I have been looking forward to writing this next installment because I am passionate about garden design. I had planned to post this yesterday, but, as sometimes happens, ‘life’ interrupted.
Yesterday, we received a call from the school principal (never a good thing). In fact, I would love to hear from someone who has ever received a call from their school principal and gotten good news 😉 Okay, back to my story…..our son Kai had hurt his leg on the playground. The school nurse was with him and they were calling the paramedics. We rushed out to the playground at the school and got there when the fire department paramedics did.
For those of you who have followed my blog for a while, you may be familiar with Kai and his many surgeries on his hip, legs and feet. If you like, you can read more about them here. Well, Kai had hurt his shin and was in a lot of pain. After the many surgeries that he has been through, he is a pretty tough kid. The paramedics splinted his leg and offered to call the ambulance. But, my husband said that we could easily take him to the hospital.
The doctors checked him out thoroughly and took x-rays. Thankfully, they could not see any break. The only thing that saved his leg from being broken, was the steel plate that Kai has on his shin bone from a previous surgery. He does have a contusion on his bone and so far, cannot walk. So, Kai is home as we speak, watching one of his favorite Star Wars movies. We are consulting with his orthopedist tomorrow.
You may be wondering how he hurt his leg. Well, when I asked him how he hurt it, he told me that he was chasing girls and ran into the bottom of the curly slide with his leg. So, I do hope he learned his lesson and stops chasing girls 😉
Well, thank you for letting me share our latest ‘life interrupted’ incident. So, now back to our latest installment of “Curing the Garden Blahs”. I am really having fun with this series of posts because it is so easy to make your garden more interesting.
Today, let’s discuss where to place plants. No matter where you live…..in the desert like me or in Alaska like my friend Christine, these are basic design ideas that are applicable to almost every garden.
I like to think of trees and plants as a wonderful way to ‘window dress’ your home and increase interest. For example, are there any homes in your neighborhood where the front garden looks better then the others? It really isn’t hard to achieve this for yourself and you don’t have to spend lots of time on your hands and knees gardening to achieve it.
This bare wall beside the garage sticks out because it is so barren. Many people tend to ignore this part of their house.
Like my ‘virtual’ plant? Seriously, by placing a tall shrub or vine in this area, you immediately dress up your home and create interest. If you add a plant that has unusually colored foliage or pretty flowers, that is even better.
Here is another example of a bare wall next to a window. This is actually the side of a house that is visible to the street. While the Ocotillo is very nice, there is still something missing.
Similar to the side of the garage door, add a tall shrub or vine and then add shrubs underneath the window. **When planting shrubs, I always use shrubs that flower at least for part of the year to increase interest.
Here is a landscape that has lost some plants due to age or neglect and were never replaced. You can see the empty drip irrigation emitter sticking up. This is one of the main reasons for dull and drab landscapes…..homeowners do not replace plants. This may be news to some of you, but plants do not live forever – you do need to replace them from time to time 🙂
By adding two more Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) to match the existing one and adding three flowering groundcovers around the boulder, you immediately transform this ‘blah’ landscape.
*Boulders are meant to have plants growing next to them. The contrasting texture of the boulder and plants are visually appealing…..so if you have an empty boulder – plant something next to it. Do not plant something that will grow too large and overwhelm the boulder, but rather a groundcover or small succulent, such as a smaller Agave.
Low walls are also a good place to plant as well. The shadows from the plants reflected onto the wall attract the eye. Use plants that will not overgrow the low wall.
One of the most common bare areas that I see is in the entry way. When you visualize your front garden, you want the eye to be attracted towards the front door, which is the focal point of your home. Plants, placed in the right place can guide the eye to the front door.
A little texture from spiky plants and color from flowering plants can do a lot to focus attention on your entry. Plants in containers are also a great way to achieve the same thing.
Now this photo had good things and bad things in it. I do love the design….boulders, flowering perennials and spiky Red Yucca look great together. They are placed by the driveway, which is also a good place to place plants. However, about half of the Angelita Daisies should be replaced.
One word describes this area….boring. This empty corner is created by the low wall hiding the air-conditioning unit. Empty corners just cry out for some help.
A single shrub would fill this area nicely. It is easy to ‘hide’ your air-conditioner, even if it is not concealed behind a low wall. Simply add some shrubs about 3 ft away from the unit itself to help hide it. **This also works great for pool equipment that does not have a wall surrounding it.
Many landscapes started out from a good design, but again, plants were not replaced as they died. Look around your neighborhood and see how many empty drip-emitters you can see.
The two shrubs flanking the window are also old and woody. The window is quite decorative and meant to be a focal point, so I do not recommend planting shrubs beneath it.
Add tall growing shrubs or vines on either side of the window after removing the two old shrubs.
Add two additional Gold Lantana to match the one in the foreground and add a taller accent plant by the boulder.
The interior garden behind this wall is beautiful and lovingly cared for. But you would never know that by looking at the bare front area.
I recommend that the client add spiky accent plants with small, colorful shrubs.
As trees begin to grow larger and shady areas begin to expand, plants that were growing beneath can sometimes fail to thrive in their new shady situation. So, homeowners pull them out and think that they are doomed to have this large bare area beneath their trees.
Many arid-adapted trees such as this Mesquite, produce a filtered shade and many plants thrive in this type of light. Planting around the tree, at least 3 – 4 ft away from the trunk looks wonderful. I also added flowering groundcovers around the boulders for additional color and interest.
Again, these windows are meant to be a focal point and not to have shrubs planted underneath that would grow tall and cover the bottom half.
By placing a tall shrub between the windows, you actually draw attention to the architectural detail of the windows.
SOME ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR PLANT PLACEMENT:
Plant in groups of 3 or 5 or more using odd numbers, which is more pleasing to the eye then when using even numbers.
*I’m not sure why that is, but it is true.
Know what the mature size of the plant will be and allow plenty of room for it to grow to it’s full size.
Try to avoid planting trees in front of windows….try to place the tree to the side of the window so that as it grows, it frames the window and your view. Otherwise, when you look out of your window, all you see is a tree trunk in the center of your vision. The same thing applies when you are looking at your house from the outside….a tree placed in the center of your view to the window, disrupts the architectural line of your house, since windows are meant to be a focal point.
Replace plants when they die.
Concentrate on adding plants in the following areas….
The entry
Each corner next to the driveway
Beside the garage door
Bare walls
Along pathways
Besides boulders
You do not have to have plants growing everywhere in your garden, but by concentrating on a few areas, you will enjoy a beautiful garden that makes your house look even better. Don’t underestimate the power of curb appeal.
Our next subject will cover what types of plants to choose. We will discuss what colors go well together, what are accent plants and why you should include them in your garden, plant size and more.
I hope you will join me 🙂
Even Vegetables Need Friends…..
Vegetable GardeningAll of us (I hope) have experienced the benefits of having a good friend. A good friend is someone that you can enjoy good times with, but they are also there to lean on in times of trouble and provide support.
Well, don’t you think your vegetables deserve the same benefits that friendship offers?
Vegetables need friends
Now at this point, some of you may be thinking that I have finally turned into a crazy plant lady…..seriously – vegetables need friends? Well, the answer is yes. Vegetables do best when special ‘companion’ plants are planted among them.
Okay, so what does a companion plant do? Well depending on the kind of plant, they can repel damaging insects and/or attract beneficial insects. If you add companion plants interspersed throughout your vegetables, they will be much healthier and you will have fewer headaches due to fewer insect problems.
Here are some of my favorites…..
Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), not only has a beautiful, sweet fragrance, but they also attract butterflies and ladybugs which are important pollinators. Insects that eat mealybugs, scale, thrips and spider mites are also attracted to the alyssum and will help to keep those damaging bugs away.
Bachelor’s Button (Centaurea cyanus), also attracts pollinators that are so important to the formation of your vegetables. They also attract insects that will prey upon damaging insects such as scales and thrips.
Now who doesn’t love the bright flowers of Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)? Well your vegetables would love to be friends with them. In addition to attracting insects that will feast upon mealybugs, Cosmos also serve a general deterrent to insects.
Pelargoniums commonly called Geraniums not only beautify your vegetable garden, but their distinctive smell deters many insects.
Anytime you encounter Lantana in full bloom, you may also notice butterflies hovering above, which serve as pollinators in the garden. Lantana are also a magnet for the irritating whitefly. By planting some Lantana in close proximity to your vegetables, the whiteflies will be so busy with the Lantana that they are more likely to leave your vegetables alone. Try to think of it as a choice between eating an ice cream sundae or broccoli 😉
I just love Lavender and now I have a reason to include it in my garden. It serves as a great repellent for ants, aphids, fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and silverfish. In areas where I used to work, it was one of only 10 plants that the rabbits and javelina would leave alone. Butterflies and bees do not seem to share the same aversion to Lavender…..they love it.
Petunia hybrids are a very popular flower and it is easy to see why with their large, bright flowers. But they also make great companions for vegetables (& roses) as well because aphids do not like them and tend to stay far away.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) isn’t just for cooking. When in flower, bees are attracted to this wonderful herb and will often stick around to pollinate your vegetable flowers (yes, vegetables do flower and need to be pollinated). It is thought that the aromatic fragrance of the Rosemary messes with the ability of damaging insects to detect delicious plants in the vicinity.
Anyone who has grown Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), knows that bees are drawn to them. Well, if you didn’t already know this…..bees are vital for a healthy garden. Sunflowers also offer another benefit to the vegetable garden. When planted on the west side of the vegetable garden, they will provide shade in the summer for your vegetable garden.
These are just a sampling of companion plants (and the only ones that I had pictures of). There are many more wonderful companion plants:
Basil
Calendula
Catmint
Catnip
Chives
Coreopsis
Dill
Fleabane
Marigold
Mint
Nasturtium
Sage
and
Thyme
I currently have both Marigolds and Nasturtium growing inside my vegetable garden. I am also (meaning my husband) in the midst of building a flower garden which will surround my vegetable garden. I will include many of these companion plants as well as some purely ornamental flowers.
And so, if you have a vegetable garden that looks a little lonely, or if you are tired of the battle with damaging insects…..try bringing some ‘friends’ into your garden. Your vegetables will thank you for it.
October Craziness….Cactus, Spiders, Stormy Weather and a Mixed-up Bird
Curing the Garden Blahs…..Form and Texture
Landscape DesignI do hope you all had a good week. I have had a busy week of consultations as well as preparing for two upcoming speaking engagements, (which I love to do by the way). But the most exciting thing is that I am working on getting ready for a trip along the east coast – I can’t wait to tell you more about that 🙂
I have enjoyed this series of ‘Curing the Garden Blahs’ and would like to cover the topic of form and texture since they belong together along with color, which we covered in an earlier post.
You may not be too familiar with these concepts and wonder what part they play in a good garden design. To help, let my ask you the following question – have you seen a landscape that really catches your interest, but you cannot tell exactly why? Landscapes full of flowering plants do attract our attention, but have you ever been attracted to one that does not necessarily have lots of flowering plants? If so, chances are that the designer made sure to incorporate both texture and form when they created the garden.
Well, let’s get familiar with texture first. Texture refers to the visual surface of a plant, such as rough or smooth as well as the size and shape of foliage, flowers, branches and bark. Here in the desert, we definitely have our share of plants with rough surfaces, but no matter where you live the following photos should help you understand the concepts of texture and how it relates to your landscape plants.
Ouch!
Curing the Garden Blahs;Purple Prickly Pear
In direct contrast are those plants with smooth surfaces…..
Agave desmettiana
Palo Blanco (Acacia willardiana)
Different types of texture are also expressed in the different shapes of foliage and bark.
First, examples of fine textured plants which are characterized by small leaves and flowers and sometimes have a ‘lacy’ appearance.
Red Bird-of-Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)
Black Dalea (Dalea frutescens)
Threadleaf Cassia (Senna nemophila)
Curing the Garden Blahs ;Alyssum ‘Royal Carpet’
Here are some examples of plants that have a coarse texture which is characterized by large leaves that tend to be bold and make a statement in the landscape.
Purple Orchid Tree (Bauhinia variegata)
Geranium
Australian Bottle Tree (Brachyiton populneus)
One way that designers draw attention the landscape is to pair different textures together. The following picture is an excellent example of this…..
Agave weberi with Purple Trailing Lantana
The coarse texture of the Agave paired with the fine texture of the Purple Trailing Lantana accentuate their differences and your eye is drawn to that naturally. When emphasizing the ways that they are different, you also appreciate their individual beauty even more. If you place plants with similar texture next to each other, they can fade into the background.
In general, coarse textured plants are placed in the background while the finer textured plants are in the front.
A variety of textures are represented in this backyard garden, which draws your attention.
Now let us look closer at the concept of form as it relates to the garden. This is somewhat easier to grasp as it has to do with the overall shape of plants.
Here are spiky plants, often called ‘accent’ plants….
Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis)
Bougainvillea ‘Torch Glow’
Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)
Parry’s Penstemon (Penstemon parryi)
Other plant shapes are more naturally more rounded…..
Eremophila ‘Valentine’
Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
Chaparral Sage (Salvia clevelandii)
Green Cloud Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens ‘Green Cloud’)
Now you may notice that the naturally rounded shrubs are not unnaturally round and smooth…..these shrubs have texture which is a good thing.
Imagine if you will, a landscape of ‘green balls’. Believe it or not, you don’t need your imagination to picture this because there are countless landscapes with this problem.
These plants have been robbed of their form. Now they are little better then green balls. There is nothing interesting about them. *For those of you who have gotten to know me through my blog or in person, you know that I am passionately against the practice of ‘poodling’ landscape shrubs. Especially those that flower. If you feel like it, you can always read my earlier post, “Shrubs Aren’t Meant to be Cupcakes.”
Besides being too crowded, the shrubs have all been overly pruned, removing much of their form and texture and creating a boring landscape.
Below is a formally pruned Texas Ebony tree….
Needless to say, they are not to be pruned into round balls.
Which do you like better….the one above or the one below? Believe it or not, they are the same type of tree.
A beautiful landscape incorporates both color, form and texture…..
The fine texture of the Foothill Palo Verde contrasts nicely with the coarse texture of the Agave in the foreground. The ornamental grass in the background also add nice form and texture contrast.
This ‘natural’ desert landscape has actually been recreated using the desert as the inspiration. The different form and textures of the succulents contrast well with the trees, shrubs and groundcovers.
Form and texture at play with only a few different plants.
This is one of my personal favorites 🙂
I do hope this post has been helpful in explaining the importance of both texture and form in the landscape. I have only briefly touched upon it and there is much more information available online or at your local bookstore if you would like to get into more detail.
I am now off to help my husband finish building the fence of my new flower garden 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Mysterious Happenings in the Vegetable Garden…..
Vegetable GardeningA few weeks ago, I ventured out to my vegetable garden, eager to see the seedlings that I had sowed the week before. My seedlings had started to break through the soil a couple of days earlier.
Our Vegetable Garden in May
We had enjoyed a wonderful summer crop and I was looking forward to growing broccoli, onions, lettuce, carrots and more this winter.
I had hoped to see my seeds coming up, much like my mother’s vegetable seedlings from last year. She planted hers in small transplant pots while I directly sowed my seeds in the ground.
My mother’s vegetable seedlings from last year.
You know, there are few pleasures in the garden that match the excitement that you experience when you start to see your seeds begin to poke through the soil.
Well, as I ventured out into the vegetable garden, I noticed shallow scrapes in the soil and some of my seedlings that had been dug up. I was mortified.
At first, I couldn’t figure out who did it. My first thought was that it was Tobey, my little dog who tends to get into a lot of trouble…..
Tobey seems to have an affinity for dirt of all kinds. He is always present when we are digging holes for new plants and likes to rest upon the pile of soil.
But I soon ruled out Tobey as the culprit because my husband built a fence around our vegetable garden to keep him out and there was not way for him to get in unless he figured out a way to jump a 3 ft. fence.
We did not have this problem with our seedlings in the spring time when we planted our summer garden, so I tried to rack my brain (not always easy) to figure out what was different now in our garden.
That was when I figured it out……
The past couple of months our garden has played host to a pair of cute little birds. I had never seen this type of bird before, but I was charmed by their behavior. They would hop about and scratch the ground looking for food. They would not fly up to the bird feeder to get some birdseed, but instead would scratch the soil underneath the feeder.
I also would see them scratching around in other parts of the garden as well, especially around the bark chips surrounding my roses. They actually kick out quite a bit of bark and fling it about.
They do have a wonderful little cheep and have not heard them ‘sing’ like other birds. So, armed with what little information I had, I went searching through my bird book to identify the vegetable-seedling eating birds.
My research was a success and so now I would like to introduce you to…..
Photo Courtesy of Alan D. Wilson
Abert’s Towhee.
Despite their somewhat drab coloring….their black masks as well as their funny hopping and scratching antics made them a welcome addition to my garden….until now. My husband offered to bring out his BB gun, but I quickly nixed that idea….I like birds.
And so I did a little research about ways to deter birds and found out that some birds absolutely love to feed on seedlings because of their high sugar content. Once the seedlings have grown two regular leaves, the sugar level goes down and most birds no longer find them appetizing. So, I went back to the store to buy more vegetable seeds for the garden and also came away with the solution to my problem…..
Talk about a gardener’s best friend. I can now enjoy watching the antics of my resident Abert’s Towhees while they cannot enjoy my vegetable garden 🙂
****I am currently in the process of creating a cutting (flower) garden with my husband’s help. I cannot wait to share it with you.****
I HAVE ALSO SELECTED THE RANDOM WINNERS OF THE PENSTEMON SEED GIVEAWAY. PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK TO SEE IF YOU WON 🙂
Curing the Garden Blahs with Color
Landscape DesignI hope you all had a great weekend and are ready for the week ahead. I know I am 🙂 I would like to continue on with our “Curing the Garden Blahs” series and focus on one of my favorite aspects…..color.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that just by adding some color to our wardrobe, our food, our homes, etc. we can look better, enjoy our food more and create an atmosphere in our homes. Well, adding color in the garden creates much more interest and increases the beauty and curb appeal of your garden as well.
As we get started, I would like you first to become acquainted with our friend, the color wheel…..
Color is an integral part of landscape design. Now, I am not going to go into a lot of detail or complexity, but will keep this fairly simple.
Most of us know what we like or don’t like in regards to color. We each have a favorite color and some of us may have a color that we dislike. What is even more interesting is that if you have a color that you dislike in your house or in your wardrobe, you may love it in your garden. **For me, that color is orange….I don’t care for it in my house or in my wardrobe, but I do love it in my garden. I wonder why I like it in some places and not in others?
There are two main color groups for the garden. The first group consists of warm colors which are the reds, oranges and yellows. When used in the landscape, they grab your attention right away and excite you. The tend to make a large area look smaller and more intimate. If you want to create a focal point, then plants with warm colors are what you would want to use. For those of you who live in cooler climates, using warm colors in the garden can ‘visually’ warm you up 🙂
The blossoms below are a perfect example of warm colors….
Red Bird-of-Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)
Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans stans)
Red Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii)
Cape Honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis)
Our next group consists of cool colors such as pinks, purples and blues. These colors tend to make you feel relaxed and can make a garden appear larger. Cool colored plants would be the ideal choice for a quiet spot in the garden. If you live in a hot climate, you may want to incorporate cool colors in your garden as a way to ‘visually’ cool off.
Here are some examples of plants with cool colors….
Delphiniums
‘Rio Bravo’ Sage flower (Leucophyllum langmaniae ‘Rio Bravo’)
Parry’s Penstemon (Penstemon parryi)
This bouquet of Pink and White Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) flowers and Goodding’s Verbena are a perfect example of cool colors.
Now, how do you decide what colors look good together?
Well in general, warm colors look great together as do the cool colors. But you can also mix them up to create a contrast that really catches your attention. To do this, let’s go back to our color wheel….
Now, think of the phrase “opposites attract”, because in this case it is true. Opposite the purples and blues you will find the yellows and oranges. When paired together, the contrast between the two colors immediately grabs your attention.
For example, picture Cape Honeysuckle shrubs with Purple Trailing Lantana growing in front of them…..
Here is another example….
The blossoms of Orange Jubilee (Tecoma x Orange Jubilee) and Green Cloud Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens ‘Green Cloud’) contrast very well.
Now I would like to share with you an excellent tip and it involves the color yellow. Now you may be thinking that yellow really does not do much for you and I would actually agree….it is not my favorite color. BUT, do not underestimate the power of yellow in the landscape. By just adding a few yellow flowering plants among your other colors, they will cause your other plants to look better. Really, it’s true. Yellow flowering plants contrast so well with other colors….I promise you they will make your garden look better.
For example, look at the container plantings below….
We have a collection of Lavender, Lobelia and Geraniums….all cool colors. But the addition of yellow daisies and gazania, all the colors really ‘pop’.
So now are you all ready to head to the nursery and mix your colors? Well, I have a word of caution first…..if you intend to plant two different plants together so that you can enjoy the way their colors look next to each other when they are in bloom…..make SURE that they bloom at the SAME time. You would be surprised at how many people make the mistake of purchasing plants, relying on the color picture of the plant tags thinking the colors would look great together….only to find later that one plant blooms in spring and the other in summer.
I do hope you are finding these posts on “Curing the Garden Blahs” helpful. Our next installment will cover how texture can create interest in the garden.
*****There is still time to enter my seed giveaway for Firecracker Penstemon seeds. Here is the link for those of you interested. You have until this Wednesday (September 29th).****
Steps Towards Curing the Garden Blahs….Where to Place Plants?
Landscape DesignI have been looking forward to writing this next installment because I am passionate about garden design. I had planned to post this yesterday, but, as sometimes happens, ‘life’ interrupted.
Yesterday, we received a call from the school principal (never a good thing). In fact, I would love to hear from someone who has ever received a call from their school principal and gotten good news 😉 Okay, back to my story…..our son Kai had hurt his leg on the playground. The school nurse was with him and they were calling the paramedics. We rushed out to the playground at the school and got there when the fire department paramedics did.
For those of you who have followed my blog for a while, you may be familiar with Kai and his many surgeries on his hip, legs and feet. If you like, you can read more about them here. Well, Kai had hurt his shin and was in a lot of pain. After the many surgeries that he has been through, he is a pretty tough kid. The paramedics splinted his leg and offered to call the ambulance. But, my husband said that we could easily take him to the hospital.
The doctors checked him out thoroughly and took x-rays. Thankfully, they could not see any break. The only thing that saved his leg from being broken, was the steel plate that Kai has on his shin bone from a previous surgery. He does have a contusion on his bone and so far, cannot walk. So, Kai is home as we speak, watching one of his favorite Star Wars movies. We are consulting with his orthopedist tomorrow.
You may be wondering how he hurt his leg. Well, when I asked him how he hurt it, he told me that he was chasing girls and ran into the bottom of the curly slide with his leg. So, I do hope he learned his lesson and stops chasing girls 😉
Well, thank you for letting me share our latest ‘life interrupted’ incident. So, now back to our latest installment of “Curing the Garden Blahs”. I am really having fun with this series of posts because it is so easy to make your garden more interesting.
Today, let’s discuss where to place plants. No matter where you live…..in the desert like me or in Alaska like my friend Christine, these are basic design ideas that are applicable to almost every garden.
I like to think of trees and plants as a wonderful way to ‘window dress’ your home and increase interest. For example, are there any homes in your neighborhood where the front garden looks better then the others? It really isn’t hard to achieve this for yourself and you don’t have to spend lots of time on your hands and knees gardening to achieve it.
This bare wall beside the garage sticks out because it is so barren. Many people tend to ignore this part of their house.
Like my ‘virtual’ plant? Seriously, by placing a tall shrub or vine in this area, you immediately dress up your home and create interest. If you add a plant that has unusually colored foliage or pretty flowers, that is even better.
Here is another example of a bare wall next to a window. This is actually the side of a house that is visible to the street. While the Ocotillo is very nice, there is still something missing.
Similar to the side of the garage door, add a tall shrub or vine and then add shrubs underneath the window. **When planting shrubs, I always use shrubs that flower at least for part of the year to increase interest.
Here is a landscape that has lost some plants due to age or neglect and were never replaced. You can see the empty drip irrigation emitter sticking up. This is one of the main reasons for dull and drab landscapes…..homeowners do not replace plants. This may be news to some of you, but plants do not live forever – you do need to replace them from time to time 🙂
By adding two more Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) to match the existing one and adding three flowering groundcovers around the boulder, you immediately transform this ‘blah’ landscape.
*Boulders are meant to have plants growing next to them. The contrasting texture of the boulder and plants are visually appealing…..so if you have an empty boulder – plant something next to it. Do not plant something that will grow too large and overwhelm the boulder, but rather a groundcover or small succulent, such as a smaller Agave.
Low walls are also a good place to plant as well. The shadows from the plants reflected onto the wall attract the eye. Use plants that will not overgrow the low wall.
One of the most common bare areas that I see is in the entry way. When you visualize your front garden, you want the eye to be attracted towards the front door, which is the focal point of your home. Plants, placed in the right place can guide the eye to the front door.
A little texture from spiky plants and color from flowering plants can do a lot to focus attention on your entry. Plants in containers are also a great way to achieve the same thing.
Now this photo had good things and bad things in it. I do love the design….boulders, flowering perennials and spiky Red Yucca look great together. They are placed by the driveway, which is also a good place to place plants. However, about half of the Angelita Daisies should be replaced.
One word describes this area….boring. This empty corner is created by the low wall hiding the air-conditioning unit. Empty corners just cry out for some help.
A single shrub would fill this area nicely. It is easy to ‘hide’ your air-conditioner, even if it is not concealed behind a low wall. Simply add some shrubs about 3 ft away from the unit itself to help hide it. **This also works great for pool equipment that does not have a wall surrounding it.
Many landscapes started out from a good design, but again, plants were not replaced as they died. Look around your neighborhood and see how many empty drip-emitters you can see.
The two shrubs flanking the window are also old and woody. The window is quite decorative and meant to be a focal point, so I do not recommend planting shrubs beneath it.
Add tall growing shrubs or vines on either side of the window after removing the two old shrubs.
Add two additional Gold Lantana to match the one in the foreground and add a taller accent plant by the boulder.
The interior garden behind this wall is beautiful and lovingly cared for. But you would never know that by looking at the bare front area.
I recommend that the client add spiky accent plants with small, colorful shrubs.
As trees begin to grow larger and shady areas begin to expand, plants that were growing beneath can sometimes fail to thrive in their new shady situation. So, homeowners pull them out and think that they are doomed to have this large bare area beneath their trees.
Many arid-adapted trees such as this Mesquite, produce a filtered shade and many plants thrive in this type of light. Planting around the tree, at least 3 – 4 ft away from the trunk looks wonderful. I also added flowering groundcovers around the boulders for additional color and interest.
Again, these windows are meant to be a focal point and not to have shrubs planted underneath that would grow tall and cover the bottom half.
By placing a tall shrub between the windows, you actually draw attention to the architectural detail of the windows.
SOME ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR PLANT PLACEMENT:
Plant in groups of 3 or 5 or more using odd numbers, which is more pleasing to the eye then when using even numbers.
*I’m not sure why that is, but it is true.
Know what the mature size of the plant will be and allow plenty of room for it to grow to it’s full size.
Try to avoid planting trees in front of windows….try to place the tree to the side of the window so that as it grows, it frames the window and your view. Otherwise, when you look out of your window, all you see is a tree trunk in the center of your vision. The same thing applies when you are looking at your house from the outside….a tree placed in the center of your view to the window, disrupts the architectural line of your house, since windows are meant to be a focal point.
Replace plants when they die.
Concentrate on adding plants in the following areas….
The entry
Each corner next to the driveway
Beside the garage door
Bare walls
Along pathways
Besides boulders
You do not have to have plants growing everywhere in your garden, but by concentrating on a few areas, you will enjoy a beautiful garden that makes your house look even better. Don’t underestimate the power of curb appeal.
Our next subject will cover what types of plants to choose. We will discuss what colors go well together, what are accent plants and why you should include them in your garden, plant size and more.
I hope you will join me 🙂
A Celebratory September MGD
AZ Plant LadyI must admit, that I particularly enjoyed creating this month’s Monthly Garden Bouquet. In fact, it is the simplest one that I have put together. It mirrors how I feel today……the bright colors of the flowers just make me want to celebrate.
Patriot Lantana ‘Desert Sunset’
Without a doubt, one of my favorite shrubs is my Patriot Lantana ‘Desert Sunset’. What I love most, is the variety of colors that are produced in a single cluster of flowers. The second reason that I enjoy this plant so much, is that it is extremely low-maintenance……I just prune it back to about 2 feet in early March, make sure it is connected to our irrigation system and that is it. No fertilizer, no deadheading…..nothing else is needed. Don’t you wish more plants could be like this one?
Patriot Lantana ‘Desert Sunset’
Right now, butterflies are hovering above the brightly colored flowers in my garden. I have three of these Lantana in my front garden. About 7 years ago, I planted them around golf courses inside of planters. At the time, I was able to obtain them in 4″ pots, which made them inexpensive and easy to transplant into the larger containers. After the summer was over, it was time to remove the Lantana and replace them with winter flowering annuals. Although the Lantana would easily survive outdoors in our winters, they would suffer frost damage and everything around the golf courses had to look perfect year-round.
I could not throw away these beautiful plants, so I planted them in protected landscape areas around the golf courses, gave some away to the landscape crew and came home with 3. Free plants and 7 years of low-maintenance beauty…..life in the garden cannot get much better, can it?
When I look closely, I love seeing the little buds begin to open…..
Now this is really cool…….look at the mature flower in the center and you will notice the yellow florets are in the middle. The new flower on the right has new yellow florets on the outside. Guess what happens? As the first yellow florets on the outside of the flower age, they turn orange and then pink. How cool is that?
Now, I do not have to go far to find a reason to celebrate today. You may remember my mentioning my brother and sister-in-law were expecting……well on our way home from church yesterday, I received a text from my brother….they were at the hospital and the babies were on their way. She had been scheduled for a c-section this Thursday, so we were a little thrown off….we could hardly get to the hospital fast enough.
You know that look that new fathers get? Well, I was thrilled to see that expression on my brother’s face as he announced the birth of his twin boys. They are absolutely adorable and I was in heaven holding the youngest one.
Okay, thank you for bearing with me and listening to my wonderful news. I am getting ready to go to the hospital to visit. But before I go, I would love to have you submit your Monthly Garden Bouquet.
If you would like to participate in this month’s Monthly Garden Bouquet (and I hope you do), here are the guidelines.
1. MGB begins on the 21st of each month and runs until the end of each month. Bouquets can be submitted during this time (or even later 🙂
2. Create your own garden bouquet as fancy or simple as you like.
3. I would appreciate it if you would provide a link back to my post inside of your MGB post, but it is not required 🙂
4. Add your link to Mr. Linky below and that’s it!
It can be as simple or fancy as you like. Each month, I cannot wait to see what you all come up with.
******I promise to post Part 2 of Curing the Garden Blahs in a couple of days.******
Have a great week!
Monthly Garden Bouquet – October
Steps Towards Curing the Garden Blahs….Part 1
Landscape DesignI must admit, that I have been looking forward to this topic and have been pouring over past photos of my landscape consults. I didn’t realize how many photos that I had accrued over the years of boring gardens so it has taken me a while to put this post together.
My last post asked the question, “Does Your Garden Have the Blahs?” Is it boring, overgrown, sparse, or just lacks interest? Well, don’t worry; we will go over some simple steps that you can do to chase the ‘blahs’ away.
Part 1 has to do with deciding what to take out of the garden and what to keep. Your homework assignment was to take a picture of your garden and then print it out. Now, get out your red pen and get ready…..
Now at first glance, you may be wondering what is wrong with this front garden. Well, the homeowners felt their garden was boring and lacked color. This garden had some attractive plants, but some were too large for their allotted space and had to be pruned continuously. Other shrubs were not placed correctly and blocked the view of those behind them.
So, I got out my red pen and got started…..
Shrubs that blocked the view into the garden and were too large for their allotted space and so were circled in red and removed. Those circled in blue were pruned back.
Shortly afterward, you can see the difference removing a few plants and some pruning makes. The client also added some new plants (not blooming in this picture) that would provide color in the winter when they were in residence.
Here is an example of a gardener who got a little carried away……
This garden is not what I would call ‘blah’, but the homeowner tried to fit all of her favorite plants into a very small area. All they succeeded in doing was to create a messy planting area, which is not pleasing to the eye.
I counted at least 6 shrubs in this small area. Because they were so crowded, they had been pruned often to keep them from overtaking each other and removing many of the flowers in the process. By removing 3 of the plants, the rest would have room to grow into their natural shapes and provide a beautiful focal point to this garden.
This front garden has a grove of beautiful trees. However, there are four trees crowded into too small a space. Each individual tree had to be pruned to keep them from running into each other and therefore, you could not enjoy their full size and beauty.
By removing the circled trees the two remaining trees would be better appreciated since they could then reach their full potential.
This entry area was well designed and only suffered from some old perennials (Angelita Daisies). Many flowering perennials are short-lived and need to be replaced every few years. They are relatively inexpensive and add so much interest to the garden.
Unfortunately, many gardeners make the mistake of not replacing their plants and as a result, their garden becomes more and more bare with each passing year, like the one below…..
If your garden looks like this one, you probably do not need to remove anything, since there is hardly anything left. You can see a drip irrigation line sticking up by the boulder where there used to be a plant. This is a perfect example of a garden where short-lived plants were removed and never replaced.
Sometimes, the wrong plant is planted the wrong place…..
These are Ficus trees that were planted in a raised planter around a pool. When they were initially planted, they were small and fit well into this limited space, but no longer.
This Red Bird-of-Paradise shrubs naturally grows more then 4 – 5 ft. wide and should be removed from this area.
Gold Lantana is beautiful and is usually covered with yellow flowers, but not his one. It has been pruned, using hedge trimmers, to keep it from encroaching on the water meter, but it had never been severely pruned, which if done each spring, would eliminate this problem.
There are two different solutions – the first is to simply prune the Lantana back severely to about 1′ and let it grow out until it is approximately 3′ x 3′. The other solution is simply to remove it and plant a replacement further away from the water meter.
Many situations simply require occasional severe pruning, which can rejuvenate plants, reduce maintenance and greatly improve their appearance. So if any of these pictures remind you of your garden – a severe pruning, may be all you need to do.
Severely pruning this Chihuahuan Sage (Leucophyllum laevigatum), will remove the dead interior growth which will be replaced with new, attractive growth that will flower. By pruning back to approximately 2′ x 2′, you will have an ugly bunch of sticks for a few weeks, but in most cases, they will begin to leaf out again. **This is best done in the spring time. Some plants will not recover from this type of pruning, which indicates that they were declining and would not have survived for long even without being pruned.
In some cases, when there is little green growth (above), it is best to just remove the plants and start over. But, you can always try to cut them back severely to about 2′ in size and see if they come back…..you don’t have anything to lose, so try it and you may be surprised when it comes back.
There is nothing that needs to be removed in this garden. But a good pruning would improve the appearance. All three shrubs should be pruned severely every 2 – 3 years in spring and then allowed to grow into their natural shape. The Cat’s Claw Vine, (I don’t recommend planting this vine), should also be pruned down to the ground every few years to remove old, woody growth and keep it in check.
Again, I would not remove anything from this garden, but it does need improvement. It looks like a bunch of round blobs dotted haphazardly around the landscape. At first you may fault a bad design, but if you take a second look, it is more a problem of incorrect pruning. Each type of shrub in this landscape grows to varying heights and shapes, when not pruned into round ball shapes. By decreasing the amount of pruning and banishing the hedge trimmers, the shrubs would grow into their natural shapes would greatly improve the appearance of this landscape. A little texture would be welcome in the shape of large boulders, accent plants and some mounding perhaps.
**You can read more about recommended pruning for shrubs in an earlier post, “Shrubs Aren’t Made To Be Cupcakes, Frisbees or Pill Boxes.
As you can see, we covered a lot of different boring gardens. I hope the examples that I have shown help you as you evaluate your own garden and use your red pen.
I will start working on Part 2, which will cover more of the design aspect – specifically, where to place plants in the landscape.
************************************
On personal note, life is crazy and busy, but there are two things that I would like to share with you.
First, my nephew (Little Farmer of Double S Farms), swallowed a penny earlier this week and then complained of pain. It turns out it got lodged in his esophagus and he had to go the children’s hospital where they put him to sleep so they could use a scope to get it out.
He did great 🙂
The second thing that I would like to share is that in exactly 1 week, my brother and sister-in-law will give birth to their twin boys. I can hardly wait!
Does Your Garden Have the Blahs?
Landscape DesignHow do you know if your garden truly has the blahs? Well, take the quiz below and see…..
1. Does your garden appear somewhat lackluster lately?
2. Is the only color present, varying shades of green?
3. Do you have fewer plants then when your garden was first planted?
4. Are the only shapes in your garden shrubs that been pruned into varying round shapes?
5. Can you count the number of plants and trees you have on one hand?
Did you answer yes to any of the questions? If you did, then chances are your garden has a case of the ‘blahs’. But before you decide to wallow in shame and figure that there is nothing you can do about it….STOP – because it is relatively easy to chase the ‘blahs’ away. Our next post will cover taking inventory in the garden….deciding what to keep and what to get rid of.Did you answer yes to any of the questions? If you did, then chances are your garden has a case of the ‘blahs’. But before you decide to wallow in shame and figure that there is nothing you can do about it….STOP – because it is relatively easy to chase the ‘blahs’ away.
By following a few simple steps, you can have a beautiful garden with loads of curb appeal…..okay, at this point, I realize that this post is starting to sound like an infomercial – but I promise, I am not trying to sell you anything 😉
Over the next few days, we will cover simple ways to add interest to your garden. It is not complicated or difficult to do. Actually, the same steps can be used for any landscape, whether it is in front of an apartment complex, a restaurant, school, a church, a golf course…..pretty much anywhere.
**Your first homework assignment is to take a picture of your boring gardens, whether it is in front, back or on the side. Print out your picture and bring a red pen….more instructions will follow in the next post.**
My hope is that these posts will help you to achieve a garden full of interest and beauty that you are proud to call your own.
Lost and Found in the Garden….
AZ Plant LadyThis past spring, I was pleasantly surprised to find some previously lost plants growing again in my front garden. How did I lose them in the first place? Well, when I first designed and planted our garden, over 10 years ago, I included quite a few different flowering perennials. Like many flowering perennials, they were short-lived and I did not replace all of them. I don’t really have a good reason for not replacing them, but at the time, I was busy managing other gardens and landscapes and did not have the energy to focus on my own….sad wasn’t it?
Well, here is how I found my plants……last winter and spring, we received much more rainfall then usual. In late March, I was checking around the garden for weeds when I saw some tiny leaves starting to poke their way through. I looked closely at them before ripping them out and discovered that they were the offspring from my original plants.
Lost Plants, Paperflower (Psilostrophe cooperi)
Paperflower was the first of my lost perennials to return. The seeds from my original plants had laid dormant for 8 years until the copious rainfall caused them to germinate. I love this little plant with its gray-green leaves but the coolest thing is that as the flowers die, they become papery in texture. You can see the spent flowers above towards the right lower corner.
This plant makes a great groundcover and has bloomed for me spring through fall.
Goodding’s Verbena (Glandularia gooddingii)
Although I have grown many different types of Verbena, this one is my favorite. I love the delicate, tiny purple flowers and the way the plant spreads out on the ground. Definitely not a fussy plant, it will flower like crazy throughout the spring and off and on during the rest of the year.
Like many flowering perennials, it is rather short-lived but does self-seed. It looks fantastic when placed next to boulders.
Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata)
The last plant that has made it’s reappearance in my garden was my Desert Marigold. This flowering perennial grows very well in the southwest and can be seen lining the roadways during the spring, especially when we have had sufficient rain. It does very well in the residential landscape as well and is sometimes treated as an annual wildflower.
The sunny, yellow flowers can be seen off and on, year round. They are very easy to grow from seed, but can be purchased in 1-gallon containers. However, it has been my experience that my Desert Marigolds last longer when I grow them from seed, rather then transplant them from containers.
I am so happy to have all of these plants back in my garden 🙂
Don’t you just love the feeling you get when you find something that you thought you had lost?
Evidence of a Procrastinator…..
PruningI know that none of us wants to admit to procrastinating…..but in my case the evidence is getting more clear with each passing day.
Beautifull Gold Lantana
The pathway to my front door, is getting narrower and narrower and soon, there will be no pathway visible and guests will have to wade through my Lantana.
Now, I may be guilty of procrastinating occasionally, but I am also a “glass half full” kind of girl as well. And my procrastination does show how beautifully my Gold Lantana is growing 😉
To be completely honest, it is hard to make myself venture outside to do any type of gardening in the month of August with hot and sometimes humid temperatures. And so, I patiently (impatiently) wait for September to arrive with cooler and drier weather before I start working in the garden again.
Now if your garden is anything like mine, you have lush green shrubs covered in blooms that are growing like crazy. This makes early September a great time to prune them back a bit……NOT severely, just a bit (1/3 or less).
By pruning your plants lightly, they will have time to grow back a little before the cooler temperatures of winter bring a stop to most growth. That way you will not be stuck with overgrown shrubs all winter.
The reason NOT to prune severely this time of year is that your plants will produce lots of new, tender growth that will be extremely susceptible to frost damage and can cause their death during a hard freeze which we sometimes experience. Do NOT wait until October to prune because it may be too late for some of the growth to come back and you may be stuck with some ugly plants until spring arrives. **Do not prune winter flowering shrubs such as Valentine (Eremophila maculata) since you will have greatly reduced flowering.
And so, this procrastinator is ready to head out into her garden to lightly prune her Lantana, AZ Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans), Texas Sage (Leucophyllum species) and Bougainvillea.
What will you be pruning this month?
Monthly Garden Bouquet – August