Evergreens You Can Use For Landscaping

Written by Paul Curran


Evergreen trees and shrubs are more expensive in general than deciduous trees (trees that drop their leaves in winter). But they are worth their cost because of their year-round beauty, hardiness and longevity. Evergreens range fromrepparttar broadleaved shrubs like rhododendron and laurel torepparttar 113361 tall-needled cone-bearing pines and stately spruces.

The giant spruces and firs are most effective as windscreens;repparttar 113362 spreading evergreen shrubs are widely used not only because of their attractiveness but also because they can be shaped and trimmed and do well inrepparttar 113363 shade (such as for foundation planting).

Pine isrepparttar 113364 most commonly known ofrepparttar 113365 evergreens. White pine is noted for its long, soft, light silvery-green needles and rapid attainment of its 60- to 80-foot maturity. Red pine, as well as white pine, is splendid for backgrounds and windbreaks. Ponderosa pine, a broad, compact tree, is used for protection and ornamental screens.

Austrian pine (black pine) with its rich, green color and spreading branches has great favor inrepparttar 113366 Midwest. Globe mugho pine is a small, rounded tree for ornamental planting.

Norway Spruce is probablyrepparttar 113367 most widely planted windbreak evergreen. Quick growing and. hardy, it has short needles of dark green; is a compact, pyramidal shape. Black Hills spruce grows toy 40 feet in time, is hardy and drought-resistant. A slow grower, it can remain in close quarters for many years.

White spruce has short, thick, light blue-green needles; it matures at 60 to 70 feet and is good for landscaping and screens. Colorado blue spruce is a good specimen tree and hardy, too, but it suffers in heat and drought. Ofrepparttar 113368 cedars, red cedar is a fine ornamental evergreen for hedges and windbreaks. It withstands dry weather andrepparttar 113369 thick green foliage has a bronze in winter.

Douglas fir isrepparttar 113370 best fir for windbreaks and screening. Hardy, healthy, drought-resisting, it grows quickly and compactly, and its lofty pyramid makes a good lawn specimen. Balsam fir,repparttar 113371 Christmas tree, is noted for its fragrance and lustrous foliage. White fir, a specimen, has an attractive silvery color.

Arbor vitae, like cedar, furnishesrepparttar 113372 flat evergreen branch found in flower arrangements at Christmas. It is an ornamental tree of many varieties, and is best located in moist protected places. Un-trimmed, it is a broad pyramid, 35 to 50 feet tall, but it shears to any size or shape.

Organic Lawn Care

Written by Hans Dekker


Organic lawn care doesn’t mean you sit back and watch as weeds infiltrate your lawn until dandelion lint covers your sidewalk. Nor does it mean that you need to be out on hands and knees from sunrise until sunset, hand-pulling crabgrass and invasive weeds in order to haverepparttar lush green carpet of your neighbors’ chemically treated lawns. What organic lawn care does mean is that with a good lawn care plan and a minimum of work, you can have an attractive addition to your landscape that is safe for both your family andrepparttar 113360 environment.

In organic lawn care, as in all organic gardening,repparttar 113361 foundation for building a great lawn is your soil. The first step in planning a lawn is to find out what kind of dirt is under your grass. A soil test, from your county extension agent or other lawn care professional, tells you whether it’s sand or clay based, nutrient rich or nitrogen poor, acid or alkaline. From there, you can decide how to improve (amend) it and chooserepparttar 113362 seed that will give you more green for your colorful US dollar.

A basic rule of thumb in organic lawn care is that it’s more important to feedrepparttar 113363 soil than to fertilizerepparttar 113364 grass. Nutrient rich soil holds moisture, entices beneficial insects, and maintains a healthy environment for microorganisms that fight disease, deters pests and parasites, and generally help keep your lawn growing and green. Six to ten inches of good top soil is worth its weight in green for your lawn!

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