Water Conservation in the Yard

Written by http://www.home-and-garden-decor.net


Often you don’t appreciate something until it’s gone! That can really be true with water. Taken for granted when it is plentiful, its importance is truly appreciated inrepparttar garden once it becomes scarce. If you find yourself in a drought, there are some things you can do to help conserve water and makerepparttar 145177 best use of what you have available.

If you have not already mulched your plants, do it! Mulch will help limitrepparttar 145178 amount of water that evaporates fromrepparttar 145179 soil. While organic mulches such as grass clippings or wood chips are preferable since they add organic matter torepparttar 145180 soil, plastic mulches are useful in limiting evaporation fromrepparttar 145181 soil. They can be laid between rows inrepparttar 145182 vegetable garden and will help limit moisture loss; however, they also will limit infiltration. Place your water where it will dorepparttar 145183 most good. Sprinklers are very inefficient for getting water torepparttar 145184 roots of your plants. Much ofrepparttar 145185 water lands onrepparttar 145186 leaves and evaporates before reachingrepparttar 145187 ground. A slow gentle watering atrepparttar 145188 base ofrepparttar 145189 plants, allowingrepparttar 145190 water to soak intorepparttar 145191 soil, will be most efficient. Water those plants needing it most. Newly planted trees, shrubs, and flowers with limited roots systems will most likely suffer first from drought conditions. Give these plants priority if water is scarce. Well-established plants, especially those native torepparttar 145192 area, are likely to withstand drought conditions with limited damage.

Wildlife Gardener

Written by Cheryl White


Gardening for wildlife has become quite a passion for me, although I only have a small urban garden I have still managed to fit a fair amount of bird and insect friendly flowers and plants in. Since reading an article aboutrepparttar decline in popular species of birds such as sparrows, blackbirds and thrushes I decided to do my bit to help my local bird population by purchasing two seed feeders, a nut feeder, a bird table and a small bird bath I was ready and waiting for my new feathered visitors, which up to that point was few and far between. After a couple of weeks of patiently waiting and watching I was beginning to loose hope, onlyrepparttar 144814 odd sparrow turned up every other day, though still I waited. Afterrepparttar 144815 fourth week success, it seemed that word had spread and dozens of sparrows flocked to my garden, amongst them birds that I had never seen in my garden such as Blue Tits, Great Tits and Green Finches. I have found Blackbirds are a lot more common now, along with two grey squirrels which constantly argue overrepparttar 144816 feeders! The success inspired my enthusiasm and I browsed onrepparttar 144817 internet to find some plants and shrubs that I could use in my garden which would be beneficial to wildlife with a little help I started to redesign my garden. As I only have a small space trees and large shrubs were out ofrepparttar 144818 question, though there seemed plenty of information to help chooserepparttar 144819 right plant forrepparttar 144820 right position, which believe me being a complete amateur gardener I needed allrepparttar 144821 help I could get!

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