Landscape Ideas
5. Install Raised Beds If your mother has had raised beds on her garden wish list for a while, help her make it happen this year by hiring a pro to help. Keep in mind that it’s worth it to invest in rot-resistant wood, such as construction heart-grade redwood or cedar, which comes at a higher price point but will last for decades. Beds with dimensions of 8 feet by 4 feet make efficient use of standard 8- or 12-foot-long boards and make for easy use — you can reach across 2 feet from all sides of the bed to access the center.
natural look in plant(ing) choices
Put Green Waste to Good Use Instead of tossing grass and garden clippings in the wastebin, set up a home compost station. “Compost provides critical organic matter for soil texture and food for soil organisms,” says landscape designer Patricia Larenas of Urban Artichoke Fine Gardening. After all, healthy soil leads to healthy gardens. If you’re new to composting, starting with an organized system can help you get the hang of it and prevent a pile from getting out of hand. For her Bay Area clients in this project, Larenas installed a standard three-compartment bin system (each with a 3-foot-by-3-foot interior) to turn over the compost as it breaks down. The fully broken-down compost is used to enrich nearby edible garden beds without the use of synthetic supplements, returning vital nutrients to the soil after a growing season.
Eliminate Pesticide Use Boost the health of your garden — and surrounding environment — by vowing to ditch pesticides. “The use of pesticides in the landscape affects not only damaging insects but beneficial insects as well, such as bees and butterflies that we rely on for pollination,” says landscape consultant Noelle Johnson. Instead of spraying plants with chemicals, Johnson recommends a more hands-off approach to pest control. “The majority of plants can easily handle some damage from insects without seriously affecting the health of the plant,” she says. “When you first spot damaging insects in your garden, usually within a couple of weeks beneficial insects will show that will eat those bad bugs.” For example, when aphids appear, lacewings and ladybugs will soon follow and feast upon them.
Use Permeable Hardscape Surfaces Choosing hardscape materials that allow for water to run through them is another way to keep rainwater on site. In this Melbourne garden, the designers at Bayon Gardens used permeable paving for pathways and patios. Here, gravel covers a walkway leading to a fire feature, acting as a filter for rainwater to percolate back into the soil. Wood pieces guide the path and provide a place to put your feet.
Why this tree: “They have a delicate canopy with horizontal branching and dangling white, bell-shaped scented flowers in June — later than many other flowering trees, extending the bonanza,” Holdsworth says. It’s an attractive tree post-bloom too. “The bark is [an] elegant, smooth gray-brown, and the drupes that follow the flowers are olive-shaped and greenish-brown, persisting into winter,” she says. Special features: “The flowers attract pollinators like mad,” Holdsworth says. “The whole tree is alive with happy, buzzing [and] healthy pollinators when in bloom.” Choose between a number of cultivars: Some have pink blossoms and others have weeping forms. Hilarie Holdsworth Design Growing tips: Holdsworth plants the trees in full sun to partial shade in average soil. “Japanese snowbell are super easy to grow,” she says, adding that she has never seen them bothered by pests or diseases. Design tips: “I love to place these trees near a terrace or alongside steps so that the flowers can be appreciated from below,” the designer says. Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9) Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: F...
Brick Recycled or old bricks have character and warmth, and work beautifully with other materials such as gravel or concrete and plantings. Pros: They can be used in a variety of patterns, are available in a wide range of colors, have a nonslip surface and aren’t as expensive as stone paving. Cons: Bricks aren’t always easy to obtain, and large bricked areas can look too busy for most contemporary styles. A reasonable level of skill is also needed to install them.
‘Sally Holmes’ climbing rose Unlike vines, climbing roses don’t have tendrils to help them grab onto structures for support, so tying the canes to supports with flexible plant ties or strips of pantyhose is necessary.
climbing hydrangea
The pool is a Biotop Natural Pool system. Devore says that the sand filtration system makes chemicals unnecessary. “One of the differences is that the water isn’t crystal clear, although you can see the bottom. In this pool the blue plaster at the bottom of the pool gives it its blue color,” she says. “People love swimming in it. It’s kind of like swimming in a quarry or a freshwater lake.” Pool system: Biotop Natural Pool Read more about natural swimming pools
Maximilian Sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani) Native to most of North America
Cleveland Sage (Salvia clevelandii) Native to Southern California and northern Baja California, Mexico Southern California’s iconic Cleveland sage invites hummingbirds, butterflies and bees all summer long. Plant it for its floral scent, which recalls native California chaparral. Cleveland sage is also drought tolerant and a fire-wise choice. Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (zones 8 to 11) Water requirement: Low Light requirement: Full sun Mature size: 3 to 5 feet tall and 5 to 8 feet wide When to plant: Spring or fall
Panicled hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’), one of the garden’s few flowering plants, bloom from summer into fall, with their white blooms transitioning to a dusty rose. Seed heads appear on the grasses later in the season. The redbud tree blooms in spring.
trees
trees
1. A climbing hydrangea is all the decor this front entry needs. With a solid wood structure, the flowering vine frames the front door of this Mediterranean-style home in the San Francisco Bay Area, inviting visitors through the garden and into the home.
10. Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) Native to prairies, pine barrens and open woodlands from Massachusetts to Kansas south to Florida and Texas It’s difficult to find a native grass that puts on a show as dramatic as pink muhly. In fall the medium-green, fine-textured grasses explode with clouds of pale magenta blooms, best appreciated when planted in drifts and masses. Despite their delicate appearance, the plants are tough — able to withstand high summer temperatures (particularly in partial shade) and grow in poor soil. Try pairing pink muhly with blue-green agaves for dramatic form and color contrast. Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 20.6 degrees Celsius (zones 6 to 9) Water requirement: Low Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade Mature size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide
front yard
The feathery foliage of the fern pine adds welcome softness to the entry space and, pruned tightly to an upright hedge, forms a dense screen from the neighboring house. Plants include: Fern pine (Podocarpus gracilior, zones 9 to 11)
Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine
A row of ‘Frans Fontaine’ hornbeams (Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine’) grows on the other side of the driveway, with ‘Voodoo’ stonecrop (Sedum spurium ‘Voodoo’) growing beneath them along the fence.
“The backyard was modest and there wasn’t room for a big change,” Rapoport says. So she added interest to the fence with lacquered wood in a range of colors. A diagonally scored design in the concrete incorporates triangle-shaped plant beds, giving it some organized structure.
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