Gardening Landscaping

Classical Gardening Landscape - A Place For Peace

2010-05-21T02:03:00.001-07:00

Everyone has a different idea about the best approach to garden landscaping. Canadians and North Americans may consider colonial layout the "classical" gardening landscape. Old-world types may prefer the use of Greco-Roman styles and statuary as the centerpiece in their gardening landscape. Others will consider the charm and elegance from the well-known gardens in Tuscany to be the standard classical gardening landscape.

Even with largely differing opinions, and they are just opinions, few gardeners argue against the traditional formal rose garden as The Classical gardening landscape. Kings and queens of old Europe, and their aristocratic hangers-on, much preferred the formal rose garden for their romantic dalliances and high teas. The rose garden has long been a favorite spot for relaxing, entertaining, and soaking up the sensual fragrances of this most popular flower.

A truly classic formal rose garden should be completely symmetrical, each side mirroring the other, with plenty of lawn areas separating the well laid-out beds. Garden beds should follow classic lines and curves, even creating an image or design. Surrounding the garden with neatly trimmed evergreen hedges is a wonderful way to frame the classic rose gardening landscape. A bluestone patio adorns one end of the rose garden, balanced by a reflecting pool set within more bluestone at the opposite end. Evenly-spaced stepping stones or an elegant stone path connects the two ends and provides a way for visitors to enjoy the garden without trampling the neatly trimmed lawn.

For many gardening landscape enthusiasts, the classic sundial is the perfect centerpiece or focal point to the garden, although an elegant foundain or birdbath might also add the desired effect. Your focal point should be circled by a small hedge and stepping stones or stony path so that visitors can take their time and enjoy this point of interest as they take in the wonderful sights and fragrances surrounding them.

Other smaller pathways radiate out from the focal point to lawn areas with benches and lawn chairs or trellises and pergolas providing support for lovely flowering vines and shade for lingering to read or meditate in this peaceful environment. These additions are placed so that stone paths or stepping stones form a large cross that divides the garden into even quarters. Benches aside the reflecting pool are accompanied by rose planters, and more planters of roses lend decoration to the patio at the other end. The patio is framed by trellises and flowering vines on either side.

On the sides of the classic garden are three oval-trimmed trees, complimented at their base by beds of blooming flowers. In the early spring, these flowers add color to the garden while the young roses blossom. In the fall, the blooms compliment the fading roses and maintain interest in the classic gardening landscape. Evergreens line the back of the classical gardening landscape, and each corner is highlighted by a neatly-trimmed evergreen to give visual balance.

The classical gardening landscape's hallmark is its sense of order, peace, and comfort. Accented by cobbled paths, its lines are strong and symmetrical, their impact softened by the delicate rose blooms and vined overhead arbors. You'll find many examples of classical gardening landscape at historic locations like the Biltmore in North Carolina or other Vanderbilt estates in New York and New Jersey. Hartford, Connecticut, boasts a world-famous rose garden at Elizabeth Park. Of course, America's White House hosts a world-famous rose garden as well. Fort Worth's Botanic Garden in Texas is proud of its lower and oval rose gardens, exhibiting all the elements of classic gardening landscape.

European rose gardens display true classic gardening landscape. Castle Howard and Mottisfont Abbey in England are well worth the time if you're visiting Great Britain. The Roseraie de Bagatelle in Paris houses over 9000 plants of over 1000 varieties. The Roseraie de la Cour de Commer in Normandy, France, contains over 40 unique roses that exist nowhere else in the world. The Roseto Botanico di Cavriglia “Carla Fineschi" near the town of Cavriglia in Tuscany, Italy, contains representatives of each of the subgenera, sections, and classes of the genus Rosa.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/classical-gardening-landscape-a-place-for-peace-753683.html#ixzz0oYLf9CwY
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/classical-gardening-landscape-a-place-for-peace-753683.html

Garden design an easy row to hoe But is permaculture really new?

2010-05-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

Is permaculture just old wine in a new bottle?
If you look at its components, it seems to be all about growing food, raised beds, companion planting, composting and soil building. Put them together, and it promises to save water, solve our food security fears and bring non-gardeners into the fold with new energy and ideas.
Which sounds a lot like simply growing veggies in your back -- or front -- yard.
When Bill Mollison coined the phrase permaculture in 1978, however, he intended the word to mean "permanent culture." (Not simply "permanent agriculture" as is often claimed.)
Which means his theory goes much further -- essentially, Mollison says it's a way of growing food plants that takes its inspiration from complex forest systems.
In that way, permaculture includes food gardening, but is not exclusively about gardening. It includes landscapes and terrain, but is not really about landscaping. It is bigger than both these fields and so much more.
Arriving In Calgary
"My wife Michelle and I came across permaculture several years ago when travelling around the world in search of sustainability solutions." says Rob Avis, owner of Verge Permaculture in Calgary ( vergepermaculture.ca)via an e-mail.
"We found that permaculture above all offered a simple formula and a practical and sensible approach to creating sustainable human habitat. Look to nature. Work with nature rather than against it. Take responsibility for our own actions. Build our house and garden so that they shelter and feed us. Simple. Empowering. Positive. We were hooked.
"I now believe that growing food is one of the most radical things we can do as global citizens. To quote my friend and mentor Geoff Lawton: 'All the world's problems can be solved in the garden.' "
Avis helped found the Calgary Permaculture Community Group last fall to host activities, information sessions and Permaculture Energy transfer days (PETs).
Ami Dehne is a member of the Calgary group. "Just off the top of my head I can think of 10 people who are implementing permaculture into their own backyards and we've actually gone out and helped them do it," she says.
"It's called an energy transfer, so we all get together and we help implement permaculture into someone's backyard. We are trying to raise food, but we are trying to be a part of that system as well."
In The Garden
Two years ago, Avis and his wife Michelle -- both mechanical engineers by training -- set up a permaculture garden in the Forest Heights yard of Michelle's mom, Annette St. Cyr.
"Productivity of our front yard is really quite amazing," says St. Cyr, who had piles of manure and cardboard placed over her old lawn during the permaculture conversion. "There is a large interest in the community to what is going on."
With permaculture, gardeners build soil and model their gardens after Mollison's original food forest idea. Urban and rural spaces mimic how a forest would grow with continual additions from the trees above and a supported healthy population of soil below.

"We used permaculture principles in our garden design to create a system that would feed us with minimal external input, improve soil, increase diversity -- all organically," says Avis.
"Our garden and food forest yields local, healthy and organic food for our family with zero food miles, no pollution or detriment to the environment. Also, surplus veggies are handed out to our neighbours, creating and fostering community on our block," he says.
In some ways, the permaculture method resembles supercharged companion planting.
"Last year, we were gardening in mounds where the idea of synchronicity between plants really became evident. To my surprise, in the permaculture world, the peas, the carrots, the tomatoes -- everything ended up on one mound so that the food chain was being supported," says St. Cyr.
How To Get Started
Permaculture starts with individuals, and many of them -- including the Avises and Dehne -- had not gardened before. When Dehne's mom tells me she doesn't grow vegetables because it's too much work, Dehne jumps in, saying, "Work is a failure in design, so if you have to do too much work, then you haven't done enough designing."
Avis adds, "Ultimately, the philosophy behind permaculture is thoughtful observation and intensive design rather than thoughtless action. It just makes sense."
So permaculture is at least partially "thoughtful" gardening with a design. By changing a few things -- such as how they move water through the property and adding food plants where ornamentals once were -- every gardener could become a permaculturist. Or not. I would raise a glass of wine to either scenario.
Gardeners and farmers can see the Avis/St. Cyr transformation on the Verge web page or learn more by participating in a Permaculture course in Edmonton, Nelson, B.C., Denman Island, B.C., or overseas. More local information is available from:
- permaculturecalgary.org;
- bigskypermaculture.ca;
- vergepermaculture.ca.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Garden+design+easy/2997494/story.html

Green thumbs up: Developing a landscape master plan

2010-01-26T08:33:00.001-08:00

Several days of milder temperatures afforded a welcome opportunity to escape the dry, stuffy confines of my indoor sanctuary and enjoy pale blue skies and crisp clean air. Despite the brief reprieve from wintry weather, restless dirt diggers must be content to be armchair gardeners during the early winter months. Colorful gardening books, catalogs, and magazines offer inspiration, guidance, and assurances that spring will arrive eventually. In the meantime, the winter months are an ideal time to begin planning new gardens or redesigning overgrown plantings.
As we examine our landscapes during this period of chilly weather, it becomes readily apparent that the scenery, especially in winter, is often viewed from within our homes. The winter season is perhaps the most important time of the year around which to plan our plantings. During the spring, summer, and fall seasons, Mother Nature paints our surroundings with multi-colored tints. Woodlands, meadows, roadsides, and our landscapes usually offer a wide array of changing colors including a profusion of spring-flowering trees and shrubs, varying shades of green throughout the growing season, and the glorious bold hues of autumn. During the winter months, when we yearn for color most, many landscapes appear drab and lifeless. Study your shrubbery from a kitchen window or a favorite sitting area and make notes for the spring planting season, which include reminders to focus attractive winter plantings where they can be observed from these perspectives.
On warmer days, venture out into your yard to view the beauty of the dormant winter landscape and truly scrutinize your plantings. Bring along a notebook and a camera to record your observations. Snap a series of photographs of your home from different angles and at various times during the day. Consider the view from the street, the driveway, and the front and back walkways.
Whether you are dealing with a new dwelling or an overgrown mature planting, it is advisable to begin with a master plan. A preliminary analysis of your family’s needs and habits should be undertaken to ascertain the goals and objectives of your landscaping project. Sit down with all family members present and discuss the anticipated activities that are likely to take place on your property. This may necessitate a long-range plan for both financial reasons and future changes in the family’s needs and pastimes.
The analytical process requires that you be somewhat of a visionary. Imagine your perfect landscape while being realistic about the possibility of achieving that end. Do you envision a swimming pool or tennis court? These features require considerable space, expense and maintenance. Where would you locate them? Do you require a storage shed, dog pen, swing set, or space to park additional cars? If you have a smaller property, planning becomes especially important to maximize your living space.
The next step should be to prioritize your wishes. For some homeowners, a swimming pool may be the first and most important feature to be addressed; another may prefer to begin with plantings to surround the foundation of the home. It is usually wise, however, to begin with the installation of what is known as the “hardscape” which includes the driveway, walkways, retaining walls, decks, or patios. You may also want to enclose an area with fencing for the purpose of privacy, screening an unwanted view, or containing pets or young children in a safe environment.
As your master plan begins to take shape, you should think about whether you intend to undertake the design and implementation of the project yourself or hire professionals to assist you. Obviously, there is a significant expense should you choose to engage a landscape designer but capital invested in creating an attractive, functional landscape will increase the value and marketability of your home. Your decision will depend on your budget, the time you have to invest in such a project and your sense of your individual ability to do the job yourself. Hardscape and the removal of large trees and overgrown shrubs may necessitate the use of a contractor, but a creative homeowner can often design and install the majority of the plantings.
Another consideration when formulating your master plan should be to determine how much time you plan to devote to the maintenance of your property. Do you have the financial means to hire a landscape company to assist you with the upkeep? Your final design should suit the way you live. If you have minimal spare time, you should strive to create a low-maintenance landscape and incorporate primarily trees and shrubs, evergreen ground covers, and easy care perennials such as hostas, daylilies, and ornamental grasses. Hedges, fruit trees, roses, vegetable gardens, large expanses of lawn and flower gardens tend to be high-maintenance and require more time and effort to look their best.
Do not underestimate your personal ability, for as the homeowner, you are the best qualified to determine how you want your spaces to be organized and how you would like it to appear. Study books and magazines and observe landscapes in your surrounding neighborhood. Try to find ideas and designs appropriate to the exposures and challenges posed by your own property. There are websites and software programs available for those who might want to experiment with designing on a home computer.
If you are willing to do the research and proceed slowly, the pride and satisfaction of doing the job yourself are well worth the effort. Recognize the inevitability that your needs and activities will change as you and your family age and that a successful, attractive landscape is an ongoing process. Over the years, changes and additions can and should be made.
Suzanne Mahler is an avid gardener, photographer and lecturer who has been developing the 1.5-acre property surrounding her home in Hanover for more than 30 years. Her weekly gardening column Green Thumbs Up has appeared in Community Newspapers for more than a decade. She is a member of two local garden clubs, is past president of the New England Daylily Society, and is an overseer for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. She is employed at two garden centers.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/plymouth/fun/gardening/x1301084765/Green-thumbs-up-Developing-a-landscape-master-plan

Learn about desert landscaping at workshop

2009-11-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

Home gardeners who want to learn more about desert landscaping and proper irrigation can attend the Coachella Valley Water District's “Water Wise Landscape Workshop for Home Gardeners” on Friday or Saturday.
The $20 workshop fee includes a copy of the district's “Lush & Efficient Landscape Gardening in the Coachella Valley” with a CD-ROM, a small plant and refreshments.
Three identical sessions will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the University of California, Riverside's Graduate Center in Palm Desert.
Registration is open online at www.cvwd.org or at either of the water district's offices, 85-995 Avenue 52 in Coachella or 75-525 Hovley Lane East in Palm Desert.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20091106/LIFESTYLES11/911060329/1067/lifestyles11/Learn-about-desert-landscaping-at-workshop

Gardening workshops now available in Vietnamese and Spanish

2009-10-23T03:11:00.000-07:00

Almost 70 percent of workers in the landscaping trade are non-English speakers, according to the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals. To reach this audience, Seattle Public Utilities conducts annual green gardening workshops in Spanish and Vietnamese to teach landscaping professionals how to use environmentally-friendly landscaping and yard care techniques.
The hands-on workshops cover a variety of green gardening techniques that emphasize preventative practices and ways to decrease the use of chemicals. Practicing these landscaping techniques can help protect the environment and give landscape professionals a competitive edge in the Northwest and beyond.
A free workshop for Vietnamese speakers will be held on Friday, Oct. 30, at Rainier Vista Community Center.
A workshop for Spanish speakers will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at South Seattle Community College
The Green Gardening Program is funded by the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County and managed by Seattle Public Utilities.
http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2009/10/gardening-workshops-now-available-in-vietnamese-and-spanish/

Fruit Trees - A Guide to Successful Planting

2009-09-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

Like Autumn, which is almost on us, the season for planting fruit trees nears. Fruit trees are larger, more vigorous and less likely to have diseases and pests when you get field grown stock (as opposed to pot grown). The good guys are always sold bare rooted and unless you have to plant in summer you should always buy bare root fruit trees if you can. Here are my favourite tips - all simple to do - to let you make sure that your fruit trees flourish and produce well for you.

Never buy a fruit tree without understanding its requirements in terms of pollination. Be certain the trees you get either fertilise themselves or can cross pollinate one anotherr.

On receipt of your trees make sure that the varieties you ordered have been delivered. Check each tree carefully for serious damage to its main branches and roots. The odd snapped twig or smaller root does not matter - some damage often occurs when lifting and delivering trees and they get over it quickly. But to help them do so, use a clean and sharp pair of secateurs to remove damaged roots and side- branches. A clean cut is far less likely to become infected than a jagged break.

Always keep the soil you take out of the hole. The best you reserve for back filling around the roots. The less good stuff can be improved with a bit of manure and maybe a handful of bone meal and then returned to the bottom of the hole. Remember that this is the last chance you will have to seriously affect the nutrient levels and quality of the soil under the roots of the tree - so don't be stingy. Organic matter is a great soil conditioner - it increases its ability to hold moisture while also improving drainage. As a result moisture levels in the soil become more consistent and so growing conditions improve.

For gardeners on clay, the good news is that your soil is rich. The bad news is that you may have to improve the drainage. So incorporate horticultural sand, organic matter, grit or straw to help open up the soil.

Never plant a fruit tree in a round hole, so dig square pits. This prevents the roots of the tree spiraling around the sides of the hole and becoming "pot-bound". At the same time make sure the planting pit is generous and gives the tree's roots plenty of room to spread out and grow - we recommend a hole 1 metre across. The depth is important too - the bad mistake is to plant too deep, so keep the hole shallow so that your trees finish at the same level in the ground as they were before they were lifted. It is easy to see where that was as there is usually a mark on the trunk left by the soil level in the field where your tree was grown.

It is always a good idea to check the positioning of the tree before you finish off. Trees can have "good sides" and "bad sides" and it is upsetting to look at your tree the summer after planting and realise you have got it the wrong way round. So get someone to hold the tree as you intend to plant it and retire to a safe distance to make sure it looks right.

There are a range of fungi that associate in a friendly way with tree roots and become an extension to the tree's root system. These are called mycorrhizae and they can significantly increase the speed at which your trees establish, especially on poor ground. As with all additives always follow the instructions.

When you are returning the earth to the planting hole, don't hurry. Lift the tree's roots off the hard floor of the hole by make a small hillock in the middle of the hole. If you put the roots on this, it lifts up a few inches and lessens the risk of their drowning if drainage is bad or watering is over-zealous.

Yet again we have had a damp summer - wettest July on record I think - but do remember that one day we will have a long, hot, dry summer. When that comes and you would like to bask in the sunshine, remember your trees - they will be complaining about a lack of water. Fruit trees especially can get very thirsty as fruit has such a high water content. So be prepared - and sink a length of plastic drainpipe or drainage hose in the hole while you return earth to the planting hole. This will really help in getting water straight down to the roots when the weather is dry. If you want to economise, you can just cut off the base of a large soft drinks bottle or plastic milk carton and sink it in the hole (top down but minus the screw top). If the open base is just above the finished level of the soil you can fill it with water whenever you need. Now return the remainder of the planting soil to the hole firming it down as you go. Use the ball of your foot, stand in the hole by all means, but don't stamp or hammer the soil as this damages the root system.

A stout stake and a strong tie will help to steady your fruit trees while they are young. They will keep the trees upright and help take the strain of large crops in the early years. Bang the stake in as far as possible - the tree should be supported low down - no more than a third of its height above ground level when planted.

Water in and mulch using a jute mulch mat which will rot down to humus after a couple of years. You can also just apply a layer of organic matter although it is less effective against weeds than a mat.

I would always recommend putting a guard on your tree. Vermin such as rabbits and deer will eat the bark, garden machinery can take chunks out trees at ground level and animals will sharpen their claws, urinate, rub themselves and so on. Wounds in the bark are dangerous as they are entry points for diseases (notably canker and silver leaf, which are both killers).

Care taken in planting a fruit tree will produce an edible reward and enormous satisfaction at harvest time every year!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Fruit-Trees---A-Guide-to-Successful-Planting&id=1473797

Gardening Tips For Beginners - Annuals - 6 Ways to Use Annual Flowers

2009-08-18T02:54:00.000-07:00

Annuals are plants and flowers that complete their entire life cycle, from seed to seed, over the duration of the summer or their particular growing season. Popular annuals include impatiens, petunias, marigolds, and geraniums - just to name a few.

Many gardeners love annuals because for the short time they are around, they are reliable and delivery beautiful results. They're hard to kill, even for the beginning gardener, and your local garden shop will offer a great selection to choose from. You can choose from flowers that love the sun, the shade, or a variety of other cool and unusual flowers.

Here are 6 great ways use can use Annuals around your yard and home:

1. Dedicate an entire flowerbed to annuals and fill it with a variety of annuals that catch your eye. Downsides to this are that you'll have to repurchase and replant the flowers every year.

2. Use annuals to fill hanging baskets. Hanging baskets are easy to maintain and can really dress up your front porch.

3. Line a walkway or edge a driveway with your favorite annual flower.

4. Use as decoration or edging around your vegetable garden, swimming pool, swing set, pond, gazebo, or any other area of your yard.

5. Fill pots, planters, and window boxes.

6. To spice-up and add additional colors to a perennial flower bed.

These are just a few ways you can use annuals. Even if you neglect them, they will keep blooming all summer long. By getting creative and having fun, you can use annuals to create beautiful colors and liven up almost any area of your yard or garden.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Gardening-Tips-For-Beginners---Annuals---

6-Ways-to-Use-Annual-Flowers&id=2759111

Brochure supports RHS Campaign on School Gardening

2009-07-31T08:50:00.001-07:00

Marshalls, the leading UK hard landscaping transformation company, has launched a bespoke brochure in support of the Royal Horticultural Society Campaign for School Gardening.

The new brochure is designed to give inspiration to schools to develop areas in their grounds for children to go outside and get gardening.

This forms part of a pioneering programme that Marshalls is undertaking in this area.

Chris Harrop, Group Marketing Director said: "Marshalls firmly believe that an important upcoming issue for UK gardening is how the next generation will view their gardens, whether it is at school or home.

"That is why we are putting our full support behind the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, to help even more children across the UK experience the joys of outdoor learning".

Dr Ruth Taylor, Head of Education at the RHS, said, "In an age when many children live a very urban existence and have no garden at home, gardening should be part of school life and is a key life skill to learn.

"At present we have the resources to work with primary schools and we have made a really strong start - with 5,000 schools signed up to the campaign since its launch last September.

"However we are keen to expand, and Marshalls support is vital in helping us to reach our goal".

Marshalls first highlighted the issue of 'How children will view their gardens in the future', head on, at the 2008 RHS Chelsea Flower Show with its Award winning Show Garden caled 'The Marshalls Garden That Kids Really Want!'.

Inspired by over 120 school pupils across the UK, the company held a series of Marshalls Garden Design Workshops to find out their real thoughts.

Fronted by Chris Collins, BBC Blue Peter gardener and Sven Wombwell, TV garden personality, their amazing ideas and designs were then all collated and interpreted by Ian Dexter of Marshalls Gardens and Driveways Design Team in to the incredible garden at the 2008 Show.

In another groundbreaking scheme Marshalls has established a volunteering programme which is focussed on schools; aiming to help transform their landscapes.

This is been co-ordinated through its Corporate Social Responsibility work where it has helped numerous community projects throughout the UK.

The aim behind the RHS Campaign for School Gardening is to inspire, encourage and support all schools to develop and actively use a school garden, acknowledging that it is the right of every child to get involved in gardening and demonstrating the enrichment gardening can bring to each and every child's personal development.

http://www.buildingtalk.com/news/mas/mas178.html

Save Your Garden With Less Water

2009-06-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

If your looking to save on water costs, while saving your landscaping at the same time there may actually be a solution.

It's called Xeriscape. It's derived from the Greek word "Xeros" which means dry. That's what makes this gardening technique so different, you can conserve water but no one would be able to tell by looking at your landscaping or garden.

So how do you do it? Well this weekend in Pueblo, the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District is offering up some free help. You can take a tour through their very own garden and learn tips on how to do it yourself at home. The full tour will take you to several stops.

"It's a chance to walk through other peoples gardens to see what they've done, they are all water-wise gardens," said Liz Catt, the Garden Coordinator for the Southeast Colorado Water Conservancy. "We try to do different styles so that people can see that Xeriscape is not a style of gardening but rather a way to garden water wise."

Catt says that key to Xeriscape is what to plant and where to plant it.

"It's smart to grow things in a way that fits our climate. Instead of trying to grow things that should be grown in Kentucky or Connecticut," she said.

The Xeriscape Garden tour was in Pueblo Saturday, and will continue in Pueblo West on Sunday from 9:00am - 3:00pm.

http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=10490436

Gardeners disclose their all-time favorite landscaping gizmos

2009-05-17T04:56:00.000-07:00

We asked three locals (a professional gardener, a recreational green thumb and a Back Mountain Bloomer) to talk about the handiest gardening implement they’ve ever … handled.

In this year of victory and recession gardens, experts say many will grow their own produce instead of buying it elsewhere and others might simply want to beautify their yards with flowers. Those who can’t take a vacation can at least feel as if they’re somewhere else.

Whatever the case, they’ll need the right tools on hand to get the job done.

Bill Jones doesn’t want to think about how long it would take him to break up the soil in his half-acre garden in the Back Mountain.

Had he not purchased a tiller or cultivator some 15 years ago, his favorite pastime might take a bit longer.

“Something like this is a lifetime investment,” he said, of the Yard Machines large tiller he owns. (He and his wife also keep a small Honda tiller on hand).

The garden-center expert at Home Depot in Wilkes-Barre said tillers are a big seller right now and they get his vote for best gardening tool.

“I don’t even want to imagine if I had to dig it up by hand,” said Jones, who grows everything from corn and squash to watermelons and pumpkins and uses his tiller about three times a week.

The lawn-mower-like machine breaks up the soil to plant seeds or actual plants, and they can be used again and again in between crops to stop weeds from growing.

It’s important to maintain the garden throughout the season, he said.

“I start right from seeds because I enjoy watching them come up through the soil,” he said.

The pro loves to garden so much he even gives crops away at a small stand in front of his house where he accepts small donations.

“To cover the costs of the seeds,” he said.

What else is popular nowadays?

Believe or not, the standard lawnmower is topping Jones’ customers’ shopping lists at Home Depot.

“The biggest thing this year is a lot of people who had landscaping contractors are doing their own gardening,” he said. “People are putting more time into their homes.”

Everything is “cottagey” in Lynn Kelly’s Trucksville garden.

Kelly is a member of the Back Mountain Bloomers and has studied at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square.

“I start every day in the garden,” she said. “I walk around and see what happened overnight.”

She grows foxgloves, ferns, blue hydrangeas, sweet alyssum, some vegetables and lots more.

With plants growing in the front and back of her cottage, the trip from her back yard to the front garden is up a hill, so she needs a little help.

That’s where her trusted gardening dollie is put to good use.

After picking it up at a yard sale for $10, she started using it to transport big pots from the back to the front.

“I’m out of breath carrying it with that. Can you imagine me trying to carry it up?” she said on a recent morning in her garden as she transported pots of flowers up the hill to her front yard.

But the dollie is tied with the soil knife for the honor of Kelly’s most beloved tool.

The knife, with its stainless-steel blade, makes her life much easier, she said, because not only does it kill weeds, it loosens soil, divides plants and digs.

“Two of the girls at Perennial Point use it,” she said, explaining she bought it a few years ago. It costs roughly $24 to $30.

The knife comes in handy this time of year, she said, especially as she prepares her garden for the Back Mountain Bloomers “Tour of Back Mountain Gardens” set for June 27, a day on which seven different gardens will be highlighted, including her own.

Day lilies line the side yard at Bob Schalm’s Luzerne home, where Schalm is constantly planting vegetables, flowers and trees.

After living on an acre of land in Dallas for many years and growing up with avid gardeners for parents, Schalm, fittingly, adopted gardening as a favorite pastime.

And he couldn’t do it without his two favorite tools: the hose and planting shovel.

“I use the big one, too, but mostly that guy,” he said, pointing to the small shovel, which can be purchased at any hardware store and sits atop his backyard potting table, where he pots begonias and impatiens.

In fact, he’s not even able to guess how many he’s owned in his lifetime.

“I know there are two more in the shed worn out,” he said.

As for the hose, it is vital to the success of his vegetable garden every season, he said.

“Without the hose, you wouldn’t be able to have all this,” said the gardener, who waters his plants “every day it doesn’t rain.”

He plants onions, radishes, lettuce, carrots, spinach and bell peppers next to a white shed he bought at T Town Sheds in Tunkhannock.

“We’ll have a salad out of that garden every night in the summer,” he said.

In another part of the yard, he grows a variety of tomatoes that his companion, Karen, uses to make marinara sauce, stewed tomatoes and occasionally tomato juice.

“We’ll have homemade sauce all winter,” he said, noting the pair freeze those they don’t use.

Also in the yard are Rose of Sharon bushes, or as some call them, tiny trees, which Schalm renamed “Rose of Karen,” in honor of the special lady in his life.

http://www.timesleader.com/features/Gardeners_disclose_their_all-time_favorite_landscaping_gizmos_05-16-2009.html

Lawn, garden options needn't bust a budget for Oregonians

2009-04-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

Olivia Bucks/The Oregonian Jonathan Scott (left) and his wife, Elyse Cavagnetto-Scott, place the raised bed frame that Scott had just constructed into place in front of their Northeast Portland home. Home gardening is increasingly popular and helps stretch the family's food budget.

Perhaps you are among those with less money to spend this season on your yard but haven't figured out what to spend it on?

Here's advice from experts and garden-variety gardeners on ways to stretch your landscape dollars, so you can enjoy your yard this year without breaking your budget.

Plant an edible landscape. Mark Bigej, owner of Al's Garden Center, offers this as his top tip: "Use attractive edibles like blueberries right in your landscaping, with other ornamental shrubs, so they do double duty. Your fruiting plum trees and cherries can be absolutely gorgeous -- you get great spring bloom, you can prune them into interesting shapes, you have nice fall color on them."

Buy or build your own trellis, and put a grape or kiwi vine on it. "Grapes are beautiful over arbors or trellises," Bigej says. "The kiwi is another great vine that has really neat large leaves with red petals and is beautiful in the summer."

If you'd like to invest in edibles, seeds and starts are cheap and can prove cost-effective. For example, the average tomato plant start costing less than $2 can produce more than 20 pounds of tomatoes in a season.

Raise beds, grow veggies. But where to plant those tomatoes and other vegetables?

If you have a little space in the sun, consider installing raised beds. Vegetables like them because they provide good drainage, and if you plant them with good soil, the result can be healthier, more productive plants.

Many retail and online stores sell raised bed kits that are easy to assemble. For instance, Home Depot sells all kinds of star-shaped, circular and rectangular raised bed kits, starting at $169.

Or, if you're handy, you can buy the raw materials and build your own for less. (If you live in some parts of Portland, you can even borrow your tools for free from a tool library.)

"You walk the neighborhoods here and see everyone's doing it," says Jonathan Scott of Northeast Portland, who built his own 4-by-6 raised bed last summer and is building a second one.

Scott started his research by browsing the Internet, then headed to Home Depot for his lumber. He ended up buying treated two-by-fours, which he banged together in about an hour. The whole project took less than a day, including two hours to dig out the grass. It cost him less than $100, including $35 worth of organic plant starts.

The most expensive items were the top soil and compost, which he bought by the bag. Next time, Scott says, he will try to round up neighbors to buy soil more cheaply from a bulk supplier.

The project was worth it. "The runner beans grew like weeds and gave us oodles -- enough for several side dishes a week for months," says Scott, who also grew leeks, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes.

With a little more money and sweat, you could build a raised bed out of decorative rock. For about $300 including delivery, you could create an attractive 4-by-8 bed using stone such as basalt, quartzite or river rock.

But if you're seeking a cheaper and less labor intensive route, consider sheet mulching. Also known as "composting in place" or "no-dig gardening," sheet mulching is a bed-building technique that suppresses weeds and improves soil and plant health.

"It's the most cost-effective way to make new beds," says Annie Bamberger, a landscape designer with Dennis' Seven Dees in Portland. "You lay out newspapers and cardboard, lay on grass, pile on high-quality soil, and let it sit for three, four months, and then plant right into it.

"Then you don't have the cost of cutting out grass, hauling it away, paying for debris removal or renting a tiller to till in amendments," Bamberger says.

She cautions not to use cheap compost, because it's often infested with weed seeds. "It's better to pay the money and get higher quality," Bamberger says.

(Or you could make your own high-quality compost by throwing your kitchen scraps and leaves into a compost bin purchased from Metro for $39. You know you should.)

Design your landscape for less. What if your conundrum is that you'd like to improve your landscape design but don't want to spend buckets of money doing it? There are less costly alternatives to full landscape design services, especially if you're willing to do your own legwork.

For instance, Dennis' Seven Dees offers a design program for do-it-yourselfers at its garden centers. You fill out a site-analysis questionnaire, plot out the area on graph paper and take pictures of the garden site before meeting with a professional landscape designer. In an hour-long consultation, the designer works with you on a design, and gives you a sketch and a suggested plant list.

The cost is a gift certificate for a minimum of $500, which can be applied toward plants, delivery or anything else the store sells. You also get a 10 percent discount on purchases for a year.

A similar sweat-equity service is offered by a Design in a Day, a firm owned by Carol Lindsay, a past president of the Association of Northwest Landscape Designers who has a special interest in using native plantings and those that require little water. At the Home and Garden show in February, people packed Lindsay's booth to request information about her scaled-down four-hour landscape design service.

Harvest your rainwater. No matter what your budget, you'll have to water whatever you plant. You might consider harvesting some of the bountiful free rainwater that deluges us most of the year in Oregon. You could buy the materials yourself and make a picturesque rain barrel, using free instructions from the Internet.

There are even YouTube videos to guide you. Or you could buy one from a local store, including Rain Barrel Man in Northeast Portland, Division Hardware in Southeast or Home Depot (plastic ones start at $89.99).

If you live in Portland and are willing to disconnect your downspouts, you can sign up for the Bureau of Environmental Services Clean River Rewards Program. Ratepayers can receive up to 100 percent discount on their storm-water management charges by managing storm-water runoff on their property, as well as free technical assistance.

If you live in the Tualatin River watershed, which includes most of Washington County and parts of Clackamas and Multnomah counties, you can sign up for the Clean Water Hero Program, run by Clean Water Services. This program provides up to three hours of on-site technical assistance to help you create a sustainable storm-water landscape.

Or combine landscape design with storm-water management and create a rain garden. Rain gardens hold storm-water runoff, allowing it to soak into the ground naturally, helping reduce stream pollution. Typically planted with hardy, low-maintenance perennial plants, they provide food and shelter for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects.

The East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (emswcd.org) offers free workshops on creating a rain garden; the Clean Water Services Web site also has a great deal of information.

Get help with the job. Sounds like too much work? Take advantage of free good will from your friends and acquaintances and start a garden club. Jessica Holliday of Northeast Portland belonged to one for several years where, once a month, members from six households would work on one family's yard projects for six hours on a Saturday.

"They were mostly the really big projects that you dread doing, but you get five other people and you'd be amazed what you can do in a day," Holliday says.

"We dug a trench for bamboo, we moved some big shrubs, we pulled ivy and blackberry, and put in irrigation. We built six raised beds and moved all the dirt for a couple of vegetable gardens. Stuff got done."

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/04/lawn_garden_options_neednt_bus.html

Creating a more sustainable landscape or garden just makes sense in these challenging economic times

2009-04-17T22:57:00.000-07:00

Adding some "sustainable" landscaping and gardening techniques can add beauty and functionality to your outdoor living space, and can save you a considerable amount of money - something we are all interested in doing, particularly during a recession. Additionally, sustainable landscaping can be functional and beautiful too. If you plan to sell your home in the near future, adding sustainable landscaping could, potentially, increase the value of your property and set it apart from the competition as buyers may be looking for a home with a yard that isn't going to be costly to maintain.

Here are some simple strategies that you can employ to help make your landscape or garden more sustainable:

* Observe your land before you decide on a final design for your property- really think about what you are going to plant and where you are going to plant it. A great way I have found to help me work out design challenges is to simply take my folding chair to a back corner of a property, just sit... and observe. I once heard that, in years past, designers of those world famous Japanese gardens were required to observe the land for a minimum of one year before being permitted to plant anything. I'm not suggesting you do the same, but you can often get a better overall picture of your property, get to really "know" it, by just observing subtleties existing in your planting space that you may not have otherwise notice (I have found that this can also be a great way to decompress after a particularly stressful day!)

* Reduce the size of your lawn - traditional lawns require many excess inputs of water, fertilizer and herbicides to keep them looking lush and green. (Lawns are remnants of another era - a time when people were interested in demonstrating their wealth by showing others they had agricultural land to waste. You can read more about the history of lawns at American-lawns.com).

* Choose native plants in your landscape - since native plants have had to evolved to survive in our region, they tend to be more drought tolerant, disease resistant and very rarely become invasive. This means that natives will require less work and fewer resources to do well in landscapes in the Delaware Valley. See the links below for links to local native plant societies and nurseries.

* Harvest rainwater that falls on your property - Rain barrels, attached to downspouts on your house, can collect water that may otherwise have run-off your lawn and into storm sewers. You can use this water to irrigate your vegetable garden, and water trees and shrubs. Not only will you save on your water bill, but you will be helping to reduce pollution (rainwater running off your property causes erosion and can collect toxins from lawns and paved areas, as it finds its way back into streams and creeks). Rain barrels can be anything from 55 gallon barrels that were once used to hold cola syrup, to those fancy models found in the eco-living catalogues. I have listed some rain barrel sources (include do-it-yourself instructions and a website for The Chester County Conservation District - they sell rain barrels to area residents at a discounted fee) below.

* Use mulch, and lots of it. Mulching under trees and around bedding plants conserves water, keeps plant roots cool when the weather gets hot, and makes it more difficult for weeds (who are engaged in a constant competition with your "desirable" plants for resources like water) to become established.

You can mulch with:

* free materials like wood chips (often enthusiastically provided by local tree services, just call them and ask!), just be sure the chips are from trees have not come from wood pallets or other refuse; leaves that have fallen from your trees in previous years, or lawn clippings
* inexpensive materials like chopped straw, or shredded newspaper (non-glossy pages are printed with soy based inks, but glossy ads may contain undesirable chemicals)
* the pricier stuff - often found at home improvement stores.

Using a light colored mulch will help reflect the sun and keeps plants happier, and I would caution against using any of the mulches sold that contain dyes- particularly if you plan on using it on edible plants (because, eventually, you may be eating that dye).

Sustainable landscapes and gardens come in all shapes and sizes.They can be formal or informal, and can be designed to compliment the existing elements on your property. By designing a landscape or garden that is more sustainable you can feel good knowing that you are helping to reduce your environmental impact; but even if you don't really care too much about being "eco friendly", you can take comfort in knowing that by landscaping and gardening more sustainably you are saving yourself some money and a whole lot of extra work!
http://www.examiner.com/x-8317-Philadelphia-Home-Gardening-Examiner~y2009m4d16-Creating-a-more-sustainable-landscape-or-garden-just-makes-sense-in-these-challenging-economic-times

The Most Common Greenhouse Mistake

2009-04-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

If you have gardened for any amount of time you have either wanted a greenhouse or wondered if getting a greenhouse would be a good thing for you to do. Most of us get on the internet and start doing research about all the things we need to consider; the climate we live in; ventilation; what we will grow and when; racks and shelves and so on and so forth.

If we decide that we will indeed get a greenhouse and get everything we can dream of out of it! We measure and check where the sun will be and then start looking for the best bang for our buck. It is here that most of us make a mistake that will come back to haunt us in a very short time; we buy a green house that ends up being too small.

You might think it's the money that makes the difference but that's not it at all. We underestimate what can be done in the grow house and end up with more plans and plants than room! We are then forced to go back and purchase a second greenhouse to either supplement the first one or replace it. The problem is that if you don't have experience to know what you really want to do so you go into the greenhouse experience a little bit blind.

With that said, there are a few things to consider about how you garden and what your intent is with your new greenhouse that can help you determine the best size. If you are the experimenter type just save yourself the trouble and buy one to two sizes larger than you think you need because you will be using your greenhouse for a lot of things on a year round basis.

If you are the type that loves to be outside in the garden even if it's a bit chilly or windy and your spouse thinks you are crazy, buy one size larger than you think you need. If you just garden to grow some vegetables and are hoping to do the same; just longer or year round, make sure you get a greenhouse with a high insulation ratio and you will need to determine what kinds of vegetables and herbs you plan to grow and make sure you have enough expansion room to grow everything you want to in the dead of winter. Again, buy at least one size more than you think you need.

Unless you just want to putter around and play with growing in a greenhouse buy one size more than you think you need. In other words, buy at least one size more than you think you need. It will, in the long run, save you time, money and frustration.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Most-Common-Greenhouse-Mistake&id=2205243

A Home Garden – Fun for the Whole Family

2009-04-04T00:21:00.000-07:00

Home gardening is a wonderful pastime that the whole family can enjoy. In addition, gardening has become an increasingly popular hobby for people of all ages. Currently, studies show that in the United States, eight of ten households take part in some type of home gardening endeavor. Based on these statistics, gardening is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the nation.

Typically, when people start planting their garden, they start with flowers. In addition, most people will pursue planting roses. The novice garden does not realize that roses usually take the most time and effort as compared to other flowers. With such an enormous array of flowers to choose from, it is best for the novice to start of with easy care plants and flowers.

Vegetable gardens have become quite popular too. A vegetable garden can bring a sense of pride and accomplishment when you place those fresh vegetables on your dinner table. The list of vegetable plants is endless, therefore when planning your vegetable garden choose the right vegetable for your growing climate. For instance, cool weather crops would be green beans, zucchini, and cucumbers.

Many gardeners will consider planting fruits as well. In a warm climate, you could plant watermelons, and trees such as apricots and peaches. A berry garden is also fun, planting strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. These types of berry gardens are easy to care for and take less space than a traditional vegetable garden.

Herbs are another favorite for the home garden. If you have limited space, you can grow your herbs indoors in a sunny window. The most often used herbs for cooking are basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, and cilantro. These herbs are easy to grow too.

Landscaping your yard is another form of gardening. There are different types of grasses and shrubbery to decorate your yard. Decorative rocks, ponds, and statues are also included as a form of landscape gardening. Landscaping your yard is not limited to plant life. As with a garden, your lawn and shrubbery need upkeep.

As mentioned earlier, gardening can be fun and educational for the whole family. In addition, what a delight to see the flowers bloom and harvest the vegetables. However, as with anything else, to be a successful home gardener takes work. Plants need to be weeded and watered. Do not get discouraged if the flowers are not as brilliant as expected or the beans did not do so well. Research the plant in question and then try again next planting season, eventually you will have a wonderful garden.

http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Home-Garden---Fun-for-the-Whole-Family&id=163489

How to Plan Ahead For Your Perennial Garden

2009-03-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

If you're like most gardeners, once you discover how fun perennials can be you want to fill your whole yard up with them. Perennials are different from annuals in that they survive through the winter and come back every year in your garden. The only downside to perennials is that most don't flower the first year you have them. However, if you take care of them properly they will decorate your garden with color for many years after they make it through their first winter.

There are literally thousands of varieties of perennials to choose from in different shapes, sizes and colors. One of the most difficult choices you'll have to make is what type and variety of perennial to plant. Some of the most common varieties include hardy mums, phlox, hydrangea, peonies, irises, bleeding hearts, peonies, and grasses just to name a few. You can also think of shrubs and trees as perennials. One of the greatest benefits of planting a flowering perennial in your garden is that you don't have to plant them every year and they often provide the most beautiful and interesting flowers. However, a major downside is that they often have a short blooming period.

One way to get around this is to plant a variety of perennials in your garden, each scheduled to bloom at a different time throughout the season. That way your yard is never without color. Of course, this requires quite a bit of planning on your part! You don't want all your plants blooming during the same week and then have nothing to look at for the rest of the summer! You will also have to spend some time figuring out exactly where to plant each different variety as they will probably stay in the same location for many years.

You might think you can just buy a perennial and "plant it and forget it." However, just like any other type of plant, perennials require a lot of care. Perennials that grow too large for their space will need to be divided and some require quite a bit of pest control. If you don't know a lot about the different types of perennials available you can study the many garden books and catalogs available. It's best to know exactly what you're getting into before you add any plant into your garden, especially one that will last for many seasons. It might be a good idea to start out with a trial garden to get a feel for what to expect.

Many avid gardeners prefer to start their perennials from seeds rather than purchasing expensive adult plants at the nursery. The best way to do is to get a head start on the growing season with a portable greenhouse you can use to grow seeds inside your home.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Plan-Ahead-For-Your-Perennial-Garden&id=2130154

Brochure supports RHS Campaign on School Gardening

2009-03-17T08:40:00.000-07:00