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Growing and Harvesting Rose Hips
March 23, 2007
Posted in General Recreation & Leisure @ 12:00 pmQuickly bookmark Growing and Harvesting Rose Hips at:
Roses can do more than grace our landscapes and floral designs. Like its cousins the apple, pear, peach and cherry, the rose also produces a fruit. Valued are a valuable source of vitamin C, containing as much as 20 times more vitamin C than oranges. Roses can do more than grace our landscapes and floral designs. Like its cousins the apple, pear, peach and cherry, roses produce a fruit. Rose Hips are a valuable source of vitamin C, containing as much as 20 times more vitamin C than oranges. They are also an excellent antioxidant. Growing Roses for Hips When growing roses for hips, you’ll want to select a variety that produces a reasonably large fruit that is high in vitamin C. Look for disease and insect resistant roses that won’t require the use of chemical sprays. Rugosas are an excellent choice for quality hips, and they are also a beautiful addition to the landscape, whether used as a dense hedge or a specimen plant. The flowers have a delightful fragrance and you’ll be tempted to cut armloads to bring indoors, but try to resist the temptation. Remember, the more flowers you cut, the fewer hips you will have. More about Rugosas Planting Roses Selecting Easy Care Roses Harvesting and Preparing Rose Hips Rose hips ripen after they are touched by the first fall frost. The color of rose hips varies, but in general, orange hips are not quite ripe, and deep red hips are overripe. Overripe hips are sweet, but have lost much of their vitamin C. Rose hips will have the most nutritional value when used immediately after harvesting. To prepare rose hips for tea, cut off the bloom stem, cut the hip in half, and scrape out the seeds and hairy pith. This can be very tedious with tiny hips, so you may want to save the smallest hips for jellies. Rose hips used for jellies don’t need to be seeded or scraped. A half and half mixture of rose hip juice and apple juice makes a tasty jelly. Rose Hip Marmalade Use a glass or enamel pan for this recipe. Clean rose hips as described above for tea, and soak in cold water for two hours. Simmer in water for two hours. Strain and reserve liquid for jellies or other recipes. Measure the mash, and add 1 cup of brown sugar for each cup of mash. Boil down to a thick consistency. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. About the Author Jackie Carroll is the editor of GardenGuides, a leading internet destination from gardening information and ideas. Visit GardenGuides Visit GardenGuides Seed Shop
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Five Rose Garden Ideas
March 21, 2007
Posted in General Recreation & Leisure @ 5:00 pmQuickly bookmark Five Rose Garden Ideas at:
If you ve always shied away from growing roses because you believed their press, it s time to put away your misconceptions. Far from being the finicky, pest-ridden creatures that they re made out to be, roses are surprisingly easy to grow and maintain. Roses have five basic needs: Plenty of sun! With very few exceptions, roses love the sun. Choose a spot for them that gets at least six full hours of sun per day, and they ll reward you with beautiful, showy blooms. Lots of Water! Roses are thirsty little critters, too. Plan on giving your rose garden a good daily drenching to supplement rain and add a second if rain is scarce. Control Pest-y Critters! Roses ARE prone to attract pesky bugs like Japanese beetles and aphids. There are all sorts of natural treatments if you object to a weekly-or-so spraying with a pesticide designed for roses. On the flip side the only time that I saw major problems with infestations were my grandmother s prize blue-blood strains. Hybrids and ramblers seem not to be bothered much at all. Feed them! You ll get more, fuller and more colorful blooms if you feed your roses once a month with a good, balanced fertilizer. Pick your roses! Seriously roses love to be pruned and groomed. The more you pick your roses, the more you ll get. So have you got a spot in your yard that gets at least six hours of sun a day, is close enough to the garden hose that watering is easy, and is easily accessible by paths and walkways? In that case you have a great spot for a rose garden. A few ideas for rose garden designs you might not have considered are: A Rose Fence Garden Climbing and rambling roses are ambitious climbers. You can completely cover a chain link fence with a plant every 2-3 feet. Start with bare-stemmed root stock, and train new growth along the chain links and support frames. Within 3-4 years, you ll have a full wall of blossoming roses. A Corner Rose Garden Got a bare, sunny corner in your yard? It s the perfect spot for a climbing rose garden. Start with a few large boulders or rocks, plant 3-5 ground-cover or rambling roses, and stay out of the way. Within a few years, you ll find you re spending more time containing them than trying to make them grow. A Centerpiece Rose Garden for Your Front Entrance My mother gets credit for this one. She simply planted a rose bush at the base of her driveway lamp, and trained a few stalks to grow up along the lamp post. The result stunning! Red roses twine around the pole, and over the top of the lamp and spill around the ground at its base. A Patio Rose Garden Miniature hybrids and tea roses are quite happy growing in terracotta pots and other containers. If you have a sunny patio, try filling a large strawberry jar with a couple of tea rose bushes, and plant the pockets with trailing alyssum and purple lobelia. A Mixed-Up Rose Garden Roses love to share especially with garlic and onion plants. The tall, spiky foliage of onion, garlic and chive sets camouflage leggy rose stalks. Add a border of low-growing ground cover, and let the roses provide shade for shrinking violets and impatiens. Added bonus: garlic and onions keep away many rose pests. About the Author This article courtesy of flowers-usa
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Pamper your Cat with the Best in Kitty Kibble
March 16, 2007
Posted in General Recreation & Leisure @ 11:02 amQuickly bookmark Pamper your Cat with the Best in Kitty Kibble at:
Do you want to give your cat the very best quality of life possible? A well cared for pet can live many years beyond the average lifespan if fed and cared for properly. If you want to ensure the best health for your cat, the best way to do this is to guard their diet carefully. Pamper your cat with the best in kitty kibble. Avoid greasy table scraps, and make sure your feline friend gets plenty of exercise. With so many kitty kibble… Read more about cats at our website.
Easy Rose Care Tips
March 15, 2007
Posted in General Recreation & Leisure @ 12:00 pmQuickly bookmark Easy Rose Care Tips at:
Many people can’t resist a rose’s beauty and scent. Although these flowers are known to be a bit complicated to grow, anyone can start rose gardening in the comfort of his own backyard. To make sure that your most prized roses are in the best of health, simply follow these tips on dealing with rose dilemmas: 1. Black Spots on Leaves This disease is commonly known as black spot. Black spots appear as circular with fringed edges on leaves. They cause the leaves to yellow. The solution is to remove the infected foliage and pick up any fallen leaves around the rose. Artificial sprays may be used to prevent or treat this kind of rose disease. 2. Blistered underside of leaves A disease of roses known as rust, it is characterized with orange-red blisters that turn black in fall. In spring, it attacks new sprouts. This disease can even survive winter. What you can do is to collect and discard leaves that are infected in fall. Benomyl and Funginex spraying every 7-10 days may help. 3. Malformed or stunted leaves and flowers What could have caused this is the presence of spider mites. They are tiny yellow, red or green spiders on the underside of leaves. They also suck juices from leaves. The application of Orthene or Isotox may help in treating this infestation. 4. Weak and mottled leaves with tiny white webs under them This might be caused by aphids. They are small soft-bodied insects that usually brown, green or red. Often clustered under leaves and flower buds, they suck plant juices from tender buds. Malathion or diazinon spray may help roses to survive these bugs. 5. Flowers that don’t open or are deformed when they open. Thrips could be the reason behind this deformation and unopened flowers. It is characterized with slender, brown-yellow bugs with fringed wings thriving in flower buds. They also suck juices from flower buds. One should cut and discard the infested flowers. Using Orthene and malathion may also treat this health problem of your roses. These are some tips to help you produce beautiful roses in your garden every season. Just remember to follow the manufacturer’s directions when using pesticides. And do not contact the chemicals with your skin. Always wear gloves when applying these chemicals because they are highly toxic. About the author: Marc Entz writes articles for InterMarket Publications. See their new articles on fishing, gardening, travel, dog training, and casinos. Now on the web at hydroponics-gardening.usdsavers
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Pamper your Cat with a Padded Perch
Posted in General Recreation & Leisure @ 12:00 pmQuickly bookmark Pamper your Cat with a Padded Perch at:
Ever notice your cat sitting on or near a window? This is because even cats that stay in the house most of the time like to see outside. Therefore, you may as well make the feline pet feel as comfortable as possible. Just think of a padded perch for your feline pet as the cat’s own personal recliner center and/or a place to scratch and climb, depending upon the particular style of the perch. One padded perch is made out of carpet stuffed with… Read more about cats at our website.
Herbal Products to Pamper your Kitty
March 6, 2007
Posted in General Recreation & Leisure @ 3:00 amQuickly bookmark Herbal Products to Pamper your Kitty at:
Many cat owners are choosing to pamper their furry, feline friends with natural, holistic herbal products rather than conventional veterinary medicine. The herbal philosophy holds that a natural diet and lifestyle are the best foundation for the maximum healthy and longevity for pets. Herbal products are being used to treat and prevent health issues targeting pets. Holistic treatment uses natural products from our environment rather than man-made med… Read more about cats at our website.
Grooming Accessories You Need to Pamper your Cat
March 4, 2007
Posted in General Recreation & Leisure @ 5:00 amQuickly bookmark Grooming Accessories You Need to Pamper your Cat at:
Most cats usually groom themselves by licking their coats of hair and other body parts clean. However, they would also enjoy the extra touch that pet owner cats give with a variety of grooming accessories. Grooming supplies can mean a multitude of items, such as shampoos, detangler, nail clippers, dental wipes and brushes, and other cleaning items. However, the kind of grooming supplies and treatments that a cat would most likely en… Read more about cats at our website.
Taking Care Of Cats
March 2, 2007
Posted in General Recreation & Leisure @ 9:00 amQuickly bookmark Taking Care Of Cats at:
These days, cats are among the most popular pet you can own. There are several breeds available, with the most popular being Persian and Siamese. Cats are a domesticated animal, with origins dating back some 8,000 years and beyond. Like any other pet that you may own, including dogs, cats cost money to take care of properly. When you get a cat, you’ll need to think about the costs. You’ll obviously need food, and you’ll also need to plan ahead for vet costs. You… Read more about cat care at our main article.
Give your Pampered Kitty a Workout with a Cat Gym
Posted in General Recreation & Leisure @ 6:00 amQuickly bookmark Give your Pampered Kitty a Workout with a Cat Gym at:
You spent a lot of money on couches, sofas, chairs, curtains, beds, rugs, and carpets, or even if you didn’t they still cost a good chunk of change to repair or replace. From your cat’s point of view, your furniture is THEIRS! If you are ok with that, you may stop reading here; you have officially become your cat’s indentured servant. Good luck with that life of servitude. There is an expression that every cat owner will agree to: “Do… Read more about cats at our website.
