10 Things to Grow in Your Garden This Season

Are you hoping to establish a flourishing garden this year? If so, you are not alone. More people than ever are starting gardens. Some are hoping for organic produce. Others are looking for ways to cut down on the grocery budget. The following are ten of the most beneficial items to grow in your garden and why you may want to do so.

1. Tomatoes: Perhaps the best option for long term use is the tomato. Choose a variety like Italian Romas or Beefstake which are hearty. Use them in salads, make tomato sauce with them which you can store long term in jars. You can also make stewed tomatoes and salsa and have it available to you year round. Tomatoes are fairly easy to grow, too.

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2. Herbs: Growing a few herbs in your garden (or in a small container near a kitchen window) is a fantastic way to freshen up meals. Choose herbs like rosemary, cilantro, parsley, and basil. They can be dried for long term use.

10 Things to Grow in Your Garden This Season

3. Cucumbers: These are some of the easiest vegetables to grow. They do take up a bit of room, but kids love this fresh taste.

4. Peppers: Bell peppers are relatively easy to grow in warmer climates. If you wish to grow hot peppers, you definitely need high temperatures. Still, they can be added to sauces and salsas both fresh and canned. You can dry hot peppers, too, to use throughout the winter months as a way to warm up.

5. Strawberries: Those who love these fresh berries will enjoy growing them. You can also grow them in pots in a sunny location. They continuously produce crops of berries. You may even wish to consider raspberries and blueberries if your climate allows for them.

6. Squash: Summer squash and butternut squash are two favorites. They provide for a hearty meal and they last a long time after harvesting them when stored in a cool, dry location. Add them to soups, stews or serve as their own dish.

7. Beans: Beans are very easy to grow. After sowing them, it only takes a few weeks before you'll have a strong growth and will be nearly picking them. They will continue to produce so long as you are gentle with the removal of the beans. Choose from many varieties.

8. Corn: For those with a large area for growing vegetables, consider corn. Most people love its taste and it can be a good producer. The only drawback is the long growth time and the amount of space it can take up.

9. Watermelon: Summer is never complete without watermelon. You can grow it in your garden without a lot of work. It does spread widely so be sure that you have enough room to allow for its long reaching arms!

10. Salad Greens: Greens of all types can do very well in a garden. You can grow salad greens, collard greens or any others that you prefer. You can also consider broccoli and cauliflower, green cabbage and red cabbage.

These top ten items are just the start. There are so many wonderful vegetables and fruits to enjoy fresh from the garden.

10 Things to Grow in Your Garden This Season

Whitney Segura is an expert at Rion Hobby Greenhouses and Portable Mini Greenhouses.

How To Repel Snakes From Around Your House, Garden Or Farm

Snakes tend to follow their prey which usually like to stick to the edges of walls, fences, the base of trees, etc. These are the places where snakes are most likely to pick up on fresh scents of mice, rats and other rodents.

Some studies have shown that it is possible to use some substances that have a pungent and long lasting nature which effect the snakes smelling mechanism in such a way that it will prefer to leave the vicinity of the substance.

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Naphtalene is one such substance. Naphtalene is the substance used in moth balls (and you know how pungent that is). Moth balls are really just any one of certain kinds of wax balls that have been infused with naphtalene. Naphtalene can also be bought in liquid form from specialized dealers. In my experience you can spray it onto to porous stone, concrete, wood, dry leaves, trees, etc. All these places are good places upon which to spray naphtalene just as long as they are not washed with water afterwards.

How To Repel Snakes From Around Your House, Garden Or Farm

In small areas moth balls may be good because the substance is trapped inside a wax ball and therefore it's release will be slow and over a prolonged period of time. In larger areas you will need to buy naphtalene in liquid form and to spray it directly onto surfaces. Application should be repeated every two months during the snake season for best results. Naphtalene will not harm the envronment or cause any lasting damage to the snake. It will simply cause it go to look for food elsewhere.

If you use this substance to repel snakes you will have to keep the rodent population in check through other means on your own. Snakes help you with rodent control and the fact that they also pose potential a threat to you is merely an unfortunate accident of nature.

A good natural method of controlling mice and much more effective than snakes it to encourage the presence of a barn owl (or two) on your property. They will eat many mice in a single night. Snakes will only eat one every few days. Nesting boxes for owls can be bought at specialist dealer shops or on the internet.

How To Repel Snakes From Around Your House, Garden Or Farm

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Olive Garden Restaurant Specials and Promotions

It's Time to Take Advantage of Olive Garden Restaurant Specials

If you haven't checked out the latest Olive Garden restaurant specials, then you're definitely missing out. For starters, their Never Ending Pasta Bowl is back, and for only .95 you get to choose from a variety of tasty dishes, such as the newly introduced Creamy Parmesan Portobello, and the Chianti Three Meat special.

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There are over 40 pasta bowl combinations from which to choose, including 7 pastas and 6 sauces. Pastas include:

Olive Garden Restaurant Specials and Promotions

- Spaghetti
- Whole wheat linguine
- Linguine
- Fettuccine
- Penne
- Angel hair
- Orecchiette

Aside from the two aforementioned sauces, the other sauces available include Alfredo, Meat sauce, Five Cheese Marinara, and regular Marinara. You can also add meatballs, Italian sausage or the new roasted chicken option for just .95 more. And, you get unlimited salad and breadsticks with your bottomless pasta bowls!

Besides the Never Ending Pasta Bowl, there are many other new and "special" things available on the OG menu. The Shrimp and Crab Tortellini Romana is brand new, and worth heading to your favorite location to try out.

New Dishes On The OG Menu

Other new entrees gracing the Specials section of the OG website include Seafood Brodetto, which consists of scallops, shrimp, and tilapia with spinach and mushrooms, simmered in a delectable white wine and marinara-saffron broth. Yum!

Parmesan Crusted Bistecca is also a new introduction to the OG menu, and features a grilled 8 ounce sirloin covered in a Parmesan-herb breading and accompanied by garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes and asparagus soaked in a balsamic glaze.

The Capellini di Mare is a deep plateful of succulent shrimp, clams, and mussels in a white wine, garlic and zesty marinara sauce. It's served on top of capellini pasta, and topped with fresh basil.

Desserts

Dessert specials at Olive Garden include the Dolcini, or "Little Dessert Treats", which lets you choose from 5 fabulous Artisanal flavors, served in a small glass. The Warm Apple Crostana features rich vanilla cream and caramelized almond biscotti; the Triple Chocolate Strata is a sumptuous Italian chocolate torta with creamy mousse, topped with an irresistible dark chocolate ganache.

Be sure to bring your appetite along and get more of the fantastic tastes of Olive Garden for your buck!

Olive Garden Restaurant Specials and Promotions

Anya Weigel is a hobby web designer and likes to help consumers find good deals on items as well as coupons to save money. Visit Olive Garden Coupons at http://www.olivegarden-coupons.com for more information.

Paradise Lost - The Garden Of Eden

John Milton was born on 9th December, 1608 in London. Milton very nicely blends the Renaissance and Reformation movement in his great literary works. Some of his literary contributions are "Ode on The Morning of Christ's Nativity," Paradise Lost," "L'Allegro" and "II Penseroso" (1633), "Comus " (1634), "Lycidus" (1637), "Paradise Regained," "Samson Agonisttes."

Milton's "Paradise Lost" is a great epic. It is one of the greatest English epic of all ages. It brings out the poet's strong intellectual and creative energy. "Paradise Lost" mainly deals with God, Satan, Adam, Eve, battle for heaven between God and Satan, creation of our first man and woman - Adam and Eve, their happy hours in the Garden of Eden.
We get a very vivid and accurate description of Garden of Eden in Book 4 of "Paradise Lost". Milton very nicely shows the beauties of Paradise. We get to know that Milton's Garden of Eden and earthly Paradise are planted by the Almighty God in East of Eden. He writes:

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"Eden stretched her line
From Auran eastward to the royal town
Of great Seleucia, built by Grecian kings,
Or where the sons of Eden long before
Dwelt in Telessar"

Paradise Lost - The Garden Of Eden

Ever single object of the Garden of Eden is nice, full of freshness and natural. Every trees of Eden is full of fruits and flowers. There are very beautiful. We get to know about TREE of KNOWLEDGE and TREE OF LIFE. Different kinds of trees like cedar, pine fir create a very nice picture. These trees form a natural boundary for the Garden of Eden. Each and every tree is fruit laden. Every trees of the Garden carry fruits and flowers which are shinning brightly as sun's rays' fall on them.

The trees of the Garden are full of fruits which are really tasty and full of richness. These trees are not planted artificially. They are full of natural richness and qualities. Eden is full of natural treasures. There are lawns, glades, valleys, where cattle are grazing freely and happily. The whole nature has given all are treasures to decorate the Paradise. There are various flowers of different colors and smells. Adam and Eve often take rest in the shady caves of the Garden.

Even the caves are decorated with fruit laden trees and grape vines. The water-falls provide a soft and murmuring sound. The water is clear like mirror. The birds are singing very sweetly from trees. The air of the Paradise is pure and full of sweet fragrance. In the lap of such beautiful nature God's two most beautiful creation are nurturing their relationship. They are unaware of every odd plans of Satan.
Milton has given a vast description of the world of flora and fauna. The whole world of flora contributed in the decoration of the Paradise. There are different species of roses and jasmines are peeping from here and there in the Garden. These flowers are of different smell and color. Crocus, hyacinth decorate the floor of the Garden. Even the animal kingdom is very described by Milton. There are bears, tigers, elephants and other species of animals. As a whole it is very difficult top describe such a nice atmosphere.

The sky, the land, the horizon, the river, the waterfall are full of sweet smell and sound. It is really difficult to find the counterpart of such a great garden like Garden of Eden. The sounds of the bird are delightful to the ears of the human. The sunrise and sunsets of the Garden are really one of the most wanted and most beautiful scenes.

Thus Milton very accurately gives us the detailed description of the Garden of Eden. Milton is the second great poet of England stands next only to Shakespeare in bringing the nature in the words and sentences before the readers. Milton is the lover of Nature. In Book 4 he narrates a glowering description of nature and also the charms of Adam and Eve. Milton always deals with stately and majestic themes. Milton's concepts are high and grand. "Paradise Lost "is born out of his pure imaginative mind. He blends both modernity and ancient and mythological themes, incidents and character which are larger than, life.

Paradise Lost - The Garden Of Eden

Pushpita Ghosh

How to Arrange a Flower Garden

When it comes to arranging a flower garden there are only a couple of considerations. One is color and the other is size. There are a number of software programs that allow you to arrange your garden and I have tried one or two of these. They are not to my taste mostly because the time I spend installing and trying to figure out the program I could have been pulling weeds... I prefer getting my hands dirty over sitting in front of a screen any day of the week.

The first thing you need to do is consider color. This is a totally personal thing, but I prefer flowers in shades of the same color so I try to arrange my garden so that the colors are the same or complementary. For instance, I have yellow begonias that bloom more or less all summer. I put yellow and blue pansies in the same garden for ground cover. The pansies are annuals and the begonias have to be dug up and taken inside in the cooler months. So for the perennials, I have white and yellow tulips that come up in a mass in the spring followed quickly by daffodils and then by other yellow flowers that come up in rotation all summer - lilies, potentilla, and daisies.

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Arranging this garden is fairly easy. The tall plants are in the center flanked by the lower plants with space for the begonias to be replanted annually. The rim of the bed is filled with pansies.

How to Arrange a Flower Garden

The choices for colors range from the single color bed (with a splash of white in the case of the one I just described) to a multicolored bed to a bed that comes up in waves of colors. A neighbor has a bed that starts with red tulips then is filled with blue and pink William and Marys (officially known as Pulmonaria and unofficially known as lungwort, Bethlehem sage, Jerusalem sage, Joseph's Mary, and spotted dog).

Once the William and Marys lose their bloom their leaves remain green with nice white spots so they make a nice low greenery look in the garden. Then she has purple irises appear along with bleeding hearts. These are followed by orange tiger lilies. The only thing she plants annually are kale (or ornamental cabbage). She tucks these in under the taller plants and when the bleeding hearts die down and the irises and lilies are ready to be trimmed, there she has her cabbages popping up as if by magic.

The beauty of these kinds of gardens is that they are very low maintenance. You keep weeding them and in the divide any that are getting too overwhelming but you don't have to do much in terms of digging and planting and yet the color just keeps on coming all summer.

The size of the plants can provide lovely texture to your garden if they are mixed properly. Mix high and low plants so that they can all be seen and mix thin plants with bushy ones so that the graceful stalks of the thin ones can be seen and the bushy ones have room to expand.

How to Arrange a Flower Garden

Esmee McCornall is a 'Gardoholic' publisher and writer. One of her best known projects is website about Flower Gardening. Her love for flowers also made her start a project called Fresh Flowers. It is a project that will grow over time, covering hundreds of flower varieties. Including daisies of course.

Vegetable Garden Layout - The Potager Kitchen Garden (Or Flowers in Your Vegetable Beds)

Would you like to grow your own fresh vegetables at home in a vegetable garden layout which is attractive as well as productive? A potager kitchen garden is a vegetable garden in which there is a delightful mix of vegetables, herbs, flowers and perhaps even a fruit tree or two. Get some ideas here for planning your own potager design.

Origins

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The French kitchen garden, called the potager (pronounced pot-ah-zhay) traditionally provided the ingredients for potage (soup or vegetable broth). In medieval times the monks and nuns used these kitchen gardens to provide flowers for the church and vegetables for the inhabitants of the abbey. Whereas the English cottage garden is a random, haphazard collection of flowers, vegetables and herbs growing together, these potagers were geometric and ordered.

Vegetable Garden Layout - The Potager Kitchen Garden (Or Flowers in Your Vegetable Beds)

Layout

The potager garden may be large or small and is usually made up of square, rectangular, circular or diamond-shaped garden beds arranged in a repeating geometric pattern. The plants within the beds are also planted in groups or patterns. In a larger garden, the whole garden may be surrounded by a clipped hedge with an arbor for a climbing vine (e.g. passion fruit) to mark the entrance.

Suggested Plants

The idea is to have plenty of color and interesting textures - colorful frilly lettuces to border the paths, swiss chard with brightly colored stems, curly blue-green kale, purple sprouting broccoli, red chicory, red-stemmed beetroot, feathery carrots (their leaves that is!), runner beans on a tepee with lovely red flowers and long green pods, French climbing beans with green, purple or yellow pods, feathery asparagus and colorful fruiting vegetables such as chili peppers, sweet peppers, tomatoes and eggplant.

Besides the flowers on the vegetables, you may plant edible flowers, grow flowers for their companion planting properties or for cut flowers. Common companion flowers include marigold, nasturtium, chamomile and yarrow.

The external barrier could be a hedge of gooseberries, red currants, blueberries or goji berries or a combination of all four. Alternatively you could put up a trellis and plant it with grapes or kiwifruit. Make sure to choose varieties which will do well in your area. Your local garden center should be able to help you. Also take care that the hedge is not so tall so as to cast too much shade on your vegetable garden.

Vegetable Garden Layout - The Potager Kitchen Garden (Or Flowers in Your Vegetable Beds)

Conclusion
It may be helpful when designing your own vegetable garden to look at some vegetable garden layout plans. (See http://www.squidoo.com/VegetableGardenLayout to see some sample layout plans). Your vegetable garden layout will be as unique as you are. Each yard is a different size, a different shape, and faces a different direction. Just make sure to design your vegetable garden taking into account the physical aspects of your yard and your climate. (See http://www.squidoo.com/VegetableGardenDesign for tips).

Here's to your vegetable gardening success!

Gardening the Easy Way With Waist High Raised Garden Beds

It is fun and healthy to garden if the task is easy, not back breaking and something that people of any age can do without pain or discomfort. It is a known fact these days that many people have their own small gardens to help offset the costs of fruits and vegetables from their grocery bill. People everywhere enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, but hate the back breaking kneeling, weed pulling, and being hunched over to work planting their tasty harvest. If gardening was made as easy as possible, could be portable, and not a chore more people would do it. If you have even just a few feet of space, you can garden with waist high raised garden beds.

This idea is really ingenious. I am sure there are many others kicking themselves for not thinking of it on their own. People that have knee and back problems can not garden without much pain and difficulty in a regular garden in the ground. With waist high raised garden beds anyone even those in electric scooters and wheelchairs can garden easily. This makes gardening on your deck, porch, patio, in your greenhouse, or in a wonderful spot in your yard easy.

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The wonderful thing about these waist high garden frames is that they are easy to put together, very affordable, portable, and easy to transport when you move. The top reason many use them is that they can be reused year after year. When you use your own waist high raised garden beds you can also add things like trellises for your beans or tomatoes easily to the side of the frame. Setting up your own waist high garden is very easy to do with step by step directions.

Gardening the Easy Way With Waist High Raised Garden Beds

Each step is explained, and there are even instructions on how to set up your planting trays. Read the reviews and any other information that you can find on waist high gardening and you will be amazed that more people do not do this. It is common to see waist high tables in large greenhouses where they grow many plants in pots or trays. This is the same thing on a smaller scale. The plans that you can get to set up your own waist high raised garden beds can also be tailored for your own height with a few small adjustments.

Gardening the Easy Way With Waist High Raised Garden Beds

Victoria Rosendahl has been getting her nails dirty in the garden since she was 10. If you're tired of bending and kneeling to garden, visit http://www.garden-rack.com to learn more about GardenRack, the customized waist high raised bed gardening system that puts gardening within reach.

Your Garden Location - Eight Tips on Picking the Best Spot For Your Organic Garden

Choosing the right garden location is one of the most important steps of organic gardening. You will either have pleasure and a bountiful harvest or years of headaches depending on the location. In her book, Organic Food Gardening Beginner's Manual, Julie Villani says considering a few points now will make your organic gardening easier and fun. Here are eight tips on picking the perfect spot for your organic garden:

Let In The Sunlight

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This is especially crucial if you plan to grow vegetables over the winter. You will want a spot that gets at least six hours of sunlight each day. If you live in an area where the temperatures are milder, then you will want a garden that gets its maximum sunlight in the morning. If the summers are hot where you live, look for an area that gets some afternoon shade.

Your Garden Location - Eight Tips on Picking the Best Spot For Your Organic Garden

Steer clear of trees

Avoid planting by large trees as they provide too much shade and will compete with your garden for nutrients and water.

Keep It Close to Water

If you want your garden to produce in bountiful supply, it will need lots of water, so make sure your plot is close to a reliable water source. The last thing you want to do is to carry heavy buckets of water to your garden every day.

Consider Collecting Your Water

Keep a cistern near your garden plot to collect rainwater. That way you'll save on water costs if you live in town and fuel costs if you live in the country. (It takes electricity or gas to run a pump if you are on a well system). Get the water out of the cistern either through a pump or by using good old fashioned gravity.

You can also use recycled household water on your lawn, ornamental shrubs, fruit and nut trees, but don't use it on your vegetables, herbs or soft fruits - in other words fruit that is not grown on trees - unless you have tested it to make certain it is safe.

Think About The Wind

If you live on the plains like I do, then you know the wind can wreak havoc with a lot of things, including your tender garden plants. A wind-break can help reduce the wind and give your plants a chance to thrive. You don't want to completely block the wind, as that will create turbulence, so instead use layers of trees and shrubs, or put trellises nearby that are strong enough to support vine-type vegetables, such as squash. These will reduce the wind without creating troublesome turbulence.

Is There Sufficient Drainage?

We live on a wooded lot, and sunny spots are few and far between. Unfortunately, the only available spot for our garden was at the bottom of a hill. Every time it rains, the area is covered with six inches of water. We dealt with this problem by building raised beds that were at least 18 inches high. Your plants hate standing in water, so the next time it rains, look at the ground you are considering planting in, and build raised beds if needed.

What About the Soil?

This is the least important issue when considering a plot of land, because the soil can always be improved. Start composting now, or consider putting in easier raised beds that do not require digging. Over time, even the worst of soils can be improved with rich soil you make yourself.

Keep It Close

A garden close to your front steps is easier to keep weed-free. That way, you can pull out two or three of the unwelcome plants each time you walk to and from your car. Harvesting vegetables and herbs for meals will also be easier if your garden is close to the kitchen.

So there you have it. Follow these tips and your next garden will be easier, more bountiful and downright fun!

Your Garden Location - Eight Tips on Picking the Best Spot For Your Organic Garden

Sue Merriam is author of the website, Organic Gardening and Homesteading.
http://www.organic-gardening-and-homesteading.com

Craigslist's Farm and Garden For Sale Section - What You May Find

If you want to use Craigslist.org, you will find a for sale section. There are many different categories listed under this heading, including one for farm and garden. In that particular section, what are you likely to find?

Farm animals for sale - Common farm animals listed for sale or even for free on Craigslist include horses, cows, goats, chicken, ducks, rabbits, and more. Many times, a current farmer wants to make room for new animals or eliminate them altogether. Buying farm animals on Craigslist.org is a great alternative to attending local auctions. You may also find pet listings for household pets, such as cats, dogs, birds, and fish.

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Farm services extended to the public - It is common for farmers to offer services to the general public. These may include ground tours, summer camps for kids at horse stables, horse boarding, or animal renting. Animal renting is generally reserved for kids. They get an animal to care for on site. They can then use that animal to participate in local 4-H programs and to attend shows. Most services offered to the general public require the payment of a small fee. Ask if a fee is not listed on Craigslist.org.

Craigslist's Farm and Garden For Sale Section - What You May Find

For sale farm equipment - Unfortunately, many farmers across America are closing down their businesses or decreasing in size. Others regularly update their farm equipment, like John Deere tractors and John Deere lawn mowers. To help offset the cost of a new purchase, they resell the older models. Whether you are a current farm owner or just need equipment, you can find quality equipment and good prices.

For rent farm and garden equipment - Not only can you find equipment for sale, but for rent too. Gardeners regularly need tillers to treat the ground, but only once a year. It isn't worth it to buy the gardening equipment, but it is to rent it for a day or two. Many equipment owners know this, so they list their equipment for rent or even free borrowing on Craigslist.

Whether you are looking to buy or rent farm or garden equipment, buy farm animals, or use services open to the public, you can find what you need on Craigslist.org. To search more than just your local page, but the surrounding area too, download and use a Craigslist search tool to save time and find what you need. Perform multi-city searches with ease.

Craigslist's Farm and Garden For Sale Section - What You May Find

Click here to search farm and garden on Craigslist with ease; try the Craigslist Reader.

Garden Perennials - Asters

As gardening continues to grow in popularity more of us are looking to extend the time our gardens remain in bloom. Spring and summer are the best times for flowers but come fall most garden perennials are past their best and have already started dying back for the winter ahead. There are several late flowering shrubs that add color at this time and the changing color of the leaves of trees enhance the garden enormously. Asters are an important group of perennials which start to flower towards the end of summer and continue to produce an abundance of flowers until the first hard frost.

The leaves of Asters vary, mid green, gray-green and dark green are most common. The white, blue, purple, pink, red or purple flowers have a yellow center. They have a daisy-like appearance and develop in clusters. The Michaelmas Daisy, Aster novi-belgii, is the most widely know species but can become invasive as it self seeds quickly and roots branch outwards with even a single shoot quickly growing into a clump of Asters. However they remain an extremely popular and incredibly useful border perennial which can look incredible. Furthermore Asters make excellent cut flowers for use in flower arrangements.

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Popular Asters

Garden Perennials - Asters

There are number of Aster species with each offering numerous named varieties of Asters.

A. amellus which grows up to 60cm (2ft) high and 38cm (15in) across.

A. cordifolius which grows up to 1.2m (4ft) high.

A. ericoides which grows up to 90cm (3ft) high.

A. farreri which grows up to 45cm (1.5ft) high.

Aster x frikartii which grows up to 75cm (2.5ft) high.

A. linosyris which grows up to 60cm (2ft) high.

A. novae-angiae which grows up to 1.2m (4ft) high.

A. novi-belgii which grows up to 1.2 (4ft) high.

A. thomsonii which grows up to 38cm (15in) high

A. tongolensis, syn. A. subcaeruleus, which grows up to 45cm (1.5ft) high.

Cultivation and Propagation

Plant Asters from fall to early spring in well-drained fertile soil where it will receive most sunlight. Be sure to keep the ground moist, especially during flowering. Tall plants will need to be supported but otherwise Asters are relatively easy to grow. Equally so, propagation is also easy with the best method being division while dormant. Replant separated clumps of root or single shoots, depending on how many you wish to grow, in early spring. Asters can also be grown from seed with many annual varieties of mixed colors.

Most species of Aster need to be lifted and thinned every two years with A. novi-belgii needing to be done annually. Many gardeners firmly believe that Asters should not be planted in the same ground year after year as it can lead to the problems below.

At the beginning of winter, usually after the first hard frost, the plants die back and the dead and dying leaves and stems should be cut almost level with the ground to promote good growth in the following spring.

Problems

Asters suffer from a number of diseases such as powdery mildew and yellow wilt. Powdery mildew does little harm to the plant but makes it rather unsightly as it is a fungal infection which manifests as a white powder on the leaves and stems. Yellow wilt is a far more harmful fungal disease which causes Asters to wilt and die.

Garden Perennials - Asters

If you wish to discover more about Asters and other popular garden perennials visit http://www.landscapinginfo4u.com/perennials/index.php

http://www.landscapinginfo4u.com/ is dedicated to providing quality information about all aspects of landscape gardening. The author, Andrew Kelly, has been a keen gardener since his childhood and, now retired, he spends most of his spare time enjoying the hobby and writing about it.

Why is New Jersey Called the Garden State?

Why is New Jersey called the Garden State? In 1926, Alfred Heston published an historical account of New Jersey citing a moment in 1876 when Abraham Browning compared New Jersey to "an immense barrel, filled with good things to eat and open at both ends, with Pennsylvanians grabbing from one end and the New Yorkers from the other. He called New Jersey the Garden State, and the name has clung to it ever since." Although, New Jersey has historical roots tied to gardening, its modern ties to its nickname might be even more extensive. This is despite the famous 1954 incident where the Governor refused to sign a bill that would add this nickname to the state license plates. Although true that New Jersey is also strong in many other areas of manufacturing, mining, and construction its historical and modern ties are very extensive.

New Jersey has nearly a dozen garden clubs and several state associations with two large community gardens, Denville Community Garden and the Greater Newark Conservancy. Look around and you will find bird sanctuaries, garden museums, arboretums, and many historical garden sites. In addition, New Jersey has almost 10.000 individual farms spanning nearly 800,000 acres of farmland and among those leading the nation in many forms of agricultural production. New Jersey is a large supplier of tomatoes, corn, blueberries, cranberries, spinach, bell peppers, peaches, lettuce, apples, strawberries, potatoes, hay, and soybeans. Additionally, New Jersey is also famous for their wines and fruit wines with nearly three dozen wineries spanning the state.

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New Jersey is extensively covered in parks and tress with more than 50% of the state still wooded. In fact, New Jersey strongly pushes for land conservation and protection of its natural trees, resources, and wildlife. The push for modern "greenways" by many of the local organizations is one example of the modern way the New Jersey citizens define themselves by their state nickname. The New Jersey greenway vision is a push for "interconnecting systems of parks, trails, and protected natural areas, farmland, and historical places" according to Ed McMahon, director of the American Greenways Program. With a future vision of keeping in touch with its traditional roots its clear that many modern citizens continue to identify with the state nickname.

Why is New Jersey Called the Garden State?

Gardening is an extremely popular hobby in New Jersey. New Jersey is also famous for its master gardener programs at Rutgers where from 1984 to 2008 the program has accumulated over 1.2 million volunteer hours by the locals willing to learn and help out, according to a report by the university. This program has been extremely beneficial for getting people more excited and interested in gardening and landscaping in the area. The push for gardening even extends into the Northern New Jersey suburban housing where container gardening and window box gardening have become increasingly popular trends. The nickname not only defines New Jersey from a historical point of view it remains today an important symbol that represents what the average person from New Jersey relates to as well.

Why is New Jersey Called the Garden State?

Matt Buquoi is the owner of Flower Window Boxes, a window box company that specializes in affordable no rot window boxes. He has seen an increasing trend in the gardening and window box industry in the New Jersey area.

Create Your Own Garden Gazebo Landscape with These Garden Gazebo Landscaping Tips

Landscaping around a garden gazebo is relatively easy. There are many resources and books available that have specific landscape designs and plans. But by following the principles of outdoor design and decor listed below, it is possible for you to make your own garden design plan for your garden gazebo.

Determine the size and shape of the area you have for your garden gazebo and surrounding garden. This goes a long way in planning your design, and should be the first step in designing your garden gazebo area.

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Decide the type of gazebo placement you prefer. You can choose to have a symmetrical design or an asymmetrical design. A symmetrical design can be thought of as a mirror image. When symmetry is present, you would be able to cut the gazebo down the middle and everything would be the same on each side. This works nice for Victorian style garden gazebo placement, with the same plants on each side and paths coming to the gazebo at the same place on each side. With an asymmetrical design, the garden gazebo is placed on one side of the garden, and everything leads up to it from one direction. This placement works nicely with a smaller area.

Create Your Own Garden Gazebo Landscape with These Garden Gazebo Landscaping Tips

Make your landscape plan starting from the focal point of the garden gazebo and radiating outward. Begin planning what the immediate structures, plants, and flowers will be directly on and around the garden gazebo before you make the decisions about the perimeter area.

Become educated about the plants you want for your garden. Before buying any plants for your garden gazebo area, make sure that you know what type of conditions are ideal for each so that you avoid planting something in the wrong place. Also, be sure that you know the size the plants will reach, both height and width, to avoid having certain plants take over an area or crowd other plants or your garden gazebo.

Create Your Own Garden Gazebo Landscape with These Garden Gazebo Landscaping Tips

If you have enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about finding the perfect garden gazebo for your outdoor living area including information about hot tub gazebos, spa gazebos, Amish gazebos, and more, visit http://www.need-info.com/gazebo to get all the facts and info today.

How to Start a Vegetable Garden From Scratch!

1. Plot out your garden area. Decide on what you want to plant and how much room you will need to grow those plants. Also, the amount of sunlight is very important in picking out the proper placement of your garden. You will want an area that gets direct sunlight most for the day. Something else to take into account is the drainage of the land. You will not want your garden in a depressed area of land because water will tend to flood those areas and won't drain properly. I prefer using a slightly sloped piece of land or a flat piece of land that retains and drains water properly. Once you have chosen the location and size of you garden you will want to mark the boundaries of the garden with stakes or flags.

2. Next is the part of the job that will likely take the most time, preparing the soil. Preparing the soil means two things to me:

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A. Cutting and removing the sod. You have several options when deciding how you want to get rid of the grass and get down to the soil. If you have a very large garden you may want to hire somebody or rent the equipment (bobcat) to tear up the grass. If you own a rototiller (you can rent one), you can use this to remove the sod. There a two main types of tillers, front tine or rear tine. Rear tine tillers have the blades in the back of the machine and typically are a bit easier to use due to the fact that you (as the operator) get more weight/leverage over top the blades. Front tine tillers have the blades in the front and can be a bit harder to use on hard sod or compacted soil since there is not as much weight/leverage over top the blades to make them bite in as well as a rear tine tiller. If you have a very small garden area then you may also choose to use a shovel to tear up the sod. Personally, my brother and I used a tiller to tear up a rather large patch of land for our garden. We would run the tiller over the grass to break it up then rake the grass clumps into one large pile in the corner of our garden, which eventually decomposed to plain dirt. We had to run the tiller over the garden area several times and rake clumps of grass each time before we had a workable dirt area. This can be a back breaking task so make sure to take your time and rest occasionally.

How to Start a Vegetable Garden From Scratch!

B. Getting the soil ready to plant in. Plants will produce their best when they have a healthy, somewhat loose, soil to grow in. This means that you want a nutrient rich soil that retains just the right amount of moisture. You can take soil samples into many garden centers to get a test done. A soil test will tell you what you need to add or balance out in your soil. The three key nutrients in soil that you will need to worry about are: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Any and all of these nutrients can easily be added using organic or non-organic methods. Ask your garden center what you should use for your soil. I was fortunate with my garden because the land we put our garden on used to be old farm land and was great soil. We simply tilled the soil several times to loosen it up before we created rows.

3. Next you will want to create your rows and plant your seeds or seedlings. To do this, follow the directions for row and seed spacing on the back of your seed packages (you can also find all your planting information at the website listed in the resource box below). Many plants require 24" to 36" between rows. Make sure to leave adequate room between your rows to allow you to walk and/or till between them. I like to mark where my rows will be, by driving stakes into the ground on each end of the row and tying twine between the stakes (I use a tape measure to mark the distance between my stakes).

How to Start a Vegetable Garden From Scratch!

Steve Gunther is passionate about vegetable gardening. Though only introduced to gardening himself a couple of years ago, he has immersed himself in the gardening community. Steve is currently starting a website dedicated to vegetable gardening [http://getready2garden.com/] and a blog: http://getready2garden.blogspot.com/

The Best Types Of Fish For Your Garden Pond

There are many reasons as to why you might want to have fish in your garden pond - they add beauty, color, and interest to your garden and act as a sort of outdoor "pet." But there are other good reasons for putting fish in your pond, as well. For one, fish will eat pesky mosquitoes as well as pond algae. Overall, pond fish are also fairly easy to care for, too.

Now that I have convinced you to get some fish for your garden pond, let us go over a few types of popular outdoor pond fish - most outdoor pond fish are freshwater-coldwater types.

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Comet goldfish

The Best Types Of Fish For Your Garden Pond

This type of goldfish is going to be able to handle varied conditions in your pond - this includes varied conditions due to weather, as well as conditions due to your inexperience with pond fish. Comet fish can endure variations in both temperature and water quality. Comet goldfish are distinguishable by their long single tails - like a comet. They come in a variety of colors, including red and white. Also, comet goldfish tend to be fairly inexpensive. Chances are, your comet gold fish will live for 14 years and grow up to 10 inches long.

Shubunkin goldfish (aka calico goldfish)

This is a very interesting goldfish - like a common goldfish, shubunkin goldfish have long bodies and a single tail, but they are brightly colored in a mix of fantastic colors... red, brown, blue, yellow, and violet. They are also distinguished by black spots on their bodies and tails. This is a very tough goldfish type. Make sure that your pond has plenty of plants and open areas for swimming. If you have shubunkin goldfish, do not put telescope goldfish or bubble eye goldfish (and other slow swimming fish) in with them - they might end up starving because shubunkin goldfish will get to the food first... and they do not share. Rather, you should get your shubunkins a koi or two as buddies.

Koi

Koi range from very inexpensive to very expensive - there is quite a variety as to the type and quality of koi. By quality, I am referring to the color and patterns displayed on the koi's scales. As abovementioned, koi can cohabitate with other goldfish like comets and shubunkins very well. Koi can grow to be several feet long, and they can live from 25-50 years! Some people think that koi are gold fish, but they are only distant cousins to the goldfish - they are actually much more closely related to the common carp. While koi can handle a wide range of temperatures, as sudden change in temperature can affect them adversely. Koi will get along with other tropical fish, as well.

Whichever type of fish that you decide to get for your pond, be sure that you get ones that will cohabitate well and ones that are durable (like the abovementioned types of fish). Also make sure that you do not try to stick too many fish in too small of a pond. Consider having only one inch of fish per gallon of pond water. A 10 foot by 10 foot pond can typically support about 20 five inch fish... This math equation might be a bit too much - a general rule of thumb is to start with just a few, and go from there. Remember that your fish will grow!

Just a note: If you are new to having fish in your pond, you may want to avoid fantail varieties - these are not quite as durable as other types of goldfish.

The Best Types Of Fish For Your Garden Pond

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on fish and ponds, please visit Pond Filters [http://www.pond-filters.net].

Garden Weed Control - How Best to Deal With Oxalis

Oxalis, commonly known as Wood Sorrel, is hardly one of the ugliest of weeds. On the contrary, many species are favored perennials in garden beds, with their delicate, clover-like leaves, and attractive blooms. Yet one species of Wood Sorrel, Oxalis pes-caprae, can be in certain circumstances, one of the most annoying and difficult weeds to eradicate.

Oxalis has two properties that make it particularly problematical. One is the vigorous network of bulbs that it develops, rendering ineffective, hand or mechanical weeding. Secondly, while most perennial weeds are active during the summer, the primary growing season for Oxalis is the winter. Why is this a problem?

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It is often the case that perennial weeds need to be treated with a systemic herbicide in order to eradicate them. The most suitable systemic weed killers available to gardeners are those based on glyphosate, such as Roundup. The trouble is that Roundup's systemic properties (that is the capacity to reach down to the plant's roots) are only effective during warm weather, and when the weeds are actively growing. Considering that the plant is mainly active during the cooler months of the year, it follows that the bride and the groom; in this case Oxalis and Roundup, "miss" each other.

Garden Weed Control - How Best to Deal With Oxalis

Wood Sorrel is not a disaster in all situations. If it grows in a small flowerbed, hand weeding as a part of routine maintenance, will not eliminate the weed, but keep it under reasonable control. As mentioned before, the plant is not unattractive.

Heavy infestations in a lawn can be more disagreeable, unless mowing is carried out very frequently - say every three days or so. If eradication is the goal, then it is possible to apply a selective herbicide, that poisons broad-leaved plants (like Oxalis) without damaging then lawn. The trouble is that the weed killers in this category, which are based on the dreaded 2-4-D, evaporate easily, and by so doing, can seriously damage neighboring plants, including those in adjoining properties. While their use may be reasonably safe where there are no plants in the vicinity, in the average private garden, they are liable to be very dangerous.

Without a doubt though, Oxalis comes into its own as a noxious weed, in areas of the garden planted with low ground covers. If it is growing with the ground covers, it is virtually impossible to get rid of without damaging the desired plants. It is vitally important therefore to eliminate the Oxalis prior to planting. However, here it is worth remembering the case of the unhappy bride and groom who discover that they are unsuited to each other!

What should you do in the summer for instance, if you were planning to plant ground-hugging plants, in soil that may contain Oxalis bulbs? The answer is to wait for winter and the sprouting of the Oxalis weeds, and then treat them with the afore-mentioned selective herbicides, which unlike Roundup, are effective in cool weather. Needless to say, the work should only be carried out by a qualified professional.

Garden Weed Control - How Best to Deal With Oxalis

My name is Jonathan Ya'akobi.
I've been gardening in a professional capacity since 1984.
I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, but now concentrate on building gardens for private home owners.

I also teach horticulture to students on training courses. I'd love to help you get the very best from your garden, so you're welcome to visit me on http://www.dryclimategardening.com or contact me at jonathan@dryclimategardening.com

John Deere, Vintage Garden Tractors

Besides being old & rusty or not even working, those John Deere lawn & garden tractors that were built & sold in the 1960's, 70's or 1980's my be more valuable than you could ever imagine. Unfortunately, after many years of faithful service many of them have been placed in an isolated corner of our yards to rust away, or have been brought to the local junk yard to be disposed of. Many of these early model tractors are now nearing the official classification as Antiques & highly sought after by collectors & restorers of John Deere tractors.

Unfortunately, many people are not aware of the value or the historical significance of many of these little tractors. Ironically, this has to some degree added to their overall value because many of the parts needed to restore & repair these little machine are no longer available from the original manufacturer. Not only is there a shortage of parts, the information to repair them as well is in high demand & has now become just as valuable as the machine itself. This has opened up another whole new area to collectors & restorers. Many people are now specializing in the collection & sale of the vast amount of official repair manuals & bulletins that the original manufacturer provided when these machines were originally sold.

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A John Deere Model 110 lawn & garden tractor that sold new in 1963 for less than 0 is now easily worth four, five, six thousand or possibly more to the right collector. And while condition is always a factor, this is an area where condition is usually not the top deciding factor in price. This is because many collectors & restores will add value to a machine if it has the working parts needed to complete the restoration or repair of another machine. Both collectors & restorers want original equipment parts, even when a replica or reproduced parts may be available. Many are willing to pay for original used parts well over the cost of a reproduced part due to the historic value & significance. Keeping it all John Deere & all original is probably the number one factor in driving the price.

John Deere, Vintage Garden Tractors

There is a growing number of collectors who do not collect or restore these old tractors, but who collect & sell all the thousands of pages of owner's manuals, shop service & repair manuals, repair bulletins, sales literature & marketing material. Of course the value of this material is that it must all be original & issued by the manufacturer. In mint conditions many of these items can be worth from hundreds to thousands of dollars. For many, who do not want or cannot handle the actual collection & storage of the machines, the collection of original catalogs, manuals & sales sheets is ideal. And it cannot be stressed enough, that without this documentation, it would prove almost impossible to bring these vintage machines back to life & back to the condition they were in when they left the factory.

or those who have an interest in these old machines, there are many fine sources that one can utilize to broaden their knowledge. There are many local & national clubs. Some clubs are dedicated to one brand of machine or a specific line of tractors. Other clubs cover the entire range of available brands. If you do an online search for these clubs you will be amazed what you will find. I am sure that in your own hometown you will be able to find a club, or individuals that share a similar interest. On the worldwide web you will find many dedicated websites run by clubs or individuals & covering almost every aspect of this hobby. And if you have a local John Deere Dealer, an independent power equipment dealer or other brand dealer, you could ask them about local clubs, events or other collectors & hobbyists in your area. Your local public library can also be a source for reference materials & contact information.

The very nature of this activity requires individuals to share their knowledge & expertise with each other. Many lifelong friendships have become a byproduct of this activity & I am sure that once you get involved you will find yourself making new friends too.

John Deere, Vintage Garden Tractors

The author of this article has had a long time interest in the history of Deere & Co. and its founder, John Deere. The technological advances along with manufacturing capabilities from Deere & company played a significant part in the advancement of agriculture in America.

In later years Deere & Co. realized the needs of the smaller farms & rural home owners & developed a line of small tractors & attachments which entered the market place in the 1960's. Now in the twenty first century of high tech, these twentieth century machines have gained a place in American history. Many of the individuals involved in the collection & restoration of these vintage machines do it in the spirit of historical preservation.

At Jerrys Deere Barn http://www.JerrysDeereBarn.com you will find free information on repair & restoration, a member's forum, a photo gallery and many other features. Participation is free & we invite everyone who has an interest in John Deere to stop by and visit us. Individuals are encouraged to join the forum & participate by asking & answering the questions of other members. Please share your knowledge.

Every John Deere vintage tractor enthusiast is invited to this friendly & FREE website. visit us at http://www.JerrysDeereBarn.com

Plastic Garden Storage - Thinking Outside the Box

What does the phrase "plastic garden storage" bring to mind? If you're like most people, you never think about outdoor storage at all. But maybe you're not like most people. Maybe you're one of the few who care deeply about our yards and gardens, and realize how how helpful outdoor storage can be in achieving a tidy appearance. In that case, you may be surprised to learn that sheds aren't the only type of plastic garden storage product on the market.

In fact, some of these products you might not even classify as "storage products." But that's how online retailers categorize them. And they meet my definition of a plastic garden storage product as anything that helps you keep your yard neat and organized.

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So precisely what kinds of products am I talking about? Let's start with deck boxes, which range in capacity from 50 to 127 gallons. Despite the name "deck box," these units are also great for patios. Speaking of patios, Suncast's PB6700 Patio Bench is an ingenious product that provides 44 gallons of storage, as well as a place to sit. If you don't have enough room for this bench, try its smaller cousin, the 31-gallon Suncast Mini Patio Bench. The Baby Bear of this product family is the Suncast SS1000 Storage Seat, with a capacity of 22 gallons.

Plastic Garden Storage - Thinking Outside the Box

A bit farther afield, the Suncast DCP2000 Prep Station is designed to make light work of outdoor food preparation. It's perfect for the dedicated barbecuer in your family. With two storage cabinets and 40 inches of cutting and prepping surface, it provides plenty of room to marinade steaks and fix vegetable kebabs.

One of my favorite plastic garden storage devices is the humble hose reel. This simple device eliminates kinks and tangles, while keeping your garden hose safely stowed away when you're not using it. Suncast makes several models, but my favorite is the Powerwind Hose Reel, which effortlessly reels in your garden hose with no work on your part.

It may seem like a bit of a stretch to refer to a trash container as a storage device. But I didn't want to wrap up this article without mentioning Suncast's Outdoor Trash Hideaway. It's a fancy name, but this is no ordinary garbage can. It's beige, and features faux wainscoting for an attractive appearance. It holds 30- to 33-gallon bags and the lid can be secured to keep marauding critters at bay.

As you can see from this article, your plastic garden storage options go far beyond the traditional shed. The right storage product can help you organize your yard and reduce the risk of tripping over a stray toy or garden hose. I hope this information will help you find a product that suits your needs.

Plastic Garden Storage - Thinking Outside the Box

Joshua Beidler lives in San Diego, California. He writes about Internet marketing, home and garden decor, and many other topics that catch his interest.

Garden Hoses - 3 Tips To Choosing Your Best Garden Hose

So, you have decided you need to buy a new garden hose? How do you know what to look for in a new hose? Before you make a purchase here are 3 tips to help you find the perfect garden hose for your home.

1. Construction - Obviously, the quality of the hose will determine its life, so look for garden hoses that have brass connectors. Why? Because brass fittings are the best in preventing water leaks and hold up well to everyday use in the yard or garden. It also will never rust or rot out.

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Be sure that any water hose you buy has 6 inch kink guards. These guards are what helps prevent your hose from kinking when it's pulled out from the faucet.

Garden Hoses - 3 Tips To Choosing Your Best Garden Hose

2. Long Life - If you are going to spend or more on a new garden hose, then get a good one. A high quality multi-layered rubber hose will give you 7 years of life. Yes, you can go to Wal-Mart and buy a cheap garden hose. But don't expect to use it again next year.

3. Style Of Hose - This is an important area that is often overlooked. How you store your hose has an effect on what style to buy. For example, a coiled hose will work great will a nice hose reel. Just be wary of trying to use any kind of hose reel with a cheap coiled hose. If you have ever seen the tangled rats nest it can make, then you know what I mean.

Finding your best quality garden hose is the only way to go. Whether it is for watering your garden vegetables, plants or shrubs, it will give you years of trouble free use.

Garden Hoses - 3 Tips To Choosing Your Best Garden Hose

By the way, you can find out more tips to choose your best Garden Hose as well as much more information on all types of garden hoses and garden hose accessories at http://www.GardenHosesA-Z.com

Antique Garden Furniture

Garden furniture is a must to adorn and decorate the garden to enhance the look of the house. They are used for sitting, resting, and decorative purposes. They are of various types and are made of metal or wood combinations. They are found in elaborate, contemporary, antique and traditional designs.

Antique garden furniture includes popular designs of a past era. Through the ages specific styles have emerged that still influence purchase patterns and are popular. Victorian garden furniture has a unique style, and is an asset to the owners. Elaborately designed benches, and love seats that are ornately built are still the most popular buy.

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Antique garden furniture involves specific patterns and art forms that are used in their creation. These are furniture types that have endured the test of time and are viewed as artifacts. The range of antique garden furniture includes, a wide variety of heavy wooden furniture that was initially used, in the gardens of the elite and the nobility. They were generally custom made and exhibited intricate woodwork. They are now displayed in museums, as woodwork is prone to damage, as a result of extended exposure to the elements.

Antique Garden Furniture

Iron garden furniture of antique style is found to be in better condition. A wide range of iron antique garden furniture is still being traded, and is sold at exorbitant rates for their antiquity. It is seen that most of the furniture sports a typical style of intertwining and connecting oak leaves. This is generally a set with a table and matching chairs. The table is usually found to have a pedestal base, with claw feet. This was a very popular design during Queen Victoria's reign.

When buying antique garden furniture from auctions, purchase prices tend to be high. Potential buyers are advised to make purchases, only after certifying the authenticity of the sources and auctions. Buyers can avail of the service of professional evaluators, to help establish authenticity and worth of antiques from a private collection. It is important to gather information regarding the history of antique garden furniture, as they could also be duplicates. The trade of antique garden furniture involves, exorbitant money transfers and, thus it is essential to be assured of the authenticity before the purchase.

Antique Garden Furniture

Garden Furniture provides detailed information on Garden Furniture, Teak Garden Furniture, Outdoor Garden Furniture, Patio and Garden Furniture and more. Garden Furniture is affiliated with Stone Garden Bench [http://www.e-GardenBench.com].

How To Keep The Bugs Out of Your Garden

You have worked for many hours on planning, preparing and planting your garden. Only to have those annoying pests then move in and destroy what you worked so hard to build up. Insects can damage your plants within a matter of hours once they've found the fruits of your labor.

The best way to control these bugs is to keep them out of your garden to begin with. There are many pesticides that you can use to keep the bugs away, but you need to make sure they're safe to use.

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Some of the sprays can be harmful to the health of other animals and possibly small children. You want to get rid of these pests, but make sure you don't get rid of all of them, since there are some you actually want to keep in your garden.

How To Keep The Bugs Out of Your Garden

Some of these helpful pests, such as ladybugs and spiders, feed on the annoying insects that damage your plants. They're essentially the best bodyguards one could have for their garden.

One of the best ways to control the insects and pests that damage the plants in your garden is by allowing helpful pests in that will drive those harmful ones away or eat them.

By planting inviting plants or "homes" for the helpful insects, you can keep the harmful ones at bay quite efficiently. Check with your local gardening center on which plants attract the good pests.

Another thing to keep in mind is to keep your garden clean. The harmful pests are often attracted to piles of leaves, grass cuttings and dense spots of weeds. These pests can thrive in those areas, so weed your garden regularly and clean up the leaves and grass cuttings that find their way into your garden.

Some organic gardeners use a hot pepper wax that they lightly spray on the leaves of their plants. The oils from the spicy contents of this wax wards off the harmful insects and other pests as well.

The wax solution is safe for your plants and doesn't affect the produce at all, so don't worry about "spicing" up your vegetables. As long as you properly clean them before consuming them, you won't notice any residue.

There are some plants that give off a scent that repels those bugs and keeps them away from your precious produce. Such plants - like marigolds and the borage herb plant - are very effective at keeping those pests away from your tomato plants. Plant them nearby and watch your tomato plants grow to be healthy and robust.

Every gardener wants to see their garden thrive after putting in a lot of hours of hard work and dedication into it. No one wants to see that labor go down the drain by losing their plants to those annoying pests that move into your garden.

Before planting your garden, do your research and find the best companion plants to repel the annoying pests and the ones that invite the good insects in according to your geographic location.

How To Keep The Bugs Out of Your Garden

Paul Duxbury writes extensively on Gardening and Landscaping at The Gardening Column [http://www.gardeningcolumn.com] and has a range of Gardening websites including The Garden Care Centre [http://www.garden-care-centre.com]

Garden, Deer, and Rabbit Fencing

Are you tired of deer's or rabbits invading your valuable gardens and plants? Well if you are then all you require to keep them away is a fence. A fence is nothing but a free standing structure which is designed to prevent and restrict any sort of movement across the area where it has been mounted. The lightness of its construction is the main basis which distinguishes it from the construction of a solid wall. A fence does not block the vision like wall and thus possess its unique functions and uses. Fences may be constructed to cater to varied purposes and needs like agricultural purpose to prevent the predators out or the livestock in, temporary fencing to provide security and safety, decorative fencing to enhance the beauty of the space enclosed, perimeter fencing to disallow trespassing and to keeps the pets or children wandering away etc.

One of the most common purposes to which fences are mounted is to safeguard garden. A garden fence simply provides a safe haven for the budding of plants and flowers in the garden, and keeping away the so called invaders which are animals and birds. It also provides a boundary between two houses and at times is also constructed to hide something unwanted in the garden from the view of the outsiders. Garden fences are available in a varied range starting from the economical ones to the expensive and costly ones. But the user before selection of the garden must assure that the chosen fence will complement the home and the garden. Besides giving consideration to appealing appearance there are other factors also which should be given optimum consideration so that the purpose with which the fence is mounted is well catered. The other factors are security and strength. Since garden fences are available in varied choices, the strength it possess and security it assures should be given equal weight age or else the user will very soon find the garden fence been dominated by the weather conditions or broken by regular invaders.

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Deer fence is a very different kind of fence than the garden and agricultural fences as they are constructed in keeping in the mind the deer's. The special deer fence is generally made of light weight woven wire generally connected to a light post. But the height of the fence is kept high and tall so that the deer finds it impossible to jump over it. On the other hand rabbit fence is also constructed with barbed or woven wire, but they are constructed very closely and there is hardly any diameter between each strand so that the rabbits cannot invade the bounded area or field. Rabbits are not known to jump high so the height of the rabbit fence is kept low.

Garden, Deer, and Rabbit Fencing

Garden, Deer, and Rabbit Fencing

Now there's a better way to keep animals out of your garden and protect your flowers and plants from damage. Garden Fence or Garden fencing is sleek, secure, simple and inexpensive way to protect your garden. Visit http://www.gardenfence.com/ for more details.

Garden Gift Baskets For The Avid Gardener

If you have a friend or relative that is an avid gardener, there is no more thoughtful gift than a garden gift basket for a holiday, birthday or anniversary present. At first, you may seem overwhelmed when shopping in your garden center or on the internet. There are a few things to consider when trying to find just the right "flavor" for your garden gift basket to give to the people who love to play in the dirt, so t speak.

First you must determine how much you want to spend for the garden gift basket. After you have the dollar amount, walk through the aisles of the garden center to see what items are available. Of course, you could also do an internet search to see what the most popular tools and gadgets are selling. You will be surprised at the range of goods that are available from the inexpensive to the extravagant. Keep in mind that you will want to get quality products that will last so your friend or relative will have years of enjoyment.

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If your gardener is a novice you may want to start with the basics, a pruner, a watering can, gardening gloves, or special nozzles for the hose. There are many garden centers that have gift baskets already made up. It could include some gardening tools and seeds revolving around a specific theme like, vegetables or roses or herbs. If you choose to go with the herb theme and want to do it on your own, include some tasty herb seed packets, some small, pretty pots and a journal where notes can be kept.

Garden Gift Baskets For The Avid Gardener

If you have a gardener with a well used garden rake and tool belt, you can pretty much surmise that they have all of the state-of-the-art tools and have been collecting gardening equipment for years. Here, a simple but thoughtful gift would be a work apron that has be monogrammed or personalized with a funny garden saying. A well seasoned gardener will appreciate the thought you have put into the gift.

To really get the best gift for your gardener you should know the level of their expertise and if they have a theme. For example there are gardeners that only grow roses while there are others that specialize in herb gardening, knowing this will help you pick out the perfect gift. For instance a scarecrow would look dumb in a rose garden whereas a hummingbird feeder is way out of place in a vegetable patch. And be careful with the "cutesy" garden decorations, some people love garden gnomes or stone gargoyles whereas someone with an award winning exotic tropical garden wouldn't think of having one.

If after you have gone through all these options, level of expertise and if they have a theme or not and you still don't know what to buy, the answer is simple. Purchase them a gift certificate from your local garden center. Every gardener needs supplies through the year and your gift will help to offset the expense of their garden.

If after considering the gardener's experience level and theme of their garden you remain stumped, a gardening gift certificate allowing them to select their own gift is a surefire way to please and inspire them as their garden grows through the years.

With a little inspiration you can find the perfect gift basket for your avid gardener. Don't forget to put a pretty bow on the basket! Here is a natural pesticide that you may want to print on a card and include in the gift basket:

In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

Every gardener likes to keep the garden as chemical free as they can.

Happy Gardening!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Garden Gift Baskets For The Avid Gardener

Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at Gardening Landscaping Tips, Gardening Outside and Herb Gardening

Garden Designs With a Swimming Pool

Having a pool in your backyard can be a great recreational avenue for the whole family. Match a beautiful garden to a good swimming pool design and you got yourself a great place to host formal as well as family parties. Since you require no permits to build a swimming pool in your backyard, you can employ any good contractor to build one for you.

A good swimming pool design requires a lot of planning. First, you have to settle on the shape of the pool area. It does not have to be a mundane rectangular shape. You can try out ellipse, circular of free curve styles of swimming pool designs by simply using a long enough piece of rope or garden pipe. Once you have settled on the shape, the next step is the size and distance of the pool. Depending on the maximum number of people you will entertain in the pool and the area that you will require for the garden, you will have to choose the dimensions. The distance of the swimming pool design from your house also matters from the aesthetics point of view. The last step in planning for a pool involves what accessories you will be putting around the pool area. These accessories will require space and so must be integrated into the overall pool and garden design. With all these plans ready you are can now start building your pool.

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One secret to having a hassle free garden design Melbourne is to use whatever elements you already have in your backyard to enhance the appeal of the pool area. This can include trees, shrubs and even rock formations. If flowers are natural to your neck of woods, then use this natural element to surround the pool area, if vines are the natural part of your backyard then grow them over the fences and walkway to your pool. Trees are another great beautifier. Remember to plant only those trees that go well with your swimming pool design. This includes trees that do not shed leaves such as Coast Banksia, Yellow Gum and Black She-Oak. Another great garden design Melbourne is to use rocks to decorate the pool surroundings. Large and medium size boulders when used to make rock steps leading up to the pool or by themselves can serve as a unit of the beauty of the garden.

Garden Designs With a Swimming Pool

To get a good knowledge of the plants that will survive in the unpredictable climate of Melbourne, you can pay a visit to The Royal Botanic Gardens or to any of the other local community gardens and parks. The trees and shrubs that you find there will definitely live longer than any other type of species in your backyard, as they are indigenous to the city. If you do not want to personally build a garden into your swimming pool design, then you can approach a garden design Melbourne based contractor or landscaper. These people are well versed in the aspects of beautifying a swimming pool area with gardens. Although employing a garden design Melbourne contractor is expensive, the different types of landscape they can provide your pool area with is worth every penny you will spend.

Garden Designs With a Swimming Pool

With many areas experiences lower rainfall, your garden design ideas need to be very water wise. The same obviously applies for swimming pool designs, which can be made to save water.

Garden Huckleberries - Annual Berries You Can Count On

Did you know there's an annual berry that you can grow just like you grow a tomato? They're called garden huckleberries.

Garden huckleberries are in fact related to tomatoes, as well as peppers and potatoes. They're a member of the nightshade family and their Latin name is Solanum melanocerasum, syn S. nigrum guineense.

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They produce deep purple or black berries beginning in early fall. But wait until the berries have been kissed by frost before you pick them, they'll be much more flavorful. The fruits are bitter and must be sweetened and cooked before eating.

Garden Huckleberries - Annual Berries You Can Count On

Start huckleberry seeds indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. Grow the seedlings just like tomatoes or peppers. Keep them well watered and feed them weekly with a liquid fertilizer applied at half of the manufacturer's recommended strength.

Move them outdoors and harden them off beginning about two weeks before your average last frost. Put them in the shade during the day. Gradually move them into the sun and leave them outdoors for a few more hours each day until they're outside all the time. Bring them indoors if frost is predicted.

Plant them in full sun in the vegetable garden after all danger of frost has past, about the same time you plant your tomatoes. Add a trowel of compost to the soil around each plant when you transplant your seedlings.

They're thirsty like tomatoes too, so keep them well watered. Remove weeds, or better yet, mulch to suppress weeds and conserve moisture. Small white flowers appear in July. Remember to feed with a liquid fertilizer weekly, especially after the flowers open.

In early fall the garden huckleberries will begin turning black. They will be ready to harvest about two weeks later, when their skin changes from shiny to dull. They'll be rather soft and their insides will turn from green to purple. Try to resist picking them until after they have been exposed to at least one light frost. Afterward, pick the ripe ones and leave the unripe ones on the plant. They too will soon ripen, so don't give up on them.

When I used to think of growing berries in my garden, I thought of perennial berries like strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. But it can take a couple of years for these plants to produce fruit.

Now I think of garden huckleberries. The produce fruit the first year and each plant produces just enough berries for one pie.

Pretty convenient, don't you think?

Copyright Sharon Sweeny, 2009. All rights reserved.

Garden Huckleberries - Annual Berries You Can Count On

Sharon Sweeny is a creative copywriter, specializing in gardening and self-sufficient do-it-yourself lifestyles. She divides her free time among her garden in Minneapolis, alternately juggling half a dozen creative projects and blogging on gardening at http://moxiegardener.com while pondering the exact location of Frostbite Falls, Minnesota.

Want to get the best writing for today's Internet? Whatever niche or market you are in Sharon Sweeny [http://sharonsweeny.com] will help get you noticed. Work with a professional who gets the job done right and on time with no excuses.

Garden Art Ideas -- How to Make Your Planters Into Beautiful Garden Art

Garden stores have so many different types of garden art for your to choose from - there are beautiful water features like ponds and fountains, as well as statues, wind chimes, birdhouses, and so much more. But why not go ahead and make your own garden art? Why not make sure that your garden fully reflects your own personality, and nobody else's?

When it comes to making your own garden art, there are so many different possibilities as to what you can do that it can almost be overwhelming. That is why I am going to focus on just one type of garden art in this article: planters. Check out these fun and unique ideas for your garden pots and planters:

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The Spilt Planter

Garden Art Ideas -- How to Make Your Planters Into Beautiful Garden Art

Add a little humor to your garden with a "spilt planter." Find an ordinary pot or barrel and tip it on its side in your garden. Fill the planter part way with soil, and then spread the rest out in front of it as though it has spilled out. Choose a few of your favorite flowers and plant them in the spilled-out soil. Warning: this fun and whimsical idea is one that may have do-gooders coming up and trying to fix the spill... until they see that the plants are actually planted in the ground.

Bathtub Planter

Find a bathtub (a clawfoot tub, preferably) at a thrift store, garage store, or even from your remodeled bathroom. Fill her up with good soil and then plant a small garden! It can also be fun to use a bathtub as a pond. It is even possible to find a way to hook your garden hose up so that you can have water coming out of the bathtub waterspout.

Thrift Stores Gems

There are many other things that plants can be planted into (besides planters and pots... and bathtubs). Why not go to an antique shop or a thrift store and see what you can find! You can plant a pair of cacti in a pair of cowboy boots. Why not plat a snapdragon in a tea cup? You can use vases, pots and pans, tires, helmets, and so many other things as planters. You may not know what item can double as a perfect garden planter until you go out and find it.

Pottery By Your Own Hand

Why not sign up for a pottery class and make your very own planter! Granted, you may make a pot that is only large enough for one petunia, but it is so much fun to create your own shapes and to glaze your pot in whatever color you want. Homemade pots with a flower in each make excellent gifts, as well.

Pot makeovers

If you already have a pot that you like, why not just dress it up a bit? Go ahead and glue a ribbon around the rim or even add sequins, buttons, scrabble letters, or other items! You can also completely makeover a pot - you just need some Mod Podge (a wonderful, glue-like substance) and some magazines. Cut or rip out some favorite pictures from magazines (or use photographs, newspaper, brown paper bags, tissue paper, etc.) and Mod Podge them all over your pot. Use a weather-proofing finishing spray to top it off. (If you are using a terra cotta pot or another pot that breathes and is not glazed, be sure that you heavily coat the pot with Mod Podge before you add your pictures, and consider placing another planter inside the pot to keep the magazine pictures from puckering when you water your plant.

Garden Art Ideas -- How to Make Your Planters Into Beautiful Garden Art

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on gardening and garden art, please visit Garden Art.

Garden Augers in Your Garden

You are probably familiar with drills for metal and wood but are probably not as familiar with the soil drills known as garden augers. These valuable devices stand out in the ranks of specialty garden tools for the quick job they will make of many often encountered outdoor jobs.

You easily can find garden augers in a broad range of sizes. The biggest are intended for rapidly planting trees and even telephone poles. The small ones are for garden use, drilling smaller holes most for properly planting bulbs, seeds and smaller plants.

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All garden augers will need a source of rotating power to use. For a very small auger this may be a hand driven drilling device. For the biggest garden augers a very powerful force is required such as from a tractor drive shaft. The most popular small sizes of garden augers are intended to work with variable speed electric hand drills.

Garden Augers in Your Garden

Most garden augers are not intended to work in highly compacted dry, very rocky soil or gravel but in already cultivated soil an auger can greatly accelerate a variety of tasks.

Augers are generally used for all kinds of planting in home gardens. The very largest of augers require heavy duty motors to be effective but they are the only way to go when you have a big planting job. Some of these can drill holes many feet deep and six inches or more in diameter.

These big augers are also popular for placing fence posts. They turn a slow and back-breaking job into a very fast exercise. Only the hardiest of fence builders would consider digging fence post holes by hand when appropriate augers are readily available at most tool rental shops for very reasonable prices.

A really quick way to plant spring and summer bulbs in addition to many bedding plants and seedlings to use the auger to create the correct sized hole then place the seeds, bulbs or plants. The very popular garden augers varying from about three inches on down to under two inches are just right for this kind of job. You'll need a small, variable speed drill to power the auger and it can make holes from a few inches up to two feet deep to make really quick work of planting.

The things you can do with garden augers doesn't stop with planting though. Another great use is remove the roots of weeds that have long roots going deep into the ground and are extremely difficult to get out with other common garden tools.

Bushes and trees, in particular older and established trees and bushes, need regular deep fertilizing, aeration and watering. Many deep bores drilled under these plants will deliver nutrients, water and life-giving oxygen to the roots and will often bring back life and vitality to older plants. Use your garden auger to drill multiple deep holes under the trees or shrubs before applying fertilizer and then watering.

Any job that requires drilling a hole into the ground is probably a candidate for employing a garden auger. For example, you sometimes want to run PCV irrigation pipes under an obstacle including sidewalks or foundations. Outdoor electrical wiring is another obvious job for a garden auger.

My observation is that you should always buy from a recognized manufacturer. I've had great success with the Yard Butler Company of San Diego, California. This company uses tool grade steel making their augers, and used with care will not fail the first time you use them. Yard Butler has been manufacturing specialty gardening tools for over half a century and has earned an enviable regard among gardeners for building better tools.

I suggest you avoid purchasing the least expensive augers such as those mass produced in China and sold by the large garden and home supply chain companies. My experience shows that they instantly bend or break and end up costing more in the long run. Treated with care a quality garden auger will last for many years and prove a real time saver in your garden and around the house.

Garden Augers in Your Garden

Yard Butler quality, specialty garden tools for your garden.

The Garden of Eden

In the Bible, in the 2nd and 3rd chapter of Genesis, we have the story of the first man Adam, and his wife Eve, in the Garden of Eden. God created this Garden with plenty of lush, greenery and trees bearing all kinds of fruits and placed the couple to enjoy the fruits of the garden. He had given them all the freedom except, to eat from the 'Tree of knowledge'. The story goes on to tell how man and the woman fell from obeying the command when tempted by the Serpent who symbolises the devil and sinned against God. Consequently they were driven out of the garden and also were prevented to come again in the garden or to have access to another tree, 'The tree of Life' which was now guarded by a guardian angel.

Many Biblical students, scholars and the Christian people around the world take the story to be literal. They believe in the Eden Garden as a real physical place somewhere on the face of the earth. Sin of human is a popular theme with the Christian church which culminates in happy ending with the coming of Son of God, Jesus on the earth who lived on this earth, taught the love of God to humanity and sacrificed his life on the cross for all. Human relation with the Divine is restored through this act of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and they regain the lost paradise, the Garden of Eden in Christ. While all this is true, but the story of Garden of Eden has deeper meaning which appears different on the surface but below stores wealth of wisdom, enlightenment and bliss. Let's explore it in a new angle.

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What is the Garden of Eden?: The Garden of Eden is the Sub-conscious mind of human being! We all are aware of the conscious mind that is awake and works on the basis of our senses and logic. We also know that we have the subconscious mind, which runs on the basis of what is fed to it through our conscious mind. The subconscious mind rather plays a major role in carving out our beliefs, personality and character. Even when you are sleeping, the subconscious mind is working to keep your heart beats intact, it controls your blood flow and it is this mind that brings about the wonderful healing in your body when you are injured or sick. It is here that you get those hunches and that eureka feeling many times when you quieten your conscious mind, it is taken to be the place where the Divine connects to human and human to Divine. Garden of Eden was made by God says the Bible and your subconscious is made by God. There were many fruit bearing trees in this garden and that exactly figuratively tells the function of the subconscious mind. Our life bears fruits bad or good on the basis of what is fed to the subconscious mind and emotionalized. Friends if you believe something with your conscious mind to be true and emotionalise the belief with your feelings it goes in your subconscious mind and produces the exact situation or event. When someone sits under a fan believing that it is going to make him sick and he is going to catch cold, the subconscious mind is fed with the message and produces the exact symptoms in him. The person now is really sick! Many wonderful healings around the world are witnessed due to this same principle. If a person believes that he is going to be healed of an ailment and emotionalises the feeling, his subconscious mind will accept the command and bring about the healing! The Garden of Eden was giving fruits of all kinds, so is your subconscious mind bearing fruits of healing-sickness, joy-unhappiness, richness-poverty with what you are feeding it. The seeds that you plant through your conscious mind are important and that is why Jesus said, 'You can't gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles' In pre-fall stage Humans were directly connected to this wonderful channel of Divinity, the subconscious mind and so everything in the garden of Eden was easy, blissful and plenty.

The Garden of Eden

What is the Tree of Knowledge?: God wanted human to have easy access to his plenty through the principles of working on subconscious mind, but he had created man in his own image and he knew he had to caution him against going by conscious mind. The conscious mind is pictured in the Tree of Knowledge in the story of the Garden of Eden. This was the tree that God forbade human eat fruits from. God has made everything easy for access through the working of the subconscious, the subconscious works on the principle of Faith. The conscious on the other hand works on the principle of logic and doubt. I don't deny the good use of conscious mind that this world has witnessed. Friends, doubt prevents us from many miracle moments in our life. We usually go the hard way like Adam and Eve had now to toil and sweat to earn their bread after they gave the conscious mind the dominance. Human beings are under this curse that the Bible talks about, we believe and hear only our conscious mind and that's why our life produces the same results of lack, disbelief, fear and unhappiness. I don't say the conscious mind is evil, but it is limited from the wisdom of God. Human beings made the sub conscious mind the slave to conscious mind when as per God's plan it should have been exactly the opposite. The serpent who is usually symbolizing the devil is nothing but the element of doubt and fear in our conscious minds. When human beings were driven out of the Garden of Eden and a guardian angel was placed near the 'Tree of Life' it is a symbol of human now having no easy access to the wonders of subconscious mind and the consequent life in abundance that it results into.

Where does Jesus fit in all this?: Jesus came as the prototype of what is expected of human, which is why the Bible also refers to him as the 'Second Adam'. What was expected of Adam, Jesus fulfilled through is life. He worked on the principles of this subconscious mind and was open to the Divine, his Father's wisdom all the time. The many miracles and healings he performed were surprising to the common conscious mind but to him they were a cake-walk as he was connected to his Father, through the working of Subconscious mind. Now the favourite question, why did he have to die? The first reason is obvious that Jesus was condemned by the Jews and Roman authorities for blasphemy i.e. calling and making himself the Son of God. The second and most important reason is that Jesus was called as Son of God and Son of Man for a reason, when you are driven by the principle of your Subconscious mind working, you become like Jesus, divinely connected to your heavenly father and other times you are like Adam when you are running on the limited conscious mind, you are Son of Man. So the point is the Son of Man had to die to resurrect as Son of God. Your conscious mind has to be sacrificed to resurrect and witness the wonders and working of Sub conscious mind in your life! That is real salvation, when you stop being Adam, the Son of Man and become resurrected as Jesus, the Son of God, divinely connected.

Conclusion: Friends, let us awaken to this truth that is found not just in the Bible but in all the religious scriptures. Till we are alive, we will live with our conscious mind more active but now we know the truth and if we allow good thoughts, thoughts of love, healing, bliss to enter our minds, the subconscious mind will produce the same and then we will experience paradise on earth, the very Garden of Eden opening its door again to realise 'Paradise Regained'.

Sohan.

The Garden of Eden