This Gardening site teaches everyone how to garden

Planting and growing a garden can be like therapy for our minds and bodies. You find a spot in your yard that is just perfect for a garden. You know the spot. The spot where the sun shines the most with not too much shade. You cut into the soil and grass with your shovel and then on your hands and knees you pull the weeds and grass from the warm soil. You prepare the soil for those seeds you bought. The seeds of your favorite vegetables or flowers. Flowers that will attract hummingbirds or vegetables that will make a great salad!

Or .....maybe you like roses. A real rose garden. Roses of all colors! How about rose bushes around a water garden? A beautiful water garden with water lilies, a bubbling waterfall and maybe some colorful Koi swimming around under the lilies.

Do you cook? Do you use herbs when you cook? Would you like to use fresh herbs when you cook? Well......why don't you grow your own. You wouldn't even have to have a yard or garden. Just get a large flower pot, some good garden soil and plant your own herbs on your patio or balcony or even inside!

There are plants that grow in the desert that require very little water to live and flourish. Some of the plants can go for many months without any water. It is simply amazing.

If you want a beautiful lawn, a fantastic garden, and beautiful flowers it is still quite possible!! The trick is to use the right kind of plants and the right kind of watering system. The good news is the plants are not expensive and the water systems are easy to install.

The systems used in arid areas for growing plants with minimal water is called xeriscaping. In other words landscaping with minimal water.

Xeriscaping not only makes gardening easier in dry climates because of the plants' drought resistance, but also helps the environment by using less water while still providing a lush garden full of native flowers and foliage

1. Planning and Design - A Xeriscape landscape as well as any good landscape begins with a good design whether your re-landscaping an existing yard or planting a brand new one. And your Xeriscape landscape can be installed in phases to save on initial costs. It is important to evaluate the various climate conditions in your yard to help determine where the different plants will survive and grow. It is also a good idea to consider using native plants for your area.

2. Soil Analysis - Before you start planting you should have the soil from different areas of your yard tested to determine if it will need improvement. You can organic materials, such as peat, composted leaves or grass clippings which will increase plant growth and help your soil absorb and hold water. You can usually have your soil tested at your local county coop extension office. They can test soil samples for pH - the acid or alkaline level of the soil - and determine what improvement will work best for your soil.

3. Efficient Irrigation - In able to efficiently provide for plants with the same water needs it is important to group plants accordingly. Place water - thrifty plants together and seperate them from grass and other plants that use water heavily. You will then be able to design your irrigation to put the water where you need it. You will then know where to use sprinklers, soaker hoses or drip watering systems. And remember to vary your irrigation schedule according to the season and to factor in rainfall. You don't want to be watering during the local rainy season. You may want to install a rain sensor on your automatic irrigation system to preventing watering when it rains.

Children love to garden, they love playing in the dirt, planting their seeds and watering them with their own watering pail. They can have their own small patch of garden to grow their own vegetables. Think of the possibilities.

Do you like beautiful landscaping around your home but don't want to use a lot of water? For nine years my family and I have lived in the desert of Tucson, Arizona. The yearly rainfall is measured in single digits. Drought conditions have existed there for over 10 years. Yes that does sound strange since deserts don't get much water anyway so now think of a desert in a drought. Gives a new meaning to dry. Rocks are usually used instead of grass lawns or lawns are about as big as the average patio.