The Versatility of Perennial Plants

Perennial Plants are very versatile and they can be used in many different ways in the garden. When it comes to landscaping home gardens, they are homeowners first choice as they do not require re- planting every season. Perennial plants are known for longer life span and they come back every year to bloom gloriously.

Photo Credit- InAweofGod'sCreation/ Flickr

Landscaping with perennials plants makes sure that your garden design stays in place for at least two to three years. You will not have to re grow them every year unlike annual plants. Perennials come in countless varieties and they can be used in many different ways. You can grow them in pots and containers or plant them flower beds. Low growing varieties make great ground covers and clump forming smaller ones can be grown as border plants.

Photo Credit- NorthStar Nerd/ Flickr

You can grow native perennials to add different colors and textures to your home garden. Native plants are loved by all for their hardiness and resistance to diseases. Some of them are known to re-seed and transform the garden miraculously into a wonderful abode. They can pop up in the most unexpected places and give your garden an unkempt yet astoundingly natural beauty.

Photo Credit- Gateway Horticulture/ Flickr

No garden is complete without the addition of some amazing perennial plants. They make the landscape come alive with their brilliant colors and magnificent beauty. By including them in your landscape, you will not have to worry about re-designing your garden every season. Moreover, most of them can easily be propagated through seeds, bulbs or cuttings. If you want a hassle free method of growing them then you can buy container grown plants or bare roots from an online nursery.

http://www.trees-plants.com

How To Choose Best Christmas Trees For Your Home

Christmas is just around the corner and it is time to choose beast quality Christmas trees to decorate our homes. When it comes to choosing the right kind of trees, it is really important to keep some basic things in mind. If you invest in a good quality tree, it will thrive for a longer period and accentuate your home.

                                          Photo Credit- Lori L. Stalteri/ Flickr    

Most of the garden centers and plant nurseries offer dug up evergreen trees from their lot for Christmas decorations during this season. Some people prefer to buy container grown trees and transplant them on their property for a beautiful landscape for years to come. Evergreen trees are excellent for privacy and color throughout the season.

               Photo Credit- Wolfsavard/ Flickr

                                       Photo Credit- Horia Varlan/ Flickr

The key things to keep in mind while selecting the best trees for your home this Christmas are-

• Visit a good tree farm that offers to select trees before purchasing. There are many
• reputed tree farms that are open to customers for a visit. You can walk in there and choose the best one for your home.
• Keep your room size mind and select accordingly. Too big trees can crowd and clutter small spaces. Medium to small trees are best for such homes. If you want to set it up outside on the porch or maybe in a bigger living room then you can go in for large trees.
• Pine trees are known for needle retention and hence they are good for decoration. They retain their foliage for a long time and can be used as a Christmas tree to hang ornaments and decoration.
• Most people love freshly dug up trees over artificial ones as natural trees have got a wonderful pine scent. These trees perfume the house during the entire holiday season. If you are not bothered by their smell then you can go in for White Pine and Frasier Fir have got a beautiful delicate scent that fills up the air.
• Keep the texture of leaves/ needles and shape of the tree in mind before making a choice. Some trees like Canadian Hemlock loses its needles pretty soon after being cut. Others like Firs and Spruces have sturdy branches that can hold heavy ornaments.

www.trees-plants.com

Healthy Living and Healthy Eating

With cancer, obesity, diabetes, and other common ailments on the rise, many people are resorting to cleaner diets and lifestyles in hopes of becoming healthier and happier. By creating environments that are void of toxins and harmful chemicals, it makes for a longer life and promotes stronger vitality. Buy safe ! Avoid processed meats, milks and refined. When you buy plants, milk, meat  or berry bushes also make sure your getting organic!

Clean Living

Living cleaner does not always mean having to give up common luxuries, but means using healthier versions or products that promote a safe environment. According to the Organic Consumers Association, the fragrances and corrosive chemicals used in common household cleaning products can lead to eye irritation, asthma, and hormone disruption.

Without giving up the cleanliness of the home, opt for simple mixtures that are easy to make and use household products like vinegar, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Several brands also promote a safer household and are quite affordable, including Seventh Generation and Method.

Different types of plastic products should also be avoided, which can release toxic chemicals into the food and with contact. Plastic no. 3, 6, and 7 are known to be used in different items like carry-out containers to teething rings and can release styrene and synthetic estrogen to increase the risk of acquiring illnesses.

Clean Eating

Eating a diet rich in nutrients and vitamins is much more difficult to achieve than in prior decades due to the chemicals and pesticides used on fruits and vegetables. A typical piece of broccoli can contain 33 pesticides with a total of 19 that are known to disrupt hormones, making it difficult to maintain a strong immune system even while consuming natural foods. This makes it increasingly important to purchase organic food at local farmer's markets for locally grown food that is clean with more nutrients.

Along with produce, meat has often become a cheaper product to produce with the use of hormones injected into the animals to stimulate growth and make the animals unnaturally larger at a faster rate. The hormones then stay in the meat and are ingested by consumers, so dangerous that American beef has been banned in Europe, according to the Cancer Prevention Coalition. The hormones are known to cause an imbalance in hormone levels and even various forms of cancer, making it crucial to eat cleaner meat that is grass-fed and organic. Tofu is also a popular meat alternative that is similar to taste and texture with more health benefits.

By spending more money on cleaner products and foods, it will reduce the risk of health conditions and can result in spending less money on medical bills and medication that is often caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.  

http://www.trees-plants.com

Soul Eater

Finding Natural Foods

You've probably heard the old saying, you are what you eat. In a world full of processed food, toxic additives and chemical preservatives this bit of old wisdom is more relevant than ever. But we don't have to take in all of the harmful ingredients that get added to so much of the food for sale in the grocery store. We can choose to eat healthy, natural foods. When you buy plants, choose for edible selections like berry plants too.

The best way to ensure that the food you're eating is wholesome and healthy is to grow it yourself. You can grow a surprising amount of vegetables in your backyard. Some of the best foods to grow and eat include kale, cabbage, tomatoes, garlic and salad greens. Of course, it's also important to grow the foods that you are most excited about cooking and eating.

If you don't live somewhere where you can grow your own vegetables, there are other options. Try to buy as locally as you can. Look in your town for any food co-ops, farmer's markets or local health food stores. You might even be able to buy directly from a farm through a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. If you can, buy organic as well. Organic foods are guaranteed to be free of dangerous pesticide residues.

Health Problems, Health Benefits

By eating home-grown or organic foods, you'll be avoiding some of the worst ingredients. These include refined sugars, chemical preservatives and unhealthy additives like partially hydrogenated oils. Diets high in these ingredients are associated with all sorts of health problems. The more processed food you eat, the more likely you are to wind up with a serious disease. Some of the most common include diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and heart attacks.

Eating plenty of organic produce can help reduce and prevent all of these conditions. But eating healthy doesn't just lessen disease, it also promotes health and vitality. You are likely to have a more robust immune system, increased energy and capacity to deal with physical and emotional stress. Healthy diets are associated with a general sense of well-being and with increased longevity.

Along with these scientifically established benefits, there's the pleasure that many people experience getting their hands dirty in the garden. By growing your own food, you'll be feeding your soul as well as your body. You're likely to savor your life more intensely and to have a longer life to savor.

http://www.trees-plants.com

Add Flavor To Your Drink With Plants

There are many fantastic plants that can be used as the basis of a drink recipe, or can add a subtle kick to a drink recipe that's already established. If you're interested in mixing your own drinks, these plants are a great way to establish a unique taste and an inventive basis for new recipes and old classics alike. However, you should always remember to study your plants before you add them, as no one wants to inadvertently mix a laxative into their smoothie! Buy Quality Plants For Sale.

Mint is one of the primary components to a lot of drinks, and fresh mint can be a blessing to both alcoholic drinks such as the proud mojito as well as non-alcoholic drinks like a refreshing tea. Most bars are already stocked with mint, but it may be surprising exactly how often mint can be used to refresh a tired drink. When mint is paired with a citrus such as orange, lemon or lime, it becomes something truly amazing, so make sure that you experiment appropriately with this powerful flavor. Fruit peels are also an excellent way to add value to a drink. The zest from citrus plants go wonderfully with powerful herbs such as mint and basil.

Of course, all alcoholic drinks originate from plants, which is what makes it so very important to understand their botanical origins. Wines come from grapes, for instance. Sangria, a mixed wine drink, is appropriately fruity and anything that goes well with grape juice will mix well with wine for a fantastic and light mixed drink. Slices of refreshing fruits go fantastically with wine because of its basic grape origins.

Other types of liquor have a more earthy and balanced feel because they are distilled from wheat, potatoes and other such ingredients. These more starchy liquors tend to be able to be infused with practically anything. Vodkas, for instance, can be used to make very simple and easy berry, fruit and herb infusions. All a mixer needs to do is add ingredients to their vodka and then wait until an appropriate amount of flavoring has mixed in. After straining, they will have a delicious vodka infusion that can be served either straight or on the rocks. A mixer can create, for instance, a wonderful strawberry vodka that is then served with fresh blueberries and raspberries. Sugars can also be used to bring out the natural flavorings of the plants.   

http://www.trees-plants.com

How Millionaires Landscape Their Mansions

Millionaires typically hire landscape architects to work with the architects designing their homes so the home and the land work together to enhance the best features of each. If the home is a historical mansion, however, the original design of the landscaping may already accent the best features of the house, but if it does not, it will need to be updated. A good landscape architect and gardening team can work together to select landscaping, terracing, garden layouts and plantings that enhance the home’s appearance and show it off to its best advantage. They have their staff go to a great deal of work when they buy trees and plants.

Landscape plans take the interests of the residents into account. You might find swimming pools, tennis courts, volleyball courts and putting greens on the grounds, skillfully worked in with manicured lawns, terraced hills, borders, formal gardens, flower beds, topiaries and hedges. You will see a combination of evergreen and deciduous trees, strategically placed, trees that will grow into large shade trees and flowering fruit trees for beauty in the spring.

The biggest new trend is outdoor “rooms.” The rooms are usually on the outside of the back wall or a side wall of the house. Most have some type of a roof, which can be as close to nature as arbor lattice work with vining plants growing over the top, or as substantial as an actual roof extension from the main roof. Often it’s an awning that can be extended to cover the outdoor room, or retracted so that it’s not visible, leaving the room open.

The new outdoor rooms will usually have a fire pit or even a fireplace, a bar with seating, outdoor cooking and grilling equipment which is usually pretty sophisticated, a dining table and chairs and softer more comfortable seating for lounging, like outdoor sofas and chairs. Some even have big screen TVs. All are finished with plantings in containers that are selected for color, design and the light the outdoor room provides.

The gardens and plantings themselves are carefully planned for plants that will bloom continuously throughout the growing season and are selected for the climate. Perennial borders are planted around the perimeters with taller plants in the back and shorter ones in front and are filled in with new annuals each season.

Some mansions lend themselves beautifully to formal English gardens, or Japanese gardens, depending on the preferences of the owners. Some mansions have reflecting pools that are not for swimming. These are often in a side yard away from the swimming pool and sometimes have fountains with night lighting.

http://www.trees-plants.com