Best Tips For Saving Water In Your Garden

Whether or not you are on water restrictions, water is a precious resource and the cost is rising all the time.  We can all tread a little lighter on the planet by taking a few moments to re-evaluate our garden design and watering habits to eliminate inefficient practices that waste water … and reap the benefits at the same time.

1: You can save water by using a drip irrigation system to water container gardens, trees and shrubs. A typical spray irrigation system wastes water by spraying it into the air. Much of that sprayed water evaporates before it reaches the plants, especially in hotter temperatures.

2: Saving water on your sprinkler system is easy if you install a rain sensor, which ensures it won’t turn on unnecessarily during rainfall. Moisture sensors are great as well; they detect when dew has formed overnight so you don’t need to water the lawn as often.

3: How can you save water with plants? Native plants, which are available at most of your local plant nurseries, are generally more tolerant of the weather conditions in your area, including typical rainfall amounts, and thus require less frequent watering.

4: A good way to conserve water is by fixing drippy outdoor faucets? Fix them! Even a slight leak adds up over time. Start by tightening the nut behind the faucet handle with a wrench. If this doesn’t do the trick, hit your local hardware store for more specific instructions on fixing your system.

5: Rain barrels will also help you save water. Place them at the end of your gutters to collect rainwater. Use the collected water to hydrate your plants, wash the car and fill birdbaths.

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Fall Rose Care Tips In Winter

Roses are no doubt the most beloved flowers of everyone. People admire roses for their colors, fragrance and elegance and love to plant their own beautiful rose garden. Roses have an undeserved reputation for being fussy, hard-to-care-for plants. But after all, they're just shrubs. Some roses do require more maintenance than others, but growing roses is something even a beginner can do.

Spraying

Like all living plants, roses may be attacked by insects and fungus diseases. It is important to apply one application of dormant spray to each rose. A good copper fungicide, combined with a spray oil may be used to control both over-wintering insects and diseases in a single spraying.

Mulching

Mulching is very important. It keeps the soil cool in summer and warm in winter. It retains moisture, controls weak growth, and renews and rebuilds the humus content of the soil around the plants.

Fertilizing

Roses are heavy feeders and need food to get the maximum bloom, but not in the winter dormant season. The rule of thumb is to give them their first feeding in March or when the rose has six inches of new growth (whichever happens first). After that, every two months through October is recommended.

Watering

Roses can take lots of water during the growing season if the drainage is good, but will not tolerate wet feet in the winter. You should not have to water your plants until there is at least 6″ inches of new growth and the soil starts to dry out. Avoid watering at night to cut down on fungus and disease.

Cutting Roses

On newly planted bushes, cut off the flowers on the shortest stems, to allow more nutrients to go into the remaining flowers. On established plants, you can cut as high as the second (five-leaf) leaflet or as low as any two leaflets above the previous cut in order to promote more blooms – leaving as much foliage as possible.