Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Gardening for Four Seasons

During Spring
Spring is the season where most flowers blossom over the long winter. It is also the event where flowers were used for display since flowers are in variety during this season. The well-known flowers that fit in the design of the garden are the snowdrops, winter aconites, crocuses and early daffodils. In this type of season, most flower colors reflect pink and yellow shades. These flowers were the very first seen after the winter so most of gardeners have them displayed either in their garden for impressive view or just beside their homes.

Designing these kind of flowers depend upon the size of the bulb and the impact it make when grown together in a container. It also depends on to the distance if such small and colored flowers would make a very good view. To do this, you must landscape the overall area of the garden with a carpet of grass before the actual design. Just like in painting, one must always make a clean canvass and a base color. In this case, green carpet like grass creates a canvass for your garden masterpiece. Identify the strategic points of which you will create each blocks of flowers. Then arrange the colors of the flowers, the bulb size and the thickness of the creating a visual ecology.

Consider the flowers that can last over one to two seasons or all year-round plants like conifers, shrubs with colorful bark, evergreen, tree trumps and those flowers that create architectural features. This type of plants can be modified by cutting or trimming in whichever you like it to appear making one garden interesting. But in designing for the whole garden, you must also consider the seasons of which each flowers blossom according to its season. According to landscapers, one key to create successful plant associations is observing different shapes, colors and textures. Using this kind of varieties give a lasting effect for the design. We ultimately know that flowers are part of ecological change of the environment and by these we create a design that when that change comes still the flowers will look good together.

During summer
After that colored season of spring where most reds, pinks and yellow flowers flourish somehow ends during summer. The season becomes a little bit humid and sun-colored flowers appear. In this season, flowers like large trumpet shaped lilies, neat spikes of liatris and umbrella shaped clusters flourish. What is important in this time of the season is to create an umbrella or shade against the sun. It is interesting to create a theme that will also draw attention. Most summer gardens becomes spectacular if yellow accentuated with few pinks. Peculiar bulbs during this season are present like diorama, acidanthera and trigidia. Their strong shapes create a style that not only are fascinating but also sets your garden beyond conventional.

Summer bulbs during June and July are well known for flowers like alliums as ornamental onions. This type of plant grew in outstanding height having strong spherical shapes. If it is combined it with sphaerocephalum whose bulbs are advantageous when grouped. It is an oval shaped flower with shades of purple, pink and cream that you can choose from. Lilies are also present being the most versatile of all, since it can be combined to just any type of flower and has been hybrid to create mixture of colors. An example of this is the lilium regale having a distinct shape that of the Prince of Wales-feather shaped leaves of Melianthus major. Lilies in terms of combinations with other cultures especially modern designs that of Japanese architecture are best fitted in white gardens. Sand gardens of Japanese landscape, lilies used to give beauty with their favorite bamboo plants. For exotic designs giving a fiery effect of the garden then this tigrinum better known as tiger lily is specie in the family of lilies having a flaming orange bulb. However having this kind of type of lily color can be difficult to mix with other bulbs especially those of pastel motifs.

During autumn and winter
During this time of season, most flowers fall and the landscape turns into foliage. The most appealing in autumn and winter season are the trees commonly are the acers and shrubs like fothergilla. Leaves and flowers somehow fall around the end of the summer and the supply of flowers is scarce, the most effective of creating landscape is to keep it into a winter character. However, flowers that continue in the middle of autumn season are the hemerocallis and agapanthus. There is not much of landscaping in this season but you can still create an indoor attraction.

Indoor bulbs or flowers inside the conservatory for the cold weather are good for display. Most indoor bulbs like Vallota (Scarborough lily) which lives early in the autumn. Although it is kept inside permanently. The characteristic of this lily is the striking red colored lily at the top of its stem that is identical to hippeastrum. Some outdoor plants can be placed indoor to keep it in good condition like colchicums, schizotylis, water lily and lilac wonder.

What is enthralling with this season is introducing the plants to your children as an indoor activity. It can also help them appreciate flowers and understand the flowers having different kinds of seasons. To keep flowers until Christmas is to place them in pots after or in the middle of September before the start of autumn. In this way, you are giving enough time for the flower to grow into the pots.
Other types of indoor flowers are Tazetta group of narcissi having varieties like Soleil d' Or' and Paper white. One basic feature of this plant is the convenience it gives to the gardener since it much quicker and simpler to grow compared to normal spring bulbs.

Design themes for your Garden
There are different kinds of themes you can choose depending in your taste. If you want your garden to have a fragrance scent then hyacinth flowers are the best choice. You can choose from purple, mauve, red, pink or white and other shades having present in late February. Associate it with daffodils, water-lily type tulip, crocuses in flower arrangement especially in small pots. You can either place it in front or back or even both sides of the house. If you are looking into an informal look then try arranging small growing hybrids of narcissi over rockeries because they form as a central subject. When centralizing a flower piece make sure that it is not too large in the pot. Other narcissi known for their aromatic sense are Jonquilla having varieties of Baby moon, Lintie and Trevithian that blooms around April and May.

In summer, exotic plants are the most popular such as crocosmia and hemerocallis. If grown together into cluster a fascinating blend of colors such as apricot and buff shades. Another unusual flower is gladiolus byzantinus having a vivid magenta color that grows in early summer. This kind of plant is the most versatile of all since it can withstand until winter. However, during the late summer, Acidanthera murielae is the best fitting plant the peculiar butterfly mark in the center is the main feature.
If you are aiming for sophisticated effect, then galtonia hyacinth is nothing but elegance. It has a dangling white colored and bell-shaped flowers falling around it stems. When it is difficult to find this kind of flower during summer one similar feature can also be found with Liatris.

However, during the autumn and winter, the display is in the indoor especially the conservatory. Most of the plants around this are the evergreens and other dwarf coloured dwarf bulbs. Other autumn flowering species are Cyclamen neapolitanum and c. purpurascens. Indoor bulbs that grow in groups that have autumn interest are tricyrtis and T. formosana stolonifera (toad lilies). But due to their less popularity most people seem to notice their flowers whose beauty can even appreciated even without looking closely at them.

What is important in having a bulb that will growing in different conditions are basically to have a well-drained pot that contains enough organic materials. Simply means that a plant should have enough water. In deciding for the type of bulb that will grow in your garden is primarily identifying the condition of your soil. Determine the type using a soil testing kits most gardening stores have. Find out if it is made of clay, sandy type, or the good loamy soil. Observe also the sun's orientation in your garden, if possible sketch the areas where there is direct sunlight and shade in any time of the day. In this way, you will have an idea which plant needs direct sunlight.

In preparing for the plant in its new soil or bed, you must first clear the area and cultivate the soil. Spread an amount of organic materials such as the biodegradable fruit left-over and vegetables into the desired space. Improve also the soil aeration and drainage. Then set in the bulbs into their positions following your design. What is important in the bulb is to plant them in a right depth. Plant them firmly by light press and twist into the soil. Afterwards, continue maintaining the area with the proper moisture.

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