If you have the good fortune to travel to other countries and see how other parts of the world garden, you know that it can be inspiring. I usually return from travel wanting to incorporate what I have seen into my own garden. Often, foreign travel takes us to climates vastly different than what we experience in the Southeastern United States. Our unique combination of hot humid summers and wet winters makes this a singular place to garden. One of the best parts of gardening is experimentation. I have both succeeded and failed in many garden endeavors. This often happens when I try and replicate something I have seen during foreign travel that cannot be done in my climate successfully. Here I’ve compiled a few memorable lessons and ideas I’ve gained after visiting more than 20 countries on a quest to see the best gardens on the globe.
In the Garden: Refresh and repurpose container plantings with these new pruning trends
28.06.2024 - 13:15 / theprovince.com / Brian Minter
In January I visited the world’s largest horticultural show in Essen, Germany, and came away with some great take-aways, but I was especially impressed with the significant trend of pruning, training and grafting certain plants into new and unusual forms.
These techniques can transform many plants into more vertical screening shapes or into striking focal points. This makes them far more valuable on our patios for privacy, or as feature plants.
This is particularly relevant as we move out to our patios for the summer, to enjoy our containers and garden plantings.
Focal plants, or thrillers, are the key element in any planter and having something more permanent will allow us to change our containers for the seasons.
Tall, narrow forms of broad-leaved evergreens like boxwood, euonymus and Japanese hollies can add a charming touch to any container, even just by themselves.
Closely-cropped shrubs like yews, upright blue junipers and Hinoki cypress can be amazing feature plants, as can deciduous trees like Twombly’s Sentinel maples and columnar beech like fagus Dawyck’s Gold.
The tall vertical look not only adds impact to a container, but it also allows for accessorizing with ornamental grasses, trailing euonymus and many annuals like trailing petunias, verbenas and begonias — giving the look that has eluded many of us.
Various shrubs, trained and grafted into topiary forms with rounded tops and long, elegant stems, were highly popular at this show. Top-grafted blue spruce, blue junipers, Japanese willows and cotoneaster are all terrific examples to consider. The beauty of these bare stems is the room they allow for significant underplanting. The vibrant silver of senecio Angel Wings and the new centaurea Silver Swirl can
New Zealand Wants to Tax Cow Burps and Farts
As of last summer, the island nation of New Zealand was home to 6.3 million head of dairy cattle, up 82 percent over the last two decades. The country also holds 3.8 million beef cattle, 800,000 deer and a whopping 26.8 million head of sheep. That’s a lot of livestock for a country of about five million people.
How to be water wise in the garden
Collecting and storing water is only one side of the story. Learning how to use this water effectively is just as important to ensure we make the most of every single drop of this most valuable resource. Naturally us gardeners often have much higher levels of water consumption compared to the average person, and as a result we are possibly the group of people who waste the most water. I know I have certainly been guilty of this in the past!
How To Use Coffee Grounds In The Garden, According To Experts
If a cup of coffee (or several!) are part of your morning or afternoon routine, it's likely that you've tossed a lot of grounds. Coffee grounds are actually full of organic matter and are wonderful to add to the compost pile to create a nutrient-rich amendment. There have been some misconceptions about used coffee grounds and whether it's a good idea to add them directly to your soil, and your houseplants.
The Mini Pond Trend That’s Sweeping the Gardening World
The gardening world has taken on sustainability with gusto. From no-mow May’s to pollinator-friendly displays, there are plenty of ways to create a haven for local wildlife in your garden.
Gardening with pleasure: the best garden centres
Gardening is not just a hobby, it is a way of life that allows us to get closer to nature. In our country, only 50 no deposit free spins in casinos can compete in terms of popularity with gardening, which has a special place in the hearts of millions of people. The history of British gardening goes back centuries, and this activity continues to attract more and more enthusiasts. In this article, we take a look at the best garden centres in the UK that offer a wide range of plants and gardening products, high quality service and many additional services. Whatever your preferences and level of expertise, you are sure to find something useful and interesting for you.
These Hot Weather Gardening Tips Will Make Your Garden Thrive
Summer might be the peak production season in your garden, but above-average temps and heat domes don’t quite make for happy horticulture. Even if you’re growing in a mild climate, plant protection throughout the summer is an important practice and can even be helpful when prepping for an out-of-town getaway that might disrupt your usual routine. From keeping an eye on the forecast so you can plot your next move, to knowing which plants need watering and those that definitely do not, we’re sharing all the tips to avoid any summer stress and keep you growing gracefully. Here’s to a resilient garden and not forgetting to protect and hydrate appropriately, yourself included.
Could New York Become the Mushroom State?
On the banks of the Hudson River in Troy, NY, there’s an unassuming forest-green building, tucked between a used-car lot and towing business. This refurbished auto-body shop fits right into the neighborhood of commercial buildings. There are no open fields or garden beds thick with produce. But step inside and everything changes. You’ve found Collar City Mushrooms.
The high line’s naturalistic gardening lessons, with richard hayden
IT’S ONE of the best-known naturalistic gardens anywhere, and yet it’s perched in the most unnatural spot imaginable, 30 feet high above New York City traffic on an abandoned elevated railway line. The High Line on Manhattan’s West Side is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the opening of its first section, years that have been filled with expert lessons on gardening in this looser, nature-inspired style.
Cast a Spell on Your Home with the 'Practical Magic' Aesthetic
Adam Albright
Prime Time in the Garden at the End of June
With garden openings over for 2024, my ramblings around the garden involve a combination of “this is gorgeous!”, “aren’t we fortunate?”, “thank goodness that’s over” and “how can I improve this?”. Already thoughts have turned to potential ‘tweaks’, nothing major, and ways to improve things I don’t feel have really worked – perhaps I will write a post on them in due course…
Oddball fruits from around the globe, with hortus arboretum
SOME OF THE many unusual fruits that Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano grow in their arboretum in the Hudson Valley of New York, like goji berries or maybe Schisandra (above), are ones you’re more likely to see on ingredient labels of health food store products than for sale in nurseries or growing in gardens. But grow them you can.