Just like the Nike 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’s’ 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 wonder 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 2-3 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.
Roses may be the traditional gift given on Valentines Day, but they are definitely well received any day of the year. Buyer beware before you buy roses, know what message you are sending in the color. Men as well as women, express that they love to get flowers and floral gifts. Remember color talks! Although it is a common acceptance that all roses convey warmth and affection, the person receiving them may know and understand the meaning of roses colors and the symbolic message conveyed. It would be nice to assure that you are communicating the right message to that special person sharing a special language between the two of you.
It is amazing that something as simple and quietly elegant as the rose, a simple flower, has such a huge market. Not only in the flower itself, but in the products, the word itself which sparks stories, poems, and songs, and the fact that the rose plays an enormous part in romance.
Have you been intimidated by the thought of putting together a flower arrangement but experienced failure before you even bought the flowers? Arranging flowers is not that difficult with a little guidance and some great ideas! Displaying your flowers can be fun especially when being creative in stylish but simple ways.
The first thing to start with is finding some basic household containers for your fresh cut flowers. Don’t be limited to the typical glass vase but expand the horizons of your creativity and just start to look around you. Grandma’s old water picture makes a great country look or a sterling silver pitcher for a more traditional look. Simple candle votive holders with a single flower in it at each place setting at your dinner party, adds a touch of elegance. Old cans and bottles can be quite nostalgic. The ideas are endless without the expense of purchasing a vase. Choosing flowers with large heads like lilies, orchids or sunflowers individually put in a container all lined up is quite stylish.
Using vintage teapots, tumblers or even old jam jars can create a conversation piece. Be sure to cut the stems short so the flowerheads skim the top of the container. Jar or glass containers can be put inside baskets for a unique fall look or spring assortment.
If you have a suitable vase but the color is just not right, try wrapping it with ribbon, string or a scarf. This adds a nice visual interest and distracts the eye from the vase. You could even stick the vase inside a decorative gift bag for that goes with your theme or decor.
It is much easier to coordinate the color of flowers once you have the vase design set. Another great idea, yet simple, is to cover the outside of the vase in double-sided adhesive tape. Then stick large leaves vertically around. Some household leaves look wonderful because of their exotic markings, coloration or glossiness. If you have no leaves, wind plain string or colored in coils around the bottles of jars. Adding beads or shells can add an ethnic look. Satin parcel ribbon or even honeysuckle vines will work. Go with where your interests lie.
If this is all not simple enough for you or you have had a few disasters in your demonstration, then a lovely way of displaying flowers is to cut off individual flower heads and float them in a low dish of water. Adding small floating candles is very romantic and brings a peace and tranquillity into your arrangement and your home.
Flower arranging is not something you can really fail at if the flowers you love are mixed with the people you love. Whether the arrangement is for your home or elsewhere, enjoy your creation and the time you spent creating it. Stop and smell the flowers is a cliché we have all heard but oh so true! In this fast paced world, take time to enjoy the scents, beauty and diversity of flowers.
Some say roses aren’t climbers by nature and must be taught. Just think….a climber that can grow to forty feet up a tree, yes, it’s possible! If you prefer a smaller version, there is also the miniature climber to consider. Any rose is beautiful, but you might say climbers have a farther “reach”.
The hybrid tea might also be called the flower of lovers. It makes the perfect long-stemmed rose. It flowers repeatedly and can be strong with the proper care. It is the resulting combination of the tea rose and the hybrid perpetual. A hybrid tea is an ideal choice to present to the love of your life, a special gift for a mother, or just to display on your tabletop. It will add a touch of elegance to any room even as a lone flower in a vase. There are at least 237 varieties available.
Would you like to cut down on the areas you would normally have to mow grass? You could plant roses as a groundcover. This will produce an effect that is quite pleasing to the eye. Roses as a groundcover won’t kill underlying weeds, therefore you will still need to prepare your ground to cut down on the chances of weeds growing underneath your groundcover.
The image of a rose plant is usually that of a rosebush, not as a groundcover. This is a fairly new concept. The beauty of it, of course, is more than just the benefit of coverage, but also that of gracing your yard with the ever-popular rose.
Some available choices for groundcover roses are: Flower Carpet Coral, Flower Carpet Appleblossom, The Fairy, Baby Blanket, Red, White, or Pink Meidiland, Foxy, My Rosy Carpet, and Sea Foam.
They can grow out as wide as six feet and upwards as high as 2 feet. This may help you decide how many plants you’ll want to buy for adequate coverage.
The image of a rose plant is usually that of a rosebush, not as a groundcover. This is a fairly new concept. The beauty of it, of course, is more than just the benefit of coverage, but also that of gracing your yard with the ever-popular rose.
Why use a groundcover at all? It helps prevent erosion on banks, grows low, and covers a wide area. The groundcover rose is not to be misinterpreted as a ground-hugger.
It’s best to choose for repeated blooming and disease resistance. Pruning may still be necessary, depending on the effect you desire. Of course, to keep the groundcover looking its best, monitor for dead stems.
When deciding where to plant your groundcover roses, remember to avoid areas where foot traffic would be a hindrance or vice versa. Consider whether you’ll need to drag a water hose out to the area. If so, you may want to purchase a soaker hose, and make sure it will be the proper length. If you’ll have a big area to maintain or if your groundcover will be spread out to include various areas of your yard, the purchase of a wheelbarrow could be an asset. Gloves that protect against thorns may be needed. Such items as a hoe for weeding, clippers for pruning, and knee pads could be necessary purchases.
If you want strong fragrance, be sure to check on that feature before you purchase your groundcover rose. Many modern roses are simply not bred for a strong fragrance, but more so for your viewing pleasure.
A particular favorite among groundcover roses seems to be the Flower Carpet Series. However, Rosa ‘Glacier Magic’ has a spectacular white flower. It is said to have glossy, large, self-cleaning flowers that are highly pest and disease resistant. The white blooms help the plant stand out and demand attention. It’s like adding a light to the darkness of a non-blooming groundcover!
Groundcover roses do tend to be quite thorny. Thorns for a true rose grower are but a minor inconvenience. If you’ll need access to the areas or plants nearby, you’d do well to consider placement so you aren’t continually fighting the abuse from being pricked and scratched. Weed removal is more of a challenge with this type of plant.
Some groundcover roses don’t resemble your traditional expected vision of a rose. For example, the Rosa ‘Nearly Wild’ has fewer petals and opens wide. It’s a colorful vision that is still a joy to own.
Antique roses, also called Victorian Roses, are said to be strong survivors and the most fragrant of the roses. The word antique applies obviously to its history. An antique of any kind, however, will catch a collector’s eye. What better to put near a museum, which houses antiques, than a flowering plant also named antique? Antiques of all kinds have gained in popularity over the years. It makes sense that a flower with similar name, would gain as well.
One type of rose that seems saturated with sophistication beginning with its name is the English rose. There have been stories and books written with the name. But the English roses are especially deserving of a name that suggests class and royalty.
English roses are a group of roses, introduced by a hybridizer in the 1960’s. They were created to enhance some of the Old Roses, although a rose is a special flower in its own right and would seem to need no such enhancing. A rose by any name or type is a long-admired favorite among almost anyone.
Who hasn’t heard of the most popular flowering plant of all time, the rose? The rose plant can spark a quick conversation amongst even the shyest of persons. Almost anyone can tell you of someone they know who has grown beautiful roses or of someone who couldn’t. Almost anyone can tell you of someone who got or sent roses, especially around the holidays. Even little children know what the rose plant is.
The local florist most likely has dozens of colors, types, and sizes of rose plants. It would seem to be the best selling flower of all time. The local discount store and even the local grocer carries some sort of rose plant these days.