Landscape Design

Below are links to articles posted in Landscape Design.

Train Clematis up a Post

File this under “other things you can do with fencing other than actual fencing.” Like my trick for saving shrubs from the ravages of rabbits I like to use fencing to form little cages, trellises really, around posts.
Posts, poles, supports, columns, whatever you want to call them, we all have them, we all need them. […]

Use Black Mulch to Brighten Up Shady Areas

Mulch comes in many colors, people have long been using the ever present red mulch, and in fact I would venture it probably rivals plain mulch in volume. There are also golden mulches, that look like very fresh wood. Then there are more subdued brown mulches that look like slightly older wood.
The main advertised benefit […]

My New Water Feature

The largest garden bed on my property, my back side garden, has long be devoid of a focal point. When I was doing most of these gardens in the fall of 2004 I needed (wanted?) to create a very large bed to balance out the rest of the yard, but whereas I had plants and […]

Three Rivers Stone and Stepables Sedum

I want to share a couple recent purchases I made for my garden, specifically, for a water feature I am building that I should be able to share in a week or 10 days.
The first is this gorgeous rock called Three Rivers Stone. I was at the stone place and wanted some boulders 12-18 inches […]

Edible Ornamentals

When planning your garden design do not forget that you can use vegetables in your ornamental beds.
Yes, I said it, vegetables in your ornamental beds. For some reason people see an ornamental bed as featuring eye-pleasing designs with organic layouts and nice flowers. Whereas a vegetable garden needs to have straight orderly rows like a […]

Other uses for garden planters

Containers are fun, I particularly like large ones, they add crucial structural elements to your garden, and allow you to microtarget a specific plant’s needs.
You don’t need to stop with plants though to find use for them. A container without a draining hole can make a small fountain with the addition of an inexpensive pump. […]

Barberry, a great shrub for the landscape

There is something to be said about barberries. They do not have beautiful flowers. Their scent can be bad. Their foliage, though nice, is beat by other plants. And yet I find myself thinking of them as one of the best bushes for the landscape.
The reasons? Sheer growability. Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) are hardy […]

Nature Hills Makes Good

Last Spring, well over a year ago, I purchased a ‘Forest Pansy’ redbud from Nature Hills Nursery. It didn’t bloom that first year, so I couldn’t confirm bloom color, and the leaves were green, instead of the purple they are supposed to be. I gave it the benefit of the doubt though and thought maybe […]

Using Plants with Contrasting Foliage

I wrote a new article today on using plants with contrasting foliage. Check it out.
This is the first article in what will be a series. Now that I’ve laid the general groundwork I will go back and tackle specific plants for each popular foliage color such as red, blue, and yellow.