What To Do With Your Shady Patches

Of course we all know that plants need two things for life: sun and water. But there are some garden areas, especially in heavily wooded locations that just can’t escape having some areas of shade. Just because you have shade in your garden however, does not mean that it should be wasted space. There are many plants that do very well in shade and some in fact, that will only thrive in shaded areas. You just need to determine what kind of shade you have and then pick out your favorite shady plants!

There are a few different types of shade and it’s important to know which you’re dealing with before you start buying plants. Partial sun and partial shade are two terms that are sometimes used to mean the same thing but there are subtle differences with the two. If a plant requires partial sun they will need less sun than plants that are defined as partial shade plants. Both types need anywhere from three to six hours of sunlight every day but those that are partial sun should receive closer to only three hours of sun. Full shade plants need complete shade all day long. Dappled sunlight, which is sunlight that is filtered through surrounding trees and shrubs is okay for these types of plants but direct sunlight should definitely be avoided.

Although there may be areas in your garden that are fully shaded, there are plants that will do very well in this environment. These types of plants include: Hostas, Barrenwort, Bergenia, Bunchberry, Ferns, Foamflower, Helleborus, English Ivy, Jack in the Pulpit, Lily of the Valley, Shamrock Strawberry, Virginia Bluebells, and Wood Poppy Golden. Many plants will do exceptionally well with partial shade. Some of these types include: Astilbe, Bear’s Breech, Bleeding Heart, Coral Bells, Forget Me Nots, Ginger, Jacob’s Ladder, Marsh Marigold, Merrybells, Primrose, Toad Lily, and Viola.

Most garden areas have some area of shade, especially those in small yards that have many overhanging trees or big, bushy shrubs nearby. It’s inevitable due to the movement of the sun and the placement of other greenery. These are two things that you cannot change but you can still make the most of that shady area in your garden by simply reading about what types of plants will do well in that area and by asking your local nursery. Nurseries are always a good resource as they will have expertise about plants that will do well in your specific climate and area. If you find that you’re having a very hard time planting in shade, turn that area into something else, such as a bird refuge complete with a house, bath and seeds spread about. Shady areas don’t mean useless areas so start taking advantage of all the areas of your garden and turn it into a masterpiece!

How to Feng Shui Your Garden

When it comes to creating good feng shui for the home, most of its practitioners agree that manipulating the surroundings of the house is far more decisive than whatever is done inside.
In last month’s article, I shared strategies on designing an outdoor living space for your home, based on aesthetic appreciation. Today’s article will focus on designing to achieve a sense of balance and harmony.

Take a look at your existing garden. Do you like what you see? Most Malaysians will answer no.
You don’t need to be a feng shui expert to know that a lush and beautiful garden with the right amount of sunlight and shade contributes greatly to your happiness and peace of mind, while a dull or overgrown garden, or even a cemented-over garden has the opposite effect.

There are three rules-of-thumb to follow when designing a garden:

• Make sure the environment is safe
• Block out ugly sights and enhance pleasant scenery, and
• Cultivate a balance in design.

You can call it good feng shui practice, but think of it as simply designing to achieve beauty and pleasure.

Here are some common situations and how to overcome them to promote a greater “flow of energy” based on the guidelines above.

1) Eliminate sharp edges

Try not to place garden furniture with sharp corners near walk paths or doorways. You can use rounded edges or perhaps place a plant at the edge to blunt the point. However, don’t go cutting off all your table and chair edges. A square table is not bad feng shui – just don’t place the edge near where you are likely to bump into it.

2) Ensure a suitable pond size

The depth of your pond should be determined by the presence of toddlers in your family and by how large your available space is. If you have young children, it may be dangerous to have a deep, open-water surface so plan a water feature with an underground reservoir. Generally, pond sizes should be one-tenth of the surrounding area. Also, bigger fish like koi need deeper ponds.

3) Control the view

Most people probably live in suburban areas where there’s too much concrete. So for your garden, use timber lattices and lots of plants to “wall-in” your garden. You can do this to block off unpleasant sights such as a neighbour’s sharp roof angle or busy road. Conversely, if you are lucky enough to have a stunning view of green hills or a lake, enhance the sight by framing it with tall plants at the side.

4) Create a balance of elements

This is perhaps the most important, and often overlooked, aspect when applying feng shui in your garden. In fact, some practitioners are so adamant about where to place water or wood, they forget the overall picture – a perfect example of missing the forest for the trees.
A balanced garden means having enough greenery to counter the concrete of your house, enough wood to complement the greenery, enough stone or pebbles to contrast with the wood, and enough water element to create a well-rounded garden.

So good feng shui for your garden is surprisingly easy to achieve if you follow these guidelines.
If the front of your home is well designed and beautiful with enough plants and features, you will automatically feel more pleasant and inspired whenever you walk through your front door. That’s what I call sensible feng shui

You May Want to Consider Indoor Gardening When Temps Drop

Many gardeners go through some sort of outdoor withdrawal when the temperatures start to drop, and gardener’s depression is very common. What can you do with your hands and your love for plants when it’s no longer official ‘gardening season’. Well, the first thing you need to do is get it out of your head that gardening season begins and ends. It doesn’t. Yes, you CAN garden all year round, and one way you can do that when it starts to get cold is to begin an indoor garden.

A unique way to develop an indoor garden is through the use of exotic plants. Exotics are bright, energetic, and give your indoor living space a unique edge. What you need to do is consider the conditions under which you will be creating your indoor garden. Exotic gardens are ideal for indoors as these plants will thrive in relatively regulated temperatures such as those indoors. The biggest key to your success will be in your soil and its nutrients.

Bonsai trees, philodendrons, ivy, freesia, and orchids are beautiful plants to maintain indoors and will all thrive under excellent indoor conditions. You can get plant food to add to the soil you use to maximize the soils nutritive value, and you must maintain a constant water flow. If you maintain your indoor garden with plenty of soil food and plenty of water, that is really all you need for a successful garden, as these plants otherwise take care of themselves.

Ways to enhance the creativity of your indoor garden are with decorative pots, garden beds, and table beds. Table beds are a new and creative way to display your exotic plants in a unique setting.

Indoor gardens with exotic plants require very little work other than standard food and water maintenance. They offer the advantage of brightening up your living space while you wait for the long winter months to unfold into spring.

What Kind of Stones Should You Put In Your Rock Garden

If you are thinking of starting a rock garden, you will need to do your research and ensure you have the proper materials. If you end up using the wrong kinds of rock, your end result will not be as effective as you originally planned. It is ideal to use rocks that are obtained locally due to the fact that rocks that exist in your current habitat will function best in their natural environment in your garden. What kinds of rocks should you consider?

There is one type of rock known as the sympathetic stone, and it is called this because these rocks are sympathetic to the plant life and vegetation that exists around them. The quality of ‘sympathy’ a rock will give towards the plants around them depend on their porosity and capacity to store water and moisture. This kind of rock is ideal if you expect to plant vegetation and flowering around your rocks, as rocks that are able to absorb moisture will encourage roots from your plants to hug the rock and its surface deep into the soil. The most sympathetic rocks will be porous on the surface and if you pour water on them, it will easily absorb. If you are looking for sympathetic rocks, stay away from smooth surfaced rocks with close-grained textures.

The most ideal kinds of rocks are neither very soft nor very hard. Very hard stones will not be sympathetic to vegetative growth, and softer stones are considered impractical because they often will disintegrate quickly.

Granite is a type of stone that is used frequently because it is very easy to obtain. You want to find pieces that are shaped irregularly, and contain rough surfaces as they will serve the purpose you are looking for. Field stones that are used for home building are often located in areas that contain glacial deposits, and because of this they will contain smooth round surfaces that are not desirable for vegetative growth around them.

Limestone and sandstone are also ideal rock selections as they show some stratification on the surface with a grainy texture. These stones come in a wide variety of size and shapes and will work with the vegetation around them. If you find field rocks that are not too small and look a little weather beaten, they will be ideal as well. Field rocks are even more sympathetic if they also are covered in lichen or moss surfaces, and these will not only add to their vegetative qualities, but add character from an aesthetic stand point.

No matter how you choose your garden rocks, consider your purpose. If you only want aesthetic purposes but do not plan to plant much around them, the kind of rock you choose depends entirely on personal taste. For planting purposes however, sympathetic rocks are the best rocks to get when considering your rock gardens.

How to Light Your Winter Garden

Lighting is an effect that you can add to your garden no matter what season it is. With the right placement and planning, the effect of lighting can transform your garden from a landscape design into a haven of paradise. The right lighting can turn your garden into the most magical place in your home and change the entire character of your garden. Paint your garden with light in the winter months, and pick up the mood from the colder temps by bringing everything back to life with light. 
Lighting your garden in the winter months will also enhance the safety aspect of your winter garden. As things start to freeze and frost over, the chances for accidents increase, and lighting minimizes those effects. When you add lighting to your winter landscape, you enhance the color and beauty of the late fall colors, and further enhance the structure of your garden space during the bleak winter months.

Knowing what kind of lighting to install can be a bit of a mystery to gardeners, as their forte lies in their greenery, not their electricity talents. Solar lights and gel burners are great starting points, but if you want to go bold in the winter, you can try a 12 or 240 volt system, depending on whether you go through a main, or a transformer. Most systems sold at your local gardening store are easy to connect and can be managed in a few simple steps.

For safety and aesthetic purposes, highlight your garden paths and add instant atmosphere. Add drop lights or spotlights to feature specific planting groups or garden features. Consider using shadows and backlighting to highlight features in your garden or space, and this will be a low keyed natural way of lighting. You can also use these techniques to throw light at various angles onto a wall, or other landscape feature, and this will work to emphasize its texture. Doing this technique against fences or hurdles of wooden features will also provide a fantastic effect.

The secret to successful lighting is to go low-keyed, and don’t overdo it. Plan, plan, plan and the time spent will be well worth the effort.