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Balcony Plants II
2006-12-09 14:15:00
Easy To Grow Balcony Plant s 5. Philodendron scandensPhilodendrons are erect or climbing plants with tough, glossy leaves. The most popular is Philodendrons scandens, with heart-shaped, dark green leaves, each about 10cm long. Philodendrons hastatum has more elongated, almost triangular leaves. Both grow up to 1.8m and need the support of canes or a sturdy pole. Philodendrons bipinnatifidum has erect stems and spreading, deeply cut leaves; it will grow to about the same total height as the climbers.Philodendron will live in a bright but not sunny position, or in a lightly shaded spot. The absolute minimum temperature should be 13 degree celsius, but above this it tolerates a wide range. High humidity encourages strong growth. Water the compost moderately, allowing a winer rest period of near-dryness. Provide a weak feed with each watering while the plant is actively growing. Pot on when roots fill the containers, in a mixture of peat and loam.6. Peperomia magnoliifoliaPeper...

Balcony Plants I
2006-12-08 13:02:00
Plants in containers need no special care throughout the year. However, they welcome occasional loosening of the soil with a wooden peg, removal of weeds and in dry weather, sufficient watering accompanied by regular feeding in the growing period. Below are a list of easy to grow plants for your balconies.Easy To Grow Balcony Plants1. Peace LilyCommon varieties: Spathiphyllum wallisii, Spathiphyllum clevelandii, Spathiphyllum floribundaS. wallisii grows about 30cm high; the cultivar 'Mauna Loa' attains about twice that size. Both have lance-shaped, glossy leaves borne on separate stalks growing directly from a rhizome. The flower is a broad white spathe surrounding a long white or creamy spadix. It lasts about tow months, gradually turning green.In summer the plant should be placed in bright filtered or indirect light, but it can stand mild sun in winter. An even temperature of 18 degree celsius all year round is ideal; the plant rests if it is too cold or too warm. Keep u...
More About: Plants , Plant

Balcony Gardens
2006-12-06 09:48:00
A balcony can become the most pleasant spot in your home if only it is made use of properly and any plantings are designed as an integral part of the flat. Nowadays, balconies have been transformed into the "backyards" for thousands of apartment, condominium, and townhouse dwellers across the country. Anyone can transform their balconies into a peaceful garden at home.When choosing subjects for planting, it is always necessary to have an appropriately-sized container for each plant species or cultivar. Tiny, low-growing plants should never be planted in large boxes, bowls or troughs, as their fragile beauty is completely suppressed there. Similarly, too robust plants look incongrous if planted in small containers and will quickly exhaust the soil, and themselves.The rigid outlines of modern facades usually call for some optical 'softening', which can be best achieved by placing on the balconies and window-sills containers filled with suitable plants.The furnishings of a balcon...
More About: Gardens , Arden , Garde

High Rise Garden
2006-11-29 12:31:00
For many people who live in large cities, a garden close to home often remains an unfulfilled dream. Yet this need nto be the case; it is still possible to brighten their environment and bring a little bit of nature within their reach. It may call for a little more ingenuity, but it can be done!Miniature gardens in the form of window-boxes, troughs, bowls, tubs and other containers placed on balconies, terraces, flat roofs, landings and close to house entrances can, and do beautify many of today's urban dwellings.This type of gardening offers new possibilities for making use of numerous -- even less well-known plants. However, certain basic principles differing from the common practice of gardening must be taken into account. The aesthetic relationship of the chosen flower decoration with the various architectural elements is very important. Even the colour of walls to a certain extent influences the choice of plants to be grown. Clearly, a different plant will be chosen to c...
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Lighting
2006-11-28 12:05:00
Lighting in a garden is particularly useful in summerhouses, on terraces and other places intended for sitting out in the evening. It can also be put wherever it makes some corner accessible in the evening or lights up especially attractive or sculptural plants.Lamps with wicker or straw shades look well in summerhouses that are mostly constructed of timber. Where the walls are of stone or brick, wrought iron, black painted chandelier-type fitments are better. Lights placed in the garden to illuminate interesting features should have a dull surface or a non-translucent shade, so they throw light only in the required direction. They may be made of metal or plastics, the important thing being that they should not be a disturbing or even unsightly element during the day. This can be resolved by placing them among plants that partially conceal them.'Clothes' for the windows are important for Summerhouse. Curtains, blinds and shades are various types of 'clothes' for the window...
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Summerhouse
2006-11-27 11:50:00
A Summerhouse is a small roofed building of varying forms in gardens or parks designed to provide cool shady places of relaxation or retreats from summer heat.If your garden extends some distance from the house, you really need a summerhouse so that you can spend long periods in the garden, whatever the season.In a big garden, a summerhouse can also be a place to rest, or a shelter from which the garden can be observed even when it is raining. So it should always be situated in a spot with a good view of the landscape or in a pretty corner of the garden.A summerhouse may house garden furniture and tools, or it can be fitted out with easily protable furniture and a cooking stove and so on, so that meals can be eaten there.All kinds of material can be used to build a summerhouse, but the most suitable is timber, as this is likely to fit in best with the environment. However, buildings of bricks or concrete blocks do last longer. White plaster combined with dark wood for the shutter...
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Garden Paths
2006-11-07 14:13:00
Garden paths are not merely functional, connecting the most frequented parts of the garden, they are also important artistic elements. The placing of paths must be well thought out before you start to lay them down. All paths shold be usable in all weathers, even during prolonged spells of rain or frost. Also, they should not need a great deal of care, but always look pleasing.The path from the garden gate to the front door of a house ususally takes the shortest route. All the other paths, betwen the house and the sitting-out place, the garage, pool or kitchen garden need not take the shortest route, but they should facilitate views of the prettiest parts of the garden.Concrete Path s: Although concrete lasts well and is relatively cheap and practical, its use in a garden is questionable from the aesthetic point of view. It must be regarded not only from the functional aspect, but the way the concrete surfaces are arranged.Paths contribute considerably to the general design of th...
More About: Garden , Arden , Garde

Garden Furniture
2006-11-06 13:53:00
A garden must be equipped with furniture so that it can be really lived in. In choosing this, the basic requirements are that it should be comfortable, easily transportable, sufficiently stable, weather-proof, easy to store and should fit in well with the character of the garden. Too bright colours and extreme variations of shape should be avoided.There is a wide selection of various types of furniture on the market. The least resistant to weather is that made of wicker and bamboo. All sorts of swinging seats or loungers with canvas canopies are very popular, as are deck chairs and other folding chairs. If you do not like what is on sale, you can always make your own furniture.A convenient bench can can be made of wooden railway sleepers. One sleeper makes the seat, another halfas wide, the back. They can be fixed to a high wall by being strung on two to three metal pipes let into the wall. The bench may be cut to any required length.A bench that looks well in a naturally de...
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Garden Architectural Features
2006-11-05 13:33:00
In the past, particularly in baroque times, many works of art were placed in parks and gardens. In a modern garden too, statues and other works of art can be used to increase its aesthetic value. The effect of any owrk of art is enhanced by certain surroundings, and there is no doubt that buildings, pieces of sculptural art and plants are all mutually complementary.Of course, the choice of any work of art depends on personal taste. And not only statues, wall reliefs and ceramic pots can be used to beautify a garden, but also useful objects with a decorative element, such as bird baths, flower bowls and sundials. Even big stones with interesting shapes, found in their natual setting -- say, when walking along a beach -- can be very effective in a garden.Not only the selection of a work of art but its placing in the garden needs sensitive handling. A simple statue can hold its own even when there are striking and multiform plants in its neighbourhood, but an elaborate or large-sc...
More About: Garden , Features , Architect , Feat , Ural

Evolution Of A Garden
2006-11-04 10:37:00
No garden is ever completely finished; it is always at a certain stage of development. Its cultivation involves us in endless creative activity. We are constantly influencing its evolution towards what we want of the garden as a whole. So any plans for creating or altering a garden must take into account the aspects of space and time.The first thing that is subject to change is the garden's economic yield. For instance, after planting apple trees we have to wait for several years before they bear much fruit. This time gap can be billed in by the cultivation of soft fruit, such as currants, gooseberries, raspberries and blackberries and strawberries. The decorative garden also changes from year to year. In the early stages, when especially the newly planted trees and shrubs are small, it is not very effective aesthetically. It sometimes takes many years for a garden to attain its full aesthetic effect. But this wait for the desired result can be compensated for by strategic...
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Harmonious Garden
2006-11-03 08:32:00
The principles of harmony and contrast can be used in designing a garden either independently or combined. There can be harmony or contrast between groups of colours, light and shade, form and line. A harmonious picture can most often be achieved by grouping together partially similar elements -- in terms of colours or shapes, for instance, various shades of green or a repetition in various sizes of the same shape of plants. Basically harmony is reptition, but never exact reptetition; it permits small changes. Also, a harmonious picture may be formed by changing the grouping of identical elements, such as having one species of plants concentrated in thick compact groups in one part of hte garden, but spaced out or even single specimens in another part. Harm onious compositions give an impression of calm bacause they are free of sudden changes, contrasts and tension. Contrast can be attained by grouping opposites together, whether the opposite factor be one of size, shape, colour, ...
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Artistic Garden
2006-11-02 07:42:00
People spend a great deal of time not only in their homes but also in their gardens; children grow up there and family relationships are formed. For these very good reasons, the artistic effect of this environment should not be a matter of indifference. If we think of a garden from this point of view we shall consider its beauty to be a vital feature -- quite as important as its economic yield. A beautiful garden does not come into being througha random collection of beautiful items. If, at the same time, we do not plan their mutual artistic relationships the result -- at best, will be a collection of beautiful items, but not a beautiful garden. No exact rules can be laid down for planning an artistic garden, because allowance must be made for individual tastes,m but at least some generally valid aesthetic principles can be given. The artistic planning of a garden is basically guided by the same generally valid rules that apply in other forms of artistic creation. In the firs...
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