Child's First Garden: Easy Herbs and Flowers

It is never too early to get children involved with gardening. It is suggested that not having enough contact with nature can affect their health, academic performance and overall well-being in a negative way. Not to mention, gardening teaches them to appreciate nature, and gives them a little exercise and vitamin D. Ideally, when you hire a nanny, you should make sure that they share your same passion for nature so they will be thrilled to help your child with their garden.

Herbs
Some people assume that children can only grow flowers and basic plants, but there are a few herbs that they can easily grow as well. They will love knowing that something they grow with their own two hands contributed to the delicious meal being put on the table.

• Basil – Can you really ever have too much basil in the house? It can be used for pesto, mixed in salads or used in a ton of recipes. Be sure to purchase seeds that are guaranteed to be fusarium-free.

• Thyme – This evergreen offers a lovely fragrance early in the season, and is ideal for making spice rubs.

• Chives – The great thing about chives is that they will come back year after year.

• Oregano – If you want a plant that is a little different, opt for Bristol Cross oregano; it can be placed in a hanging basket, and it grows in a unique ball shape.

• Mint – This is the perfect herb for beginners because it is one of the easiest plants to grow. If you hire a nanny without a green thumb, even they will be able to help your child grow mint.

• Others – Although not all herbs are safe  for children to handle, they can also grow dill, tarragon, sage, parsley, chervil, rosemary, coriander and savory.

Flowers

• Sunflowers – Children love sunflowers because they are so cheerful and vibrant. The seeds are large so they are easy to plant and when they ripen at the end of season, they can eat them.

• Snapdragons – These flowers are as fun to play with as they are to grow. They can easily be planted in beds or containers.

• Daisies – These are often favorites of little girls because they are simple yet pretty. There are many different varieties and some are easier to plant than others.

• Lady’s Mantle – Although not a common plant, these flowers are easy to grow and turn a child’s garden into a magical place. They have large leaves that manage to hold onto drops of morning dew, which sparkles like diamonds in the morning sunshine.

• Pansies – It is pretty much impossible to kill pansies. They come in a multitude of colors from black to purple to blue to yellow so they can mix and match and create a unique display.

Vegetables

• Cherry Tomatoes – These are a must in a child’s vegetable garden. They need full sun, a stake and a lot of compost.

• Snow Peas – This is a quick growing crop that does well in a small space. Snow peas prefer a partially shaded location.

• Potatoes – Here is a crop that is nearly guaranteed to be delivered every time. When the leaves die and the plant collapses, the potatoes are ready to harvest. These can even be grown in old garbage pails or large Rubbermaid containers too.

• Pumpkin – Every child must have a pumpkin growing in their garden so they have their very own one to cut come Halloween. Hopefully you hire a nanny that understands how to use those pumpkin stencils better than you, right? When the pumpkin feels hollow when you tap it, it is ready to harvest. This often takes up to 120 days!

Article provided by nanny.net, your #1 source for everything nanny-related.

Planting Ant Repellent Flowering Plants

Ants are among the most irritating pests to have around; plus some species deliver stings that itch and blister. So, it's no wonder that people want to get rid of them and keep these insects away from homes and gardens. One way to prevent ants from making a home inside your property is by growing plants that repel ants. But for those who also want to add cheer to their garden, flowering plants are wonderful options. Here are some nice options.

Lavender
Lavender is certainly a fantastic choice. It's a plant that produces beautiful flowers that add a splash of elegance to any garden. But more than that, the scent that the plant creates, which is very appealing to people, is very repulsive to ants. Planting lavender in a garden or having a pot indoors will help keep away ants. In addition to this, lavender leaves and flowers can be dried. Once these are dried, these can then be crushed and sprinkled near or on areas where ants are usually found. Lavender oil, which can be bought in aroma therapy stores, can also be used. Cotton balls soaked with the oil can be placed in crevices or holes that ants use to get inside a house. The oil can be wiped onto ant trails to confuse and keep the insects away.

Tansy
Another effective ant repeller is the herbaceous flowering plant, tansy. Tansy has fern-like leaves and lively yellow flowers. It is often planted with other fruit or flowering plants that attract ants or aphids to reduce infestations on such plants. This is called companion planting. Apart from ants, tansy also fends off flies. The dried and powdered flower heads of tansies have been used as insect repellents for many years. Flowers can also be dried and chained together, making a wreath-like decoration that also wards off various kinds of pesky insects. Leaves and branches can also be placed near windowsills and doors to prevent ants from entering. Tansy also has other beneficial characteristics. For instance, it has antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties.

Marigold
Ants do not like the pungent odor that marigolds produce. Marigolds are often used as companion plants for eggplants, tomatoes, as well as root crops or legumes. The roots of the marigold plant releases a chemical that wards off a number of bacteria and insects found underneath the soil. To deter ants and other insects, such as mosquitoes, use marigolds as border or put in pots to place indoors. Unlike tansy, marigolds aren't very invasive. But they have to be replaced each year as these are annual plants.

Pennyroyal
Pennyroyal is a member of the mint family, and it is well-known that ants hate mint, particularly peppermint. These are low maintenance plants that can survive the sun and the shade. These can be used as border plants to barricade a property from ants. Creeping or low-growing varieties can be planted at the base of plants that attract aphids and ants, such as roses. These can also be used as pretty hanging plants. Pennyroyals create charming lavender flowers that repel not only ants, but also mice, fleas and many other pests.

All in all, ants can either be repelled by or attracted to the scents that flower petals produce. So, if you don't want them around, go for flowering plants or foliage that ants do not like.

Citations:

• Photo courtesy of Simon Howden at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

The article is by Claire Brent, who writes for several pest control companies. She regularly contributes articles about natural pest control methods to http://www.preventivepestcontrol.com .

Low~Maintenance Plants for Shady Areas~!!

If your looking to add some beautiful colour and flavour to your garden's shadier areas, then these five plants are sure to help out with your gardening woes~!!

Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum')

The beautifully coloured, low~lying plants grow between 30 ~ 60 cm high and wide.  They have deep burgundy leaf stems with olive~green arching fronds which are lit with silver.  Every single plant has its own unique design and colours.

This plant was originally native to Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan and does well in zones 4 to 9.

Because of its ever~changing colour forms, it is best as an accent for edging and works well in all shaded areas.

Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum comutatum)

These beauties like dry shade and are very elegant and graceful in their design.  

They grow up to 60 to 70 cm and work best in zones 3 to 9.

In late Spring, white bell~like flowers bloom and are self~cleaning and will drop off on their own.  

This plant spreads out slowly, creating a blanket of foliage that turns golden yellow in the Fall.

Epimedium (Red ~ rubrum, Yellow ~ suphureum and White ~ niveum)

This plant loves shade and it is a dependable ground cover plant.  Works best in any shade.

Flowers come in white, pink and yellow and bloom from May to June.

It is slow~growing, consistent and can live forever.

Typically grow about 20~25 cm high with a 15~30 cm spread in zones 4 to 9.

Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum)

These ornamental focal points provide interest year round to any garden.

The exfoliating bark comes in shades of cinnamon red and brown, peels in thin sheets and looks polished smooth in others.  

In early Spring, small yellow flowers bloom.  

Ideal for city lots and as an understory tree.  Slow growing, climbing up to 7m which could take up to 50 years to complete.

Require little pruning and is insect resistant.  It can be planted in full sun to partial shade.  

Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)

Very versatile plant in that it can survive in extreme heat and cold, as well as, soil lacking nutrients and in the deep shade beneath trees.

Grows to 30 ~ 60 cm high and wides.  Has rounded clump of fan~shaped fronds with light green lacey leaves on purple~black stems.

They have a natural water~repellent and even when immersed in water, the leaves remain dry.

Top 7 Impossible Gardens

Have you ever grown a garden in a piece of furniture, or decided to have your ashes sprinkled in a coral garden shaped like the lost city of Atlantis?

Well get your green fingers at the ready, as these are some of the strangest gardens around!

Image by Joel Olives

1) Splice Garden (USA) 

Our first contender for the top impossible garden is the Splice Garden at the White Head Institute in the USA.

Now there are some very strange gardens coming up, but the reason that this garden is impossible is due to the fact that it defies a very basic principle of what a garden is.

It doesn’t grow!

The Splice Garden is entirely plastic!

The garden is supposed to reflect the dangers of gene splicing. It’s apparently still a relaxing space for the scientists to sit in, but I’m not sure that I fancy it!

Impossibility Factor: 5/10

2) Musee du quai Branly (France)

Image by Isamiga76

Our second contender is across the channel in France.

The Musee du quai Branly is where you’ll find the garden -but it won’t take you long to find it! Instead of growing in the museum’s grounds, the garden grows on the side of the building!
Vertical gardening has gained popularity in the last few years, and the museum is a great example!

It may be rather difficult to relax in this garden, but it’s certainly an amazing feat of urban gardening!

Impossibility Factor: 6/10

3) EDITT Tower (Singapore)
Ok, so this third entry is a little bit of a cheat, as this building is pending construction. But it only takes a quick glance at the plans to realise that this could be one of the strangest gardens of the future!

The EDITT Tower takes urban gardening to the extreme, with the garden appearing to overtake the building!

If you’ve been following the recent Chelsea Flower Show, then consider this to be Diarmuid Gavin’s ‘Magic Pyramid’ in skyscraper form!

The building collects rainwater and light, so not only does it look pretty amazing, it’s also energy efficient!

Impossibility Factor: 9/10

4) The Garden of Cosmic Speculation (Scotland)
Image by Yellow Book

In this strange garden you may feel like you’ve slipped into Wonderland!

The 30-acre Garden of Cosmic Speculation took nearly 20 years to complete. But the garden wasn’t inspired by Lewis Carroll; it was inspired by physics!

Chequered floors, curving mounds and double helix staircases, come together in a surreal landscape where nothing is quite as it seems.

Pay a visit and you too can speculate on black holes and parallel universes!

Impossibility Factor: 8/10

5) Furni Bloom (Icelandic Designer)

The exciting thing about this impossible garden is that you could have one of your own!
Furni Bloom was designed by Icelandic landscape architect Dagný Bjarnadóttir. It’s garden furniture with a twist; the garden is inside the furniture!

The chairs and table are made of transparent acrylic glass and are hollow inside. This enables you to plant a garden inside the furniture and then watch it grow!

Impossibility Factor: 7/10

6) Giant Hanging Basket (UK)

Lots of people have hanging baskets, but not many have decided to plant an entire garden in one!

But in 2009 the Hotel Indigo in London decided to install a giant hanging basket outside. How giant you ask? Well it weighed more than a quarter of a ton and contained over 100 varieties of flowers!

Sadly it’s long gone, but while it was around it would certainly have caught your eye!

Impossibility Factor: 8/10

7) Neptune Memorial Reef (USA)

There are many strange things about our last contender, but one of the most obvious is that it’s underwater!

Instead of growing flowers, this is a coral garden.

This garden can be found at Key Biscayne in Florida, and is designed as a resting place for the dearly departed.

Modelled in the style of the lost city of Atlantis, the memorial garden is formed of statues that are made up of ashes and cement.

It certainly looks very peaceful, and I love that new life comes from old!

Impossibility Factor: 10/10

So the Neptune Memorial Reef comes top for me, but which is your most impossible garden?

Or do you know a better candidate?

Gavin Harvey is a personal trainer with a passion for travel! A lover of all things weird and wonderful, he’s always in search of the next big adventure. When he’s not working, he can be found partying at music festivals, and he’s also a part time blogger for Out There Interiors.

The Top 5 Most Beautiful Flowers

The very use of flowers within the culture of most countries in the world has been down to their beauty and ornamental excellence. The most expensive flowers in the world may not be the most beautiful. In fact the most expensive flower ever sold, the Shenzhen Nongke Orchid, has been described a Frankenstein flower, this may be more to do with its manmade nature as appose to its aesthetic but none the less it proves that beauty in flowers, as with most things in life, is of course in the eye of the beholder. There are some classic blooms though, whose beauty could not be strongly protested.

Roses
The first is the classic rose - Rosaceae. Roses can come in over 100 different species and are known the world over as symbols of love and romance. Roses are also famous for their aromatic aroma and come in nearly every colour you could want or need. The deep red rose of course being the most enigmatic symbol for love and the audacious bloom is juxtaposed with its thorny foliage entrenching the romantic based representation.

Orchids
Orchids - Orchidaceae, can also boast a variety of species, over 20,000 varieties in fact. Orchids are far from rare and horticulturalists have produced over 100,000 hybrids from the original species. Their habitat covers all continents, apart from the poles and they are incredible durable. Their history goes back as far as ancient Greek Myth and their beauty has been referred to in literature for years.

photo attributed to Galileo55

The Calla Lilly
The Calla Lilly - Antedeschia Aethiopica, has many different names such as Lily of the Nile, Easter lily, Arum lily and Varkoor. The choice for this is a specific species of flower this time is due to the fact that it is perceived as the most elegant of its members. It’s native only to Africa and its tropical aesthetic has brought a touch of class to many wedding bouquets in recent years. Many big purveyors of flowers such as Interflora.com can supply you with a classic calla Lilly bouquet. Its pure white bloom has a velvety texture which is penetrated by its idiosyncratic bright yellow stamen.

photo attributed to aresauburnâ

Water Lilies
The sultry water lilies - Nymphaeaceae have earned their place as one of the most beautiful flower species due to their fame in the world or art; poets have used the water lily as a muse as well as infamous paintings of the blooms. Another member of the lily family, these archetypal shapes and colours are the epitome of natural beauty and exotic aesthetic as their lily pads float on the water.

Cherry Blossom
Cherry blossom, though a plant whose primary use was for food, has now become an ornamental flower in itself. These Japanese wonders scatter a Spring time meadow with subtle beauty and feature heavily within their folk lore symbolising the ephemeral nature of life, an idea preached within Buddhism. Cherry blossom is now seen in most countries in the world and is often purposely planted within urban areas as these fresh blossoms give a naturalistic element to the most metropolitan borough.

This Article was brought to you by Interflora

Gardening is Fun: Get the Kids Involved!

As the weather warms up, it is only natural for you and your family to want to break out from the confines of indoors. Getting your kids involved in gardening, yard work, and planting is a great way to engage them in new experience and a little physical exercise.

Yes, you could just let your kids fool around on their swing set while you weed your beds but children like to feel helpful so get them involved in the garden chores!  In exchange for their hard work, you can allow them to create one of the following children’s gardening projects.

Garden Projects Designed to Get Your Kids Hands Dirty

Sunflower House

Image credit: photobucket.com 

By planting mammoth sunflower seeds in a square pattern, you can create a secret garden fort for your children to enjoy. This is a good project for the far end of a bed, or even separated from the rest of your garden. Here’s what you will need to do:   

• Choose a sunny spot, and till an 8’ x 8’ area.    

• Choose a mammoth sunflower variety and plant 4-6 seeds in clumps six inches apart from each other in an eight foot square pattern. Be sure to leave a two foot gap in the middle of one side for the “door”! 

• After around two weeks and seedlings have sprouted to about three inches tall, thin them down to 2-3 of the most vigorous in each clump.  Thin them again at two feet tall, leaving your most promising sunflower. These plants grow quickly, giving children many opportunities to check on the progress of their growing “house.”   

The interior of the sunflower house will provide a cool, shaded area for your kids to play all summer long.  If you would like to extend the project even further, you can also harvest the seeds either for your family’s enjoyment or as bird seed.  

Other variations for this project include using a variety of sunflower colors, planting alternating heights of sunflowers (tall ones on the corners and the middle, shorter ones in between like fort posts), and planting climbing vegetables adjacent to the sunflowers. Take a picture of your kid once a month standing next to the growing sunflowers to track the height growth over time.  Your flower fort will look fabulous within your yard next to a traditional children’s play house!

Dinosaur Bed
It can be hard to keep young children from digging wherever they want in your garden.  However, if you give them a dedicated bed just for them, the safety of your favorite flower bed is pretty much assured.  Follow these steps to create your kids their very own “dinosaur bed” to dig about in: 

• Mark off a 4’x4’ area with sticks, bricks, or plastic (you could even use a hula hoop) that marks the special area that your kid is supposed to dig in. 
• After tilling the space, bury plastic dinosaur toys for your children to excavate. 
• Equip your junior archaeologist with a small shovel to dig with, a magnifying glass to inspect the finds, and a plastic bucket to keep their treasures.  Have them draw the finds in their special archaeology field book too!

You’ll have to regularly stock up the space with new treasures for them to excavate, but you’ll be happy to have your kids occupied while you can keep improving the rest of your flower garden!

Katherine Reynolds loves her garden which her two children helped to create, especially since installing an array of playground equipment from Climbing Frames AU for them!

DIY Vertical Garden

Vertical Gardens or Garden walls have been very popular over the years, especially with space restrictions in some areas of the world; people are having to come up with innovative ways in order to grow their own organic food stuffs.

Vertical gardens come in all shapes and sizes and can be found anywhere there is space to hang one.  There are some that scale entire sides of buildings, offices, as well as private homes and gardens.

Below you will find the directions in which to create your own Vertical garden masterpiece...the sky is the limit when planting your own food, so what are you waiting for...get creating and you will live healthier for it~!!

Source: Bridgman Rattan

Stop and Smell the Coconut Palms

Have you ever heard the phrase "Stop and smell the roses." This well-known proverb means just what it says. Sometimes we all need to stop and take a moment to take in our surroundings and appreciate the natural beauty that is all around us. For residents of Phuket City, this probably should be transformed slightly to "Stop and smell the coconut palms."

Coconut Palms And Phuket City
The coconut palm is synonymous with Phuket City, and yet how many times do you actually take the time to appreciate them for what they are? These beautiful specimens spotlight the Phuket City landscape. You can't go anywhere without seeing one. They are so common that we almost can't help but ignore them. However, if you really stop and take a moment to look, they are actually quite beautiful. Just try to imagine Phuket City without them. It would be like an alien world, devoid of that one thing that makes it complete and whole. Coconut palms represent Phuket City majestically, and they deserve to be appreciated.



Fruitfulness of Coconut Palms
One of the greatest things about the coconut palm is that it is not limited to just one variety. Phuket City harbors many types, from the true coconut palm, complete with everyone's favorite island fruit, to the Royal Palms that spotlight the roads of Phuket City, giving it an elegance that only they could provide. They set the tone for the island and act as an instant ambassador to visitors to the city. Anyone that visits Phuket will no doubt remember the palms as the first thing that struck them about it. Then there are others, like the betel nut palm. The fruit of these has a mild narcotic effect on the imbiber, making it popular for other than aesthetic reasons. However, they are quite pretty to look at and will grow just as easily as their other palm tree family members.

The Hidden Beauty of Coconut Palms
From a gardening standpoint, coconut palms are a marvelous creation. These specimens are fighters. They can grow almost anywhere with minimal supervision. Getting a coconut palm going is as simple as finding a coconut with a green shoot pointing out of it. You put it in the ground with the shoot sticking up. Give it a little love by watering it regularly and in a few weeks, you will have a coconut tree of your own. Few trees require less work or are more resilient.

The Palm’s Family
The Royal Palm is the coconut palm's big brother, but it shares its gardener-friendly nature. You can easily grow your own Royal Palm in the ground or in a pot. If you do decide to go the pot route, make sure you choose a big one, because Royal Palms have strong roots and will outgrow smaller pots. If you don't realize it in time and transfer it to a bigger pot, expect the roots to easily snap your pot in two. The ground is probably your best bet if you aren't willing to find new and creative ways to move your Royal Palm to a new potted home. If a potted palm is your wish, you may want to consider a Golden Cane Palm. These are more pot-friendly and only grow to be two or three meters tall. This makes them an excellent choice for a small balcony or terrace.

In Phuket, it's hard to take a few steps without running into a coconut palm or one of its brothers and sisters, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take notice when you do. Don't miss out on one of Phuket City's natural wonders. Always remember to take that extra second from time to time to take a deep breath and stop and smell the coconut palms.

This guest post was brought to you by Bonsai Tree Gardener. Come visit our website for in-depth information on bonsai trees, bonsai tools and accessories. We will be posting weekly content on our website on various bonsai tree types and other related information for you to get started with your own bonsai.