Plant Gardens 101

Helping you create a greener future for our children
Subscribe

Archive for the ‘Create & Plan…’

Choosing A Good Location In Gardening

June 02, 2011 By: Josiah Smart Category: Create & Plan...

Once you have picked what garden you want, there are many other factors you need to decide before you actually get to work with your gardening tools. Mainly you need to choose its location. This is usually decided by several factors: How you will water it, how much shade it needs, etc. Some of these questions can be very important in deciding whether your garden lives or dies, so don’t take them lightly. You need to take each one into special consideration.

Choosing the garden’s location within your yard is one of the more important things to decide. You want to choose a location that will provide an ideal climate for the plants in your garden. I don’t know what type of garden you’re dealing with so I can’t give you specific advice, but if you do a Google search for the plant you’re dealing with then you’ll find a plethora of sites informing you about the perfect conditions for its growing. After this, it’s just a matter of finding the most shaded or most sunny spot in your yard.

Another deciding factor is how you plan on watering your garden. If you have a sprinkler system already installed for your grass, then it could be a good idea to put your garden in the middle of your yard. Then it will get watered at the same time, and require no extra work from your part. But if this doesn’t provide for a good location for your garden, then you might end up watering it by hose or dragging a sprinkler out there. In this case, just make sure your garden is within the ideal distance for a hose to reach. While this might not seem like a good thing to base the entire location of your garden on, you’ll be surprised at how nice it is to plan out in advanced. (more…)

Create an Outdoor Privacy Screen with a Vertical Garden

May 29, 2011 By: Ellen Bell Category: Create & Plan..., Gardens - Other

Do you have an area in your yard that you want to block from the prying eyes of a neighbor, a roadway, or public park? There is no better solution than to add a vertical garden. A vertical garden is a line of foliage and/or a barrier of flowers trained to grow up a vertical structure like a trellis. Vertical gardens add privacy to outdoor areas such as decks, patios, and porches.

The first step in creating a vertical garden is to measure out the area you want to block and to consider what you want the end result to be. Do you want your vertical garden to be a permanent property addition or something short lived for just one season? Considerations will be time to grow, desired height and width, and whether or not you need winter coverage. For something short lived, you may want to consider annual climbing vines such as morning glory or moonflower.

Morning glory is an annual flowering vine that can be planted from seed in the springtime, as soon as risk of frost has passed. Morning glory is a rapid grower that can climb to massive proportions by late summer and will continue to flourish into the fall. Morning glory is known for its showy flowers that come in a variety of colors. (more…)

Create A Landscape Garden

May 04, 2011 By: Juliet Spalding Category: Create & Plan...

Beautifying your plot does not mean payments kismet to make it happen. By following these tips, the being will be able to have a pleasant backyard the people will appreciate.

The first thing that a part needs to do it to draw up the procedure on paper based on the organize of your home. This should embrace the position of the sun at different time of the day, foliage or other structures that award in the neighboring areas.

The first thing that a character must do safeguard how much the scheme will charge. This should compose the kinds of plants that you want as well as any other resources like rocks or forest that will be worn to complement the patch.

Since there are people who do this as a living and who know more about landscaping than you do perhaps, you can hire professionals to groom your strategy. If you draw up the campaign you might want to show the policy someone their judgment before initial your foresee. This will prevent time and money should you not like what the other role has designed. (more…)

A Few Small Garden Design Considerations

April 29, 2011 By: Steve Boulden Category: Create & Plan..., Gardens - Other

A garden, even a small one, can accent and add beauty to a home. If you’ve avoided creating a garden because you think that you don’t have the space, you may want to rethink it. You can make a nice little garden in an unused corner or even an area as small as a table top and it doesn’t matter whether you are living in a condominium or an apartment. It simply takes a little creativity and focus on detail to make it happen.

Small gardens, whether a small vegetable garden or flower garden, obviously don’t require as much work compared to a larger plot. However, they do require the same degree of passion, interest, and like I said, a lot of attention to detail. If you’re not a master gardener or if you have little time to putter around with your plants, you can still condense a beautiful garden into a small space in the backyard or on the balcony of your condo. (more…)

Pergola Designs – How to Choose the Right Style for Your Garden

March 31, 2011 By: Ellen Bell Category: Buildings 4 Gardens, Create & Plan...

Pergolas are a fantastic addition to any garden or landscape because they draw the eye upward and add visual interest. Pergolas also provide an excellent support structure for climbing plants, and when paired with a flowering vine, they allow your garden to literally climb to new heights. There are as many different pergola designs as there are ideas; your imagination is the limit, especially if you are going to build the structure yourself. In this article, we’ll discuss some popular pergola designs and how you can choose one that’s right for your garden.

Pergolas are a unique structure because they can vary a lot in size. Unlike arbors, which are typically no deeper than 3 feet and no taller than 7 feet, a pergola could be large enough to cover an entire deck or patio. Pergolas can also be designed in a variety of ways, depending on your needs. For example, if you are looking for something to provide shade or shelter in a particular area, you might want to use canvas or another material to stretch over the top part of your pergola. Allowing foliage to grow up a pergola is also quite common, and grape vines can be an excellent choice for covering the top of a large pergola because of their tendency to grow horizontally and span a large area. Remember that grapes and some other fruit bearing and flowering vines will attract bees and other insects, so if this isn’t what you want, you may want to steer toward a vine that doesn’t produce fruit or flowers. (more…)

Create a Butterfly Garden

March 29, 2011 By: Dayelle Swensson Category: Create & Plan..., Gardens - Butterfly

What could be more relaxing then sitting in you Adirondack chair next summer looking at all the beautiful flowers and butterflies in your butterfly garden. It isn’t hard to create a garden that will attract butterflies and if planned properly you can have butterflies all summer long. You want to have the right plants to attract your native butterflies and to keep them around. Butterflies need full sun, plants that provide nectar, plants to act as hosts for the larva and an environment free of pesticides.

The first step is planning your butterfly garden. Find out what type of native butterflies you want to attract. Then determine what type of nectar plants these butterflies prefer. Butterflies are attracted to bright colored flowers with strong scents and drink the sweet nectar for energy. They seem to prefer orange, red, yellow, purple and dark pink flowers. A multi-colored garden will be easy for them to find.

You must also plant host plants for the caterpillars to lay their eggs on. The caterpillars will eat all the leaves on the host plants which make them unattractive to look at. Plant the host plants behind or out of view of the nectar plants if you don’t want to look at them. This can be accomplished by planting the host plants behind taller nectar plants. Make sure you choose the type of host plants that the butterfly species likes to eat. If the caterpillars don’t like the leaves of the host plant they won’t eat them and they will die. Make sure the host plants are in fairly close proximity to the nectar plants to ensure the butterflies will lay their eggs on them. (more…)

Create Your Garden For That Drought Season

March 07, 2011 By: Josiah Smart Category: Create & Plan...

Living in Colorado and being a gardener has been rather stressful in the past few years, as this state has been undergoing a rather severe drought. The city is imposing watering restrictions which are not giving enough water to lawns and plants. I’ve had to renovate my garden to make it more water efficient. Now, because of the techniques I’ve employed, I’m the only one in my neighborhood with a garden that isn’t completely brown. So if you live in an area that is going through a drought or if you just want to save water, I suggest you use some of these techniques as well.

First, I took out all my plants. The soil I was using didn’t retain water very well, so I had to water about twice as much as necessary in order to get it to actually absorb into the roots. If you have this same problem, you can fix it by loading the soil up with lots of compost. This not only prevents water from escaping, but encourages the plant’s roots to be healthy and able to survive more.

Once I was done optimizing the soil for my new low water consumption plan, I was ready to replace all my plants. I decided that the placement of all my plants would reflect the amount of water necessary to keep them alive. All the plants that don’t require much water I placed in on one side of my garden, and then just progressed in the amount of required water to the other side of the garden. As a result of my new arrangement, I don’t have to waste water on plants that don’t need it as much. (more…)

How to Create a Harmonious Garden

February 28, 2011 By: Sarah Martin Category: Create & Plan...

Creating a garden on your patio or in your backyard brings beauty to a home that landscaping alone cannot obtain. A well-cared for garden will give back for years to come by providing beauty and a peaceful place to relax.

The first thing to evaluate when creating a garden is deciding how much space you can dedicate to it. Once you’ve found a good space that has both light and shade and isn’t in a place that could be easily ruined by children or pets, you are set to plant.

Next, you need to evaluate what plants will thrive and what garden ornaments will complement the space the best. Treat your garden like an extended room off your home. Choose themes, colors, patio fountains, and other accessories that will complement one another as a whole. (more…)

Construction of a Rock Garden

February 22, 2011 By: Allison Ryan Category: Create & Plan..., Gardens - Other

Once you choose the site of your rock garden, select the rocks you want to use and have the soil prepared, you are ready to start construction. The first question you might as is when is the best time of year to make a rock garden? The rocks and soil may be handled at any time except when the ground is frozen, but the summer months offer the longest period of freedom from planting rush, and then the soil is dry and easily handled.

Then there will be autumn rains to make the soil firm and winter frost to settle the rocks and planting can best be done the following spring. The first thing you need to do is to dig off the existing topsoil (the first foot of earth) and remove the roots of all weeds and grasses. Much of this soil may be used in backfilling if all roots are sifted out. On this base the large bulky rocks should be laid, each packed around with soil, well rammed, and topped by several chinker stones, large water features, outdoor fountains, or garden statuary before the next are put into place.

As the program for procedure has already been arranged, the work of laying up the rocks can proceed. Now is the time to worry over the details of the outline of the structure. You may have decided the general shape of the area in advance and may even have a plan at hand to give the principal elevations and major masses. However, you must decide the details of the shape of each crag and ravine as the rock garden is being constructed. (more…)

Creating a Plan For Your Rock Garden

February 09, 2011 By: Allison Ryan Category: Create & Plan..., Gardens - Other

To make your rock garden pleasing to the eye, you should seek out the greatest variety of plants. At the same time, you have to look at keeping a unified but not uniform effect. It is possible to make the planting too wild and unkempt, but more often a rock garden looks entirely too much dressed and too well tended to represent the moods of nature. There is a certain unity and plan in the arrangement of the wild flowers of the fields, and this intangible scheme should be your guide in planning the placing.

With all this striving for variety in unity, it is a good idea to keep the flower masses of the same date of bloom somewhat apart, getting fewer of the flower combinations than is planned for a flower border. The requirements of finished pictorial composition are less desired here, the effect being decidedly more toward the very uneven and picturesque, with the tenets of the art of manmade pictures as little in evidence as possible. (more…)

How To Choose A Perfect Garden

January 26, 2011 By: Joseph Silva Category: Create & Plan...

The first thing that you should to deem when you strategy to have your own backyard– the one that can be considered a textbook plot for you– is to think and settle on what brand that one will be. It could be a little bit puzzling to your flank to want a particular manner of plot if you don’t have enough dreams on it, considering that there are several choices in which you can show from. To give you what you oblige in starting your own patch, the next can give you important dreams for you to prefer for having your own.

If you are just wanting something that can make your yard to look agreeable, you will doubtless want a flower backyard. These are, most regularly, planted with constant flora- yard varieties which are correct for all seasons. This kind of plants are regularly finicky looking weeds, they endure in a year-circular because of their hardiness. Different spaces and climate have different zenith plants which are categorized perennials. To have information on what are the plants that belong with recurrent, you can do a transient Internet inquiries to get a listing of those that can be mature in your place; those plants that do not require much of thought and can grow by themselves. (more…)

Planning a Water Garden

January 01, 2011 By: Jeff Jarred Category: Create & Plan..., Gardens - Water

You should spend time planning your water garden. Rushing your project could result in problems that may be time consuming or expensive to rectify.

Positioning your water Garden

Firstly you need to decide on the position of your feature. The following points should be considered:

  1. Ponds and water displays are there to be observed and admired. Construction should be either in view from the house, or in an area where you spend lots of time
  2. Keep features away from over hanging trees that drop their leaves in autumn, and also block out sunlight. Both may cause considerable problems
  3. Access for the feature must be available at all times
  4. Don’t forget to consider the services that may be required i.e. electric.

(more…)

A Serenity Garden For Your Home

December 13, 2010 By: Tim Sousa Category: Advice General, Create & Plan...

Most people think about their backyard garden as a place to provide them peace and quiet, a place to relax after a busy day, or maybe a place to draw closer to God. Whether you rise early, to enjoy your garden before heading off to work, or come home from work and retreat to your garden to unwind, a serenity garden can help to induce a state of calmness.

A serenity garden does take some planning, and some care. There is no real format in how this type of garden should be structured. You need to think about what serenity means to you. The design of the garden should reflect your ideas on peace and tranquility. It can include your favorite colors, and comforting landscapes. You may want to jot your ideas on paper, to get an idea of what you want before you start planting the garden. Some common themes for a serenity garden are relaxation, spiritual themes, and memorial themes. You’ll want to locate the garden away from loud noises and strong odors. It should be in a location that will help promote tranquility. (more…)

Design and Content of a Heritage Garden

December 11, 2010 By: Raj Kumar Category: Create & Plan..., Gardens - Other

Whether native-born or “transplant”, we who live in Adams County, Pennsylvania are surrounded by history – historic battlefields, legacy farms, and preserved landscapes meet our eyes every day. Small wonder, then, that many local gardeners are drawn to this heritage, and want to include a little bit of history in their own gardens. If you live in geographic locales bordering the county of Adams, you have your own similar histories.

It is difficult to know how to accomplish this today, with so many questions to ask. How did past residents of this area set up their gardens? For more details visit to www.ebook-secrets-revealed.com .What plants did they grow for their kitchens, their home use, and their livelihood? Sadly, very little evidence survives. Farmsteads have lost their outbuildings, and “low maintenance” yards have replaced the subsistence gardens and colorful yards of yesteryear. (more…)

Creating An Organic Garden

November 29, 2010 By: Jasper Sayer Category: Create & Plan...

Organic gardening is the exact same as regular gardening except that no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used. This can make certain aspects difficult, such as controlling disease, insects, and weeds. Organic gardening also requires more attention to the soil and the many needs of plants. Organic gardening starts with the soil. Gardeners must add organic matter to the soil regularly in order to keep the soil productive. In fact, compost is essential to the healthiness and well being of plants grown organically. Compost can be made from leaves, dead flowers, vegetable scraps, fruit rinds, grass clippings, manure, and many other things. The ideal soil has a dark color, sweet smell, and is full of earthworms. Some soil may need more natural additives than regular compost can give, such as bonemeal, rock phosphates, or greensand. A simple soil test will tell you the pH balance and which nutrients you will need to use.

One thing that makes even gardeners that are very serious about organic gardening reach for pesticides is insects on their plants. The best way to defend plants against insects is to take preventative measures. One thing that can be done is to make sure plants are healthy and not too wet or dry because insects usually attack unhealthy plants and if healthy, they can often outgrow minor insect damage. A variety of plant types is a good idea to keep pests of a particular plant type from taking out the entire garden. (more…)

How To Start Your Own Garden

November 17, 2010 By: Spencer Hunt Category: Create & Plan...

Henry David Thoreau said that the blueberries that you pick yourself taste better than the ones you buy at the market. This is very true. Growing your own fruits and vegetables, working the soil, planting the seeds and harvesting your garden, is rewarding and a great, relaxing hobby. Growing your own food ensures that you know exactly where you food comes from and what, if any, pesticides were used. Gardening is also a great way to unwind and relieve stress. It is also good exercise, digging, stooping and pulling weeds can be a pretty good workout. So, whether you are planning a full-scale vegetable garden or you want to grow a few herbs, these tips can help you get started.

The first thing to consider when planning your garden is location, location, location. Think about what you want to grow, the type of light your plants will require and the size or your garden. Herbs, tomatoes, carrots, squash and strawberries are good for smaller spaces. Climbing foods like cucumbers and beans can grow along a fence or pole so they don’t need much room. Fruit trees, on the other hand, can take up a lot of room. You may also want to consider growing herbs or smaller vegetables indoors. This would work well if you want to grow produce year round. If your plants are inside, you control the climate and can grow any vegetable or herb anytime. (more…)

Basic Tips On How To Create The Ideal Garden Landscape

November 06, 2010 By: Danielle Bradshaw Category: Create & Plan...

If you think that creating the garden of your dreams with just a few hours of work is possible you are probably wrong since sooner or later it will become obvious that this is much more of a complex task that one could possibly foretell. There is a way you could get the garden of your dreams in just a few days but that would require landscape designers, a landscape crew and a lot of money. It is true that these designers do a wonderful job but the only drawback is that the finished product of these professionals will present their concepts, ideas and personality. It means you will have their dream garden on your property and not yours.

Planning and imagining is part of the work a gardener needs to perform in order to achieve the garden of his dreams. You are for sure wondering if having a garden requires much work? The answer is YES! BUT that work is enjoyable and each hour of effort you put in your garden will reward you with a great sense of accomplishment when you finally take a look at the end result. Just think about the moment when you will be able to stand back and enjoy the beautiful landscape that you were able to built with your own hands. (more…)

Planning a Flower Garden

November 03, 2010 By: Tim Sousa Category: Create & Plan..., Gardens - Flower

Gardening can be a very relaxing and enjoyable hobby. It is a creative activity, which can add color and appeal to your home and yard. Gardening is more than just throwing some plants into the ground, though. For the most enjoyment, and the biggest impact, you’ll need to do some planning, and make some decisions about your garden.

Probably the most important consideration for your garden, is the type of garden. Do you want a herb garden or a vegetable garden? Do you want a flower garden? Do you want flowers that only bloom during the spring, or a variety of flowers to bloom from spring through fall? Or if you want, you can have different gardens in your yard. Maybe a plot near the house for growing herbs, and then maybe some flowers in the corner of the yard to add a touch of color.

Once you know what type of garden you want, you can choose the location. If you want herbs or vegetables, the best place for them is near the house, so that you can access them easily when cooking. If you want flowers or shrubs, you can place them just about anywhere you’d like in the yard. One thing to keep in mind as far as location is the amount of sun that your yard gets. Either take some paper, and draw a rough map of the yard, or simply list the various sections of your yard. Then, beginning in the morning, check the yard every hour and note whether the various sections of the yard are in sun or shade. If an area gets 6 or more hours of direct sunlight, it is a full sun location. 3-6 hours of sun is partial sun/partial shade, and less than 3 hours is full shade. Once you know the amount of sunlight each part of your yard gets, you can choose the appropriate plants. (more…)

Prepping for a Rock Garden

November 02, 2010 By: Sarah Martin Category: Create & Plan..., Gardens - Other

Watering a Rock Garden

Watering a rock garden is a matter of the utmost importance, which nevertheless is scarcely mentioned in rock garden literature. InEngland, of course, this is not so vital a matter as with us. With less sun, more rain, and more moisture in the air, rock garden plants, especially alpines, are as apt to suffer from excessive moisture there as they are from lack of it here.

When speaking of the proper means of applying water, however, it is not in reference to either the watering can or a hose with the usual garden nozzle. The former takes too much time, and the latter applies water so rapidly that it will begin to run on the surface before the soil is saturated clear through.

But it is a simple matter to provide a mist like spray which will saturate the driest soil through and through without spattering mud on the smallest leaves or the most delicate blossoms, or causing the soil to run out from the most precarious rock crevices. There is a special type of greenhouse irrigation nozzle which applies the water in this fine mist like spray. (more…)

Climbing Plants: A Gardening Solution

October 08, 2010 By: Ellen Bell Category: Advice General, Create & Plan...

One glance through a gardening magazine, and we are showered with images of pristine gardens, beautifully appointed with hundreds of varieties of plants, trees, and shrubs. While many of us aspire to have yards as beautiful as those in a magazine, few of us have the time or resources to achieve such perfection. However, with a little work and some good planning, even those of us with the blackest of thumbs will feel good about our efforts in the garden.

When reviewing your outdoor space, try to identify those areas that you’re not very happy with. What do you want to change about them? Do you need some additional flowers or other plants? Perhaps the space doesn’t feel balanced? Climbing plants may be just the answer you are looking for to solve a variety of common problems in outdoor areas.

Many plants, both annual and perennial, fall into the category of climbing plants. The more common climbers are clematis, morning glory, ivy, and honeysuckle. However, many plants that spread along the ground like creeping phlox and periwinkle can provide coverage for unsightly spaces in your outdoor area, as well. (more…)