Flower Gardens and Lawns.

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Papa2mykids

New Member
Okay,

This ties in with Lawns (isn't this fun?)

When doing flower beds, make them look more natural by adding some curves, no straight lines unless you are going formal.

This offers a more natural look and feel.

Lay your hose out in a pattern you think you would like. sprinkle flour over the hose and you have a line to go by. Now.............. take your lawn mower out and go over the new will be edge. Can you manuver the curves without having to pick up your mower? If not, soften the curves.

Plant perennials in odd numbers, 1,3,5 etc.

For colors, look for oposites, like yellow or orange and blue or purple it is a striking contrast.

Before planting, make a plan on paper and draw things in as mature plants.
To often we plant things close together when they are little and have to move them 2 years later.

Have some fun during the winter making plans.

Ron
www.gardening-for-wildlife.com
 
What................ no comments?

Not even on my spelling opposite wrong?

Another thing, plant like needs plants together, high water, low water, full sun, partial sun etc.

Because a plant tag says drought tolorant, doesn't mean you can ignore it, especially the first year.

Ron
www.gardening-for-wildlife.com
 
I used to video tape my gardens in the early autumn. Walking around the yard with camera in hand I would tape each bed (I'm a big fan of raised beds using rocks) I'd comment about changes I wanted to make for the next year along with reminders about care. During the winter I'd play the tape from time to time as a reminder to me of the plans that had come to mind during the previous growing season.
 
Ha...my job is to proofread! Of course I saw it...but you do not work for me so I let you slide!!!!

Whit (hello, by the way), I always intend to at least photograph each bed and make notes...and then I don't. You are a good man!
 
Living in the swamp, I have learned to adapt to using natural plants, especially those that you can not get rid of even if you want to. Clusters of palmettos make great natural gardens. You trim them up and then place your planting in front of them. I use bright colors and try to stick with hardy perennials. I have learned to use what nature gives me instead of fight it so much. You would be surprised how much easier your gardening projects go. I do envy those with the beautifully sculpted yards but I have learned it is not to be in my yard.
I used to take pictures just to document the changes over time. It's fun to look back and say we came from there to this!
 
We have all kinds of wildlife in our yard. And the natural landscape attacts them. It is a lot easier to take care of too
 
Hey there Pappa!

I know I have had to soften the curves of the existing beds of our new home. We couldn't navigate the curves without coming at it from various angles and that's a pain in a riding mower lol! I'm also planning on mulching around our wee little trees so we don't have to mow right up to the trunks as that is difficult as well even with a weed wacker (and not wack the poor little tree as well as the grass that is)

Dora/Garden Goddess
 
Now.............. take your lawn mower out and go over the new will be edge. Can you manuver the curves without having to pick up your mower? If not, soften the curves.

www.gardening-for-wildlife.com

Now you mention this....all these years of putting in new beds and this never occured to me...thanks for posting this ...as we will be doing all the beds this spring...boy no more lifting the mower...I am thrilled and feeling a bit stupid...:cool:
 
Well ya know Debe I never really worried about it with my hand mower but it was really a pain this past summer with the riding mower. Then it finally occurred to me to adjust the curve. It was a D'oh moment for me too lol!

Dora/Garden Goddess
 
Dora, good to know I am not alone...at the last house I would use the ride on first then have to go all around the beds with the push mower...and still have to lift...you would have thought I was a bit brighter than that...LOL..
 
No feeling stupid, sometimes we learn the hard way.

By the way, with trees......... no matter how large or small, never mulch right up to the trunk. Leave a few in circle from the trunk and the mulch.

Mulch placed right up to the trunk can invite problems and insects.

The tree bark stays damp and eventually the bark loosens from the tree.

It is called crown rot.

It may take several years to happen, but it will.

Just think of the conditions that insects and some fungus prefer.

Ron
www.gardening-for-wildlife.com
 
I have an acre of lawn to mow, around various flower beds and the house etc. A few years ago it got to be impossible for my hubby to use a weed whacker. So we started trying to get all the flower beds into a more manageable state. You know how they teach you to use a garden hose to plan a bed and mark the lines?? Not for me.. I take my riding lawn mower and use that to see where the edges should be. You put the wheels on the edge of the flower bed and mow alone.. no weedwhacking required. In the fence rows the neighbor put round up so that eliminated that problem. Now the ditch is another matter.. until we figure that one out, my meighbor will just have to keep mowing it for us.

So when planning your beds.. rememeber, you might not always be able to do the heavy work later on in life.. plan ahead and make it easier on yourself. Besides.. weed whAcking is hard work! LOL
 
Good reminder on the mulch around the trees, thanks!

Chatty, you have ditches too? I've got those on two sides of my property. They do take a bit to mow. Bob will go length-wise but I'm too afraid of rolling the mower so I only go up and down. It does take a bit to get them mowed. I'd love to figure out a lower maintenance configuration for them.

Dora/Garden Goddess
 
maybe moss? I have a ton

ROFL you so funny Debe! I had no moss in my lawn this past summer. None! I could hardly believe it. No moss on the roofs, no moss on the driveways...it is a moss-free wonderland ;)

I have been thinking about all of your suggestions for my ditches. I think it will be a bit of a process because I've got a lot of ditch square footage to plant. My first area I want to focus on is the corner where the ditches come together. It tends to stay moist and difficult to mow because of that. I'm thinking I want some boggy plants in there.

Dora/Garden Goddess
 
maybe moss? I have a ton

Debe call around to florist and see if they will buy it from you. I use to pay $36.00 for a square box of it. A florist will use it in a lot of diffrent arrangements.
My friend was bidding on a NYC parks department construction job, they wanted moss inbetween all the pavers in the project. The cost of the moss for that job was $26,000.00 (yes all those zeros are right)! You guys are sitting on a gold mine.
 
Swindy,

My dad used to do model railroads and he would use moss in the landscaping. I offered to send him some of my moss lol!

Dora/Garden Goddess
 


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