for beautiful gardens
|
Designing A Garden: THE MOST important thing in deciding how to make a new garden or how to improve an existing one is to know about your area, for the character of a garden is influenced by climatic conditions, soil, aspect, views (or lack of them), the buildings around you and so on. The combination may seem so unpromising as to be difficult, but no site is incapable of being improved by thoughtful design and carefully chosen plants.
Whether your backyard is brand new or an old, established plot, the same principles apply to planning and designing a garden your garden. First, assess what you have got, then decide what kind of garden you want and whether you can achieve it. Assess your yard's potential, its strengths and weaknesses, and then decide how to take advantage of all that is good about it and play down the bad points. But, remember: nothing happens overnight, and you will not wake up the next morning to find the perfect garden!TlME AND money are two major factors to take into considetation when designing a garden your garden. Only plan a garden that you can afford to make (and, incidentally, that you can comfortably afford to maintain) in a realistic timescale. The joy of gardening is that it suits every pocket. Landscaping a small area with choice materials and lavish, mature plants is expensive; by contrast, using inexpensive materials, propagating as many plants as possible, and being prepared to wait is the best way to develop a fine garden on a tight budget. See Also Botanical Garden:If you heed the advice given elsewhere in this book on how to make and manage good lawns you will have gone a long way toward keeping down crab grass. A fine illustration of the importance of initial soil preparation exists at The NeW York Botanical Garden. Just to the south of the Thompson Memorial Rock Garden there is a lawn of considerable extent. It contained a number of flower beds but these were grassed over twenty-five years ago. Since, no care has been given other than regular mowing.New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York 10458. The Garden comes from London and is the monthly magazine published by the Royal Horticultural Society of England. From garden design to the newest in both indoor and outdoor plants, it has something to offer for everyone. The cost is $20 per year, but exchange rates vary (see Appendix 2). Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE, England. Garden Design appears four times a year and is the showcase magazine for the American Society of Landscape Architects. It presents fine photos and plans of large gardens both here and abroad and costs $20 a year. 1733 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009. On The Other Hand See Wild Garden Is Smaller:The plan for the wild garden is smaller than the others in this book. Wildflowers are never quite as grandiose as the plants used in a typical garden or herbaceous border. They need a more intimate setting. This plot is designed for a corner of a property and asks that a deciduous tree here a Japanese maple be included for open shade during the hot summer. A birdbath is provided since birds and wild-flowers go together. Stepping stones should be in the plan so you can walk directly into the garden to see the flowers close-up. Bloom will begin in early spring and continue into the fall.The most imaginative use of this tree that I have seen is in the Wild Garden at Wave Hill, a public garden located in the community of Riverdale in the Bronx, New York. There a 50-year-old tree has generated a multitude of smaller trunks and all have been allowed to twist and turn either naturally or by shaping and pruning so they have become a Brazilian bower just above Manhattan. |
