Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Organic fertilizers should be made of natural decomposition, because these materials are easier for the plant to digest. As you will see from the list below, organic fertilizers are simple and natural ingredients. However, they contain essential macro- and micronutrients such as nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, organic matter and trace minerals.

Here are some organic fertilizers that you might want to try: alfalfa meal, bat and bird guano, bloodmeal, bonemeal, chicken manure, cottonseed meal, Epsom salts, feather meal, fish emulsion, fish meal, greensand, humic acids, kelp meal, oyster shells, seaweed (liquid), soft Rock Phosphate and worm castings/Vermicompost.

When you’re reading the labels on fertilizers, look for the basic elements that you learned from the periodic table. For example, avoid super triple phosphate, because this is a manmade form of phosphorous. If you’re not sure where to start, begin with the basics. Liquid seaweed is a supplement that provides trace elements. Also, adding humic acid can improve the soil health.

Flowering Plants

Who doesn’t enjoy brightly colored flowers indoors, especially during the cold, barren winter? Some flowering plants that will add color and perfume to your home include various begonias, wax plant and jasmines. Similar to the vines and climbers, these plants also need sufficient lighting in order to bloom.

Succulents and Cactus

If you want a Southwestern flair to your home, invest in some cacti. Try the jade, snake plant, aloe vera, barrel cactus, Christmas cactus, Easter cactus, hens and chicks, oldman cactus and rat-tail cactus. These thrive well indoors.

Edible Indoor Plants

Herbs can be easily grown indoors, because they can thrive in small spaces. However, you can also grow some varieties of citrus such as the Meyer lemon and calamondin orange. Some herbs you might try growing include chervil, chives, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme.

Foliage Plants

These types of plants can provide a striking backdrop to your indoor garden. These are the plants that have foliage in bright colors and even patterns (blotches, speckles, strips and swirls). An excellent example is the peacock plant, because it has deep green olive-striped leaves with touches of yellow-green and purple similar to a peacock’s tail. The croton is a staple to any indoor garden, because its leaves have colors of yellow, green and red and you might find ones with pink and white.

Vines and Climbers

Creeping vines that cascade down create some vertical visual interest. Some common houseplants with these features include the wandering Jew and the spider plant. However, vines and climbers require substantial lighting. If your plants look weak and have dead leaves dropping consistently, they’re not getting enough light. On the other hand, if your vines have burned or scorched leaves, it’s getting too much light.

Opening your windows and letting the breeze filter through your home is refreshing, but it can also give ants, flies and other bugs an easy entry. Anymore it’s scary when you get bit by bugs, because you never know how concerned to be about a bump on your skin. You could get viruses and diseases but more than likely you survive and the itchy, red bump on your skin goes away.

To combat these pesky insects, handle them in a more natural way without using chemicals: grow a water garden full of carnivorous plants! A great option is the bladderwort, which is a carnivorous plant that feeds off of mosquitoes and other small insects. In addition to exterminating insects, the bladderwort will also bloom a yellow or purple flower. Other plants to consider include the Aldrovanda vesiculosa and the Drosera Intermedia. If you prefer an indoor insect eater, a pitcher plants such as the Nepenthes rafflesiana can work wonders.

In September, the following are some gardening tasks that you should have on your checklist.

• Plant Bulbs – Dig over the soil and add some fertilizer. Then you can plant your bulbs in bold groups. If you plant them in a line, you’re taking a risk because one or more of the bulbs can break or fail to sprout. Make sure you plant the bulbs at the appropriate depth.
• Save Half-hardy Plants – It’s best to take geranium cuttings now as well as any other half-hardy plants. Choose the healthy shoots, cut off the lower leaves, trim the base, dust the base with root hormones, re-plant in a pot and cover with polythene to keep moist.
• Harvest Seeds - Collect seeds that have recently been shed. Then you can separate the chaff and store the seeds in a dry place.
• Trim Your Hedges – A power trimmer makes hedge trimming simple. The more often you trim the neater your hedges will look.

Even if you don’t have a green thumb, it’s easy to find out what plants are best for what seasons or even months. The autumn is full of colorful options that can make your patio come alive with flowers in bright shades of yellow, orange and plum.

Some of the best plants for September are the Korean chrysanthemum, golden grass, nerine, Michaelmas daisy and the red hot poker.

The chrysanthemum is a half-hardy herbaceous perennial, which is best in beds or large containers (perfect near benches or sitting areas). The nerine takes at least a year to become full, but once it matures, it will be a hardy plant. Many autumn-flowering asters become victims of mildew, but the Michaelmas daisy is immune to this. However, these daisies require a sunny and well-drained spot. The red hot poker has slender stems with a creamy yellow top, and it’s foliage looks similar to grass. This flower is best in the front of a bed or border where there is sun or semi-shade.

Even though your garden might be located in the backyard, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t embellish it. There are endless ideas for enhancing your garden wall or fence, and there are some ornaments you probably wouldn’t expect to be stylish.

Bird cages painted with bright, bold colors are charming ornaments for your garden wall, especially if your wall looks depressing and bare. Other options include copper-bottomed plant holders, statuary and stone spheres for the top of your posts.

Or create an enjoyable scenery that you can enjoy all year round by painting a mural on the garden fence or wall. Murals date back to the Greek and Roman times, and they can provide a whimsical and fanciful feel to your backyard. Maybe you will choose an ocean view or an Italian vineyard. To make the painting look more realistic, add a coat of translucent glaze for an aged appearance.

Hedges can help you setup boundaries around your yard. Depending on which type of hedge you choose, you will be making some sort of statement. There are two types of hedges: formal and informal.

Formal hedges are commanding, living structures. Plus, they show off your hard work and dedication to your landscaping. Plants for formal hedges include the arboritae, barberry, boxwood, inkberry, Japanese holly, juniper, privet, red-tip photinia, sweet bay and yew.

Informal hedges require less maintenance, but you have to be careful that the hedge will not become too large for your space. Plants for informal hedges include the bigleaf hydrangea, border forsythia, Carolina allspice, glossy abelia, Japanese maple, lilac, mountain laurel, rhododendron, rose and witch hazel.

If you have a yard where soil and sun conditions vary, a diverse selection of hedges might do well. Whichever hedges you choose to plant, you need to be aware and prepare for potential pests and diseases that could wipe out your plants.

When you think of a topiary, an expansive garden area might come to mind. However, you can create personal sized ones to decorate your table, rooms and doors. If you’re hosting a special occasion at your home such as a bridal shower, baby shower, birthday party, etc., an ivy topiary can set the mood and encourage conversation.

Ivy designs such as spirals, hearts and balls can be created in pots as long as you have wire. First, put a hollow bamboo cane attached to wire in the pot and bend the long part of the wire into your shape of preference. Then plant a few long rooted shoots of ivy and position and wrap them up the wire as they grow. You might have to tie the ivy to the wire with raffia or twine, but use a liquid fertilizer to speed the growth process. Also, use secateurs to form and maintain the shape.

Bare patches in your lawn detract from your well-manicured landscaping. However, you can easily fix these areas by overseeding. In the northern U.S., it’s best to overseed bare patches in the late summer and early fall. People in the southern U.S. should start the process in the spring or early summer.

You want to choose the right type of seed, so the new grass blends in with your existing lawn. Also, make sure to rake the area and loosen the soil with a pitchfork (6 to 8 inches deep). Once you have dug up the soil, smooth it over with the flat end of the pitchfork. Then evenly spread a mixture of seeds, fertilizer and soil over the bare area. The last step is using the flat end of the pitchfork one last time to tap the seeds into the ground.

Make sure you water this portion of your lawn regularly so your grass grows in quickly.