Plant Gardens 101

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…)

A client in the Heights contracted Exterior Worlds to create an Italian garden with a number of complimentary, classical elements to the front and rear of their home. Their house had a classic Old World appearance to it. It was a two-story structure with a porch and an upstairs balcony. Steps led up to the porch, and shuttered windows with arched tops lined both the porch and the balcony. A stately, old, and very large oak tree grew just next to the house, reaching up and over the top of the house. The architecture and indigenous landscape were an ideal setting to further develop a European look and feel to the property.

We began by installing lights in the trees next to the home in order to illuminate the roof and balcony, and we placed lights under the eaves of the porch and patio to illuminate the surfaces, walls, and windows. We planted a small Italian garden in the front near the trees. In it, we placed a variety of ground cover plant species, shrubbery, and smaller, ornamental trees. This lent an organic sense to a very symmetrical and elegant structure, and helped develop the Classical theme we were asked to create. We completed the design in the front with urns placed on either side of the stairs that led up to the front door. This worked to create a sense of grand entryway that alluded to a sense of Roman antiquity and classical design. (more…)

For the house owner who has a little bit of space outside the house, they may thinking about having small garden. Or even ones who have large space so they can have bigger garden either. However, wjat generally happen is garden design and arrangement, most of them normally take this job to professional. Only they have to do is to choose the design from the catalogue that designer give to them and pay when the garden finished.

However, some of them knowing what they are choosing but unfortunately, some of them don’t. Therefore, as there are many style and arrangements of garden design. It is also good to know how they different from each other and which factors you have to consider when you want to have good, attractive and beautiful garden within the budget.

Generally, it is depends on the preference and style of the house owner which type of garden that they are going to have, but apart from that, you may have to that the decision about the type of type of garden have to based on these following elements; (more…)

A well-known resident of River Oaks contacted us and asked us if we could harmoniously blend the organic and inorganic components of her landscape into a design that would complement the classical architecture of her house and exterior masonry. We immediately noticed that the symmetry of her three-story house, and the fine linear designs of the yard and surrounding stonework, were also two very key elements used in Italian gardening. We shared this insight with the homeowner, who agreed that such a design would work very well for what she had in mind.

We began by working on the walkway that ran from the sidewalk up to the front of the house. This walkway curved in from the sidewalk between two small stone walls and converged in a series of very small, ascending steps reminiscent of those in a staircase. This gave us an opportunity to establish an immediate sense of formal entryway by framing the front of the walkway with Agapanthus and a number of other perennial and flowering plant species that bloom in seasonal cycles throughout the spring and summer. We framed the flowering plants with boxwoods to create an organic enclosure whose angular symmetry and self-containment speak to essence of an Italian garden. (more…)

French garden gardens use the same of geometry and symmetry that André Le Nôtre established in the 17th Century. The Lodge at Versailles had originally been a quite retreat used for royal hunts, but Le Nôtre turned it into a palace that became the envy of the European Elite. Based on a pattern of parterres gardens divided by radiating walkways, reflecting pools, and ornate stone coping, the Versailles Gardens reflected an awareness of order and system that brought intricately sculpted individual elements into a complex, interconnected unity visible only from a balcony or palace room. This style was rapidly adopted as the standard landscaping design of all the French aristocracy.

French gardens used in landscapes today are much smaller than their historical predecessors built around 17th Century chateaus. However, the same emphasis on parterres and radiating pathways is used today both on larger estates. Scaled-down or modified versions of this pattern are used throughout local residential neighborhoods. Even though the typical Houston home resides on far less land than even a modest Old World Estate, the topography of the Gulf Coast highly favors a variety of French garden designs. Just like much of France, Houston resides on a very level plane that naturally lends itself to the type of formal bedding used in French parterre gardens and knot gardens. (more…)

A parterre garden is a type of formal garden created by 16th Century French nursery designer Claude Mollet. Mollet based his design on the square boundaries and elaborate interior patterns of English knot gardens. However, he conceived of the parterre garden as fulfilling a different purpose for French landscapes. Instead of being viewed by people who were passing by them on the ground, Mollet wanted his gardens to be viewed from the high vantage points of open windows, balconies, and palisades. He therefore divided the single square into four squares, with gravel paths that intersect in the middle. He also changed the vegetation contents from an emphasis on herbs and small flowering plants to larger growth that could be better seen from high places.

Mollet selected clipped box to use in forming the boundaries of the parterre garden. He relied heavily on other shrub species as well to provide variation in structure and color. The English, of course, objected to this. Herbalist and poet Gervase Markham wrote that box had a “naughty smell” and should not be used in a garden. Markham had missed the point. Mollet’s intention was to create a visual experience for the Elite to quietly enjoy from the opulence and comfort of their balconies and open windows. It was far more important to see the garden as a unity than it was to smell individual flowers and herbs at close range. This was the main reason that shrubs became predominant in parterre gardens, because when different species are planted together, the variations of green can be stunningly beautiful. (more…)

Zen gardens are very unique landscaping designs that are also known as “Japanese Rock Gardens.” . The word “Zen” means “dry” and the Japanese word for this type of garden is karesansui, meaning dry landscape. Consisting almost exclusively of stones and sand, this type of garden became very popular in Japan during the Shogun era (1185-1573AD), when feudal lords sought to landscape their estates in emulation of Buddhist temples. Monks frequently used such gardens to represent complex Universal truths in simple forms, and they frequently used them as places of meditation to calm and clear their minds.

Although American popular culture commonly refers to anything that looks Japanese or Eastern as a “Zen garden,” a true karesansui never contains water. Instead, it uses gravel and sand to symbolize water. Usually the gravel is white or near white in coloration, although this is not a hard-fast rule in landscaping. The reason that sand and gravel are used as water substitutes is because they can be intricately sculpted in ways that water cannot. Using only a rake, a landscaper can depict ripples, sea waves, rushing rivers, or still, quiet lakes. Every so often, the gardener will alter these patterns to reflect the Buddhism belief that the only thing constant in the Universe is change itself. Even those things that appear to be the most fixed of forms are slowly being altered by unseen forces all around us. In many Buddhist temples even to this day, monks remind themselves of this truth by raking the sand in their Zen gardens while they meditate, seeking a still mind in the perfection of linear form, and creative insight in curved patterns of motion that wrap harmoniously around alternating forms. (more…)

“Green” is an interesting word these days. It, of course, still means the primary color green. However, recently it has taken on the new meaning of being ecologically helpful, prudent and sustainable. Within the context of a home landscape, it means talking about a “green” green garden.

“With a design for a green garden, the goals are basically the same as for any other landscape project, except we focus on using materials, plant and non-plant, that reduce the Big Four of ongoing maintenance: watering, trimming, weeding and mulching,” says Jeff Halper, “green” expert with Exterior Worlds.

Following are some ideas for your home landscape design that use less energy and money—to help you get a green garden and still get to keep some green in your pocketbook:

1. Plant drought-tolerant and disease-resistant varieties of bushes, trees, ornamentals and grass. Good choices include pampas grass, spring bulbs, and black-eyed Susans. You might even choose older rose varieties, which are hardier than modern large-flowered hybrids. A green garden such as this reduces the water requirement and the number of chemical treatment needed to fight diseases. Houston landscape designers will be able to point you in the right direction for other plants that grow well in our climate.

2. Install drought-tolerant lawns or lawns that don’t require mowing on a frequent basis. In some areas, you might even consider artificial turf. (more…)

In a knot garden, low-growth plants intertwine in intricate patterns that resemble embroidered stitch work or knots. They were developed during the English Renaissance at the time of Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare. It was popular to adorn garments of that time with intricately woven embroidery. Knot gardens of this time period reflected both formality and elegance. They were almost always shaped like perfect squares, and they were planted with a rich diversity of herbs and flowers. The use of specific plants and patterns to symbolize deeper meanings has always been common in the knot garden, and in its French derivative, the parterre garden.

Because knot gardens were originally meant to be enjoyed from a ground-level perspective, gardeners did not use traditional hedges to define their borders. Square portions of land were parceled off and marked for planting with gravel or sand. Gardeners would then begin by planting whichever herbs or flowers would grow most slowly. These species were intentionally placed very close together so they would intertwine as they grew larger; creating the knotted appearance the garden is named for. Faster growing herb and flower species appropriate to the tastes of the landowner and the aesthetic of the estate would then be added. Both slow-growth and fast growth vegetation required constant water and trimming in order to maintain color, form, and desired height. (more…)

The small garden design begins and ends with thoughtful, precise planning. However, small does not mean limited. A small garden design can still deliver a huge “wow” factor.

Small Garden Design: The Problems

A small garden design comes with big challenges. Perhaps your property abuts the two-story blank wall of a neighbor’s townhouse. Maybe the space is all straight lines and right angles. Or you’ve remodeled your home, changed the elevation, added a new room and reduced the size of your backyard, all of which affect the relationship to the existing landscape.

Turning Liabilities into Assets

With small garden design, as with all landscape design, the goal is to create spaces in which the home and architectural elements have a relationship with the yard and surrounding area. First, consider the big picture—your assets and liabilities. Begin by looking at the large, possibly immoveable factors, such as trees, a long fence-line or pool equipment, and decide if they are liabilities or assets. In this way, you test the viability and capacity of the site, a determination that will help clarify your landscape design options. Landscape designers or landscape architects can bring expertise and experience to this process. (more…)

Has your garden become a little too serious? Is it prim, proper and oh so perfect that it feels stiff and cold. If you want to transform an uptight backyard into a relaxing oasis, then all you have to do is to add a touch of garden humor.

How?
Incorporate Garden Art that makes you smile . It could be as simple as a silly bronze frog sun tanning on a lily pad to put by your pond, or as wild as pair of cute concrete ruby red sparkly “Wizard of Oz’ Dorothy shoes peeking out of some greenery. Anything that makes you stop and chuckle will help. (more…)

A Japanese Garden is full of mystery, nature and serenity. Just as landscape gardens of the West followed historic points of reference such as Classical Garden Design, Traditional Garden Design, English Garden Design on up threw Modern Garden Design, the Japanese garden tradition has a history that followed the trends and lifestyles of their location and times. It would be very pretentious to copy directly a Japanese Garden for Houston, although there was actually a style of Japanese Garden Design that did just that. We will highlight how you could build and apply the Japanese or Zen Garden style to your own home in Houston Texas.

Japanese Garden History

• Asuka period (538-710)-gardens were an expression of Buddhism and Taoism. Small gardens were reflections of spiritual themes or miniaturizations of the large mountainous regions of China and Japan.

• Heian period (794-1185)-the garden shifted from representing religious beliefs to becoming a place for ceremony, entertainment and passive contemplation. These became gardens for the wealthy of the time. (more…)

Laying out a garden can be a very exciting task which, despite of the hard work it might imply, is very rewarding and satisfying at the end. But, in order to achieve nice results, there are important guidelines and tips you might want to have in mind and apply, since laying out a garden can be trickier as it might seem at first glance.

The first important factor to have in mind at the time of planning how to lay out a garden is the soil and its previous preparation. You should try to lay out your garden towards endings of winter or beginnings of spring, when the soil is moist but not too muddy or too dry. In order to find out if the soil is in the right condition, you should hold some in your hand trying to make a ball with it, if the ball doesn’t fall apart, then you should wait some more days, and if it tends to fall apart then is ready.

Also, before starting with the garden lay out, you should work on the soil preparing it by adding fertilizer organic matter, and lime. After this, you will be ready to start planning the garden layout. Start by looking at the space very carefully and planning the layout in a piece of paper which will help you as a guide during the process.

If you are planning a vegetable garden layout, there are some special tips you should keep in mind. First of all, a vegetable garden should be located at a very sunny and luminous spot. If you plan your vegetable garden on a dark area, your vegetables will not have all the elements they need to grow.

The best way to lay out a vegetable garden is in raised beds. If you chose this option, you should mound the soil or frame beds of a width of about 4 feet with stones, concrete, or wood. Raise beds are a great choice for vegetable gardens due to the fact that the soil warms quicker than with other methods.

Get home design and decorating ideas by watching homes from all over the world – please visit http://www.dwank.com

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Gardening – What Are the Benefits?

by Bob Janeway

Gardening is one of the simplest and most fruitful, pun intended, hobbies in the country. Even those in the urban areas are rapidly discovering the wonders of this activity. So although they don’t have the garden patch on their backyard that they can show off, they make one several feet above the ground in their condominium units and apartment buildings.
Gardening, after all, does not only involve a large patch of land. One can actually do gardening in pots. Even taking care of orchids and other aerial plants are also considered gardening. Starting small is actually quirt good especially if you do not have much experience yet. Not all people have a green thumb and it is best to take care of only a few so that you will be able to fully focus on each of the plants.

Remember that gardening may look as simple as watering them every morning and putting fertilizers, but the task is more than that. It actually involves a lot of work and can take a great deal of time especially if you have many plants to take care of.

Most people think that gardening is only for aesthetic purposes but the fact is, there are a lot of things that gardening can offer, not only to people but also to the environment. Below are just some of the benefits that one can get from gardening. Read on and you might be encouraged to get on with the craze.

Relaxation
Although it may indeed involve a lot of work, from watering the plants to cutting the unwanted shrubs in the surrounding areas, gardening relaxes people. This is especially true with people who are already used to the task and are simply enjoying the “flowers” of their labor.

Gardening, in fact, has been known to be effective therapy with people who are depressed or those with manic tendencies. Plants soothes the emotions and calms the person.

Clean air
Science books have told us that plants inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen, an air that we need to survive. When there are plants in the house, the air is healthier as plants already filter the air when they make food and then give off clean air. This is the reason why people find cleaner air in the suburbs compared to the cities… perhaps because there are more trees there than in the rustle-bustle of urban areas.

Cooler
The home with plants is also cooler than those that do not have any. This is because of the shades that plants provide. The branches and the leaves of the plants protect the house from the direct rays of the sun and of course the leaves in itself absorb the sunlight. Plants need the sunlight to make or process their own food.

Eye-appealing
Hands down, a house with plants and flowers is more beautiful than any house with great architectural design. Having plants at home provides flashes of colors that are wonderful to look at especially when combined with the general design of the house. Especially good in providing aesthetic appeal are orchids and sunflowers which provide a cheery and bright atmosphere to any home.

Food on the table
You can actually choose to plant vegetables that you and your family can enjoy at the dining table. This actually beats having to buy veggies in the market because you know that what you have planted is clean and free from pesticides and other chemicals that are used in commercial planting.

Bob is the owner of http://gardening.knowsmart.com/ which is an up-to-date, informative gardening website.

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If you are like many people around the world you want a summer garden to bring a little life to your lawn during those oh so hot summer months. Most of us however, would prefer a garden that doesn’t require constant care and attention. This is where proper planning comes into place for creating the summer garden of your dreams.

There are several things you need to ask yourself when planning your summer garden. Each of these things will to some extent determine the type of summer garden your lawn will accommodate. First of all, how much space on your lawn do you wish your summer garden to occupy and in general terms how big is that space. Most of us live in homes that have woefully inadequate lawn space these days. For this reason it is important to have a realistic vision as to how much of that prime real estate you are willing to commit to your summer garden. (more…)

If you have decided to re-vamp your back (or front) yard, the first thing you must do is to measure it and commit the measurements to a piece of graph paper. The recommended scale is one inch equals ten feet, which is a good size while you are experimenting and roughing out your draft plans. Once you have decided upon a plan, you may wish to transfer it to one foot equals one inch (1′=1″ scale).

Make sure you point which way is north, as this will be handy when you need to choose which plants you want. Map out any utility pipes or cables if necessary. Next thing to go on your ‘map’ will be existing trees and shrubs that will stay where they are already placed.

Other factors you may need to consider are wind in your yard, slopes, privacy and the basic features that you need in your yard. To determine this, you have to consider whether you are primarily designing a children’s play garden, a peaceful haven, a flowering paradise or just a low maintenance lawn with shrubs. (more…)

You have a brand new site – a blank canvas – and it’s decision-making time. What will you plant? Of all the landscape changes you can make, adding plants is possibly the most important. When you are at the choosing stage, there are three major considerations: the sort of site you are planting, what function the plants will perform, and the conditions your plants will encounter on the site.

The sort of site you have – its “character”– is determined by its position and its size. Is it a large acreage in the country, a tiny spot in the city, or something between in the suburbs? Large plantings, especially trees, which look magnificent in a country setting, may be out of place or a downright nuisance in an urban setting. Plants that thrive in mountainous regions may not do so well at sea level (although they can be grown there if suitable conditions are provided) and so on.
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Birds can create some annoyance in the garden by scratching up seeds or pecking ripening fruit but most gardeners consider their feathered friends a desirable part of the gardenscape. If you want to create a bird-friendly zone in your garden, you can combine fulfilling that wish with adding a decoration or two to your landscape plan as well.

Food and shelter are two basic requirements for life. Feeding stations, birdbaths and nesting boxes can all be attractive features in any garden.

Feeding stations are excellent for attracting a variety of birds to your garden. You get maximum satisfaction if your feeding station is near a window, so you can enjoy watching the birds. (more…)

When we are willing to make a fabulous design of our garden we usually hire a specialist. But when we decide to do it ourselves it’s worth to have at least a basic knowledge about designing. It’s not as easy as it seems especially when it comes to the green that when planted too intense can look bad and unhealthy. And that’s not what every gardener wants!

One of the most interesting thing when having a garden is that every garden is different. And each one shows its owner characters. But every garden design project bases on the same elements which in some aspects are enforce the look of the garden and its usability. Many people know those things almost instinctively but some people have to make mistakes at first to do it right in the end.

Gardens say a lot about us and to not to waste time on mistakes in garden designing let’s get to know something about this or hire the architect. When architect is a real specialist thanks to his experience and years of practice he will make exactly the project that we need. The architect will help us find a good solution to arrange the relaxing part of the garden and the green one. He will also find the best place for both of them. (more…)

The area of garden design has really come into it’s own in recent times. You can incorporate so much into the design of your garden that it can all get confusing. Hopefully some of the confusion will be cleared up here. Start with the basics and so much will fall into place.

What Style Of Garden Design

There are basically two types of a garden design today, the formal garden design and the informal garden design. While there are many styles in both these designs, elements of the formal design will have structure, the informal garden design will be almost casual in appearance but every plant, path and ornament will have been placed with a definite design in mind. Informal garden designs are sometimes harder to design than the formal type garden. (more…)

No question if they are municipal or rural, all gardens payment from preplanning and invent. This doesn’t mean just shrewd where you want your patch, but the total sketch of the patch. Today, farming can enter everything from vegetables to flora to lawn tending. Carefully planning what you want, and where you want it, beforehand will help you get the most from your patch.

To begin, degree and draw a mean of your yard and/or backyard as it is now. Your proposal should compose the placement of your house, driveways and walkways, home boundaries, plants and bushes, and value navy. Using chart papered, draw everything as close to ascend as likely. (more…)