PHOTO CREDIT: Novalis Plants that Work. Starting a garden space begins with a list of ways the space will be enjoyed when completed, a list of plants to suit the need, and an action plan for installation.

(ARA) – Setting out to create a garden that is uniquely one’s own is an exciting yet overwhelming process for many homeowners. The goal should be to build a space that is beautiful, comfortable and convenient for personal use and enjoyment. Having a plan is important to aid any project, whether homeowners prefer large garden beds and borders or smaller container gardens.

“Plants are the lifeblood of every garden, with their ability to constantly evolve and surprise with the seasons,” says Linda Guy, new product development director for Novalis Plants that Work. Successfully blending living plants with the inert objects they surround, like decks, fences, walkways, walls and containers, takes persistence but is conversely enjoyable.

With the help of plant consortium Novalis Plants that Work, garden design and maintenance takes on a whole new dimension. Guy travels the world to search for exciting new plants. She and the Novalis grower network have dedicated themselves to helping homeowners become successful gardeners by providing easy-care “plants that work” for diverse conditions.

Build Layers for Depth

A good place to start in creating a plan for large garden beds and borders is to choose trees and shrubs for the foundation. Building a solid basis visually anchors the garden bed with a background, providing substance and maintaining interest with layers of plants in varying heights and sizes. Characteristics for year-round appeal include flowers, fruit, berries, spring foliage, fall foliage, texture and structure.

With a goal of horticulture how-to education for homeowners, Novalis established its Plants that Work line to cultivate ornamental shrubs, perennials, vines, and small trees that offer homeowners options for starting successful foundation gardens. Two such varieties Guy recommends include the fast-growing Diervilla ‘Cool Splash,’ a foliage plant with variegated green and white leaves, and Hydrangea ‘White Diamonds,’ boasting large white flowers.

PHOTO CREDIT: Novalis Plants that Work. Plants like Diervilla "Cool Splash" from Novalis Plants that Work make great additions to the garden for year-round appeal with variegated, colorful foliage throughout spring, summer and fall.

“Consider planting small ornamental trees at each corner to draw the eye outward and add texture and height to the garden,” Guy says. “Tall plantings at the corners help soften the edges and tie the look of the space together.” She suggests Acer ‘Shirazz,’ an upright maple featuring burgundy variegated foliage.

Next, build out the garden with a second layer of varied sizes of shrubs and perennials with different bloom times. The Hypericum Mystical Series offers the appeal of berries for color and texture. Planting specific varieties in a range of foliage, blooms or berries will allocate a distinctive medley of styles all year.

Accent with Color

Homeowners who love colorful gardens will enjoy annuals, like Geranium ‘Angel Eyes Orange’ in the front layers of their flower beds and in containers for bursts of color throughout the landscape. Guy suggests picking plants with diverse shades and tints like ones her horticulture colleges grow for the Plants that Work by Color rich-hue line.

“For attention-grabbing impact, position colorful perennials in descending order of mature height, with the tallest in back, then mid-sized plants, and the shortest plants in front,” Guy advises. “Then, group three of the same perennials, like Phlox ‘Cotton Candy’ or Bletilla ‘Chinese Butterfly’ in triangular arrangements throughout open areas.”

For smaller areas or where gardens need touches of color and appeal, the Novalis team created Plants that Work in Nooks & Crannies. These diverse plants fit in small-scale applications, like containers, the front layer of garden beds, along walkways and on green roofs. “Challenged with bare patches or weeds that grow up in pathway crevices, home gardeners can use succulents and other small-stature Plants that Work in Nooks & Crannies because they grow in the toughest conditions,” Guy advises.

Choose Plants Carefully

Once homeowners have a plan for filling in the different layers of their landscapes, it is important plants are designated for the right areas. “Consider the available space and the sun that space receives each day,” Guy says. “Size and sun are two important considerations when planning a garden,” Guy and her team have developed the Plants that Work in the Shade and Bring on the Heat lines to take the guesswork out of plant selection. For full sun gardens expecting high humidity, homeowners can look to Bring on the Heat varieties like Baptisia ‘Carolina Moonlight’ with high drought tolerance.

Most homeowners want outdoor spaces to be relaxing sanctuaries, and privacy is crucial. Blocking distracting views is an important goal in a landscape plan. Guy suggests Plants that Work’s line of screening bamboo, including Phyllostachys bissetti, a vigorous timber bamboo with dark, emerald-green canes and leaves.

“Homeowners can use bamboo to shield sunlight, as a privacy screen, hedge or windbreak,” Guy says. “Bamboo is sustainable and produces more oxygen, offering a soothing, cooling effect.” Picking plants based on meeting homeowner needs is the start to a logical and enjoyable space.

To learn more about Novalis Plants that Work programs and varieties that will work in each region, visit www.plantsthatwork.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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If you are doing any type of home renovation, you may have some leftover items that you have torn out of your hose.  Usually, these items wind up in a trash heap but if you take some time, you can use many of those items in and around your garden.  One of these innovative items is the old kitchen sink (or bathroom sink for that matter) used as a planter.

These can make an excellent raised planter in a rock garden or an interesting focal point in any garden.

What you need:

• an old sink
• hypertufa
• PVC adhesive
• mesh netting
• course sand
• liquid fertilizer
• soil mix (gritty is best)
• rocks
• plants (usually a dozen works well but it depends on the size of your sink and what overall effect you are looking for)
• optional:  stone chips
  

Directions:

1. Clean out the sink thoroughly.  Make sure there is no grease or left over residue in it.
2. After the sink has dried, cover it with hypertufa.  You do this by coating the outside of the sink in adhesive and then applying the hypertufa.  Repeat with  rim and the inside to about a third of the way down.  The hypertufa should be seamless but not smooth.
3. Allow it to dry.
4. Brush the hypertufa with the liquid fertilizer.  This encourages the growth of algae on the outside of your newest container.
5. Place the sink where you would like it to go before you begin adding soil and plants.
6. Cover the drain with the mesh wire and fill it with roughly 4 inches of course sand.
7. Fill halfway with the soil.  If you are using rocks, place them in the sink and then fill the remainder of the soil in.
8. Place the flowers and plants where you want them.
9. Cover the soil with the sand or you can use the same ground cover that you use in your rock garden such as stone chips.

And just like that you have a unique container and more importantly, not only did you recycle but it gave you a reason to renovate that kitchen.

Sirena Van Schaik

Photo Credit

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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

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Troy-Bilt, a leading manufacturer of lawn and garden equipment, predicts that in 2007, gardens will continue to be viewed as an extension of the family room and grow in their role as an outdoor entertaining destination.

Following are tips to ensure your garden is the talk of the neighborhood this coming year.

* Less is more — Whether it’s a rose garden on a rooftop patio or an herb garden in the kitchen, gardeners are transforming any available space into green wonderlands. And, they are finding that creating many small gardens provides them a unique opportunity to experiment.

* Add a touch of flair — Since gardens are intimate domains, many gardeners are individualizing their spaces with bird feeders, fountains, waterfalls, ponds, statues, globes — even lights. But don’t go overboard. Remember — less is more.

* Traditional container gardening is out — For the past few years, container gardens, or potted plants that line stairways, walkways and pools, have been the craze. Although plants in pots are still popular, gardeners are beginning to mix and match colored pots with bunches of various plants and flowers for a drastic but simple backyard makeover.

* Color is in — The hottest garden accessory for 2007 is color. Hot hues add contrast to a space and can help hide dull outdoor furniture. Besides colorful plants, shrubs and flowers, try adding various shapes, colors and sizes of garden pots throughout the space for depth and dimension.

* It’s about you — A garden is an intimate experience that should reflect your style. It’s a form of self-expression that focuses on your individuality, creativity and confidence. Remember, a garden is an extension of your home and should mimic your tastes.

For more tips, visit www.troybilt.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Unfortunately, at this point in time, your backyard is nothing but a patch of dirt with the remnants of some struggling grass here and there.  Also visible are some of the landscape failures and faux pas of yesteryear, barely hanging on to life.  What can you do differently this year to avoid the pitfalls of last year?

It is not necessary to be adept at garden design in a class with the garden artists at Sissinghurst Castle. What you do need, however, is some basic knowledge of plant needs, soils, and watering patterns in your yard. The best way to start is by drawing some plans of your yard.

What does your yard really look like?  Is it a square, an oval, perhaps an L-shape? 

Once you have your basic garden shape, decide on one or more focal points.  Yes, focal points are very important in garden design!  A focal point will draw the visitor’s eyes and allows it to highlight a particularly striking feature of the garden.  You want to keep in mind that the focal point needs to be proportionate to the overall size of the garden itself.

If you wish to entertain in your garden, decide where a good spot for a barbecue will be.  Will you simply have a portable barbecue, or will you want to build a permanent fixture?

Once you have decided on how to utilize your space effectively it is time to take a look at your soil.  Is it acidic?  Is it dead?  Is it hard?  Is it soft and lush?  Probably the best step, before planting or constructing anything, is the step of making your soil a welcoming habitat for plants and shrubs.  You will need to cultivate it by breaking up hard areas, and adding compost, manure, or other substances to your soil to make it fit for growing plants.  This is also a good time to fix any leaking or broken sprinklers to make sure all your plants will get adequate watering.

Now that your soil is prepared, it is time to sketch out the focal points.  In truth, garden design is all about focal points!  There are a large variety of items that could become focal points in your landscape:

Perhaps the soft gurgling sound of a fountain is a focal point you desire in your landscape.  Several different sizes, shapes and models are available.  You may have a free standing fountain or one that is mounted to a wall.  The latter will look stunning with discreet garden lights trained on it in the evenings, and with assorted flowers surrounding it. Since the sizes are so varied, a fountain is an excellent focal point for any size garden.

If you have a larger yard to work with, and don’t mind the occasional maintenance associated with it, then a garden pond may be a wonderful addition to your landscape. Because of the different shapes and sizes, these ponds lend themselves to become their own gardens altogether, since there are a large number of plants that love living in a pond. If you are truly ambitious, then the addition of koi fish is a possibility as well.

Garden sculptures are another kind of focal point that usually works extremely well with the addition of plants.

Since plants are a surefire way of completing a focal point, it is important to think through the different plants you are going to cultivate in your garden. You want taller plants in the background, while smaller plants are in front.  Beware of plants that send out suckers or spread widely!  Instead, focus on plants that bloom, preferably at different times of the year to ensure that you will always have something in bloom in your yard. The staff of nurseries will be a wellspring of information on the subject, and they will be able to match up your landscape conditions with plants that will thrive in them, not just survive.

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