When I'm designing a garden, I always fall back on a few basic principles. One of the most
When I'm designing a garden, I always fall back on a few basic principles. One of the most important is establishing a strong framework of small trees, shrubs and perennials as a backdrop. Then I leave the foreground open for planting of seasonal color, this is usually in the form of annuals. And these days, there are so many varieties to choose from, whether you're gardening in sun, or shade.
For sun, I like using cool colors, like blue salvia, pale yellow marigolds and white vinca. I also enjoy using petunias in sun, especially these versatile Storm Petunias that self clean. The dark purple ones look great paired up with Kiss Gazania.
For shade, lighter colors always seem to stand out better, so I like to use pale colored impatiens, browallia, and this little plant called torenia. Coleus perform great in the shade and I'm particularly fond of a series called Stained Glassworks by The Flower Fields.
Now when I plant my annuals, I like to plant in pockets, or drifts, depending on the size of the garden, five to six plants. And I space them eight to ten, maybe twelve inches a part for maximum coverage.
One thing you may want to keep in mind is not to fall into a rut of planting the same annuals in the same place year after year. By mixing it up, you can stay one step ahead of pests.
Another thing I like to do is under-plant my annuals with bulbs in the fall, so in the spring I have tulips and daffodils coming up through annuals plants, like pansies. It's a great combination.
P. Allen Smith Gardens
Copyright: 1997
Hortus LTD
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Over the years as my garden has continued to evolve, I've made a concerted effort to look
Over the years as my garden has continued to evolve, I've made a concerted effort to look for ways to reduce the amount of lawn I have to care for. I've done this by creating different types of garden paths using a variety of materials such as this gravel or brick or even just fieldstone or mulch.
However, I'd have to admit that one of the most compelling reasons for me to reduce lawn is it gives me more opportunities to create beautiful flowerbeds like this one. However, it really goes beyond the beauty of these flowers, it's about the environment.
Did you know that in America each year we mow over 25 million acres of lawn? That's the size of the state of Pennsylvania. If you think about the number of mowers it would take to cut this much grass you can see it can have quite an impact on the environment.
You see, more than 89 million small gasoline engines are operated in the United States each year. The reason this is such a big problem is that these gas powered small engines aren't equipped with the same pollution controlling devices that we have with automobiles.
Of course the good news is in the next few years we can begin seeing more rigorous environmental standards for lawn and garden equipment. But until then I'm going to keep looking for ways to reduce the amount of lawn in my garden.
P. Allen Smith Gardens
Copyright: 2000
Hortus LTD
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think gardeners have some of the best senses of humor. I say this because of some of the f
think gardeners have some of the best senses of humor. I say this because of some of the funny and clever names they come up with for plants. Like this one I'm planting called Chicken Gizzard.
One of my favorite names for a tomato is Charlie's Radiator Shop Mortgage Lifter. The reason for this name is simple. You see Charlie developed his own variety of tomatoes. He raised them each year and sold them at his radiator shop and then used the proceeds to pay off his mortgage.
You see there's always an interesting story behind many of these common names. I think one of the reasons we come up with fun, common names is that they're easier to remember and pronounce than their Latin or botanical counterparts.
Take schizophragma hyangeioides as an example. Now there's a mouth full. You see this is the botanical name for the Japanese climbing hydrangea. But the problem with using this common name is that technically this plant isn't a hydrangea at all. You see if you go to a nursery and you ask for a plant by its common name you may not get what you ask for, but if you use the botanical name, since it's universal, you can go to a nursery anywhere in the world and you'll be assured that you're getting the plant you want.
Something that I do that helps me remember plant names is to always keep the label near the plant once it's in the garden. Then I can refer to it from time to time.
P. Allen Smith Gardens
Copyright: 2000
Hortus LTD
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Viking Chef Chris Green puts the Ruby Red grapefruits from Mission, Texas, to work in this
Viking Chef Chris Green puts the Ruby Red grapefruits from Mission, Texas, to work in this recipe for Grapefruit Sorbet.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 large ruby grapefruits, juiced, or 1 1/2 cups pink grapefruit juice
1 tsp. grapefruit zest (zest before juicing grapefruit)
1/2 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbs. vodka
1 tsp. grenadine (optional)
Instructions: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Cool completely.
Combine the grapefruit juice, zest and sugar/water mixture with the vodka and optional grenadine (for color) in a metal bowl. Chill in the refrigerator or by placing the metal bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice water until 40 degrees.
Pour chilled mixture into container of an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.
Scoop frozen sorbet into a container. Seal and transfer container to freezer for several hours to allow sorbet to firm up. (Sorbet can be kept frozen for up to 3 days.)
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If your back yard looks like this, there's hope. Well here we are in the backyard and as y
If your back yard looks like this, there's hope. Well here we are in the backyard and as you can see the Aquascape team is already busy installing this water feature. Lets slip down the hill and have a talk with Greg Wittstock of Aquascape Designs and see how things are progressing.
Greg Wittstock, President/CEO, Aquascape Designs - The nice thing about water is that is envelopes all the senses, you have the sight, the sound, the feel, pretty much when you put in a water feature in a yard it is going to cause you to look there, it will be the center of attention. There will be no other thing that we can put in this landscape that will have as much impact as this water feature will.
Lets check out the final product. This backyard has gone through a complete transformation! One of the biggest changes to this backyard isn't what you see, rather it is what you hear. The way the water cascades off the rocks creates a soothing and relaxing sound, much better than the previous noise created by this suburban environment.
This water feature has truly created a backyard oasis for the homeowner to sit back, relax and enjoy.
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Ward Lyle, project architect for the Garden Home Retreat talks with John Kirchner from Mar
Ward Lyle, project architect for the Garden Home Retreat talks with John Kirchner from Marvin Windows about the features of the windows being installed at the retreat.
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While many people enjoy a bouquet of flowers on the table while they are eating their meal
While many people enjoy a bouquet of flowers on the table while they are eating their meal, Allen Smith says you might also enjoy flowers in your meal.
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There's nothing like enjoying the flavor of fresh vegetables whether you grow them yoursel
There's nothing like enjoying the flavor of fresh vegetables whether you grow them yourself or pick them up at the market. One of my favorite ways to cook vegetables is just to put them on a grill. You can't beat the flavor of fresh squash, onions, bell peppers and eggplant when cooked on an open fire.
Virtually any vegetable is suitable for grilling and you'll be surprised at how good they taste. I like to make a simple marinade from vinegar, olive oil, a little crushed garlic and what ever herbs I happen to have and of course a little salt and pepper.
One of my favorite herbs to use on vegetables is thyme, whether it's fresh or dried it always enhances the flavor. Now once I have prepared the marinade I just quickly coat the vegetables on all sides, top and bottom. If you are using small delicate vegetables like mushrooms and new potatoes, you will want to keep them from falling through the grill. Just use a piece of aluminum foil with holes punctured in it. Or a grilling basket is ideal if you have one. The open wire mesh of these baskets will allow the smoke to flavor the vegetables and turning them is a snap.
I just place larger vegetables like peppers and eggplants directly onto the grate and a medium to hot fire will have them ready before you know it. So you will need to watch them closely, turning them as each side begins to brown.
When you already have the grill set up for chicken or steak, try grilling some fresh vegetables to round out the meal. The taste is great.
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I'm always looking for ways to make my little piece of earth, my garden, a better place. O
I'm always looking for ways to make my little piece of earth, my garden, a better place. One of the ways I do this is to invite certain visitors. That is, visitors that are helpful like toads.
I know that a toad has a face that only a mother could love, but did you know that one toad can eat from ten to twenty thousand insects a year? You can welcome toads to your garden by offering them a source of water.
A garden pool, at ground level, is the perfect place for them to lay eggs and produce the next generation of toads and the tadpoles are fun to watch. And housing for the adult toads is equally important. Toad houses can be elaborate ornaments or as simple as a broken pot partially buried in the soil. And they are a great way to add whimsy to your garden.
You have to take housing the toads seriously when you consider they can live four to fifteen years. That is a lot of insect control they can provide. And that old wives' tale about getting warts from handling toads, well it's just that, it's an old wives' tale. It's not true at all. But what you should know about handling toads is that they secrete a substance from behind their ears that's poisonous. It tastes bad in the mouths of predators. So when you handle them you should always wash your hands.
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