Are you trying to find the perfect landscaping plants

Finding just the right plant for your landscaping is not a simple task. With hundreds of plants to choose from, making the right choice can be difficult. There are several factors to keep in mind.

First you must make certain the landscaping plants you choose are suited to your climate. Each plant needs the ideal climate if it is going to thrive so it is best to talk to a local plant specialist. Some plants will grow out of their perfect climate if great care is taken, your specialist will be able to tell you if a certain plant will need extra attention.
Second, you should choose a plant that will compliment your yard. Think about the colors of the blossoms and patterns of the leaves as well as the height of the plant. You wouldnt normally think of certain plants and these can be some of the best landscaping plants for your yard. Sage plants are usually thought of in terms of herb gardening, but they make a really beautiful border. This makes them a versatile planting for your landscaping needs. Beauty, a great scent and you can bring them inside to use in cooking.

Using other herbs as part of your landscaping plants is a great idea. They are multifunctional and pretty to look at and being able to cook with them is a huge bonus.

You will need to consider the season when looking for landscaping plants. Some plants do best when transplanted in the spring and others must be worked with in the fall when they go dormant.

landscaping plants can be either annual or perennial. An annual plant will need to be purchased and replanted each year. A perennial will grow back on its own every year. Many perenials, such as spring bulbs like tulips and hyacinths will double every year. Eventually you may have to dig up these bulbs and replant some of them in a different part of your yard.

Peonies are a great perennial and grow from what is known as a rhisome. This looks like a tangle of roots and these will also have to be dug up and seperated every few years.

Using a mix of annuals and perennials is the best choice for landscaping plants. Choosing annuals that bloom between the dates when your perennial plants blossom will insure a beautiful and colorful yard all season long.

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MNLA Landscape Awards 2009 Design

MNLA Landscape Awards 2009 - Design

The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association awarded these companies 2009 Landscape Awards in design: 1. Residential Front Yard Lori McCabe ...

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Courtesy Leaf

Daphniphyllum

A family of 15 evergreen shrubs or trees native to Asia that can be grown for their very attractive foliage. They prefer partial shade and a site protected from excessive wind. Slightly acid, deep, moist well drained soil is preferred as it a layer of protective mulch. They are NOT eaten by deer.
Generally pest and disease free and reproduction is easy from stratified seed or also softwood cuttings or semi ripe cuttings in summer.

Daphniphyllum calycinum
An evergreen shrub, reaching up to 13 x 13 feet, that is native to southern China, Japan and Vietnam.
The leaves, up to 6.5 x 3.5 inches, are bright green above, even brighter green beneath.
Bloomy black fruits are borne on female plants that are pollinated.
Hardy zones 7b to 9 in full sun to partial shade on moist, well drained soil. It is very heat and humidity tolerant and thrives in the southeastern U.S.

Daphniphyllum glaucescens
Native from central & southern China, south into Indonesia.
It is a very beautiful, vigorous, evergreen tree reaching up to 50 x 20 feet; it can reach up to 20 feet in 20 years and the largest on record is 100 feet.
The luxuriant, blue-green, oval leaves are up to 7 x 2 inches in size.
The blackish-purple fruits persist through the winter.
An understory plant in the wild; it prefers moist shade when young however eventually may emerge into the tree tops into full sun.
Hardy north to zone 7 to 9. While rare; this extremely beautiful plant has much potential in both the Pacific Northwest and the southeast U.S.

* photos taken on October 17 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.




subsp. Oldhamii
New foliage extremely attractive bright orange to deep to purple red fading to green in summer.

Daphniphyllum humile
A forest understory shrub native to Korea & Japan; it is slow growing reaching up to 15 inches in 2 years and eventually to 4 x 6 feet. The largest on record is 10 x 15 feet. Rarely seen in North America, it deserves to be much more widely used.
The alternatively-spaced, evergreen foliage is dense and narrowly-elliptic in shape. The glossy leaves, up to 6 x 2 inches, are bright green at first turning to deep green. The flowers are small and not highly visible.
An excellent, dense, tall groundcover for shady sites.
Hardy zones 6 to 10 in partial to full shade.

Daphniphyllum macropodium

The Courtesy Leaf is a very beautiful, tropical looking, vigorous, dense large shrub or tree native to China, Korea and Japan. Some records include: fastest growth rate - 2 feet; largest on record - 50 x 50 feet with a trunk diameter of up to 3.3 feet.
The large, thick, leathery, oval leaves grow up to 9 x 4 inches and look like that of the Catawba Rhododendron. The waxy leaves are reddish at first, turning to very deep green above, dull gray below. They are carried on showy, red leaf stalks.
The tiny light green flowers borne during spring are barely noticable.
The fruit is blue-black up to 0.5 inches in size and can persist thru the winter.
The stems are reddish-purple.
They make both a great specimum plant and screen, and tolerate salty ocean breezes well. It grows best in moist, well drained, acid soil and likes shelter and part shade though tolerant of full sun. It is not bothered by pests and diseases. Hardy zones 6 to 9; heat tolerant and grows very well in the Mid Atlantic and southeastern U.S. Surprisingly cold tolerant for a plant of such tropical appearance. The Courtesy Leaf is very easy to grow.


* pics taken Feb 2009 @ U.S. National Arboretum











* photo taken on October 17 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.

* photo taken on Mar 8 2013 @ Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD

Daphniphyllum teijsmannii Variegated ( Variegated Daphniphyllum )
A very rare, medium-sized, evergreen shrub. Some records include: 10 years - 4 x 3 feet.
The leathery, thick leaves are green and boldly edged in creamy-white.
The leafstalks and stems are red.
It makes a spectacular landscape plant.
Hardy zones 6 to 9 ( tolerating -10 F ) in full sun to partial shade on well drained soil.

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Landscape Design Landscape

Landscape Design,Landscape

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Sir Clement Freud

While the news of Sir Clement Freud’s death is clearly very sad, I have to admit that I’ve been highly entertained and amused by the coverage of his life.

Having spent pretty much the entire Easter period being ill, I wasn’t looking forward to our weekend away, particularly as the highlight was going to be trying out the newly constructed rapids at Symonds Yat. In spite of being too sickly to set foot in a boat, we headed to the ‘Yat’ on Friday for a bit of a mooch about. No kayaking meant that we quickly ran out of things to do, so headed into the nearby Saracen’s Head for a drink and a sandwich. Nosing through a couple papers, I noticed the Times had covered his life and death in some detail, and after initially browsing through, soon found myself chuckling at some his humorous observations. The more I read, the more fascinated I became. As a starting point, I’d recommend the Times obituary:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6107788.ece

While I had realised that he was the Grandson of Sigmund Freud, and also the brother of Lucian Freud (I’m happy to engage in fisticuffs with anyone who disputes that Lucian’s the worlds greatest living painter), I hadn’t realised quite how dysfunctional a family they were. You couldn’t make it up that Clement and Lucian hadn’t talked since they were small children, reportedly over a bet on a race to Green Park (Clement apparently bet on everything). Or that he held his son’s 4th Birthday party at the Playboy Club, complete with Bunny Girls. It reminded me of ‘The Royal Tennabaums’ or maybe Sallinger’s Glass family - brilliant but eccentric.

It seemed appropriate that I should post a few of Sir Clement Freud’s quotes, which made me chuckle:

“When propositioned recently by a woman to ‘come upstairs and make love’, I had to explain that it was one or the other.”

"if you resolve to give up smoking, drinking, driving and loving, you dont actually live longer. It just seems longer."

He later gave up smoking, was known to hide his head behind curtains at parties if anyone smoked and once had an altercation with a woman on a train who was smoking just inside the no-smoking zone. "Im only 10ft from the smoking section," she insisted. "Madame, were only 5ft from the lavatory," he replied. "Is it all right if I piss on the floor?"

Finally, someone posted this link on Twitter of Clement telling what may well be the funniest joke ever told.

It had me in fits. What a brilliant man.

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What were they thinking part 1

Well it has been a while... been a busy summer season for me as well, so I have not had the time to sit and write any blog updates.

Anyway, today I decided to write about something I drive by on a regular basis. The North-west corner of Islington Road and Eglington Road has been a bother to me ever since the City Of Toronto did what they did.One of the first things I learned while studying trees and shrubs of Ontario was that the Norway Maple is an invasive tree species in Canada. It was introduced to Toronto some time ago because of its ability to leaf out early in Spring and drop leaves later in fall. The idea was to bring this tree over from Europe to the North-Eastern part of North America so that urban landscapes could look a little greener for just a bit longer then what our Native trees could provide.

A good friend of mine, Peter Heyblom (fellow Landscape Designer) wrote an extensive article on the Norway Maple in Canada. His article elaborates on some of the concerns mentioned here in my post.

As time moves forward in our cities and populated places, the Norway Maple is now considered a very invasive tree to our natural ravine & forested areas. It is a very hardy and aggressive tree... so dominant in a forested environment that it would completely shade out, overtake and replace any native species of tree or shrub. There are countless ravine areas in Toronto that have about 80% Norway Maple growth versus a fading 20% native to Ontario plant species growth.

So what is on the corner of Islington and Eglington?

A tree advocacy program created by the city of Toronto...sponsored by the names displayed in the picture. Why is it an issue for me?..why would I possibly balk at a project that introduces native and natural vegetation to a once empty field???
If you look closely at the photo above... you will see Norway Maples!!!(outlined below)



So... what is the problem with this setup? If you plant a Norway maple in the middle of a grass field...and year after year, continually mow the area around the tree, the chance for seeds to spread is very minimal. The chance for this aggressive and dominating tree to do damage to natural areas is very minor.

Yet here we see a planting program that is destined to fail in a few years. Eventually as the native plant material grows and flourishes... it will pave the way for seedlings of the Norway Maple to spread and grow. Soon the trees will become larger, dominant trees and eventually crowd out the glorious efforts put forth to naturalize the field on the corner of Islington and Eglington.

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My Favorite Hardy Perennial Plants for NYC Shade Gardens

There are often spots in an urban garden that, for whatever reason, receive low amounts of water during  the growing season. Here is a short list of plants that are hardy enough to withstand and thrive in dry shade conditions as long as the soil is rich with organic matter and drainage is not an issue.

Athyrium niponicum               

                                                

 Berberis wilsoniae (3-4 ft.)

Mahonia aquifolium (3 ft.)

Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna (5 ft..)

  

Symphoricarpos albus (4-5 ft.)

Arum maculatum

Arum maculatum

Carex divulsa (Berkeley sedge)

Brunnera macrophylla

Dryopteris filix-mas

Galium odoratum

Helleborus foetidus

Heuchera Regina

Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae

Polygonatum odoratum variegatum

Polystichum acrostichoides

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Some Soul In The City Durban

This month seems to be a month for straying from the subject a little. So if youll indulge me again, youll see the tenuous link to landscape design and gardening. It is there, its just hidden behind the charity.

Gardening in a Third World (although that term doesnt quite describe SAs contrasting economies) can sometimes look a little agrarian at times. Eating food grown through subsistence farming is probably the closest many South Africans may ever come to enjoying their garden. Those of us fortunate enough to look at gardening from a purely aesthetic vantage point dont get to experience a worldview where plants are functional long before they are beautiful.

But thats just what about 350 Christian students from the UK have had a chance to experience this past week. Working in various projects in some of the poorest communities around Durban, theyve been helping out doing anything from caring for abandoned and HIV positive children, planting and digging vegetable gardens, painting orphanages, planting trees, and vegetable gardens, putting up wash lines, running kids clubs, soccer and volleyball tournaments.... All this, at their own expense!

As part of Soul Survivor, they each saved up about £1000 to pay for their plane ticket, accommodation and food to fly across the globe for 2 weeks, so that they could come to our city and help out in the various projects scattered around Durban. The movement is called Soul In The City (SITC) and theyve already done this in a few other cities around the world, but I think SITC Durban is the furthest theyve travelled in making a difference in peoples lives.

Im amazed by these kids generosity. love and energy...

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Pinterest Page is Blowing Up In A Good Way

Hey all, so just wanted to let you know we launched a Pinterest page a few weeks ago and have received fantastic results thus far.

We currently have 7 boards with 63 pins including this one dedicated specifically to fire pits.

If you want to keep up on the latest in fire pit design and outdoor burning system technology, then be sure to follow us on our social media outlets:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/warmingtrendsCF
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/warmingtrends
Follow us on Pinterst: http://pinterest.com/warmingtrends/
Subscribe to our Blog: http://blogspot.com/
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/warmingtrendsCF
Follow us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ray-stone/20/856/71a

Or you can contact us online with any questions you may have regarding custom fire pits and fire pit design. We have the ability to custom build any fire pit to your specifications. Call today! 1-877-556-5255

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Brooklyn Garden Designer Digs Concrete

Building gardens is what I do best. Creating elements that can go into gardens is an extension of that process.

A new direction for GreenZone is working with concrete. For now Im focusing on vessels for plants that are suitable for interiors and exteriors. I will continue to experiment with new shapes, sizes, colors and designs over the next few months.

Im also playing with recipes for pavers and other objects.

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Garden Show Planning

Today is a public holiday in South Africa - Youth Day. It commemorates the start of the Soweto Uprising in 1976, when school children were protesting against being taught in Afrikaans. The police opened fire on them and several children were killed and injured. This is the photo by Sam Nzima of the dying 12 year old Hector Pieterson, which became an iconic image of that day:

On a less serious note, Im sitting down today to plan my stand at the Green With Envy Garden Show. The theme is "The French Courtyard". Fortunately thats a fairly open theme I think?

French Gardens are typically formal with topiary, ornate statuary, hedges and water features. But courtyards were generally less formal and were used for culinary purposes, for storing food plants and imported plants which could be given the extra attention they needed. So I think/hope there is a certain amount of freedom of interpretation.

This is my first sketch, the idea was meant to compare a more formal french style with a natural/indigenous style. They would be separated by a plant/moss filled crack. It didnt get the thumbs up from my wife (my best critic), so Im moving on.

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Contemporary Bathroom Design Tips

Designing ones own home in the way they want is the dream of most people. The bathroom, thought the smallest, is one of the most important rooms in the house. Various designs and style options are available for designing a brand new bathroom. One of the most elegant and popular bathroom designs these days is the contemporary design. Designing your own bathroom is not as difficult as it sounds.

The basic idea behind the contemporary bathroom design is to create something pleasant to see as well as completely functional. It is both utilitarian and attractive. Certain elements must be considered while designing this kind of bathrooms. These elements include toilets, sinks, showers and baths. The first thing involved in designing your bathroom is to decide the colors to be used. It is better to use colors that portray serenity. The next important factor is to choose the right material.

Storage is of immense importance in the contemporary bathroom design. It is important to make the most of the limited amount of space that is available since there are a number of items to store in the bathroom such as towels and personal care products. The use of modular storage devices has many advantages. The different varieties of elegant bathroom fixtures like sinks, vanities, bathtubs, faucets, store cabinets, shower sets and the like make up the bathroom design. Other elements such as copper basins, whirlpool and tubs and standing baths have also been added recently to the elements of contemporary bathroom.

The development of technology has led to the addition of different technologies into the contemporary bathroom such as spa showers, sauna, telephone, exercise equipment and digital televisions. So if you are planning to design your bathroom look out for the current trends in the bathroom designs.

Ronald Wesley is a free lance interior designer whose work mainly focuses on bathroom design.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ronald_Wesley

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The possibilities working abroad

As well as a chance to work and explore landscape architecture in a professional capacity next year, I would like the opportunity to work abroad if possible. I feel it would an excellent opportunity to further broaden my cultural horizons aswell.

With regard to next year and searching for employment abroad, i have been perusing the landscape institute websites in other countries such as;

www.hkila.com - Hong Kong

www.aila.org.au - Australia

www.nzila.co.nz/index_home.asp - New Zealand

www.sila.org.sg - Singapore

www.asla.org - USA

(I have only really looked at countries where English is used as a native/business language).

Job opportunities are on the decline internationally as well as in the UK thanks to this economic downturn fiasco. So start spending money cheapskates so I can get a job in the summer!!!

Thats one problem solved. Im going to start sending applications out in February for jobs.

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Garden Bloggers Bloom Day November 2012

Its well into Fall in the northeastern garden and there is a changing array of color everywhere. Long Island has endured Hurricane Sandy and then a noreaster the following week and this of all Garden Bloggers Bloom Days has been a relief and pleasure to be able to step out into the garden and capture the beauty of natures color. Come share my passion of nature and join me with a walk through my garden. 

Dried Seed Heads Montauk Daisy

Sedum and Dwarf Grass

Spirea Gold Flame Fall Color

Stachys (Lambs Ear)

Ajuga Burgundy Glow

Dwarf Fountain Grass Plume

Euonymus Gold Spot Foliage

Montgomery Globe Blue Spruce (Picea pungens Montgomery)

Spirea Limemound Fall Foliage

Hydrangea Tokyo Delight Fall Flower Head

Heuchera (Coral Bells) Caramel Close Up

Saliva May Night Still Some Blooms

Daylily Stella D Oro One Last Flower

Foliage of Oriental Spruce Skyland

Acer palmatum Sango Kaku (Coral Bark Maple) Fall Foliage

Sedum Fall Seed Head

Heuchera Caramel Fall Foliage

Blue Atlas Cedar Cones

Nandina domestica Gulf Stream Berrries

Hydrangea Tardivia Seed Head

Globe Cyptomeria Foliage

Japanese Iris Seed Pods

Fall Perennial Garden (Astilbe, Lambs Ear and Daylily)

Dwarf Maiden Grass Miscanthus Yaku Jima Plumes

Fall Color (Coral Bark Maple with Sugar Maple in Backdrop)

Minature Fountain Grass Little Bunny Fall 

  Please be sure to thank our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens and see what other gardeners around the world have blooming in their garden.  Please leave a note so that I know you visited and I will be sure to visit you as well.

Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and

As Always...Happy Gardening!

 

Author: Lee@A Guide To Northeastern Gardening, Copyright 2012. All rights reserved

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