Eco-Friendly Gardening
Native Plants
“Plant native” is an oft-repeated phrase in the world of ecologically friendly gardening, but not without reason. Greenhouses, catalogs, and the internet give gardeners the ability to find plants from all over the world to put in their landscape, provided they can survive the climate. There are hybrid and hardy varieties of warmer weather plants that are able to withstand the cooler temperatures of ecosystem in which you take part. Many beneficial insects and animals are facing health problems and habitat loss, and providing food, water, and shelter for them will help to improve their populations.
Design the plants featured in your landscape around attracting, feeding, and the reproduction of local wildlife. Begin with protecting old trees and vegetation that you might have noticed attracts high traffic already. When it comes to new plantings, research the native species to your area and include a wide variety in your landscape—these plants will thrive, and local wildlife is already accustomed to them. Try to avoid using chemical fertilizers and pesticides that might make the animals sick. Provide plants that will specifically target the needs of native animals, like local butterflies, which can be very fussy about what they will eat and where they will lay their eggs. Lastly, arrange your plantings in such a way as to encourage wildlife to make a home—different types of birds like to perch or nest at different heights, and combinations of turf areas and bushy grass and flower areas will give different animals places to hide and make safe homes. With planting, the key is definitely diversity.
Including some way for wildlife to access water, especially if you don’t have natural water around you, is very important if you’d like permanent and healthy residents. This can involve putting out one or more small dishes or birdbaths or installing a water feature like a fountain or pond. Animals and even insects will happily dive down for a drink from a garden pond. For some residents, you may want to put out some snacks. Consider adding hummingbird, butterfly, bird, or squirrel feeders strategically throughout your landscape (especially squirrel feeders—they are always good for a laugh).
While your plants will provide shelter for most of your wildlife, you can also put up bird and insect houses to protect them from harsh weather, predators, and provide a place for them to breed. There are many different styles of bee, butterfly, lacewing, bat, and ladybug houses, and you can mount them near the plants that they like so they won’t have to travel far.
Pervious Paving Surfaces
Another method of dealing with storm water runoff is installing pervious or water permeable pavements and pavers. You can distinguish pervious paving material from impervious material by looking at the texture; pervious pavements are typically coarse and rocky or allow for gaps of rocky aggregate material or places where water can drain into the soil. This coarse material is very porous and full of voids where water can escape, putting the water into the soil where it can drain properly and replenish groundwater. Paths, driveways, and patios can all be made permeable to make sure that your lawn and garden aren’t missing out on rainwater, and that runoff isn’t making it to the local stream or pond.
Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping is a landscaping technique that strives to create a beautiful garden while using the least amount of water possible. Everything, including the grouping of plants, the location of beds, method of irrigation, and the limiting of open lawn space, is taken into account, and every aspect of a garden is designed to conserve water. Where the land may slope or curve naturally, a rain garden could be added to collect runoff to keep the ground moist. Beds might be stacked or terraced to direct water to different plants. Soil could be amended with compost to improve water retention, while still allowing water to drain. Areas with exposed soil can be mulched to retain water, and turf areas can be kept at a minimal (or replaced entirely) since they can require so much water to keep thriving.
Xeriscaping may take quite a bit of thought and just as much work to install, but the benefits of saving so much water will be apparent. Once established, a xeriscape won’t require very much maintenance. The garden will get most of what it needs from the sky, and will be well fed in a soil amended with compost. Water consumption during the growing season and warmer months can be reduced by as much as 50-75%.
Water Gardening
So, you have filled all of your flowerbeds, pruned and manicured your trees and shrubs beautifully, and have more beans and corn and tomatoes and berries than you can give away. What’s next? If you are itching for a new and rewarding gardening project, you should get out your shovel and try your hand at water gardening.
Submerged plants prefer to grow completely underwater, and will keep all of their foliage beneath the surface of your pond. While you might not be able to see them so well, adding submerged plants to your water garden could help keep your pond healthy. Submerged plants are excellent oxygen producers, and will help you control nutrients in the water that might encourage algae growth. This is particularly important should you have fish in the garden. These plants may need to be rooted in soil, a mixture of soil and gravel, or just gravel—the important part of this material is that it provides an anchor for the plant. It may be possible for you to put a weight on the plant. You can purchase anchors for submerged plants, or fashion anchors of your own, and twist them around the plant stems to keep them underwater.
Just as you would with your garden plants, you will need to maintain your aquatic plants with trimming and fertilizer. Remove dead growth and repot or trim your plants as necessary to keep them healthy and under control. Fertilizing your water garden is absolutely essential for your container plants. You should use a fertilizer that is slow-released and specifically addresses the needs of water plants. Fertilize them through the spring and summer months, and stop feeding them when they begin to die back in the fall.
Overwintering
Overwintering water plants can get a little complicated. Some plants will be perfectly fine when left outside for the winter, and others should be taken inside if you want to keep them for the following year. If you don’t have the space to overwinter plants indoors, you should plant hardy water plants in your pond. Hardy plants will only need to be trimmed back to just above the soil and placed at the deepest point in your pond to help protect them when the weather gets harsh. Submerged plants, already being at the bottom of your pond, can be left to overwinter, also. When it comes to tropical or non-hardy water plants, you will need to bring them inside in an area where they can get light. Bog and marginal plants can be placed in a bucket or pot with water, and don’t necessarily need to be soaked with water so long as the soil is kept very moist. Tropical lilies don’t need to be completely submerged as they were in the pond, but the soil has to be underwater. Place the plant in a very large container or aquarium filled with enough water that the soil is covered. Allow tropical lilies to go dormant in a cool area in the house. Floating plants are best thrown out and replaced in the spring.
At MasterGardening.com, we offer a variety of tools for you to take care of your new water garden. We invite you to take a look at our collection of water lilies, pond liners, pond pumps, water treatments, and filters to help you get started.
For Rent: Bat and Insect Houses
Ladybugs
Mites and aphids are the enemies of all gardeners and farmers—their feeding damages and destroys foliage and new growth on plants. Luckily, if aphids and mites are a problem on your plants, you can install a ladybug house. Ladybugs happen to like aphids and mites very much, and can swallow thousands of them in a lifetime. Keep garden pests controlled by inviting some ladybugs to live in your garden.
Like bees, there are certain plants that do seem to attract ladybugs to an area. Some of these plants include dill, marigold, and feverfew. Add these plants to you garden to encourage ladybugs to show interest. Also, like bees, you will want to make sure that ladybugs have access to water, and can use a small dish to provide water for them. Ladybugs are partial to warmer temperatures, so mount your ladybug house where it can receive ample sunlight, yet still have its openings shielded from wind and rain. If you have an aphid or mite problem, it might be a good idea to place your ladybug house close to the affected areas—like the other insects and animals on this list, ladybugs don’t want to be too far from their food source. You may also purchase and apply a liquid attractant to influence ladybugs to nest in your house.
Growing Healthy and Fit with Gardening
planting your vegetable garden is equal to bicycling at 10mph for 30 minutes burning 146 calories.
In addition to losing weight and lowering your chances of breast cancer, all of those great vegetables you have been tending to while exercising will help you slim down even more! A few easy to grow super slimming fruits and vegetables are soybeans, blueberries, sweet potatoes, apples, spinach, and chili peppers.
Spring and summer is the perfect time to get your figure back in shape by using the longer days and warmer weather to exercise outside in your garden.
Top 5 Edibles for Your Container Garden
One of the hottest trends in gardening is to combine ornamentals and edibles in one garden space and container gardening makes that easier than ever.
When gardening in a small space it is important to look for plants that are compact in size, will give you a large yield, and look great.
Here are the top 5 edibles to add to your garden this season, according to MasterGardening.com’s.
1.vegetables. This year they will add to their extensive list of seeds by offering peanuts, edible flowers and their own line of seed potatoes.
Celebrate Earth Day with Mastergardening.com
Donât forget to do something good for the earth today. Plant a tree, organic fertilizers that you can use without fear of harming the environment.
If we all do a little bit more to help out the Earth, future generations will be able to reap the rewards.
Happy Earth Day!
Spreading the St. Patrick’s Day Love!
We love anything Green here at MasterGardening and St. Patrick’s Day is all about the GREEN!
To help celebrate St. Patrick’s day we are giving away a pair of Triple Blade Herb Scissors and a Kitchen Herb Mini-Greenhouse kit to one lucky winner!!
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Grow your own basil, chives and parsley in your kitchen window! This kit includes a 6 cell greenhouse base to house your plastic herb pots. Also included are greenhouse dome, soil discs, and a packet each of basil, parsley and chive seeds. Everything you need to start your herb garden.
Once your herbs are ready to harvest use the Triple Blade herb scissors to cut, snip and mince the herbs! These scissors feature 3 precision sharp blades making quick work of the most troublesome herbs.
If contests are not your cup of tea you can always purchase these great items on our websiteMasterGardening.com.
Entering to win is easy- Just answer the following question by posting a comment below and you will automatically be entered into the random drawing. Then check our facebook page tomorrow morning to see if you won! And don’t forget to check out all our fantastic gardening supplies atwww.MasterGardening.com
What about spring are you looking forward to most?
Inc. Magazine honors MasterGardening.com on Inc. 5000
 Frederick, MD â MasterGardening.com, a leader in gardening supplies and décor, announced today that it has been named on Inc. Magazineâs fourth annual Inc. 5000. Named the #179 fastest growing consumer products and services company in the country and #3299 overall on the prestigious list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Joining MasterGardening.com on the list are prominent brands such as music website Pandora, Brooklyn Brewery, and convenience store chain 7-11.
âThe leaders of the companies on this yearâs Inc. 5000 have figured out how to grow their businesses during the longest recession since the Great Depression,â said Inc. president Bob LaPointe. âThe 2010 Inc. 5000 showcases a particularly hardy group of entrepreneurs.â
MasterGardening.com exhibited a 58% growth in revenue over the last 3 years with 2009 revenue reaching $4.2 million. The online retailer features high quality garden products to last a lifetime and focuses on environmentally friendly products and plant health solutions. Every year MasterGardeningâs team of buyersâ search for new and innovative products from around the world making them stand out from other gardening ecommerce venues.
âOur continued growth is a testament to our customersâ passion for gardening and commitment to sustainable living,â states Martin Havrilla, Marketing Manager for MasterGardening.com. Starting as a mail-order gardening company Mastergardening.com switched to ecommerce in 1995 and has seen a steady growth in sales. Now featuring thousands of items MasterGardening.com is pleased to join the ranks of honored companies on the Inc. 5000.
About MasterGardening.com
Starting as a mail-order gardening company Mastergardening.com switched to ecommerce in 1995. MasterGardening.com now how thousands of items including garden decor and unique garden gifts delivered to your door. MasterGardeningâs sister site DeerBusters.com specializes in award-winning deer fence, deer repellants, and pet fencing. To learn more visit www.mastergardening.com or call 888-407-9730
Spreading the St. Patrick’s Day Love!
We love anything Green here at MasterGardening and St. Patrickâs Day is all about the GREEN!
To help celebrate St. Patrickâs day we are giving away a pair of Triple Blade Herb Scissors and a Kitchen Herb Mini-Greenhouse kit to one lucky winner!!
 |  |
Grow your own basil, chives and parsley in your kitchen window! This kit includes a 6 cell greenhouse base to house your plastic herb pots. Also included are greenhouse dome, soil discs, and a packet each of basil, parsley and chive seeds. Everything you need to start your herb garden.
Once your herbs are ready to harvest use the Triple Blade herb scissors to cut, snip and mince the herbs! These scissors feature 3 precision sharp blades making quick work of the most troublesome herbs.
If contests are not your cup of tea you can always purchase these great items on our websiteMasterGardening.com.
Entering to win is easy- Just answer the following question by posting a comment below and you will automatically be entered into the random drawing. Then check our facebook page tomorrow morning to see if you won! And donât forget to check out all our fantastic gardening supplies atwww.MasterGardening.com
What about spring are you looking forward to most?
Sprout’s Giveaway: Heavy-duty 1 Qt. Thistle Feeder
Win our Heavy-duty 1 Qt. Thistle Feeder!
The Thistle Tube Feeder is especially designed to dispense thistle (nyjer) seed. The feeders have tiny holes that make the seed available to only small-beaked finches such as goldfinches, redpolls and pine siskins. Hang your thistle feeder from a tree or place it on post. The feeder is has a die cast bronze finish, holds 1lb. of thistle seed and is easy to fill.
If contests are not your cup of tea you can always purchase this great item on our websiteMasterGardening.com.
Entering to win is easy- Just answer the following question by posting a comment below and you will automatically be entered into the random drawing. Then check our facebookpage tomorrow morning to see if you won! And donât forget to check out all our great birdfeeders and gardening supplies at www.MasterGardening.com
What type of birds would you like to see in your garden this year?
Gardening with Children: Avocado Plant
Yesterday we posted a terrific avocado recipe for Garlicky Guacamole. Well, here at Mastergardening.com we like to make use of as much of the fruit or vegetable that we can. (The skin of an avocado can be used to serve salad or dip in.) Therefore, we had to find a second life for our avocado pit and we succeeded. We not only found a great use for that lonely avocado pit but a fantastic project to do with children too!
How to Grow an Avocado Plant from a Pit
What you will need:
1 Avocado
3-4 Toothpicks
1 Glass, Vase, or Mason jar
Water
Step 1: Eat an Avocado! Make some delicious Garlicky Guacamole, add it to salsa or slice it up on a sandwich. Just remember to save the pit!
Step 2: Clean the pit and dry it off. Make sure not to remove the brown outer layer of the pit.
Step 3: Pierce the avocado with the toothpicks. We only used 3 but you can use 4 to make it more stable.
Step 4: Suspend the avocado pointed side up on top of a glass using the toothpicks as supports. Fill the glass with water till the water comes halfway up the avocado pit.
Step 5: Place the avocado where it will recieve indirect sunlight. Top off the water as needed, keeping the water level halfway up the pit.
Step 6: After 2-6 weeks you should see the avocado pit sprout roots and a stem. Once the plant is 6 inches cut back the plant to 3 inches. Cutting back allows the plant to have thicker roots and a stronger stem.
Step 7: Once the plant has grown back to around 6 inches it is ready to be potted. This plant can also be planted outdoors but only if you have warm winters or it wonât survive.
An avocado plant will make a great house plant but donât expect to be eating avocados from it anytime soon. It will take 5 or more years to see fruit from your plant and the fruit it does bear will be slightly different from its parents.
This project is a great way to get children involved in gardening as they can see every step the seed takes to become a plant! We will be posting updates on how our little pit is doing so we can grow together! We welcome you to post pictures and updates on how your plant is doing too!
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Some interesting facts about avocados
-Avocados belong to the genus Persea in the Lauraceae family.
-Also known as an Alligator pear for its shape and rough green skin
-San Diego is the avocado capital of the United States
-43% of US households buy avocados
-Avocado trees can grow between 20 to 40 feet tall
-Native to South and Central America
-Mexico is the worldâs top producer of avocados, 2nd is California
-Avocados have the highest protein content of any fruit
-Approximately 53 million pounds of guacamole are eaten on Super Bowl Sunday
Memorial Day Giveaway!
It has been awhile since we had a giveaway on MasterGardening Blog so when I realized Memorial Day weekend was approaching I got a little excited. I love holidays since they are a great excuse to give some of our great products away! Recently while touring our warehouse I came across a Simple Garden starter kit that sadly lost its seeds. A quick visit to our seed section to select a couple organic seed packets and I had myself a great giveaway for my loyal readers!
It’s never too late to get started growing and this starter kit makes it easy to grow what I refer to as my ‘Sweet Duo’. If you haven’t already figured it out I really like intercropping and companion planting. Planting two or more plants together to help each other out is a great organic way to get larger harvests and to keep pests at a distant. The ‘Sweet Duo’ is another great companion planting pair of sweet basiland sweetie tomatoes. Basil helps repel flies, mosquitoes, mites, aphids and control tomato hornworms. Basil also has been reported to improve the flavor of your tomatoes, plus they are a classic cooking pair.
The Simple Garden is a great all in one container garden. In your starter kit you receive a self draining container, 2 packets of seeds, planter stick, soil cube, planter’s guide, and planter’s template. The Simple Garden is a perfect solution for any urban or small space gardener. You can choose to grow your plants completely indoors or transplant your seedlings to your outdoor garden.
If this planter doesn’t match your garden style check out our vast selection of pots and planters on our website MasterGardening.com.
Entering to win is easy- Just answer the following question by posting a comment below and you will automatically be entered into the random drawing. Then check our facebook page Tuesday (May 31st) to see if you won! And don’t forget you can save $5 on all pot & planter orders of $50 or more until May 31st! Code: Planter
What edibles do you like to grow indoors?
Hunt for Spring Giveaway
Spring is just around the corner and in honor of its grand arrival we are having a ‘Hunt for Spring’ giveaway!
Check out the awesome elevated garden bed you could win!
Handcrafted in the USA and made of 100% Western Red Cedar this beautiful Elevated Garden Bed by Gronomics® is perfect for deck or patio. Great for growing herbs, salad greens and small vegetables and flowers this bed is ergonomically designed to eliminate back breaking gardening. Tool Free Assembly means you will be gardening in minutes. Includes custom cut landscape fabric. Product Dimesions: 24″W x 48″L x 30″ H. Unfinished (Finished Garden Bed Pictured) To learn more about this bed and the entire Gronomics line check out our blog post – Elevated Garden Beds by Gronomics.
Here’s how to enter to win:
Simply head on over to our website and hunt down these answers!
1. Name one variety of bird that we recommend for the Air Castle Bird House
2. What are the dimensions of the Juilana 4 Tier Growing Rack
3. Which Lilypons Yellow Hardy Water Lily was hybridized by Marilac in 1879
4. Name one featured item on our homepage.
5. What is the email address to our Master Gardener? (Hint: can find under our resource center)
Once you have the answers email them to Sprout@MasterGardening.com, along with your name and you will be entered into the random drawing for the awesome elevated garden bed!
Sprout’s Giveaway: Heavy-duty 1 Qt. Thistle Feeder
Win our Heavy-duty 1 Qt. Thistle Feeder!
The Thistle Tube Feeder is especially designed to dispense thistle (nyjer) seed. The feeders have tiny holes that make the seed available to only small-beaked finches such as goldfinches, redpolls and pine siskins. Hang your thistle feeder from a tree or place it on post. The feeder is has a die cast bronze finish, holds 1lb. of thistle seed and is easy to fill.
If contests are not your cup of tea you can always purchase this great item on our websiteMasterGardening.com.
Entering to win is easy- Just answer the following question by posting a comment below and you will automatically be entered into the random drawing. Then check our facebookpage tomorrow morning to see if you won! And don’t forget to check out all our great birdfeeders and gardening supplies at www.MasterGardening.com
What type of birds would you like to see in your garden this year?
Hunt for Spring Giveaway
Spring is just around the corner and in honor of its grand arrival we are having a âHunt for Springâ giveaway!
Check out the awesome elevated garden bed you could win!
Handcrafted in the USA and made of 100% Western Red Cedar this beautiful Elevated Garden Bed by Gronomics® is perfect for deck or patio. Great for growing herbs, salad greens and small vegetables and flowers this bed is ergonomically designed to eliminate back breaking gardening. Tool Free Assembly means you will be gardening in minutes. Includes custom cut landscape fabric. Product Dimesions: 24â³W x 48â³L x 30â³ H. Unfinished (Finished Garden Bed Pictured) To learn more about this bed and the entire Gronomics line check out our blog post â Elevated Garden Beds by Gronomics.
Hereâs how to enter to win:
Simply head on over to our website and hunt down these answers!
1. Name one variety of bird that we recommend for the Air Castle Bird House
2. What are the dimensions of the Juilana 4 Tier Growing Rack
3. Which Lilypons Yellow Hardy Water Lily was hybridized by Marilac in 1879
4. Name one featured item on our homepage.
5. What is the email address to our Master Gardener? (Hint: can find under our resource center)
Once you have the answers email them to Sprout@MasterGardening.com, along with your name and you will be entered into the random drawing for the awesome elevated garden bed!
Gardening with Children: Avocado Plant
Yesterday we posted a terrific avocado recipe for Garlicky Guacamole. Well, here at Mastergardening.com we like to make use of as much of the fruit or vegetable that we can. (The skin of an avocado can be used to serve salad or dip in.) Therefore, we had to find a second life for our avocado pit and we succeeded. We not only found a great use for that lonely avocado pit but a fantastic project to do with children too!
How to Grow an Avocado Plant from a Pit
What you will need:
1 Avocado
3-4 Toothpicks
1 Glass, Vase, or Mason jar
Water
Step 1: Eat an Avocado! Make some delicious Garlicky Guacamole, add it to salsa or slice it up on a sandwich. Just remember to save the pit!
Step 2: Clean the pit and dry it off. Make sure not to remove the brown outer layer of the pit.
Step 3: Pierce the avocado with the toothpicks. We only used 3 but you can use 4 to make it more stable.
Step 4: Suspend the avocado pointed side up on top of a glass using the toothpicks as supports. Fill the glass with water till the water comes halfway up the avocado pit.
Step 5: Place the avocado where it will recieve indirect sunlight. Top off the water as needed, keeping the water level halfway up the pit.
Step 6: After 2-6 weeks you should see the avocado pit sprout roots and a stem. Once the plant is 6 inches cut back the plant to 3 inches. Cutting back allows the plant to have thicker roots and a stronger stem.
Step 7: Once the plant has grown back to around 6 inches it is ready to be potted. This plant can also be planted outdoors but only if you have warm winters or it wonât survive.
An avocado plant will make a great house plant but donât expect to be eating avocados from it anytime soon. It will take 5 or more years to see fruit from your plant and the fruit it does bear will be slightly different from its parents.
This project is a great way to get children involved in gardening as they can see every step the seed takes to become a plant! We will be posting updates on how our little pit is doing so we can grow together! We welcome you to post pictures and updates on how your plant is doing too!
Â
Some interesting facts about avocados
-Avocados belong to the genus Persea in the Lauraceae family.
-Also known as an Alligator pear for its shape and rough green skin
-San Diego is the avocado capital of the United States
-43% of US households buy avocados
-Avocado trees can grow between 20 to 40 feet tall
-Native to South and Central America
-Mexico is the worldâs top producer of avocados, 2nd is California
-Avocados have the highest protein content of any fruit
-Approximately 53 million pounds of guacamole are eaten on Super Bowl Sunday