Among the most charming and delightful of plants, miniature roses come in the same multitude of colors and varieties as their full size cousins. They’re perfect for container gardens, but do just as well planted in the ground. Their small buds and blooms are beautiful in corsages and arrangements, tucked into a small vase on a tray or picked and carefully dried in potpourri.

While small in size, most miniatures are highly scented, and just a few small bushes can perfume the air in the entire garden. That, and the ease of growing the hardy little perennials has made them increasingly popular with home gardeners. Their versatility makes them as at home tumbling over a trellis to create a romantic, rose covered gazebo as they are in a neatly trained border along the side of a driveway.

Miniature roses are, by definition, compact bushes with abundant blooms. A single miniature rose bush can have hundreds of flowers. There are a number of different varieties of miniatures, separated by size and growing behavior.

Micro-minis are particularly delightful, maturing at between 6 and 12 inches of height, with blooms as small as 1/4 inch across. They grow wonderfully in small pots, and are the perfect plant to lend a touch of romance to a sunny city balcony.

Climbing miniature roses, like Rainbow’s Edge with showy orange and yellow flowers or the Red Cascade with its open, velvety red petals, can quickly cover an open frame or gazebo to create a rose covered trellis in one growing season.

Upright miniature roses, or standards, are tree roses that grow from 12-18 inches tall. A rose tree in full bloom is a delightful centerpiece accent in a low growing garden, or standing on its own in a container.

There are a number of miniature roses that trail, sending out runners with new growth and flowers. These make wonderful choices in a hanging basket, with drifts of flowers to cascade over the sides in a beautiful display of color. Best choices for hanging baskets include the aptly named Red Cascade and the ruffled pink Nostalgia.

Miniature roses are hardy bloomers that winter well even as far north as zone 4. They grow quickly, require little care outside of watering, and will reward you with dozens of blooms for very little effort.

Copyright 2005 Dana Noonan - www.GardenSites.info.com

About The Author: Dana is a seasoned web developer and webmaster. Find public rose gardens in the USA at www.GardenSites.info or more information about rose gardening at www.RoseGardening101.com.

If you drink a lot of coffee, you probably have quite a few metal coffee cans on hand. With just a little effort, you can make a useful and pretty handmade gift for your friends and family.

First, wash out your can and peel off any labels. Next, apply a coat of metal primer to your can. Let the primer dry thoroughly. Then, apply a coat of bright acrylic paint to the can.

Once your can is painted, you can decorate it. I like to apply crackle medium and then add a top coat of color. This effect is beautiful if you paint a deep blue undercoat and a rich red overcoat on your can.

You may want to rubberstamp bugs or garden tools onto the can instead. To do this, use stamps that are flexible so that you can stamp onto the curved surface of the can. You can apply a light coat of acrylic paint to the stamp and then press the stamp onto the can, carefully rolling the stamp so that the whole image is stamped onto the can. If you mess up, don’t worry. You can wipe the stamped image off the can and start over.

Another great decorative technique for decorating cans is decoupage. Use empty seed packets with pretty artwork or cut pictures from magazines and decoupage them to the can in an attractive pattern.

Once your can is decorated, apply a coat of sealer to the finished product. If you will use the can outside, you may want to let this coat dry and apply a second coat of sealer.

Now, you are ready to prepare your can for planting. Turn the can upside down. Use a 3 inch nail and a hammer to poke drainage holes in the bottom of the can. Turn your can over and fill it to just an inch below the rim with good potting soil.

Next it is time for you to decide which herbs you will be planting in your can. Chives, basil, oregano, thyme and parsley all are great choices. Of course, you can also put a lovely scented geranium in the can, instead.

As a finishing touch, add a tag with information about caring for the herb and a few great recipes. It is easy to attach the tag with a simple florist pick.

Finally, consider other ideas for your coffee can. For instance, instead of adding potting soil and an herb, add a garden trowel, gardening gloves, a packet of seeds, a box of tea and a package of tea biscuits for do it yourselfers.

For more gardening projects, information, and articles, visit joyful-gardener.com.

Are your making mountains out of your molehills? Although lawn moles are underground creatures, the benefits they add to your garden are clearly visible and far outweigh the disadvantages.

Of the six species of mole found in North America, the Eastern mole (or gray mole) is the most common. Moles are about the size of chipmunks and weigh from three to six ounces. A tiny creature, its total length is just six to eight inches.

Many gardeners and groundskeepers are under the mistaken impression that lawn moles eat the roots of their plants and turf grasses. However, moles are insectivores. Their primary diet is earthworms and grubs and a single mole can eat more than 140 grubs and cutworms daily. They also feast on destructive garden pests like snails, beetles, and millipedes. In fact, at just over a quarter-pound, a mole can consume 45 to 50 pounds of worms and insects each year.

The greatest harm that mole tunneling does to turf grass is by separating soil from roots. Still, the mole’s digging actually improves soil quality by turning and aerating the soil and mixing accumulated nutrients throughout the excavation.

Moles don’t continually dig each time they forage for food. Once a tunnel system is established, it is infrequently extended. In fact, the only signs of mole activity you might see are those when the mole must repair its construction. When disturbed, moles may temporarily vacate the area, but generally return within a week or two. In addition, when a tunnel is abandoned, a new mole inhabitant will “recolonize” using the handiwork of its predecessor.

For these reasons, even the most effective method of mole removal, trapping, is not a permanent solution to a “mole problem”. Besides which, the three types of mole traps that work with any success sound like relics from the Spanish inquisition harpoons, scissor-jaws, and choker loops. In fact, numerous remedies have been used to try to control moles Pickle juice, red pepper, razor blades, bleach, moth balls, brambles, human hair braids and hair balls, vibrators, ultra sonic devices, and poisons offer inconsistent and generally ineffective results; many including environmentally unfriendly side effects.

As in all elements of lawn care, the best solution to a lawn mole problem is applying practical gardening principles. Mole tunnels (except for the hilled entrances) are typically deep enough to be almost invisible. Over-watering your yard brings earthworms and other invertebrates close to the surface, making it necessary for the moles to “move up” in search of them. Reducing the amount or frequency of watering may help both moles and their prey stay underground where they are most beneficial to your lawn.

Another solution to a lawn mole problem is to reduce the size of your lawn, converting it to gardens, paths, and hedgerows. First, moles prefer straight tunnel runs. However, more importantly, converting some lawn to gardens, paths, hedgerows and patio areas adds eye-appeal, reduces signs of damage, and in addition attract birds and butterflies to your property.

Hans is author of
The
Lawn Care section of http://www.lawnmower-guide.com

Wild flowers are Nature’s miracle of miracles. They bring color, perfume, and distinction to the diverse environments in which they grow.

Wildflowers, however, can be as ecologically devastating as they are beautiful. Some wildflowers are native to the countries in which they are found. Others are migratory transplants, introduced either accidentally or purposefully into new landscapes. Wildflowers are often ecological opportunists, capable of proliferating in a wide variety of environments, sometimes at the expense of less-hardy indigenous plant species.

The rate of multiplication of wildflowers is affected by the latitude, soil composition, heat, and moisture of their environments. Even sunburnt plots and gravelly highways can be home to these rugged species.

There are perennial, biennial, and season wildflower species. They come in shades of green, purple, pink, red, blue, yellow, orange, lavender and white. Always a treat to the eye, some are carnivorous insect eaters while others are poisonous to livestock.

Wild flower juices have been used for a variety of medicinal purposes by Native Americans, gypsies, and Australian aborigines. Fever, bronchitis, enlarged livers, ulcers, intestinal worms, allergies, cramps have traditionally been fought with wild flowers. To this day, science seeks to unravel their many closely held secrets that might help us fight cancer, high blood pressure, asthma, and arthritis.

Wildflowers have also been made into dyes, insect repellants, sunburn ointments, and cooking accoutrements. Cooked as greens, brewed as substitutes for tea/coffee, or consumed as jams, jellies, syrups, or wines–wild flower varieties cover the gamut.

Naturalists, scientists, doctors, gardeners or besotted flower enthusiasts . . . wildflowers have them all enthralled!

Flowers provides detailed information about flowers, flower gifts, flower delivery, floral arrangements and more. Flowers is the sister site of Silk Wedding Flowers.