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.

If you live in the Chicago area and you are interested in getting some landscaping, Chicago native plants are your best choices. If you choose native plants you will find that your garden or yard will be much easier to take care of as time wears on. At first working in the yard may not seem like a big deal but you may get sick of it when the bloom wears off the rose, no pun intended. This is normal, we start to take our yards for granted and it is not so much fun to work on the landscaping Chicago anymore.

You can even use these native plants to solve your drainage problems. Chicago, for instance has many problems when it comes to drainage. They get a lot of different weather there and it affects the gardens more than you might think. When you are landscaping, Chicago weather needs to be taken into consideration at all times. Talk to your landscaper about what plants will be best for your yard. Don’t skimp with your landscaping, Chicago residents will know you did it and that is never cool. Take your time and find the perfect plants to suit you and your goals. And mention to the landscaper if you notice that you have any drainage problems and perhaps he will be able to suggest some good landscaping Chicago native plants to use. Just make sure that you see a picture of any plant before you agree to use it. Who knows what you might get otherwise. Everyone’s tastes are different and yours may be the polar opposite from the landscapers.

When trying to choose the right plants for landscaping Chicago take a look around you. What kids of plants do your neighbors have? Which ones do you like and which do you despise? Show the landscaper that you choose what you are interested in seeing if your own landscaping. Chicago landscapers tend to be very flexible and open to ideas. This is your yard after all and you and your family are the ones who have to live with it forever.

When looking into landscaping, Chicago perennials may be the way to go. This way you will not have to plant new flowers and plants each and every year. That is a lot of maintenance and most people with landscaping, Chicago residents anyway, do not have the time for this kind of thing.

Preventing disease, and controlling any diseases that do occur, is a vital part of building a successful garden. Whether you are a casual weekend gardener or a grower of championship blooms, keeping your garden healthy is important.

Of course the best way to enjoy a healthy garden year after year is to keep your plants as healthy and well cared for as possible.  Healthier plants are better able to fight off infections and resist damage by common insects.

Unfortunately, however, there are a number of common plant ailments that are entirely beyond the control of even the best gardener.  The common bacterial infection known as fireblight, for instance, can easily penetrate plants if it rains at the right time of year.  In order to prevent this infection, the gardener would need to be able to control the weather, and this is one thing that is definitely beyond their control.

In addition, other common plant ailments are difficult to detect at first.  For instance, the mosaic virus, which often affects bare root roses, rarely displays any symptoms that would notify the gardener of its presence until it is too late.

In order to protect your garden from disease and keep your plants vigorous and healthy, it is important to follow these important steps:

Keep your plants as healthy and vigorous as possible through providing the recommended amounts of water, fertilizer and sunlight.  The staff at your local nursery or garden center can provide you with information on the specific growth needs of each plant you buy.
Buy disease-resistant varieties of plants whenever possible.  Seed packets and seedlings at the nursery are labeled to show their resistance to various common plant ailments.
It is important to avoid damaging the roots as you transplant the seedlings.  That is because damage to the plant’s root system is a major cause of disease and other issues that can prevent plants from reaching their full potential.
When working in the garden, be careful not to injure the plants as you work.  It is important to exercise caution when weeding, fertilizing, tilling the soil, etc.  Damaged stems and roots are a leading source of bacterial and fungal infections.
If at all possible, avoid working in the garden when the weather is very damp.  Dampness can spread disease and fungus, and it is easy for the gardener to unknowingly spread infections among the plants.
If possible, use either a drip irrigation system or a soaker hose when watering plants.  These two watering methods help to avoid getting water on the leaves and flowers.  Standing water on plants is a leading source of fungal and bacterial infections.  Furthermore, standing water makes it easy for infections to spread from one plant to another.
Any disease plants should be removed from the garden immediately.  It is important to remove any diseased plants from the garden and replace them with hardier varieties.  Doing so is the best way to prevent an infection from spreading.
Any diseased plants should be disposed of immediately with the regular household trash.  It is important not to mulch the infected plants, or add them to a compost bin.  While many disease causing organisms are destroyed by the heat of decomposition in the compost bin, some are able to survive.  It is always best to not take the chance that composted materials could reinfect the garden bed.
Keep your garden clean.  A clean garden is less susceptible to infection.  It is always a good idea to perform a thorough cleaning after every growing season.  This includes removing weeds and dead plant parts, since some plant pathogens are able to survive the cold of winter.

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.

There are many types of grasses used for green lawns; do you know which grass is best for your lawn?  The key to great looking green lawn is lawn fertilizers and weed control as well as using the right type of grass seed.  Most lawns are made up of many different types of grass seed and yours might need different seed in different areas. Mowing is an important ingredient to having a great looking lawn as well.

Let’s look at the type of grass that is best for your yard.  One of the first factors is to decide what zone you are in. There is a difference between the cool season zone and the warm season zone.  Warm season grasses are used best in the southern states in the United States and the cool season grasses are used in the North as well as Canada.  You may well be found in the middle of these two zones; in that case, you can contact your local county extension to ask which types of grass are best for your zone.

Warm season grasses are:

Bermudagrass

Buffalograss

Zoysiagrass

These are the most common grasses used in the warm season zone.

Cool season grasses include:

Bentgrasses

Bluegrasses

Fescues

Ryegrasses

The grasses can be mixed in your lawn to take advantage of the strength of the various types of grasses.  One of the items you may need to consider is if your lawn has shady spots.  Along with that, spaces in your yard that have at one time been covered by pine tree branches or have heavy foot traffic deserve special attention.  You may also be in a region that often is affected by drought.  For shaded spots, some of the cool season grasses such as bentgrass and bluegrass may be the answer to your problem.  In areas of heavy traffic, try the sturdy Kentucky bluegrass.  Some new strains of Kentucky bluegrass are also specially designed to be drought tolerant.

Red fescue is used to keep the lawn together and show a tighter appearance.  It is fine leaved and can stand close mowing.  Especially good for cool zones, it is strong and durable.  Meadowgrass is an excellent choice for regions that are prone to drought conditions.  It has a beautiful dark green color and has a good resistance to fungus diseases.  Bentgrass provides a good base to a lawn and by over seeding can give you an attractive tight looking lawn.  Ryegrass has a newly developed strain that stays green all year and has great wear tolerance.

Here are some recommendations of grasses for different parts of the country.  Kentucky bluegrass still seems to be the favorite grass for the Rocky Mountain and Plains states.  Bluegrass varieties that need minimal maintenance are; Belmont, Caliber, Cobalt, Monopoly, and Unique.  Kentucky bluegrass needs to be watered often, as the roots don’t grow deep and is an excellent choice for sports fields and for parks.  It likes to be mowed to a height of about two inches.

The grass recommended for the Northeast and Midwest is a good fescue.  This grass grows slowly, has wiry blades, and has a height of only six inches.  Lots of shade and moisture requires a hardy perennial relative of bluegrass called Poa supine.

The Southeast has a grass called centipede grass.  The grass is light colored, grows slowly, and requires less maintenance than other warm season grasses.

Sources say that grass is hard to grow in the Southwest.  A popular grass is regular Zoysia.  It turns brown in October and stays brown through March.  Zoysia loves the warm weather, turns brown if the temperature gets below 55 degrees, and loves to be cut short.  This grass is not a good grass to use in areas that get a full-blown winter.

In the great Northwest, bent grasses are well adapted to the climate of that area.  They do tend to be high maintenance but there are strains that have been developed for cool areas and are also low maintenance such as Velvet bentgrass.  Ryegrass is also a good choice for cooler weather climates.  You can use annual ryegrass for a quick fix on a lawn or you can choose perennial ryegrass for keeping your grass year after year.