One of the best things about gardening is felling warm, moist dirt in your bare hands, but you will often end up with blistered, chapped, and scraped skin.  The solution to this problem is gardening gloves.  The more time you spend getting down and dirty in the garden, the more you need gardening gloves.  Gardening gloves will be able to ease some of the pain you would otherwise be subject to, letting you spend even more time playing in the dirt.

There are hundreds of different types of gloves on the market, and the kind of gardening glove you buy depends on the way you garden.  Some gloves offer protection against specific substances or things, for example, leather gloves are not the best for working with chemicals or water.  Many gardening gloves are specialized for pruning thorns, refilling gasoline tanks, or using a chain saw, while others are for general tasks such as raking, digging, and weeding.

After choosing the type of gardening glove you need, you must make sure and pick out the perfect fit.  Gloves that are too big have a tendency to slip off while gloves that are too small could cause aches and cramps.  Any glove that doesn’t fit could defeat the whole purpose of wearing gloves and cause blistering.  To find a glove with the best fit possible, try the gloves on both hands, make a fist, and imitate the movements you make when gardening.  If there is no pinching or slipping and the glove is comfortable then you have found your match.

Gardening gloves can be bought in many places and are produced by many companies, causing them all to have a different quality and price.  Most gloves can be washed in cool water and then air dried.  There are many different types of gloves you can purchase to satisfy your varying needs, such as cotton and cotton-polyester for general-purpose chores.  These are among the most popular gloves and are perfect for light chores in cool and dry weather.  Leather gloves can also be used for general chores but are heavier than cotton and polyester.  Chemical resistant gloves will help protect your hands against oils, acids, herbicides, pesticides, and many other chemicals.  Grip enhancing gloves are designed with rubber dots for extra gripping power.  Cut and puncture resistant gloves are designed to offer extra protection against sharp edges

If you are the type person that only wears gloves as an optional luxury for various tasks, you should think seriously for using specialized gardening gloves for many of the activities you will be doing outside.  There is really no reason not to wear gardening gloves; they protect your hands from the elements and don’t ever cost all that much.

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Dahlias are tuberous perennials and were cultivated in other countries during the 1800's. They are fast-growing, succulent plants and require large amounts of water. Dahlias are heavy feeders and will benefit from additional fertilizer. However, they are not frost hardy, and the first hard frost will turn leaves black and signal the end of the flowering season. The flowers are generally planted about the same time you would plant your vegetable garden. Be aware though that the dahlia’s constitution is susceptible to numerous diseases and pests, and usually require frequent treatment with various fungicides and insecticides.

Gardeners who are looking for a beautiful, versatile and long-blooming flower for their beds should take a close look at the dahlia. Those who grow the fleshy-root super tubers tend to become addicted, joining support groups cleverly disguised as "dahlia societies.” Planters who've been unsuccessful in storing dahlia tubers over the winter may be unaware of the dahlia's quirks.  Dahlias like a constant dark environment for storage-not too dry or they completely dry out and not too wet or they rot.  Many gardeners avoid the hassle of dahlia tuber storage by buying new tubers each year at plant sales.

Most people recommend providing dahlias with at least a half day of sunlight every day. But gardening methods are as varied as the gardeners who use them, and it seems like every gardener has his or her own preferred method of achieving a beautiful garden.

The dormant tubers are wrinkled looking when you first plant them.  In order to grow each tuber must have a bud (like the eye on a sprouted potato).  Dahlias are a bit fussy and need to planted at the correct time(after the last frost) when the soil has warmed.  You will also develop patience as you wait for the dahlias to sprout from the dormant tubers.  Plants cut back fairly hard will produce stronger regrowth from further down the stalk than if just the bloom is cut. Plant your dahlias in beds about the same time as you'd plant corn, i.e. when the soil has warmed.

Plant dahlias when the spring soil has enough moisture to promote proper growth, such as when the spring rains arrive — that should provide enough water. However, the soil must be well-drained; a neutral soil is preferable to a highly acidic one. Planting in pots gives the dahlias a real good head start and assures you that they are viable before they are planted out. Tall-growing dahlias should be staked in order to support the long stems and large flowers. Staking plants strengthens the tree to the point where it cannot be broken or destroyed by winds or rain storms very easily. Dahlias do not like sharing the sun, so avoid planting them near walls or trees
 
Dahlias are named after the Swedish botanist, Anders Dahl, who studied the seeds and tubers from Mexican dahlias in 1789. They are full sun plants but usually will do well if they receive a minimum of 5 to 6 hours of sunlight each day. They are stocky plants with tuberous roots and showy flowers that come in a wide range of colors. Dahlias are among the most beautiful of garden flowers, but they require a great deal of attention and care, and many gardeners, especially those in the South, find it just isn't worth the effort. But dahlias are considered one of the most spectacular garden flowers, so the end result is usually worth it.

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Easy to Grow Gladioli

Gladioli are a very versatile plant and are equally at home in most gardens from the contemporary to the traditional. They are available in almost every color and hue, with flowers from 5 cm to 18 cm (or 2 in. to 7 in.) wide. The gladiolus is sometimes called the sword lily or corn lily, and the name means "little sword" in Latin. The name comes from the shape of the leaves which look like swords of the ancient knights. Gladioli are perfect for combination planting in border gardens as well as for long-lasting cut flowers. They are simple to grow and very rewarding.

Gladioli are good for cut flowers as well as in the garden. The vegetable garden is a good place to grow glads for cut flowers. They stand out in the garden due to their shape in color. Many kinds of glads make ideal cut flowers, and can be grown in rows in the cutting garden. Today's gardeners can choose from a wide range of flower forms, colors and heights, so there's certainly a gladiolus for everyone's taste. Dust the corms before storage with an all-purpose garden fungicide to ensure against insect and disease damage while in storage.

If you want flowers for display, or cutting, during most of the summer, you’ll need to plant large corms every two weeks throughout the early spring. Plant them in a sunny spot after the danger of frost has passed. Try to plant the corms (bulbs) in the spring, then sit back and wait, and prepare to be amazed. Plant large bulbs 4 to 6 inches deep, medium-sized bulbs 3 to 4 inches deep, and small bulbs 2 to 3 inches deep. For the best effect, plant mixed colors in groups of 25 or more; single colors may be planted as few as 10 in a group for equally striking displays.

The flowers should bloom in about 90 days. They should open first from the base of the spike, with the older flowers dying as new ones develop and open. Flowers bloom in all colors of the rainbow except true blue. The cone of flowers running up the plant stalk comes in a myriad of colors from white, to fuschia, to bright yellow

The gladiolus is an important floral crop world wide that is grown in gardens and sold as a cut flower. In fact, Gladioli are recorded (under several of its synonyms) as being used in southern Africa in treating a variety of ailments, including diarrhea and colds. It is one of the few plants that can produce green blooms, and produce a show stopping effect in the garden or a vase. They are grown for their attractive flower spike that has florets of huge form, dazzling color and varying sizes, with a long vase life.

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Planting bulbs is the best inexpensive way to fill your garden with the biggest variety of colorful flowers of all shapes and sizes. The act of bulb planting is a traditional fall gardening activity and there’s only a few important bits of information you really need to know. The process itself is simple, and knowing how to do it properly will allow you to create a spectacular display year after year that will delight your senses. Planting bulbs is a wonderful way to brighten up the garden and enjoy the summer sun. It’s all so fun because by spring time you have forgotten all about them and then they come up and surprise you.

Bulbs are often categorized according to their hardiness, time of bloom, and size. They should be planted with their points facing upwards. Bulbs should have 8 to 10 hours of daily sunlight, but don’t restrict planting to areas that receive full sun year-round. Bulbs are great for layering.  You can plant the bulbs at their various depths and have flowers starting with the crocus popping out in the early spring continuing on with the daffodils, tulips.  As the months continue you can see your bulbs show off lilies and irises into the later months finishing off with the showy dahlias of summer and early fall. Bulbs such as snowdrops and bluebells often establish better when planted 'in the green' after the bulbs have flowered. They can suit many garden styles, from the formal gardens which surround buildings to natural-looking woodland or meadow gardens to the small urban plot.

Once you start planting bulbs and come to enjoy the results of your labor, you may become addicted to these spring “role-players” in your garden. Start identifying those open spots in your garden and visualize a spring tapestry of colorful bulbs. There are a great variety of flowering bulbs of all colors, shapes and heights for the coming spring’s garden; if you mix it up and plant numerous varieties and species, you’ll have flowers for as long as six weeks.

If you are just starting gardening, you will find planting bulbs to be easy, so keep reading and prepare to gill your garden with blooming flowers and plants.With just a little work, bulb flower gardening returns your efforts with an array of diverse and colorful blooms. As with all gardening, bulb planting is the most pleasurable after a good solid rain. Many of us are only family with the spring flower bulbs like tulips and daffodils, but bulbs are plants and flowers that get bloom in your garden throughout the seasons.
 
In fact, many experienced gardeners find that planting bulbs is a pleasant way to fill the hours required for the holiday roast to reach perfection. For many gardeners planting bulbs is associated with autumn. The great thing about it is that if you are just a little patient, you will get more bulbs out of the deal. In essence, the act of planting bulbs is a quick and easy way to make your garden come to life when spring arrives. If gardening at its core is an activity of optimism, then planting bulbs is one of its most profound gestures of hope and faith.

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