While many types of insects, birds and animals seen in the home are unwanted intruders, others play a vital role in pollinating plants and moving seeds from one place to another.  In fact, without these animal and insect helpers, most plants would be unable to reproduce.

Even though most gardeners understand how important this cycle of pollination and seed disbursal is, few fully understand why it occurs, or how it benefits both the plants and the animals. 

The rewards of pollination and seed disbursal to the plants are easy to determine – they get to spread their seeds far and wide, and start new plants in far off locations.  The rewards the insects, birds and mammals derive are many as well, and they include:
Nectar – nectar is actually a sugary solution, and therefore it is highly prized by all kinds of animals both for its good taste and for the ample energy it provides.  Getting at this nectar is what prompts most pollinating insects, birds and animals to do such a good job.  Nature has provided plants with various ways to attract pollinating insects, birds and animals.  Many types of flowers store their nectar in special glands called nectaries.  These nectar glands are most frequently found in flowers, but they are also sometimes contained in leaves or other parts of the plant as well.  Most plants are designed to protect their nectar stores from non-pollinating insects and animals, through the use of special storage locations that only pollinating insects can reach, for instance.  
The use of nectar and the plants, insects, birds and animals that depend on it is a fascinating study in co-evolution.  The sugar concentrations of many plant nectars have evolved to match the energy requirements of the types of animals, birds and insects that pollinate them.  For instance, bees require a 30-35% concentration of sugar in order to make the honey needed by their larvae in the winter.  Therefore, bees will not visit flowers whose nectar contains less than 30% sugar.  Therefore, the flowers and plants that depend on bees for pollination have evolved high concentrations of sugar in their nectar to attract these pollinators.
Pollen – Pollen is also used by flowers and plants to attract the insects, birds and animals they need.  Pollen is eaten by bees, and it is also used to make a substance called bee bread, which is a high protein combination of pollen and nectar.  This bee bread is used to feed the larvae, which require a high concentration of protein to grow and thrive.  Some plants, such as peonies, poppies and roses, use only pollen as a reward and produce no nectar at all.  Other types of plants produce two types of pollen – their normal pollen and a sterile pollen with is attractive to pollinating insects.  This evolutionary strategy ensures that the good tasting pollen will be eaten while the reproductive pollen will be spread to other areas by the insects, birds and animals that visit the plant.
Of course, this pollen and nectar does the plants no good if the birds, insects and animals cannot find it, and plants and flowers use their bright colors and strong scents to attract these animals and let them know that pollen, nectar, or both await them. 
Some pollinating species rely primarily on their sense of sight, and the bright flowers are used to attract their attention.  Other species, particularly nocturnal ones, rely primarily on smell.  It is the scent of the flowers that attracts these scent oriented pollinators.

Insects can cause significant damage to your landscape. This damage can result in costs to treat the damage or replace damaged plants. Managing insect pests is a very important part of landscape maintenance, and requires that you take an active role in protecting your plants and caring for them. Be sure to know what you are dealing with beforehand, and ensure that you are adequately prepared to combat insect pests, whether you use natural methods or synthetic methods.

The first thing that you need to recognize is that not all insects are pests. Some of them (like bees) actually provide helpful services and are part of a thriving ecosystem in your yard. Additionally, different insect pests cause different problems, and they should be treated differently. It is possible to treat most insects with pesticides, but it is important to note that when one uses these chemical solutions, they rarely distinguish between helpful insects and pests, and may kill insects that do no harm. If you can identify the pest that is causing a specific problem, then you can more effectively treat it using targeted methods of eradication.

For the best possible health to your landscape, prevention is the best way to avoid insect pests. There are many non-chemical management techniques that can be used to help prevent unwanted insects from even causing a problem. The best treatment is to keep plants in general good health. Healthy plants are more resistant to the vagaries of insect pests, and they will stand up to harsh measures if they have to be taken. Below are some general guidelines to help you have the healthiest possible plants and to help your landscape increase its defense against insects:

Choose your plants carefully. Make sure that they match the site in terms of soil type, drainage and sunlight received. Also select plants that are compatible with the climate in your region.

Plant varieties that are resistant to common pests. For instance, paper birch is especially susceptible to bronze birch borers, and may fall victim to these pests. Choose plants that are hardy and not often affected by the run of the mill insect.

Promote diversity by selecting plants that are resilient to different pests. Also, planting a variety of vegetation in your landscape can lead ensure that even if one particular plant is ravaged, that your entire landscape will not suffer. Diversity protects.

Promote the general health of your plants through proper care. Make sure that you follow a schedule of watering, pruning, mulching, and fertilizing. This will help the plants remain in good health.

Encourage natural enemies in the insect world. Insects eat other insects, and if you promote competition in that way, the populations will remain lower, and there will be less focus on your plants. A wide variety of flowering plants that bloom at different times throughout the growing season are especially good at encouraging natural enemies.

Monitor your plants regularly to ensure that an infestation does not have time to strengthen and take root. This way you can take care of the problem immediately. Some non-chemical methods that work very well in controlling insects are things like hard water sprays to keep aphid populations in check and cardboard or metal rolls that protect against cutworms. If the damage is not severe, it is possible to take no action against them, but this does carry with it a risk: it could become severe if not properly treated.

If you feel that using an insecticide is the only way to eliminate a pest problem that you have, be sure to use such chemicals with care. Determine whether the use of the pesticide will actually prevent significant damage from occurring. Try to treat the plants before the damage has occurred, so that the plant recovers better. If the insects have moved on, there is no reason to treat the plant, especially if damage has already occurred. The chemicals will affect the plant as well as the pests. Make sure you carefully read the label prior to buying your insecticide, and be sure to read the instructions before using. Also be concerned about how much you use. Too much insecticide can cause damage to your health, as well as to the health of your plants.

Kentucky bluegrass, as a species of grass, is native to most of Europe, the northern parts of Asia, as well s the mountainous regions of Morocco and Algeria. The grass, though common now in the cool humid parts of the United States, is not even native to North America. It came to this country along with colonists from Europe, who brought grass seed mixtures. The species took to the climate of New England well, and is now found throughout much of the modern United States.

Kentucky bluegrass is one of the most recognizable grasses in the United States. It grows from about one and one half to two feet in height. It is recognizable because of its boat shaped tips on the blades. The growth of Kentucky bluegrass varies with the time of year and is triggered by the length of the days rather than the temperatures of the days.

If you wish to plant Kentucky bluegrass you must know that it requires approximately two to three pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet of land. Fortunately it can be seeded any time of the year, but will grow best if you plant in the spring or fall. Once planted, you should water your bluegrass at least a couple of times a day for the first two weeks, and maybe even three times depending on the weather. You can cut back on the watering once the seeds start to produce visible sprouts.

Compared to many other grasses, and specifically warm season grasses, Kentucky bluegrass requires a lot of water. To stay healthy it will need as much as two inches of water every week. That should keep the grass green and bright throughout the summer. In order to help the roots to grow deeper and hardier, water no less than an inch on any single day of watering. If your Kentucky bluegrass happens to go dormant during a drought, it will need only about an inch of water every two or three weeks. That will keep the crowns of the grass alive so that when rainfall does come the grass will recover fast.

Kentucky bluegrass requires a fairly large amount of Nitrogen during most every year of its life. The first year, when you plant it, it will likely need five or six pounds of nitrogen to grow properly. After that, you can probably get away with cutting that back by about half. In order to avoid burning and to maintain convenience, you may want to use some sort of slow release nitrogen source. It can be applied more liberally and less frequently, making it an especially attractive option if you are a beginner in lawn care.

Like most pure bred lawn grasses, Kentucky bluegrass is susceptible to pests. The weed problems you may encounter with your bluegrass are dandelions, clover, crabgrass, and annual bluegrass. These can generally be controlled with pre-emerge herbicides. As far as insects, billbugs, sod webworms, and white grubs all enjoy a good Kentucky bluegrass meal. Monitor the insect situations diligently and apply pesticides in a timely manner, with care not to over do it. Bluegrass may also get hit with disease. To prevent this problem, you can seed with a mixture added to your bluegrass or use varying strains of Kentucky bluegrass that have resistance to different diseases. If your soil happens to be alkaline, and you did not have it tested in advance, your Kentucky bluegrass could develop iron chlorosis, which is yellowing between the veins of the grass.

Kentucky bluegrass, because the state is named for it and because it can be found all over the United States, is one of the most well known grasses around. It is also very recognizable by its unique blade and bright color. Native to the middle United States where the weather is cool and humid, the grass is not as difficult to plant and maintain as its reputation would imply. Plant your bluegrass in the correct density to ensure good cover, seed it either in the spring or the fall when the days are the proper length to ensure a good root system, and be sure to get the newly seeded area significant light, frequent water, and proper care and you can have a beautiful bluegrass lawn that you can be proud of.

You may not realize that different types of grasses, just like other plants and shrubs, have different needs and some varieties are more suited to some climates than others. There are grasses that grow better in moderate or moist climates and then other types that do much better in hot, dry locales. If you live in a southerly climate, then here are three grasses that grow well in your area.

1. Bermudagrass

Bermudagrass can be both a blessing and curse. It can be uncontrollable and can invade your flowerbeds and produce an uncontrollable amount of grass seeds. All of this stress and aggravation is worth it though, especially if you have neither the time nor the inclination to nurture your lawn. Bermudagrass can survive for decades with very little care and can also work well as a winter lawn in place of perennial ryegrass. This grass is tough and hardy and is often used on roadsides in the south because of its ability to stand up to real wear and tear with little maintenance.

Bermudagrass needs a warm climate. It is both drought and wear resistant. It is fast growing and the comma Bermuda variety is quite cheap. It does need full sun to thrive and has a very low tolerance for shady areas. Don’t plant Bermudagrass if your lawn does not get a great deal of direct sunlight.

2. Centipede

Like Bermudagrass, centipede is quite low maintenance and does not require frequent mowing or fertilization. It does not, however, grow quickly and it cannot withstand heavy traffic in the way that Bermudagrass can.

Centipede is a tough grass variety that is particularly suited to areas in the lower South and where the soil is quite acidic. This variety of grass can take root where many other grasses have failed. Centipede grass can grow in some shade, but you will get best results if it is full sun or almost full sunspots.

Centipede grass should be fertilized in the spring with low-nitrogen fertilizer. You need to make sure that your fertilizer does not contain phosphorus. The ideal mix to look for is 15-0-15. The ideal pH level for centipede grass is between four and a half and five and a half.

3. Zoysia

Zoysia is a very dark and dense turf and it the most tolerant of cold of the entire southern climate suited grasses. The ideal pH level for this variety of grass is between six and seven.

Zoysia is quite slow to take root if grown right from seed. You can bypass this difficultly by laying sod, rather than growing the grass right from seed. If you decide to go with sees, then you will have to have a great deal of patience.

Zoysia does best in full sun, but there are some sub-varieties that can do well in the shade. The Emerald Zoysia variety has a high shade tolerance. Zoysia also has somewhat of a drought tolerance, though you will need to stay on top of the water level and make sure that you water your grass if the drought lasts longer than a week. Zoysia can deal with some dry spells, but not really lengthy ones. Zoysia grasses should be fertilized in both the spring and the fall.

This variety of grass is the most attractive of the warm season grasses, but it comes at a price. Zoysia grass takes a great deal of care and nurturing on your part to achieve the luxurious look it is known for. If you don’t have the time or energy to devote to this type of grass, then you should probably consider planting one of the other varieties of warm climate grasses.

There are some other warm climate grasses that will do well if you live in a southern climate. There are also some tall fescue varieties that can do well in southern areas too, especially those that are resistant to droughts.

At your local garden center, they should have a mix for your area. Grass companies have spent a great deal of time and money researching the best mix for your area. If you don’t have the time or want to do extensive research into the specific kinds of grass that are best suited to your land, then one of these grass seeds mixtures may be your best bet.

Trying to grow healthy, vibrant flowers without proper soil chemistry is definitely a case of putting the cart before the horse.  Good soil is the cornerstone of successful gardening, and it is important to make sure that your soil will meet the needs of your plants before the first seed is planted.

While soil chemistry is important no matter what types of plants or flowers you grow, it is particularly critical when it comes to working with bulbs, perennials or other plants that remain in the ground for than one season.  The reason is that the chemistry of the soil can change from year to year.  Therefore, if a formerly well blooming patch of the garden is looking a bit haggard, the first place to look is at the condition of the soil.  Erosion, overuse of pesticides and fertilizers and a number of other factors can impact the quality of the soil, so it is important to test the soil if you suspect a problem.

Of course the soil should be tested anytime a new flower bed is prepared as well.  It would be a mistake to assume that the soil chemistry is the same everywhere on your property, since the makeup of different patches of soil can be markedly different, due to past use, chemicals or residue in the ground, etc.

It is a good idea to have a thorough soil analysis done prior to planting a bed of flowers.  Most major cities have several laboratories that do soil testing, so be sure to contact such a lab to have the soil analyzed for pH level, and for levels of important plant nutrients.  If you are unsure where to get the soil tested, be sure to ask the staff at your local nursery or garden center for a recommendation.

After the present condition of the soil is known, you will be in a much better position to know how to amend the soil and make the changes that are needed.  Once you know the pH level, the level of organic material in the soil, the amount of clay, amount of sand, etc., you will be able to choose the right additives to provide your plants with what they need to thrive.

The pH level of the soil can be a particularly critical factor when deciding what types of plants will work best.  Most varieties of annuals, perennials and bulbs will grow well in a wide range of soil pH, but some plants have specific needs, and prefer soils that are either very alkaline or very acidic.  If your pH range is outside the norm, or if it needs to be amended, there are a number of ways to accomplish this goal.  For instance, limestone can be used to make acidic soil more alkaline, while sulfur is often used to make very alkaline soil more acidic.  A pH level that is out of balance can also be helped by adding humus. This rich soil can be created at home by using a compost bin, or it can be purchased ready made from a garden center or nursery.

After you know the baseline content of your flower bed, it will be easier to track chemistry changes from year to year, and to make amendments as needed.  The more you know about the quality of your soil, the more confident you can be that the plants you buy will thrive in your home garden.