Category: Tropical Style

As we hit the peak of the summer gardening season, you may be craving a better space for the tools and pots compared to that cluttered corner in the garage. Or perhaps you are at that point where your current shed is a mess that looks beyond hope. Whether you are sketching out strategies or dreading cleaning up, I’ve lots of beautiful examples which show off some fantastic ideas to help you get going. Here are enviable garden sheds where I would be delighted to destroy a manicure.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

1. Make your potting shed a garden folly. This magnificent potting shed in Augusta, Georgia, adds elegance to the house with its formal fashion, weathered brick and custom windows. Its siting at the edge of the oval garden past the quatrefoil fountain recalls the way European landscapes have follies throughout.

Custom closets, a gravel floor and a workstation that includes a sink make it a dreamy escape for a gardener.

Historical Concepts

Historical Concepts

2. Choose rustic materials which are not too precious. This gorgeous carriage home is new but was created to look like a barn that might have served the Lowcountry house in a different age. It serves many purposes, including holding automobiles, but my favorite is the gorgeous potting shed.

Bin pulls, wood countertops and a brick flooring give it charming antique style. It not only has room for preparing plants for the garden, but also includes a spout so the owners can prepare floral structures.

Theresa Fine

3. Add furniture that is comfortable . Over at Shy Rabbit Farm in New Hampshire, the new potting shed serves not only as a spot for tending to the herb garden, but also as a relaxing escape for those homeowners.

Theresa Fine

A comfy chair gives a cozy spot for reading novels and gardening magazines.

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4. To get a new shed, select materials that work together with your own landscape. In Langhorne Lodge in New York, a charming stone potting shed plays the property’s beautiful stone walls. The adjacent Adirondack-style chicken coop suits the woodsy land to a T.

Princeton Design Collaborative

Princeton Design Collaborative

5. Allow it to be contemporary. In this New Jersey backyard, a contemporary shed crafted of cedar siding, metal and copper plumbing pieces coordinates together with the adjacent modern arbor.

Explore the rest of this landscape

Groundswell Design Group

6. Create connections between the shed and the home. In Princeton, New Jersey, the landscape architects at Groundswell Design Group were tasked with producing a landscape which connected the historical main house to the 1800s potting shed. They crafted an arbor from vintage streetlamp articles, made a bluestone terrace and added feminine Amish-crafted doors to provide the potting shed the presence it deserved.

See the rest of this landscape

Groundswell Design Group, LLC

Giambastiani Design

7. Organize ladders, tools and other things. On this estate in the Berkshires, antique ladders, carts and tools add to the ambience. Neat shelves full of terra-cotta pots lend an organized appearance.

Giambastiani Design

Mark Hickman Homes

8. Space from the home or garage. The doorway on the right gives simple access to a garden shed here. The interior has an innovative organizing system.

Mark Hickman Homes

9. Give yourself a tool silhouette guide. The tools on the right are easy to fit in their proper spots together with the clever matching silhouettes.

Mark Hickman Homes

How smart is that?

Avant Garden

10. Try out a kit shed. Within this artist’s garden, mini trellises, a sculpture and a door with a window add character to a simple kit.

The shed is perched between a dog run and an arbor in this garden.

Check more out prefab sheds

Avant Garden

Conservatory Craftsmen

11. Make it a greenhouse too. This gorgeous conservatory works hard like a greenhouse, potting shed and refuge with a backyard view.

Conservatory Craftsmen

Conservatory Craftsmen

The greenhouse is decorated similar to an outdoor room, combined with interior decoration, such as the chandelier.

12. Consider cargotecture. Can you think this transport container was transformed into a charming outbuilding? While the clever homeowners use it like a hay barn, it may easily be made into a potting shed.

Learn more about this amazing transformation

Norris Architecture

13. Look to rural buildings for wall inspiration. Reclaimed timber, bare walls, beadboard and board and batten siding are all wall treatments that lend the ideal appearance to potting sheds.

This was among the very popular outbuilding photographs on in 2012, therefore it has to have just about everything right. The pragmatic sinks, barn lights, farm worktable and mirrored wood-clad walls ooze charm.

Next: More great ideas for outdoor living | Inspiring backyard retreats

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November only may be one of the most ideal months of this year — Indian summer is officially gone, and today are marked by a crisp coolness that’s a welcome relief in heat October temperatures. Use this time to find some significant garden chores done before the really cold weather strikes — and then remind yourself that the work you do now in the garden will repay next spring using a lush, healthful landscape.

J. Peterson Garden Design

Plant trees and shrubs. All shrubs and trees should be planted in the autumn for best growth next year, as autumn planting makes it possible for these bigger plants several months to build deep, healthy roots. They will be drought resistant and have more vigorous expansion.

Try planting some spring-flowering shrubs and trees, such as azaleas, abelias, redbuds and Mexican plums — they are some of the very first to herald the arrival of spring after a long winter.

The Todd Group

Care for your lawn. Overseed your lawn with perennial rye to get a green winter lawn. In our area it is not really perennial and will perish after the weather warms up at the spring.

Winterize your lawn by spraying on it weekly using a seaweed solution, and if you fertilize, make certain to use a lawn fertilizer that’s high in calcium for healthy root development. Start looking for nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium ratios such as 8-6-12, 8-12-16 or 10-5-14 in a winter fertilizer bundle.

The best way to give your turf a fall tune-up

Susana Merenfeld p Weisleder

Prune dead limbs from trees and shrubs. Complete this job before the leaves fall off and remove only those limbs that are clearly dead. Don’t prune off any living or healthy limbs at this moment. Always make certain you know which sort of shrubs and trees you’ve got and what their particular care is, however it is a good general guideline to get rid of dead growth before winter storms pick up.

Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

Mulch around plants. Very similar to how Mother Nature provides a blanket with fallen leaves, mulch “blankets” your landscape plants and shields them from winter cold. Ensure you’ve got a good 2- to 3-inch layer of wood mulch, but avoid heaping mulch upward on the plant bases, which may quickly rot the crops. I like to “feather” mulch until the bottom stem or trunk of a plant to get the very best coverage.

Niki Jabbour

Add row covers to protect against freezes. Although our area of Texas experiences quite mild winters, we are all aware that’s subject to change. It is not uncommon to have freezing temperatures and occasional ice and snow cubes, so be ready to safeguard your winter vegetables with row covers.

Many nurseries and garden centers have frost blankets that you could drape over arched PVC pipes to pay your beds; be sure to remove the covers if the dangerous weather has now passed.

Missouri Botanical Garden

Plant vegetables and herbs. Continue your autumn and winter vegetable and herb garden with transplants of mustard, winter greens, spinach, peas, cilantro, dill, fennel, parsley, chives and oregano.

Some seeds may be sown as well — try mustard, radish and lettuce in the very first part of the month. Always consult the local planting graphs for the optimal times to plant in your town.

Westover Landscape Design, Inc..

Plant annual flowers and decorative plants. Spruce up your container plantings and perennial beds using some bright-colored annuals. Great cold-tolerant options include decorative cabbages and kale, pansies, violas, alyssums, snapdragons, cyclamens and stocks.

If your area is anticipating a hard freeze, water these plants nicely beforehand to protect them. A plant that’s hydrated has a far greater chance against the elements than one that’s fighting.

Jennifer Jamgochian / Multiflora

Plant perennials. Get those perennials in the ground this month with transplants of lantanas, salvias, ornamental grasses, yellow bells, coneflowers, rudbeckias and columbines.

Perennials planted at the time of year is going to have much bigger growth and increased blossoms than those planted in the spring. Remember to mulch around your freshly planted infants to keep them secure over the winter.

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Fall for me brings the beginning of the new gardening season, and October is fall’s most festive month. Shorter days and cooler temperatures mean earning crops for a changing season. I am not sure what excites me more: the foliage colour change or the further light from fewer leaves on the trees.

Gardening with Confidence®

Plant annuals. Kale, cabbages, mustards, pansies, snapdragons and violas are annuals which are colorful, long lasting and inexpensive; I’ve often wondered why they are so underused.

Purchase pansies and violas once the selection is best, as soon as September, but wait till late October to plant them. Early October can be too hot to plant, but do not wait till then to purchase, or the selection will probably be too scarce. Nurse the plants in a holding area if you need to to make certain you get your top choice.

Gardening with Confidence®

Transplant trees and shrubs. Are you waiting to rearrange a few trees and shrubs? Now, with all the heating temperatures, is a good time to start the procedure.

It’s ideal to root prune this month and transplant 30 days (or more) later. This allows woody ornamentals a chance to recover before being transported to their new site. Root pruning sparks small feeder roots near the back. These brand new roots will probably be dug as part of their transplant, permitting the tree or tree to adapt.
Water the soil well the day before root pruning. Prune out in the back a 10- to 12-inch-diameter root ball for every inch of trunk diameter. Consequently, a 2-inch-diameter back will probably be root pruned about two feet in the trunk.Using a flat spade, start cutting a trench about 24 inches deep. If you crash into big roots, cut loppers.Continue cutting a circular trench around the tree trunk and water completely.

Gardening with Confidence®

Split peonies. In case your herbaceous peony has gotten too large for its existing location, or if you just need to move or share it, it may be split after the first frost.

Period Homes, Inc..

Prepare your houseplants for winter. Many of us like to give our indoor houseplants a summer vacation outside, but the summertime is about to end. It’s time to bring those plants back inside.

Throughout the summer you may have found that your crops grew a lot, and errant branches are in need of a little pruning. Herbaceous plants may just be pinched back, but use clippers on woody stems. Be sure to remove any stalks or leaves that are dead or diseased.

Repot plants whose roots are growing out of the drainage holes or are in the soil’s surface. Select a container that’s only 1 size larger than the older one; otherwise leading growth may be retarded while the roots try to fill up the excess space.

Clean the leaves of dust and dirt which gathered during the summertime. This covering may interfere with a plant’s capacity to turn light into food. A gentle spray from the garden hose and a mild wipe with a sponge are often adequate.

A light application of insecticidal soap is a smart precaution prior to bringing back your plants inside, even if you haven’t seen signs of pests. Spider mites and other pests thrive in a dry, heated house and will multiply rapidly, if current.

As soon as they’re inside, find your plants where they will receive as much natural light as possible. When you water them so thoroughly but less frequently in winter than you did in the summertime.

Gardening with Confidence®

Plant cool-season vegetables. The cooler fall temperatures bring cool-season plants. It’s time to plant or seed spinach and collards. Also, lettuce and pineapple will once more thrive in your backyard.

Consider trying some new types this season, or vary your normal choices. Why not add some red-leaf lettuce? Loose-leaf red lettuce packs a high nutrient value, including being an fantastic supply of beta-carotene.

Gardening with Confidence®

Water well before winter. In case October and November are dry, give perennials a deep final soaking so that they go dormant in great states. They’ll be less subject to being killed in winter with a beverage till they sleep.

Gardening with Confidence®

Compost those leaves. Use a mower equipped with a mulching blade to chop fallen leaves on the pot. These leaves make a excellent addition to garden beds or the compost heap.

Gardening with Confidence®

Prepare beds. It’s also a great time to prepare garden beds for next year.
Mark brand new beds (or even the beds you want to extend) with marking paint or a hose. Cut a border, turning this dirt to the new bed, and cover 8 to 10 layers of newspaper. Cover with about 4 inches of leaves that are chopped or composted leaf mulch.Now sit back and let nature take her course. Your bed will be ready for planting in the spring.

Gardening with Confidence®

Enjoy wildlife. Don’t be so quick to tidy up. The remains of this summer and autumn garden give refuge, food and cover for wildlife, while also adding winter interest to garden beds.

Pictured here is a praying mantis egg case I found one year whilst cutting back my backyard. It was at this point I learned to slow down my autumn pruning before the spring, once the leaves were removed off and overwintering wildlife was easier to see.

Gardening with Confidence®

Watch out for canna leaf roller. Cannas are great accent plants and attract hummingbirds to the garden. Plus, most canna cultivars are hardy from the Southeast and may overwinter in the floor. If you found your canna foliage riddled with holes, you probably have leaf roller. Canna leaf rollers are major pests in the Southeast, inducing the beautiful foliage to become unsightly.

After the first frost, cut the leaves to the floor and eliminate it in the backyard. Control overwintering pests are helped by taking away the foliage. Don’t mulch, since the pest may overwinter.

More guides to Southeast gardening | Locate your U.S. garden checklist

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Your yard probably has just taken a beating this summer — family gatherings, bring with the dog, and kids’ games and toys have probably been working jointly with drought and heat to earn your grass gasp to get a breather. If your yard is in need of a little TLC, you’re in luck — fall is the ideal time to revitalize it so that the next season’s grass is the greenest and healthiest it can be.

Wagner Hodgson

1. Know your bud. There are cool-season and warm-season grasses, and many varieties in each category.
Cool-season grasses (Kentucky bluegrass, fescue, perennial ryegrass) are far better suited for cooler climates, are most productive in spring and fall, occasionally require more irrigation and are generally mowed higher than warm-season grasses due to their erect growth habit. Warm-season grasses (Bermuda, St. Augustine, big bluestem) grow best in warmer climates, are typically more drought tolerant and are often mowed at lower heights.Be sure to check with the local lawn experts for certain recommendations for turf grass in your town.

Fairfield House & Garden Co

2. Fertilize. In the fall, fertilize your yard with an NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) ratio of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2. The ratio doesn’t have to be exact, but do attempt to obtain a product with comparable quantities. Strategy to use approximately 1 pound of fertilizer per 1,000 square feet of yard and always stick to the package instructions. Applying too much fertilizer will not help your bud and, in actuality, may damage .

J. Peterson Garden Design

3. Dethatch. Thatch is the buildup of dead roots and stems which develop between the soil and the green grass blades.

If you have just a little buildup, you can use a hard rake or a dethatching rake to remove the dead grass, but if you have over 1/2 inch you will have to core aerate from the fall or the spring.

Core aeration utilizes rentable gear to remove plugs of soil, raising the soil’s ability to get water, fertilizer and air. If your buildup is thicker than 2/3 inch, you will have to not just core aerate but add 1/8 to 1/4 inch of organic matter like compost or peat. Water in well.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

4. Control weeds. September and October are the best months to control perennial broadleaf weeds like clover and dandelions. These weeds are busy taking in sun and nourishment to get them during the winter months, so that means they are open to receiving weed killers too.

If you have just a couple of weeds, then pull them out , but more numerous weeds may require extra tactics or chemicals — either organic or nonorganic. Much like fertilizers, always stick to the package instructions when applying any chemical to your yard to prevent damaging it and the surrounding crops. Do not worry about any bare spots made by marijuana removal; your healthful bud will take over those areas very quickly.

J. Peterson Garden Design

5. Sow grass seeds. If you have large bare spots left by marijuana removal or simply need to set up a new or extended part of your yard, mid-August to mid-September is the best time to sow grass seeds. Always check with your county extension office or trustworthy local nursery about the best times to sow seeds in your town, however.

Before you sow, make certain that you have ready the soil properly to find the best outcomes. Till the soil at least 6 inches deep, add 1/2 to 1 inch or so of mulch or peat, rake the soil smooth and sow the seeds. Water in well and keep the soil consistently moist until after the new growth emerges, approximately 6 weeks.

More: Are You Ready to Lose the Lawn?

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Ahhhh, September! The worst of all summer’s extreme heat is gone, the glare of sunlight has softened and it’s delightful to be active at the garden once more. Rainy days and cool nights are ideal for getting new plants based. The soil is warm and achievable, allowing for good root growth and development before winter, and warmer air temperatures lessen the amount of transpiration — and jolt — ordinary during the heat of the summer.

More ideas for gardening at the Rockies

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Exotic trees, shrubs and perennials. If you have been itching to add some colour or construction to your landscape, then now’s a great time to search for plants. Nurseries will be pushing earnings with special promotions and discounts so that they can clear out their inventory before winter, and also you, the customer, win.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Plant for winter shade. Broadleaf evergreens ought to be a priority for your fall planting schedule. These plants attract much-needed colour and texture to the winter landscape but can suffer from our area’s low humidity, extreme sunlight and drying winds.

September planting enables roots to grow, particularly important for evergreens during the winter, since the roots’ ability to absorb water helps counter the plant’s moisture reduction via its leaves that are persistent. Generally, broadleaf evergreens look their very best when planted in a secure location with filtered shade or morning sun and afternoon shade.

The many drought-tolerant alternatives for this area include Oregon grape holly (Mahonia spp), manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp) and yucca (Yucca spp) — all hardy to about 7,500 feet in altitude. Selections of those plants are native to a lot of locations throughout the Rockies.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Firethorn (Pyracantha spp) requires only a bit more water, as do boxwood (Buxus spp) and most of the evergreen Euonymus species. All these plants are best at elevations of 6,000 feet or below.

Program of an antidesiccant to the foliage from late November will help foliage hold its color better during the winter. Mulching and winter watering are all crucial to keep plants hydrated.

Pendleton Design Management

Plant for permanence. Trees are a big investment of time and money but are often vital to making the architectural aspects of a landscape: supplying privacy or shade, modifying end or noise, framing a view, etc..

Fall planting can make buying a tree easier on your budget, and it’s less stressful on the plant, too. Confer with a nursery or a landscape specialist to select a healthy tree that will adapt well to the growing conditions indigenous to your website.

For instance, what’s your hardiness zone or microclimate? Soil type? Water budget? Available distance? Trying to modify your surroundings to match the needs of a plant is rarely successful in the long term, therefore it’s ideal to be an educated gardener-buyer.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Transplant perennials. A fantastic guideline to keep in mind is that perennials that flower in the spring and summer ought to be moved in the fall, and those that flower in summer and fall ought to be moved from the spring. The concept is to allow the plants “settle in” to their new location (get some root expansion) before the push to flower occurs.

Although this is not a hard and fast rule, peonies (Paeonia spp) in particular needs to be moved in the fall. When transplanting peonies it’s important to blog them in full sun and provide them with a deep, loamy, well-draining soil. Put the main buds (or “eyes”) 1 to 1 1/2 inches) below the soil level. Peonies that are planted too deeply will not flower.

Other great candidates for moving now include poppies (Papaver spp), phlox (Phlox ssp) and daylilies (Hemerocallis spp). Mulch should be utilised to safeguard fall transplants by maintaining soil temperatures above freezing longer into the fall (permitting better root growth).

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Purchase spring-flowering bulbs. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinth and much more are available for purchase now. Shop your regional independent garden center for large, premium bulbs. Although they might be more expensive, larger bulbs are usually greater — they pack larger flower buds and much more nutrients for growing power.

Purchase early while the choice is greatest, but wait to plant your bulbs until October, when the ground is cooler yet still warm enough for the bulbs to root out and hydrate. (Bulbs implanted in too warm soil may abort their flower buds) Meanwhile, save your bulbs in a cool, dark place, like a basement cupboard. As soon as they’re implanted, keep bulbs moist during the winter, watering monthly whenever needed.

Leslie Ebert

Fix your irrigation clock. Lawns require less water as summer winds down. Though soil conditions, sun exposure and turf types must be taken into consideration, your lawn will require only about half as much water in September as it did in July.

Gardener’s Supply Company

GardenQuilt Cover – $12.95

Be prepared for frost. September brings the first freeze — or snow! — to many Rocky Mountain gardens, and nobody wants to observe a great crop of basil or a beautiful container garden turned into mush overnight.

Maintain white sheets or industrial frost blankets convenient; lightweight, breathable and reusable shouts are just the thing to have available to drape over your annual blossoms and tender veggies when frost threatens. The light shade lets sunlight in for photosynthesis and also traps solar heat for continuing plant and fruit growth. Multiple layers provide even higher insulating material.

More: Guides for your Rocky Mountains garden

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There is a motive Idaho is known for potatoes — its own climate. Potatoes love cool dirt and will not grow once the soil gets too warm, which isn’t a problem in most of this nation. Wherever you’re located, though, you still can generate a potato harvest in spring and early summer and again in autumn or early winter simply by planting at the right time.

But potatoes are more than simply a convenient addition to some cool-season garden. They are also fun. It is possible to mix and match your harvest by growing different-color varieties: white and red, of course, but also tan, yellow, brown and blue. They are very hands-on in a fun manner, particularly for kids, as you must occasionally add more dirt to make a mound as the plants grow. And while it might take them around four weeks to mature, you can start picking infant, or “new,” potatoes in as few as eight weeks.

If you don’t have a lot of room, don’t despair. You can easily grow potatoes in very large containers, for example half wine barrels.

Caution: The tuber is edible unless it has turned green. Green spots on the tuber and all other parts of the plant are toxic.

More: How to Boost Cool-Season berries

Amy Renea

When to plant: In spring, four to six weeks before the final frost date (plant a variety that matures early if your climate, and so your dirt, warms up fast). Plant a late-maturing variety in late spring to get cold-winter climates. In mild-winter climates, you might even plant potatoes in late summer to early autumn for a harvest that will last into winter.

Days to maturity: 90 to 120

Light requirement: Total sun

Water requirement: Regular water

Favorites: All Blue, Butte, Buffalo, Butterfinder, Irish Cobbler, Fingerling, Katahdin, Kennebec, Norland, Red La Soda, Red Norland, Red Pontiac, Russet, Superior, Viking, Yukon Gold

Amy Renea

Planting and care: Start with seed potatoes that are certified as disease free. Do not use potatoes out of grocery or the supermarket store.

The soil should be rich and quick draining, using a pH below 5.5. Create furrows that are approximately 4 inches deep and 2-3 feet apart. Closer rows will let the shade from the plants help keep the soil cool.

Cut the seed potatoes into square balls. Each chunk needs to be approximately 1 1/2 inches and also have two eyes. Let the pieces dry for 2 days prior to planting to help prevent rot.

Set the balls about 1 to 2 1 1/2 feet apart and 4 inches deep, with the eyes facing up. Cover the balls. Add approximately 2 inches, once sprouts emerge. Leave the tips of the leaves vulnerable. Continue adding dirt as the plants grow, until a ridge about 4 inches high and 18 inches wide forms.

Keep the region around the potatoes weeded and the soil uniformly moist. Mulching will help keep the soil cool. Issues that may develop include aphids, Colorado potato beetles, flea beetles, leafhoppers, scab, wireworms and specific blights.

After most of the foliage has turned brown, water one final time. Following a week to ten days, cut the vines.

Harvest: For “new” potatoes, pull tubers from around the edge of this plant by hand when the vines start to flower; for varieties that don’t flower, crop at about two weeks.

For older potatoes, dig up the plants around five days to a week after you’ve cut away the vines. It’s ideal to do this to a cool, overcast day. To avoid injuring the tubers, use a spading fork and dig about a foot away from the plant. When the plant is up, shake off dirt and then pull the potatoes from the blossoms, then place them into baskets or burlap bags.

To store potatoes, first put them in a dark, humid place that stays at a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re storing them in a basket, then pay it with burlap. After two weeks, remove any potatoes that have injuries or are faulty and maintain the remainder in a dark, dry place that is well ventilated.

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Do not allow the name deter you, since if your garden requires a poke in the perfect direction, Red-Hot Poker (Kniphofia spp.) May be a plant to check into. A plant with bold blossoms and foliage, Kniphofia can be seen in profuse bloom throughout the summer in temperate landscapes everywhere.

This glowing orange and yellow underused African American has seen a resurgence in cultivation recently. New hybrids and cultivars mean a fireworks display of colors and sizes that this summer and into fall.

Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

Botanical name: Kniphofia spp.
Common names: Red-Hot Poker, Torch Lily, Poker Plant
USDA zones: 5 to 10, based on species (find your zone)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 11/2 to 6 ft tall, clumping
Benefits and tolerances: Drought and heat tolerant; blossoms attract hummingbirds; deer immune
Seasonal interest: Summer flowering
When to plant: Spring or fall

Terra Nova® Nurseries, Inc

Distinguishing attributes. Grasslike clumps of long, narrow foliage produce stems topped with vibrant clustered blossoms in summer. The colors and density of the flowers give them an almost glowing appearance and quite accurately portray the common names. With colors ranging from orange to yellow, coral to red, and even green to near white, colour choices are expansive. Heights range from 11/2 to 6 ft tall, depending upon variety. Most species of Kniphofia are evergreen, but a few marginally deciduous varieties will resprout in summer after laying dormant over winter.

Revealed here: Kniphofia ‘Ember Glow’, zones 6 to 9

Ana Williamson Architect

How to use it. While Kniphofia lends itself naturally to tropical and subtropical gardens, it creates a great addition to any spot in need of color and clean texture. Lining an entry route in the backyard shown here, a huge clump of poker blossoms projects up and creates a great textural and vibrant contrast to surrounding plants. Mixed in a planter with high-textured plants and blossoms, Kniphofia picks up warm-hued accents and creates a dynamic planting profile.

Terra Nova® Nurseries, Inc

Because of its rhizomous origin system, Kniphofia is not recommended for containers or pots. Cut flowers, nevertheless, make for beautiful and exotic structures, and cutting encourages new flowering shoots.

Revealed here: Kniphofia ‘Orange Vanilla Popsicle’, zones 6 to 9

Debora carl landscape design

Planting notes. For optimum growth, plant Kniphofia within an open, sunny spot in the backyard in rich and well-drained land. While the plant is drought tolerant for the most part, it favors regular water and fertilizer during the rise and flowering weeks.

Some species will withstand frost but may die to the ground. Not to worry; the plant will resprout in early summer. After the plant has finished flowering, leave spent blossoms and leaves on the plant until late winter or early spring. You can then deadhead to get ready for new growth. And while this plant can be propagated through seed or branch, wait till it’s developed for a few years before you disturb it.

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Watch more amazing design flowers and plants, grasses and trees.

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The American Southwest is a land of extremes. Temperature is the most obvious intense element — there’s intense heat, particularly in the lower elevations, but with cool to cold nights and winter snow at higher elevations. The natural landscape is stark but striking, filled with bright blue skies, tan and brown sand, and also the dusty greens of the foliage. Water is rare, but where rivers pools or run form, they provide the welcome aid of an oasis of green.

Gardening in this climate demands adaptation. In some areas, the seasons are reversed — winter is your growing time, while summer is when you retreat indoors. The soil could be highly alkaline or saline. Water conservation is essential. The fantastic thing is that plants that perform well in this climate will flourish.

Here is the climate that gave us the 3 sisters: corn, beans and squash growing together. This is the house of chilies. This is also the home of several of the most amazing plants on earth: cacti.

Southwestern design is not for everybody or for each climate. Where it is appropriate, though, there are many alternatives for making the design your own.

Bess Jones Interiors

Pick Your Design

A natural or native garden is your obvious option. Not only will the plants thrive and survive, but the garden will fit in with the surrounding landscape. This design also works well with the predominant architectural styles, from adobe pueblos and Mission-inspired homes to Spanish-Mediterranean design to strictly contemporary.

Natural design includes elements like gravel trails, adobe and stone walls, wood beams and a range of desert plants. It blends with the surrounding landscape and is about as maintenance free as it is possible to get.

Here the gravel beamed with cacti, grasses and perennials is reminiscent of a dry streambed… that the notion of plain water encapsulated in a simple setting.

Gates & Croft Horticultural Layout

“Natural” doesn’t have to mean”barren,” nor does it have to be a manifestation of the landscape beyond. This garden has an almost cabin look, with masses of blossoms and perennials. The wagon wheels include an intriguing western touch and a few vertical height into the space. Even the stepping-stone path could be located in an English cottage garden.

Design tip: Look for grasses and perennials, like penstemons, that are adapted to the climate and also will provide some colour to an otherwise green and brownish-red landscape. Another option, particularly with eastern exposure, would be to plant hardy annuals. Group them together and maintain the planting area small — even a little pop of colour will go a long way.

Shannon Malone

Against the brightly colored adobe walls, this contemporary residence needs only the native plants to make an impression. In this case, even the plantings are minimal, functioning as accent pieces, while the architecture takes center stage. This landscape is also a fantastic reflection of the realities of living in the Southwest — water is rare and should be used wisely.

Exteriors From Chad Robert

The clean lines and interesting plants of contemporary style work well in this contemporary space. In keeping with the demand for water conservation, the water-thirsty lawn areas are minimal. The plantings, in place of the lawn, give a lush feeling into the space.

BOXHILL

Plan Your Hardscape

just like contemporary landscapes, the hardscape plays a massive role in the general design. Flagstone pavers in shades that suit the surrounding desert colours are a favorite choice; they make a seamless entry in the surrounding landscape into the house itself. The colour is the perfect foil for the foliage of these trees and shrubs.

Clemente style studio, llc

Adobe and tile are classic choices for paving. Combining them lets you break up the expanse of their adobe and include a pop of color. This planting space is modest but effective, and siting the seat opposite the fountain invites guests and residents to stop and relax somewhat.

Debora carl landscape layout

Another choice is gravel. In this small terrace, the soft grey of the stones is offset from the lush succulents and grasses that surround it. It’s almost like you’ve set your desk and chairs in the middle of a small, dry pond in the surrounding desert.

Design tip:Use stones and gravel within the landscape to mimic natural washes, curving them throughout the distance and then planting them. If the rains come, you’ll have a natural drainage channel.

vernardakis george – avantgarden athens

If traditional is not your style, then proceed completely modern. These bright circles of colour show the plants off in style.

Choose Plants Wisely

Native plants have evolved to survive in the desert extremes. As such, they are a natural choice for the garden. And as this garden proves, native and natural do not mean colorless. In reality, the bright colors of this desert are just one of its attractiveness.

Flea Market Sunday

This xeriscape garden might not have a large selection of plants, but the plants that are in place are so spectacular that the distance feels full. Setting each specimen in its own space instead of crowding them together allows the homeowner to enjoy the individual magnificence of each plant.

Debora carl landscape layout

If a lush appearance is more to your liking, though, it is still achievable. A cabin look is doable: simply use vibrant succulents, perennials and grasses that may still tolerate the warmth and low-water ailments.

Style tip: Look for Southwest favorites such as desert marigold, Mexican honeysuckle, native sunflowers, red-hot poker and yellow bells. More familiar favorites include cosmos, coneflowers, dahlias, gloriosa daisies, salvias and verbena. Or go , with bougainvillea, trumpet vine and trumpet creeper. You may even grow some types of roses.

Exteriors From Chad Robert

If you want some lawn to earn your landscape feel complete, use grassy areas as beams rather than as massive expanses. Group other high-water plants near them, preferably close to the home and where they could get some colour in the hottest days of the year, to cut down on your general watering.

Design tip: Consider using artifical grass. Not only will you save water, but you’ll also save on lawn maintenance, which may be tough in a desert climate where turf grass is anything but natural.

Tom Meaney Architect, AIA

Create a Position to Be Outdoors

The days might be sexy, but evenings and mornings are generally cool. That is the time to be outside.

In the Southwest, this exterior space is often in the guise of a courtyard. Here, a replica of a California hacienda stipulates the significant components: enclosure on four sides, deeply shaded patios, plantings along the edges, with a fountain in the middle of everything. Any or all of these thoughts are suitable, even in the event that you have to implement them on a smaller scale.

Layout tip: developing a sense of enclosure is not only traditional, but it allows you to make a microclimate within your larger landscape. Following is a fantastic spot to put your thirstier plants.

www.KarlGercens.com

In a landscape extending for kilometers, an enclosed space also provides a human-size sense of scale as well as a feeling of security. Inside this space, the walls are large enough to provide a feeling of enclosure but low enough to allow you to take in the view.

Carson Poetzl, Inc..

An adobe wall along with a easy patio set might be all you want. The bright green stars on the corner in addition to the greens and blues of the roofline may seem modern, but bright colors are a frequent touch in traditional gardens. Notice the centerpiece of succulents and the cactus as an accent piece from the door. (make sure you place cacti far enough in the passageway that unwary guests won’t get assaulted.)

Duxbury Architects

If you have only a lot of space, then a simple wall can suffice. It also serves as an accent for the plantings it backs.

BOXHILL

Add Water

In a hot climate, water is obviously welcome, both for splashing in and also to get ambient cooling in the surrounding space. Near this house, the pool is more formal, with room for entertaining and relaxing. On the other side, the surrounding space gently blends into the landscape.

House + House Architects

A lap pool in the entry courtyard does double duty, providing a”splash” of colour to lead one to the door and a fantastic spot for cooling off or exercising. The high walls will keep heat, warming the distance in the mornings and evenings, but will shade the pool out of some of the intense afternoon sun.

BOXHILL

At first glancethis looks more like a tiny native pond as opposed to an artificial pool, with the sterile gravel streambed leading to the water beyond.

Arterra Landscape Architects

Even a little water can be sufficient. Even a recirculating fountain, particularly when it’s working, is the perfect solution for a more compact space.

Nunley Custom Homes

Fine-Tune the Details

This fireplace, according to a traditional kiva design, is both traditionally suitable and functional. As the weather cools in the evening, a bit of warmth out of a fire is a welcome addition.

Carson Poetzl, Inc..

A more formal appearance, but the exact same idea. The whitewash sides maintain the appearance traditional.

A simple fire pit will work. Add some lighting and you have the perfect spot for relaxing in the evening, particularly with the built-in seats.

Carson Poetzl, Inc..

Patio outlay with thick wooden beams might be traditional, but if you want some colour (and who doesn’t in this climate?) And do not want to add a permanent overhead construction, a simple shade sail could be magnificent.

Style tip:Plant trees around the home. It will help cool the adjacent areas as well as the home itself.

Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

Sometimes the details can be easy. The profound terra-cotta steps turn what would be a plain flagstone terrace into something special.

BOXHILL

Of course, if you’re going to get sunsets like this, then you ought to make the most of them. This iron sculpture enhances the view. It’s intriguing through the day and magnificent with all the sky on fire because the sun goes down.

Sandy Koepke

Finish With Color

The American Southwest is not the location for light pastels and mild clogs. The bold landscape calls for equally bold colours for both walls and accessories. This is the location for bright turquoises and chili-pepper reds, whether on pots or on doors.

Elad Gonen

Pale blue won’t cut it when the sky is a deep azure. Because blues are cool tones, they are relaxing and relaxing even when the hues are this intense.

Nunley Custom Homes

If you’re not prepared to paint an whole wall, consider simply painting the gate along with the overhead.

Greg Logsdon

Navajo-inspired blankets are another fantastic option, particularly when paired with a faux-plastered wall.

Prideaux Design

Turquoise water, blue and orange walls and a bright red kettle highlight the pool area. With tan and sand outstanding in the home and the hardscape, these accents include a sense of fun and whimsy into the space.

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Garden design has evolved through the years to suit our changing lifestyles, however we could still learn in your timeless garden layout of yesteryear. Although the dimensions of gardens and upkeep time have been reduced, and the way we utilize them has shifted, the ideas from past designs can be extremely important now.

Fixing a small garden or parts of a bigger garden for a room did not only occur in the late 1960s with the work of British designer John Brookes. In the early part of the last century, the designs of the partnership of Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens and the job of American garden designer Lawrence Johnston, that created Hidcote gardens in England, were based around the compartmentalizing of areas — creating, in actuality, the first”garden rooms”

Following is a peek at some small gardens that use compartmentalizing along with other ideas previously to create a beautiful complement to houses now.

Arterra Landscape Architects

Structuring garden rooms. The potency of compartmentalizing lies in blending the powerful structure of hard landscaping with gentle plantings. It is evident even in this latest of garden designs.

Outer space Landscape Architecture

Structure is the most important factor in regards to designing a small garden. The bones of the garden hold it together in all seasons and weather conditions. The squared paved area here combines different parts of the garden through its structural use of powerful lines.

Jobe Corral Architects

Creating the bones of the garden. The designers of yesteryear used paving, walls, pergolas and rills to create these bones. Now we’re more inclined to use decking, gravel and elevated beds. Within this yard the powerful blocks of gravel along with the proper water characteristic hold the design together.

Tobin + Parnes Design Enterprises

Softening the outlines. Once the arrangement is set, plants may soften outlines and hard edges, and include colour and year-round interest. The crops in this strategy add to the proper paved layout without overriding or hiding it.

The Garden Consultants, Inc..

Selecting crops to fit the design. Restricting the range of crops can help strengthen the layout. Small garden design needs discipline in plant choice. Too many forms will lead to a fussy design that doesn’t feel easy on the eye. In this garden the use of a few species enables the plants to combine with all the paved areas and walls.

Blasen Landscape Architecture

We could take ideas from topiary gardens of yesteryear and only use evergreens trimmed into shapes that will unite the small garden layout. Or seem to famous gardens such as Vita Sackwell-West’s Sissinghurst, where her white border is a great lesson about how to restrict planting to one colour to unify a small space.

Bright Green

Utilizing focal points. One of the final lessons to be learned from the gardens of the past century is that the use of a feature or focal point within a small area. Most small gardens are enclosed by a hedge, fence or wall, so they don’t have any natural focal point leading to eye through your garden. A sculpture, water feature or, in this case, a stunning outdoor couch creates an internal focus.

Arterra Landscape Architects

Looking back to move forward. This small garden brings together all we’ve heard from the past. The construction is very powerful, linking all areas of the area. The hard landscape is softened by the restrictive plantings, along with the lime green chair provides a great focus. By return we could move forward in the way we design and utilize our smaller outdoor spaces.

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Garden Edging: Clean Lines For The Landscape

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A temperature of 70 degrees in early March? Yes, please! Spring has come early to New York City, and all of the usual signals of the season have appeared well ahead of schedule. While the Northeast would generally need to wait for a couple more weeks to get blooming magnolias and short-sleeve weather, this year we’ve said good-bye to chilly long before the first official day of spring. (Hopefully, there isn’t another freeze around the corner.)

It appears the whole city is embracing the sudden warmth: Gardeners can be watch puttering in their yards; hardware stores are swapping their snow shovels and ice melt bags of potting soil and garden shears, and parents are happily bringing their kids to the park. On top of that, everything is blooming or beginning to bud. Here are some of the signs of spring.

Timothy Sheehan, ASLA

While everybody loves a host of golden daffodils, these two-toned daffodils with white petals surrounding a dark yellow trumpet are a new alternative to the usual all-yellow blossoms.

Crocuses are often the very first blossom to blossom in Brooklyn. The educated anglers of the New York City Parks Department understand that planting them makes for a bigger impact than single scattered bulbs could.

The Home Editor: City & Small Space Consulting

The branches of most trees are still bare, however, the first indications of life are beginning to look, such as these small blossoms. You can cut a couple budding branches and then bring them inside, where they’ll pop open in a few days.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Magnolia trees are near blooming in much of New York. In only a couple of days they’ll seem just like these fine specimens from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

The Home Editor: City & Small Space Consulting

An unusual, green-petal Helleborus foetidus is a chic alternative to the anticipated spring bloomers such as daffodils, crocuses and tulips.

The Home Editor: Small & City Space Consulting

Perennial bushes are about to come into bloom. What is apparently a rhododendron is showing signs of life with buds and new development.

The Home Editor: Small & City Space Consulting

Pots of narcissus are prepared to be scooped up by gardeners who want a quick spring repair. These pretty plants are fantastic for display both inside and outside. Start looking for ones with unopened buds to find the maximum bang for your dollar.

The Home Editor: City & Small Space Consulting

Planted tulips haven’t come into bloom yet, but it does not mean that you can’t enjoy them. This flower shop is prepared with cut tulips and potted hyacinths, so even nongardeners may enjoy a jolt of spring.

Dreamy Whites

If you’re bringing spring blossoms inside, there’s nothing prettier that blossoming branches. Be sure to generate a fresh cut at the branch’s foundation and crush the end with a hammer to allow more water to put in the stem. Change the water every couple of days to keep blossoms blooming.

Dreamy Whites

Forsythia’s slender branches are so plentiful that a few will not be overlooked from the bush. Cut the stems on an angle and then remove any floral matter or leaves that will sit under the water line prior to putting them into a vase.

What is blooming where you are?

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Garden Musts for March

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