Nothing intimidates a gardener more than garden design. Here are ideas for taking it step-by-step and creating a foundation to build on, with minimal anxiety. Great garden design takes practice.
All gardens are a work in progress, constantly evolving and, hopefully, growing. As gardeners, we're very influenced by gardening trends, whether we mean to be or not. Gardening trends effect the plants the nurseries sell and products we're permitted to use on them. Gardening bloomed as a hobby in the 1990s. In the 2000s, we started to refine our tastes and techniques. Here are my choice…
Successful gardening design requires learning certain skills, in the end, a garden’s beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are no fixed rules to garden design. But there are a few elements of composition that will serve the garden designer well, when combining plants. And the only way to get good at garden design is to do it.
Fall is a great time to take stock of what worked in your garden and what was less than successful. A garden is a work in progress that should get better every year. The following 10 questions will help you evaluate your garden and garden design, so that you can plan for the garden you envision.
How to give a new garden a sense of age and substance.
Gardening easier means you can garden more. Use these smart gardening tips to make your gardening chores and maintenance less time and labor consuming and make your time in the garden more enjoyable.
Tips for making your garden lower maintenance, without making it less beautiful.
In garden design, the term 'garden bones' refers to something architectural the defines the structure of a garden. It's not as hard as you think to create bones in a garden. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Every garden needs a focal point and large, dramatic plants fit the bill nicely, getting better every year. These drama queen plants will take center stage in any garden. You only need one to make an impact, or use several as an eye-catching hedge.
Focal point plants are often described as architectural, because they add structure along with impact. That's why you don't want too many dra…
Gardening on your patio or terrace creates an extension of your home. An outdoor room that serves the dual purpose of being an outdoor room without walls and a place to indulge in gardening. A patio garden is limited only by your aspirations. Designing a garden on or around your patio or terrace can create a place to enjoy and entertain or a place to indulge your green thumb on a smaller scale.
Shade gardens are often designed with texture and cool colors, but there are some shade plants that will help brighten a shady spot. Here's how to add some light to your shade garden with plants.
Making over a garden can become necessary when the garden becomes overgrown or when site conditions, like lighting, change. Sometimes gardeners simply want to try creating a new garden. Here is some advice for taking a look at where you are with your garden plans and reassessing what you can do to capitalize on what you have.
At some point, everyone's garden starts to look a little overgrown. It's very exciting and satisfying when plants first start filling in, but all too soon the thugs take over or lush simply turns to chaos. The following 5 ideas will make your garden look better immediately, with a minimum of effort. They won't make garden maintenance go away, but they will help keep your garden looking good, by giving it definition.
Captivating combinations of plants. Garden design tips on grouping plants.
Gardening trends may dictate what plants and gadgets garden centers sell each year, but do gardeners really follow gardening trends? Maybe not consciously, but very often we all covet the same new plant or are drawn to the same color palette. Is it the marketer creating these trends or do gardeners?
What makes a garden statue look like it belongs there and another look completely out of place? Most of us tend to purchase garden art that is just too small and so then we buy a lot of it. Of course, like all art, personal preferences should always be considered. But there are some simple guidelines for choosing garden ornaments that complement your garden and that you won't have to keep explaining over and over to your friends.
Gardens are meant to be viewed, but most gardeners spend the bulk of their time up close and personal with the plants. Still, seating is an important aspect of any garden. Gardens are representative of the gardener's vision and as ever changing as the weather, so there are no hard rules about using seating in a garden. It can be purely functional or as fanciful as the gardener's imagination. Here's how some gardeners have added relaxation to their gardens.
Fall can be the icing on the gardening season, if you give some thought earlier in the season to plants that shine in autumn. Long after the last daylily has faded, fall bloomers and plants with electric foliage come out from the shadows and take center stage.
<p>The one catch to having a dazzling fall garden is that you need to plant it earlier in the season. Spring is best, but early summer is when plants start to go on sale and fall bloomers are usually still in great supply.
The elements that bring order and harmony to your home can also be used to attract good energy to your garden.
Let's face it, lawns are still a big part of landscaping. Make them lower maintenance by starting off with the right type of grass for your site.
An alphabetized listing of the plants discussed on About Gardening, including selecting plants, growing and suggestions for using the plants in garden design.
Tell us about a flower and garden show in your area.
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Moss looks wonderful in the garden, especially on rocks and rock walls. It gives any garden a sense of age and weight. Getting moss to grow on rocks or on the ground in your garden simply requires you give the moss the growing conditions it needs and have some patience while it gets established.
Gardeners say what they wish they could grow in their climate.
Flowers have held meaning for centuries. You know a rose says love, but how about expressing yourself with violets for modesty, peonies for shame or daisies for innocence? The language and meaning of the flowers in you garden or bouquet can be as involved or as fun as you choose to make it.
