A backyard retreat means something different for each of us. It could be a quiet corner in the shade with a comfortable chair for reading, or a chaise longue in the sun. Perhaps it's a table for two for quiet dining or a large table seating 6-8 near an outdoor kitchen--perfect for large dinner parties. Whatever your needs and desires, it helps to include other features such as a bubbling fountain, koi pond, or trees and flowers in a container arrangement.

Most of these ideas can be incorporated in part, no matter what the special area is for this special retreat. It could be a balcony, tiny patio garden or large backyard. Everyone can have a private customized retreat.

When designing a garden retreat, first take time to envision your dream retreat. A multitude of ideas should come pouring into your mind as you begin to envision your future garden retreat. If you are coming up blank, consider what your answers are to these questions:

1. Do you want a retreat for serenity after hectic days at work; do you want a space designed for entertaining?
2. How much space do you have? Is this a patio transformation, a small grotto along the side of your house, or the entire backyard?
3. Whatever your desire, next consider what "look" you would like--be it tropical, formal, informal cottage garden, or Asian.
4. Color and texture choices: Color and textures can be added in many different ways: through the plant foliage, fabrics, walls and flooring (you could paint them!), pottery, statuary, garden art and more.
5. Sound: Quiet water, bubbling water, splashing water, birds singing and/or leaves rustling in the breeze?
6. Water feature: Do you want a fountain, pool, pond, pond with waterfall?

There is much to consider when planning your very own backyard retreat. Join us at here at the garden center. Wander through our fountains, pottery and plants--and you'll be sure to have your own backyard retreat in short order.

If you have an herb garden you know what a great pleasure it is to have access to your own home-grown herbs--ones that are exactly to your taste, rather than a generic supermarket blend. Drying or freezing some of your herbs can give you that pleasure year-round. Along with the taste advantage, your own herbs are much, much cheaper.

The method of preparing herbs for storage that gives you the best flavor and fragrance is air-drying. But if you don't have a warm, dry area that is suitable, or you have herbs that aren't suited for air-drying, don't despair! There are other methods that work almost as well.

Natural Air-drying:
Sturdy, low-moisture herbs are best suited for air-drying. Some examples are bay leaves, dill, oregano, marjoram, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. This method is also effective for large batches of herbs. Basil, lemon balm, and most mints have high moisture content--these can mold if not dried quickly.

Air-Dry Method 1:

• Cut large stems/branches from mature plants. Shake them to get rid of any insects, then remove any damaged leaves.
• Rinse them with cool water and gently pat them dry with towels or paper towels. Turn the branches upside down and take off some of the leaves along the lower stem (the top, after you've turned them upside down). Gather five or six branches together in a bunch.
• Get a large paper bag and make several holes in it for ventilation. Put the bunch upside down inside the bag, gather the opening around the leafless stem ends, and tie securely. The bag will protect the bunch from dust and other pollutants. (You can skip the bag if drying for sachets - but keep them away from direct sunlight; that will tend to reduce the fragrance.)
• Hang the bag in a warm airy place and leave it alone for several weeks.
• When the leaves are dry, check for any signs of mold growth; if you find mold, discard the whole bunch! If the bunch is clean, strip the leaves off of the stems and toss the stems. Store the whole leaves in small airtight containers (plastic "zip" bags are great). Label them and store them in a cool, dry, dark place.

Air-Dry Method 2:

• The second way to dry herbs is to spread them out to dry.
• With fine-leafed herbs such as oregano and thyme, simply remove the foliage from stems and spread the leaves on a cookie sheet or piece of clean window screen and set in a warm, dry, airy place away from direct sun.
• Stir them up every few days to turn them over. Once the leaves feel crisp, you can store them in an airtight container for later use.

Drying in an Oven:
This works well for herbs that tend to mold if not dried quickly--but can also be used if you don't have a warm, dry, well-ventilated (and convenient) place to hang herbs.

For oven-drying, heat the oven to a low heat (150-200F), place the herbs on a baking sheet in the oven, keep the oven door open and bake the herbs until they are dry. This will take several hours, maybe longer if you are drying high-moisture herbs. Keep an eye on them--you want them dried, not burned!

Some people dry herbs in the microwave--we don't advise that, as it takes out a lot of the flavor and fragrance. If you must dry this way, put about 4 branches in the oven between paper towels. Heat for a minute or two on high. If the herbs are not brittle and dry when removed from the oven, repeat for 30 seconds more each time until dry.

Freezing Herbs:
Don't freeze herbs to use as garnish--they may become limp and unsightly. Some herbs that freeze well: basil, borage, chives, dill, lemongrass, mint, oregano, sage, savory, sorrel, tarragon, and thyme.

If they are to be used in soups or stews, you can do a quick and handy freeze in an ice cube tray. Chop up the leaves and put a teaspoon of the herb in each section. Fill with water and put the tray in the freezer. To use, simply remove the pre-measured herb in the ice cube, and drop as many as you need in your soup or stew.

You can also simply put a few bunches in a freezer bag or other container and put them in the freezer.

With summer here, garden herbs are kicking into high gear, producing lots of pleasing, aromatic foliage that is great for cooking and potpourris. Freshly harvested leaves are wonderful for cooking, but you might want to preserve some to use later in the year or to create sachets that will fill your home with wonderful scents.

When the weather is hot and dry and there is no measurable rain, even rookie gardeners are aware that most plants will not survive without regular watering. Unfortunately, just giving them a squirt with the water hose isn't going to do much to relieve their stress. Wise gardeners give their plants the amount of water each one needs in ways that save time, effort and water.

It is important to use the right equipment. Much water can be saved in the summer by watering each part of the garden by a method appropriately suited for it. Briefly, hand sprinkling is fine for sprouting seeds, but all other watering should be done with conventional irrigation systems or drip systems. Reserve watering by hose for filling furrows and basins around trees and bushes, when these are not equipped with bubblers. (When you water this way, put the hose right down on the ground, and let the water sink in slowly.)

In summer (or anytime for that matter), it is best to irrigate deeply but less frequently to encourage plants to send down deeper roots that are protected from the summer heat. Vegetables and annual flowers, though, will have to be watered more frequently since they don't produce deep root systems. For most grass lawns, watering to the point of runoff every 2-3 days is sufficient. Always water your garden in the early morning hours between 4:00 AM and 8:00 AM to reduce water evaporation.

One note: try not to water if it is raining. More plants die from over-watering than from under-watering. Plus, even if it doesn't harm your plants, you are simply wasting the water.

Be sure to give special care to plants in containers. Plants in containers often suffer at this time of the year. Water them frequently, especially plants in terra cotta pots. These porous containers “breathe,” allowing water to evaporate faster than plastic or glazed ceramic pots. If you take good care of your plants in summer, you will be rewarded throughout the rest of the year.

Some gardeners shy away from growing plants in containers because of endless "failure" stories buzzing in their heads. Container plantings are not difficult, but you do need to keep a few things in mind--including selection of container, type of planting mix, feeding and watering needs. These are the variables differentiating growing plants in the ground from growing them in containers.

First of all, different types of containers will lead to different types of watering needs. For example, terracotta pots are probably the most porous of the clay pots. This porosity allows the soil to dry out more quickly. Glazed pots are next in line. The glaze on the outside of the pot actually helps to keep moisture in more than a non-glazed clay pot would. Thick cement containers probably fall in line together with the glazed pots. Finally, there are plastic and some of the new composite material containers. These containers will hold the moisture far longer than the other pots.

The soil mix itself should breathe and should be light and airy. We recommend using an all organic potting soil, such as Gardner & Bloome Potting Soil, for most plants. But be sure to use the right type of potting soil for your plant. Most plants do fine in normal potting soil, but the reason you'll see things like "cactus mix" on the shelves is that some plants have special needs.

Because plants in containers have a limited amount of soil area, they will need to be fed more often than plants in the ground. We recommend feeding most plants every two weeks with a liquid or water-soluble plant food, such as Dr. Earth Liquid Solution 3-3-3, or every two months with a dry fertilizer like Dr. Earth Organic 7 All Purpose Fertilizer. Again, some plants have different needs, so adjust as necessary for your own container garden.

Plants in containers can often suffer from dehydration, especially in the summer months of the year. Water those that need moist soil frequently, especially if your container is made of a more porous material. Drought-tolerant plants will like a pot that dries out quickly, but a water-needy plant will want to have consistently moist (but not wet) conditions.

If you let your potting soil dry out too much, the root ball will shrink and the water will run straight down the sides and out of the bottom of your container. If this happens, you will need to leave the water dripping into your container for a long enough time to rehydrate the potting soil. If the container is small enough, dunk it into a big bucket of water and let it sit there for a few minutes until the root ball expands again and properly fills the pot.

Container gardening is a wonderful way to add splashes of plants and color in all areas of your outdoor rooms, and for those with only small patios, container gardening is the only way to go. Just remember not to treat container plants exactly like in-ground plantings, and you'll be fine.

* First off, consider converting your overhead irrigation to drip irrigation for all non-lawn areas if you haven’t already done so. This concentrates the water where it needs to be (around the plant root ball) while eliminating excess runoff and evaporation.

* Water early in the morning when the temperatures are cooler and the sun isn’t as intense. Thus, more water will penetrate your plants instead of evaporating into the air. The best time is between 4:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.

* When hand watering, make sure to place your nozzle near the base of the plant instead of above the plant where water is wasted wetting the foliage.

* Water lawns deeper instead of more frequently when it gets hotter. You should have your timers set to water only until your lawn reaches the point of runoff. After that no additional water can be absorbed. Most lawns can get by on 20-30 minutes of water every three days. They may not look as good but they will survive. Deeper watering encourages the roots to go down further to chase the water which results in less heat stress on the roots.

* Raise the mowing height on your mower. Taller grass cools and shelters the roots below helping to reduce the need for more frequent watering.

* Add a granulated soil conditioner to the lawn to help break up compacted soil particles and aerate your soil, allowing roots to penetrate deeper into the soil. This also helps the lawn become more resistant to pests, disease and weeds.

* Cover open areas around plants and trees with a two-inch layer of mulch, such as Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost, to reduce evaporation, keep the soil moist and cool, and to help prevent weeds.

*Make sure to pull weeds as needed to reduce competition for water and feed your garden at least quarterly to help your plants stay healthy and strong. Use a plant food with lower, slow release nitrogen to prevent rampant, soft, fleshy new growth that uses lots of water.

* Add a granulated soil polymer, such as Soil Moist, to potting soil when planting in containers. It expands when watered, holding water in the soil longer.

* Leave a two-inch space between the top of the soil and the rim of your container so that there is enough room for holding water without flowing down the sides of your pot. Place a layer of mulch or bark on top of the soil to help retain moisture.

By incorporating these garden tips every year, year-round and not just in a drought year; your garden will not only survive a drought situation, but also use less water, thereby helping to prevent future water shortages.

But the real story is that the psyllid has been found in Mexico, Hawaii, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and most recently, in California. Infected trees produce green, bitter, misshapen fruit that is unsuitable for sale as either fresh fruit or juice, and most infected trees die within a few years.

In June of 2008, the psyllid was spotted right across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. A few months later, it was detected in San Diego and Imperial counties. HLB is ravaging the citrus industry in Florida, and we all can help to put an end to this scourge by following some basic common sense moves.

Stopping the importation of infested plants is our first line of defense. A quarantine has been implemented on citrus plants and close relatives of citrus such as orange jasmine or Indian curry leaves, that arrive in airplanes, ships, trucks, cars or by mail, shipped from other states and countries.

Believed to have originated in China in the late 1800's, citrus greening disease shows the following symptoms:
• Blotchy mottling of leaves, and yellowing of leaves on a single shoot or branch
• Small, lopsided, bitter fruit that remains green even when ripe
• Twig dieback
• Stunted, sparsely foliated trees that may bloom off-season

Government and industry are taking steps to stop the spread of citrus greening and the Asian citrus psyllid that carries it. They are ramping up inspection of host plants at international ports, state lines, airports, and mail-sorting facilities.

Many areas in the United States have been put under quarantine, including Florida, Louisiana and Georgia. When infected trees are found, they are removed to prevent the spread to healthy trees. And there is a serious implementation of awareness campaigns at the national and state level to educate the public about this very real threat.

You can help by not moving citrus out of areas under quarantine for citrus greening disease. Do not buy host plants online unless you can guarantee that the plant is not from a quarantined area. If you own citrus plants, inspect them on a regular basis for the disease, and the psyllids themselves. Look for eggs, often nestled in crevices of unfolded leaves. Twisted and curling shoot tips, sooty mold, and white waxy deposits on the leaves are all signs of psyllid damage. And if you detect the insect, or an infected plant, report it. Act fast.

Until a treatment or a cure is found, stopping the spread of this deadly disease by halting the movement of plants is our only hope of saving America’s citrus.

What does the term "systemic" mean on a chemical label?

Answer:
"Systemic" is a term that refers to a chemical that can be absorbed by a plant through the foliage or root system.

• Systemic insecticides not only kill insects and disease on contact but also remain in the plant and kill insects when they feed on the foliage.
• Systemic fungicides remain in and on the plant longer to not only kill disease on contact put provide a layer of protection to prevent future attacks for some time.
• With weed control sprays, the chemical is absorbed by the plant all the way down to the roots, completely killing the weed.

Systemic products should never be used on any edible plants or crops.