Archive for May, 2010
The Basics Of Designing Gardens
Just like the ad says “Just Do It”; this is exactly the perspective one needs in getting good at garden designs. You can always move plants around your gardens and as your ideas and taste change your gardens can grow with you. There are some simple elements of garden design. Think of designing your garden with living art in mind being creative and free to try whatever suits your taste. There are no limitations to the creativity that is within no comparison or fear of failure. Although gardening successfully requires learning certain skills when all is said and done a garden’s beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Just go for it and let your gardens be the expression of you.
Garden design and its principles used may be called by different names. There are three basic concepts when combined together will bring about good garden design. Ultimately your gardens’ design is up to you and should reflect your own personality and flare.
Order balance and proportion are the basic structure of the garden. Order is symmetrical through repeating plants or colors. Bold or bright additions bring balance as well as adding some texture. Texture is an important ingredient. Gardens come to life with different textured plants much like the human race. All different but flowing together and being brought together through unity and harmony creating comfort and peace. When all of the parts of the garden are flowing together it is captivating and ones’ spirit is caught up in the beauty.
Using a limited color pattern repetition of plants and a clear focal point creates this environment. Theme gardens are very soothing: all one color butterfly gardens or cross gardens keep you flowing in like unity. You’ll also hear a lot of talk about starting your garden with good bones. That basically means creating an outlining foundation with trees structures paths etc. for the rest of the garden to build off of. Evergreen is a favorite of the good bones.
Having a focal point is a big benefit for every garden. With no focal point the eye starts to wander here and there without every getting a grasp of a main feature. This is not creating the harmony you desire for your gardens or creating any curb appeal.
Beginning gardeners seem to pick the same flowers or foliage over and over again which has no visual interest. Planting an architectural bold leafed plant can restore this visual interest instead of the monotony of likeness.
Last but not least is adding color to your gardens. Experimenting with your favorite colors is a good way to see what works best for you. The best advice to heed though is to start out with 23 colors to keep the artist palette limited. You can always add new colors to your gardens by eyeballing it along the way. This way you keep the living painting flowing in the harmony you wish to relate. You will then have a peaceful retreat that you have created and enable others to share that intimate part of you.
About the writer: Get your FREE reports “Guide To Organic Gardening” plus “Rose Types and Care of Roses” and more by going to: http://gardeningwebguide.com
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Some Practical Ideas For Designing You Own Landscape
Landscape Design
Designing your own landscape can be both exciting and challenging. If you are considering such a project here are some practical ideas and suggestions.
Planning the Project
Planning your landscape design is the first and most important step. Take the time to gather the information you will need to make your decisions on the elements you wish to include in your landscape design. Will you want a deck patio foot paths walkways a pond? What type of plants trees flowers and ground cover will you want to use? You should research books articles and landscape design magazines to help you make these decisions. This will pay off in the end by saving you money time and frustration enabeling you end up with a beautifully finished project to be proud of.
The Design
The landscape design is your next step. You will need to make a layout of the area to be landscaped as close to scale as possible and with accurate measurements. Many landscape design planning guides that will give you stepbystep instructions are available on the internet for free and books or eBooks are abundant. Once your landscape design layout is done you can began to place your elements on the layout pad. This should be your first or preliminary plan and as you progess changes can be transfered to your secondary or updated plans. Changing your mind often is just fine. After all this is just on paper at this point and you have not spent any money or performed any labor yet. Experimenting with a few plans is necessary before you come up the final landscape design. A well planned landscape will never look the same in different seasons. Plan your landscape design to change with the seasons. You should attempt to design your landscape as maintenance free as possible.
Landscape Design Software
If it is hard for you to visualize your finished landscape design by just looking at your layout there is some very good landscape design software available. Much of the landscape design software was originally developed for professional landscapers but since has been modified for the beginner who wants to doitthemselves. There are many doityourslef landscape design software programs available today. Landscape design software lets you see a virtual picture of the landscape design and enables you to move items around and see the changes you make come to life. Some software allows you to import a photo of your home or building and designs the landscape around the photo. Most landscape design software programs offer advise on using and placing the many different elements available today in your landscape design. A well designed landscape will always change with time abd some of the landscape design software available will allow you to view your landscape as it matures. You can see what it will look like 5 or 10 years from now when the trees have grown and the plants matured.
Gardens
Many people like to incorparate a garden in their landscape design. Gardens can be tucked away in the corner of an area or be the focal point of the entire landscape design. Gardens can even be stragecly placed among the plants flowers and trees so they blend in with the entire landscape design. If you like to garden dont overlook all the garden design possiblities when planning your landscape design.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Landscape Design Ken Asselin is webmaster for the Article Selections Guide series of websites. His 40 plus years experience in retail marketing bring a fresh outlook to website development and promotion. You can visit his Landscape Designs site at: http://www.landscape.selectionsguide.com
Rocks In Your Garden Equal Garden Decor
There are many types of rocks that can be used in the garden.An investment of very little can really improve your garden. This can be achieved by Use of gravel on your garden walkways instead of bark or a retaining wall of stone instead of wood or metal. These will all add to your rock garden experience.There are flat rocks that come in the form of slate and shale which can be put into use for pavers and or divide and set off areas to display distinctive things in your garden like statues or other garden decor.
Its best to use rounded rocks for borders and flat rocks or gravel for the path. The creating of a path from nothing should make you think about a path that just wonders instead of a straight path. The time involved in a winding path really puts appeal at the forefront in your rock garden.The odd shaped rocks are good for retaining walls with a little planning and placement and there are the smooth rounded rocks found along creek beds that can be put to good use in rock garden border settings. When it comes to paths they are quite often unplanned and are just the result of necessity.If you make use of rocks in paths or trails you really do succeed in stopping your guests from widening your path and killing vegetation. This also adds to the beauty of the trail or path.
Retaining walls are great if your building a garden next to a flat yard patio and the garden
requires some height for soil depth. This can be done with some rounded or flat rocks or just a
flat 23 inch thick block available at your garden shop. If there is a large amount of rock
on your property why not use it to build walls or fences. This was done centuries ago in New
England and you can still see some of the results even today. You will not require mortar if your
rocks are large by wedging smaller stones to act as mortar. The use of smaller rocks will require
some masonry work and either you will need to learn some masonry techniques or hire someone who
has these skills.
The beauty of a rock patio and terrace is a better choice than use of wood in building a ground deck or terrace. The patio will be fireproof and require little or no maintenance like the requirement to paint or stain every other year. Now you can deal with those rocks already in your garden and enhance and create a natural rock garden.These rocks can be used as borders for your flowers. The rocks can be either rounded or flat. You can take large rocks like ones you may stand on and throw 4 or 5 inches of soil over the top and plant some annual plants that don’t require deep soil to survive. You can also purchase plants that will “cling” to the surface without the benefit of soil. There are many ways to create a true rock garden go out and buy a book or two and educate yourself in the joy of rock gardening.
About the writer: I have been a gardener for over 20 years. I have decided to publish what i have learned for both beginners and experienced gardeners. My web site is at http://www.gardenersgardening.com