I’m thinking of setting up my own gardening business. What’s the going rate for mowing, weeding, clearing, planting, pruning, laying paths and patios, installing sheds, decking, fencing, outdoor lights, ponds etc?
Expect to pay minimum wage, of at least £5-35 per hour
When I moved into my new home 6 years ago, I got rid of all lawns and conventional "beds". I now have a fantastic garden, very low maintenance, it consists of decking, patios, and lots of bark laid on a membrane that discourages weeds, in it are planted lots of unusual perennials and shrubs and as I live near the sea, my garden reflects this with stones, pebbles and driftwood, and the odd maritime bits and pieces, a ships wheel, buoys and lots of seashells.
So, little weeding for me, I just sit on the deck with Mrs GB and drink Gin and tonic! Bliss!
Start small. An inexperienced gardener who puts in a huge garden will get overwhelmed, and possibly stop gardening altogether because they get so frustrated.
Try one or two things at a time, and gain experience.
Talk to neighbors who garden.
Look around – see what grows in your area.
You only in need two things- determination and know-how, to make a simple yet well-maintained garden in a yard. These are some tips on how to keep your garden by the yard looking glamorous and spruced up.
1. Deadheading
Always remember to keep your garden free from dried leaves and wilted flowers. Removing dead flower heads or deadheading will encourage the plants to bloom for a longer period of time. Some annual plants and many perennials like Dahlias and Geraniums, benefit from having spent blooms removed.
2. Pinch out tops
Foliage plants like Coleus and many different types of plants respond with a burst in growth when their tops are pinched. You can make the plants much more bushier and make them bloom by pinching out the top. Plants like Fuchsias become leggy unless you pinch them put.
3. Fertilize lightly
If you want a boost in your vegetation then you can add minimum amount of fertilizer. You need to fertilize your garden frequently because the nutrients may wash away if you fertilize your garden frequently. Liquid fertilizer that has been applied fortnightly has been found to be more beneficial than granules as the leaves readily absorb it. If you regularly apply a half strength solution of liquid fertilizer to container plants then they will become considerably healthier.
4. Weed out
Weeding is one of the best ways to preserve the beauty of your garden. Always remember that weeds compete with your garden for nutrients and moisture. You can also leave the weeds down to mulch if they are not close to seeding. Rather than using a spray you can use a wick applicator for applying your weedicide, this will also protect your plants from the spray drift.
5. Water them well
A good tip is to give your garden a thorough soaking once every week. However, to prevent erosion make sure there is no run off. The growth of deeper roots will be encouraged with deep watering. This will also help the plant to withstand dry spells.
6. Say no to chemicals
Try to avoid chemicals as much as you can. These are not only harmful for humans but also kill the predators of pest in your gardens. There are many organic alternatives, which work as well as the chemicals ones.
Your garden will soon become the envy of your neighbors if you follow these simple tips.
Faisal Diab
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/seven-little-known-backyard-gardening-tips-82440.html
Once you have set your diary, you have to list out the likes and dislikes of the recipient. Think and find out if he or she has some specific hobbies like gardening, music, reading, cooking, clothing etc. Men generally love sports equipment, electronic gadgets, handyman tools, wallets, perfumes and maybe clothes. So it would be better for you to buy something that is related to these fields, and gift it to the recipient. On the other hand, women have a fancy for jewelry, clothes, flowers, perfumes, sports stuff and cooking. There are many gift items in these categories for you to choose from to give that special woman of your life.
Instead of personally going shopping to buy all your gifts, the internet today offers a better alternative where you can do all your shopping while sitting in the comfort of your home or office. This way you save lots of time and money; there is no need of running from store to store or from shopping aisle to shopping aisle looking for the perfect gift. Neither do you need to spend on fuel to reach these stores to do your shopping.
All you have to do is to type the names of the gifts that you need in any search engine, and you will be presented with a list of sites housing these gifts. You then have to just browse through these different sites, where you are sure to find a price that meets your ideals and budget.
Of course, if you still can’t think of the perfect gift, or find that whatever you choose is above your budget, then you could consider presenting your near and dear ones with a gift basket or gift certificate. There are also many gift baskets on the internet for you to choose from. These gift baskets usually have some gift items, chocolates, cheese, and cake; in fact, there are different types of gift baskets meant for different occasions. If you want something special, you can also customize the gift basket to meet your expectations!
Thomson Chemmanoor
http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/holiday-gift-ideas-for-choosing-gifts-for-everyone-81230.html
Interested in gardening flowers/plants? Well, there are no step-by-step instructions that can be offered, but just the basics. Ultimately, it is nothing but a learning process at the end of which, you are much better off than you were at the beginning when you just started!
A few basic suggestions regarding gardening flowers/plants are offered below–
(1) Do not be overambitious and go in for a large gardening plot at the very outset! After all, the activity is supposed to be an experiment. So land measuring roughly 20 to 30 square feet should do for a start. It should be able to accommodate at least 20 to 30 gardening flowers/plants, both perennials and annuals.
(2) Be prepared to put in a lot of hard work with your hands and get dirty in the process! The first thing to be done is to till the plot and even it out. Weeds that have made it their home for many years have to be uprooted. In fact, beginning a garden is more difficult than maintaining it.
(3) Once the land is ready, you have to decide what you actually want to grow. According to seasoned veterans, it is best for the novice to start off with annuals. These gardening flowers/plants bloom early and exhibit their blossoms until fall season. They survive only for one growing season. They are easy to grow and your garden is a wonderful riot of colors! And the whole palette of colors can be exchanged for an entirely new one in the coming season!
(4) Now that you have decided what you want to grow, go and get the seeds or seedlings. Opinions vary as to whether the beginner should opt for seeds or young seedlings that have already started growing.
(5) If you bring home seeds of gardening flowers/plants, you will have to prepare the soil properly and also lavish a lot of care on the sown seeds to ensure that they grow well. But seeds are inexpensive; so you will not lose much money if something should go wrong. And seeds can be replaced easily.
(6) Seedlings are a different matter altogether. Check that they are free of disease before carting them home. Diseases could be caused by infestations, infections or even malnutrition.
(7) Do some research and visit a nursery offering healthy gardening flowers/plants. Examine them carefully at the nursery itself before buying them.
(8) When buying seedlings, do not get those that have already matured. Transplanting them into an outdoor garden becomes difficult. Also, the roots do not find it easy to get a hold in the soil.
(9) And that is not all where gardening flowers/plants is concerned! There is still the idea of regular maintenance. The tasks involved here are–dividing cultivars, pruning, transferring plants into the house when they need to be protected, getting them back to their original places once the danger is past, and many more. Thus, gardening is not something that can be taken lightly; dedicated effort is called for!
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/vegetable-gardening-in-winter-10-requisites-of-vegetable-gardening-in-winter-753778.html
I need to buy plant and flower seeds in Bangkok. I can’t remember what you call people who sells gardening supplies. Really need help. Also if you can please put some gardening shops in Bangkok. All answers appreciated. Thanks a tonne.
sorry, i know i’m really stupid 
Contact some ‘Plant nursery’ people.
How often should I water flowers, and what is the rule of thumb on how close they should be planted? Also, pruning? How do I keep them in good shape? One more, how do you repair a brown yard, we moved on to a new house and our grass is dead and brown?
Well, its one of those things you learn by experience and a little reading. Generally speaking, most flowering plants love water so keep the soil moist. If you touch the soil and it gets hardish or chalky- like then they need a good watering. Rule of thumb is use good soil- you can buy top soil and composted manure from home depot. Mix it into the top 6-8 inches of soil so your plants can grow good. This gives the roots room to grow too. Check to see how much sun they need too. If you see a picture of a full sun on the plant then that means they need 6-8 hours of full sun a day. If it says partial shade then it needs 4-6 hours of sun a day. Check which zone you live in. The zones vary from Florida to Maine and they change generally about every 300- 600 hundred miles traveling south to north. The lower the zone number the colder your winters are. Zone is important for those plants or trees you want to come back every year these are called perennials. Annuals are generally planted every year thats why they are called annuals. Its not a bad idea to put mulch around plants. You can use anything from grass clippings to red cedar mulch or pine bark. This helps to keep weeds out and water in. Depending where you live if you are in northern canada your grass may be brown by now frost will kill it. Its too late right now to start a new lawn unless you are south of Oaklahoma. If someone ruined the lawn by over feritilizing it they could have burned it to the point of shock- which means it may come back in weeks time or they may have out right killed it. This is highly unusual. I really would seek the help of someone like Lawn Doctor they often will do free analysis of your soil to make sure theres nothing real seriously wrong with the soil and check for other things that may be going on. When you call around ask if they do a free analysis and call a few different companies to see how much they charge to get your lawn up to speed. You may have to tear up your whole lawn and start over by spreading seed and watering it everyday until it grows in again. I also want to suggest that you join one of the gardening groups on yahoo and if you are at the end of your gardening season- like most of us- then you have all winter to read a good gardening book from your local bookstore. I have a good dozen of them and there are some real great gardening books out there! Good Luck!
Hello,
I am planning to build a bamboo/cane-shade in my roof garden (or rather pay someone to to it 
I am looking for ideas… I’d like the shade to cover only part of the roof area to provide shade in summer (summers in Malta can be very hot!). The shade has to stand strong wind, sun and rain and be aesthetically pleasing. Any design ideas?
Many thanks,
Inga
Hi, see if you can get someone to build you a dome out of bamboo, it doesn’t need to be completely solid to give you the shade that you need and would look really natural on your roof garden.
I live in TN. So, far we have had about 2 weeks of warm weather (60s & 70s) before spring even set in. Last year, our winter ended right around this time also unlike past decade where cold weather ( < 60F) would last through April. So, should I wait a little longer or can I go ahead and start my flower gardening now?
You can start now but the ideal weather will be around a month or month n a half away. I live in southern IN and started planting last week. For your state the zone is April thru or March thru June. I cant tell exactly on the map on the back of this seed pack but it looks like your safe to start planting now.