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How to Grow Blueberries
How to Grow Blueberries Along with lip-smacking sweetness, flower and foliage are also worthy reasons to grow blueberries. White, bell-shaped blossoms make a lovely addition to a spring garden and fiery scarlet foliage adds drama to a fading...
How To Use Vines In Landscaping Your Home
Vines can be the quick salvation of the new home owner. Fast-paced annuals will twine up a hastily erected pergola almost before summer starts, providing a cool, fragrant and beautiful awning. Annuals and perennials (or hardy vines, as...
Mosquito Farms? Is That What Water Gardens Are?
What is nicer that a lovely backyard garden pond. The lush growth rising above the water, graceful fish darting about and the soothing sound of the water. These are just a few of the reasons people are drawn to water gardens. But when you...
River Birch Trees
River Birch Trees When I was in the 8th grade I would go fishing
along the Delaware River at night. I would camp along the river
bank and fish into the wee hours of the night. I am always
drifting back to those childhood memories when I pass a...
The Viburnum Blackhaw
Blackhaw Viburnum (V. prunifolium) The rounded, stiffly branched
habit of Blackhaw viburnum reminds you of a Hawthorn. Other
common names are Sloe, sloe-leaved viburnum, stagbush, shonny.
It can be grown as a small tree because plants attain a...
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Plan for Winter Plantings
Part four in a series
It’s hard to think about winter when our gardens are in full bloom and the vegetables are ripening on the vine! But we must keep winter in mind when we are planning our landscape. Afterall, we have to look at our landscape all year long, including winter. (Unless, of course, you are fortunate enough to be able to move to warmer climates in the winter or live in a climate that is tropical all year long!) But for most of us, we have to contend with four seasons and the life cycle of our landscape.
So when you are planning your landscape, keep in mind this life cycle of the plants you choose to add to your landscape design. Some plants, like flowering trees and shrubs look their best in Spring, others reach their full beauty in Summer, others still attain stunning and vibrant color in the Autumn, and yet, some evergreens look beautiful in the Winter, offset by a striking snow-covered landscape.
Add plants to your landscape that offer a variety of looks in different seasons. Don’t plan your landscape with plants that all reach their peak of beauty at the same time. For example, a bed of perennials will provide a rainbow of color all summer long, but in the fall and winter,
you will have to contend with a big empty space in your landscape. The same holds true for evergreens. While evergreens look beautiful in the winter-white of the colder months, they don’t offer much in the summer.
So, try to choose plants for your landscape that have different focal points for different parts of the year. Look for plants that may keep red or orange berries through the winter months, or that keep a beautiful bud head through the winter for a variety of shapes. You can also postpone dead-heading some of your flowering plants until the end of winter so you have some visual interest all winter long.
Just don’t be afraid to experiment. Remember, this is your landscape. Use your creativity! And if something you’ve tried doesn’t work, try something else! You can always move a planting somewhere else and try something new.
About the Author
Dean Novosat is an avid gardener and landscaper. He has transformed many boring yards into beautiful landscapes. He has several websites including http://www.the-garden-doctor.com and http://www.dr-landscape.com.
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