The Metropolitan Garden

Gardening is one of the simplest and most fruitful, pun intended, hobbies in the country. Even those in the urban areas are rapidly discovering the wonders of this activity. So although they don’t have the garden patch on their backyard that they can show off, they make one several feet above the ground in their condominium units and apartment buildings.

Gardening, after all, does not only involve a large patch of land. One can actually do gardening in pots. Even taking care of orchids and other aerial plants are also considered gardening. Starting small is actually quirt good especially if you do not have much experience yet. Not all people have a green thumb and it is best to take care of only a few so that you will be able to fully focus on each of the plants.

Remember that gardening may look as simple as watering them every morning and putting fertilizers, but the task is more than that. It actually involves a lot of work and can take a great deal of time especially if you have many plants to take care of.

Most people think that gardening is only for aesthetic purposes but the fact is, there are a lot of things that gardening can offer, not only to people but also to the environment. Below are just some of the benefits that one can get from gardening. Read on and you might be encouraged to get on with the craze.

Relaxation

Although it may indeed involve a lot of work, from watering the plants to cutting the unwanted shrubs in the surrounding areas, gardening relaxes people. This is especially true with people who are already used to the task and are simply enjoying the “flowers” of their labor.

Gardening, in fact, has been known to be effective therapy with people who are depressed or those with manic tendencies. Plants soothes the emotions and calms the person.

Clean air

Science books have told us that plants inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen, an air that we need to survive. When there are plants in the house, the air is healthier as plants already filter the air when they make food and then give off clean air. This is the reason why people find cleaner air in the suburbs compared to the cities… perhaps because there are more trees there than in the rustle-bustle of urban areas.

Cooler

The home with plants is also cooler than those that do not have any. This is because of the shades that plants provide. The branches and the leaves of the plants protect the house from the direct rays of the sun and of course the leaves in itself absorb the sunlight. Plants need the sunlight to make or process their own food.

Eye-appealing

Hands down, a house with plants and flowers is more beautiful than any house with great architectural design. Having plants at home provides flashes of colors that are wonderful to look at especially when combined with the general design of the house. Especially good in providing aesthetic appeal are orchids and sunflowers which provide a cheery and bright atmosphere to any home.

Food on the table

You can actually choose to plant vegetables that you and your family can enjoy at the dining table. This actually beats having to buy veggies in the market because you know that what you have planted is clean and free from pesticides and other chemicals that are used in commercial planting.

Gardens are not just places where one grows plants and vegetables. To complement the amount of effort you put in here, you should try and improve your garden decor so that your garden looks beautiful, even without flowers. Here are some tips to help you work on it:

1) Singular focus

One way to make a difference to your garden decor is to focus on one part of the garden and build the rest around it. This can be done by building a gazebo, an arbor, a rose pillar or any statues or sculptures of interest.

2) A sense of architecture

You can provide an architectural form and a sense of style to your garden decor by adding a bit of iron gate work, elegant metal topiary forms or concrete statuary to the garden. Simple garden ornaments and artful decor contribute tremendously to the aesthetic value to your outdoor living garden spaces.

3) Adding water features - a waterfall or a fountain

Building a waterfall or a fountain can add a lot of value to your garden decor. In fact, most Japanese gardens have a water feature, and the ones without water features have something that represents water, like grey gravel or sand. If you would like to be a little innovative, you can turn your whole garden into a water garden.

4) Collect and scatter

After having collected a variety of art and ornamentation to add to your garden decor, make sure you scatter it throughout the landscape. Some people place topiary, sculpture or tuteur forms in distant small landscaped garden spaces for maximum viewing impact. Try and frame ornamental pieces of art with easy-growing shrubs and low-growing flowers.

5) Correct use of planters and containers

For an elegant garden decor, you may need to carefully choose the planters and containers to hold your plants. Many kinds of containers are available, the popular ones being made of concrete, fibre stone, fibreglass and plastic. For earth tones, you might choose terracotta. Correct use of planters can also add height, shape and life to your garden.

6) Lighting

Lighting up a garden nicely also enhances the garden decor. Other than lighting up the pathway in your garden, you can also light up a specific tree by focusing light beams on it. Make sure you keep safety concerns in mind for lighting options.

7) Define your place - use varieties of height

Garden ornamentation will define garden spaces. Taller garden decor and sculpture can create pleasant and sprawling visual architecture in small spaces. Always try and place taller plantings toward the back of the garden. Try and use varieties of height to beautify your garden.

Block what you do not like

Block a part of the garden with climbers like ivy or vines if you do not like the way it looks. A trellis or obelisk can also be combined with the climbers to block the view. It will only end up enhancing your garden decor. You can also add a birdbath to your garden.

9) Temporary additions for special purposes

If you organize parties in your garden, they are some ways to improve on your garden decor. If you are on a shoestring budget, you could light the garden by candles, lanterns or string lighting. Clean up a certain area within the garden to provide a tidy place for your guests. Addition of fragrant containers would fill the garden air with a pleasant smell. Also, do not forget to get comfortable garden chairs for your guests.

Finally, no matter how you wish to decorate your garden, you should make sure that everything is harmonized. Utilizing all your resources with perfect balance can enhance your garden decor and make it your own piece of paradise.

Eventually we are all given a house plant either as a gift or a plant from someone who is moving and can’t take their plants with them, instantly giving you the basis for indoor gardening. Many times if you don’t know how to care for it the plant will wither and die. Other times people start to care for the plant and suddenly become avid gardeners.

Indoor gardens are similar to outdoor gardens, it’s just that you are caring for plants in your home instead of in your garden. A big plus to indoor gardening is that it can be enjoyed by people that live in the cities with no access to land. It is also a joyful hobby for people that are confined indoors. The real bonus is that they are healthy for us. Basically plants take in carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen (photosynthesis) thereby purifying the air that we breath. So you have attractive plants with added benefits.

Indoor gardens are ideal for people that live in hard, cold climates or for someone who lives in a climate that gets searingly hot. With an indoor garden the gardener can manipulate the environment so that their plants thrive. If it is dreary, cold and grey wouldn’t it be delightful to have gorgeous plants sprinkled around your home that not only add beauty but cheerfulness too?

After choosing the plants you wish to grow you must choose a container for it. You can opt for a small plant that can be placed on a counter or windowsill. Even a large evergreen in a big pot can be placed next to your door or in a sunny spot in the corner. You must make a plan for your indoor garden. Figure out where you want to place your indoor garden so you will know how much space you have for the plants. Once this is done you can choose the container and the plants you wish to grow. Don’t forget to research the plants needs, like watering, sunlight and food before you go to the nursery center.

Once you have gathered all of your material you can start planting and arranging your indoor garden in your home. When arranging your garden be sure to put plant that needs bright sun near a window. Plants that just need indirect light should be put in a more comfortable spot of low or indirect sun for them. If you get this wrong you will be throwing out your plants and buying new ones.

Don’t overlook planting an indoor herb garden especially if you like to cook. Herbs needs are four to six hours of sun per day and loose easily drained soil. They are pretty plants and will add zip to your meals.

If you have pets carefully choose your plants. Pets and plants must be able to cohabitate in your home peacefully. Some plants are toxic to animals. You have to be sure that your animal and the plant can live together. For instance, a tall plant may be seen as a scratching tool by cats or even a litter box. Cats have been known to wrap themselves around larger plants and snuggle in the warm dirt. Sometimes this can disturb the roots. One way to beat this is to put ornamental rocks or crushed seashells right on top of the soil.

You can have an indoor garden and enjoy all of the benefits of beautiful plants. Just do some research either at you local nursery or on the internet. What are you waiting for? Start planting.

A minimum availability of six hours of sunlight, enough space to accommodate few plants and maybe a few fish too will qualify any kind of container to be utilized for water gardening purpose.

Earlier, this hobby used to be limited to only small ponds or considerably large water bodies. However, with time and with advent of many innovative concepts, water gardening can now even be enjoyed in the comfort of ones apartment. As with soil gardening, water gardening also has some specific requirements that need to be adhered to.

Primarily, you will need a big container that can hold minimum 15-20 gallons water. This will be sufficient to cultivate a mini water garden. Plants will then be planted inside the container with the soil type varying from plant to plant. The plant may also be settled on a certain level inside the container depending on its depth requirements. All this information can be accessed either online or at your nearest garden center.

It is advisable that you don’t make use of the tap for water gardening purposes. Many cities have special water treatment plants that mix chemicals in water to make it drinkable. Chlorine is one such chemical that is commonly added to water. Such chemicals can be devastating for your water garden plants and thus you should first get rid of them to make the water usable for water gardening. Chlorine normally burns out in 24-48 hours and hence you must wait until then to put any plants in the container.

The containers meant for water gardening can fit anywhere from one to three varieties of basic plants. They are classified according to their behavior while in water. While some of them may grow out of the water line and would want to reach skies, the others may remain grounded inside the water. There is a third type as well which keeps floating in the water, and hence is called, “floater”. What all varieties of plants and how many of them should you cultivate will depend on the container size and the attention they will require.

Now coming to the marine life, you can have fishes and snails in your water garden. Mini water gardens can even accommodate guppies that normally can endure any temperature. They can also feast on the mosquitoes that may try to test the waters. If you have opted for a large container then you can even flash couple of goldfishes to your friends. Snails can also be kept as they play an important role in clean up operation by eating away the decaying plants and the fish waste.

Creating and maintaining a water garden is not as easy as taking a container, filling it up with water and plants and then adding a little marine livestock. You will need to maintain your water garden well by providing it with regular fresh water supply. A method will need to be devised to periodically drain out stale water and add fresh water without harming the inhabitants of the water garden.

Vegetable gardening can be done at many different locations in Texas with great success. The climatic conditions in Texas are also most apt for the growth of various types of vegetables. Owing to a long growth season, Texas is the just the right place to start with vegetable gardening hobby without much disappointment. So, irrespective of your expertise level, you can hone and improve your vegetable gardening skills constantly in Texas.

What makes Texas the best place for vegetable gardening?

There are few significant factors that go into making Texas the best place for vegetable gardening. First is the amount of sunlight available in this region. Barring a few plants that grow the best in shades, we all will agree with the importance of sunlight for the growth of majority of plants. This essential nutrient is available in abundance in Texas. Second is the quality of air in Texas. Moving away a little further from the cities, one can find the freshest quality of air, most optimum for vegetable gardening.

Thirdly, the type of soil in Texas is best for vegetable growth. In fact, in certain areas, you can observe that the farmers don’t even add any kind of fertilizers and nutrients to the soil and still are able to reap a rich harvest. The soil here is significantly rich in natural minerals and nutrients as compared to other parts of US. The long growth season also plays a significant role in making Texas vegetable gardening popular. In winters, the temperatures are moderate enough to pose no substantial impediment to the plants growth. Thus one can indulge in vegetable gardening hobby almost all round the year in Texas.

However, one of the flip sides of practicing vegetable gardening in Texas is the moisture level of the soil. Since the sun is too kind on Texas, some of the areas are left too dry and challenging for farmers to maintain the wetness levels of the soil. Nevertheless, technology has come to the rescue of the farmers in the form of soaker hoses that can be used to water all the areas of the garden properly. One can even resort to plain old watering methods to maintain optimum levels of soil wetness.

Overall, Texas provides the most appropriate conditions for vegetable gardening. Thus, if vegetable gardening is on your mind, prepare well in advance and make a good plan about how you will use the advantages in Texas to cultivate a great produce. It may be a better idea to start with your favorite vegetables to keep you motivated. There are enough resources available online to help you get started with Texas vegetable gardening.

A water garden could be either natural or artificial but there are two things, which bring them together - the adding of some kind of water gardening feature and the existence of water forming the central theme. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a legendary garden of ancient times, brought into play a prominent water gardening feature.

In addition, Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain is also renowned for its water gardening feature. The water gardens have recaptured their importance in the landscaping area in the past few years, encompassing container based water gardens to great outdoor arrangements. They are referred by several names like water ponds, aquatic gardens, and backyard ponds.

An actual water garden employs varied water gardening features to make up the entire setting. The principal kinds of water garden features, which are frequently used, are waterfalls, fountains, waterways (streams) and ponds. The water garden feature not only greatly enhances the loveliness of the garden but also creates the calming, gentle rhythm of the flow of water.

In addition, it presents the ideal environs to draw wildlife, particularly birds, whose kaleidoscopic colors and gentle sounds augment the charm and splendor of the water garden.

On the other hand, the introduction of a water garden feature calls for extra amount to be invested in equipment since a pump and water filtration system are essential. These two particular items of equipment are indispensable for the proper maintenance of the water garden’s delicate ecosystem. The water pump ensures that the water continues to flow and thus make available the precious oxygen for the aquatic flora and the fish to survive. In addition, it inhibits mosquito breeding, as the mosquitoes are quite likely to take to the surrounding of a water garden feature and breed.

Further, a filtration plant ensures that the water is clear and is hygienically maintained so that aquatic flora and fauna can thrive.

A certain facet of a water garden feature that most people are unaware of is employing this water feature to disguise or hide imperfections in the garden. Expert landscape artists draw on a water garden feature constantly to cover up landscaping drawbacks, with nobody being aware of such a thing.

There is not a single thing that can present the kind of harmony and stillness that a sparkling fountain can apart from gazing at the calm cool waters of the stream gushing by joyously. To some extent, it is due to these causes that that water garden feature is a prized possession in most outdoor gardens. In the present scenario, with most people electing to live in condominiums, miniature indoor fountains are coming to the rescue of homeowners, making it possible to take their water garden feature inside their homes.

Moreover, people now have the alternative of harnessing solar power for pumps required for a water garden feature, thus cutting down on electricity costs and helping in preserving the environment.

When the Oriental converges with the Occidental, in place of a fantastic synthesis, we more often end up with total chaos. However, when things slowly settle down, a new consciousness tiptoes in and the thrill and rapture of a completely new culture spreads all around. The same is true of Japanese gardens.

The perfect Japanese garden is the very epitome of minimalist beauty and appearance, frequently necessitating a total transformation of one’s outlook in order to set it up, but afterwards one discovers that it is much easier to preserve and admire.

Japanese gardening equipment comprise of a number of items we normally do not regard as gardening equipment, on account of their precision, clean lines and shape.

Are Rocks Garden Decorations?

In a Western garden setting, a huge rock may be admired as the core theme of a garden, but a Japanese garden counts on a more delicate and refined form of gardening supplies. A lot of times, Japanese bring into play smooth stones or distinctly formed rocks with patinas and lichens to create an exquisite garden arrangement.

Moreover, in the Japanese garden, sand is spread in the curved garden rake pattern to symbolize the ocean. We never even consider sand to be a garden surface material. But, in Japan, sand is employed for that very purpose. Hence, you may land up at a stone quarry or a garden outlet, in search of great rocks to enhance the attractiveness of your garden.

Water

As Japan is a country surrounded by water on all sides, it is not surprising that they have gorgeous water gardens. In view of the fact that the Japanese endeavor to emphasize the natural environment, the nucleus of the garden is typically formed by things such as water, minerals, plants, and sand.

By adding a gently gushing waterfall or a little pond, a Japanese garden introduces a deeply meditative spirit that one finds very relaxing and soothing. In case a pond cannot be set up, then a pump and a bamboo container brimming with lovely plants can assist in the infusion of that element into a garden with a
Japanese theme.

Sculptures

The Japanese display their appreciation of artistic beauty in a number of ways, one of which is by skillfully fashioning the landscape into an exact replica of gentle, undulating hills. Precise placement of heaps of earth throughout the garden is a wonderful means of creating a natural setting for the garden.

Nevertheless, there are several more kinds of Japanese gardening materials such as screens, lanterns, and minute pagodas. Not any of these would undermine the overall tranquility and natural simplicity of the garden, but instead help in preserving its Zen-like ambience. In Japan, the gardens are designed to fuse the divine with the corporeal. You, too, can achieve this by selecting Japanese gardening materials that convey these picturesque and enchanting elements into the garden.

Plants and Trees

Many of the Japanese plants and trees are relatively played down by Western norms. The Japanese maple is very popular in the West due to its vivid red and bronze leaves. The Bonsai may appear as very small and simple by Westerners, but they are the apt choice for any Japanese garden. In no way, restrict your selection to trees and shrubbery. Introduce creepers and mosses to your existing Japanese gardening materials, to add a natural element to stone figurines or stone steps.

I think you know very well about the rules and regulations to keep your plants to grow healthy in your garden. For getting sustainable growth of your garden plants you do require good soil quality, sunlight and sufficient water. Although these items have been gifted by nature, you ought to require modern gardening tools to upkeep your garden in a good state. Gardening tools help a lot in taking care of your plants as well as the good growing conditions and positive effect on your plant’s health.

Defective gardening tools might have cause injury on your plants or cut your plants or totally plug your plants from the soil. In order to prevent the occurrence of such untoward incident, it is a must to look for the best gardening tools, which will provide your plants loving tender care. Once you called a tool as ‘Best gardening tools”, it refers to a tool, which will permit labor saving methods and that allows energy efficiency.

Here you can see some of the best gardening tools available in the market to provide a better care than ever for your plants in the garden.

Lawnmowers
Luxus Push Reel Mower rated as best by the gardening aficionados provides large top cover that protects overhanging flowers and shrubs. Another special gardening tool called American Lawn Mower Deluxe has also been accredited as best which will be helpful to operate on elbow grease alone and also causing no pollution. But this is not conducive for too tall grasses.

Garden Shredders
In general all the garden shredders have a high power motor and come with a silent crushing system. This kind of gardening tool used to accelerate your shredding activity.
Garden shredders with electric shredder is an easy to assemble gardening tool, which aids in tree pruning with maximum of 40 mm and making healthy hedges. This gardening tool is considered to be a best among all the garden shredders since it is available with a plunger for increased portability and built-in wheels.

Cultivators
These modern gardening tools are available with patented tines to help in cutting the hard compacted soil smoothly. Cultivators are available with a free border edger. It is perfect to use in cleaning the moss, aerating and in thatching. This garden tool helps extensively in preparing vegetable plots, flowerbeds, etc.,

Leaf sweeper
These gardening tools are extensively used for smaller lawns. It is having an infinite height adjustment with 200-liter collector.

Edge Trimmer
This gardening tool has also been accredited as important equipment by the gardening equipment reviewers. This aids in trimming the hedges and also aids in plant pruning.

Spading fork
This is a wonderful gardening tool used for aerating and transplanting. By using this gardening tool it is possible to perform splitting grasses and perennials. In addition to this these gardening tools helps a lot as the job of a manure fork, mulch, sorting hay, for tiny gardens.

Mattock
Mattock is an important gardening tool for breaking up the clay soils and also working around established trees with the roots. There is no need to have a pick and a hoe and handles in your garden, if you are having mattock with you.

Before you leave the garden center, it is highly advisable to have a look at these check list of gardening tools and confirm if you’ve got all the gardening tools you’ll need to make your garden just like that of spring to life.

Water gardens designed for wildlife are sure to bring you many hours of viewing pleasure. Birds will take a sip of water from even a simple tub, and they’ll bathe in a splashing fountain. Butterflies love shallow pools. Insects and other animals-dragonflies, frogs, salamanders-will be drawn to your water garden and to the plants that accompany it.

Of course, water gardens designed for wildlife may also attract wildlife you would rather not deal with. Raccoons, mosquitoes, cats that love fish, and even the occasional rambunctious, water-loving dog may also become visitors to your water garden. But all in all, water gardens extend the ecosystem delightfully into your own backyard.

Water gardens designed for wildlife in a country setting may attract abundant wildlife because animals are more plentiful in locations near their natural habitat. Yet even a big-city water garden draws birds, butterflies, and other animals.

Style, Size and Location Can Make a Difference
A large garden may attract a more diverse selection of wild things, but a small garden will surprise you with the number of animals it lures.

Wildlife won’t know whether your water garden is formal or informal, of course. But the more that it resembles a country pond, the greater the number and variety of creatures it will attract because of the greater variety of habitats it offers.

The Depth of Your Water Garden

If you’re planning a water garden that will support fish and plants as well as other wildlife activity, you’ll need to consider constructing it to contain a variety of depths. Fish need at least 18 inches of water to survive. To over-winter them in areas where the pool freezes, they will need a place on the bottom deeper than that. Plants over-wintering in the garden pond will need deep areas, too.

In a climate with winter temperatures of minus 10° to minus 20° F, the pond will need to be 24 inches deep. In regions where average minimum temperatures of minus 30° to minus 40° F, the pool should have areas that are 30 to 36 inches deep. Check with your local extension service or water garden supplier to be sure the water garden you’re planning will have depths suitable to your garden and your region.

Many amphibians, small animals, and birds like gradual approaches to water. An inclined beach of small stones provides a natural entry into the pool for them.

Although the location, style, and size of your http://www.garden-fountains.com/Categories.bok?category=Garden+Fountains all contribute somewhat to your success with wildlife. Having a diversity of depths, rocks, and plants will be key to attracting wildlife to your water gardens.

Plants for Your Water Garden

Native plants, which offer food and shelter natural to the birds and animals of your region, draw wildlife to your garden pond. Trees and shrubs are especially good because they provide homes for nesting wildlife as well as food and cover.

Perennials and annuals are attractions, too. Their patches of color draw birds and butterflies to feed on seeds and flower nectar. Grasses and hedges, especially evergreen or semi-evergreen species, provide cover at the water’s edge for the better part of the year. Marginal plants (those that grow in the shallows of the water garden) also offer cover and food. Plants with floating leaves shade the water and serve as insect landing pads. Those with smaller leaves, like duckweed, are food for ducks and fish. Submerged plants release small amounts of oxygen into the water, which support insect larvae.

• Swamp milkweed or butterfly plant (Asclepias incarnata) grows about 3 feet high, and its yellow-to-orange, red, yellow, or white flowers attract butterflies for the nectar. This plant requires full-sun.

• Water mint (Mentha aquatica) grows about 1 foot high and bears small, light lavender flowers in mid- to late summer with nectar that is attractive to bees. It spreads rapidly and can be invasive. It should be planted no deeper than 3 inches.

• Water lily (Nymphaea spp.) spreads from 1 to 50 square feet, depending on the variety. Its flowers come in many colors and grow from 1 to 10 inches across. It prefers full sun and still water and makes a good place for frogs and other small animals to rest. Hardiness depends on the variety.

Many of us flip through garden magazines, all the while thinking that it takes years, a professional, or tons of money to landscape the gardens featured in the glossy pictures. This isnt necessarily true. You can design a breathtaking garden and be the envy of the neighborhood by following some of the following tips.

Know What You Like and What Works
Drive around your neighborhood and see whats out there that grows well in your zone. You can jot down what you see on index cards, so they are organized and handy. Start gathering page clippings from magazines and collect some pictures of the designs that interest you. This can help you decide what garden style you like. Youll have an easy reference for plants and placement too.

Select Location and Color
Next, look at your notes and clippings and choose the color scheme youd like to have in your garden. Don’t forget to keep in mind if youre designing and planting in shade, sun, or partial shade or partial sun. Are you looking for something bright and vibrant or something more calming and soothing? Consider starting with a foundation of shrubs and accenting with some perennials, bulbs, ornamental grasses, and annuals for more seasonal color.

Perhaps, you want all flowers. Decide on a shape that compliments your house style. Straight styles give a more formal appearance while curves give a more informal feel. If you dont feel confident selecting colors, you can use a color wheel to help pick contrasting and complimenting colors.

Budget and Create a Plan
Decide how much you are able to and want to spend on your new garden. Do you want to start with a foundation and add to it gradually? If so, start with purchasing your most expensive plants and shrubs first. Use these as a focal point for your garden. Start watching for sales and discount plants at garden centers and nurseries. Tell everyone you know that youre starting a garden and would love it if they could give you divisions of their perennials or seeds they have saved from their garden. Let family and friends know that you have a wish list of plants that would be the perfect gift idea.

If you have access online, do a search for seed swaps. Many gardeners love to help a new gardener. Many are willing to send seeds for the cost of postage or will trade for something else that you may have that they are looking for. A great resource for free items is free cycle Look for a group in your area, join the group, and post letting the group know that you would be interested in garden plants and seeds.

You may get lucky and find that a member of the group has already offered some plants up for grabs. Dont forget to ask your local garden club when they are having their sales too. You can also start some plants from seed yourself. Many seeds are very easy to direct sow and a little can go a long way.

Heres a partial list of easy to grow seeds:

Candytuft, Asters, 4oclocks ,Sunflowers ,Pansies ,Violas ,Impatiens ,Dianthus ,Larkspur ,Salvia ,Cupid’s Dart ,Morning Glories ,Moonflowers ,Zinnias ,Calendula ,Marigold ,Cosmos ,Sweet Alyssum ,Bee Balm ,Poppies ,Nasturtium

Dont forget if you decide to sow into containers, there are many inexpensive containers such as yogurt containers, milk jugs, egg cartons, and plastic ice cream buckets. You can also call your city and see if they have free mulch available. Dont hesitate to strike up conversations with your neighbors while youre out for a walk. You never know, the topic of gardening may come up and they might be more than happy to offer you some seeds or divisions.

Design Away
Now youre ready to design. You can sketch out your idea beforehand. Keep the following in mind as you design.

Scale- Judge the size of the area and choose plants that arent going to be too large, too wide, or too small for the area. Keep in mind the plants size when its met its mature growth.

Balance-Dont place your plants where one area is too compacted with plants and another area is too airy. Try and achieve a good balance of small, medium, and large plants. Balance offers visual stability. It can be created with space between plantings or the visual weight of your design. This can be created with lines so that your garden is pleasing to look at from all angles.

Focal Point- Your focal point will be the area that your eye is drawn to first. This can be your prized flowers, tree, or shrub.

Rhythm- This is visual flow. The eye wanders throughout the entire garden design, but comes back to the focal point. It can be achieved with repetition and contrast.

Harmony-Unity- This is when plants have a way of appearing connected and a part of one another. This can be achieved with color, texture, groupings. Unity is lost when your plants look too separate or your color choice makes one plant look lost amongst the rest.

Color- Color impacts the entire design process. Use a color wheel if you dont feel confident selecting colors that go well together.

If all of this is too confusing and overwhelming, check out some garden catalogs. Many have suggested designs. Its also best to place your containers out and arrange and rearrange where you want to plant them before you start digging.

Accessorize (homemade garden art)
To add some interest and whimsy to your garden, consider some homemade items or trash to treasure works of art. Ideas such as making your own stepping stones, garden markers, terra cotta bird baths or toad houses, painted rocks and pavers, and fun wind chimes are simple projects that can add a lot of interest to your garden area. Look around for unique items you could add to your garden such as milk cans, wooden chairs, ladders, tricycles, wagons, trunks, roofing shingles, mailboxes, or even dressers. The sky is the limit on what you can create. Use your imagination.

There you have it and you didnt have to hire a pro, spend thousands of dollars, or take years to achieve a pretty garden. You wont be a new gardener for long. Soon, it will be you sharing starts, cuttings, seeds, divisions, and tips.