Sheepskins Blog

Category: Garden

  • How to prepare the garden for spring?

    How to prepare the garden for spring?

    The approaching end of winter, the coming spring, is the best time to take care of the garden. Preparing the garden for the season requires various works, many activities. All for one purpose – the garden should look impressive, and all its elements should be in the best condition.

    Cleaning the area after the winter period, thorough preparation of the lawn, shrubs, flowers or trees for the vegetation period. Preventive measures to protect vegetation against, for example, diseases. Everything has to be carefully planned and implemented.

    Where do we start?

    Thorough cleaning of the area is the number one task on the list of garden works. After the winter is over, it’s time to tidy up. Getting rid of dry leaves, cleaning up plant remains lying on the lawn or between plants is extremely important. Leaving any garbage or plant remains on the lawn will lead to its destruction. Grass roots will not be able to take up enough water. However, you must be very careful when cleaning the lawn. Rake in such a way as not to tear the turf from the soil.

    Before the arrival of spring, you can do the process of rolling the lawn. It is necessary in a situation where uplifts have arisen. The left uplifts can cause the grass to die, because the roots are not properly attached to the ground. When trying to get rid of “bald” areas on the lawn, sow only with the same seeds from which the lawn was created.

    Discovering plants

    When the frost stops, remove any covers that the plants have overwintered in. The safest time to do this is at the turn of March and April. When taking off the covers, do it when there is no sunny weather. Exposing plants to sunlight right away can be a shock to them. All kinds of coverings such as mats, bags or agrotextile should be properly secured so that they serve the plants equally well during the next autumn and winter.

    How to prepare the soil for new plants?

    The end of winter is the best time to prepare the soil for sowing. Wherever sowing is planned, the soil must be dug up very carefully. This should be done to a depth of 10 cm, and then wait about 7 days. This is due to the fact that the earth dug in this way should settle thoroughly. Special bowls should be placed next to the trees, as this process will allow them to better collect and store water.

    Some plant species cannot develop properly at low temperatures. After planting them, e.g. in March, they should be protected with agrotextile or special bags. This will make them fit properly. At the same time, their vegetation process will be accelerated.

    Fertilizer, manure or compost should also be used before spring arrives. This will support the growth of the plants and will prevent the attack of pests. Fertilizer in the garden should only be used when necessary. When fertilizing the soil, you should stick to the main rule, namely it is always better to give less than to overdo it. Too much fertilizer will be counterproductive.

    The turn of winter and spring is a period of intensive work in the garden. Properly planned and performed activities related to preparing this place for the arrival of spring will pay off. A beautiful garden, properly developing vegetation and perfect harvest, e.g. from fruit trees.
  • Japanese-style garden – how to make it and where to start?

    Japanese-style garden – how to make it and where to start?

    Minimalism and nature – these two terms best describe what a Japanese garden looks like. Such an arrangement looks best when certain, specific elements are combined with each other. They consist of: water (ponds or waterfalls), stones reminiscent of rocky areas, vegetation reminiscent of the country of cherry blossoms and characteristic decorations.

    How to arrange a Japanese garden depends on your preferences and the budget you can spend on this investment. Classic arrangements are divided into tsukiyama and karesansui. The first one is much more expensive. To create it, you need plants, stones, hills and water in the form of streams and ponds. Another type of garden, the karesansui, does not require the use of water. In its case, gravel, sand and stones reign. They are raked and arranged in such a way as to imitate the rough waves hitting the calm surface of the water.

    How to arrange a Japanese garden yourself? If it is possible?

    A pagoda or a stone lantern will beautify your Japanese-style garden in no time! It is also worth considering wooden elements – they will provide a dose of elegance and detail. Remember, however, that in Japanese culture, there must be an odd number of originally decorative elements in the garden! Asymmetry reigns in this type of arrangements.

    If you can afford a body of water, it will be a good idea to buy koi. These unusual, multi-colored fish will enliven your Japanese garden with their unusual, unique appearance.

    What plants to put in a Japanese garden?

    The shrubs you should pay attention to are evergreens (but not only!). They are a great choice for molding fancy shapes, and they also have a strong symbolism. The Japanese associate this everlasting green with longevity. Excellent shrubs for the Japanese garden include:

    • evergreen privet,
    • rhododendron,
    • azalea,
    • Japanese pieris.

    Below are some photos of inspiration for Japanese-style gardens:

  • What plants can be found in a child’s room?

    What plants can be found in a child’s room?

    Today we will depart a bit from the topic related to sheep, and looking at the upcoming spring and the possibility of decorating the house with plants, we will present you material about plants that can be found in a child’s room. We will also complete the whole with those that should be avoided so as not to cause unnecessary problems.

    Plants are an important part of any interior design. They not only make our environment more attractive and friendly, but also healthier and less toxic. Unfortunately, not all houseplants are suitable for every room and they cannot be grown everywhere, for example in a child’s room.

    Our children do not always know what is good and safe for them, and at the same time they are eager to explore the world around them, trying new flavors and checking the durability of objects, so we must be very careful when introducing plants to their room.

    What should you watch out for?

    In a child’s room, we cannot place a pot with a cactus or a shiny spurge, because a moment of inattention is enough for a child to hurt themselves with their thorns or hurt themselves in any other way. In his room, we also cannot put any decorative fruit plants, because the vast majority of them are poisonous or inedible species.

    It doesn’t take much for a tragedy to happen if we put a pot with a charming but treacherous coral nightshade or creeping nertera on a children’s table. Their fruits are very decorative, but also dangerous, especially for a small child. When our child, tempted by their bright colors, decides to treat them as a delicacy, at best it may end up with serious stomach problems and a visit to the doctor.

    Plants whose juice has toxic or stinging properties are also unsuitable for a children’s room. While exploring the world, a child may want to check how a colorful dieffenbachia or croton leaf looks or tastes up close, and this will mean serious trouble. When the juice of these plants gets into the mouth or eyes of a baby, it can cause very serious poisoning, irritation or other health problems.

    What plants should be placed in a child’s room?

    Although the list of forbidden plants for children is quite large, there is no shortage of species that can be used to decorate a children’s room without fear. These include, among others, charming and long-blooming saintpaulias (called African violets), undemanding and very decorative herbaceous plants (especially striped varieties), trouble-free and colorful three-crotches, slightly exotic papyruses, romantic nephrolepis (ferns), hardy sansevierias or loving the sun thickener and echeveria.

    When children get used to plants from an early age, they may want to take care of them themselves. When they grow up a bit, we can enable them by giving them the right plants to grow. They must be undemanding and safe species, so it’s best to choose edible plants that can be sown in pots, such as: chives, cress, basil, parsley or fast-growing beans or some garden flowers such as marigolds.

    What are the benefits of plants in the room?

    Plants will not only decorate the child’s surroundings, but also make the air in their room cleaner and healthier (plants have the ability to absorb and neutralize some toxins from paints, furniture and carpets, such as formaldehyde, trichlorethylene, benzene, xylene or toluene). Of course, we should not place them within the reach of a small child’s curious hands, because although they are relatively safe plants, it is better not to tempt fate and not experiment with the health of our children.