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Top Four Tips for Butterfly Garden Design

July 21, 2011 By gzgarden Leave a Comment

Top Four Tips for Butterfly Garden Design

If you wish to attract butterflies to your garden, you must pay attention to garden design.  Butterflies are most attracted to certain types of plants.  There are several garden accessories that can help attract butterflies.  The following article gives you the top four tips for butterfly garden design.

Butterfly Garden Design Tip #1 – Butterflies Garden Basics

Butterfly garden’s should be positioned in full sun.  Not only do the butterflies enjoy its warmth, but the plants they like do better there.  A butterfly garden can be any size or shape.  You should consider a hedge in your butterfly garden design to shelter the butterflies from wind and predators on the wing.

Butterfly Garden Design Tip #2 – Nectar and Flower Choice

All butterflies drink nectar.  Different species of butterflies enjoy types from different flowers, however.  If you want a general butterfly garden, you should design it with as many of the following plants as possible.  If you are most interested in butterfly garden design for a specific species, you must research what each species likes.

Including plants in your butterfly garden design is easy.  Here are some that butterflies most enjoy:

1.    Butterfly bush
2.    Bee-balm perennial
3.    Black-eyed susan
4.    Cosmos annual flower
5.    Daisy
6.    Day Lily
7.    Impatiens annual flower
8.    Milkweed
9.    Purple Cone Flower
10.    Thistle

Butterfly Garden Design Tip #3 – Eggs and Catapillers

Besides the flowers and plants needed to feed the butterflies in your garden, these insects also have specific needs for laying eggs.  The larvae, or catapillers, eat only specific types of plants.  You should include some of the following in your butterfly gardening design:

1.    Fruit trees such as cherry and peach
2.    Nettles
3.    Plants from the cabbage family
4.    Sunflowers
5.    Herbs such as dill and parsely

Butterfly Garden Design Tip #4 – Butterfly Houses

An accent for your butterfly garden design is the butterfly house.  These wooden boxes look a lot like bird houses.  Instead of a large round hole for a bird to enter, butterfly houses have very narrow slits.  Inside, there should be a backing of rough tree bark for the butterlies to cling to.  They will use this house as a place to spend the night, escape from predetors, or hibernate in the cold months.

Designing a garden for butterflies is a great landscaping project.  If you want to attract these colorful insects to your yard, you must pay attention to garden plant choice and layout.  With these top four butterfly garden design tips, you will be able to design a garden that will attract the most butterflies possible.

Written by MelanieM

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Ideas For Your Butterfly Garden Design

July 12, 2011 By gzgarden Leave a Comment

Article by Jonathan Townsend

When creating a design for your garden, you might choose to have a theme or goal for your garden. For example, you may want to attract certain birds, bees, or butterflies to your garden. As a result, your garden can be enjoyed by not only the creatures which are attracted to the garden, but also by you.

Attracting butterflies is a popular theme for many gardeners. The goal, of course, is to create a butterfly garden design that butterflies will find attractive. There are many considerations and features to include in the butterfly garden design. You’ll want to take the time to find just the right elements for the garden location and for the types of plants needed to attract the butterflies. Though it’s not hard to create a butterfly garden design, there are many helpful gardening books and internet sites where additional information can be found.

Plants for a Butterfly Garden Design

Adult butterflies are attracted to flowers. Butterflies feed on the nectar from the flowers. Incorporating many flowering plants of various colors into the butterfly garden design will inevitably attract adult butterflies. Plants such as butterfly bush, butterfly weed, azalea, lilac, marigold and impatiens will be big attractors.

Milkweed, dogbane, thistles and nettles are appropriate plants if the goal of the butterfly garden design is to make an attractive area for butterflies at all stages of life. These are not usually desirable plants for your garden, but these plants offer a location for butterflies to lay their eggs and create a food source for the resulting caterpillars to feed.

A Few Other Items to Include In a Butterfly Garden Design

Water is a necessary element for your butterfly garden design. A small pool, a bird bath, or a couple small pans inset in the soil will make nice pools of water for the butterflies. Also, butterflies need an area where they can warm themselves. Dark rocks or other solid objects that absorb the heat from the sun can be place around the garden where the butterflies can stop and rest.

Fresh fruit can be placed throughout your garden to supplement the butterfly’s diet. Be sure to replace the fruit often so that it is always fresh. Hummingbird feeders are useful to butterflies and can be placed in the garden. Butterflies will use the feeder and, as a bonus, hummingbirds will enjoy your garden.

Finally, don’t forget to add a small bench and perhaps even a gazebo so that you can sit and enjoy your beautiful butterfly garden design. And don’t forget to have some fun!

Jonathan Townsend works and gardens in Marietta, Ga. Get more great ideas for garden design at www.allgardendesign.com

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Garden Design for Novices

July 12, 2011 By gzgarden Leave a Comment

Designing your garden and maintaining it can be a very rewarding, satisfying and relaxing way to spend your spare time. Even the most neglected piece of land can be turned into a beautiful, productive garden, full of colour, wildlife and places to sit and relax. If you are interested in gardening or are keen to undertake some garden design at home, then this article is for you. If you want to create the garden of your dreams and learn how to maintain it successfully then read on…..

Successful garden design

Planning the best garden begins with deciding what the space is to be used for. It may sound obvious, but many people fail to consider this simple concept. Do you need an area for your children to run around in? Are you interested in growing your own fruit and vegetables? Do you need a shed to house your tools and gardening equipment? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself when planning your garden.

Having mapped out your goals you need to think about how much time you want to spend maintaining the garden. If you are someone who likes to get stuck in and is looking forward to getting their hands dirty then you may want a variety of flower beds and vegetable beds. If you prefer to look at your garden rather than work in it then you may be happier with a nice terraced or paved area with just a few pots and other items of interest, reducing the need for excessive garden maintenance.

It is a good idea to get a paper and pencil out at this point. Maybe a quick sketch can really help you bring your ideas to life. Nothing fancy is needed here – perhaps you could plan where the beds will be and the lawn. If you require a patio area, you could add it to the sketch, or a pergola maybe.

You could get help with this part of the equation by a specialist company if you are drawing a blank.

Ongoing garden maintenance

You should remember that it is not just the initial work that will need to be undertaken to create the perfect garden. Ongoing maintenance will undoubtedly be needed. Depending on how you design your garden will depend on how much maintenance work needs doing, and how regularly. If you dream of a cottage style garden then there are always going to be beds to weed, plants to deadhead, trees to prune, hedges to trim and so on. If you are pushed for time, are you really going to be able to carry out all the necessary tasks?

Some gardens don’t require a large amount of work. This is especially true of those that rely on non-plant related features such as water fountains and statues. It is possible to create an interesting and unique space in even the smallest garden without using too much greenery. Decking is another great way to enjoy your garden without needing to spend too much time working in it. Add a few pots here and there, perhaps a small fish pond, and you have a contemporary and relaxing environment in which to read a book or entertain friends.

Garden services

However, there is a third option. This allows you to have any garden you want without having to do a lot of work – hire a company to do it for you. There are companies who can do garden maintenance for you. They can clean out the pond, water the plants, deadhead the roses, prune the trees, harvest the fruit and vegetables, mow the lawn…..the list really does go on and on and includes all garden design too. This is a fantastic option for those who don’t have the spare time to carry out the work themselves but want to enjoy a beautiful garden at home.

However you choose to design, maintain and enjoy your garden, make sure you end up with a space that you enjoy and can’t wait to spend time in, regardless of whether that is with some secateurs or a good book and glass of wine in your hand!

Kathryn Dawson writes articles for Bristol Garden Services, a landscape gardening and garden design providing Bristol garden maintenance to customers at reasonable costs. Let their professional and welcoming team help you with your garden fencing Bristol. Bristol Garden Services are passionate about gardening and have grown their business on their reputation for being friendly and reliable. The company has been building and maintaining gardens since 1980.

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Three Tips to Making a Garden Pathway Design

July 12, 2011 By gzgarden Leave a Comment

Part of the splendor of any garden is a garden pathway designed specifically to show off all aspects of your garden.  Whether you want your personal garden pathway design to curve around your yard or you just need a simple garden pathway design which shows the most redeeming features of your garden you’ve come to the right place.  Here you will be given three of the most vital tips to help you find the most adequate garden pathway design to fit your needs.

Taking Measurements

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter how grandiose your personal garden pathway design is if it doesn’t fit in your yard.  You need to measure your yard.  That includes any shrubs, trees, garden plots or any other obstacle you have in your yard that you don’t want your garden pathway to go through.  Once you have your measurements you can either draw on graph paper or enter your information into a garden design program for an even more accurate layout.

Play around with your drawing or program.  You’ll be able to create multiple garden pathway designs and really find the one that works for you and your garden.  With a program you can even play around with textured paths like using brick instead of a path made entirely of concrete.

Scaling

Now that you know the size of your garden you can adequately scale the garden pathway design you have.  Scaling is a very important tip you should follow when you’re working on a design because it will determine if your garden is too small for your plans (or even too large for your design).  Using a design program will make it far easier to figure out the correct scaling, but it is possible to find when you’re just drawing—you just have to be far more careful.

Part of scaling is using the correct materials for your garden path.  A shorter path requires you use a material that’s more unified like a cobblestone path or a slab of decorated cement.  For a more convenient garden pathway design which literally goes through your garden you could have stepping stones rather than a full path.  Whichever you choose you need to have a pathway that is scaled to your garden.

Adding a Personal Touch

The garden pathway design you choose can be extravagant or simple as long as it has a personal touch that pleases you.  Your personal touch can be the flowers that line the pathway, lights that guide the walker, a texture that pleases the eye, etc.  Anything you add to your personal garden pathway design can make your pathway unique and yours.

After careful consideration and calculations you can have the most amazing garden mostly because you added your own personal touches.  Making your own garden pathway design is a great way to add appeal to your house.  Keep your garden pathway in great shape and every time you come home you’ll have something to be proud of.

Written by ja_schmidt

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Garden Design Ideas For Your Next Garden

July 12, 2011 By gzgarden Leave a Comment

Walking down your neighborhood street you’ve probably seen some beautiful landscapes and artistically designed gardens and wondered where people get their garden design ideas.  They get their ideas through careful planning and are probably inspired by a few other gardens in the neighborhood, too.  If you’re interested in creating your own garden design ideas but you need a few tips and a little help you’ve come to the right place.  Here are some great gardening tips that will make your garden design ideas look like they came from Eden.

Measuring

Your yard’s current layout will play an intricate part in how your own garden design ideas work.  You’re going to need to measure everything like your current shrubs and trees (plus the trees’ drip line), steps, walkways, etc. and then re-check your measurements.  Once you’re sure of all your measurements then you can either put your information in on a virtual gardening program or you can draw out the measurements on a graph paper.

Plot Planning

Choose where and how large of plots you want your garden(s) to have.  This is much easier to do with an aerial view because you’ll be able to see how much regular yard you’ll have, too.  A few garden design ideas are impossible to do so plot planning will help you figure out exactly what you can do.

Placement and Exposure

Some plants require shade in order to grow adequately.  Perhaps you have a bench planned in one of your many garden design ideas that you’ll likely want placed in the shade.  You’re going to need to know what sort of exposure to sun different areas in your yard get during the spring and summer months.

Color Palette

There are tricks using colors to make garden design ideas pan out beautifully.  Colors like purple and blue give a “far away” effect and feel.  If you want your house to seem further from the street put blue morning glories.  Blue and purple hued plants also have a cooler feeling which can be nice on those exceptionally hot summer days.  Put a few purple and blue plants in the shade next to your summer reading bench.  For a closer, warmer feeling use gold, orange, red and yellow which will draw eyes and people towards your garden.

What to Keep

After you’ve had your garden for awhile you probably have a few plants that keep coming back year after year.  You have to decide if you’re ready for a change or which plants you want to keep from last year.  This is very vital in garden design ideas because if you have multiple garden design ideas you might want to implement a few new ones after a few years.  That certainly makes your gardening time fun.

Each spring is an exciting time for any gardener because it’s the perfect time to implement one of your many garden design ideas.  Have fun being creative and giving your own garden a special touch of Eden.

Written by ja_schmidt

Drying hydrangea flowers is best done in a paper bag, followed by a mist of hair or body spray and a dusting of body glitter. Dry hydrangea flowers with tips from a professional gardener in this free video on gardening. Expert: Yolonda Vanveen Bio: Yolanda Vanveen is a third generation flower grower and sustainable gardener who lives in Kalama, Wash. She is the owner of VanveenBulbs. Filmmaker: Daron Stetner

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Great Flower Garden Design – Choosing Wildflowers Over The Regular Kind

July 6, 2011 By gzgarden Leave a Comment

Does the image of a garden that’s completely overrun with beautiful flowers gaily springing up from every corner strike you as some version of paradise on earth? If only you could learn to create a flower garden design that could answer to that description. You can now, learning with these tips on creating flower garden design with wildflowers.

Where do you find wildflowers normally? They are usually flowers that resiliently grow by the side of roads, in cracks and spaces on sidewalks, in open spaces – taking up whatever space they can. Planting wildflowers in your own garden, they’ll normally look best if you use them the way they normally turn up in the wild. If you could use a line of wildflowers in your garden to form a natural looking border right next to the perimeter of your property, you would create a pretty happy-looking effect. Most garden parimeters are lined with bare earth or utility boxes. With flowers that grow into every little nook on the borders of your garden, you can create a heavenly effect.

One of the best ways to go about wild flower garden design is to re-create in your space, the very way that wildflowers are out on an open meadow. And there is one unexpected incidental benefit to it too. You don’t have to maintain a wildflower garden the way you would a grassy lawn and other garden designs. Wildflower gardens are supposed to look beautiful just the way they naturally are. Since there are flowers everywhere in such a flower garden design, the bare spots are usually well hidden, and there is little maintenance to always weigh on you.

So how and when do you plant to your wildflower garden? Wildflowers take about two months to take root and grow properly. In areas that suffer through really cold winters, planting early in the spring, say in April, you should have great bunches of flowers and splashes of color in your garden before summer starts. You could also seed your garden shortly before winter, around autumn. The seeds will lie in the soil all winter and sprout first thing in spring all by themselves. In a garden that receives lots of sunshine, go for black-eyed susans . In the shade, forget-me-nots work best. You’ll find all the seeds you’ll ever need for your wildflower garden at any garden center. Remember to buy seeds that are local to the area. They are likely to take better.

Written by andrebni

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Roof Gardens: History, Design and Construction – T Osmundson

July 5, 2011 By gzgarden Leave a Comment

Roof Gardens in General

Rooftop gardening is quite challenging, but the idea is not new.One of the most famous roof gardens is Queen Semiramis’ Gardens, The hanging gardens of Babylon, which was built around 600 B.C and was destroyed by several earthquakes after second century B.C.. ,These for example, were terraced gardens arranged in set pyramids over elaborate rooms.

There are many good reasons for rooftop gardening. The first and foremost reason is that rooftop gardening increases access to private outdoor green space,rooftop gardens act as ecological oasis in the cities and help in improving the air quality by reducing air pollution and dust.

They look Very attractive & decorative
It creates a very attractive private space for relaxation

While browsing in a local book store , I happened to discover this very useful book on Roof Garening and I bought it on an impulse . I have had the book for 2 years now and I love going through its pages- honestly it is a collectors item for all Garden enthusiasts.

Mr. Osmundson the author of “Roof Gardens – History, Design and Construction” is a veteran landscape architect , and here in this book he shares his practical expertise of roof garden design, research and travel. The book is richly illustrated with attractive photographs , some plans for roof gardens and score of details regarding the construction ,about some prominent roof gardens in various cities across the globe with illustrated pictures ..
It is a lovely guide for garden enthusiasts.Very well detailed and with some very practical suggestions..

Some topics covered by him:-

There are certain things that need to be looked into while planning a roof garden:-

1,Making sure that the roof on which the garden is to be laid, is strong enough to carry the weight of the garden.Wet soil can weigh more than eighty pounds per square foot; your roof must be able to support this weight. Peat moss can also be used to ensure that there will be sufficient base soil.one has to Make sure that the roof is waterproof .

2,The roof or the terrace should be sloped and have an effective drainage system.

3,One has to make make sure that there is no leakage of water while planning a roof garden.

Choice of Plants

It is necessary to choose the plants with shallow root system which will not penetrate the roof floor in long run.At the same time, it is also advisable to grow such plants that flower at various periods of year and are very easily be maintained at roof top.

Some recommended plants that thrive on Roof Garden

Foliage plants :- Asparagus, coleus, croton, diffenbachia, dracena, paperomias, philodendron rubber plant, etc.

Flowering plants : Seasonal flowers like Anthurhium, Asters, Balsam, Calendula, Celosia, Cosmos, Daisy, Dianthus, Gaillardia, Marigold Nasturtium, Pansies, Phlox, Verbena, Zeinia, etc., and perennial flowers like Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Rose, Tuberose, etc.

Fruits :- Gooseberry, strawberry, peach, pear, pineapple pomegranate, etc

Cactii and succulents :- Agave, Aloe, Kalanchoe, Opuntia, Cehpalocereus, Notocactus ,Nyctocereus, etc.

Vegetables like Bringal, broccoli, chillies, lettuce, tomoto, etc

Soil Mix

Generally a soil layer of 10-20 cm thickness is sufficient for planting various foliage and flowering plants. A good soil mixture for roof gardening must consist of soil, sand and well rotten FYM in 2:1:1 ratio for flowering plants but for foliage plants, a mixture containing equal part of soil and organic manure is the best.

Potting

Before potting, the container should be thoroughly washed and sterilized with 5% formalin solution. A small piece of curved pebble should be placed over the drainage hole to prevent its blocking. For proper growth and drainage, the coarse sand should be placed at the bottom over which a mixture of soil and organic manure may be added to fill up the container leaving 2.0-3.0 cm pot brim for irrigation. Planting is to be done by making a hole in the center so that any injury to young plant or its roots may be avoided. While planting, the soil around the plant is pressed to hold it firmly in the growing medium. A light watering is required immediately after planting and should be done with the help of rose cane. After that the plants are kept in the shade for about a fortnight before being placed at their actual location on the roof.

Repotting

The pot should be checked once in a year during monsoon season (June-July) and repotting is required if the roots of the plant are found to bound the entire pot. Repotting may also be required if any plant looks too large for its pot or the water passes through the pot too quickly. Repotting is done either in bigger pot or in the same pot with fresh garden soil and manure after light root pruning..

The author also gives a detailed description and some useful tips for the maintenance of the roof garden..

This book covers almost all aspects of roof gardening and can be easily recomended to all garden lovers by all means…a very useful addition to ones library i would say.

Details of the Book

Author : Theodore H. Osmundson
Hardcover: 318 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (November 1997)
Language: English

Summary: A very useful gardening book

Written by kiran8
I have been writing reviews and articles on various online sites

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