Posted by mgervais
Here’s a shot from another Charleston garden. I love how this gardener has mixed the tropical exuberance of the elephant ear with the formality of the clipped hedge. Perhaps this is more common…
When I started putting together our first garden areas in our blank slate of a yard I always second guessed myself. Every planting was met with the oncoming thought “is this going to work like I want it to?” or “does this look right?” Ideas flow freely from my mind all the time and I always try to imagine what they will turn out like when everything is finished but there have always been those nagging thoughts. After several years of gardening I still have those thoughts that eat away at my confidence each time I do something new in the garden. Sometimes I’ll stare at a plant that I just bought and place it in 4-5 different locations before settling on a final spot for the plant. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered what my neighbors think of my garden. I’m always my own worst critic.
But I’ve learned a little something over the years. It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter. There isn’t anything in the garden that can’t be changed or fixed to fit another idea or plan. Any “mistake” can be rectified. Every plant planted in the wrong location can be moved or replaced at any time! I can’t tell you how many plants I’ve moved over the years. I moved a willow tree three times, a maple at least twice and many perennials have migrated to different locations. I guess that’s another reason why I like to propagate the plants – so I can just plant a new one where I want it!
My vegetable garden is another example. I’ve changed it’s design every year. It started off as an “L” shape then moved to more standard potager feel and hopefully will become something even better as it changes. Maybe change isn’t the right word but rather “evolves.” A garden evolves and grows – constantly.
I’m finding that as I garden more the idea of something being “right” or “wrong” in the garden just isn’t true. “Right” and “wrong” are matters of personal taste and what looks right to one person might be just plain wrong to another. It’s up to the gardener. If you happen to be a new gardener who has had similar thoughts don’t worry so much. Whether it’s wrong or right, it’s all up to you, the gardener!
Originally written by Dave @ The Home Garden
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When I started putting together our first garden areas in our blank slate of a yard I always second guessed myself. Every planting was met with the oncoming thought “is this going to work like I want it to?” or “does this look right?” Ideas flow freely from my mind all the time and I always try to imagine what they will turn out like when everything is finished but there have always been those nagging thoughts. After several years of gardening I still have those thoughts that eat away at my confidence each time I do something new in the garden. Sometimes I’ll stare at a plant that I just bought and place it in 4-5 different locations before settling on a final spot for the plant. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered what my neighbors think of my garden. I’m always my own worst critic.
But I’ve learned a little something over the years. It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter. There isn’t anything in the garden that can’t be changed or fixed to fit another idea or plan. Any “mistake” can be rectified. Every plant planted in the wrong location can be moved or replaced at any time! I can’t tell you how many plants I’ve moved over the years. I moved a willow tree three times, a maple at least twice and many perennials have migrated to different locations. I guess that’s another reason why I like to propagate the plants – so I can just plant a new one where I want it!
My vegetable garden is another example. I’ve changed it’s design every year. It started off as an “L” shape then moved to more standard potager feel and hopefully will become something even better as it changes. Maybe change isn’t the right word but rather “evolves.” A garden evolves and grows – constantly.
I’m finding that as I garden more the idea of something being “right” or “wrong” in the garden just isn’t true. “Right” and “wrong” are matters of personal taste and what looks right to one person might be just plain wrong to another. It’s up to the gardener. If you happen to be a new gardener who has had similar thoughts don’t worry so much. Whether it’s wrong or right, it’s all up to you, the gardener!
Originally written by Dave @ The Home Garden
Not to be reproduced or re-blogged without permission. No feed scraping is permitted.
All Rights Reserved.
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It’s amazing how fast time flies, isn’t it? It seems like just a short time ago I posted my 2010 garden project list (which I can never fully complete!) Soon it will be time to write a new project list and bring back some of those projects that have been hanging around for years! I’ll have that list up after the 1st of the year but there are many things to start thinking about now in the garden like seed starting, planning new planting beds, and moving plants to better locations. All of that will have to wait a few days more until I have some time to get to it.
As for seeds I’m hoping to get some winter sowing started very soon. Winter sowing is great for plants that like some cold stratification. It doesn’t take much effort to winter sow which makes it a favored method of seed starting for many gardeners! I also have a magnolia I started from seed that needs moved before warmer weather comes along.
Two book reviews will be on their way in the coming weeks also. But what I am most excited about in the weeks ahead is the opportunity to blog for the Tennessee Gardener Magazine. Many of you may be familiar with the State-by-State Gardening magazines that offer gardening articles catered to each state and now once a week or so I’ll have a blog post up on their website in 2011. It will be a fun way share more gardening experiences with more people! (I think I’ll save the blowing up the lawnmower stories for this blog though!)
I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas with friends and family!
Originally written by Dave @ The Home Garden
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20
Dec
Maintenance-Free Gardens: Everything You Need to Know (Guest Post)
Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, TipsMaintenance-Free Gardens: Everything You Need to Know
A flower garden in full bloom is every gardener’s masterpiece. And like most great masterpieces, each brush stroke is calculated, the color palette chosen in advance, and the overall composition exists in the artist’s mind well before touching brush to canvas, or in this case, trowel to soil.
Although we all appreciate the beauty of a healthy garden, few actually take the time to create their own. Perhaps it is the unwillingness to devote hours each day tending to the garden that stops most people. But the best gardens are virtually maintenance free, and with proper planning you can create a masterpiece garden that requires minimal upkeep. Just follow the tips below:
- Tangling With Weeds
Weeds are every gardener’s enemy, and many a gardener spends his days battling them on every front. However, with a little preemptive strategy, most of these battles can be avoided. Weeds sprout up in new gardens because their roots were hiding below the otherwise pristine looking surface. So make sure you eradicate these roots from the very beginning. Dig up all the soil in which you will place your garden. Dig deep enough to reach all the roots. Turning over the soil will dry up roots and prevent weeds from running rampant in your new garden.
- Paths Offer Potential
A common mistake many gardener’s make when hastily planting a gardening, is to inadvertently block off sections of the garden. This will cause headaches in the future, especially if you’re forced to climb through prickly bushes every time you need to prune your favorite shrub. There’s no need to bushwhack through your own garden. Instead, integrate pathways through your garden. Stepping stones or even paved walkways will allow you to reach each section more easily. You might even consider hanging those pawleys islands hammocks in a secluded nook. Garden paths greatly expand your garden’s potential.
- Place Needy Plants Nearby
Remember that favorite shrub hidden in the back of the garden? If you had placed it in front of those prickly bushes, pruning wouldn’t have been such a hassle. Some plants need more attention than others. Why not plant them in the most convenient place possible? This will make your gardening experience much more enjoyable.
- Make a Lawn for Mowing
When it comes to mowing the lawn, all yards are not created equal. Some lawns seem to take forever to mow despite their small size, while other much larger lawns are a breeze to mow. Designing a lawn without sharp angles and multiple obstacles will make mowing easier. Stick to slowly curving edges and rounded corners. If you can mow the entire perimeter without stopping and turning, then you will love mowing your lawn.
- Moveable Plants Add Depth
Keeping some plants in containers is a great gardening strategy. Not only are decorative pots attractive additions to your yard, but they also allow you to rearrange your garden effortlessly to create a new look. Additionally, pots increase the types of plants you can keep in your garden. Even those plants that are a little fragile can appear in your garden, because you’ll be able to move them to safety in the event of a heavy rain or sudden heat wave.
- Go Native and Save on Water
Native plants offer advantages over non-native species, because they are well adapted for the climate. This means they will not need daily flooding to stay healthy, and this will save you from a hefty water bill. Of course, you don’t need to limit yourself to native species, but keep in mind the water needs of each plant you do choose. Keeping thirsty plants together will make watering much easier.
Integrating drip irrigation into your garden plan is a real time saver. Pair it with a lawn sprinkler system, and your watering needs will be virtually maintenance free. Of course, the expense of this might be prohibitive for some. Fortunately, soaker hoses are a great alternative. Regardless, of the watering method you decide on, consider it during the design phase to best implement it into your garden.
- Pruning Keeps Plants Healthy
Pruning is essential to keep many plants healthy, but you can limit the time required to prune by choosing low maintenance plants and by pruning for the right reason. Some people choose fancy, artificially shaped plants, only to discover it requires lots of effort to maintain their original shape. Instead of pruning for for aesthetic appeal, prune with the health of you plants in mind. Additionally, many plants require little pruning. Those that grow more slowly generally require less pruning.
Closing Thought: By visualizing your perfect garden and creating a composition well before playing in the soil, you’ll be able to create a garden environment, which is time efficient, easy to maintain, and a pleasure to look at. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and design your own masterpiece garden!
Author Biography:
Jay Chua is an online publisher and passionate gardener. When he’s not tending to his own garden, he’s reading and writing about gardening or working on his website, PorchSwingSets.com, which provides useful information on many of the newest and greatest backyard seating options. His site offers reviews that can help readers decide on the right hammock chairs stand or choose between the best metal porch swing.
Originally written by Dave @ The Home Garden
Not to be reproduced or re-blogged without permission. No feed scraping is permitted.
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Do you want to know where you can find tons of awesome photos of amazing fall color? Right here in these posts listed below! Over the last couple months we’ve been treated to fall color all over the northern hemisphere courtesy of bloggers all over the world. In many places the weather of 2010 was very difficult for folks to deal with but the Fall Color Project Bloggers managed to find fantastic foliage everywhere. I hope over the next couple months while you are wistfully dreaming of sprouting crocuses and daffodils that you will take a look back at the fall colors in these 37 posts and remember the days when the trees were adorned in fiery reds, oranges, and golds.
Thank you to everyone who joined in the Fall Color Project 2010!
Week 1
Mr. McGregor’s Daughter had the first entry into the Fall Color Project for 2010! Originally posted last Friday her post highlights some of the early changes happening in her garden! Do you like Oak Leaf Hydrangeas? How about dogwoods? You’ve come to the right place!
At an Obsessive Neurotic Gardener‘s blog you will find more of fall’s beginning color transformation. Goldenrod, itea, and ‘Prairie Fire’ crabapple are some of the highlights that will help get you in the mood for more autumn. And that ‘Matrona’ sedum isn’t half bad either!
One of the plants that struck me for outstanding fall color last year was the grape. Plantaliscious shows us some photos of her grape vines changing. Although I have to admit I’m more envious of the fruit that she gets to pick than the fall colors at the moment! Pay a visit to this new gardener!
Week 2
Joy over at Garden4Joy has some very nice colour in the trees near her home. Maples, one of my personal favorite trees, are bursting in the colors of flame – red, orange, and yellow – which is one reason they are one of my favorites! The photos of fall colour that she took over the waters on her way to Kingston epitomize the beauty of fall!
Last year Janet took a trip to Westonbirt arboretum and came home with some fantastic pictures. Guess what? She did it again this year too! The picture you just have to see is the Japanese Maple. It’s form and shape combined with the color of Autumn make it a masterpiece maple.
Back in Pennsylvania garden author and blogger Nancy Ondra saw her region suffer from a similar summer to the one down here – too hot and too dry. Despite the challenges of the summer of 2010 she was still able to capture some great images of autumn. Another one of my garden favorites is in her picture to the left here. Do you know it? If not hope on over to Gardening Gone Wild and find out!
Week 3
Last Friday an Obsessive Neurotic Gardener (aren’t we all? 
) put up a post with some beautiful scenery. Could pictures of fall that include covered bridges and red barns not be perfect for the season? The colors up in New Jersey are beginning to show!
Tina at In the Garden joined the project with a post that included oak leaf hydrangeas, hickory trees, and berries! Sometimes people focus on the foliage and forget about the other colors of fall in the berries and drupes.
Back up in the Northeast again we can visit Nyack Backyard with a post that offers a lot more color fun! JGH’s post is very handy for anyone who lives in the area and wants to go leaf gawking. Suggested leaf viewing locations are linked to within the post – very handy info!
Fall in Kentucky is experiencing the same sort of drought those of us here in Tennessee have been dealing with in 2010. Despite the drought you should see the blazing maples Shawn Ann has! Fiery red colors in the trees lead to a lot of fun for a little one on the ground!
Poetry and pictures await you at Nancy’s blog, Leaping Greenly! THere she has shining reds and golds mixed with a bit of Emily Dickenson. That’s a pretty good combination!
Week 4
Charlotte told me about her Fall Color Project post last Friday with some very rich and colorful fall favorites. In fact the plants she has pictured are some of my personal favorites! Japanese maples and pyracantha are two of the highlights and the color is nothing short of amazing!
TC the Write Gardener is showing us the power of technology! Specifically the power of his iPhone to bring fall colors to the rest of the world. With phones and cameras integrated together no longer is there any excuse to not photograph the best fall color nearby! TC shows that you had better have your camera at the ready for those fall photos!
VP’s Fall Color Post shows us the beauty of fall that can be captured within a single leaf. The veining coloration of this single maple leaf reflects within its own heart the image of the tree it once hung on.
Shirley in Edmonton gives us fall color enmass in her post! She takes us to scenic bridges, to the gardens around the city, and to her own home for some gorgeous fall color.Aspen, oak, maple, buckeye, and all kinds of plants are highlighting Edmonton in fall splendor!
Janet at the Queen of Seaford has done a great job of highlighting each colorful tree near her. For each tree she put together an awesome collage of fall foliage. Dogwoods, sassafras, and other fall favorites are brightening up the South Carolina landscape!
Week 5
Janet at Plantalicous is Celebrating Autumn for another Fall Color Project Post! (Anyone is welcome to do multiple posts – especially if you can’t fit all that gorgeous foliage into one!) Ornamental grass tassels, coneflower seed heads, and many other fall features add color and interest the garden this time of year.
Gail’s post at Clay and Limestone is a great one for who everyone who enjoys gold! And who doesn’t this time of year? Shagbark hickory, witch hazel, and of course good old Rusty! Rusty is a little more orange than gold but definitely has awesome fall color!
Jan’s put together a perfect post for the fall at Thanks for Today! All the things you think of when imagining the perfect fall scene are there. Wildlife in the form of herons and geese, water with fall colors reflected upon its surface, and picturesque farm house landscapes really set the perfect autumn mood!
More rustic barns and lake scenes await you over at Growing Goodness! Pictures of the backroads remind me of when I was a kid in Pennsylvania riding the bus home in the fall. The view of her property with the cutting garden would be the envy of many a gardener!
Shady Gardener took a different approach when it came to her Fall Color Project post. She showed a sequence of fall as it progressed through her neighborhood! The orange colored maples appear to be on fire. Her words “breathtaking” and “gorgeous” definitely ring true!
Perhaps the number one tree for fall color is pictured in Prairie Rose’s Fall Color Project post – maple! Ash, sumac, and brightly colored crabapples also add color to her post. I’m extremely envious of the free pine needle mulch she has available. I would love to have a few of her pine trees in my landscape!
VP’s second Fall Color Post this year shows us what thoughtful landscape planning can do around roadways! The colorful trees in the fall make roundabouts and roadways into welcoming locations. Let’s just hope that the beauty of these trees doesn’t distract drivers too much!
Week 6
Frances has a great fall color post filled with autumn associated colors. One of my favorite plants (that I don’t have but want) is featured in the first picture – Winterberry Holly! It has great fall and winter interest with all those masses of bright red berries. There’s lots to see at France’s blog but one of the things she is most known for is the Muhly grass! Just take a look at the last picture to see why!
Phillip’s post at Dirt Therapy is a tour of his home garden but may as well have been at a botanical garden. The colors are filling up every corner of his garden. Japanese maples, hydrangeas, dogwoods and all kinds of color can be found down in Alabama!
Skeeter popped back in at In The Garden to show us some of the colors around her Georgia home. One of the most wonderful things about fall is the opportunity to see that 3 dimensional painting that our gardens become and Skeeter’s surroundings definitely fit the bill! Stop over to see Skeeter’s Georgia colors!
The brilliance of autumn can definitely be seen over at Chris’s blog Garden Sense. Red, gold, and orange colors are highlighted among maple, ginkgo, weeping cherry, and ash trees. A stop to Chris’s post should be on your fall color tour!
Newsflash – Texas has fall color! Stop on down and visit Tufa girl and see the brightly color trees emerging for autumn in the Lone Star state. Red and gold trees are beginning the fall transformation. There’s plenty of green still around so maybe there is more color to come!
Racquel has put together a cool collection of fall color through a collage. One of my favorite trees (yes I have quite a few) is featured there – the sweet gum! It’s often maligned because of its seed balls but I think its color in the fall makes up for that. Go take a look at Racquel’s Fall Color Collage!
Week 7
This gorgeous carpet of red Japanese maple leaves awaits you over at Plantalicious! Her last hurrah features birches, blueberries, and deciduous magnolias. There is definitely some nice color still to be seen during this Autumn season!
Mark’s fall color post points to one of Nature’s ironies. I’ll let you find that one out for yourself when you visit his blog. Blueberries, cotinus, chestnut and other colorful leaves are featured. Go check out fall in Great Britain!
How about some California fall color? Over at Town Mouse and Country Mouse you’ll find some great autumn colors from the California countryside. An old walnut orchard, sycamores, oaks, and other fall colors await you on a cross country walk in California!
Week 8
Ginny starts us off with our fall foliage tour today. Bright red and yellows fill the branches of maples, oaks, and dogwood trees. The words of Abraham Lincoln open her post and set the tone for Thanksgiving week!
Atlanta is beginning to show some signs of fall color which you can see if you visit Pook and Bug! You will envy the beautiful Japanese maples glowing with fall color. Also take a look at the nicely window framed photo of the Japanese maple!
Matt at Passalong Plants put up a post on Friday with some awesome fall photos. The clarity and perspective of each shot are amazing. Although I think the subject in his last photo had better run – it’s not a good week for members of his species!
Twolipps posted some wonderful shots of maples, a bald cypress, a tea house and the ponds from Brookside Gardens in Maryland. The first photo of the cypress is probably my favorite but all of the pictures epitomize fall!
Amsonia, little bluestem grass, and of course maples are putting on a show up in Ohio! Kyleeheucherella, oak leaf hydrangea, and a blazing sumac (great plants for fall color!) Go check out what fall color is blazing through Our Little Acre.
Week 9
Today’s entry comes from the blog Garden Sense and shares with us the gorgeous colors that fall foliage brings to shrubs. Brilliant barberries, itea, fothergilla, oak leaf hydrangea, chokeberry, and even azaleas fill this post with plenty of autumn wonder. Go pay a visit to Chris’s post if you haven’t already and enjoy what could be the last of fall’s wondrous foliage!
Week 10
Chris over at Garden Sense has really enjoyed the fall color this year! This week’s fall color post is all about the berries. In many ways the berries are even better than the foliage. They last beyond the color change, they create food for the birds, and the brightly colored berries are extremely festive this time of year! Stop over to Chris’s blog and check out the hollies, the beatyberry, the chokeberries, and others!
If by some chance you submitted a post for the Fall Color Project and I’ve left you out please let me know! I’ll work you in! Also if you wrote a fall color post but weren’t aware of the Fall Color Project until know then do three things 1) let me know 2) add a link either to this post or the kick off Fall Color Project post in your Fall Color post and (most importantly) 3)Mark this on your calendar for next year!
Originally written by Dave @ The Home Garden
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Posted by Jillian_Faye
So you think you are an expert gardener, but do you know what plants are dangerous to you and your family? Take this quiz and test your skills.
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The flowers that remain blooming are almost all metal!
Of course, there are wallflowers and a few violas that have seen better days!
How perfectly apt that the last bloom day of the year should end with a big freeze! This year we’ve had arctic freezes, flooding rains, drought and now snow and frigid temperatures! It’s a perfect end to a year of weather events and extremes that have left this gardener shaking her head in wonder over what 2011 will bring!
Looking out into the frozen landscape I knew exactly what made sense to share with you.
Without further ado, I give you Clay and Limestone’s favorite Bloom Day posts! ~You can follow the links if you have any inclination or time!
When winter’s frigid chill descended upon the garden and all hope of bloom were dashed ~I went straight to the florist for tulips!
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I pulled a Rabbit Out Of My Hat For GBBD when there were so few blooms
I was glad all over to see the crocus!
Clay and Limestone was in daylily heaven~with a few native plants to make us all smile.
Last, but, certainly not least~
The October Blue skies finally arrive to compliment the native ex-asters.
I am so glad you stopped by for December 2010 Bloom Day~ An event that knows no geographical boundaries and is celebrated hither and yon in this great big wonderful world we inhabit. Please visit Carol, May Dreams Gardens for a link to all gardenbloggers who are celebrating the day!
I wish you all a wonderful day, filled with laughter, celebration and gardens!
xxoogail
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Posted by Ruth
Is there a gardener out there who hasn’t botched a pruning job? Fess up, folks, and post your story.
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We’ve had gorgeous blue skies and warm temperatures in the middle of November and all this gardener can think to say is thank you!
Thank you for the flowers still blooming.
Thank you for rich Autumn colors.
Cyclamen hederifolium
Thank you for a reason to crawl on the ground
and a reason to lie there and look at the sky~
Thank you for sunsets that light up the trees.
Thank you for Bumbles that are still with us.
Thank you for a long Autumns, short Winters, good blogging friends and a healthy and happy family.
I wish you all a marvelous Thanksgiving Week and loving times with your friends and family.
xxgail
ps Wildflower Wednesday is November 25! See you then!
