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Caring for a Living Christmas Tree
The Christmas season brings with it many decisions to be made. Among them is, "What type of Christmas tree should I put up?" This year, consider a living Christmas tree. Not only will you enjoy it through the holidays, but a living tree can be...
Edible Trees and Plants
Highland Hill Farm just doesn't sell and install "landscaping
beauty." We're providing you with food and raw materials! Of
course you already know that you can use the wood from your
trees instead of going to a lumber yard or home supplies...
Features of Landscape Design Software
Using Software Programs for Landscape
Design
An interesting new way that many homeowners have found to
simplify the process of designing your landscape is with the use
of landscape design software.
Landscape design software...
Light Up Your Garden And Brighten Your Life
Extending Your Living Space
The garden is fast being considered to be an extension to your living space and homeowners are putting as much effort into creating a harmonious environment outside as they are inside. A beautiful garden is also...
Types Of Roses To Use For Landscaping Your Home
If you enjoy roses, you can use them functionally as well as decoratively around your grounds — as creepers, shrubs, vines, climbers, hedges or just as beds of pure color. Rose originators are enthusiastic and tireless, and every year new...
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Plan Before You Plant
It’s winter, and as you gaze out your picture window, all you see is a 50 square foot patch of bare dirt. After a foray through the top 10 plant catalogues armed with a major credit card and your vivid imagination, that space is crowded with shrubs, bedding plants, bulbs and foliage, all competing for light, water and nutrients. You’ve created a plant riot.
Planning is vital to creating a noteworthy garden, and winter is the best time to sit down with pencil, paper and reference books. A good garden plan can save time, money and heartache.
SET YOUR SIGHTS ON YOUR SITE
Where is your future garden located? Is it visible to the entire neighborhood, or to your eyes only? Does it receive full sun, or is it shaded part of the day? What is the soil type? All of these factors need to be considered during your planning phase, and will help you screen out your plant choices.
DO YOU HAVE A PURPOSE IN MIND?
Your site may also help determine the garden’s purpose. I have two beds within 5 feet of my kitchen door, so they are dedicated to herbs and salad fixings (I can come home from work, pick dinner, go inside and eat.) If your garden is surrounded by a privacy fence, you could consider installing a wildflower plot, or a garden designed with birds and butterflies in mind. These garden styles tend to be unruly, so cloaking them from potentially offended neighbors or homeowners’ association spies is a good idea.
Deciding on a particular theme or purpose for the garden plot further narrows your plant choices.
HOW MUCH MAINTENANCE IS INVOLVED?
If you are a harried homeowner with less than 2 hours a week for yard work, installing an annual bed or vegetable garden is not for you. The time you are willing to devote to maintenance is important in choosing plants; the less you want to work, the more you’ll want to stick with
tried, true and dependable plants such as daylilies, hosta, iris, and groundcovers such as ivy or dead nettle.
If, on the other hand, you relish “fussing,” annuals, vegetables, fruit trees or fruiting shrubs (such as raspberries, blackberries or currants), and tea and shrub roses can be added to your landscape. These plants all require routine maintenance including trimming, pruning, weeding, deadheading, and regular pest control.
SIZE, PROPORTION AND BLOOM TIME
A plant’s final size – height and width – are also important factors in choosing plant material. Plant size should be in proportion to the size of the bed and the size of any buildings or fixtures. If you’ve ever seen foundation plants that have overshadowed the home they were supposed to compliment, you’ll know what I mean. Those overgrown arborvitae eventually have to be cut down and dug out, which is backbreaking labor, or expensive if you have to hire a Bobcat. Better to plant with the end result in mind.
Bloom time is your final consideration. You may choose to create a mixture of shrubs, bulbs, perennials and annuals in your bed, which will produce a long period of blooming as each group flowers successively. You may decide that one splash of color, followed by a pleasing palate of green, is more to your liking. Knowing when a plant shows its best side (and what it looks like afterward) can help you choose whether that plant belongs in your yard, or if you’ll maliciously suggest it to your crabbiest neighbor.
Take the time to plan before you plant, and you’ll be rewarded with seasons of color, fragrance, and garden health.
About the Author
The author operates a small market farm in east-central Indiana. Her ezine, Leaflets, covers a host of gardening and cooking topics. Subscriptions are free via the KittyVista website (http://clik.to/kittyvista)
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Landscaping Ideas | Landscape Design | Landscaping Pictures |
Information for homeowners on hardscape and softscape elements in landscape design. Includes a chat room and forum. |
landscaping.about.com |
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Gardening - Landscaping |
Design a landscape that works best with your yard, deck and home. |
www.homeandfamilynetwork.com |
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Gardening |
Find all the information you need to plan and design a beautiful garden for your landscape. Get zone maps, garden plans and the plant and flower index to ... |
www.homeandfamilynetwork.com |
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Landscaping - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an ... Landscaping also refers to building a model landscape such as model train ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Landscape architecture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
The activities of a landscape architect can range from the creation of ... Landscape designers, like garden designers, design all types of planting and ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Gardening Landscaping & Design - Landscape Gardening for Patios ... |
Learn more about landscape gardening and design for patios and decks from Home & Garden Television. |
www.hgtv.com |
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EERE Consumer's Guide: Landscaping |
On average, landscaping for energy efficiency provides enough energy savings ... Use energy-efficient landscaping strategies based on your regional climate. ... |
www.eere.energy.gov |
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Planning the Home Landscape |
Advice and tips for planning, preparing, and constructing a new landscape area. |
aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu |
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Landscaping Ideas, Designs, Pictures and Plans for the Home. |
Respond?s community provides landscaping ideas for the home. Find landscaping designs, pictures and plans to help you design the best landscape for your ... |
landscaping.respond.com |
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Landscape Design Services and Earth-Friendly Garden Products for ... |
Landscaping resource for the do-it-yourself homeowner featuring interactive online landscape design. |
clearwaterlandscapes.com |
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Landscaping & Design |
Turn your yard into a spectacular showpiece, whether you're planning all-new landscaping or hoping to update a flower bed. |
www.bhg.com |
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Great Lakes Environment: Greenacres-Green Landscaping |
A key source of Great Lakes environmental information. |
www.epa.gov |
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Landscaping - Outdoors - homesite.com.au |
Landscaping - homesite.com.au, Australia’s No.1 home and garden web site. |
www.homesite.com.au |
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H2ouse.org : Tour : Landscaping |
Attractive gardens and landscape add to the value of your home and bring ... Upgrade the look of your landscape by learning the how-to's of proper lawn care ... |
www.h2ouse.org |
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Landscapers | Landscaping |
Get matched to local Landscape, Decks and Fences contractors for your home improvement projects. ServiceMagic's network of Landscape, Decks and Fences ... |
www.servicemagic.com |
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Complete Landscape Design for Do It Yourselfers |
Do it yourself tips, tricks, guidelines, and resources for home landscape design. |
www.the-landscape-design-site.com |
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Landscaping Ideas | 2854 + Landscaping Pictures |
Landscaping Ideas To Make Your Homes Beautiful. ... Click here to access all 4290+ landscaping photos, and get instant access to valuable savings coupons to ... |
www.landscapingideasonline.com |
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Landscaping for Energy Efficiency |
Are you looking for cost-effective yet eye-pleasing ways to lower your energy bills? Planting trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and hedges could be the answer. |
www.pioneerthinking.com |
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Edible Landscaping Online |
Only the most productive disease resistant varieties make it onto the approved list here at Edible Landscaping. Our plants are guaranteed to arrive healthy ... |
www.ediblelandscaping.com |
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Free Landscaping Ideas, Landscapes, Front Yard, Garden Landscaping |
Landscaping ideas that transform your boring, unattractive yard into the picture perfect oasis you've always dreamed of. Find out h... |
www.greatlandscapingideas.com |
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