Container Planting

Sunday was a warm nice day and I went to see a movie in “Santana Raw”- an open mall in the Silicon Valley area.
I just love the container planting that they have and I could not resist taking some photos and sharing it with you. I think that it’s a source for great container planting at home.

Just adding some Tulips makes it look much, much better

Changes in The Back Yard

Last year we rebuild the house, as a result we had to replant the back yard. The only trees that survived were our favorite lemon tree and plum tree.
My target was to add as much fruits trees and bushes as I can, keeping the grass area that gives me a great feeling while staying in budges.
I added a blue berry bush, I choose the “Sunshine Blue” since it’s ever green and has heavy corps. It’s blooming right now with a silvery pink bloom.

I love the small corner that I created there, it has my “Yellow Day Lillis” and I just cannot wait until they will bloom.

In addition I planted three kinds of grapes on the big gazebo next to the house, the main goal was that they will cover the gazebo and give us shadow, fruits and some green color. Since the winter was frigid cold (OK, California frigid cold ) I was happy to see that they actually start having leaves.

Fertilizer -> Get the Facts

How many of you try to figure out , when and how much to apply, what kind of fertilizer to apply and when to apply it.
Let’s take a look together:

Should I fertilize at all?
If you worked a lot of organic matter into the soil before planting, than just add more every year or two and you may not need fertilizer at all.

Purchasing the right fertilizer:
There are three main ingredients in every fertilizer:
Nitrogen-feeds foliage(N)
Potassium-produce fruits and flowers(K).
And phosphorus- keeps plants healthy and strong(P).
You will find them listed on every fertilizer package. Its the combination of the three that determine the best fertilizer for your garden. Take a look at the table below to see what different combinations different plant types need.

Plant Type	Nitrogen	Potassium	Phosphorus
Annual Flowers	15	30	15
Deciduous trees and shrubs	15	10	9
Evergreens	12	6	12
Most Vegetables	24	8	16
Lawn	30	2	3
Roses	9	18	9

When should you fertilize?
On annuals you can apply water-soluble fertilizers all seasons, starting in the spring and repeating every month. Shrub and trees should be fertilized once or twice during the growing season using granulated fertilizers, starting in the spring and fining mid August. Then just before plant bloom, make additional feeding.