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Most gardeners know that just the right amounts of sunshine & water combined with great soil and hard work bring their backyard oasis to life. Quickly, after the snow melts, the ground thaws and our singing feathered friends return. Each spring gardeners across the country look forward to rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty to cultivate their soil to create a garden of their favorite flowers, shrubs and trees.

A gardener’s shovel is to an artist’s brush. A gardener’s choice of colorful flowers, shrubs and trees is to an artist’s collection of paints, pencils and oils. An artist’s signature is to a gardener’shmmm?

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A wise man once said that a man’s shed is his castle well, actually, they didn’t, but they should have. A good shed is a simply a great thing to have in your garden - you can take all those tools and kids’ toys that are lying around and give them a storage place, where they won’t get lost and they’ll be safe from the rain.

Even if you don’t have a big garden, you might be surprised by the amount of space a shed will save you just by getting things like lawnmowers and chairs out of the way sometimes. And if you do have a big garden, of course, then you can really go to town!

Some things to consider when you’re choosing a shed (apart from the size) is the kind of wood it is made from, the colour of the wood, the number of windows and quality of the glass, and what kind of door it has. Remember when you choose that you’ll probably have this shed for decades to come - don’t skimp on cost. You might want to bring a photo of your garden with you so you can imagine what the shed will look like in it.

Once you’ve chosen a garden shed, there are two ways to get it put up: either you can do it yourself, or you can pay someone to do it for you. Many companies that sell sheds include delivery and assembly as part of the price, so do check.

Doing it yourself can be a fun adventure if you’ve got a spare weekend, and it’s really satisfying to see something you’ve built yourself standing in your garden. Modern sheds from DIY stores come with easy instructions and can be surprisingly quick to make, although you might a friend or relative to help you hold up some bits of the shed while you’re putting up the other parts.

However, if you’re not the do-it-yourself type, it’s worth considering getting the company to do it for you. It isn’t all that expensive, and they will have built that shed a thousand times before - you know it’ll be done right, and it won’t fall down while you’re inside it (a scary thought, I’m sure you’ll agree).

However you do it, enjoy your shed!

John Gibb is the owner of shed guide, For more information on sheds please check out http://www.sheds-info-and-guidance.Info

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The Brush Cherry can add wonderful color as well as interest to your garden. This evergreen shrub will enhance your gardening efforts by yielding puffy white flowers along with round berries all in contrast with it’s glossy leaves which can have a lovely red tint.

The Brush Cherry Bonsai is an evergreen shrub that loves a warm climate like that of it’s native Florida. They do grow best outdoors, but if you live in a cold climate and simply must have one, you can try growing one indoors provided that you can give it enough light. This shrub can grow to upwards of 35 feet in it’s natural state, but will reach a height of about 14″ as a Bonsai.

If you are thinking about planing a Brush Cherry in your garden, be sure that the winters will be mild. The tree does fine in hot weather but ideally should be grown in temperatures ranging from 46 to 68 degrees.

Plant your Brush Cherry Bonsai in a slightly acidic soil and be sure it gets plenty of water in summer months, but don’t over water it. You should give it enough so that the soil is moist, but not so much that there is standing water in the pot. Let the soil dry between waterings. Bonsais love humidity so you might want to mist your plant and use a humidity tray. The bonsai should be set on top of the humidity tray so that it collects water that drains from the freshly watered bonsai.

Fertilize your Brush Cherry Bonsai every two weeks during the summer and a couple of times over the winter. The best type of fertilizer to use is an organic liquid fertilizer such as a seaweed fertilizer or fish emulsion. If you use a chemical fertilizer make sure you dilute it to half strength.

Pruning should be done with care and kept to the summer months. Pinch the leaves with your fingers and try not to use sharp objects like sheers on your Bonsai. Your Bonsai should be wired during the active growing season. Don’t forget to prune the roots as well, the Brush Cherry can survive quite well even with a two thirds loss of roots so you can be a bit aggressive in this task, however you want to be sure not to prune them too much when repotting as this can cause a negative reaction.

Bonsais should be repotted every two years, and the Brush Cherry is no exception. Repotting should be done in early spring and the plant should be watered thoroughly and kept in the shade for several weeks after repotting to help the roots grow into the new pot.

Although it is fairly hardy, pests can be a problem with the Brush Cherry especially the Caribbean fruit fly, aphids, red spider mites, meal bugs, and scales. You should treat your Bonsai with organic pesticides and insecticides and be sure to inspect it regularly for pests and other disease.

To add the finishing touch to your beautiful Brush Cherry Bonsai, think about adding moss to the pot which will help improve moisture retention as well as add to the beauty of this fun garden plant.

Lee Dobbins writes for many gardening online publications. Visit Bonsai.garden-corner.com for more articles on Bonsai care.

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