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Just to keep it interesting we've added some additional
articles to this issue. Enjoy!

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ProGardenBiz Landscape & Garden Magazine for the
Green Industry

ProGardenBiz is an online landscape & garden magazine for
professional gardeners and landscape contractors doing
maintenance, irrigation, installation, planting, and
waterscapes.

Quote for today: "Millions yearn for immorality who don't know
what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon."
- Susan Ertz

Life's Quips...
A fool flatters himself, a wise man flatters the fool.

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In this Issue:

- Gardening with Perennials - Designing with Color
- Installing a Water Garden
- Questions from our readers... and answers!
- Factoid
- Are You a Wildflower?
- Locating Affordable Health Insurance
For Businesses and Individuals
- Starting a Landscape or Gardening Business
- Contents Of the Current Issue of ProGardenBiz

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New this Week in ProGardenBiz:

Equipment Maintenance
Small Engine Advisor
The Yard Doctor
PGMS Salary Survey


You can read these articles at:
htt://www.progardenbiz.com
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Gardening with Perennials
Designing with Color

Article by the National Gardening Association

You can mix and match different colored flowers, from pastels to
bright red, to create the mood and effect that best suits your
garden.

The great thing about flowers is that you really can't go wrong
with them. Even if a perennial bed doesn't turn out exactly like
what you envisioned, chances are it's going to be attractive.
After all, have you ever encountered an ugly flower? And, unlike
the wallpaper or paint color that looked great in the store but
now grates on your nerves, perennial plants can be moved and
rearranged (and even given away) to suit your tastes. It's
easier, and more fun, than re-wallpapering!

Pastels
Soft pink, powder blue, lavender, and peach--these gentle colors
set a mood of tranquility. They are the familiar colors of
cottage gardens--informal gardens that contain a variety of
old-fashioned flowers. Pastel colors look best when viewed from
relatively close up, and they can looked washed out in the harsh
mid-day sun.

Brights
Racy reds, vibrant oranges, magenta, and sunny yellow--these
colors invigorate and energize a garden. Bright colors hold up
well to brilliant sunshine, and attract the eye even from a
distance.

Complementary Colors
Colors that are opposite on the color wheel are described as
complementary. High in contrast, complementary colors add
creative energy and vitality to a garden. Yellow and violet are
complementary colors; as are orange and blue, and green and red.

Harmonious Colors
These are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel;
examples include blue and violet, orange and red, and orange and
yellow. These color combinations tend to be gentler on the eye
than complementary colors. A harmonious color scheme unifies a
garden, while allowing enough range of color that it doesn't
become monotonous.

If you are concerned about your ability to choose colors, a
harmonious color scheme might be a good starting point for you.
Unlike complementary colors, which, if overdone, can seem
jarring and can give a riotous feel to a garden, harmonious
colors are a pretty safe bet. As you gain confidence in your
design eye, you can always add splashes of a complementary color
here and there to liven things up.

Monochromatic Color Scheme
You may have seen gardens composed of all white flowers, and
indeed some of the world's most famous gardens use a
monochromatic color scheme. Instead of relying on different
colored flowers, the gardener creates interest by mixing flowers
of different sizes and shapes, and choosing foliage with
interesting textures and colors. Perhaps you are partial to a
single color such as yellow. You can create varying moods
depending on whether you choose soft pale yellows, bright sunny
yellows, or deep golden yellows. Or you might use a mix of
shades.

See the full version with color plant photos on ProGardenBiz
at: http://www.progardenbiz.com

Article by the National Gardening Association www.garden.org,
www.kidsgardening.com


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Installing a Water Garden


Article by ARA

Installing a water garden can seem like a monumental task, but
it actually can be a fun project you can easily tackle. It is
especially easy if you purchase a kit that includes everything
you need. This is an excellent profit center for a landscape
contractor. Installation can involve moving existing irrigation
sprinklers. Once the pond is established it becomes another
component of the grounds maintenance. There is much more to
landscape maintenance than just mowing.

The first step in creating your water garden waterscape is to
carefully select the site for your pond in a level area...

For the rest of this article see:
http://www.progardenbiz.com/currentissue/Feature2.html

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Q&A
Questions from our readers...

Q. I am hoping that someone can share their tips in keeping the
mulch beds clean of dead leaves and flower buds. At the
beginning of the season, the mulch beds are pretty messy. Even
during the summer, my rose beds get messy with dead rose buds.
Raking is difficult because the rake gets caught in the plants.
Blowing blows the mulch as well as the leaves. Any suggestions
would be welcome.

Thank you very much.
Brian

A. Many people like the look of a "clean" garden bed and will
rake everything out leaving only the surface dirt. Although
this looks tidy, it's not the best for your plants. Leaving
leaves and other plant debris provides natural mulch and returns
nutrients to the the soil. To make this look better you can
turn the leaves into the soil or cover lightly with a dark
mulch.

The less you remove from your garden, the less chemicals you
need to add to replenish it.

Q. Hi all....I need your advice since I do not have a green
thumb. I live in Arizona and I am looking to put down Desert
Landscaping. But I need to kill whatever is remaining of the
current lawn. So far I have used a tiller to remove from the
roots up and sprayed various chemicals from Home Depot....even
stuff that was suppose to last a whole year. But the grass just
continued growing 2 days later. Can anyone tell me how I can
kill this lawn? What chemicals can you recommend? I am getting
tired of continuesly working on this lawn. Any help would be
appreciated.

Thanks
Mike

A. I'm not sure what chemicals you have already used, but it
sounds like they were either ineffective products or perhaps
used incorrectly. Please be very careful in using any herbicide
that will sterilize the ground for "a whole year". Even though
you are going to put in desert landscaping you will still be
putting some plants in the ground and such chemicals will kill
your new plants as well.

The best product to use to kill the old lawn is Round-up. Read
the label directions completely. It is important to water well
and have a thriving plant prior to using Round-up. Round-up
works best on healthy plants. If used correctly, Round-up will
definitely solve your problem and it will not hurt any new
plants planted later. For hardy grasses it may require more
than one application spaced a week or so apart.

Also, if you will be putting in decorative rock as part of your
desert landscaping then the plastic ground cover you put down
under the rock will also serve to smother any remaining grass or
weeds and prevent them from coming back (except, perhaps, around
the edges of the plastic).

Q. I planted some lantana last year. Do I prune the plant back -
leave it alone or just cut off what looks like it is dead?

Thanks-
Cat

A. It's not necessary to prune back Lantana, but you can to
control it. Here in California Lantana grows all year and needs
to be trimmed regularly to keep it from over-growing the entire
landscape. Definitely prune back the dead material and then
trim the rest to suit your landscape's appearance.


Have questions? We have answers. Send your questions to editor@progardenbiz. Your questions are welcome and will be
answered by email and appear in our "Letters" or "Ask?"
columns.

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Factoid: An ant can survive for up to two weeks underwater.

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Are You a Wildflower?

Wildflowers grow from mere dust to reach their full potential.
Wildflowers grow well, even in adverse soil conditions.
Wildflowers don't require late nights at the office to grow.
Wildflowers grow thick and stick together.
Wildflowers grow strong and tall.
Wildflowers display their brilliant personalities for all to
see.
Wildflowers withstand drought and grow all the more beautiful
when watered.
Wildflowers withstand frost and hale.
Wildflowers last late in the season, when other flowers have
given up.
Are you a wildflower?

This article by David Leonhardt (The Happy Guy) first appeared
in the free ezine: Your Daily Dose of Happiness. Subscribe at
http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html, or
visit the home page at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com
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Locating Affordable Health Insurance
For Businesses and Individuals


Finding health insurance, as a business owner, can be
difficult and is usually expensive. But it doesn't have to
"break the bank". Below is a list of valuable insurance
resources and great places to start your research.
Disclaimer: It is the reader's sole responsibility to abide
by all pertinent jurisdiction laws and regulations
pertaining to their business and health. Each person is
responsible and liable for the outcome of acting on any of
the suggestions included in this article. You're on your own
to research and/or purchase the program that is appropriate
for you.

Memberships
Many business organizations include group health insurance
as a member benefit. And many individuals and business
owners join an organization specifically for the membership
benefits. So first, review the benefits of organizations you
belong to or that are located in your community. The list
below may help you get started.

- The National Association for the Self-Employed,
www.nase.org.
- International Computer Consultants Organization
www.icca.org/.
- Public Relations Association www.prsa.org.
- Fraternal companies and organizations such as Modern Woodmen
of America, Knights of Columbus, Sons of Norway
http://dmoz.org/Society/Organizations/Fraternal/Benefit_Societies/
- List Of Organizations
http://coachmaria.com/articles/networktosuccess.html.

State Programs
Some states, Washington for example, provide basic health to
lower income residents and many new business owners fit this
category. For additional information, contact your State
Insurance Department.

State Department of Insurance (DOI)
Locate your states DOI web site and find the area within the
agency that health insurance falls under. Request a list of
registered insurance companies and ask about complaints that
have been filed against them. Many insurers offer insurance
in a state where they are not registered. If anything goes
wrong, you have no recourse.

Insurance Brokers
Check your phone book for Insurance Brokers who will provide
you with health insurance resources they've used. Check a
few brokers in your area since they may deal with different
companies.

Other Companies
There are many companies, who provide, as part of their
overall services, a health plan. Some I found while
researching are:
www.affordableservices.com
www.uicisolutions.com/
www.libertyplusplans.com/
www.affordableservices.com
www.farmbureau.com
www.healthinsurance.com/

Department Stores, etc.
Check your department store and wholesale store memberships.
In some states, Costco , www.costco.com offers health
insurance. So check every potential membership you possess.

Ask Your Doctors
Do you have a doctor(s) you really respect? If so, ask your
doctors what policies they accept and start your research
there.

Spouses and Domestic Partnerships
In some states you may qualify as a "domestic partners" and
therefore share in health coverage. In some companies, even
in states where you might not qualify as a domestic partner,
you maybe eligible for insurance coverage. Your spouse may
have coverage for you, too. Check it all out.

Friends
Ask your friends and colleagues what companies they use.
This is a great way to find out which companies to stay away
from and which to explore.

Bonus
Every few years, conduct a check of the health services and
prices available in your area. Why pay more than you have
to? And remember... always check with your state's DOI
before purchasing insurance from a company - off or on-line.

© 2002 Maria’s Place. Maria Marsala, owner. Helping
professionals, entrepreneurs, and executives elevate their
careers, business and lives though coaching, consulting
and courses. Join 2000 e-zine readers and
receive access to more than 100 articles and reports.
Visit http://CoachMaria.com

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Starting a Landscape or Gardening Business:
ProGardenBiz, a landscape and garden magazine for the Green
Industry is your online resource for starting and operating a
business as a landscape contractor or landscape and lawn
maintenance gardener. Related fields covered by ProGardenBiz
are irrigation installation and maintenance, sprinklers -
repair and maintenance, waterscapes, water features, and ponds.
You will also find information on plants, plant identification,
trees and tree maintenance, and many other topics that span the
Green Industry.

If the answers you seek are not readily found, then drop us an
email at: editor@progardenbiz. Your questions are welcome and
will be answered by email and appear in our "Letters" or "Ask?"
columns.
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Contents Of the Current Issue of ProGardenBiz
http://www.progardenbiz.com
Volume 1, Issue 2
Feature Articles

-Irrigation Time Savers
-Install a Water Garden
-Don't Get Ripped Off
-Creative Railroad Ties
-Innovative Irrigation Tool: The Chain Saw!
-I Survived the Landscape Industry Trade Show
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You can post questions, comments, thoughts, ideas and more to
our email discussion group at: pgbdiscussion@yahoogroups.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you,

Steve Fleming
Publisher
ProGardenBiz