The Best Flowering Vines and Climbers to Grow in Garden & Containers can add vertical interest, frame doorways, or even create privacy screens. And the best part? They’re really easy to take care of.
03.05.2024 - 14:19 / gardengatemagazine.com / Sherri Ribbey
Tips for Growing a Rooftop Garden No green space? No problem! Learn how this Chicago gardener created a beautiful rooftop garden in the city. Smart tips for a successful rooftop garden
In order to get room for a garden, Bethany Bey took over the roof of her zone 5 Illinois home. She added a comfy seating area to the 18-foot-long-by-19-foot-wide deck along with seven 3-foot-tall wooden raised beds around the perimeter and 50 containers and grow bags of assorted sizes. Now Bethany has plenty of room for growing plants! This beautiful rooftop garden earned her an honorable mention in the 2024 Container Challenge. Here’s what she does to create a lush rooftop container garden:
1. Water rooftop garden plants with drip irrigationBethany tried using single drip emitters with everything at first but found that she needed so many, the water pressure decreased and didn’t reach all the plants in larger pots. Her solution is to use drip emitters for single plants in small pots and sprinkler emitters for larger containers.
2. Stake plants as soon as possibleWind is a problem on the roof, so plants that might not need staking in the border do need help staying upright in this garden. Bethany’s sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), dahlias (Dahlia hybrids) and zinnias (Zinnia hybrids) all get stakes early in the season. In addition, she looks for dwarf varieties that will have a similar look without the need for extra support.
3. Use plants to camouflage the «uglies»What looks like a border across from the seating area is actually a group of 10 containers that hide the air conditioner. Over the years Bethany has learned to arrange them more purposefully instead of just setting them here and there. Now when she puts this border together
The Best Flowering Vines and Climbers to Grow in Garden & Containers can add vertical interest, frame doorways, or even create privacy screens. And the best part? They’re really easy to take care of.
Spring cleanup can be a real mess. If you cut your own ornamental grasses, that’s especially true if it’s a windy day and you’re dealing with taller grasses (e.g., Miscanthus, Panicum) blowing everywhere as they’re cut and fall over.
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Pale brick pavers, laid in a herringbone pattern, run from the open-plan ground floor out into the garden, creating a seamless transition between the two spaces.
Are you planning to install a pergola to enhance your outdoor space? Whether it's creating a shady retreat in your backyard or adding an architectural element to your patio, installing a pergola can be a great way to improve your outdoor living. But before you start building, there are some key things to consider to ensure your project is successful.
It’s always a treat when award-winning landscape designer Jay Sifford sends in photos of his fabulous home garden in the mountains of North Carolina. Today, we have an extra-special treat:
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Left: WWD / Getty Images; Right: CARSON DOWNING
Winter is for enjoying time in your home, and summer is for enjoying time in your yard. But shoulder seasons—fall and spring—are for preparation. In spring, we venture outdoors to nurseries and begin looking to fill our gardens with the best flowers and greenery the year has to offer.
Repotting aloe vera becomes necessary for a few reasons, especially when your plant starts to outgrow its pot. It can also be done when you have a baby aloe plant growing alongside the original. Referred to as a pup, this wee little aloe can be separated and repotted in its own container. Aloe plants require repotting anywhere from every three to five years or so. I often will save two or three houseplants to repot at the same time while I have my soil out and the table covered. In this article, I’ll explain how to repot an aloe plant—and a pup if you have one. Aloe was among my first houseplants when I got my first apartment. Having watched aloe vera gel applied to friends’ cuts and burn
I don’t know about you, but I love plants that have large foliage! They make for a lovely centrepieces indoors, and outdoors, they end up being an awesome focal point! Monstera is one of my favourite plants for the job, and I will tell you some secrets to make it grow bigger in a limited time frame!
Mention Mediterranean gardens and you’re likely to imagine alfresco dining, soft colour palettes, citrus trees in terracotta pots and sun-loving perennials, all awash with the heady scents of herbs such as lavender and thyme. But you don’t need to travel to Greece or Italy to enjoy this kind of outdoor living. Mediterranean-style gardens are becoming more popular in the UK as many areas become more susceptible to drought, due to the climate crisis. Planting with species that have naturally evolved to live in hot, dry conditions means your garden will be more resilient in dry periods and more sustainable in its use of water – an extremely precious resource during our increasingly hot summers.