patios, pools and plants
for Southeast US groundcover: Best ground cover for erosion control. Green and gold is a very short ground cover, topping out at 6 inches when in bloom. Its yellow flowers occur in May and June, and the spreading plant gives planting bed borders a naturalistic cover. It prefers partial shade but can also do well in full sun if given enough moisture. Green and gold is a super choice for erosion control because it spreads via stolons — or above-ground rhizomes — that form a contiguous mat to hold soil in place.
5. Mix in flowers. Adding flowers to the edges of kitchen gardens, or worked into the beds themselves, not only looks beautiful, it also boosts your harvest. Choose bee- and butterfly-friendly varieties like scabiosa, beebalm, calendula, salvia, zinnias, cosmos, coreopsis and echinacea. Some flowers, like marigolds and others in the Tagetes genus, may also help deter insect pests from targeting crops. Plant edible flowers like borage or nasturtium for a win-win-win situation: They’ll beautify beds, bring pollinators and look great on the plate
The 29x9' pool wall is raised 18 inches above the surrounding ground, providing additional seating for guests, helping to keep leaf litter out and also giving the yard some height. “Because the yard is so flat, it gives dimension and architecture to the space,” Prideaux says. Blue-glass tile covers exposed areas of the pool, down to the water line.
4. Buy young potted trees and shrubs. This advice follows the grass-and-flower strategy described in strategy No. 1. Go to nearly any nursery and you’ll see attractive trees and shrubs that are often too big for their containers, tucked inside relatively small pots or bags where their roots are surely circling and girdling the main trunk. A shrub like this will be roughly $50, and a tree could be $150 or more. Instead, you can look around for specialist tree and shrub growers who sell younger, less expensive woody plants. The affordability of these smaller plants means you can buy more and get the look you want sooner. Younger plants will also establish faster with less shock than more mature and root-bound plants. Buy dozens/ consider asking for a small discount.
2. Use plugs and 3-inch container plants. You can save a lot of money by buying plug trays of flowers and grasses from a local nursery or grower, rather than gallon pots for $10 or $15. Plugs often come in groups of 50 or 72. The same strategy can be used for trays of 3-inch containers; the containers often come in groups of 32. A general rule of thumb is to plant 12 inches apart on center.
Heuchera also go by the common name coral bells.) The red-purple and silver leaves grow from a single crown to form gently ruffled mounds up to 13 inches tall. This plant goes dormant in winter except in mild-winter climates. Mass plant as a ground cover under trees or tuck into window boxes or containers. Pair it with ferns, violas and deadnettles (Lamium spp.). Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit,(zones 4 to 9) Water requirement: Moderate; lower once established Light requirement: Full shade to full sun Mature size: 13 inches tall and 16 inches wide
5. Add a water element. Perfect for bringing the peaceful sound of water to a garden of any size, recirculating fountains can be easier to install than they may seem. Almost any ceramic pot can be turned into a recirculating fountain with the help of some basic plumping equipment and a trough to hold the pump.
Get creative. If you like recycling or collecting unusual objects but have a hoard you don’t quite know how to use, here’s an idea. Use them to build a focal point or a hideaway in a forgotten corner of your garden. In this example in the wild area of a garden in Sussex, England, old stained-glass windows, a dovecote and locally sourced pieces of wood have been assembled to create this lovely little rustic building, with rolls of brushwood screening for the roof.
5. Smooth concrete with inset lighting. Keeping the pool close to the same level of the house on this hilly lot meant installing wraparound retaining walls to hold back the slope. The finished design, with a dark, smooth concrete wall and glowing inset lights, looks luxurious. Giving the retaining wall a dark finish makes other lighter elements of the backyard stand out in contrast, such as the turquoise of the pool tile, the warm brown of the decking and the white flowers of the Japanese anemone.
3. Living wall. This retaining wall made up of interlocking concrete cells from Criblock allows for far more planting room than most hardscape-heavy designs. Planted with a mix of low-maintenance perennials and ornamental grasses in every shade of green, the retaining wall becomes a lush tapestry of foliage. This vertical garden retaining wall would work well in urban areas that could benefit from additional greenery, but it also complements this woodland garden in Nisqually Reach, Washington.
Crown of thorns: Where it will grow: Hardy to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0 degrees Celsius (Zone 10); can be grown outdoors in Zone 9 with protection from freezing temperatures Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade; in low-desert climates, morning sun or filtered shade is best Mature size: 2 to 3 feet tall
‘Emerald Carpet’ manzanita is a particularly low-growing manzanita hybrid (cross between A. uva-ursi and A. nummularia) that’s highly effective as a low-water lawn replacement. Growing 4 to 6 inches tall and 2 to 3 feet wide, ‘Emerald Carpet’ manzanita fills in to form an attractive evergreen carpet with medium-green leaves and red stems. In spring, the plant forms small white flowers. Zones 7-10, drought-tolerant
2. Mediterranean style. Gray-green and silver foliage complement the pale stones and dark shutters of this home. The low-water foundation plantings include evergreen Little Ollie dwarf olive, a low-growing and nonfruiting cultivar of the European olive, reaches only 4 to 6 feet tall and wide, layered with blue fescue grasses and ‘Morning Light’ coast rosemary in the foreground.
Botanical name: Cuphea hyssopifolia Common names: False heather, Mexican heather, Hawaiian heather Origin: Native to Mexico and Central America Where it will grow: Hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 12.2 degrees Celsius (USDA Zone 8; find your zone) Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Full sun or filtered shade; must have filtered shade in low-desert zones Mature size: 1 foot to 2 feet tall and wide Benefits and tolerances: Moderately drought-tolerant; deer-resistant; attracts butterflies and hummingbirds
9. Create a natural jungle gym. Instead of adding hardscape for a ball court or play structure, make an equally engaging play space out of natural materials. The designer of this Northern California backyard used a sheet of corrugated metal curled into a giant pipe to create a kid-friendly grass tunnel. The addition of wood flooring to the metal tube and a plastic skylight make the interior of the tunnel more inviting.
1. Create places to discover. Even in a relatively narrow side yard, there’s an opportunity to conceal areas of the garden from view and create an enticing destination. Kids love hidden nooks — like a pathway curving around a corner or a clearing under a canopy tree — and these make a garden more interesting from a design perspective.
sneezeweed is combined with the brown seed heads of a rush (Juncus sp.), purple-bronze leaves of ‘Grace’ smoke tree (Cotinus ‘Grace’) and dark-centered black-eyed Susans to make a stunning quartet.
Purple fountain grass and lion’s ear (Leonotis leonurus) line a Southern California pathway.
Pair it with: While purple fountain grass is often added to planting beds studded with other deeply saturated hues of red, orange and gold, it can be paired with silver and blue-green foliage to create a subtle, elegant vignette that looks particularly fresh in fall.
A mix of diverse flowers is also shown in this geometric fire pit area. The designers combined Woodland Edge, Purple Haze and Blue Wave wildflower seed mixes from Pictorial Meadows.
Palm trees are synonymous with the tropics, and planting one or more gives a garden a tropical-island theme. Grow a large Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis, zones 9 to 11) as a specimen tree for the backyard, or plant smaller pygmy date palms (P. roebelenii, zones 9 to 11) in pots on the patio. For cold-winter regions, look for hardy palms such as needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix, zones 8 to 10), windmill palms (Trachycarpus fortunei and T. takil, zones 7 to 11), California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera, zones 8 to 11) and European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis, zones 9 to 11).
4. Earn extra income from a short- or long-term rental. With liability and privacy issues to consider — not to mention zoning, taxes, permits and other issues (such as how a rental would affect neighbors) — this option is certainly not for everyone. But for those with an entrepreneurial spirit (and a legal rental unit), renting out a cottage on your property, whether to short-term or longer-term tenants, can be a smart move financially, offsetting some of the cost of your mortgage. And if you’d like to be able to offer friends and family a place to stay while visiting, you may still be able to rent out your space to short-term guests through a site like Airbnb, leaving dates open for your own guests as needed.
Woodland gardens in the eastern U.S. can make room for the attractive and well-behaved native trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens, zones 4 to 9). This flowering vine climbs up arbors, over walls or porch railings, with small trumpet-shaped flowers opening up for hummingbirds and bees to drink their nectar. Foliage is deer-resistant; hummingbirds and native bees feed on flowers’ nectar; birds eat berries; butterfly and moth species use it as a host plant Plant spring through fall.
Moving into fall, blue sage (Salvia azurea, zones 4 to 9) fuels hummingbirds on their migration south and draws beneficial bees in with its tubular blooms. This true blue flower dramatizes the native prairie garden oh so subtly. Easy to grow from seed and relatively drought tolerant When to plant: Divide plants in spring, or you can start seeds indoors over winter.
6. Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) Native to Texas and northern Mexico red yucca’s foliage has the appearance of a grass, its leaves are succulent. Coral flowers appear in spring, held aloft on tall stalks, which beckon to hummingbirds near and far. Long blooming period easily handles the extreme heat of desert gardens as well as frigid winter temperatures, and does well planted in the ground or in containers. Hardy to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 28.9 degrees Celsius (Zone 5) Full sun to light, filtered shade Mature size: 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide; reaches 5 feet tall when in flower
A textural combination of perennials and succulents completes this drought-tolerant Arroyo Grande, California, landscape. Note: Succulents do best when planted in well-draining soil and watered deeply and infrequently, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings.
. Cottage-style border in Marin County. This pastel border in a garden in San Anselmo, Northern California, looks far lusher than most low-water landscapes, thanks to masses of foliage and flowers. Broad-leaved lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’, zones 4 to 9) forms a luxurious mass of fuzzy foliage in front of mounds of cottage-garden favorites snow in summer (Cerastium tomentosum, zones 3 to 7), lavender and ‘Margarita BOP’ foothill penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita BOP’, zones 6 to 10). The dark burgundy foliage of a large New Zealand flax (Phormium sp., zones 8 to 11) at the back of the bed adds dark color contrast and structural interest. The plants pictured would thrive in full sun and with low water once established.
3. Pastels in Dallas. On this waterfront property in Dallas, feather-like ornamental grasses and billowing perennials soften the borders on either side of a limestone gravel path. The planting draws inspiration from English perennial gardens in terms of the pastel color palette, variety of bloom and plant forms, and drift-like planting arrangement, but the plants themselves need far less water than most English garden ornamentals.
A thickly planted garden leaves little room for weeds to establish. www.houzz.com/ideabooks/84589810/list/why-your-garden-might-be-full-of-weeds
it’s worth thinking about how your water feature will sound as well as how it will look. In the famous gardens of Villa d’Este in Italy there are water features that even play music. Probably a little ambitious for your average domestic plot, but more achievable sounds can range from a gentle resonant plink to a gurgling rush, gentle lapping or simple splashes.
A natural pool needs to be planted with oxygenating plants at varying depths. Reeds, waterlilies and other water plants will do the job. These plants consume harmful bacteria, decontaminate the water and prevent algal growth. The result? A pond that looks great and is also good for you and the environment.
Consulting with local designers can help, as well as county and university extension offices, native plant societies and botanical gardens.
8. At the back of the container, a strappy ‘Apricot Queen’ New Zealand flax (Phormium ‘Apricot Queen’, zones 8 to 11) adds height and structural interest. Orange-flowering trailing begonias and chartreuse sweet potato vines (Ipomea batatas, zones 9 to 11) alternate in bright spills over the sides of the container.
5. Pretty in pink. A sweet combination of pink bedding dahlias, zinnias and peach lantana forms a cheerful, monochromatic container display on a Minneapolis patio.
In-deck pool. This 10- by 25-foot pool is mostly aboveground but has the look of an inground pool, thanks to the sleek deck surround.
Classic tiled pool. Get the look of a classic Southern California Mediterranean bungalow with a small, beautifully tiled pool. Surround it with red tile, lush plantings and wicker furniture
This one is surrounded by budget-friendly pea gravel and an extra-long wooden deck.
10. Chives. Chives are part of the onion family, and like their larger relative, the ornamental allium, these delicate little grassy green stalks spring into pretty pompom-like purple blossoms. Snip the stems before they bloom to add flavor to salads, sauces and herb butter, or harvest the edible flowers to infuse vinegar or add color to a salad.
6. Swiss chard. With dark green leaves and vibrantly colored stalks, Swiss chard makes a lovely addition to any garden. And (bonus!) it does well in spring, summer and fall, so you can continue to add to your chard crop throughout the growing season.
4. Lavender. It’s gorgeous, fragrant, pollinator-attracting and edible (hello, lavender ice cream!) — what’s not to love about lavender? Plant this beauty as a border along paths, tucked in a garden bed or even along a curb strip. Coming home each day will be so much sweeter when you can run your hands through these purple blooms on your way to the door. Growing tips: Lavender does well in full sun, with low water conditions and poor soil. If your soil holds too much water, mix in sand before planting or grow it in containers.
11. Bring in the tropics. This rustic pergola retreat, created by Zones Landscaping Specialists, is made with synthetic thatch. This is a great option for a low-maintenance shade that is long-lasting and authentic looking. For an evening retreat, string outdoor lights under the pergola for romantic illumination and add outdoor lanterns to the corners with citronella candles inside to keep the bugs at bay
9. See through it. A simple and relatively inexpensive roofing option is transparent corrugated polycarbonate roofing: It lets in the light and keeps out the wet. Opt for a tinted version if you want to keep out the harshest summer rays as well.
Sculptural accents. Cactuses and succulents, like agave, yucca and echeveria, make excellent poolside plants. They look good year-round with hardly any care, produce practically no mess, thrive in sunny conditions and are generally pretty tough when it comes to getting splashed by a bit of chlorinated water. For the best effect, choose cactuses and succulents with interesting, sculptural forms like strappy, upright Nelson’s blue bear grass (Nolina nelsonii, zones 8 to 10) and finger-like blue chalk sticks (Senecio serpens, zones 9 to 12). Planting them against a wall or near enough to the pool so that their forms are reflected in the water will enhance the design’s graphic quality.
Low-water, pollinator-friendly. This colorful sloped planting in a Northern California garden not only makes a dramatic backdrop for the pool but also supports native birds and insects. Immediately behind the water feature pouring into the pool, a row of blue-green Weber’s agave (Agave weberi, zone 8) makes a structural statement against the first retaining wall for the slope. Behind the agave, magenta-colored ‘Garnet’ penstemon (Penstemon ‘Garnet’, zones 7 to 9) and the yellow-flowering kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos sp., zones 9 to 11) to the right would both be magnets for bees, butterflies and other insects and pollinating birds. All plants pictured grow best in full sun and with low water.
7. Bohemian. Using an unusual planting vessel for your succulent centerpiece can be an easy way to either set it apart or tie the arrangement in with the room. For example, succulents planted in a metal pedestal look like a form of living art against a cobalt-blue wall
5. Mermaid-inspired. Instead of using a ceramic container for this succulent centerpiece, designer Bridget Gasque used a giant faux clamshell to put together a beachy indoor arrangement. She planted a variety of succulents, including maroon-tipped echeveria and green-and-white-striped zebra plant (Haworthia fasciata, zones 9 to 11), and filled in the gaps with clumps of preserved moss.
3. Raspberry delight. Raspberries and other prickly shrubs are usually tucked out of sight in the back garden. That’s not the case for this darling little hybrid called Raspberry Shortcake, which looks sweet as can be potted on the patio. This dwarf hybrid (from the Bushel and Berry collection, formerly BrazelBerries) thrives in a large container, growing to be only 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, and is also thornless. Plant in spring or early summer to enjoy sweet, large red berries by midsummer.
To ensure the thirsty ferns in the garden get enough water, Murray devised a concealed system to collect rainwater. A thin line in the floor around the building provides drainage, and pipework below leads the rainwater to a hidden water barrel in front of the steel cladding to the left.
This garden in Austin, Texas, has a similar pairing of a few American century plants (Agave americana) studding a field of meadow-like Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima). Caution: Mexican feather grass can be invasive, as it heavily reseeds. Get the same soft, billowing look without risking harm to the environment with sanddune sedge (Carex pansa) or foothill sedge (Carex tumulicola).
American century plant (Agave americana) paired with fine-textured ‘Elijah Blue’ fescue (Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’), plus coral aloe (Aloe striata) and blue chalk sticks (Senecio mandraliscae)
In Farmersville, Ohio, this 8-year-old wisteria is growing on the north side of Darla Brooks’ house. “Intoxicating aroma as well as gorgeous blooms,” she says.
In the process of gardening indoors, I learned that I could enjoy beautiful foliage, have a daily visual reminder to water my plants, and create decor that has a positive carbon footprint. These are just a few of the ways to farm indoors and grow food in a small space.
. Not only do the herbs benefit from the sun-filled window location, but this copper-pipe garden also creates a elegantly designed privacy screen. Note the multitiered drainage that allows water from the plants above to filter to the plants below. Any excess is caught in bottles on the bottom layer so that every drop of water is conserved.
Portico Design Group SaveEmail Herbs Herbs close at hand are a delicious luxury for any home cook. For the same price as a bunch of cilantro or basil at the market, you can grow a constant supply of culinary herbs from your kitchen. This vertical herb garden is grown indoors and gives cooks the flexibility to remove individual herbs from the wall for cooking or transplanting outdoors.
3. Rain gutters. Make your own vertical garden by repurposing metal rain gutters — cut to your desired length and end-capped — into wall-mounted planters. Drill drainage holes in the gutters before mounting, or attach the ends of the gutters to allow water to slowly flow out. Annual flowers, like pansies, or trailing sedums and other shallow-rooting succulents could grow well in the gutters for a season or longer.
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