Savvy Gardening: Garden Ideas, Tips, Pictures, and More » Flower Gardening

Unusual Containers

Sirena Van Schaik — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:28:31 +0000

Last year as I was wandering around my local garden center, I spotted the most unusual container that was an immediate must have for me. I quickly went and picked up the container, hoisted it to a worker to get the price, only to find out that the containers were made special for a client. I was heartbroken and just as I was getting ready to leave, the worker came up to me and said she had found one extra that I could have. I was overjoyed and took my little planter home and gave it a place of honor amongst my other planters.

It wasn’t that the planter was particularly beautiful with a black plastic that looked like several small tires stacked on top of each other but it was the original idea behind it. I had actually gone on the sole purpose of finally buying the impatients in the hanging bag, something that I had wanted for several years but kept forgetting to buy, and it ended up that for another year I was missing out on the impatients. The newest container was done in a similar style to those of the impatients except it was a hard plastic tube like container that had holes cut out of it and a white pipe running down the center of it. Shooting out of the holes in black plastic was streptocarpella, also known as Lady Slippers, in a deep blue. It was a beautiful contrast of blue, green and black and made an excellent addition to my patio.

The white tube was perforated and you watered the container by pouring the water down the tube; the water then dispersed throughout the soil for complete saturation.

My garden center offers new plantings each year as long as I drop off the planter in the fall and pick it up in the spring. Unfortunately, fall is a busy time of year for me and I missed the deadline for the drop off. I also forgot to plant my own seeds in the spring (I know I was on the ball this year) so when I realized that I had this unique planter to play with, I was at the garden center picking out some annuals for the new season.

This is when I had a stroke of genius. The garden center didn’t have any Lady Slippers so I decided to buy some Lobelia and some miniature pansies. I filled the planter myself with the Lobelia coming out of the holes and the pansies finishing off the top. I was very happy with what I had finished with that I wanted to share.

If you would like to make one yourself, find a tube like container, or make one yourself and cut wholes around the width and up the length of it. Fill it potting soil until the lowest hole, put in a young plant of your choice, and secure it with more potting soil. When you get about 2 or 3 inches of soil, plant a white tube with holes drilled into it, in the center of the planter. Make sure you duct tape the bottom so it doesn’t fill up with soil. Continue to do fill in with soil and plants until all the holes are filled. Top it off with the same plant or another one.

After a while, the plant should spread out to cover the entire planter. The pictures that I took of mine are after only two weeks and they are starting to cover very nicely. Next year I will try to get it in in time or at the very least try for the Lady Slippers again since the effect was wonderful.

Happy Gardening

Sirena Van Schaik

Taking a Page from Nature

Sirena Van Schaik — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:50:45 +0000

This weekend, I went for a nice long hike with my family for Father’s Day. It was a nice day, not too warm and the shade from the trees provided the perfect backdrop for tranquil moods. Sunlight filtered through the trees leaving little pools of yellow light on the forest floor and the earth around us was a cascade of greens and browns. Large ferns nestled in between the dark browns of decaying trees and wild flowers found a spaces of sunlight to stretch out there weary petals and grab hold of the faint rays.

It was beautiful and it got me thinking about elements that I would like to see in my garden. That in turn made me think about sharing those ideas with you, the readers of Savvy Gardening. So what exactly am I getting at? It’s simple, when you are designing your own garden, take a few minutes to take some things from nature.

Okay, I probably lost you there since nature is abundant in a garden but I mean it in a more inspirational way. Have you ever taken a photograph of a forest path? When you stop and look at the pictures you can look at it and find a haphazard mess with trees leaning everywhere and plants growing wherever there is space and sunlight. It might not be the exact image that you have for a garden but if you stop and take a closer look you can find so many points that you could incorporate into your garden.

Forest ferns may provide the perfect shade of green in one corner of your garden. The path that gently meanders around trees that are hundreds of years old may provide you with a layout for your own garden path. The carefree sprinkling of wild flowers can give you an array of colors to pull out of the picture and into your own garden. There are a million ways to be inspired from nature around us an it is very easy to start using the nature in your yard to build up flower beds and ponds.

For me, I have already decided on incorporating a few more ferns, adding a few more trees and I have plotted out a patch in my yard where I would like to plant wildflowers. The hike has given me endless inspiration and that is really what you should pull from nature; the inspiration to create a garden of untold delights.

Happy Gardening,

Sirena Van Schaik

‘Cooking’ with Containers: Container-friendly Plant Combination Recipes

Jennifer — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:40:05 +0000

When spring has sprung, the chill of winter has gone, cooking up plant container combination recipes can invite life back into to the garden. Plants add colorful texture, contrast and variety to an array of outdoor spaces.

“Container gardening gives homeowners the opportunity to create striking results for their outdoor living areas without a great deal of time commitment or difficulty,” says Dan Heims, co-owner of Terra Nova Nurseries in Canby, Ore. “Whether a novice or seasoned gardener, incorporating the appropriate mix or combination of plants to containers is the most effective way to experience lasting results.”

Designed by Heims and his team of horticulturists at Terra Nova Nurseries, these four container recipes will enliven even the shabbiest of winter-hardened locales this spring and summer:

“Twist of Lime”

Ingredients:
Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’
Xanthosoma ‘Lime Zinger’
Heuchera ‘Mahogany’
Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’

The stunning, chartreuse, elephant’s ear leaves of Xanthosoma ‘Lime Zinger’ stand out, adding height and a tropical flare to containers; its leaves reach 3 to 4 feet across. The gorgeous form of golden Japanese Forest Grass that is Hakonechola ‘All Gold’ has arching, graceful, upright, and spiky foliage, adding texture and bright color to this container combination. “The glossy, mahogany-red, ruffled foliage of Heuchera ‘Mahogany’ produces wonderful, dense, shiny tones year-round,” says Heims. Heuchera ‘Lime Ricky’ has chartreuse spring leaves, which turn to lime-green, showy, ruffled leaves for the remainder of the year. This recipe can brighten even the shadiest of spaces.

“Dawn to Dusk”

Ingredients:
Heuchera ‘Marmalade’
Begonia ‘River Nile’
Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’
Athyrium ‘Dre’s Dagger’

Stunning, rich, shiny, undulating foliage adorn Terra Nova Nurseries’ Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ in ranges of color from umber to deep-sienna with hot-pink undersides. Begonia ‘River Nile’ produces distinguishing chartreuse leaves with heavily edged black or red-brown. Its leaf edges are ruffled while the leaf bases swirl inward to the leaf center. The compact plant of Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’ has burnished black leaves, which are thickly spotted, hot-pink in spring. Its summer leaves lighten with creamy-pink dots that adorn the foliage. The narrow, deep-green fronds of Athyrium ‘Dre’s Dagger’ are crossed, coming to a narrow point with a terminal crest. Its statuesque form creates a dramatic quality in any container setting.

“Fun in the Shade”

Ingredients:
Heucherella ‘Stoplight’
Heuchera ‘Cinnabar Silver’
Polemonium ‘Stairway to Heaven’
Eucomis ‘Oakhurst’
Corydalis ‘Berry Exciting’

Bright-yellow leaves and a large, stoplight-like red blotch embellish Heucherella ‘Stoplight’ in spring. The remarkable, purple-metallic leaves of Heuchera ‘Cinnabar Silver’ transform to silver, giving rise to striking cinnabar-red flowers. Because it is a compact plant with flowers that bloom just above the leaves, it is an excellent choice in container gardens. A favorite of Heim’s, Polemonium ‘Stairway to Heaven’ has broad, bold, cream, variegated foliage with 12-inch stems bearing light-blue flowers; it is an exceptionally hardy, large-leafed, showy selection of Polemonium. The thick, fleshy, broadly linear leaves of Eucomis ‘Oakhurts’ form in a spear-like rosette with a pineapple-like array of purple flowers in late summer. ‘Oakhurst’ is a strong, red-purple form that creates an impact in containers. A vigorous, spreading Corydalis with succulent stems and gold, ferny leaves on a wide-spreading plant, ‘Berry Exciting’ produces fragrant, purple flowers.

“Purple Passion”

Ingredients:
Colocasia ‘Black Magic’
Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’
Begonia ‘Benitochiba’
Heuchera ‘Black Beauty’

“One of the few ‘true blacks’ of the plant world,” says Heims, “the exotic form of Colocasia ‘Black Magic’ is tropical in appearance and loves moisture, making it superb for container gardens located around ponds or other water sources. ‘Jack Frost’ is a lovely Brunnera with silvered foliage on heart-shaped leaves with green veining and edged with a green border. The large, palmate leaves of Begonia ‘Benitochiba’ are a metallic, rose-red color; it is shrubby and self-branching with pint flowers and an upright cane-stem. The dark, glossy, ruffled leaves of Heuchera ‘Black Beauty’ are somewhat upright, catching sun from any direction. Attractive year-round and easy to grow, Terra Nova Nurseries’ horticulturists recommend it as a striking accent in the Purple Passion container recipe.

“Creating beautiful container gardens using various plant selections, colors, and textures is a therapeutic and enjoyable leisure activity for the whole family,” says Heims.

To learn about more plant container recipes, log onto www.terranovanurseries.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Flower Gardening: Making A Beautiful Ascent For The Yard

Jennifer — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 05:25:08 +0000

Having not only a well manicured yard, but the additional focal point of a flower garden is a wonderful way to enhance your yard. Flower gardening not only can make the yard more beautiful; it can become a hobby that can be enjoyed through out the years to come.

Flower Gardening: Selecting A Design

When beginning to look into flower gardening, take some time to evaluate the space available. If the yard is small make sure to leave some area for grass to help balance the space.

In a larger yard, combine the space with flowers and shrubs to help keep the yard from feeling empty of design. Shrubs can be a great way to help border the flower garden and many even have flowers on them to add to the color of the garden.

Once you have an idea in mind about how much of the yard will be dedicated to the flower garden, you can use string or even spray paint to draw out the design. This can give you a complete visual of the how the flower garden will look.

Make sure to get the appropriate type of soil for the flower garden. When jumping into flower gardening, it is important to learn about the different soil conditions that occur. Different areas have different soil needs and a gardening center can help direct you to the appropriate type of soil enhancer for your garden.

Flower Gardening: Selecting Flowers

When flower gardening, often people make the mistake of purchasing flowers that all bloom at the same time of year. When visiting a nursery to select flowers, take the time to find flowers that bloom at different times of the year.

It is important when flower gardening to have a display of flowers that is in constant bloom. This will make your flower garden a spectacular display for the entire spring, summer and fall. Spring flowers like tulips and daffodils come in lovely red, whites and even blue hues. There are many summer flowers that cover the entire spectrum of colors and fall flowers can be found that come in intense colors of yellow, rust and deep reds, these really do make a great addition to the flower garden. When flower gardening, make sure that the garden is alive with color all season.

A garden center is one of the best places to learn about what flowers are good for your area and climate. Flower gardening is not only fun, but with a little effort can make your yard the envy of the neighborhood.

Getting Into Flower Gardening

Jennifer — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:23:44 +0000

A lot of people love to stop and smell the flowers and to admire them but not a lot of people understand the hard work that goes into flower gardening. Flower gardening is certainly just as hard as any other type of gardening and sometimes, even harder. There is a lot of planning and maintenance that has to be done to make sure your flower gardening adventure is a true success. There is a lot more to flower gardening besides just throwing some seeds down and sprinkling some water on the plants.

Unlike a regular garden full of veggies, the flower garden has a purpose of looking good. A regular garden just has to grow the veggies and does not ever have to be pretty when doing it. But when planning to start into flower gardening, a person must stop and plan a lot of things like light, shade, watering, heights of different plants and whether or not the plants that they like can live close to each other. There are certain plants out there that would block out and kill other plants so the gardener must beware.

The Tasks Of Flower Gardening

Once your efforts in flower gardening have taken off and there are products of your hard work all around you, it is important to keep a watchful eye on your flowers. There are so many bugs out there just waiting and willing to take a big bite out of that pretty purple petal the moment you turn your back. And that is why so many people turn to chemicals when flower gardening in order to protect their hard work. No one wants to step out of their house one morning to see tiny little holes punctured through all of the pretty petals of their flowers. That would surely be the worst thing that could happen to someone involved in flower gardening.

But you will want to be careful before using such chemicals because if your flowers are anywhere near plants that produce foods then you could be poisoning yourself or others. Also make sure to read the labels carefully as some chemicals are not harmful after they dry on the plant leaves, petals, and on the soil but others can remain a danger. If there are ever dogs or cats that roam the neighborhood, you could be killing those poor pets and all you wanted to do was be a success at flower gardening.

Enjoying Your Flower Gardening Chores

Jennifer — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 02:52:37 +0000

As everyone realizes, flower gardening can be a continuous chore. You are constantly pulling weeds or pruning flower tops as well as pulling dead blooms. Your garden is something to be proud of and you want it to look its best. Keeping the flower gardening chores to a minimum might require putting down some weed blocking sheets.

Weed Blocking Sheets In A Flower Garden

Something that people use in a flower garden is weed-blocking sheets. These sheets prevent weeds from growing in the garden thus reducing your flower gardening chores to a minimum. How do you plant your flowers you might wonder? After placing the sheets over the dirt, you simply cut holes in the sheets were you would plant your flowers.

Sometimes wood chips or rocks are used to cover the weed blocking sheets in a flower garden. This adds to the beauty of the garden and helps to block weeds from trying to grow underneath. Flower gardening with the right materials and tools always results in a beautiful array of color and design.

Flower Gardening Tools

To care for your flower garden you will need a hand spade, three-prong hand rake and a pair of gloves. Flower gardening requires working the soil around the base of the plants and the rake works well for this type of work. The hand spade helps loosen the soil and dig a small hole to plant the flowers. All flower gardening should be done with safety, therefore a pair of flower gardening gloves would be advised.

Flower Gardening Flowers

You can have many different flowers in your garden and here are a few of the popular ones that many people choose:

Roses
Petunias
Daisies
Tulips
Carnations
Coleus

Whatever it is you plant in your garden will need care. Flower gardening for some is relaxing and many people create their gardens around a gazebo or a few benches so they can sit and enjoy the scenery. The scents that come from the flowers also attracts insects and wildlife, therefore you made need an insecticide to protect the area.

Some people use wild flowers as a way to cover their garden areas. These types of flowers need less care than the other flowers. They grow hardy in the garden and usually over power the weeds ending the need for flower gardening maintenance. Ideally, when you select wildflowers as a garden cover, you will have an array of color. For the most part, you will have a returning garden every year.