Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Shaded Landscaping Plants - Choosing the Right Plants for Your Garden


When it comes to Gardening, wouldn't it be nice to be able to control the weather? Even though that's obviously not possible, there are things you can do to get your Plants the proper amount of sun and shade. It's important to choose the correct Plants for each type of area.

Some Plants grow best in full sun, others do better in partial shade, and there are even Plants that will thrive in constant shade. Take this into consideration when choosing Plants for each of your activity zones. Knowing what kind of shade each area has will help you make the right decisions.

A 'full sun area' is, of course, an area that receives sun all day. This means from 6-12 hours or more during the summer. This will vary depending on your geographic location.
An area that receives plenty of light, although not directly, is referred to as 'partial sun' or 'partial shade'. Examples of this are areas that are covered, such as, under awnings, or large thick trees.

All of the light these areas receive is reflected light, and is usually sufficient for most Plants. There is a significant energy loss when light is reflected off of different surfaces. The Plants that do well in these areas are uniquely suited for this amount of energy and will remain healthy with no drying or burning. There is usually plenty of light and heat for keeping the soil warm and promoting photosynthesis.

'Full shade', then, is obviously an area that doesn't even receive indirect sunlight. The light that reaches these areas has been reflected several times, causing it to loose most of it's energy. It doesn't leave the area in total darkness, but it is quite dim. The result is very little of the suns energy for the plant, and cool soil.

Ground cover Plants will do quite well in full shade, but most flowering Plants will not be able to survive in these conditions. A good example of the type of plant that grows well in full shade is moss. Think of how much moss you would see in a heavily shaded forest. The conditions are cool and moist, and are home to various types of fungi, such as wild mushrooms as well as moss.

Many flowering Plants will thrive in partial shade. In addition to 1-2 hours of direct sunlight per day, there are also several hours of reflected light. Usually the direct sunlight these areas receive will not be the most intense of the day.


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Sunday, August 14, 2011

Looking for just the right landscaping plant?


Finding the perfect landscaping plant is not such an easy job. There are so many different plants for you to choose from and each will have its own special ways that make is a great find for your yard. You can choose any kind of landscaping plant that will compliment your particular yard, just make sure that the landscaping plant that you choose can live in your climate. Not all landscaping plants can thrive in all areas so talk to your local plant specialist. The place where you usually get your plants may be able to help you with your selection of landscaping plant.

There are many different kinds of landscaping plants for you to choose from and some of the best ones are the ones that you would normally never think of. For example if you want to have a gorgeous border you can use sage plants. This is the perfect landscaping plant for any home especially yours. You can do so much with this great landscaping plant. Not only can you make wonderful borders with it you can also add them to pretty herb gardens.
What makes herb gardens to fun is that they are not only pretty to look at they are also practical. You can use all of the herbs that you grow as a landscaping plant in your cooking. Cooking with herbs is such a wonderful bonus to having a gorgeous landscaping plant.

When you are looking for a landscaping plant you will also need to take into consideration what time of year it happens to be. You cannot usually go into a gardening store looking for a landscaping plant in the middle of winter and find a summer bloom. Your shopping will have to be at least a little seasonal. Your landscaping plant, some of them anyway, will have to be purchased at certain times of the year.

You can find a landscaping plant that is annual or one that is perennial. An annual landscaping plant will need to be bought and purchased anew each year where as a perennial landscaping plant will grow back each year on its own. Some perennial plants like tulips for instance will double in number each year if left alone. When there gets to be too many in one spot of this kind of landscaping plant you can simply dig down and split some of them up and plant them elsewhere.


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Sunday, August 7, 2011

Using Garden Design Software to Maintain a Summer Garden


A Garden is always a lovely way to brighten or update any home's landscape. However, it can be overwhelming to plan and maintain a Garden. First, one must decide not only what they wish to plant, but also consider many factors such as climate, light, and water needs to determine which plants will do well throughout the year. Then decisions on the location of the Garden and how it will be laid out must be made. Using Garden Design.Software, you can design a fantastic Garden for your home. Typically easy-to-use and full of great features, a home Design.Software can take much of the guesswork out of the task, making it enjoyable from start to finish.
A Garden Design.Software will give you access to an extensive plant encyclopedia, making it a breeze to figure out which plants will flourish in your Garden. Whether your Garden will hold flowers, herbs, vegetables, or fruits, with a click of a button you will find volumes of information at your fingertips on thousands of plants, pinpointing specific details about each plant's light and water needs and soil and climate requirements. There is even access to information about groundcover such as specific grasses and shrubbery, allowing you to customize every bit of space exactly how you like.

Once you've chosen your plants, it can be a difficult task to figure out exactly where in your yard the Garden should be, and how to arrange it. Size and dimension, as well as deciding the best spots for natural light and irrigation, become other factors to consider in planning a Garden. With the help of Design.Software, you can actually scan digital photos of your yard and landscape to visualize the exact look of your Garden. As your Garden grows through the seasons, there are options to update your photos and maintain your space based on each plant's growth. You can even take a panoramic, three-dimensional tour of your yard to see how it changes season to season.

Using Design.Software is also helpful in deciding whether or not to add additional elements such as a sprinkler irrigation system or lighting. You can plan these additions by deciding the sort of sprinklers to add and even customize the range and location of water spray to ensure your plants receive the correct amount of water. You can customize pathways throughout your Garden, as well as set up lighting along those pathways, or simply highlight various portions with direct spotlights.

Why hire a professional landscaper to design the Garden of your dreams? By utilizing a user-friendly Garden Design.Software, you can get precisely the Garden you envision while taking pride in the fact that it was one-hundred percent designed by you, and continue to enjoy and add to your Garden year after year.


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Thursday, August 4, 2011

Tips For Designing an Awkwardly-Shaped Vegetable Garden

When Designing and starting a vegetable Garden in any urban setting it can be an awkward yet rewarding experience. Urban Garden enthusiasts have several issues to consider during the planning stage. First and foremost consider the aesthetic value of adding a vegetable Garden to any area. There are many plants that will present a charming and surprising twist in your green space. They are well worth any challenge they may present. I also caution you there are a few plants that will not blend in with others. This is not to say they should not be allowed in your Garden, it's just they are more challenging to convince others that they are viewing an edible arrangement incorporated into the landscape. Most people visualize a vegetable Garden as a dirt field like a farm, rows of produce growing in exposed dirt. I agree that cabbage and corn fields can be considered shabby and not chic. With planning and cooperation from the weather you too can be on the way to a healthy harvest.
My method is to incorporate vegetables into the urban environment. A well planned vegetable Garden can coexist with any landscape. There are "four s' to Gardening" to consider when planning a Garden. First is the setting or set design, which includes the actual space versus the size and shape of plant being used. Second is the soil this will determine if you should plant in the soil or in containers. Third is sun, I know most Gardeners feel this is the most important element. Fourth is saturation, this is the ability of plants to get as much natural water as possible and using as little tap water as possible.

When planning your set design, there are two basic types of upright plants and two types of vine plants. For example; when adding vegetables to a landscaped bed of flowers and shrubs I suggest shorter bushy type plant such as peppers and herbs. They blend in well as a border plant. Even crops such as spinach and leaf lettuce works well with taller landscape shrubs. Taller stalk type plants such as Okra, Corn and even Sugar Cane works better planted in clusters along side thicker clusters of taller plants such as Ginger, Sunflowers, Larkspur or Hollyhocks. There are two types of vine plants that can be incorporated into the landscape. Growing trailing vines such as Tomatoes Peas, Beans and Cucumbers can make an attractive accent on an ordinary chain link fence, trellis or post on a patio deck. The addition of blooming vines such as Coral Vine, Morning Glory or Sweet Peas will add beauty to your climbing vegetable plants. Vines that run along the ground such as Melons, Eggplants, Squash, Bush Beans and Sweet Potatoes can be beautifully accented with flowering border plants like zinnia, marigolds, Geraniums and others.

Second consideration is the soil condition. In Houston Texas we have this hard clay like soil called "Gumbo". It's hard to work, the texture is similar to a soft plastic material, soil additives are needed to make the ground productive. Another unfriendly soil condition is massive tree roots. This is one of the points when you should consider container Gardening as an option. The other time to look at containers or raised flower beds is when you are surrounded by concrete.

The third consideration is sun. Most vegetables need a full day of sun but they will produce in lightly shaded locations with a few hours of sunlight. Outdoors security lights can be an added benefit to plants that are lacking natural daylight.

The fourth consideration I call saturation or natural watering. If you want to see a vegetable plant flourish to its' fullest extent, place it where it has a source of morning dew such as the drip line of the roof or where it can get the added benefit of runoff from the rain water.

Vegetable Gardening is the most responsible way of going green and it doesn't have to take a major investment of space. I purposely omitted organic Gardening Tips, which offer the best health benefit. My suggestion to first time and novice is to consult your local Garden center for advice on controlling weeds and insects, especially in the south. Organic Gardeners can add some wonderful Tips to control insects and feeding the soil, but you must be able to invest the time to work the program and dedicate valuable urban space for composting.

Bryan Gathright expertise in green living home design is a result of his blended background in commercial art, industrial arts, landscape design, special events coordinations, public relations and a degree in Ornamental Horticulture into a floral & event company in Houston, Texas. He's done programs for many groups over his career. Garden clubs, professional florist organizations, universities, community groups and churches. With over 35 years of experience in the flower industry, Bryan has a vast wealth of knowledge that he is willing to share with those who are interested in event decorating. For more information and to see photographs of my work visit me at my website.


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