It can be beneficial if you are a first time gardener to get some tips from someone who is knowledgeable. They can give you some ideas on how to plant your garden.

You can also plant in a raised bed. You can obtain a bigger variety by planting complimentary vegetables next to each other.

Having a smaller plot close to your house will let you quickly grab a bunch of your favorites when you want them. The larger plot can be further away from the house. This is a great tip that makes sure you have lots of vegetables at hand but lets you run out to the smaller garden on that rainy day just to grab a few fresh vegetables.