Greg Jacobs our expert of the day, writes:

Pergolas, patios and courtyards extend the living space of a home and add spaciousness. In Australia, the pergola is fast becoming the natural addition to any new or existing home. Pergolas not only provide protection from the elements all year round but they also allow us to entertain in comfort and style outdoors.

This article looks at design tips for enhancing pergola areas with potted plants, statues, water features, lighting, paving and outdoor furniture to help create an outdoor sanctuary for relaxation.

Ideal Plants for Pergolas - Climbing Plants

If considering the addition of a climbing plant to your pergola structure then the ornamental grape is an ideal choice. The ornamental grape is a deciduous climber that allows sunlight through in winter and much needed shade in summer. These plants are suited to a warm, dry climate and are thus perfect for Australian conditions.

Plant vines 1.2 metres apart for use on a pergola and 2 metres apart if growing them up a fence or trellis. You will need to train the vine up each pergola post to form a trunk and remove all lower growth as the vines develop. The best time to plant grape vines is in winter with fruit harvested between February and May. Regular pruning and trimming is required to produce grapes.

Cactuslover our expert of the day, writes:

Orchid is a fantastic plant because of its beautiful flower. However, orchid needs special cares and attention from growers in case they woud like it to grow up well and flower. Here are the basics to plant the lovely orchid.

Watering:

The single biggest reason for orchid problems is over watering. To prevent this, you must adjust your watering to the plant’s environment. The environment includes temperature, humidity, light, the type of pot and the type of media. For example, an orchid potted in peat/perlite mix in Florida requires much less water than one potted in straight bark in Arizona. Do not set a fixed watering schedule. Rather, remove the plant label from the pot and feel for moistness. If it does not feel almost completely dry, hold off your watering. Try to water only in the morning so that the plant has time to dry somewhat before dark. When you do water, you should give the plant at least the equivalent of 1/3 the volume of the pot. More is fine. Problems come not from the amount of water you give a plant, but with the frequency of watering. The orchid must get a chance to almost dry completely out before more water is added. With a few exceptions, such as with vandas in slat baskets, it is not a good idea to mist your orchid except in the early morning hours.

Robert our expert of the day, writes:

Suffering from the limited gardening space? If you are into the hobby of home gardening and would like to grow tomatoes, then fear not! Because as long as you have sunlight, tomatoes can be grown anywhere. Growing tomatoes in containers is a practice not only constrained to people with limited gardening space. Plenty of home gardeners grow their vegetables in containers, even when there are free space in the backyard. There are many reasons for container gardening, but we grow tomatoes in containers mostly for convenience, control, and flexibility.

Growing tomatoes in containers is not too different from growing tomatoes in the outdoor soil. Like planting in the ground, it’s best to raise young tomato plants carefully indoors until they’re strong enough for transplant. Transplanting is similar for containers as for ground- bury as much of the plant stem as possible. Doing so will promote root formation along the portion of the stem that is buried, giving the plant excellent base foundations, a good thing regardless of where the tomato is grown.

Patrick Carpen our expert of the day, writes:

Bonsai, the artistic representation of a natural tree, first appeared in China over a thousand years ago on a very basic scale known as “pun-sai”. The Japanese have been recorded to adopt and refine the art to an extent not yet approached in China. The Japanese today regard bonsai as a symbol of their culture and ideals.

On its arrival in the western world, the art of bonsai has been warmly welcomed and embraced as a rewarding past time or hobby. It is said to allow a greater understanding and being with nature in addition to enhancing our gardens.

The five basic bonsai styles are formal upright, informal upright, slanting (or windswept), semi-cascade and cascade. All have their own individual beauty and serenity.

A tree with a style such as formal upright occurs when it has grown in the open under perfect conditions. The most important requirement for this style is that the trunk should be perfectly straight, tapering naturally and evenly from base to apex. The branches should be symmetrically spaced so that they are balanced when viewed from any direction. It is quite a demanding style to achieve. Junipers, pines, and spruces are great to try and grow in the formal upright style.

Jimmy Cox our expert of the day, writes:

There is no cultural difference between orchids and other garden plants. All green plants have five basic growth requirements: air, sunlight, warmth, food, and water. Cultural divergences among plants are not qualitative, only quantitative.

The same is true with orchids. They must be given these five factors in certain definite proportions which are, however, considerably different from those most other plants receive.

Rule No. 1

Provide orchids with usually not less than 40 per cent and usually not more than 70 per cent atmospheric moisture (relative humidity) during the day.

While most plants get along on a definitely predetermined modicum of growth factors, several have eccentricities which should be pampered a bit. The eccentricity of orchids is that they require more atmospheric moisture than many other plants. Orchids are dependent on humidity owing to their strange, evolutionary adaptation to their native climate

Rule No. 2

Orchids must have an abundance of fresh air at all times.

Bare Bones Gardener our expert of the day, writes:

It does not matter whether you put your kitchen scraps in the compost or the bin, did you know that you could grow many of your favourite fruit or vegetables from those scraps. Indeed, unless your compost is very well matured you will find stray veggie seedlings may appear wherever you deposit the compost.

Take for instance those potato peelings, if it is a fairly thick section of peel with an eye (shoot), then you can often get these to grow into full potato plants. Another indication that a potato is only good for planting or throwing out is the colour. If the potato is starting to look fairly green on the skin then *DO NOT EAT*, as it is an indication that it is producing a poisonous substance common in the nightshade family to which it as well as the tomatoes, chillies and capsicums belong. You can also get sweet potatoes and taros to grow from sections of the tubers.

Michelle Bery our expert of the day, writes:

In the quest to get healthy, more and more people are turning to organic food. Free of chemical additives and pesticides, organic produce offers only pure and natural nutrients. But for those people who do not have ready access to organic produce at their local markets, or do not wish to pay the high prices associated with organic produce, starting their own organic garden allows them access at any time to fresh, wholesome produce at a fraction of the price it would cost to buy at the store. For those interested in beginning such a garden, an organic garden center can give you all the tools and education you need to start off right.

An organic garden is defined by produce that is grown without the addition of chemicals and pesticides normally used to ward off bugs and weeds, as well as stimulate growth in a traditional growing environment. In order to truly grow organically it is necessary to fully commit to using only products that are 100% certified organic. And in order to get those products you are best to visit an organic garden center.

Douglas Taylor our expert of the day, writes:

The tomato is an essential part of my vegetable garden every year. I plan the rest of my garden around my tomatoes. They are that important to many gardeners. One thing about planting tomatoes is they are not that hard to grow. Add some tender loving care and a little water and compost and you should be enjoying this wonderful plants harvest before you know it.

By following a few simple steps you will be well on your way to a great tomato season. Start by deciding whether you want to start your plants from seed or by buying plants at your local nursery. Next you should pick a few different varieties so your harvest will not all come at the same time. Put your plants in a spot that will get plenty of sun and add some compost or fertilizer. This article will look at a few ways to increase your chances of having a better tomato harvest.

Tango Pang our expert of the day, writes:

When you purchase a home, or when you have a lawn that you are responsible to take care of, there are many things that you should always remember. In the area of lawn care help, there are many online places and books that you can find lots of help for handling with your lawn. The best lawn care help should start off with a plan of what you want/or need to do with your lawn. To get the best lawn care help, you need to know exactly what you’d like to do with your lawn before you start any work. It is important to have an overall vision or a plan of what you want to achieve with your lawn. This helps ensure that your lawn gets done the way you always wanted it. And if you can find the time to draw out a draft of what you want your lawn to be like, you will have much higher chance of success.

Steve Knowles our expert of the day, writes:

We are so familiar with synthetic insecticides that the decision to gravitate over to the all natural insecticide products is one we do either gradually or cold turkey (all in).

Only recently have our habits changed from rushing to the cupboard and extricating the can of synthetic chemicals to chase insects around the home and in doing so gas the human inhabitants as well. We accompany the household spray with an arsenal of other chemical products that are used like Agent Orange on our lawns and vegetable gardens.

All this conditioning is the first thing that we need to overcome before we can go down the natural insecticide path and stop polluting our environment. Going green is psychological warfare as much as it is a change of lifestyle.

The products available commercially that can be shop bought are limited. Looking along your supermarket shelves there are many more chemical bombs than green friendly types, so you would be forgiven for thinking that the natural green product is less effective due to product supply and demand. Just because there are more chemical types on the shelf does not mean they are more popular and more effective.