http://awaytogarden.com/forum/tags.php?tag=design gardening Q&A from A Way to Garden en-US Fri, 24 May 2013 09:31:06 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://awaytogarden.com/forum/search.php http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=678#post-2045 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 22:19:48 +0000 Leslie 2045@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>When I gardened in New York City I occasionally had problems with people digging up plants and taking them but never with people picking flowers. Not sure what you can do about the hydrangea, but you could design future plantings with mostly flowers that are small and not welcoming to pick such as <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=phlox+subulata&amp;hl=en&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;hs=bz3&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;prmd=ivns&amp;tbm=isch&amp;tbo=u&amp;source=univ&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=fsKfTeHqG4negQfghejaBQ&amp;ved=0CDQQsAQ&amp;biw=1024&amp;bih=569">Phlox subulata</a> or plants that make their impact with form and greenery rather than flowers. Obviously it will limit your choices, but it could be a fun challenge that might lead you to plants you wouldn't have thought of before. </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=678#post-2044 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:54:43 +0000 shash 2044@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>Does anyone have ANY ideas on how to prevent flower theft?</p> <p>I have a very small garden in the front of my apartment that is bordered by the house and a sidewalk with a lot of foot traffic. There is a tree in this garden that blocks much of the sun but also some of the visibility of the garden from my apartment windows. Every year, the hydrangea which blooms has its blooms ripped off one by one by someone walking by. I am not sure if it is a neighbor or a random thing, but it is the only hydrangea in this garden and the other gardens on the street do not seem to have their hydrangea blooms stolen. I have also had other flowers nipped off of their stems and just a few minutes ago as I was photographing a hellebore bloom, a man walked by and encouraged me to "just go ahead and pick it". I angrily informed him that I would not, that I had planted these flowers and that when people do come by and steal the flowers it wastes the money and time that I have spent on them and ruins it for everyone else who wants to see the flowers. There will always be some flower loss with a sidewalk garden, but if any one has ANY ideas, please share. </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=567#post-1739 Sun, 23 May 2010 20:42:55 +0000 kmw 1739@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>Leslie,<br /> It was good to meet you at the Conservancy sale today at Margaret's! Thank you again for all the suggestions...very helpful. Hope to see you at Loomis Creek sometime!</p> <p>Kolleen </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=571#post-1707 Mon, 10 May 2010 23:01:15 +0000 Leslie 1707@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>Planting up close to the brick will give you a little added protection and heat; you might find you can push your zone a little bit! Do you want all the same plants? A mix of shrubs and perennials can give you interest in all seasons as well as fragrance. Here are some really basic <a href="http://www.hort.cornell.edu/gardening/homegardening/scene74a6.html">design tips</a>. For the small tree, how about a <a href="http://awaytogarden.com/fleeting-glimpse-crabapples-i-have-loved"> crab apple</a>? </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=571#post-1698 Sat, 08 May 2010 23:04:50 +0000 elbee 1698@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>The soldier row of overgrown yews have GOT to go! Surely there is something more appealing for a full sun zone 5 narrow (15')planting bed for the front of a west facing brick building? Of course I want multi season interest, fragrance would be a nice plus. Can I plant a small tree up close to the brick? </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=567#post-1686 Wed, 05 May 2010 23:03:01 +0000 Leslie 1686@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>two more: Highbush Blueberry for great fall color. and Clethra alnifolia for fall blooms and scent. Also you might try Bog Rosemary (Andromeda polifolia) for year round attractive foliage. This can be a bit tempermental, but provided your soil is acidic, it should love the spot. </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=567#post-1685 Tue, 04 May 2010 22:25:59 +0000 Leslie 1685@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>Can't say these will all look good together but here is a quick list of large wet feet and sun lovers with showy summer features: Salix integra 'Hakuro Nishiki', Hardy Hibiscus, Eupatorium maculatum, Filipendula rubra, Viburnum nudum, Itea virginica. And some smaller plants: Mazus reptans, Myosotis scorpiodes, Iris versicolor, Iris ensata. </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=567#post-1684 Tue, 04 May 2010 08:30:30 +0000 kmw 1684@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>We own a beautiful Federal style inn in the southern Berkshires and I am working on a "wow factor" area behind the inn where our guests drive in and park. The sunny, steep sloped area is very challenging with heavy clay and very moist soil. Since the area is difficult to garden, I want plants that are fairly maintenance free so I am thinking flowering bushes might be best with a lot of ground cover. [Presently, the area is simply grass.] Any suggestions as to what plants would give maximum color and impact especially during the summer months, our busiest season? Thank you! </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=525#post-1537 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:53:58 +0000 Leslie 1537@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>If you can't find pavers that aren't ugly- why not try making your own?</p> <p>http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/article/-/5830375/diy-pavers/ </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=525#post-1525 Sat, 03 Apr 2010 07:07:37 +0000 ugq 1525@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>I think the pavers set into the turf is a good idea, and you will be able to re-use them somewhere else even if not for the final front walk. </p> <p>For instance, tucked into garden beds (one here and there I mean, not together) as sort of a little island to stand on when working in the bed, rather than standing in soil...or near some utility area (under garbage cans, or the bbq grill or even as a "footing" for big whiskey barrel sized planters, etc.).</p> <p>I don't think I have ever failed to find a re-use for any stone or paver I have bought. I had the same issue when I first lived here, and some pavers here have moved several times since being my "temporary" stepping stones those early years. :) </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=525#post-1513 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:07:16 +0000 Lisa-St. Marys Ontario 1513@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ <p>I need an attractive and safe idea for a front walkway to my door. Unfortunately I will need to redo my driveway in the next couple years, so I can't put big money into my walkway until that is finished because it may change the grade for the walk. I live in Southern Ontario, with cold winters, so heaving is a problem. Help please! I'm thinking of putting the ugly big pavers into my lawn for a couple years. </p> http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=477#post-1365 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:03:08 +0000 ugq 1365@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ You are right, though, that might conditions can also be at work. That should be obvious just from observing the light patterns each day. Is one side getting significantly more light? <br /><br />Sounds to me like the ones on the smaller side might also be getting less of the available water and nutrients than the larger. Not just the clay can be a factor, but tree roots (which go a long distance from the trunk in many cases, especially in older trees) can outcompete those of herbaceous plants and starve them for what they need to grow to full size. Do you water well? <br /><br />Was the clayey soil improved with lots and lots of compost before planting? http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=477#post-1345 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:57:45 +0000 tiger94710 1345@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ Hi <br /><br />I live in zone 7 and my front yard has very clay soil.<br /><br />I planted two symetric beds along the sidewalk in to my front steps. On each side of the walk I planted the same plants, at the same time. The plants on the east side of the walk are much larger than the plants on the west. <br /><br />We have many large trees on the property so this could easily be a light issue. My question is what to do about it. Basically one bed makes the other look bad because it is so big and full. And to me it is even more pronounced because there are identical plants.<br /><br />Does anyone have suggestions?<br /><br />Thanks! http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=308#post-917 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:01:04 +0000 dirtgirl 917@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ Thanks Kate. :-) I’ve long wanted to grow lavender and hadn’t thought to include it here. The soil is on the clay side but it has 23 years of mulch that will be tilled in, and our creek recently gifted us with a huge amount of sand that was left neatly piled on the bank after the last flooding rains. We have a Sarah crape myrtle sitting in a very large wood chip pile waiting for a home (two years she’s waited). She is about 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide now, and will look lovely in the position you suggest. <br /><br />Margaret, viburnam’s sound perfect. Thank you! Do you think I could use three in the upper corner where the porch meets the house? How would you place them? Would you get all of one variety? I’m not familiar with the Stewartia tree, but it sounds lovely. <br /><br />If I put the crape myrtle in the lower corner and the viburnums the upper, what to do with the middle? The brick is very dominating reaching 13 ft high on the lower end and 6 ft high on the porch end. There is siding above the brick. The crape myrtle will extend just a bit past the lower end of the house as the bed extends about 4 feet or so. <br /><br />More questions: I love the herb garden idea but I want to keep the ground work (weeding) on this bed to a minimum---would large pots here and there work as well?<br /><br />Boxwoods—I like the idea of them, especially the smaller variety but where would I put them? There is a nursery near that has such beautiful ones. I’d love to bring some home.<br /><br />I have some Maximilian's Sunflower that I’d like to incorporate if I can figure out how to work it in. Is there a spring/summer flowering something I could plant in with it? It is just the most wonderful plant, but it can look really ragged at the bottom. We’ve had it at least 15 years. <br /><br /> The orientation of things is troubling me with this bed. I think it’s just the drastic change, but I feel some excitement now towards the new possibilities. I can usually see so clearly what the final result will be…but not this time.<br /><br />This is the very first time I’ve had any help in planning a bed. It feels much like an early and unexpected Christmas gift. Thank you both, sincerely. This is just one spot of several that we lost completely. If I can get it going right, I think the rest will fall into place. Thanks again. http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=308#post-912 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:48:39 +0000 ugq 912@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ So many possibilities! A blank canvas after a loss is both exciting and upsetting, I agree.<br />I wonder if you can do without the kind of shade the big oak would have created, and instead use some big, wildlife-friendly shrubs that are more like small trees, such as some of the bigger Viburnums. See this post:<br />[url]<br /><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://awaytogarden.com/think-fall-yes-fall">http://awaytogarden.com/think-fall-yes-fall</a><!-- m -->[/url]<br />Viburnums are the delight of many birds, and have multiple seasons of interest for the gardener, too. <br />In small trees, one of my favorites is the Stewartia, with its summer flowers and hot fall color, plus year-round beauty in its bark. It is slow-growing, but have a read: <br /><a href="http://awaytogarden.com/hot-plant-stewartia-an-ideal-small-tree" class="postlink">http://awaytogarden.com/hot-plant-stewartia-an-ideal-small-tree</a><br />Kate is so right: your dry-ish conditions and the wall and so on conjure images of an herb garden, but if you make more shade with some trees that wouldn't mix so well with herbs. <br />Like I said, so many possibilities... http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=308#post-910 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:59:41 +0000 kate swift 910@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ sounds like a great spot for an herb garden if you like to cook. Lavenders would love it too. Maybe a crape myrtle in the lower corner? They are lovely in winter. What about boxwood for evergreen? Or maybe a trio of those tall skinny cypress or arborvitae, check with your local nursery re: hardiness zones. The good news is, you have time to get your major trees and shrubs in before winter, and you can take advantage of the end of season sales. It's always best to start a new garden by planting the 'anchor' pieces first, anyway. Good luck! http://awaytogarden.com/forum/topic.php?id=308#post-907 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:27:21 +0000 dirtgirl 907@http://awaytogarden.com/forum/ I have a bed that has to be completely reworked due to loss of mature trees destroyed by storms. One tree was an oak that was over a hundred years old (a heart breaking loss). The bed is enclosed on the North and East sides by the brick walls of the house and porch. It faces West. It is 12 ft. deep by 28 ft. long with a 7 ft. drop from the porch to the Southern end. The combination of the afternoon sun and brick wall can make for a dry situation but we have access to natural water and we water often. <br /><br />I would like a couple of small trees. It is okay if they overhang into the yard. I would like to create a bird and butterfly habitat, and incorporate some spring flowering bulbs, and at least one climbing vine if I can find one that can take the heat of the wall…or it could scramble through a shrub if that would be better. It would be nice if it had a few evergreen plants/shrubs/trees so as not to be completely bare in winter. <br /><br />We are in zone 7a – 6 b, but we often have a severe late spring freeze after everything is up and beautiful. <br /><br />We have lost so much in the last couple of years that replanting has gotten really expensive. Also, I don’t want to make a big mistake with this bed. Any ideas would be so appreciated-- ideas completely different from my own are very welcome. <br /><br />I am very weak in tree and shrub knowledge so I could really use help there. <br /><br />If this is too big a request for this forum, I completely understand. Thank you.