Your garden can be easily turned into an exotic realm of unusual flowering plants just with a little imagination. If you have a small backyard, or acres of huge spreading lawns, you can convert any corner of your garden into a small tropical nest, by growing orchids on living trees.
A weed free lawn is the most ideal garden one can have. Unfortunately with thousands of weed spores planting themselves conveniently within your grass, this is
not possible. Weeds can actually kill your healthy grass and take over your lawn with a ferocity that will shock you! Here are some tips that can help you eliminate garden weeds
Muscari are also known as Grape Hyacinth, since they resemble hyacinths and the flowers grow in tiny bunches that resemble grapes. They flowers are named Muscari since they have a strong musk like smell. The flowers are mostly blue, but white cultivators have also been successfully grown. Muscari are also called “baby’s breath”.
Garden beds are some of the most beautiful parts of a garden. You can make your ordinary garden look magnificently landscaped just by strategically making a beautiful garden bed with colorful flowers. You can make a garden bed for permanent and also seasonal flowers depending upon your preference, and you can even make garden beds for vegetables.
The flower hyacinth is tantalizingly alluring and has many colors that you can select for your garden beds. Hyacinth is a bulbous plant and native to the Eastern Mediterranean region, the Western Iranian region and Turkmenistan. Dutch Hyacinth is also very common and planted all over the world in gardens.
The Begonia is a perennial plant and has showy flowers that can be white, red, pink, orange, yellow and even hybrids. Begonias are found most commonly in sub tropical and tropical regions. They thrive in warm climates and even if you live in a cooler region, you can grow a hybrid of the plant that is especially cultivated for your area.
The beauty and magnificence of the rose cannot be compared by other flowers. This beautiful flower has been linked with love, romance and beauty since the dawn of time. Roses are abound in Italy, and you will find many houses, restaurants and even ancient ruins with climbing roses growing beautifully. Italian roses are large, fragrant and of many colors.
Tulips grow in the wild in the beautiful, arid fields of Centrl Asia, but that has not prevented many people all over the world from growing these beautiful “King of Bulbs” in their own homes. Here are a few tips on how you can take care of your tulip bulbs, to enjoy beautiful blooms every year.
One of the most beautiful parks that have over a million varieties of Tulips is Keukenhof located in Lisse, just an hour’s drive away from the bustling city of Amsterdam. This stunning park comes in the man-made wonders of the world, and with the millions of varieties of Tulips that it contains; it is no doubt a sight to behold. The park also boasts many other species like Begonias, Narcis, Aster, Petunias, Pansies, and Daffodils etc all grown to perfection.
The Tulip is a bulbous, perennial plant with beautiful, showy flowers that bloom in spring. Today, the Tulip is found far and wide all across the world, but its origin is from Central Asia specifically the mountain ranges of Hindu Kush and the Tien Shan in Central Asia. The tulip is native to many parts of Turkey and this is where most Tulips in Europe have been imported from.
History:
Tulips are actually native to Turkey and Central Asia and were imported to the Netherlands in the 16th century, where most people think Tulips are originally from. These days’ European countries, especially the Netherlands, have cultivated many hybrids of the Tulip and are experts at growing fields of beautiful, colorful tulips. The great interest in Tulips started in the 16-17th century when huge numbers of bulbs were imported and then cultivated in the thousands in the Netherlands. This Central Asian flower thrives in the rich soil and climate of the Netherlands and one can find millions of varieties of Tulips and spectacular fields full of beautiful different colored Tulips.
The origin of the name Tulipa:
The botanical name of the Tulip is “Tulipa” which is derived from the Turkish word “Tulbend” which translates to turban. The flower resembles a turban and this is why it is named such. The turban is also a symbol of royalty and the tulip is no doubt considered the King of Bulbs.
The Tulips in Turkey:
In Turkey, Tulips are abundant and thrive due to the mild to cool spring weather and one can find beautiful varieties all over the streets of Istanbul. In turkey you will find many varieties of Tulips, with a huge selection of colors that include white, yellow, pink, black, purple, orange, red and even multicolored varieties. Tulips are planted in autumn and they usually bloom by late winter and early spring. There are many varieties of tulips and you can find early and late bloomers as well.
Plants are as susceptible to diseases as any other living creatures. Just like humans and animals, plants also suffer from bacterial, viral and fungal infections as well as other diseases. Not only can insects devastate a fully grown plant, but these microscopic organisms are just as bad for your garden.
Bacterial Infections:
Bacterial infections can actually afflict plants and can even kill them. Bacterial leaf spots or blights are actually very common. Common blight is a bacterial disease that afflicts leaves of plants. The leaves become spotted, and start wilting. The disease spreads quickly and can even afflict neighboring plants
Viral infections:
Usually these diseases are self limiting, but viral diseases like the mosaic viruses that afflict cucumbers, tomatoes and many more plants can actually distort and then eventually kill the plant. An infected plant will have sickly looking, curling leaves, stunted growth and an overall change in color. Mottled leaves are usually the first sign of the mosaic virus infection. The mosaic virus also afflicts members of the cucumber and beans family.
Fungal infections:
Moulds, mildew, angular leaf spots, fungal drop, early blight, Fisarium basal rot, rust, seed decay, neck rot, leaf blight and gummy stem blight are just a few of the fungal infections that can afflict plants. Mildews and moulds are easy to treat with anti fungal soaps and unless they are deeply settled in roots or stems. Usually the plant can recover, but unfortunately these problems can keep reoccurring, until the plant eventually dies. Fungal leaf spots are different from bacterial leaf spots and spread very fast throughout the plant. These spots actually cause the leaves to dry out, and eventually fall off.
Nematodes that afflict plants:
There are many nematodes that also afflict plant. Root knot nematodes can actually cause a stunting in the growth of the 
pant and form knots on the roots of plants. This disease is also very difficult to treat. It usually afflicts carrots, tomatoes and turnips.
Seedlings require a little extra care for them to thrive. Most plant species have seedlings that are very hardy, and can survive without much attention, but some of them require special care. If you are growing plants from seed, you need to keep a few things in mind before you plant them.
Planting the seeds:
You need to know what the best place to plant seedlings is. Some plants like tomatoes, hate being shifted once planted because of their delicate root systems, so it’s best to plant them in large containers and leave them in them, or you can directly plant them in the ground. Other plants like salads don’t have any problems if you shift them around.
Germination times:
Some seeds take weeks to germinate; this is especially true if they have a hard coating around them, while some seeds like squash may germinate in just a few days. Sometimes soaking the seeds in water speeds up the germination time, this works wonderfully for coriander seeds.
Temperature of the soil for the seedlings:
Some seedlings require a specific temperature in order to grow well. You might need to keep them indoor or in temperature controlled green houses until they become strong enough to be transferred into the ground. Tropical plants, like the papaya has seedlings that are very fussy. If the temperature of the potting soil gets too cold or too hot, the seedlings will simply stop growing.
Watering seedlings:
Seedlings require more watering than fully grown plants, but over watering will surely kill them. Roots of seedlings are very delicate and they require a constantly maintained, optimum environment in order to thrive. The roots of seedlings hate getting dry so water your seedlings whenever you feel that the potting mix is getting dry.
Fertilizing seedlings:
You actually don’t need to fertilize your seedlings until they actually shoot “true” leaves. These are the leaves that the plant actually has and are not the cotyledon leaves. You can feed them a very dilute mixture of an organic fertilizer but make sure you don’t feed them too much. If you over fertilize the seedlings, you can actually inhibit their growth. Fertilizing seedlings every 3 weeks to one month is best.
These common plant insects are the most abundant on plants, but the most easy to control. These tiny creatures can simply be hosed off flowers and stems. Unfortunately they do have a tendency to keep coming again. These pests suck the sap from the plants and thwart new growth. The plants need to be sprayed with organic pesticide to keep them away. Lady bugs also eat these tiny creatures.
Marigolds are beautiful flowers, which add a stunning and rich array of colors to your garden. They are easy to grow annual blooms that are loved by kids and adults alike, with cheerful flower beds that last all summer long. They have a huge variety of colors and sizes that you can choose from including yellow, orange, red, white and even mixed varieties.
Red lilies are beautiful and graceful flowers, and they symbolize love, passion and desire. These flowers are excellent for borders, flower pots and even for landscaping. They can easily be grown from bulbs.
