Julien SternA Houston, Texas Gardener's Ramblings

As you must have noticed by now, I am mostly concerned with the creation and maintenance of gardens that follow, as much as possible, the rules established by nature itself for its healthy and balanced development.

One of the most important – if not the most important – among the elements contributing to the creation of a beautiful, thriving garden is the good health of the ground on which the plants grow. You will see me insisting on this point, because soil is a living organism, and it needs the presence of several conditions to be able to nurture other living organisms — your plants.

Each and every material we add to the soil plays a specific role in the life cycle of plants by covering one or more of their various needs. The purpose of these additional materials is

• to provide (or to assist the provision of) much needed nutrients;
• to contribute to better aeration of the ground, thus helping the oxygenation of the roots;
• to help with moisture retention;
• to avoid extreme temperature conditions (heat or cold, depending on the season) that would hurt the root system;
• to help prevent diseases and other situations that could prove harmful for your plants.

Let’s take a closer look to these components of a healthy soil:

Humus

Humus is a degraded organic material that has reached a certain point of stability in which no further breakdown can take place, thus leaving it unscathed for a long period of time. It is identified with topsoil horizon composed of organic materials, and it can also be described as mature compost naturally occurring, e.g. in forests, and is added to gardens with the purpose of amending soil.

Have you ever seen a cross section of garden soil, with some of its layers displaying a dark brown or black characteristic color? Well, that’s humus.

We could differentiate humus from organic matter by its appearance, which is more uniform and reminds of a dark, spongy, jelly-like substance.

Humus is usually tagged as the life-force of the soil. Now, this so-called life force can occur via a process known as humification which can take place via natural means with the soil itself or by compost production.

Humus significantly improves the structure of the soil. It contributes to the retention of soil moisture by adding up to its microporosity, and facilitates easy access and absorption of plant nutrients by incorporating oxygen into the organic molecules that are charged with transferring the said nutrients to plants. This makes plants stronger and more resistant to plant diseases.

Compost

Compost should serve as a significant and wise replacement or substitution for chemicals and commercially available fertilizers. You can easily and conveniently produce natural and organic fertilizer right at your own backyard or at the garden.

Things to know about making your own compost:

• Always remember to use organic or biodegradable materials that will naturally and easily decompose for your compost.
• Be sure to prepare the bedding appropriately. To do so, just put shredded fallen leaves, aged manure, chopped up straw and dead seaweed, plants, compost and sawdust.
• Keep the compost bed moist all the time. You can do so by watering the area at least twice a day, one in the morning and another before night falls. To retain moisture, you can put shredded cardboard or newspaper on top of the area or heaps of hays or dried leaves.
• Keep the bedding protected from possible attacks and intrusion from animals, insects and other possible predators like birds, ants and rats.
• Encourage and promote growth and multiplication of earthworms. Red worms are most ideal for outdoor vermicomposting; they are usually found in aging manure and in compost heaps. It is not advisable to use dew worms or those large sized worms usually found in composts and soils as they would not likely survive outdoor composting.

Mulching

Click here to see what mulching is. Mulch is used to cover the soil’s surface in order to

• prevent and control weed growth;
• protect the soil and the root system from extreme heat – that would otherwise lead to evaporation and drying of the ground, depriving plants from valuable moisture during summer – and freeze – that would irreversibly damage plant tissues and destroy the plant;
• provide nutrients for plants, when organic matters are used for the covering of the ground;
• embellish the flower beds with application of decorative elements of various colors and textures.

You can use either organic (bark chippings, crushed cocoa shell, grass clippings, chopped wheat straw, well-rotten farmyard manure, leaf mould, sawdust, pine needles, peat moss, shredded newspapers and cardboards) or inorganic (gravel, grit, crushed or tumbled glass, crushed lava rocks or bricks, rubber, geotextiles) materials to cover the ground.

Cover Crops

Another elegant, practical, beneficial way to protect and enrich soil is to sow low-growth annual, biennial, or perennial plants, also called cover crops, or green manure. They are usually grasses, legumes (esp. the pea group), and broadleaves. If chosen wisely, they will benefit greatly your garden. You can also grow several types of these together, and get a more appealing visual effect with the same advantages. Cover crops improve and enhance the soil by:

• providing nutrients and other beneficial substances, thus increasing fertility;
• regulating ground moisture, providing shade;
• being incorporated into the ground by means of tillage, which will increase content of the soil in certain elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, etc); doing this before maturity of the plants will prevent future growth from seeds;
• forming symbiotic relationships with rhizobia bacteria, useful in the process of nitrogen availability.
  Plus, they make handsome garden features.

Garden soil is a living organism (do I repeat myself?) sustaining living organisms (yes, I do). If you’re trying to grow healthy foods for consumption, you’ve got to take care of your soil. There are several techniques for dealing with annoying and harmful situations in the garden, such as biological pest control (the plants’ wars).

Proper drainage is another important issue in what concerns soil health, and there are several reasons for this: root rot, poor garden image, pooling, and flooding. [Read more here]

I visited Melbourne, Australia recently and as a gardener, what do you think I was noticing?

Gardens and landscaping in the area. So I reached out to an Australian native and asked them if they would like to write a guest post. This post will give you a little insight into gardening in that area during the winter time.

How to Make the Most of Your Melbourne Garden

Melbourne and winter – two things that fit together like a hand in glove.

If you live in Melbourne you’ll either love or hate winter; very rarely if ever will you find someone who is indifferent towards it. No matter what your opinion of winter though, one thing is for sure; your garden loves this time of the year and will love you just as much if you give it the TLC it craves.

Here are six handy tips for a great Melbourne winter garden.

1. Winter is the time to prune!

Got a deciduous tree or two in your backyard? Maybe you’ve got a rose bush in the garden that has grown a little too big. If this sounds all too familiar, then perhaps it’s time to pull out the pruning shears.

Winter is the ideal time for pruning; the lack of foliage on deciduous trees and bushes makes the job easier and allows you to better identify and repair structural problems.

As a general rule it’s best to prune roses during the months of June and July – any earlier and you could potentially impede the possibility of new growth. When pruning your trees, we highly recommend maintaining the natural shape and growth habits.

2. Now’s the time for annuals

Get some color into your garden with a range of beautiful annuals. Whether you opt for pansies, snapdragons, sweet peas or sweet violas, or perhaps a combination of some or all of these flowers, these flowers will introduce a vibrancy and vitality to your garden that you’ll truly appreciate – especially during a grey and gloomy winter.

Winter annuals will typically begin flowering in June / July and last up until September. They’ll make a worthy addition to your garden that friends and family will love.

3. Don’t like the garden arrangement? Re-arrange it!

Here’s a mind blowing idea – if you’re not happy with the way your garden is arranged, or you simply think it’s time to change things up a bit, re-arrange it!

Want to move an evergreen shrub from one end of the garden to the other? Winter is probably the best time to do it. It’s important to get as much of the root as possible when extracting the plant from the soil, and we’d strongly suggest cutting down the leaf canopy for the relocation process.

4. Start preparing for spring

Certain plants and trees typically flower or produce fruit during spring, so the best time to maintain your garden to ensure maximum growth in the warmer months is to get things ready in winter. If you have hydrangeas in your garden, cutting them just above the buds in winter will help them grow beautifully in the spring.

If there are apple or pear trees in your yard, winter is the optimal time to thin out the branches in order to grow better quality fruit in the spring (even if there might be less growth, it’ll certainly be quality over quantity).

5. Update your soil profile

Like humans, plants and trees require quality soil for nourishment and survival. Throughout the warmer months of the year, say from September to April, most plants and trees draw heavily on the nutrients in the soil in order to remain healthy.

This means that over time the soil becomes depleted of those essential nutrients. Therefore we recommend replacing those nutrients during the winter months; infusing the soil with such organic products as mushroom compost, cow manure (for mineral supplement) and Blood & Bone for strong root growth.

6. It’s all about the bare-rooted plants

Throughout winter you’ll find that bare rooted plants and shrubs – plants that have had their soil removed – are quite cheap, simple to grow and easy to come by. They are typically sold during winter because evaporation levels in the air are low and so they have a greater chance of survival. This makes them the ideal winter garden option.

Of course you may want to undertake larger scale tasks to improve your garden – you might need a tree removal service in Melbourne or clear up some storm damage. Whatever the case may be, don’t let the grey and gloom of the Melbourne winter deter you from enjoying your garden. Now is one of the best times to exercise your green thumbs!

About the author:

Stuart Briggs never used to be a keen gardener, but has developed an experienced green thumb in a short space of time. When he’s not getting his hands dirty in the soil, Stuart loves surfing, going for a lengthy run on a cold, brisk morning and taking photographs from some of Melbourne’s most picturesque locations.

Fertilizers are used to be mixed in the soil and enrich the soil where you have planted your plants. Fertilizers make the soil “healthy” and filled with nutrients and minerals that plants need. Ensuring the health of the soil will also ensure the health of your plants.

The use of chemical commercial fertilizers can cost so much sometimes and the results are not that satisfying. Another problem with the use of commercial chemical fertilizers is that they may cause harm to the human body when ingested (especially when used in vegetables that we eat). Chemicals can also make the soil acidic thus making it unhealthy and inappropriate for planting or plant cultivation as time goes by or with prolonged use.

What if you can make use of a free fertilizer that is guaranteed to work and make the soil healthy, packed with nutrients that plants need, improves soil condition and is not harmful to the soil? It would definitely be amazing! All these can be possible with the use of a home-made fertilizer or more commonly known as compost.

DIY Fertilizer Steps

Dig a hole in your backyard. The best size for an average family will be about 4×4 feet and 3 feet deep. Choose a spot where sunlight cannot be available almost throughout the daytime. This hole will be the place where all biodegradable garbage and trash like food leftovers and dried leaves will be dumped to decompose.

After making the hole, put a fence or barrier made of wood or galvanized iron to make a compost pit. Make it at least 3 feet tall to prevent small children and pets from accidentally falling into the pit.

Dump all your biodegradable wastes into the pit. Leave it there and let nature do the magic. Be sure that the pit is not soak with water.

Cover the pit at all times but open it up once in a while to let it “breathe”. This will prevent sunlight from penetrating deep down.

Use earthworms to enrich your compost even more. Earthworms can be bought from your local agricultural establishments and depots. These earthworms can help in the decomposition of the biodegradable matter in your compost pit. They eat up the matter turning them in tinier and easily-decomposed matter. Their movement in the soil and matter in the pit will aerate it, thus making it easier to decompose.

Go Black and You’ll Never Have to Go Back

Keep in mind that the right texture and color of ready-to-use compost is fine and dark or sometimes black.

Everybody love going to the beach to enjoy not just swimming, but also the wonderful and breathtaking scenery. The view of the beach is a very relaxing sight that can free one from stress or having an overworked mind. But what if you want to go to the beach every day but the thing is, you don’t live near the beach? What to do?

There is actually a way to have the scene of a beach within the comfort of your home. The answer to this is through creating a theme garden – more specifically, a beach theme garden. Imagine the possibility of having the view of a beach right after stepping out of your own home, amazing right?

Beach theme landscape is a type of landscaping design that is specifically intended to imitate the view of a beach with plants and other things that are commonly found in the seaside and beach area. So whether you are living miles away from a seaside, you can actually bring the beach right at your backyard. All that is left for you to have beside you is a glass of piña colada or a refreshing fruit shake and you can relax all you want, anyway you want, for you have all the freedom because you are just outside your house.

Preparation Phase

Before you start doing something, preparation is always key. When starting a project like a beach theme landscape, it is much better to make a sketch of your home and yard. Through this, you can make consideration whether you want to add up a water feature such as a pool to make your landscape more realistic and refreshing or landscape lights to help improve the feel of your yard at night (tiki torches are awesome).

Preparation of the plants that you are going to put in the beach landscape is also a must. You should choose your plants wisely by making sure that these plants are commonly found in a seaside and beach area. It is much better to visit an actual beach or have a thorough research of the plants you are going to incorporate.

This is also the time to prepare the site you are going to transform into a beach-wannabe area once you have decided the spot to have your beach theme garden. Remove the things and other obstacles in your way for the construction of your landscape. Pull out weed and till the soil where you are to plant the beach vegetation and ornament into.

The Start

Once you are done with all the preparation, you can have the new plants transferred and planted in the area of your beach landscape. Make sure that you choose the appropriate plants to use in the landscape. If you have a pool installed in your landscape, make sure not to put the plants near it because the roots may affect the integrity of the structure of the pool or may damage the walls of the pool underground.

You can also add commercially-bought sand and have it placed on top of the soil in your landscape. You can also make a pathway or walkway towards the beach landscape with the use of pebbles and sand to make your work more realistic and creative. Add a dose of your personal touch and your beach theme garden is good to go.

Do you want to have the old “English” theme in your backyard? If so, then having a cottage garden is the best idea for your home and yard beautification purpose. Besides, having a little cottage with plants inside is kind of classy, right?

Cottage gardens are traditionally found in small English villages for the purpose of growing crops to sustain families that are poor or have little abundance in life. It was in the later years, more specifically in the age of renaissance, that the cottage gardens were used by wealthy families to grow beautiful and fragrant flowers, and ornamental plants.

If you want to have a cottage garden of your own and take care of plants closely or in a more “controlled” environment, then you should have enough knowledge at hand in this type of gardening. Let me share to you a few tips and must-knows in the field of cottage gardening.

The Basics

Before you try to dig deeper with the idea of having a cottage garden of your own, you should first be aware of the basic elements and principles used in this specialized form of gardening. You should get to know more about the foundations of cottage gardening.

The following features are what are found distinctive to cottage gardens:

A Cozy Atmosphere. The cozy feeling of having entered a garden with a refreshing scent and beauty of flowers and vines is the unique characteristic that can only be found in cottage gardens. It is such a wonderful feeling that you would definitely like to stay in that place all day long.

Mixture of Just Any. It is not only flowers and vines that can be found in a cottage garden. There are also trees, shrubs and vegetables that can add more texture to the scene and without you even noticing it. The beauty of this type of garden is such a marvel that it can fool you at times.

Welcoming. The cottage garden is like a person who is ushering visitors to come in and guiding them around. This is because most cottage gardens have beautiful walkways and pathways that make the strolling and looking around the garden easy and accessible even though it is filled with so many plants.

The Bench. This is one of the unique characteristics of a garden that has been imitated by other types of gardens – a peaceful area to sit down. Benches can be mostly found in cottage gardens and is a very unique idea to have a place where you can sit down and relax and watch the whole garden at the same time. Most of the time, traditional benches that are made of wood are being used.

Keeping Formality

This is the main idea in keeping and maintaining a cottage garden – keeping it formal. As you have noticed, the things that are being used in this type of garden are those that are traditional and mostly made of wood. Simplicity is beauty in the first place, right?

Azaleas have a reputation of being quite exacting plants in their growing requirements – yet few vistas can surpass a garden or a flower bed of azaleas in full bloom. And, well, rumor may be exaggerated sometimes.

While modern horticulture has created hundreds of variations of this spectacular and delicate shrub (each with different tolerance thresholds to the various conditions that characterize a given garden), there’s this one among them that is especially fit for our Texas gardens – for the simple reason that it’s native to our area.

The name of this beautiful lady is Texas azalea, and, if taken care of properly (which is not at all difficult, as we shall see in a moment), she’ll be embellishing your outdoors – with her dainty white flowers, her lush deep green foliage, her lemonish, slightly spicy fragrance, her discreet yet powerful presence – like few other plants can. Yes, you can call me a bit prejudiced here…

So, let’s get down to exploring a few facts about Texas azalea and its optimal growing conditions:

Texas azalea (rhododendron oblongifolium)

Soil
The natural habitat of Texas azalea is the sandy, organically enriched, slightly acidic (pH 4.5-6.0) soil that can be found in pine forests, wooded stream banks, and boggy areas. This is a light soil, unlike the heavy clay that abounds in several Texas areas and can cause root rot (indicated by yellowing, wilting foliage and collapse of the plant) – but that can be amended with proper preparation of the ground.

Incorporating peat moss, bark mulch (especially pine bark), and compost rich in leaves down to a depth of 12” will increase acidity of the ground and improve aeration, so much needed by the shallow root system of Texas azaleas. Constructing raised flower beds will work fine with these plants, although it’s not a sheer necessity, if preparation is done correctly. Another way to make pH levels more suitable is to add agricultural sulphur.

Texas azaleas don’t like limy, alkaline soil either, as it can lead to iron deficiency and, subsequently, to chlorosis, characterized by yellow leaves with distinct, dark green veins. However, there’s a number of ways to treat chlorosis such as:

• applying copperas (iron sulphate), which is a soil acidifier and will allow iron to return to an available form;
• applying granular iron to the soil; some gardeners simply drive iron nails or iron shards into the ground, waiting for them to rust and release the substance;
• applying a foliar spray of an iron compound – this method will have much shorter residual action, though, and it must be repeated frequently.

Sun exposure
Texas azalea’s natural habitats are very telling of the kind of sunlight it prefers: partial sun or filtered light beneath trees with high limbs. This means that azaleas do not fare well in places that receive excessive amounts of our hot Texas sun, especially during the afternoon hours. Excessive exposure to sun will initially bleach the leaves (due to the deterioration of chlorophyll) and then burn them, with brown spots and edges appearing on the foliage.
On the other hand, complete shade invariably leads to lanky growth and to insufficient blooming. Plant your Texas azaleas in a spot that receives afternoon shade – the east or north side of your home are usually the best picks. Another advantage of optimal sunlight conditions is that they will help increase the plant’s hardiness to low temperatures.

Temperature
Texas azalea is generally spread in regions included in the USDA hardiness zones 7 to 9 – in other words, areas that manifest lowest temperatures of 0-25º F. It is also tolerant of high heat. The secret to always remember is to keep the plant’s “feet” cool, and this is accomplished by adequate mulching (2″-3″ deep).

Apply mulch in spring, just after the blooms fade. This will help lock moisture in the ground, and it will also protect the roots from summer heat. On the contrary, avoid mulching in fall, as this will hold heat in the soil, thus delaying the onset of dormancy and increasing the odds for winter damage.

Watering
Texas azaleas love moisture, but need a well-drained soil to develop properly. Try planting them on a slope: besides seeing your shrubs thriving, you will have the additional advantage of preventing soil erosion.

Watering the azaleas is finding a delicate balance between keeping the ground moist, but not soggy, without letting it get too dry either. When the plant is new, check the soil around it every day to ensure it is slightly damp. Mature plants need about 1″ of water per week during cool seasons, and more during hot summer spells, as azaleas have shallow root systems that dry out quickly. Curling, twisting, or drooping leaves are a certain sign of water deficiency.

Prefer watering deeply and infrequently rather than in regular small amounts. Apply mulch to prevent evaporation, and amend your soil with compost to improve texture and water holding or draining capacity. Avoid drip irrigation, as it will benefit only a very restricted area of the widely spread roots.

Texas azaleas also absorb water through the foliage, which means that you can water both roots and leaves. In this case, prefer to water early in the morning in order to avoid leaving moisture on the leaves, thus preventing the onset of fungal diseases.

Pruning
The best season for pruning Texas azaleas is during the first two to three weeks after flowering is finished, and definitely before budding begins around late July. Any pruning that takes place after that point must be done with major attention, as it will affect the overall shape of the plant and the flowers of the following blooming season.

Don’t be afraid of performing minor shaping of your plants throughout the growing season; this will help the shrub maintain its fullness and compact shape. Just pay close attention and be very selective with your cuts after budding, as they will significantly impact the display of flowers for the following season.

Texas azaleas are deciduous shrubs, meaning that during winter (and until March) they are dormant and leafless; this makes it also a good time to prune – always keeping in mind the above cutting restrictions.

Fertilization
The best time to fertilize Texas azalea is in spring, right after the blooms fade and the shrub is pruned. Use a slow-release, acidic fertilizer such as cottonseed meal or commercial azalea-camellia-gardenia dry fertilizer, applying it evenly around the roots. Fertilizing in a concentrated area will most probably cause fertilizer burn. At any rate, avoid lawn fertilizers; they are too high in nitrogen and they may burn or even kill the shrub.

Never fertilize late in the growing season, like after budding (July) or in the fall, as this can cause tender new growth to develop right before winter — with its chances of severe frost — sets in.

Other Considerations

A Texas azalea in full growth can reach up to 6 ft in height and 3 ft in width. Be sure to provide 36” to 48” spacing when planting your azaleas, thus leaving adequate room for the shrub to develop.

As mentioned above, Texas azalea has a shallow root system —the roots tend to spread horizontally near the surface rather than drive deep into the ground. When planting Texas azaleas, perform 2-3 vertical cuts in the root ball, so as to help the roots spread apart. In the opposite case, the plant won’t be able to hold fast on the ground, and the plant will be severely under-achieving in growth and appearance.

The family of Rhododendrons, to which Texas azalea belongs, has leaves and flowers containing poisonous substances that are dangerous when ingested by humans and animals. What’s more, honey made from these flowers may also be toxic.

Native plants are generally pest and disease free, or they wouldn’t have survived and propagated in the regions where we see them thriving today. It’s a law of nature, and it’s called adaptation. This doesn’t mean that these plants are plastic and invulnerable to natural enemies, pests, and diseases – and Texas azalea has its own share of this type of problems. One thing’s for sure, though: given the proper environmental and growing conditions, your native azalea shrubs will fare much better than rumor has it.

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Photo credits:
- Clarence A. Rechenthin @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
- treegrow in Flickr

Landscape design is based on the understanding of how the various shapes can be combined. The best way to draw a landscaping plan is to view it as a series of abstract shapes that will take on a more practical form after the final synthesis of the organic and inorganic materials that comprise a garden: soil, plants, water, bricks, stones, etc.

A balanced garden should convey harmony of all the materials involved and create a smooth sensation to the eye. Abrupt changes, sharp separations of its various sections must be avoided – with the exception of the area dedicated to growing vegetables, which must be isolated.

On the other hand, we may wish to make a specific spot or feature stand out from its environment, and this we can accomplish by using contrast.

There are various methods of creating contrast in a garden, namely:

Shapes

Lines give a sense of continuity within a given space. As they unfold through areas of various uses, our eye must be able to follow along without generating a feeling of disconnectedness. Paths, pavements, corners, flower beds’ or leisure areas’ boundaries, walls, frames – all these are horizontal or vertical lines that guide our attention to a certain spot and determine the ‘flow’ of a garden.

When drawing a pavement, for example, we should consider it as something more than a hard surface to walk on: a border made of a natural material, such as an edging strip of colorful bushes or an architectural feature to either side, will generate a lively sense of direction in a landscape design.

This sense of direction can also be created by sequence, i.e. the repetitive use of elements that produces an optical rhythm, thus directing the eye along a line — whether this line is straight, curved, or a diagonal.

The ultimate goal of using direction is to grasp the visitor’s attention and to lead it with accuracy to a few select, predetermined spots. A successful landscape design will display a series of images under a desired perspective: visitors will notice the various elements of the garden (whether plants or decorative items) in a specific order while touring the area.

In the instance when our garden space does not allow for the creation of long, open lines and of multiple points of reference without making them look rather congested and jumbled, garden design is made much simpler. In this case, we will designate one to two reference points (in direct relation with the size and the shape of our garden or backyard), and then we will enhance the desired effect by a well-chosen, personal style of planting. Urban gardens, with their restricted space, are the ones most frequently affected by this specific problem.

Color

Color is by no means a separate element, independent from all other considerations; it rather functions as a means of complementing the entire plan of the garden.

Plant color selection may be based on the colors of hard materials used in the garden: that of a fence or of a wall standing behind a series of bushes or trees; of the material with which the house is built; of your own favorite range of colors. The house’s interior may very well set the standard for the colors to be used outdoors, as well as for the color and type of paving, for the style and kind of the pots you will use, etc.

The size of our garden plays an important role to color selection: vivid, intense colors, applied over a large area, will definitely have the effect of making that area look smaller in size.

One more thing to take into consideration when it comes to color is light. Light intensity differs greatly from place to place. In general, intense light makes colors more clear and sharp, and we can recall this from our school days, when we learned that “color is light” and that light influences to a great extent the way we perceive color.

Finally, seasonal changes are another factor in selecting the right colors, as there seems to exist a sort of “cycle” in the way they alternate (at least, in moderate climates). Cream or light yellows mostly appear at the beginning of the year; blues pop up in the summer; the fall is characterized by warm orange and copper hues.

Unity and harmony

Unity is accomplished when the transition from one section of the garden to another is smooth. Visually strong lines, the repetition of geometrical shapes and of dominant design elements, e.g. water, contribute to the unity of the landscape.

In order for us to create an aesthetically appealing effect, contrasts must follow some proportions: lack of proportion means lack of harmony in the design. There must also be a harmonious relationship between the various natural and structural elements, which should be related according to a specific scale.

An all-important factor to consider is time: when selecting plants, we must know how these will develop and which size they will finally reach, or their sheer volume will bring about aesthetical and practical problems.

In a small garden, a single handsome tree may function as a central focal point around which to set the rest of the composition. Finally, the use of a single hardscaping material can act as a factor that will link together the whole landscape.

Beware!
Unity and harmony are not evident during the initial stages of garden creation, when plants are not yet grown enough to cover the area and to soften up rigid lines and hard surfaces.

Balance

Balance does not necessarily mean symmetry. An asymmetrical composition may be well-balanced and agreeable to the eye.

Examples:

• The volume, color, or form of a planted area may be taken as a measure for the creation of a visually equivalent area on the other side of a focal point.
• A concentration of a certain color on one side may be counterbalanced by a larger and more spread-out mass of verdure.

Variety

A multicolored tree or bush protruding from amidst a green turf or an opening to a beautiful view can be pleasing and welcome surprises.

Variety in colors, shapes, textures or shadings makes a garden more interesting; nevertheless, caution is advised, as the excessive use of varied materials risks causing a feeling of dizziness and confusion.

These are the basic principles that will guide us in drawing our landscape design. Then, after elaborating on the details, we’ll start implementing it, bit by bit or all at once, depending on our garden space, our budget, and the time we can allot to gardening and landscaping.

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Photo Credit: Bogdan Migulski via Compfight cc

Not so many people instantly turn to Hydromulching when they need to fix a bare patch of dirt on their lawn.

Perhaps only a few people are aware of this great method of seeding and the numerous advantages.

What Is Hydromulching and How It Works

Hydromulching is simply the process of planting which involves spraying the ground with a soupy mixture of mulch. The mulch which is a mixture of water, seeds, fertilizer, coloring, and tackifier makes Hydromulching unique and effective.

Once the ground is sprayed on using a specially designed machine with a hose or a mounted gun, the result is an instant cover that conserves moisture and protects the surface of the ground from wind or rain.

Since the Hydromulch contains tackifier or binder which holds all the elements together, it can stay in place though exposed to a variety of weather conditions.

A little time is required to let the mulch dry before supplying water. And you do not need much.

Just a little amount of water is needed, just so that it stays damp long enough for the seeds to germinate. This hydromulch makes a perfect nursery for seeds.

After a couple of days, grass will start growing though it might not be visible at first. But if you look closely, you will see little hair-like things protruding through the mulch. Given a few more days, those tiny sprouts will have turned green.

This is when you add more water at night since the roots are about four times longer than what you see above the ground.

Preparing the soil prior to spraying is also an important thing to note. Loosen the soil or add a thin layer of soil so it would be easier for tiny grass roots to penetrate the ground and absorb moisture.This is also the perfect time to mix some slow release fertilizer to the soil.

These procedures will make a huge difference for the results both in the time it takes for the grass to grow and in the overall appearance of your lawn. In a few more days, your once unpleasant lawn will be covered with nice green grass your neighbors will envy.

If you have problem with erosion, Hydromulching is also a perfect solution. It is made to hold tight to very steep banks. Your Hydro Spray Grass operator will only need to adjust the mix to hold to just about any slope.

It’s surprising how well it holds onto steep banks during a heavy rain or even a storm. The top soil can be washed away but the hydro mulch will hold on remarkably well.

After about three days, the area will be festooned with young grass all over the slope with roots holding the bank in place making your erosion concern yesterday’s problem.