Scented geraniums are bothered by few pests. The most frequent troubles are red spider and white fly. Dipping or spraying with a malathion controls these in the greenhouse, natural insecticides are effective. A weekly spraying with cold water also controls red spider. The force should be hard enough to wash off the mites and webs, but not so hard as to damage the plant. Since red spider favors a warm, dry atmosphere, cool situations arc preferable for the plants. Care in introducing pest-free plants into the house in the first place is helpful.

Geraniums do best in cool temperatures, so should not be placed near a radiator or other source of heat. On the other hand, temperatures next to a cold window in winter are often considerably lower than room air. In this case, protect the plants by moving them away from the area close to the glass. Cold drafts are harmful and should be avoided.

Additional care consists in simply removing dead leaves, which are easily recognized when they become dry and crisp. In the spring, after all danger of frost is over, set plants directly into the outdoor garden where they will thrive. In late summer, cuttings taken and placed in vermiculite or cleansand and later potted when rooted will provide plants for the subsequent winter months.

Canadian Flowers are found on the sides of country roads and in meadows as well. They are all very beautiful and are definite things to snap a picture of in its natural environment.

The lovely West Red Lily can be searched for and found within Saskatchewan. Meadows and littler forest lands hold these lovelies in their grasp for your joy of seeing and touching. They are red and have yellow striped centers.

Spread over the miles between Quebec and British Columbia you will spy dazzling Wild Roses. These are found in many lovely colors and are mostly seen in roadsides and forests naturally.

Did you know that instead of a country flower the Canadians use the brilliance of the Maple Leaf to signify their country and it adorns everything from flags, hats, shirts and even tags for cars.

On the exquisite Island of Prince Edward you will spy dainty Lady’s Slippers which are in full array in the spring seasons. These grow in shady places and in the forests of the island. The petals of this flower look like delicate slippers a lady might wear, hence its name.

If your house is rather wide or your lot very narrow and there are only a few feet left between the end of the house and the property line, you will not be able to do much more planting to soften the architectural lines. However, when there is more space available on either or both sides of the house, you should extend the foundation planting in order to add “wings” of plant material to the building.

The object of a wing planting is to make the house look lower and wider and to give it the appearance of greater stability. This is the case with ranch style homes. A wing planting can be skillfully placed to act as a screen to obstruct the view of passers-by. This sort of screening is one way of effectively separating the public area from the private area.

It is advisable, whenever possible, to leave some of the house foundation exposed. It is now generally felt that the continuous foundation planting so common around modern homes is a hangover from the old days when foundations were three or more feet in height, and consequently were awkward and ugly to look at.

When we breathe inside our homes we don’t give a second thought as to how it affects our health – but the truth is that indoor air pollution is often more of a problem for us than the air outside of our homes!

Symptoms of Home Pollution

We are often unaware of what this pollution does to our bodies, to such an extent that many of us don’t even think of it. However, pollution can have a number of negative effects on our health, leading to symptoms such as…

Fever, Headaches, Nausea, Fatigue, Cancer, Irritability, Depression, Dizziness, Anxiety, Respiratory problems, And more!

The Sources of Pollution in Our Homes

Whilst our homes are becoming more insulated and helping to save us money on heating, this has a negative side effect in that it’s much harder for all of the toxins to escape. And these toxins can come from a wide range of sources, including natural ones.

You might not realise it, but many of our common household products are absolutely full of chemicals that contribute to the toxins present in the air of our homes. This can include our cleaning products, our cosmetics, and even the paint on our walls!

My gardening activities are interesting, I suppose, not only because I have grown some prize-winning chrysanthemums but also because I pack them by the hundreds in a small plot of ground and do it in my spare time. I am a motorcycle patrolman and many people don’t expect a police officer to be so fascinated with growing hardy chrysanthemums and are surprised when they hear of such goings on.

From the days I worked on my father’s farm in Georgia, I have been keen on growing things but so many years intervened before I could get my fingers in dirt again that when I finally got my own backyard, my zeal was unbounded, perhaps excessive. Very soon my own place became too small to contain all the plants I wanted to grow.

They say where there’s a will, there’s a way. A half block from my house was a corner lot, 50 by 100 feet, vacant full of stones and weeds. I got the owner’s permission to use it and planted some shrubs and all of my mums there and added to them.

The final decision as to what type of garden you will want is not reached at the snap of a finger, but can be achieved in one of two ways. The first, and most businesslike, is to write down all pertinent facts and figures concerning yourself, your family, the size of your property, the size of your house, its exposure, etc. The other, which is just as workable but perhaps a little more confusing and likely to cause you undue worry, is simply to carry your ideas around in your head and finally try to put them on paper in the form of a plan. These are not solutions of your problem but rather helpful guides.

The more orderly method is to make a check list and to give our thought reality we shall consider the requirements of a family living in a development of identical houses in Central New Jersey. Their check list should be used as a guide in making your own.

If you are looking for spring just as soon as March 21 comes around, treat yourself to a preview of the season by forcing a few of the hardy perennials. Almost any of the early-blooming plants can be used. For a start I would suggest that you select from the following: English primrose, Primula vulgaris; Himalayan primrose, P. denticulata; pasque-flower, Anemone Pulsatilla; and leopards-bane, Doronicum caucasicum These should be dug with a good root system and put into a pot no larger than is necessary to contain the roots.

The rose daphne, D. Cneorum, is a small, pleasing shrub with beautiful, fragrant flowers. It too can be forced. Plants with a spread of 8 to 10 inches are preferred. If you do not have any plants on hand, you can buy them from almost any nursery specializing in trees and shrubs.

When forcing these plants, it is important to pot them early so that they can make root growth before winter sets in. Then put the pots in a cold-frame, burying them to their rims in sawdust, peatmoss or sand. After they have been exposed to a few hard frosts, cover with something which will not mat. The glass sash should be kept on for most of the winter to prevent the soil from freezing too deeply.

Special consideration should be given to the garden potential by anyone buying a new home. This is a factor all too often ignored by purchasers who later regret their lack of foresight. You should, at the very least, be aware of the garden problems your new home will present.

Desirable Features

Whether you intend to move to a rural or to an urban area, there are certain qualities you will want your property to have. You want soil with good drainage, and land contour that can be graded without too great expense. The best type of property in these respects would be one that is gently rolling; it offers little likelihood of poor drainage, yet is not sloped enough to cause erosion. A perfectly flat piece of land can appear to be ideal for a garden, but you should first check the subsoil condition to make sure there is no “hard pan” (that is, a layer of hard-packed soil impervious to the passage of water), or even solid rock, just a few inches below the surface.

Have you ever considered growing your own hydroponic strawberries? They are delicious and you could make money from them!

Below is a list of why hydroponic strawberries beat traditional soil grown strawberries.

1. There is no need to have a garden to grow hydroponic strawberries! So if you live in a crowded city centre apartment block, then it no problem. If you live in the desert or in Antarctica then there’s no problem.

2. Because you’re not using soil, no soil borne diseases will be passed onto the strawberries. This immediately solves a huge problem that many gardeners face.

3. There will be no need to use any expensive and controversial pesticides on your strawberries as there will be no soil loving pests! Your strawberries will remain organic as a result!

4. Once you have your strawberries growing, your running costs will be around 20% lower compared to soil based gardening.

5. You can grow more hydroponic strawberries in a smaller area! This is due to the decreased size of the roots as they don’t have to spread out to find nutrients. So you will be able to grow more in your growing trays.

Have you ever considered setting up your own hydroponic indoor garden? The advantages and benefits over soil based gardening are many.

Take a look at the following advantages of hydroponic indoor gardening:

1. You don’t need to purchase any expensive pesticides. As the majority of pests tend to hang around soil, they have no access to your hydroponic plants.

2. After your initial set up costs, indoor hydroponic gardens are around 20% lower than traditional gardening.

3. You will be able to grow more plants in a smaller area! This is true even though the plants will in fact grow larger, the roots will be smaller as they don’t need to expand to find nutrients in hydroponic gardens.

4. Maintenance time is greatly reduced in indoor hydroponic gardens! Weeding doesn’t exist and there is no need to water the plants. In fact all you really need to do is pick the fruit or vegetables when required.

5. The yield is year long and permanent. This is because you have manipulated the growing conditions to be optimum all the time. As soon as its off season, you can sell the produce for higher prices.