Are you one of the many individuals who find gardening as an interesting activity? Do you find joy in adding colors to your garden and making your landscapes beautiful and eye catching? With the right resources, you can easily enhance your simple garden. You may opt to choose plants with great shades and texture or you may use other bird and garden decor to highlight other features of your garden.

Gardens these days play a huge role to some individuals. The garden is often the first to welcome visitors. It is often a place of meditation when you seek for serenity. It may have had a special role in your kid’s childhood. And it may have been the most favored spot for family gatherings and celebrations. So it is not surprising why some people invest a good sum of money and long hours of hard work just to enhance their garden.

For those who are fond of gardening, they try to find innovative ways to keep their gardens pleasing to the senses; some may focus on adding more flowers to have a colorful paradise while some may pay attention on attracting birds, so as to have a garden and bird sanctuary all at once.

Choosing different garden decorations can help transform a small portion of your property to a themed garden. But it may be a challenge in such a way that you need to keep modifying it so that it would pass your standards. The bird and garden decors that you will integrate on the landscape can bring personality to your homes; each will reflect your character. For example, if you choose to have a gnome in your garden, it will leave passers-by the impression of a traditional or elderly garden while a garden with flamboyant decorations may likely be made by carefree environmentalists.

The flowers that you carefully choose and grow in your garden are not enough to bring charm to your garden sanctuaries. You need garden decorations that could add charm to your front yard, making your homes pleasant to look at; it may even help them remember your house. It is wise to buy garden decorations from trusted shops that know gardening by heart.

Garden Accent Heaven is owned by passionate gardeners. They take pride in giving customers a wide selection of affordable lawn and garden decors that help accentuate your gardens. The owners had this business initially to cater their gardening needs and now they want to share the practical knowledge which they have gained through touring gardens and attending gardening workshops and seminars. Their items are perfect gift ideas for gardening enthusiasts.

In buying garden decorations, there are a lot to consider. First, you have to be focused on decors that will go well with the planned theme for your garden. There are a lot of great decors available in the market today but will it look good in your garden? Second, it should last for a long time since you will be using it outdoors. It should be able to withstand different weather conditions. R And lastly, it should be safe for your family. It should not put your loved ones at risk in case they trip over or meet any accident. Being aware of all these concerns, you sure can find the perfect bird and garden decor you are looking for at Garden Accent Heaven.

I use the winter months for educational reading to improve my gardening

Linda's Garden in winter sleep March 15, 2011

success. My favorite book this year is one written just for gardening in our specific climate.  Each region and zone have particular problems, so  go to your Extension Agency, gardening clubs, libraries and local nurseries to find books for your climate and zone.

The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide produced by Seattle Tilth is the most helpful book I have  encountered!  The three most important things I have learned from this book are

how to correct any soil deficiencies I might have

how to address the ph needs of different plants and

the amazing importance of crop rotation.

I have received over a dozen seed catalogs from different companies and now they are sending a second round!  To simplify my seed ordering and planning, I am using just one particular supplier, Territorial Seed Company.   They have the same maritime climate as me, have done experimental research and they offer only plants that have done well here.  And equally important, they have the best growing instructions for each family of seeds.

I have taken inventory of the flower and vegetable seeds I have from previous years.  Next I  read all the pages of the Territorial Seed Company catalog highlighting each seed I want to order.  And today I placed the order!

Most importantly, I ordered a soil test kit!  That will eliminate the guess work of what fertilizer to be adding.  I already have a gauge to determine the PH, general nutrient content, and moisture. That has been very helpful.  I also have a thermometer to determine the soil temperature two inches deep. The soil temperature tells me when to direct seed and to transplant my starts.

Lindas Garden Notebook

Because of these two books, I have started a journal in a three ring binder to increase my garden success.  The major categories will be identified according to the sequential numbered raised beds and open garden areas to be planted.  I can then add the actual pages from the catalog that includes the instructions and descriptions of the seeds.

Confused? Maybe this example will help:  I will be growing a cabbage called Tenderheart. I have taken page 56 from the catalog which includes complete growing and harvesting instructions and the description of Tenderheart. I will enter this page behind the divider of raised bed number three.  I will also have a lined blank page where I can;

• log the date that I started the Tenderheart seeds in my green house with the heat pad
• what fertilizer I used throughout the season and how often it was applied
• when I harden off the plant and transplanted it to the garden
• watering patterns
• how it grew and how productive it was.
• any insect problems that might develop and how  I managed the problem.

The binder will allow me to rearrange pages as I make adjustments in my crop rotations next year. This is so cool!

Linda's Garden 3-15-2011

I have been blessed with a green house and I start 95% of all my plants there on a heat pad.  I save lots of dollars by over wintering my fuchsias, geraniums, petunias, and many other plants in the green house.

The best alternative to a green house is a cold frame, and it is very affordable.  I can see that I will have a cold frame in addition to my green house next spring!  My small green house is rather full!

Setting up row covers is another very important and helpful step to start plants earlier and to control insects.  This year I will be growing red peppers and eggplant all summer long under the row cover since they need more heat than our maritime climate provides.  This is my first time to try this so watch for a blog on the progress!

An economical measure important for any gardener is the proper storage of unused seed.   I really enjoy a wide range of vegetables so I have lots of seed left over each year.  A good seed company or a good book will tell you how long the seeds remain viable.  To extend that life, keep the seeds refrigerated in a sealed heavy freezer bag year to year.  I add those useful silicone gel packets from my supplements to further reduce the moisture. I keep one bag for flowers and one for vegetables.  When you are doing your planting, never allow the unused seed to get wet and keep them in the shade. By taking these steps, my seeds last longer than projected on the package.

As soon as the rain stops, I will start the spring clean up of all the beds.  I have a small yard but I have 16 separate planting areas.  Visitors are amazed at the amount of plants I have.  This means I am always relocating plants to adjust to changing light conditions, dividing, or removing those plants which have become too invasive.

At my house, only December and January are the months with minimal gardening to be done.

You gotta’ love it!