for Campers and Hikers
Growing Beautiful Gardenias
If you have been looking for a plant that has an incredible fragrance, then you have found it in the gardenia. For those blessed with a green thumb, your gardenias will be things of beauty with their white scented blooms.
This plant thrives in tropical climates. So if you live in a tropical climate, gardenias should be plentiful.
In order to choose a nice gardenia, look for a compact plant and one that is full of glossy foliage. The leaves should have a rich, bright green color.
The gardenia needs a lot of light. You should see that the gardenia does not get direct afternoon sun as that is usually the hottest part of the summer.
The gardenia needs an even amount of moisture. They react to the water’s quality and temperature. They like room temperature distilled water the best. When the gardenia isn’t blooming, it should be kept a little drier.
These plants bloom the best when the days are warm and the nights are cool. Gardenias are usually tolerant of different variations in temperatures, particularly if it is humid. In order to perform at their very best, gardenias need a climate that has high humidity.
It is best to use a water-soluble fertilizer on gardenias every two to three weeks. Several times during the year, you may use an acid fertilizer.
Once you have smelled the gardenia, you will become hooked! Follow the above tips and you will more than likely be able to grow beautiful gardenias both outside and inside of your home.
Growing Beautiful Peonies
The peony is just about the longest-living perennial plant you will ever see. There are two basic types of peonies – the herbaceous types and the tree peony.
It would be best to plant peonies at the back of flower borders as they are large plants. In the spring, the peonies have attractive ferny foliage and the beautiful blooms are usually produced in May.
Peonies best thrive in a place that receives at least half a day to a full day of sunshine. If the climate is very hot, then provide some afternoon shade for these plants.
The best time to plant the peony is the early fall but early spring plantings do well also. Make sure to prepare the site well. Dig an oversized hole and make sure that you fill some of it with compost.
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The secret of having a successful peony is this: Make sure that the tuber is positioned so that the eyes which are located on the crown are covered with about two inches of soil.
Peonies are picky – they do not like to be planted very deeply. If your peonies have stopped producing flowers after a few years, then you should see if perhaps they have sunken too low in their bed. Perhaps they have had too much soil sitting on top of them.
If your peonies seem to flop over by mid-summer, then it would be a good idea to stake them. When you go to cut your flowers, clip them when the buds are just beginning to unfurl. Once they are put in water, the blooms will quickly open and will last for about a week indoors.
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