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Drive Yourself Up A Wall With Vertical Gardens
The great thing about vertical gardening is that you can do a lot while not taking up too much space. It’s ideal for small property lots – even for things like apartment balconies.
What can be done with a vertical garden?
- Decorate a bathroom – How’s that for using a tight space?
- Decorate a hallway – This can really wake up a sleepy office environment.
- Create an edible garden wall – Now, that is class and style rolled together. The food is actually used on site. Can’t get fresher than that!
- Use bamboo shoots for vertical planters – A stunningly obvious idea when you see it. They cut sections out of bamboo to make it a column of little planter spaces, then planted small decorative plants in them.
One more site to share is Jungle Walls, with lots of video footage and images for inspiration. You might never want to garden on flat land again!
Rock Landscaping Rocks!
We always like seeing the humble rock get its fair due in landscaping discussions. There is so much more to landscaping with rock than just dropping a few boulders around – a well-thought-out landscape design that incorporates rock is a work of art. You can invoke a quiet mountain stream, a rough desert canyon, a natural grotto, a magic troll forest, or anything else you can imagine.
Healthy Home Smart has some tips on getting started with rock landscaping. And now for some decorative ideas: Check out these photos from Rock & Rose for just some of the expression that rock can do. Here’s a tip on how to make moss grow on your landscape rocks and garden statuary. And one last bit of inspiration, how to use rock landscaping to deal with run-off water and be beautiful at the same time.
A Whimsical Post About Garden Gnomes
Tiny guy, white beard, red pointy hat, usually dressed in worker’s clothes: these ceramic statues have been frolicking around on lawns, in gardens, and all over the yards of suburban cities all over the world. There’s a garden gnome blog, Gnome Town USA. Travelocity uses one for their official mascot. Meanwhile, the website Free the Gnomes! seems to be out to shut down the rampant spread of the little Tolkienesque statues.
Would you believe all this started in the mid-1880s? That was in Thuringia, Germany, where a ceramics-crafter by the name of Philip Griebel made the first terracotta gnomes, which were originally sold along with a folk myth about how they’d help out in the garden at night (for what? scaring away snails?). They spread across Germany to France, and eventually to England, when Sir Charles Isham brought the first set of 12 along with him on his trip to the UK in 1847.
Their whimsy is so infectious that they’re actually the target of a popular prank, which originated in Australia in the 1980s. Known as “gnoming,” it’s the act of stealing a gnome, photographing it at various famous landmarks, and returning it along with the photos of its “vacation,” as if it suddenly got an itchy foot on its own. According to the Regular
Shorts feature of the Sydney Morning Herald on September 24, 1986: “An Eastern suburbs gnome-owner was distressed when she discovered her gnome had been stolen at the weekend. A note was found in its place: “Dear mum, couldn’t stand the solitude any longer. Gone off to see the world. Don’t be worried, I’ll be back soon. Love Bilbo xxx.” (We told you this was Tolkienesque!).
In fact, the resulting prank group, Garden Gnome Liberation Front, got their start this way. Officially headquartered in France, they were the first to popularize the prank with the rest of the world, and legend has it that that’s where Travelocity got it’s inspiration for their ad campaign.
As for our part, we still think they’re just a hybrid between a Hobbit and a bleached Smurf. Make up your minds, will you?
A Touch of Zen With Japanese Landscaping
We stumbled on this photo essay on Japanese gardens and, after basking in the beauty, asked ourselves what it is about the Japanese style that’s so appealing?
Part of it has to do with Japan’s national culture. Japan is an island and for much of its history kept to itself, so they became experts at making a lot of beauty happen in a very small space. Then, too, oriental philosophies emphasize harmony with nature, so they gently coax the Earth to produce it’s own order instead of imposing human order onto nature. And finally, in Japanese aesthetics the emphasis is on tranquility above all else.
Here’s another great link on an important tip on Japanese landscaping by using background scenery. Here is a fantastic write-up on the Japanese gardens of nobility. And a catalog of Zen gardens, just for the inspiration value.
Landscape Gardening for a Living
You don’t have to live and breathe landscape gardening to have the basic knowhow to have a well maintained front yard. Though a profession in many countries, landscape gardening can also be taken to if you are partial to it. Landscaping has become a professional institution mainly to regulate the practise in order to ensure that the expertise is passed on from person to person. To be your own landscape designer though, all you require would be a green thumb and an eye for what goes where in your landscape design.
To have your very own landscaped garden, it is recommended that you hire a professional to handle the technicalities of it. The design on the other hand should be a personal reflection of your self and your home. There are many ways of incorporating various landscaping features in to your design in order to make it your ‘own’.
Landscaping features generally include various water features, lighting, sculptures and various other decorative elements of your landscape design.
It is also essential that you know your foliage and how to tend to it, if you are interested in landscape gardening for a living. There are various types of plants that require different irrigation methods and it is always essential that you know how to maintain them. Choose only what suits you and your landscape garden design.
How to Landscape Your Garden in order to Benefit Your Kids
You might enjoy taking a stroll down your yard sometimes, or perhaps engage in some gardening when time permits. However admittedly, it is children who most enjoy outdoor play, so when you landscape your garden, it is wise to keep their needs and safety in mind, whenever possible.
In a large garden, a small play-area can be included for your kids’ benefit. It can have simple items like a sand-pit or a swing; or something more elaborate like a mat-slide or a trampoline. It all depends on the extent of land you have, how much you are willing to spend and of course on how old your children are.
Safety is of paramount importance whenever small children are around, so if your garden has a swimming pool or a large pond, you should seriously consider putting up a fence or some form of barrier around the water-body, so that your kids will have access to that area, only when an adult is present, so that accidents can be minimized.
Also, small children in their eagerness to explore, would have no compulsion in tasting some of the pods, leaves or even flowers that are there in your garden, be they edible or not! Mostly, this would just leave a bad taste in their mouths, but there are poisonous plants around, so it is best, if you avoid having these in your garden, especially if small children (or pets) are around. After all, “prevention is (always) better than cure”.
Getting the Best Out of Soil when Landscaping
Soil is the crème de la crème of a healthy landscape and is therefore a factor that should be concentrated on the most. Soil that is ideal for landscaping is made from a fusion of mineral particles that decide on its nature. Most typical soils are either in the form of clay, sand or loam, based on the organic and inorganic substances within it. It is essential to know your soil in order to know how to treat it and how to recognize when something is wrong with it. Soil, is your landscapes baby so know what it is, who it is and for what it should be put to use.
Though a soil testing lab can tell you what category the soil in your garden belongs to, there are a few easy tips to figure it out for your self. Wet a clump of your soil. If it is loam, then it will crumble in to small clumps when squeezed and if it is clay, it will form a hard lump that cannot be disintegrated. Sandy soils on the other hand mix easily with water and create a sandy liquid concoction. Many experts believe that the best soil for landscaping is a combination of loam as it helps enhance growth. Clay and sandy soils on the other hand should be mixed with other organic substances such as manure or compost in order to truly thrive.
Evolution Of Landscape Gardening
Garden landscaping has been around for a long, long time. Ancient Greek gardens, ancient Egyptian gardens and of course the “hanging gardens of Babylon” bear ample testimony to this.
In ancient times, geometric patterns and formal garden design, dominated most landscapes. It was symbolic of man’s dominion over nature. Here, form, which indicates symmetry, alignment and order, takes precedence; and so plants were placed in an orderly manner, highlighting this “picture perfect” approach to gardening.
Later, in the 1700’s, the informal gardening style began its ascent to popularity. With this came the more natural, cottage gardens which appealed not just to the person’s intellect but to his heart. Some even considered the beginning of cottage gardens (with its rustic roots), to be a reactionary rebellion against the ruling classes of the time.
Now the trend is shifting to a minimalist gardening style. This is possibly due to the time constraints that you and I are faced with, in today’s busy world. Or perhaps it is because we prefer understatement, to ostentation and showmanship.
Also, today, travel has opened our eyes to the Japanese gardening concept, which some home-owners prefer to adopt, when landscaping their garden.
No matter what style or theme you choose when designing your garden, it is apparent that landscape gardening has evolved considerably over the years, and will continue to do so, to meet the changing tastes and needs of man.
DIY Benefits in Landscaping
How many times have you heard people tell you to go “Do It Yourself”? Well now’s your chance to outshine them all. Create and maintain your own landscape and show off to people exactly what you’re capable of. Landscaping is an ideal pastime for anyone as long as they are willing to get their hands muddy in order to see their gardens blossom into life. DIY landscaping projects are not limited to planting alone. Many consist of the creation of water features such as mini fountains and waterfalls, building attractive and innovative patios, decks, fences, arbors and even the construction of pathways in your landscape.
Creating your own landscape will also save you a lot of money. This is because an average landscaping project will usually cost in between $5-35 000! A DIY landscaping project is also ideal for individuals who love getting to know their gardens better and enjoy tending to it.
However it is also important to realize that though DIY landscaping projects are a success for many, there are some elements of a landscape design that require a professional. If you are doubtful or ignorant about proceeding with a certain task, then don’t do it. Doing it could make you damage your property and incur more cost that the advice from a professional. This though does not mean that landscaping cannot be done alone. Just have a healthy balance of DIY and L-Pro (landscaping professional) in order to create a picture perfect landscape for your home.
Dealing with Pets in your Garden
Are you finding it hard to establish a clear cut line between where you have to save your landscape from your pet and your pet from your landscape? Then this is the place for you to be. No pet likes to be cooped up in doors. No home owner wants their pet pooping indoors. So making your landscape safe for your pet is not a hassle, but a win- win situation.
First things first; be very aware of plants and flowers that are toxic to pets. Yes, you’d be surprised as to how many pretty plants that we grow can be fatal to a pet’s life. Never ever leave any metal edged or bladed gardening equipment in reach of your pets. Be mindful that an animal is like an infant in its oral stage, anything they see growing on the ground, goes right in to their mouths. Therefore if your landscape contains any artificial plants or grasses, do away with them, they are not worth risking your pet’s life and is therefore a minute sacrifice to make.
It is essential for one to know that compromises on your preferences and landscape design criteria are a must when landscaping with pets on board. Therefore you should let bygones be bygones and animals be animals and settle for establishing a harmonious setting for them both.
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