#26. How to Prep Your Garden for Winter
Fall is the time of year many gardeners view as closing gardening season. However you may wish to rethink this idea. The months of fall are actually excellent for maintaining your garden and getting it prepared for the next growing season. This sort of thinking can be made part of your marvelous backyard makeover for the next growing season. You will also appreciate the view of a clean well-maintained garden area regardless of whether plants are blooming there during the colder periods of the year.
Fall is the ideal time to take care of the maintenance of the grounds as well as the tools you use to keep your garden in the best of shape. So it is advisable to check the soil, take care of the lawn mower in the way of cleaning it and sharpening the blades, and add mulch to the flower beds for the following gardening season.
When you are prepping your backyard for a marvelous makeover for the next season it is further advisable to cease fertilizing plants and adhere to a less frequent watering schedule as the temperatures start to slowly plummet. Many gardeners will want to know what plants to trim back and which to keep the same. This all depends on where you reside and what kind of plants you grow.
If you are not certain the best way to proceed it is highly advisable to ask a horticulturist located within your area of the country. Even a person who works in the plant centre may be able to advise what is best for your particular plants.
You will certainly want to take out any plants that are suffering from disease. In taking them out of your garden you do not run as much of a risk of reintroducing this sort of plant malady during the next gardening season. Also, always at the end of gardening season be sure to provide your gardening area with one final weeding.
This will greatly enhance the appearance of your garden through the final months of fall. This process of final weeding will ensure that each of the unwelcome plants you take out during the fall will not be present to sow their seeds in your garden ready to spring up during the next season.
Did you know that if you plant strawberries at the beginning of the coming fall you may actually have fruit available toward the tail-end of it? Additionally, strawberry plants are hardy and can manufacture fruit for approximately 3 years.
If you like you can take various plants you’ve cut back to their new winter home inside. Also if you decide to plant shrubs and trees prior to fall weather, make sure you maintain a watering schedule. You’ll want to make certain the plants and shrubs are well-established before the colder months arrive. You can also use burlap to cover your plants before frost presents.
Another item on your “to do” checklist is to prune any limbs on trees that are suffering from disease as previously alluded. Do this early on, when you can still tell the difference from the parts of the plants full of vitality and the parts that are not so well.
#27. Hardware Features for Your Backyard Makeover
There are many out-of-door features you can add to your backyard makeover aside from flora and leafy plants. The features you use will be relative to what you prefer as homeowner. Following are suggestions outside of plant-life that may be to your liking.
One suggestion is a garden arbor. The arbor when placed in the proper location can provide an appealing addition to any backyard landscaping makeover. The arbor can serve one of several purposes inclusive of filling up a spot within the garden area or used in a completely different location outside of the garden-area. The arbor will add a dimension to your design with respect to height and is a good place to grow climbing plants.
You can incorporate fencing within your landscaping as the fence provides for privacy, is secure and keeps a pet from traipsing over other persons’ properties. The fence can also be used to separate flower beds and add charm to a garden-setting. For example, within a country-style garden the addition of a picket fence at the property line may be advised.
Using a gate can make a terrific initial impression when guests come to the site of your garden. Naturally the type of gate employed is subject to the architectural details and style of your dwelling. Positioning your gate at your garden’s front end provides your visitor with the impression he or she is entering a unique garden-setting.
Further if you incorporate a garden gate along with walkways, this establishes a feeling of continuation. If you decide to place a gate at the end of your garden you provide a vibe as to size. The gate situated in the rear of the garden area will make it seem as though your garden has a great deal more depth than is actually the case. A Victorian gate is the ideal selection to include with a Victorian-style house such as the “Pink Lady”. This type of gate can nicely pull the architectural influence of the house in together with your historic era backyard garden arrangement.
A trellis can establish a central point within a specific section of your floral bed provide privacy inclusive of foliage near an area of entry; or cover a less than favorable area such as the weed-strewn yard of your neighbor. The trellis can offer a number of worthwhile backyard landscaping purposes and further is available in the most simplistic form to highly expressive ostentatious design. You can adorn trellises with flowers or ivy or you can leave well enough alone showing off the trellis design only.
#28. Garden vs. Family Play Area
Not all designers achieve the results of accommodating an area within their backyard landscaping arrangement of a secure pool area, a garden that will not be undermined by children at play and a yard providing a great many eye-appealing visuals. However if you believe all of these components cannot be affected, think again. Many designers have been able to provide residents with award-winning style garden arrangements and breezy areas where children may happily play.
The anticipation of many children as well as parents is that there must be plenty of room to play. This translates generally as an abundance of green lawn. The thought of throwing a garden into the mix is somewhat doubtful to many, since this means the lawn area may be scaled down to some degree. However the thoughtful landscape designer is quite aware that if elements of the right design are included a beautiful garden can be affected as well as an ideal play space — even if it is not as open an area as the residents had hoped. However, if the correct principles of design are used there should be plenty of space where the family can enjoy all sorts of sports and games.
Generally, starting out with a design scheme incorporating a great deal of locations used for various purposes will require the landscaper to be very thoughtful and creative. In other words, the drawing board is generally blank as it pertains to the area of the garden, particularly if the property dwellers are not used to the visual of a garden. Also if the house comes with a pool the designer will need to ensure it is safe and secure and generally a redo of design may be needed. When incorporating the pool aspect naturally the style of the house needs to be kept in the back of the mind of the landscape designer, since the pool area needs to neatly flow from the residential interior.
In adding visual interest consideration must be given as to where the greatest opportunity for the viewing of the showcase garden exists. If the house is contemporary and two-story for example that area might be upstairs. The landscaper needs to take into consideration from what area of the house residents and guests attain glimpses of the garden arrangement and make certain that the presentation is very eye-appealing from that angle.
The shape generally of a masterful garden-design should be geometric. Everything must be proportionately harmonized. The interior of the home must be easily exited onto the back of the property and into the garden area.
Around a pool in a stylish estate setting, raised Mediterranean flower beds with transparent gating can extend from a terrace area. Again, this is an illustration of flow and security — especially when fencing would look detracting or inappropriate. As far as safety is concerned, pool fencing can be kept discreet by way of trees, foliage and blossoming exotic-style flowers. When the pool area is viewed from the house a Mediterranean style garden that surrounds is the effect providing layers of texture and interest. Needless to say beyond this point is plenty of green lawn behind the pool/garden arrangement for children to play without the necessity to worry the children’s activities will disturb the Mediterranean-style oasis.
#29. Flowers Make a Definite Impact
Many gardeners attest to the fact that not only is flower gardening extremely enjoyable it is not in the least bit difficult. Persons involved in gardening for awhile will exclaim their joy at seeing the flowers they’ve planted burst into bloom. Also the scent adds to the atmosphere within the backyard setting. Many gardeners now like to try organic gardening.
In order to get started your organic garden requires essentials such as a soil composition that is healthy; plenty of sunlight; watering on a scheduled basis; natural fertilization; and naturally the utmost of care supplied by the gardener. However, before purchasing supplies it is important to give some thought to what you want in your garden.
You probably will wish to keep your garden full of color throughout the year. In this regard you will need to select foliage and flower plants as to their longevity and times of the year they bloom. For example, annual flowers are easy enough to grow and attain flowers; however, they only live one year. Evergreen plants enjoy a life span which is considerably longer than annuals however you often need to wait two years before you see flowers. The objective is to find plants that will provide nice blooms during their growing season and once faded other plants appropriate for the next portion of the year replace them.
Also within your garden of flowers you are best advised to group smaller plants together rather than match and mix them with larger flowered plants. This will provide your garden arrangement with interesting visuals including varying degrees of shade and height. The differences as far as texture and placement will make your garden all the more eye-appealing.
Annuals when planted within nutrient rich heavier soil compositions will require no fertilization. The exception is when the annuals are placed in containers; then fertilization is required. The reason the latter is true is because the soil in containers is readily depleted of essential plant nutrients - and because of this the plant needs to be replanted from time-to-time.
Consider also when purchasing plants of the evergreen variety you will need to add compost and mulch several times during the season of growth. Here again, this is important because the plant will take much in the way of nutrients from the soil for a span of several years. However as a cautionary suggestion when adding the mulch and compost it is best not to overdo it. If you add too much you can cause deterioration to the root system. This same cautionary word of advice applies to the flowers as well since you can burn the flowers as a result of too much organic material.
When you go to water evergreen variety plants make it a practice to water deeper (and less frequently) toward the root level. The idea is that by providing watering applications as described you will train or motivate the root system to grow deeper into the ground thereby establishing the plant as hardier. Also this aspect will serve the plant well when seasonal conditions are drier than anticipated.
When you place your annual flowers on a watering schedule ensure they are provided moisture on a weekly basis. You should water them just enough to maintain moisture within the soil. Too much moisture is just as damaging as not enough.
You will also need to remove flowers that have faded. This encourages your flowering plant to grow more flowers. Once the plants have flowered pollination occurs and as a result there is seed. When you take away faded blooms this signals the plant to produce even more flowers. In this light, you receive the enjoyment of even more beautiful blooms on your flowering plants.
#30. Designing Flower Beds
Many people who are new to designing flower beds will testify that designing plant beds can be a bit intimidating at first. The best way to take away the intimidation factor is to gain knowledge by performing some online research. Additionally, visit some communal or local gardening spots and look over a great number of shrubs and other types of plants. Take time to read the tags of the plants you view and ask the nursery attendant the best way to care for the plants you are most interested in. You might even share some of your gardening design ideas with him or her and see how the nursery horticulturist processes the information provided and what advice is resultant. The smaller grower generally can provide good information to you relative to plant care.
Before embarking on the project, plan dimensionally for the area you wish to create. As far as planting trees, include accordant to region possibly some trees or plants that do not shed their leaves in the fall, and other trees that shed their leaves prior to cold weather. Within this mix, include perennial flowers to jazz things up a bit as well as some interesting grasses. When you design your garden ensure the plants you select can not only favorably co-exist together, but also that the design of what you include in more formalized settings has good balance.
In order to make the view most pleasant, plant in uneven numbers and plant across the bed. If you plant a shrub in one particular spot and then another shrub in a randomly-selected area this makes for a disorganized appearance. You are better off to run your plants across the bed since the eye likes to view things from side to side. Also if you take one or two species of plants from one flower bed to the next one this will produce a nice visual appearance. An ornamental plant is a good selection for employing a dash of color. However, before you plant anything read up as to how big the tree or plant will become upon maturity and then plant it in the appropriate location.
Many persons prefer the evergreen shrub since it does not shed its leaves and adds some color even during the bleakest periods of the cold winter months. Another suggestion is to create island beds within your backyard. The plants provided here must add some dimension without causing obstruction.
#31. Design Ideas to Match Lifestyle
There are many factors to consider when designing a space with respect to the back of your property. Not only is landscaping relative to the architectural-style of your house but what you incorporate into it is also determined by other factors such as family-time. For example, if you have a block which is fairly large and the area is right you may wish to include a small pond with fish, especially if grandchildren visit often. If your family structure includes small children then you might wish to set up play areas in certain locations within your backyard landscape design.
Some persons like the idea of installing walking paths wherein they and their guests can stroll through peaceful garden areas within the backyard. These magical paths are invigorated with all kinds of plant life and the area can be small if your yard is not particularly roomy. If you wish to add more balance to your environment and your house is considered classic-style architecture a good sampling of the appropriate sized trees and shrubs is probably a good recommendation. Shrubs placed in the right location can add a good deal of symmetry to a property line.
Revisiting the idea of a play area for children; one recommendation is the “retro-style” tree house. Another idea if you are considering a more rustic vibe is a play set made out of wood. While the children are at play, you can be tending a delightful garden full of color and continual bloom. One way to effect the continuation of blooms is to arrange things so that when one kind of flower plant starts to fade another with a different blooming season is ready to spring into bloom. Also a vegetable garden is a recommendation for the amateur chef. There are many vegetables that look very attractive when in bloom or when the fruit is ripening, so you need not feel that a vegetable garden should be hidden.
Some of the suggestions provided give you an idea as to versatility of backyard landscaping. In conclusion, the best course of action is to plan your landscaping in accordance with the architectural style of your house while including other elements such as a) how you entertain; b) whom you entertain or have over as guests; c) immediate family considerations; and d) places wherein you impart your own brand or personality such as a colorful flower gardens with inviting walkways and/or a vegetable garden—if that is what you prefer.
#32. Creating a Comfortable Retreat
Providing your backyard with a redo can serve two worthwhile purposes: it can create a nice outdoor, private retreat and it can increase the property value of your home. Landscaping ideas are found all over the Internet and as well you can attain an abundance of ideas from many gardening publications and landscaping periodicals.
In other words, there is quite a bit of information to process with respect to landscaping ideas for your backyard. If things seem a bit overwhelming rest assured that even the slightest change in landscaping can provide an enormous impact on your property’s appearance. So even if you just settled on a few ideas the redo may be looked upon as considerable. Here are some sensational ideas that can make an immediate difference as to the visual appeal and functionality of your backyard.
Many persons like to add niceties such as outdoor-styled kitchens and sunrooms for entertainment purposes. Naturally if you like to have cookouts the kitchen idea is a terrific suggestion for you. Further, a sunroom provides a nice retreat when your day has proven hectic. Provide a nice view such as a colorful garden and this makes the idea even better.
If the sunroom or kitchen idea hasn’t caught hold, another suggestion is to increase the size of your existing terrace area. This is an especially good suggestion if you like to entertain; the larger size terrace allows you to create several conversation areas. Guests like the idea that they can form small-sized groups and can conduct different conversations respective of t