Borders, as one sees in the pictures of the great country homes and gardens in England, are often a work of considerable art, painted with flowers.Often the borders there run 200 feet or more in length to 20 feet or more in width. Also, they are quite labor intensive, what with oll the deadheading, cutting back, and weeding.

However, this is no reason for you to be without a mixed border or two of manageable proportions. A mixed border may have grasses, annuals, perennials, groundcovers, vines, shrubs, roses, or small trees in any combination.

Perennials are considered the mainstay of the mixed borders. Though some are short-lived, most live for years increasing in number. Each winter they die down, then spring comes and up they spring.Some bloom just once and briefly, while others may bloom, if dead-headed (removing the spent flowers), for months and months. Although there are perennials you never disturb, for example – peonies; most, however, need dividing every few years.
If you only have one mixed border, you probably would like to have flowers throughout the growing season. Choose plants that are lovely for more than just a week or two. If there are any gaps (no blooms) in the border, you can fill with annuals or other flowering plants in pots. Flowering shrubs and remontant (repeat blooming) roses add color to the background.

The border should be at least 10 feet wide. The plants should be planted in drifts of odd numbers . The plants should vary in height from low to high. To keep the border from looking like a stairway to heaven , vary a few drifts throughout the border with a drift of shorter plants in back and a drift or two of taller plants in front.

You may have borders using all types of color schemes. If you have 2 borders, you may choose to have one border of cool colors, and one border of hot colors. You may also have the border begin with cool colors and gradually increase the intensity of color until the other end has hot colors. Some people enjoy doing their borders with just once color, using different shades and tints. Some are happy with using two colors of which they may be two complementary colors, such as red and orange, or contrasting colors, such as red and green.

Many people use three or more colors. Using color is a tricky thing with plants, particularly if you use different seasonal color schemes. Out of the blue two plants that are neighbors and should not bloom at the same time all of a sudden clash, because of strange weather. Use color to achiever unity. At the same time, shake things up a bit to create tension. This is a fine line. But all borders need a touch of pizazz to arouse your neighbors’ envy to shades of green.

My name is August and I am a baby boomer. I retired 4 years ago. I enjoy gardening, reading, and studying finance and investments.

Please visit my website Contemporary Garden Design and my blog Contemporary Home Gardens

Adding A Pond In Your Backyard

Ponds are a fun landscaping element that makes a great hobby for people of all generations. They can be a stunning feature in almost any size plot, whether on a grand scale or mini size. They are relatively easy to put in and you can add aquatic planting and fish for water feature that will be both relaxing and impressive.

Making Plans For A Pond

It is fairly easy to build your own pond but if you prefer it is possible to buy ready-made kits that come complete with all the elements you’re likely to need to complete the project. Before you start breaking ground with your spade there are a few key factors to keep in mind: the first thing to do before you start digging is picking the right spot. You want to find an area that gets good light exposure, say about four to six hours a day, as it will widen your choice of suitable plants. Most aquatic plants need decent sun exposure in order to thrive. You also want to ensure you’re not picking a spot too close from trees that shed their leaves in the fall, or where the water could be in close proximity of electric installations.

A Room With A View

If you select a spot that is clearly visible from inside your home you can enjoy your new pond on days where the weather does not allow you to take full advantage of your garden.

Choosing A Shape

Your pond can take virtually any shape that you wish – whether geometric or more natural looking. It really depends on your likes and dislikes as well as the rest of your garden design. Geometric shapes tend to suit a more formal setting while curvy ponds are more casual.

Decorating Touches

Once the pond is installed you start contemplating your options with regards to decorating around it. You can choose a variety of materials for this purpose, from rocks to brickwork, or go for a natural look by using flowers to line the pond. Again the only restriction is your imagination and how you want the water feature to look.

Aquatic Plants And Fish

You can really transform your new garden feature into a beautiful and calming oasis by adding a few aquatic plants and fish. Be careful not to overdo it as both plants and fish need enough space to thrive.

Adding a pond to your back garden can seem daunting but if you take the time to plan the project carefully it will reward you with a stunning feature to enjoy for years to come.

Andrew Caxton is the author of many articles on different web publications, with subjects like lawn care published online for http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com. A website with tips on landscaping.

If you are already a keen gardener and amateur of roses, using roses in your landscaping project will have an even more enjoyable dimension to the process. When landscaping a garden you are in a position to decide what to plant and where to plant it, as well as adding the various design features that will make up the final scheme. As you start incorporating roses to your landscaping projects you will soon realize that the beauty of this incomparable flower lends itself perfectly to the task and will make the work even more fulfilling.

As with all landscaping project, the main stage of the work is in the planning so you can decide how best to fill the space available. Whether you are just designing a rose garden or incorporating a rose garden within a more complex setting, the best place to start is in a sketchbook. By starting the project with a pencil and paper you can make sure that you plan the area where the rose garden will go to fit perfectly with the rest of the scheme. If you miss this crucial stage you run the risk of running into very serious difficulty in the building stage.

The very first thing to decide on is where you are going to place the rose bushes. When this is done you need to pay attention to colors: the rose bushes you plant will need to go with the rest of the landscaping and planting scheme, including any out buildings and your home itself. What this really means is that you want to make sure the color of the roses you plant mesh with their surroundings: you want to plant roses whose color complements the area rather than clash with it. For instance pale pink blooms would not look their best in the proximity of bright orange flowers, but they would set off pastel blues beautifully.

A key consideration to keep in mind when you are in the planning phase is space. The rose bushes will need sufficient space to thrive. You also want to avoid a cluttered effect by planting too many rose bushes close to each other, or indeed too close to the rest of your garden planting. When it comes to design sometimes less is more and a minimalist approach can look simply stunning by putting the focus on a few well chosen and carefully placed specimens.

Andrew Caxton is a consultant who writes on many consumer topics like lawn care for http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com. A website with tips on landscaping.

Although many of us might be swimming pool enthusiasts and might be willing to spend innumerable hours at the local health club or spa for a dip, work constraints and other responsibilities often leave us with little time to devote to ourselves for these activities. Besides being a relaxing activity, swimming is also a very healthy alternative to other workouts one might resort to in order to stay in shape. But, as I mentioned earlier, hectic work schedules and family responsibilities hardly leave any time to let one give the appropriate attention to his/her body. Hence, it is about time that one searches for an alternative wherein he/she can easily access the favourite activity without having to compromise on other things. An indoor swimming pool is the most appropriate solution for such needs.

Often misconstrued as an element that needs a very large area, swimming pools are sized completely according to your preferences. For instance, if you have an area of 100 sq. feet, there is no hard and fast rule that you can’t have one for your home. Agreed, there is a minimum space requirement, but not so much that you need to have second thoughts on considering to build an indoor one primarily on the basis of the fact that there is not much space. Coming to the design of an indoor swimming pool, there are many options available. Further, you can also innovate your own designs and let your pool contractor know the kind of shape you want.

The most popular design in the indoor swimming pool category is an infinity pool, which is basically a disappearing edge pool, and gives the impression that the water is flowing endlessly into an unknown stream. Such kind of designs are most often seen in homes that are by the seaside, or high-rise apartments. Further, there can be as many types and shapes as you might want. But the inherent advantage of having an indoor pool is that it allows you to have the kind of recreation and workout you are expecting out of your day-to-day life. Though it might come as a heavy investment initially, one must keep in mind the fact that this is a lifetime ownership of a valuable asset to your home, that adds to both style and personal well being.

You don’t have to live in the tropics to have a tropical themed garden or flowerbed.  You may not be able to grow the same exact plants that you could in South America, but you can imitate the theme and get some beautiful results.

If you ask people what kinds of plants they think are in a tropical garden, they are not very likely to name anything specific beyond “palm tree”.  But, if you ask for some words describing what a tropical garden looks like, then you are likely to get replies like lush, wet, bright flowers, full, flowing, fluorescent accents, big leaves and cascading vines.

So you don’t actually need tropical plants to give a garden a tropical feel. Bromeliads come to mind.   Some are actually pineapple shaped.  They have thick, green leaves and brightly colored centers.  They’re easy to grow in a variety of climates.  They are available in small or giant varieties.

Ask a local nursery about which bromeliads will grow best in your climate.  Then determine whether you will want them in the sun or shade, certain varieties can grow in either.  They even come in terrestrial or saxicolous.  Terrestrials grow from the ground and saxicolous varieties grow on rocks, like a moss.  Bromeliads have a wide variety of growing conditions which make them an easy-to-care-for choice.  Because of the bright colors and size, they make a great addition or centerpiece to a tropical themed garden.

Anything with large or interesting leaves is a good addition.  Elephant ears are popular, as are ferns or plants with leaves that hang down.  Leaves that hang low give the illusion of weight and humidity, adding to the wet, tropical theme.  Interesting leaves make plants look exotic, even if they are quite common for your area.

The other element that you need to fill is flowers and blooms.  Large flowers are always good.  Bright colors are a must.  Reds, oranges and everything in between are a great start.  Bright pinks are probably most popular.  To give your garden the soothing feel of a tropical paradise, make sure that you include purples, blues and whites.

Not all of your blooms need to be large.  Cascading flowers and white blooms have a lot of pop and presence without being large.  Tubular flowers look unique, and often grow on vines.  Vines also add to the tropical theme, while red tubulars attract hummingbirds.  You can even use existing shrubs for filler and plant a tropical themed garden around your existing landscape.  Use an automatic watering system to keep your garden looking wet and lush.  An automatic, programmable hose reel will make frequent light watering easy.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Landscaping is your best bet in letting nature do its healing work for your utterly hectic New York living.  But other than just rejuvenation, the benefits of this type of home improvement stretches to added curb appeal and value to your home, enhanced quality of living for you and the rest of the family, better views, and great outdoor times without burning money on gas.  And with the current economic situation, it pays to look into ways to achieving a beautiful landscape without spending too much and this goes to every homeowner whether in Long Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, or Queens.

To start with, when it comes to spending money, the cheapest is not always the best option.  Why am I beginning the article with this?  Too many a times, homeowners fail to compare other such factors that may affect the quality of what is being bought.  And this often leaves homeowners with inferior products and services.  With that said, let us tackle ideas and tips to help you achieve a beautiful landscaping for less:

1. Plants

When scouring through the supermarket for plants to include into your landscaping project, do not stop at the price tag.  The cost that plants entails is not measured by this alone, but instead involves:

-               how much maintenance they require,

-               how much water do they consume,

-               what fertilizers will they need, and

-               if they will survive the conditions where you plan to have them planted considering if you have an open garden or if you have a green house, weather conditions and the soil type.

After these questions have been addressed, will you be able to conclude if you have saved some or lost some.  Another important tip to consider is, if you have no idea on what to look for to determine that the plants you will be bringing home are healthy and worthy of the price, then bring along someone who does.

1. Water

Water is undeniably an important commodity which when saved will not only benefit the environment but your wallet as well.  Research on irrigation systems and decide which would work best in your landscaping project.  Consider one that will save you more time and money in the long run.

1. Aesthetic and Practical Accents and Designs

Landscaping does not involve gardening alone but also other ideas and designs that may make use of plants in less or more ways, depending on your personal preferences.  Other items that you might want to include in your landscaping project are: decorative rocks and stones, ponds, fences, paths, benches, walkways, and landscape lighting.  For a budget-worthy addition, consider their impact on both aesthetic and practical terms meaning they will be as useful as they are appealing.

1. DIY or a Landscaping Contractor

This is often the part where homeowners tumble into the budget pitfall wherein they end up spending more when they intended to save more.  Again and again, homeowners overlook what the gains are over the price of hiring a qualified landscaping contractor.  The skills, experience and expertise of one are keys to the success of your project.  So if you are not a contractor yourself, or have no know-how and experience whatsoever on landscaping, your surest bet to success and longevity of project results is hiring a contractor.

Eugene Makeev uses his skills and expertise to help home owners in Brooklyn, Long Island, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island avoid remodeling New York pitfalls by matching their needs with prescreened landscapers NYC. Visit us for more on contractors Long Island.

Saving energy has become important in the minds of most every person. Having outdoor lighting doesn’t have to mean foregoing energy savings. Solar lighting can save a great deal of energy and at the same time provide ample lighting and enhancement to the garden area. Using solar lights protects and preserves energy use for the future.

Solar lights are typically inexpensive and easy to install. Most local home improvement stores carry a wide variety and designs. They can also be found online and shipped directly to the homeowner. Many outdoor solar lights are simple stake lights that are pushed into the ground.

This ease of installation also makes them very portable which helps when changing designs or moving them for lawn work. With solar lights there are no cords or wires to be concerned with, if the lawn needs to be excavated for whatever reason, moving solar lights is a much simpler process than calling a professional to locate the wiring system for hard-wired lights.

Solar lights can be used anywhere in the yard that there is ample sun, and with the advancements of technology there are solar lights that don’t require large amounts of sunlight.

Most solar lights use small rechargeable batteries that get their power from the sun. The lights contain small solar cells that capture the sunlight and charge the batteries. When the sun goes down at night, photocells react to the darkness and light up.

Other solar lights use solar cells that are wired to the light and can be placed away from the actual light. These are useful in areas where the light is being placed in a shady area. The solar cell can be placed farther away from the light because of the wire connection.

Another added benefit of solar lighting is that the bulbs don’t need replacing often. It can be many years before the bulbs in a solar light need to be changed; this is another cost savings for the homeowner. Added to the energy savings, solar lighting is the obvious choice for homeowners wanting to save money.

Design

In the past, there were very few solar lighting designs to choose from, not so today. Today solar lights can be found in nearly as many styles and designs as traditional electric lights. There are solar pole lights, solar wall lights, solar recessed lights and solar moonlights just to name a few.

In addition to traditional styles, solar lights can also be found in whimsical designs such as frogs, fairies and other outdoor caricatures. There are also gazing balls that collect the sun during the day and emit soft light once the sun goes down.

Ease of installation, energy savings, low cost purchase and low cost of use are all reasons that have propelled the use of solar lights for outdoor lighting uses. Adding to that the various styles and designs that are available today make solar lighting the obvious choice when adding lights to the garden.

Sharon V Chapman provides consumer information on solar lights for A1 Outdoor Lighting – your guide to landscape and garden lighting.