Sunday, June 26, 2011

Landscaping Design - How to Avoid a Kitsch Landscape


You can create a chic Landscape without turning it into a Design disaster. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "kitsch" is defined as "sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts." Applying this term to the Landscape can be quite different. It could imply specific garden elements unnecessary in the Landscape or a plant species variety that is too dominant. Whatever the reasoning, here are a few tips to keep your garden looking unique without being kitsch.

Simplify the Landscape. Consider how you would like the space to be utilized. Will there be spaces for entertaining guests, family gatherings, play areas for kids and pets, etc.? You may also want to xeriscape gardens or maintain specific plant varieties native to your region. Too much of a good thing can turn your Landscape into a nightmare. Keep garden spaces simple and allow room for plants to mature. Gnomes and glass objects may be "fun" for some gardens, but distracts from the original purpose of a garden. Redefining the space will further clarify what plants will grow best in a thriving Landscape.
Choose quality materials. Select hardscape or groundcover materials that maintain a sleek Design and contrast that will compliment plant choices. Consider changing your patio furniture with new materials. Use green materials such as eco-friendly decking or wood materials such as ipe wood that last awhile in harsh environmental conditions. De-clutter your Landscape of unused materials or objects that you may have picked up along the way, but really serve no purpose in your yard.

Plants with quality and contrast. Choose plants that will provide seasonal interest. They should also have a unique edge such as color, texture, or form. Make sure there is enough variety without choosing plants that clash. Keep plantings that will compliment one another, throughout the Landscape.

Lighting. This is one element many homeowners tend to neglect. The right lighting can add a certain ambiance, while naturally enhancing the form and structure of your Landscape and plant material. Lighting around walkways, specimen trees, water features, and in tree trunks may be considered.

Placing materials. Try something different besides foundation plants surrounding your house or property line. You can still maintain privacy with fencing, hardscape materials, and choosing plant species with the right height, texture, form, and color for your Landscape. Consulting your local Landscape Design expert or nursery may also answer your questions regarding new materials as well as detailed Design and installation options.
http://landscape-plant.blogspot.com/


By Unknown with 1 comment

Monday, June 20, 2011

3 Common Landscape Design Mistakes - Thinking Like a Residential Landscape Designer

Home Landscape Designs have greatly transformed over the years. With the popularization of hardscaping, backyard Landscapes can be taken to all new levels. Unfortunately, whether homeowners are pursuing small or large scale Landscape projects, many of them are making the same common landscaping Mistakes. When creating your next Landscape, avoid these 3 common landscaping Mistakes.

How To Choose The Right Plants

First of all, never choose your plants based on looks alone. You don't want to choose plants that need a lot of direct sunlight and then place them in an area that actually gets a lot of shade or filtered light. The first thing you need to think about is your landscaping environment. You should choose plants that will thrive in your specific environment. Consider the temperature in your region, the type of soil in your yard, and the relative amount of shade or sunlight each area of your yard receives. If you are creating a desert Landscape Design, for example, you should choose plants that love the sun and plants that are drought proof. In regard to plant placement, also remember to research plants to see how much space they need and how large they grow so that you can plant your Landscape Designs accordingly.
Cutting Back On Grass

Perhaps 50 years ago it was okay to have a large yard full of nothing but grass. Well kept grass was a vibrant achievement of the proud homeowner. But today, people like to have more character in their yards. Mix it up with flowers, shrubs, trees, and vines. Even if you don't want to create an entire hardscape Design, adding just a few hardscape elements can improve the look of a Landscape Design as well. An added tip when it comes to grass is not to cut it too short. This may cause bald spots which can be more susceptible to disease and insects.

Focal Points & Diversity

Today, homeowners want their Landscape Designs to look beautiful year round. To avoid having a barren lawn during certain seasons it is important to choose a variety of different plants that thrive at different times of the year. Many people also neglect to include focal points in their Landscape Designs. Focal points are important because they add power and majesty to the look of your Landscape and they immediately draw in eyes to the best parts of your Design. When choosing focal points be sure to pick plants that will look beautiful year round. You can also use hardscape elements as focal points. One example of a focal point might include using a stone stairway in your backyard that leads to a gorgeous pagoda. In many desert Landscape Designs, homeowners cover their entire yards with cacti. Instead of doing this, the homeowners can create a focal point using one or two large, majestic cacti, and then use other desert plants like colorful perennial flowers in other sections of the Landscape Design.

Whether you will creating a Landscape that is big or small, remember that you can always consult with a residential Landscape Designer. They can offer you professional advice about your desert Landscape Designs, as well as various other landscaping Designs.
http://landscape-plant.blogspot.com/


By Unknown with 1 comment

Saturday, June 18, 2011

New Look Landscape Garden Designs in Time for a Fresh British Summer

As summer starts to approach, slowly but inexorably peeking its leaves and shoots out of the branches of trees that have lain bare all winter, the nation's home owners start thinking about their Gardens and outside spaces again. Now is the time of year to think about overhauling – to get Landscape Garden Designs created and in place before planting time is gone.

With plenty of UK families now staying put, enjoying the benefits of their current surroundings rather than moving on in search of new ones, there are more Garden overhauls going on than there used to be. That means plenty of inspirati0on and plenty of encouragement: so if your Garden is looking a little tired, it's time to get out and have a look at what you could have.
A Garden, like a room, could and should be an extension of your lifestyle – your habits, your hobbies, your obsessions – even places you have been to and loved. If you've had a life changing experience travelling the world, or doing voluntary work somewhere, there's no reason why you can't have a set of Landscape Garden Designs drawn up to incorporate some of the atmosphere of the countries you have been to in the layout of your Garden. Try introducing a Japanese feel with cherry trees and smooth gravel spaces: or how about recreating an Italian rose Garden along the driveway?

The possibilities for Landscape Garden design in the UK are pretty much limitless – your only controlling factors are the amount of space available to you, and your budget. If you talk to an experience Garden design company you should quickly discover that even your wildest dreams can come true, providing you have the room to house them all.

Landscape Garden Designs, for example, don't just have to be about arranging lawns and flower beds in a pleasing fashion. You can choose to dispense with a lawn and Landscape your Garden spaces with paving slabs, or rocks, or gravel – giving you an easy to maintain space offset by some wonderfully exotic pot plants.

If relaxation is your thing, don't overlook the possibilities that the private outdoor space of a Garden can offer. If you've always wanted a hot tub, for example, but have no room in the house for one – have a hot tub deck built in a secluded nook of your Garden. With some strategically arranged plantings around it, your Landscape Garden Designs could be helping you to enjoy some soft evenings under the stars with a bottle of champagne and some Garden candles giving you the right atmosphere.

Your Garden can, and should, be whatever you want it to be. Take the time to really enjoy it this year: look around you for inspiration, and then talk to your local Landscape Garden company about turning your own lifestyle into the perfect outdoor retreat. With no limitations beyond your own imagination, your new Landscape Garden Designs could be that last ingredient you need to make your house into the home you have always wanted.
http://landscape-plant.blogspot.com/


By Unknown with No comments

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Landscape symbols - shorthand for plant and design


Creating your personal dream theme using beautiful sexy patio Chairs and Outdoor furniture...

Patio, pool or Garden spaces are a pleasant way for family and friends to unwind. You will want to show off your special Garden theme that is romantic and sexy, or a patio theme that is bright and colorful for any spring and summer event. Patio and Garden themes are very popular and can be done on a low, medium or higher budget. Can you see yourself showing off that special patio or Garden theme with bright rich colors and fancy theme style cushions, maybe a romantic red color for your patio Chairs, or choose a color of choice to create your personal dream theme that will last for years?
With the average household size declining to 2.5 persons (and continuing to fall), it is likely that demand for smaller dwellings within close proximity to major capital city CBD will continue to rise significantly - and will become especially favoured over the large 'Mansions' in outer suburban areas.

Any fruit is good to plan the result of a Landscape. It 's also a leader of a plan of your card orchard brought before starting to work as carpenters, plumbers and electricians, a project intending to build a house that is. Since few of us have ever occurred with a Landscape plan in our daily life is for us to discuss in detail the methods of manufacture and use shouldone.

A Landscape plan does not want to wait artistic skills. All you need is the right tool for measuring and drawing, and mathematical intelligence equally victims of objects of various sizes at a fraction of their size.

Drawing instruments

The instrument needed to make a good Landscape plan shall include: drawing table (or flat panel), T-square, two triangles (grades 45 and 60), protractor, compass, tape measure, scale (or ruler), pencil, eraser, tape adhesive and traceabilityPaper.

Symbols Landscaping

symbols are used in the production of Landscape plans Landscape design. They are easy to learn, understand and interpret. Six Figures in many books used in Landscape design. Come completely familiar with this Landscape of shorthand and you will find that insight and production plans Landscape design is not difficult.

A few minutes of practice (call it "doodling"), you get to the point where this Landscape design termsis easy and fun. The next step is to learn to look at a simple plot plan of existing buildings, walks, driveways, trees, rocks, gorges, hills, fences, etc. that could be seen.

Field Notes

This task can be divided into two parts or stages. The first is to take field notes in the form of sketches and real sizes and descriptions. The second step is to transfer your areaNotes on drawing paper in a legal and acceptable standards. What you get is comparable to a fully labeled picture above taken directly from the site. You need to plan farranging first sight the Landscape design of the place to start working.

In the Notes field is much easier when you have a copy of the house models are available. This should be one of the first things that you collect from your architect or builder that the house will be sold. If youPurchase by a former owner to ask if he has plans, for it was to come, as the home of your property and you can have an indoor house plants pictures you put in your plants.

They are still well off if you collect an official plan of the property with the location of the house marked by the surveyor. Always try to get a plan will save you many hours of work on site. If not available, the following procedures offered as a wayCutting this work to a minimum. It 's the result of very very few years of practical experience.

Unpack for yourself why so many people worried about shooting indoor house plants. Visit our growing collection of plants care.com.
http://landscape-plant.blogspot.com/


By Unknown with No comments

Monday, June 13, 2011

Tropical Backyard Landscaping - Creating An Exotic Backyard Resort Even If You Don't Live in Florida

Tropical resorts in the Islands represent some of the most popular vacation destinations in the world. Every year millions of busy, over-stressed people choose to spend their precious vacation time unwinding at tropical locales. Why? What makes these places so irresistible? Could it be the lifestyle ideal they represent, a setting where the pressures of everyday life can just be forgotten, replaced by an attitude of contentment, tranquility, and overall well-being. This slower, more laidback attitude is fueled in no small part by the natural beauty that surrounds you at tropical Island locations.

If something has such a positive effect on your attitude and outlook, why should you settle for experiencing it only once a year during vacation? What if it were possible to create a little piece of that Island allure in your everyday life?

While you may not have an ocean handy, you absolutely can create a beautiful, tropical resort style setting right in your own Backyard. It's not only possible, it's a lot of fun. And, guess what? It doesn't have to cost a lot of money. With a little creativity, education and guidance, you can turn your boring Backyard landscape into your own exotic, tropical Backyard Resort.

What is a Tropical Look Anyway?

Tropical landscapes are by their very nature very informal. To create your Backyard Resort, your Backyard landscape will capture the wild and untamed mood of a natural tropical landscape. This mood can't be captured with the boring, straight-line plantings of overly manicured shrubs that are so common in residential landscapes. The tropically-inspired garden will be much more casual, with seemingly randomized patterns of trees, shrubs, and foliage.

The exotic, tropical look of your Backyard resort will be achieved by combining a wide variety of shapes, forms, colors, and textures. Banana plants with their large dramatic leaves, beautiful foliage plants like coleus and gingers, open and airy ornamental grasses, beautiful climbing vines, and tropical blooming plants all have a place. What may surprise you is that there is also a place for many of our more cold-hardy and traditional landscape plants. Uniformity and normality are out; randomness and whimsy are in.

So, How do You do It?

If you were lucky enough to live in South Florida or on one of the islands, you probably wouldn't be reading this to begin with. You would have a year round growing season with no fear of freezing temperatures, and you could grow whatever you wanted. For most of us, that is not reality so we're going to have to get creative if we want to create that exotic, tropical Backyard landscape, our very own little tropical escape.

The approach we'll use is very simple. We'll create our Backyard resort by combining exotic tropical plants with well-adapted plants that either look tropical or look good in a tropical setting. The trick is to learn what plants and how to combine them to create that exotic, tropical look. We're going to use a simple layering approach.

At a high level, here's what we're going to do: create a solid foundation, create the tropical landscape effect, and add the finishing touches.

Creating a Solid Foundation

The good news is that this may start with what you already have. Here, we're going to use things that are reliably winter hardy. This is the skeleton for your Backyard resort and we want it strong. Large trees, evergreen shrubs and small understory trees, and perennials that return year after year will set your foundation. This is completely specific to your area.

Anything with big, deep green leaves can work, and all the better if it is evergreen. Another great foundation plant is ornamental grasses. They seem to add a care-free feel to the landscape as they move with the wind. You should be able to find several that are adapted to your area. Finally, try to find some color for the foundation. Any shrub or tree that flowers and is well adapted to your area can work.

Remember, the idea here is to set that permanent foundation. We want to use things that are reliable in your area, and will not succumb to winter cold.

Create the Tropical Landscape Effect

Now that you have a foundation, or backdrop, it is time to add the tropical effect plants to turn that normal Backyard or swimming pool landscape into your own tropical paradise. Here, you may use true tropical plants that have to be treated as annuals in your area, unless you are willing to go to great lengths to protect them from winter chill. There are other plants that are tropical or sub-tropical that, with a little protection, will come back from roots each spring (i.e. bananas, elephant ears). Then, there are the interesting, tropical looking plants that may have no problems at all with winter weather.

For the tropical effect, we have to start with palms. It's hard to imagine a tropical landscape without the presence of palms. Why palms aren't used more in southern landscapes can only be attributed to lack of information. Plant one and you can be sure you'll hear more than one "You can't grow that here!". There a number of palms that can handle very low temps with little or no damage. Windmill, Sable, and needle palms are good examples.

Palms are the tropical foundation, now we need to enhance the tropical effect. Let's throw in some bananas, cannas, and elephant ears with their huge leaves for a start. All are very easy to grow and, with a little work, can be protected so that they come back year over year. Yucca and big ornamental grasses add great tropical effect too. Add some real color sizzle with tropical hibiscus, coleus, and Mandevilla and you're going to start humming Jimmy Buffett or reggae tunes for sure.

Get creative here and have fun. Try crazy things. As an example, I've grown Papayas, candle trees, and Caster Bean plants from seed for years. Talk about a tropical effect that will turn some heads!

Add the Finishing Touches

The plants you use in the garden go a long way towards creating that tropical, resort-style setting we're after, but there are other things as well. The tasteful use of container plants can greatly enhance the overall effect of your Backyard resort. Containers allow you to create lush garden settings in places where it might otherwise be impossible such as patios and decks.

Here's a great tip. Go to your favorite garden center's houseplant section. Of course, there is really no such thing as a houseplant. All plants want to be outside and will perform their best outside. Many of the so-called houseplants are really understory tropicals that will perform beautifully on a covered patio or deck where they have protection from direct sun. Experiment with some of these plants and you are sure to be amazed at the results.

Now, we'll go even beyond that and get into an area where you can get really creative and let your personality shine through. For lack of a better phrase, we'll call this garden art. There are no rules whatsoever here. Simple things like adding tiki torches along a path can make a real statement. Want to get more out there, create a faux Mayan ruin surrounded by tropical-looking foliage. If you don't have a pool, build a small pond complete with cascading waterfall. Or, suspend a comfortable hammock between trees, complete with a fake (or real!) parrot watching over you while you relax. Remember, no rules here. This is all about you.

Backyard Resorts - There you have it...

I sincerely hope you find this fun, useful, and at least marginally instructional. This little hobby has been an absolute joy for me. Remember, my intent was never to give you a Backyard Resort in a Box, with step-by-step instructions on exactly what, when, and how to do everything. That just wouldn't be possible in a single article and, even if it were, it would take all the fun out of this little adventure. The idea is to give you a taste of what's possible and hopefully to whet your appetite with a few ideas and tools to get you started. Beyond that, you have all kinds of creative license in creating your own personal Backyard Resort. Now, get started and, most of all, have fun.
http://landscape-plant.blogspot.com/


By Unknown with No comments

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Choosing Plants For Desert Landscaping


There are all types of Landscaping and one is Desert Landscaping. People love it because it is something different and because the Desert Plants used are so efficient. The Desert garden idea is a very popular one these days and there are lots of Plants to enjoy if you want to create your very own Desert garden. Whether you are aiming to complete the Desert Landscaping on your own or get professional help, there are a few tips to remember.

One of the most important tips to remember in Desert Landscaping is that these Plants do not require a lot of water. If you water them as much you water the other Plants in your designs you are likely to end up killing them. You actually have to be very careful then with how often you are watering because you do not want to kill the Plants. Different Desert Plants are native to certain landscapes so choose the ones that are going to strive in your location.
There is also another benefit to using Desert Landscaping Plants and that is that they do not require such expensive fertilizers and other products as other Plants you are probably used to growing. Remember, these are Plants that are used to basically growing on their own in the middle of a Desert and so they have adapted and do not need much to survive on. Desert soil is not nutrient rich so there is no worry of having to spend a ton of money on fertilizers and nutrients to have your Plants strive. Make sure you are efficient when using Desert Plants in Landscaping.

This is probably one of the most important tips of all because there are really easy things you can do to make the most of your Desert Landscaping and help the Plants to stay healthy and look beautiful. You can group certain Plants together as this will help them to feed off each other. Then group another set of Plants together that need the most water. Remember that if you are ever having any trouble you can always call in a professional Landscaping company to help.

This way you have the advice of a professional and can get some other ideas. You can probably handle it on your own but you can also get help by hiring a professional Landscaping design to help you out. This way you will have a group of professionals you can work with and who are going to be able to offer their own opinions for your Desert Landscaping design. You can work together and create the best design.
http://landscape-plant.blogspot.com/


By Unknown with No comments

Plant Flowers to Climb Your Garden Obelisks

Annual and perennial vines have long been used to cover unsightly walls or structures in the landscape. The vines soften the hard architectural lines of fences and buildings. They create living sculptures of other structures, such as Garden Obelisks, ramshackle sheds, outbuildings, tree stumps, and assorted "cast-offs" given new life in the Garden.

Use Garden Obelisks to create a vertical growing space for annual or perennial vines where there is no existing structure for the vines to grow upon. Make them the centerpiece of a perennial Garden, line them up to define the border of an annual flower bed, or to separate Garden "rooms." Planted with brightly colored flowering vines, Garden Obelisks are an imposing presence in the landscape.

Grow these annual and perennial flowering vines on your Garden Obelisks:

Morning glories and/or moonflowers: Members of the sweet potato family, they open their blossoms only at certain times of days: the flowers of morning glories, Ipomoea purpurea, open in the early morning and close by midday. Moonflowers, I. alba, open in late afternoon, stay open all night and close shortly after dawn. Plant both kinds to climb up the same structure and enjoy blooms from late afternoon through mid-morning. Start seeds indoors for the earliest blooms.

Ornamental sweet potatoes: Distinguished by their colorful foliage, ornamental sweet potato, Ipomoea batatus, vines grow 12 feet or more in length over the course of a growing season. Available in varieties with foliage in red, bronze or various colors of green, including chartreuse. Their leaves look just like those of edible sweet potatoes. They are often included in container Gardens, Planted near the edge of the pot to cascade over the sides. Ornamental sweet potatoes will quickly grow to cover even the tallest Garden Obelisks.

Clematis and autumn clematis: Often called the queen of vining flowers, clematis, Clematis paniculata, produces light lavender blossoms on woody vines. Its cousin, autumn clematis, C. maximonowicziana, produces smaller, less showy, but more fragrant flowers in autumn. Both types of clematis prefer morning sun and protection from the afternoon sun, although autumn clematis is more tolerant of all-day sun. Mulch them well, they prefer their roots kept cool and evenly moist.

Honeysuckle: A prolific flowering vine, honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens, also called "coral honeysuckle," quickly grows to cover any Garden structure. It produces many tiny, trumpet-shaped, coral, yellow or red, fragrant flowers from mid-spring through autumn. Native to the Americas, coral honeysuckle grows best in sun to partial shade. Do not Plant Japanese honeysuckle, L. japonica, as it is a rampant, invasive vine that has escaped cultivation in North America.

Climbing hydrangea: A shade-loving flowering vine, climbing hydrangea, Hygdrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris, is relatively care-free. Its large, white flowers bloom in summer and look just like the flowers of shrub-like hydrangeas. The vines are woody and can become quite heavy on a large specimen; ensure any Garden Obelisks or other support structures it grows upon are substantial and secure. Mulch their soil and keep them evenly moist for the greatest number of flowers.

Covered with any of these flowering vines, Garden Obelisks become living art in your landscape.

Copyright Sharon Sweeny

Sharon Sweeny specializes in all things Gardening, as well as self-sufficient, do-it-yourself lifestyles. Read more about intensive Gardening at http://moxieGardener.com and decorative Garden structures at http://eGardenObelisks.com.
http://landscape-plant.blogspot.com/


By Unknown with No comments

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Landscape planting rules - Location Determines Using

Investing your hard eared money can be a mine field. Every day we read and hear about people who had their life savings wiped out by scrupulous Investors. When Bernie Maddoff made the headlines the world was outraged by how much money he stole from uninformed Investors. You don't want to be one of them and what you want to do is to tread carefully yet have enough trust in the right people to have your money work hard for you while its safe and secure.

If you want to invest then you will have to trust people. Its been said that investing is a team sport and you need to have experts do those things you don't do well. Like doctors, lawyers and accountants you should be able to trust an experienced investor with your money. Even with the help of a professional you need to be careful. Here are 3 great tips to help you get the most of your investing while staying safe and secure.
geographical location and climate can largely complete, the plants are used on your property. You could orchard in New York City as a plant stress rate (Taxus), and Japanese Andromeda (Pieris japonica). brought a similar company in Central Texas could have expected very different systems to achieve the same kind of effect, such as juniper and yaupon (Ilex vomitoria). A third site, on the west coast, for example, woulda system environment that are used in the east or south.

Topography

The topography of the country or location is another factor that determines his plan needs a design scenario. It will affect not only the basic layout of your property, but also the type of soil and plant grasses or other cover that want to use.

Imagine a house on a hill in a huge region down. On these issues, to find relatively flat surface of any size would be to all,had more expensive retaining walls, which could very well informed on the conditions of the owner. Since it is difficult if not impossible, even a good lawn on a steep slope, you type a significant additional land cover, which are favorable for the selected track.

Contrast the previous situation with a home made flat on the topography of those parts of the country such as Kansas, Nebraska and South Florida. Here, an entire landscape can be foundoff without you down inclined surfaces do with concern. In fact, if the earth is flat monotone, are changes in the amount often deliberately introduced to provide additional coverage in the image orchard. For me, I prefer a set because Dracaena Tarzan has attractive leaves and good background in design.

Consequently, the topography and geographical position have decided the results displayed and do your gardening plans. Keep in mind these facts whenmental types of plants you want.

In times like these it is easy to see why 'habitancy how many are interested in Dracaena Tarzan. We make the information simple, visit plant-care.com.


By Unknown with No comments

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Small Garden Design - Blueprint For Planting A Three Season Small Space Garden


Using intensive planting techniques as well as crop rotation small garden Design can be successfully achieved. Yields are high when plants are closely spaced. By growing early, mid and late season vegetables in the same space, maximum yield is realized from minimum space.

It's amazing how much you can grow in a small space if you plant intensively and continue to plant in the same space as the seasons change.

The following is a basic plan for a compact, easily workable 4-by-4-foot garden. It can yield delicious vegetables during the growing season, and provide color and interest throughout all four seasons. Although this small garden Design is only 4-by-4-feet, it can seem quite large when preparing the soil for the first time.
The garden needs at least six hours of sun a day, including mid-day sun, so choice of site is very important. This is not meant to be a hard-and-fast small garden Design but a guide for planting a high-yield garden. Other vegetables can be substituted for those Designated.

A great space saver is vertical planting. The plan calls for a fence bordering the northern end of the garden. This makes the best use of available space by training plants upward instead of allowing them to sprawl.

Even early in the year, the garden is productive and attractive. Spring flowering bulbs precede vegetables. Bulb planting is done in the fall.

As spring progresses, sugar snap peas climb the fence. Two broccoli plants are surrounded by Johnny jump-ups. Broccoli is the only edible that stays in the garden throughout the growing season. After the central head is cut, smaller heads form on side shoots. Lettuce is attractive in any garden. New Zealand spinach is a good, heat-tolerant substitute for regular spinach. Beets or carrots interplant well with radishes. Radishes grow quickly, ready to eat in about three weeks, and help loosen the soil for the deeper-root vegetables.

As the weather gets hotter, the early cool-season vegetables start to peter out, and are replaced with mid-season vegetables started from seed indoors or bought from a nursery or garden center. The only exception is the pole or runner beans that trellis up the fence, which grow so quickly they do not need to be started ahead of time. Sharing the fence with the beans is a tomato plant. A warm-weather variety of lettuce planted near the beans and tomatoes is slightly shaded from the harsh summer sun by the vining leaves. Nasturtium fit well between the broccoli plants. There is room for an eggplant and a sweet or hot pepper centered with a clump of chives. The front of the warm-season garden is reserved for low-growing herbs and edible flowers. Dwarf marigold and dianthus add color, spice, and even a measure of pest control to the garden.

As the weather begins to cool, the garden undergoes its final transformation. Tomatoes are left, as they will keep producing. I might sneak in a pumpkin of a very small variety along the fence. Chrysanthemums are a traditional autumnal plant.

Although this is a small garden Design, it contains the basics for an attractive landscape that will last several seasons each year. The rewards for growing your own vegetables are great, not only in terms of money saved at the market, but in pride of achievement.
http://landscape-plant.blogspot.com/


By Unknown with 3 comments