Apart from providing source to life, nature is meant for all to enjoy. Natural surrounding is at its best when it is undisturbed my man. Some would adapt nature’s beauty at home. Transporting replicas of lush sceneries in their own garden so that they may enjoy it everyday in the comforts of their own home. Resting in suitable patio furniture will then be a necessity to them. A wide variety of patio furniture to choose from. And this is just half the enjoyment.

The adjacent outdoor area to your home can be brighten up with a few pieces of furniture. To have suitable fittings here will allow you to rest and unwind in the open-air. You can choose from hammocks, swings, tables and chairs, canopies and cushions. Other things that you can have in the patio to make it look more attractive are fire pits, bird baths and feeders, rugs and even ponds or fountains.

The patio is a place to be when you would like to doze away in a quiet afternoon. For that reason, you will love hammocks. It is made for everyone regardless of age groups. Chuck a few cushions on the hammock to add more comfort. Chairs and table would make the patio more users friendly. You can have parties and barbeques together with friends and family. Speaking of which, a fire pit is a good investment for the patio. Bring family and friends closer together by doing something different from the usual days. Add more amusements to your garden by installing a fountain or a pond. Attract the birds with a bird bath or a feeder. Have family and friends be amazed at your alluring garden.

But there are bad days when weather takes the upper hand and dares to destroy the effort you put into your patio. Or there may be days when the weather doesn’t look very promising yet you want to enjoy the outdoors anyways. So what can you do to protect your patio furniture? And what can you do to enjoy the outdoors despite disagreeable weather?

The patio umbrella is exactly the thing you need for those outdoor uncertainties. Furthermore, for those who worry about the harmful damages of the rays, you can be sure that a good patio umbrella will protect you. These umbrellas come in different shades of color. It is interesting to note that the darker the shade, the more protection it guarantees. If the sun’s ray is not the one you are worried about, you can therefore settle for lighter colors.

When you have a patio, you would want the furniture in it to last forever and ever. Protecting and preservation can be a lot of hassle and could cause stress. Why not get furniture that does not require painstaking maintenance. Teak is known for its durability and stability. It is water resistant and best of all looks exquisite. It also does not twist, rot or splinters. You can be sure that your teak furniture stays in the patio for years to come.

What if you want to be outdoors during fall and early spring? Outdoor heaters allow you to enjoy your patio longer during these seasons. Although these heaters won’t transform the dead of winter into a summer day, the heaters operate on adjustable temperature settings. This allows the ideal atmosphere for a spirited evening barbecue, an early morning breakfast or any other outdoor activity. These heaters are economical and easy to operate and most outdoor heaters require no electricity at all.

Nature lovers will enjoy the garden when they are at home. This is why you need some things in the patio that will maximize its potential to make you feel happy. Don’t let the sun or rain bring you down. You can still have fun whenever you want.

Lawns Need Attention in hot weather. Mower blades should be set at least 1-1/2 inches high but 2 inches is better. The grass shades the ground and protects the roots from hot sun and drying winds. In Florida and coastal areas where mole crickets are prevalent treat your lawn yourself of have a lawn professional do the job. It also rids grass of ants, army-worms and chinch bugs. Fertilizer manufacturers now mix some insecticides with fertilizer to give double action.

Summer Gardens call for special techniques. Mulching is a great labor and moisture saver. Apply a mulch of leaves (3 inches), pine straw (2 inches), peatmoss (1 inch) or vermiculite (1/2 to 1 inch) to shrubs, dahlias, roses and other widely-spaced plants.

Clip faded flowers off annuals, perennials, polyantha and climbing roses. This helps produce more blooms. Don’t let your plants go to seed, unless you want them to do so. Let roses rest in Florida and coastal areas. This is their natural semi-dormant period. Spray and !dust but withhold water and feed only enough to keep the plants in good condition.

Shrubs Need Attention Remove dead wood and prune branches for shape. If you plan to move large shrubs this fall root-prune now, one side of the shrub at a time, at four to five-week intervals until all sides have been cut. Cut through the roots with a spade under the outer reaches of the branches. This produces a compact mass of fine roots easily lifted at moving time. If tops are large, prune back about a third at root-pruning time to balance tops and roots.

Hibiscus have long been a popular flowering shrub in Florida. Dozens of beautiful new hybrids are available, most in pots for immediate transplanting.

Lycoris Radiata red spider lily, bulbs planted now will bloom in September. Plant shallow, just enough to cover bulbs.

Vegetable Gardens are still going strong. For Middle and Upper South plant rutabaga and Irish potato. Also start purple top turnip, carrot, beet, broccoli and lettuce for fall. Collard and cabbage plants may be set out. In the Lower South plant bean, collard, cowpea, pepper, pumpkin, radish, rutabaga, New Zealand spinach, squash and turnip seed. Sweet potato plants and peppers may be set out.

Pest Control is one of the major gardening operations this month. Study the latest insecticides and fungicides about rose pest control. Combination materials make it possible to control most insects and diseases in plants like the rose bush pest without mixing chemicals.

Mildew on hardy phlox, zinnia, crape myrtle and roses dust or spray with sulfur.

Blackspot of roses spray with Neem Oil or recommended fungicide.

Leaf spot and rust use Neem Oil as spray or dust. Red spider on boxwood, dahlia, and other plants dust or spray with malathion or Neem oil.

White fly on gardenia, ligustrum, camellia and azalea spray with horticultural oil, Malathion or Neem Oil. Lacewing on azalea and pyracantha treat same as white fly.

Aphids spray with horticultural oil, Malathion or Neem Oil.

Would you like to grow football size mums in your garden? Mums that will bring visitors from miles around with Oh” and Ah” and “I dont see how you do it” expressions? Then follow these methods and have that pleasure and satisfaction.

Mums love the sun even though a 100 degree temperature may make them wilt in the middle of the day. Choose a location where they will receive sun at least half the day. They should be protected from strong winds. Most growers find that mums need protection from the first freeze and the hard rains which sometimes injure the blossoms – I’ve grow mums both with and without protection. It is wise, therefore, to plan a frame for covering before planting.

If you don’t want to go to so much trouble, choose the south or east side of a building, an evergreen hedge, or a man-made windbreak. You then trust to luck that the first freeze does not come early and ruin all the fine blooms. I have two beds. One is covered with unbleached muslin: the other is on the south side of the house and is not covered. Should you become nervous that a freeze is coming before the blossoms are fully open, you can cut the half open blooms, store in a cool place in deep water and the blooms will open beautifully.

Enriching the Soil

Any soil that grows good vegetables will grow mums. But the richer the soil the finer the mums, because they are very heavy feeders. Soil must have good drainage, fertility and plenty of humus. Remember that sandy soil takes more water because water runs through faster. Clay soil packs, thus the drainage is poor. The answer is to use peat moss, well rotted barn-yard manure or the compost you make in your own back yard or a mixture of all three.

A smart thing to do is to prepare the soil as soon as possible after harvesting the current crop. One grower puts a three or four inch layer of barnyard fertilizer on her plot, lets it lie all winter and forks in as soon as spring opens up. Another makes the top five inches about one fourth peat moss. I use a combination of manure, peat and compost from my own back yard. Peat contains nitrogen, holds moisture, and promotes root growth. Many growers rough-spade the plot and let it lie over winter to freeze. In early spring they re-spade and plant a legume, such as garden peas, that will be harvested by mum planting time. This puts the plot to good use and builds the soil at the same time. Something nearly always happens and I don’t get the legume planted. So I sprinkle about four pounds of super phosphate to each one hundred square feet over the top of the plot, then spade to the depth of the fork.

In choosing varieties it is well to consult growers in your general area to find out what varieties do best for them. Lacking that source of information choose varieties that will flower before the first freeze, if possible. I choose October or early November flowering varieties. Here in central Oklahoma our first freeze usually comes the first week in November. Most of us have some sort of protection since these varieties often don’t flower until after the first freeze. The hot weather that so often comes in September prevents the plants from setting buds when they normally should set. Likewise, September flowering varieties rarely ever flower before the last of October.

Some growers take plants by root division, that is by lifting the whole plant and dividing the root growth each spring. One grower uses a butcher knife to cut the roots between each little plant early in the spring. Left undisturbed for two or three weeks these divisions are well rooted and can be moved anywhere. I prefer cuttings because they are less likely to be diseased. Cuttings start off quicker.

To start cuttings take four or five inches from the tips of the fastest growing plants. These are not hardened, thus are more likely to grow. At my work table, I take a very sharp knife and cut straight across the stem one-fourth inch below a leaf and 2-1/2 to three inches from the top of the cutting. The two lower leaves are removed, but the cutting needs the remainder of the leaves to produce food for root formation.

Many growers use media such as vermiculite, perlite, sphagnum moss, or a mixture of sand and vermiculite to root the cuttings.

When the cuttings are rooted they may be planted in their permanent place or they may be potted up for a few days, until the roots start growing in the soil. Personally, I find plants do better if they are planted in plant bands for a couple of weeks. By this time the bands should be full of roots. Plants are slipped out of the bands, planted in their permanent place, and watered in without suffering any set-back whatsoever. This method is really little trouble.

When each plant is firmed in, I water to settle the soil or buy hyponex potting soil. If more hyponex soil is needed it is then added, after which a light watering is given that contains a starter solution. The flats are set in a lightly shaded place where they are left for the desired time. The plants will need watering two or three times during the period.

Chrysanthemums must be kept growing; although when we have six weeks of drought with temperatures soaring to 105 degrees and cooling only slightly at night, it is difficult to do. The answer is to give the plants plenty of moisture. but dont keep them wet. Mums will wilt badly in the hot sun, but by sundown the foliage will be as fresh and crisp as ever if they are kept well watered and the bed heavily mulched. I use a steel stake for testing purposes. The stake is stuck in the soil about five inches deep in several different places in the bed. If it comes out dry, I water by laying the end of the hose on the bed. The water is permitted to run, (without the nozzle) until the soil is well soaked. Usually irrigating every week or ten days is all that is necessary.