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Colorful Landscapes for Gardeners with Pollen Allergies

landscapeliving — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:42:44 +0000

Any sufferers of pollen allergies believe they can't enjoy creating colorful landscapes and gardens. With some planning and forethought, this doesn't have to be true. Pollen allergies are aggravated by the pollen produced by blooming plants -- flowers, vegetables and fruits. There is a wide selection of colorful landscape choices for gardeners with pollen allergies which won't result in an allergy attack.

If you have pollen allergies, rule out any plants which bloom in your climate. It should be noted that some plants which bloom in tropical climates grow well but never bloom in climate zones only slightly farther north. One great example, the beautiful rust and golden croton petra, blooms annually in South Florida and southern Texas but rarely, if ever, blossoms in any other area. Also, plants with very tiny blossoms do not produce a significant amount of pollen and bother only those with the most severe allergies.

There are numerous varieties of crotons from which to choose. The croton known as "gold dust plant" has green leaves speckled with bright gold. The more sun the plant gets the brighter the gold speckles. The fiddle-back croton has tiny fiddle-shaped secondary leaves on the colorful variegated primary leaves.

False aralia is another rarely blooming plant, seldom seen blooming outside the tropics. The multi-pointed leaves of some varieties are dark purple while others are red, silver, or variegated. Easy to grow, false aralia does well in sunny areas.

A great hanging basket plant or ground cover plant with a touch of color is the common spider plant or airplane plant. The traditional yellow-white and green striped variety or the newer variety with golden variegated leaves create beautiful arching bundles and multiply by offsets which each create a new plant on the end and will readily root wherever they are produced or can be transplanted or removed for potting. While these plants do produce tiny flowers on the ends of the offsets before the new plant begins, they are extremely low in pollen and work well as indoor or outdoor specimens.

Bromeliads are available in colors ranging from deep purple to silver-green. These plants grow best in the southern regions but can be grown in pots and taken indoors for over-wintering in any climate zones. The bromeliad family is easily identified because the leaves develop into a vase-like rosette which stores water. In fact, bromeliads should be watered not just from the soil but by placing water into the 'vase'. These plants do infrequently produce blooms but have very little pollen, making them especially great for those with allergies. When the plants do bloom, the unique blossoms last for weeks.

For deep purple foliage, choose Moses-in-the-bulrushes. This plant can be used as ground cover, specimen, and hanging baskets or grown in pots. The dark royal purple leaves add a sharp contrast to green foliage. The tiny blossoms appear at the tip of the stems and are so small that little pollen is produced.

Orchids can add a real boost of color to your landscape. While the foliage is rather plain-Jane green in most species, the blossoms which produce little pollen are absolutely gorgeous regardless of the species grown. Once blossoms appear, they can stay stunning for several weeks and, with proper care, can bloom frequently. In warm climates, orchids can be grown embedded in sphagnum moss attached to a board or in a wire basket. They do well hanging underneath trees so that partial light is available but little direct sunlight. Orchids so have to be moved indoors in all but the most southern climate zones.

A gorgeous tree to plant in your landscape to add color is the red maple or Chinese maple. The breath-taking deep red star-like leaves are stunning and, when mature, this tree can produce a nice spot of shade for lounging beneath. Avoid trees which produce heavy pollen including pine, oak, elm, alder, birch, cottonwood, poplar, sweet gum, sycamore, citrus, and pecan.

Allergies and Sensitivities Blog» Grow Great Grub: Organic Food ...

But then once you get past that, you start to realize it is crammed full of all kinds of information that would be helpful to both the novice gardener and the serious food-grower. A really, really exemplary sophomore effort by Trail. ... Not only is this book chockabock full of great tips, the photos are so beautiful that it makes me want to run out and try my hand at growing anything and everything possible. (Shiso? Never heard of it but… yes please! ...

Publish Date: 04/03/2010 19:23

http://www.sensitiveme.com/food/grow-great-grub-organic-food-from-small-spaces/

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Organic Gardening Tips – 4 Tips For The Conscientious Gardener

as lung problems, allergies or even cancer. If gardeners refrain from using these dangerous products then they are saving anyone who consumes their products from a lot of health hazards. 2. Look for non-toxic weed killers. ...

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Helpful Allergy Tips For Gardeners

You've waited all winter to get out in your garden, so don't let seasonal allergies keep you from getting your hands dirty! Here are a few simple tips to keep allergies at bay this planting season: Try to do your gardening late in the ...

Publish Date: 05/05/2010 6:10

http://blog.maidbrigade.com/blog/house-cleaning-and-health/0/0/helpful-allergy-tips-for-gardeners

Know It In A Minute: How To Garden With Allergies

How you can still enjoy gardening with allergies Useful tips for allergy sufferers who enjoy gardening.

Tags: Landscape Garden Ideas

Hottest Gardening Trends for 2010

landscapeliving — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:44:16 +0000

Every year brings along new hot gardening trends. While some people choose garden designs and accessories based on tradition -- and there is nothing wrong with that at all -- it is always nice to know what is expected for the coming seasons. Of course, until the purchasing actually begins to snowball, these anticipated trends are just that -- anticipated. But they are also based on the soundest market research garden product manufacturers and landscape centers can obtain from surveys and product tests. In fact, quite a lot of money is put into this research to determine what people really want and provide them with just those plants, items and products.

Accessories:

Mosquito Repellants: Once, keeping these pesky insects at bay required smelly sprays and candles. Today, electronic devices are available which really work quite well. During the coming gardening seasons, these will be among the hottest sellers on the market. In fact, these affordable electronic devices make great gifts for Christmas or birthdays and many will be sold well before the gardening season of 2010 begins.

Sparkle Garden Stakes: A few years ago, it was the gazing ball. Now, it is expected that sparkling garden stakes, sprinkled among potted or in-ground plants will be all the rage. They are whimsical and children love placing them in the garden. They are inexpensive pizzazz for a slightly ho-hum area in the landscape.

LED and Solar-Powered Lighting: Garden lighting will become even more popular because the prices have gone down significantly and the installation is incredibly simply and easy. The visual impact added to the garden during evening hours makes these affordable lighting options a must-have. New designs and shapes are highly anticipated. You'll find lilies and other flower-like lighting options new to the gardening scene.

Durable Metal Torches: The old-fashioned bamboo torches are out and stainless and other types of metal oil torches are in for outdoor cozy lighting. They are a bit pricier than the old bamboo torches but add elegance and panache to the outdoor setting.

Plants and Gardens:

Zen Gardens: Zen has been becoming more and more popular and in 2010 it will reach even higher peaks in popularity. The serenity and peace of these meditation gardens helps relieve stress experienced through the day and everyone is seeking ways to get rid of stress.

Organic: Everything organic will continue to grow in popularity. From compost to natural pest deterrents, people who have become conscious of the damage done to the environment by traditional fertilizer and pesticides continue to turn away toward natural solutions which often are much less expensive to use and certainly much safer.

Heirlooms: From roses to tomatoes, heirloom varieties will continue to soar in popularity. The beauty of heirlooms blossoms and taste of heirloom tomatoes make these choices not to miss out on.

Bigger is Better: As food prices have risen significantly and the economy changed, people will be growing vegetables that have never attempted kitchen gardening in the past. Even a few patio tomatoes can cut the grocery bill slightly and anyone who has the space and any available time is expected to delve into the pleasure and satisfaction of seeing their own vegetables grow from seedlings to mature plants ready to harvest.

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Tags: Landscape Garden Ideas

Skin Care Tips for Working on Garden Landscapes

landscapeliving — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:27:41 +0000

You might not readily associate gardening and landscaping with skin care. If you are not well versed in the subject, there are things you should know about skin care while working on garden landscapes in order to protect your largest bodily organ. These tips will help you ensure your skin remains in wonderful, glowing condition while you maintain your garden landscape in lush beauty.

The Sun and Gardening

Sunshine makes our garden landscapes grow and thrive but it also can harm our skin. Many cases of various types of skin cancer are directly related to unprotected sun exposure.

Just as the sun dries the rain from the garden leaves, it can dry our skin causing rough, scaly, ashy appearance. Over time, premature wrinkling develops causing the skin to make you look older than you real age. These are two of the most important things, second only to skin cancer, which you really must keep in mind about skin care while gardening.

Who should be most concerned about Skin Care and Gardening?

The answer to this question is: Everyone without exception. However, not everyone reacts to the sun exactly the same; some people are in greater danger due to sun exposure.

q People who are light skinned with red hair are usually very susceptible to sunburn and skin damage from the sun.

q Blue-eyed blondes should also be extra cautious about sun exposure when gardening and landscaping.

q People with olive skin and brown hair tend to sunburn less easily but still risk skin damage to a high degree.

q Those of Middle Eastern heritage with light brown skin and dark hair and eyes can stand slightly more exposure to the sun than those with lighter skin and hair.

q People of African-American heritage but light shades of skin are quite susceptible to sun damage while those with much darker skin tones can withstand slightly longer exposure without damage.

It is still a hard fact that every single person, regardless of heritage, skin color, hair/eye color, or tendency to burn in the sunshine, will experience skin damage and risk skin cancer if they do not protect themselves from sun damage.

Here are ways to care for and protect your skin while caring for your garden and landscape.

Apply Lots of Sunscreen

Sunscreen is a must-have when working on garden landscapes. Even if the sky appears to be cloudy, the harmful ultraviolet rays penetrate the overcast and can cause skin damage or even sunburn. Before leaving the protection of your home for the garden to perform landscaping, apply on a strong Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of a top-quality sunscreen. Optimally, use a waterproof sunscreen if you will be outdoors long enough to perspire significantly or if the day is especially hot or reapply the sunscreen frequently to renew the protection.

Wear the Right Gardening Attire

The most important accessory for gardening skin care is a good, wide-brimmed hat. Straw hates breathe well but the weave should be tight enough to prevent a great deal of sun passing through the straw. A sunburned scalp is extremely painful and you want the shade from the brim to protect your face and the back of your neck.

While in the privacy of the backyard, many men find it tempting to garden shirtless and women often wear tiny swimsuit tops. Do not do this even though it may be cooler than wearing a shirt. Because your back is often the most exposed area when bending over to garden, protect it with a cotton shirt. Cotton breathes and draws perspiration away from the skin, helping cool the body, while providing protection from the harmful UV rays.

Kneeling in unprotected knees is a sure way to cause rough, dry knees. Wear loose-fitting cotton slacks and, if you will be kneeling for more than a few minutes, invest in a set of knee pads or a yoga mat which provides softness for your knees. No one wants to build up unattractive calluses on their knees. If you feel you really must wear short pants for gardening and landscaping, be certain to apply lots of sunscreen to your exposed legs.

Wear shoes rather than flip-flops. You can choose garden clogs which have holes to allow the feet to breathe or canvas tennis shoes but you need to protect your feet from sunburn, dryness, and protect them from tools and equipment you may be using. It really hurts if you happen to drop a small hand implement on your foot if you are wearing shoes with no top protection. Save the flip-flops and flimsy sandals for the beach or poolside.

Gloves are an absolute must for garden and landscape skin care. Working in the soil will quickly dry out the fragile skin of your hands and the sun can cause wrinkles on the back of your hands which really make your hands appear aged quickly. Also, you'll prevent painful blisters and calluses when shoving or grasping other tool handles.

Skin Care for After Gardening and Landscaping

There are also things you should know about skin care after your have completed your work on your garden and landscape. The care of your skin doesn't stop once you leave the landscape; in fact, proper skin care after gardening is just as important as while working in your garden and landscape.

Skin Care in the Shower or Bath

Once you go indoors, you want to wash the soil and perspiration from your body. If you have only been exposed to the sun for a short time, less than one-half hour, wait 20 minute before jumping in the shower or bath to allow your body to absorb the Vitamin D generated through sun exposure.

When showering or bathing, use a very gentle soap or body wash for cleansing. Harsh soaps remove too much oil from the skin causing flaking and ashy appearance after the skin dries. Also, many people shower or soak in the bath for much too long. Skin care professions and dermatologists now recommend that a shower or bath should last only as long as required to cleanse the body, normally less than 10 minutes. Professionals also recommend that water temperatures be tepid, which means lukewarm, rather than hot since hotter water is more drying. Once, or at most twice, per week, exfoliate the skin with a gentle exfoliating puff. Avoid hard scrubbing.

The scalp is an important part of skin care too. Use a gentle shampoo and only lather twice if your hair has gotten badly soiled from your gardening and landscaping tasks. In most cases, lathering once is enough and reduces dryness. Be sure to rinse extremely well.

After-Shower Skin Care

At this point, you probably are feeling great having accomplished a great deal in your garden and landscape and having enjoyed a good, refreshing body cleansing. Your skin care doesn't stop just yet, however. There's just one thing you should know about skin care after working on garden landscapes.

Lightly dry your skin, patting with an absorbent cotton towel. Do not rub and do not try to get the skin completely dry; dry only so that you are not dripped water. Apply a slathering of your preferred skin moisturizing lotion to your entire body. Moisturizers which contain Vitamin E are especially effective. You may have a different moisturizer you prefer for use on your face and neck area; if so, use that product for facial care.

Proper Skin Care While Working on Garden Landscapes Pays Off

If you follow these gardening and landscaping skin care guidelines every time you garden, whether the day is sunny or overcast, you will experience a big pay-off in younger looking skin which glows. If you have a light skin color which tans, you will develop a healthy level of tanning without harmful over-exposure. If your skin is dark, you will prevent the extreme dryness often caused by the sun.

Your skin will feel soft to the touch and you'll both look and feel attractive. Your odds of developing sun-related skin cancer will be reduced. Do keep in mind, however, that not all skin cancer is sun-related and everyone should have regular check-ups so their doctor can screen them for suspicious changes in the skin.

Your skin care routine during and after working in the garden landscape will prevent premature wrinkling of the face and hands. You'll look younger much longer than those who fail to protect their skin from the sun.

Implementing these things you should know about skin care when working in the garden landscape and afterwards costs very little and the pay off is really big when someone compliments you on your garden and landscape and also on your beautiful complexion!

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