• First of all, you will have to maintain proper temperature in your greenhouse. Day time temperature should not exceed 90 degrees. To maintain this temperature, you will require having doors and windows in greenhouse so that they can be opened to provide flowers with proper ventilation especially on sunny and hot days.
• As far as night time temperature is concerned, it should be not less than 50 degrees. You can use a number of ways to maintain night time temperature of greenhouse but it will all depend on area in which your greenhouse is located. One easy method is to fill some 5 gallons bucket with water and place them in greenhouse so that they can collect heat during day. In this way, heat will be retained and greenhouse will remain warm during night. Always place buckets of waters with their lids on them. It is necessary to prevent insects from reproducing in water.
• For proper air circulation and ventilation, use a circulating fan. Circulating fans can be used even when doors and windows are not open. Air circulation is important to provide as it helps growing plants properly.
• Make a schedule to water plants and follow this schedule on regular basis. If you have a smaller greenhouse, it would be enough to water plants once a day but in larger area, you will need to water plants more frequently. Also remember that water requirements of plants increase when temperature rises.
• Tropical plants need humid conditions for their growth. If you have grown tropical flowers in greenhouse, make sure you have provided them with humidity trays. It is very easy to prepare a humidity tray as any plastic tray filled with water and having pebbles in it serves as a humidity tray.
• Last but not the least; you will need to be careful about fertilizing needs of your plants. You can fertilize your plants with either ½ or ¼ strength water soluble fertilizer. Make sure to fertilize plants on weekly basis.

After following these tips, you will be able to grow varieties of flowers in your greenhouse. Some of the popular flowers which can be grown in greenhouse include poppies, zinnias, marigolds and snapdragons.

Pruning or trimming rose bushes is not an easy task as it requires a lot of practice. If rose bushes are not trimmed properly then it will cause them to die. So here some important tips and instructions are given. Following these instructions would help you to trim your rose bushes in a proper manner.

Important Instructions

• The most suitable time to trim rose bushes starts when most of the leaves fall from the bushes and roses are undergone hoarfrost.
• Before trimming, the first thing you must do is to remove grass and leaves from the base of flowers. It is necessary because insects and diseases hide in moist environment so removing trash and waste becomes very important to ensure that diseases and insects are not causing harm to rose bushes.
• Next step is to remove the damaged and diseased branches by cutting the whole stem. Then remove old branches.
• Before proceeding further, make sure that those branches are removed that are crossed over main stem of the rose bushes.
• Now start trimming the bush by cutting weak and thin branches. This is necessary to make the nutrients available for the central and major stem. This will also provide more light to the stem and healthy branches.
• The green sprouts should also be removed that grow off the central stem. Other weeds and suckers should also be cut down that grow from the roots of rose bush.
• While pruning the rose bush, use sharp shears to avoid rough and uneven cuts. If care is not taken then rose bush may become infected with some disease.
• The method of trimming is very simple. Try to trim to a healthy bud by making the cut at 45 degree angle.
• Also cut the leaves that point towards outside of the rose bush.
• Now there should be some treatment of the open wound. The method is to paint the wound with a sealing mixture to prevent the rose bush from infections and diseases.

Above mentioned instructions are quite reliable to be used for trimming your rose bush in a better way.

Here some important and helpful information is given that would guide you to care for your Moth Orchids. The important factors to be considered are:

1. Temperature
2. Light
3. Humidity
4. Watering

Now these factors would be described one by one.

Temperature

Orchids grow very finely at the normal temperatures in houses. They require different temperatures in day and night. So the ideal temperature in the day time is 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and in night time these flowers require 60 to 70 degree Fahrenheit.

Light

Moth Orchids require indirect light. It is ideal and preferable to place them in front of east-facing window. The color of its foliage indicates that how much light is required by them.

• Bright Green Foliage (means its getting correct amount of light)
• Deep Green Leaves (light is not sufficient)
• Yellow Leaves (absorbing too much light)

Humidity

Moth Orchids like humidity that’s why they are mostly found in rain forests. In warm weather, they require moisture after one or two days. The humidity is lower in homes, so it becomes necessary to moist them. To do this you can place a tray containing stones and water below your plant. Due to evaporation, the surrounding air will become moist and humidity requirements would be fulfilled.

Watering

It is better to water your Moth Orchids early in the morning once a week. They require more water in summer season as compared to that of winter. Some people get confused about watering their Orchids. The best time to water them is when the pot becomes dry.

Following the above instructions would help you a lot to take good care of your Moth Orchids.

]]> http://orchidflowers.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/care-for-moth-orchids/feed/ 0 mehwish9 phebe-orchid http://orchidflowers.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/drying-the-orchids/ http://orchidflowers.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/drying-the-orchids/#comments Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:02:41 +0000 mehwish9 http://orchidflowers.wordpress.com/?p=126 ]]> Drying orchids is a challenging task as these flowers are considered difficult to be preserved. Dried orchids can be used for different purposes such as the dried orchids can be used in vases and baskets and sometimes in shadow boxes. Here are some instructions about drying orchid flowers for the people who are orchid lovers and want to preserve them for a long time.

Selection of Flowers

The first step is to select the flowers for drying purpose. Always select those flowers having bright colors because most of the orchid flowers loose their color after drying. The selection of the flowers depends on the way the flowers would be used for.

Cutting the Flowers

Flowers should be cut very carefully from the stems and near to the base of flowers.

Putting Silica Gel

The next step is to put silica gel in the bottom of a microwave-safe dish making a layer of almost two inches thick.

Placing the Flowers in Silica Gel

Now place the flowers stem down in a dish. It should be kept in mind that distance among the flowers should be far enough so that they can’t touch each other.

Covering the Orchids

In this step, orchids are covered with silica gel. You should perform this step carefully otherwise the blossoms would be crushed. Each orchid should be covered completely.

Putting the Dish in Microwave

Now the dish containing gel and flowers is put in the center of microwave after putting a cup of water in back of microwave.

Setting the Time

Time of microwave should be set very carefully as it depends on the type of microwave and nature of orchid flowers. The standard time recommended is 2 to 3 minutes.

Cooling the Silica Gel

Now take the dish out of microwave and wait until the gel becomes cool.

Removing Orchids

After cooling the gel, your dried orchids are ready to be removed from the gel. After removing don’t forget to brush them off.

I hope that the above instructions will proved to be very useful and help you a lot to preserve your favorite orchid flowers for a long time.

]]> http://orchidflowers.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/drying-the-orchids/feed/ 0 mehwish9 404592 http://orchidflowers.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/tips-to-water-orchids/ http://orchidflowers.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/tips-to-water-orchids/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:07:22 +0000 SHMA http://orchidflowers.wordpress.com/?p=104 ]]> Orchids have been included in list of home plants for their gorgeous fragrance and variety in shapes, color and sizes. Like other plants, orchid plants also need proper growing conditions. Giving right amount of water at right time to your orchids is one of the basic needs of orchid flowers to grow and thrive. Remember that different species of orchids have different water needs, so you are required to research your particular plant as well as you should also be aware of general watering needs of an orchid.

Orchid plants are typically found in tropical areas. The areas where many orchids are grown receive tremendous rain. These areas can also be very humid in native habits. Ideal humidity level for orchid flowers is 80% but this humidity level could be quite uncomfortable for human to live in so you need to think other strategies to provide your orchids with healthier environment. A very convenient way to humidify your orchids is to water them frequently. You may purchase a deep saucer or and some pebbles. Pour these pebbles into the saucer then water the pebbles. Make sure that the water never touches the actual orchid pot. This way you will be able to create artificial humid climate for your orchid plant.

Very common mistake that people do is over watering their orchids. Many people wait for the soil of their orchid pot to look dry and when it becomes, they feel that their orchid plants need to be watered now. This is not true especially for orchids. The rule to water your orchid plants is to water once a week. Let the potting bark of your orchid plant dry out completely before you water again.

Orchid plants also need to be fertilized but sparingly as well. Buy best fertilizer for your orchid plants from nearby garden shops. Make sure to maintain for watering and fertilizing your orchids is a guarantee in itself that your orchid plants will grow best and you will have exotic plants for a long time.

Orchids will thrive in your home environment if you succeed to provide them with proper care, for instance right amount of water at right time, proper sunlight and best fertilizer occasionally. Orchid flowers are quite beautiful and can also be temperamental. Once you get to know exact needs of your orchids, it is not so complicated to maintain your orchid flowers healthy conditions.

Decorating interior spaces and gardens with orchid flowers is a good idea to fill spaces that will make you relaxed and feel good. Orchids have long list of advantages that make them perfect for home decoration if you are aware of special care these plants need. You can have this plant by following simple rules to create a huge visual space it is placed in.

Decoration of house or interior space needs much consideration. Use of plants within the whole area is a common idea but it needs much care. Green and leafy plants are always attractive that can greatly transform interior spaces, gardens and offices if perfect orchid is selected to decorate these spaces. Have you ever thought to decorate your home, garden and terrace with orchids? If not then you should think of this to get a new green environment in your home or office.

• A very big advantage of these flowers is that you can keep these flowers fresh for months contrary to other indoor plants.
• These are hardy plants and don’t require much water. They are virtually immortal if and only if you are aware of proper care and maintenance needs of orchard plants.
• They are also considered as best for indoor and garden decorations as you can get wide range of colors that you exactly want for decoration of your chosen space.

Definitely you need to know details that you have to pay attention from very first day you grow orchid plants in your home. Here is very useful information that will help you in making your decoration successful and attractive exactly you have dreamed.

Make Sure to Buy Orchids in Healthy and Good Condition

Remember that healthy and fresh orchids, without diseases and pests, you are guaranteeing more than 60 percent of your success to make your decoration project great. Make sure that there should be no spots on leaves. Bulbs and flowers will help you in determining the health status of orchids you are going to buy.

Think about the Space You Want to Decorate with Orchids

Determine if that selected space is too hot, too cold or it is exposed to lot of breezes. Any extreme condition will be bad for your orchids.

Check Availability of Light of the Place You Want to Decorate

Light is a very important factor to be considered before thinking to select a place for decoration with plants. Some orchids are very resistant to light than others. Make sure to choose right orchids for the space according to light and other conditions to ensure proper growth of orchids without any problem.

Determine Moisture Level of the Space Where you Want to Plant in Orchids

No extreme situation is good for orchids. Don’t make a mistake to place the plants in the area that has either very high or low humidity.

Follow above mentioned basic information that is very necessary to keep your orchid healthy and happy. It is hopped that information provided here will help you to create very attractive space using best orchid flowers.

Here are some of the most popular and unique garden design ideas. Gardeners can use them to make the garden look wonderful and attractive, and also to add style to the landscape.

1.The Rose Walk
If you have enough space in your garden then constructing a chain of three to five arches of uneven-cut cedar, and planting the climbing roses at each foundation is the good idea to make garden look attractive. The path surrounded by them, could be grassy, flagstone, or pea gravel. If you like, you can also use thyme or chamomile as a path.

2.A Florid Patio
Another great idea is to place the big square stones close together giving a little space between them and utilize the open areas for planting creepers, herbs, and other low-growing plants. Violets and pinks thyme looks perfect here. A florid patio is best for small gardens.

3.The Chamomile Lawn
Chamomiles are beautiful and scented plants that give their strong scent when walked over. Therefore, making a chamomile lawn or chamomile path is a wonderful idea for designing a garden.

4.The Laburnum Walk
Planting the yellow hanging flowers or laburnum on the sides of walkways is a great idea. It adds romance to the garden as these flowers make the tunnel affect of a traditional laburnum walk. If you do not want to plant laburnum then you can go for easy-to-grow vine plants.

5.Morning Glory for Quick Coverage
Annual vines, such as morning glory, not only give colorful flowers but also make a quick coverage over an unattractive wall, shed, or fence. You just need to twine a wire upright from the top to the base, and sow the plant seeds just a few inches away from the base of the wire. This plant is very fast growing and gives splendid flowers in the mid-summer.

6.A Rock Garden on the Flat
Generally, rock gardens are made on hillsides to keep the soil in place. The low-growing alpine plants grow well in the spaces of a rock garden.
However, you can also make a rock garden on a flat surface. The plants in it grow vertical and the attractive stones are more visible. Also, weeding and cultivating become easier if stone pathways are made between the beds.

7. A Topiary
Topiary surely adds interest, innovation, and formality to a garden. You can spruce and prepare at least one evergreen into topiary. A lot of informative books are available in stationery shops about the different ways to do this. A garden gate having smaller topiary in iron or cement pots at each side of it provides a graceful welcome.

8.Runner Beans and Sunflowers
Runner beans and sunflowers can be grown side by side. The strong stems of the sunflower provide a support to the beans and both the plants grow up collectively. This idea creates a great interest to the vegetable garden.

9.The Plant Collection
Another design idea is to start collecting a particular plant species. Many plants come in a number of varieties that are not only available in the garden centers but also online. Get the information as much about your favorite plant as you can and grow its different types to add more colors to your garden.
You can also make separate sections of the garden and devote each section to one plant such as lily garden, rose garden, or peony garden.

10.The Pink Garden
Pink gardens are very eye-catching and make your garden beautiful. For this, you can plant a border with pink flowers but the trick is to disintegrate the many shades of one-color garden. Adding some gypsophila and different shades of green foliage will do just fine.

These are some of the design ideas that can be applied in the garden. It all depends on the gardeners’ own sense of creativity that how many ideas they can introduce to their gardens to make them beautiful.

Building a rock garden is not a difficult task. If you have an area in your yard with a mild slope that receives a good amount of sunlight then you can easily build a rock garden in it. If you do not have that type of sloping place in your yard then you can use your own imagination to create a natural looking rock garden.

There is no specific layout or design for building a rock garden. But there are certain steps that should be kept in mind while building a rock garden. They are as follows:

• Lay the foundation:

The good rock garden depends on the good foundation. An ideal natural slope also needs to be dug up so that a proper foundation can be laid down. It is because many rock garden plants require water-retentive and fast-draining soil.

• Excavate:

It is ideal to dig down a slope at least 1 foot to clear out all the weeds and their roots. If you are not having a natural slope for building a garden, then you can build a raised bed elevated upheld by walls. It is recommended for a raised bed to dig down about 3 feet. The higher the walls, the more your delicate flowers will be safe from the pets.

• Put down the drainage layer:

It is important to place a layer of a hodgepodge of clunky rocks, old pieces of concrete or brick and even broken pieces of clay pots in the base of the foundation. As this drainage layer will absorb excess moisture from the soil above, you need to make up about one third to one half of your trough’s deepness.

• Put down the sand layer:

The sand layer will hold up the topsoil and acts as a water-absorbent layer. A few inches of coarse layer should be added between the drainage layer and the soil layer.

• Put down the soil layer:

Blooming of your garden plants highly depends on this layer. It is best to use a mixture of following components for the proper growth of garden plants:

• 1 part leaf mold
• 1 part topsoil
• 1 part small gravel

• Place the rocks:

You can use rocks found in your surroundings. However, there are several different types of garden rocks are also available. It is a good idea to get one variety of rock in various different sizes. Arrange them in a way that it looks natural and blends in with your environment.

• Let the garden settle:

Before planting the flowers, let the garden settle. This is important because the soil can fall a bit after few weeks. If this happens then fill it with the remaining mixture of soil.

• Plant flowers:

Planting should always be done carefully and properly to make the flowers grow fast. Many different plants can grow easily in the rock garden. The best evergreen plant to use is low growing junipers such as the Armstrong, and the low growing conifers, ground covers, and bulbs are also a good choice for the rock garden. You can also grow Alyssum, Gazania, Pansy, Verbena, etc.

• Proper and regular care:

If you select your plants wisely and according to your climate then they will require less care. You just need to weed them occasionally to keep them healthy. During dry season, always give them plenty of water so that they could not wither away.

Following these steps will make it easy for you to build a nice, beautiful and natural-looking rock garden.

• Identify the suitable area for planting:

Before start planting, you need to identify the suitable area of the garden where you want to plant the flowers. Generally, plants and flowers require proper and adequate sunlight to thrive and grow. But it should be remembered that different flowers need different amount of sunlight. Some flowers flourish well in direct sunlight while others need indirect sunlight to bloom fully.

Therefore, you should not only know the basic light requirements of the specific flower you want to grow, but also know that particular area of your garden where that flower will get enough sunlight and thrive well.

• Buy the flowers carefully:

Planting should be done properly so that flowers can bloom soon. For this, always try to buy those flowers which have the tags attached to it. These tags provide you the necessary instructions for planting the flowers in a most suitable way.

There are several kinds of flowers that you can buy. Some of them are perennial flowers, annual flowers, flower bulbs, and roses.

Perennial flowers include perennial fruits (such as banana), perennial herbs (such as fennel), and perennial vegetables (such as eggplant). On the other hand, annual flowers include henbit, peas, deadnettle, chickweed, winter cress, etc.

Flower bulbs and roses can also add beauty and color to your garden. Flower bulbs include flowers like daffodils, tulips, crocus, allium, etc. On the other hand, different types of roses are also available such as hybrid tea roses, floribunda roses, shrub roses, and polyantha roses.

Besides flower bulbs and roses, it is always best to purchase perennial flowers as they bloom yearly, on the other hand, if you go for the annual flowers then they will last only for a year and need replanting next year. You can also consider purchasing inexpensive wild flower seeds to make other areas of your garden more colorful. However, the selection of flowers entirely depends on you.

• Plant the flowers properly:

When planting, you need to follow the instructions given on the tags. Mix some fertilizer in the soil and water it thoroughly so that the soil absorbs maximum water which is good for the proper growth of the flowers. Ensure that flowers are placed into a loose soil flower bed, providing each of them proper space. It is also necessary to transfer the flowers carefully into the dug hole to avoid any damage to the stem or leaves. After placing the flowers, fill the hole with the soil and water the plants.

After planting, dispersing a thin layer of mulch over the flower bed not only helps in preventing weed growth but also give a finished look to the flower bed. Regular watering and frequently feeding will reward you with colorful and beautiful flowers in the coming spring season.

Thus, by following these simple tips, a novice can easily create his own wonderful flower garden. And if perennial flowers are grown in the garden then they will bloom every year adding colors to your garden.

The quantity of water required by the Orchids highly depends on the type of Orchids. Some species do not need plenty of water, whereas others need a lot of water more often. Therefore, it is very important to know what type of Orchids you are growing and how much water they need. You can get complete information about your Orchid type from Orchid stores, through internet, or by consulting a professional Orchid grower. These sources help you in finding out whether the Orchid plant needs more or less water.

Orchids are generally inhabitant of tropic climates where there are heavy rainfalls throughout the year. The humidity level in these regions reaches up to 80% which is quite suitable for the Orchids but not for the indoor home environment. However, you can easily recreate this humidity level around the Orchid plant by putting water in a deep tray or saucer full of pebbles or stones, and after that placing your Orchid pot onto these pebbles. You just need to ensure that the water level is not reaching the bottom of Orchid pot so that the plant roots can be protected from getting soaked. This artificial water Orchid source can provide sufficient amount of humidity to the plant the whole day.

When it comes to watering Orchids, some people give too much water to their plants because they think that a dry potting mix is harmful for the plant growth. This is not true for the Orchid plants. The Orchid potting mix contains bark which preserves water like a sponge. When water from the surface area of the bark is used by the plant then it seems like the bark is dry but actually it still holds much wetness in it. Over watering Orchid leads to the rotting of roots and destroying the whole plant.

Orchids can survive for quite a long time without water in their natural environment. But it does not mean that you start under-watering your Orchids. There are many ways of under-watering. The most common of these is when the Orchids are just sprayed with water and are not given adequate amount of water. Another way is to water the Orchid with enough water, but infrequently. Under-watering results in damaging the root system of the Orchid plant which eventually kills it altogether.

Thus, it is evident that Orchids should not be given over or under water. You should check the dampness just below the surface of the potting mix before watering, which should not be drenching wet or not extremely dry.

It is highly recommended to use lukewarm or room temperature water for watering Orchids. You should always water in the morning or early part of the day so that roots and leaves can get enough time to dry during the day. Also, you need to water the Orchid potting medium thoroughly so that fertilizer salts can be flushed out from around the roots.

Orchids are lovely plants and just need proper care to award you with wonderful Orchid flowers that you can enjoy throughout the year.