Recycling is about living in balance with the Earth, creating harmony through nurturing and valuing what we have, not wasting it. How much junk do you have stashed away awaiting the next council cleanup? With a little lateral thinking it can be given a new lease on life. Gardeners are connected intimately to their environment and can make a positive impact in many ways. By recycling and reusing items in the garden, we can save objects intended...
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Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) is a rewarding crop to grow in the home vegetable garden. Not only does it produce its tasty red roots, but the young leaves can be harvested and eaten in a salad. Our last issue described heirloom beetroot varieties and now we will look more in-depth at how to grow this nutritious vegetable. This root vegetable is best known for its round red root, but beetroots come in other colours and shapes. They can be red and...
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Many of the flowers that bloom in India are familiar to gardeners the world over, including those that color the landscape during the winter months. Winter flowers in India include calendulas, cornflowers, foxgloves, pansies and violas. Indian Olibanum The tiny, cream-colored flowers of the Indian Olibanum (Boswellia serrata) usually bloom in January. This deciduous tree is endemic to India, proliferating on dry hills and slopes. The flowers...
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These simple maintenance tasks keep your patio planters and window boxes looking their best throughout the growing season and help cold-climate gardeners prepare for winter. Tools and Materials: Planted containers Water source, hose or watering can Slow-release and water-soluble fertilizers Scissors or hand pruners Seasonal flowering and foliage plants Chicken wire and loose mulch, optional Water frequently. Closely spaced plants packed into...
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One of the most economical ways to enhance the landscape surrounding your home is to build a rock garden. Rock gardens are most often associated with the British Isles, where the climate is rarely accommodating to delicate plants. Rock gardens bring with them the assumption of having very few plants, and those of a very hardy variety, or no plants at all. The arrangement of the rocks in your garden, when properly complemented by attractive...
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