Having your own garden can be a relaxing and enjoyable way to improve the appearance of your yard and give pleasure to all who view it. You can follow these suggestions to help you on your way to creating a beautiful garden. You will be sure to enjoy the time spent admiring your garden.

Clay soil can be very hard to work with, and you will often find that it sticks to the shovel. To make working in clay easier, rub the shovel with floor or car wax and then buff it with a cloth. The clay won't stick to it, and the end will not rust as an added bonus.

Wait for the right moment if you plan on dividing a plant. Leave perhaps two years to grow and divide it at the end of the season when it looks at its best. If your plant shows signs of diseases or has areas with fewer leaves and flowers than others, it is too late.

Don't buy plant pots. Commercial plant plots from the garden center can be very expensive, anything from $5 to $100. Any container with a few draining holes pierced into the bottom of it can serve as a plant pot, so to save a lot of money, start recycling food containers today.

To avoid injuring yourself while gardening, be sure to do some warm-up stretches before starting your project. Most people may not think of gardening as exercise, but injuries like pulled muscles frequently occur in the garden. You should also be sure to move around and not stay in one position for a long period of time.

Create a certain mood for your garden. Just as with interior design, one of the most exciting aspects of garden design is using color to create a mood or feeling. Use soft blues and purples for a cool and soothing atmosphere, yellows for cheerfulness, and reds and oranges to create excitement. If you are uncomfortable when deciding on colors, choose plants with grey-green or silvery foliage to mix in with your flowers. They will act as a 'buffer' between incompatible colors and link different color schemes.

To cheaply obtain supplies for your garden, try visiting your local army surplus store. A parachute makes an excellent canopy, and army fatigues and boots are the perfect clothes to wear while gardening. Ammunition containers are also a great way to store your gardening supplies. Supplies are often cheaper if you don't buy things specifically aimed at gardeners.

To help your tomato plants grow strong stems, blow a fan on them for 15 minutes a day. Exposure to wind is essential to a stem's development, and giving the plant some extra time to blow in the breeze will only make it stronger. Try using a small, portable fan on a low or medium setting.

To keep cats, snakes, and other critters out of your garden, use moth balls. Moth balls may not smell pleasant to us, but they smell even worse to most animals, and they'll easily scare them away. Simply scatter a few moth balls at the edges of your garden. Moth balls can be obtained very cheaply from drug stores and dollar stores.

Include your kids in growing an organic garden. Gardening is a great way for children to learn, and it gives you two a chance to spend some quality time together and produce healthy food.

The tips in this article are designed to assist you in creating the garden you want in your yard. By employing these ideas, you will be well on your way to having the garden you desire to have. Your neighbors are sure to appreciate the visual attraction it adds to the neighborhood.