Category: Tropical Style

I like having options — from which taste of tea to drink after lunch to that course I’ll take to walk home. Gardening this month is just the same. Whether you’re after garden chores or perhaps some seasonal puttering, it is all about choosing your own route.

You can prep soil for spring planting, divide blossoms and transplant perennials, even tuck in more cool-season edibles. Alternatively, you can simply love fall’s grandeur and put off some of this year’s more tedious tasks. Let fallen leaves deliver hearty mulch for your own lawns and eliminate, for the time being, on cutting spent summer and fall crops. Instead, take some time and watch the leaves change. It is your backyard, so appreciate it. Here’s what you can do in your backyard this October.

Find your October backyard checklist:
California | Central Plains | Great Lakes | Mid-Atlantic | Northeast
Pacific Northwest | Rocky Mountains | Southeast | Southwest | Texas

California. Garden editor Bill Marken suggests potting shrubs and trees to get a permanent and festive seasonal touch.

“Pomegranates symbolize fall in Mediterannean climates,” Marken writes. “Like ancient Christmas ornaments, the fat, round reddish fruits hang heavy on spindly branches together with little leaves turning an autumn yellow. To get a container, look for a dwarf variety such as ‘Nana’, showing fall foliage and tiny reddish fruits if you’re lucky.”

Get his California October checklist | More hints for your California backyard

Donna Lynn – Landscape Designer

Southwest. Water management remains important this season. “Continue to monitor and reset the timers on any controllers you might have, especially in the low and middle zones. As temperatures fall, decrease the water required,” writes New Mexico landscape designer David Cristiani.

“In case you are planning a landscape to get a barren area or for a place outside plant roots, create water harvesting chances to gain plantings and a few visual interest by installing subtle basins, swales and berms away from constructions, where lush plantings are needed,” he says.

Get his Southwest October checklist

J. Peterson Garden Design

Texas. It is not too late for fall edibles. “Cool-season veggies are so plentiful and nutritious, so try to tuck in a few new ones this season,” writes landscape designer Jenny Peterson. “Broccoli, turnips, lettuce, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, cabbage, collards and other greens can be planted today. If you are anticipating a hard freeze, consider adding some row cover to protect your veggies but otherwise these crops will take the crisper weather stride and give you months of create.”

Get her Texas October checklist

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Rocky Mountains. “Planning to put in a new vegetable or flower garden next spring? Now’s a fantastic time to prepare the dirt,” writes Colorado landscape designer Jocelyn Chilvers. “Use organic adjustments to boost water- and – nutrient-holding capacity and to improve aeration and water stream. Adding alterations now allows you to work in the backyard while the soil is relatively dry, thus preventing the possibility of soil compaction that can occur if you try to perform it during the rainy months of spring. Come springtime the dirt will be prepared to plant.”

Get her Rocky Mountains October checklist

Le jardinet

Northwest. “Refresh your container gardens with a selection of winter-hardy evergreen shrubs, perennials and seasonal colour stains,” says landscape designer Karen Chapman.

For a festive fall arrangement, she says that “little conifers, bright spurge (Euphorbia spp) and evergreen sedums are simple candidates for containers — especially when dressed up with a couple cheerful pansies.”

It is also time to plant spring-blooming bulbs — in containers. “Dwarf daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses are simply a couple of the options,” Chapman says.

Revealed: ‘Princess Irene’ tulips are stunning with ‘Peach Flambe’ coral bells (Heuchera).

Get her Northwest October checklist

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Central Plains. Wondering what to do with that dropped foliage? “Do not rake leaves; mulch them with a mower,” writes Nebraska garden consultant Benjamin Vogt. “Those finely ground leaves are free fertilizer for lawns. If you’d rather rake, toss the leaves to garden beds over winter and early spring, then they’ll break down completely and add rich topsoil. Perhaps you’ll even want to ‘steal’ unwanted bags of these from the neighbors’ driveways.”

Get his Central Plains October checklist

Barbara Pintozzi

Great Lakes. “While the fall colour often continues into November, the big show comes from October, as revealed with this sumac (Rhus copallina),” writes Illinois garden coach Barbara Pintozzi. “Foliage’s dramatic color change is the result of cool nights and bright days.”

Get her Great Lakes October checklist

Paintbox Garden

Northeast. Transplant and divide plants on mild, cloudy days. “Rejuvenate ornamental grasses through branch,” writes Vermont landscape consultant Charlotte Albers. “It is a big job — especially if they’re big clumps of grass (Miscanthus spp) — so be sure that you own a pruning saw for cutting through the dense root fibers. Discard the middle of plant and cut the outer parts into segments for replanting.”

Get her Northeast October checklist

Amy Renea

Mid-Atlantic. “Herbs are plentiful all fall, but they’ll disappear sooner than you can say ‘Jack’ when frost comes,” says garden author Amy Renea. “Harvest mint, lemon balm, rosemary and other people to keep them for winter. Dry the blossoms, chop and freeze them or use them in soaps for new herbs.”

Renea suggests “making your own tea mixes for winter. I combine stevia (revealed) with various herbs for exceptional and cheap teas. So long as I have new herbs, however, I’ll brew up a batch every single evening before my luck runs out.”

Get her Mid-Atlantic October checklist

Gardening with Confidence®

Southeast. When prepping the garden for winter, “Do not be so quick to clean up,” says North Carolina backyard author Helen Yoest. “The remains of this summer and fall garden give shelter, cover and food for wildlife, while also adding winter interest to garden beds.”

Revealed here “is a praying mantis egg case I discovered one year while cutting my backyard,” she continues. “It was at this point I learned to slow down my fall pruning before the spring, when the leaves were cleared away and overwintering wildlife was easier to view.”

Get her Southeast October checklist

See related

If any plant can be said to possess it all, or at least a fantastic portion of it all, it’s lavender. This Mediterranean native is easy to grow even beyond its preferred growing conditions, is mostly pest- and disease-free, is fragrant and attracts bees, butterflies and birds.

It’s equally at home as an accent plant, trained into a hedge or grown in a boundary, blending into a garden or suppress strip planting bed, dangling over a stone wall or climbing into a container. If you’ve got a bright window, you may even grow lavender for a houseplant.

Lavender can be amazingly easy to crop and use. Use fresh flowers in to taste ice cream, teas and lemonades, cakes and cookies, salads and sugars. Dry the flowers to use in wreaths, swags and arrangements or to put among clothes or in closets to add some fragrance and also help deter moths. Oils from the plants can be added to soaps and perfumes.

Barbara Pintozzi

Numerous types of lavender are available, but those grown most frequently are English lavender (Lavendula angustifolia or L. officinalis), lavandin (L. X intermedia) and Spanish lavender (L. stoechas).

English lavender, given its common name because of its prevalence in English gardens and not its region of origin, is the hardiest and the best choice for edible flowers. Lavandin is the famously fragrant lavender found in Provence, France, used for soaps and perfumes. Spanish lavender looks rougher, with its larger flowers, but really is a little less hardy than lavender.

David Buergler Architecture

Lavender flourishes in drought and poor soil; humidity and wet toes are its nemeses. If you reside in a humid climate or possess poor-draining soil, consider growing Spanish lavender or French lavender (L. dentata). It is also possible to plant it in a raised bed or on a slope, expand it in containers or treat it as an annual.

Derviss Design

It’s best to buy called nursery plants to make sure to get exactly what you would like. Seeds have a long time to germinate and may not develop true to variety.

Huettl Landscape Architecture

Light requirement: Full sun

Water requirement: Routine to establish, then minimum

Prime growing period: Spring to summer

When to plant: Spring through autumn, except during the hottest summer days

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Jean Marsh Design

Monrovia

Favorites:

L. angustifolia:Alba, Hidcote, Lady Lavender, Munstead, Nana Alba, Sharon Roberts
L. xintermedia: Grosso, Provence, White Spikes
L. stoechas:Dark Eyes, Hazel, Ruffles show

Zeterre Landscape Architecture

Planting and care: select a place in full sun with very good drainage; add sand or compost prior to planting to improve drainage. Lavender does best in poor soil.

Place plants 1 to 4 feet apart, depending on their eventual height and spread. If you reside in a humid climate, be sure to permit for plenty of air flow between them. You can even put in a mulch of sand or pea gravel.

If you are growing it into a container, choose one that’s only an inch or two larger than the root ball, eventually reverted right into a 12- to 16-inch container. Provide adequate drainage water and fertilize somewhat more often than for a plant in the floor.

BE Landscape Design

Water regularly during the first year to establish the plants; in subsequent years allow the plants dry out before watering again. Insert a light fertilizer in spring when growth begins.

Verdance Landscape Design

Shear back the plant by roughly twenty five to fifty after the blossom; you may get another harvest. In spring, after growth has begun, prune lightly to remove dead and broken growth and to shape the plant.

If the plant has woody in the middle, cut those branches out and permit new growth to fill in. Lavender isn’t long lived; you will probably have to replace it every 10 years or so.

Gardening with Confidence®

Lavender will be fine during most winters. If you reside in an area subject to ground freezes and thaws, mulch with gravel or sand to protect the roots. From the coldest climates, pay for the plants to protect them.

JMS Design Associates

Pests and disease are rare. There could be an occasional spider mite infestation, and fungal infections may be a problem in humid climates or where the soil is always wet.

Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Harvest. Start choosing flowers before they open for the best odor. Harvest randomly throughout the plant to help keep it appearing full (every third branch is a fantastic way to go).

Hang the flowers in a cool, dark place with good air flow to dry.

See related

There’s something magical about taking a woodland walk, particularly in spring. It is the time to rediscover the indigenous paintings of our landscape.

Late March finds Western strain heart pushing up through the leaf litter in my woodland, increasing in amount each year even though our rambunctious dog scampering over them. The plants form a rug of soft fern-like foliage wherever dappled light emitting the canopy; they thrive in the fertile, moisture-retentive land of the forest ground. Even with no delicate pink flowers, these perennials would be worthy of inclusion in a shady garden.

Don’t be deceived by looks, by the way — these are much tougher than they look.

Botanical name: Dicentra formosa
Common names: Western Illness heart, Pacific bleeding heart
USDA zones: 4 to 8 (find your zone)
Origin: Native to moist woodlands of the Pacific Northwest, from British Columbia to California
Water condition: Prefers moist, fertile soil but is surprisingly drought tolerant in summertime
Light requirement: Dappled light; morning sun with afternoon shade
Mature size: 12 inches tall and wide (though it will disperse)
Benefits and tolerances: Hummingbirds enjoy it deer leave it alone (two great reasons to include it in your garden).
Seasonal interest: Flowers in late spring
When to plant: As the foliage begins to go dormant in late summer or when new shoots Start to appear in early spring

Photo by Walter Siegmund

Distinguishing traits. Delicate blue-green ferny leaves creates a soft carpet beneath the arching stems of dusky-pink heart-shaped flowers.

Despite appearances, this indigenous bleeding heart is demanding.

Photo by Walter Siegmund

Photo by Walter Siegmund

Le jardinet

The best way to use it. Western bleeding heartis ideal for the dappled shade of a woodland garden, possibly clustered around the base of a mossy tree stump or boulder. Or plant it en masse to form a ground cover.

This spring perennial also appears right at home along shady stream banks, providing the soil doesn’t become saturated.

Planting notes. Western bleeding heart spreads readily by rhizomes and seeds, so you can set plants some space apart and quickly become good coverage. To propagate, divide the plants in early spring as the shoots emerge but before flowering.

Le jardinet

Ornamental species and cultivars. The most popular of them is Dicentra spectabilis, shown here. It is a larger perennial, growing to 3 feet by 3 feet, and its flowers are a bright pink.

There’s also a white-flowered cultivar (D. spectabilis ‘Alba’) and a golden-leaved one with pink flowers called ‘Gold Heart’ (D. spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’).

See related

Essential to great growth and plentiful flowers, a rose garden requires careful watering. During active growth, garden roses (Rosa x hybrida) typically require a deep watering once a week to a depth of 5 to 6 inches. One of the most effective strategies to water roses is by hand using a garden hose and a water wand attachment, but this is time-consuming. Rose watering methods can save water and time without affecting rose health. All watering systems require time to set up and maintain.

Soaker Hoses

Efficient, low-cost, low-maintenance and easy to install — soaker hoses have a lot going for them. Water seeps out straight onto the soil through micropores from the hose wall, allowing water to penetrate deeply without flood. Take the soaker hose during the established rose bed at light curves to soak all of root canals or make a loop around the root zone of each rose bush. Hold the hose in place with wire pins meant for landscaping fabric. Do not run more than 100 feet of soaker hose connected together to keep water pressure during the length of the hose. Cover the hoses with mulch to hide them and to help retain soil moisture. You will want to experiment with just how long to let the water rush for water to reach 6 inches into the soil.

Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation takes the most planning and maintenance, but it might conserve water. These systems utilize 1/2- to 1/4-inch-diameter plastic tubing and emitters for water delivery to each plant. Create a system plan so that you understand exactly what parts to buy. Manufacturers offer different kinds of emitters. Standard emitters discharge 1 to 2 liters of water per hour and require a longer run time. Assess for watering depth with a moisture meter by digging into the soil. For faster watering, utilize microsprayers, which set out 8 to 20 gallons of water per hour. Use several emitters for each rose bush, adding more as the rose rises. Examine the tubing and emitters each week to be sure everything is functioning as it should. In winter, you could have the ability to turn the system off. Most roses grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 10, though this varies depending on cultivar. Install drip systems before or after putting the bed.

Sprinkler Systems

Because roses are often vulnerable to fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew, if their foliage gets wet and stays wet, overhead sprinkler systems are not a great selection for increased beds. Rather, look at flat-head sprinklers which you install at ground level, since they deliver their water straight out above the soil instead of up into the foliage. Water early in the afternoon so any moisture on leaves dries before day. Sprinkler systems are best installed in rose beds before the bushes move in.

Semiautomatic and Automatic Systems

Once you understand how long you have to run your system to acquire the dirt moist to 6 inches down, you may use a controller to automate watering. Programmable timers may turn the water off and on for you. They vary in price and elegance. Reprogram your controller if the weather changes and watering needs are different. Wise controllers automate more fully since they feel conditions from the garden and determine when watering is necessary and for a long time, and shut on and off automatically.

See related

Good fences may make good neighbors, but living privacy displays take it to a different level. Plants soften the utilitarian appearance of wooden or chain-link fencing, and they offer habitats and food to birds while blocking undesirable views. You can custom-design a perennial privacy screen by choosing a single plant type or a mix of plants.

Add Some Color

A plant privacy screen does not have to be solid green. It is possible to plant flowering perennials which also add color and scent to your backyard. Silverberry (Elaeagnus pungens) contains many benefits in its perennial selection of U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 9. Fragrant white flowers bloom in fall against a backdrop of grayish-green foliage, and spiny branches discourage interlopers. Silverberry rises rapidly to form a sync display — 36 inches per year — and may reach a height of 20 feet. In USDA zones 5 through 8, Cornelian dogwood (Cornus mas) is awash with fragrant yellow flowers in late winter or early spring. Like silverberry, Cornelian dogwood reaches a height of 20 feet and can form a privacy screen. Although it’s a deciduous plant, it is possible to plant it in front of evergreens to delight in its reddish-brown exfoliating bark in winter.

Feed the Birds

Pacific wax myrtle (Myrica californica), also known as California bayberry, is an evergreen, multitrunked tree in USDA zones 7 through 10. Reaching a height of 25 feet, wax myrtle produces purple berries, which have a white, waxy layer that feed birds, such as robins, finches and flickers, in late fall and early winter. Also reaching a height of 25 feet, toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is widely known as California holly or Christmas berry because of its striking display of crimson berries in winter in USDA zones 9 through 11.

Enjoy the Fragrance

Fragrant foliage enhances the attractiveness of a privacy screen. Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) has fragrant evergreen leaves at its perennial selection of USDA zones 8 through 10. This Mediterranean native can reach 60 feet tall, however, typically remains under 30 feet. In USDA zones 6 through 9, lavender cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus) is a shorter tree with fragrant, silvery leaf which reaches only two feet tall and 3 feet wide. If you would like a solid privacy screen, lavender cotton helps fill at the decreased gaps that larger plants may create.

Mix It Up

Rather than planting a soldierlike row of one plant type to produce a privacy screen, design cluster plantings or staggered plantings to make a multidimensional effect. If you would like a privacy screen in just 1 section of the yard to hide a specific eyesore, cluster plants in groups of three, five or another odd number in front of the undesirable view. Multiple cluster plantings can create groves and walkways through the garden when hiding unattractive scenery outside your yard. Staggered plantings feature plants of different heights, textures and colors to make a tiered appearance that accentuates your backyard by breaking up a monochrome design.

See related

To add a stunning touch to your house with something tropical and tall, look no farther than the Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana). It’sone of the all-time-most-popular palm houseplants. Unlike many other palm species, Kentia can manage low sun exposure, ac and heat. Additionally, it is quite tolerant of neglect. Just 1 consideration: Make sure you have plenty of space and an adequate ceiling height, because these tropical infants prefer to grow and grow and grow.

Period Homes, Inc..

This collection of three potted palms at an Dallas display house space conveys the sensation of a traditional conservatory, as a result of the lush tropical underplanting in each container, using arching fronds which fill the vertical space.

Whether a fantasy decor is a casual beach fashion or something nearer to the formal grandeur of a Victorian hand court, Kentia palm can help you get there.

Todd Peddicord Designs

A billiards room filled with antiques and old-world style appears to be an exotic empire-style jungle destination. Large pots filled with Kentia palm since the “thriller” and Boston fern since the “spiller” make a tropical ambience that is incomparable.

Henderson Design Group

An elegant Victorian home furnished with neutral decor is the best place for a tall Kentia palm, which makes a connection to the lush landscaping outside. Orange and yellow pillows and decorative accessories produce a joyous dance of color together with the philodendron leaf arrangement and also the feather-like green palm fronds.

Not surprisingly, a Kentia palm appears right at home at a timeless house in Portland, Oregon, built at the close of the Victorian era; palms became popular in that period and were a key element of Victorian parlor style.

Bon Vivant

An elegant Miami house with white walls and hardwood flooring (and of course a great skylight, which crops adore) becomes a taste of heaven with the accession of Kentia palms.

Integrated

A single palm appears right at home amid contemporary furnishings in this New York coastal high-rise, and is a nice diversion from the massive column one often finds in contemporary construction.

As is clearly seen here, at least 2 Kentia palms are usually needed in 1 container for a full-looking arrangment, depending on the size of these plants.

Get Back JoJo

How to Take Care of Your Kentia Palm

Temperature: 50 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 20 degrees Celsius) is Best.

Light: It prefers areas with partial shade, not full sun. It’ll tolerate a somewhat dark corner inside.

Water: Water only when the uppermost soil layer is dry. Mist the plant to simulate humidity and to stop spider mite infestation, which may happen with dust buildup. Overwatering will cause root rot, and underwatering may cause yellow tips which can turn to brown. When the leaves and stalks aren’t standing upright, as they ought to, try out a deep watering, assuming there is enough drainage.

Soil: Sandy with good drainage, though Kentia is flexible to many different soil conditions. Since the plant is quite slow growing, you’ll most likely keep it in the exact same container for many years. Replace old, spent dirt (above the root ball) occasionally.

Feeding: Employ an 18-18-18 slow-release specialized palm fertilizer in accordance with the package instructions once or twice per year, at the summer and spring.

General: Avoid repotting, however it’s necessary, be very cautious when handling the main ball. The Kentia is a palm with roots.

Other Considerations

Air purification: Kentia is good at cutting edge VOC levels — toxins that are released by cleaning supplies, printers and other family items.

Pets: Kentia is nontoxic.

Natural surroundings: Lord Howe Islands, east of Australia, where the single-trunk tree grows relatively slowly, attaining an average mature height of 20 feet. Long stalks produce bunches of white flowers, which turn into little, red, egg-shaped fruits.

A note on identity: The Kentia palm may look similar to the Parlor hand, and can be wrongly called by this name. While they both make good houseplants, the Parlor palm will stay quite small and is generally utilized at a pot onto a tabletop, while the Kentia can become quite tall.

See related

July is your prize after many months of gardening from autumn prep to spring preparation — and you now get to reap your rewards with new fruits, vegetables and fragrant flowers. It’s a time of wealth.

July is not the best planting month for Southeast gardens, but it is a good time to prepare and plan. The weeds won’t let you rest, but they may slow down into a manageable pace throughout the dog days of the summer. Rainfall will best determine how long you will spend weeding. Weeds that are fewer , little rain. More rain, more weeds.

Gardening with Confidence®

Cut back annuals: Cut back summer annuals in order that they don’t get leggy. A good time to do this is right before you go on vacation; in this manner, you’ll be gone since the plants get a fresh start. Petunias benefit from this type of summer pinch. This cutback in the ends of the stems encourages branching, leading to a bushier plant.

Gardening with Confidence®

Practice shrewd watering methods: July could be a month with rain. When nature stops supplying routine rain, you might need to supplement. Here are a few pointers to help your backyard during a dry season:
Odds are your container plants need to be watered daily. Check by doing the finger test. If the top inch of soil is dry, it is time to water. Water thoroughly. Small pots will dry out quicker than bigger pots, and containers at sunlight will dry out quicker than those from the shade.Add mulch. A layer of mulch, 3 to 4 inches deep, can moderate soil temperature and reduce evaporation. Organic mulches include: composted leaves, shredded pine or hardwoods, and even nuggets. Mulches will also reduce marijuana creation and keep the lawn looking tidy.First season plants — those fall and spring additions — will need more frequent watering than established ones. Water new additions two or 3 times a week until the plants are created. Established plants usually require watering after a week.Conserve water by simply conducting a sprinkler during cooler hours, typically early in the morning. This can help reduce water loss due to evaporation. When at all possible, set up a drip irrigation system or a soaker hose to minimize waste. Watering in the morning also makes it possible for the water to dry on the leaves, minimizing mould formation.

Gardening with Confidence®

Deadhead and deadleaf spent flowers: Remove hosta flowers after the blossom is invested. They are primarily decorative and not a power source to the plant, so they don’t need to die back completely before removing.

Gardening with Confidence®

Deadhead the spent flowers of daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) , Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum spp.) ,black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp. ) and bee balm (Monarda spp. ) to prolong the bloom time.

Gardening with Confidence®

Do these yellow leaves of this daylily allow you to see red? They do to me. Not only do I deadhead my daylilies, but I also deadleaf. I really don’t like the appearance of yellow or decaying daylily leaves.

Gardening with Confidence®

Split irises: Can you have success with your new iris planted this year or two at the autumn? If not, it might be due to several factors: too much shade, too much fertilizer, too deep a planting, or crowding. July is a good time to fix any of these problems by lifting and relocating or repositioning into a more positive location.

Plant the iris high with the rhizomes along the surface of the dirt. They will be coated finely and gently using mulch, but not soil. Make sure that you are able to either see the rhizomes or even have the ability to brush away the mulch exposing the bulb.

With the exception of Louisiana variety, irises need six to eight hours of sun to blossom and require decent drainage. In case you’ve got a damp, partial sun location in your garden, plant a Louisiana iris.

Read on growing irises

Gardening with Confidence®

Harvest summertime edibles: Harvest berries when they are ripe. There’s nothing better than sinking your teeth into a ripe tomato, heated in sunlight. Weren’t plant tomatoes? See your regional farmers market to get a selection of new, field-grown varieties.

Inside your home backyard, keep an eye out for early blight. Blight is a fungal infection which will cause spots to develop on the foliage. The leaves begin to yellow and then drop. Pinch off foliage in the beginning indication. If too severe, there are numerous fungicides which can be used to reduce the symptoms.

Gardening with Confidence®

After the blackberry and raspberry harvest, remove the old fruiting canes to create room for the new canes that will make next year’s harvest.

Gardening with Confidence®

Manage pests: Do yourself a favor rather than explore the “eye” of a bagworm. Bagworms have got to be the most disgusting looking thing ever — to me anyhow.

Bagworms can be treated by removing them by hand and dropping into a bucket of soapy water. In case the bagworm infestation is not within easy access, they are sometimes sprayed with Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt.

Bt is a microbial insecticide that is frequently used to control various caterpillars such as the red-headed azalea caterpillar along with many others, in addition to bagworms.

See more Southeast gardening guides

See related

Minimalist design has moved beyond inner layout. In the last several decades, glossy lifestyle magazines have featured immaculate interiors composed of carefully selected decoration, blank walls, practical furniture with transparent work surfaces and no mess.

But the concept of the minimalist garden follows the thoughts of the modernist architecture of the 20th century, when glass and concrete buildings took a unadorned surrounding landscape, and takes leads from your Zen gardens of Japan.

Minimalist gardens have become popular with those who prefer order, with simple lines and prohibitive planting, combined with the advantages of low care.

Let us look more closely at a number of the common themes found in minimalist garden layout — the usage of distance, pristine hardscaping, restrictive planting and formal water features.

BERGHOFF DESIGN GROUP

A Doorway to Minimalism

The debut of this “rooms outside” style of garden design in the 1960s led us to see smaller gardens in another manner. Rather the garden turned into an extension of the house.

The debut of patio doors with large regions of glass, and later, bifold doors that pare back to remove any barrier between the interior and exterior, has forged the way for the invention of the minimal garden.

By making use of exactly the identical flooring material inside and outside a smooth transition is made between the distances.

To Japan’s Zen gardens, we should look for the supply of minimalism. The perfectly placed rocks set in immaculate gravel, raked into trapping patterns, are pure minimalism.

Japanese gardens are made in the pursuit of spirital equilibrium, but at the West that has become a garden style.

MyLandscapes

The usage of Space

Space is perhaps more significant in a minimalist layout compared to some of those individual defined features. The equilibrium between the zones or areas is vital in producing oneness with the comprehensive layout, and nothing should be permitted to distract from the invention of minimalistic perfection.

MyLandscapes

This beautiful illustration of a modern minimalst backyard, by London garden designer Amir Schlezinger, brings together the key features we’ve come to expect from this sort of layout.

The layout is appropriate and easy, upkeep is low, there is little or no ornamentation and planting is restricted. Each area of the garden is nicely defined, be it that the dining zone or relaxing/sunbathing area.

The weed-free and manicured lawn is elegantly straightforward and perfectly flat, with crisp edges.

Grounded – Richard Risner RLA, ASLA

Striving for Paving Perfection

Paving in minimalist gardens has to be easy and straightforward, yet highly engineered. The materials used need to be immaculate in complete — limestone or light sandstone are favorites utilized by designers, though polished concrete also fits the bill.

Although any minimalist garden should be as maintenance free as possible, any hardscaping has to be maintained pristine to acheive the look.

Maintenance tip: Pressure washing needs to keep more absorbent rock, such as limestone and sandstone, free from algae and dirt stains.

MyLandscapes

If regular pavers are used, they are generally butted with quite tight joints of 3 millimeters or not. The easy planting of boxwood (‘Buxus spp.’) Highlights the apparent lines of this paving.

MyLandscapes

Where Fewer Plants Can Be

With fewer plants utilized within this manner of layout, each plant needs to be carefully selected to do the job demanded of it — make it a focal point or a visual partition. Restricting the range of plants (such as this case to four species), enables the planting to soften the hardness of the design, but not detract from the line and structure.

Maintenance tip: Plant maintenance should be easy and not time consuming. Minimize watering by adding water-retention granules to planting composts, and use an automatic irrigation system on a timer. Slow-release fertilizer pellets may turn feeding into just an annual job.

MyLandscapes

The clean lines of this deck — minimalism has brought the use of decking to the maximum echelon — are complemented with all the bold tropical-style planting. This could be anywhere in warmer climes, but this courtyard is set on the banks of the River Thames at London.

The plants have been carefully selected to provide the feeling demanded. Hostas, Ligularias, bamboos and tree ferns have been planted in repetitive groups.

C.O.S Design

Creating a Reflective Atmosphere

Water attributes can change the mood of this style, which may be somewhat sterile or sterile. A reflective pool can help attain a relaxing setting, whereas the soothing sound of a modern waterfall or fountain brings a additional dimension.

The size of any water feature should be kept in scale with the distance and fit to the set geometry — many minimalist water attributes are formal.

The asymmetrical formality of the layout shown here is constructed around the tiled floor pool, linking all spatial regions of the backyard.

Thuilot Associates

This extended pool appears to flow out of the house, its reflective surface echoing the glow on the inside floor.

The pebble floor of this pond gives extra texture to the layout, yet a pure black reflective surface could have been achieved with black pond dye added to the water. This would have the benefit of blocking light, which would help prevent the development of algae and keep the pond at the spotless state demanded of minimalist layout.

Any water feature employed in minimalist designs must be ideal in construction and maintenance, and care needs to taken with water levels, pond hygiene as well as the disguising of almost any pond liner.

Huettl Landscape Architecture

This garden really sums up the ethos of how to create a minimalist design you can live with.
The space is crystal clear and obvious with a generous dining area set on immaculate paving floating over a profound refective pool. The plantings are easy, insistent and easily maintained.

More:
Give Your Little Garden Some Room
Set of the Landscape: Modern Garden Style

See related

Your garden functions as an outdoor refuge — your personal refuge from the pressures and distractions of everyday life. If your current plantings are not taking you to this particular place or require a lot of maintenance, consider cape dash (Chondropetalum tectorum), the ideal exotic and decorative grass that only looks like it took forever to nurture.

Browse landscape layouts | More amazing design plants

Botanical name:Chondropetalum tectorum

Common names: cape rush, little cape dash

USDA zones: 8 to 10

Water requirement: Low

Sun requirement: Full sun to partial shade

Mature size: 2-3 feet tall and wide

Tolerances: Drought, deer, coastal, land

Far Out Flora

Distinguishing attributes. Cape dash is architectural yet still distinctly a grass. It arcs and bows with the cinch but obviously defines its shape and place in space. Banded sinuous green stalks persist throughout the year, while little brown flowers appear in terminal clusters come summer.

joycka

The best way to utilize it. Cape dash is tolerant of a wide assortment of soil types and moisture, which makes it versatile and flexible in a number of configurations. It provides a calming visual addition to an aquatic garden or around a pool, and its own coastal tolerance makes proximity to water even more viable.

Melissa Gale Photography

Cape dash is also ideal for arid landscapes, and its own breezy motion alludes to water in landscapes lacking that feature. Add natural slope stability to a hillside or utilize it for textural contrast in a minimalist garden.

Far Out Flora

Keep it rising. Hardy to around 20 degrees Fahrenheit, cape rush grows most successfully implanted in sunlight. While cape rush is drought tolerant once established, it can always benefit from occasional supplementary watering to enliven it.

Early spring calls for the removal of spent foliage to permit for new growth to emerge. Contrary to other clump perennial grasses, cape rush needs its older stalks removed individually as opposed to cut down to the floor. Divide every few years to encourage wholesome growth.

More excellent layout crops:
Black Mondo Grass | Blue Chalk Sticks | Feather Reed Grass | Hens-and-Chicks | New Zealand Wind Grass | Redtwig Dogwood | Toyon

Amazing layout trees:
Bald Cypress | Chinese Witch Hazel | Western Maple | Manzanita | Persian Ironwood
Smoke Tree | Tree Aloe

Great layout flowers:
Catmint | Golden Creeping Jenny | Pacific Coast Iris | Red Kangaroo Paw | Sally Holmes Rose
Slipper Plant | Snake Flower

See related