Garden Plants Information

You can get down and dirty in the garden alone, out in the front yard, and the neighbours don’t think you are a pervert.
You can talk openly about your ultimate fantasy garden with everyone from your neighbours next door to your grandma.
It’s not embarrassing to walk into a nursery or garden centre and purchase gardening implements.
It doesn’t kill the mood if you talk during gardening.

I could go on.

Gardening can be one of the most rewarding experiences of life. Creating a beautiful oasis where once there was nothing.
When people say they don’t like gardening, they aren’t talking about the joy of planning and planting out their patch or watching their plants flourish and flower, but more about the arduous tasks such as weeding and mowing.
I am here to offer all you non believers (that is gardening haters) a path to the gardening heaven.

Weeding

Even I hate weeding, and I have been a passionate gardener since I was in my teens. So how do you cut down the task of weeding? Here is how I do it.

All my perennial garden beds have weedmat laid on them. If you haven’t come across weedmat before, you are in for a sweet surprise. It cuts your weeding by 95%, and the weeds that do manage to root in the weed mat pull out so easy that a preschooler could do it.
Now don’t confuse weedmat with that horrible old black plastic that use to be laid on garden beds back in the 70’s. That black plastic did horrible and unspeakable things to the soil, making the ground pretty much unusable and rock like. Weed mat allows the soil to breath, water to penetrate and fertilisers that are applied over weedmat also permeate through it to the plant roots.

Weedmat will stop not only couch grass, but oxalis and nutgrass. True. I laid it directly over a rose bed that was badly infested with all bar the nut grass over three years ago, and apart from the odd part growing out the edge of the weed mat, my rose bed has been weed free.
There are a couple of different types of weedmat and all have their merits.
Jute weed mat is great if you can get hold of it. It allows a litte bit more weed penetration than the following two, but is great for the environment, and also acts as a mulch, retaining water.
Woven weedmat is probably the most heavy duty out of them all. It is fine strips of plastic that are woven into a cloth. This was the weedmat that defeated my oxalis and couch grass.

Enviro weedmat is also quite good. It sort of looks like that iron on interface that you get on clothes, but it is black. It breaks down after about 4 or 5 years. It’s only downfall is that sharp stick and rocks will tear it quite easily.

Mulch is also a good way to cut down weeds. I have it over every bed in my garden, even the ones that have weedmat on them, more for aesthetics on than weed suppression over the weedmat.
There are a multitude of mulches available, from organic straws, barkchips, composted materials to inorganic stones and gravels. All have their advantages and downfalls, which is an article in itself.

Another rule for eliminating weeds is to get them before they seed. One plant can send out thousands of seeds, which is potentially thousands of weeds if you don’t get rid of them before they flower and set seed.

Mowing

The only thing I can really offer here is get a low creeping grass such as Santa Ana couch. Pave where the lawn is or find someone else to do the mowing.

Alright, so maybe I have only taken you to gardening paradise, not gardening heaven. But hopefully I have helped you see the light.

Jody has been in the horticultural industry in Victoria for close to ten years.

She ran her first nursery at 25 while studying horticulture through the University of Melbourne. From there she moved on to work in three diverse nurseries in Melbourne and the country, two of which she managed.
Jody also wrote a weekly gardening column for The Weekly Advertiser for five years while running a small local nursery in Horsham.

Currently Jody is teaching horticulture at the University of Ballarat, Horsham campus and is the resident Horticulturalist on ABC Western Victoria’s Monday gardening program.

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The Latin name for dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, translates to “official remedy for disorders.” Dandelion is a native of Europe and the name comes from the French term “dent-de-lion,” meaning lion’s tooth, which refers to the dark-green, sharply toothed leaves characteristic of this plant. A prominent herbalist, Gregory Tilford is quoted as saying, “Dandelion is one of the most complete plant foods on earth. All the vital nutrients are conveniently contained in a single source, in quantities that the body can easily process and fully absorb.” One source I consulted during research for this article suggested that “dandelion greens are so good for you that you would do well to dry and powder them and place the powder in a saltshaker to be sprinkled on all your food as a nutritional supplement.”

Called the “King of Weeds” by old timers, the Chinese have known about the antibacterial properties of the juice of the dandelion since the 7th century. In fact, it is one of the top 6 herbs in the Chinese medicine chest. In Chinese medicine, it is regarded as a blood cleanser, tonic, digestive aid, and used in the treatment of diabetes. It is ground and applied as a poultice to snake bites. In Canada, dandelion leaves are considered to be safe to eat, and dandelion root is already marketed as a registered diuretic drug by Health Canada. Canada imports most of its dandelion from the U.S.A. although it could be easily cultivated in Canada.

The whole plant is valuable as a general tonic as it is a general stimulant to the system, particularly the urinary organs. It may be taken as an infusion of the leaf, a juice extraction, a root decoction, a fluidextract, or a tincture. Fresh leaves may be added to salads. The juice extraction is the most potent for medicinal purposes. The milky latex from dandelion can be used as a mosquito repellent.

Dr. Peter A. Gail, in his book, “The Dandelion Celebration - The Guide to Unexpected Cuisine” writes that dandelion eaten as part of your daily diet prevents or cures liver disease; assists in weight reduction; cleanses skin and prevents acne; eliminates or drastically reduces acid indigestion and gas build-up by cutting the heaviness of fatty foods; lowers serum cholesterol by as much as half; prevents or lowers blood pressure; prevents or cures various forms of cancer; and prevents or controls diabetes mellitus, while at the same time having no negative side effects and selectively acting on only what ails you.

Dandelion leaf is a good natural source of potassium and will replenish any potassium that may be lost due to the herb’s diuretic action on the kidneys. The leaves are the richest green vegetable source of beta-carotene, contain more iron and calcium than spinach, are rich in fibre, sodium, magnesium, Vitamins B-1, B-2, B-5, B-6, B-12, C, E, P, and D, phosphorous, iron, a good source of protein, and rich in micronutrients such as copper, cobalt, zinc, and molybdenum. You can buy dandelion greens at speciality-produce sections of most grocery stores; leaves, tinctures, and products at organic grocery and health food stores, or grow your own.

WARNING If you are harvesting dandelions, make sure the plants have not been sprayed with any pesticides or herbicides, as they will contain poisons. Getting rid of lawn dandelions using pesticides may pose health risks to adults, children, and pets.

Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace - Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul and booklet Non-toxic Alternatives For Everyday Cleaning And Gardening Chores. She owns the website Gwen’s Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the book and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit http://www.gwenshealinggarden.ca Gwen Nyhus Stewart © 2004 - 2006. All rights reserved.

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If you think your lawn is weed-free, look closely again. Weeds grow in every lawn and some of them are hidden from view. Regardless you see them or not, they exist and are unlikely to disappear totally. Here are two common weed problems faced by many lawn owners.

The first problem is the growing and spreading of weeds. Weeds reproduced very quickly. Once a new weed found a place in your lawn, other weeds with spring up in no time. Even if you pull out the roots of the weeds, their seeds may be lying around and will grow again in the near future.

The second problem is hidden weeds. You can’t see them but they are there competing for nutrients and water with your lawn grasses. By the time you discover them, they may have already spread to a significant portion of your lawn. Thus it is advisable to spend some time seeking out these hidden weeds and eliminate them before they grow into a nuisance.

The simplest way to get rid of weeds is to pull them out with your hands. You have to make sure that the roots of the weeds are removed to prevent them from growing again. Try to do this before they flower and set seeds. You can also get a weed puller to help you with the task.

You should also learn to identify the different types of weeds your lawn have and study their characteristics. Find out what methods are effective in controlling or eliminating them. Based on what you learn, you can easily formulate a plan and implement effective measure to control or eliminate weeds.

A significant growth in weeds is usually the result of poor or improper lawn maintenance. A few changes in your lawn maintenance practice can sometimes yield significant result in weed control. Do not be afraid to experiment. With proper lawn maintenance, you can easily keep the weeds under control without any extra effort.

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