November 26th, 2009 -- Posted in backyard landscape, front yard landscaping ideas |
by Thomas Fryd
Dutch Iris are one of the most colorful of all fall-planted bulbs. They have been propagated heavily in Oregon and Washington for the Pacific Coast market. The flower is excellent for cutting and a generous crop may be expected. The colors include white, yellow, lavender, blue and purple. The plants are fairly hardy although they require some protection if planted in a windy spot. Plant in the open sun or semi-shade with the bulbs 3 inches deep and 3 inches apart. Average garden soil will suffice and the bulbs should not be disturbed until the plants become so thick that the clumps need dividing.
Aftercare of Bulbs – Many – including gladiolus, tigridias and tuberous begonias – should be taken up now and stored for a good rest. Remember, the foliage should be thoroughly ripened before cutting off. Dust the bulbs with an insecticide to take care of any insect eggs present. Also, all bulbs and tubers should be dried off thoroughly before storing in peat. Guard against mice eating tigridias especially.
For quick color – In the mild sections of the West, snapdragons, stocks, annual chrysanthemums, larkspur, Iceland poppies, violas and pansies may still be set out, although the blooms will be later than on those set out last month. For shady spots, try cinerarias and primroses.
Wildflowers – Sow seeds after the first heavy rains. For dependable ground covers on bulb beds, sow linaria, brachycome, Gilia lutea (G. micrantha), nemophila, Virginia stock, Johnny-jump-up and other shallow-rooted annuals. These make colorful beds by themselves and are a boon both to the busy gardener pressed for time and the “lazy” gardener.
Winter pot plants – For the shaded patio use primrows, cinerarias, pansies, daffodils, browallias, reinwardtias, alocasia amazonica, beloperones, ericas, eranthemums, azaleas and camellias.
Pyracanthus and cotoneasters are the answer for time-pressed gardening enthusiasts who require colorful berries with a minimum of time spent on upkeep. Berried shrubs thrive here in the West. Although they can be planted at any season, this is a good time to select choice kinds at local nurseries, for now you can not only choose the ones with the best forms but also the proper colored berries.
About the Author:
Thomas Fryd shares his knowledge at http://www.plant-care.com. Knowledge is power – get more power and find out more about
alocasia amazonica. Get a totally unique version of this article from our
article submission service
Technorati Tags: backyard landscape, backyard landscape ideas, front yard landscape, front yard landscaping ideas, gardening, landscaping designs, landscaping tips
October 5th, 2009 -- Posted in backyard landscape, front yard landscaping ideas |
By: Pamela Kazmierczak
What is butterfly gardening? Simply put butterfly gardening is the art of growing flowers and plants that will attract these colorful and dainty creatures to your garden. Delight your family and visitors with beautiful butterflies, but be sure to create a safe habitat for them. If you own cats rethink your plans, because it would be a shame to attract these lovely insects to their death.
The design your butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference. Typical points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Pick a style of garden that appeals to you, but ensure it also contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract.
It is important to find out which plants and flowers will attract the species of butterflies. That live in your area. This information can be found at the local library.
To create the kind of environment that they find attractive, you will also need water of some kind. A birdbath will look attractive and keep the butterflies up off the ground, away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. A shallow dish on a post or hung in a tree will do just as well.
When planting your butterfly garden be careful how you coordinate the colors you choose for your flowerbeds. Although butterflies do not care about your choice of color, you don’t want your garden to be a hodgepodge of unrelated colors and textures.
Butterflies are attracted to those flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, like honeysuckle, milkweed, summer lilac, Valerian, daisies, Purple Coneflower, Yellow Sage, day lilies and lavender.
Some people find it helpful to draw and color a layout of their butterfly gardening plan to see what the finished product would look like. Keep in mind that warm colors like red and orange are flashy and showy.
These colors have a greater impact against a strong green background. Cool colors such as blue and purple are soothing and toned down and would work better with a white contrast to create the look of freshness and brightness.
Article Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles
Pamela Kazmierczak is an expert in the wedding field. She reports on all wedding subjects including Wedding Flowers. Looking for something seasonal, check out June Wedding Flowers Now.
Technorati Tags: backyard landscape, butterfly garden, front yard landscape, front yard landscaping ideas
October 2nd, 2009 -- Posted in backyard landscape, front yard landscaping ideas |
by Marshall Clewis
October is your last chance to get your lawn in good condition for the rigors of next summer. If you haven’t already fertilized your lawn this fall, do it now, using any complete commercial fertilizer. This may be 4-12-8, 6-10-4, 4-12-4, 5-10-5, 5-10-10, or something similar. Although it can be put on without a spreader, you get a much more uniform job using one. Never forget that fertilizer does not go sideways, but straight down, so that the pinch you put on here will do that spot an inch away no good.In case you are worrying about commercial fertilizers being dangerous, forget it. If you follow the instructions on the package, using no more than three or four pounds to 100 square feet, you need not worry about any burning.
Unless there are bare spots the size of your head don’t bother to reseed. With the cool weather and, we hope, fall rains the desirable grasses will grow out and fill in the bare spots.
Fall is the ideal time for the good grasses to fill in the gaps so that there is that much less chance for crabgrass to get started next spring. Any of the many brands of weed killers will get rid of broadleaf lawn weeds such as plantain, buckhorn, dandelion, ground ivy and other kinds of ivy, and many others. If you are spraying it is necessary to do a thorough job of wetting the foliage to get adequate control. Whether spraying or putting it on dry, be sure there is no wind or the plants in the neighboring beds will get the typical weed killing heebygeebys. The leaves will be twisted and twirled so that they worry you even if the plants are not killed.
Check your flower beds and shrub plantings for all the volunteer tree and shrub seedlings, and tag them for digging later on this fall when you have more time.
Technorati Tags: backyard landscape, backyard landscape planning, front yard landscape, front yard landscaping, front yard lanscaping ideas
September 10th, 2009 -- Posted in backyard landscape |
When we started thinking about our backyard landscape and how we wanted it to look, we had a few things in mind. We wanted it to be pretty, functional, and kid friendly. We had and existing cement patio but wanted a bigger space to entertain so we framed around it, built the area up with dirt and gravel and then put paving stones on top. It is a functional and inexpensive way to get more space.
The kids…we bought a huge play structure for our kids and we wanted a place for that to stand that would be out of the way but safe. We put the structure together, put down weed block and playground bark so it would be soft on their feet and have no maintenance. As our children grow they come up with their own games and things to do that involve the structure in different ways.
We have always wanted a garden where we could grow fresh fruit and vegetables so we built a raised bed and surrounded it with railroad ties for a clean garden area. We ran a drip line through it so it gets watered when the grass gets watered. We have grown pumpkins, strawberries, squash, tomatoes and peppers for the past few years. Our kids love to help and watch everything grow. They have been very involved with planting, harvesting and of course eating what has grown. It has also been very educational for them to learn how to plant and take care of the garden.
The rest of the backyard landscape is grass with a border of rock and plants around most of the fence area. We have planted a variety of different types of plants and bushes along with flowers. We stick to mostly perennials so we don’t have to replant every year. We like our backyard and it’s a nice place to spend time with the family.
Other Recommended Reading
-
Add an Outdoor Shower to Your Backyard Landscape | Dream Retreats … – Series Part 5: Outdoor Shower You’d expect to find an outdoor shower at a suite at a lush Caribbean resort, but in your own home? Why not? That’s what more and.
-
Backyard Landscape Designs – Don’t simply formulate your plan in your mind however, draw a sketch of your backyard landscape, or invest in a computer program that will allow you to create a backyard landscape designs similar to what professional landscape …
-
Backyard Landscape With Roman Pavers – Pt 1 – So it is time to spend are hard earned money friends. We are landscaping the backyard with Roman Pavers with the help our friend and expert John Smitherman from JWS Construction in Calgary, Alberta. …
-
Backyard Landscape With Roman Pavers – Pt 2 – So this is the second day of the project. Yesterday John designed the plan for landscaping our backyard with Roman Pavers. He outlined the path, the patio, and the fire pit with blue spray paint. Asked John if he would mind doing the …
-
Backyard Landscape with Roman Pavers Pt 3 – Onward and upward with more video and more pictures on the Roman Paving job we’re getting done by John Smitherman at JWS Construction in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. See previous series… As I’ve mentioned in the other posts on this Roman …
Technorati Tags: backyard design, backyard landscape, front yard landscape, front yard landscaping, landscape designing, landscaping plans, swimming pool landscaping
September 10th, 2009 -- Posted in front yard landscaping ideas |

There is so much you can do with the lawn in front of your house and I’m sure you have a lot of front yard landscaping ideas. Depending on your budget, you can do something as small as planting flower seeds to add a splash of color along your sidewalk, around your front door, or along the whole front of the house. Or, you can do something elaborate including adding new shrubbery, a fountain, or even a new tree.
If you are going with the flower idea, here are a couple of things to consider. What kind of flowers do you want? There are flowers that bloom early, mid, and late summer. Some blooms only last a couple of weeks. So, when choosing flowers, a good idea is to get a variety of flowers that will bloom at different times of the year to give you a full range of colors all the time.
Are you going to put mulch down around the flowers? Some mulch will attract bugs, so be careful of exactly what kind you pick. Will you be adding a border around the flowers? Borders can be anywhere from stones to miniature fences to multiple colored stones.
Now, if you have a larger budget and want to go a more elaborate route, there are many options along that path also. Fountains add elegance to a home that is hard to beat. But, do you have room for such a thing? And, is it a powered fountain? Are you going to heat it through the winter so that it does not freeze over? Another thing to consider is adding shrubbery along with flowers. Shrubs can range from small and shapely to something that can outgrow your yard within a couple of years. Shrubs definitely need a little more upkeep than just planting and letting them do their thing.
Lastly, planting saplings that will later grow into large trees is an idea to consider. Although you need to make sure that it is not too close to the road where it will grow into the power lines. Whether you decide to go simple or elaborate, your front yard landscaping ideas will make your house a lot nicer to look at. It can also add a significant amount of value to your home. Each of these things is something to look into before you take the project of landscaping your own lawn.
More good Reads
-
Target Articles » Blog Archive » Front Yard Landscaping Ideas That … – You have either decided to sell your home or you want to make it look its best so all that see it have to stop and take a second look. How do you give the best impression with your home? What do people see first? The curb, so the answer is to add curb appeal. The appearance from the curb has to be both beautiful and inviting.
-
Front Yard Landscaping – Foundation Planting Ideas | Design And … – Site which offers free landscaping ideas to do it yourselfers. For more front yard landscaping ideas, visit his site at http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com. Article Directory: Article Dashboard http://www.articledashboard.com.
Technorati Tags: front yard landscape, front yard landscaping, front yard landscaping ideas, garden design, garden landscape design, landscape design ideas, landscape designing, landscape material, landscaping idea, landscaping ideas, landscaping yards, yard gardens
August 27th, 2009 -- Posted in backyard landscape, front yard landscaping ideas |
When it comes to front yard landscaping ideas, there are many ways you can set up your front yard to attract the eye and have curb appeal. Anywhere from Victorian gardens to butterfly gardens. The most beautiful I have ever seen however, is the Japanese garden. With its vast array of colors and designs, it’s sure to please you and the citizens walking by.
Some of the main trees you will see in a traditional Japanese garden are trees like the Japanese red maple and the very pleasing scent of the Japanese double flower cherry tree. For flowers in a Japanese garden you usually have four different kinds of flowers, different in height, that all bloom at different times. By doing this it keeps your garden always lively and beautiful with an explosion of color. These are just a few of the reasons why a Japanese garden may suite your front lawn. With all the beauty and fresh scents, your front lawn will be where you’ll always want to be.
Technorati Tags: front yard landscape, front yard landscaping, front yard landscaping ideas, landscaping plans, landscaping tips, landscaping yards