If you live in a climate that is not prone to lots of droughts or you are a gardener with an unlimited supply of water, consider yourself lucky. There are many of us who live in drought zones where the garden and lawn watering rules are very strict and this does affect the healthy growth of gardens and plants. Many people just give up when they find out how few gallons of water they are permitted to use, but some of us just find ways to
cope with less water. There are many ways to optimize your garden to conserve water while still keeping it beautiful. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

Some of the ways you can try to conserve water include drip irrigation (the use of a pipe or hose with small holes to gradually seep into the roots of the plant), the placement of plants in groups of equal watering needs to prevent wasting water on plants that don’t need it, and using compost or mulch to insulate the water and prevent drainage. But one of the best ways to keep your garden alive during a drought is to take preventive measures.

If you watch your local weather forecasts, you will know that a drought will be predicted far in advanced. You will also be informed on the areas already experiencing a drought and when to expect some heavy rain. If you know in advance that heavy rain is heading your way, plan on setting up several rain barrels. Some people think this would be a time
consuming silly thing to do. But it can save you many gallons of water, and hardly requires any work. By the way, you can get some very pretty painted barrels at the stores. (photo courtesy: kentuckybarrels.com)

Finding the barrels will probably be the hardest part. You can use your own garbage cans or visit your home improvement store and get a few 55 gallon plastic drums. Before you go running to the store, keep in mind that these drums or garbage cans are big and bulky so figure out how you will bring them home. I usually borrow a neighbor’s truck to get them home. You will probably want to cover the top of the barrel with a screen to filter out any unwanted leaves or debris that might fall off the roof of your home.

Once you have your barrels ready, you are faced with the decision of where to place them. Usually during rainfall, there is one corner of the house that rain tends to pour off heavily. If you are taking the simple approach to barrel placement, just place the barrel under all the places where you see large amounts of drips. While this might be the easiest way, you won’t see very high volumes of rain in the barrels. But, if you tweak your gutters in the roof of your home and remove each individual segment and place them at slant, all the rain water will be diverted to the nearest corner of the house. Once done, place a rain barrel at each corner to catch all the rain water. Believe me you will have plenty of rain water to use in your flower gardens. (photo courtesy: sbprojectcleanwater.org)

Some people may think that the use of water barrels is an antiquated idea and that is not true. Maybe these people don’t live in a drought prone area and with lots of watering restrictions. I have been doing this for years and know for a fact that those barrels of rain water have been put to use in my gardens and I am saving money in the long run.

Believe it or not, lots of people ask this question. My answer is clear, your summer garden is what you want it to be. There is no hard and fast rule as to what a summer garden should be. This means that your personal vision for your summer garden is going to be quite achievable if you take the time to do the proper research and plan the planting for your summer gardening wisely and with great care. One thing is certain, planting wisely can produce a summer garden that is beautiful and maintains some degree of natural pest control. (photo courtesy: Bing

Your summer garden can produce flowers, fruits, vegetables and even be designed so that it attracts certain birds and butterflies. When planning your summer garden, you don’t have to commit to a single prevailing purpose. In other words, it is not at all inappropriate to plant some flowering plants or even herbs as pest control along with your favorite summertime vegetables. It is also acceptable to add a few vegetables of your choice in your flower garden.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to having lots of color in your summer garden. Brightly colored flowers are in abundance during the summer months and these bring a gorgeous splash of color to those hot and humid months when the summer sun is at its peak. By brining a few well placed colors into your garden as a highlight or border you are adding dramatic appeal. If you choose to make your garden a sea of brightly colored flowers, plants, leaves, and vines you can also achieve great results that may be breathtaking in beauty. Do keep in mind that you need to spend time maintaining a summer garden to keep it healthy and beautiful. (photo courtesy: flickr)

If you prefer nice and lush greenery and live in a climate that will accommodate this particular style of a summer garden, there is no reason to avoid this either. Vegetable gardens are yet another option when creating your summer garden and another fine example of just how versatile these gardens may be. Keep in mind that many people are discovering the beauty of vertical gardening and hanging plants for a few favorite vegetables and this may be an option if you wish to use limited space wisely and to greater effect. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

Another option when it comes to showing the incredible versatility of the summer garden is raised gardening. This is quite literally planting your garden above the ground. Some people create elaborate ‘sand boxes’ of sorts in which the garden is planted. This allows great versatility for those with smaller spaces in which to plant their gardens as well as those who have landscaping issues that are inhospitable for gardening.

These are but a few examples of just how versatile a summer garden may be but I think they provide excellent insight and food for thought for those who are looking for a little something new and different for their summer gardens. And remember that a summer garden is just what you want it to be.

Children love to learn new things and creating a summer garden with them is something that most kids do enjoy. Creating a garden with them will teach them those things that are important and give them appreciation of the things in life that are important to us. Kids need to know and learn our love of gardening! Whether you are creating a spectacular garden worthy of acclaim, fame, and blue ribbons everywhere or a simple garden that will hold pretty flowers, there are many lessons that your children can learn from working the earth by your side. (photo courtesy: gardenersindex.ning.com)

For example when working in the garden with your children, they can learn that life works in cycles. This is an important lesson for children and one that will be repeated often throughout the course of their lives. Of course this is only one of the many lessons that gardening will teach but gardening is one of the kindest ways I’ve seen this particular lesson learned by children. Somehow it helps ease children into those times when lessons about the cycle of life are not so kindly or gently presented.

The next lesson that gardening teaches children is that persistent effort often pays out with desirable results. Whether their gardening efforts yields pretty flowers or planting a small tree, there is often a desired result that they achieved. If you really want to capture your children’s attention when it comes to gardening, choose a fast growing flowering plant for their first gardening experience. The ability to see the fruits of their labor quickly appear is often one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. (photo courtesy: natures-desktop.com)

You don’t have to make this gardening experience sound like a chore to your children. It does not have to make them feel that they are responsible for the success of a summer garden. Make it fun for them and start with a potted plant or maybe a hanging flowering plant or something similar that will yield visible results with less effort or time required for them to see quick results.

Don’t forget to point out interesting facts about the different plants in your garden that may be exciting to your children and they can learn from. Remember your first gardening experiences and share them with your children. You may be surprised to find how much you have in common with your children when it comes to ideas and enthusiasm concerning summer gardens. (photo courtesy: subtleenergies.com)

When planning a summer garden with kids you need to consider all of the things you would consider when planning other summer gardens but relate those things to pint sized hands and sponge-like minds. Kids soak up every ounce of information we provide them at an alarming rate. Be careful that you aren’t teaching them incorrect logic when it comes to gardening and growing beautiful summer plants. More importantly, you should make a concerted effort to make sure that you are teaching your children the positive aspects of gardening so that this becomes an activity they look forward to for enjoyment rather than approaching it with dread.

You should also take great pains to insure that you allow your children to grow the things they will like in your summer garden too. Remember that when gardening with children there are many lessons that you can teach your children along the way. Science, math, and meteorology all have roles in gardening. But you should also be on the lookout for valuable lessons that your children can teach you about gardening and life in general when you take them out to work with you in your summer garden.

It is summertime and time to start thinking about that dream summer garden that you’ve been meaning to plan for a while. There is nothing more beautiful than a summer garden in full bloom. The thing to remember is that there is some planning required in order for you to get the desired results. Once you decide the area where your summer garden will be, start thinking about what types of plants, vegetables and flowers you want. Don’t forget that in planting a summer garden you will get your hands dirty and some gardeners believe that this is the best part about growing a summer garden. To me, the best thing is the results of a summer garden and watching my garden grow healthy. (photo courtesy: delhiseeds.org)

Before you start planting, keep a list with the date that each area in your summer garden will be planted as different flowers and vegetables have different growing seasons. Some prosper by earlier plantings while others prosper later in the season. If you are planting a summer vegetable garden then it is quite possible that some of the plants will need a precise number of days between planting and harvesting. Both the plant and harvest days should be noted. This provides an excellent opportunity to plant more of the vegetables and maybe some flowers every two weeks to provide a continuous rotation of the vegetables you love well into the gardening season.

An important thing to remember is that climbing plants can be trained to climb poles that you can easily set up in the garden. This is highly recommended if your garden space is limited. Doing this also provides an opportunity to shade plants that prefer less direct sunlight when planted next to these climbing vines that are climbing vertically. Also make sure you have enough stakes for all the plants that require them for best effect. Be sure to read the planting instructions that are provided with each plant and plant them so that those needing shade get the shade they need and those that require the most water are located on a downward slope so that they get the water that runs off from the plants that require less water. (photo courtesy: home-and-garden.com)

This is a trick that seasoned gardeners know and it makes the most of sometimes limited resources such as water for the purpose of creating a better environment for optimal growth. At the same time you want to avoid planting vegetables and flowers that require less water at the bottom of these slopes as they are likely to become over hydrated, which can be just as devastating as not getting enough water.

Another important thing is that you need to be sure your soil is healthy so that it can create the healthy plants you are hoping to have. Fertilize the soil where these plants, flowers, and vegetables will be grown. This provides the foundation necessary for optimal performance from your plants and greatest yield from your vegetables. You should also take great care once the planting is done and be sure that the plants, flowers, and vegetables that make up your summer garden are well fed in order to produce even better results.

There are plenty of fertilizers and plant foods from which to choose so be sure to check local laws in order to make sure you aren’t using a combination that is not recommended for your region where you live. This is often overlooked but keep in mind that there are regulations that vary from one state to the next Also, plan your pest control before you begin planting your summer garden. There are some plants, flowers, and herbs that work as natural pest controls. These make an excellent addition to your garden as they offer no harmful side effect and can rid your garden of many of the pests that create problems for you. Another thing you may wish to consider is the use of chicken wire to protect some of your plants from things a little bigger than the average bug. The more humane the methods of pest control and the less you rely on pesticides the better it is to protect our environment.