Recreate your backyard this Fall

 backyard design  No Responses »
Nov 032010
 

A Backyard is more than a place to relax and share time with family. It is an extension of our personalities. By adding plants, trees, shrubs and garden art we create a feel and leave behind a part of ourselves.

The fall is a great time to look around your backyard and patio area and make changes for a new look. When you look at one area for a long time you tend to overlook things.

One of the first steps to changing your yard is to take photographs. This will help you see your yard from a new perspective. Maybe you didn’t realize a patio window was broke or a step was uneven. A photo often brings these small details to your attention.

Take a look at your layout. Most backyard designs fit in a formal look – straight lines and structured paths. Or a flowing pattern and meandering paths, which creates a more relaxing cottage garden, look to a home.

After deciding on the layout of your garden, and if you are happy with it, you will want to decide on any new plants. Fall is a great time for new plants. They are usually on sale and the plants have time to adjust to their new home without abundant heat.

Japanese Maple and Bamboo are suited for the modern style. Roses and most perennials suit the traditional style and the Black Eyed Susan, flowering herbs and Coneflower are best suited for the country styles of gardens.

Trellises, garden fences and gates create backdrops and boundaries for gardens and other areas of your backyard. They emphasis your plants and make them stand out. The use of short decorative fencing not only creates the boundaries to your garden but also creates a layered look, which adds dimension and seems to expand the look of a yard. In a small space landscape this is a plus.

Small touches will add a new feel and flair to a home or landscape and fall is a perfect time for great landscape deals.

Posted by Denise at 10:00 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Foraging for Planters and New Plants

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Sep 142010
 

The fall is the perfect time for backyard projects and redoing backyard garden areas. The temperatures are cooler and any heavy work is not as tiring.

I have had too many large projects this year in the backyard and fitting them in and affording them can be a challenge. So when I went to a few garage sales and found a carload of planters and free seeds and semi free plants I was thrilled.

The planters were cleaned and half were stored for later use. The other planters were filled with perennial seeds and new plants. They are in the mini greenhouse (8 foot long and 3 foot wide) sprouting and growing new roots.

My best plant and seed haul were from a sale that was next door. I was admiring the garden and asked if I wanted seeds. (Never ask a garden addict if they want seeds.) I picked up a huge bag of Forget Me Nots, Foxglove, Columbine, and two other varieties of perennials.

I also am going to help thin out the neighbor’s garden beds for free plants. She needs the help in the gardens and I always need new plants for gardens or to trade for other plants. And she has amazing plants.

I have found over the years that by stopping and admiring gardens it leads to plant exchanges and free plants. And often gardening tips that add beauty and shortcuts to my gardening.

Seed Tip: Make sure any saved seeds are dry. Store them in paper envelopes or in glass jars stored in a dark dry place until you plan to use them.

Plant Transplant Tip: Get your plants in the ground as soon as possible. If need be make a temporary storage bed to lace them in. I also water the plants with a dilute mix of willow water to help with plants transplants shock.

Planter tip: Use vinegar to get any stubborn stains out of a planter. I also use baking soda for stubborn stains.

Look for a seed contest on backyard Oasis starting Sept. 15th. I figured since I was given free seeds I should share some.

Posted by Denise at 10:14 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Create a holding bed for moving plants

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Sep 052010
 

There’s a change in the weather here in NW Pa. So I spent time preparing a holding bed for the new perennials I picked up and for more that I am getting in a few days. There’s a perennial sale on so its time to revamp the backyard oasis!

In the fall a holding bed is one of the most useful garden tools I have. Yes, it’s a garden bed or sorts but a necessity if you’re diving and moving plants.

I usually make a quick raised bed out of any wood I can pick up for free and match its measurements to old windows or shower doors. (Just in case I have to cover the holding beds against frost or cold.) Old dresser drawers also work well and since I usually use these beds for a few weeks any old dresser drawer will work.

Set you holding beds up in an area of the backyard that is close to water and will get some shade, since theses are transplants and need protection for all day sun.

I use these holding beds for perennials I am diving, new perennials, flowers I am moving and for cool weather annuals that I want to add color to the backyard.

I have also used a holding bed for sick plants while I am nursing them back to health.

The nice thing about a holding bed is that it temporary. I usually put it in a place in the backyard that needs better soil and create the bed. After I am done I remove the bed and rake toe soil over the top of the ground, add compost and I have a area with better soil that I can either plant in the following year or reseed with grass.

Tip: If your nights are cooling down to less than 50 degrees it time to start bring in any indoor houseplants you moved outside for the summer. I also start moving in geraniums, which I over winter for the following year

Posted by Denise at 10:10 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

Perennial Gardening tips for a great garden

 backyard oasis  No Responses »
Aug 182010
 

Any backyard, patio or balcony will look more inviting with a few plants. And many plants will take little time, particularly if chosen wisely.

Perennial flowers are strong, local flowers that come back every year without having to replant or do any extra work. This is one reason they are as popular as they are. Perennials usually have a peak flowering season. During the plants off seasons, the flowers and stems die back and you can hardly even tell the plant is there (rather than just dying and looking like hideous brown clumps in your garden). When it’s time to bloom, entirely new flowers shoot up where the old ones were. Many people will intermix annual flowers in with perennials to keep a constant flow of color to their backyard or garden area.

Before deciding whether to put in perennials or not, you need to make sure that your soil has proper drainage. If the water stays saturated for long periods of time, you should build a raised bed. Raised beds help drainage and can be used in areas where the soil is not really acceptable for plants.

To test for water drainage, dig a hole and fill it with water. Wait a day, and then fill it with water again. All traces of water should be gone within 10 hours. If the hole isn’t completely dry, you will need to build a raised bed.

Picking your perennials can be a complicated process. The goal should be to have them flowering as much as possible during the year, so you should create an outline of the year. There are tow ways to go about selecting perennials.

Research the different types of flower you want, and create a timeline of flowering. If you plan it right, you can have a different type of flower blooming at any point in the year. You can research plants online or by selecting a good perennial book.

And one final step for a great perennial garden is using mulch. You should definitely use mulch when planting perennials. This will reduce the overall amount of work you have to do. It will reduce the amount of weeds and increase the water retention of the soil thus cutting back on extra garden maintenance. Bark or pine needles work great. In my area I can pick up bark and needles for free. (Check at tree companies and local township office for these items.)

Perennials are quite easy to care for once they adapt to their surrounds. Use fertilizer sparingly once your plants start to come to life. And add more mulch to the plants every two or three years

Note: Perennials will grow well in containers or patios or balconies. Either store them in the winter in a slightly warmer area or cover well with straw. How well they need protected from winter will depend on your climate.

Posted by Denise at 8:07 am  Tagged with: , , ,

Tips for successful new perennial plants

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Apr 072010
 

Spring is a time for adding new plants to your backyard and garden areas. By planting in the spring the plant will have time to adjust to its new home and start producing new roots before the blazing hot days cause the plants to dry and add additional stress to a new plant.

Peony or Paeony
Creative Commons License photo credit: Lights Out Photos

Many may not realize this but plant stress will cause the plant to be more susceptible to insects and disease.

Here are a few tips to consider before you buy a new plant

  • Read the plant tag before you bring it home to see if it will grow in your climate zone and will fit into your backyard growing area. There is no sense in buying a shade loving plant if your backyard is all sunshine.
  • Check the plant over well before you buy it. Are the soil and roots healthy? Is there a lot of stem or leaf damage? Are there any signs of insects or disease? If you see any of these problems, select another plant.
  • Check the size it will grow and if it says, “spreads easily” This is a nice phrase for “invasive plant that will take over your yard.”

Tips to acclimate your plant to its new home

  • Check the plant over when you get it home. Remove any damaged leaves.
  • Water the plant if it needs it and then set it in a quiet place to rest. Plants suffer from stress to and you don’t know how the plant was treated before you bought it.
  • Make sure your plants new home is ready by adding any soil and removing all the weeds.
  • I let a plant set apart form other plants for a few days to make sure it does not have an insect problem that you did not notice. You don’t want to infect all your other plants.
  • Slowly set the plant outdoors. The plant needs to adjust to sunshine so set out for a few hours then move into a shady place. I usually acclimate a perennial for about 5 days, then plant.
  • Plant your perennial in the morning or late at night so that the plant has less sun just after being planted.
  • I mulch the area around a new perennial plant to help hold in moisture and keep the roots cool.
  • You may want to place a mini fence or plastic around the plant until family and any pets are used to the plant being there. I have lost several plants due to them being stepped on, mowed over or played with by a happy pet.

Perennials will add years of color to your backyard so give them time to adjust to their new home.

Posted by Denise at 8:49 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,
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