Turfgrass is the largest or one of the largest crops in America, and you can’t eat it or wear it. In addition, it requires water, fertilizer, and a tremendous amount of energy to maintain. Given that many of our lawns are high maintenance, some folks might consider reducing the size of their lawn by using native grasses and flowering perennials in borders instead. Here are a few ideas for layout and planning a border meadow. Generally, the plants are not over 3 feet tall, and ornamental grasses are the dominant group. However, upon closer inspection, you will also see groups of plants from other families interesting to people, pollinators, and birds. They support wildlife and may reduce the homeowner’s use of irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides.
Getting started is often the hardest part of a landscape design plan. First, measure the dimensions of the border (length and width). This will give its area or square footage. Plants need space to grow, and knowing how much area or space you have will help determine the number of plants, amount of mulch, or linear feet of edging needed. Next, call 811 to locate and mark any underground utilities. You also need to indicate on the plan where the sun comes up and sets and any trees, fences, or buildings that would create shade. Meadow borders can be installed in wet, dry, sunny, or shady conditions. Just remember the plant selection should match the site conditions. Consult catalogs, websites, and local nurseries for grasses, sedges, and flowering perennials, choosing those selections or straight native species which satisfy the tastes of critters you intend to attract. A few considerations would be seasonal interest, color, fruit, seeds, nectar, and movement.
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A fad in modern architecture and gardening or a necessity to bring back nature into industrialised densely built urban landscapes? Living green walls are becoming more and more popular, so we decided to explore the benefits, installation and maintenance process of these structures. Read on to find out how long they have been around, why so many buildings are having them, and how you can make one for your home.
In Yorkshire we are lucky to have several gardens designed using the theme of a Himalayan Garden. The Hut near Ripon at Grewlthorpe is  ‘The Himalayan Garden’ with all the plants you would expect in such a setting including
Britain has some of the best gardens in the world. The choice of which to visit is far larger than this selective list but at least it gives you somewhere to start planning this years outings.
In the cold wet winter it is a good time to plan where to visit as the year improves. The South West is the obvious place to start your visiting tour of gardens containing exotic plants.
China is one of the great destinations for visiting gardens. The influence over garden design and the vast array of plants and flowers is secondary to the investment in time and dedication demonstrated in so many great locations. This is just a selection of those you may consider visiting if you can make the journey..
A common site in many town gardens are trees that have outgrown their space. Large native trees like Oaks, Copper Beach, Planes, Weeping Willow and horse chestnuts are wonderful, but to be really enjoyed they need suitable space, like in a park. If they are planted in the garden they will
Peace is not just the absence of war it can be a reflection of a personal inner tranquility. To many gardeners peace may be a state of harmony with nature. It is a theme of several ‘hard landscape’ projects and sculptural works as shown by the selection of Peace gardens below.
Holland Park has some Zen like features but fails my Zen test. The classic elements of a successful Zen are stone, sand or gravel, water, plants and space. Then there is a question of balance between yin and yang. Cramped or cluttered gardens inhibit the flow of spirit so space is potentially the key ingredient of a Zen garden.
For over 25 years I have gardened a rockery or rock garden on a triangular patch of poor soil. I progressively scrounged and collected a range of granite, limestone and sandstone rocks and added them piecemeal. I aspired to growing alpine plants and recognised good drainage and shelter from winter wet weather would be key but that is as far as my planning would go. For the first couple of decades I was busy at work and wasn’t able to put in the effort of looking after small but hardy alpines.
Not what you would expect for a garden called ‘The Phoenix Garden’ in the middle of Tottenham Court Road near Crown Point. It isn’t a phoenix from the ashes of a great fire or a WW11 bomb site at but was built on a disused car park in the 1980s. It may be part of an overflowing burial ground for St Giles-in-the-field church back in the 1600s and is reputed to be the last surviving Covent ‘Garden’. The entrance is located in St Giles Passage
The biggest butterfly in my garden is undoubtedly me the gardener. Whilst working on the beds or landscape I can flit from task to task or pause and forget what I intended doing. Even with ‘to do’ lists at the starts of the day I complete very few and add on many supplementary things instead. The garden’s requirements take precedent as I flit about with spade or watering can but I also ‘butterfly’ in another key direction.