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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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